#and then i kept switching things around until it finally clicked

[jessgaspar]

almost home

prints available :) link in bio

[teamatsumu]

purple and pink. (rafayel x reader)

summary: you and rafayel cover yourselves in paint and (redacted).

word count: 3450

warnings: porn without plot, smut, swearing, nsfw, mdni, fem!reader

tags: @keiva1000 @kindnessspreads @msbyomimi

a/n: my brain is rotting for this man so this is just self indulgent crap atp

You weren’t exactly an artistic person.

You just never indulged in art before. Of course, you admired the craft and thought it was extremely difficult to actually create meaningful art. But you didn’t think you were a particularly creative person, nor did you think you had an eye for such stuff.

Ever since you began dating Rafayel, you would say your appreciation for art had definitely improved. How could it not, considering he spent all day creating it, and in the time he wasn’t, his world was still colored by the lens of it. Rafayel saw art everywhere he went, in the gentle roll of the water where it rippled in fountains, or the timid but pinpoint light of a lone star in a dark sky. He loved describing it to you, and the way he put it would make you look around twice. He had really changed the way you viewed the world.

What you were about to do now wasn’t exactly the kind of art that made you think deeply of the universe, but hey, not all art can make you question your existence. Sometimes you need to create….. lighter pieces.

Stepping back, you stared down at the bed sheet sized canvas you had stuck to the floor, sure that you had used enough adhesive to keep it temporarily in place. The clock on the far wall of the studio told you that Rafayel would be home in a little while, which meant you needed to start the next phase of your plan shortly. But first things first, you needed lighter clothes.

After you had switched your jeans and button down shirt for a thin, short robe, you began pulling down buckets of paint from the storage closet connecting to the main studio. You chose only two, a light purple and a light pink. Both colors you knew Rafayel liked using in his pieces. You might not know a whole lot about art, but you knew him inside out. And you also knew he would love this idea.

You spent the next few minutes going over the canvas with the two buckets, pouring a few globs of paint over it. Small, but dense, with lots of blank canvas around them so they could be spread. You decided to only do two or three globs of each color. After all, wasn’t the art in how the colors would move and slide on the canvas? This should be enough paint for that purpose.

Your face was heating up at the thought of what was about to happen, and you felt almost giddy. When was he going to be home? You couldn’t wait to get started.

As if on cue, the door of the studio clicked open, not making a single sound as your boyfriend lumbered in, closing the door behind him. His white shirt was loose, black pants tight, and you couldn’t help but admire his ass when he turned around to shut the door with a light snap.

“Hey-” He stopped almost immediately upon seeing you, eyeing the half empty paint can you were setting down and the flimsy robe covering your body. A body that was definitely naked under it.

“What are you doing?” You saw his eyes flick over you and then behind to eye the massive canvas you had laid out, along with the little circles of paint looking fresh and shiny on it. You gave him a grin.

“I was hoping we could collaborate for your next piece.” You tugged at his shirt until you both stood closer to the canvas, taking special joy in how confused he looked. His eyes kept darting all over the place to try and make sense of what was going on, and you had to stifle a giggle.

You thought to elaborate on your suggestion by slowly unbuttoning his crisp white shirt. Rafayel raised his eyebrows but didn’t stop you, probably curious to see what you were cooking. You tugged his shirt off his toned shoulders, before going to work on his pants. His hand finally seized yours, tilting his head so your eyes would meet his.

“You wanna tell me what’s going on?” His tone was amused. You hummed almost in thought, pulling your hand away. You tugged on the belt of your robe until it slipped free, and the front fell open. You saw the tips of Rafayel’s ears turn red, and his expression blanked a bit.

“You have paint. You have a canvas. And you have me.” Your voice was a low whisper. You reached into the bucket next to you, palms stretched, until they were both covered in paint. Then you reached one hand up and dragged your fingertips over his bare abs.

The cool paint made them contract a bit, and you heard the way his breath hitched under the touch. Four long streaks of pink now stood out against his pale skin. Finally, you looked back up to meet his gaze, his face inches from yours.

Rafayel’s blush had extended from his ears down to his neck, but the corner of his lip twitched up into a slow grin. His hands were eager as he undid the button of his pants, and you felt a thrill run up your spine. You watched him undress quickly. He was slow, smooth, as he lifted one precise hand to tug on the shoulder of your loose robe until it was falling off your shoulders and pooling at your feet.

He looked around and his eyes caught the second can of paint. Purple. He dipped his hands into it, and you watched him walk back over to you.

“Where did you get this idea, baby?” His voice had lost its confusion, coated in honey now, sultry and low, nearly a whisper, and you shivered when his breath hit your bare neck. He took advantage of the fact that your hair was pulled up and away from your shoulders, tracing gentle lips over the slope of your shoulder. Instinctively, your hands smoothed over his torso, and you were reminded of the paint on them, still wet, now swiped onto the man before you.

Rafayel hummed at the feeling and proceeded to return the favor, his hands set on your hips. The paint was cool on your skin, and you almost jumped at the temperature if it weren’t for his warm hands taking the feeling away in the next second. Your boyfriend gave your naked bodies a gentle tug backwards until you were stepping on paper, slight crinkling noises hitting your ears.

Gentle lips now made contact with yours, and you sighed in relief. You had missed this, just the feeling of him kissing you. You had been thinking about it- and other things- all day, and you were so excited to start. Hands caressed over each other slowly but eagerly, and you couldn’t even begin to imagine how much paint you had managed to get on each other.

Your kisses became more hurried, more firm, and you could feel Rafayel’s body temperature rise a bit. His breath stuttered when you moaned into his mouth, tongues dancing together in a synchronized battle. He nibbled at your bottom lip and you arched deeply into him, nails digging into his biceps.

“Fuck, the paint is drying.” You managed to gasp out when your lips separated, his mouth finding the skin behind your ear immediately. He sucked hard on it, until you shivered and let out a long, shaky breath. Your knees were so weak, and you were glad for his strong arms wrapped around your waist, since it was the only thing currently holding you up.

He hummed against your skin, not letting up on the marks he was marring it with. You had discovered pretty early on that Rafayel was a biter, and marks on your skin was another way he created art. It just so happened that you enjoyed the feeling more than you could ever think to describe.

“Good thing you laid more out for us then.” He responded, referring to the globs just below your feet, before tugging you down until you were sprawled on the canvas below you. It was cool under your skin, and you felt something wet just under your shoulder. Oh. Your eyes met Rafayel’s before they finally traveled down his body for the first time since you two had started. You gulped in a deep breath.

His pale skin was covered in purple and pink streaks, like smooth color streaked over brilliant porcelain. The ridges and bumps of his muscles stood out even more under the paint, and you could tell in a few places the exact route your hands had taken, pink running over his waist and down his V-line. The remnants of the journey your fingers took stood before you, proud on his skin. You felt a thrill run through you at the sight, something stirred in your core.

“This is turning you on.” Rafayel observed, a light smirk resting on his face. You felt your body burn at the teasing lilt of his voice.

“As if this isn’t something you’ve dreamed of doing.” You retaliated, opening your legs so he could fit himself between them, resting his elbows on either side of you so your faces were a hairbreadth away. He hummed and sighed, lowering his body until his erection grazed right over your center, making you gasp.

“Believe me, I’ve dreamed of this.” He sighed, reached for the paint to the left and just above your head. You watched him cover his palm with it before he reached down, hooking a hand under your knee and pulling it up until it folded against your torso. The paint was wet on your skin, and you were learning to love the feeling more and more. His cock prodded your entrance, now on full display for him. He gave you another mischievous smirk.

“Baby I’m about to ruin you so bad.”

The first slide of him inside you had you crying out and arching into him, his cock carving its way through your unprepped hole and bringing with it a burn so delicious it made your head spin. When he bottomed out, he moaned unabashedly into your ear, hot breath hitting the shell of it and sending shivers through your spine. Your core clenched and unclenched rapidly, trying to adjust to the glorious intrusion. Your brain screamed at him to move, to slide in and out, do anything at all. You needed to feel him rock into you. Your hips twitched and jerked, making your boyfriend moan before he finally started moving.

His thrusts started out languid, smooth, gliding in and out of you at a reasonable pace. You sighed, head leaned back and reveling in the feeling it brought, leg tensing under his grip. Little tendrils of pleasure zipped up from where you were connected, heavy cock stretching you open until your pussy was adequately wet, ready to take the pounding you knew was inevitably coming your way.

And oh, did you receive it.

Slowly, steadily, Rafayel picked up the pace until his hips were smacking hard into your pelvis, knocking every breath from your lungs. You cried out, one arm thrown over his shoulder while the other seeked desperate purchase under you, used to the feeling of silk sheets but now met with nothing but smooth, stretched out canvas and the wet sensation of sticky color. Rafayel used the grip he had on your knee to twist your leg out further, inviting him to hit that one spot that made you see stars. A broken wail left your mouth and your back arched impossibly high, hearing a low moan hit your ear when you clenched tight around the cock pounding into you.

“F-fuck, Rafi-” His head lifted, just enough to connect your lips in a desperate slurry of rushed kisses, sucking and biting on your lips as his pace didn’t so much as stutter. Your moans dissolved straight into his mouth, little pornographic ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’s slipping out with every thrust. You didn’t bother muffling them, knowing exactly what the noises did for Rafayel’s ego, and with how he was ravishing you currently, you were okay with giving him a little ego boost.

(You would deal with the consequences of that later.)

“Gonna cum-” You managed to choke out just as your orgasm rammed into you with no warning, effectively silencing any other words as you cried and shook through it, muscles seized tight and legs kicking in the air.

“God- fuck,” Rafayel’s first words. “There you go. Fuck, that’s it.”

He fucked you through the last vestiges of your high before his arms slipped under your arched waist and lifted you up, rolling over until you were perched on his hips, throbbing cock still nestled inside you. The change in position made him slide in deeper, and you let out a broken moan. Your orgasm was still lingering around the edges, encouraging you to prolong the feeling, to chase after it again. And so you did. You rolled your hips, placing your hands on Rafayel’s abs as leverage to push your body up and down. You finally took a good look at your boyfriend.

His chest was heaving with exertion, shining under the glow of the lights above you, catching on the swirling mixes of purple and pink. Under the paint, his skin glistened with sweat, tensing and straining under his movements. The paint had reached all the way up the side of his neck, and even into his hair, blending with the purple tresses. The purple complimented his eyes, half lidded and heavy with lust, his lip was tucked under his teeth.

He was a vision.

“Baby, you’re so fucking beautiful.” His voice was fractured and strained, and in your staring you had forgotten that you were also the object of his gaze. You couldn’t imagine how you looked right now, slathered with paint and hot under the stimulation you were receiving, strands of hair leaving your bun and trailing down over your face and neck. You rolled your hips and tightened hard around his cock, watching the way his jaw slackened and eyes rolled shut. Another zip of pleasure ran through you, and you couldn’t help but keen, pushing yourself to go faster, to make him feel even better.

“I’m- I’m so close.” You could feel your vision swim, tears gathering in your lash line as his cock dug deep into your core, prodding into your spongy walls in all the right ways. Rafayel grabbed both your wrists off his chest, pulling them behind your back and then tugging you down until your body was pinned tight against his. You let him do as he pleased, planting his feet on the canvas before he started thrusting hard and fast up into your sopping cunt.

You screamed and arched, body tensing at the pace he set, chin resting on his shoulder and head thrown back as you let him carry you face first into another orgasm, gushing around him until the sounds of his thrusts grew impossibly wetter, sloppier than the paint around you and covering you, blabbering incoherent phrases and curses as tears poured from your eyes. With every thrust, the ecstasy prolonged itself, like an endless high that came with intense drugs, except all you needed was him, and he would get you there if it was the last thing he did.

Your perspective was shifting, Rafayel’s cock leaving you until you felt cold and empty. He maneuvered you onto your hands and knees, or rather, arms and knees since you felt that you couldn’t even hold yourself up at this point. A firm hand pushed on your back until it arched to his liking, spreading you until he could slide his massive length back into you with little to no resistance. You whimpered pathetically, eyes rolling unhindered in your head, cheek smushed into the paper beneath you. Briefly, you felt like you could almost taste the paint, but the thought left your brain faster than cigarette smoke dissipating on a windy day when Rafayel started moving again.

“Stop me if you can’t take it.”

You could never, would never stop him, not when your pussy keened at the feeling of his cock filling you up to fulfillment once more. Especially not when he planted a foot on your side that gave him leverage to thrust harder and stronger into you. Your body buzzed and reveled under the feeling of being used like this, basking in the sounds coming from Rafayel getting heavier and choppier as he finally chased his own orgasm instead of yours. You wanted nothing more than for him to warm you up, fill you with his seed until you couldn’t take any more of it. Your depraved mind was wiped blank of everything else except that crushing need.

“Cum in me.” You managed to whine, clenching hard around him. Rafayel moaned and his hips stuttered.

“Fuck. I’m gonna- I’m cumming baby, take it, take it, take it, take it-” Your body jostled at the strength of his thrusts, once, twice, and then he was slamming his cock deep into you and holding it there, hot spurts of cum hitting your walls. Painting your insides white like your bodies had painted your outsides purple and pink.

Your entire body collapsed on itself when Rafayel pulled out, dropping onto the paper heavily as you tried to catch your breath. Your vision was swimming and so was your head, unable to do anything but focus on the faint buzz in your muscles. You could hear shuffling somewhere behind you before you were being lifted into strong arms. You sighed and curled into them, seeking the warmth of your boyfriend after the beating your body just took. And he was happy to provide it- in the tub he ran for you while both of you settled into warm water.

You dozed in and out of sleep as Rafayel cleaned you up, giggling and humming along with whatever little anecdotes he was telling you. He knew you would barely remember most of it later, considering how dopey and spacey you got after sex. You pouted and leaned up to him every few minutes, stealing tiny kisses from his lips. And afterwards, you let him pat you dry and put you to bed in the usual “princess treatment” he gave you after one of your sessions. The only time he backed off from teasing you relentlessly and instead doted on you properly.

You couldn’t tell how long you slept, but you woke up feeling well rested. The bed next to you was empty but still slightly warm, and you could hear quiet shuffling outside in the studio.

Your muscles screamed when you forced them to move, your hips and thighs feeling like particular sore spots. You ignored the feeling in favor of pulling a shirt off the floor to throw over your body, realizing it was your boyfriend’s when it fell all the way to your thighs. You trudged out of the room while rubbing the sleep from your eyes. You saw him standing with his back to you, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. The muscles of his bare back shifted as he moved, now clear of all the paint you two had slathered on it. Oh right, the paint.

Your eyes shifted behind him to the canvas, which Rafayel had propped up against the wall now, and was observing silently. You walked closer to admire the streaks of pink and purple on it, watching it carefully. Somehow, the choppy strokes showed your desperation, your passion, and you felt your face heat up at the thought.

“Looks pretty.” Your voice was slightly rough. Rafayel turned around at the sound and gave you a soft smile, pulling you closer and wrapping his arms around you from behind as you both stared. You settled into his warmth as you swayed gently back and forth.

“Why’re you thinking so hard about it?” You asked.

You turned your head to watch as he huffed and pouted a bit. He looked so cute, you bit back the urge to squish his cheeks.

“Pretty sure there’s some cum in there somewhere.”

Aaaaaand the urge was gone.

You smacked his chest hard, making him jerk back and laugh, but not releasing his hold on you.

“You’re disgusting.”

“Not more than you.”

He kissed you before you could land another smack, hand cupping your jaw to tilt your head back. You fought to keep a grin down, but failed when you felt his lips stretch with a smile of his own, erupting into giggles.

[rebelliousstories]

Peachy

Relationship: Cooper “The Ghoul” Howard x Reader

Fandom: Fallout

Request: No

Warnings: Strong Language, Brief Violence, Suggestive Themes

Word Count: 1,785

Main Masterlist: Here

Fallout Masterlist: Here

Part Two: Pretty as a Peach

Summary: Lucy gets a front row seat to the strange happenings in the Wasteland.

It should be a crime for the day to be this hot. With the sun beating down, it felt like she was going to die rather imminently. But that Ghoul behind her back kept marching her forward whenever she tried to drop. It was not until they made it to some abandoned, two-story building, that the duo was finally able to be granted a moment’s reprieve.

“Sit down Vaultie.” The Ghoul demanded, leading the woman to sit against the worn out walls and dimpled stone. The cool rock felt blessed beneath her body. Even through her Vault-Tech suit insulated her against a lot of the extreme weather, enough was able to slip through for her to begin to cool down.

“That’s a girl. Stayin’ the night here, but I wouldn’ go wanderin’ after dark. A lotta things worse than a ghoul round here.” He spoke once more, starting to gather carve himself a little spot where he could rest.

“Where are we?” Lucy finally asked, voice rasped with dehydration and exhaustion. However, the man did not answer. He simply stretched out his long limbs, and placed his hat over his eyes in an attempt to get some sleep.

“Where are we?” She pleaded once more, to which the Ghoul was not sympathetic to.

“Hey!” Yelling now, the Ghoul picked his hat up from his eyes and set it back on his head while looking at the girl he held.

“Now, am I gonna have to cut out that tongue in order to get some peace and quiet?” Lucy was taken aback, and could not quite tell if he was joking or not. Taking his moment of silence, the man swept his hat over his eyes once more; but it did not last long. The clattering of something nearby caught the attention of the vault dweller, and surface dweller. With a heaving groan, the Ghoul stood back up, placed his hat on his head, and looked around. Lucy also tried to look, but she saw nothing out of the ordinary for the surface.

“Thou shalt get sidetracked by bullshit every goddamn time.” He muttered under his breath. Spurs clicked as he walked around and took inventory. But the clattering of a can behind him made the Ghoul pull his pistol and aim. There was nothing behind him, though. Lucy watched intently as the man surveyed his surroundings, and was just a beat too late to warn him about the shadowy figure to his back.

“Behind you!” The Ghoul did not have time to fire off a round. The figure jumped on his back, and locked on. He tried to swivel the creature off, but to no avail. Dropping to a knee, the Ghoul threw his assailant off of hm and on to the ground below. Whoever it was, they were fast. Reaching a leg up, the person managed to get him in a headlock with their legs, and rolled them around until they emerged on top. Pinning his hands down with both of theirs, the attacker shimmied out of the mask covering the bottom half of their face. It was a woman; a really pretty one at that.

“Hiya, Coop.” She teased, switching to a one handed hold on his wrists to snatch his hat off of his head. The piece of clothing was set upon her own head as a lazy smirk was pulled from his face.

“Well, if it ain’t my darling little peach.” He drawled. Once her other hand came down to rest on his wrists again, he switched their placements in the blink of an eye. Now, both of her wrists were in one of his, while his other came to rest behind her head. Cooper bucked the young woman up and off, spinning them around to pin her t the floor.

“Careful with that tone, Ghoul. Someone might think you missed me.” Once again, she was teasing. She spread her legs a little wider to accommodate him, and trailed one of them up to rest along his back. In turn, Cooper leaned down to get right up close to her face.

“Aww, we wouldn’t want that. Now would we, peaches?” A wicked smile decorated his face that she mirrored, and it seemed they were both trapped in their own little world for a time.

“How can you like him like that?” A high, feminine voice broke them free of their trance. Both Wastelanders looked over to the vault dweller with a mix of annoyance, confusion, and upset over being interrupted.

“Hope you’re not thinking of replacing me with that.” The woman, still pinned underneath the Ghoul, spoke. Her words did not sound as harsh as they should have; perhaps it was the smile that still plagued the woman’s face that offered her a softer edge that the usual surface dwellers Lucy had met thus far.

“Believe me, peach. Ain’t nothin’ able to replace you.” Cooper groaned out, letting the woman come to to sit and observe the woman before them.

“Ooo. You got yourself a Vaultie? You know how much they go for?” The woman asked, watching Lucy’s eyes widen in shock and horror. As much as she wanted to keep it going, the woman began laughing as she saw the expression on the vault dweller’s face.

“Nah, ‘m just messing with you. I ain’t got no clue how much y’all are worth. Probably a lot though. Whatcha doin’ travelin’ with this bag o’ bones?” Being friendly was confusing yet refreshing to Lucy, even as the mysterious woman remained tangled up in Cooper’s arms.

“Oh,” Lucy perked up, “well, I’m looking for my father. It’s a really long story but you are by far the nicest person I have met on the surface. My name is Lucy, and you are?” She rattled off, unable to contain her nerves or speech.

“Honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve used my real name, I’ve nearly forgotten it. He calls me peach or some variation of it so-” squeaking out, the woman turned to see that Cooper had pinched her side hard in a warning.

“Okay. Not allowed to call me that then.” She supplied her real name afterwards, and saw the vault dweller before her visibly relax.

“Now that that’s out of the way, I bring gifts.” Untangling herself from the Ghoul, she made her way to where her bag was dropped. Lucy guessed that was what they heard falling before the ‘fight’ broke out. She pulled out a few cans of food, presumably, and tossed them to Cooper, however one of the cans was tossed towards Lucy. Reading the front of the label, she took not that it was a Vault-Tech brand of pie filling.

“Sugar, you shouldn’t have.” Cooper drawled, gratefully taking the jerky and chems that were provided.

“Well, figured you’d want a little gift for all your troubles.” Effortlessly, she just kept emptying her bags. Right when you think she is done, she would pull out more from the same place. It was, honestly, a wonder.

“One last thing. Just for us tonight.” Holding a can in her hands, she pulled a knife from her belt to begin cracking it open. The label was long since gone from it, but that didn’t stop them from eagerly tearing into it. Once she was close enough, she sat down and allowed Cooper to take it from her hands. He finished the job of getting the lid off of the can, and let delight take over his scarred features.

“Now, where’d you find this, peach?” He asked, letting her tuck herself under his arm to get closer.

“Trader I went to had a whole shipment of them Georgia. Well, what’s left of it. Anyways, you should be thankful I managed to get some. That one can cost me two hundred and fifty caps.” While his eyes did not bug out of his skull, his brow area did raise considerably when he heard the price.

“Careful, peach. Someone might think you like me.” Cooper stabbed a thick, juicy slice and brought it up to the woman’s lips to let her take a bite off, before bringing the other half of the slice to his own lips. A sinful groan was released from the both of them as they allowed the sugary sweet fruit to explode. It was a taste that Cooper was not sure if he would ever taste again after the bombs destroyed the world as he knew it.

“Is that peach? Is that what it’s supposed to taste like?” She asked, hoping sh had gotten it right. The Ghoul stabbed yet another slice and repeated the process from before as he watched the woman intensely.

“Yep. That is the sweet taste of peach, alright.” With how he was staring at her, the woman was not sure that he was talking about the fruit anymore. They continued to swap the fruit back and forth as they finished the can. When it got down to the juices, she pushed the can closer to him, encouraging him to take the drink. And he did; but that was not the end of it. As he drank down the last gulp of juices from the can, Cooper grabbed her chin, pressed his lips to hers, and pushed some of the liquid into her mouth instead. She chased the taste on his lips once she had taken her drink, and let herself get lost in the moment. He pawed at the layers covering her body, but the sound of Lucy finishing her can brought them out.

“I don’t feel like having an audience tonight, cowpoke.” She whispered, breathless, against his face. The hat was still set atop her head, and it was not going to be leaving anytime soon. A yawn tore through the woman in his arms, before being caught by Lucy against the stone.

“Really startin’ to get pissed at this Vaultie, peaches.” He whispered back, pressing another kiss to her lips, before returning to their previous position.

“Get some shut eye. We leave at day break.” Cooper said with a definitive tone, leaning his head back against the wall in an effort to sleep. The woman below him cuddled herself into his chest and drifted off to sleep without a worry of being attacked in her sleep. Lucy was the last one to close her eyes, but not the last one to fall asleep. Her mind raced with questions she wished she could ask, but thought better of not asking. Hoping that the mystery woman was there in the morning, the vault dweller and surface dwellers found themselves in the land of dreams before long, hoping and trying to survive till the next sunset.

[planetkiimchi]

sixth time's the charm | w.jh

no. 1 of my 100 followers event (requested)

featuring: coworker!jun x gn!reader

word count: 8832 words

summary — your coworker jun is naturally friendly and a little chaotic, but he also mistakenly thinks you like his crush. this love rivalry persists despite the two of you being friends, at least until he realises that the one he likes is you.

author’s note: thank you to @fairyhaos for beta-ing this, your comments are so appreciated. especially knowing now that you have such high standards for fics, i’m so honoured to receive any sort of compliment from you <3 thank you ara for the request and i hope you enjoy!

Your first day of work was in January, at the tail end of winter. People were trading their thick winter coats for thinner wool sweaters and cotton hoodies, slowly switching back to sneakers instead of the chunky boots they donned in the winter.

The temperature was still cold in the mornings, especially when people were heading to work. The streets were filled with people walking briskly, as staying idle for too long would let the chill seep into one’s bones.

You were no different, a long coat wrapped tightly around your work attire, the most formal you could get. You cracked your knuckles nervously as you came to a hesitant stop in front of an office building, indistinguishable from the surrounding buildings save for the large “JH Corporations” displayed across the front.

Inhaling deeply, you stepped inside.

You were greeted by the warm air of the heated building, and you took in your surroundings as subtly as you could, taking small steps towards the reception desk while your gaze wandered about.

Everyone there seemed to be in a hurry, impatiently bustling past with briefcases, holding onto their laptop cases and thick folders. The constant clicking sound of high heels against the floor seemed to match your heart rate, going tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.

You made your way over to the reception desk.

“Good morning!” A cheery voice broke your train of thought, interrupting your anxiously racing thoughts and preventing you from spiralling.

Turning around to face the owner of the voice, you came face to face with a familiar face.

“Wen Junhui?”

The man in question grinned back at you. “Hi!”

So it was him. Junhui—”Call me Jun,” he’d said—had been there at your job interview, which had been done in a group, so both of you were probably starting at a similar level. Logically speaking, that day should also be his first day at work. However, unlike you, he looked a lot more at ease in this large building.

“Excuse me?” The receptionist tried to get your attention, and you blinked quickly before nodding.

“Yes, hi.”

You gave her your name and waited as she searched for your employee pass, before handing it to you, along with directions on how to get to your level.

You thanked her and turned to leave.

“I’m going to level three too, would you like me to show you there?”

Your heart, which had been beating painfully fast ever since you stepped foot into the building, slowed to a reasonable pace as you forced yourself to take a deep breath. Then, turning to face Jun, you smiled slightly.

“That would be great.”

Jun didn’t shut up the entire way to your desk. He looked tidy and well-kept, brown hair parted slightly off-centre, a tie around his neck. His smart black shoes clicked against the floor as he walked, and you noticed his fingernails were trimmed when he reached out to press the lift button.

“Y/n, right?” You nodded absently as Jun talked about this job, how his boss was rather friendly and how excited he was to be able to work in this team setting. Everyone was welcoming so far, and no one had belittled him as of yet.

During the elevator ride, you didn’t manage to get a single word in. Jun just kept on talking, somehow finding ways to fill the silence without you having to say a single thing. When he finally took a breath, you seized the opportunity to ask, “When did you start?”

“Last week! They asked me to come at the beginning of the new year, but I requested to start a week earlier instead, just after the winter solstice, so I could get acquainted a little earlier.”

Oh. That made sense. You briefly wondered why you hadn’t thought to do that yourself, stepping out of the elevator as the door opened onto the third floor.

You followed Jun through what felt like a winding maze of desks, all grey with some attempts at personalisation in the form of white mugs with “I ❤️ DAD” and “This is my fifth cup of coffee” printed across them, and cushions propped up on chairs for comfort.

“... And here’s your desk! Mine’s right across, so you can come over and ask me for help at any time. Just wave, and I’ll come over!” Jun smiled at you expectantly.

“Thanks?” you replied hesitantly.

“No problem!”

Smiling cheerily at you, Jun walked over and took a seat at his desk.

Breathe. You inhaled deeply, taking in your surroundings once more. This time, it felt a lot less scary. Each team had a semi-secluded area, with partitions sectioning off different teams, and your section was a little quiet but very conducive for working in.

The other people in the office had looked up briefly when you walked in, disrupted by Jun’s voice, waving politely at you before looking back down at their computers.

It didn’t seem like much, but you weren’t quite sure what you had been expecting in the first place. Setting your things down, you went over to find your team manager so you could officially start working.

—

Time passed too quickly. Soon enough, the project that the team had just undertaken was already almost half completed, and your working hours grew longer as the daylight stretched longer as well.

The sun set just after six, and you often got off work before then, so you would be home in time for dinner. Upon graduating from university, one of the first things you’d done was rent a house on the outskirts of the central business district.

It wasn’t the cheapest option, but luck was on your side, and the marketing job you had secured was enough to pay your rent.

Life wasn’t particularly luxurious; your flat was small and your meals were simple, but it was comfortable enough. On top of that, your transport fees were lower, since the office was located very close to where you lived.

That day, you were staying in the office a bit longer, staring blankly at the design drawn up on your computer and trying to figure out exactly what was off about it.

There was something about the design that didn’t work, and you intuitively knew that it had to do with the layout and the contrast in the colours of the background and the elements, but you couldn’t put your finger on what it was.

As the graphic designer on the marketing team, your workload was manageable, so this was your first time staying in the office past your stipulated working hours.

You rolled your neck around, hearing it crack, and fought the urge to rub your eyes. You turned the computer off and got up from your seat to take a bathroom break.

When you returned, there was a box of fried rice next to your keyboard.

Picking the box up, you looked around the section to see who had gotten the food. There were three people in the team still present; besides you and Jun, Yueyue was also working overtime that evening.

Yueyue had a reusable lunchbox by her side, and she took a mouthful of noodles into her mouth every once in a while, in between typing furiously on her keyboard.

Her clicks and the sound of her slurping the noodles were the only things disrupting the silence.

Jun was sitting directly opposite you, and he too had an open lunchbox beside him, along with a spoon, and he shovelled rice into his mouth every ten seconds or so. It was a bit strange that both of them had brought food from home, and yet there was takeout on your desk. It was especially strange because you knew you hadn’t ordered it.

As if sensing your confusion—or perhaps due to the fact that you had been standing in front of him for a good few minutes—Jun looked up.

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Are you planning to sit down soon? You’re kind of putting me off by just standing there.”

Oh. Embarrassed, you hurriedly sat down, but not before leaning over and asking, “Do you know who bought this?”, pointing at your own food.

“I did.” He looked back at his screen for a few moments, typed something out quickly, then moved his chair over so his view of you was no longer blocked by the screen.

“Minghao usually buys us food when we work overtime, but his mother’s health isn’t the best, so he took leave today to visit her in the hospital. Yueyue brings her own food, and I’ve started that habit too, but I noticed you hadn’t eaten so I got you something. I hope you don’t mind?”

You shook your head quickly. “No, I don’t. Thanks. I’ll pay you back, how much was it?”

Jun reached over to push your phone away. “It’s on me. Minghao even sent me money earlier on to make sure everyone in the team was fed, look.”

He showed you his screen, as if he felt the need to prove it to you, and you scanned Minghao’s texts.

Minghao (Team Manager): Make sure everyone eats well. Minghao (Team Manager): Tell them to go home before 7, it’s dark and cold outside, don’t want anyone falling sick. Minghao (Team Manager): Oh, also, tell Y/n to send me the draft of the advertisement by tonight. Minghao (Team Manager): Thanks.

“Say thank you to Minghao for me.”

Jun shrugged and put his phone away, “Already did.”

As you ate the fried rice, wrist cramping up from drawing the animations for the advertisement on your tablet, your heart felt extremely warm.

—

Becoming more comfortable with the members in your team also translated to becoming careless, it seemed.

One fine spring day, you awoke at eight-thirty to the sound of your ringtone blaring obnoxiously loudly in your ear.

"Please pick up, please pick up–"

"Hello?" you mumbled, voice a little raspy.

"Y/n! We have a meeting in an hour, where are you?"

Shit. You'd completely forgotten to set your alarm for that morning, having turned it off the day before for the Qingming Festival. You hadn't wanted it to ring while you were visiting the cemetery, which coincided with the time you normally woke up at.

To top it all off, after the long day, you'd had to take a long ride back to your flat from your hometown, which was a long way from Beijing.

You must have been so tired that night that you had forgotten to set your alarm.

"I'm still at home, is Minghao there?"

"Yes, and he's getting ready for the meeting already. He looks a bit pissed, you might want to hurry."

"Shit, yeah, okay. If he starts the meeting early, help me stall or come up with an excuse," you said.

Jun muttered something in acknowledgement.

"I'll hang up first, I've got to get ready and hopefully I'll reach on time."

"Hurry!" was the last word you heard Jun say before you hung up the call.

By some miracle, you ended up reaching the office 5 minutes before the meeting, wisps of hair falling into your eyes. You irritatedly pushed them away, taking the time to catch your breath as you turned your laptop on and tried to pull up your documents.

"Come into the meeting room now," Minghao ordered, and the team filed into the meeting room and took their respective seats.

You glared at the loading screen on your laptop, willing it to work more quickly. As Minghao said something about following the timeline and how the team was lagging behind and the client was beginning to get impatient, you did your best to listen and pull up the designs you'd done over the past couple of weeks.

However, luck was not on your side, because Minghao called upon you to present what you had done the moment he finished speaking.

You stood up hesitantly, eyes scanning your screen in a hurry, breathing still a little uneven. “Well…”

Jun let out a soft snort. You stole a glance at him, just in time to see him rolling his eyes before angling his laptop screen towards you.

“This is our advertisement video.”

Minghao took your cue to start playing the video, and you watched as your hard work came to life before your eyes. You’d watched it so many times, rewinding the animations over and over again until it was perfect, that it was no longer shocking to you how smooth the transitions were.

But seeing the video play in its entirety, not stopping every two seconds for you to fix something, you realised that you’d actually done well.

As the video came to an end, you launched into your spiel behind the technical aspect of the design elements, and Jun nodded attentively from his seat. Satisfied with your presentation, Minghao went on to the next person.

“Junhui, since you’re already prepared, tell us about the rest of the campaign and how you plan to manage the small budget we’re working with for this project.”

When Jun finished, Minghao raised an eyebrow, impressed. “Not bad, the two of you are a real match. Always good at thinking on your feet,” he said softly, just loud enough for the two of you to hear.

“A good match?” Jun fought to keep his volume down.

“I’m just saying, you’ve never called me when I was late.”

“Hao, when have you ever arrived any later than 8.30am?”

“It’s just a comparison.”

“I-” Jun threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Minghao shrugged and pointed at Jing Xuan, motioning for her to go next. You squinted at your team manager, then back at Jun, trying to figure out what their exchange could possibly have meant.

Yueyue went last, looking for you for help when she couldn’t recall the right word in Mandarin, and a couple of times you had to correct her pronunciation softly. She took it all in her stride, successfully completing her presentation of the segment she was in charge of.

Minghao ended the meeting with a short briefing on the development of the project and the client’s requirements, and gave updated instructions to each individual on the team.

Once he had finished speaking, the meeting was adjourned. Without hesitation, Jun grabbed Minghao’s hand and all but dragged him out of the meeting room, muttering something that sounded like “We seriously need to talk” as he strode away.

Curious, you did your best to subtly close your laptop and place it on your desk, before walking to the coffee lounge in what you hoped was an innocuous manner and casually inching closer towards the duo.

They were speaking in hushed tones, Jun’s brows furrowed and his tone of voice anxious, while Minghao was as relaxed as ever. In times like that, it was difficult to believe that Jun was a year older than Minghao.

You were a couple of years younger than Minghao, but you had changed jobs a few times, just like Jun, so Minghao was more senior than both of you.

However, Jun never really treated Minghao like a senior, although you could tell Minghao definitely treated Jun like a junior.

“What do you mean we’re a good match?” Jun hissed.

“I mean what I said,” Minghao replied, sipping his coffee.

“They like the girl I like, how could we be a good match?”

Too stunned to process Minghao’s reply, your mind blanked out as you heard Jun’s whispered words. In fact, you were lucky the cup in your hand didn’t shatter to the ground with how shocked you were feeling.

He liked Yueyue?

Yueyue’s English name was Luna, and she had joined the team at the same time that spring began. With her limited Mandarin, she struggled to communicate with the others, mostly electing to keep to herself and using Google Translate to send emails.

Having come from Singapore, your English was as good as Yueyue’s, and you were able to communicate effectively in Mandarin after your four years at university.

As such, for the time being, you basically acted as Yueyue’s translator, often helping her with her conversational Mandarin. Yueyue was a fast learner, and though sometimes she struggled with active recall, she was able to understand most conversations now without having to look the words up.

You hadn’t realised Jun liked her, but thinking back on it, you did remember Jun often looking at her while working, casting her glances when he thought no one else was looking. You recalled the way Jun hesitated before speaking to her, as if he had to gather his courage before speaking to her.

At the time, you’d simply thought it was because Jun’s English was extremely subpar, and the same could be said of Yueyue’s Mandarin, but now you knew it was more than that.

Even that time that Jun bought you dinner, you were fairly certain that he had gotten it for Yueyue, because it had come with a post-it note that was coming off the side, saying, “Enjoy your meal :)”. Jun must have been unsuccessful in removing it after he realised that Yueyue had brought her own food.

The puzzle pieces were all clicking in place, and your mouth invariably formed an ‘O’ shape as it all started to make sense.

Minghao elbowed Jun, jerking his head slightly in your direction. “Y/n’s staring.”

“Can you stop it, please, I—” Jun’s voice cut off as he turned to look at you. You were still deep in thought, and your unfocused gaze just happened to be facing Jun’s direction. “Oh.”

Minghao nodded. “Go on.” Then, as an afterthought, he added, “And remember what I said.”

Jun glared at him before standing up straight, leaving Minghao leaning against the counter with his mug of forgotten coffee, walking towards you.

He called your name, and you jerked your hand in surprise, spilling coffee on a stunned Jun.

He looked down at his white shirt in shock, frozen to the spot, and you covered your hand with your mouth. You hurriedly set the mug down, grabbing a bunch of tissue paper and pressing it against his shirt to dry it.

“I’m so sorry, you shocked me, I didn’t mean to stain your shirt. You can pass it to me, I’ll wash it, I’m really sorry—”

Jun called your name again, effectively stopping the flow of words that would have otherwise continued to stream from your mouth.

“Stop, it’s fine. It’s just a shirt, I can wash it myself.”

You opened your mouth in protest, and Jun’s eyebrow lifted ever so slightly. “Didn’t know this shirt mattered so much to you. If you want to wash it so badly, I’ll pass it to you after I’ve changed out of it.”

You could only stare in shock at his retreating back as he turned and left, mouth agape. What had Minghao said to him? It felt like the tectonic plates of your dynamics had shifted, but you wouldn’t quite be able to understand it until much, much later.

The first time.

There was a work party coming up, and you originally intended to ask Yueyue to go with you, if not as your date then as your friend.

Lo and behold, just as you opened your mouth to say “Yue”, Jun beat you to it.

“Y/n, would you do me a favour and be my work spouse for a night?” You furrowed your brows at his strange wording, glancing at Yueyue. The latter looked up, caught your eye, and shrugged helplessly.

“No,” you replied flatly. “Yueyue—”

“Pretty please?” Jun latched onto your wrist, tugging onto it like a little child would.

“No!” You pulled your hand away, shaking it in irritation. “Yueyue, will you please—” Before you could finish your sentence, Jun slapped his hand over your mouth, his other hand clutching your wrist again, preventing you from moving away or speaking.

When you finally struggled out of his grasp, you glared at him, beckoning him closer. As he leaned in, you stood on your tiptoes and hissed into his ear, “What are you doing?”

“I don’t want you to go to the party with Yueyue,” he said simply.

“Who I go with is none of your business.”

“Well, both you and Yueyue are my coworkers, so it kind of is.” Then, before you could reply, he said loudly, “Anyway, we’re going together and that’s the end of it. If any of you try to steal my plus-one, you’ll never hear the end of it from me.”

You whipped your head around to see Yueyue’s reaction, and saw her sinking into her chair, the smile on her face dissipating faster than you could blink. Jing Xuan hid her smile behind her hand, calming herself before removing her hand and continuing to work. Minghao had no visible reaction, but his deliberate ignorance was enough.

You were well and truly alone in this struggle with Jun. You took one glance at your gleeful colleague, sighing in defeat.

—

By the time the work party rolled around, it was already summer. You decided to pack your outfit, leaving it hanging by your desk throughout the workday. Sometime early in the afternoon, Jun got up from his seat, collected the suit he’d hung next to the coffee machine, and glanced at Yueyue.

She was too absorbed in her work to notice. Jun scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, and you subtly cleared your throat. “Yueyue,” you called softly.

She finally looked up, raising both her eyebrows at you. “Yes?”

You looked pointedly at Jun and jerked your head slightly in his direction. “He’s trying to talk to you.”

“Oh,” she replied, sounding surprised.

Jun smiled hesitantly at Yueyue, “Do you want to go get changed? Then we can take a taxi to the hotel together.” As he spoke, he moved his hands, pointing first at himself, then at Yueyue. His limbs felt longer than they usually seemed, and he looked like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them.

Before Yueyue could reply, you cleared your throat again, causing both of them to turn towards you.

“Are you not inviting me to hitch a ride?”

Jun’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Then, he and Yueyue spoke at the same time:

“No.”

“Yes.”

The two glanced at each other, and turned back to you.

“Yes.”

“No.”

Jun caved first, hissing in irritation, saying, “Whatever. As long as Yueyue’s fine with it.”

The person in question smiled warmly at you, and nodded in reassurance. “Sure, you can come with us.”

As Yueyue stood up, you locked gazes with Jun, smiling triumphantly at him.

—

The ride there was tense. Not entirely because you’d figuratively shoved your way into the car, although you suspected that might be a big part of the reason. No, for some reason unbeknownst to you, the typically outspoken Jun had turned silent, nervously glancing at Yueyue from time to time.

Seated in the passenger seat, you couldn’t help but steal a glance at the two behind you from time to time, and yet nothing changed throughout the entire ride.

Jun kept looking down at his hands, playing with his fingers, and Yueyue stared out the window mindlessly.

You debated trying to strike up a conversation, but just as you opened your mouth to speak, the taxi came to a halt. Looking out the window, you noticed that the hotel that had been booked for this party was much, much fancier than you had imagined.

The imposing building stood apart from the plain buildings around it, the stairs leading up to the entrance all lit up. The evening had just begun, and the sun was beginning to set, and the lights drew attention to the hotel.

Inwardly, you sighed in relief that you had chosen one of the more elegant items of clothing in your wardrobe to wear that night, because you were sure that being underdressed would have ruined your whole night.

Too caught up in admiring the grandness of the hotel, you didn’t make a move to step out of the car until Jun opened the door for you, and you stepped out. It seemed only natural to take his hand, although the moment your hand was in Jun’s, you realised that it might be overstepping slightly.

Jun’s hand was warm, enveloping your smaller hand in it completely. Yueyue came to stand behind you, amazed by the scale of the event.

“Let’s go in,” Jun suggested, and you nodded dumbly, following him inside.

Seeing Minghao eased everyone’s nerves a little, and soon there was a small congregation of five near the entrance, all keeping a close watch on the rest of your colleagues.

Since you often came to work in a sectioned-off area, and only worked closely with your teammates, you didn’t recognise any of your other colleagues. However, you couldn’t say the same for Jun.

As an elaborately-dressed young man walked past you, Jun seemed to recognise him, waving hello. Minghao could see that Jun was itching to socialise, and urged the rest of you to find people to talk to as well, leaving with a reassuring smile and a pat on your back.

You stuck to Yueyue like glue, the two of you acting like outsiders in this unfamiliar environment that was far out of your comfort zone, until someone Yueyue knew walked by and struck up a conversation with her. Not wishing to be the third wheel, you watched them walk off, standing awkwardly by the side and wishing the time would pass faster.

Fortunately for you, a kind soul noticed you standing on your own and came over, casually asking for your name and which team you were in. The man, Kun, had a warm face and a comforting voice, easily calming you down.

Halfway through a rather engaging conversation about stocks, you felt the need to visit the restroom, and looked around for someone to help you hold your things.

You would have gone to one of your teammates, but Yueyue and Minghao were having a heated discussion with a group of unfamiliar people, and Jing Xuan was nowhere to be found. Of course, there was Jun, but he flitted from group to group without giving you a chance to catch up to him.

You excused yourself to go to the bathroom, clutching your purse. Before you could leave, Kun reached out and offered to help you hold your things, and you thanked him with an embarrassed smile.

When you came out of the bathroom, you were greeted by an unhappy Jun.

He was standing in the corridor in front of the bathroom, not even on his phone, simply holding your purse and staring at the doorway, waiting for you to emerge. 

You had been expecting to see Kun waiting there, prepared to thank him once more. Instead, the person awaiting you was Jun, and the lack of a smile on his face was disconcerting to say the least.

You couldn’t remember a time you hadn’t seen Jun smile. He had a pleasant disposition and a happy-go-lucky attitude, so seeing him with a poker face was a rare sight.

You reached to take your purse from him without a word, but his grasp on it only tightened as your fingers brushed against his.

“Why didn’t you come find me to help you hold your things?” he asked, volume soft but tone threatening.

You shrugged. “Kun offered to help me before I could go to find you.”

“We’re here together,” Jun insisted. “You’re acting like you hate me.”

You raised your eyebrows, slowly appraising him. “Oh, really? Funny, that’s exactly the same sentiment I received earlier, when you outright refused to let me take the same fucking taxi as you. Is being in my presence such a horrifying thought that you would refuse to take the same car as me after asking me to be your plus-one, deliberately preventing me from getting the date I wanted?”

Stunned, Jun’s grip on your purse loosened, and you shouldered your purse and turned to leave. He grabbed your wrist, and you whipped your head around to glare at him, causing him to immediately let go.

“I’m sorry.”

You stood there, not speaking, but the fact that you weren’t leaving was enough for Jun to continue, “I didn’t mean to upset you. Yes, I wanted to go with Yueyue alone, and yes, I ruined your chance to ask her, and yes, it’s hypocritical of me to expect you to act nicely towards me when I’ve been nothing but an asshole this evening.”

“You left the team first, so anxious to talk to that friend of yours that you didn’t even spare the rest of us a second glance,” you accused.

Jun shrugged his shoulders helplessly. “I’m sorry.”

You nodded curtly in acknowledgement, ready to leave, but Jun called out your name before you could take a single step.

“You can join me for the rest of the evening if you want. Since we’re supposed to be together for the night.”

You looked at him slowly, taking in his pose, rocking on his feet, thumbs stashed into his pockets. He looked distinctly uncomfortable, and some sadistic part of you felt glad you were making him feel that way.

After a long moment of deliberation, you nodded. “Sure.”

The second time.

Jun introduced you as his work spouse for the rest of the night. The first few times, you raised your eyebrows in shock, meeting his mischievous gaze, and his disarming grin told you to leave it be.

So you did, not even batting an eyelash when he proudly showed you off for the rest of the night, your heated conversation from earlier almost forgotten.

You supposed that was one of his charm points, that he didn’t hold grudges. Jun had a forgiving personality, and it made interacting with him comfortable and easy.

As the night passed, your eyelids started drooping, and it became increasingly difficult to pay attention to the conversation topic at hand. Bidding goodbye to a few of your colleagues, you took some time to stand by the side, hiding your yawn behind your hand.

“Tired?” Jun asked, accompanied by a soft laugh.

You nodded. “I think I’ll head home soon.”

“I’ll send you home.”

You cocked your head at him, then shook your head. “There’s no need, you should stay if you want to.”

At that, Jun scoffed, then shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I’d rather not. Besides, it’s not like I would understand what they’re saying without you to translate; their use of technical jargon is way out of my vocabulary range. This entire night, I’ve been piecing together the meaning of their words from your replies.”

You laughed to yourself. “Really?”

Jun nodded. “I’m serious. Anyway, it’s dark outside; you shouldn’t go home alone.”

The corners of your lips lifted, “Didn’t know Wen Junhui was such a gentleman.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

You elected to ignore that sentence, turning on your heel to leave, and Jun chased after you, matching your long strides. Outside, you hailed a car, and Jun rushed to open the door for you.

You hesitated just a second before stepping into the car. Earlier that evening, you’d assumed that Jun had opened the door for you out of formality, because Yueyue was present and he was getting into character for having to spend a night with you.

However, with a night so bleak and the dim glow of the streetlights barely lighting up the roads, there was no one to see his actions then, and everything he was doing was just between the two of you.

Perhaps he really was a gentleman, and it was out of habit that he opened the door for you. You wouldn’t know.

Because Jun was right. There was a lot you didn’t know about him.

The third time.

That incident remained at the back of your mind as concerns about the project wrapping up took priority, especially when finishing the tail-end of the promotions. You were often busy working, and had little time to spare to think about other things.

By then it was summer, and it often rained in the afternoons. Sometimes it only drizzled lightly, and sometimes the thunderstorms were so loud that you could feel your eardrums vibrating.

That day it started out drizzling lightly in the morning. At first, you thought nothing of it, expecting it to stop raining by evening. However, an hour or so before you got off work, it was still pouring outside. The rain didn’t seem like it will stop soon, and you sighed in resignation. You'd foolishly hoped that the rain would have stopped after pouring the whole afternoon, so you'd be able to get home without getting soaked.

However, you were almost about to leave, and yet the rain was still pouring ceaselessly down. You rummaged through your bag for an umbrella.

Even though your hands were occupied, something at the back of your mind told you that you'd forgotten to put the umbrella in your bag this morning. Your search proved futile, and you recalled seeing the umbrella resting on the shoe rack that morning, but you had no memory of putting it into your bag.

You ran through the options in your mind. You could make a dash for it—the building wasn’t too far away from the bus stop—but you didn’t particularly feel like taking the bus home while soaking wet. The other option was waiting it out, but you hadn’t had dinner yet and you were absolutely famished.

You inhaled through gritted teeth, mentally preparing yourself to run through the rain, when a voice cut through your thoughts.

"Are you walking to the bus stop?"

You locked eyes with Jun, who'd just asked the question, and nodded.

"I'm walking there too, shall we go together? We could share an umbrella," he said.

Oh. You felt a ripple of warmth spreading through your body. He'd noticed. You swallowed and nodded. "That would be great. Thanks."

To be honest, you weren’t sure what to think of the gesture. Jun was nicer to you lately, and whatever odd tension between the two of you that had laced your interactions had died down too. You still talked to Yueyue, but more for work than any other reason. Jun, too, seemed to be taking it easy, reducing his attempts at chasing her.

Jun stood up, closing his laptop, and you kept your things as well. He came over to you, umbrella in hand, which caused Minghao to look up from his seat.

“Leaving so early?” This sentence was directed at Jun.

“Yeah. Gotta send my work spouse home, they forgot to bring an umbrella.”

You rolled your eyes at the term, but Minghao didn’t even flinch. “Okay, don’t get too wet.”

Tilting his head, Jun gestured for you to follow him out.

It was a silent walk to the bus stop, both of you all too aware of your proximity to each other, trying not to step too far out of the umbrella for fear of getting soaked. The sky was dark, covered by clouds, and the floor was slippery, so you had to take great care not to slip.

Jun maintained a small gap between the two of you, tilting the umbrella slightly to your side, but when you finally reached the bus stop, both of you were dry.

“Thanks.”

Jun looked up from the umbrella, smirking when he saw the grudging expression on your face. “No problem.”

The fourth time.

When Minghao said you would be going on a trip together as a team, you weren’t expecting that to entail camping in the middle of the woods—”Nature reserve, Y/n, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve said that already”—and definitely not when you realised you’d have to put up your tents by yourselves.

Not that you were incapable of putting up a tent, but you weren’t keen on the idea of sleeping without a mattress. With your terrible posture and the way you kicked in the night, you could already foresee the backache that would result from this wonderful idea.

At least it was summertime, so you wouldn’t have to worry so much about freezing to death. Minghao and Jun were sharing a tent, of course, because there had never been much to debate about that. Yueyue and Jingxuan were sharing the other 2-person tent, which meant you were left with the smallest tent to yourself. Fortunately, you didn’t mind.

Putting up the tents was a two-person job, and you were embarrassed to admit that you needed help doing it. Obviously, stubborn as you were, you’d tried to set it up by yourself, but trying to place the groundsheet on the ground with only two hands was difficult. You could only hold two corners at a time, and the material of the groundsheet made it such that it kept creasing in ways you didn’t expect, so after a few minutes of trying, you eventually gave up.

You helped Yueyue and Jingxuan fit the tent poles through the loops of the tent, the three of you cheering when the tent started to take shape. Once the tent and flysheet were secured, you asked them to help you set up your tent, only to realise Minghao was the only one setting up his and Jun’s tent. Jun was standing behind you, watching the three of you awkwardly, grinning crookedly at Yueyue when she turned to face him.

Rolling your eyes, you went over to help Minghao.

Minghao raised his eyebrows when you came over, starting to speak before your hands even touched the pegs.

“I’m extremely particular about these sorts of things, by the way. That’s why Jun’s not helping me. So if you do something that I don’t like, there’s a high chance I’ll just undo it and redo it myself.”

You shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“Also, please put the pegs in well, because I’d prefer to not have to wake up in the middle of the night to find my entire tent blown away.”

You nodded. “Sure.”

After a moment of silence, you tugged at the loops at the bottom of the tent, wiggling the tent pegs deeper into the ground. You packed the soil into the holes you’d made, shaking the pegs to check that they were secure, and stood up with a triumphant smile.

Minghao made his rounds, adjusting the flysheet. Hands on his hips, he walked one round around the tent, inspecting every small bit, using his shoes to check that the pegs were secure. Satisfied, he looked to you with grudging approval.

“Not bad.”

You smiled to yourself, knowing that in Minghao’s dictionary, that was a high-level compliment. Turning back to your own tent, you noticed that Jun and Yueyue were almost done setting it up.

You would have gone over to help, but you didn’t want to interrupt. You turned back to Minghao, who was already climbing into his tent and unpacking his luggage.

“Need help?” you asked Yueyue, deliberately choosing to use English because you knew Jun wouldn’t understand.

She shook her head. “We’re good, I think.”

You glanced at Jun, who was biting his lip in concentration as he slotted the bendy tent pole ends into each other until the tent began to take shape.

“Jun? I can take over from here, you should go ahead and unpack.”

Jun’s head whipped up, and he glared at you for a moment before realising Yueyue was watching him. “I don’t have much to unpack,” he replied simply.

“You sure? I saw how big your luggage is.”

“It’s fine, I can help Yueyue for a little longer.”

“Actually…” The two of you turned your attention to Yueyue, who continued, “I think I need to unpack. I’ll leave the two of you to it?”

You smiled warmly at her. “Go ahead.”

“Yue…” Jun’s voice trailed off as she walked away, glaring at you fiercely.

You pretended not to notice as you focused only on getting your tent up, and once it was set up, you finally paid attention to the way Jun was staring at you. He stood on his tiptoes to tie the knot that secured the tent poles to the flysheet, then stalked over to you.

“Y/n, what the fuck—” The moment the curse word left his lips, Jun looked almost apologetic. He pressed his lips together, silent for a moment, before deciding to continue. “Why would you purposely ask her to leave? We were doing fine, we’re literally helping you set up your tent, I don’t get it.”

“Don’t get what? I just reminded her that she still had to unpack.”

“It won’t take that long, don’t play dumb. It’s still bright, and we both know Minghao always gives enough time for everything. It wouldn’t kill her to start unpacking later.”

You shrugged, your gaze slanting towards the other tent. “Tell her that yourself, it’s not like I told her to leave.”

“Cut the crap, Y/n. Why are you acting like this? I thought we were friends.”

“Why am I sabotaging your attempts to hit on her, you mean? I'm not trying to. I’d just prefer it if you didn’t do it while setting up my tent.”

“I-” Just then, Minghao tapped both of your shoulders, jerking his head towards the centre of all the tents. He looked pointedly at Jun for a few moments, then left without saying anything.

“I’m going to set up a fire,” Jun said. “We’ll talk about this later.”

“Maybe,” you muttered unhappily under your breath.

—

After dinner, which was cooked over the fire—definitely an experience—the five of you sat by the fire, admiring the orange-red sunset. As the sun disappeared on the horizon, the temperature grew colder, and everyone subconsciously shifted their chairs closer to the crackling fire, jackets wrapped tightly around themselves as they extended their fingers towards the glowing flame.

When all the conversation topics had been exhausted, so was Jingxuan, as evidenced by her sudden yawn. Claiming that it was time for her to turn in, she got up. Not wanting to leave her alone, Yueyue took her leave as well. That left you, Minghao and Jun by the fire, moving your chairs so each had a warm spot.

“Y/n?” You glanced at Jun, bracing yourself for the argument you felt was sure to follow. You were naturally argumentative, there was no denying it, and though Jun wasn’t one to start an argument, he always wanted to win them.

You jerked your head in acknowledgement, waiting for him to continue.

“Are we friends?”

You frowned. That wasn’t what you’d been expecting at all. “Yes?” you replied tentatively, unsure where this was heading. 

“Do you like Yueyue?”

You almost laughed. “No.” You didn’t and would never like her that way, probably. She was nice enough, but not exactly your type. You weren’t sure where Jun had got that notion from, but he seemed to be clinging on to that thought since you first joined the company all of 8 months before.

“Then what’s your deal? It feels like you’re doing this on purpose, trying to keep me away from her. If you like her, and she likes you back, fine. I’ll stop pursuing her. But you don’t even like her, so I don’t understand why you’re acting like this.”

You pursed your lips together, trying to identify the feelings messing up your head, like water after a dirty paintbrush was dipped into it. 

Jun looked at you earnestly, eyes wide as he awaited your reply. After a moment of silence, you shrugged helplessly. “I can’t say what it is. But you’re right, I’m being unreasonable. So, how about this: I’ll leave the two of you be if you don’t flirt right in front of my face, deal?”

Jun stuck out his hand, adding, “You’re still my work spouse, right?”

Taking his hand, you nodded. “Sure.”

Just then, an ear-piercing shriek sounded in the otherwise quiet camping place, and the three of you gathered around the fire stood up simultaneously. Minghao was the fastest to get to Jingxuan and Yueyue’s tent, and the two of them ran out of the tent, Jingxuan’s face white with fear.

“There was a rat!” she cried out. “I swear it bit my fucking toe.”

Upon hearing this, Jun looked rather faint. You moved to help Jingxuan get her shoes, bringing her to the campfire to take a seat first. Yueyue helped Jun to sit down, and you left the three of them to get jackets for Yueyue and Jingxuan.

Meanwhile, Minghao took his phone and turned the flashlight on, inspecting the tent and the area around it.

He came back a couple of minutes later, having ascertained that the rat was gone, but by then everyone had grown comfortable and too tired to move. Jingxuan and Jun were fast asleep, heads propped up on their fists, and you watched Yueyue carefully.

Her hands were shoved into the depths of her pockets, her lips forming a pout absentmindedly, hair tucked behind her ears.

Yueyue tapped Jun’s shoulder to rouse him, and the two of you guided your half-asleep colleagues into their tents before everyone finally fell asleep.

The fifth time.

By then it was autumn, and September was drawing to a close. It was an ordinary work day, a couple of hours before lunch, and Jun suddenly stood up, rummaged through his bag, before procuring a card from his wallet and stalking over to Minghao’s desk.

“You busy?” Minghao nodded without looking up. Jun placed the card on his desk, saying, “I’m using this.” Minghao barely spared the card a second glance before saving his progress and getting up from his seat, gesturing for Jun to follow.

The two of them entered the meeting room, your gaze following them curiously. You met Jingxuan’s eyes, both of you just as confused as each other.

You stood up, walking over to Minghao’s desk, examining the card left behind on the desk. It said, in Minghao’s neat handwriting, “15 minutes of my time. Use whenever.”

You furrowed your brows, placing the card carefully back to where it had been before, heading back to your seat.

Jun and Minghao exited the room not long after, Jun looking conflicted. You followed him with your eyes as subtly as you could, watching as Minghao sat in his seat, looking at the card on the table and furrowing his brows. Looking up, he met your gaze, tilting his head.

Shit. Had you not put the card back properly? How did Minghao know? But to your surprise, your team manager didn’t speak, smirking before returning the card to Jun.

“Team drinks later after work,” he announced, not as a question. The other members of the team looked up briefly, nodded, then returned to their work. You continued to watch Jun sit at his desk, bury his head in his hands, then mess up his hair in frustration.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he opened his laptop and began to work.

—

That evening, the five of you sat at the front of the bar, talking between drinks. After Jingxuan’s story about her landlord drastically inflating the rent when he found out that Jingxuan and her roommate were splitting the costs, you recalled an incident you had just had.

A couple of weeks ago, you’d seen a stray cat on the streets, and decided to take it in. You’d since taken it to the vet for a proper check-up, and had made an appointment for it to get spayed. The only issue was that your landlord didn’t allow tenants to keep pets, and you weren’t sure you could keep it a secret when she came over to check.

“Come stay with me,” Jun said. His tone was teasing, but when you looked at him, his gaze seemed earnest, burning into you with his sincerity. The way he said it, it wasn’t really a question.

“I mean it. If you need a place to stay, come stay with me.”

Normally you would tease him for how serious he was being, but something about the fraught silence and the surrounding atmosphere stopped you from making fun of him. Instead, you watched him carefully, never breaking eye contact, and nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

“Lighten up, my work spouse. You’re acting like we haven’t known each other for a year already,” he said, already back to his old self. You only nodded in reply.

Bonus: the time where he leaves out the “work”.

When you first joined the company, little did you expect that three years down the road, you’d end up waking up next to the man you’d met at your interview, the one with brown hair and dark eyes and a sharp smile.

It had started out with him liking your friend, with tensions here and there due to both of your stubborn tendencies. Your personalities clashed often, resulting in disagreements that turned everyone’s moods sour.

However, you were still mature adults, and after a period of working together, you learned to be more accommodating of his differing opinions and habits and vice versa. Through the shared bonding over working overtime and walking home in the rain, you grew from mere colleagues into friends, growing close enough to talk about more than just the latest project you were working on.

Of course, growing from friends into lovers was slightly more complicated, and you had Minghao to thank for helping you along.

You never realised, but Minghao was the first to notice that you were starting to like Jun. If it weren’t for Minghao subtly helping Jun to grow closer to you, the rivalry may have extended for a far longer period of time than just a few months. Especially with the misguided notion that you liked his crush, Jun would not have been as willing to be your friend without Minghao’s constant nudging.

Almost a year after you had met, before getting drinks together and Jun’s fateful statement that led to the two of you moving in together, Jun had realised that he liked you.

He liked you, not Yueyue. The realisation had been startling, and in a daze, he’d used the card Minghao had given him for his birthday to ask for Minghao’s attention. In those 15 minutes in the meeting room, Jun had voiced out his concerns and desperately asked Minghao for some form of advice.

Jun later told you that Minghao’s answer then had been a simple, “I think you like Y/n.”

Having been in denial for so long, it took Jun a while to realise that his feelings for Yueyue had slowly dissipated over time, and that the lingering sentiments were only platonic, whereas his feelings for you had only grown.

Minghao had offered a simple solution to ease Jun’s heavy heart—drinks with the team. Unbeknownst to him, this action had led to Jun’s implied confession and indirectly caused the two of you to finally get together.

Jun snuggled into your embrace, interrupting your thoughts, nuzzling the underside of your chin and burying his face in the crook of your neck.

”Good morning,” you whispered softly, fingers running through his soft hair. He looked up at you briefly, as if checking over every feature of your face, before nodding in satisfaction and shutting his eyes again.

A peaceful smile came over his face, the blissful expression on his face causing you to smile as well.

”You should marry me,” he mumbled, hands tightening around your waist.

”That’s sudden. Where’s the ring?” You teased.

”Haven’t bought it yet,” he frowned. “But if you don’t say yes, then I wouldn’t have to return it.”

You let out a little laugh. Practical as always. “And if I say yes?”

Eyes still closed, he reached over you to the bedside table, fingertips trailing to the first drawer. He pulled it open, and you turned your head to look. There, sitting on top of your favourite books was a nondescript black velvet box. “Pass it to me,” he said, blinking his eyes slowly open.

You passed it to him without a word and he scrambled to sit up in the bed, both knees tucked under him in a kneeling fashion, opening the box to reveal a ring with a silver band, with a small jewel atop it.

”You said you don’t like fancy things, right?”

Struck speechless, you didn’t protest as he gently took your left hand, slipping the ring onto your fourth finger. He pulled your head in towards his chest, kissing the top of your head.

Just like that, Jun’s proposal to you was as simple and direct as the time when he asked you to move in, less of a question than a request, one that you would gladly agree to.

[c1oud999]

hi

i just wanted to come on here and talk about my experience with spirituality. warning: longggg post ahead.

basically ive been in the spiritual community for YEARS now. ive had existential crisis since the age of 11 and ive gone through many phases of many different spiritual trends. from law of attraction, to witchcraft, to religious devotion, to law of assumption and now finally non dualism. i read books, meditated for hours and hours, talked to spiritual ppl from all walks of life and watched all the episodes of ganga upanishad (a show i still highly recommend, you can watch on youtube). all this childhood trauma and mental illness made me crave for sweet relief. but nothing really made sense until law of assumption. i thought that that would be it yk. i thought i was done searching but i think that was when i was searching for things the most. i do know i have it in my 4d, when will i see it? i thought i would get all my desires but did not meet success. and then the non dualism trend began and i hopped onto it like pretty much everyone else. i was bewildered at the stuff teachers kept saying. what do you mean everything's an illusion? there's no way that's true. my very real surroundings are causing me VERY real pain and suffering. oh no no there must be a deeper meaning behind all this. and so i read all the books in 4dbarbies drive, but nothing clicked. yes it made sense intellectually, but i didnt want to believe it bc where is the materialisation satisfaction here? also i felt none of the euphoria that was supposed to come with self realisation. which means i must not be a realised being. and then i cried and cried and cried, isolated myself, literally stopped going to school and just lay in bed all day. but ofc, i continued to read the tumblr posts like i had been doing for the past several years. and yesterday i read 4dkelly's post about giving up. it made sense. by the time i had finished reading the post i had truly given up on everything. on wanting, hoping, fearing, striving etc etc. i was SO tired. so i gave up. fell asleep. i woke up really late as usual and missed the school bus. i ate breakfast in silence, switched the tv on and lied down on the couch like always. and like always out of compulsion and force of habit i reached for my phone and looked up non dualism on twitter. and then i came across a tweet that said a simple sentence only- "nothing is ever actually happening." woah. that kinda drove me to the edge of the cliff i desperately wanted to jump off. i turned on some dnb background music and turned the shower on. i stood under the boiling hot water like some dramatic bitch and started piecing together the "puzzle". it all made so much sense now. i got out of the shower and left the house for the first time in months with a cute outfit and makeup on and everything. i went to the mall, bought candles, stickers, eye masks, coffee, and a doughnut with absolutely no social anxiety at all. i sat by window, read some poetry on my e-reader, cried, peered down at the floor below me and cried some more at the sight of little kids sitting on santa's lap and taking pictures and marveled at all the christmas decorations around me. it was insane. i decided i was going to be neutral towards everything but im in love. maddeningly so. in love with this dream that i thought did not love me back. but love is all there is. I AM ALL THERE IS. and i need you to take this literally. there is nothing happening. there is nothing here except you. nothing to fear, nothing to desire. ik a lot of people are going to dismiss this post because it's not a "materialisation success story" but i honestly dont think i can ever want anything physically bc in all its true essence, what is there to materialise? i am already whole and complete. i am lying on this cold hard floor, but i have never felt warmer. also ik there may be a lot of things ive written you might not agree with but again, this is NOT REAL. I AM. i hope this post helps you.

thank you to all the blogs ive come across and all the pointers they have shared: @se1f @realisophie @itgomyway @4dkellysworld @4dbarbie-backup @infiniteko @iamthat-iam and many more i cannot thank enough.

lots and lots of love (more than you can ever imagine), and good luck.

[emepe]

— Pairing: Eren x Reader, friends to lovers

— General info: series, 18+, modern AU, serial killer AU, smut, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort

— Summary: Fate is a tricky thing. Certain situations can’t be avoided as much as certain people’s lives can’t be kept from intertwining. With a serial killer on the loose, and unexpected relationships blooming, how will the universe intervene?

— Chapter summary: Eren dwells on the possible consequences of not saying three little words back. However, a week at the Jaeger house only makes your bond grow stronger and for your trust in each other to manifest in more ways than one.

— Content warnings: nsfw, dry humping, sloppy make out, vaginal sex, handjob, oral sex (f receiving), multiple positions, dirty talk.

— Notes: Chapter 9 is finally here! <3 This is my second favorite chapter in the entire series. It’s a long one, so buckle up because lots of things happen. Reblogs and likes are highly appreciated. Don’t be shy to stop by my ask box <3 If anyone else would like to be added to the tag list, lmk. Happy reading!

Links: Read on AO3 | Chapter guide | Masterlist

home is in your arms

The passing scenery from inside of the rental car is bursting with color. Toasty yellows, cheerful blues, fresh greens, and vibrant reds span your vision as you drive across the town. It's a stark contrast to the icy whites and blues you left behind just a few hours ago when you took a flight to Paradis Island. 

Eren's free hand rests on your thigh while the other steers the wheel. His sunglasses are low on the bridge of his nose and the warm wind comes in through the lowered windows and teases his hair. 

You bite down on the ice cream sandwich in your hands before humming for Eren's attention and offering him a bite, too. 

He chomps down on the snack, laughing when you pout at the significant reduction of the treat he brought you at the convenience store next to the car rental shop. He insisted he didn't want anything other than the bottle of cold water snug in the cupholder, so you only offered him a bite of your ice cream to be nice, but didn't expect him to be so greedy.

You click your tongue in annoyance before playfully slapping his hand from your thigh. 

It only fuels his amusement. At the next red light, he leans over the console, using his reprimanded hand to pull you closer by the back of your neck into an enthusiastic kiss.

“I'll get you another one later,” he promises before falling back into his seat, his warm hand back in its original spot.

He strokes soothing stripes with his thumb, switching to tapping beats with his fingertips when he happens to like a song on the radio. 

“I'm really happy you came,” he grins.

You glance at him with a smile.

“I can tell,” you tease.

On the days leading up to your year-end holiday trip to the Jaeger family's hometown, Eren has barely done anything to keep his excitement under wraps. 

His face would light up each time he talked about showing you around the streets he grew up in before his late father moved them to the city when he was just six years old. After Eren grew up and could properly fend for himself — his parents moved back to Paradis Island to live out a more relaxed life until Eren's dad, Grisha, passed at the hands of an illness a couple of years back. It's the only time Eren's been back that hasn't been for the winter holidays. This year, it just made sense that you joined him.

“You think your mom will like me?” you ask, neatly folding the ice cream wrapper into a small square that you wedge beside your water bottle in the cupholder. 

“Are you kidding?” he grins. “She's thrilled I'm finally bringing you over. She's gonna love you.”

You smile as you continue to look out the window through your sunglasses, oblivious to the sudden shift in Eren's demeanor after his reassuring words.

It's been roughly a month since you told him you love him. It's been just as long since he failed to say it back — not because it'd be a lie, but because he was simply shocked and overwhelmed with emotion at the time.

He's been trying to find an opening to say it, but you haven't pronounced those three words since, and with every passing day, it's gotten more embarrassing to just say it out of the blue. For a while, his paranoia even led him to believe your confession to be no longer true since you neglected to bring it up after it happened, so the topic has been hanging in the air for a while. Not that you seem consumed by it as much as he is. You've been perfectly fine since that night, much so that he'd actually prefer if you confronted him about it so he gets a chance to preach his true feelings.

“Oh, wow,” you gasp as he pulls through the open gate of his childhood home. 

Your eyes scan the area. It's a lovely home with a manicured lawn, hydrangea patches and neatly trimmed rose bushes overflowing with pink and white. The two-story house is painted in peach with terracotta tiles lining the roof of the terrace, and colorful handmade pots on either side of the front steps. To the left is a small driveway that Eren steers the car towards, and to the right is a small ornate gate painted in white that leads to the backyard where you catch a glimpse of a pool.

A woman — whom you presume is Eren's mother — eagerly rushes out the front door at the sound of the foreign car. 

Much to your surprise, she calls out your name first, passing by her son and pulling you into her arms instead.

“You're finally here,” she gushes. Your arms awkwardly hang at your sides, taken aback by the sudden contact, but you quickly regain control over yourself as you sink into the warm welcome. She sways your body from side to side as she exclaims how happy she is to finally meet you.

Your heart flutters with an unfamiliar sensation, one you haven't experienced in years as Carla Jaeger’s motherly affection lightens your soul.

“Look at you,” she says, pulling back and cupping your face between her soft hands to soak in every detail of your face. “You're so pretty.”

“Thank you so much,” you smile. “It's so nice to meet you.”

You take the opportunity to observe the woman before you. Eren's shown you a few pictures before, but Carla's even more beautiful up close. Though still fairly young, it's easy to tell she's one of those people whose powerful genetics allow them to age gracefully. She shares the same large eyes as Eren, though hers have a caramel color to them, and they crinkle more at the corners when she smiles. Her thick eyebrows match her voluminous head of dark hair, which is fixed in a loose braid over her shoulder. 

She's wearing a long flowy dress that easily outshines your airport look made up of a pair of baggy jeans and an oversized graphic tee with a hoodie tied at your waist, but the way she looks at you makes you feel as though you may as well be stepping off the runway given the twinkle of admiration shining in her eyes.

Eren regards the endearing scene between his mother and girlfriend with a smile etched on his face. He can tell you're shy but just as happy for the warm welcome. 

He clears his throat suddenly, garnering the attention of both women. 

“I'm here, too, mom,” he sassily pronounces with his hands openly asking for the same attention.

Carla laughs and walks over to him, but not before affectionately squeezing your hands and tossing you a playful eye roll.

She wraps her son in a tight hug, forcing him to hunch over to accommodate her petite stature as he reciprocates her embrace.

“My baby boy,” she coos, much to Eren's embarrassment as he blushes profusely when he notices your teasing smile.

A yearning feeling pulls at your heartstrings at the scene of mother and child reunited.

Carla ushers you inside the house, asking you all about the flight on the way. You and Eren trail behind her to the kitchen, where she takes out a pitcher from the fridge while you sit down at the bar.

“Not too bad, right?” Eren glances at you, encouraging you to take part in the conversation.

You smile at him appreciatively before turning to Carla, watching as she carefully pours lemonade into two glasses and offers them to you.

“Smoothest airport experience ever,” you agree before taking a sip. “Even though I don't have much to compare it to.”

“Why's that, hon?” 

Your heart flutters at the affectionate name you've earned without trying.

“Oh, it was her first time on a plane,” Eren explains, tossing you a smile.

“Really?” Carla's eyebrows rise in surprise. “What'd you think?” 

“It was okay,” you reply with a shrug, trying to seem cool about it. But Eren outs you as soon as the words leave your mouth.

“I had to hold her hand during take-off,” he bluntly states, earning himself a slap on his shoulder.

“You don't have to expose me like that!”

“Hey, I wasn't complaining,” he laughs. “It was cute.”

Your face burns when he pecks your cheek, and you nervously glance at Carla, who only laughs at your exchange.

“You two are adorable,” she gushes. 

Her words fluster you even more.

Eren teasingly wiggles his eyebrows at you before chugging the rest of his drink and hopping off his stool.

“I'm gonna get our suitcases.” He turns to his mom. “Are we in my old room or did you already turn it into a yoga studio?” 

Carla shakes her head.

“It's a craft corner now,” she clarifies, holding up a finger. “You're staying in the pool house. I fixed it up this morning.”

Eren nods, humming in approval. 

“Nice. Thanks, mom.”

He ventures out of the house, leaving you and Carla alone.

“I figured you could use some privacy,” she adds once her son is out of earshot.

You laugh nervously at her mischievous smile. Her eyes crinkle in amusement before she wears a more serious expression.

“How's my son treating you? Is he good to you?” 

Carla — though very stern about making sure Eren grew up to be a good person, and proud that he did — is one who will still check in every now and then to make sure nothing has led him astray. Especially in situations that are so rare in his life, like romance is.

You smile, easing her worries instantly.

“He's incredibly kind,” you softly say. “I couldn't be happier.”

Carla relaxes into a smile. 

“That's good to hear.” 

“He's a very respectful man,” you add. “At least in my case, it’s been pretty hard to come across genuinely good guys, but ones like Eren are especially rare… He’s very caring… and patient… and understanding. You and Mr. Jaeger raised a wonderful person.”

A dust of pink surfaces Carla's cheeks at the compliment. 

She reaches across the counter to place her hand on top of yours.

“You know, I was so excited when he told me he started seeing someone. For a while I worried he just wanted to be alone,” she admits. “Not that there's anything wrong with that. I've always said it's better to be alone than to keep the wrong company, but he’s been so happy every time he calls me up since you started dating… I'm glad he has the same effect on you.”

“Well, he makes it easy.” 

You share a smile with each other, holding hands in silence.

You aren't as nervous as you thought you'd be when Eren first told you he wanted you to come to Paradis with him to meet his mom.

She's got a calming energy that easily soothes you in her presence — much like her son.

“I meant to say this earlier, but your house is lovely,” you say as you look around, eyes landing on every pop of color provided by eclectic knick-knacks and accent walls, handmade vases and colorful flowers. It's like someone took your apartment and turned the dial as far as it can go, it's unapologetically loud without being overwhelming. “It’s like a dollhouse.”

“I decorated it myself,” she grins. “Picked the palette, the furniture, everything.”

“That's amazing,” you breathe, highly impressed. “Eren told me you used to work as an interior designer.”

She nods.

“I did. I majored in art in college but my father already had an architecture firm so that's where everything fell in place for me after I graduated.” 

You politely nod along.

“I like to dabble in lots of things now. I still paint and take on private clients now and then, but I spend a lot of time on my hobbies. Knitting, sewing, baking, Italian, gardening…” 

Your eyes widen as the list goes on, especially when it's a hobby of your liking, too.

“You saw the pots outside?”

You nod.

“Made those, too,” she proudly states.

Your smile grows as does your admiration for the talented woman before you.

Eren told you some basic things before coming, but he failed to mention how remarkable his mother truly is.

“That's incredible,” you sigh. 

“What about you?” she smiles. “What do you do outside of work? Eren told me you're an office administrator?”

“Office manager, yeah, it's not a very glamorous job,” you chuckle. “But I like knitting, too. And reading, cooking… but baking is my favorite.”

She claps with glee at the last of the list.

“Oh, good! You can help me make cookies tomorrow!” 

“Yes, of course!” you reply, mirroring her enthusiasm.

She squeals with delight.

“Oh, it's so nice to finally have a baking buddy,” she gushes. “Eren only helps lick the batter off the spoon.”

You laugh.

“Eren, what?”

The man himself wanders into the kitchen with an accusing gaze.

“Oh, nothing,” you say, dismissing him with a wave of your hand. “Just exchanging war stories with your mom.”

In his ever-lingering childish manner, Eren pouts.

“Hey,” he complains. “She's still my mom. She'll report back to me later.”

He glances at Carla for backup, but the lively woman tears down his idea on the spot.

“I wouldn't dare. Girl talk is sacred.”

She holds up her pinky in your direction, which you gladly link with while laughing at Eren’s playful scowl.

“You two should get settled in before dinner,” she says, waving you out of the kitchen. “I'm making bolognese.” 

“Oh, would you like some help?” you offer.

But she shakes her head while waving her hands in front of her.

“No need, honey. Just go unpack and I'll call you out. You're probably tired from the flight here.”

Before you can insist any further, Eren laces your hands together and gestures to you to follow him out with a nod and his signature boyish grin.

He leads you out to the backyard through the sliding doors at the back of the dining room.

The pool water sparkles underneath the sizzling sun at the center of the vibrant green of the freshly cut grass. A few lawn chairs are scattered along the poolside under the shade of a tree.

On the other end of it all, there's a simple, one-story construction in the same peach tone and the same terracotta tiles from the main house. Eren holds the door open for you to step into a colorful lounge area equipped with a bar and kitchenette, with two doors along the left wall that lead to other rooms.

“It's a mini-dollhouse,” you murmur in amazement as your eyes go from the royal blue curtains to the yellow velvet sofa to the oddly-shaped acrylic coffee table before it, to the green and blue mismatched tiles that take up the northern wall of the kitchenette. 

Eren amusedly watches you wander over to the doors on the left side. 

“There's a pink bathtub!” You turn to him in surprise. 

He laughs as he rejoins your hands and guides you to the bedroom.

“I've never seen a pink bathtub,” you murmur, still amazed by what you saw in the bathroom.

“Come here,” Eren grins, sitting down on the edge of the bed and pulling you onto his lap. 

He looks up at you, eyes shimmering as he brushes your hair out of your face.

“Are you happy?” 

You smile as you lock your hands behind his neck.

“Very.”

“Yeah?”

You reply with an eager nod as you close the gap between you to kiss the corner of his lips. He doesn't allow you to pull away, his hand keeping you in place as he returns the kiss. 

He falls back onto the bed, pulling you down with him by the waist.

You rest on your sides, regarding each other in comfortable silence.

“Do you think we can find a place with a pink bathtub?” you wonder out loud after a few minutes.

Eren laughs.

“Are you still thinking about that?” 

“I can't help it! This place is amazing,” you gush. 

“Just wait til the New Year's Eve party,” he says. “You're gonna love it.”

“Tell me about it,” you ask him, snuggling into his chest.

“Let’s see,” he murmurs, as he squeezes your frame. “There’s music and champagne. My mom has a friend who owns a catering business and they serve the most incredible food. My mom decorates the terrace with all these flowers and lights, and at the stroke of midnight there's a fireworks show to celebrate the new year.”

“That sounds so nice,” you smile, then lean back to look at him. “Any New Year's kiss plans, Jaeger?”

“I don't know,” he sighs. “There's this girl I have a huge crush on but I don't know if she'll say yes.”

“That's too bad,” you say. “One-sided crushes are the worst.”

He nods in mock disappointment. 

“I'll just have to settle for you.”

“I guess you should.”

He kisses your cheek once, which soon transforms into a full-on attack of affection as he tickles and pokes your sides, making you laugh until you're gasping for air and tears of joy line your eyes.

Laughter echoes throughout the Jaeger home as the three of you browse the pages of Eren's baby photo albums.

After a relaxing shower and filling your bellies with heaps of Carla's pasta — she promised to pass on the recipe to you before you left — she left the dining room with a mischievous grin on her face, only to return with a stack of five albums, one for each early year of his life, and a box with more photos from later years. 

The three of you curled up on the sofa in the living room — you in between each Jaeger.

“This one has to be my new favorite,” you laugh as you land on a new spread.

Your eyes focus on a picture of a chubby nine-month-old Eren wearing nothing but a diaper and a pair of black boots, his eyes covered by a pair of sunglasses as he grips his tiny hands on the edge of a chair. 

Eren blushes when you turn to look at him with eyes crinkled in amusement and giggles leaving your lips.

“You already have like twenty favorites,” he chuckles.

“You were a really cute baby,” you defend. 

“This one is my favorite,” Carla points out, as she turns to the next page to reveal a photo of him fully naked with his back to the camera as he looks over his shoulder with a pout on his lips. 

You fall into a fit of giggles, gushing at baby Eren's adorable expression. 

“This feels like a hate crime,” he mutters.

“On who?” you laugh.

“On me, obviously!”

He tries to seem annoyed but the truth is, he enjoys watching your eyes light up as you watch him grow up between every still image.

The three of you share more laughs and you and Carla especially gang up on Eren when you reach the photo series from when he was going through a self-proclaimed model phase, where he would strike the most ridiculous poses he could think of in every frame.

You resist your tiredness until the last of the pictures has been graced by your delighted critique, to the point where you practically collapse onto the bed hours later when you and Eren go back to the pool house for the night. 

With Eren's warm embrace and the hours of travel catching up to you in an instant, you quickly fall asleep to the sound of his breathing.

Your first official day in Paradis has a late start. After your late-night laughs, you didn't wake up until nearly noon. Though you intended to help Carla make breakfast and clean, she was very understanding about how tired you were after such a long day. 

Even so, a couple of hours later, you hoped your assistance in baking cookies would be enough to make up for it.

You and Carla seem to make quite the team as you move around the kitchen in sync — sifting dry ingredients and mixing the wet ones, all while keeping your stations clean for the next steps. 

Christmas music plays in the background as Carla's infectious joy for the eve of her favorite holiday spreads through the house and wraps you in the same eagerness. 

“I've never made Christmas cookies before,” you mention, as you raise the whisk from your mixing bowl to check the consistency of your chocolate batter for the bundt cake Carla put you in charge of as she rolls out the dough for the cookies.

“Really?” Carla asks.

You nod.

“One of my neighbors gifted me some once when I was younger, but they were store-bought. And my mom wasn't much of a baker… or into holidays, for that matter.”

Carla glances at you with a sympathetic smile as she sets aside the rolling pin and eyes the thickness of the slab of gingerbread dough.

“It must've been hard for you at times, huh?”

Eren shared some details of your past with his mother before making the trip. Not that he expected her to say anything hurtful, but because he figured she shouldn't be caught off guard in case you were particularly sensitive about something.

“I can't really miss what I've never known,” you reply with a shrug. “I think there was a time when I would feel a little jealous of the kids at school after winter break when they would brag about all the stuff they did. It was normal for them but to me, it seemed like a luxury. I'm sure there were some good holiday moments at my house but they were too early on for me to remember.” 

Carla nods, lips pursed and eyes pensive.

“Is there anything you want to try this week?” she asks with a smile. “Eren and I always watch a movie on Christmas Eve and eat cake.”

With a shy smile on your face, you shrug.

“I don't really know. That's already more than I've done on my own… and I'm having enough fun already.”

Carla's smile grows wider at your words.

“Well, if you think of something else, let me know, okay?”

Appreciatively, you nod.

Just as you're about to pour the chocolate batter into the mold, Eren pops into the kitchen, eyes zeroing in on the whisk in your hands.

For the sake of spending more quality time with you, Carla asked her son to keep out of the kitchen — that, and because she doesn't want his sticky fingers near the cake batter. But, of course, he just had to make an appearance during his break from cleaning the pool.

“Looking good,” he comments, pressing a hand against the small of your back so he can get to the fridge for a glass of cold water.

A smile paints across your features as you continue pouring the batter into the mold, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a wooden spoon.

“Are you done with the pool already?” Carla asks him, to which he nods as he chugs down the glass of water.

“Sure am, ma'am.”

Carla hums with skepticism. 

“Go water my plants now, will ya?”

Eren straightens his posture, giving his mom a soldier's salute before making his way out. 

He pauses when he's right behind you, snatching the wooden spoon over your shoulder, pecking your lips when you turn around looking startled. 

“I'll take that,” he grins, winking at your flustered face before exiting the room, laughing on the way as Carla yells at him to not distract her baking buddy.

You bring a hand to your lips, laughing nervously as you avoid Carla's amused gaze.

The two of you take on either side of the slab of dough with cookie cutters as the holiday cheer heightens.

A while later, after the kitchen's been wiped down and the sweet smell of cookies and cake permeates the air, the three of you settle in the living room to fulfill the Jaeger’s Christmas Eve tradition.

You're snuggled between Eren's legs on the reclinable seat, your body covered by a blanket. The nights in Paradis run as cold as the afternoons are hot, but that's no issue when your boyfriend is always so warm.

Eren has his arms wrapped around your waist and every few moments he'll lean down to kiss the crown of your head. Your back picks up the vibrations of his chest when he laughs at a funny scene, as well as his heartbeat, which echoes in sync with yours as your fingers lace with his underneath the blanket.

The tree lights twinkle from the corner of the room as the only source of light aside from the TV. The air is sweet and you're at peace with a stomach full of cake and hot chocolate with peppermint and marshmallows. 

Good holidays have been rare, but this one so far will remain at the top of your list for years to come, you're sure.

The morning after, you're huddled on the floor around the Christmas tree, watching Carla open the gift you got her — a steel jewelry kit with an assortment of stones to embed into her creations. 

Her face lights up like a child's and she throws her arms around you in appreciation. 

“It's perfect!” she exclaims. “How did you know?” She narrows her eyes at her son, assuming he forecasted her next hyperfixation. 

Eren raises his hands in defense.

“It was all her,” he says with a proud grin on his face.

“Thank you,” she smiles as she pronounces your name.

Eren gives her his gift next — a signed vinyl of her favorite band from her early twenties, which receives an equally big reaction.

Eren bursts out laughing when he unwraps your present and pulls out a chibi Sailor Mars figurine. 

“This is amazing,” he grins, turning the box in his hands with fascination. 

You and Eren each receive hand-knit sweaters from Carla, made with intricate patterns and neat stitches in vibrant colors and soft wool.

When it's your turn to open Eren's gift, he holds his breath as he carefully watches you peel off the paper from the black velvet box.

“Oh, wow,” you murmur as you lift the delicate necklace to admire the pendant up close. It's an angel cast in silver, its tiny hands holding a sphere made out of your birthstone.

A knot forms in your throat as you look back at a shyly smiling Eren.

“It's a guardian angel,” he explains in that gentle voice that makes you weak at the knees.

He gestures for you to angle yourself so he can put the necklace on you.

Carla admires the scene from her place with proud eyes and her hands over her heart.

“Do you like it?” Eren asks, his face hovering over your shoulder to gauge your reaction as you look down at the little angel that rests a couple of inches below your collarbone. 

Turning around to face him, you nod, eyes shimmering with joy and appreciation for the boy before you.

“I love it.”

After breakfast, you and Eren wander back into the pool house hand in hand.

You collapse onto the bed, side by side as he brushes your cheek with the back of his hand.

“Are you happy?” he asks.

“You asked me that yesterday,” you smile. “And the day before, too. Do I not look happy?”

He chuckles airily.

“I just wanna make sure.”

You prop your weight on your elbow and cup his face with your free hand. 

The silver angel dangles between you, catching the light that comes through the window. 

“I'm extremely happy,” you murmur, bending down to kiss him as soon as the words leave your mouth.

He smiles into the kiss.

“Good.”

You stand from the bed, walking over to the mirror above the dresser. Smiling, you tilt your head, swaying your upper body so you can see how the angel looks at different angles.

Eren admires you from the bed for a moment before coming up behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist, pulling you into his chest and resting his chin on your shoulder.

“I have a second gift for you,” he murmurs slyly. 

Your eyebrows rise with intrigue.

From the mirror, you see him pull something from his back, waving it into view.

Your grin widens at the familiar image of black boots and sunglasses.

“The baby picture!” you exclaim.

You turn around in his arms to take hold of the glossy photo paper.

“It's all yours,” he smiles, then lifts your chin to kiss you on the lips. “And so am I.”

You sink into his kiss, soft and warm, as your arms drape around his neck.

You're giddy with excitement as you, Eren, and Carla venture between scattered beach towels and umbrellas in search of a good spot to settle down.

As expected of Paradis Island's track record, the weather is perfect for a day at the beach. Eren is happy at the chance to make up for the lack of water activities from your first date, as you finally get to cross out one of the items on your bucket list. 

You find a good spot at an equal distance from the water and the seaside eatery where families gather for food after their afternoon swim.

It's not as crowded as you expected, but enough people thought the beach was the perfect setting to unwind from any leftover Christmas chaos from the day before.

Eren fixes the beach umbrella while you and Carla smooth your towels on the sand. Eren gulps hard when you tug off your t-shirt and shorts, revealing once more the delicate swimsuit you bought for the occasion, before lathering yourself in sunscreen, aided by Carla for the spots you can't reach.

When you stepped out of the room in your one-piece earlier today — one with embroidered flowers and delicate straps tied in bows on your shoulders — while tugging on a pair of shorts to keep you modest, Eren nearly passed out.

The drive over allowed him to cool down and thankfully, you threw on that baggy t-shirt, too, or he would've been too flustered to drive.

He plops down onto the beach towel next to yours, watching you share a laugh with Carla over something unknown to him. You turn to him with a smile, kissing his cheek before offering to help him put on sunscreen.

He blushes but nods.

Your fingers sear his back as you massage the sunscreen into his bare skin. You catch glimpses of his flustered demeanor as you work your way down his back. The tips of his ears are flushed red, and when you finally finish, he shyly averts his gaze. 

After a quick look over your shoulder to make sure Carla is distracted looking for something in her bag, you lift Eren's chin and place a soft kiss on his lips.

“What was that for?” he smiles, glancing at his mom lying behind you. He knows you've been shy about kissing him in front of her.

“Because you're cute,” you tease with a shrug before relaxing against your towel.

Eren laughs to himself before taking a moment to relax in the sand as well. His hand meets yours in the middle and he interlocks your fingers, relishing in the warmth of your soft hand and that provided by the heated sand underneath him.

Carla's engrossed in a romance fantasy novel, which she reads through her sunglasses while you and Eren take in the salty air and the collective rustle of fellow beachgoers, with their distant cheers and laughter in between splashes of water.

“I'm gonna go for a swim,” Eren says after a while, carefully releasing your hand before standing. “Wanna join me?” he asks you, hoping you remember his promise to teach you.

You do. 

“Maybe in a little bit,” you smile.

With a crooked smile, he nods before jogging out toward the water.

You and Carla watch him run into the water without hesitation before diving in and swimming for a few feet until he resurfaces and waves at you from a distance.

An endeared smile takes over your features by reflex.

“He's pretty energetic, isn't he?” Carla laughs.

You nod.

“That's one of the things I like about him,” you murmur.

Carla glances at you briefly as she wedges her bookmark into the freshly read pages and sets the novel down on the sand. 

“Eren really likes you, you know,” she smiles. You nod. “I've never seen him so infatuated.” 

You giggle nervously.

“Yeah, but he's had a girlfriend before, right? That's what he told me.”

Carla racks her memory for a moment. 

“Oh, you mean Frieda!” she exclaims. “They dated in high school. She was a nice girl, but I don't think it compares to the way he looks at you. Besides, their romance was pretty short-lived. I don't think she liked him enough.”

You nod along to her words, wondering how anyone could ever not fall for Eren.

“He's a bit of a hopeless romantic,” she adds. “I figured most people would like that but I guess not all of them do.”

“Well, I do,” you assure her. “I like that he's sensitive.”

You poke holes into the sand with your index finger, unaware of the lazy grin that shapes your lips until Carla points it out.

“Do you love him?”

You immediately nod.

“I told him a while back, too… but he didn't say anything. I didn't expect him to, I know I might’ve said it a bit early but… everything feels right with him. I think I might’ve scared him, though.”

An amused air leaves Carla's lips.

“Oh, honey. He brought you here, didn't he?”

Embarrassed, you laugh down at your lap.

A looming shadow draws your attention. You look up to find Eren standing before you, hair wet and droplets streaming down his tan skin, swerving between every dip and curve of his toned torso.

“Hey,” he grins. “Ready?” 

Picking up your jaw and smiling, you nod before looking over at Carla.

“Mind if I steal her away for a bit, mom?” Eren asks.

Carla dismisses you with a wave of her hand.

“Go, have fun. I've got my book,” she says, plucking the bookmark from its place.

You take off your angel necklace, leaving it for Carla to keep safe in her bag. Eren helps you up with one easy pull and leads you through the sand.

The sun blares onto his back, drying off the smaller specks of water from his form as you walk to the shoreline. 

“What were you guys talking about this time?” he asks.

“You, obviously.”

He grins.

“All good things, I hope.”

You smile at him.

“Always.” 

The two of you walk along the shoreline, playfully swinging your linked hands as you distance yourself from the more crowded waters. 

“Here’s probably good,” Eren says once you reach a less saturated area.

You look around nervously, checking for any onlookers near the scene, but Eren’s quick to reassure you.

“Nobody’s gonna be looking at us,” he smiles, squeezing your hand. He steps backward into the water, gently tugging you along with an encouraging shimmer in his eyes.

The water causes you to shudder as you come into contact. It’s not too cold, but combined with the prospect of trying something new, it awakens a nervous response.

Eren carefully guides you deeper into the water until it reaches your waist. Instinctively, you catch yourself standing on your tiptoes the entire time, too unfamiliar with the wet sand beneath you to properly set your feet on the floor. You gently push your weight up, testing if you can somehow float even just the tiniest bit, but your body’s fearful reaction almost causes you to lose balance, if it wasn’t for Eren holding your hands. You go back to standing on your toes. 

“Isn’t it dangerous to learn how to swim in moving waters?” you ask, making nervous minuscule steps toward and away from Eren. You can’t seem to keep still with the feel of the sand shifting under your weight. “Maybe you should teach me in the pool. At least I can't drown there.”

“Relax,” Eren chuckles. Your nervous doe eyes have him in an amused trance. In his eyes, you're a clumsy baby deer learning to walk. “I worked as a lifeguard.”

You blink up at him, still making those tiny aimless steps.

“Did you really?”

“No,” he chuckles, too weak to lie when you’re holding onto his hands so tightly and looking up at him so helplessly. “But I’m not gonna let you drown; you’re too precious.”

You heat up in embarrassment. It’s not enough that you’ll likely make a fool of yourself but he can’t stop flirting even for a moment.

“How can I trust you after you just lied to me?” you pout.

Smiling, he lifts your chin with his index finger, leaning in to capture your lips in a brief kiss.

“Fine,” you murmur, miserably failing at hiding your flustered smile. “I trust you.”

He eagerly grins as he tells you to continue holding onto him and just allow your lower body to rise and float. You fail a few times, your fear keeping your legs from staying parallel to the water. Eren helps you, murmuring gentle commands and tips until you finally manage to stay afloat on your stomach.

“Now, try kicking,” he says, momentarily releasing one of your hands to mimic the motions with two fingers. 

His instructions are clear and in that soft tone he uses with none but you. Even when you're feeling self-conscious or silly it mostly stems from an inner source. Whenever he happens to laugh, it’s because he’s happily encouraging you and cheering you on, or because you’re laughing too.

When he begins pulling you around the water as you practice kicking, he teases you by racing a few steps, causing you to lose your center of gravity. The two of you erupt in laughter as he quickly hoists you up by your waist until you regain your balance.

“You jerk!” you laugh, using as much force as you can muster to splash him with water. 

He raises his forearms in defense, grinning as the salty water washes over his form, before returning your attack in the next instant.

You continue attacking each other with water, squinting at the salt that manages to reach your eyes and trying hard not to laugh to keep from tasting it.

Eren draws his body closer. His attacks are much more aggressive, making you back away from your offense and resorting to shield yourself with your arms while you gleefully squeal words of surrender and pleas for mercy.

The splashing stops when his arms wrap around your waist, pressing your back into his chest as he spreads salty kisses onto your cheek.

You turn around in his arms, grinning widely as you catch your breath. 

He looks adoringly into your eyes, airy laughter sputtering from his lips as he smooths your hair back with one hand and squeezes your hip with the other.

“That was an unfair fight, Jaeger,” you breathe. “You’re supposed to go easy on your girlfriend.”

“I don’t know. You were pretty feisty,” he grins.

You pull him in for a kiss, easily ignoring the saltiness on his lips as a satisfied hum bubbles up his throat.

You lean back, still mirroring each other’s smile.

“Want me to teach you to float on your back?” he suggests.

You hesitate. 

“That one scares me a little,” you admit. “What if I’m carried away by the current?”

He laughs.

“You won’t, there are barely any waves. Come on, it’s really cool once you get it.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, you nod.

Under his guidance and his strong arms, you're lifted parallel to the water again, only this time you’re on your back. His hands are pressed under your upper back and just below your glutes for support, as he tells you how to adjust your form. 

“Lift your chin,” he gently instructs. “And arch your back just a little more.”

You focus intently on keeping your head centered, resisting the urge to look at him so you don’t tilt your weight. 

“I’m gonna let go, okay?”

You quickly utter a string of no’s.

“I’ll do it slowly, yeah?” he offers. “Just stay as you are, I’ll still be right here in case you lose your balance.”

Hesitant, but mildly intrigued to see if you can stay afloat on your own, you subtly nod.

“Okay.”

Slowly, the pressure of Eren’s firm hands strays from your body, leaving you to float on your own.

Holding his hands out for you to see, he proudly grins.

“There you go,” he laughs.

Nervous giggles spill from your lips as you observe the water from your peripheral vision. 

You close your eyes for a moment, relishing the feeling of floating in water. Eren stands next to you, like a palm tree shading an island.

“Pretty cool, right?” he murmurs.

You grin in response. Your eyes flutter open, squinting at the sun. With Eren keeping watch, your body relaxes into the soft motions of the water.

A ripple in the water sways your form. It’s a small shift in movement, so it only adds to the experience.

That is until a slightly bigger one comes your way. It’s still small enough that it would barely faze you had you been standing, but in your current position, it’s enough to startle you.

Eren reaches for your hand once he notices the mild panic in your eyes, but your arms shoot out to cling to his neck as you clumsily lift your upper body from the water. The ripple passes through, and your feet have yet to meet the ground. Eren’s hands are wrapped around your waist, keeping you steady as your doe eyes look up at him in apology for the sudden assault.

In one swift motion, he hooks his arms under your legs, wrapping them around his torso — simultaneously putting an end to your struggle and fixing you in a compromising position. 

“You okay?” he murmurs, his face mere inches from yours.

Flustered, you nod.

He smiles; you mirror the expression. 

His gaze flits to your parted lips, which expel soft breaths. 

He leans forward, tilting his head slightly as his nose brushes against yours. Your eyes flutter closed as he captures your lips in a gentle kiss. His lips are salty but warm as they slot between yours. Your hands are still hooked behind his neck from when you clung to him when the second ripple passed through the water. You ease your grip to weave your fingers in his hair, the water droplets trailing from the strands, and onto your palms as you deepen the kiss.

His sigh of relief falls inside your mouth, as your tongue brushes against his, eliciting goosebumps on your sun-kissed skin.

Your breath hitches in your throat when you notice him hardening, the bulge under his swim trunks brushing precisely against your most sensitive spot.

You pull apart from the kiss, forehead pressed against his, as you glance down where your lower bodies meet.

Just two measly layers are keeping you apart, and you can easily make out the outline of his erection as you continue to peer down with shallow breaths leaving your parted lips.   

When you look back up, you’re met with pink cheeks and half-lidded eyes.

“Sorry,” he murmurs, bashfulness lacing his meek tone as he tries to laugh. “Not much I can do about Little Jaeger in this situation.”

Warily, he scans your face for any motion, any twitch to get a read on what you’re thinking.  He can easily put you down now but, frankly, he doesn’t want to. He just hopes you feel the same way because having you in his arms like this, with water droplets clinging to your skin and your hands lovingly petting his hair, is something he wants to prolong forever.

“It’s okay,” you breathe. “I don’t mind.”

You reconnect with his lips, gently sucking on his bottom lip, drawing out a strained moan from him in the process.

He can feel himself growing impossibly harder under his trunks. It’s getting more difficult by the second to keep himself together when you’re moving your tongue against his so slowly. Thankfully, you pull back a few moments later.

“We should probably get back to your mom, though,” you murmur. “And I’m kind of hungry now.”

He nods. He doesn’t want to, but he lowers you to the ground. His erection brushes against your lower stomach in the process, leaving you to stumble back with a flustered expression on your face.

“You should head back first,” he says, running a nervous hand through his hair. “I’m gonna need a minute to… calm down.”

You shyly avert your gaze but nod to let him know you understand before finding the way back to your spot on the beach without him.

Still dizzy from the recent exchange, Eren looks out onto the horizon, taking long, deep breaths until he’s ready to meet you for lunch.

You pad barefoot into the bedroom, ruffling your hair with your hands to catch another wave of the fresh scent from your shampoo. Standing at the foot of the bed, you stretch your arms over your head, smiling down at Eren, who observes you quietly through shimmering emerald eyes as his arm rests behind your pillow. After your long day at the beach, where you sunbathed with Carla, Eren taught you how to float, and you feasted on ceviche and coconut water, you’re more than ready to collapse.

You climb onto the bed next to Eren, snuggling into him as you always do, while he lazily wraps an arm around your waist as he always does. The golden light from the bedside lamp on his side acts as the only source of light, soft and comforting.

“You had quite a day today, babe. Think you're on your way to join the Olympics?” he teases.

You roll your eyes, scooting back so you can face him properly.

“Not if you keep dragging me around like that,” you deadpan. “That was an attempted murder.”

He laughs.

You watch him ease into a smile as his thoughts wander to somewhere unknown to you.

“My mom really likes you, by the way,” he murmurs as he caresses your cheek with the back of his hand. 

You prop yourself on one elbow, your interest piqued by his comment.

“Really? Did she tell you that?”

He nods as he raises his hand to trace the curve of your bottom lip.

“You know when you went to get shave ice? She told me then.”

“Ah, so you talk about me behind my back, too.”

An amused air blows through his nose.

“All good things. She kept going on and on about how pretty you are.”

“Is that so?” you say, leaning closer to his face.

“Mhm. She said you're the perfect girl for me.”

You quirk an eyebrow.

“That's a pretty bold statement.”

“What can I say? She's obsessed with you.”

You giggle as you lean even closer. His gaze flickers from your eyes, to your lips, and back again.

“Are you sure it wasn't you who said all those things?” 

“Oh, what? You think I'm obsessed with you?” he jests.

You suck in a meditative breath through your teeth. 

“I can't know for sure but you look like you really want to kiss me right now,” you reply, your tone laced with a hint of arrogance. 

“I don't know what you're talking about," Eren murmurs, immediately contradicting himself by lifting his chin to meet your lips, which linger dangerously close above him.

“Hm… then maybe I'm wrong,” you say, pulling back just as his lips ghost beneath yours.

Eren blinks up at you, helplessly sighing. 

You giggle before dipping down, only to pull back at the last second once more.

You chew on your bottom lip as you look down at him with mischief tainting your gaze.

A gasp travels past your lips when Eren suddenly pushes you back on the bed, pinning your wrist down with a firm grip.

He hovers over you now, eyes stern and determined with your body caged between his legs.

From your point of view, he seems so big. And the strength with which he keeps you in place reminds you he's as tough and manly as he is gentle and sweet. It's a reminder that draws a tingling sensation in your stomach.

In the next second, his eyes soften, as does his grip on your wrist as he bends down to kiss you.

Your body relaxes upon the comfort of his mouth caressing yours.

Your eyes flutter closed as your free hand finds a home in his hair, urging him closer — a command he can't resist.

His careful tongue wanders into your mouth, swallowing the soft moan that bubbles up your throat. 

He breaks away from the kiss, exhaling heavily as he rests his forehead against yours.

The corners of your lips tug into a smile.

“Trying to finish what you started?” you murmur.

“Maybe,” he says before his voice grows timid. “Should I?”

Slowly, he pulls back just enough to properly gauge your reaction. 

Your eyes twinkle as they hold his intense gaze. They travel over every single one of his features — his upturned eyebrows, the pink cheeks, the lips that hold back from taking or releasing breaths, and the emerald eyes that twinkle just the same. 

“Please.”

Your voice is barely enough to be called a whisper, but the word reaches his ears just fine.

The kiss is quickly reignited; his tongue forces itself into your mouth, earning a delicate whimper in return as you free yourself from his grasp to pull him closer by his hair. Your fingers tangle themselves between the short chocolate strands as he needily sucks on your tongue, the mix of your spit slathered around your mouth in the midst of his sloppy greed. 

One forearm keeps his weight above you as his free hand grips your waist, your shirt riding up in the process as you writhe under him, desperate for his touch, for his lips, for his tongue.

As you grow dizzy from your frenetic makeout, your hands travel down his chest, feeling each tensed muscle over the cotton fabric until your fingers hook under the hem of his shirt, silently asking for him to undress.

He pulls back to give in to your wishes, swiftly tugging the garment over his head and tossing it onto the floor.

He takes a moment to look down at you, your frame suddenly so small beneath him but your pupils are blown with lust and excitement as they wander his bare torso.

Through shallow breaths and with trembling hands, you trace over every defined curve with the pads of your fingers, committing every shape to memory as you go. 

Eren bites back a smile. He knows you're only trying to be gentle, but your delicate fingers tickle his skin as they slowly explore his abdomen. 

He sucks in a sharp breath, brow furrowed and eyes fluttering shut when you reach the waistband of his boxer briefs. 

You eye him carefully as you trace the border of the only remaining piece of clothing on his body — testing his patience as you draw over the edge a couple of times before your fingers hook around the elastic band.

Slowly, you pull down his underwear, holding your breath until his semi-hardened cock springs out of its confines. 

From above, Eren closely watches your reaction, getting drunk off the image of your parted lips, your gentle half-lidded eyes, and your shy hands that carefully wrap around his growing erection. You stroke him once, to which he bites down on his bottom lip to keep himself from pronouncing any profanities, but when your thumb brushes over the sensitive head of his cock to collect the gathering amount of precum, his eyebrows upturn in pleasure and he fails to keep himself upright.

“Fuck,” he whimpers, falling down onto your chest, struggling to hold up his weight on his forearm while he buries his face in the crook of your neck.

Your other hand nestles in his hair, comforting him as you continue stroking him.

His cock grows under your touch, fully hardening until it's pressed against your stomach when you finally release it.

Your breath hitches in your throat as you feel the length of what's bound to penetrate your insides. 

“See what you do to me?” Eren's strained voice murmurs into your neck.

You turn your head to the side, trying to get a look at the boy whose feverish skin is burning through your clothes.

You call his name in the shape of a whine — a shy plea. 

He lifts his face from the crook of your neck, his eyes boring into yours before he leans forward to kiss you.

The kiss is less urgent than before, but equally needy. His warm tongue slips into your mouth, drawing out a relieved sigh.

“Let me do something for you, yeah?”

You look back at him quizzically, but he only pecks your lips before pressing an open-mouthed kiss onto your collarbone and lowering his body down the bed. He stops when his face is level with your abdomen. His fingers hook around the hem of your shirt, lifting the fabric to expose your stomach. 

Starting just below your ribs, he leaves a trail of wet, open-mouthed kisses on your skin, circling his tongue around your belly button when he reaches it and continues further down. 

You close your eyes, head thrown back as your mouth falls open from his affections. 

His fingers tug on the drawstring of your pajama shorts as he glances up at you for confirmation.

Meeting his questioning gaze, you nod, chewing on your lip as you lift your hips for him to slide the garment off your legs. He tosses it to the side and wraps his hands around your ankles, spreading your legs just enough for him to kneel comfortably between them.

Your heart quickens in anticipation, but he outstretches the thrill as he's intent on teasing you first. He holds up your left leg, keeping his gaze fixed on you as he litters your skin with the same open-mouthed kisses he left on your stomach. His mouth travels up your calf, up your inner thigh, and near the trim of your white cotton panties, where he nips at the skin with his teeth, sucking fervently before repeating the process on the other side.

He kisses your right calf, and up your inner thigh, and sucks on the skin before your panties start. And finally, he kisses your pussy over the cotton fabric as he watches you bite down on your bottom lip through his lashes. With his eyes finally closed, he loses himself in the sweet scent of your sex as he drags his tongue in rhythmic stripes, pressing into your clit through your underwear. Your whimpers echo throughout the room as you squirm under his tongue, hoping he'll rid you of your panties soon. 

But he takes his time.

He engages in a heated makeout with your pussy through your underwear, his tongue gliding over your entrance before his lips take their turn each time. 

Your pussy flutters around nothing, aching to be touched, to feel those fervent strokes from his tongue directly on your flesh.

There's a dark patch forming on your underwear, courtesy of his saliva and your built-up arousal. The flimsy cotton sticks to your pussy lips, giving Eren a perfect outline of your needy sex.

“Eren,” you whimper, finally earning a glance from the teasing man between your legs. 

Putting a pause on his teasing, his eyebrows rise in question.

“Please,” you beg, eyebrows upturned in a helpless manner. 

Your ruined panties are discarded. He hooks his hands behind your knees, throwing your legs over his shoulders just in time for him to dive into your pussy like a starved man. His tongue swirls around your entrance, sending shivers up your spine as your fingers lose themselves in his hair. 

A guttural moan rises from the back of his throat as he collects every last trace of your arousal, the taste heavenly sweet on his tongue, though that might be because he's so undeniably whipped.

He repeats the same motions from before on your bare pussy, his mind reeling with dizzy pleasure when he feels you pulsing directly on his tongue. He buries his nose between your folds as his tongue prods deeper, lapping at every nook as he makes a mess of his face.

Checking in on you as he does, he pulls back and slowly inserts a finger inside you. You've barely any strength to utter a word, but the way you throw your head back with your eyebrows upturned in pleasure is enough for him to continue, adding one more finger as he curls them against your insides, searching for that sweet spot that makes your thighs twitch once he finds it.

He lowers his face back into your pussy, teasing your clit with the tip of his tongue.

He draws tight circles onto it, the pressure making you squirm in pleasure in addition to his lithe fingers that produce melodious wet noises as your arousal only continues flowing.

He sucks on your clit as your slick coats his fingers and drips down your ass and onto the covers. 

Not knowing what to do with yourself, you can only continue pushing his face down between your legs as you feel an orgasm creeping up on you.

You whine his name again.

Eren pulls out his fingers, quickly sucking them clean before finishing you off with his mouth.

His tongue languidly prods at your entrance and, with the aid of his fingers spreading your folds, he pushes his tongue inside you as far as he can, stroking your insides with the warm, tireless muscle. His thumb toys with your clit, drawing out a series of lustful cries from you until your toes curl and you squeeze your thighs around his head — not like he cares, anyway; it's practically a bonus reward.

With one last kiss pressed onto your pussy, he pushes himself back up.

When your eyes flutter open as you come down from your orgasm, he's hovering over you, his chin and plump lips glossy with your release and his spit. 

“How'd I do?” he asks breathlessly. His eyes twinkle as he awaits your review, hopeful that you'll praise him.

You pull him closer by his neck.

“So fucking good,” you breathe, before meeting his swollen lips.

Tasting yourself from his mouth feels nothing short of sinful but you happily suck on his lips to gather every last bit of your essence.

In the midst of getting you off on his tongue, Eren discarded his boxer briefs somewhere on the floor, so when he grinds his hips against yours in search of friction, there's nothing but flesh on flesh and neatly groomed pubic hair tickling your skin.

His hand massages the side of your waist, creeping up until he's met with the underside of your breast. This time, your lack of a bra doesn't surprise him, and he doesn't shy away, either. 

His hand eagerly gropes your breast, his fingers gently pinching the nipple as he swallows your moans.

He kneads the soft mound as his cock continues dragging between your folds, hitching on your entrance with every other stroke.

“Mind if I take this off?” he mumbles into your mouth.

You hum in approval, sitting up so he can tug the shirt over your head before falling back onto the pillow.

“Wow,” he whispers, eyes drinking in every detail of your upper body — your tender breasts, your pert nipples, your soft skin, your shiny hair splayed on the pillow, and your pretty face looking up at him with equal admiration.

You smile at him, raising a hand to caress his cheek. He closes his eyes at the contact and rests his hand over yours, turning around to press a kiss into your palm.

You giggle. He smiles down at you.

With your free hand, you travel up his chest, resting just above your favorite sound.

“Your heart's beating like crazy,” you point out.

He squeezes your hand before bending down to brush his nose against yours.

“I wonder why.”

Your eyes crinkle with glee as a shy smile takes over your lips.

He cradles your face with one hand, stroking the apple of your cheek with his thumb.

“You have no idea how precious you are to me.”

A warm glow spreads through your insides at his words, like golden honey that infiltrates your heart and pumps through every corner of your body.

“I think I do,” you whisper, to which he smiles.

He pulls back, eyes glassy and cheeks dusted with pink.

He reaches over to the bedside table, fumbling around the drawer as his angle keeps him from having a full view of the inside. He retrieves a foil square between two fingers.

You raise an eyebrow.

“Were you hoping to get lucky on this trip?” you tease.

“I bought them just in case,” he grins.

You nod in approval. 

“Good call.”

He tears the foil packet open, tossing it aside once he pulls out the contents, and rolls the condom down his length. 

He fixes himself on his forearm once more, caressing your face as his eyebrows rise in question.

“You sure?” 

With a small smile playing on your lips, you nod. 

With the help of his knee, he spreads your legs wider while reaching down to line himself with your entrance — all while maintaining eye contact.

He makes slow teasing stripes down your pussy with his tip — once, twice, three times — before he finally starts sliding inside of you. You hold onto his arm, the muscles firm at your fingertips as they work to keep him steadily above you.

His tip slides in with little resistance, though it's still a bit of a tight fit. Carefully scanning your face for any signs of discomfort, he pushes himself inside you in fragments. 

You close your eyes, sighing in relief when you finally feel the brush of his pubic hair against your lower tummy.

Eren closes his eyes for a moment, too, swallowing thickly as he comes to the realization that he's inside you. He's inside where everything is warm and wet and tight and comforting. 

He opens his eyes before you do. For another moment, he simply admires you, watching your parted lips release hushed breaths — your peaceful image close to that of an angel in prayer.

He smooths back your hair and presses a kiss to your forehead. 

When your eyes finally open, you smile up at him. 

Taking that as a sign, he makes an experimental thrust, eyeing your reaction as he does so. 

You hook your arms under his, your hands pressed firmly against his back as he gradually gains more confidence with each stroke. He peppers your face with kisses until he settles on your lips, where he gingerly pulls on your bottom lip with his teeth, and his pleased sighs are poured down your throat.

You hug him tighter, moaning his name into his ear as he rolls his hips into yours with finesse. 

Eren's back grows sweaty with each of his movements, his breath shallowing at the same pace. Every drag of his hips brushes against your clit, making for the most well-rounded experience as he loses himself in the feeling of your insides fluttering around his length. 

“Does this feel good for you, baby?” he asks as he presses your foreheads together.

“Uh-huh,” you whimper. “Don't stop, Ren. Please.” 

“Wouldn't dream of it,” he smiles before capturing your lips in a needy kiss.

You sigh into his mouth as your tongues swirl around each other, heightening your arousal while he continues building up the pace of his hips. His fingers dig into your waist, acting as leverage for his increasingly faster thrusts. You buck your hips upwards, meeting him halfway in search of more friction. 

“My baby,” he coos against your mouth.

The room is filled with squelching noises of your arousal glossing his length over the condom. Every vein, every curve of his thick cock leaves its mark on your insides, permanently altering your body to fit him. Every deep thrust, every tight circle drawn by his thumb plants a seed for a permanent craving that only he can satisfy. Only he can draw out such pretty noises from your mouth. Only he can make your sweet and innocent voice morph into that of a sinful, greedy woman who wishes to be brought to pleasure by his expert touch. Only he can make love to you like this.

His balls are quickly growing heavy, slapping against your ass with every roll of his hips — the sound echoing in your ears. 

With one quick kiss to his cheek, you push him back gently. He falls onto his back, his aching cock pulsing into nothing but air as he scoots back to rest against the headboard, watching through adoring eyes as you straddle his lap and lower yourself onto his cock with a whimper, relieving yourself from the momentary emptiness you felt. His hands grip your hips with a bruising force, his jaw slack as he watches you expertly move your hips, rocking back and forth against his pelvic bone to satisfy your clit, and up and down to satisfy him.

He fondles one of your breasts as your face falls into the crook of his neck, whimpering and blubbering about how good you feel with him buried deep inside you. One of your hands tangles in his hair while the other digs crescents into his back. 

It’s unreal. To think he’s allowed to be this close to you, to be blessed with the opportunity to melt into your touch. Every whimper, every instance of begging, every drowned-out moan as you hide your face in the crook of his neck — it's beyond addictive. 

You're both coated in sweat, the place where your bodies meet growing stickier with every passing second. Your thighs begin to burn as you continue riding him, trying your best not to lose your pace as he sucks on your nipples and your head falls back in pleasure.

“Fuck yeah, baby,” he huffs. “Keep riding my cock like that.”

You tighten around him at the unexpected dirty talk.

Eren's always such a gentleman, so this shift in behavior is surprising — though certainly not unwelcome. 

“Eren,” you whine, looking down at him helplessly as you continue bouncing on his cock.

He flashes you with his signature boyish smile.

“I got you.”

In one swift motion, you're flipped back on the bed while Eren hovers over you. Refusing to let your build-up slip away, he reconnects with you in an instant, sloppily thrusting into you as your legs wrap around his waist.

“Look at you,” he breathlessly coos as he caresses your thigh with one hand and cradles your face with the other. “My baby's so fucking pretty.”

The sounds of slapping skin and moisture reign the room. Your nails dig into his back, scarring the skin with red marks, claiming his body as yours — not that he would want it any other way. Your feverish body clings to him like he's the only thing keeping you grounded as the coil in your stomach tightens more and more.

Sweat drips down his forehead and the now dark chocolate strands that frame his face. His pupils are blown with lust, nearly dominating the entirety of his sweet emerald irises, but his usual warmth remains.

His hips start bucking erratically, his rhythm carelessly tossed out the window as he hooks his arms under your legs and presses them toward your chest. The new angle has you crying out in pleasure as he uses his last bit of strength to sloppily thrust into you a few more times.

The coil reaches its limit, snapping at the hilt of your ecstasy as you cry out his name and your toes curl in pleasure.

A couple of thrusts later, he's spilling hot ropes of cum into the condom and releasing hoarse moans into the crook of your neck. 

His hips finally stop as you lay there, limbs tangled and bodies sticky, while you steady your breathing. His hand rests on your waist, tenderly stroking the skin with his thumb as you comb through his hair with your fingers. 

The air is thick with the sweet remnants of your sexual fulfillment. 

Reluctantly, he pulls out of you, his cock already softening inside the condom as he falls onto his back and pulls you by the waist so that you rest on top of his chest. 

His hand affectionately smooths your back as he takes in your exhausted features. 

“You okay?” he whispers, his voice still too weak to speak as normal.

Not yet recharged from your passionate lovemaking, you just nod.

You smile at each other.

“I didn't… I mean, I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?”

You shake your head at his worried expression before leaning forward to peck the corner of his mouth.

“It was perfect.”

He smiles again. 

Carefully, you lift yourself off his chest before any more soreness settles into your muscles and you begin scouring the floor for your clothes. 

Eren sits up on the bed, ridding himself of the used condom and tying it in a knot as he watches you slip on your underwear.

“What's wrong?” he asks when you click your tongue in confusion.

“I can't find my shirt,” you mutter as you pick up a garment from the floor, only to find it's not what you're looking for. “I don't want to walk around naked. What if your mom comes?”

Eren glances around briefly before he lights up at an idea upon spotting his own white t-shirt on the floor. 

“Here,” he says, tossing the garment in your direction. You catch it with ease. “Just wear mine.”

Without thinking too much about it, you tug on the shirt over your head, the fabric cascading down your body and falling mid-thigh.

“Thanks,” you smile before grabbing a fresh pair of underwear from the dresser and stepping out the door, leaving Eren a blushing mess at the lingering image of you wearing his clothes.

A few minutes later, both clean and tired, you snuggle into each other under the covers. Eren reaches behind him to turn off the bedside lamp, leaving you in peaceful darkness.

“Are you happy?” he asks.

You smile.

“I've never been happier.”

With your hand on his chest and his arm around your waist, you fall asleep.

The following morning, you're woken by the sunlight sifting through the curtains.

When you squint your eyes open, you see Eren smiling at you.

You giggle. 

“How long have you been staring at me?”

“Not too long,” he grins. “You look pretty when you're sleeping.”

Your face warms as you hold onto him tighter. Your body is still dealing with the tired symptoms from last night's heated encounter.

“You think your mom will mind if we stay in bed all day?”

“I don't think I can go that long,” he murmurs. 

It takes you a second to realize what he's hinting at but, when you do, you playfully slap his shoulder. He laughs.

“How are you feeling?” he smiles.

“I'm just a bit sore,” you reply honestly.

He hums in response.

“You wanna postpone our plans?” he asks, concerned you might be too tired for today's itinerary. “We can go out tomorrow.”

To his surprise, you shake your head.

“No, I still wanna go. Just give me a few more minutes.” 

He smiles as he looks down at your tired form. You're wearing that same relaxed expression from last night, reminiscent of an angel when he was hovering over you.

Three words teeter the tip of his tongue, but when his lips part to pronounce them, he retreats, flustered.

So with a quick kiss to your temple, he slips out from under the covers, gets dressed, and ventures to the main house. 

Carla's fixing herself breakfast in the kitchen when he walks in. She greets him with a smile, asking where you are.

“She's still asleep. She's pretty tired from yesterday,” Eren explains, hoping that if he doesn't think about it too much, he won't seem suspicious. 

But Carla only nods in understanding as she sits down to enjoy her omelet. 

“We’re going into town today. I’m gonna show her around. Wanna come?” Eren asks with a smile.

“I can’t today, honey. I’m meeting up with my book club later and I need to catch up on my reading. But you two have fun.”

Eren nods.

A couple of minutes pass by in silence. He stares at a blank point as he chews on the inside of his cheek.

“Would you like me to make you one?” Carla asks, an amused look on her face as she notices her son intently staring at her omelet.

Eren blinks. 

“Oh, no. I’m good.”

“Are you okay?” she asks.

“Can I ask you something?”

She sets her fork down, resting her chin on her laced hands with a nod.

“What’s on your mind, kiddo?”

Eren nervously wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans, taking a deep breath as he gathers the right words to speak his mind.

“A while back,” he pronounces your name softly. “She told me she loves me.”

Carla smiles, having known that already since you told her.

“But I kind of choked at the time.”

Carla tilts her head, her features serious now. She’s seen the affectionate look in his eyes whenever he sees you, and the way he’s so gentle when treating you. However, perhaps it’ll be easier if he practices admitting his feelings out loud.

“Was it because you don’t…” she trails off, but Eren quickly denies what she’s implying with a shake of his head.

“No, that’s not it. I was just surprised when she said it… It felt really good to hear it,” he smiles.

“So what’s got you worried?” she tenderly asks.

Eren looks down at the counter, gaze lost on the patterns of the mismatched tiles that somehow harmoniously blend together.

“I just… She hasn’t said it since. And I keep trying to tell her how I feel but now I’m worried that, because I didn’t say it back that time, she… might not feel the same way anymore.”

Carla’s concerned features soften, her lips perking into an endeared smile before her son’s anxious expression.

“Oh, honey,” she murmurs.

Eren blushes.

“Do you think that’s it? Do you think she changed her mind?”

“You beautiful dumb boy,” Carla laughs.

She reaches over to squeeze his hand.

“She’s still here, isn’t she?”

“And this is where I dislocated my elbow.”

Eren points to a spot a few feet from the seesaw. 

“How’d you do that?” you ask.

“I let go when it was my turn going up,” he meekly explains, to which you laugh into your hand.

“Oh, Eren.”

You can picture the scene in your head — a young Eren flying into the air after trying to act tough by raising his hands from the handlebar, too young to understand the physics behind the oncoming accident.

He grins as he guides you toward the swings, where he offers you a seat before stepping behind you and gently pushing you.

“The swings are supposed to be for the kids,” you giggle as he pushes you higher.

“It’s not like that’s a law,” he replies with a shrug.

He settles into the swing beside you, promptly matching your height as the chain creaks under his weight. 

As you fly up in the air, he glances over at you. You’ve got the same youthful look in your eyes from the evening you spent together building a sandcastle with Josie. Your face lights up in the same delighted manner. You’re a kid again.

Classical music echoes in your ears from your headphones as you turn the page of the novel Carla left you before leaving to meet the ladies from her book club. 

She gifted you an extra copy from one of the titles in her personal library — last month’s read which she thought you would enjoy. You’re curled up on the yellow velvet sofa, snacking on a clementine from the bag Eren bought for you at the market. As you turn to the next chapter, you catch a glimpse of movement from your peripheral vision, and you look up to find Eren leaning on the bathroom door frame, wearing a robe. 

You pause your music and set your headphones aside.

“What are you doing?” you smile.

He tilts his head in a flirtatious manner.

“I filled up the pink bathtub.”

Your smile grows as you stand to accept the hand he holds out for you to take.

Candles are burning in every corner of the bathroom as vanilla-scented bubbles rest on the water’s surface.

Eren’s robe pools at his feet and he steps into the pink bathtub first, relaxing in the water with his back pressed against the porcelain as his arms rest on either side of the tub. He watches you undress, an enamored smile shaping his lips as you gradually reveal every delicate curve of your nude body to him. 

Using his hand as support, you step into the warm water and settle between his legs, your back flush against his chest as his arms wrap around your waist. 

You instantly relax in his arms, every trace of leftover soreness vanishing from your body as you scoop up the vanilla foam in your hands and rub it between your palms.

Eren presses an open-mouthed kiss onto your bare shoulder and the slope of your neck.

“Are you happy?” he whispers into your ear.

You smile.

“Very.”

He hums in approval.

“I had fun at the park today,” you add.

“Yeah?”

You nod.

“I felt like a kid again when you were pushing me on the swing.”

He chuckles softly. You continue as he listens closely.

“I feel like you really spoil me sometimes.”

“Does that bother you?” he asks, his eyebrows upturned in concern as he wonders if you still don’t feel entirely comfortable with all the attention he gives you.

But you smile and shake your head.

“I like it,” you murmur shyly. “I feel like God compensated me for everything by putting you in my life.”

Your voice weakens with your confession, pulling at Eren’s heartstrings in the process. When you look back at him, tears are lining your lashes, but your features remain cheerful.

“I’m glad I met you, Eren,” you smile before facing forward again.

“I’m glad I met you, too,” he whispers, resting his chin on your shoulder.

You remain quiet, allowing your synced breathing to be the only one to take up the room.

Eren’s thumbs trace up and down your stomach, as you sink further down his chest.

After a while, your voice breaks through the silence. 

“Eren?”

He hums in response.

“Do you still want to know everything?”

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[mikelogan]

Hi, I love your blog and your edits. I was wondering if you could do a tutorial on how you combine multiple gifs into one in the first gif of yours MIKELOGAN’s 5K FOLLOWER CELEBRATION || GET TO KNOW ME MEMEFAVORITE ACTORS [2/10]Colin Firth (September 10, 1960) set? Thank you for reading this and helping me.

thank you so much, that's so kind!! this is the post in question (which was inspired by this gorgeous set) and i'll break down how to do it step by step below the cut!

i ended up saving this gif as a psd because i remember it taking me so long and being really frustrating, i just wasn't sure why. for reference, i posted that set back in september, just over four months ago. looking at the psd, i can see just how far i've grown as a gifmaker bc that thing is a hot mess. i made it about 3x more complicated than it needed to be, so let's do this the right way lol note: i was still using 0.07 frame rate at this point. i have since switched to 0.05 for smoother, quicker gifs.

what we're going to do is create all of these gifs separately and put them together at the end. in total, there are 6 individual gifs. let's start with harry.

i gif by importing video frames to layers, but if you prefer to screencap, load those in instead. because this ends up being a pretty large gif, both in size and length, i kept it to 20 frames per clip.

once you're satisfied with the frames you've chosen, crop your canvas to 540px x 540px. this is what i'm left with

this is when i sharpen my gifs. everyone's process is a little different. i created my own sharpening action, which converts my frames to video timeline and then sharpens.

the next step is to color your gif. if you're going for the overall look in mine, here were my layers:

a brightness/contrast layer with brightness set to 31 and contrast to 5. this will depend on the scene you're working with

a levels layer using the black and white eyedroppers. the top one is your black eyedropper. to use it, click it and select the blackest part of your gif. do the same with the white eyedropper and select the lightest part of your gif. you may need to play around with selecting different points depending on your scene and the original coloring

finally, a simple black & white gradient map layer on top

now we're going to add the thin rectangular border in the middle of the gif. i use the rectangle shape tool for this (press U on your keyboard) and these are my settings (x and y coordinates don't matter):

to center it perfectly, i use ctrl+T and drag it until it snaps into place with both the vertical and horizontal guides.

next, let's add the "choose your gentleman" text that goes at the top of the border. here is the font i chose and its settings:

once again, press ctrl+t and drag this to the vertical center of your gif and to the center of the top of the border. you should feel and see it snap into place. this is what we have now:

now, we're going to use a layer mask on the border so we can read the text. select the rectangle layer and click the layer mask button

with the layer mask selected (as shown in the second image), use the rectangular marquee tool (M on your keyboard) to draw a rectangle around your text, taking care to keep it just a little larger

as you can see, you'll know when you're perfectly centered through your text layer and vertically on the entire canvas. select your brush tool without deselecting this rectangle (B on your keyboard) and paint the selection with a black brush. this masks that part of the border!

let's add the small square gif that goes at the bottom of the border now. i think the easiest way of doing this is to use the rectangular shape tool (U) again. the size of this gif is 110x110, so create a black square of that size with no stroke. Use ctrl+T to drag it to the center of the bottom of the border (the x and y coordinates don't matter):

now duplicate your original gif layer (ctrl+J) and drag it to the top of the layer panel. right click on it and create clipping mask. this will make it so the gif only appears within the confines of the square we just created. resize your gif by using ctrl+T and, making sure the proportions are locked, drag the corners to the edges of the square.

this gif is not colored at all as we only duplicated the gif itself and not the coloring layers. i duplicated those as well and dragged them on top of our small gif, but it's important to make sure those are using the clipping mask as well. you can click this on the properties layer of each adjustment layer to make sure they do.

you'll know you've been successful when you see the small arrow next to each of your coloring layers. this keeps them from affecting the coloring of the larger, main gif.

we're going to change the gradient map adjustment layer from black & white to black & lime green (or the color of your choosing). click on that layer and then on the map. this will bring up the gradient editor. click on the small white color stop at the far right end of the gradient and then on the color picker, choose a new color.

the hex code i used for the lime green is #00ff0c

our last steps are the angle brackets on either side of the gif and harry's name in the center. here are the settings i used for those (angle brackets on the left and harry on the right):

the layer styles for harry's name (double click on the text layer to call up this menu OR right click > blending options):

and for the angle brackets:

by now, you know how to utilize ctrl+T to move these layers where you'd like them. harry's name is centered horizontally and vertically and rotated at a bit of an angle and the angle brackets are centered horizontally and i just eyeballed where to put them in relation to the space between the border and the edge of the gif.

this is the complete first gif. what i would do for your own sanity since you have two more of these two create is 1) save it as a psd just in case something crashes and 2) don't convert it to a smart object until you have all 3 gifs completed and are ready to put them together.

the nice part about having the first one done is you've ultimately done the hard part. create your two other gifs, but you'll be using at least roughly the same coloring and all the same text, just with the colors adjusted, so you can drag those layers from your completed first gif to your others as you work on them.

once you have all 3 gifs completed and still on 3 separate canvases (and saved as psds bc this is adobe friggin photoshop and shit breaks all the time), convert all layers on all the gifs to smart objects. this will simplify the final gif and make things much easier.

then, bring gif #2 and gif #3 both onto gif #1's canvas. this is what it will look like at first on the timeline and in your layer panel:

(full disclosure, i'm not making the other two lmao, i'm lazy and i already did it once in a way harder way 😂)

to get the gifs to play after one another rather than simultaneously, you just have to drag them after one another on the timeline!

a little bit hard to show the actual process, but you're just clicking the bertie layer and dragging it down to harry's line after the harry layer. then do the same with the jamie layer, dragging it down to the harry layer after bertie. when you're done, it should look like this:

btw, the little slider i circled is what enlarges or shrinks the timeline view, so if you need to see something broken down a bit more/slower, drag it to the right. if you need to zoom out, drag it to the left.

and that's it! export and save your gif!

if you have any questions or anything is at all unclear about this, please let me know! i'm happy to help!

[acaaai-t]

resurface, my love

01. whispers of the wind

[fem! reader x villain! scaramouche]

cw: violence, blood, kidnapping, usage of guns, mentions of illegal drug trades, lots of cursing, bits of fluff and angst

Scaramouche was pissed.

It was evident with the grip he had on the newspaper.

His subordinates stood in the corner of the room, heads downcast. No words were spoken, for none wishes to be the one suffering under the wrath of the Balladeer.

On the small HD television hanging above his desk, a news broadcast began to play. Scaramouche brought his eyes up to watch it, his interest piqued.

"Our ever reliable detective has once again solve another puzzling crime! This breakthrough of the undergoing illegal drug trade has finally been stopped. So how did you do it, young detective?"

The camera panned to your face. He narrowed his eyes.

"Well, someone gave an anonymous tip about the whereabouts of the drug trade. All I did was crack the code and—" he switched the television off.

The silence was deafening.

Scaramouche slammed the newspaper to the side, the sound resonating around the too-empty room.

"How the fuck did you guys mess up this badly?" he growled. "I gave specific instructions and none of you were able to follow it?" His voice had an dangerous edge to it.

The room was still.

"You," he snarled, pointing at the male agent trembling in the corner. "Tell me everything that happened."

…

"You look worn out, are you alright?" your boss, Kujou Sara, asked.

You waved your hand. "I'm fine, it's just being surrounded by cameras all day drained me."

Sara laughed and patted your back. "I wouldn't be surprise. This case has been ongoing for years, you're the only one who've managed to close it."

"Well it was mostly thanks to that anonymous tip. If it wasn't for that, I feel this would never end," you said, a tired smile appearing.

"You are our best decoder here, couldn't replace you even if I tried," Sara said. "I'll take my leave now. You should quickly finish up too, everyone left already. Don’t tire yourself out too much.”

You nodded. "Night Sara."

The door clicked shut.

What was that message suppose to mean? Was it meant to be a threat? Should I tell Sara?— what if it was just a harmless prank?

You mindlessly typed away on your computer, yet you just could not bring yourself to focus on your work. It was unrelenting with the way it kept repeating over and over again in your mind.

The typing stopped. You couldn't bear it any longer. This continuous heavyweight of stress will only keep growing, festering until the host, you, finally suffocate under the pressure. It begs— screams to be free.

Pushing your chair back, you walked over to your window and nudged it opened it. A puff of the chilly autumn air gently tugged at the collar of your shirt.

The light glimmer of the moonlight was a dull comparison to the galaxy of clinquant star, the glittering white specks stretching across the vast skies of Teyvat.

"Stars..” you breathed out.

The two of you use to stargaze. It was a monthly routine, whenever the skies cleared the clouds for the river of stars to sparkle— was when the two of you lay next to each other on the grass, facing the deep blue empyrean.

He would point out the various constellations to you, rambling on about what it was and what it meant.

"I never thought you would be the one into astrology," you said. "Thought it was just a me thing."

Scaramouche rolled his eyes. "I'm a man of many things, what did you expect?"

You laughed.

No, he would never admit it.

He'd rather die than tell you that he'd learn about the stars of the sky just so he could tell you everything about it. He'd rather die than tell you that it was all because he wanted to see you smile, to hear your laughter. To see the surprise that lights up your eyes.

You wiped away an unsuspecting tear rolling down your cheeks. Everything was a constant reminder that the boy you once love is gone.

You hated it.

You could only drown yourself in work, taking on more cases than you should in an effort to forget his voice, his face— everything. But no matter how hard, how much you try, it just doesn't work.

For you could still feel the ghost of his touch brushing against your cheek, you could still hear his voice, calling out to you.

The soft humming of your computer brought you back.

Right, there was still work needed to be to finish. You sighed and pushed yourself away from the window.

"I'll just finish this page up, then l'll clock out," you muttered.

You sat back down on your chair and spun around in a useless attempt to calm your mind. A golden glint in the corner of your room caught your eye. You stopped spinning.

What's that?

It was a tiny pin in a shape of a badge. You squinted closer, there was an insignia stamp on it. It closely resembled something, yet you couldn't placed your mind on exactly what it is. You took out your phone and snapped a picture of it. Sending the picture to Heizou, you had made sure to ask him if he knew what that insignia represented.

Plink!

Startled, you looked up to where the source of noise came from, but there was nothing. It just you alone in your office.

Plink!

There it was again. You frowned, tucking your phone into your back pocket.

Suddenly the lights dimmed. Someone had cut the power to the entire building.

There wasn't enough time for you to react, for you froze—words caught up in your throat. You could see it, the tiny crack appearing on the windowpane. Whatever it was, it was slowly breaking down the barrier protecting you from the outside.

Slowly backing off, you reached for the gun tucked under your desk. The crack grew bigger. A silhouette of a person came into view. Your hands curled around the handle of the gun and tore it away from the hostler. A quick click had your gun locked and loaded.

You held your breath and slid under your desk.

The spiderweb crack only grew bigger before it effectively shattered— a loud 'ouch' following suit. Whoever was behind it must've gotten impatient and opted to punch through the glass instead.

Your eyes mirrored the reflection of the crumbling glass under the moonlight.

“Stupid lieutenants... always making me do the dirty work..." you heard the unknown muttering. A male— judging by the pitch of his voice.

There was the sound of glass breaking as the shadow of a man clambered in though the window, effectively blocking your only source of light.

He's in.

You dare not move.

"Anyone here? Hello?" his voice was gruff. "Hey little girl, I know you're in here. I saw you."

He stopped right at your desk and shoved the chair away.

You heard it crash into the bookshelf. A pair of dirty winter boots was all you could see.

Go away, you don't see me.

Much to your dismay, he didn't leave. You felt the blood rush up to your head when you saw him slowly bending down.

Fuck.

You came face to face with a man in dressed black and teal, a tall navy blue hat along with his black mask obscured his face. The only visible feature you could see was his golden orbs.

"Found you," there was a malicious glint in his eyes.

You didn't know what overcame you. Perhaps it was the adrenaline, or it was purely on instinct— but whichever it may be had you aiming the gun at his face. You didn't think twice, squeezing your eyes shut and pulling the trigger. The resonating bang made you wince.

His figure went still, then slowly, he toppled backwards and crashed onto the floor— a pool of ugly red blood slowly seeping out.

I killed him.

"Hey Cor are you okay? I heard a gun go off," a new voice trailed over. The moonlight was once blocked again, a flashlight glaring over at corpse. "Cor— holy shit! Guys over here, hurry up! Cor?! Are you alive?!"

You wasted no time in scrambling away from the expired individual. The door nearly flew off its hinges as you bursted through. Fuck if the damages you've done would cost you a portion of your monthly salary, all it mattered to you was getting out. If you were fast enough, you could make it to the nearest police station to report the break-in— and attempted kidnapping.

The attackers were hot in pursuit. You heard the ever so familiar sound of a gun being loaded. A bullet whizzed by you, hitting the wooden structure of the building. You heard the wall cracked just the slightest bit.

The Tenryo House has never been so big before. Room after rooms, there just never seem to be an end to it. Your lungs burned. Everything seemed like a maze.

Suddenly a group of two blocked the only way you could escape. You looked back, the other band was also rapidly approaching. “Shit…” you mumbled. There were people blocking the only exit. You could only conclude that the perimeter of the building was also surrounded.

"Hey little girl," you could hear the heinous intent in his voice. "Now why don't you surrender? It'll be so much easier.

"As if,” you sneered, gun raised.

One of the bigger guys stepped forward. You tensed up, the rhythm of your heart beating in your head. He charged at you, his knife aimed for your eye.

Years of training kicked in. The gun was immediately lowered. You dodged to one side, barely avoiding death.

Scaramouche’s voice echoed in your head.

"You need to learn how to fight," Scaramouche had demanded.

"What? Why?" at that time you had complained. "I don't need to know how to fight. Can't you protect me?"

You frantically looked around, searching for anything that could be of help. Your gun was near useless, for you could clearly see the thick bulletproof vest strapped on tightly.

A knife, a wrench, anything you could use to defend yourself, to kill. You yelped as the knife whooshed by, just missing your head by a hairs breadth.

By this time the other group had already caught up, their weapons were locked on you. None dared fired yet, for why ruin a show spectacularly put on for them?

"I- I won't always be around to protect you," was his reply.

The front desk spilt in half, pens spilling everywhere.

Your opponent had long abandoned his knife— tossed away somewhere. Instead, he chose to use his fists. It was like playing tag but deadlier with a block of pure muscle.

You could only run. The only advantage you have over him was your nimbleness. You were a graceful swan drifting in the smooth waters, and he was the stark contrast— a giant stumbling through a cave too small.

There was no way you could escape from the Commission without him decking you.

You were beaten near unconscious. Bruises bloomed all over your body, specks of blood and dust dirtied your dress.

His fists were curled up into tiny balls. Dirt and grime covered his clothes in ugly splotches of brown. He wiped a bloody streak away from his face. His gaze was piercing as he stared down the two boys.

"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" he sounded insane.

When his fists made contact with your stomach, you could do nothing, your wind knocked out of you. The second hit came, then the third, fourth.

You stumbled backwards each time the blow came upon you. Blocking each hit was getting increasingly difficult.

The light flickered back to life. For just the briefest moment, everyone paused. Then the lightbulb promptly exploded, leaving the room once again pitch-black.

That seconds under the bright light was your newfound source of energy, for you had saw everything you needed to know. Pushing away the pain throbbing in your lower abdomen, you made a break for the blade lying on the floor.

He was upon you almost instantly.

You felt an immense pressure on top of you. Your breath was knocked out. Yet despite this, you still grabbed onto the dagger and wrenched it towards yourself.

Mere seconds was all you need, an opening of some sort. Perhaps the gods above heard your wishes, for he suddenly froze over.

Seizing this moment, you jammed the knife into the only opening you found— his eye. Blood slowly dripped down his face, the knife firmly lodged in. With minor difficulty, you pulled the knife out.

It was then that his cries of pain came. You were released from his hold, tumbling to the side. His comrades ran to his side, a roll of bandages already in their hands.

You took this chance to run. In a way you felt bad, but it was a life or death situation. It was either you or him, and there can only be one winner.

One of them barked out an order. You couldn’t exactly hear what they said, but their actions told enough. Seemingly fed up with your antics, they began pelleting you with what’s left of their bullets.

One grazed your cheek and another clipped your arm. You felt your arm burn. The pain wasn’t noticeable at first, but then it started to fucking hurt. You used your hand to cover the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It was useless. Blood kept gushing out, staining your new shirt in a deep crimson.

The exit was right in front of your eyes. You shouldered through the two agents standing by the door, accidentally tripping one over in the process. Small droplets of blood trailed behind you.

The fresh air of Inazuma hits your face. It felt refreshingly cold— calming the burning pain in your arms for just the tiniest moment. You weren’t given enough time to relish it before the few remaining guys also came through, guns aimed.

You yelped and quickly ran behind a random building, only to encounter a poor straggler who seemed just as surprise to see you as you are to see him. No chances were taken though. With one fell swoop, you had knocked him unconscious.

You can’t rest, not yet. The pattering of their boots were heavy against the pavement as each spilt into smaller parties to search for you. Time was ticking.

Very slowly, you removed your hand from your wound. The bleeding had slowed, but blood was still dribbling out. You’d searched the unconscious person for any sort of first aid. As luck would have it, you found a small kit. In it was a small roll of gauze, a couple of alcohol prep pads, and bandages of all kinds.

You ripped opened the alcohol pads and took in a deep breath. It took every ounce of energy to suppress a scream building up. Your arms trembled.

“Now you see why you have to fight?” he was angry, yet not angry enough to leave you unattended.

“Yeah.. sorry,” you mumbled. You yelped when Scaramouche dabbed at your wounds. “Ah— Scara! A warning please.”

“Sorry.”

“You are not sorry, I can see you laughing— ouch!”

The roll of gauze may be short, but it was enough to temporarily patch your wound. You sealed it off with a Sailor Moon bandage. The bullet dug into your flesh, but you couldn’t bring yourself to focus on the pain right now.

Not in this dire situation. Footsteps were slowly approaching, each step slow. You frantically took out your phone.

“And what,” your blood ran cold. “Do you think you’re doing?”

You froze, phone slipping away. The cool muzzle of a small pistol was pressed up against your temple.

“Put the phone down.”

You did as told.

“Both hands up.”

You raised one arm.

“I said both.”

“I can’t,” you rebutted. “Your people shot my arm and now I can’t move it without screaming in pain.”

You heard her scoff. “Fucking idiots. Couldn’t even follow a simple order. And you. You are really weak, do you know? Can’t even handle a little bit of pain?”

Your free hand slowly edged towards the pistol lying by the unconscious fellow. “Well miss, have you ever been shot before?” you replied through gritted teeth.

She grinned. “Plenty.”

“Does it hurt?”

“You’re stalling for time,” she said. A flying mirror next to her glittered. It suddenly flashed red. “Get up.”

“So it doesn’t hurt? Then I suppose another one shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

You smiled and pointed the gun at her. Two shots was all it took for her body to go limp. The mirror fell to the side, cracked.

“The Maiden— she collapsed!”

“She’s been shot! Get the medic here!”

“Is she dead?!”

She wasn’t dead, you hadn’t shoot to kill. You had only fatally wounded her, rendering her temporarily useless.

The unconscious fellow stirred. They weren’t fully awake yet, but just for good measures, you dropped a semi-empty crate on their head. They knocked out once again.

You grabbed the Maiden’s broken mirror and ran. Perhaps Heizou can analyze it for you.

More enemies emerged from the shadows of the alleyways. Bullet shells tinkled against the pavement. Standing out in the open was far too risky.

An huge explosion rocked the ground. You stumbled and looked up, the image of fire and smoke mixed together reflecting in your eyes. Horror dawned on you when your realized they had just bombed the police station.

Another explosion was heard, this time seemingly closer to you. With no other choices left, you began running towards your abode. That was the only place you could find temporary sanctuary in.

A wail of a baby filled up the silence of the streets, followed by hushed chatter from citizens who had opened their window to look at the commotions. You heard the patters of footsteps closing in behind you.

“Just run, don’t stop,” you whispered to yourself.

“The next time they approach you, just run to me. Or punch them,” he said. “Either way works.”

“I don’t want to hurt them…”

“Simple, I’ll beat them up for you.”

Ducking through closed shops and weaving around in narrow alleyways, it wasn’t long before you reached home, completely out of breath. You grew up running around the streets of East Side Inazuma, so every twists and turns you’re familiar with. They were definitely strangers to this land, no doubt were you given a head start.

Pushing your keys in through the lock hole, you pushed opened the door just as quickly as you shut it. After making sure that every window, every door, was locked, you climbed upstairs to your bedroom.

Grabbing your first aid, you tore open your hastily made bandages. It was the same grueling process all over again—the stinging and burning of it. You checked the severity of your wound in the mirror.

Oh shit…

You could clearly see the silver glow of the bullet firmly wedged into the tissue of your skin. There was no way to get it out unless you seek professional help or you self-operate.

You could only carefully patch up your wound and hoped for the best. Tossing your jacket to the side, you changed into a more comfy wear, something suitable for both running and fighting. You were just tying your shoelaces when the door to your bedroom flew off its hinges.

It nearly crashed upon you. Standing by the doorframe was a small group consisting of maybe 7 people. More people than you liked in your house. The one standing in front— the ringleader, spoke up. Her purple lantern cackled with electrical energy.

“Now, either we can do this peacefully or we can do this the hard way,” she said, holding up two fingers. “You choose.”

“How about we do this outside and not in my room?”

She laughed. “And risk letting you get away again? Sorry love, you don’t make the choice here. If I were you, I’d surrender peacefully.” She smiled, revealing a neat row of sharp teeth.

“I’d rather not,” you said. “All of you started chasing and shooting me without even giving a reason as to why. There is no way in hell would I follow you.”

She sighed and shook her head, green hair swaying. “Then I suppose it can’t be helped.”

“No it can’t be.”

“You’ve made a bad choice,” she smiled again and disappeared in a flash of purple thunder. Small purple bats radiating a purple aura screeched.

And then they charged.

There was only so many that can fit in the room and they had all stupidly gotten themselves stuck in the doorframe, trying to fit through.

One managed to squeeze through, heading for you. In her hand held syringe containing some sort of green liquid sloshing around. You were prepared for this. When she came close enough, you grabbed her arm— the one with the syringe, and easily slammed her to the floor.

You smiled, proud of yourself. You didn’t spend years leaning how to fight for it to go to waste.

Another one came at you, and you ducked him. He crashed over to your desk, scattering everything onto the floor. You took this chance to ram into him, promptly using his body to smash your window.

You picked up the syringe from the hands of the unconscious person and began swinging it around. The tip eventually found its way to someones neck and they collapsed, body convulsing.

The temperature of your room suddenly dropped. The crowd of people parted, allowing a large man dressed in icy blue to step in. Your collection of keychains jingled with each step he took. He held out a large machine of some sort and pointed the nozzle at you.

What the fuck.

The machine whirred loudly, and you slowly backed towards the broken window. Eerie white mist pooled out from it. You felt goosebumps running down your arms.

It doesn’t take an idiot to know that you’ll probably die if you don’t get away in time.

You threw your chair at him to stall for time. Then you carefully crawled out the window as best as you can without cutting yourself open. Jagged shards scraped against your pants.

The jump down from the second floor to ground level wasn’t too high, you noted. Maybe you can make it down there without breaking a leg or two.

You shimmied over to the edge and took a deep breath. The people behind you crawled towards you. It reminded you of that time when centipedes began crawling out in massive groups from a ventilator and scaring the ever living shit out of you. You shivered at that memory, cold sweat clinging onto you.

You jumped.

Something crunched, you heard it. You check yourself for any injuries, but there was none.

Then what?…

You turned back around and nearly screamed. It was the body of the unfortunate enemy that had slipped and fell, their back bent at an awkward angle. A badge of some sort clattered against the pavement, rolling to a stop by your shoe. You picked it up and scampered away.

The badge— or pin, was exquisitely designed. Yet the more you examine it, the more you felt like you’ve seen this before.

Isn’t this…

An arm wrapped around your waist, the other suppressing your terrified screams. You angrily thrashed around, eyes wide in horror. The badge fell.

You raised one arm back and elbowed them as hard as you can. Adrenaline rush through your body once again as the grip around you loosened.

He stumbled back. One hand clutched at his nose. You could see blood gushing out from it.

With his free hand, he whipped out a butterfly knife. He looked like an maniac, smiling with blood dripping down his chin.

The group of enemies caught up. He held a hand out, and they all came to a stop.

“I’ll handle this,” his voice was gruff. You eyed him. Judging by his attire, he must be one of the higher ranking ones. The badges and small medals says it all.

The moon was at its fullest tonight, stars gleaming in the clear skies. It would’ve been the perfect night to go stargazing. The sight was almost beautiful if you weren’t literally fighting for your life.

You kept a steady rhythm in your mind, keeping yourself focus on the glint of the weapon.

A slash to the right. You dodged to the left. He barreled towards you. You dropped to the ground and swung your legs out. He fell, but was up not even seconds later. It’s the same all over again, block, parry, hit, get hit.

Dimly lit lanterns swung from the chilly breeze. It’s soft golden glow basked the streets in a warm blanket. His attacks were speeding up. Your body was worn out from the entire night of fighting and running. You don’t know how long you can keep going until you finally collapse from the exhaustion.

He was a blur of colors. You just couldn’t keep up. Not anymore.

The wound in your left arm was raging up in pain once again. You lower your guard for the just slightest moment, trying to catch your breath.

There wasn’t time for you to move, let alone react. You completely blanked out.

By the time you’ve snapped back, he was right in front of you— his blade piercing through your lower abdomen.

You couldn’t breath.

Everything began to blur together into blocks of colors. You could feel the warm blood slowly tricking down your stomach. Blood began pouring out when he removed the weapon. You stumbled.

“Give me the sedative.”

His voice sounded so faraway. “Fuckyou…” your words were slurred together. “No...”

“Tell the lord we’ve got her.”

Your eyes were half-lidded, movements sluggish. The engine of a van could be heard pulling up next to you. A blurry face appeared in your vision.

“Sleep well… never… have… back.”

His voice was fading away. You fought the the drowsiness overtaking you, but alas, the sedative was just too strong. The shattered mirror in your pocket fell with a quiet clink.

The last thing you could remember was excited mumbling of the onlookers, the feeling of your body being poked and prodded at, and the giant title plastered on the van that read, “NORTHLAND BANK.”

It was then you finally realized who was after you. The familiar print on the badges… you could only pray that Heizou— or someone, would be able to see what’s wrong.

It’s the Fatui, you bitterly thought to yourself. Of course it was the Fatui.

It was all you could remember before sleep consumed your consciousness, pulling you into the depths of nothingness.

…

“A blade; light as a feather, delicate as a bird,” he softly hummed to himself. “That blade; weighted and broken... wouldn’t you agree, my dear friend?”

The small creature curled up in his shoulder nuzzled its head against his chin. His fingers danced along the hilt of his katana.

“The moon is gorgeous tonight,” he murmured. “Let’s go report our findings to him, shall we?”

previous || series m.list || next

synopsis— [✩]

— you, the hero, disappears overnight, and the only person who looks is the villain. Not your friends, not your family, not the news reporter or any of the people who claimed to love you. Just him, Scaramouche, the very same person who claimed to hate you.

notes— [✩]

— as you can clearly tell by this chapter, I am not good at writing fight scenes 🙏 (ANYONE WANT TO TAKE A GUESS AS TO WHO IT WAS AT THE END)

taglist— [✩`·CLOSED]

@akairaindrops @the-ghost-0f-t0m0 @elernity @shayewrites @angel-suicides @magica-ren @kyouzki @nana-bri @avxntxrine @bleedingwhiteroses222 @rainingduringsummer @darthvada @dan9a-00 @omgblade-starrail @kichiyoshi @inufinuf @vvyeislazzy @alatusorrow @franaby @mellowberrie @sketcheeee @etherisy @crmnic @arizzu @vrisso @id3ru @mochicurls21 @kairuthewriter @suqarlaced @saetorii @anura100000 @divinechicha @starlightaura @karablueyt @supercoolusernameomg @uhh-traashyy @kazuuhhaaaa

[italicized usernames means I cannot tag you]

[ronearoundblindly]

Hello 😇 I'm not sure why but heart would MELT upon seeing Steve giving Precious some of ⛑ oooooor Ari and his girl getting/giving some 🥰 Hope you're doing well - and no pressure (those scenarios already live rent-free in my head)

(Steve and Precious will be posted separately and linked back here when it's done, but I got too excited because I pretty much just eased myself to sleep by writing this...Enjoy!)

Ari Levinson x best friend!reader

Post-Nightmare Cuddles, a Bedrock and Blueprints drabble

Warnings for mild suggestive language. WC 620

It’s been a long, long time since Ari had a nightmare.

He’s not sure how he managed it. Perhaps work and personal things just took over his mind for so long that thoughts back to life in the military were kept at bay. Perhaps he ate something too spicy tonight. Who the hell knows.

You certainly don’t. You don’t know because you’re not in bed when Ari jolts awake covered in sweat and shivering.

He fixed the A/C a week ago and you both have been basking in the frigid glory, piling blankets on, using it as an excuse to snuggle up close skin-to-skin, but not now.

It takes him a long minute to catch his breath. He can’t tell if he shouted, if he made any noise at all, or honestly, if he’s even in the place he thinks he’s in because it’s dark and he’s disoriented and alone. He sleeps over, but none of Ari’s stuff is in your house. His one set of clothes on a chair to his right is the dead giveaway.

He tries to call for you. Nothing comes out of his vice-gripped lungs, so he tosses the bed layers aside and fumbles around the not-quite-familiar layout until he approaches the living room light, squinting.

He didn’t hold back his heavy footsteps, and you’re huffing before looking up from your laptop.

“I’m almost done, I swear. There’s just one thing I—“

The instant your eyes land on Ari it’s as if a completely different type of bomb goes off, something silent but no less devastating.

You don’t close the laptop. It’s haphazardously tossed to the opposite corner of the couch and the throw across your lap drops to the floor.

You’re in his arms lightning fast, and Ari’s just…grateful.

He drapes the full weight of his arms over your shoulders and back, resting his chin on your head, taking in how you’re there and real and warm compared to the empty, cold air everywhere else. He heaves out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and feels lighter, more human, almost magically.

He’s grateful still when you don’t ask him anything else. You just squeeze him gently and run your hands across his bare back, letting him breathe, making him live.

Finally, when his heart rate slows a little and he shifts to kiss your forehead instead, his beard soft and scratchy all at once, you give a sweet little tap to his butt.

“Let me just turn this stuff off. I’m right behind you, okay?”

Ari hangs on for a few more seconds before releasing you and shuffling back down the hall. He hears the snap of the laptop and click of the light switch prior to his foot even crossing the bedroom threshold, and you hustle in so fast that you both pull back covers at the same time.

You follow his lead on getting situated, Ari choosing you to hold him now, on your sides, your arm beneath his head, his face nuzzled to your chest, and your leg thrown over his hip. His top hand roams your waist and back for a minute as you feel everything around slow. His chest rises less and falls farther, his arm gets heavy and stops. Your own heart beats like uneven clockwork, lulling him into a softer pace of reality.

It can be reality, he thinks, and not be a nightmare. Those aren’t his only memories.

He can see the good ones more clearly when you’re here though. You are the good memories, and you’ll be in his good dreams, too.

Ari falls back to sleep with your fingers gliding through his hair, happily smothered in your sleepy comfort.

from this game of "Comfort My Characters."

Thank you for asking!

Taglist: @supraveng @1950schick @patzammit @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @yiiiikesmish

[Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

[jamminvroomvroom]

muse.

photographer!ln x fem!reader

hello and welcome back to my lando brain rot! this bitch and his hobbies forcing me to write things smh. n e wayz, had this idea for a while so i hope you enjoy it! as always, feedback is very much appreciated, ily!

warnings: 18+!! smut, it’s aaaaall smut babes, general sex acts, a bit of choking bc i’m touch starved, language

3.3k words

the clicking of the camera kept your senses heightened, the faint buzz of the lens focusing and refocusing ringing dully in your ears. your skin tingled as he took picture after picture, his intense stare manipulating you into any position he wanted. lip between his teeth, eyes narrowed, fingers working over the settings; he had you right where he wanted you.

the clicking of the camera kept your senses heightened, the faint buzz of the lens focusing and refocusing ringing dully in your ears. your skin tingled as he took picture after picture, his intense stare manipulating you into any position he wanted. lip between his teeth, eyes narrowed, fingers working over the settings; he had you right where he wanted you.

the dim lighting of his penthouse, or his studio, as he liked to modestly call it, set the mood. you contorted yourself against the wall as he continued to shoot, mumbling faint praise. “good girl” had you crumbling. his glazed over eyes as the two words slipped out let you know that he’d intended to keep them to himself. you wondered how long this would last, how long either of you would be able to carry on before he was pressing you into the wall himself.

you thought about how you’d gotten here, back to mere hours ago, finally meeting him in a coffee shop around the corner. the man, the mystery, the artist that had everyone’s attention in a vice-like grip. how he’d found you, why he wanted you, you had no idea, but he’d made it happen. a mutual friend had paved the way, getting you to agree to let the photographer work with you, and the rest was history. four hours ago, he’d bought you a coffee, somewhat shyly trying to explain himself, his vision of you. four short hours later and the man before you was different, in his element, suddenly transformed into the kind of guy that calls you a good girl without making your skin crawl. rather, your skin was on fire, and you were burning. all for him, under his skilful eye.

suddenly you turned your back to him, hands running across the plaster of the wall as you switched positions. you threw him a look over your shoulder, batting your eyelashes, a look of come and get me, a dare, an invitation. he did nothing but smirk at your allure, dropping into a crouch to snap you from a different angle. he was below you, on his knees to capture your radiance that he’d stumbled upon, completely by chance.

you stayed like that for a few moments, adjusting yourself, arching your back, taunting him. you were growing impatient, wondering how long you would be holding off the inevitable. you decided to make your move.

“how do you want me?” you put on your most sultry voice, looking down at him over your shoulder.

he hummed to himself, pondering the endless list of ways that he wanted you. standing up from the floor, he took the bait, creeping towards you. your eyes remained locked as he made his way closer to you until you couldn’t bare the intensity any longer. you turned your head to face the wall, feeling the whispers of breath hitting your nearly exposed shoulder. his fingers grazed your neck, collecting stray hairs and pushing them out of his way.

“that’s a good question,” he mumbled, chin sitting atop your shoulder, words vibrating across the skin. “with so many possible answers.” he continued, lips bumping your earlobe.

his chest was flush to your back, one hand grazing your waist, while the other loosely held the expensive camera. you were sure it was worth more than your apartment, but he didn’t seem to care, the device held carelessly between his fingers. it was as if he’d placed more value in you instead, with the way he delicately caressed your body.

you were still trying to wrap your head around what the “many possible answers” to your question were, mind wild with impurity, when his lips hit your skin. warm and plush against curve of your neck, you melted, head tipping back as you sighed in relief.

he pressed faint kisses to your shoulder with the fullness of his lips, leaving you mindless, dizzy. that’s when he let his actions creep up on you, his hand holding the camera slowly rising until it was level with your head. your mouth was hung open, eyelashes fluttering against your cheeks, dull ecstasy, and then the flash disoriented you. he hummed amusedly, lips now firm against your neck, teeth nipping and tongue soothing as he continued to snap away, angling the camera to capture your face and the few messy curls of his that tickled your jawline.

it was a slap in the face when he pulled away, your body collapsing into the wall at the loss of his forcefield holding you against him. the only trace of him was the reddening marks on your neck, not a hand on your waist, nor the fanning of his breath. you turned around, frustrated, searching for him. he was already sprawled out on his expensive grey couch, toying with the camera once more. his eyes were fixated on the small screen, smirk widening and pupils dilating further as he flicked through the pictures.

“done with me already?” you huffed. it was bold and presumptuous. you couldn’t care less. you weren’t leaving until you were done with him. he sniggered, looking up at you with hooded eyes.

“not even close.” he smiled a full smile, devious and confident. your stomach dropped. just what had you gotten yourself into?

“i don’t like being ignored.” you raised an eyebrow, playfully unimpressed.

“trust me, sweetheart, you have all of my attention.” he almost deadpanned, as if it was obvious.

you pushed yourself off of the wall, giving in to your desires. it was a shame, you wanted him to cave first but you would make do. you strutted towards him stopping when you were stood between his spread legs, hand on your hip, your body demanding his attention. he looked up at you, lip caught between his teeth, a cruel glimmer of amusement in his eyes that sent a jolt of heat through your body, straight to where you wished he’d touch you.

“prove it.” you breathed, faltering at the way he was eyeing you.

one of his hands dropped off of the camera and he sat up, reaching for you. he grazed the skimpy strap of your dress, dragging it down your shoulder. it fell away easily.

“where exactly do you want my attention?” he murmured, eyes never leaving yours. you shuddered. your dress was falling further and he would soon know how little you had on underneath it.

“everywhere.” you moaned, greedy for everything, desperate to be indulged by him.

he couldn’t resist any longer, abandoning the straps of your dress. you were on top of him before you knew it, firmly on his lap, his hands holding you tightly against him. he was kissing you and you made quick work of returning the gesture. it was needy, filthy, all teeth and heavy tongues hungry for more. your hips ground into his, a slow drag, your desperation for one another on full display as you moved to get impossibly closer. it contrasted with the vicious kiss, which he suddenly pulled away from.

you almost whined in frustration, until you felt one of his hands dance up your spine until it was wound in your hair, your head involuntarily tipping back to meet his tugs. you grinned deliriously as he reached blindly for his camera, never looking away from you. you could tell how this was going to go, a well documented evening, and it sent a rush of wetness to your core that you were sure he’d soon be able to feel.

you were in a daze. click, click, click went the camera. it was intoxicating, the way he held you, hips bucking into yours to remind you to keep moving when you got a bit too lost. you must have looked broken, but you figured that was part of the appeal, the way you lost control. it was blissful, the pleasure you felt, just from having all of his attention on you.

his hand in your hair untangled itself, snaking down the back of your neck and around. his fingertips had barely grazed your throat before you were leaning further into him, craving the squeeze, mentally picturing just how good this would look on his roll of film. his huge hands, the ring he wore, your eyes rolled back; what a sight. you let the image in your head take over as you got what you wanted, his hand wrapped deliciously around your neck.

click, click, click.

you sped up your hips and he tightened his grip, your legs quivering as you worked together to create your own personal art form. he was growing distracted, not even looking at what kind of photos he was taking, unbothered about angles and lighting. he just kept the device fixed on you, knowing that he was getting exactly what he’d intended. the messy reality of coming undone.

you knew you were flushed, rocking yourself against him faster, relentless, the straps of your dress falling off your shoulders. you were half exposed to him, back arching as your clit hit the rough material of his jeans. your whines were met by a squeeze of his hand. you chest poked out and he took the opportunity to get your dress even further off of you. with no hands available, he leaned in, catching the low neckline of the silky material between his teeth. slowly, eyes fixed teasingly on yours, he began to pull, coaxing the material off of your writhing body. it was a sinful sight, your limited breath hitching as you watched him in awe.

you were braless, the silk grazing your nipples as it fell further and further down your body. the shiver down your spine was all-encompassing. you slipped your arms out rapidly, letting the dress pool at your waist. one hand found the back of his head, tangling in his curls, while the other grabbed at his shoulder, tugging futilely. you weren’t sure what you needed, frantic for anything that felt good. he wasn’t disappointing. his finger never left the trigger and you were completely at his mercy.

the world turned upside down, the camera clunked against the coffee table, he was on top of you. he pressed against you, heavy and languid, like you’d been submerged in honey. sticky and slow, sweet. how had you made it through life without this experience? it seemed unimaginable. his lips were still on yours and you were falling and sinking all at once.

“no more pictures, darling.” he was somehow still kissing you as he said it, a messy, low mumble that echoed the clashing of teeth.

“why?” you mumbled back, the word as broken as his. you bucked your hips into his, a gesture that was supposed to signal that the camera was a more than welcome addition to your activities.

“because this,” his lips melted down your neck, bites blossoming red as he licked across your collarbone. “this is for us.” he punctuated with a harsh grind against your core, fingers splaying across your thigh, which he swiftly hooked over his hip.

your head hit the sofa cushions, eyes rolled to the back of your head. his hand made slow traces up your thigh and underneath your dress, now more or less a skirt. the lace of your underwear was no match for his calloused hands, the ripping of the fabric music to your ears. your collarbone was abandoned, tongue swirling around your nipple instead, the heaving of your chest doing nothing but spur him on. his fingers struck gold between your spread thighs, tracing the seams of your cunt. you could feel him against your thigh, harder and harder and closer and closer to where you wanted him.

he spread you open, one finger easing through your wetness, quickly followed by another. he didn’t waste any time, fucking you, fingers curling, a fast grind that blurred your vision. you were still clawing at his shoulders and gasping for air, the shirt he was wearing being ripped up his torso. his mouth begrudgingly paused its journey across your tits so that you could pull the creased, white article off of his toned body, before quickly resuming his work. you let yourself explore the smooth planes of his body, the tanned ripples that pulled taut while he explored you.

“more.”

“more?”

“lando, i need more.”

it was the first time you’d uttered his name, escaping your mouth in an animalistic plead. it drove him insane, something too human, too possessive taking a hold of him, and in that moment he wanted to give you everything. his name sounded too good falling from your lips and to him, that meant something. the sheer want in your voice told him that it meant something to you too.

he grinned, mouth dragging across your breast and down, down, down. further and further, licking his way over your skin until your dress was finally on the floor and his head rested on your thigh. he watched you for a moment, lazy smile matching the lazy pace of his fingers, still working your pussy. all you did was breath, staring him down, begging and begging and begging with your eyes.

he relented and leant in, tongue running through your soaked folds. his grey-green eyes held nothing but lust and he never looked away, lips wrapping around your clit. he sucked, the perfect amount of pressure, licking into you messily. the groans he let out harmonised perfectly with your whines, and you crumpled even further into the sofa.

you were electrified, left empowered by the way he’d worshipped your body all night long. from the first time he laid eyes on you, to the first time he picked up the camera, to the first touch, he had you burning. his tongue continued to work blissfully, teeth joining in to make you shiver, and you pushed yourself up on your elbows, dying for a closer look. you were entranced; his concentration, the way he ground himself against the sofa, his huge hands gripping your thighs, holding you as close as he could. he was addictive and you wanted to remember him the way he would remember you.

“lando,” you breathed, accompanied by a tug of his hair. he paused his movements, eyebrow raised. you reached out blindly, grazing the coffee table until you found what you were looking for, what he’d so haphazardly left there. you held the camera in your hands, fingers wrapping around it, feeling the weight of it. you felt a sense of control and wondered if that’s what he felt, if that’s what he got off on. your cunt pulsed around his still fingers at the thought.

the grin on his face mirrored your own as soon as he realised what you were planning, devious and sexy, and he quickly went back to work. the hand in his hair pulled harder as he lapped at your clit, the camera aimed at him lazily, and you pulled the trigger. click, click, click. you took candid after candid, blurry and distorted, sharp and hazy. the red of his tongue stood out in every shot, coated in your slick and continuing to explore, and of course his eyes. those eyes, there was something about them and the way he watched you, the attention to detail. that’s where he held his skill, his genius.

a couple more pictures, and you lost control. his fingers moved quickly, stroking every spot inside you that made you tremble, accompanied filthily by his tongue, swirling and sucking, devouring you. your head fell back and your eyes rolled and you cried out, a million pictures of him making you cum saved for later.

“well, if that’s how you wanna play it.” he muttered, pushing himself from between your thighs.

he pulled the camera from your shaking hands, standing over you. he removed his jeans with one hand, the other returning the favour, snapping away. your sprawled out body, chest heaving, legs splayed open, documented; as all art was supposed to be. he wouldn’t stop there, he decided, revelling in your smirk. you were just like him, arguably worse.

he crawled back on top of you, situated perfectly between your legs. your back arched at the feeling of having him so close, cock grazing your inner thighs. your legs wrapped around his waist, lip caught between your teeth as he raised the camera again. he lined himself up with your entrance, teasing your opening. you raised your hips, drawing him in and you gasped, the feeling of him filling you up slowly, inch by inch, making your every hair stand on end.

“just like that, baby.” he whispered, eyes flickering between the small screen and you.

you fell into a perfect rhythm, and soon enough he was fucking you harder, one hand wrapped around your neck, and the flash of the camera sending your eyes into the back of your head. his thumb bumped your swollen bottom lip, grip on your neck easing up, and he slipped it in your mouth. you sucked, obedient, enjoying the way his hips stuttered at the sight.

he sighed, shaky, tossing the camera back onto the coffee table beside you. he leaned in, thrusts slowing, but somehow he got deeper, hips hitting yours harder. he kissed your jaw, down your neck, face buried there for a moment. you whined around his thumb, tears pricking your eyes as you got closer to your second orgasm. he pulled his hand away, lips meeting yours. it was deep, tongue licking into your mouth, and you felt his hand against yours, fingers intertwining urgently as you both hurtled towards the edge.

“lando-“ you hummed into his mouth, jaw hanging slack, and he stilled inside you.

you felt like you were levitating, encompassed by his warmth and the lightning bolts of his touch. you arched into him, grabbing at his shoulder, holding him against you, your other hand lost in his curls as you writhed against him. his breathing grew heavier as he let himself go, quiet moans fanning against your ear.

you hummed, basking in the aftershocks. he stayed right there, laying on top of you, toying with stray strands of hair that framed your face. your fingers scratched over his scalp, tracing down his neck, and he shivered.

you stayed that way for a while, unsure of how much time had passed. it didn’t exactly matter to you, it felt too good to care. he felt too good. it was quiet, perfectly peaceful. he only pulled away to roll off of you, settling beside you. his arm stretched out behind you, guiding you into him, and you relaxed, fingers mindlessly tracing his chest. once you were both comfortable, he smirked down at you, grabbing the camera. he flicked through the images, staring at each picture intently, tongue wetting his lips. you watched his pupils dilate, his hold on you tightening.

“you certainly know your way around the camera.” he murmured, amused. out if the corner of your eye you could make the images out; his head lost between you thighs, tongue wandering, your hand in his untamed curls. you almost blushed.

he lowered the device so that it was in your eye line now, too. your breath caught in your throat, lips curling into a smile as you took in the sight. you barely recognised yourself and it was magnificent.

“could say the same about you.” you teased, admiring what you’d both created.

“maybe next time, we’ll make a movie.” he joked, except it wasn’t a joke. he was deadly serious, and your thighs clenched at the prospect of next time. “my little muse.” he whispered, and you couldn’t wait for next time.

you clambered on top of him, snatching the camera from his grasp. you examined it, eyes flickering between it and him.

“why wait ‘til next time?” you seduced and he smiled.

the red light blinked and you were lost.

-

taglist

@boysthatgovroomvroom @thegirlinthefandoms @welld0nebaku @mcmuppet @japanesekel @vinvantae @ggaslyp1 @dr3lover @smiithys  @turningxstrange @rachstash @infinitebells @multilovebot @fizzpopsnap101 @gaily19 @icecoldtires @mysticalnightenthusiast @thatchickwiththecamera @oyesmendes @disneydaydreameralways @yeolsbubbles @canyouseethesainz @ferrarifwendvale @fcbformulaeri @tony-stank3 @maih23 @nokiaholland @soleilgrec @carolineworld @anthonykatebridgerton @allywthsr @iamasimpingh0e @ophcelia @lovelynikol16 @coffeehurricanes @jennx03 @organasith @micks-afterglow @blueflorals @juno-1610 @lqvesoph

maintenance: i’ve deleted any tags that weren’t working! lemme know if you wanna be added or removed from my taglist <33

[sevenrenny]

I might as well ask you this because I enjoy your writing and way of expressing your opinions. Why do you personally ship Sonamy? What got you into Sonamy? What’s your favorite moment between the two? I know this is a very common question, but I hope you don’t mind me asking. 😅

Oh, this ought to be fun XD I don't mind at all. Send all the asks you like, I like to talk about my interests. I tend to ramble, so excuse my long texts. Gonna insert a break line so I don't torture my followers (that sentence makes it sound like I'm running a cult.)

Why do you personally ship Sonamy? What got you into Sonamy?

These two are connected, so it's fair to answer them both in one go. I'm very new to the fandom, unlike most of the people I've met who've been here for as long as they can remember. I originally had no interest in the franchise. Yeah, I played some games and watched the anime a few years back and had some cheap plastic toys from fast-food kiddie meals, but the franchise never stuck with me back then.

I got reintroduced through Sonic Prime around last year, which led to me reading the IDW comics, which is where I started getting into SonAmy. I really liked Amy in particular; surprising, seeing as she hadn't been my favorite character as a child. I liked Tails and Silver more back then, but the comic solidified Amy as my number one. In every fandom I've been in (HTTYD, MHA) I almost always gravitate toward characters who embody love, and that's the core of Amy.

Sonic was harder for me to decipher at first, seeing as he's more of a person who shows his emotions through action rather than words (in some iterations, at least.) But seeing him be more receptive in the comics and treating her better in more recent media portrayals piqued my interest because this wasn't how I remembered these two from when I was a kid. Seeing the progression from how their dynamic started to how it became made me feel proud of them.

And I'm one of those who likes to hypothesize that their affection used to be more one-sided but became mutual over time. Things change. Feelings change. People change. And I love that.

What’s your favorite moment between the two?

This. I think this is when I started seeing the ship as something I'd like. I've inserted the second panel as well because, while I know the first one is a no-brainer for some SonAmy shippers, I don't see many of them bringing up the follow-up panel.

Before this scene, Sonic kept rejecting Amy's proposal to go back to the Resistance with her (he had his reasons, as he saw investigating the circumstances of Eggman's absence and the waves of Badniks as a higher priority. Get to the snake's head to find the root of the problem.) He was in a hurry to get going. It wasn't until Amy told him she loved him for who he was and that she didn't want to change him that he stopped, got a little flustered, and proposed she come with him instead.

And she declined. She, too, had priorities.

Before this moment, it was possible he didn't see having both Amy and his stubborn way of doing things his way possible, but after, it might've finally clicked in his head that, Oh wait, I can have both? He's asked Amy to come along with him for other adventures afterward.

Also, can I just say how much I appreciate Sonic (who has a history of being touch averse) being more welcoming to her affection? Cause I do.

Okay, switching to Frontiers:

This scene is mostly quiet (I like nonverbal communication in general) and I found it too adorable to not mention. It's just for a few seconds, but the way Sonic does a little giddy skip when she waves him over, and the the fact that he just smiled so innocently the whole time he made his way over is just pure sweetness.

This short little misunderstanding/confrontation. This one's just plain fun for me. Sonic's impatience and inability to articulate his reasoning leads to him sounding like he's abandoning the Koco Amy really wants to help. She's putting the Koco before herself when Sonic's just worried about her. As soon as the misunderstanding is cleared up, Amy calms down, seeing it from his point of view now. It's a subtle little exchange, but knowing how these two used to not be great at communication in past games, and seeing them now deescalate a little misunderstanding this calmly brings me joy.

With each Koco the characters help, there's a certain theme associated between the Koco and Sonic's friends. The inventor Koco and Tails, trying to be of use to others; the soldier Kocos and Knuckles, both who had their people wiped out. For Amy, the Koco (the only Koco who goes by they/them, so that's what I'll be using for them here) is trying to reunite with their lover who had gone into battle. Throughout the game, Amy in her ghostly form can't touch anyone, and she expresses symptoms of dissociation, of feeling 'detached', that she's flying in a dream, but she wishes to just land.

Remember, Amy is a physically affectionate person, but she can't do much of anything, let alone feel anyone, in this situation. She has to leave it to her love, Sonic, to go into battles. She knows all too well how the Koco was feeling, being separated from their lover. When Amy and Sonic watch the Koco reunite with their partner for the last time, it hits Amy hard, and Sonic knows how affected she is by this. He gives her some time to grieve because he knows her well enough to understand this hit her hard. He tells her, "They're together now." And that's all that matters. And I love that scene. It's so mild compared to what others in the community might bring up, but I'm a sucker for the quieter moments like this.

I have to stop myself now before this turns into a novel lol

[alexblue29]

You know what I need to see?

Foolish finally lashing out.

This man has given everything for his kid and his boyfriend. Vegetta left, Foolish promised to wait for him and he still says he'll always wait for him to come back.

This man is the DEFINITION OF LOYAL OKAY!

He trusted his friends so much and they stabbed him in the back and accused him of cheating on Vegetta when it was a completely different issue.

And still, he still helps them because hey, maybe if he's good enough they'll stop.

And now Leo's gone too.

And what's the first thing he did when he found out?

Laugh.

He laughed because, no! No Leo's not gone, it's a prank they'll be back you'll see.

And then the days kept going and Leo was not coming home.

What does he do?

He keeps waiting.

Believing.

Because that's what he does. He puts on a smile and makes everyone believe he's okay and makes jokes. And it works. No one checks on him.

Until it finally starts getting to him.

He focuses on the titan because god damnit he needs to finish it before Leo comes back, imagine how happy she'll be when she sees it all done!

He seeks out the others less and less. They never bothered to check on him anyway, so why would he keep wasting his time?

Then he starts to space out more and more. Fit and Tubbo come to see him from time to time, they noticed.

Foolish was stuck silently circling through an album full of pictures of him, Leo and Vegetta when Fit yelled out for him when he warped to his home. Foolish didn't click out of the album until Fit was right in front of him.

Whenever he's around the others and they mention the kids, he spaces out. Sometimes he makes a joke or two, but not as often.

Foolish was talking to Fit about his fishing trip and showed him the god fishing rod he found. Fit said he should keep it to gift to someone since Foolish already had one. When Fit asked who does he knows who loves fishing, Foolish's voice cracked,

"Leo does."

Fit noticed right away. He apologized. Foolish never reacted that way when his kid was brought up, it surprised him.

Foolish is mentioning more and more memories about Leo but not like he did before. No, before it was joyful, it was in a 'I can't wait to see her again, she loves this' way. Now it's mournful. It's 'Oh she loved this and that.'

Loved.

Foolish, who we know as the God of death or God of totems or whatever you know him as.

Foolish who always jokes and promises that everything will be okay, just wait.

Foolish is losing hope.

Fuck, Vegetta's been gone for months and the one time he came back online, Foolish wasn't even there. He hasn't seen his beloved in months.

He can't even trust or confide in his friends because, why would they take him seriously.

And now his daughter's gone too.

And he's truly alone.

So, what does a father do when he's lost the hope that his beloved would come back?

He lashes out.

We've seen what he can do in dsmp. When he wants to he can royally fuck someone's life.

Listen to me.

Foolish. Needs. To. Lash. Out.

To. Fucking. Lose. It.

Because get this, the second he does, Bad will follow. They may say they hate each other but they care and they are more similar than they'd like.

Foolish is on the brink of losing it.

Bad is on the brink of losing it.

Soon one of them will snap, and the other will be right behind.

Maybe then the feds will realize they messed with the wrong people.

After all, who would've thought an omen of death and a demon would be so similar?

And don't even get me fucking started with Roier and Jaiden.

--

Someone reblogged and mentioned what happened with Mouse last night.

I was not aware.

I'm pissed. (At the characters not the ccs, I love them)

Mouse said that Foolish doesn't even care that Leo's gone.

sigh

Now. Foolish laughed because that's his reaction when something takes him by suprised.

He laughed for a second and then his face dropped.

His smile was gone. His eyes were dull.

Like a switch that was flipped.

Because how dare she? How dare she say he didn't care about his daughter when she was all he had left?!

She's never even met Leo! She's never seen how dedicated Foolish wa-is towards her! All she has to base herself on in what others have said.

So lose it, Foolish. Lose it and I promise, you'll have a fucking army behind you cheering you on.

[firephoenix2305]

Guess who just posted Eternity Chapter 11 on Ao3!!

Here is a little snippet, please do by all means imagine me giggling and kicking my feet like a schoolgirl whilst writing this, because it is in fact exactly how it happened.

It had been almost five minutes since Crowley had promised he’d be done in a minute; and the ticking of the clock had begun to get on the angel’s nerves. He was about to growl at the door again when the knob clicked and turned as it opened at last. Then, the demon walked out of it, and all of Aziraphale’s thoughts froze on the spot. [...]

- Oh. My. God – she said – You literally can’t take your eyes of each other. That’s adorable -

- We are not...! That was not...! - he aimlessly tried to justify himself, getting more flustered by the minute – Oh, just shut up – he finally settled on.

- This is going to be a long night for you, my friend – Eleyn nudged him softly on the shoulder – What with the thin dark duke sauntering around -

- Oh, for...! - Aziraphale’s eyes went wide open in shock at the nickname, cheeks now a deep crimson – Did you have to?! -

- Oh, absolutely – she smirked knowingly at him and walked out of the room, having way too much fun, leaving him to pray his skin would dial back down to its normal shade in the time it took to close the door behind him.

And, as promised, inspo pics! (For context if you haven't read it, the four of them have to go to a formal fundraising event to get their hands in a very important object which is going to be auctioned; so naturally I had to find elegant/formal getups for them, and these are the pictures I used as inspiration for their outfits!)

Under the cut, In order: Muriel, Eleyn (OC, can't tell you who she is because it's a SPOILER for chapter 3), Aziraphale and Crowley

I changed some things, like replacing the tie with a bowtie (Obv, might I add) and losing the flower for Az, or switching some accessories in the others.

BUT!!!!!

I DARE YOU to tell me that that three-piece suit does not SCREAM Crowley at the top of it's fabric-based lungs!

I mean, GOOD. LORD. My brain just kept seeing David Tennant in that and subsequently shortcircuiting in a closed loop until I said "Fuck it, I'm sticking Crowley in this suit"

I MEAN LOOK AT IT

Ahem. Sorry, just needed to get that out of my system. I feel better.

......Damn, the brainrot.

Anyway! What do you guys think about the outfits?

[hazbinextgeneration]

(John) Doe Eyed Ch4 Doe Lost Interest (Or Not)

(This heavily is based on and references the 'Ending 3 Doe Lost Interest' ending of the game John Doe Plus by Mortisfox and John Doe and all related characters belongs to them. Although the story takes a different turn from the cannon games. Oc and art by me.)

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Sun shined through the window and the rays of sunlight lit up the room like a light switch. Morning had arrived and woken up the whole world with its light.  The peaceful quiet that was brought with it was disturbed however by a shrill beeping of an alarm. It continued to be loud and obnoxious through the silent.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP-

CLICK!

A hand quickly lifted from the blankets that fell off the figure leaning up and smacked down furiously on the clock until the alarm went off and a body sat up. Long messy white hair cascaded down in tangled locks covering the tired face until she pushed her hair out of the way and glanced at the clock. 

"Ugh. What time is it?" Pink eyes widened at the time and she groaned. "Great. I slept in. I gotta get up if I don't wanna be even later."

Blankets were thrown off and she hurriedly stumbled her way to the bathroom. A cold shower is just what she needed to wake her up this morning. She was going to be an hour and more late. There's no getting around that. She took a while to get dressed and she was just able to catch the bus before it could pull away. Thank goodness. She stumbled onto the bus panting and gasping for breath as she paid her fee and just walked onto the bus and plopping into a random blue seat. Her back to the wall and head thrown up in a groan. Great. She was going to be in so much trouble with her boss for being late, and her coworker was going to be so mad at her. Hopefully they would go easy on her if she still showed up. The bus slowly started to motor away from the bus stop and drive leaving her to sit there for awhile catching her breath. This would certainly be a good chance too. 

The ride continued on and slowly her breathing went back to normal. Her body got some much needed rest and ever so slowly her eyes opened up to stare at the ceiling. And sigh...This was going to be a long day. Pink eyes eventually rolled from the ceiling to casually glance around at the bus. ..Huh. Not a lot of people were on the bus today. Just the driver, one or two other people sitting or standing around, herself, and...She froze. It was back. That feeling was back. 

Someone was watching her.

A shiver went down her spine and she froze. She hadn't had this feeling since she got the job and started going to a different part of town. She thought she finally brushed it off but now it was back..WHY WAS IT BACK?! A panic feeling spiked through her mind as pink eyes quickly looked around her. None of the people she saw was staring at her. Then who's eyes were on her? Her head turned to the other side of the bus, and she froze as pink eyes met sickly yellow eyes. 

A man was staring right at her.

He stood there standing with one hand holding the pole to be sure he doesn't fall over as the bus drove along. Wild untamed black hair cascaded messily down his back and shoulders framing his face. His face was probably the most strange part. The largest eyes she'd ever seen on a human were staring holes right in her head, they were a sickly yellow in color with small black pupils and heavy black eye bags. But what was creepier was the wide smile across his face. He seemed to perk up and smile even wider noticing that she was looking at him now. He wore all black from his weirdly worn jacket to his shoes, except for the print of the front of his shirt which was a red eye symbol. It almost looked like it was looking at her too. She shivered and quickly looked away from him.

"Pull yourself together, Fae," she mumbled to Herself and taking in a deep breath, "He probably looked at you because you were staring at him first. You're overthinking things. Everything's fine."

She kept her gaze up and pointed at the window forcing herself to watch out the window instead of looking around again and just keep an eye out for her her stop. Except...the feeling of someone boring their eyes into her head. For the next ten minutes things progressed like that, until against her better judgement she looked over at him again and found him once again staring right at her. Still in the same pose. Only now he tilted his head at her noticing that she looked back. Was he...staring at her this entire time? No. Of course not! She shook her head. He was probably looking around at the same time she looked at him and they made eye contact. She was just a bit stressed out from being late and on edge is making her see things. Yeah. That must be it. She sighed before smiling. How ridiculous she must be. She even dared to smile and wave at him to which he perked up again and waved back ... Albeit with his full arm and way faster which was a strange way of waving but not everyone was the same. More time passed by and it was a little..awkward. she still had that feeling and Everytime she looked he still seemed to stare at her. 

"I don't think he's blinked his eyes at all."

FINALLY her stop Arrived. She was very quick to stand up and exit the bus not looking back at the man who still stared. Fae flew down the steps and onto the parking lot. This was it! Her shoes cracked against the ground as she ran across the parking lot away from the bus station and towards the gas station. Crap! Crap! Crap! She was late! She was so late! She was going to be in so much trouble later! She didn't even see the eyes watching her go from the bus. She ran all the way to the front door. A bell furiously going off as the door is was busted open and she stood there panting.

"I'm here!"

A scowl from behind the register met her. "Where have you been? You're supposed to be here at ten to relieve me!! It's like twelve something now!"

"I know! I'm so sorry! I overslept and the bus takes forever!," Fae apologized with a wince to her angry coworker. "I promise it won't happen again!"

"Whatever! Just get behind here and start manning the register! I'm already late to get home because of you!"

"Alright, alright. Time to work."

She was SO lucky that her coworker hadn't caused any further fighting and just left her there without another word. Fae didn't blame them for being angry, she'd probably be mad too if she was made to wait for someone else who was late because they over. Maybe if she was lucky her boss wouldn't find out and she could just be better next Monday after her weekend off. Although... she had a feeling he might already know. Sigh. Oh well. For now she'd just do what she always did. Which was manning the cash register, cleaning the floors, restocking the shelves, and everything her coworker didn't do that she had too. But...she couldn't help but still have the feeling like...she was being watched . It started when she was mopping the floors but when she looked up, no one else was in the store either. No customers. Nothing. A quick glance outside also confirmed that there wasn't anyone in the parking lot or at the bus station. She shook it off.

It happened again About an hour and a half later. A customer came in with a few children to buy snacks and soda. She had a feeling someone was staring at her through the big window but a quick check outside confirmed that no one was again there... Must've just been her imagination. She rationalized that she was being watched anyways by the security cameras inside and in the parking lot and that must be it on top of her nerves getting the best of her. Other than the mother and her children there was really no one else that day and it was pretty peaceful other than the feeling she still got but she still pushed it to the back of her mind.  She just needed to finish her shift and get home. So there she was, drumming her fingers against the counter and staring off in thought when a loud sound of a bell caught her attention. Fae jumped up and snapped her head over to the doorway... Before she again paused as a man walked in and towards her. He wore all black and wild black hair cascaded down his back. He walked right up to the register with that same smile.

It was that guy from the bus.

He stopped right in front of her and smiled widely. "Hi."

His voice made her flinch. What was he doing doing here?! Was he following her?! Fae Immediately shook her head. What was she thinking? Her mind was just going off on wild scenarios now. So she steeled herself and have that customer service smile.

"Um. Hi. How can I help you, Sir?" He was probably heading back to wherever he was coming from and stopped inside to get some food or something while he waited for the next bus. Yeah. That was probably it.

"What's your name?," He asked with a tilt of his head and strained smile like he was... nervous maybe?

"Huh?...Oh. It's Far. You can see it here on my name tag,"she said pointing out the obvious name tag on her work blazer. "It's kinda hard to miss."

"That's definitely one of the names I've heard!" He sounded like he was happy...but also nervous as he clasped his hands in front of his chest and the red ey-...Wait. Didn't his shirt have a red eye instead of a smiley face? "Mine's-" A sharp static like sound suddenly cut through the air making her since and her hand instantly clamp on her ears. "But you can call me John Doe."

She hissed rubbing her ears and opening her eyes. "Um....Ok?"

"Are you doing anything after work?" He looked hopeful and lit up nervously but excitedly at her.

Wait. Was he... hitting on her? Oh no. Did he think that when she looked at him on the bus that she was interested in him? Oh no. She must've given off the wrong impression. "Uh..Oh yeah. I'm busy after work. I got things to do...and stuff. You know how it is."

He seemed to... deflate a little bit. His smile going smaller but not disappearing as he just stared at her silently. She awkwardly stood there also staring.. Nervously looking around before back to him in the silence. She was starting to get a bit creeped out.

"Um...So do you need anything?" He didn't say anything but turned and began walking out of the store. The bell chimed as he went out and she continued to hold her breath until he disappeared past the window before sighing in relief. "Ok...That was weird."

Maybe the guy just didn't have very good social skills? Or maybe he felt too embarrassed to say anything after she subtly rejected him? Either way he was gone and she relaxed back. Only had about an hour left of her shift anyways and then she could go home and relax. She just had to stick to it until her boss arrived to take over. Which wasn't long. An hour later a car pulled into the Parking lot as the skies started to dim and night would soon be here bringing dark with it. The bright headlights turned off and a minute later the door bell chimed as a man walked in. Her boss. He looked tired and just walked in.

"Um.. Good night, Sir! How was the ride here?"

"Fae, I'm too tired to get into things. Just go home and make sure you're not late Monday morning."

"Y-Yes, Sir!" She didn't have to be told twice. So she was quick to gather her things and skedaddle out the door and into the night parking lot. The air was warm still being summer and the darkness spilled over on everything. She slowed down the closer she got to the bus station until she reached the bench and sat down.. before sighing again. "Finally off work. Can't wait to get home and just sleep. This entire day has been stressful."

She sighed in relief again and sat there. The next bus should be here soon. It always arrived shortly after her boss did. She just had to wait until it arrived then she could go home. However she didn't see the figure walk up to her from behind until he spoke up.

"Hi."

She shrieked! Bristling up like a stray cat and jumping from the bench a few feet away, whipping around and meeting the yellowed eyes and black hair of The man who she had seen earlier. She breathed heavy from the scare just... blinking at him. He seemed confused as he just blinked before tilting his head at her. For a few moments they stared at each silently, and she blinked before frowning.

"What are you doing?!" He blinked again leaning back a bit as she relaxed back but feeling angry. "You scared me nearly half to death!"

He looked like he seemed to think a moment before asking, "Do you like being scared?"

"Wha-..NO! I don't like being scared, especially by people I don't know." She frowned more at him.

"Uh...You're cute when You're scared!," He said again with that nervous wife grin and she paused.

Was this guy still seriously trying to hit on her? Wait. Why was he even still here?! Was he still waiting for the bus? Well.. she supposed that was still possible. The busses had a good one or two hours between the next one arrived after it. Maybe he was still waiting for a bus or he missed the earlier one when he was talking to her. It'd be too weird to just be waiting for her to get off work about two hours. It did seem like he had bad social skills however but that probably wasn't his fault. She sighed. No sense in pushing her fears on him.

"I...*sigh* Thank you. That's very nice you think I look pretty," she said calmly making him light up again. "But you don't sneak up on someone like that. It's not nice to scare others."

"Really?' He tilted his head more at her. "Ok!"

"And it's nice that you think I'm cute but I'm not looking for a date right now."

She watched him as his smile again went smaller... before he smiled again. "Can I come home with you?"

She choked on her own air. WHAT?! Did he just say-...She sputtered for a moment flustered as he again looked confused at her sudden red cheeks. "I-...A-Absolutely not! W-We don't even know each other!"

He stared at her a few more seconds before he again lit up in a happy smile and clasped his hands in front of himself again. "Sure you do! We met earlier! We're practically best friends now! We could be more!"

A snort left her mouth before she could stop herself. Was this guy serious? Well..she couldn't say he wasn't brave coming out and shooting his shot. A few laugh escaped her mouth as he watched before also smiling wider. Laughing and smiled were good! And she had smiles and was laughing! That means he was doing a good job with this! That meant that was a yes right?

"Does your happy sounds mean yes?''

She shook her head no still giggling and looked at him. "Sorry. I'll have to decline that offer. But I will give you an A for effort. I can't say I've ever been asked out quite like that before. It certainly was forward but I appreciate the honesty.'' She smiled at him as he tilted his head. "But it was certainly...cute. Probably the nicest way someone tried to ask me out. Maybe next time."

"Next time?" He again perked up. "It's a yes if I ask again?!"

Again she felt a stream of giggles leave her mouth. "Probably not. But maybe if you continue to be cute I'll agree to getting lunch with you."

"Lunch?" He narrowed his eyes seeming to again think about this for a long moment... before perking up. "Oh! Like a date those other people do!"

She giggled more. He was pretty cute..In a scruffy way but it's not like she had a right to judge anyone for their looks being born as pale as snow. "Yes. Like that."

"Now?!"

"No it's too late. I'm free tomorrow or Sunday though if you want to go then." Oh! That reminded her. ''Here. I'll write you my phone number, and then you can call me tomorrow or whenever you think you're free."

He watched with wide eyes as she reached into her purse and a moment later pulled out a pen and paper and proceeded to write something on the surface. A moment later it was torn off and held out to him. With wide eyes he slowly took it and stared at the numbers written. Then looked at her still surprised. 

She smiled. "That's my phone number. Call me when you have time and we can get together for lunch or something."

....He lit up brighter than a Christmas tree, the paper clasper in his hands and held to himself. "I'D LOVE LOVE LOVE TO!!"

She giggled again but blinked and looked over as headlights shown brightly against the dark and a motor was heard. "That's the bus!" She looked back to him. "Are you riding home too?" He nodded. "So am I. I guess we'll get to talk for a bit longer!"

"Oh yes! I love talking! Let's talk more!"

She giggled again. Honestly he was pretty cute. "Ok. You said your name's John right?"

He nodded. "You can call me John Doe!"

Strange name but again she wasn't one to judge. "I'm Fae Briar. It's nice to meet you John! Come on. Let's not miss our bus. Ok?"

He eagerly nodded. The bus pulled up and they both got on, paid, the fee and sat down. She smiled up at him as he sat down as he sat down next to her. And the bus pulled away. Although..she had to ask as the thought was still bugging her.

"Hey." He tilted his head at her showing he was paying attention. "I probably should've asked this sooner but be honest with me. Were you waiting for me outside all this time? I'm not freaked out..Ok. maybe a little bit but I need to know if you were."

He stared before humming and squinting his eyes as if nervous smile wavering. "If I say yes... Would you not like me?"

"Not if you're honest with me."

"Oh. Then yes!" He smiled happily and nodded. "I was! But only because you said you were busy doing things after work, but then you weren't. You just sat there! So I knew you weren't busy then!"

She... slowly blinked at him before shaking her head and rose a brow. "I-...Well you were honest. Right?" He nodded again happily. "Oh...Well that was nice of you. I'm kinda shocked." He rose a brow. "I was actually expecting you to say no or lie."

"Why? You asked. Would you rather I did lie?"

"No. I just.. Nevermind. It's alright. Just next time ask someone straight up if you want a date. Don't wait around."

"Ok! Do you want a date?!"

She blinked again... before giggling again. "I thought we already were."

"Really!? It works!" She ended up giggling again on the hour long ride home until she stood up when the bus stopped. "This is my stop. I'm going home."

"Oh. Ok!" He also stood up.

She blinked. "Oh. Are you getting off here too?" He again nodded. "Ok then." She got off said bus. John got off said bus. She turned to him and waved goodbye. "I'll see you later then. Good night, Mr. Doe."

"Good night!" He looked around. "Which way is home?"

.....She blinked. "Uh.. Wherever you live?" He looked at her. "We're going home. Our separate homes."

"Oh!...Oh?" He seemed to realize that now. "Ok then! I'll come back tomorrow!"

She sighed again but she guessed she already agreed to it. And he seemed pretty nice. "Alright. Tomorrow. I'll see you then. Good night."

"Good night!" He waved a full arm at her as she turned and left him standing there before he turned back to the crumpled up paper still nestled in his hands.. before nuzzling it to his cheek. "I JUST LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!"

[nyashykyunnie]

˗ˏˋ Solo Leveling Oc: Sung Kiwoo◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕘 𝕂𝕚𝕨𝕠𝕠˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

╰┈➤ ❝ [ A Child of Beauty and Glee; The Prince of the Blue Waves.] ¡! ❞

There was a deafening silence around me as I drifted in cold and motionless waters. The sound of a humpback whale interrupted my moment of solitude, so I opened my eyes, only to be met by the empty waters with the sun peeking from above.

It was a beautiful sight.

With the song of the whale drifting all around me— I felt at peace.

…

I sat up, startled and shaken for some reason. The door clicked, and my brother entered.

His jet black hair was unkempt and lazy gray eyes peeked behind them. His initial nonchalance switched to a worried expression as he went over to me.

"Did you have a nightmare again?" Suho asked as he sat on the edge of my bed and placed his hand up against my forehead. "Well, you're not running a fever, that's good."

Ah, right, nightmares.

I was prone to them for some reason. I've always had terrible dreams containing beasts that couldn't be processed by the human mind. They wouldn't do anything, but their empty stares frightens me all the time. In the worst cases, I would wake up running a fever after having those dreams.

"...Not a nightmare" I finally replied. "It was just… Whale songs."

"Whale songs?" Suho cocked up an eyebrow and removed his hand. "Which whale?"

"Megaptera Novaeangliae." I said as I rubbed my eyes.

"English."

"....Humpback Whale."

Suho then just shrugged and ruffled up my bed hair even further before saying with a smile, "At least it's not a bad dream. Now take a shower, mom made pancakes for you."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be down in a bit. You can eat without me" I told him as I got off of my bed and started fixing the sheets.

"Not a chance, baby brother" Suho teased and I threw him a disapproving look.

"I'm only an hour late born after you!" I protested at him, "So don't call me a baby!"

"Sure, sure,..." Brother waved his hand dismissively and approached the door. "Baby brother"

I clicked my tongue, obviously offended at the time baby. I'm going to be 18 soon so how come he still refers to me with that term?!

Sigh.

Well…

I looked up, observing the white walls decorated with various marine animals. One side of the room had a net hung up with shark stuffed toys and starfish, beside it were three jellyfish lamps. Another wall had blue fairy lights with the shapes of various whale species and some stingrays. My desk meanwhile had various little clay jellyfish and whale sharks and a decorative mini blue whale wood carvings. My shelves contained various marine biology books and some law books too.

Okay, I get it. This room is for a baby. But at least my room is well decorated compared to my brother's bland room!

I kept grumbling about incoherent things as I took a shower and wore my uniform. I kept muttering until I went downstairs to where my mother and brother were waiting.

"Kiwoo" My mother greets me with her pretty smile, washing away the tantrum I was throwing because of Suho. "Goodmorning, dear. Come sit down, mom made sure your pancakes are extra fluffy."

"Thanks mommy" I smiled warmly at her then sat down at the table next to my brother. "Is dad out early for today?"

"He's investigating a major case" She replies as she gives me my warm cup of milk along with my plate, making me feel excited at the sight of it. "So he had to leave early, he did tell me to remind you both to be good in school."

"Yes, yes" I said half-heartedly as I started nibbling my food and drinking milk. "Ah… So yummy."

"...You know you're too old for milk and pancakes." Suho playfully nudges me and I shoved a fork-ful of pancake into his mouth.

"Shut up, man" I laughed at him. "Milk is good for a growing boy."

"Baby," He said it like he was correcting me.

"I hope you stub your toe today" I retorted.

"I hope it's you instead," Suho smirked.

"Knock it off boys" Our mother chuckles and pinches our cheeks to make us behave. "You're supposed to watch over each other."

"But he keeps calling me a baby!" I expected her to scold Suho, but instead she snorted and looked away. "Mom!"

"Well, you technically are the baby of the family" She grins prettily again, making me feel more mocked.

"I won" Suho snickers with a smile.

"..."

After a while of playful bickering, we finished up our meal and bid our farewells to our mom. I gave her a kiss on the cheek before following Suho outside the door.

We were a pair of odd brothers really. Rather than discussing school and games— We were instead informing each other about our hyperfixations. While my brother talked about bugs, I rambled endlessly about jellyfish and cetaceans.

It went on like that until we arrived at school.

We were both deathly bored with everything, we didn’t need to talk to each other to know that we were both very sleepy and tired. Suho glanced at me from the corner of his eye by the time the lunch bell rang. So with a sigh, I begrudgingly followed him towards the hall and out into the school.

“Hyung, you better get me a can of juice” I grumbled as I followed him to the back of the school where we could hear the smacking sounds of someone getting hit.

“Yeah, yeah” Suho rolled his eyes as we turned the corner and found Jo Sung-ho getting beat up pretty badly.

“Make it quick” I yawned lazily and leaned on the wall as my brother said some stuff I didn’t bother to understand.

I watched his swift and precise movements that resembled our father but not really. We were both trained by him, and of course the both of us would imitate his fighting style. We’re not quite there yet though, especially me. Although me and my brother are twins coming from the same parents, Suho was far more clever and sharper. I was different, I was slower and took more time in trying to understand things. I’m even stupid enough to the point that my brother needs to explain some jokes to me, if not, it would normally take me an hour or the next day to finally understand jokes.

I was shameful as a child from the Sung family.

Rather than feel proud, I felt so bad for my family who had a kid who had trouble understanding social cues.

Suho finished up the mess and helped Sung-ho up to his feet and told him some stuff before going back to me and slinging his arm over my shoulder.

“Did I make you wait, baby brother?” Suho grins widely as we started walking to where the vending machines were. “Hm, you’re a little down huh? What’s up? You’ve been awfully quiet and you haven't even balled your fists and shook them.

“...Please don’t talk about my stimming like it's a cute thing” I looked at him in a bit of a disapproving way, feeling embarrassed that he is mentioning my habits.

“But it is?” He muses while ruffling my hair. “Don’t be so down now, hyung will get you bunggeoppang after school.”

I nonchalantly nodded my head at his suggestion.

Was today interesting? No. Not one bit. It was a burden even, every teacher already gave the outline of lessons that will be covered for the semester. Normally, students would ignore this and just go on with their day, probably go to the internet cafe or party with friends somewhere. But I had to study them in advance because I’m stupid, I suck at studying. I am bad at understanding things, that’s why I have to do advanced reading back home as soon as I can.

But it seems… That my brother has fallen asleep. He’s in front of me, completely knocked out cold and gone to the world. He looked silly sleeping like this with a drool slightly coming out of his mouth, so I gently wiped it off.

Looking at him from this angle, he really is the spitting image of our father. From the shape of his nose, the thinness of his lips, the way his hair behaves; he really looks like dad, except he had our mother’s eyes. I admired Suho alot, after all, he has an innate talent for martial arts and he inherited dad’s cunning personality and many other aspects from him.

And for that, I am jealous of him.

Do I hate my brother? No, no. Damned will I be if I ever did. I love Suho, so much so that I am willing to bloody my hands for the safety of my older brother.

“Woonie?” Suho sat up, his messy black locks falling over his gray eyes. “Ack… I think I played too many games.”

“Yeah?” I cocked up an eyebrow at him. “Did you have a weird dream?”

“Yes… Dad was in it” Suho rubs his eyes. “I was just so… Bizarre.”

“I see” I stood up and held my hand out to him. “Wanna head home early for today?”

“Y-yeah–” His words were cut off when a girl opened the door and glanced at us.

“Why are you two still here? I’m locking up” She said in a confused tone as she glanced at us. “I’m bout to lock up the rooms”

“Can we join you?” Suho asked.

“Suit yourself”

We then grabbed our bags and proceeded to follow her out of the classroom and helped her lock up the other rooms. I kept glancing at Suho who looked baffled and in a daze.

Just how bad was his dream? Normally it would be me who has a ton of weird dreams and terrifying nightmares. Surely my bad luck with that stuff didn’t pass to him, right?

Even after Suho and her little game of rock-paper-scissors, he would suddenly glance up at the sky as if he felt something. Well I would be lying if I didn’t feel something odd too.

I would have asked, but I also felt a slight shift. There was an unfamiliar scent that lingered. Something in the air suddenly changed, like a small burst of air suddenly washed over the air. There was a tinge of an unpleasant scent.

But we both just ignored it and proceeded to make our way back home. Though I insisted that my brother just forget about his promise, he stubbornly brought me a box of sweets. I couldn’t deny him anymore, so I just sighed and accepted my faith and carried the box back home.

Suho was just so out of it, he was in a complete daze during dinnertime and seemed to be contemplating whatever the hell happened earlier afterclass. I didn’t want to press him any further about what happened, so we just went into our separate rooms.

As always, I sat down immediately on my desk after a quick shower. I started with the hardest subject, which was of course, Calculus. I focused on the subject for five minutes until I felt a strong gust of wind beside me.

There was a huge, blue wall in the shape of an oval, it produced a foul stench. It whirled, humming as it slowly sucked the air around it.

Part of me wanted to run, wanted to scream for my brother.

But most of me,... Wanted to go in.

Somehow, someway, that ‘thing’ feels familiar. Like an old friend from a distant part of my buried memories.

It felt like it was calling me to go back home.

I stood up, walking towards the thing and running my hand along it, watching that limb of mine get sucked in. Before I knew it, I was inside.

The walls were damp and heavy, everywhere was dark. Only the light of the blue torches illuminated the path. It appeared like a tunnel of some sort. It was creepy, but I didn’t feel scared– No, not one bit of me was frightened.

“What would dad do?” I mumbled as I took a torch from the wall and walked around.

I kept a steady pace until eventually I came across a section of the tunnel with weapons hanging around. I placed the torch down and ran my hand around the various weapons.

For some reason, they had weird status windows hovering in front of them.

“A game?” I tilted my head, “How neat.”

There were a number of different weapons to choose from. Greatswords, axes, claymores, shields, bows, lances... And my most favorite weapon of all, daggers. My brother sees these weapons as cowardly. But I always found these things fascinating, I always had a weird magnetic pull towards them. The daggers are just so pretty, fine hilts and black blades with crimson red edges– So I picked those two up.

Light, just as I want my weapons to be.

**Whoosh**

I tilted my head to the side instinctively, the wall in front of me having an arrow. In a split second, I immediately started bouncing back.

Large and imposing figures at least 8 feet tall, bodies made of metal– Knights. 20? No. At Least 50 now that I took a proper look at the back.

Just what the hell are these damn knights doing here?!

“Not playing nice, are we?” I flicked the daggers in my hands for a proper grip. “I’ll bury your damn heads 6 feet under”

So I pushed on my heel, charging head first towards the giant things with the intent to murder.

They didn’t smell like humans, for some reason I could tell.

I stabbed my dagger under their chins, with others, I crushed them by giving them consistent and brutal blows.

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

“???” I panted, looking at the status window in front of me which had some numbers.

Name: Sung Kiwoo

Level: 5

Fatigue: 15

Job: NONE

Title: NONE

Mp:15

Strength: 15

Agility: 15

Sense: 15

Vitality:15

Intelligence:15

Remaining points: 8

“So it really is like a game…” I said as I rolled my shoulders and cracked my knuckles. “I need to be extremely careful, I don’t know what will happen if I die here.”

As fun as this thing was, I was worried what would happen. This is an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar sceneries. Everything was eerie and dark, whatever these knight things were– They are after me and they want my blood.

And for that, I need to be out for their blood too.

I’m just trying to survive after all.

I still have a family waiting for me to come home.

Bloodying my hands is just a necessary thing to do for the sake of my survival. I’ll do what I need to do.

I pressed on, leveling up everytime I took down more knights. I stripped off my dress shirt, leaving only my tank top after the wave of hollow knights stopped.

“That’s one big door.” I mutter as I glance up at a giant door.

It looked old, with the cracks and the cut off patterns all around it. I traced my fingers around it, feeling the embedded patterns.

Something is in there.

And that something was strong, I could tell with just the way my heart was thumping and the feeling of my blood pumping uncontrollably.

I took a deep sigh, opening my eyes before ultimately pushing it open.

The room was dark, almost pitch black if it weren't for the blue torches lighting up the area weakly. But that wasn’ what I was worried about– No, no. Not that.

At the far end of the corner stood a throne, and upon that throne sat a figure with a body of black flames so to speak. It looked like a knight, with how casual and lazy it looks, I felt like it was taunting me with its stance. The knight then stood up and took a hold of it’s claymore standing by the side.

I prepared my stance– ????????

“Huh? Huh????” I sat up exasperated, looking around in a panicked manner before feeling my chest up. “What?”

‘Did that knight just murder me?!’ I thought, scratching my nape before getting up and looking around.

“Isn’t this where I started?” I looked around me, seeing the familiar patterns “Ngh… Not again, I don’t wanna deal with those bloody knights.”

….

I woke up again, still in the same spot.

“Oh, come on!” I groaned, laying down on the floor again and kicked my feet up in frustration “That damn thing is so powerful, what the hell am I supposed to do?!”

That knight is way too fast, it’s godforsaken claymore puts me at a huge disadvantage with my short-ranged weapon. As much as I love daggers, it’s not cutting it out for me. Of course, it could be a skill issue but if that’s the case then I’ll be getting nowhere! I need to do something, I want a weapon that is both short ranged and long-ranged.

A sword would be good, but I don’t like the stats of the swords I saw.

A lance is passable, but I don’t want it.

I pondered for a while before approaching the weapon hallway again and picked out a pair of daggers, with the intention of trying out something

“Where are you, where are you?” I murmured as I looked around before ultimately yanking something off of the wall. “Bingo.”

I then sat down on the floor, holding the long and cold chains. I honestly don’t know why there are plain chains amidst the line of great and giant weapons. But maybe because it has quite good stats? Either way I’m glad it's here.

I made small holes at the edge of the hilts before inserting the ends of the chains I had opened before forcibly closing it. I stood up again, wrapping the chains around my arms.

“Oh? Their stats had mixed with just tinkering them like this?” I hummed, before shaking my head and then looking up at the horde of knights marching towards me. “Good,”

I pressed on my heel, launching myself towards the creatures with outrageous speed.

“You bastards are gonna help me test out my new toys.”

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

I don’t know how many levels I climbed with how much I lost myself in battle. I panted, standing atop of a pile of corpses from the hollow knights I slayed. I had some cuts here and there. My fatigue was up to 80, but why is it that I don’t feel that tired? The more I breathed, the more I felt alive and hyperaware.

“Now, it’s your turn” I looked up at the tall and condescending door.

Now that I think about it, it seemed to glare at me. As if these doors had a pair of eyes judging every fiber of my being. Was I afraid? No. Why should I?

Those eyes should be fearing me instead with how I’m gonna lay that thing behind those doors to rest.

I opened the door, and of course that knight was waiting for me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting” I pressed on my heel again and charged forward. “I wanted to make sure I’ll beat you this time”

The knight seemed a bit flustered at my sudden advances as it jumped back the moment I striked towards it’s stomach. I threw my dagger towards it, the blade circling arm– I flicked the chains, causing a reaction that hurled the knight onto the ceiling.

But I knew that it wasn’t enough to beat that thing.

And surely enough, it started hurling towards me again.

We shared intense blows, sparks and flames sizzled out with each impact shared along with static bursts of electricity.

That knight is still way stronger than me, of course it is. Compared to that thing—I know I'm at least a hundred years way younger to actually expect I would win against it easily.

But I guess that is what made it more exciting. The fact that I am facing something ancient and unknown. It's making my heart race uncontrollably and I feel more excited to beat it. The adrenaline is pumping, I feel alive. My fatigue is at 90 but why the hell does it feel so good right now?

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to swiftly dodge the knight's sword blast thing before closing in on the opening and stabbing my dagger up its chin.

Of course, it dispersed in an instant like a bubble bursting into nothingness.

"I WON!" I yelled out, jumping on my feet excitedly while swinging my arms happily. "Holy crap I actually did it!"

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

Level Up!

"Uwaahaaa!!!" I kept jumping as more dings ran into my ears. "Come to me you sweet little thing!"

I celebrated widely.

But for a brief moment, I recalled that knight's dying face. It looked at me�� So tenderly? It felt like it was a father looking at its child at some point. Maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me. Either way, I jumped around in pure bliss until another oval white and blue thing appeared.

“Is it over or am I going home?” I tilted my head curiously. “I wanna go home and eat cake…”

I take another heavy sigh before entering the thing again.

What greeted me was the intense blaze of the buildings, the sight was like I’m inside the hottest place of hell. It was rather amusing to see really, the ruins were all quite pretty to look at. My attention then goes towards a three headed cerberus, a cute creature to be honest. When I had my mythology phase, it was one of my most favorite creatures aside from Jörmungandr.

But why did it’s face pale when it took a good look at me? As if its three souls got knocked out of it.

“Bye?” I said to the Cerberus, which caused it to flinch and whimper while scurrying away.

I rolled my shoulder again, before continuing forward.

As I pushed through the hot blazing flames and took down monsters back-to-back, I remembered what my father had told me: “Don’t expect too much, Kiwoo. The reason why you’re always so disappointed is because you set the bars at an unnecessarily high standard.”

I should have listened to my father.

Because damn it am I so pissed right now because of how boring and bland monsters thrown at me were. I had expected more monsters to be like that knight I defeated. It’s so infuriating that it’s suddenly so easy to beat everything.

But I know better than to lower my guard, the moment I slip up cause me my doom. If this was an ordinary game– Well, it still is a game, but the point is, if I die right now, I might be a real goner. So I still need to stay vigilant no matter how easy things are right now. This might just be a rest period for me to relax to prepare for the next stage which would undoubtedly be a far more intense one than that knight.

It’s still frustrating me though, I’m leveling up slower than usual and it pisses me off.

I eventually climbed all 100 floors until the final oval thing.

The moment I went in, my chains shot out and wrapped around the demon in front of me. I hurled the creature towards me.

I raised my dagger, about to plunge it down the demon until it shrieked.

"Wait, wait, wait!" She(?) shrieked and I immediately stopped.

"????"

“Hahaha… You truly are of monarch bloodline, you didn’t even struggle as much even though you don’t have any shadow soldiers.” The demon girl speaks with a nervous smile as I uncoil her from my chains. “You two really are alike, managing to make it this far with just a few attempts at tremendous speed. Time truly passes by so fast”

‘Monarch? Shadow Soldiers? You two?”

“Excuse me?...” I cocked my head to the side.

“Nothing, nothing ” She shook her head. “I am Esil, daughter to the demon clan.”

“Kiwoo.”

“Such a pretty name” Esil says, her eyes having this glimmer in them that I found quite unusual since she is a demon. “Ah, right, we also have a banquet–”

“Sorry, I can’t go” I shook my head, trying to be as polite as I could with the demon girl. “I’m too young to drink and I don’t like the smell of alcohol along with being in a crowd.”

“Ah…” She frowns, but smiles right after. “Of course”

“I’ll try to come next time, if I ever come back. I can’t promise you though”

“What a shame…”

“Before I go,” I then point out at the portal thing “Can you tell me what those things are?”

She nodded eagerly.

I listened to what she has told me, to what the monsters are and the purpose of these gates. It was really like a game just as I had suspected, it was quite surreal. Well, everything that happened up to now is like a dream. Skill, stats, all that stuff– It felt like maybe I’m having a psychotic episode and that this is all just in my head. I wanted it to be that way on a surface level.

“I’m heading off” I say, politely walking past her. “I’ll see you later, auntie Esil”

Auntie?

The words had slipped out of my mouth and I couldn’t control it, it was as if it were a habit to call her that even though I don’t exactly know who she is. But regardless, that slip up I made seemed to have pleased her, since her features softened and looked more human.

I gave her one last smile, before entering the gate.

As soon as I entered the thing, swarms of ants would lunge themselves towards my direction. I knew better than to be distracted while in the middle of a fight, but truly, I cannot help but wonder what my brother would feel if he saw these massive creatures. He always had a fascination for bugs after all.

“I’m starting to miss my hyung” I mutter to myself as I open the tall doors in front of me. “I wonder if he is sleeping well right now”

**Sniff** **Sniff** **Kieekkk**

Right in front of me was a much larger and more humanoid looking ant with wings. I wanted to try and remember its specific species but… Why is it crying?

It pushed itself towards me, striking with such speed and precision I almost lost my footing. But my reaction was quite fast, so I managed to somehow keep up.

…. Why is it still crying?

Ahjussi, you’re really making me feel bad with those tears…

It’s like I’m watching someone have the worst case scenario of mental breakdown, I can’t tell if it’s happy tears or sad tears. Has my brother ever mentioned anything about ants crying? No, I’m sure he never did. Can bugs even cry? Maybe I should ask him.

“Kieeekk… I lost again” It says before pathetically plomping down on the floor like a pancake.

“H-hey” I tried calling out but it’s body disintegrated into the shadows beneath it’s mentally-broken mind and body. The dings of my level going up in large numbers rang on and on for a bit as a new gate whirred.

“I hope you feel better” I really felt bad, I really did, so I patted the floor where the ant disappeared to somehow make it feel at ease.

Was it a stupid move? Of course.

Will I do it again? You bet.

And so I head to my next destination, growing tired because of the continuous adrenaline rush.

I thought I would really be resting now, but now I’m in front of titans standing tall like skyscrapers. Giant orcs and dragons. DRAGONS.

Oh how I wanted to leap up in the air and celebrate like a madman right there and then but I wasn’t even given a headstart as the beasts jumped at me all at once!

What the hell is with this realm anyway? Why is everyone jumping at me left and right? Have I wronged anyone here in some way shape or form? I mean yeah, I’m basically an alien here but god, can’t they at least have mercy and let me breathe even for just a while?!

God they just keep coming one after another, I swear the beasts all looked different but somehow everything is starting to look black and purple at the same time! Is my head going even madder when I’m already losing my mind this much?

“Huh, what was that?” I blurted out randomly as I sent a blackened soldier flying.

I wanted to take a breather, I really did, but suddenly there was an unexplainable pressure on my body. It hurt.

It hurts

IT HURTS

IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS!

I was on the floor, glued to the soil as gravity pulled me down further.

“You, it’s you isn’t it?” I looked at another creature that was wielding a staff flying in the air.

I need to beat that thing.

“Crap.”

The various mouths of dragons fling about opened their jaws, charging up incoming attacks that will surely end me if I do nothing

‘Hahh…. You really wont let me rest, huh?’

A burst of energy would come through, I broke free of the pressure somehow and lunged towards the dragons, effectively killing each one with relative speed. As their corpses fell one after another, I hanged onto a ledge, breathing heavily.

Then, that orc mage… Whatever it is– pointed it’s staff towards me and blasted a massive fireball. I dodged it narrowly, with a huge explosion coming behind me.

“!!!!!” If that thing had hit me I would have been an overcooked fried goldfish.

Why is everyone and everything around me trying to murder me?...

‘Focus,... Focus, Sung Kiwoo!’ My father's voice would boom inside my head.

Deep breaths, deep breaths, at ease, deep breaths.

“Huu….” I sighed for a moment

“Control, I need to control myself more, speed and strength aren’t enough” I gritted my teeth. “Focus, Kiwoo!”

Another burst of energy would come forth again and I charged towards him.

It was a blur, everything was too fast and I felt like I’m about to faint. But I knew it wasn’t over when I slashed that orc in half. Another presence would come forth, I felt light headed as the giant shadow started mumbling stuff. I couldn't even feel my legs when we fought.

And before I knew it, I said: “You, where’s the master?”

“...” The shadow looks at me, his sword stabbed on the floor as I pointed a dagger on his throat.

“Is your master a shadow too like you? Will it refer to me as little monarch too?” I asked, glancing up at the sky to find a dragon circling in the sky like a hawk. “There you are”

As magnificent and elegant that dragon made of mist was, I was glaring at the figure perched on its back. Sensing my acknowledgement, it leapt up in the air and aimed for me. I lifted the flat of my blade, blocking its foot.

The attack was heavy, causing my feet to sink and create a crater. It leapt up in the air again and landed gracefully in front.

“Wait, you’re a woman…” I muttered, looking at her figure donned with an outfit like she was a saintess.

Her face was hidden under the shadow of her hood, making her look more angelic and pretty. As if I was in front of a goddess.

“N-noona” I call out, stammering and causing her to flinch a bit. “Can you get me out of here? My parents and brother must be really worried about me now. As much as I like the thrill of fighting, I think my disappearance is causing them a lot of pain.”

She froze, I could tell with the way her pretty lips quivered and trembled. It felt like she was contemplating. She was hesitating. I didn’t say anything for a while and let her ponder before ultimately charging towards me.

I swallowed down, blocking her incoming attacks that were incredibly devastating

She was so fast and nimble, that raw strength she landed on me was so heavy I swear my bones must be shattering with every blow.

But… She was beautiful.

Every strike is calculated, she charges forward when I go on offense and redirects my attacks so that it would backfire on me. Her blade stings me but hell, I wanted more cuts. I wanted to learn more. Even though my body is already pushed to its limits and I feel like I’ll die any second now– I wanted to see her movements more, it was like she’s a flower dancing so gracefully amidst the hammering blizzard. It’s like I’m watching a ballet performance in a ruined theater.

I would bleed from every part of me, I was leaking a pool of blood, and at the end... I was on the floor, kneeling while the tip of her blade was pointed on my throat. Her robes fluttered so prettily that I could only stare at her.

“Noona, can I be like you?” I ask absentmindedly. “Can I be beautiful like you too?”

I felt the blade tremble on my neck and she dropped her blade before hugging me.

“You silly child, why are you still like this even though you’re such a big boy now?” Her voice was familiar.

“Mom?”

“Too early, you’re still too young, you need to remain oblivious and sweet.”

“H-hey wait, Mom–”

But either way, I was thrown into a gate from god knows where and I jolted awake in my bed sweating and hyperventilating.

“.....”

“I played too many games that my dreams are all messed up” I mutter, ruffling my hair in confusion.

That dream was too confusing that I immediately headed into Suho’s room without thinking. As expected, he immediately opened the door the moment I knocked.

“Kiwoo, it’s already midnight why–” I cut him off

“I’m not gonna sleep alone tonight, can I stay here?”

“Nightmare?”

“No?... It was just wild, I need some comfort”

“You too I guess”

No words were further exchanged as I crashed onto his bed and Suho followed by sitting at the edge. I thought for sure I wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore because going through that hell is making me a bit anxious.

But in the end, I was dreaming again.

Once more, I’m drifting along the waters. It’s cold but comforting. The whales are singing for me again.

“My ocean is empty”

…

“I wonder if I grow a little more, will this abyss be full of life? Can I turn it into a lush coral reef? Will fish of various species swim around with apex predators around too? Will cetaceans appear here? Dolphins leaping up in the air and with more whales singing and clicking for me? I want to dance above the waters…”

“ I want the ocean to be my stage and the marine life as my audience,... I want to be beautiful.”

[peyton-warren]

WIP game! I usually pick a different number but #4 - NJDevil!Geralt intrigues me.

Will you share some of that please?

Hey Charlie,

I thought that one might catch someone's eye. It was supposed to be my monster fucking entry around Halloween time. I didn't want to do vampires, werewolves, or other monsters that seem to be popular. I wanted to go with something different. I'm a freak for Urban Legends/Cryptids, especially in the US so I was drawn to the New Jersey Devil who's story isn't as well known as others. I have the whole thing outlined, I just have to flesh it out.

The tongue in cheek summary I wrote at the start of brain storming is "It's your typical Girl gets lost in woods, monster saves her after dark, her car is broken down, monster takes her to his house, monster and girl fuck like rabbits, monster takes girl back to her car to call a tow truck and when she returns after her car is fixed she can't find monsters house again."

Snippet below cut:

With one last eye roll you pocketed your phone, and headed into the forest.  Just a couple paces and suddenly the soundscape changed.  Like someone flipped a switch, you no longer heard the hum of cars on the road, nor the choir of birds, or the white noise you were used to.  Instead you heard a deafening and disquieting silence.  It was unlike anything else you had experienced before when hiking.  Swallowing around the sudden acrid taste of nerves in your mouth, you pushed on further into the trees.  You wandered for what felt like thirty minutes, admiring the size of the massive pine trees that stood proud and so tall despite the sandy soil at their bases.  You would have sworn they should have toppled over at the slightest breeze.  But they stood tall, straight and upright, reaching for the sun through their brethren’s bows.  

Sitting on a flat rock, you turn your back to the path, staring through the expanse of green, browns and tan, eyes searching for movement.  You expected to see something - a bird, a squirrel, an anything- but it seemed as though you were the only living creature in these woods.  You kept up your quiet vigil for a bit longer, slipping from your water bottle until it was dry.  

With a soft sigh, you recap it and put your feet back on the ground.  Stretching your arms over you head, you hum happily, so glad you finally made this tiny detour.  Turning on your heel, you step in the direction of the path.  

Or so you thought.  

You took just as many steps back towards the trail as you had to get to your flat rock.  But the worn path was not where you left it.  Or thought you had left it at least.  Panic pinged your belly for a split second before you forced it away, shushing the anxiety filled voice in your head that insisted you were lost.  Dude, you reasoned with yourself, you took half a dozen steps to get to the rock, there is no way you got lost.  With a calming breath, you turned back to the rock, going to retrace your steps.  Maybe you only took a quarter turn on the rock instead of a half. 

But when you looked up now the rock was gone.  How the hell was that fucking possible?

Whatcha think? is it worth me continuing with?

Wanna ask me about one of my WIPs? Click here.