#and then we will finally have had an amazing national final again? and send an absolute shit show to liverpool

[sanremengoni]

.

[sordezos]

Farewell promise II

Soo this is the second part! hope you like it!

Word count: 2232

Warnings: bit of angst, happy ending tho

Thanks @wososapologist for the amazing ideas!! x

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You open your eyes a minute after trying to relax yourself. You finally turn the engine off and turn your head to the right, logo big enough to make you realize again what you were doing here.

After Ingrid’s departure, you spent one year more at Wolfsburg, but it wasn’t the same, so when an offer from Chelsea appeared, you accepted without hesitation. It was known that you were rather a private person and not so talkative in public, but you and Guro hit it off instantly, become close friends after a few weeks. Time passed, you won your place at the starting squad along with a few titles and being recognized as one of the best wingers.

Your family used to tell you at every call that you had everything: friends, a good job with a good pay and at the peak of your career. At first, you agreed, not even thinking about that person that was on the back on your mind. So every time they asked when you were going to get a boyfriend you just laughed and waved them off, changing the topic after.

If someone asked Guro about your love life, she wouldn’t know what to say. Yes, she has seen you going on dates arranged by her and Erin, but every time you came back, excitement about a second date was never present, you just said the same thing: “We didn’t connect” or “He was nice, but I don’t think we hit it off” and went to prepare dinner. Usually, after you came back the three of you would have dinner and watch some movies. It was there when Guro noticed the way you would fidget with the bracelet placed on your wrist. But she didn’t push it, if you wanted to talk, she would give you all the time you needed.

The season came to an end and a decision had to be made. After Chelsea won the league, offers started to rain, and after talking with your agent about each one, both of you decided for a change. After signing up the contract you went to your shared apartment and shared the news with Guro.

You could tell that she was sad, but the encouraging comments made you think that you did the correct decision. It wasn’t until you were in your bed that you started to overthink, was it a hasty decision? It's true that it was the highest offer by far, but you weren’t sure about a lot of things. Well, about one thing, were you ready to see her again? Will she be happy or mad? Will things be the same? Before you could think more, exhaustion caught up to you and sleep consumed you until the morning.

After the official announcement was made, you went to a goodbye party organized by your now ex-teammates. While the driver got you to your new house after the flight, you took your phone to see the ton of messages from a few of your new teammates. You would lie if you say that disappointment didn’t cross your face when that teammate didn’t send a message.

So now you’re here, sit in your car and looking at the giant FC Barcelona logo on the building on your right, checking the time in order to not be late. Today you and Ona Battle were about to start your season at Barcelona, both looking for a change from the London weather.

The two of you have played together at national team camp, so you were good friends, and that’s why when she knocked of your window and smiled at you that you smiled back and got out of the car.

“Qué tal guapa? Con ganas de empezar?” (What’s up? Eager to start?) she asks you jumping on your back as soon as you get out, happiness radiating from her, so you can’t help it but laugh and take your training bag out of the car “Claro que si, te vas a bajar?” (Of course, but are you going to get down?) you say while you start walking “No” is all she says as she tightens her grip and laugh.

Upon entering the changing room you are meet by cheering and applause, your national teammates happy that the two of you are finally playing with them and not against them. They all hug Ona, and they all hug you, except one person. You sit in your assigned place next to Claudia and Patri, and they instantly start to talk to you about something and not wanting to think too much about her, you join the conversation, taping your wrist at the same time and head to the pitch a few minutes later with them.

Ingrid on the other side of the room, watches you leave and turns to Frido, already regretting not approaching to you a few minutes before. Her friend looks at her confused, and before she can ask any questions, Ingrid takes her hand get them out of the room, heading to the pitch. On their way there, Ingrid explains to her all, and by the time she has finished they are already at the pitch doing some paired drills. Frido takes her wrist taking a better look to the special bracelet and before Ingrid can ask her, Frido starts to scold her for not talking to you before.

From the other side of the pitch you see as she takes Ingrid’s hand rather confused, have you read things wrong? Where they something before and you haven’t seen it? Thankfully Patri seems to read your mind, because the next thing she does is explain to you about what happened between Mapi and Ingrid and the aftermath of it, telling you about how Ingrid ended things because she said that she feel things for other person, and before she could tell you anything about said person, the whistle blew and the team got prepared for a practice match.

To your luck, you were put in the same team as Ingrid, and both of you stood there, a few meters apart. Not knowing what to say, should you say something about what happened back there? Say that you’re sorry for her breakup? You finally decided on your words, so you turned around to look at her, just to find that she was looking at you. You finally opened your mouth only for the both to talk at the same time. A laugh came out from your mouth and Ingrid could feel the feelings that she has tried to put down for years coming to the surface at once. Before you could ask her why she looked serious the whistle let all of you know that the match was on, so you turned around and gave your best on the grass.

1 goal and two assists is what you get by the time practice has finished. Making your way to the water bottles you receive several congratulations from your teammates, more than one highlighting how you and Ingrid seems to read each other’s mind with your passes.

You finally go back to the changing rooms along Marta and Alexia, talking about strategies for the next match, taking the tape off your wrist and giving your opinion on a few plays. What you didn’t see is how Frido and Ingrid were behind, and Ingrid was listening to her teammate about the plan that she made for her in order to win you again. Ingrid herself building up the courage to talk to you after all the team left the locker room.

Taking your time on the shower, trying to get rid of your already sore muscles you hear the changing room door opening and closing, thinking it was the last teammate leaving, therefore you thought you were the only one left.

As you get dressed up and exit the showers, you're surprised to find Ingrid waiting for you by your locker. You send her a smile, and she smiles back looking more… relaxed?

But there's something different about Ingrid now—she seems more confident, more self-assured. And as you study her face, you can't help but notice the subtle changes that time has wrought. It's clear she's grown since you last saw her, both as a player and as a person.

Meanwhile, Ingrid studies your face and doesn’t fall to notice how now you are a bit taller than her, how you have let your hair grow longer, and how you seem more mature, looking at a small scar that you had since you were little just above your eyebrow.

Ingrid's eyes twinkle mischievously as she catches you staring, and she smirks teasingly. “Like what you see?” she quips, her tone playful.

You roll your eyes, unable to resist teasing her right back. “Please, I've seen better,” you retort, earning a mock offended gasp from Ingrid.

It seems like the right moment, so you decide to offer your condolences about her breakup with Mapi, not wanting to intrude.

Ingrid's expression flickers with a hint of sadness before she offers a small smile. “Yeah, we broke up,” she admits, her voice tinged with regret. “I realized I still had feelings for someone else.”

Your heart skips a beat at her words, a glimmer of hope sparking within you. Could it be...?

You catch the subtle shift in Ingrid's demeanor, the way her eyes search yours for understanding. You don’t know from where the confidence came from, but with a teasing grin, you nudge her playfully. “Oh, so you finally realized you couldn't live without me, huh?”

Ingrid laughs, a sound that you wouldn't mind listening to every day. “Something like that,” she teases back, her eyes dancing with mischief.

As you continue to chat, Ingrid's gaze drifts to the bracelet adorning your wrist—the same bracelet she gave you years ago before she left. Her expression softens, and she reaches out to touch it gently, her fingers tracing the familiar pattern.

“I can't believe you still have this,” she murmurs, her voice filled with affection.

You shrug nonchalantly, trying to hide the warmth that spreads through you at her touch. “What can I say? It's a good luck charm.”

Ingrid smiles, a genuine smile that reaches her eyes. “Well, it certainly seems to be working,” she says softly, her gaze lingering on yours.

Is when she let go of your hand that you notice her bracelet. “And what do we have here?” you ask her now taking her hand in yours.

She just smiles and shrugs “What can I say? I have excellent taste in jewelry.”

Your laughter fills the room, a melodic sound that sends shivers down her spine. “ Well, I can't argue with that, princesa” you quip, your eyes sparkling with affection.

Then, in a bold move that takes you by surprise, Ingrid asks if you'd like her to show you around the city.

As Ingrid's words hang in the air, the tension between you becomes palpable. Your hidden feelings under the surface threatening to scape at any moment.

Without a word, you step closer, your hands finding their way to Ingrid's waist, pulling her gently towards you. Ingrid's eyes widen slightly in surprise at the sudden intimacy, but she doesn't pull away. Instead, her hand finds the back of your head, fingers tangling in your hair as she draws you closer.

The kiss is hesitant at first, a tentative exploration of emotions long suppressed. But as the seconds pass, it deepens. Your heart pounds in your chest as you lose yourself in the taste and feel of Ingrid's lips against yours.

When you finally pull back, breathless and exhilarated, Ingrid's eyes are filled with a mixture of wonder and longing. You can see the uncertainty lingering in her gaze, a silent question waiting to be answered.

 “So, is that a yes?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper, her fingers still tracing patterns on your skin.

“Well, I don't know,” you say, feigning uncertainty. “I've heard you're a bit rusty when it comes to giving tours. Might need a more experienced guide.”

Ingrid rolls her eyes playfully, a smirk playing on her lips. “Oh, please. I practically wrote the guidebook on this city,” she retorts, her tone teasing.

As Ingrid's fingers continue to trace patterns on your skin, you can't help but tease her in return, savoring the playful banter that has always been there between the two of you.

 “Well, in that case,” you say, a mischievous twinkle in your eyes, “I suppose I'll have to take my chances with the self-proclaimed expert guide.”

Ingrid chuckles softly, her smirk widening into a grin. “You won't regret it, elsking” she assures you, her voice laced with amusement.

With a playful grin, you lean in once more, capturing her lips in another sweet kiss. When you finally pull back, you can't help but laugh. “We have a lot of lost time to make up for, don't we cariño?” you remark, a hint of teasing in your voice.

Ingrid's eyes sparkle with amusement as she nods, a playful glint in her gaze. “Oh, definitely,” she replies, her tone filled with promise. “But I have a feeling we'll have no trouble catching up.”

And before you know it, you are hand in hand walking towards your car and talking about the movie you are going to see tonight.

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I just hope ya'll liked it, if you have any request feel free to tell me!

Any ideas for the next one?

[canirove]

Ben Chilwell Imagine | seven

Author's note: Just something random I came up with the other day after seeing this post by @lovelynikol16 She wrote it about Mason, but I feel like these days we need some cute and nice Ben content, so I wrote it for him. As always, I hope you like it, and thank you for reading! 💜 Little summary: Ben Chilwell, the football player you've had a crush on for years acknowledges you on his Instagram stories after you win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, and your friends convince you to slide into his dms 👀 (female reader/pov)

Masterlist

“Oh my God!”

“What… No!”

“What are you two gasping about?” I ask my teammates. 

“You won't believe who just congratulated you for your gold medal and said that he is, and I quote, very proud of you” one of them says, showing me her phone.

“Holy shit. Is that… Is that real?”

“Very very real” she says. “Check your phone if you don't believe us.”

“He also started following me.”

“What?” they both say, moving to stand one at each side of me so we can all see my phone's screen. 

“He shared that story congratulating me, and he started following me” I say, still not believing what the little notification says. 

Ben Chilwell. Ben freaking Chilwell, Chelsea and England National Team player… Has congratulated me for my gold medal at the Olympic Games, said that he is very proud of me AND started to follow me on Instagram.

What… the fuck.

“Girl, you seriously have to slide into his dms and tell him thank you or something.”

“What?” I laugh.

“You've had a crush on him for ages and now he has discovered that you exist and knows who you are. Make your move!” my teammate says.

“I… I can't do that. What if he doesn't reply? What if his account is run by a pr person and not him and I make a fool of myself? What if…”

“What if, what if, what if” my other teammate says, rolling her eyes. “You are just texting him a thank you, not asking him to marry you… yet” she smirks.

“Idiot” I reply, giving her a little push.

“C'mon, send him a message.”

“And what do I say? Thank you for your support?”

“For example” she shrugs.

“Ok” I say, taking a deep breath and starting to type.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Thank you very much for your support, Ben. It means a lot! ☺️

And good luck for this season, it's gonna be the one! 💙

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Is that ok?” I ask my teammates.

“Perfect.”

“Now what?” 

“Now we just wait for his reply.”

“If he replies…” I sigh.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Today we finally had some time off and we left the villa to do some… Mum, I have to go.”

“What? Why?” she says over facetime. 

“Something has come up.”

“Something like what? Is it bad? You look… weird.”

“No, no. It's just a team meeting. I'll call you again after dinner, ok?”

“Ok. But…”

“Love you, mum” I say, ending the call before she can say goodbye. And why? Because an Instagram notification that just popped up on my screen, one I had lost all hope would get to see. “Ok, you can do this” I say to myself, taking a deep breath and tapping on it.

Why the hell are my hands shaking so much? Aaahhh!

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Thank you very much for your support, Ben. It means a lot! ☺️

And good luck for this season, it's gonna be the one! 💙

You're very welcome!! 💙  You seriously are amazing. My mates and I watched you perform (if that's the right word? 🫣) and you were fucking amazing 😱 Also sorry for the late reply but we just got back from the US and the jetlag has been kicking my ass 😴

Wow, thank you. You are gonna make me blush 😳

And don't worry, I've been there with the jetlag 😅

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Don't worry, don't worry, but I've been having dreams with him replying to my dm since the day I sent it. And he already is making me blush, but shh.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Just telling the truth 🤷🏻‍♂️ Also thank you very much for the luck! We will be needing it this season. Especially me 🙈

Last season was a tough one, wasn't it?

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Of course it was, you idiot. He spent half of it injured!

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

But hey, when I was 19 I injured my knee  and doctors told me there were high chances of not being able to do gymnastics again, yet look at me right now. I've won a gold medal at the Olympic Games, and I've done it against probably the best gymnast in history!

If I was able to come back, so will you. I believe in you, Ben! 💪🏻

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“I believe in you, Ben… God, I'm so lame” I say to myself.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Thank you very much 🥺💙 I may have to hire you as my motivational coach or something 😜 How much the hour? 

Well, since you play for my team, I think I can give you a discount 

Wait, then it is true? Do you support Chelsea? I read it online but wasn't sure

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Has he… has he been googling me? What?

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Chelsea girl since the day I was born

I actually left the hospital wearing a tiny Chelsea hat and had a matching bib

No way! 😱  Is there a photo? 👀

There is 

May I see it? 😇

Ummm…

Please 🥺🥺🥺

Ok, fine

But only because it is you.

If this ends up anywhere online, I know where to find you, Chilwell 🧐

It won't leave my phone, I promise 😇🤞🏻 Also you were such a cute baby!! 😍 And still are Cute I mean Not a baby You obviously are a woman A cute woman I mean, beautiful Women are beautiful and you are a beautiful woman  Sorry 🤦🏻‍♂️

It's ok, don't worry 😅😂

Thank you ☺️

And same 😉

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Did I… Did I just kind of flirt with him? After he said I was a cute baby and that now I am a beautiful woman? Ummm… hello?

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Am I a cute baby or a beautiful woman? 🤔😜

You are a very handsome man who also happens to be very cute

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

There. I said it. I just told Ben Chilwell that he is handsome and cute. Do men like being called cute? Is that a turn off? Urgh.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Thank you 😳😳😳😳 That's my face right now, btw

What? 😂

You've made me blush 😳

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Yeah, sure” I snort.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Photo or didn't happen 

I look like shit right now You don't want to see that

I disagree 🤷🏼‍♀️ 

Fine 🙄 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Looking like shit, he says… You look bloody gorgeous, Benjamin” I say, zooming on the pic. How can someone be this handsome and look this good on a random selfie? It isn't fair. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

That's not looking like shit

Like shit is how I look after training for more than 12 hours 

And I can't see you blushing with the beard

Should I shave it?

You won't dare!

Team beard? 😂

Team beard forever 💙

Interesting 🤔 Most girls don't like it They say it bothers them when I kiss them

Those girls know nothing 🙄

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

I mean, if a guy like him is kissing you, who cares if it feels a bit itchy? Also, have they seen his lips? Like, urgh.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

I promise you I will keep my beard for the day we meet 😇 Which length do you prefer?

The one you always have the day before you shave

I hate it when you do that

It gets good and pum

Gone

Also, are we meeting? Since when? 🤨

Sorry 🙈 And I was thinking that maybe I could have a chat with the team and see if I can invite you to pay us a visit at Cobham  Since you are a Chelsea fan since the day you were born, I think it would be cool A little homage after winning your medal  I've never seen one in real life, you know?

Oh, so you just want to see the medal, not me

Cool

What? No, no, no I want to see you And the medal Both things But mostly you The medal is cool but…  God, I'm rambling again, am I not?🤦🏻‍♂️

A bit, yeah😅

But it's ok, don't worry 

Thank you 💙 I do it all the time when I get nervous 🙈

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

He is feeling nervous? Him? Benjamin James Chilwell? What? And most importantly, why?

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

So, should I ask the team if they are up to it? Would you like to come to Cobham and have a tour?

Would you be my tour guide?

It'll be my honour Unless you have a favourite player and want him to do it instead 

He just said it would be an honour to do it 🤷🏼‍♀️

Am I your favourite player? 😏

No

Try to fix it now 😜 Anyway, I'll keep you updated, ok? 

Ok

😘😘 (Imagine they have a beard 🧔🏻)

😂😂🥰

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“Wow” I say, putting my phone down. “Just… wow.”

I just had a proper chat with Ben Chilwell. With the guy I've had a crush on since he played for Leicester. And we've flirted. Like, he called me beautiful. And he said he wanted to meet me. To see me in person. Me. 

And I didn't freak out. I mean, I did, but it didn't show. I think. It is easier to not do it through texts, but just look at him and his rambling. Who thought he would be like this when he usually looks so confident and sure of himself? When he definitely has a lot more experience on this than I do? And that photo he sent me? Dear lord. He is handsome. He's stupidly handsome. Gorgeous. He…

“I have to show the girls” I blurt out while grabbing my phone, quickly getting up from my bed and leaving my room.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Ok, I have good news and bad news Which ones do you want first?

Bad 🫣

The Cobham visit isn't possible 😞 There are some things going on and… yeah 🫤

Shame 😞

The good news are really good news, tho Are you ready? 😏

Ready

Ok… How would you feel…  About…

Are you always this slow? 🙄

Just with good things that are worth going slow for 😏

Ben, you are making me nervous! 😩

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

Because telling him that what he's actually doing is kind of turning me on just by thinking about what things he does that are worth going slow for, may be a bit too much, right?

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

I'm sorry, I'm sorry So… How would you feel… About…

BENJAMIN!!

Ok, ok 😂 How would you feel about a guest appearance during our first game of the season at Stamford Bridge?  We are playing against Manchester City, it's gonna be a big one Hey Are you still there? Hello? Oh my God, I killed her Her heart couldn't take the news 💔 Jokes aside, are you ok? Why aren't you replying? Should I call someone? Did something happen?

Hi, sorry 

There you are 😮‍💨 What happened? Are you ok?

Yeah, yeah

I was just… processing 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

And maybe jumping on my bed after reading his message. 

Me being a guest appearance at Stamford Bridge? And during a Chelsea- Manchester City? That's… that's… I have no words to describe it.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

And what's the outcome of all that processing? 😅

Yes

Yes what? 🤨🤔

Yes, I want to go to the game and do a guest appearance and yes

Yes yes yes YES!!!!!

Ok, I think now I got it May need another yes, tho 😂

🙄

😜😜 Anyway  The team said they will give you a shirt with your name and then you'll take some photos, show the medal to everyone, do that first kick, maybe give a little interview for the team's social media… The usual And you are gonna be attending as my very special guest and will be sitting in my box 😏

Wait

With your family and friends?

Yeah Unless that makes you uncomfortable and you prefer to sit somewhere else I should have probably asked you before telling the team, shouldn't I? Urgh, I'm so stupid 🤦🏻‍♂️

No, no 

That's ok

Though one question…

Sure 

Am I allowed to take someone with me as a plus one? 

I would like for my dad to be there with me, he's the one who made me a Chelsea girl 🥹

Of course!  I'll discuss it with the team, but I don't think there will be any problem  Though I don't know how my plan for after the game would work if you have your dad there with you 🤔

Your plan? What plan? 🤨

I was planning on taking you out for dinner 🫣

You and I?

Yeah You and I A date 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

A date. A fucking date. I… asdfghjklñ.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

I'll think of something, don't worry 

Is that a yes to having dinner with me, then? 😏

It is, yes

Cool ☺️ Looking forward to it 😘🧔🏻 

Same 🥰

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Bloody… hell” I whisper, putting down my phone after sending that last text.

I just said yes to going on a date with Ben Chilwell. And I'm gonna be a guest appearance at Stamford Bridge for the first game of the season. And my dad is gonna be there to watch it all. And after I'm going on a date with Ben Chilwell.

Bloody hell, indeed.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“I can't believe we are here. Like… woah” my dad chuckles.

“Yeah…” I say.

We are at Stamford Bridge, and not in the stands like so many times before. We are in the tunnel waiting until they call me to go on the pitch, show my medal and kick that ball, hopefully not embarrassing myself in front of everyone and, of course, in front of Ben.

Right now he is chatting with the referee, stretching and laughing about something. And he hasn't shaved or touched his hair. 

He sent me a photo last night asking me if I liked how his beard looked, and I obviously told him that he looked perfect (which isn't too difficult) and that he should also keep his hair like that if it didn't bother him while playing. So there he is now, with his beard and his curls free of that bloody hair gel, looking gorgeous. 

“Miss? It's time” the Chelsea staff member who has accompanied us since we arrived says.

“Shit, ok. Ummm… thank you” I smile.

“You can do this, pickle” my dad says, putting his hands on my shoulders. “I mean, you've won a gold medal in front of the whole world, haven't you? This is nothing compared to that.”

“Or everything” I sigh.

“You can do this” he repeats, giving my shoulders an encouraging squeeze.

“Miss?”

“Yes, sorry. I can do this” I say, taking a deep breath and giving my dad a quick kiss on the cheek before following the staff member, the whole stadium cheering as the speaker announces my name.

Maybe I can't do this. Maybe I should go back inside, say I'm not feeling well. Maybe I… But then I see him. Ben.

He's standing in the middle of the pitch with the referee and Rúben Dias, Manchester City's captain today. Usually I would also give him a good look because… well. I have eyes and he is, you know. But right now those eyes can only focus on the person wearing the darker shade of blue, the one with a smile that makes my knees feel like jelly but that at the same time is what is making me walk and do what I'm supposed to. Like waving at the crowd and all that.

“Congratulations, miss” the referee says, shaking my hand. He is the bald one who looks like Iniesta according to my dad, can't remember his name.

“Thank you” I reply.

“Congratulations” Rúben Dias says next, also shaking my hand. 

“Thank you” I say, somehow managing to smile. And then…

“Congratulations… again” Ben chuckles, giving me a hug. “You look beautiful, by the way. Chelsea blue suits you” he whispers.

“Thank you” I mutter, my cheeks on fire when he moves and winks at me. 

Now this is the confident Ben Chilwell I'm used to, not he guy who starts rambling because he gets nervous while texting, which is something that still haven't been able to stop thinking about.

“Can you pose for some photos, please?” someone says behind me.

“Yes, of course” Ben says, his arm suddenly around my waist, moving me to stand between him and the referee.

“Big smiles…” the photographer says.

But I'm not able to focus my attention on him. I can only think about Ben's arm, about the way his thumb is moving on my back, kind of caressing it and trying to make me… I don't know, relax? But how can I relax when he is doing that? 

And then, when the referee moves so I am standing between him and Dias… Wow. I'm pretty sure there are many people out there who are wishing they were me right now. Though once again, I can only focus on Ben's arm, on how he has pulled me closer to him as if… Nah. It can't be. He can't be doing that because he is jealous of Dias, is he? He…

“Ok, we are done. Thank you” the photographer says, bringing me back to the real world.

“Time for that first kick” Ben says, definitely taking his time to move his arm from around my body. 

“When you are ready, miss” the referee says, putting the ball in front of me.

“Which way do I go?” I ask him.

“That way, towards the other Chelsea players.”

“You can do this, c'mon” Ben says with an encouraging smile. 

“Ok” I say, taking a deep breath and…

“That's it, well done!” he laughs, one of his teammates stopping the ball, the whole stadium cheering. 

“This way, miss” the staff member from earlier says.

“Yes, ummm… Nice to meet you” I say, giving a shy wave towards Dias and the referee, who reply with little nods. “Chilwell.”

“See you later” he winks. Again. How have I not tripped with my own feet after seeing that will remain a mystery.

“That was amazing, pickle!” my dad says when I join him on the tunnel.

“I just kicked a ball, dad.”

“Isn't that what they all do?” he laughs. “Anyway, let's go find our seats. I don't want to miss anything, and knowing that Haaland guy, he is able to score two goals in five minutes. Again.”

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“And… yeah. It was a good game. Still a lot of work to do, but it's just the first of the season.”

“Will we be seeing you again at Stamford Bridge?”

“My dad comes to all home games and some away ones, so I hope so” I smile.

“Looking forward to seeing you. And… we are done. Thank you very much for being so patient” the interviewer says. “You must be tired of giving interviews.”

“For my beloved Chelsea I have all the time in the world” I chuckle. “Thank you for having me.”

“Well done, pickle” my dad smiles when I join him.

“Dad, can you please stop calling me that in front of strangers?” I say, looking around. 

“Why? It is your nickname.”

“Yeah, but… it's something for family only.”

“Chelsea are our family” he says. “And speaking of that, I should probably get going if I want to make it home for dinner with your mum. Where are you meeting with the girls?”

“At the restaurant. I already have a car ready to come pick me up.”

That had been the excuse I had come up with to stay for a bit longer at Stamford Bridge before meeting with Ben for our date. Our date. I still can't believe I am going on a date with Ben fucking…

“Chilwell!” my dad suddenly says.

“What?” I say, turning around.

“Hello” Ben says with his best smile as he walks towards us. 

“Look, pickle. It's Ben Chilwell!”

“I know, dad” I say, feeling my face on fire. 

“She's a big fan of yours, you know? She even has a poster of you in her room.”

“Dad!” I gasp.

“What? It's the truth, isn't it?” he shrugs. “You look better in the picture she has, tho. What is with all that?” he says, touching his face.

“My beard?” Ben says, running a hand through it and making me want to do the same, something that doesn't help with the current temperature of my face.

“Yeah. You are in need of a shave, son.”

“We'll see” he smiles. “Did you enjoy the game? Was everything ok with your seats?”

“It was perfect” my dad says, not allowing me to talk. “We actually sat next to your mum and your sister!”

“Did you?” Ben says, acting as if he was surprised. Because my dad thinks it was Chelsea's idea to invite us here tonight, not just Ben's. How do I explain to him that I had slid into his dms and that he had suggested it after some flirting?

“We did. You have a lovely family.”

“Thank you” Ben smiles. “Anyway, I came here hoping to catch you and get a pic just the two of us, maybe see that medal up close?” he says, looking my way.

“Oh, yes. Of course” I say, finally being able to be part of the conversation.

“Cool. Rob, hey!” he says, calling for the photographer who had been with us the whole day. “Would you mind taking some photos of us together? Maybe some with my phone too?”

“Of course” the photographer says.

And while we get ready for those photos, guess what happens again?Yes, Ben puts his arm around my waist, that thumb back to its previous shenanigans and to sending waves of heat all over my body.

“May I get one too?” my dad says when we are almost done.

“It'll be my pleasure” Ben says with his best smile while I just pray for this torture to end soon. And with torture I'm not only talking about having Ben that close and everything he is making me feel. I'm also talking about my dad saying things he shouldn't and embarrassing me in front of him.

“Are we done now?” I ask.

“Why such a hurry?” my dad chuckles. “You aren't meeting with the girls until later, are you?” 

“I'm not, no. But Ben probably has plans with his friends and family, and I don't want you getting home too late. Especially when mum is waiting and you are carrying this” I say, taking off my medal.

“Wait… Can I… Ummm… Can I touch it?” Ben asks me.

“Oh, yes, sure.”

“Thank you” he says, smiling like a little kid on Christmas morning. He looks so happy. “This is amazing, isn't it? So cool. Wow.”

“You've already won some of those yourself, son” my dad chuckles.

“I have. But none of those are as big as an Olympic gold medal. I mean, the Champions League is quite big, don't get me wrong. But this one is just…” he says, inspecting the medal as if it was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen, somehow making me… emotional? What? “Thank you very much for letting me hold it. It means a lot” he says, giving it back to me.

“Don't you want a photo with it too?” my dad asks him.

“There is no need. But thank you, sir.”

“Well, then I better get going. May I?”

“Uh?” I say, being brought back into the real world once again after my dad stops whatever was going on between me and Ben after he had handed me back my medal and our fingers had touched, our eyes getting locked on each other's. 

“The medal, pickle” he chuckles.

“Oh, yes, sure. Sorry.”

“Chilwell, will you keep an eye on my girl until she has to go? I know she is in good hands with you, our vice captain! Or captain like happened tonight.”

“I will, don't worry” Ben says, giving my dad his best smile. If only he knew…

“Great. Don't forget to text us, ok?” he says, kissing my cheek.

“I won't. Love you, dad.”

“Love you too” he says before waving goodbye, walking down the tunnel and already in deep conversation with the staff member who has helped us throughout the day.

“You have a really nice dad… pickle” Ben smirks.

“Oh my God” I say, covering my face with my hands. “I can't believe you heard that.”

“Why? It's cute.”

“It isn't. It's embarrassing.”

“It's cute” he says, his hands suddenly on mine, moving them from my face and making me look at him. “Hi” he smiles.

“Hi” I whisper. 

“Did you really enjoy today?” 

“Yeah” I nod. 

“Do you want a tour of the stadium?”

“Now?”

“Now. Perks of being Chelsea's vice captain, or captain tonight like your dad said” he says.

“I… umm…”

“C'mon, say yes… pickle” Ben says with a teasing smile.

“I swear to God, Chilwell. If you call me that again, I'm leaving.”

“What? No, no, no, no. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry" he apologizes, the way he is looking at me making my heart sink. "I won't say it again, I promise.”

“Thank you. And I'm sorry if that came out too… harsh. Too many emotions today.”

“I get it, don't worry. And again, I'm sorry” he says, that thumb back to caressing me. Though this time you could say it is even worse, because there is no fabric between it and my skin since he still has his hands on mine.

“Yeah, ummm… I think we should start with that tour before they close the stadium with us inside.”

“We should, yes” he says, his smile coming back and making my heart skip a beat. “Let's go” he says, letting go of one of my hands but still holding the other, interlacing our fingers except for one. That one. 

Because as he walks me down the tunnel and starts telling me all the details about the stadium, that thumb is constantly moving over my skin. And even though at first I feel like it is burning where he is touching me, after a while I stop noticing it and it feels like what I guess he was looking for since the beginning. Like something natural, something comforting. Something even… intimate, just between him and I.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Ben?”

“Yeah?” he says, turning to look at me as I stop walking.

“Why are we back in the tunnel?” 

“The… Oh, yes… Umm…” he says, running his free hand through his hair. Because yes, you guessed it. The other still is holding mine. 

He didn't let go of me as he showed me around the stadium and told me anecdotes about the building that I didn't know about or about things that had happened to the team since he joined them, all while sharing little moments that go from shy smiles to loud laughs that would have definitely made people give us a weird look if we hadn't been alone, and everything in between. At times he even started rambling like when we were texting, the cheekiness and confidence disappearing and his nerves taking over him like it is happening right now.

“I have a surprise for you.”

“What?”

“Come” he says, giving my hand a little squeeze and starting to go up the stairs that lead to the pitch.

Most of the lights have been turned off and only a couple are still on, lightning one spot in the grass. One where there is something that looks like… 

“Ben, is that… Is that what I think it is?” I ask him, stopping as we set foot on the pitch.

“If you are thinking about a picnic, it is, yes” he smiles before moving to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. “My original idea was to go to a nice restaurant, but then I thought that if we didn't want to have to worry about someone recognising us and going to the press, we would have to go to one of the most exclusive ones and I wanted something more chilled for our first date. So I started thinking about different options, checked Instagram for some inspo, and came up with this.”

“Ben, I… I… I don't know what to say. I…” I mumble.

“Do you like it?”

“I do” I say, moving in his arms to face him, not expecting to end up being so close to him. To have my chest against his as I rest my hands on his arms (or his biceps to be more precise), our noses almost touching. We are so close, that I can see his freckles perfectly. So close, that just by moving a tiny bit I could kiss him if I had the guts to do it. “I love it, Ben.”

“Thank God” he says, letting out a big sigh and making us both laugh. “In case my rambling hadn't given it away, I was so nervous about this... About you not liking it... I thought that maybe it was too much, but since you have been a Chelsea girl literally since the day you were born… I don't know” he shrugs.

“It's perfect, so no need to be nervous anymore” I smile.

"Easier said than done" he chuckles.

"Uh?"

"In case you haven't noticed, you make me nervous" he says, caressing my cheek. "But in a good way."

"I... umm..." I mumble, feeling my whole face on fire. "Is this picnic the reason why you texted me the other day asking me what kind of food I Iike?” I asking, trying to change the topic of conversation.

“Yep” he says. “Who knew I wasn't the only person in this country who hadn't had Chinese yet.”

“I honestly don't understand why people made such a fuss about it” I shrug.

“Well, you are about to find out” Ben says, taking my hand again and leading me towards our little picnic set. 

“Is that… Is that a Chelsea blanket?” I laugh.

“And a Chelsea picnic basket and cutlery. Look” he says, opening it. “I had no idea they sold such random things in the gift shop” he laughs.

“Oh, this is nothing compared to what other teams sell.”

“Like?”

“I've seen a West Ham garter.”

“What?” he laughs again.

“Yeah” I shrug. “Anyway, should we sit down? Something smells really good and I can't wait to find out what it is.”

“Of course. My lady” Ben smiles, helping me sit down and making me giggle.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Don't tell your friends, but I still don't understand why the fuss about Chinese food.”

“Says the person currently licking her fingers after not leaving anything on her plate” Ben laughs.

“I was hungry” I shrug.

“Sure.”

“I was” I insist.

“And I said sure” he says with a teasing smile. “Are you still hungry for some dessert, tho?”

“Always.”

“Then get ready for the best tiramisu you've ever tasted.”

“Tiramisu after Chinese food?” I chuckle.

“Why not? And this is homemade.”

“Made by who? You?” I tease him.

“Nope. My mum.”

“Your mum made us tiramisu?"

"She made me tiramusi. She has no idea we are here together right now. Like your dad, she also thinks I am having dinner with my mates" he smiles. "And here” Ben says, offering me a spoon full of tiramisu. “Open your mouth.”

“What?”

“C'mon” he says, trying really hard to not smirk. “You are gonna love it, you'll see.”

“Ok” I say, leaning forward and doing as he says. 

“And?”

“Of my gof!”

“What?” he laughs.

“Oh my God, Ben. This is amazing!” I say again once I've managed to swallow.

“Told you” he says with a cheeky smile. “But you…” 

“Uh?”

“You have something… Let me...” he says, moving on the blanket even closer than we already are, one hand holding my face by my chin while the thumb of the other (yes, that thumb) moves over my lower lip, making me gasp. “There, perfect” he smiles.

“Thank you” I manage to say, none of us moving a single centimetre, his hand still on my face. It's like the world has stopped, like it is just me and him. And then…

“May I kiss you?” he whispers.

“Please” I whisper back before it finally happens. No more imagining how it is to feel those glorious lips of his on mine. Now it is actually happening, and it is… it is… Wow. Just wow. “Did it tickle you?”

“Uh?”

“My beard. Did it tickle you like all those girls have said?” Ben says against my lips.

“I already told you that those girls know nothing, Benjamin. But…” I say, finally making my dream of touching his beard a reality.

“But?” he asks.

“I think we should keep kissing to be sure they just talk bullshit.”

“Ok” he laughs. "May I kiss you again, then?"

"You may" I smile before he kisses me again, proving that, indeed, those girls know nothing. 

[pandenewie]

EPILOGUE: New Contract

Prev | Masterlist

Y/n taps their pen anxiously against the page of their notebook, eyes shifting towards the clock. How is it that the last 5 minutes of class always seem to last for hours? With every second that goes by, Y/n can feel their body tingling with excitement.

“Got somewhere to be?” Danielle asks, taking note of her friend's restlessness. “We do.” Y/n smiles, causing her to cock her brow with confusion. She doesn’t remember having any plans at lunch.

“Are we going to eat lunch together tomorrow or with our friends?” Y/n asks, peering up at Niki as they swing their interlocked hands back and forth. “Tomorrow? Uh… I think I’ve got a dance thing.” Niki mumbles. Y/n had been at the forefront of his mind over the last couple of weeks so he’d almost forgotten the lunch-time dance recital their team had prepared.

“A dance thing?” Y/n asks, intrigued. “Yeah, it’s some mini recital thing we’re doing at the front of the school. Practicing for nationals, I think. I don’t know, it’s not that important.” Niki trails off. “It sounds fun though, I can’t wait to watch.” Y/n smiles, making Niki laugh slightly. “You don’t have to, it’ll probably be bad.” He laughs. “It won’t be bad, Riki. Besides, I’ve gotta be there! Who else is gonna cheer on my boyfriend?” Niki’s face heats a bright pink when the word “boyfriend” slips past Y/n’s lips. After fake dating this entire time, he’s still not used to it being real. “Okay… but don’t complain when it sucks.” Niki teases, letting out a yelp when Y/n whacks him in the chest.

Danielle watches her friend in confusion as Y/n begins to slowly pack up their books. There’s still about 2 minutes of class left and Mr Yoon is still going over some of the key notes for the next assignment. 

“Put your stuff away.” Y/n whispers, only adding to Danielle’s confusion. Never one to question Y/n, Danielle too begins slowly packing up - careful not to alert Mr Yoon. 

The second that the bell rings, Y/n is out of their chair. They immediately grab Danielle by the hand, slinging their bag over their shoulder before pulling her out of the classroom.

“What the hell, Y/n?” Danielle laughs as Y/n drags them through the hall, which is slowly starting to fill up with students. Y/n just smiles in response, pulling out their phone and calling Eunchae. She barely gets a word in before Y/n is speaking down the line “meet us at the front steps!” before hanging up.

Once outside, they are immediately met with the school’s dance team standing at the bottom of the steps, going over a few of the steps with their teacher. The area quickly begins to fill up with students so Y/n drags Danielle to the bottom of the stairs, sitting in the spot that’ll give them the best view.

“What are we doing?” Danielle asks, confused. “The dance team’s doing a performance. I wanted to get good seats.” Y/n says, knees bouncing with excitement. Danielle watches with adoration as Y/n makes eye contact with Niki - sending him a small wave. A few moments later, Eunchae bursts through the crowd, manoeuvring through a few groups of students before finally sitting with Y/n and Danielle.

“Never call me like that again. I thought you were dying.” Eunchae scolds, flicking Y/n’s forehead. “But I should’ve known you were wanting to watch the performance.” She adds, playfully rolling her eyes. “Let me simp for my boyfriend in peace.” Y/n frowns - the word boyfriend causing both friend’s eyes to widen. “Oh, so we're official, huh?” Danielle teases, nudging her friend. Y/n blushes, mumbling a small “shut up” before nudging her back. “Shhh, it's starting.” Eunchae whisper-yells, making the other two turn to watch the performance.

Y/n can’t help the wide smile that spreads across their face as they watch Niki perform. He does amazing - obviously. Despite the way he tried to downplay it yesterday, it really does look like a professional performance. Y/n can tell that Niki is purposefully avoiding making eye contact with them in order to keep his focus - an action they find much cuter than they probably should. Glancing at the others in the crowd, Y/n’s gaze lands on Niki’s friend group - their grin increasing at the way the group of boys scream and cheer for their friend.

When the performance comes to an end, the crowd erupts into fits of applause. The dance team thanks everyone for coming and the crowd slowly begins to disperse. Once most of the crowd has left, Y/n gets up and runs towards Niki. They call his name to gain his attention before jumping into his arms - the action causing him to stumble slightly as he catches them.

“You did so amazing!” Y/n exclaims, giggling as Niki spins them in his arms. He mumbles a small thank you, his face burning slightly at the compliment. “I saw you were trying not to look at me.” Y/n teases, making him scoff. “What? That’s not true! I was just focused on the performance.” Niki bluffs. Y/n doesn't believe him for a second but chooses not to press, opting for pressing a peck against his cheek instead.

“Uh… are we interrupting something?” Jay asks, the sudden voice making Niki almost drop Y/n. “You two look cozy.” Jungwon teases. “Shut up.” Niki retorts, his bitter tone making the group burst out laughing.

“Wait… are you guys actually dating now?” Jake asks, confused. “Uh… yeah.” Niki smiles awkwardly, eyes shifting between his friend and Y/n (who is still in his arms). “I’ve been telling everyone you broke up.” Jake groans, throwing his arms up in defeat. “Your fault for sticking your nose in other people’s business.” Sunoo mumbles.

“Anyway, if you’ll excuse me, I want to spend the rest of my lunch with Y/n.” Niki says, making the group roll their eyes. “You two are disgusting.” Heeseung says, his face twisted in disgust. Niki ignores the insult, flipping Heeseung off before walking away.

“You know you can put me down now, right?” Y/n asks, laughing slightly as Niki keeps walking. “I’m trying to prove how strong I am.” Niki huffs. Despite his words, it’s clear that he’s reaching his limit. Thankfully, the bleachers are close by - Niki placing Y/n firmly on the ground as soon as he’s gone far enough for his ego. “Who knew getting a boyfriend would mean I didn’t have to walk anywhere?” Y/n jokes, sitting down on the bleachers and pulling out their lunchbox.

The two eat their lunch quickly, chatting about whatever crosses their mind. Niki makes sure to steal a few gummies from Y/n when he thinks they aren’t looking. They roll their eyes at his immaturity yet still tilt the bag to give him easier access.

Eventually, Niki gets bored stealing Y/n’s food and settles on playing with their free hand. Y/n doesn’t pay much attention to what he’s doing, enjoying the feeling of Niki’s warm hand brushing against their own. Suddenly, the feeling is gone and Y/n turns to see Niki pulling something out of their bag.

“What are you doing?” Y/n asks, watching curiously as Niki pulls out one of their journals, as well as their pencil case. He silently flicks to the back of the book before stopping on a familiar page.

It’s their contract.

“Oh my god.” Y/n laughs as soon as they get a glimpse of the colourful page. “Figured this needs a bit of an update.” Niki laughs. Y/n scooches closer to him to get a better look at the page. “Yeah, we broke most of these.” They laugh.

Niki flicks to the next page, titling it Actually Dating. “Draw a heart.” Y/n mumbles, their head falling to Niki’s shoulder. He playfully rolls his eyes yet doodles a small heart next to the words without a second thought. Niki quickly jots down the first rule to the new contract, Y/n letting out a small snort as soon as they read it.

Rule One: Riki must give at least 5 head pats a day

“It’s crazy that you put that and not me.” Y/n laughs. “I think we both know that the head pats are more for me than you.” Niki snickers, giving a quick one as an example. “Well, what if I start doing them back?” Y/n asks, reaching up to ruffle Niki’s hair quickly. He lets out a complained whine, immediately bringing his hands up to fix his hair. “Never do that again.” He says, looking at Y/n with a deadpan expression. He quickly looks back at the page, writing down the next rule.

Rule Two: Y/n is not allowed to walk home alone!!!

Before Y/n can even get in a word about rule two, Niki immediately follows it up with the third rule.

Rule Three: Riki gets to see Y/n’s art before anyone else

“Okay, these are starting to sound a bit one-sided.” Y/n laughs, pulling the book out of Niki’s grip before he can write another rule. “They sound like your everyday boyfriend privileges if you ask me.” Niki mumbles, making Y/n roll their eyes. They carefully take the pen from his grip before adding to rule three.

Rule Three: Riki gets to see Y/n’s art before anyone else (same for Y/n with Riki’s dancing!!)

“That is not the same thing!” Niki argues, a small pout on his face. “You just show me a piece of paper and call it quits. Am I supposed to bust out into some choreography in the middle of the library?” He asks. “No but you could let me watch some of your practices.” Y/n suggests, a small smile on their face. The words cause Niki to pause his mini-speech. “... you liked watching me dance that much?” He asks, a soft pink blush adorning his cheeks. “I loved it.” Y/n corrects, poking his blushing cheek before turning back to the list.

Rule Four: Wednesday is still for study dates

“That’s if you’re not sick of me already.” Y/n jokes, nudging Niki slightly with their elbow. “I actually hate spending time with you and that’s why I asked you out.” Niki rolls his eyes. He reaches quickly to grab the book from Y/n’s grip, jotting down one final rule before handing it back with a cheesy smile.

Rule Five: Give Riki lots of kisses

“You’re unbelievable.” Y/n laughs, their cheeks reddening slightly. “You get head pats, I get kisses. It’s only fair, Y/nnie.” Niki teases. “You literally just admitted that the head pats are for you!” Y/n exclaims, pointing at Niki with a pout on their lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Niki shrugs nonchalantly. “This is an unequal relationship.” Y/n frowns, turning away from Niki. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll change it.” Niki laughs, erasing the rule (thank god for erasable markers) before scribbling another one in its place.

Actual Rule Five: Love each other for as long as we can <3

Niki slowly slides the book back onto Y/n’s lap, biting his lip to hold back his smile. Y/n glances down at the colourful page, their face immediately turning three shades darker when they read the fifth and final rule.

“You’re such an idiot.” Y/n mumbles, turning around and pulling Niki into a hug. It’s at a slightly odd angle due to the book in their lap but Niki immediately settles into the contact nevertheless. “I’m your idiot.” Niki jokes, his corniness making Y/n groan with embarrassment. “Okay, okay, I’ll actually stop now.” Niki laughs, patting Y/n’s head gently as they nuzzle into his neck.

The two sit like that for a while, just enjoying each other’s presence. “I’m really happy.” Niki suddenly mumbles - the confession making Y/n’s heart flutter with excitement. It’s such a simple statement, something so minimal that could go overlooked by anyone else - but to Y/n, it means the world.

“Me too.” Y/n whispers back. They slowly pull their head out from its hiding spot in Niki’s neck, looking up at him with shining eyes. Niki suddenly thinks back to all the times his friends had talked about their first kisses, how the moment felt and how they knew it was time. Niki never understood what they meant until now. This is the moment.

So he kisses Y/n. Although they technically already shared their first kiss together - back when their relationship was still fake - it was nothing like this one. That kiss was quick and rushed, done without much thought or meaning. This one is planned, precise and oh-so-special.

Y/n smiles gently against Niki’s lips, making him do the same. It gets to the point where the kiss can no longer continue, both breaking out into fits of giggles as they press their noses against each other. Niki can’t believe all the years he spent thinking love was gross. If he knew it felt like this he would’ve never been so stubborn in the first place. But maybe his objection to love was the right call - after all, it led him to Y/n.

TAG LIST: @j-wyoung @thesassy-mia @luvistqrzzz @yourmyst4r @heerinnie @odisdad @wzy3ka @mrchweeee @rizzkisworld @beomsbeanie @ablackbtsstan @sweet-kisses-and-bloody-screams @kang-yeosangs-initials @wildflowermooon @k1ttylvr @nikisdubblchococake @luva1y @microwvdstrawb3rri3s @en-happiness @haechansbbg @ashiitex @nuttyenthusiastdaze @coolwitu @schniti-is-in-the-house @wrosie-writes @beomgyusonlywife @ye0nvibezzn @soobiverse @im-yn-suckers @tomomorin @eupherbia @raginghellfire

[flameohotwife]

So I always thought the canon pairings in AtLA had good writing/development but all the Aang and Mai bashing has made me decide to rewatch the series because shippers of a certain other ship called them "abusive" and Aang sexist. But honestly, I love how Mai calls Zuko out on his jealousy and possessive behavior in "The Beach" and Aang is always supportive of Katara's dreams, even refusing to be trained by Pakku because he's sexist to Katara. I like that Sukka teaches kids watching the show to treat women with respect but also Kataang and Maiko in the examples I mentioned above are also good examples of feminist moments in the show too.

YES! Anon, say it louder for the people in the back! There are so so SO many amazing feminist moments in this show and honestly I loved watching it with my kids (multiple times, haha) for that reason. I don't remember growing up with media that showed SO may instances of how girls/women could stand up for themselves in those types of situations. I love how Katara stood up to Pakku (with Aang's support! His little "Go, Katara!" makes me smile every time) and also how she CONSTANTLY takes boys on in fights, from pirates and Rough Rhinos to the taunting kids that subsequently get frozen where they stand ("oh, a girl has her ways") and anyone who insults Aang. How SHE is the one to defeat Azula in the end. How the WHOLE SHOW starts with her rant against Sokka's sexism. How Suki finally put's Sokka in his place. How Toph had to be played by "a really BUFF guy" in EIP because the Fire Nation couldn't admit to being bested by a tiny, 12-year-old girl. How Mai won't let Zuko treat her like a possession with no agency of her own. How she is the one to save HIM in the end at Boiling Rock (how's that for a damsel in distress?). How Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee are trusted by the Fire Lord to perform tasks even the highest generals can't achieve. How the show is relentlessly turning sexist stereotypes on their heads and making viewers question what they think they know.

Beyond the feminism (which you all probably already know I adore so much), I love that each of the leading boys has learning experiences wrt less-than-ideal behaviors towards girls/women, because in real life boys (and girls, too!) are GOING to make mistakes as they're learning and it's important to show how they can move beyond those mistakes and not forever be defined by them. Zuko learns not to be a possessive asshat like he is in The Beach (at least, we don't see him act that way towards Mai again--he might as well have broken up with her via text and not given her the option to follow him to the "good side," but he never acts possessive again. Baby steps). Aang learns he can't just solve their relationship problems by kissing Katara when she's confused. He gives her space and she clearly thinks he's learned from it by the end (really, by the next episode). Sokka learns not to be sexist and that sometimes girls are going to be stronger/better fighters than he is AND THAT'S OKAY. Good, even! It doesn't make him "less of a man" or anything like that, and we don't hear those sexist ideas come out of his mouth again. ALL of these make great talking points for parents watching the show with their kids, too.

Kids make mistakes. They lean on stereotypes or prior experiences and sometimes that bites them in the butt. AtLA shows that we can teach kids hard lessons. Not only can we fight back against injustice but we can improve ourselves when we've been the ones to mess up. And I really think that's something special.

Thanks for sending in your thoughts, anon! You're so right.

[mollafer]

"The Birth of American Intelligence Operations" by Marc Wolfe

BEHOLD! Another amazing work of art I have been recently introduced to!

This scene portrays the final meeting of Nathan Hale and George Washington as they planned the mission Hale would ultimately be killed during. Being an MI officer, we train so that moments like these never happen again. Every decision we make, we keep the soldiers in mind who will be out there risking their lives for us. I know Ben Tallmadge felt this same duty, as he not only lost a fellow MI officer, but his best friend that day.

I received this painting as a gift for my recent graduation from Military Intelligence School in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. And along with this painting came a certificate of authenticity with a little history of the origin of this painting, which I will include below the cut :)

During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington, Commander in Chief of the United States Continental Army wrote, "The necessity of procuring good intelligence is apparent and need not be further urged..." Military Intelligence has since been an important part of Army operations in each of the nation's conflicts.

This scene depicts the planning for one of the first known U.S. Army intelligence missions. In September 1776, General George Washington, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Knowlton, and Captain Nathan Hale met at Army headquarters in New York City to finalize the plan for CPT Hale's covert mission to Long Island to ascertain British Army movements and intentions.

Following the July 4th, 1776, U.S. Declaration of Independence, the New York campaign was critical to the newborn republic. After defeat at the Battle of Long Island in late August, General Washington needed to determine the location of a British invasion of Manhattan Island and one method to do so was to send a spy behind enemy lines. CPT Nathan Hale was the sole volunteer for this important but dangerous mission.

On September 1, 1776, General Washington organized "Knowlton's Rangers," the first Continental Army unit dedicated to tactical reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. During the Boston Campaign, LTC Knowlton served courageously at the battle of Bunker Hill and led the successful raid on Charlestown to capture British soldiers for questioning. Subsequently on September 16, 1776, during the Battle of Harlem Heights, LTC Knowlton commanded the reconnaissance force that found, engaged, and repulsed the initial British advance. After rejoining the fight later that day, LTC Knowlton was killed in action bravely leading his regiment in the American victory. The loss of this experienced, dynamic, and able leader impacted the young Continental Army. For his gallant exploits, leadership, and command of the first U.S. Army unit designed for intelligence operations, the MI Corps designated LTC Knowlton as its "MI Hero" in 1995. The Knowlton Award recognizes distinguished professionals who contribute significantly to the promotion of Army intelligence.

From Knowlton's Regiment, CPT Nathan Hale stepped forward to conduct intelligence missions against British forces on Long Island, ultimately giving his life for his country. A 21-year-old Yale College graduate and teacher, Nathan Hale had not seen action in the Boston or Long Island Campaigns and felt compelled to contribute to the Continental Army he had joined a year earlier. He saw this mission as a crucial opportunity to serve the patriotic cause. Thus, Nathan Hale dutifully volunteered to collect information against the British Army. According to a subordinate, CPT Hale met with General Washington on two occasions prior to departing. This scene portrays the final meeting.

Dressed in the guise of a school teacher, Nathan Hale crossed Long Island Sound from Connecticut and began his mission. After the British captured New York City, it was set ablaze under suspicious circumstances after midnight on September 21. The British immediately began to arrest local civilians for questioning. Nathan Hale was detained, found to have notes on the British Army, and immediately charged as a spy. According to the standards of the time, undercover spies were hanged as illegal combatants. Without a trial, Nathan Hale was executed on September 22, 1776. His last words were believed to be, "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." Nathan Hale was the first American executed for conducting intelligence operations.

General George Washington's use and staunch advocacy of intelligence operations coupled with the distinguished service and sacrifice of LTC Knowlton and CPT Nathan Hale serve as a constant reminder to all MI Corps Soldiers of our significant heritage as well as the hazards of the Military Intelligence profession.

[jasminedragonart]

Okay, so I've basically uploaded all of the selkie images in the first collection. I'm going to post the snippets here too. There's only three of them and they're not that long. Really they're just three snapshots into a fic I'm never going to write. So, after this post I'll have posted everything in the collection. If you want to have a pdf of all of them I'm going to put it up on Ko-fi later today, I'll post a link to it.

But, yeah, this is the first collection of selkie stuff. I think, for the next one, I might do an NSFW or slightly NSFW one with a bit more nudity. I don't like putting the nsfw with the gen artworks and what I've posted isn't that bad since, yeah, merfolk wouldn't often wear the bandages around their chests because they would get damp. So, yeah, the next one might be a little more risqué and the characters in there will be over 18. So, likely it'll be focused more on the LOK characters since Korra is defo over 18 in her own show. Plus, you know, her dilf dad and Iroh II are in that show too.

Anyway: snippets

         Day three of his imprisonment dawned with Sokka jolting awake when someone touched his tail. The automatic ‘HEY!’ he would usually aim at Katara died on his tongue as his eyes opened to red, red, fire, metal, red.

  Right. He wasn’t at home anymore. He wasn’t, well he didn’t even know where he was he just knew that barking at the teenager holding his tail wasn’t the best thing to do right now.

  The guy, Zuko, Prince pouty pants– amongst other names he’d heard the crew call him– didn’t seem to be trying to make him into Sokka stew. Instead, despite his grip being tight, his fingers were gentle as he rubbed something foul smelling on his– ow! Ow! Oh that stung.

“I’m sorry,” Sokka heard over the blinding pain. “I’m sorry,” Zuko said again, scowl hardening even further as he rushed to add more salve to the gashes in Sokka’s tail. “I only have a few more and then you’ll be done and– I knew I should have let uncle do this.”

  Sokka wanted to protest, he really wanted to say anything to this guy, but not screaming was on the top of his agenda right now and not screaming was what Sokka was going to do. No human sounds. That was what mom always taught them.

The salve stung even as Zuko fastened it back in the medicine bag. His tail was wrapped, Zuko eyeing him for a moment before taking off the upper part of his armour. Sokka only had a second to wonder how a kid his age managed to get muscles like that before he was hoisted into the air, his bathtub prison growing distant as he was carried out of the room and up to the upper deck.

  He was tied up. Naturally. After their second day together Zuko had learned that Sokka would do his best to jump overboard, injuries be damned, meaning a rope and a guard were constantly on Sokka whenever he was away from Zuko’s room.

  He wanted to pout, but the fresh air after being trapped in Zuko’s room? Amazing. Sokka was finally starting to understand why Katara always said his room stank. There was just something about the sweat of a teenage boy that made him want to puke. Or maybe that was just how Zuko smelled. How the fire that shot out of his hands smelled as he ordered one crewmate or another to spar with him in his daily melee.

  He wanted to say it was entertaining. It should have been entertaining. But Zuko was good. He was beyond good and he was Sokka’s age. It made him sick to think of what this guy would do when he was older. When the Southern Water Tribe came back onto the Fire Nation’s radar.

         A board slid over to him, Sokka knocking his head back as the other bane of his existence sat himself opposite him. “He’s rather good isn’t he?” Iroh said, sending a word of encouragement to his nephew before placing the tiles on his board. “He will be training for a while I think, I gave him some new scrolls to look over last night.” Yes, Sokka knew, the candles Zuko kept lit as he tried to read those scrolls keeping him up half the night. “What say we have a quick game while he finishes his warm ups?”

  Sokka forced himself not to respond. To never respond. Iroh didn’t know. Iroh couldn’t know. He was just… Sokka didn’t know but he wasn’t going to be the one to spill his tribe’s secrets. He’d already gotten himself captured by the enemy, the least he could do was keep his mouth shut while he waited for– for– well he didn’t know.

  Death? Release? Whichever was waiting for him he guessed.

  Iroh moved a tile on his board, those eerie eyes looking at Sokka expectantly. Sokka could feel his face twisting. He wondered if turning his back was too much of a sign he understood them?

  Iroh didn’t care. After a while he simply moved Sokka’s piece for him and, like the last time this had happened, explained the rules to him again like Sokka was simply confused, not scared for his life.

  All in all, it was a long morning.

  Truthfully, Sokka didn’t know what was worse. Time on deck, with Iroh watching his every move. Or time in Zuko’s room. True, there was no Iroh, or crew or the promise of freedom if he just untied himself and jumped overboard. But there was Zuko. Zuko and only Zuko and Sokka had never wanted to fill a silence as much as when he was trapped in that suffocating room with the guy who spent half of his time meditating and the other looking over maps and scrolls.

  His bathtub was the worst too. How did the Fire Nation use these things they were so cramped? Or maybe they were standard issue? Sokka didn’t know,  all the boats, the proper boats, back home had been taken by dad when he left. Maybe they had cramped bathtubs too. Still, he doubted dad spent hours upon hours inside of one every day.

  He missed dad. He missed Gran Gran. He even missed Katara, and when he missed Katara Sokka knew things were getting bad.

  He groaned, arching his back to try and move his tail into a more comfortable position. Something popped in his spine, the feeling not wholly uncomfortable.

Unfortunately it was loud enough that Prince fire hands heard it, rushing over from his desk to run worried eyes over him.

         “What was that?” He said, to himself Sokka was guessing since Sokka wasn’t supposed to know what he was saying and, unlike with Iroh, Zuko definitely thought he was a stupid dumb animal. He had to. There was no way the guy would be so… gentle, as he checked Sokka over if he knew what Sokka was. That being not stupid, or dumb. “Sorry,” he moved Sokka’s tail to the left, “I’m sorry,” he lifted it up, Sokka still impressed that the guy didn’t even break a sweat at the weight. Sokka was usually a light guy, but the tail added a few extra pounds.

  Eventually the examination got a bit much, Sokka batting the prince away much like he’d seen the polar dogs do to some of the kids. Zuko took the hint, his scowl making an appearance as he looked Sokka over one last time.

  “I suppose you’d be screaming if you were in pain,” Zuko mumbled before walking back to his desk. He glanced back every so often however, Sokka grumbling to himself as he tried, once more, to get himself comfortable for the night.

  Truthfully he didn’t know how he fell asleep. He still didn’t know how he’d slept the night before, or the night before that. All he did know was that he did sleep and when he woke Zuko was there again applying salve to his tail. Salve that needed time to air out, meaning no bathtub for Sokka. Meaning time with Iroh.

  On and on and on it went. An endless cycle. A punishment maybe? Whatever it was, it didn’t look like Sokka would be escaping it anytime soon and with each passing day he couldn’t help but wonder what would hurt less: a spear to his tail, or being burned alive by his captor?

SNIPPET 2:

         “You should leave,” Zuko sighed.

         “And then what?” Sokka asked, pulling himself up onto the bank. “You wouldn’t last a day without me.” Iroh might, but Iroh was a hardened war general. Zuko was… more pathetic than he looked, and he looked pretty pathetic right now. “What did you do to your hair?” It hadn’t looked… great before but, with the patchy hair growing in and the long patch at the back. Yeah, this wasn’t one of Zuko’s better looks.

  “I’ve done fine on my own before,” Zuko snapped. “I’ll be fine again. Go find uncle if you’re that desperate to bother someone!”

  Sokka forced himself not to bark back. He deserved some of this animosity, he knew that. He knew that if he had been carting around an animal that wasn’t an animal and had been listening to him be gooey and soft in his private time then, yeah, maybe he too would be as grouchy as Zuko. But he also knew not all of this was because of him. “I don’t even know where your uncle is,” for one, “and,” loathe as he was to admit it, “look, we have a common goal here. As much as I would love to swim home and never see you again you’re,” why was this so hard? “very persistent.” Amongst other things.

  Zuko gave him a look. “What?”

  “My sister is with the Avatar.” He could hardly believe it himself. All those weeks he’d spent listening to Zuko talk about the Avatar and his girlfriend only to find out his sister was that freaking girlfriend? He felt sick just thinking it. How had Gran Gran let this happen? “I don’t know how he managed to persuade her to go with him but I need her safe and home and not with that freak!” He was over 100, who knew what he was doing with her. “You know how to track him. You know where he's likely going next so,” he grabbed at his waist, the skin loosening until it fell into a cloak. Zuko’s cheeks reddened as Sokka wrapped it around his waist. “We do this together. I’ll help you take out my sister and you help me by finding them in the first place.”

  Zuko glanced over, then faced him fully when he saw the cloak wrapped around Sokka’s hips. “You’d really make a deal with me?”

  “You sang me a lullaby when you thought I was having nightmares, I think you like me enough not to kill me on our way there.” Their way back? Sokka would deal with that when they came to it.

  Zuko’s brow furrowed. “You realise my father wants him imprisoned.”

  Yeah, Sokka did. But he also knew he would burn down the entire world just to see his sister safe. The war had survived so far without the Avatar. Sokka was sure they could find a way to survive a bit longer if the Firelord took him out permanently.

         He held his hand out, “I can breathe underwater and I look as far from Fire Nation as you’re ever gonna get. I’m useful.”

         Zuko considered the hand for a moment before taking it, standing up himself. “Fine.” They shook on it. “But we take him alive. The terms of my exile were very clear on how the Avatar was to be returned home.”

  “Whatever.”

  They let go after a moment, Sokka flexing his fingers to get rid of the lingering warmth. It took a moment for both of them to get their bearings, for Zuko to take back the things he had stole. Once he did, he let Sokka in on what had happened while he’d been gone. How Azula was actually a bad guy– shocker! Also that Iroh was living in a cave.

  “You could have gone with a better haircut,” Sokka told him.

  Zuko’s cheeks reddened again, “I didn’t exactly have much to play with!”

  True. “I’ll fix it when it gets a bit longer,” Sokka decided. Maybe he would give Zuko a nice wolfcut. His own was quite dashing if he did say so himself. “A proper haircut could help you blend in with the locals. Make them less inclined to call your sister on you.” His scary, terrifying sister.

  Seriously though, how was it that the guy with the macho scar was the softie of the family?

  “Thank you,” Zuko offered quietly.

SNIPPET 3:

         “Wow.” Sokka honestly hadn’t believed it when Aang had said Zuko was his descendant. Yet, there it was, proof in the flesh. “That’s er-”

         “Uncle said it should grow longer,” Zuko said, his scowl settling into his features as he turned his small cloak around in his hands. Sokka meant small too. It must have been hidden when Zuko was a baby. Azula too, Sokka spying the other coat that had been hidden away in the Fire Nation archives 

  “It will,” Sokka promised. “The two of you just need a chance to get to know each other again.” He stepped closer, Zuko letting him run his fingers over the coarse fur. It was lighter than Sokka’s. It made sense, Aang’s was still white despite him being around the age his adult fur started to come in. Sokka wondered if Zuko’s would change as soon as he put it on or if he would get a few weeks of pure baby whiteness before whatever colour his tail would be grew in. “You know, this actually makes a bit of sense.”

  Zuko hummed in question.

  Sokka picked up Azula’s. “Our tails are a part of us, To be away from them,” he shuddered, “Gran Gran once told me people used to go crazy. That the Fire Nation would take our coats just to make us go crazy. Our tails balance us.” And to be without it, from birth? No wonder Zuko and Azula were so messed up.

  Zuko followed his gaze, promising, “I’ll get it to her. Maybe it’ll help her sleep.” Sokka knew he’d been worrying about that. The letters came in daily that Azula was growing more and more paranoid. She’d outright refused to eat her meals yesterday. She’d stopped sleeping long before that. He took the cloak off Sokka, putting it back into its trunk. He followed Zuko out, the door closing with a heavy click. “You really think this will work?”

  Sokka shrugged, forcing a smile on his face, “Only one way to find out.”

  Aang was practically bouncing when they found him. He’d wanted to come with them to the archives, but Toph had started destroying the royal garden and someone– not Sokka– needed to reign her in. Sokka felt quite bad for her as he spied her under a tree. Then he remembered how much Toph hated swimming to begin with and the guilt faded.

  Besides, Katara had promised to sit with her. The two of them had been talking about a bending battle at dinner last night, Sokka was sure the royal gardens would really be destroyed by the time they came up for air.

  He took his tunic off, unwrapping his coat from his hips and pushing his boots and pants down. Aang had already clambered into the small river that ran amongst the gardens, darting back and forth as he told Zuko to hurry up.

         Sokka glanced back, spying the hesitation in Zuko’s hands on his belt. “Katara’s not watching,” he teased.

         Zuko sent him a look, but it did its job of loosening Zuko up enough to actually take his clothes off. Not for the first time Sokka wondered how on earth Zuko still had muscles like that after the months of starvation they’d endured. He grabbed his own cloak up, walking to Zuko’s side just as the last of his clothes ended up on the grass. Handing his own cloak over, Sokka took Zuko’s off him.

  “Relax,” he told Zuko, “Your tail will fit.” He wrapped his arms around Zuko’s waist, separating the cloak out until it touched the small of Zuko’s back. There was a gasp against his neck and then Sokka had to act fast, Zuko’s legs falling out from under him.

  His tail was white, but the longer they both looked the darker ir appeared around the edges. Spots were appearing and changing, some of them as dark as Zuko’s hair, others a light gray.

  Aang wiggled his way over to them, pulling himself alongside Zuko so the two could compare colours. Sokka tugged his own tail on, happily falling to the grass in time for Aang to start dragging them both to the river.

  He remembered how daunting it had been when his dad first brought him swimming. The disbelief that he could actually breathe underwater. The hesitance in dunking his head. Dad had ended up flinging him into the deep end, mom yelling at him to be more gentle even as Sokka took his first breath under the water. He remembered the fish he’d seen. The penguin otters. He remembered how happy he’d been when he realised he could keep pace better with dad under the water than out. He remembered how happy his parents had been showing him all of this, and Sokka could kind of understand that now as he watched Zuko steel himself and, like he did everything, dive head first into the water.

  There was that moment of disbelief as Zuko breached the water. There was ease in which he realised swimming was so much more easier with a tail. There was the smile that Sokka hd seen only a handful of times in their year and a half together. The one did his upmost to bring out as much as he could these days.

  Sokka slipped into the water, lazily swimming around and catching Aang when he swam too close.

  Mostly he watched Zuko.

  He was caught more than once, yet it was only when Aang went to coerce Katara into swimming with him that Zuko swam over to ask “What?” and there it was, the shock again that he could speak. That he could be heard, not quite like they were above water, but Sokka knew what he’d said anyway.

         Sokka shrugged “I’m just happy for you.”

         Zuko gave him a smile. Another one to add to this list and– screw it, he dove forward, gently capturing Zuko in a kiss.

         “I’m really happy for you,” Sokka said when he pulled away.

  Zuko blinked at him a few times before another smile graced his lips. Before Sokka knew it he was being dragged down to the bottom of the river, Zuko clinging onto his shoulders as they kissed amongst the riverbed.

  He vaguely heard Katara call him gross, but Sokka didn’t care. Everything was finally alright in the world, why would he care what his little sister thought?

[delicatepoets]

mely!!!!! hi bestie!!!! i wanted to stop by ur inbox to say hi and wish u an amazing day and im hoping u get this weekend off <333 

i HAVE to tell u i finally saw saltburn!!!!! i was going to see priscilla but when i finally finished everything it wasnt playing anymore 😭 and i wanted to actually GO somewhere. u were SO RIGHT!!!!! the plot wasn’t that surprising, but the acting was so good (carrie mulligan and rosamund pike esp made me laugh sm). the style, the setting, the costume design, the music EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT!!!!!!!

LOVE YOUUUUU and ty again for always giving me all the best movie recs 💞💓💓💞💓💞💓💓

h!!!!!!!!!!!! my sweet angel bestie!!!!!!!!!!!!!! god ily so much! 😭 thank you!!!!!!!! i was working like crazy but it just made the holidays a little more special bcs my clients were in such a good mood! 🤭 i hope you had a good couple of days!!!! how was it?! tell me everything!!!!!

(saltburn spoilers below <3)

YEAHHHHHH!!!!!! SALTBURN NATION WE ARE SO UP!!!!!! i have completely immersed myself in everything “saltburn” and every time i rewatch a appreciate a new aspect or i find new things and its just one of those movies!!!!! as for the plot…, yes you are SO RIGHT! but the costumes and the thought that is put into every detail GOD! i want to spend the day in emerald fennells brain…. just one day pls! the acting!!!!!!!! GOD!!!!! everyone played their parts so perfectly! rosamund pike and carrie mulligan and barry keoghan are INCREDIBLE but EVERYONE ELSE KEPT UP AND IT WAS AMAZING TO WATCH! i loved alison oliver as venetia omg! she had some of my FAVORITE scenes !!! like this one!!!!!! OMG I LOVE!!

and archie madekwe as farleigh and of course jacob elordi as felix!!!!!!! everyone played their parts so perfectly!!! the costumes ans music were so true to the time period the story takes place in omg! i love saltburn so much omg i cannot WAIT for you to watch priscilla! i need every single thought you have on it!! i have seen so much about it and i am about to finish the book “elvis and me” which its based off of and its all making more sense so im excited to scream about it w you! (if you can’t find it playing anywhere lmk i will send you a link 🤭)

i love YOU and thank you for giving me all the freedom to scream about it w you! i love discussing movies w you and the fact that it isn’t just surface level stuff but how we got into even lighting and the writing, costumes, music, and framing and all that fun stuff 🤭🤭🤭 I LOVE YOU SO BAD OH MY GOD 💞💘💖💓🫂💘💞💖💓🫂

[lokisgoodgirl]

hi my love 💙

I hope you're doing amazing and had a good week so far :)

Just wanted to stop by and send you some Q´s in case you're bored or need some distraction 😇 ♥︎

What would you want Loki to wear if he took you on a vernally walk through the park ?

What would you gift him for his birthday ? except of the obvious 😏

If he asked you to cook a typical dish from your country / region - what would you prepare ?

Name 3 sweets or candy you think he'd absolutely dislike

Would you rather practice fighting or archery with him ?

Steve decides Loki must learn to take responsibility so he tells you to buy him a pet for training purposes. What animal do you chose and why ?

- camille 🩷

Camille my beautiful ray of sunshine! Thank you so much for sending me these!! I'm finally in da zone so here we goooooooo✨

What would I want Loki to wear for a walk through the park? Well, I live in Scotland so there's a 97% chance it will be raining. I would very much appreciate a fitted peacoat, a dark green scarf with his hair poking out in random strands, and some dark trousers (for the grass-stains😉) What would I gift him on his birthday? apart from awesome sexxxxx Something he could wear. I feel like as a prince/god people are always too hands off to give him anything personal. So perhaps a simple ring, or a silk hair tie. And an 'experience' day for something weird we could do. Like zorbing. If he asked me to cook something Scottish what would I cook?Jeesh. I'll be honest none of our national dishes are super seductive. Probably tablet. My mum makes ammmmazing tablet (which is basically fudge but harder and nicer and crumbly) so I'd have her make some and pass it off as mine. Name 3 sweets or candy he would dislike?

Sour haribo. I just feel like he'd hate fizzy sour things. But I love em so I can eat them all 🤣

lemon meringue pie -I feel like he also avoids dairy?

custard. Isn't a fan of gloopy sweet things. Again, i love them.

Would I rather practice sword or archery with him? Listen, since this is my answers I'm gonna bypass the question and tell you what I want from each🤣 Archery: I want him to tsk at me, tell me to lower and then slip around my back. One palm over my waist, pushing on my hip to make me straighten; the other guiding back my hand to slot just right on my jaw. He will also absolutely have to say, 'and...release' Sword: I just want to go toe toe to with him and be absolutely obliterated and pinned against the wall with the long flat of his thick, asgardian blade. I also very much want to see him coming towards me in a pair of fucking tight fencing pants, warming up his wrists by swinging a sword in the standard cuts as the steel slices through the air. Urgh.

The pet I would choose to teach him responsibility I wouldn't buy him anything cos pet ownership of any kind is a responsibility y'all! So...I would let him look after Bram for an afternoon! I say look after, I would obviously be spying in case he fucked up. He'd have so much fun I can't even. She wouldn't put up with any huffy shit either, just lick him right up his nose. He'd love her.

--- This was really fun, thank you for asking 🤣🤣 ILY!x

[itsmaddienotmaddy]

Am I working? Technically yes. Did I watch this entire game with laser focus. Also yes.

USWNT v England

Okay. Let’s start off with the positives.

All the hype with England murdering us? Didn’t happen. Did we have a large personnel change and a stretch of less competitive games while England solidified themselves and won a fuckin Euro? Yeah. And I don’t think they were exponentially better than us. It was a good fight.

Rodman, Coffey, and Girma showed they can absolutely hold their own. ESPECIALLY NAOMI. We all have eyeballs. We saw her come in clutch time and time again. The way she handled the ball, the decisions she made, her ability to beat Hemp. So so good.

And credit to Mace for keeping composure post PK call. I am weak and that would have broken me

Sophia scored. And had an amazing game.

I think Andi had her best national team showing I’ve seen. She was winning balls and pushing things forward in a way that made me so happy.

AND. Big high point. We had something I genuinely don’t think I’ve seen since the great Christen Press goal that never was… the combination passes are back. That shit speaks to chemistry and connection and the amount of plays we had like that…. Like, FINALLY. Pinoe, Lindsey, Rose, Sofia, Sophia, Trin. All were part of those moments.

AND AND. CRYSTAL DUNN. BACK. ❤️

On the constructive criticism side (because, you know, we can do that while still thinking all players deserve to be there and are phenomenal footballers.)

Honestly, I might compliment sandwich these because, POSITIVITY ALWAYS

Lindsey and Rose. Becoming such leaders as they suddenly the olds. They were both holding onto the ball too long. With 2-3 blatant plays where they needed to rip it or pass to our numerous open players and they… didn’t do it. And idk why Linds is gonna bother weight lifting if she’s gonna let herself get knocked over so easily. (There are times to draw the foul of COURSE, but not 95% of the time.) HOWEVER. The defensive work rate in the midfield was lovely and a lot of the pokes and needed clearances were done by them. And Lindsey’s pick pocket to the Soph goal, hellll yeah.

Set pieces. Should have been better. By a lot. Dare I say I miss Jill era set pieces. (Not Jill, just the set pieces)

This was not Alana’s game. England had her number for sure. Again, not gonna nitpick. It was pretty clear. Onto the next. It’s OKAY.

Sending good vibes out to Emily Fox’s HEAD. Didn’t she just have a concussion?? Hate that x 1000.

Oh. And Vlatko’s subbing stays fucking confusing but cool for Alyssa Thompson to get her first cap!!

The end

[dildeaux-san]

Suga sat in his dorm room, enjoying his lunch when Daichi walked in. Suga smirked as the alpha plopped down in front of him, tossing his bag aside with a dramatic thud. “Finally decided to grace me with your presence, huh?” he teased, raising an eyebrow.

Daichi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know. The great and mighty Suga deserves to have his lunch partner on time. I got caught up studying with Kuroo.”

“Oh?” Suga replied, perking up. “Is that what the kids are calling it now? Studying?” He asks as he wiggles his eyebrows at his best friend.

Daichi’s face flushes with blush. “You…” he said, reaching for the offered bento. “We were just studying,” he mumbled.

Suga laughed, nudging Daichi’s shoulder with his own. “Whatever you say,” he said with a wink. “Anything exciting happen during your first day so far captain?”

“Not really,” Daichi said before taking a big bite. “What about you? Anything exciting to report on your end?”

“I met someone.” Suga dramatically states.

The alpha chokes on a bite of rice and whips his head toward Suga, his eyes wide. “Met some…one?” He coughs out.

“Yeah!” Suga gave him a big smirk, he could barely contain his excitement any longer and eagerly blurted out, “Do you know who’s in my economics class?”

Daichi, taken aback by Suga’s sudden burst of enthusiasm, furrowed his brows and shook his head. “No, who is it?”

Suga’s grin widened, and he practically squealed, “Ushijima Wakatoshi!”

Daichi nearly choked on another bite of food he had just taken, his eyes almost bulging out of his head. “What?!” he exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. “Ushijima goes here too? I thought I had saw him on the roster for the volleyball team but didn’t think it was actually him. I thought he was picked for the national team?”

“That’s what he i thought as well, but he said he’s taking time to focus on his academics and wanted to hone his skills. If that’s even possible…” Suga pushes a piece of chicken around in the bento thinking.

“So did you two talk to each other?” Daichi asks, taking another bite, pulling Suga from his thoughts.

The omega nodded eagerly, excitement radiating from every fiber of his being. “Yes! And guess what? We’re even partners for the project our professor assigned!”

Daichi’s expression shifted from shock to amazement. “Holy shit,” he muttered, his mind racing to process this unexpected turn of events. “Well, I guess that’s one way to keep your Karasuno connections strong.”

Suga laughed, the sound filling the room with warmth and joy. “I guess university will be exciting. I didn’t think things would feel this different.”

“For sure,” Daichi smiles at his best friend. “I can’t even imagine the amount of trouble I’m going to have to bail you out of.”

“Eh?” Suga crosses his arms in a pout. “I never get in trouble!”

“Sure,” Daichi snorts. “Tell me that again when I have to call your mother and tell her you’ve been arrested.”

“Ooh. What do you think she’ll say? Maybe she’ll convince my dad to help her to break me out.” Suga smiles mischievously, plotting ways to get into trouble and be a big(ger) headache for his best friend.

“I don’t know how I’m going to survive as your roommate for a whole year,” Daichi mockingly sighs.

“Don’t worry, if you need the room to “study” with Kuroo, just send a text. I’ll find something to do-“

“Suga!” Daichi’s ears and neck turn red.

“Just make sure you air the place out before I come back. It’s bad enough with one alpha sticking the place up,” Suga snickers and punches his arm.

The two bickered back and forth until it was time to head back to their last classes of the day. Suga thinking back to seeing Ushijima again, how odd it was that he wasn’t playing for the national team (and how hot he was.) A small flutter in his stomach made him curious and excited to see what the future would hold between the two.

_____________________________________

Ushijima absentmindedly scrolled through his phone, his eyes catching a glimpse of a picture that sent a surge of unease through him. It was a photo of Oikawa, and from the location tag, Ushijima deduced that he was in Argentina. Confusion clouded his features as he wondered why the omega had traveled so far away.

A rush of memories flooded Ushijima’s mind, reminding him that Suga and Oikawa had been dating in high school. The thought of Suga and Oikawa still being together caused a knot of panic to tighten in Ushijima’s chest. He couldn’t help but question what their relationship status now. Especially now that he has met the omega again.

Driven by a mix of curiosity and a gnawing feeling of insecurity, Ushijima clicked on Oikawa’s profile, searching for answers. To his surprise, there was only one picture of Oikawa and Suga—a snapshot captured after Oikawa’s graduation, the two omegas beaming with genuine happiness. The image bore a simple heart symbol as its caption, leaving Ushijima with more questions than answers.

Frowning, Ushijima’s mind raced with conflicting thoughts and emotions. He pondered the nature of Suga and Oikawa’s relationship, uncertain about the state of their connection. The realization that they might still be together struck a chord of jealousy within him, but he couldn’t ignore the possibility that things had changed between them over time.

Interrupting his deep train of thought, the coach’s voice snapped Ushijima back to reality. “Break’s over, team! Let’s set up for drills!” he called out, commanding the attention of the players. Ushijima swiftly pushed his concerns aside, tucking them away for the time being, and joined his teammates to focus on his training ahead.

As Ushijima immersed himself in the drills, the uncertainties regarding Suga, Oikawa, and his own feelings simmered beneath the surface. He knew he had to confront these emotions eventually, but for now, he channeled his energy into becoming a stronger player, determined to excel both on and off the court.

[jdgo51]

APRIL 3, 2024

The Project

Catherine Kwao (Greater Accra Region, Ghana)

"Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him." - 2 Kings 18:5 (NIV)

“'Mommy, it’s growing!” my young daughter exclaimed. “Let me see,” I said, grabbing the plastic cup from her hands. I was amazed. The maize seed we had been watering for weeks had finally germinated. It was a school project she was due to submit the following week. I had given up hope after eight days and was planning on dumping the whole thing into the trash that morning. I even once said to her, “It’s a useless waste of time and water,” to which she replied confidently, “My teacher says it will grow.” And it sure did. No wonder Jesus says in Luke 18:16 that we must have childlike faith.

My daughter trusted in her teacher’s words and kept on watering the soil long after I had given up. In the same way God wants us to hold on to faith even when we’re discouraged by the current situation.

King Hezekiah was on the verge of despair when he received a second threat in writing from the Assyrian king, even though God had assured him of deliverance. To quell his despondence, he told God about it personally, and God delivered him and the whole of Jerusalem. So like King Hezekiah, let us continue trusting in the word of the Lord because God is always faithful."' Always believe and have trust in God, for He will never, ever leave you. We lose faith, over time, and we never should do that.

TODAY'S PRAYER

"Dear God, may our confidence in your word be steadfast." Amen.

2 Kings 19:1-19

"'1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he ripped his clothes, covered himself with mourning clothes, and went to the LORD’s temple. 2 He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests to the prophet Isaiah, Amoz’s son. They were all wearing mourning clothes. 3 They said to him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, punishment, and humiliation. It’s as if children are ready to be born, but there’s no strength to see it through. 4 Perhaps the LORD your God has heard all the words of the field commander who was sent by his master, Assyria’s king—how he insulted the living God—perhaps God will punish him for the words the LORD your God heard. Send up a prayer for those few people who still survive.” 5 When King Hezekiah’s servants got to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say this to your master: ‘This is what the LORD says: Don’t be afraid at the words you heard, which the officers of Assyria’s king have used to insult me. 7 I’m about to put a spirit in him, so when he hears a rumor, he’ll go back to his own country. Then I’ll have him cut down by the sword in his own land.��” 8 The field commander heard that the Assyrian king had left Lachish. So he went back to the king and found him attacking Libnah. 9 Then the Assyrian king learned that Cush’s King Tirhakah was on his way to fight against him. So he sent messengers to Hezekiah again, saying, 10 “Say this to Judah’s King Hezekiah: Don’t let the God you trust in persuade you by saying, ‘Jerusalem won’t be handed over to the Assyrian king.’ 11 You yourself have heard what Assyrian kings do to other countries, wiping them out. Is it likely that you will be saved? 12 Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, or the people of Eden in Telassar—save them? 13 Where now is Hamath’s king, Arpad’s king, or the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena, or Ivvah?” 14 Hezekiah took the letters from the messengers and read them. Then he went to the temple and spread them out before the LORD. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying, “LORD God of Israel, you sit enthroned on the winged creatures. You alone are God over all the earth’s kingdoms. You made both heaven and earth. 16 LORD, turn your ear this way and hear! LORD, open your eyes and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words. He sent them to insult the living God! 17 It’s true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have destroyed many nations and their lands. 18 The Assyrians burned the gods of those nations with fire because they aren’t real gods. They are only man-made creations of wood and stone. That’s how the Assyrians could destroy them. 19 So now, LORD our God, please save us from Sennacherib’s power! Then all the earth’s kingdoms will know that you, LORD, are the only true God.”' Honor and serve your one an only God, for He will remain with you in all things forever. I find blessings from this assurance. Joe

[forlix]

HELLO SUNSHINE ! hope you are doing okay, and yes I'll send you the abstract again, I indeed had forgotten, I'm sorry! here it is:

"This study seeks to understand how multiculturalism and the question of identity influenced both the unification and the dissolution of Yugoslavia. This monograph deals with the period of pre-unification, unification itself, and after dissolution. Describing the historical issue first,with a focus on ethnic and multicultural relations in the region as determining factors for understanding events. Thus, a specific period will be dealt with during the administration of Josip Broz Tito, which lasted for forty years and succeeded in managing relatively well the conflictual situation that was the relationship between the various ethnic groups and its model of self-management, which was revolutionary for the time. Finally, it will be analyzed how the international system received such experience, the answers to the situations presented, as well as the reasons that led to the non-consolidation and permanence of the self-management process, culminating in its dissolution as of 1990. It is also necessary to show that the region was recomposed based on the criterion of the national identities present, an aspect that interfered in the correlation of regional forces, giving a new physiognomy in its political-administrative map. This leads to an understanding of the paths taken during the twentieth century."

also, sorry for he delay on the response a lot of things happened but now it's kinda okay, so I get to write and read for this week! once I'm done and posted the jeongin story I'll send your way so you can read it if you want, I'll never pressure you 💜

thank you for always be this kind and loving! you deserve more than the words I could ever write. I hope you have a good day/night, and that only the best reach your way! everyone deserves good thing happening their way, good people deserve it even more! thank you for making your page a safe place to anyone that may come by. please take care of yourself okay? 💜

-🐼

helloooo my panda anon, my sunshine, my min to my lix :') did you see the tiktok they made together recently? i thought of you hehe we are so cute

this abstract is SO INTERESTING, are you kidding me? i wish i had more to say about it but i know little to nothing about yugoslavia; thank you for piquing my interest in learning more about this topic. but i definitely have much to say about the topics of multiculturalism and the question of identity, which are becoming more important the more globalized the world becomes. i'm american, and so much of our population comprises immigrants or the descendants of immigrants that it's a quintessential part of living here to embrace and engage with different cultures and identities, yet diversity and inclusivity continue to be treated like privileges rather than rights. i'm sure it's a totally different environment from the one that you studied, but i'm wondering if other multicultural populations like that of the u.s. would be able to learn from the aspects of yugoslavia's self-management model that succeeded or avoid the aspects that failed. ANYWAYS not me going into thesis statement mode on instinct,,,, tl;dr this sounds amazing and you are amazing, thank you for sharing 🤍

and don't ever ever apologize for a delay in responding, my love, have you met me? i'm so grateful that you continue to check in periodically at all. please do send me the fic if you still wish for me to read it and/or have posted it already! i assure you it would be my utmost joy and pleasure

you are actually the sweetest human being in the world and i hope the universe brings you nothing but wonderful things. i'm so glad that you think of my page as a safe space; it is people like you, truly, who make it so. take care of yourself as well, angel! sending you the biggest hug through the screen

[itsyourchoicedevotionals]

Very Real Powerful Force

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4NIV

For 21 days I’ve been on a public fast. Fasting always reveals areas needed correcting. Afterwards, prayers are answered. This time has been no different. Yahweh Adonai has been working amazing things into my heart.

One area— truly rejoicing. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying” 1Thessalonians 5:16-17NLT. Face it— where there’s more needs than money— new laws written daily to take away more of our freedoms— corruption in every area, including the churches— enemy armies crossing our borders in-mass to take over our nation— children being used trafficked to sick perverts— life tends to become too heavy to bear. Rest assured! We’re not the first people to see these evils and feel overwhelmed.

Problem is: we’re looking in the wrong direction. Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near”” Luke 21:28NKJV. The Lord Yahweh is our Savior. Government leaders and laws aren’t. Jehovah has not, nor will He change. Look to Him, He’s the same “yesterday, today, and forever,” Hebrews 13:8.

LORD God sent me to Genesis to read. Corruption abounded, so much so that God regretted making humanity. He was ready to destroy everyone. But— “Noah, however, found favor in the eyes of the LORD” Genesis 6:8BSB. Ending? Noah and his entire family were spared in the ark during the flood.

Question: Where did all the sin come from between Genesis 6 and 19 when God pulled Lot and family out of Sodom? Noah walked with God, his sons didn’t, even after seeing the flood, his sons didn’t walk with God. As for Lot, angels rescued him, and daughters, Genesis 19, God spared his two girls, knowing their penchant for incest. Noah and Lot trust in God to take care of them. saved their families also— God knows how their hearts would have mourned losing their children. Is it any different for us today?

Nehemiah, and the Israelites had returned from seventy years of captivity in Babylon. The younger ones probably didn’t even fully understand the importance of returning to Israel. When they returned, neighboring lands were trying to kill them, while they built a wall for protection, (maybe like a border wall.) As they finally finished their work enough to read the scriptural laws, they realized how sinful they were. Remorse came, but they were instructed ‘don’t cry —celebrate’— “…Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10ESV. Take the phrase “of the LORD” out of the preceding verse— “for the joy…is your strength.” Joy isn’t a fleeting emotion but a very real powerful force of walking with the Lord, sharing intimacy. This joy force requires us to look at Jesus— (Yeshua Hamashiach in Hebrew), as the Supreme Being, all powerful, undefeatable. Satan and fear cannot stand up against joy and rejoicing. They have to flee, (see James 4:7).

Rejoicing like fasting brings promises. Yahweh has promised me— “‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation]’” Isaiah 41:10AMP. Like Noah and Lot were rescued— While all the evil is surrounding us, we have nothing to fear. Our salvation is near. Will you look up and rejoice? It’s your choice. You choose.

LET’S PRAY: Yahweh thank You for teaching us the power of joy, and Your mercy for us who believe. Help us to rejoice more, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

by Debbie Veilleux Copyright 2024 You have my permission to reblog this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you.

[onlyhereforthestories]

Chica Medica - Part 1 (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

Sorry this took so long to get out! Here’s the first part of my long fic. I will probably post a request between each part. I have no idea how long it will eventually be but this is definitely only the beginning! Enjoy 😁

You had never been so nervous in your life. You had decided at the end of last season with Manchester United that you needed a change and were going to apply to move to a different club. For some reason you decided that club was not going to be one of the English clubs and when the opportunity to be Barca Women’s head physiotherapist and recovery specialist you didn’t even think twice before accepting the offer. That was three weeks ago, and today you finally are setting foot in the facilities you will now call your working home.

Being best friends with the one and only Ona Batlle means that you knew a bit of Spanish, this made you feel a little less nervous for meeting everyone. You were going to miss your favourite Spaniard but she knew you needed some space and a change after your recent breakup. She was extremely excited when she found out you were going to Barca as it meant you’d meet her national teammates. People who she loved almost as much as she loved you, not that she’d ever tell you that, your head was already big enough as it was.

Stepping out of your rental car, you really did need to get that sorted this was an expensive way of getting round, you stood face to face with your new place of work. You couldn’t pinpoint which emotion was stronger, the excitement to be apart of one of the best teams in the women’s game right now or nervous of the role you now play in keeping those players in the peak physical condition they need to be in to prevent injuries and enhance their performances.

Taking a deep breath you locked the car and headed inside, you were met by one of the other members of the medical staff, the team doctor. You had a meeting with him right away to get up to speed with all of the players and their current conditions, there goals this season, and the players who were in recovery so needed extra treatment. As you were finishing up your notes on all the doc had just told you, two women in training kit walked through your door laughing.

“Hola! What can I do for the two of you?” You greeted them cheerfully hoping to make a good first impression on the women you knew to be María León and Leila Ouahabi. They looked at each other before they looked you up and down, you tried to keep your shoulders high and square, you couldn’t show them their actions were sending your nerves through the roof. You needed them to trust you with their physical health, something that was vital to their way of life, so you needed to show them you were confident in your abilities.

Mapi was the first to speak. “I might have to be injured a lot this season.” The smirk on her face and the giggle Leila let out next to her flooded you with a relief you didn’t think it would. They were joking around with you within a minute of meeting you. “Joking aside, its nice to meet you I’m María but people call me Mapi and this is Leila, I’m assuming you’re the new physiotherapist we were told would be coming in this season?”

Holding your hand out to the women you greeted them properly. “I’m y/n and I know who you both are I am a big fan. I am indeed the new physio, I’m very excited to get to work with all the amazing women on this team, it’s a bit of a dream of mine that I never thought would happen. I was at Manchester United for 4 years and for a long portion of that time I thought I would be there forever but things happen and a change was really needed. This is the best change I could have wished for.” You didn’t realise you were rambling until Leila laughed again. You felt the blush creeping up your cheeks and just hoped it wasn’t visible to the girls in front of you.

“You are so cute! We are going to get on very well I can tell. That will have to wait though we have training but me and Maps need our ankles tapped por favor.” You smiled at the thought of making friends quickly it was the part of moving so far away from what you knew that scared you the most. You always struggled on your own, your mind sometimes not the best place to be in and so these two women seemingly taking you under their wing was a big comfort.

You set to work on Leila first making sure you spoke to her about what technique she preferred, only for her to leave it in your capable hands, her words not yours. It was when you were doing Mapi’s right ankle that the blonde woman asked you the question. “Would you like to come over and have dinner with me and Leila tonight, we had plans already but would love to get to know you more? Plus I want to know why you left the place you’ve been at for so long because there’s a story there and we all know it.”

God damn your rambling, these women weren’t people that would forget that conversation either. Surprisingly though you felt like you could comfortably tell them and they’d be supportive, plus you needed to talk about it with more than just Ona, the poor woman got enough of your drama as it was. “Really? I’d love that, I haven’t sorted the kitchen in my apartment out yet and there only so many takeaways or ready meals a girl can eat!”

“That’s settled them, Leila will jump in with you after training and direct you! Wait you did drive si?” With a laugh you confirmed you had indeed driven here and with that the two women were off with a see you later and a quick nice to meet you.

You made a mental note to call Ona when you had a second she’d love to know about the people you were hoping to be able to call friends very soon.

Alexia was exhausted, she knew the amount of work she’d put in last season and in the off season was catching up with her. More often than not these days she found herself calling Alba to get the woman to walk Nala for her, she was just so tired whenever she got in. This wasn’t something she was proud of, walking Nala will always be one of her favourite activities so that fact that she feels like she cant do it hurts her more that she could put into words.

She’d been training so hard in the off season that she had barely managed to spend time with her family and friends, and now she felt like her body was physically drained from the moment she wakes up every morning to the moment she lays her head down again. She was proud of herself though, all the time she’d put into the game was going to pay off this year, she felt it.

Walking into the training ground Alexia felt the overwhelming happiness sink into her bones, this was one of her favourite places to be and she was surrounded by the best people here too. She had definitely missed most of her Barca family over the last couple of months, she barely even saw Jenni which was a shock being as the best friends were normally joined at the hip.

She knew the first thing she had to do was get all her medical checks done before they could start the physicality checks that the whole squad would be participating in at the beginning of training. Walking through to the treatment rooms she bumped into Jenni, both women greeted each other with a long hug and a kiss to the cheek. “Hola, are you heading for your checks too?” Alexia hoped she was so they could use the time to catch up.

“No mi amiga, I’ve just had mine. It was quite the experience! The new girl is very thorough and wants to make sure we are in peak health before we put our bodies through anymore physical pressure. You’re going to love her.” Jenni seemed genuinely excited about the time she just spent with this woman, Alexia knows how much Jenni priorities her health in all senses of the word and so does she. So to see and hear Jenni speaking so highly of someone she’d just met got Alexia excited to make her introductions too.

After a quick chat with the older woman, where she found out you were English, Alexia found herself walking into your open room, she couldn’t explain the nerves she felt in her stomach, she just brushed them off as pre-test nerves. “Hola I’m here to get my medical check in before training. I’m Alexia Putellas.” When you looked up and made eye contact Alexia couldn’t help but notice how bright your eyes were.

“Hola Alexia it’s a pleasure to meet one of the best players in the women’s game. I have been given a few extra checks to run with you than normal if that’s okay. Jonatan has informed me that you have been pushing yourself quite hard so we want to check you out thoroughly.” Alexia knew this might happen and if she was honest she thinks she needs it, the tiredness and physical exhaustion has been a lot to handle recently.

Sitting down opposite y/n at the desk after the weight, height and heart tests were done, Alexia prepared herself to answer all the questions she knew you needed to ask. The basic ones were easy, how many hours a day did she put in this off season, what recovery process has she been doing and how well she was fuelling her body with the food she was eating. The question that caught her off guard was your last one. “How do you feel mentally? And I’m not talking football related I think we both know how happy you are playing I’m talking about you’re your everyday mental health. I ask for two reasons, one because you mentioned the exhaustion you’ve been feeling even with a good night’s sleep and two as a person who has struggled themselves I can see it in your eyes you are tired and not just in the physical sense. Now I know we don’t know each other and I’m not expecting you to spill all to me today I just want to know so I can maybe help when you are ready? Or I can put the ball in motion to get help if you feel like you need it.”

To say Alexia was shocked would be an understatement, she knew she had been starting to struggle a lot more with the work load and she knew it was affecting her mental health a lot more than it ever had but she didn’t expect someone to notice. In fact no one had really, Jenni mentioned once or twice in the few times she’d seen the older woman, that she looked tired but that was it. Now a complete stranger who knew nothing but her footballing background was reading her like she’d known her for their whole lives.

“I umm I’m not ready to speak about it with anyone, I’m still coming to terms with what’s going on and I think once I’m back with the team and back playing regularly again I will be okay.” Alexia didn’t truly believe what she was saying herself so she didn’t expect you too, she was once again shocked when you told her that was okay and you moved on to the final part before she could join the team. You had her sit up on the exam table and you were testing out the flexibility in her ankle joints to make sure there wasn’t any lingering injuries or hyperextension that would cause further injuries.

You were satisfied with her physical health so once you’d strapped her left ankle upon request she was free to go. Just as she reached the door you called her name. “Alexia, my door is always open.” The rest of the words went unsaid and you would never know how much Alexia appreciated that, with a small nod and a smile she headed out onto the field for what she was hoping would be the start of the best season yet.

This was the part about the job you never liked, report writing. You could hear all the girls running around playing from the open window next to your desk. You had evaluated pretty much every woman on the team and that meant you had a lot to write up about. Luckily for you the majority of it was repetitive as they had all kept up most of their normal routines during the off season. You were typing out Leila’s report when Jonatan entered your office.

“Y/n I want you to spend some time focusing on Alexia, we are only on the first session of the season, which is a light one and she already looks exhausted. She’s been working well in the off season but I think she needs to focus more on her physical recovery. I’m going to get her to come to you after every session for a proper work down and recovery session. She might not like it but I need my players in the best shape possible not just for the team but for their own health.” You nodded along to everything the coach had said, making sure to jot down his request and set up a file for your time with the Spanish midfielder.

“If I’m honest Jonatan, Alexia was the only one I had flagged as needing more help other than the girls we already know have injuries or problems. She just seemed physically drained when I saw her this morning so I would love to work closely with her and get her back into the healthy, happy player we all love to watch.” With a nod of his head and the promise to send the woman straight to you after they had finished their free kick practice, he was added to the long list of people to leave your office today.

Turning back to your computer you finished up writing the information for the left back before moving on to creating the work sheets you would progressively fill out after your session with Alexia.

You were doing some stock take when you heard your door open. “I will be with you in one moment, take a seat.” You counted the last box of tape and made a note to order some more, there was quite a few of the girls that liked to tape their ankles for games and training.

“Ah Alexia nice to see you, has Jonatan explained what we are going to be doing?” You couldn’t help but admire the woman for a moment, her hair was wet from her post training shower and was dripping down the back of her t-shirt, her eyes held that tiredness that you hoped you could get to the bottom of, you could really see why so many people admired her.

“He didn’t really say much if I’m honest, he told me that I would be seeing you after sessions and possibly games for a while to help with my recovery.” Her voice was soft and quiet giving away just how tired the woman was.

“Okay great, that’s the basics of it yes. I’m just here to help you feel more physically recovered after each session and hopefully help get this exhaustion sorted out.” You sent a smile her way before heading over the get what you needed. “If you could come take a seat on the bench again I’m going to do some stretches and plyometric movements to cool down your muscles before we massage them.”

You could tell the girl was nervous, she wasn’t making eye contact with you and her movements were slow so you tried a bit of humour. “I don’t bite you know” She let out a breathy chuckle before hopping up and laying back.

“Lo siento, I just am not used to this. I have had recovery session in the past but not one on one and definitely not because I’m visibly in need of them. Plus our last physio he didn’t treat us as people we were more objects he needed to keep running, you’ve already asked me more about myself in the day you’ve been here than he did in the 4 years he was.” You noted the edge to her voice when she spoke about the man who was previously in your position.

“Well you might be an amazing footballer but first of all you are an amazing woman, that’s what I like to focus on. I have found in my few years of doing this job that the if the person is happy and healthy in themselves their physical health follows a very similar path. For example I once worked closely with a woman in England who had a recurring strain injury. We tried all the normal treatments but she kept picking up the same injury. Because of the injury she got in her head a lot more and was overthinking things, not committing to challenges not gearing her body up correctly when playing and that was why she kept injuring herself over and over. We worked together for a few months on how to mentally deal with injuries and how to build recovery up. Touch wood since then she hasn’t had that same injury again and when she has picked up a knock she’s recovered correctly both mentally and physically.”

You could see the women processing all you had said, so you gave her the time to do that while you carried on with your plyometric recovery stretches. When Alexia didn’t say anything you almost went to push the subject but thought twice about it. The woman barely knew you, she had no reason to trust you in any way at the moment, professionally or personally.

“Okay Alexia everything there feels pretty good, I want to keep an eye on that left knee there’s some slight discomfort I can see when we contort the ligaments. Two more things and then you are free to get out of here, first electrolyte drink let’s get those replenished. Orange or lemon and lime?” After you handed her the green bottle you always keep stocked up in the fridge you set about getting the oils out and the bench ready for her sports massage. “Hop up here please lie on your back first, I’m going to work on your quadriceps and you hamstrings today so could you scrunch your shorts up as high as you can.”

If you looked up when your hands first touched the skin of her thighs you would have seen the pink rising on the older woman’s face, but you were a professional and you gave all your attention to the work you were doing. Alexia was having an internal debate with herself, you were by far the most attentive medical professional she had ever met and you were also the most attractive. She’s been so focused on football that its shocked her that she is even having these thoughts. Your hands were working wonders on her sore muscles and once you told her to flip over she found herself dozing off.

“That’s you done for the day. Thank you for being patient and I hope you felt like this might help.” When Alexia didn’t move or make any indication that she had heard you, you placed a hand on her back hoping not to scare her. You could feel the even rise and fall of her body but to confirm your suspicion you bent down to look under the table where her face was resting in the cut out in the bed. Sure enough her eyes were softly shut and she was puffing even breaths out of slightly parted, delicate lips.

It was days like today that made you grateful for working in big club cultures, the small room where the massage bed was situated was in the furthest part of your space which meant you could close the door and let the woman rest for a while, she must really need it. After sticking a note on the inside of the door so the woman didn’t panic when she woke up you softly shut the door and went to write up yet another report, this one though you didn’t find as tedious. This one brought a smile to your face as you remember your time with the sleeping woman just a closed door away from you.

After that first day, you and Alexia spent a lot of time together. After every session she would come to you to have some recovery done, whether that be after weight training or active ball session she always came to you. She was looking sharper when playing and her muscles felt looser every time you gave her a sports massage as well as her physical tiredness seeming to be a lot less. Since that first session she had only fallen asleep on the table one other time and that was because she had a cold so was all together run down. The one thing you still weren’t too happy with was the stubborn tiredness lingering in her eyes. When she spoke to you it was a lot more cheerful than when you started together 2 weeks ago, and the times you have been out to watch training or work with some of the other girls you’ve seen her laughing and joking again with her teammates, but it was still there. It was there when the room was quiet, when no one was saying a word and she got lost in her head. It was there and you could see it, but you didn’t know how to fix it, not when she wouldn’t talk to you about it.

You were setting up for the woman that had been plaguing your mind for the last 2 weeks when Mapi walked in. “Hola chica, any chance you could have a look at my hamstring? It has felt tight all day and I want to make sure that I don’t pull it before game day.” You could see from the slight limp that she was having some major issues walking.

“Of course go hop up on the bench in the massage room, I have everything out anyway because I was expecting Ale very soon.” You didn’t even register the shortened name come out of your mouth until Mapi laughed. “What? Do I have something on my butt?” That’s all you could think that was funny, especially as she laughed as soon as you turned around.

“No, no. Just La Reina working her charm already I see, I’ll make sure I’m out of the way when Ale does get here.” The added emphasis on the woman’s name let you know what she was in fact laughing about. Rolling your eyes at your friend you gave her a little shove towards the back room.

“Idiota, do you want my help or not?” With her hands raised in the air she made a motion like she was waving a tiny flag.

“I surrender, help my dying muscle por favor” Laughing freely you followed the woman into the room and had her lay down on her stomach.

You were almost finished with the blonde when Alexia entered the main room. “Y/n? Are you here?”

“I’ll be with you in two seconds Ale. Mapi’s decided to mess up her hamstring so I’m just trying to work it out a bit in the massage room.” You laughed at the disgruntled noise Mapi let out. What you both didn’t realise was the woman in the other room wasn’t laughing, in fact Alexia was frowning. The green eyed monster was stirring within her and she didn’t know why, Mapi and you were friends everyone knew that. The two of you and Leila had been pretty much inseparable outside of the training ground. Alexia thinks maybe it’s the situation, she’s the one that gets to hide away in that room with you, she the one that normally gets you rubbing the muscles in her legs. Okay that wasn’t what she should be thinking about at all, you obviously used that room for more than just her she just hadn’t thought about it until now.

“Hola hermana, chica medica es toda tuya. Ella si tiene manos magicas.” You didn’t understand all of what Mapi said only picking up on a couple of words but the look she got from Alexia wasn’t a good one. With her legs strapped she quickened her steps out of your door with a thank you thrown over her shoulder.

“Ignore whatever that idiota said Alexia, she’s been trying to rustle up everyone today. She hid Leila’s keys this morning so we were almost late. Right what do you want to focus on today?”

“I think I’m ready to talk about the one thing we haven’t yet. I think it’s something that I need to talk about no matter how scared I am.” You could see from the way she was fiddling with her fingers that the woman was incredibly nervous.

“Okay Ale lets pass on physical side today. Would you like to do this here? There’s a lock on the door and a occupied sign so no one will come in. We could also go somewhere you would feel more comfortable? This is all up to you.” You tried to be as reassuring as you could, this was the final major part of the woman’s recovery and you knew it.

“I want to do it here, this is where we have done the other parts and where we’ve built our relationship. This is where I need to end this.” She was determined you could see the glint in her eye.

“Okay go get yourself an electrolyte drink and a banana and I will sort out the door.”

After a few minutes of you both sorting out where you wanted to sit and Alexia finishing her banana you could tell she was ready.

“Take your time Ale there is no rush.” You placed what you hoped was a comforting hand on the visible nervous women’s leg.

“When we won the Champions league last year I was so happy, we had finally done the thing we had been working towards for that last few years. Then we celebrated and I had time to see my family and he wasn’t there. My dad is the reason I am here today, he showed me the sport because my family was more into basketball. He took me to training every day and took me to Barca games whenever we could go. This is the first major achievement that I’ve not wanted to celebrate without him. My mum and sister have been great but they don’t understand some of it, my dad was and always will be my hero. So after that happened I throw myself into perfecting my art because he deserves that from me. He deserves to look down and see how much I’m thriving because of what he did, but it never felt like enough so I kept working and working. I missed a lot this summer, I didn’t see my family as much. I didn’t see my teammates. I spent so much time just with myself and now I can’t get out of my head. I feel so disconnected with myself y/n. I don’t know how to get back to me and still make him proud.” The sobs that wracked through her body made your heart clench. You pulled the distraught beauty into your arms, you couldn’t let her feel alone anymore.

With one hand rubbing up and down her back and the other holding her head where she had snuggled it into your neck you started to whisper what came to your head. “He is so proud of you, I never knew him but I now know you and I’m so proud of you so he must be so incredibly proud. He will be watching everything you do with that proud dad look, he’ll be telling all his buddies up there that he has the best daughters in the world. He’ll show them what you’re doing, watch your games and shout the loudest when you score. He will know you are doing your best always because that’s what you’ve always done and your best will always be enough for him. He will always be here because you will always think about him. Someone that loved can never be gone completely because you keep him alive. You haven’t lost yourself, you have just strayed away from what you know and that’s scared you. I’ve got you. It’s okay to not be okay all the time. I’ve got you Ale.”

You sat there together for what felt like an hour but was probably no more than 10 minutes, Alexia cried and held on to you as tightly as she could. This had been sat on her chest for the last few months and she finally could breathe properly. How had you a complete stranger to her just over 2 weeks ago, come in and made her feel almost as safe as her dad used too. She couldn’t think about that, she couldn’t worry about something else right now, she just wanted to soak up this comfort. She just wanted to feel safe in your arms for a little while longer before she had to go and see where her head takes her when you are no longer there.

That’s just what you did, you held her until she pulled back. You wiped away the tears still trickling down her cheeks, you took a second to admire how beautiful she still looked even with blotchy cheeks, a red nose and puffy eyes. You caught her eyes, you could feel the pull, you knew you could get lost in those eyes. She glanced down and you knew you couldn’t not at work for one but mostly she was vulnerable right now. You rubbed your thumb along her cheekbone once, twice and then you stood up to get her a tissue.

By the time the teams first game of the season came around you and Alexia had grown even closer. Your apartment became a place you literally went to sleep with splitting your free time between time with Mapi and Leila, and Alexia. Friday nights became friends night, you spent the evening with any of the girls that wanted to be there playing games or going to the bar. Games nights were competitive, when people paired up it was carnage. You and Alexia won a lot of the time, so much so that the girls started banning you from being partners much to both of your frustrations.

Sitting on the side-lines watching the girls you had become to think of as family for the first time was the best feeling you had in ages. They played with a freedom you had not been able to witness before. You were reminded of why you loved the sport so much watching them.

It was a few weeks after that first game that Alexia entered your office after training. “Hola, I have a proposition for you.” The smirk on her face worried you.

“Hit me with it.” You gave her your full attention putting down Jenni’s file, the woman had picked up a knock in training so was not playing.

“Tomorrow’s game I want to make a bet with you. If I score more than one goal I will take you out for dinner, if I don’t you have to take me out.” You’re favourite pair of brown eyes were staring hopefully at you, and even if you didn’t want to take the bet you had too, you didn’t know if you could ever say no when she looked at you like that.

“You are on.” The pair of you shook on it, neither of you wanted to let go of each other. You were looking down at your joint hands when you felt a small tug which made you step forward slightly. You were standing with very little space between you and Alexia, you looked up at the taller woman who was already looking down at you with a soft smile on her face. Just as she was about to bring her other hand up to your face the door to the room banged against wall as you idiot best friends barged in.

“Let’s go chica we’ve got dinner plans.” You jumped away from the woman and hoped the girls hadn’t seen the close proximity of you.

“Coming, adios Alexia” You didn’t glance back, you just followed to two out.

Barcelona were playing Valencia. You were nervous. You hadn’t sent your normal goodnight text to Alexia last night, you were too scared too after what you thought almost happened in your office. The bet Alexia placed with you was on today’s game and you didn’t know how to feel, you were going to be going out to eat with her either way, something you found adorable. She could have made a bet about dinner or no dinner, but no she obviously wanted to go for dinner with you. You also realised how cocky her bet was last night when you thought about it, she would be paying if she scored multiple goals, her confidence was impressive you did have to admit to yourself.

20 minutes in and the score was still 0-0 although Barca were pushing. Oshoala scored first just after the 23rd minute when she dispossessed the keeper. 3 minutes later Alexia broke into the box and nestled her shot into the bottom corner. That was one, as she ran back to reset for kick off she caught your eye and held up one finger, causing you to laugh of course she’d let you know.

You were just sitting back down when they kicked off, the ball was won back straight away and played to Alexia who was just on the edge of the centre circle. You saw her set to shoot and she did just that. The ball sailed over the keeper who was off her line and into the back of the net. She’d won the bet in 2 minutes, of course she had. After the girls had dog pilled her she turned to you with a smirk and held up her two fingers. This girl you thought with a shake of your head.

Just to top it off 4 minutes later Caro sent in a perfect cross that Alexia got her head on and sent it into the bottom corner. A hattrick, of course she scores a hattrick. You might have to think of an extra part to the bet now. The massive grin on her face when she looked towards you was something you wish you could be on the receiving end of for a long time. Happy Alexia will always be your favourite.

The girls ended up winning the game 8-0, something that they all decided need to be celebrated. So once they had all showed, changed and got some food, you all met at your favourite bar. You were so grateful that you got on so well with all the girls, you were away invited out and it made being here so much nicer. You walked in with your two favourite idiotas, laughing at the fact Mapi had just tripped up the curb and almost taken the two of you out. Alexia was at the bar talking to Lieke when the three of you turned up.

She took a moment to appreciate the jeans and black button up you were sporting. “Alexia are you even listening” Leike laughed when she followed the womens line of sight. “Right im chopped liver now. go talk to her then” With a shove Alexia was heading in your direction.

“Hola, you look good. Do you want a drink?” The smile she sent you made your knees a little weak.

Mapi leaned into your ear “La Reina buying you a drink, someone is getting some tonight.” You elbowed her in the stomach which caused the woman to hunch over and Leila to burst out laughing.

“I would love one Ale. Get me away from the idiotas por favor” With a quick poke of your tounge at the women behind you, you were off.

You spent a couple drinks at the bar with the brunette talking to some of the other girls, you danced for a little bit with Lieke and Caro before heading back to Alexia at the bar and ordering another drink.

With a beer in your hand, you and Alexia slid into a booth in the corner of the bar facing your friends all dancing together on the dancefloor. “You won the bet” You spoke but didn’t look away from the girls in front of you.

“I did. I knew I would” You felt her shuffle closer to you, you assumed so that you could hear each other better over the noise in the bar.

“Only you could win a bet in 2 minutes and then one up yourself by doing it with a hattrick as well. I feel like I need to add something to it for that but I don’t know what.” You turned to her as you finished and were shocked at how close she was. She smelt really good, that was the first thought that registered.

“I had an important reason to score some goals. Didn’t want to leave it late. Also I could think of a thing or two I would like for my hattrick” You could feel her breath across your face, the smell of her rum and coke drifting past your senses. You felt the alcohol in your system, your eyes were slightly unfocused and all you could think about was kissing Alexia.

“Not here.” She stood up and grabbed your hand pulling you out of the booth and towards the toilets.

When you got into the hallway your back was pressed up against the wall and your senses were invaded by the most perfect woman. You looked into her eyes, the wordless question passed between you and without another second Alexia lent forward. You lips pressed together tentatively at first. Alexia’s hand ran up the side of your body into your hair tugging gently to tilt your head back which caused you to gasp into the kiss, inviting Alexia to deepen the kiss. Your hands were gripping the back of her shirt trying to pull her closer even if it was impossible. When air became a problem she pulled back only slightly, head still touching yours. The hand in your hair was now rubbing over your bottom lip so you pressed a gentle kiss too it. You looked up into the brown eye you knew you were falling for and were met with blown pupils. She leant back in and pecked your lips a few times before putting some space between you.

“We need to head back before they notice we aren’t there okay” She reached out for your hand again, which you took and she gave you a gentle squeeze before she let go and walked back towards the bar without you.

You stood there for a couple minutes, what just happened.

When you walked back into the bar Alexia was with Jenni and a couple of the others dancing and laughing. You felt wrong being there now, was that all she wanted from you this whole time.

You walked up to Mapi. “I’m going to head off, I’ve drunk too much I really don’t feel well” You tried not to let the tears building in your eyes fall, you couldn’t yet not in front of everyone.

“Okay cariño, let me grab Leila and we will go okay.” You went to protest but she was off in the direction of your other best friend before you had the chance to tell them to stay and enjoy themselves. You went and grabbed your coat from the booth while you were waiting.

“Come on then, sleepover time for us.” Leila linked her arm with one of yours and Mapi flanked the other side. You really loved these women. As you were about to walk out you caught Alexia’s eye, she had her eyebrows furrowed but didn’t make any move to come over so you just bowed your head and left. How did that end so badly.

[ladyartemesia]

All I Want For Christmas is You

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Female Reader

Summary: When Park Jimin is unable to escort his precious sister through the gauntlet of corporate holiday galas, he blackmails his best friend Taehyung into being her chaperone. After all, who better to safeguard his headstrong sibling than a man who would never want her for himself? (She and Tae have spent the better part of a decade mutually disliking each other, and that’s putting it mildly.) Yet, even the best laid plans may go awry at Christmas and Kim Taehyung is about to discover that the girl he never wanted has become a temptation he cannot resist...

Genre: Comedy • Fluff  • Smut

Tropes: Brother’s Best Friend (Reader is Jimin’s Sister) • Enemies-to-Lovers

Collab: This work is part of the Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tropes Collab featuring original holiday themed works by @ppersonna • @xjoonchildx  • @underthejoon • @yeojaa​ • @untaemedqueen • and @snackhobi

Word Count: 17K (I know—I am shocked too honestly)

Rating: Explicit (18+)

Warnings: suggestive photographs • mention of accidentally being hit with a baseball • hints of jealousy and possessiveness • light tit slapping • explicit sexual content • m/f oral sex • consensual unprotected sex (shield it before you yield it y’all) • Viola’s mirror kink makes yet another appearance •

Acknowledgements:

To @ppersonna​ (Lindy) @underthejoon​ (Fal) and @xjoonchildx​ (Ana) you guys are my heart. Your support, willingness to read (and re-read) and give honest feedback made this fic special. Your friendship is my daily dose of awesome. Truly, I love you.

To @untaemedqueen​ (D) all of the above applies to you, but I owe you a little something extra for the LITERAL HOURS you spent in the doc with me. This fic would not be here without you. You kept me moving. You inspired me. You were amazing. Thank you so very much. This story is lovingly dedicated to you. 

To @hobi-gif​ for being the most thorough and incredible beta reader and for having all the important girl chats with me. I think you learned more about my past than you wanted... Either way you made this story better and I am profoundly grateful for the hours of time you spent. I have removed all the Hope-No-No words in your honor. 

To @lemonjoonah​ as always, you knew EXACTLY what I needed to tweak to make this story work. (Gotta pass that Lemon Litmus Test or no dice lol.) My lovely soul twin. You’re a bloomin’ rockstar. 

Please Picture This Taehyung:

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Yes. Because you absolutely owe me.”

“Then send me a bill, not your unmanageable harpy of a sister.”

Jimin raised a single unimpressed brow. 

“Kim Taehyung. It was exactly five years ago today that I carried your drunken naked ass two miles in the rain after you set your clothes on fire and sprained your ankle at that Beta Phi party.” He paused dramatically. “Do you remember what you said to me that night? After I deleted several pictures off phones and paid off half the party to keep it out of the papers?”

The man in question shifted uncomfortably.

“That incident is a bit hazy in my memory. I’m not sure I recall—”

“Jiminie—you’re the best and I—I owe… you. I owe you the most, Jiminie. I do—I owe you a favor—one BIG favor—anything you ask… Even though... I actually like being naked. I don’t think we need clothes. We should all be naked. Everyone. Then there would be world peace.”

Taehyung’s jaw dropped. 

“You RECORDED IT?!”

Jimin grinned, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

“Naturally. And I had it all ready to go—just in case you needed extra convincing.” He crossed his arms and fixed his best friend of nearly fifteen years with a triumphant smirk. “I’m calling in that favor today, Taehyung. Now are you a man of your word or not?”

“He did WHAT?!”

Your mother winced. 

“Jimin was... uncomfortable leaving you alone for the holiday season. He normally accompanies you to the galas but this year—”

“This year I was going to go alone and finally build my reputation as an asset to this family!”

Park Soomin sighed as she watched her daughter pace fiercely around the living room of their luxury suite. 

“No one doubts that you’re an asset, but… in light of recent events...”

Rage and embarrassment flared up in your chest before you could stop them. 

“This is about Milo… isn’t it?”

The silence that greeted your statement was confirmation enough. 

“Are you ever going to trust me again?” you whispered. 

“Oh sweetheart... it isn’t you we don’t trust...”

Tears burned at the corner of your eyes, but you ruthlessly blinked them back. 

You would play along with their humiliating schemes. 

For now.

“So which one of Jimin’s Ivy League brat pack did he blackmail into babysitting me? 

For the first time in the entirety of the conversation, your mother looked truly nervous. 

“Kim Taehyung.”

You tripped over your own feet and face-planted into the sofa. 

“Jungkook, I need to look into faking my own death. Nothing too over the top. Just a tasteful disappearance—”

The man in question could barely restrain his grin. 

“You don’t pay me nearly enough to deal with your mother in the event of your tragic demise and miraculous resurrection.”

“I could pay you more.”

“Or,” Jungkook replied with a heavy dose of judgment coloring his tone, “you could put on this ridiculous tie and stop trying to weasel out of it.”

“Sometimes I wonder why I pay you at all,” Taehyung growled, yanking the tie from the younger man’s grasp. “Clearly I’m not the one in charge.”

“Your words, sir, not mine. Now shall we go over the details and itinerary?”

If Jeon Jungkook wasn’t the best executive aide in the city (and one of his closest friends) Tae would have drop-kicked him right then and there.

“Could you at least try to look like you’re not enjoying this?”

“I’m sorry, sir. It was insensitive of me to ignore your suffering in this delicate time. The trauma of escorting a beautiful woman to a series of glorified buffets weighs heavily upon you.”

Taehyung tightened the tie so aggressively, he almost strangled himself.

“Beautiful woman?!” he wheezed. “We’re talking about the girl who showed up to our formal graduation party looking like she just escaped from Azkaban.”

Jungkook bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. 

“Tae… how long has it been since you’ve actually seen Ms. Park?” 

“Seen? Maybe three—four years.”

The heir-apparent of Kim Holdings avoided the public end of corporate culture like the plague, preferring to leave the requisite schmoozing to his personable cousin, Kim Seokjin. 

However, he had crossed paths with his adolescent nemesis in... other ways. 

Taehyung was romancing a lovely young socialite who suddenly ghosted him after someone told her that he wanted at least eight naturally-birthed children. 

Soon after, your favorite charity received an anonymous 30,000 dollar donation requesting that you be featured in the dunk tank for an upcoming benefit carnival and then the same anonymous patron paid for at least fifteen little league teams to attend. 

In retaliation, someone petitioned the National Aviary Society (chaired by a very influential senator’s wife that no one ever refused if they wanted their permits to go through) to make Taehyung the MC at their annual awards ceremony—knowing full well he was allergic to birds (not dangerously allergic—just enough to be miserable).  

Taehyung had sniffled and sneezed through approximately one hundred parrots, parakeets, and other assorted fowl until he was ready to commit murder. 

The last several years had been littered with similar incidents of the two of you taking thinly veiled potshots at one another. 

“I can’t imagine she’s changed very much,” Taehyung bit off absently. His mind was abruptly consumed by how he could get revenge for those demonic birds. 

He didn’t notice the smile creeping over Jungkook’s face. 

“No, sir. I’m sure she hasn’t changed at all.”

Taehyung had only ever had the wind knocked out of him once before. 

He was Dionysia High School’s star pitcher for three seasons and during one particularly tense game against JY Prep, Lim Jaebeom whacked a line drive right into his solar plexus. 

That’s how it felt to look up and see you at the top of the stairs. 

In his head, you were still the mischievous imp from his childhood. Every prank he played was directed at the fierce little fiend with braids and braces who’d knocked him and his date into the university fountain while experimenting with her friend’s skateboard. 

But she was gone… and in her place was something far more dangerous. 

A woman. 

Silken fabric wrapped tightly over curves you definitely didn’t have four years ago. That wild hair had been tamed into shining waves and pinned elegantly at the nape of your neck. The wicked slit that traveled all the way up your thigh teased a smooth shapely leg that all but demanded the viewer fantasize about running their hand up the length of it. 

Suddenly it was very clear why Park Jimin wouldn’t let his sister venture into the corporate cesspool alone. 

Because the sight of you could make a man desperate. 

Betrayal—of all things—slowly crept over Taehyung as you descended toward him like some sort of angel floating down from the heavens. 

His mind went blank. Just watching the seductive shift of your hips as you swayed ever closer felt like a violation of his friendship with Jimin. He could feel the judgmental stares of an imaginary Bro-Code Council boring into him from on high. 

“I see you’ve recovered from your memorable tenure as the Aviary Society’s Master of Ceremonies.”

And just like that the brat was back. 

Taehyung breathed a hefty sigh of relief, secretly thrilled to be in familiar territory with you. 

“Naturally I was delighted to help Senator Mitchell’s wife. In fact, Mitchell’s office just fast tracked all my pending permit requests for the new year.” He tilted forward, coming into your space a bit. “I should really send you a thank you card.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you scowled, breezing past him like an indignant queen. 

Tae could practically see the steam pouring out of your ears. 

“Of course not,” he chuckled.

The first gala of the holiday season was an extravagant annual affair hosted by Min Corp., a Seoul based investment firm that commanded billions in assets. This year, the theme of the event was the Joseon Dynasty and the entire ballroom had been gloriously transformed into a stunning celebration of the Min family’s royal heritage. 

Attendees were gifted their own traditional fan, each uniquely crafted by artisans from Damyang. Taehyung’s was all black with bold silver calligraphy while yours was a beautiful bamboo and silk piece decorated with pomegranate trees. 

You had already whacked three people with it by the time dinner was served. 

“It really is a pity these fell out of fashion,” you lamented. “They’re quite useful.”

“You are deranged,” Taehyung mumbled, massaging his temples in exasperation. 

“Nonsense. I only fanned those who deserved it.”

“Harkins?”

“He was staring at my rack for a solid minute.”

Taehyung could hardly blame the man, it was a battle he himself was losing after all, but Harkins was twice your age and married—therefore his ogling was in especially poor taste. 

“Okay... What about Kang?” 

“He was verbally abusing one of the waitstaff.” 

“Alright, fair enough, but why on earth would you go after sweet old Mrs. O’Malley?”

“She was about to grab your ass.”

Taehyung’s mouth dropped open.

“She’s eighty-five!”

“And still kickin’ apparently.” You shook your head in disgust. “As if I’d whack an eighty-five year-old woman for anything less than non-consensual touching.”

“I- I- mean—surely you must be mistaken,” he coughed. 

“Oh, there’s no mistake. That nasty old crone is a serial offender. She likes to play it off as dementia, but she’s as sharp as a tack. Last year she got a whole handful of Jimin. Honestly, I’d call the police on her, but the commissioner is her grandson so I doubt I’d get very far.”

Taehyung turned to the woman in question just in time to see her totter lecherously toward Jung Hoseok, fingers already twitching in anticipation. 

“Is nothing sacred?” he mused hollowly. 

You shrugged. 

“Many people who accumulate as much as our families have start believing that they are entitled to whatever strikes their fancy.” Your eyes met his with a hint of bemusement. “Surely you should be used to this sort of thing by now?”

“Yes, but I was hardly expecting it from little old ladies!”

The remainder of dinner was a terse affair where you pretended he didn’t exist for the entire meal and he in turn pretended that the spunky young heiress seated to his right was the most darling creature to ever walk the earth. By dessert she was ready to get married and you were ready to vomit. 

Afterward, Taehyung found himself quickly converted to your views on fan usefulness as you began strolling through the crowd intent on strengthening your family’s corporate ties. 

“Kim Taehyung,” you ground out through clenched teeth, “how am I supposed to do business if you keep stabbing everyone I speak to!”

“I don’t know what you’re implying. I’m simply not used to carrying one of these. I may have accidentally grazed a few overzealous individuals—”

“My last three conversations have been rudely disrupted by the blunt end of that accused fan.”

Taehyung crossed his arms smugly. 

“And what of it? Jimin sent me along to keep an eye on you and the gentlemen in question were hardly behaving themselves. No one has to put their hand in my back or lean that close to me when they’re talking business.” 

“That’s because no one wants to get that close to you,” you replied sweetly. “You’re gross.” 

A devastating grin slid slowly over his features as he leaned forward to whisper in your ear. 

“I can think of several women who might disagree.”

He just barely caught the hitch in your breath before- 

“Like who? Miss Blushes-and-Giggles from dinner?”

“Jealous?” Taehyung drawled cockily. 

“Only in your dreams, Kim.” Then, with a deliberate flick of your fan, you turned your back to him. “I’m headed for the ladies room. Do yourself a favor and don’t follow me in.”

It was twenty minutes before Taehyung realized that you slipped out the back entrance of the restroom. 

It took another ten for him to locate you on the balcony flirting outrageously with Min Yoongi. 

The young heir of Min Corp. was just leaning closer to whisper sweet nothings in your ear when a black fan slid right in between the two of you. 

“Lovely weather we’re having,” Taehyung observed cheerfully. His eyes bounced between you and Yoongi with barely concealed fury and you let out a miserable groan. 

“Mr. Kim,” Yoongi cleared his throat significantly. “What an… unexpected surprise.”

Frustration clawed at your chest as your overbearing guardian nodded smugly in response. 

It was time to teach him—and Jimin—a lesson. 

“Yoongi,” you sighed, sliding your hand pointedly through the crook of his arm, “I’m not feeling at all well. Would you perhaps… escort me home?”

Taehyung suddenly looked as if he’d swallowed a live octopus. 

Yoongi grinned, clearly thrilled with the prospect of simultaneously spending more time with you and irritating Taehyung. 

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Jimin is gonna kill me,” Taehyung grumbled as he watched Min Yoongi help you into the passenger seat of his Aston Martin. 

An ugly green feeling he refused to identify twisted sharply in his gut when you smiled coyly at the other man. 

“This is ridiculous,” he snarled to no one in particular before yanking his phone out of his pocket. 

Jungkook picked up on the second ring. 

“Sir?”

“I need you to drive to Ms. Park’s apartment and tell me if she goes in alone or if Min Yoongi goes in with her.”

“You want me to what?!” 

“Just do it!” he snapped, downing an entire glass of champagne before signaling his own driver. 

Fifteen minutes later his phone vibrated from the car seat next to him. 

1 New Message from: Jungkook

Her building has four separate entrances. Which one do I watch? 

Taehyung could practically feel the vein pulsing in his forehead as he scrolled through his contacts. 

You picked up on the fourth ring. 

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Oh it’s you… Wait—how did you get this number?”

“Jimin. Obviously. Now please answer the question.”

“Oh a ‘please.’ Who knew you had manners?”

“Answer the question, Park. I’m tired.”

The distinct sound of a zipper unzipping carried through the speaker. 

“I’m at home, of course. Where else would I be? I just got here like a minute ago.”

He had a sudden vision of Min Yoongi helping you out of your dress. His grip on the phone tightened. 

“Are you alone?”

You snorted. 

“I don’t see how that is any of your business.”

Taehyung saw red. 

“I’m coming over.”

There was a loud crash and several colorful words in at least three different languages. 

“Wha- No! I’m trying to go to bed!”

“With who?!”

“With myself, you idiot!”

“Prove it!”

“Fine! I will!”

The line disconnected and Taehyung swore loudly. He was just about to direct the driver to your building when his phone went off again. 

1 New Message from: Park Gremlin 

He almost choked on his tongue. 

You were clearly in the middle of undressing and—in your irritation—probably hadn’t looked too carefully at the picture you sent.  

At first glance it was simply a shot of your empty room (presumably “proof” that you were alone) but you neglected to consider the floor-length mirror hanging in the far corner…

A mirror that showed you angrily holding up your phone with your gown pooled deliciously around your waist and the soft round swells of your breasts strapped into lacy red lingerie. 

You were exquisite. 

A fierce, hot sensation gripped him ruthlessly, and this time there was no mistaking it. 

Desire. 

Your phone lit up on the bed where you tossed it after snapping a photo for your tightly-wound man nanny. 

1 New Message from: Kim Grinch 

I didn’t know you liked Van Gogh. 

Your head tilted in confusion. 

There was a Van Gogh print in your room, but he couldn’t have seen it because it was behind you when-

Oh NO.

You gasped, scrolling back up to confirm what deep down you already knew to be true. 

… You just sent Kim Taehyung a topless mirror selfie. 

Several miles away, smiling smugly in the backseat of his town car, Taehyung was sure he could almost hear you screaming. 

“Good morning, sir. Which would you like first; the bad news or the worse news?”

Taehyung groaned from underneath his covers. 

“Don’t you ever knock? I could have a woman up here.”

“You’ve never brought a woman up here.”

“Is that the bad news?” Taehyung yawned. 

“No,” Jungkook tossed a small stack of newspapers and printed digital articles into his lap, “this is the bad news.”

Pictures of you, Min Yoongi, and even himself were splashed over the front pages of all of them. 

PARK ANGEL TRADES ONE CORPORATE HEIR FOR ANOTHER AT MIN GALA

WHO WILL WIN THE PARK ANGEL’S HEART? KIM TAEHYUNG OR MIN YOONGI? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS

NEW ROMANCE ALERT? PARK ANGEL LEAVES JOSEON BALL WITH MIN SCION 

“The Park Angel?” 

“That’s what the media calls her... The public is rather fascinated with her actually.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Taehyung mumbled. 

“Of course not, sir. It’s a great mystery.”

As usual, Taehyung chose to ignore his aide’s lethal snark and pressed on to the matter at hand. 

“This is a flaming disaster.”

“Oh I don’t know. I really appreciated the picture of you staring on forlornly while she and Yoongi climbed into the Aston Martin. Takes a real gift to capture all that drama in a single frame.”

“Which one was that?!” 

“It’s right under the MAN DOWN: PARK ANGEL LEAVES KIM TAEHYUNG HEARTBROKEN headline.”

Tae ran his hand down over his face in exasperation. 

“I’m surprised my mother hasn’t called.”

“She has. Twice.”

“I don’t suppose that’s the ‘worse news’ is it?”

“No.”

“Of course it isn’t. I’m never that lucky.” He collapsed backwards into his pillows with a beleaguered huff. “Go ahead then. Tell me.”

“Park Jimin is on the line for you right now.”

After a small eternity on the phone with Jimin (assuring him that NO Min Yoongi had not despoiled his precious sister and YES he would definitely do better next time), Taehyung was forced to attend an impromptu brunch with his mother. It took considerable effort, but he was eventually able to convince her that you were neither breaking his heart nor expecting his child. 

By the time he arrived to collect you for this evening’s event, Taehyung was already sick of hearing your name (he’d spoken it no less than three hundred times since Jungkook woke him this morning).

You were in much the same boat as Taehyung, having spent most of the afternoon pacifying Jimin and clearing up your own mother’s romantic delusions regarding the Min and Kim heirs respectively. 

Tonight’s gala was a Victorian Christmas Ball thrown by the National Literary Fund and the entire venue had been transformed into a Charles Dickens fever dream. 

Unlike the Min Gala (whose theme was guarded like a state secret every year) the Literary Fund’s tribute to A Christmas Carol was tradition and you were dressed accordingly in a custom corset gown with gorgeous detailing. 

Every second of effort it took to lace yourself into the monstrosity was worth the look on Taehyung’s face the moment you slipped off your cape. 

“Something wrong, Mr. Kim?”

Taehyung was desperately trying to look literally anywhere but your chest, where said corset was serving up your breasts like a debauched buffet. 

Jimin. Think of Jimin. Think of what Jimin will do to you. Think of how much trouble she’s caused-

He peeked again.

I would pay a million dollars to suck those tits. 

“Nothing at all,” his voice cracked. 

The itinerary for the evening included performances by a local children’s choir, a traditional waltz, and—of course—dinner.

You both managed to get along without snapping at each other during the choral performance, but as two of the largest donors to the Children’s Literacy Initiative, neither of you could escape being drawn into the waltz. 

The energetic socialite who Taehyung flirted with over dinner the previous night eventually lured him onto the floor while you graciously accepted an invitation from a lovely older gentleman who chaired the Fund’s event committee. 

For the first few movements, you were thoroughly enjoying yourself. Mr. Lee was charming, respectful, and still an excellent dancer despite his advanced age. It wasn’t until a familiar sound caught your attention that the lightness in your chest suddenly felt heavy...

Taehyung was laughing. 

You heard him do so many times over the years, and in each instance, the carefree magic of it never failed to make your heart flutter. 

But now he was smiling down at the pretty little heiress and laughing for her… and the flutter in your chest was accompanied by something else. 

Something that felt an awful lot like longing. 

“Does he know you look at him like that?” Mr. Lee asked quietly. 

Your eyes flew guiltily to his, but it was too late. The old man had caught a glimpse of the secret you buried deeply for more than a decade; so deeply, in fact, there were times you almost forgot it yourself...

Almost. 

“No,” you whispered, “he has no idea.” 

Disaster struck at dinner. 

Taehyung quite liked dancing with the lovely Miss Something-or-Other. She was sweet and funny and (unlike with you) he wasn’t constantly torn between agitation and raging inappropriate lust in her presence. 

The cold shoulder you offered him when he took his seat seemed even more frigid than usual and he spent half the meal wondering what he’d done to earn your amplified disdain when suddenly—

Your hand smacked down on his wrist, seizing it in a vise-like grip. 

Taehyung nearly choked on his steak and was about to give you a searing set-down over your spontaneous grabby-ness when he noticed your expression. 

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, leaning forward in concern. 

“I-I need—” 

It looked as if you were in some sort of physical pain and Taehyung was rapidly becoming worried. 

“I need your help,” you finally managed to whimper and the next thing he knew, you were dragging him away from the table and into one of the secluded alcoves near the main entrance hall. 

“Is there anyone around? Can anyone see us?” The look on your face bordered on unhinged. 

“No. There’s no one. Park, are you okay? What’s going on I—”

“I need you to unlace my dress,” you hissed frantically. 

At that moment, a bomb could have gone off and Taehyung wouldn’t have blinked. 

You, however, were completely preoccupied with your own distress and therefore oblivious to his. 

“My earring broke during dinner and fell down there and now it’s stabbing me—”

Your eyes were beginning to tear. Taehyung remained frozen, still trying to figure out whether or not this was a lucid dream. 

“—it’s definitely pierced the skin and there’s a possibility I’m gonna start bleeding through the fabric—”

The mention of blood snapped him out of his daze somewhat. 

“A-Alright. Just turn around—brace yourself on that wall.”

You quickly did as you were told and Taehyung began to tug fruitlessly at the ties cross-crossing your back.

“Why won’t this—”

His fingers fumbled over the knots, desperately trying to loosen them, but they simply wouldn’t budge. 

“I can’t—I can’t get it. Whoever helped you into this thing made sure you weren’t getting out of it.” 

You whined in frustration and the earring shifted a bit in response. 

There was only one other way to fix this (and you would almost rather be in pain). 

“Taehyung I—” you turned to face him again, forcing your eyes shut before reluctantly doing what had to be done “... I need you to reach down the front of my dress and get it.”

He blinked. Twice. 

“I’m sorry—What did you just—”

“Please, Tae,” you whispered desperately, letting your lip tremble in a way he had never been able to resist, “it hurts…”

He gulped. 

His eyes dropped to the matter at hand.

This is fine. Everything’s fine. She’s in pain, right? You’re basically a doctor right now. You’re just going slide your hand in between the most mouthwatering pair of breasts you’ve ever seen and then—

Taehyung’s manic inner monologue was interrupted by the sound of his own moan. He immediately faked a coughing fit to cover it and prayed you hadn’t noticed. 

(You hadn’t. You were actively being stabbed.) 

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” he muttered, curling his fingers over the scalloped edge of the bodice. 

You bit your lip, desperately trying to hold back any reaction, but when his knuckle brushed the pebbled tip of your nipple, you gasped. 

Oh.

His hand stuttered, lingering a moment too long over the tight little peak as his gaze suddenly shot up to meet yours. Both of you had been studiously avoiding eye contact, yet now it was as if neither of you could look away. 

Taehyung wet his lips reflexively. 

“It’s too tight,” he whispered, “I need more leverage.” 

Then his arm wrapped over the curve of your lower back and he drew you tightly against him, anchoring your hips just enough to fully slip his hand between your body and the corset. 

You were so warm.

So soft...

“I can feel it,” he grunted, “but I can’t get a good grip on it.” 

His mouth pressed into a tight line as he leaned forward, bringing your back up against the wall. You let out a little squeak and his eyes darted briefly down to your mouth before he spoke again. 

“Hold on to me.”  

You nodded and wordlessly slid your arms around his waist.

If you concentrated hard enough, you could almost pretend that this wasn’t one of the most erotic moments of your life. 

You could almost pretend that it meant nothing. 

Your mind was spinning wildly, wondering what he was thinking, wondering if he noticed how strangely you were breathing or how hard your heart was beating...

“I’ve got it,” he murmured. Shivers shot down your spine at the dark timbre of his voice. 

He was so close. You could feel every word he spoke brushing softly against your skin. 

“On ‘three’ I’m going to pull it out… Are you ready?”

You drew in a final steadying breath. 

“Do it.”

He nodded. 

“One… Two… Three—”

Taehyung yanked his hand back and several things happened at once. 

Your breasts bounced almost entirely out of the corset. 

The decorative clasps on the front of your gown tangled with the buttons on his shirt and when he pulled back, three of them went flying off like stray bullets. 

And finally, the corset didn’t relinquish Taehyung’s hand quite quickly enough and, as a result, you toppled forward and crashed down on top of him, smashing your newly bare breasts to his newly bare chest. 

It could have been ten seconds or ten hours that passed by while the two of you lay there, breathing heavily in a pile of confused arousal when—

“... Is… everything alright here?”

You both looked up to find a thoroughly scandalized member of the waitstaff standing over you. 

Taehyung saw his life flash before his eyes—ending (of course) with Jimin murdering him for this. 

He gulped again. 

“I can explain.” 

It was decided—for the sake of appearances—that you would both leave the venue (immediately) in separate vehicles. 

Taehyung dropped a cool three hundred in crisp bills on the unfortunate waiter in order to help him ‘forget’ whatever he may or may not have seen. 

Neither of you spoke another word to each other in the ten minutes it took to bribe all the appropriate parties, gather your coats, and call for two separate town cars. 

Something had happened when he touched you; a subtle shift in the precarious balance of your relationship that you both felt keenly, but could not possibly begin to define. 

Taehyung barely even remembered climbing into the back of a vehicle. His body was firing on auto-pilot after the sensory overload of the last half hour. It wasn’t until he was nearly home that he realized he was still holding onto your earring. 

His mind began to wander as he examined the troublesome bauble in his palm. It was a striking piece; deceptively complex and unexpectedly beautiful. 

Just like you.

He told himself that the heat pooling low in his belly was anger—that the strange anxiousness to be near you was simply a desire for retribution—that it was merely platonic curiosity that left his hands aching to explore the rest of your curves. 

Lies.

… and pitifully transparent ones at that. 

Still, he clung to them desperately out of self-preservation. 

The gentle hum of his phone suddenly disturbed Taehyung’s silent contemplation. 

1 New Message from: Park Gremlin 

I made it home safely. 

Taehyung’s fingers were typing a reply before he could properly consider the consequence of his actions. 

To: Park Gremlin

I require proof… like last time. 

He nearly threw the phone the moment he sent it, running his hands down over his face in disbelief. 

You’re playing with fire, Kim Taehyung. 

And he was burning up already. He had no business sending you texts like that. Maybe you wouldn’t catch it. Maybe he could just-

The phone went off again and it was embarrassing how quickly he scrambled to open your response. 

His heart stuttered in his chest. His breathing ceased entirely-

And he knew—he knew—there was no coming back from this.

At first glance the photo was nearly identical to the shot you sent him last night. Same room, same angle… 

same mirror.

Yet this time, the reflection was quite different. 

The temptress in the glass wore nothing but that sinfully delicious corset and a pair of silky lace thigh highs, each accented with a green satin bow. 

He wanted to rip them off with his teeth. 

 “Oh Taehyung,” he whispered, as a dark wave primitive longing tore through him, “you are in so much trouble.”

Across town (buried beneath a pile of blankets) you were still struggling to process the boldness of your own actions when his response lit up your screen. 

1 New Message from: Kim Grinch

Green is my favorite color. 

“WHERE IS HE—”

Taehyung awoke to a series of crashes and shouts echoing from the floor below him. 

Jungkook was already seated in the corner of the room reading a newspaper. 

“Good morning, sir,” he said without looking up. “Would you like the bad news or the worse news?”

Suddenly the french doors of his bedroom slammed open and one very irate Park Jimin stormed through. 

“I swear I should have seen this coming. The two of you have always been obsessed with each other, but I never imagined—”

Taehyung’s eyes widened guiltily. He quickly schooled his features into a confused glare. 

“Jimin, I’ve only been awake for fifteen seconds. What the hell are you talking about?!”

Another stack of newspapers hit his lap and this time the pictures were mostly of him with his shirt ripped halfway down his chest. 

KIM HEIR AND PARK ANGEL CAUSE AN OLD-FASHIONED SCANDAL AT VICTORIAN BALL

FORGET MISTLETOE: KIM TAEHYUNG DISCOVERED UNDER THE PARK ANGEL AT CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

NAUGHTY NOEL? PARK ANGEL’S STEAMY AFFAIR WITH CORPORATE PRINCE 

PARK ANGEL TOPS KIM TAEHYUNG’S CHRISTMAS TREE

He winced a bit at that last one. 

“You have ten seconds to explain before I start throwing things.”

Taehyung opened his mouth to do just that, but he was interrupted when his mother marched into the room waving the same articles that Jimin had just thrown at him. 

“KIM TAEHYUNG I raised you better than this! How could you!? That poor girl!”

“Mother!” he squeaked, yanking his blanket up over his chest like a frightened debutante. 

Jungkook began surreptitiously filming the whole debacle from the corner. 

“Indeed,” Jimin added darkly, crossing his arms over his chest, “how could you?”

Taehyung sighed heavily. 

“Is anyone else going to come charging into my bedroom?”

“Just answer me once and for all, is she pregnant?” 

“WHAT?!” 

“NO! Mother! Oh my—”

“Why does your mom think my little sister is pregnant?!”

Taehyung waved his arms wildly in exasperation. 

“My mom thinks everyone is pregnant! You know this!”

Jungkook could no longer contain his hysterical cackling. He very nearly fell off the chair trying to hold it all in. 

“Mr. Jeon,” Taehyung ground out irritably, “if it’s not too much trouble, could you please escort everyone out of my bedroom so I can get dressed!” 

“So you see—I was basically like a doctor,” Taehyung finished emphatically. 

He spent the past twenty minutes explaining to the entire table (which now included both you and your mother) why it was necessary to shove his hand down the front of your dress. 

Park Soomin had shown up at his door looking for answers (and dragging you behind her like a sacrificial lamb) about three minutes after Jimin. 

You had taken one look at Jimin’s murderous expression and insisted that the situation be evaluated over breakfast at the cafe down the street (where there were lots of witnesses). 

Which was how you, Taehyung, Jimin, and both your mothers ended up discussing your cleavage over coffee in a public restaurant. 

Jimin was the first to break. It was a few snorts at first, but he was basically in tears by the end of it, wheezing about how he never doubted Taehyung for a second and holding on to his sides from laughing too hard. 

Taehyung’s gaze met yours for a brief, heated exchange. He conveniently forgot to mention your slightly-less-than-explainable ‘check-in’ texts, but their existence was palpable in the air between you. 

“I think I’ll take a walk,” you muttered, excusing yourself from the complicated atmosphere at the table. 

Taehyung’s eyes lingered on you a tad too long as you wandered away, a fact that wasn’t missed by either of your mothers.

“Just a few more events and you can go back to not seeing her at all,” Jimin chuckled, patting him on the back. 

“Yeah,” Taehyung answered with a tight smile. “That’s… great.”

The cafe had a lovely little balcony area decorated with all sorts of comforting Christmas foliage. It was far more inviting than the awkward conversation and confusing stares you and Taehyung had been trading all morning. 

For the first time in the nearly fifteen years of your relationship (such as it was) you didn’t know where you stood with him… and it bothered you more than you cared to admit. 

Taehyung had always been important to you, whether you wanted him to be or not. He mattered—effortlessly—from the first moment you met him and continued to do so without regard for your sanity. 

Whatever was building between you now would almost certainly bring change… though what kind of change was anyone’s guess. 

It was hard to imagine the years ahead without the strange excitement he always brought to your life, but some things were simply out of your control…

“I never thought I’d see you here.”

A profoundly unpleasant feeling (something similar to falling through the ice on a frozen pond) overtook you. 

“Milo.” Even saying his name felt gross. You sighed. “What is so strange about seeing me here?”

The man in question blushed in a way you once found irresistible. 

“I looked for you everywhere. All your usual places—”

“I avoided them.”

I avoided you. 

Milo nodded. 

“I—I figured.” 

He took a step closer and you instinctively moved back. The hurt in his eyes was unmistakable, but you had long since become immune. 

“What are you doing?” you hissed angrily. “I thought I made myself clear the last time we spoke.”

“Yes, but—” his hand reached out to curl over your forearm and you recoiled, “you didn’t give me a chance to explain—”

“Excuse me.” 

You both turned to see Kim Taehyung with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at Milo like he was a roach that crawled across his dinner plate. 

“Your mother sent me to come find you. She wants to leave.” 

You nodded and moved to pull away, but Milo’s grip tightened on your arm. 

“No—please if you just give me a minute—”

“That is enough,” Taehyung snarled, seizing the other man’s hand and forcibly removing it from your person. He angled his body between the two of you protectively. “I think it’s time for you to go.”

Milo’s eyes narrowed. 

“You’re Kim Taehyung. I read all about you in the papers this morning.” His lips twisted into an ugly sneer as he addressed you. “You really think you’re better off with him if that’s the way he treats you?”

Taehyung tensed menacingly beside you, but you laid a gentle hand on his arm to calm him. 

“None of that is any of your concern.” Your gaze rose to meet his defiantly. “Nothing about me is your concern anymore.”

Milo’s eyes fell to where your palm rested on the other man’s sleeve, noticing the way you both unconsciously leaned toward one another. 

“This isn’t over,” he muttered, storming off. 

After he was gone, you let out a breath you hadn’t known you were holding. 

“Thank you,” you whispered (though you couldn’t resist adding), “I could have handled it myself of course…”

Taehyung laughed. 

“Oh I know. I was at that party where you knocked out Tyler Jung for grabbing your ass.” 

You grinned. 

“I’d forgotten about that.”

“Well I’m sure Tyler hasn’t.” 

(He neglected to mention that he split Tyler’s lip behind the library the next day, just to make sure it was extra memorable for him.) 

“I wish I could forget about Milo.”

“... Are you still in love with him?” 

The words tasted like ash in his mouth. 

“No.” You smiled softly. “I’m not sure I was ever in love with him actually. It’s more—” you sighed, “—embarrassment… wounded pride.”

Taehyung tilted his head curiously and you found yourself continuing. 

“In the beginning, he was very playful and charming—and obviously handsome. He reminded me so much of—”

you. 

You cleared your throat. 

“Anyway… I was quite taken with him at first. I didn’t suspect any ulterior motives.” You shrugged, trying to hold back the unpleasant emotions that always threatened to overrun you in moments like this. “I just thought he liked me.”

Taehyung’s eyes filled with sympathy and understanding as you spoke. It felt oddly natural to open up to him this way. 

“Jimin is very protective of me—with good reason it turns out. He was suspicious of Milo and hired people to do some discreet digging.”

Your hands wrapped around your body for both warmth and comfort. 

“Milo’s family owns several companies, just like ours, but they’re all struggling. His father sent him to me hoping that he would eventually get compromising information… a sex tape or photographs—something of that nature. They intended to blackmail Jimin into doing business with them.”

Taehyung felt his jaw clench painfully. Fury, hot and profound, rolled through him. 

“I should kill him.”

You shook your head, amused in spite of yourself. 

“That’s exactly what Jimin said.”

“He has good instincts.”

“Scum like Milo aren’t worth it,” you chuckled. “He never got what he wanted… but I was still mortified. I felt like such a fool for believing him.”

“No,” Taehyung’s hands slid up to cup your shoulders, “it’s not foolish to believe that someone cared for you.”

It would be so easy to care for you. 

“Besides…” his eyes fell briefly to your lips as he searched for the right words, “I saw the way he looked at you and—even though he’s clearly a terrible person—I believe his feelings may have been genuine.”

You nodded. 

“That’s what he keeps trying to tell me—that he did have bad intentions, but ended up falling for me anyway.” You shook your head. “As If I could believe a word he says.”

The silence between you stretched comfortably. Taehyung sensed you had more to say, so he waited until you were ready to voice it. 

“I think that’s why I’m so sensitive about handling things on my own lately… and just now even. I want to prove to everyone—to myself—that I’m not a liability.”

“Hey,” he whispered, tipping your chin up till your gazes met, “no one thinks you’re a liability. And even if you are capable, no one should have to fight their own battles all the time—especially when they’re emotionally compromised…” His thumb gently brushed away the small tear that escaped down the curve of your cheek. “That’s the benefit of having people who care about you.”

“... Like you?” 

The words left you so softly, you could almost imagine they were still in your head where they likely should have stayed. 

Taehyung’s eyes widened in surprise. His gaze became even more intent and you ceased breathing altogether. After a moment his lips parted as if he was about to speak- 

“What’s going on, guys?”

You both jerked back at the sound of your brother’s voice. He was standing in the entrance to the balcony, gaze darting suspiciously between the two of you. 

Taehyung was a bit dazed, but you were always quicker on your feet. 

“I ran into Milo… Tae was calming me down.”

Jimin’s eyes hardened immediately. 

“Where is he?”

“Long gone,” you mumbled, ambling over to the familiar warmth of his arms. “I just want to go home.” 

The Black and White Ball was one of the most coveted invitations of the holiday season. 

The dress code was quite strict (all black or all white—no exceptions) and it was one of the few events where people actually arrived in limousines. 

Taehyung loathed limousines. He felt absurdly pretentious pulling up to your building in such a gauche ride, but traditions and appearances meant too much in his world to simply disregard them. 

His ensemble for the evening was a beautifully tailored black suit with hand-stitched baroque detailing. Oddly, he found himself wondering what you would think of it... 

“You look like a vampire.”

Taehyung turned at the sound of your voice and was struck, yet again, by how incredibly beautiful you were. 

You had chosen to wear white, donning an exquisite gown with delicate pearl beading and a daring sweetheart neckline that molded perfectly to your frame. 

If he looked like a vampire, you were surely an angel. 

Still…

Angel or not, he couldn’t let that comment pass. 

“I think I’m offended.”

“I can’t imagine why. After all, loads of women are attracted to Nosferatu.”

Taehyung’s eyes narrowed. 

“There are so many sexy vampires in popular culture, but you just had to lump me in with the creepy bald one...”

You shrugged playfully. 

“I wouldn’t want you to think I was going soft.”

A wicked grin danced over your lips as you strolled past him regally—just as you had many times before... 

This time, however, he let his eyes linger a little longer on the view. 

Lord have mercy. 

“Of course not,” he coughed. 

“You’re what?!”

You rolled your eyes.

Tonight had been going rather well. 

The two of you formed a mutual unspoken agreement to pretend that your last encounter on the balcony (and on the phone) had never happened and (despite the heated glances you occasionally traded) the bickering and playful banter characteristic of your relationship had all but returned to normal...

Until Taehyung learned of your participation in the evening’s main event. 

“I told you, I’m part of the date auction this year.”

“Does your brother know about this?!”

“I didn’t see any reason to bother him with it.” You were suddenly preoccupied with your nails. 

“Woman,” Taehyung sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “are you trying to make my life difficult?”

“No, I’m just naturally gifted in that respect.”

You turned and began making your way to the front, but Taehyung was hot on your heels and clearly not ready to let the matter rest. 

“I cannot believe you’re actually going through with this! It’s not 1810, you know. We shouldn’t just auction off women for dates—”

“You’re absolutely right, Tae Tae.” You brushed a condescending pat over his cheek. “Nowadays we auction off the men too.”

Then you sauntered off to join the rest of the participating women—and men—backstage, leaving Taehyung to stew about the entire situation from the crowd. 

“As you know, all proceeds from tonight’s auction go to fight childhood hunger right here in our city. For legal purposes, I must advise all bidders that you are only bidding on the company of the individual in question.”

Taehyung shook his head. “Jimin is probably going to kill me for this.”

“If you place the winning bid, then you and your date will receive two VIP tickets to the Governor's Winter Wonderland Gala which comes with a variety of amenities including; a luxury limousine service, one of the private and famously romantic Winter Wonderland dinner experiences—”

His eyes fluttered shut. “Jimin is definitely gonna kill me for this.” 

“—unlimited free drinks, ten complimentary tickets for each of the grand prize raffles, photos with the Governor and his family, along with many more surprises!”

Taehyung grabbed a champagne flute from a nearby waiter and downed it in one go. 

“And now for our first date of the evening! Mr. Jackson Wang!” 

Jackson went for a cool six grand because no one was brave enough to outbid his girlfriend. 

After him, the beautiful Manoban heiress and her handsome cousin Kim Namjoon went for twelve grand each.

Jung Hoseok started a frenzied bidding war between two young socialites and Mrs. O’Malley. He ended up going to the lovely Ms. Ana Fallon for a staggering twenty thousand dollars. 

Taehyung’s own cousin, Kim Seokjin, paid a jaw-dropping twenty-one thousand dollars for Lin Yuna, the young CEO of Lin Cosmetics. (Taehyung made a mental note to ask him about that later.) 

Then it was your turn. 

“The next lady on our list needs no introduction. The lovely Park Angel has graciously agreed to a date with one lucky bidder tonight! Who will it be? Do I hear ten thousand?”

“Ten thousand.”

Taehyung swung his head toward the first bidder and breathed a sigh of relief. 

Tam Martin, one of your best friends and very gay. 

“Eleven thousand.”

“Twelve thousand.”

“Fifteen.”

“Sixteen thousand dollars.”

“Seventeen thousand.”

“Eighteen.”

Taehyung was having trouble keeping up with all the bidders. His ears were starting to ring again and a strange unpleasant nausea was building in his stomach. 

“Twenty thousand.”

“Twenty-five thousand.”

“Thirty thousand!”

At the sound of the last bidder’s voice, you noticeably paled. Your eyes flew to Taehyung’s and immediately he knew exactly who it was. 

Milo.

Before he could even react to the new information, another voice joined the fray. 

“Forty thousand.”

Min Yoongi smiled smugly from the other side of the room and even had the audacity to throw you a wink. 

You smiled shyly at the young heir’s boldness and Taehyung felt something downright unholy rise up in his chest. 

No. 

Milo was still bidding. 

“Fifty thousand dollars.”

Not her. 

“Sixty,” Yoongi countered.

She’s mine. 

Suddenly Taehyung was on his feet. 

“One hundred thousand dollars!” 

The silence in the backseat of your limousine was deafening. 

Tension charged the air like an electric current as the significance of the last hour weighed heavily between you. 

The spacious luxury vehicle allowed you to sit facing one another. Taehyung’s eyes were focused on his hands, but you were looking at him—letting your mind run wild with speculation. 

And hope. 

Part of you was still there, on the stage, watching him stand up and bid a fortune for the pleasure of your company. 

His gaze was so fierce when he spoke, like an ancient emperor calling out his decree for the people to obey. 

You dreamed about him bidding on you when you signed up for the auction (even before Jimin bullied him into accompanying you). You let yourself imagine him speaking out again and again till the others stepped back—

Yet you never dared hope for it. 

However, the last several days marked an unexpected turning point in your relationship. 

For years, you and he were like magnets with a too-similar charge, but something had shifted irrevocably between you, and somehow your stubborn similarities became opposites that could not resist their attraction. 

Kim Taehyung was one of the wealthiest men in the city…

But he didn’t need to buy your heart. 

It had always been his, even if you didn’t want to admit it. 

He had claimed you tonight—and every single soul in that ballroom knew it. 

The next move was yours and you intended to make it. 

“Mmm,” you hissed a bit, bringing your hand to rest just below your breasts. 

Taehyung’s gaze flew up in concern. 

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, it’s just that scratch from the earring,” your fingers rubbed gingerly at the spot, drawing his focus to it, “it still stings.”

“Oh… I—” he shook his head, “I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“Do you want to see?” 

Taehyung’s eyes rose slowly to yours. 

You watched the subtle rise and fall of his chest as he considered your words. Anticipation vibrated through your blood like notes struck on a piano—

Then he nodded...

And you both were lost. 

Trembling fingers slid the zipper down the side of your gown. The dress itself was a marvel of physics designed to support you without the need for a bra. 

Taehyung drew in an impossibly deep breath as the fabric drifted to your waist, baring the perfect mounds of your breasts to him entirely. 

“Here,” you whispered, pointing to a small red mark just under the curve of your left one. 

He bit back a moan. 

“I—I see. That looks… painful.” His fingers dug into the seat beside him. “Is there anything I can do to help?” 

You nodded. 

“Kiss it better.”

Taehyung felt the air knock out of his lungs like a sucker punch. 

This must have been how Adam felt when Eve offered him the forbidden fruit all those millennia ago. 

He knew he shouldn’t—

but he could never deny you. 

“Of course.”

You watched as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. He looked like a man possessed and you reveled in the power of it. 

It was for you. 

He wanted you. 

Your back arched up the slightest bit, beckoning to him—offering him a taste of what he was so desperately craving. 

Touch me… please. 

Large palms landed on either side of your thighs, bracing him on the seat beneath you. The tip of his nose teased the delicate line of your collar bone and he swore violently under his breath. 

Then his lips were on your skin and your mind went blank. 

“Taehyung—“ you moaned. 

Hot open-mouthed kisses spread over the soft swell of your breast and you gasped— shuddering helplessly as a fierce wave of pleasure tore through you.

Sweet merciful heavens. 

Over the years you imagined a moment like this thousands of times in your head—only to discover now that you had pitifully underestimated both his passion and his skill. 

You had dreamed of a quiet fire—but he had unleashed an inferno. 

The lewd sounds of his mouth nipping and sucking at your tender flesh filled the small space around you as he poured himself into each obscene contact—stopping briefly to flick his tongue over the taunt peak of your nipple. You trembled breathlessly at the sharp snap of sensation, letting your head fall back against the seat as you buried your fingers in his soft curls. 

“T-Tae—”

Finally his mouth fastened over the tiny scratch, and the kiss deepened. You knew what he was doing, what the result of his efforts would be—

He was marking you. 

And you wanted it. 

Oh how you wanted it. 

Suddenly the car took a sharp turn, causing Taehyung to lose his grip on the seat. His arms wrapped around your torso for balance, dragging you fully against him.

“Does it feel better, Angel?” he growled. 

You nodded frantically and he nipped at the underside of your breast. 

“Speak up.”  

“Yes, Taehyung,” you whimpered, “it feels so much better.” 

“Mmmm,” he hummed, brushing his mouth along the sensitive column of your neck. “Who knew you could be such a good girl?”

Then his hand came up to grip your chin, turning it so your lips were almost against his—

“Madame. We’ve arrived.”

The driver’s voice cut over your senses like a shard of ice. 

Taehyung jerked backward and immediately buried his face in his hands. 

Your fingers hastily yanked your dress up and you stumbled out of the car in a daze, letting your feet carry you forward until you collapsed on top of your bed. 

Did we just...

You hadn’t even begun to collect your thoughts when your phone buzzed from inside your purse. 

1 New Message from: Taehyung 🙄🥴🙈

I need to know you made it safely to your room. 

You grinned. 

Greedy boy. 

Back in the limousine, the boy in question was nervously tapping the corner of his phone against his chin as he waited for your reply. 

1 New Message from: Angel 🤬🥵😅

Oh? But you saw me walk in… and I’m already in bed.

Taehyung growled in frustration. 

She would be a tease. 

To: Angel 🤬🥵😅

I tend to worry. Put my mind at ease. 

He shook his head. 

I have officially gone insane. 

The phone buzzed again. 

1 New Message from: Angel 🤬🥵😅

Well… We can’t have that can we… 

Taehyung literally felt the whine tear out of him as he opened the picture. 

Your gorgeous body (the body he’d had his hands and mouth on for one glorious minute) was nestled decadently atop a pile of fluffy blue blankets and wrapped in nothing but a tiny silk robe. 

The neck gaped open just enough to show off the pretty red marks he left on the delectable curve of your breast. 

He groaned, biting down hard on his bottom lip.

To: Angel 🤬🥵😅

That's all I get after I made the pain go away? Good girls send real proof, Angel

The screen lit up again almost immediately. 

1 New Message from: Angel 🤬🥵😅

Guess I’m not such a good girl after all...

Jimin came tearing through the Kim Manor front gate at precisely 7 AM—only to find Jungkook camped out at the entrance with several outdoor space heaters and a giant mug of hot chocolate.

“He told you not to let me in, didn’t he?”

Jungkook took a long satisfying sip of his cocoa. 

“I hope you don’t feel singled out, sir. I’m not allowed to let his mother in either.”

“I need to talk to him.”

“Of course, Mr. Park, let me just pull up his schedule—”

“I need to talk to him now.”

“I’m afraid Mr. Kim is booked solid for the morning.”

Jimin stomped his foot like a petulant child. 

“I know he’s up there.”

Jungkook grinned. 

“You’re welcome to climb the trellis and check. I promise not to stop you if you make it all the way up.”

“COME DOWN HERE AND FACE ME YOU COWARD!” Jimin shouted at the top of his lungs. 

Jungkook took another long pull of his drink. 

“Might I inquire as to the reason for your visit today, sir?”

“The reason for my visit,” Jimin yanked out his phone and angrily began typing into the search bar, “is that your boss paid ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS for my sister at a date auction last night and I want to know what the hell is going on between them!”

The article Jimin pulled up (DEVILISH KIM TAEHYUNG BUYS HIMSELF A $100,000 ANGEL) featured an image of the two of you entering the Black and White Ball. Your head was thrown back in laughter and Taehyung was grinning down at you as if you’d personally hung all the stars in the sky for him. 

A genuine smile crept over Jungkook’s face as he studied the photograph. 

“That’s quite a headline.” He handed Jimin’s phone back. “Have you asked your sister about it?”

“No, I swung by earlier, but she wasn’t home so—” His eyes widened. “Oh my—is she—”

Jimin suddenly took off running for the trellis, and Jungkook scrambled out of his chair to chase him. 

“KIM TAEHYUNG IF MY SISTER IS IN THAT ROOM—”

He was already three feet off the ground when Jungkook yanked him back. 

“I thought you said I could climb the trellis!”

“Yes,” Jungkook wheezed, “but I didn’t think you’d actually do it!” That trellis is a hundred years old! A few more feet and I’d be scraping you off the antique brickwork!”

Jimin scowled and crossed his arms. 

“Are you by any chance open to bribes?”

“Normally yes, but Tae promised to double my Christmas bonus if I didn’t accept them today.”

Jimin continued to eye the trellis speculatively, clearly willing to take his chances. Jungkook sighed and rubbed his forehead. 

“Mr. Park, I promise you… He came home alone last night. In fact, they both returned earlier than usual because your sister had a 7 AM finance meeting.” He paused significantly to glance at his watch. “Which is probably where she is right now.”

“Oh… Well.”

Jungkook bit his lip to hold back a snort and Jimin’s eyes narrowed. 

“He has to come down eventually.”

“One would think.”

The young Park heir glanced toward Taehyung’s window again just in time to see the man in question dart back behind the curtains. 

"I KNOW YOU'RE AWAKE, KIM TAEHYUNG, YOU PHILANDERING SLEAZE BAG!" 

Jimin made another jump for the trellis and this time Jungkook caught him in mid-air. 

“Sir, I’m sure it was just the maid!”

“It’s not the maid! I’d know that raggedy mop of his anywhere!”

Jungkook was out of breath at this point. Park Jimin might be small, but he was fierce. 

“Perhaps it’s best if you took a moment to collect yourself,” he grunted. “There’s a lovely new spa down the street and they sent Taehyung two free deluxe packages.”

Jimin stopped struggling. 

“Oh?”

Five minutes later, Jungkook sighed deeply and fished his phone out of his back pocket. 

“He’s gone, sir.”

“Excellent work, Jungkook. I never doubted you for a second.”

“However…”

“... However?”

“I had to give him your spa passes.”

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

“Are you headed for a gala or the guillotine?”

Taehyung rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t pay extra for commentary.”

“It’s complimentary, sir.”

The Kim heir tugged absently at the material of his absurdly expensive evening wear. 

Why do these events always have to be so uncomfortable? 

“Seriously, Tae… you seem,” the young aide searched for the right words, “unusually tense.”

Taehyung’s mind flashed back to three nights ago when he had his mouth wrapped around your breast. 

“Not at all,” he coughed, loosening the collar of his shirt. 

Jungkook bit his lip.

“Is this about Ms. Park, sir?”

The cufflinks Taehyung was attempting to fasten suddenly went flying across the room and hit a lamp. 

Both men winced. 

“I think that was your grandmother’s.”

Taehyung sighed. 

“I admit there have been… some developments.”

Jungkook nodded nonchalantly, trying to disguise the fact that he was internally frothing at the mouth for details. 

“... Such as?”

Taehyung gulped. 

“It started out rather innocently I suppose…” he cleared his throat, “but there may have been some suggestive photographs.”

“There may have been? Are you not sure?”

Taehyung colored guiltily. 

“Well—”

“Do you need me to check for you, sir? I have an art history degree.”

“Absolutely not.”

Jungkook grinned. 

“That’s what I thought.”

Taehyung yanked his tie out of the younger man’s hand. 

“Things have… escalated a bit.”

“Escalated how?”

I licked her tit in the back of a limo.

“Physically.”

It was everything Jungkook could do to maintain a straight face. 

“That’s… shocking.”

“Then why don’t you seem shocked?” Taehyung grumbled. 

A small smile played across Jungkook’s lips as he pointedly ignored the elder man’s observation.

“So what are you going to do, sir?”

Taehyung was silent for a long moment. 

“I honestly have no idea.”

Watching you walk toward him was an experience.  

Taehyung wondered absently if this was how it would be from now on; if for the rest of his life just the sight of you would be enough to scatter his mind and his pulse and even the way he breathed. 

Your dress tonight was deadly. 

It was a decadent red satin halter that clung to every curve. The truly wicked detail, however, was a daring slit that ran the entire length of your leg. 

Taehyung was certain he was going to trip over his own tongue at some point if he looked directly at you for too long. 

Oh help. 

Memories of your previous encounter flooded his senses. Every second you were getting closer and he didn’t know what to do—what to say. 

So he didn’t say anything at all. 

Not a word when you reached the bottom of the stairs. Nothing but silence as he opened the door of the limo for you. More silence and no eye contact as he settled into the seat across from yours—

And you tolerated that for about three minutes. 

“I never thought I’d see the day when Kim Taehyung didn’t have a comment about something. Perhaps I should mark this down on my calendar.”

The words were lightly spoken, but you were shaking on the inside. The last time the two of you were alone together he had your dress around your waist and you were moaning his name. Now he wasn’t talking and you were torn between panic and irritation. 

Taehyung, however, latched onto your passive barb like a lifeline. 

“Is that a hint of sarcasm I hear from the benevolent Park Angel?” He grinned. “Surely not.”

“Red is not a particularly angelic color. Perhaps I’m feeling feisty today.”

Taehyung leaned back in his seat and indulged himself in a thorough examination of your outfit. The urge to run his hands over the satin-covered lines of your body was nearly unbearable. He curled his fingers into fists to keep them from doing just that. 

She is definitely trying to kill me. 

“Should I be worried?”

Now it was your turn to grin. 

“I guess we’ll find out.”

The Governor’s Winter Wonderland Gala was by far the most extravagant event of the holiday season. Tickets cost a small fortune and sold out almost immediately. 

But it was well worth the price of admission.

Thousands of lights sparkled overhead as you made your way through the great hall of Governor Kim’s mansion. 

It was like stepping into a fairytale. 

Taehyung couldn’t take his eyes off you. The sheer wonder in your expression was breathtaking. 

You were breathtaking.  

“Governor Kim, it is such an honor to finally meet you.”

The Governor was a handsome man in his early fifties with a smile that was every bit as lethal as it had been twenty-five years ago. 

“The honor is all mine, Ms. Park. I trust my nephew is treating you well.”

Your eyes widened. 

“N-nephew?”

Taehyung shrugged. 

“I don’t really talk about it much.” 

The Governor chuckled and you cleared your throat to cover your nervousness. 

“Yes, he’s been a very capable escort.”

“Is that so?” Governor Kim smiled charmingly. “Well if it doesn’t work out, my son Seokjin is still single—”

“Thank you, Uncle. It was lovely to see you as always.”

You squeaked as Taehyung placed his hand firmly on the curve of your back and practically dragged you away. 

The Governor just shook his head and laughed. 

“Oh kid, you’ve got it bad.”

Everywhere you looked there was beauty. 

Whoever planned the gala this year had truly gone above and beyond. Surrounded on all sides by glittering trees and snowy vignettes, it was easy to be swept away in the festive magic of the evening. 

All in all (despite some initial awkwardness), you were having a fantastic time...

Until she showed up. 

“Kim Taehyung! Is that you?”

Every single hair on your body stood on end, but before you could determine the source of the shrill squealing, you found yourself being nudged aside by a blinding golden gown and some very high heels. 

“Aubrey,” Taehyung grunted as five-and-half feet of gorgeous wrapped herself around him like a clinging vine. “Long time no see.”

“Not since that vacation in Aspen,” she giggled. “We had quite a time, didn’t we Tae Tae!”

Suddenly you had the most unholy urge to slap the spray tan right off this woman. 

Instead, you plastered on a vibrant smile and placed your hand on Taehyung’s sleeve.

“Um. Excuse me, Tae Tae, perhaps you could introduce us?”

Taehyung looked as if he’d just been served raw fire ants for dinner. 

“Yes. Of course. This is—”

“Aubrey Alicia St. Valentine,” she interrupted with a smug little smirk. “Taehyung and I go way back.” Her expression grew just the slightest bit tighter. “And you are?”

“His date,” you deadpanned. 

“Aubrey,” Taehyung cleared his throat, “I’d like you to meet Ms. Park she’s—”

“Oh my goodness! You’re Jimin’s little sister aren't you!” Aubrey slapped her hand over his chest and he winced. “That is so precious of you to take her around like this!”

Your eyebrows raised right up into your hairline and Taehyung groaned. 

“Yes, he was kind enough to sign me out of the nursery for the evening.” You offered them both a painfully vacant nod. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I see one of my play-dates near the buffet.”

Then you turned on your heel and sauntered off without another word. 

Taehyung moved to follow you, but Aubrey curled her fingers into the crook of his arm and pulled him back. 

“Oh let her go, Tae. You and I have so much catching up to do.”

Taehyung pointedly removed her hand from his elbow. 

“Some other time perhaps.” 

Aubrey pouted prettily. 

“You’re not running off after her are you? She’s a big girl, she can take care of herself.”

Taehyung crossed his arms and fixed her with a knowing look. 

“Funny... that’s not what you were implying a moment ago.”

“A moment ago I didn’t have you all to myself. Now I do.” She had the decency to blush. “Perhaps I got a bit jealous.”

“You don’t say.” His eyes continued to search the crowd for any sign of you. 

“It seems I had good reason to be,” she murmured quietly. 

“Aubrey... Listen I—”

She cut him off with a finger to his lips.

“Don’t bother Tae Tae. I’m petty, but I’ve never been pathetic.”

He grinned. 

“Never.”

The lady sighed and gave him a heated once over.

“What a shame.”

Then she strolled off with a rueful smile. 

“You know what I don’t understand?”

You turn to find Min Yoongi leaning casually against a nearby column. He looked absurdly handsome as always, but his grin was just the slightest bit mischievous. 

“What don’t you understand, Mr. Min?”

The question was clearly a bait, but you were still fuming from your earlier encounter with Ms. St. Valentine and therefore desperately in need of a distraction. 

Yoongi pushed off the column and lazily made his way toward you.

“I don’t understand how a man pays a hundred thousand dollars for an evening with the most beautiful woman in the city, and then leaves her all by herself.” He leaned forward with a playful grin. “Perhaps you could enlighten me?”

Oh he’s good. 

You made a show of tapping your chin thoughtfully. 

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that one.”

Yoongi sighed and shook his head. 

“Couldn’t be me.”

You laughed then. He really was a delightful man. In fact, if you still had your heart, you might have considered letting him take a shot at it. 

Alas. 

You tilted your head speculatively. 

Surely there was no need to brush away good company...

After all, no one else is interested in spending time with me. 

“Since my escort is otherwise occupied, perhaps you could join me for dinner?”

Yoongi held out his hand. 

“I’d be delighted.”

Taehyung wandered around the mansion for nearly forty-five minutes looking for his date.  

Panic was just starting to build in his chest when he finally spotted you

—at his private dining table with Min Yoongi. 

It was everything he could do not to storm over and yank the other man out of his seat by the lapels. 

Alright, Angel. If this is the game you want to play… then let’s play. 

Taehyung felt his anger rise with every step, but he ruthlessly suppressed any sign of it and instead adopted a charming smile. 

“Min, I didn’t expect to find you here. What a… delightful surprise.”

Yoongi’s expression was just a shade too satisfied. Taehyung could already feel his blood pressure beginning to skyrocket. 

“Yes, Ms. Park believed that you were otherwise occupied and invited me to share the meal with her.”

“I see,” Taehyung practically snarled. “However,” his gaze landed heavily on you, “since I paid for this table, I hope you won’t mind if I join you as well?”

You avoided looking at him up to this point, but now you were choking on your wine

“Easy there, Angel,” Taehyung murmured as he pulled up a seat extremely close to yours—so close that your thighs were nearly touching. 

Oh boy. 

Over the next several minutes Yoongi continued to flirt openly and you continued to smile prettily and pretend Taehyung wasn’t there (which naturally infuriated him). 

You should have known he wouldn’t let you get away with such behavior so easily. 

This was Kim Taehyung, after all, and if there was anything that could be counted on when it came to your shared history, it was that one (or both) of you was always ready to escalate. 

You had just offered the young Min heir yet another flowery compliment when you felt Taehyung make his move. 

Two warm fingers slid under the silken slit of your dress, coming to rest possessively over the soft flesh of your inner thigh. 

You squeaked and nearly spat up your drink. 

Taehyung leaned forward in fake concern, wrapping his arm around you as if to offer aid. 

“Are you alright?”

His hand continued to move significantly beneath your gown, but his face was the picture of innocence. 

You glared. 

“Just fine, thank you.”

A slow grin crept across his features as he began to trace soft intimate patterns over your skin.  

On the other side of the table, Yoongi tilted his head in genuine solicitude. “Are you sure?”

You nodded sharply. 

Satisfied, he resumed speaking about whatever it was he’d been saying—though you couldn’t understand a word of it at this point because the torturous strokes Taehyung was leisurely drawing over your thighs were moving closer to your center with each passing second. 

Yet you made no move to stop him. 

You should have. 

You should have slapped his touch away—rebuked him for his boldness—

But you didn’t. 

So he just kept nodding and smiling while Yoongi spoke, even as his fingers teased you with the maddening persistence of a man who knew very well what he was doing. 

You gasped aloud when he finally brushed the pad of his thumb over the thin cotton of your panties. 

“T-Taehyung—” 

“Hmm?” he turned to you, seemingly surprised by your attention (it was—after all—the first time you’d addressed him since the beginning of the meal).

“Could you pass me the salt,” you sputtered (hoping to cover the fact that you moaned his name involuntarily). Unfortunately, Taehyung seemed wholly aware of your ruse, offering you the salt shaker with a superior smirk.

You seriously considered stabbing him with a fork. 

However, before you could carry out any bloodthirsty plans, he pressed his fingers directly over your clit and your eyes rolled back in your head

“Oh my g—” you bit your lip stubbornly, “this lamb is just so good.” 

Sweet mother of macaroons, he is too skilled at this. 

You shoveled another bite into your mouth to cover your whine as Taehyung began to rub tight little circles over your sweet spot. 

Across the table, Yoongi nodded in blissful unawareness. 

“Yes, I agree, the lamb is excellent—very tender.”

Taehyung took advantage of the momentary distraction to slip beneath the fabric of your undergarment. 

Your fork clattered to your plate and your hand came up to cover your mouth as he began running his fingers up and down your soaked slit.

It was everything you could do to hold back your depraved whimpering. 

“I can’t wait to taste it,” Taehyung replied, flicking your clit in a way that guaranteed he wasn’t referring to the lamb. 

At this point Yoongi seemed to notice you were in some sort of distress. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and leaned forward. 

“Ms. Park, are you well?”

Taehyung chose that moment to sink his finger into the welcoming heat of your pussy. 

“Yes,” you almost sobbed, “I’m-I’m very well—thank you.”

“Excellent,” Yoongi smiled as he rose to his feet. “If you’re feeling up to it, perhaps you could favor me with a dance?”

Several attendees were already making their way to the center of the floor and the orchestra was beginning to play.

Your entire body, however, was vibrating like a plucked harp string and Taehyung was still brushing back and forth against your clit, driving you toward a release that promised to be explosive. 

There was no way—simply no way—that you would be capable of hiding it. 

“Yes! I would love to dance with you,” you squeaked, grabbing hold of Taehyung’s wrist frantically. The feel of him pulling out of your sopping core was nearly enough to have you coming right there. 

Thankfully, Yoongi remained utterly oblivious to the debauchery unfolding beneath the table. He took your hand and helped you to your feet with an eager smile (and it was a good thing too because your legs were still shaking). 

When the two of you reached the dance floor, you turned back for the briefest instant—

just long enough to meet Taehyung’s heated gaze as his lips closed over the finger he buried in your cunt. 

Emotions were a funny thing. 

They impacted your judgement, affected your body, altered your behavior… 

And occasionally eroded your common sense. 

Sitting alone in the corner of the Governor’s ballroom, Kim Taehyung found himself experiencing a full spectrum of emotional side-effects. 

His hands clenched as he watched Min Yoongi spin you around the floor. 

His heart pounded every time he caught a flash of your shapely leg peeking through the slit in your gown. 

His blood boiled when you threw your head back and laughed at something the other man said. 

It was difficult to pinpoint which emotion was to blame for each of these reactions. There were certainly a number of them boiling over in his subconscious. 

Frustration—

I didn’t even want to talk to Aubrey! How are you acting like anything she said was my fault?!

Rage—  

Why is challenging people to duels illegal? I would fight Min Yoongi at dawn. I would fight Min Yoongi now. 

Jealousy—

You asked her to dance while my fingers were in her pussy. We are not the same. 

But perhaps the most persistent—the most overwhelming— emotion twisting through him was longing. 

You and Taehyung spent nearly four years apart, and he was so desperate to be near you—even then—that he resorted to childish pranks in order to remain a part of your life. 

He hadn’t recognized his actions or desires for what they were. He hadn’t realized what you meant to him...

But now, after spending the last several days with your hand on his arm and your laughter in his ear, he could no longer imagine spending another moment without you. 

Everything seemed to crystallize as he watched you laughing and dancing in the arms of another man. 

Uncertainty became clear. Complications became simple. 

And when he saw Min Yoongi’s hand slide dangerously close to the perfect swell of your backside—

Emotion became action.

“Mind if I cut in?”

It wasn’t a question really. Taehyung was already shouldering his rival out of the way and pulling you into his arms. 

“Taehyung,” you hissed, shooting the bewildered Yoongi an apologetic look over his shoulder, “what are you doing? This is so rude—”

“You’re absolutely right,” he agreed, sweeping you through the couples on the floor with practiced ease. “It is unpardonably rude to steal someone else’s date. He’s lucky all I did was steal you back.”

Your mouth dropped open. 

“Oh? So you finally remembered that I was your date?”

Taehyung’s grip on the curve of your waist became a shade rougher as he pulled you through the next turn. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means—” you stepped forward vigorously, nearly smashing your body into his, “—that you spent forty-five minutes with Aubrey Alicia St. Valentine when you were supposed to be having dinner with me!”

Taehyung growled and yanked you flush against him. 

“I spent forty-five minutes looking for you while you were giving away my table to Min Yoongi!”

The two of you sailed through the next several movements glaring at one another before you snapped again. 

“None of this would have happened if you had just told Aubrey St. Spray Tan that you were with me—”

“I did!”

“Instead, you let her call me a baby!”

“What let? Aubrey is a grown woman!”

“But—”

“And—you stormed off before I could say anything, so how would you know what I let?”

“You didn’t come after me!”

“Yes actually I did—but she grabbed my arm!”

“Really? Well what else did she grab?”

Taehyung abruptly realized how silent everything around you had become. 

People were staring—and not even discreetly— just full on staring with their mouths hanging open. 

Well that’s great. 

Taehyung’s hand closed around yours and you suddenly found yourself being marched across the dance floor at a breakneck pace.

“What are you doing?”

“Continuing this discussion in private.”

“We can’t just go somewhere private in the Governor’s mansion!” you sputtered, struggling to keep up with his larger strides. 

“You mean in my uncle’s house? Yes—actually we can—and we will.”

Taehyung proved to be a man of his word, dragging you past two security guards and into the roped off section of the manor with nothing more than a nod. 

The residential wing of the Governor’s home was beautifully decorated with traditional Korean artistic touches—all of which you were unable to appreciate while Taehyung was speed walking you through the halls. 

After a surprising amount of turns and archways, he yanked open an ornate wooden door with the words Reflection Suite written on a plaque above it in beautiful calligraphy. 

You almost giggled when you got a look inside. 

On the surface it was a tastefully furnished guest room with a simple cherry wood desk and a cozy double bed set in an elegant matching frame.

However—

The ceiling and one full wall were nothing but massive mirrors. 

Reflection suite indeed. 

The door slammed shut and Taehyung rounded on you with a stormy expression—though you weren’t waiting on him to fire the first volley.

“This is definitely going to get us in trouble.”

“I told you, I can go wherever I want in this house. It’s fine.”

“Then why did you take us here?”

“Because you were shouting—”

“I was shouting?! You were shouting I just—”

Suddenly your back was against the wall and Taehyung’s mouth was on yours. 

He hadn’t brought you here for this. When he grabbed your hand, he was only trying to get away from the crowds. He told himself that he needed privacy so you could talk—so he could clarify things. 

But the minute the door closed and you flared up again in all your magnificent rage, he was lost. 

He had to kiss you then. 

You were so lovely. So fierce. So wildly irresistible and he was too utterly smitten to fight the need to be near you—to be with you in every way that he could—for a single second more. 

The shock of Kim Taehyung pressing his lips to yours lasted about two full seconds—and then there was nothing but ravenous insatiable need. 

Finally. 

Everything was him. 

Everything was this—this sweet indescribable ignition of a desire that spanned years. You moaned eagerly against his mouth in wanton delight. After a decade of sparks, you were more than ready to burn. 

“Taehyung—”

His name poured out of you like a prayer. You needed him everywhere and miraculously he seemed to understand—

Not that he was prepared to be polite about it. 

“Where’s that smart mouth now, Angel?” he growled, tangling his hands in your hair to expose the tender column of your throat. “Nothing to say?”

Your only answer was a desperate whine as he spread hot-open mouthed kisses down the soft skin of your neck all the way to your collarbone.

Now was not the time for patience. He would be tender with you later. You absolutely deserved soft sweet caresses and slow leisurely love making and he was absolutely going to give them to you—every day if you’d let him. 

But not today. 

The minute his mouth encountered the barrier of your dress, he gripped onto the sides and yanked it down to your waist.

“You knew just what you were doing in the back of that limo, you little brat,” he hissed, taking one swollen nipple into his mouth and tormenting it with his tongue.

“Tae-ahhh!” Your back arched involuntarily in ruthless pleasure. 

“I spent hours—days even—wanting to get my hands on these perfect tits.” He licked the other nipple obscenely, squeezing the soft mound till it bulged through his fingers. “And you offered me the barest taste with that coy little grin, knowing it wouldn’t be enough—” 

He reared back and landed a firm slap on both breasts and you screamed.

It was so so good. 

“Look at them now,” he murmured, “so swollen and needy and mine.”

If any other man had said those words, you would have cut his heart out with a butter knife. 

But you had always belonged to this man body and soul, and to hear him acknowledge it so primitively felt like the sweetest vindication. 

“Yes!” you sobbed.

The affirmation only inflamed him further. He teased and fondled the tender flesh till you were shaking.

Your fingers curled into the soft waves of his hair as he indulged himself. He looked so ridiculously good sucking your nipple, moaning lewdly with his eyes pressed shut in cathartic bliss. 

“This is all your fault, Angel,” he groaned. “You just don’t know how to behave.”

His hands gripped the curve of your backside, lifting you right off the floor and into his arms. Your mouths fused together heatedly as he carried you to the bed, and you giggled against him when his words finally processed. 

“You’ve been saying that for years.” 

“It’s been true for years,” he muttered, pulling one of your legs up around him so he could grind against your cunt while you kissed. 

Your fingers tugged at the buttons of his shirt, tearing them off when they didn’t unhook fast enough. You waited too long to be with him like this to care about anything other than the feel of his skin against your own.

“Impatient, are we?” he chuckled, bringing his lips around to nip at your ear. 

“You’re one to talk,” you shot back, yanking the ruined garment right off his shoulder just so you could sink your teeth into it. 

Taehyung moaned loudly, snapping his hips against yours with an involuntary jerk.

“You really are such a brat,” he hissed, fisting his hands in the satin length of your skirt. “Let’s see how fierce you are with my tongue in your pussy—”

His words were so filthy and raw, yet they stoked a frenzied need in your belly like nothing you had ever encountered. 

“This dress is evil,” he snarled, fumbling with the zipper for a moment before switching to a more destructive tactic. “It has tormented me all night and now it’s in my way.”

The stitching proved no match for his resolve, and—after a few vigorous tugs—he ripped it apart from the slit on up, leaving you covered in nothing but the thin cotton underwear he had breached earlier that evening. 

After disposing of your shredded gown, Taehyung paused for a moment just to take in the sight of you. 

“What a perfect little angel,” he taunted playfully, snapping the band of your lingerie against your hips with a cocky grin. 

Then he brushed his nose right up against the sopping fabric and inhaled deeply. “You smell just like heaven,” he growled before licking you right through the cloth, “and you taste even better.”

The sensations twisting through your body were merciless. You needed more or you were going to shake apart. 

“Taehyung please,” you whined, pressing against him shamelessly.

“Oh a please?” he chuckled, throwing your own words from the first night back at you. “Who knew you had manners?”

You would have screamed in frustration, but he cut you off with an open mouthed kiss right over the wettest part of your panties.

“Perhaps I can make a good girl of you yet,” he chuckled, as you opened yourself wider to encourage him. 

You nodded frantically, letting out another moan when he yanked the flimsy little scrap of lace down your legs—smearing a line of arousal over your thighs.

“So messy,” he tsked, tapping his finger right above your knee where the naughty little streak ended. “What am I going to do with you?” 

Then he pressed his tongue over the shiny trail of slick and licked it right off. 

You gasped loudly and his lascivious smirk was almost beautiful enough to make up for all of the shameless teasing. 

Almost. 

"You want my mouth, pretty Angel?” he whispered, letting the words brush maddeningly against your folds. “You want me to feed on this sweet little cunt?”

Every cell in your body cried out for release. He already edged you under the table at dinner and now he was determined to unravel you entirely. You would say anything—do anything. 

"Please—" you whispered.

"Please who?" 

Normally you met his arrogance with a cutting riposte, but an entire evening of methodical torment had left you beyond desperate. 

"Please Taehyung,” you begged needily. 

He grinned. 

“That’s right, Angel. Kim Taehyung. Not Min Yoongi or any other pathetic trust fund prick that’s panting for a taste of this pussy.” His eyes fastened on yours significantly. “You belong to me.”

Then his tongue licked a flat stripe over your glistening slit and you sagged onto the bed in relief—only to be thrown back into oblivion when his lips closed over your clit. 

Your body arched involuntarily as a ruthless wave of pleasure tore through you. Your eyes and mouth flew open in a silent scream and it was in that moment you remembered exactly where you were. 

Underneath a giant mirror. 

The passionate woman staring down at you was nearly unrecognizable. Her body was littered with her lover’s marks. Her hands gripped feverishly into the sheets beneath her—-

And Kim Taehyung was kneeling between her thighs, suckling on her weeping cunt with obscene satisfaction. 

It was the sexiest thing you had ever seen in your life. 

Your hands reached down to tangle in his hair, using it for leverage as you ground against his face. 

Then suddenly his grip on your legs tightened and his tongue plunged roughly into your trembling core. 

“Tae—ahh oh my—I can’t—”

The sensation was so intense that your hips bucked violently. You could not keep still. You were charging towards an explosion and your body was shaking itself apart. 

The noises tearing from you were incoherent. Everything around you focused in on the juncture of your thighs where Taehyung was licking inside of you again and again until—

You shattered. 

And the force of it nearly bent your back in half. 

Delirious sobs poured from your lips as he worked you through it, letting the obscene flood of your cum soak his face. 

The sight of him slowly lapping at the release between your folds, was unspeakably erotic. He ran his hands in soothing circles over your skin while you twitched and fluttered back down from your high. 

Then he was kissing you again. 

It was softer this time, but you felt truly depraved—and instantly obsessed—with the taste of yourself in his mouth—on his skin.

You could barely understand this ravenous hunger. You’d just found relief, yet you were already reaching for more. 

Your hands snaked down and wrapped around his still covered cock and he hissed in ragged pleasure. 

“So eager,” he gasped, as you pushed him back against the headboard—but you didn’t have time to bother with his teasing.

You were gonna blow Kim Taehyung into space. 

He bit his lip when you yanked down his pants and boxers together, freeing his arousal with stunning efficiency. 

It was almost unfair to discover that his cock was every bit as beautiful as he was.

“Of course,” you muttered. 

The sultry smirk he shot you in return had your cunt flooding all over again.

“You think Min Yoongi has a cock like mine?”

“I don’t think about Min Yoongi’s cock,” you retorted, wrapping your hand around his length, “you’ve always been the biggest dick I’ve ever met.” 

“I knew you thought about my dick,” he groaned as you began to work up and down the swollen shaft. 

After a moment, his hand slid over your chin to grip your hair, drawing you forward till your lips were almost touching. 

“I wonder what this pretty mouth can do,” he whispered. 

You gasped against him and he smiled. 

“Do you know how often I pictured your lips around my cock, Angel?”

You mewled shamelessly and he growled, cupping your cheek as your hands continued to service him. 

“Do you know how often I imagined this perfect throat stuffed full of my cum?” 

His palm slid down to lightly grip the soft flesh of your neck and you shuddered against him with a needy whimper. 

“I know you could suck me so good, Angel. I’ve wanted it for so so long...”

Your mouth actually watered with anticipation. 

The desire to be good for him—to give him whatever he asked for—consumed you. 

Taehyung let his head fall back against the headboard with a groan at the first brush of your lips along his shaft. His hips rutted involuntarily as your tongue wrapped around the tip and you hummed with pleasure at his enthusiastic response. 

After a moment you slid him into the welcoming heat of your mouth, taking him in as far as you could in one stroke. His jaw dropped open and his entire body jerked forward. 

“Yes, that’s it, Angel—feels so good.”

His praise was addictive. 

You loved that you could bring him to this. You loved to see the haughty Kim Taehyung coming apart as you sucked him. 

It made you feel beautiful—powerful even—and you reveled in every second of it. 

Your eyes were starting to tear. His length began to throb and pulse against your tongue and you knew he was close—so close you could almost taste him—

Yet suddenly he was pulling you back and you whined pitifully at the loss. 

Taehyung chuckled, dragging you toward him till your dripping core slid across his cock.

“I’m not coming before I get inside that pretty little pussy,” he swore, working your hips over his sex till it was drenched in arousal. 

The crass words filled you with the fiercest, most incredible want and you clenched reflexively against him in response. 

“Is that what you want?” Taehyung whispered as he bore you back into the mattress, pinning both your wrists above your head. “You want me to fill your empty little cunt?”

You did. 

You wanted it so so bad. 

“Please.”

Taehyung gently lowered himself closer to you, resting his forehead intimately against yours as he lined up his cock at your entrance. 

“Are you sure, Angel? Because there’s no going back after this... If you give yourself to me, then you’re mine—and I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep you.”

“Taehyung, you idiot,”—a tender smile spread over your face as you wrapped your arms around his neck—“... I’ve always been yours.”

He swore violently—letting the slight tremble in his voice betray just how deeply your words affected him. 

Then his fingers tightened on the soft flesh of your hip and he filled you to the hilt with one delicious thrust. 

There was a moment—the smallest space in time—where your eyes locked together and everything seemed to suspend; a strange perfect calm before a monumental storm. 

Then your world caught fire. 

Taehyung drove himself into you with passionate fury, letting years of denial fuel the insatiable rhythm of his strokes. 

Every time he told himself no. Every time he held himself back—

Every bit of it burned away as you screamed his name. 

The feel of him was indescribable. 

You imagined it too many times to count, yet your dreams fell pitifully short of the visceral reality. 

He was bloomin’ magnificent. 

Your fingers clawed up and down his back, desperate to hold on to something while he pounded into your g-spot like an animal. 

“This tiny cunt is the tightest thing I’ve ever had around my cock,” he gasped and you whined needily at his praise. “Like it was made for me—” his hand came up to grip your breast, “like you were made for me.”

“Yes—”

Taehyung’s need seemed to amplify with every whimper and moan that fell from your lips. The feelings you sparked in him were fierce and unapologetically primitive.

He would go to war for you—build a fortress for you—fight a dragon if one dared come close. 

You were his. 

And he felt like a savage every time you cried out for more. 

Suddenly an unexpected movement in his periphery caught his attention.

He’d been so consumed with the extraordinary rush of claiming you that he’d forgotten—

This guest room was thirty-five percent mirrors. 

And now… he couldn’t look away. 

The sight of your bodies tangling together in headless bliss played out before him like a scene from his most debauched and forbidden fantasies. His reflection grinned back at him in fascinated ecstasy while his beloved nemesis lost herself in the pleasure of his cock.

Something dark and wild began to burn in his chest as he studied the lovers in the glass. 

“Look at you, Angel,” he whispered softly, “you really are perfect.”

Then he pulled out of your core and you whined bitterly in protest, chasing his body to rid yourself of the sudden unacceptable emptiness. 

“Still so needy,” he taunted, gripping your hips and flipping you on your stomach before you could even think to protest.

“I want you to watch that pretty angel in the mirror come on my cock,” he groaned, plunging back into you from behind. 

The new angle was somehow impossibly deeper and your body shook as another wave of pleasure overtook it. 

Your fingers clawed into the mattress for purchase as he pistoned into your trembling mound. 

Only Kim Taehyung could rail you like a whore while he worshiped you like a queen. 

He gave you a moment to adjust before drawing your body back against his chest. His arm wrapped over your stomach as he slowly eased your legs apart, unfolding the lewd tableau of your bodies joined together for the voyeuristic gaze of the glass.   

“Look at yourself, Angel,” he growled, mesmerized by the way your breasts bounced with every thrust. “Look at how well you're taking me.” 

Then his fingers slid down to rub your clit and you screamed. 

“Tae! Ah-ahh!”

The pleasure building within you now was violent. You were coiling too tightly, too fast—

“That’s right Angel. Take it all.”

Your eyes locked with his in the mirror for the briefest instant.

And then you flew apart. 

Taehyung threw his head back with a carnal moan as you clamped down around him. His body was hurtling toward its own release with reckless speed. 

“I’m close,” he panted, “where can I come?”

“Come inside me please,” you begged, and Taehyung’s eyes widened in frenzied lust. 

“That’s what you want? Huh?” his thrusts became rougher as he chased his relief, “You want me to fill this puffy little pussy with my cum?”

“Yes, I want it so bad—“ you sobbed. 

“Sweet Angel,” he groaned, gripping at your breasts as he pulled you tighter against him. 

Then he met your gaze in the mirror again. 

“I want everything with you; a home—a family—your body in my arms every morning when I wake up—” his voice trembled, “I want it all.” 

The raw vulnerability in his eyes nearly broke you.

“Tae,” you gasped softly, too overcome with joy to manage anything else. 

His mouth pressed hungrily against the curve of your shoulder. You could feel his cock throbbing in your core as he bent you forward, pounding into your sex with exquisite precision. 

"Stay with me, Angel,” he whispered. His thrusts became erratic as he neared his high. “I don’t want to live without you anymore.”

The glorious thrill of his words tore over your senses with euphoric brutality. Your walls tightened greedily around his cock and the taunt cord of pleasure finally snapped. 

He came with a broken groan, flooding the welcoming heat of your womb with his release. 

“KIM TAEHYUNG!”

The sound of his name being shouted by the absolute last person in the world whose voice he wanted to hear woke Taehyung from a dead sleep.  

His eyes widened in panic as he began yanking pillows and covers from all over the bed in a frenzied attempt to hide—

The doors to his bedroom flew open with a resounding crash. 

“Jimin,” he squeaked, trying to look as casual as possible next to a giant pile of bedding. “What uh—what brings you here at—” his eyes darted to the clock on the wall, “—7:30 in the morning?”

Then he frowned. 

“And how the hell did you get past Jungkook?”

Jimin’s murderous expression broke momentarily to allow for a smug grin. 

“Kendra.���

Kendra Jackson was Jimin’s executive aide. She was fierce, capable, intelligent—

And insanely gorgeous. 

Taehyung groaned. 

Poor Jungkookie never stood a chance. 

To the surprise of absolutely no one, yet another newspaper landed on Taehyung’s lap.

KIM HEIR BRINGS NAUGHTY ANGEL HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Underneath the headline was a picture of you and Taehyung (dressed in clothes you stole from Jin’s childhood bedroom) kissing passionately against the side entrance of the Governor’s mansion. 

One of your legs was wrapped around his waist and he was clearly grabbing your ass. 

“Ah… well you see the camera distorts everything from this angle—and-and the lighting is bad so it’s not really what it looks like—”

“Is that so? Cause it looks like you’ve got your tongue down my baby sister’s throat!”

“Okay—okay,” Taehyung massaged his forehead nervously, “so maybe it’s sort of what it looks like but—”

“I’ll kill you.”

“No wait—” he held up his hands to delay an already advancing Jimin. 

“Why should I wait?!”

“Because—”

“—I trusted you with the most important person in the world to me—”

“The situation is just not that simple.” 

“—and you grabbed her ass in public!”

“Admittedly not my finest hour.”

“So you tell me right now—”

“But you don’t understand it’s—”

“—Why the hell would I wait?!”

“BECAUSE I’M IN LOVE WITH HER!”

For a moment there was absolute silence. 

Then your head popped out from the massive pile of bedding. 

“Really?”

Jimin’s mouth fell open. 

Taehyung groaned again. 

“As usual, your timing is impeccable.”

You rolled your eyes, ignoring his comment.

“Are you really in love with me?”

“Of course I’m in love with you! What part of I want you to have my children did you not understand?!” 

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Jimin choked. 

“That’s not the same thing!”

“It is for me!”

A radiant smile lit up your face. 

“I’m in love with you too.”

Taehyung’s expression softened. 

“Angel I—”

Then you were kissing and Jimin swung around with a horrified shout.

“Oh! No no no—Come on!”

He stumbled out of the room, hands firmly clamped over his eyes. 

“This is not over, Kim Taehyung!” the scandalized young Park heir howled in exasperation… but there was a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

Back in the bedroom, Taehyung shook his head at Jimin’s ridiculous caterwauling. 

“No, it’s not over,” he laughed, pulling you deeper into the comfort of his arms. “It’s only just begun.”

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. 

This baby took FOR-EVER to write. I started it in November and literally worked on it a little every day. 

If you enjoyed it— even just a tiny bit—please consider taking a moment to leave me some feedback. It is so incredibly uplifting and rewarding to hear reader thoughts and reactions to my work.

I promise to treasure every word like gold. It took a lot to bring this story to life. Your kind words would mean the world to me.