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sweetestofchaos · 6 months

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Blessed With A Curse | J.JK

☾ Pairing: Werewolf!Jungkook x Hybrid!Reader

☾ Summary: When your company throws a mandatory Halloween party, you aren’t thrilled. You’re even less thrilled when a delusional coworker ruins the party and places a curse on everyone because her crush, the resident werewolf, Jeon Jungkook, rejected them.

When a coworker gets rejected at the company Halloween party, things get crazy.

☾ Genre/AU: Smut, Werewolf AU, Hybrid AU, Modern Magic AU

☾ Rating: NC-17

☾ Word Count: 12.7K

☾ 𝖯𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖡𝖳𝖲 𝖥𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖺𝗌𝗒 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖥𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌 𝖳𝗋𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝗈𝗋 𝖳𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝗈𝗅𝗅𝖺𝖻, 𝗁𝗈𝗌𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖻𝗒 @sailoryooons 𝖺𝗇𝖽 @theharrowing

a/n: for the wonderful @jessikahathaway! i hope you enjoy this bad boy 'cause it had me on my ass a few times. once i was able to get over myself, this wrote itself and i had fun with it. banner/diver made by the wonderful @itaeewon. betaed by the kickass @theharrowing

song credit: werewolf by montionless in white | wolf by woosung

You are typing away on your keyboard, lost in your own little world. It feels like the day is dragging and you would like for it to be over. At least that is what you were thinking until you noticed that the workplace background noise started to fade away. Gazing up from your computer screen, you see your office manager standing near the main door. He clears his throat and claps his hands three times to get everyone’s attention. What could he possibly want at this hour? Two of the other managers step through the door and you squint trying to figure out why the three of them are here. You don’t recall any email about a meeting.

“Okay everyone! Listen up, please?” The office manager looks around to make sure all eyes are on him before he continues. “As you know our Halloween party is tonight. I expect to see you all there, dressed appropriately!” The office manager stands with his back facing the main door with the HR and Marketing managers on either side of him. The three of them together strongly remind you of Ed, Edd, and Eddy, but you keep that thought to yourself.

“Everyone will receive a text message with the address, as well as an email. Please make sure to give the company name at the door and enjoy yourselves.”

“I am looking forward to seeing everyone’s costumes tonight. See you all later and until then enjoy your time off!”

The three managers all leave with smiles on their faces and you roll your eyes as you turn your attention back to your computer. Honestly, you forgot all about the Halloween party tonight. It’s not like you have much of a choice, it is mandatory fun. You still have a few more emails to finish up, as well as two more documents to review before you can even think of leaving for the day. A shadow looms over your desk and you sigh knowing that shape right away.

“Jungkook, I swear to God if you try a jump scare I will slam your face through this screen.”

A startled whine comes from behind followed by a deep sigh before Jungkook comes to stand in your line of sight by the side of your desk. His chocolate brown doe eyes are even wider than normal as he stares at you with a pout on his lips, making the clear spacers in his piercings more noticeable.

“You’re no fun. You know that, right?”

You suck your teeth and raise an eyebrow as Jungkook parks his ass on the edge of your desk. His black dress pants strain against his thighs and when you glance up, the white button down he is wearing, pulls at the muscles of his flexed biceps. As the resident werewolf in the office, Jungkook’s muscles are a common topic of conversation…and his impeccable sense of smell. Though Jungkook isn’t the only creature that works with you. There are vampires, goblins, fairies, wyrm, dragons and even mermaids in the office. It is a mixing pot of species which always offers some kind of entertainment for yourself.

“Can I help you, wolfie?”

Jungkook’s eyes flash a bright red before they shift back to their brown color making you smirk.

“One of these days I’m going to bite you,” Jungkook threatens as he curls his upper lip to show off his elongated canines.

“So I can be stuck with you for the rest of my life?” You grimace and shake your head. “No, thanks.”

“Like you don’t wanna be part of my pack.” Jungkook licks his lips and runs a hand through his dark hair, a few of the curls tangling around his fingers making his bicep flex once again from the sudden snag. His hair is styled out of his eyes, swooped upwards and back; not a single hair out of place…until now. One lone curl hangs from Jungkook’s head and kisses his temple. You resist the urge to tuck it behind his ear.

“Pretty sure it’s Taehyung’s pack and I would only join for Seokjin’s cooking and a good cuddle with Yoongi.”

Jungkook growls and you laugh knowing that you struck a nerve. You have met Jungkook’s pack mates many times and they are all a bunch of chill guys. They all work on different floors, in different departments. Yoongi is the pack alpha and from what you know, Seokjin, Namjoon and Taehyung are the only omegas in the pack. Taehyung, Yoongi, Namjoon and Jungkook are werewolves, Jimin and Hoseok are demons and sweet Seokjin is an oncilla hybrid. Which blew your mind when you found out because Seokjin is not a little guy by any means, the man is massive.

“Jungkook?”

A voice calls his name, cutting through your laughter and you smile at your coworker, Tisha. She is a cute little thing. Doesn’t have much height on her, maybe five-one or five-two at best with long black hair and doll-like green eyes.

“What’s up, Tisha?” Jungkook asks and you turn your attention back to your computer screen, happy for the distraction. You really would like to finish this before it’s time to leave. You would settle for a little overtime, but since tonight is the company wide Halloween party, overtime has been banned.

“My computer is acting up again. Can you take a look at it?”

“Have you emailed tech?”

You bite your lip to keep from laughing. Clearly Tisha hasn’t called tech or else she wouldn’t be asking for Jungkook’s help.

“I thought it would be faster with your help. I know they get busy around this time.”

Jungkook sighs and pushes himself off your desk, “See you at the party tonight?”

You glance at Jungkook and frown, “You sound way too excited.”

Jungkook grins and shrugs his shoulders, “Who doesn’t love a Halloween party?” Jungkook’s smile is blinding as he leans towards you, wiggling his eyebrows. “You gonna be the Little Red to my Big Bad Wolf?”

“Isn’t that a little cliche?” Tisha asks and Jungkook waves off her comment.

“I mean, I am a werewolf, so…”

Jungkook scrunches his nose and you roll your eyes as you mutter, “More like an overgrown lap dog-”

“I heard that,” Jungkook growls and you smile up at him, widening your eyes to seem more innocent. Jungkook glares at you with no real anger and huffs. “Such a fucking brat,” he grumbles and leaves your space with Tisha right behind him chatting his ear off.

You giggle to yourself and shake your head. Jungkook is something else, that’s for sure. He is your workplace bestie and the biggest pain in your ass all at the same time. Little does he know that your Halloween costume is already picked out. You think Jungkook will get a kick out of it and you might be a little excited to show him.

Standing in your bathroom with a towel wrapped tightly around your body, you wipe the steam from the mirror and sigh. You fell asleep when you got home and slept past your alarm, so now you have forty minutes to get ready if you don’t want to be hella late to the party. Music plays from your bluetooth speaker, filling the air with Jackson Wang’s ‘Cheetah’ and it makes you smile.

The first thing you get started on is your makeup, a nude smokey cat eye with grey accents is the first half of the look. Followed by painting the lower part of your nose a soft pink and upper lip black. Your lower lip is the same grey from your eyes to pull the whole look together. Removing the towel from around your head, you click your tongue. You quickly twist the hair into two braids that go straight back, secure the ends with bobby pins and pull a wig cap on.

A set of stencils are on your countertop and you hold one of them up to your forehead. The shape looks weird and you don’t have faith that you will be able to make it look right. Using black eyeshadow and a little eyeliner, you fill in the stencil slowly. A handful of black spots are now on your forehead, they look out of place and you frown.

Your phone goes off, cutting off the tunes and you glance over to see that Wooyoung, another work friend is calling. You answer the call and put him on speaker as you continue to get ready.

“Bitch! Where are you??”

“I’m getting ready. Where are you?”

“I just left the house, did you want me to pick you up?”

You think it over. You really would love to be able to drink and not have to worry about driving home.

“Can you drive slow?”

“The fuck kinda question-”

“I’m still getting ready, damn. Just text me when you’re out front.”

You hang up the phone and head into your bedroom. Walking over to your closet, you step inside and look at the grey wig you purchased just for this stupid party. Grabbing the wig and the styrofoam head that came with it, you carry everything to the bathroom and set it on the sink. Pulling out your styling products and a pair of hair scissors, you section the wig into parts while singing along to whatever song is playing. For your costume, you think a wolf cut would look cute and match the overall vibe…so, with the scissors in your hands, you get to work. The final product isn’t bad, a nice mix between a shag and mullet. It is roughly sexy and once you place it on your head, you can’t help but grin.

Grabbing a makeup brush, you spend some time on your eyebrows, making them look fluffy and slightly overgrown before you grab the unopened pack of fake canine teeth. Carefully, you glue them onto your own canines and smile at your reflection. It’s all coming together. The last thing you need are the hazel contacts that sit on the counter. You struggle with them, but after a solid five minutes, you have them both in. You look at yourself in the mirror and blow yourself a kiss, this was a wonderful idea!

Leaving the bathroom for the time being, you look at the outfit that is laid out on your bed. A grey bodysuit with black heels, a set of fluffy grey and beige triangle ears and a matching tail. Your phone chimes with a notification and you know that Wooyoung is outside waiting for you. Dropping your towel, you skip over to your dresser and pull open your underwear drawer.

Looking at the different colors and material, you settle on a baby pink lingerie set that still has the tags on it. It’s a mesh thong with small and medium sized flowers on the sides with an open underwire bra that has the same flowers covering your nipples in a diagonal line. Looking at the set you smile to yourself because you are sure you have a pink choker from your wild days that matches.

Putting the set on, you slip into the bodysuit and double check that the flower impressions of the lingerie aren’t visible before you search for the choker. Your phone chimes again and you roll your eyes.

“Yes, yes. I’m coming,” you grumble to yourself as you quickly fasten the pink leather choker around your neck. It even has a tiny silver hoop that hangs from which looks cute as opposed to badass. You clip the tail to your outfit, set the ears on top of your head and look at yourself in the mirror one last time.

“Damn, I look good!”

Grabbing your shoes, phone and purse, you head to the front door and text Wooyoung that you are coming outside now. You shove your feet into your black heels and hurry out of your apartment, more than a little excited to see Jungkook’s reaction to your costume. Taking the elevator, you hum to yourself and wait until you reach the first floor. You wonder what Wooyoung is dressed as. You know for a fact that the man is dressed up, he will never pass up a chance to show off his beauty.

Outside of your apartment complex you look around for Wooyoung’s car and spot it across the street. He spots you at the same time and climbs out of his car, whistling as he does so. Wooyoung is stunning in his white ruffled shirt. The loose sleeves cuff around his wrist, the collar is lined with lace, with a keyhole opening on his chest that he pairs with a black leather corset harness. His black dress pants hug him nicely and his freshly dyed black hair hangs just below his eyebrows.

“Ooooooooh! Look at this sexy lil kitten. Hello, beautiful!”

You roll your eyes and grin, stepping into Wooyoung’s arms as he hugs you tightly. Pulling away, you tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear and stare at Wooyoung’s hair.

“You look good. Black might just be your color.”

“Please,” Wooyoung pushes towards the other side of the car as he opens his door. “Any color is my color.”

Once in the car, you buckle up and fiddle with your phone, “Can I DJ?” Wooyoung gives you permission and you giggle to yourself. You have yet to listen to Mark Tuan’s new EP ‘Fallen’, so what a perfect time to do it now. Syncing with the radio, you hit play and ‘Your World’ starts to play.

“I don’t recognize the voice,” Wooyoung comments and you shake your head.

“Cause your taste in music is shit. This is Mark Tuan’s new EP.”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that. Would be a real shame if your door just magically opened, huh?”

You laugh and Wooyoung sucks his teeth, coming to a stop at a red light. Looking out the window, you notice that the clouds above are a pale grey color that carries the promise of a light shower later on.

“Who do you think is going to out their office romance this year?” Wooyoung’s voice pulls you from your thoughts and you shrug your shoulders.

You remember from last year that your office manager and one of the newer interns wore matching Halloween costumes. They were the only workers dressed as Team Rocket from Pokemon. You haven’t really heard any dating rooms going around in your office but that doesn’t mean the rest of the office is innocent.

“I heard Jungkook was going to be the Big Bad Wolf…not much creativity there.”

“Oh, you think?”

“If I was a fucking werewolf, I would pick something else-”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know…maybe a dog catcher?”

You whip your head to the side to look at Wooyoung and he glances at you from the corner of his eye.

“What? That’s pretty fucking clever!”

“I-I can’t believe you just said that.”

There is a small beat of silence before you and Wooyoung both start to laugh.

“Jungkook would rip you a new one if he heard that,” you wheeze, thankful that you used waterproof makeup since your eyes are tearing up.

“I mean, come on. That would be fucking iconic!”

You shake your head in disbelief and Wooyoung giggles.

“So, I get that you’re a cat, but like, I have no idea what kind.”

“You really can’t tell what breed I am?”

“I just said that.” Wooyoung shots you an unimpressed look and you sigh.

“Damn, I thought it was obvious. I’m a pallas cat!”

“A what?”

“Oh come on, Woo! It’s my favorite animal of all time! It’s one of the tiny big cats.”

Wooyoung raises an eyebrow and shrugs his shoulders, “I’ll take your word for it, kitten.”

Based on the company-wide email, the club is called Dionysus and the music rattles the windows of Wooyoung’s car as he finds a parking space. Outside there is a slight chill in the air, the scent of fried foods and sweat riding the current that creeps from the open door that leads into the club. With Wooyoung by your side, you make your way to the front of the line. People glare at the two of you but Wooyoung grabs your hand and gives it a firm squeeze.

“Don’t worry about them. We have people inside waiting.”

At the front of the line, a woman with startling electric blue eyes raises an eyebrow as Wooyoung walks up to her. There are a pair of black rounded ears on top of her head and you know that she is some kind of hybrid, but you aren’t sure what breed. Maybe a rodent of some short, you think she could be an opossum. She is dressed all back, with the club’s name written in silver cursive across her chest.

“You don’t see the line?” Her voice is sharp and Wooyoung shakes his head.

“We’re not trying to be late, our boss is expecting us. Blue & Grey Enterprise.”

The woman nods her head and looks down at the clipboard in her hands, “Names?”

Wooyoung rattles off your names and she asks for ID before the two of you can enter the club. The club looks more like an opera house. It’s a large glass and iron building with beautiful ash-white archways, spicy grey pepper LVP flooring and an endless supply of natural light. Simple tracking light fixtures are placed through the club, spaced together in groups of two with elegant grey and white pendant lights hanging at tasteful intervals. There are two floors to the club and the moment you step through the doors, you feel like you have been transported to another world.

It feels like the scene of a high budget movie. All around you, people are dancing with drinks in their hands. The lighting is a mix of blue, purple and red with smoke snaking around on the floor. The walls seemingly reflect the lighting, creating a mirror like effect that shimmers and glows. The air is warm but you can feel that the air conditioning is on somewhere, most likely on the second floor since heat rises. Large floor to ceiling silk curtains hang from up high, sheer and light in soft shades of cream that drink in the colors of the lights.

“Come on, let’s find our group.”

Wooyoung moves to the far edge of the dance floor, closer to the wall as he pulls you along behind him. In the corner elevated above the crowd, a large DJ box is suspended with hanging black ivy, fairy lights and a floating staircase. The DJ wears an oversized head piece that resembles a Greek statue with a gold and emerald circlet on top. The place is impressive and you wonder why the company chose such an extravagant place. Many people are dressed in costumes as you walk past and from the amount of skin shown you know that none of the people on the lower level are from your company.

A set of steps leading to the upper level catch your eye and as you get closer, you notice that there is a guard dressed much like the woman from out front. The security guard stands with his arms crossed over his chest and he looks completely unphased by the strangers around him. Upon seeing you and Wooyoung, he narrows his eyes and Wooyoung shows his work ID. Following his lead, you do the same and the man nods his head before he unlatches the green and gold ivy rope that blocks off the upper floor.

“Enjoy yourselves tonight.”

Wooyoung releases your hand and motions for you to walk up before him. He blocks anyone’s eyes from staring at your butt and you giggle to yourself. Wooyoung is such a gentleman, you love him dearly.

If you thought the lower level was something out of a movie then the upper level is pulled straight from the dreams of an elite designer. Dark wooden furniture with plush white and black setting, vines of ivy clung to the walls, golden ring lights are pressed into the ceiling with more of the white pendant lights hung in small clusters. A single bar top that runs the entire length of the room, is pressed against the wall. The counter is too far away to see but you wouldn’t doubt if it was marble.

You spot a few familiar faces and point out the coworkers to Wooyoung. The two of you head over to say hello before you search for your friends.

“Oh my God, you made it!!!”

Arms wrapped around your waist tightly, squeezing the breath from your lungs and when you look down, a bright red hood is all you see.

“Your costume is so cute! Are you a hybrid?”

The body pulls away and those striking green eyes spark up at you. You take in the woman’s sultry makeup, the soft curls in her hair and the spillage of boob from the white ruffled blouse that has a black corset pushing everything upwards.

“Tisha! You look…wait, are you Little Red?”

You stare down at your coworker and you can feel the pride spilling off her as she grins and nods her head. Her curls bounce around her shoulders and you can’t help but laugh. Of course she would want to match with Jungkook.

“It suits you.” You look around and you don’t see Jungkook at all.

“Right! I just know Jungkook will love it!” Tisha smooths her hands over the red skirt of her dress and cocks an eyebrow. “So, what kind of hybrid are you?”

“A cat.”

“That’s so cute! You and Jungkookie always but heads, so it works too!”

“Huh?”

Tisha waves her hand around and shrugs her shoulders, “You know what I mean, right? Like the two of you are always bickering.” You hum in agreement and she pulls at your arm as another smile takes over her face. “Let’s get a drink!”

Together, you head over to the bar and sure enough, the bar top is white and black marble. To your left you notice a familiar face, “Taehyung?”

The man turns at the sound of his name and mismatched brown eyes find yours. A boxy smile pulls at a set of lips and you find yourself smiling as well. If Taehyung is here then you know Jungkook isn’t too far behind. Taehyung’s eyes drink you in from head to toe and he nods his head, “A cat hybrid? Cute.”

“You think so?” You twirl around for Taehyung and he chuckles at the sight of your tail.

“You really put some effort into it.”

“Do you like my costume?” Tisha jumps into your conversation with Taehyung and his eyes slide over to her.

He raises an eyebrow and clicks his tongue, “Little Red…how original.”

You bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing at Taehyung’s unimpressed tone but Tisha is clueless.

“I know Jungkook said he needed a Little Red to his Big Bad, so yeah. I thought it would work out.” Tisha gushes and Taehyung’s head tilts in confusion.

“Big Bad…like-like the wolf?”

“Yeah, duh! What else would he be?”

Taehyung looks down at his outfit and you take the time to figure out what he could be. His usual dark brown hair is dyed a soft honey brown and cut into a mullet. His warm brown eyes are underlined in thick black liner with a black smudged smokey look and there is a tinted balm on his lips. A double chained necklace hugs his throat a little looser than the choker that you wear and it’s paired with a white tank top that hangs loosely around his frame. A leather jacket with silver studded sleeves really pulls the whole look together with simple black leather pants and chunky black boots.

“Are you in a band?” You question and Taehyung grins.

“I’m the lead singer, pretty.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Tisha pouts and Taehyung takes a sip of his drink before he looks at Tisha.

“Oh really? And why is that?”

“Jungkook is the Big Bad Wolf. Why would you be a singer of a band?”

“I wonder?” Taehyung muses with a knowing look and you roll your eyes. “Can I get you a drink?” Taehyung offers and you laugh.

“It’s a company party, Tae. The drinks are free.”

Taehyung puts his hands up with a laugh, “Worth a shot.” Taehyung raises his hand to get one of the bar tender’s attention and when the young guy comes over, you order a whiskey sour while Tisha orders a tequila sunrise. The three of you chat for a while and Tisha looks bored.

“Where is Jungkook?” She asks for the umpteenth time and Taehyung ignores the question.

“Why don’t you go look for him, hmm? I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,” you offer seeing the way Taehyung’s jaw ticks.

Tisha scans the room and nods her head with a sigh, “Better than being here all night.”

When Tisha is out of sight Taehyung downs the rest of his drink and slams the glass down on the bar top.

“Thank fuck, she’s gone. Holy shit! How can she not take a hint? Damn!” Taehyung curses as he runs a hand through his hair. “Does she really think Jungkook likes her? I’ll kick his ass outta the pack, I swear to Luna!”

You laugh and slap Taehyung’s shoulder, “Shut up, you will not!” You shake your head and sip at your drink. “Besides, I’m sure that Jungkook is reaching his limit…assuming that this band you speak of, is with the whole pack?”

Taehyung ducks his head, trying to hide his smirk but you know him better by now.

“What’s everyone’s role?”

“I’m the singer, Hoseok is lead guitar, Namjoon is bass, Jungkook is drums, Yoongi is keyboard, Seokjin is rhythm guitar and Jimin is our manager.”

You giggle and try to imagine the pack as full fledged rock stars.

“Can Hoseok even play the guitar?”

Taehyung laughs as he shakes his head, “Nope, but he looks good holding one.”

“Who looks good?”

That all too familiar voice creeps up behind you and you feel an arm being thrown around your shoulders.

“Get off me, wolf boy!”

Warm musk, with a slightly fresh and clean scent engulfs you as you are pulled into a tight embrace.

“Oh, cat ears? Cute!”

You push at the chest that is in front of you and when you can see light again, you glare up at Jungkook as he smirks down at you. You notice right away that Jungkook has two silver hoops in his lower lip and you swallow thickly. Jungkook’s eyes seem to darken as he looks down at you and before you can say anything he boops your nose with his index finger.

“Are you a pallas cat?” He steps closer and you feel his hand slide down the length of your spine, stopping at the small of your back, where your tail is clipped. “You even have a cute little tail. Such a cute little kitten…”

“S-Shut up! What happened to the big bad wolf, huh?” You poke at his chest and Jungkook pretends to be wounded as he backs away and stands by Taehyung’s side.

At this distance you can take in his full costume, and honestly he looks good. His hair has been dyed black and style messily with wisps and spikes while a fringe hangs in his eyes. You assume that he is wearing clip-in to give himself a little more length in the back for his shorter mullet. Jungkook’s ears are completely adored in many silver hoops that are mismatched in size and style, along with a chunky chain necklace.

He’s wearing a white graphic t-shirt tucked into a pair of plaid pants that have different shades of blue and red; with fabric straps buckled around each of his thighs. A matching jacket is worn over top and large black boots with five thick buckles complete his outfit. Taehyung said that Jungkook was the supposed drummer and he definitely looks the part.

“What? I’m still pretty big-”

“Shut up!” You snap as heat attacks your face and Jungkook just smirks while Taehyung laughs.

“Have you seen Tisha yet?” Taehyung asks and Jungkook raises an eyebrow.

“No…should I have?”

“For fuck shakes….” You whine and Taehyung chuckles.

“You’ll find out sooner or later.”

Wooyoung emerges from the crowd and throws himself at the bar. Sweat is beading along his forehead and his hair is now sticking to his face as he pants to catch his breath. You look at your friend and pat his back soothingly while raising your hand to order him a glass of water.

“So many people…and it’s not even just our company. There is another one here too.”

“I thought I didn’t recognize a lot of people,” Jungkook sighs and Wooyoung licks his lips.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve been hit on but someone grabbed my ass and I was done.”

“That fucking sucks.”

Everyone stares at Jungkook and his face heats up as he holds up his hands and shakes his head. “Oh my God! N-No, that’s not like…shit! That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t trying to be funny.” Jungkook stammers seeing that Wooyoung is dressed like a vampire.

“You’re so fucking stupid,” You laugh and Jungkook pouts while Taehyung just sips his new drink.

A piano playing a well known beat catches your ears and you perk up.

“I love this song!” You rush off to the dance floor without looking back and Jungkook growls seeing the different set of eyes following after you.

“Down, boy,” Taehyung teases and Wooyoung chokes on his water. “You can go if you want but Jimin and Hoseok are out there. The three of them together will be safe.”

Wooyoung nods in agreement and clears his throat, “When are you gonna drop the invite into the pack?”

“It’s open-”

“Never.” Jungkook’s voice is flat as he glares at Taehyung and Taehyung just huffs with an eye roll. “A human can’t be in the pack. It isn’t safe.”

Weaving in and out of people, Tisha searches for Jungkook. She has not found a single man dressed as the Big Bad Wolf and she is starting to wonder if maybe Jungkook hasn’t arrived to the party yet. She met Taehyung at the bar and while walking around she sees Jimin and Hoseok on the dance floor. Seokjin, Namjoon and Yoongi are sitting at one of the booths with drinks in front of them, just chatting it up, but no Jungkook.

Another thing that is bothering her is that the members of Jungkook’s pack are all dressed in a similar fashion. Eyeliner, smokey eyeshadows, leather and chains with black boots. She always thought that packs tended to do group costumes as part of their culture. It is in their blood to want to match or at least coordinate with each other.

Feeling thirsty, Tisha moves through the bodies around her and heads towards the bar. She spots Taehyung in the same spot that she left him but this time he is talking to another man. She cannot tell who it is from the back, but she knows that it isn’t Jungkook. Sighing, Tisha stands in front of the bar and ignores Taehyung and the other man as she orders a double shot of tequila with a long island iced tea as a chaser.

“You okay, Tisha? You’re looking a little down.”

Tisha’s eyes slide to the side and she sees Wooyoung looking at her with concern in his brown eyes.

“I can’t find Jungkook anywhere!” Tisha whines and Taehyung sips his drink. This has nothing to do with him. “His whole pack is here but he is-”

Tisha spots movement in her peripheral coming towards Taehyung and then there is a brief pause. She turns her head and sure enough Jungkook is standing a few feet away looking at the phone in his hand. A smile starts to tug at Tisha’s lips as she takes a step towards Jungkook but she stops and looks at him. He isn’t dressed as the big bad wolf at all. If anything he’s dressed as some wannabe rockstar from the 80’s.

“Hey…Jungkook?” Tisha calls out to him and Jungkook looks up from his phone. His eyes widen when he sees that Tisha is wearing a Little Red Riding Hood costume. “I-I thought you were gonna be a wolf?”

“Oh, um…yeah. I was just joking around.”

Tisha bites her bottom lip and tilts her head to the side, “You look good. This is a different look. It’s very…different.”

“Thanks! I’m the drummer in the pack,” Jungkook winks and Tisha giggles.

“Yeah? Are you good at banging things?”

Jungkook opens his mouth and quickly closes it before he rubs the back of his neck and Tisha’s eyes widen.

“Um, so-sorry, that came out wrong.”

Taehyung and Wooyoung share a look and before Taehyung can take pity on his pack mate, Jimin and Hoseok bust through the crowd of people with you right behind them. Jimin’s face is flushed and his eyes are ink black. Taehyung jumps to his feet and Jungkook is pulling you out of Hoseok’s grasp, pushing you behind himself.

“What happened?” Taehyung demands as he pulls Jimin into his arms. Jimin’s body melts, legs go weak and Taehyung helps him over to the bar. He sits Jimin in his chair and smooths the black hair from Jimin’s face.

Hoseok runs a hand through his own shaggy brown hair that is also cut into a mullet as well. “Some asshole siren tried to corner her-” Hoseok points in your direction, “into leaving with him.”

“What?” Jungkook whips around to face you and grabs your arms, turning you every which way to make sure you are unharmed. “Are you okay? Did he touch you?”

“I’m fine, Jungkook.” You cup Jungkook’s face in between your hands, seeing that his eyes are now ruby red. “I promise. Jimin defended my honor.”

“I should have ripped that asshole’s head off!” Jimin hisses and Hoseok rubs his back as he nods his head in agreement.

“Why didn’t you?” Jungkook snaps and Hoseok clears his throat.

“We’re at a work event, Kook. Wouldn’t be a good look for our very human bosses to see us covered in blood.”

Jungkook grumbles under his breath and nuzzles into the palm of your hand. You smile and coo at him, scratching right behind his ear.

“Who’s a good boy?”

“Fuck off,” Jungkook laughs as he pushes you away from him and you notice Tisha standing at the bar for the first time.

“I need a drink,” Jimin mutters and Taehyung waves over the bartender.

“Anything you in the mood for?” Taehyung questions and Jimin shakes his head. “Shots for everyone?”

“Yes!”

“Bring it!”

Taehyung orders two rounds of shots and you all gather around Jimin. Holding a glass in your hand you stand beside Jungkook and grin as you all clink your glasses together. Downing your shot you curse as it spills out of your mouth a little and dribbles down your chin.

“Did you fucking miss your mouth?” Jungkook laughs and wipes at the corner of your mouth with his thumb. “Such a messy kitten, huh?”

“Shut up!” You pout and your whole body shivers as the liquid makes its way through your body and warms your chest.

Jungkook brings his thumb to his mouth and sucks the extra liquor from his finger making your eyes widen, and before you can comment, Tisha speaks up.

“Are you two dating?” She asks, looking between you and Jungkook with narrowed eyes.

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

You and Jungkook take a step away from each other while shaking your heads.

“Wolfie isn’t my type.” You lie through your teeth. Jungkook is every bit your type, but he doesn’t date humans.

“Yeah, not really feeling the whole easily killed bit,” Jungkook points out and Tisha’s whole face lights up.

“Jungkook?” Tisha calls his name and sets her glass on the bar top. “Can I talk to you for a moment please?”

Jungkook looks at Taehyung for help but he is ordering another round while Hoseok is making sure Jimin is okay. Wooyoung is watching it all unfold and you are ignoring Jungkook now since Tisha’s question. Jungkook sighs and steps to the side, making room for Tisha to walk past.

“Lead the way,” Jungkook relents and follows Tisha in silence.

“You think she’s gonna drop the bomb?” Wooyoung wonders as he knocks back a shot and your face scrunches up.

Tisha and Jungkook…yeah that won’t go over well with the pack. The pack is a family and it is hard to leave, so when a member starts to court someone, the pack has a huge say in the matter. None of Jungkook’s packmates like Tisha and Jungkook has voiced his grievances about Tisha to you many times. Overall you think Tisha is okay, but she is a bit spoiled and wants things her way. You glance up at the glass ceiling of the club and the clouds above are a little darker but you can still see some of the stars in the sky.

“I think Jungkook is fucking clueless about her feelings and might break her heart,” Taehyung voices and you suck your teeth. You hope he doesn’t make her cry, that would be embarrassing for everyone.

Outside on a balcony tucked behind large white and gold curtains, Tisha stands with Jungkook hidden in the dark of the night. The air is cool enough for goosebumps to appear on Tisha’s arms and Jungkook frowns.

“We should get back inside quickly. You could get sick out here.”

Tisha smiles at Jungkook’s thoughtfulness and grabs the end of her cape before she hugs an arm around her body, underneath her breasts; surrounding herself in a little bit of warmth. Her free hand plays with a strand of hair and she looks up at the sky. Inhaling deeply before she lets it out, Tisha thinks of how she can start the conversation.

“It’s beautiful out tonight, right?” Her eyes fall to Jungkook and she watches in silence as Jungkook glances up at the stars, nodding his head in agreement. “I’ve always loved the night time, it’s so much more peaceful.”

Jungkook bites the inside of his lip, nibbling on the back of his lip ring as he listens to Tisha talk. He really doesn’t understand what she is trying to say but he’ll let her ramble if it makes her feel better.

“Jungkook can I…” Tisha sighs and tucks the strand of hair in her hand behind her ear. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Jungkook’s brows raise and he stares at Tisha unsure if he wants to hear the question.

“Um, yeah…I guess.”

“Your pack. A-Are you together?”

“Huh?”

“Like romantically, are you together?”

Jungkook’s mouth drops open and his eyes widen, “What? Nooooo! No, no, no-” He laughs and shakes his head, “Luna, no! They are more like my brothers than anything.”

“Really? You guys seem close.”

Jungkook tugs at his earlobe and fiddles with one of the earrings. “I mean that’s what a pack is. They know me better than anyone in the whole world. They look out for me and make sure I’m okay. And I do the same for them. It’s hard to explain to a human, but think of wolves as-” Jungkook hums as he thinks of the right term to use, “Soulmates. That’s pack. We all found each other in this crazy fucking world and we make each other better, as brothers.”

“And if you want to date outside of the pack?”

“Date? Yeah, that’s an option too. Just because we live together doesn’t mean that we can’t date or have a normal love life. Our partners become part of the pack and that’s really it.”

Tisha nods her head at the information and Jungkook rubs the back of his neck, not sure what else to say.

“Jungkook?”

“That’s me!” Jungkook tries to joke and Tisha smiles.

“I um, I-I really like you and I want to…well-” Tisha sighs and shakes her head before she steadies her nerves. “Would you like to go out with me?”

Jungkook stares at Tisha unblinking. He looks down at his shoes, over to the plant in the corner and back to Tisha’s shoes before he looks up into her face. She is staring with wide eyes, her mouth pressed into a weary smile as she waits for an answer.

Jungkook’s mouth opens and closes a few times before he clears his throat and huffs out a dry laugh. “That’s um, well you see-”

“You can pick the time and place. I don’t care where it is as long as I’m with you.” Tisha quickly interrupts and Jungkook licks his lips, fighting to figure out how to break her heart nicely.

“Yeah, that’s not the issue, Tisha.”

“Do you want me to pick the place?” Tisha’s eyes seem to sparkle in the low lighting of the stars and artificial candle flames that sit in old iron lanterns.

“You’re not understanding me.” Jungkook sighs and licks his lips before he kicks at the ground with the toe of his boot. “I’m not going to date you…ever.”

“Wh-What? B-But, why? You’re single and I’m single.”

“Yeah, but I’m not attracted to you. I never was and I’m sorry if I ever gave you that impression but-”

“Is it someone at work? Do you like someone else?”

“What?”

Jungkook’s eyes double in size and Tisha laughs something hollow and cold. In the green of her iris, small wisps of smoke start to swirl around in her eyes as the wind around them picks up.

“Who is it, Jungkook? Who can’t let you go? You belong with me!” Tisha shouts above the wind as it starts to moan and groan. Leaves and debris from the street are whisked into the air and thrown about. “Who?!” Tisha demands and Jungkook shakes his head.

“What are you doing, Tisha? Stop it! You’re going to hurt someone!” Jungkook takes a step forward and Tisha shoves her arm out. A strong gust of wind knocks Jungkook back onto his ass and his eyes glow red as he glares at the woman before him.

“If you won’t tell me who it is then everyone shall suffer!”

“What?!”

Jungkook watches in horror as the clouds above darken into a deep grey, almost black and circle over the club. A sudden bolt of lightning strikes the building and the whole place is plunged into darkness before the clouds start to thicken and drop down into a cyclone with the club being in the eye of the storm.

“I can’t date you, Tisha!” Jungkook yells as he forces himself to half shift, his nails elongating enough to dig into the concrete beneath him. “You’re human. Witch or not, it wouldn’t work!”

“That’s a lie!” Tisha shouts and another bolt of lightning strikes the building, this time a deep emerald green color. Green smoke falls from the cycling and there are sudden screams from inside. Jungkook’s eyes dart towards the doors and his heart pounds in his chest, he can feel his pack mate’s fear through their bond. Suddenly everything inside goes quiet. The screams, the music, everything is deathly still and Jungkook’s eyes shift to red.

“What did you do?” Jungkook demands. He can’t feel his packmates anymore. Tisha grins and it’s wrong. Twisted and crazed as she licks her lips.

“This is your punishment, Jeon Jungkook! Suffer with everyone else!” Tisha hisses and crackles something wicked before she disappears in a green poof of smoke. The clouds lighten and thin out and shortly after like the play button on a remote had been pressed the lights in the club come back on.

“Jungkook?!”

“Kookie!?”

Namjoon and Seokjin’s voice call his name over the music, closer to the door. Jungkook glances at where Tisha stood, scared that she will harm his packmates even when he cannot smell her.

“Jungkook?!”

Arms wrap around Jungkook, the scent of pack, his pack floods his senses and his body slowly untenses from the unease that grips his heart. He is stuck staring at the spot where Tisha was standing and Namjoon waves his hand in front of his face.

“Jungkook, what the fuck happened? We felt your fear from inside…are-are you okay?” Seokjin looks over Jungkook’s body while Namjoon searches the balcony for anything unnatural.

There is a scent in the air, heartache, longing and such ire. Namjoon rubs his nose and sneezes, shaking his head as he walks back over to Seokjin who is helping Jungkook stand on his own two feet.

“What happened?” Seokjin asks once more and Jungkook shakes his head. He doesn’t believe it himself.

“Hyung…Tisha is a witch. I-I think she put a curse on me?”

“What?!” Namjoon and Seokjin both shout and stare at Jungkook in disbelief; he is just as shocked. Witches aren’t rare but they tend to work and live within their coven. To have a lone witch…Tisha must be very powerful.

“We need to contact Hyunwoo and-”

Someone screams from inside the club and the sound of glass shattering fills the air before growls, hisses and more screams pour out into the night air.

The three of them share a look and rush inside, scared for the rest of their packmates. Inside the club, a million different scents assault their noses. Strong scents of fear, confusion and bloodlust are hard to ignore.

“What the fuck is happening?” Seokjin gasps as he sees creatures being held down out all over the place.

The sharp scent of death catches Namjoon’s attention and he growls low in his chest, “Pack!”

Seokjin and Jungkook rush after him as Namjoon barrels through the bodies, pushing everyone out of his way. At the bar, Jimin, Taehyung, and Yoongi are acting as a living barricade around Hoseok who is holding your unconscious body as Wooyoung hisses, his eyes are black with red spider veins pulling at his pale skin, and there are razor sharp fangs dripping venom in his mouth.

Jungkook blinks a few times and rubs at his eyes. No, there’s no way. Wooyoung isn’t a vampire, he’s human like you…Jungkook looks past his packmates and his breath catches in his throat. The grey ears on top of your head twitch and flicker in his direction before Hoseok’s red eyes find him.

“What the fuck?!” Jungkook growls under his breath and Hoseok is just as confused.

“We need to get out of here, now!” Yoongi growls as he shoves Wooyoung back, sending the fledgling into the nearest table.

Wooyoung picks himself up and snarls, his teeth dripping venom and before he can attack, another vampire, much older and more powerful (Jungkook thinks his name is San) grabs him and uses his own power to put him under.

“Thank you.” Yoongi gives the vampire a firm nod and they all turn to your unconscious form in Hoseok’s arms.

“We leave now.” Taehyung leaves no room for debate and they all form a barrier around you and Hoseok.

“Oh my God! It’s BTS!!” Someone’s voice shouts over all the chaos and all at once, all eyes in the place are focused on Jungkook and his pack.

“Huh?” Hoseok looks around confused, he isn’t sure what is going on. BTS? Yeah, that’s what they decided to call their little band for the night. It’s short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, something Namjoon and Yoongi came up with on the fly.

“Jungkook, marry me!”

“Yoongi, marry me!”

All over everyone is screaming their names, shouting for their attention and are forcefully restrained by security guards. One guard comes up to them and others clear a path for the group to be led down the steps and onto the first floor.

The pack looks at Taehyung and he nods his head, his face void of any emotion. Hoseok tightens his hold around you and together, BTS walk through the cleared path and down the steps. The DJ from before is completely marble and stands frozen in time. Jungkook’s eyes widen as he follows the group and notices that they are being led to a stage that he didn’t notice in the midst of everyone dancing before.

As Taehyung steps onto the stage, the others follow suit. Hoseok silently hands you over to Jimin and pats his shoulder.

“Keep her safe…”

Jimin shifts you in his arms while the rest of the pack go up on stage and his nose wrinkles as lime zest and cane sugar tickle his senses. A faint milky undertone sits at the base of the scent and Jimin growls low. Omega.

On stage, Taehyung steps up to the mic and clears his throat.

“Uh…yeah. So, we’re BTS and I honestly have no fucking clue what is going on. But, whatever! We’re here and it would be a waste to pass up such a nice stage.”

Jimin snorts at Taehyung’s words. Something has happened and while he isn’t sure what, Jimin can smell the ever subtle trace of magic in the air. The pack all look at each other and take their positions, Jungkook sits behind a drum set, Hoseok and Seokjin grab guitars, Namjoon picks up a bass and Yoongi stands behind a keyboard.

Taehyung howls into the mic and Jungkook comes behind him on the drums. Namjoon’s fingers pluck at the strings of his bass while Seokjin starts the rhythm and soon the whole band is playing as Taehyung sings.

I can feel you, I can hear you, howling in my bones

There’s an evil lurking in the dark (there’s an evil lurkin’ in the dark)

Ever shifting, skin is ripping, as you take control

I can’t tell where you end and where I start (there’s an evil lurkin’ in the dark)

Namjoon and Jungkook act as the backing vocals, giving the song an added layer of dark mystery.

A ferocious diagnosis, under moonlit hands, will

The man become the monster or the monster become man?

Seokjin sings in a higher register than Taehyung and the crowd is eating it up.

I could be up all night, but I’m paralyzed when the creature comes alive

'Cause it’s fight or fright, in the full moonlight

You can run but you can’t hide

I could be honest, I could be human

I could become the silver bullet in your head

But no one can break my heart like I can

(Werewolf)

As Yoongi howls and the band continues to play, you start to stir in Jimin’s arms. Your eyes open, squinted and blinking rapidly as you try to adjust to the lighting. Jimin coos down at you, nuzzling his nose against yours with a pensive smile on his face.

“Hey, welcome back.”

You groan in response and Jimin carefully lowers you to the floor, keeping an arm around your waist as strength comes back to your legs. Everything is loud, so, very loud. The lighting is making you feel sick as well and the top of your head feels like it’s on fire. You reach up to scratch at your scalp and Jimin quickly grabs your hand.

“Wait…j-just wait a minute.”

“It itches! This headband needs to go.” You whine and Jimin nods his head in understanding.

“Right…the headband.”

Jimin lets go of your hand and you eye him weary as you reach up to snatch the headband from your head. You touch something soft and your whole body shivers, your stomach twisting into knots.

Bleed the neon from the bite marks, ever bittersweet

Smile for the camera but don’t flash your teeth (everybody loves a mystery)

Let the bodies hit the dance floor to this heartbreak beat

I feel like somebody’s watchin’ me (feels like everybody’s watchin’ me)

Seductively destructive, we are true romance

Does the man become the monster or the monster become man?

Your head snaps to the side and your eyes widen at the sight of Jungkook and his pack performing on stage. You remember Taehyung telling you that Hoseok could not play the guitar, but you can’t tell from how he is shredding away. Your eyes jump from member to member and they are each playing the instrument that Taehyung has told you about. You never knew that Jungkook could even play the drums.

“What is even going on?” You whisper, feeling like this has to be some kind of dream.

You look at Jimin to ask a question and gasp, flinching when you feel a sharp pain in your lower back. A hiss spills from your lips and Jimin eyes you critically. Your eyes start to water and you don’t understand why you are in pain. Jimin’s eyes soften in understanding and he moves you to stand in front of him.

“One moment, kitten.”

Jimin forces his nails to grow and pinches the fabric of your bodysuit between his fingers. Carefully he rips the fabric at the base of your spin and you shiver as his fingers wrap around something that wasn’t there before. You feel Jimin pull something out of your bodysuit and the pain is gone.

“Feel better, kitten?”

“Um…yeah. W-What did you do? What did you pull-” You jump at the feeling of Jimin’s hands on your…it’s not your butt but it’s pretty close. Turning your head to look over your shoulders, your hazel cat eyes double in size at the sight of a grey tail. “Is that-”

“You’ve got a tail to match your pretty ears…”

“I-I…what is happening to me?”

Jimin wraps his arms around your waist and holds you as you slowly start to fall apart. Your thoughts are running a mile a minute, you don’t understand what has happened. One minute you were joking with Wooyoung and the next everything was pitch black and you suddenly had the worst headache of your life. Wooyoung dropped to the floor unconscious and when you checked for a pulse there wasn’t one.

Your head still hurts and when you go to rub it once more, you feel soft fur as it tickles your fingertips. Ears…you have real animal ears on top of your head where your headband should be.

Jimin nuzzles his nose into your neck and you purr, your body feeling lax as you lean against his chest. Jimin hums deep in his chest and inhales a lungful of your new scent.

“Mmmmm. You’re a hybrid from the smell of it, kitten…and you smell wonderful.”

“A-A hybrid? But, how? This has to be a dream.”

“That we’re all in and aware of?” Jimin muses and you gulp. He has a point there. Maybe this is more like a nightmare. “Let’s just roll with it for now and we can figure out what the fuck is going on after. Right now no one is trying to kill, attack or fuck anyone, so I’ll take that small victory.”

“What are the guys going to do?”

“What do you think? We’re BTS, the world famous rock band!”

The name rings a small bell deep in your subconscious and slowly, song after song plays in your mind. BTS, Bangtan Sonyeondan. Yes, you remember now. BTS is a band that you work with…no. No, that can’t be right. It doesn’t make sense. Why would BTS work at your company? Your mind is starting to feel hazy, molasses slow as the memories of the pack start to shift into fleeting meetings and longing stares shared through a screen. What are you even doing here by their manager’s side?

The song changes and Namjoon howls. It makes your ears twitch and your eyes focus on the drummer, Jungkook as he starts to move around.

보름달 아래서

허벅지를 꼬집고

참아야 하는 거야 no

옆에 누워있는

살짝 비춰지는

널 어떻게 해야 돼

Taehyung growls the word “wolf” low into the mic and your tail wraps around your waist as Jungkook howls. On the second “wolf” the whole band howls along with the other werewolves in the club. Beside you, Jimin smirks and throws his arm over your shoulder.

“Shall we get a drink? The others will come up when they are done.”

“S-Sure…” You struggle to find your footing as Jimin grabs your hand and pulls you through the mass of bodies with two members of security tagging along. As you walk up the steps to the second floor, you feel the haze of your mind lifting. You shake your head trying to clear the lingering effects of whatever was going on downstairs and Jimin helps you sit at the bar. He keeps a hand on your lower back, just above your tail and tells you to sit forward on the stool, so that your tail isn’t squished. You take his advice and Jimin nods, proud of himself as he sits beside you.

“Water?” Jimin offers and you hum in agreement. Water sounds like the safest choice since you still have no idea what is going on.

“How long will this-” You motion to your ears and wiggle your tail behind you, “Last? I don’t know if I can take the amount of smells coming at me.”

Jimin coos with a frown and places a hand on your knee, “We’ll figure something out. As a demon, my nose is better attuned to curses and there is magic in the air. It’s faint but there.”

“A curse did this?!” You stare at Jimin in disbelief. “Who would even want to do this?”

“You’d be surprised.” Jimin laughs and runs a hand through his ink black hair. “It has been quite a while since I’ve seen a spell of this caliber. To affect everyone, both human and mystic alike…I hate to say it but I’m impressed.”

“Says the demon that just became the manager of a famous band,” You frown and Jimin chuckles.

“What can I say? I’m blessed!”

Jungkook is panting by the time he walks off the stage with the rest of his pack. His hair is plastered to his forehead by sweat and the jacket he had on is now draped over one of his arms. He knows his graphic t-shirt is soaked, he can feel it stick to his chest, abs and back. It’s a gross feeling but the cheering from everyone in the club is worth it. As he heads up the steps that lead to the second floor, Jungkook feels his inner wolf pace around. The animal is uneasy and Jungkook cannot remember why.

Reaching the second floor, Jungkook easily spots Jimin and sees that he is talking to what looks to be a hybrid. Needing a bottle of water, Jungkook makes his way to the bar and the scent of freshly zested limes dusted in cane sugar smacks him in the face. The wolf inside purrs in content and presses at the forefront of his mind. Jungkook’s eyes shift to red and Jimin’s gaze meets his own. The demon grins, his teeth gleaming in the lighten as he licks his lips and says something to the hybrid before him.

The hybrid turns in their seat and piercing hazel cat eyes stare into Jungkook’s very soul. The ears on top of your head twitch and your tail quivers, your chest rumbles with a loud purr and Jungkook is standing in front of you in the blink of an eye.

“Kitten…wow.” Jungkook’s eyes glance up at your ears and heat creeps up the back of your neck and runs fire hot under your cheeks.

You duck your head to gather your thoughts, unable to think straight with Jungkook looking right at you but he isn’t having that. Lifting your chin with his index and middle finger, Jungkook growls in warning and narrows his eyes.

“Eyes on me-”

The faintest hint of sweetened milk invades Jungkook’s olfactory and he leans forward, grazing his nose along the pink leather of the choker around your throat. Your breath catches in your throat as Jungkook inhales deeply and you whine, your tail flicking around behind you.

Jimin slides off his bar stool and disappears into the bodies that are on the second floor. He knows when he isn’t needed.

A hot dampness, pressed against your neck, the choker in the way, guarding most of the skin as Jungkook samples your new scent gland. You shiver and Jungkook’s inner wolf howls.

“Omega.”

Jungkook’s nose presses against the choker and he inhales again, your scent creating a warmth deep in his stomach that makes all the blood rush to the knot in his pants.

“A-Alpha?”

The title is a high pitched whine, a mix between a purr and cry. Jungkook growls as your sent spikes, the cane sugar now much sweeter and it makes his mouth water.

“What do you want, Omega?” Jungkook flicks his tongue against your choker and nips at the leather with his teeth. You can feel the warmth of his breath as he breathes against the moist skin. Jungkook hums in question as you remain silent, your scent becoming sweeter and sweeter as the seconds pass. “Tell, Alpha, pretty kitten. Tell Alpha what you want.”

“K-Knot. Want A-Alpha’s knot!”

Jungkook’s wolf claws to the surface, determined to answer his sweet omega’s call as your body trembles in front of him. Jungkook grabs hold of your hand and tugs you towards the restrooms. Kicking the door open to the women, Jungkook shoves you inside and snarls at an older bird hybrid that is coming out of the men’s room. He slams the door shut and clicks the lock in place before unbuttoning and unzipping his pants.

Your senses are in overdrive, your body feels too hot and you feel a gush of liquid spill from between your legs. You whine at the feeling, not used to the heady scent coming off of Jungkook or the wetness between your legs.

“I know, ‘mega.” Jungkook huffs with a chuckle as he pulls his dick free from his black Calvin Klein boxer briefs. Keeping his back towards you, Jungkook bites his lip as his groin tingles and he starts to pee on the floor by the door, the liquid seeping under the crack of the door and spilling out into the hallway. Jungkook grumbles as his wolf yips in delight. Now, no one will try to come into the bathroom. He gave them a clear warning that this place is his and soon he will show everyone that the omega is his as well.

“Wolfie!”

Jungkook tucks himself back into his pants and spins on the heel of his boots. There you are looking like sin. Your chest is heaving, sweat is beaded on your forehead and your hazel cat eyes are blown wide. What a pretty sight, his pretty little kitten. Jungkook walks over to you, his boots landing heavily against the floor before he is standing in front of you. Jungkook’s large hand wraps around your throat and you whimper, widen your legs as he steps closer. You can feel the heat of his body through your clothing, you can feel the stiffness of his dick and it makes your mouth water.

“Messy kitten,” Jungkook coos and licks at the corner of your mouth. You didn’t even realize that you were drooling. You part your lips and turn your head slightly, as best you can with his grip on your throat. You greet his tongue with yours and Jungkook groans at the taste of you. He licks into your mouth, exploring every crevasse as he devores your moans, swallowing them down like a sweet treat. Fingers dig into your hip and you gasp as he pulls you flush against him, his thigh pressing right into your clothed clit.

Grinding his thigh against you, Jungkook relishes in the soft wet squishing sound your pussy makes as the fabric becomes soaked. The light grey fabric darkens in one spot and Jungkook groans as you nip at his pierced lip with your newly sharpened teeth.

“Easy, kitten.”

“K-Knot me Alpha! Want your knot!” You beg, your hips starting to jerk against his thick and corded thigh.

“Make it messy for me, kitten.” Jungkook mummers as he trails his lips up your jaw to the lobe of your ear. “Ruin these pants and I’ll knot your pretty pussy.” Jungkook takes your lobe between his teeth and tugs it lightly. “Can you do that?”

“Y-Yes! Yes, Alpha!”

You grab at Jungkook’s t-shirt, fisting the material in your hands as you start to grind down on his thigh harder. Jungkook looks down his nose at you, watching you get yourself off with little to nothing but the promise of his knot. The wolf inside is happily wagging its tail and howls. Your scent is maddening, Jungkook wishes he would have told you to ride his face and not his thigh. You start to pant more, soft moans and fevered ‘ah, ah, ahs’ fill the air as you reach closer and closer to your release.

Jungkook takes pity on you, he reaches between your bodies and presses his thumb right against your clit adding more pressure. Your back bows and you yowl in pleasure as your stomach tightens forcing more liquid to spill from you. Your walls tighten around nothing but that’s okay. The promise of Jungkook’s chock eases the ache and as you shiver from the afterglow of your release, Jungkook removes his thigh and rips your bodysuit right down the middle.

You yelp from sudden display of strength and Jungkook chuckles as your scent grows even sweeter. Grabbing your hips, Jungkook spins you around and pushes your outfit off your shoulders. It gathers at your hips and catches on your tail which makes Jungkook growl as he rips the suit once more. It falls to ribbons at your feet but you don’t care about that. What you care about are the set of red eyes drinking in the baby pink lingerie that does very little to hide your body in the bathroom mirror.

“Fuck…” Jungkook’s hand rakes up your sides and slides forward, cupping your breasts and squeezing them before he licks at the side of your neck. “Look at you, so fucking sexy. So fucking-” Jungkook tweaks your nipples between his fingers and chuckles as your tail swats at his side.

“Fucking perfect for me.” Jungkook pulls the bra down, letting your breasts spill out over the fabric before he slides a hand down the front of your body and teases the apex of your thighs.

“I can smell you from here kitten.” Jungkook slaps your thigh twice and you part your legs, giving him access to your dripping core. Cupping your sex, Jungkook pushes the thong to the side and teases two of his fingers between your lips. You shiver at the warmth and your eyes flutter closed. “Eyes on me!” Jungkook demands with a quick slap to your thigh.

Opening your eyes, you watch as Jungkook drags his hand from between your legs and lifts it up to eye level. You can see your arousal coating his fingers in a clear fluid that is sticky as he separates his fingers creating a thin spider-like web between them. You watch, mouth dropping open as Jungkook licks his index finger with the flat of his tongue before he sucks his middle finger into his mouth. His eyes never leave yours as he releases his fingers and trails them down the length of your body. It disappears behind you and you can feel Jungkook shifting around before the warmth of his bare thighs grazes your ass and tail.

You lean forward, back arched with your ass poking out, chest nearly spilling into the cool white porcelain of the sink. Biting his lip, Jungkook purrs in approval and grabs your ass in his hands. He squeezes the globes of flesh tightly, his eyes falling to the smooth-looking skin. He glances at your reflection in the mirror to make sure that you are still looking at him. He smirks and delivers a quick slap to your right cheek. You whine at the slight pain, but it makes your walls clench, more of your arousal seeping from between your legs. Jungkook giggles, fucking giggles as he soothes the sore spot with his hand and nibbles on his lip piercing.

“Gonna make sure you’re fucking always full, kitten. Can’t wait to cream this pussy and plug you with my fat knot.”

Before you can even beg, the heat from Jungkook’s cock shuts you up as the tip slides between your folds and kisses your entrance. One single push and Jungkook bottoms out, your walls stretching with a dull pain that makes you whimper in delight.

“Shhhiiiit!” Jungkook groans, his head falling forward as he starts to thrust his hips shallowly. The warmth of your pussy is addicting, the smooth endless glide of your slick is everything and more that Jungkook has ever imagined. Looking at the way your pussy stretches around his cock, Jungkook tightens a hand on your hip; his fingers digging into the flesh as he picks up speed.

Skin on skin, wet and loud. Squashling, squeezing, dripping, and warm, so fucking warm. Jungkook’s eyes zone in on the tail at the small of your back and licks his lips. Running a hand down your spine, he grabs the base of your tail and gives it an experimental tug. Your walls wrap around him in a vice, daring him to move as a full body orgasm is ripped out of you. Your toes curl, your eyes slam shut and you scream, your hazel eyes now a vibrant blue as your canines grow double in size.

“F-fuck!” Jungkook smacks his lips as he continues to fuck into your pussy. “That’s in ‘mega. Make it creamy, baby.” Jungkook’s voice is deeper, more of a hiss as the thin white translucent slick from your pussy circles the base of his dick, covering his half-formed knot.

Jungkook’s eyes shift to red and his words slowly fade away, giving room for more growls and snarls as his wolf takes over. Another wave of pleasure washes over your body. Your back arches and your tail wraps around Jungkook’s wrist as you plead for his knot, begging him to plug your needy hole.

Slamming into you, Jungkook feels the way your womb opens up to him, the way it craves his seed and that spurs him on. Gripping your hair, Jungkook pulls you upward and groans as your walls pulse around his dick. His teeth ache, feeling too big for his mouth, just the right size for the empty spot over your scent glade.

“Mine!” Jungkook growls as his knot starts to swell to the size of a softball. “Mine…mine!” The round base pushes against your entrance and your legs shake as your pussy is stretched even more to accommodate his size. Licking his lips, Jungkook howls as his knot pops into you with a loud squish and you scream as his teeth sink into the meat of your neck. Wetness sprays from around Jungkook’s knot, your walls squeeze, push and pull, trying to force him out and keep him in. It’s a painful mixture of pleasure that has you seeing stars, and when the hotness of Jungkook’s seed fills your womb, you shiver.

Your neck stings, burns something awful before a cooling numbness spreads and seeps deep into your veins.

Love.

Want.

Need.

Mine.

Blue eyes meet red ones in the mirror and your inner cat curls into a little ball of soft, soft warmth. Tears blur your vision as Jungkook releases your neck. His tongue is rougher as it licks at the open wound and he shushes you, rubbing his hands up and down your back before he gathers you in his arms as best he can with his knot still locking the two of you together.

“Shhh, kitten. It’s okay, I got ya. I’m here.” Jungkook tilts your head and licks your tears away, pressing his lips to your cheek and inhaling the scent of you and him. The wound on your neck has closed over, no longer bleeding but it isn’t fully healed. It’s an ugly shade that you know will take some time to go away but you will wear it with pride.

Tears spill over your eyes and Jungkook’s scent changes as he starts to panic. “I’m sorry, fuck! I’m sorry…I didn’t ask!”

You don’t care about that, not really. You have loved Jungkook for so long, and you pray that this isn’t some stick and twisted nightmare. Jungkook always says that he will never date a human because they are too fragile and he cannot always control his wolf. You understood that you had no place beside Jungkook other than as his friend… But now?

“W-What happens now?” You cry, gripping onto Jungkook’s forearm as he holds you up right. “I’m…I’m not a real hybrid-”

“Hey, hey! No, none of that kitten.” Jungkook presses a million kisses to your cheek and hugs you tightly.

“You won’t want me when I change back.”

“I will always want you…” Jungkook drops his forehead to your shoulder and kisses your new mating mark. “I love you.”

“W-what?”

Hot tears stream down your naked back and Jungkook sniffles.

“I love you. I-I don’t care if this is temporary.”

Your lower lip wobbles and you shake your head unable to understand. Jungkook loves you…but-

“Jimin and Hoseok will figure it out. They’re demons, this is their shit.”

“And if they can turn me back?” You ponder and Jungkook picks his head to look into your eyes through the mirror.

“It is your call, kitten. I will love you either way. The mating mark will not go away…we can figure it all out.”

Jungkook’s knot starts to deflate and he carefully pulls away from you before he spins you around and tugs you into his arms. His lips are soft as he kisses you breathless. Love, so much love is poured into the kiss and you melt into his body.

“I love you, Jungkook.” You whisper against his lips and Jungkook smiles, his nose scrunching up as he nuzzles against your mating mark.

A knock at the door makes both of you jump and Jungkook growls loudly.

“Are you done yet?” Yoongi’s voice comes from the other side of the door. “The Ward of Magic is here!” He informs you and your eyes widen. The Ward of Magic? They only come when a serious crime has been committed.

“Do you have my jacket?” Jungkook calls out and Yoongi rolls his eyes.

“Right here, Kookie.”

Jungkook steps away and pulls his shirt off over his head. He eyes your body and looks down at his shirt…Ripping the shirt a few times and making a couple of knots, Jungkook holds out what is now a cute and edgy skirt. You quickly put it on, pull your tail through a rip and keep your back towards the door while Jungkook grabs his jacket from Yoongi.

“For fucksake, Kook! Put your dick away!” The pack alpha scolds and Jungkook slams the door in his face. You giggle upon turning around and seeing that Jungkook’s ears are tinted in embarrassment.

Jungkook holds out his jacket and you slip your arms into it. Carefully, you remove your shoes and Jungkook snickers as you step out of your destroyed body suit. Shoving your feet back into your shoes, you head into the stall and quickly clean yourself up while Jungkook does the same.

“Ready?” Jungkook questions, his large boba eyes filled with fierce determination.

“Ready.”

Hand in hand, you and Jungkook exit the bathroom and Yoongi is waiting against the wall with a small smile on his lips.

“Welcome to the pack, kitten.” He giggles, seeing the mating mark on your neck, and Jungkook licks his lips. He knew that his whole pack would feel it the moment he bit you, but having the pack alpha’s approval makes a weight in his chest lift. Jungkook nudges you to head out first, so that he can speak with Yoongi alone. Yoongi raises an eyebrow and quickly scruffs Jungkook on the neck gently. “Guess you were blessed with a curse huh?”

#jungkook fic #jungkook smut #jungkook x reader #bts collab #jessikahathaway #blessed with a curse #soc jungkook

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scoonsalicious · 1 month

Text

Unwanted: Chapter 11, Unsure - Pt. 1

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, Pocket not knowing how to navigate her emotions

Word Count: 1.9k

Previously On...: Jade just had to rub it in that she not only hears you and Bucky fighting about her, but that it brings her joy. So, you had to make sure you fucked your boyfriend extra loud.

A/N: My mom is coming up to visit after I get out of work today, so obviously, I cannot post while she is around (the contents of this story would stop her super-Catholic heart or, at the very least, have her send me out for an exorcism), so I'm scheduling this update.

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!

Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!

Taglist: (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!) @jmeelee @cazellen @blackhawkfanatic @les-sel @marcswife21 @buckybarnessimpp @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @erelierraceala @hayjat @capswife @itsteambarnes @jupiter-107 @marygoddessofmischief @sebastians-love @learisa @lethallyprotected @rabbitrabbit12321 @buckybarnesandmarvel @fanfictiongirl77 @calwitch @fantasyfootballchampion @selella @jackiehollanderr @wintercrows @sashaisready @missvelvetsstuff @angelbabyyy99 @keylimebeag @maybefoxysouls @crist1216 @vicmc624 @sashaisready @j23r23 @wintercrows

Over the next few weeks, things between you and Bucky were technically better, in the sense that you hadn’t argued again, and he didn’t mention Jade to you, or answer her calls or texts in your presence, but they were so much worse in that she was taking up more of his time than ever before, and you saw each other less and less. You tried to rationalize it by telling yourself that the amount of time the two of you had spent together at the beginning of your relationship had been abnormal– nearly constant– and that the current situation was more on par with what regular couples experienced, but the truth of the matter was that you felt yourself pulling away from him, building a wall around your heart to protect yourself from what you saw as the inevitable heartache Bucky was going to inflict upon you.

He’d been right– you had been going around in circles, and every time you thought you’d made some progress, another event would transpire that would just end up leaving you feeling worse. Yes, he always had the sweetest words to say to you to bring you down from your anger, but at what point did they go from being the actual truth to just being something said just to placate you? More and more, you found yourself questioning the difference between the two, and as a result, your walls were going back up with a vengeance.

If he noticed, though, he didn’t say anything. He was preoccupied with preparing Jade for her first mission. She’d be going off to Malaysia with Sam and Rhodey (you may have begged Tony to ensure she was never partnered with either you or Bucky, and bless that man and his affection for you, he’d been more than willing to comply), and Bucky was working overtime to make sure she was ready.

And perhaps a small part of you was hoping she’d go MIA in the jungle. Not that you’d ever admit it out loud to anyone but FRIDAY.

The day before she was scheduled to depart, you were lounging on your couch, working on your laptop. Your crisis prediction algorithm project was finally ready, and you were putting the finishing touches on the presentation you were scheduled to give to the board in less than two weeks time. You were just adding some graphics when Bucky came in the door.

“You haven’t started getting ready yet?” he asked, kissing the crown of your head by way of greeting. He looked exceptionally handsome in a pair of tight black jeans and black button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.

You looked up at him in confusion. “Ready for what?” you asked, taking off your glasses and rubbing the bridge of your nose.

“Gino’s,” he said, as if that would clear it up. At your blank look, he prompted: “Vix’s first mission is tomorrow. We’re all going down to Gino’s for drinks. Come on, Pocket. I told you about this days ago.”

You scoffed at him. “You most certainly did not. I would have remembered because I would have laughed at you and said ‘hard pass.’”

Bucky rubbed his eyes. “Okay, maybe it slipped my mind, and I’m sorry for that, but you should have known. It’s tradition.”

“Tradition?” you asked him, surprised to find that the anger you had expected to feel, that you should have felt, just wasn’t coming. Instead, you were just sad. “There’s no tradition.”

“What are you talking about? We all went before my first mission.”

You closed your laptop and put it down on the coffee table before standing up to face him with a sigh. “Buck, that was something I did, just for you, because I wanted to. Because you were my best friend. I wanted you to have a night of fun before you went out, because I didn’t know what sort of shit you were going to see, or have to do, on that mission. I wanted to give you something good to hold on to.”

Bucky’s face softened at your words and he embraced you, holding you close. “God,” he said, rubbing his nose into your hair, “I had no idea. I’m the fucking luckiest man alive, you know that? To have a girl as special as you care so much about me. You’re more than I deserve, doll.”

A tiny voice in the back of your mind couldn’t help but think Maybe I am. You crushed the thought as soon as it came. You loved him, you truly did. He just… frustrated you a lot recently. Jade’s probationary period was going to be over soon, and you were hopeful that she wouldn’t get the votes to stay in. You knew that, despite the initial warm reception she’d received, she’d ended up rubbing almost everyone the wrong way with her attitude. You’d even heard Sam and Clint complaining about Jade refusing to participate when it was her turn for training room clean-up because ‘shouldn’t Stark have people for that?’.

It seemed like everyone was finally seeing what kind of person she really was. Well, everyone except for Bucky, anyway.

“So,” he said after a moment, “you gonna come?”

You thought about it for a second. A part of you was completely against the idea, not wanting the gesture you’d made for Bucky all those months ago to be tainted knowing he was making it now for her, but the prevailing part of you wasn’t about to offer Jade the opportunity of a night of drinking with Bucky, outside of your presence, on a silver platter. It concerned you that you were more motivated by thwarting any designs Jade might have than you were with spending time with your boyfriend, though. You tried to push your petty thoughts aside.

“Yeah,” you said, looking up into his eyes and allowing yourself to fall into them. God, they were beautiful. He was beautiful, inside and out. You needed to keep reminding yourself of that, of all the reasons you fell in love with him in the first place, and there were so, so many. “How much time do I have?” you asked.

Bucky pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. “About fifteen minutes,” he said.

“Fifteen minutes!” you shrieked, pulling away from him and heading over to your vanity. “Jesus, Buck! Give a girl some warning! It’s gonna take me twice that long just to do my hair and makeup!” You began pulling out all the accouterments you were going to need to prepare yourself.

Bucky came to stand behind you, wrapping his hands around your waist as he looked at you in the mirror. “You don’t need any of that stuff, doll,” he said, kissing your cheek. “You’re already going to be the sexiest girl there, but I’m not gonna complain about sitting around if you want to get even sexier.”

You smiled at Bucky through the mirror, and it felt like the first genuine smile you’d given him in ages. “That’s sweet of you, baby,” you said as you started putting on your moisturizer, “but I don’t want to make you late on my account.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing you for any trace of annoyance or anger in your words. Not finding any, he asked: “Are you sure, sweets? I don’t mind waiting for you.”

You nodded, moving on to fill in your eyebrows. “It’s fine, Buck. Go. I’ll meet up with you as soon as I’m ready.”

He lingered for several long moments, watching as you continued your makeup routine. You noticed him staring and paused contouring to turn to him. “What?” you asked with a small smile, expecting him to make some kind of comment about modern girls and all their makeup.

“Nothing,” he said, though there was a hint of sadness in his gaze. “You just seem… different, that’s all.”

You laughed. “You’ve seen me contour my face plenty of times, Buck. I swear, it’ll look great once I blend it out.”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head, “that’s not what I meant. You just seem… nevermind, it’s nothing.”

Shit. He could feel the distance you’d been building between the two of you. You didn’t want it to be there; you truly didn’t. You simply didn’t know how else to protect yourself. Closing yourself off had been your tried and true defense mechanism since you were eleven years old.

Making a vow to yourself to get back to where you once were, back to him, you turned around, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Hey,” you said, kissing him softly, “I love you. So much.” You needed to reassure him, to reassure both of you, of the truth of it.

“Love you, too, sweets,” he said warmly, not letting go of you. You let him hold you, relishing in the feel of him in a way you hadn’t let yourself experience in a bit. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone, indicating he had a text. You pulled away and turned back to the mirror.

“What’s Jade need now?” you asked, feeling the wall building itself back up. There was no anger in your voice, just a kind of resigned acceptance. You glanced up from blending your contour as Bucky checked the screen, a look of annoyance crossing his face as he read her text.

“She wants to know if I can drive her to Gino’s on my bike,” he said. The way he looked back at you in the mirror almost made you feel ill, as though he were preparing for you to blow up at him. You felt the walls go higher around your heart.

“Well, you better head out then,” you said, focusing on your makeup. “Don’t want her being late for her own party.”

Bucky opened his mouth and then closed it again, as though not sure how to respond to you. Eventually, he said “It’s fine. Tony’s providing cars; she can hitch a ride with everyone else.”

“And deprive her the opportunity to wrap her arms around you?” you laughed. “Come on, Buck, you’re supposed to be giving her a night of good memories here. Don’t disappoint the girl.”

His brow furrowed at your words. In a single step, he was beside you, taking the contouring brush from your hand and turning your shoulders so you were facing him. “Pocket,” he said, licking his lips, “are we… are we okay?”

You shrugged nonchalantly. “Of course,” you said, taking the brush back from him and moving on to your bronzer and blush. “Why wouldn’t we be okay?”

“You’re just… you seem to be awfully relaxed about the idea of her being on the back of my bike.”

You arched a brow and looked over at him. “Should I not be?” you asked. “Is there a reason for me to be bothered by it?”

Bucky spluttered. “No! Of course not! It’s just…”

“Then I don’t understand what the problem is, Bucky,” you said, getting back to work on your face. His phone buzzed again. “You better go. Sounds like your ‘work wife’ is getting impatient.”

“My work wife? Doll, I don’t… I can’t…” he stammered, at a loss for words.

“Buck,” you said, patting his arm before applying your lip gloss, “it’s fine. Go give Jade a ride. I don’t care, honestly.”

“You… don’t care?” he asked slowly.

“Nope,” you popped the ‘p’ with your lips. “I really don’t.”

Bucky muttered his goodbyes, promising to see you at the party. As soon as he closed the door behind him, you closed your eyes, gripping the backrest of your vanity chair until your knuckles were white, your fingernails digging crescents into the palms of your hands.

You might have been able to lie to Bucky, but you couldn’t lie to yourself. You did care. You still cared very, very much.

<- Previous Chapter / Next Part ->

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x you #bucky x reader #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky x female reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes fanfiction #james bucky buchanan barnes #james buchanan barnes #mcu bucky barnes #james barnes

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slavonicrhapsody · 6 months

Text

a deep dive into Rykard’s belief system

We all know that Rykard wants nothing more than to devour the very gods… but Rykard had despised the gods long before he ever became the serpent of blasphemy. Within dialogue and item descriptions, you’ll notice many details that indicate Rykard had quite specific grievances against the gods during the Shattering war and before. It was his audacious campaign against the gods that won him the loyalty and admiration of his soldiers: we meet the spirit of a Gelmir knight in Volcano Manor who tells us, “Praetor Rykard's ambitions, though blasphemous, marked him a worthy sovereign.” Though he was despised by many as a traitor and a blasphemer, Rykard’s beliefs before his devouring were seen by his followers as heroic and worth following. Let’s go through what those specific beliefs were according to the text, and why he might have believed those things…

When we officially join the Volcano Manor, Tanith gives us this speech about Rykard’s beliefs:

“Now, perhaps the time has come to tell you. Of the true ruler of this manor, Lord Rykard. The Erdtree blessed the Tarnished with grace. But it was all too meagre, in the fate of the enormity of their task. The Tarnished were forced to scavenge, squabbling for crumbs. Like the shardbearers, vying for power in the wake of the Shattering. Our Lord, indignant, had refused. To scurry about, fighting over what miserly scraps they allow us. If the Erdtree, and indeed the very gods, would debase us so, then we are willing to raise the banner of resistance, even if it means heresy. We at the Volcano Manor, under Lord Rykard, have sworn no rest until it is done.”

Essentially, Tanith recounts to us Rykard’s view of the Shattering war: the demigods are compelled to struggle against each other for the ultimate seat of power. However, this struggle exists at the behest of the gods, and is for the power that they see fit to grant. The war is fundamentally under their terms. To “win” the conflict is still to serve the whims of the Greater Will. This is what Rykard finds so deeply insulting… the gods treat them like dogs fighting over scraps of meat from their high table that they can never reach. So why should Rykard engage in petty conflicts for the gods’ miserly scraps of power, when he can raise his banner against the very gods themselves?

Displayed on the walls of Volcano Manor are these paintings depicting the Erdtree aflame, visualizing Rykard’s intentions to destroy the gods in a very literal and direct way: he has declared war on all that is holy. He has accepted the fact that in order to achieve his goals, he must carry out such grievous acts of violence: “The road of blasphemy is long and perilous. One cannot walk it unprepared to sin.” (Remembrance of the Blasphemous)

From the Taker’s Cameo, we learn that,

“When lord Rykard turned to heresy, taking by force became the rule. The gods were no different, after all.”

This description tells us a few things. Essentially, under Rykard’s worldview, “might makes right.” This philosophy is continued by the recusants of Volcano Manor as well: Bernahl tells us, “The strong take. Such is our code.” If one is strong enough to take what they wish, then they are entitled to it. Rykard believes that this is how the gods have always operated (and with good reason… more on this later). From Tanith’s speech, we know that Rykard resents the gods’ absolute authority… so essentially, Rykard making a point of imitating the gods’ displays of power is asserting that the gods have no special right to do these things – he is challenging their monopoly on power and violence. He also imitates the gods’ own practices to expose their hypocrisy: though the gods present themselves as virtuous, in reality, they have always taken what they pleased through violent conquest.

We know that Rykard was allied with his sister Ranni (herself on a quest against the gods) through the Blasphemous Claw item description. It reads,

“On the night of the dire plot, Ranni rewarded Praetor Rykard with these traces. Should the coming trespass one day transpire, they would serve as a last-resort foil, allowing Rykard to challenge Maliketh the Black Blade, the black beast of Destined Death.”

The main takeaway from this description is that, since the description implies that Rykard had some involvement (or at the very least, knowledge of) the Night of the Black Knives, Rykard and Ranni closely shared their beliefs on the gods with each other. The phrase “Should the coming trespass one day transpire” even seems to imply that the two had hoped they might openly “trespass” against the gods, culminating in Rykard challenging Maliketh.

Furthermore, Rogier gives us some pertinent details on the timeline of the Night of the Black Knives:

“It happened during the Golden Age of the Erdtree, long before the shattering of the Elden Ring. Someone stole a fragment of the Rune of Death from Maliketh, the Black Blade. And on a bitter night, murdered Godwyn the Golden. That was the first recorded Death of a demigod in all history. And it became the catalyst. Soon, the Elden Ring was smashed, and thus sprang forth the war known as the Shattering.”

Since Rogier’s dialogue places Ranni’s collaboration with Rykard before the Shattering, this means that there must be more to the story that Tanith tells us in her speech – Rykard’s resentment of the gods and his blasphemous intentions go back long before the Shattering war.

This line from Rykard’s unused dialogue lines may give some context to the source of his beliefs… take this with a grain of salt because it is technically not canon, but I believe it is worth mentioning: he says,

“Oh shapers of gods, meddlers in fortune, I do not abide by your suffocating order.”

With the phrases “shapers of gods” and “meddlers in fortune,” he must be speaking directly to the Two Fingers (the envoys of the Greater Will) here, because this is precisely what the Two Fingers do. According to Ranni, they are responsible for choosing empyreans to become potential new gods of the coming age, and because they do this, it can also be said that they “meddle” with fortune and fate. This was the source of Ranni’s entire feud with the Two Fingers — they controlled her fate through her “empyrean flesh.” For these reasons, as well as the reasons listed in the previous paragraphs, it makes sense why Rykard might consider the current order to be oppressive and “suffocating.”

I also believe it is implied that, when Rykard refers to “the gods,” he specifically means the Greater Will and its vassals. Indeed, Bernahl calls out the Greater Will directly by name:

“O Greater Will, hear my voice. I am the recusant Bernahl, inheritor of my brother's will, and you will fall to my blade. We refuse to become your pawns. Consider this fair warning.”

Bernahl’s words interestingly echo Ranni’s experience with the Greater Will as a force that controls fate — it is a fair assumption to make that Bernahl came to hold these beliefs about the Greater Will because Rykard passed them onto his followers after learning them from Ranni. And lo and behold, Bernahl turns up in Farum Azula near Maliketh, carrying the Blasphemous Claw, which Ranni gave to Rykard for him to use “should the coming trespass one day transpire.” Before leaving, Bernahl tells us,

“the Volcano Manor is no more. Though we may yet fulfil an old promise. We hunted our own kind, and took what was theirs. And with everything in hand, the time has come to rise, against the Erdtree.”

Perhaps this “old promise” could have been a promise Rykard made to Ranni, to challenge Maliketh, release the Rune of Death, and destroy the Erdtree once and for all?

If we accept the idea that Ranni’s struggle against the Two Fingers caused Rykard to resent the gods on her behalf, then there are plenty of other instances of the gods causing Rykard’s family misery that might have also shaped his beliefs. Rykard cared enough about his mother to place two of his abductor virgins at Raya Lucaria to guard her, and the descriptions for some of his magma sorceries imply that she was an inspiration to him in the ways of sorcery. It is a fair assumption that Rennala’s suffering would have upset him, and the cause of her suffering was Radagon’s departure… who immediately wed the god-queen Marika, and founded Golden Order Fundamentalism. Rykard could have interpreted this as Radagon choosing the gods over them. It is also stated by the telescope item description that the Golden Order was the direct cause of Caria’s decline: “During the age of the Erdtree, Carian astrology withered on the vine. The fate once writ in the night skies had been fettered by the Golden Order.” Though the Erdtree made peace with Caria, it still ended up eroding its strength anyway. Radagon’s departure would have also reopened old wounds from when he originally came to conquer Liurnia: his bond with Rennala that once made peace between the Erdtree and the moon has now been broken, calling into question the Erdtree’s true intentions.

Indeed, the intentions of the realm of the Erdtree have always been characterized by violent conquest; the desire to expand and the elimination of potential threats to its rule. Rykard would have known of his father’s attempts to conquer Liurnia, as well as Queen Marika’s extermination of the fire giants, who were Rykard’s astrologer ancestors’ neighbors (a bond enshrined within the Carian royals’ Sword of Night and Flame). To return to Rykard’s “might makes right” mindset, I believe his time as the head of the inquisition and an enforcer of Erdtree law taught him the true nature of the gods’ power: he would have brutally enforced the laws of the Golden Order and punished those who did not follow its creeds, and would thus have become intimately familiar with the harsh nature of carrying out the order of the Erdtree. Rykard learns that the gods must protect their rule through terror and violence, so the idea of the gods’ benevolence and divine right to rule is in truth, a farce. The one truth in the world is that the strong command the weak, and in order to avoid being commanded, one must become strong. By any means necessary.

To summarize, Rykard’s beliefs are essentially that the gods position themselves as virtuous and holy beings, but in reality, they administer their absolute authority through force and violent conquest, undermining the free will of their subjects. They are the worst kind of hypocrites, and the only way to end their tyranny is to rise in rebellion, using their own ways against them, no matter how high the price may be. Through a deeper examination of the narrative, I believe it is heavily implied that Rykard came to hold these beliefs because of his experiences serving the gods himself, and feeling the gods’ injustice firsthand through how the ones he loved had been treated.

#elden ring #rykard #rykard lord of blasphemy #praetor rykard #elden ring lore #the biggest epiphany i had here was that bernahl straight up says the same thing about the greater will/two fingers that ranni does #“we refuse to become your pawns / ”I would not be controlled by that thing“#and then the next time we see bernahl he's carrying the blasphemous claw which ranni gave to rykard!!#it feels like ranni's influence runs so deep... her hatred of the two fingers must have struck rykard to his core

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yelena-bellova · 11 months

Text

Heartfirst: A Ted Lasso Story - Chapter Five

Chapter Five: Golden Boy

Plot: Zava arrives at Richmond and some of the staff are more thrilled than others…specifically Y/n.

Warnings: f!reader, language, (16+)

Word Count: 4.6k

A/N: This chapter was quick to be cranked out, and Mr. Tartt finally enters the chat.

I’ve gotten a few requests for tags and as with most my fics, I’m only tagging 16+ with ages in bios. Looking out for younger eyes 👀

Hope you enjoy this one!

——————

The moment Zava had uttered the word ‘Richmond,’ Nelson Road was thrown into complete chaos.

Y/n, Keeley and Higgins had been working overtime overseeing plans for the official welcome event. Not only did Zava’s level of fame demand a big deal, but the whole city of Richmond was beside themselves with glee. They had to go all out.

“Okay,” Y/n said, typing out a quick text at Keeley’s desk, “Higgins says the red carpet was just delivered along with the banners.”

“Perfect,” Keeley replied, ticking off a box of the event’s long to-do list, “Did he say anything about ticket sales?”

Y/n and Keeley had been double-teaming the matter of Zava’s recruitment and had been meeting or speaking each morning since the Chelsea match. They were beginning to find their rhythm, passing tasks back and forth with a smooth stream of communication.

“Sold out,” Y/n answered, locking her phone and setting it down with a smile, “And have you been checking Twitter?”

“Oh, I know,” Keeley’s eyes widened, “Richmond’s been trending nearly every day. The power of celebrity!”

It was a PR blessing. Zava’s signing with the Greyhounds had completely blotted out the sewer meme, Nathan Shelley’s hateful comments, West Ham…the world’s eyes were on Richmond in the best possible way.

“Alright, so 10AM for the event’s start,” Y/n ran her pen down her task-list, “I doubt he’ll want to take pictures with fans, but there’s time to. But maybe a group one with the team would be a good idea?”

There was a light knock on Keeley’s door.

“Come in,” she called.

Opening and revealing Keeley’s latest hire, her friend Shandy, Y/n instinctively stiffened a little.

“I just thought of a great idea,” Shandy said with great enthusiasm, “What if we had…Zava dancers? Like they get for sports in the States,” Shandy gestured to Y/n, ”What do you think?”

Y/n and Keeley both wore the same over-exaggerated smile as they listened. Visions of Laker Girls and Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders danced through their minds.

“That’s…” Y/n slowly nodded, glancing over to Keeley, “An idea.”

“It certainly is,” Keeley nodded back before turning to Shandy, “But I don’t think we’ve got time to pull it together.”

Shandy’s shoulders fell in disappointment, “Oh, that’s true,” she pointed between Keeley and Y/n, “But still, save it for another time.”

“Definitely,” both women replied encouragingly, satisfying Shandy enough to head back to her desk.

Spending so much time at the KJPR office had presented Y/n the opportunity to help Keeley get Shandy adjusted to corporate life. It hadn’t taken more than two days for Y/n to realize it was a task that might kill her. She was carrying on as a favor to Keeley.

“Oh,” Keeley reached across and tapped the back of Y/n’s hand, “How’s it going, having Trent around?”

“Well, he’s catching us on a good week,” Y/n sighed as she began to gather her things. She had to get to Nelson Road and help oversee set-up with Higgins. “To be honest, I haven’t seen much of him, or anyone for that matter. It’s just been me and Higgins rushing in and out of each other’s offices. And Dani knocking on my door at least once a day asking if we should be doing more for Zava’s arrival.”

Keeley smiled as Y/n’s sentences ran on, “Oi, remember to breathe.”

Y/n chuckled, she’d been holding her breath since her first day at Richmond. There was no exhalation in sight.

“I’ll breathe,” she replied, opening the door and looking back to her boss, “Once this is over.”

—————————

The next day, Nelson Road Stadium was bustling as soon as there was light in the sky. Come 10AM, the stands were packed with fans, all awaiting the arrival of the newest Greyhound….

Who hadn’t bothered to show up.

“Where the hell is he?” Rebecca hissed as Keeley, Higgins and Y/n all did double time on their phones, “Leslie! We do have a signed contract, don’t we?”

“Of course,” Higgins replied, “We have an e-signature. That’s legally binding,” his confident smile began to waver, “I think. I’ll make a call.”

Higgins went off with his phone while Keeley nudged Rebecca, “His agent hasn’t heard from him, but she’s tracked his phone, which is currently in Mykonos.”

“If he’s changed his mind again,” Rebecca whispered, “I’m going to look like an absolute asshole.”

“Well, there’s been no sightings of him anywhere,” Y/n continued scouring Twitter, “Doesn’t mean he’s not here…” she paused, flipping perspectives, “But it also doesn’t mean he is.”

“Maybe we can try and cheer them up somehow?” Keeley suggested, scanning the pack of bored reporters surrounding them.

Seated in the row behind them, Shandy popped up, “Do you want me to take my shirt off and run across the pitch?”

As Y/n attempted a deep breath, Rebecca smiled knowingly, “You must be Shandy.”

“Shandy’s shadowing Y/n and I for the day,” Keeley answered excitedly, “To get the hang of things, you know?”

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Shandy greeted Rebecca, “I’d love to go for a coffee and pick your brain sometime. Like, how tall are you?”

Y/n glanced up from her phone to catch Rebecca’s confused expression, meeting her boss’s eyes and giving a thin-lipped smile.

“Shandy,” Keeley turned to her employee, “Would you go to concessions and start selling merch at half price?”

“Great idea,” Shandy smiled before back tracking the step she’d taken.

“Keep your shirt on,” Keeley directed sweetly.

“Right, of course,” Shandy nodded, patting Rebecca and Y/n on the shoulders, “Bye, babes.”

“She’s a live one,” Rebecca chuckled before checking her watch.

If anything was said after that, Y/n’s ears didn’t register it. All she could hear were the mumbles and murmurs of the reporters surrounding them. Where’s Zava? Is he ever coming? Did he change his mind? Her mind was working overtime trying to figure out how to dig their way out of this, in case he really had ditched them. She couldn’t stand to have another failure heaped on her shoulders.

Ted’s midwestern accent broke through the noise of her head.

“Hey, guys,” he whispered, taking Higgins’ empty seat, “Are we sure that Zava has the right address? I hate to think he’s sittin’ in the middle of Virginia right now waiting for us, you know?”

Higgins came walking back with an answer, “So, I just talked to legal about Zava’s contract. An e-signature is 100% binding. Tiny wrinkle, instead of signing his name, he signed, ‘You’re Welcome.’”

Y/n pursed her lips, “Lovely.”

“Shit,” Rebecca cursed, her nerves growing by the second, “What are we going to do?”

“Hey, look, superstars play by their own rules,” Ted replied, “Back in ‘98, I waited over three hours for Public Enemy to take the stage of this joint called the Cubby Bear. When a man with a giant clock around his neck is that late, it ain’t about time. He’s makin’ a statement.”

As much as it pained Y/n to take anything real away from another one of Ted’s rambling tales, he had a point. How many asshole celebrities made a crowd wait just to get a little extra ego boost?

“Right,” Rebecca slashed her hands through the air, “I’m calling it. We’re going to go upstairs and figure out what we do next,” she looked to Higgins next, “Leslie, I want you to talk to the crowd and tell them…something.”

“Of course, Rebecca,” Higgins replied calmly, “I got this. Back in uni, my deejay name Damage Control.”

“I didn’t know you deejayed,” Keeley commented.

“I didn’t actually, but I had the name ready if I ever started.”

Y/n was beginning to feel as frantic as Rebecca. “This feels like a great story for a later time,” she said, failing to totally hide her annoyance.

“Shit, right,” Rebecca rose from her seat, “Come on, let’s go.”

As Higgins made for the stage, Ted, Rebecca, Y/n and Keeley hurried past the press, trying to give reassuring grins. Nothing was out of the ordinary. This was the plan.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Rebecca huffed once they were safe within the building, “Why does anyone put up with this lunatic?”

“Because as humans, we adapt to accommodate genius,” Keeley answered.

“Genius doesn’t outweigh flightiness,” Y/n replied, walking in step with Ted.

“Who is the greatest actor alive?” Keeley continued, “Or was, before he retired?”

In tandem, Rebecca and Y/n both answered, “Daniel Day-Lewis.”

Ted veered off path, “Tony Curtis. You said alive? Jackie Chan. Wait, you said retired? Daniel Day-Lewis.”

“Exactly,” Keeley led them up the stairwell, pausing outside Rebecca’s office door, “When he gets into character, he stays in character and everyone else adapts to him. Did you know, that when he made Lincoln, he actually texted Sally Field as Abraham Lincoln?”

“Well, that’s ridiculous,” Rebecca dismissed the trivia, “Abraham Lincoln couldn’t text.”

“Exactly,” Ted agreed, “Every time he looked down, his hat would fall off.”

“Hey, listen,” Y/n chuckled, wondering if ADD was somehow formulated, bottled and pumped into the air of Nelson Road Stadium, “The distant sound of booing.”

“Look, this Zava might be a genius,” Rebecca passed Keeley to reach for the doorknob, “But he’s definitely a self-absorbed prick.”

Rebecca threw the door open to reveal the prick himself, seated at her desk as if it were his own.

“Your desk is covered in biscuit crumbs,” Zava stated.

Ted, Keeley and Y/n stood behind their boss, sporting various faces of shock.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Rebecca asked, breathless with rage, “We’ve waited two hours for you.”

This did not bother Zava. “Time is a construct,” he shrugged, “Like gender and many of the alphabets.”

“Get out of my chair,” Rebecca demanded, graduating to indignant as she marched towards her desk. She exhaustedly gestured to Ted, “This is your manager.”

“Hey, how you doing?” Ted greeted with his usual cheeriness, “I’m Ted Lasso.”

Zava and his new coach shared a grin with hands extended as they crossed the room. When they met in the middle, Zava slapped his hand to his chest and became gravely serious. Ted awkwardly did the same.

“My leader,” Zava said, “I am an empty vessel filled with gold,” he took hold of Ted’s arm with his free hand, “I am your rock. Mold me.”

Y/n ran the analogy through her head, coming up empty on logic.

Ted gave a low whistle, “Well, hey, if you score goals like you talk, we gonna be just fine, buddy.”

“Right. And this is Keeley Jones and Y/n Y/l/n,” Rebecca said, gesturing to the two women, “They handle all our publicity.”

Keeley was more willing to greet Zava than Y/n, whose steps toward the legendary footballer were justifiably hesitant.

“My queens,” Zava took each of their hands, pressing gentle kisses to both.

“Okay,” Y/n mumbled under her breath and fought the urge to pull away.

“My actions today have made your jobs much more difficult,” he said with, seemingly, genuine sorrow.

“No,” Keeley shook her head, “Don’t worry about it. No such thing as bad press, right?”

“My integrity disallows me to agree with that statement,” Zava replied with a warm smile.

“But there is such a thing as angry fans,” Y/n politely smiled, wondering how long she had to hold the man’s hand. She could hear Rebecca mumbling some curses under her breath as well.

From behind them, Higgins came through the door with Shandy in tow, going on about something related to Zava’s food allergies. They both froze as they registered the sight in front of them.

“You’re here,” Higgins gaped.

Zava nodded, “And you are there.”

“And this is Leslie Higgins,” Rebecca introduced, “Our director of football.”

“Ah,” Zava sighed, placing a hand on each side of Higgins’ face and pressing his forehead to his. He lowered his voice to a whisper, “You are the glue.”

The room stood in confused anticipation.

“Thank you very much,” Higgins replied. Out of the entire group, Ted was the only one still excited.

“I will go see the team now,” Zava announced, slapping Higgins cheek and heading down the stairs.

Rebecca stretched her arms out and yelled, “Do you even know where you’re going?”

“I do not,” Zava called back, yet kept walking.

Ted, Higgins, Shandy and Keeley looked back to Rebecca, Zava’s mere presence rendering them all speechless. Y/n was the only one matching Rebecca’s frown.

“Are you kiddin’ me?” Ted muttered, “Wowie zowie. You know what, maybe I oughta tag along in case he gets nervous. Seems like he can be a little bit of a wallflower.”

“Great,” Rebecca’s hands slapped against her sides, “And now I’m in a rush. Leslie, tell me, how did the damage control go?”

“Oh, it was a mess,” Shandy answered for the man, “But he was adorable.”

“Oh, thank you,” Higgins nodded, looking back to Rebecca and pointing behind him, “Who is this?”

Keeley came to stand at Shandy’s side, “This is Shandy, we work together. And she’s a great friend of mine.”

“Ah,” Higgins smiled knowingly, all the pieces falling together suddenly.

“Right, I’m off,” Rebecca said, gathering her purse and crossing the room. She paused at Y/n’s side, “If you can try and get His Mightiness to pose for a few pictures on the pitch, it would be appreciated.”

Y/n sighed, “No promises.”

Rebecca left on her unknown mission, Shandy and Keeley went on their way back to the KJPR office and Higgins went to oversee teardown. Y/n went back to the pitch, where the fans were packing it in and the reporters had all but left. She found the staff photographer and asked him to head to the practice pitch while she went and collected Zava.

Y/n knocked on the coach’s office and entered, pausing beside Trent Crimm in the adjoining room, “Can I borrow Zava for a few minutes?”

“Just missed him,” Roy replied.

“For the day?” Y/n raised an eyebrow.

“Yep,” Coach Beard nodded, him, Roy and Ted staring at something on their whiteboard.

“He just walked in here,” Y/n gestured from the door through the office, “Said his ‘hellos’ and’s just…done?”

“Seems that way, yeah,” Ted replied, somewhere between a smile and a straight line.

Y/n could only imagine what her face looked like, how her frayed nerves and barely concealed frustration were becoming more obvious by the second. She looked to Trent Crimm, silently begging him to tell her she wasn’t the only one who disapproved of the star footballer’s behavior. Trent replied with a reserved shrug and a stretch of his lips.

“Beautiful,” Y/n smiled as best she could, “If anyone needs me,” she turned on her heel and walked back out the door, “My head will be embedded in the drywall.”

—————————

It was a few days later and the media frenzy still hadn’t died down around both Zava’s arrival and his lack of public appearance. Y/n was fielding call after call from publications, requesting one-on-one interviews with the legend or asking when his first presser would take place or asking if the reason he didn’t show up was because he was having doubts about joining Richmond…

Better yet, Zava didn’t feel it necessary to speak to anyone.

He had, however, taken over the locker room. Four lockers had been reserved just for him plus a recliner. He’d gotten the boys to do group meditation each morning. He had the whole team eating out of the palm of his hand and to be honest, Y/n couldn’t understand why.

Thus, with Zava occupied, the focus shifted to the other Greyhounds. Keeley and Shandy had arrived to discuss interviews with some of the other players. Y/n had calls scheduled all afternoon, mostly about Zava, but also regarding a few potential endorsement deals for the boys. She was thankful for the solitude and her cheeks were pleased not to fake a smile around Shandy for the afternoon.

“Oh,” she said as she clocked Roy Kent passing her office, “Coach Kent.”

Roy reversed course and paused in her doorway, “Yeah?”

“Would you mind checking in with the guys downstairs? Keeley’s with them now,” Y/n asked, unable to leave her desk, “I would, but,” she gestured to her open laptop, a horde of new emails having just been delivered.

“Fine,” Roy replied, deadpan as ever before pausing, “You said Keeley’s with them?”

Y/n took stock of his expression, though it was nearly impossible to find whatever emotion he was actually feeling. She hadn’t seen the man smile once since she’d been at Richmond.

“Mm-hm,” she nodded.

He stayed silent, perhaps mentally preparing himself for the interaction, before nodding to Y/n once more.

“Uh, Roy,” Y/n called him back once more, fiddling with her pen, “Zava…he’s…worth it, right?”

Roy’s brows furrowed deeper, “What do you mean?”

“The fifteen calls I’ve been on today,” Y/n expanded, “The welcome event we had to cancel. The inevitable comments we’re going to have to walk back,” she paused, “He’s worth it?”

“Fuck yeah,” Roy shrugged, “Absolutely.”

While the two of them were barely acquainted, Y/n trusted Roy’s opinion. He knew football better than anyone else in the building. If he thought the headache was a worthy price to pay for victory, she’d learn to tolerate whatever chaos Zava caused.

—————————

Finally, the day of Richmond’s much anticipated match came around.

Upon arrival, Y/n made a point of confirming that His Majesty was actually on the premises, to which she was told he was in the locker room.

“Afternoon, all,” she greeted Rebecca, Higgins and Keeley as she slid into her seat.

“He is here, correct?” Rebecca asked, already a step ahead.

“There has been a sighting,” Y/n replied, a hint of a tired smile playing at her lips, “It’s packed. Did we sell out?”

“Just about,” Higgins answered excitedly, “I can barely feel my hands.”

Y/n settled next to Rebecca just as the first half kicked off. She clocked Zava in the middle of the field, in conversation with Jamie, before the two separated. Jamie kicked the ball to Zava, unremarkably, and Zava slammed his foot against it, sending it soaring across the field and into the goal.

The first fifteen seconds of the match and the crowd was already on their feet, deafening screams filling the stadium.

As Y/n celebrated with Rebecca, Higgins and Keeley, she thought back to Roy’s words earlier in the week.

“Alright,” she mumbled to herself, “Worth it.”

—————————

What Zava brought to Richmond wasn’t just talent, it was magic.

With each match they won, their standings in the Premier League went up and up. The entire city was buzzing, thrumming, with excitement every weekend they Greyhounds were on the pitch.

Not only that, but Y/n was getting more and more invested in the game herself. She paid closer attention to the players, predicting possible moves before they made them, and jumping to her feet when they scored. The inkling of pride she’d felt at the Chelsea match was beginning to bloom, and she found herself starting looking forward to spending weekends in the owner’s box with Rebecca, Higgins and Keeley.

It was the win against Brentford that cemented their six-game win streak, leaving the entire team, on and off the pitch, ecstatic.

After the match, Y/n slipped into her office, grabbing her laptop to take home and return a few emails.

“Oh, Y/n,” a voice called down the hall. Y/n looked up and saw it belonged to Sam.

“Hey,” she greeted, “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” he grinned, “Listen, tomorrow night, I’ve invited everyone to the restaurant for a little preview. I would really love it if you could come.”

Y/n had successfully dodged every post-match invitation the boys had thrown at her. Be it not feeling well or extra work or a call from back home she had to take from some relative…her excuses had run dry. More importantly, she felt like a terrible person each time she had to leave Sam, almost always the inviter, disappointed.

If everyone was invited, it was more or less a work get-together. It wasn’t like it was just friends or a one-on-one hang.

“Sure,” Y/n conceded, “Sounds great.”

Sam’s smile broadened with the answer, making his hands into victorious fists. “I’ll send you the address.”

“Can’t wait,” Y/n replied, lying just one more time.

—————————

The next night, Ola’s was filled for the very first time.

All of the Greyhounds, the coaches and a few plus-ones were seated and partaking in the Nigerian cuisine Sam had ushered into Richmond. The setting was laid-back, but everyone was still riding the high of their win against Brentford.

Y/n had mostly stuck with Rebecca and Keeley at the bar, eventually bouncing around to a few of the players. While she was still reserved, the team and her had gotten to know each other more over the past six weeks.

“Sam,” Y/n finally caught the arm of the restauranteur, “This is incredible.”

“Oh, thank you,” Sam pressed his palm to his heart, “I’m so glad you are enjoying yourself,” he leaned in and lowered his voice, “To be honest, I was a little nervous what you all might think.”

Y/n waved off his concern, a glass of wine in her other hand, “It’s a smash. Be proud of yourself.”

“Thank you,” Sam smiled once more before leaving to go and check on another order.

Y/n paused and took stock of her surroundings, watching the cheerful conversations around her. Her gaze fell on a table in the corner of the second room, where Jamie was sitting by himself, looking particularly unhappy. Curiosity got the better of her and she made her way over.

Jamie looked up as Y/n approached. She didn’t say anything, so he decided to. “What’s that face?”

Y/n’s eyebrows remained scrunched, “I’m just trying to figure out why you’re pouting when you’re on a six-game streak.”

“I’m not-“ Jamie caught himself, he knew he wasn’t exactly being subtle. Shaking his head, he looked back down at his untouched plate, “It’s nothing.”

A loud laugh bounced off the walls, drawing Y/n’s attention down the line of tables to see it belonged to Zava. She didn’t miss how Jamie’s frown intensified at the sound.

“Let me guess,” she sighed, settling on the edge of the booth, “You’re not a member of the fan club.”

Jamie didn’t answer, glumly fidgeting with one of his rings instead. Y/n recalled that during one of their last games, Zava had stolen a goal from him. Jamie had yet to score a single one so far in the season.

“If it’s any consolation,” Y/n swirled the wine in her glass, “I can’t say I’m president of it either.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow at her, his interest peaked, “Yeah?”

“Aside from the fact that he’s made my job a thousand times harder,” Y/n complained, “I guess I just don’t…get him? I’ve caught the tail end of some of his locker room motivational speeches. It’s like he knows where he’s going the first few seconds and then takes his hands off the wheel for the last five.”

Jamie laughed, the first time he’s smiled all night. “You didn’t catch the one yesterday. Car went off a fuckin’ cliff.”

Y/n chuckled, covering her mouth to dampen the sound. “It’s like he loves to hear himself talk but doesn’t actually listen to anything he says…” Y/n grasped the air and twisted it, “But also believes he’s a prophet?”

Jamie shook his head with a smirk, thankful someone else could see what he saw.

“Still,” Y/n shrugged, her eyes scanning the Greyhounds around them, “He’s taking you guys to the top. That’s gotta feel good.”

Jamie’s smile straightened back out and he dragged his teeth over his bottom lip.

“Well, I’m sorry,” Y/n chuckled lightly, “Number 4’s a pretty big improvement from 20.”

“Yeah, but look how he’s doing it,” Jamie complained, “Stealing goals, prancing ‘round the field like some show pony-“

Y/n snorted into her glass, thankful she had yet to take a sip.

“What?” Jamie asked.

“I’m sorry,” Y/n smiled, really trying not to laugh, “It’s just when I started the job, I decided to look up some Youtube videos of the team. And I’m remembering this one hotshot player who never passed the ball to his teammates and did all these ridiculous things like rip his shirt off whenever he made a goal or chant his own name with the crowd…”

Jamie stiffened, he hadn’t expected the callback to his past.

“Whatever,” Jamie brushed it off, “Point is, things were fine without him and-“

“And I don’t think anyone’s less of a Jamie Tartt-head just because Zava Fever’s going around,” Y/n finished for him. She’d watched Jamie play for weeks now, she knew how talented he was. The infatuation with Zava would pass, but Jamie could build a legacy that lasted.

Jamie’s eyes, somewhat lost, tracked upwards to meet Y/n’s. One look told him that she truly meant what she said.

“Thanks,” Jamie nodded.

Y/n nodded, she hadn’t intended to have such an involved conversation, but Jamie was a neutral party. She didn’t feel one way or the other about him. Plus, he was the only other person who could admit to Zava having flaws.

“But just so we’re clear,” Jamie leaned over slightly, lowering his voice, “Still a prick.”

“Oh,” Y/n’s brow creased, “Definitely.”

They shared another hushed laugh.

“Hey, guys,” Shandy came out from around the corner and greeted them.

Jamie and Y/n both welcomed her, but after seven weeks working side by side with Shandy, Y/n was running out of enthusiasm to muster up.

“So, Jamie,” Shandy leaned against the corner wall, “Wanted to see if I could recruit you for this little Bantr campaign we’re running.”

Y/n recalled Keeley mentioning the commercial her and Shandy would be shooting that week. Some of the Greyhounds would be featured anonymously to try and entice people to sign up.

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Y/n politely smiled, finishing the last of her wine and leaving the glass, “Have a good night.”

“See ya,” Jamie nodded, shooting her a smile before returning to the conversation with Shandy.

Y/n made the rounds saying goodbye before heading out, stepping out onto the London street corner. There was enough nightlife around that she wouldn’t have trouble catching a cab.

“Hey, Y/n.”

She turned to see Ted standing a few feet away from her. “Hi,” she replied, they had hardly interacted all night, “Are you waiting for a cab?”

“Oh, no,” Ted shifted awkwardly, pointing back to the restaurant, “I’m, uh, waitin’ on someone.”

Y/n understood, unwilling to dig any deeper into the statement, “Got it.”

“Yeah,” Ted mumbled under his breath before perking back up, “You have a good time?”

“Yeah,” Y/n nodded.

“Good,” Ted smiled, “It’s good to see you gettin’ out of the office, hangin’ out with everybody.”

“Well, I mean,” Y/n chuckled awkwardly, “I think Sam just invited me because he had to. It’s not like it was a personal thing.”

Over the last few weeks, Ted had gotten to observe Y/n quite a bit. She stayed in her office as much as possible, she always took lunch on her own and the only thing she wanted to contribute to the conversation was small talk. She was removed and she wanted it to stay that way.

Ted knew there was a reason, though he wasn’t going to push to unearth it. But for Y/n to come out after hours with the team, to smile and laugh and let herself have a good time, it meant something. Even if she couldn’t see it.

“Okay,” Ted nodded, letting her think whatever she needed to think, “Well, do you need a ride home?”

“Oh, no,” Y/n replied, spotting a cab coming down the road and flagging it down, “I’m good. I’ll see you later.”

Ted smiled, sticking up a hand and waving as she climbed into the cab. If Y/n wanted to keep herself closed off from the Greyhounds, that was fine.

They could wait her out.

————

Heartfirst Taglist: @lalla-04p @optimisticsandwichgladiator @makingmunson94 @taytaylala12 @storysimp @sokkigarden @lightninginab0ttle @poohkie90 @alipap3 @verra-nerevarine @shineforever19 @spaceagechimera @burnafter-reading @qardasngan @cyberpvnk-enthusiast @sogoodtoheritsvicious @buckybarnex @angelsunflxwer @blueanfield @thewildestwonderland @sabelcities

#ted lasso fic #ted lasso fanfiction #ted lasso fanfic #ted lasso imagine #jamie tartt x reader #keeley jones x reader #rebecca welton x reader #ted lasso x reader #heartfirst

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siconetribal · 18 hours

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Put it on My Tab 11

Pairing: Jason Todd x Fem!reader

Tag: @vbecker10 @wordsfromshona @harlequin-hangout @harpy-space @tild3ath @gone-batty-fics @princessbl0ss0m @dakotali

Warning: Frustration, Celebration, and Coffee Inhalation

Summary:

Everyone deserves time off, and the vigilantes of Gotham are no exception to the rule. The boys decide to take a weekend to let loose. Who knew a few drinks would lead to a stranger in bed?

Author Note:

A huge thank you and shout out to @harlequin-hangout for the amazing banners you made for me.

Please comment, like, share, and reblog! If you'd like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

If you’re new to the story, please check out the master post for the rest of the chapters or find chapter one here.

The apartment was silent, broken only by the occasional shouting, shooting, and sirens. For anyone living in Gotham City, especially the rougher parts, this was all white noise. A day of actual silence was a blessing that no one dared to question. Today was not one of those nights. In fact, it was noisier than most, which usually meant trouble was closer than usual. None of that mattered to Y/N as she sat cross armed and cross-legged on the worn out sofa, staring down at her phone that lay on the coffee table before her.

Seconds had turned to minutes which quickly became an hour which was now nearing two as she sat there stone still. Since coming home from her shift, she had perched herself on the couch as if to judge the cellular device that was placed on the stand. There was now a new number on her phone. Nine new digits under the contact name: Your Hero and a message thread that held one text saying ‘hi’ from her phone to this person.

The same person with the mesmerising blue eyes that looked like they held the secrets of life itself, tinged with sadness and pain. Tall, muscular but not overly bulky but certainly much bigger than her, with black hair that had a high contrast streak of white in the front. The same interrogative gentleman who saved her from the drink and Matias. The very person who had her drowning in 4k worth of debt to the hotel for room damage. Thrice he appeared out of nowhere and twice were to save her from serious trouble. The one and only silver tongued Wonder Boy who was into books and video games.

“Who just shows up to save someone on time like that? Is he really some sort of self-proclaimed hero?” She muttered to herself, unfolding her arms to rest her chin in one of her palms. “What do I do now? Do I text him? Should I ask about the room? How do I even bring that up without him claiming I’m some liar trying to squeeze money out of him? It’s not like I knew he was a Wayne! I didn’t sit there and memorise all their faces, and just hoped to the high heavens one had a decent enough personality to save me. I didn’t even want to go to the reunion! Do I just wait for him to text me? He did say he was going to text me, but do I just believe that? When is that going to happen? What did I even say yes to?!” She threw her arms up in frustration and ruffled her hair. “What the hell am I supposed to do?!” She let out a heavy sigh of frustration, staring up at the dated popcorn ceiling as she slumped back into her seat, laying her head on the top of the cushion. Today is going to be a long day. She blinked a few times, fatigue getting the best of her. Forcing herself to stand up, she grabbed her phone and made her way to her bedroom. Sleep was the only answer after such a hectic night shift.

“Tonight, we celebrate, Magnus ol’ buddy!” Jason grinned, snapping the elastic band of the party hat under the stone chin. “Yours truly has managed to not only find her,” he walked away and paused for suspense, turning with ease to face his rock friend once more. “But also get her number and her name! Sure, I got it off her name tag, but I plan on getting it from her directly!” He grinned from ear to ear as he walked back, waving the lit up phone screen in its face as he leaned against Magnus. “Sorry I haven’t been around to update ya on things, I had to help with shit on the other side of the city for the last couple of weeks. At least it wasn’t boring. But that’s beside the point, I finally got something on her before she got on me! Man, you should’ve seen the look on her face! I left her speechless!” He puffed his chest with pride as he plopped down onto his usual seat by Magnus, opening up the rolled up paper bag.

He pulled out a large order of fries, setting it sideways in Magnus’ mouth for easy access before grabbing the burger beneath it, his drink set between them and his helmet just within reach. Batburgers were the perfect on-the-go late night celebratory food. He was not scheduled to be on patrol today, but no one told him what to do. He just merely agreed with decisions for the most part, today was just one of difference of opinion. Let the Batman rant and rave, Jason would not let anyone take away his victory.

“So, what was the last thing we talked about? Ah, right! Some mobsters were causing shit thinking I wasn't around to crack skulls. Fucking dumbasses,” he rolled his eyes and took a hearty bite of his burger. “The look of shock on their faces, you’d think they saw a ghost! I know I’ve died a few times, depending on what stories you follow, but I’m still flesh and blood. Of course, they tried to fix that, thinking they had a chance. They never learn, and that's why they always fucking lose. When I ran shit, I was smart about it. Throwing muscle mindlessly is a waste. You can't educate the brainless though. I had to make sure to do a proper job, and couldn't leave just anyone to send the message. Things should be quiet over there for a bit which gives me the chance to actually reach out to Y/N.”

“Y/N, huh? That’s a pretty name.” A familiar voice held an annoying lilt to it. Jason’s eyebrow twitched as he took a sip of his soda.

“Whaddya want, Dickwing?” He grumbled.

“What, can’t an older brother come check in on his AWOL younger brother?” Nightwing placed a hand over his heart and hung his head. “You wound me, little brother.” He frowned, noticing the party hat on the gargoyle. “And to have a party without inviting me? I am doubly hurt! Maggie has a hat and fries!”

“Magnus is important. He doesn’t say stupid shit like you are now.” Jason scoffed, taking one of the crispy golden potato sticks.

“Margrave can’t say anything. I still think you should see someone about this unhealthy relationship you have with this heap of concrete.” Nightwing knocked two knuckles against it before taking a seat beside Jason. “So, who is Y/N, and why are you texting her? Where did you meet? Should I be worried, and for whom between the two of you?”

“Shut up,” the younger former Robin grumbled. “You better not fucking do anything or I’ll kill you.” He warned Nightwing quickly raising his hands up in surrender. “She's the girl I was trying to find about the whole hotel fiasco.”

“The one where you broke the simple coffee machine and ruined the room, leaving her with a huge bill to clear?” He smirked as Jason scowled.

“Yes, that one. Keep it up, see what happens.” He grumbled.

“Alright, alright! So, you finally found her, hm? That's good, you can give her the money and move on finally. You won't have some rando holding that over you anymore. Did you get the money sent to her already?”

Jason knew that was what he needed to do and that was the whole purpose of trying to find her. Give her the money and move on. There was no use or reason to delay. The sooner he paid, the sooner she was free to move on as well. Being involved any more than necessary was a danger to her and a burden on him. And yet, the thought alone left a bitter taste in the back of his mouth.

Y/N was witty and funny, easy to approach and talk to even if it was just nonsense. He wanted to keep talking to her, and not just through a computer screen. He wanted to know more about her day, the crazy customers, and the shenanigans of her and Citlalli. He wanted to sit and drink coffee or tea or whatever she drank and discuss books, plan little gaming raids, or just talk about life. He knew nothing about her.

I could just look it up now that I know her name and place of employment. I could find out everything about her and clear up the mystery that is her, feed the curiosity and be done with it…but I don't want to. Not only that, but I want to hear it from her, organically. Even if I did read all there is, I'd want to hear it from her.

“Earth to Jason, are you there?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. I’m just thinking.”

“You, thinking? Oh man, that isn’t good. Should I be expecting a second duffle bag incident?”

“Duffle bag what? No, that was one time, you guys need to learn to let it go!” He rolled his eyes.

“It’s pretty hard to just let go of the fact that your younger brother was carrying eight heads stuffed in a gym bag.” Nightwing scoffed. “Excuse me for being a little concerned.”

“It was one time!” He let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m not some psycho serial killer or something. If you’re here to rain on my parade, you can fuck off! This is why I didn't invite you, Magnus knows how to read a balcony. It’s clearly a party.” He motioned to the shiny pointy hat on said gargoyle’s head. “Also, aren’t you on patrol? Quit slacking off and go.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll leave! I can tell when I’m not wanted!” Nightwing let out a heavy sigh as he stood up. “Unloved and thrown away like last week’s newspaper.” He sniffled loudly. “I see how it is!” He threw his head back with the back of his hand to his forehead.

“If you get it, then leave.” Jason grumbled, opening up the wrapper of his second burger. “Thanks, for the assist.” He mumbled before taking a bite. Nightwing had just barely heard the words, but smiled nonetheless.

“Anytime, Little Red,” he chuckled before vanishing into the night.

Over the course of the next two weeks, Y/N picked up every and all shifts that she could possibly find to help clear the money owed. Citlalli was great in helping her find work, while away and on her return. The return of the boisterous and flamboyant Citlalli was like sunshine after weeks of doom and gloom rain, refreshing and much needed. Y/N had been keeping herself too busy to even think, and Citlalli’s return was a great distraction, but also a great sounding board on what to do. She had told her dear friend all about her encounter with her troublesome cousin and the return of her expensive hero. Citlalli was not thrilled to hear about her cousin’s antics, and had quickly informed their boss of what transpired. She also insisted that Y/N should wait for him to text, since that is what he said he would do. The task was simple enough, validating the decision she had been leaning towards as is.

However, that was then. Two weeks and some days had gone by, and nothing. Utter radio silence from him. No sudden appearances, even though Matias did come by some times to try to get her attention. And her online gaming partner was also MIA. Arkham_Knight said it would be about a week, but there was no movement or notice from him either. It was driving her crazy to just sit and wait for both of them.

The next time I see him, I’m going smack him! How do you tell someone you’re going to message them and just don’t?! Especially after you made sure to get my number to send details, what details?! She wanted to scream, but she was on the clock. It was another graveyard shift and the café was dead. Everything had been cleaned spotless and anything that needed to be restocked was done. She even went through the inventory to make a list of what needed to be reordered soon. With nothing left, she took a seat on the stool and pulled out her book since there was nothing else to do.

As soon as she cracked it open, there was the sound of glass shattering. She reflexively ducked for cover as the window shards went flying everywhere. She could hear the sounds of a struggle at the crunch and scratch of the pieces, a muffled frantic voice followed by a calmer, more exasperated one.

“I told you we could do this the easy way or the hard way, you chose the hard way.” The young male voice flippantly spoke. “Now, tell me what I need to know. I can keep this up all night if I have to, I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

And I just cleaned the whole place! Y/N scowled at her turn of luck, carefully closing her book and placing it aside. What am I supposed to do in this situation?! I can’t exactly greet them and ask what they would like to order, who knows what they’ll do to me. Wasn’t his place supposed to be ‘crime free’? So much for that promise, thanks for nothing Gotham politicians! She grumbled to herself, slowly lifting her head to just above the counter to see who was responsible for destroying the cafe. She was surprised to see it was one of the famous caped crusaders of Gotham City. Red Robin, here? With who? She tried to get a look of the captured person but her attention was caught by the sound of crunching glass and she ducked quickly for brief moment.

“Did we get it?”

Nightwing? Well damn, I know I said I wanted something to happen, but this was not what I had in mind. She slowly stood up from her hiding spot after shifting over to right so that the machines would help hide her for a little longer.

“Not yet, but looks like he’s just about ready.” Red Robin answered, looking over his shoulder at Nightwing, catching sight of Y/N’s hat in the process. “Looks like we have an audience.”

What do I do? What do I do? Y/N’s eyes darted from side to side trying to find a place to run, but she was boxed in and there was no way she would outrun one of them. With no options of escape, she slowly walked towards the register so she was more visible with both her hands up. “I’m unarmed, I’m just an employee here.” She forced herself to speak calmly and clearly.

“An employee here, where are we?” Nightwing quickly surveyed the location and realized they had come crashing through an actual business and not one of the under construction buildings. “So he ran here hoping to be seen by someone.” He muttered.

“See what? I don’t see anything, except for two potential customers debating if they want to order.”

“Smart girl,” Red Robin answered, turning to face her after tying up the guy on the floor. The two vigilantes walked up to the counter and looked up past Y/N to see what was available. While Red Robin realized where they were, Nightwing realized something else. She noticed and looked down to see it was at her name tag.

“Y/N, that’s a pretty name.” He grinned. “I think we will order something, Y/N. What do you say?”

“Red Eye with two shots of espresso and some steamed milk, large.” The order came out quick, a slight eagerness in the tone. Y/N could not help but stare at the younger of the two masked males.

“I’m guessing you like coffee, and strong at that.”

“It helps when working the night.” He stood a little straighter.

“Riiiight, I’m not judging. I work in a café.” She shrugged, dropping her arms since she needed to make the order. “And you, Mr. Nightwing?”

“Mead Raf for me, medium is fine.”

“To go, or did you plan on staying to chat? We’re a 24-hour café, though I suppose I need to have you leave, since I need to clean up all the glass.” She motioned to the floor.

“Ah yes, sorry about that, Y/N. We’ll have it to go so you can get to cleaning.” Nightwing chuckled, amused by how she was handling the situation. The two watched her as she carefully made the drinks, making sure no glass managed to find its way behind the counter or into the coffee.

“One large Red Eye with two shots of espresso and steamed milk and one medium Mead Raf. Is that all?” The vigilantes looked between one another and nodded their heads. “Alright, here you go. Consider it a small thanks for doing your best to keep us safe. You sure you don’t want anything to eat? Or are you not allowed to eat on the job?”

“There are no rules about that, we just gotta keep our hands free as much as possible. Thank you, Y/N.” He smiled at her name. He noticed the corners of her lips tug downwards. “Is something wrong?"

“Hm? No, nothing.” I’m overthinking it. He’s probably saying my name to make sure I know that he knows my name now and if I say anything, it’ll be easy to find me. “I’m a snacker, so I guess not having something on hand seems a bit cruel.”

“It’s annoying, but we need to be able to react quickly.” Red Robin agreed, taking his cup and taking a rather big drink from it. She tried to stop him, but could only watch. He was not the first to drink burning hot coffee in front of her, but it was always strange to see. Nightwing was not as crazy, he waited for a bit before sipping his drink.

“Perfect,” he smiled in approval. “Thanks again, Y/N, and here, something for your troubles.” He winked, slipping something into the tip jar before grabbing the tied up man. “Until next time,” he flashed her a grin as Red Robin held the door open and the two walked out as if they had not just come crashing through one of the windows.

She looked down at the tip jar to see what looked to be a $100 bill and something else. Do they get paid to do this job, or is this from a day job? Where the hell did he even keep this money? I don’t see any room for pockets in his suit, but then again, it’s all black. Red Robin did have a belt, maybe he holds the change? Her focus then shifted her attention to the glass littering the floor and sighed, there was no way she was going to be able to run the rest of the shift like this. Locking the doors, she grabbed the cleaning supplies and called her boss, letting him know of the situation at hand. “Well, at least it wasn’t dull.” She muttered as she got to cleaning until her boss got there to have the window temporarily patched up.

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simping-impact · 2 years

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Kamisato Siblings, at your Service! (Part 2)

A/n: yall ayaya banner is extended! To celebrate, heres part two cuz that news gave me so much serotonin and inspiration xD

Summary: Ayaka and Ayato are worried that they are deemed useless because of your lack of presence. Meanwhile you were trying hard to gather their materials.

Warning: SAGAU, feelings of abandonment. (I think thats all)

When the golden star that she was desperately praying for finally landed into the palm of her hands, her knees fell to the floor as an overwhelming feeling of warmth and happiness filled her. Both of the Kamisato siblings looked at each other and embraced as they tried to comfort each other through their sobs. At that moment they felt as if all the hardships that they went through were lifted from their shoulders. All the burden, stress, and sadness suddenly dissipated as they felt their creator celebrate with them. Everything was finally alright especially with the divine creator’s guidance.

As the days went by, nothing really happened in the lives of Ayato and Ayaka. They have heard the stories of other vision holders how when they first gotten their golden star they had this urge to move. Their bodies move on their own as they travel through teyvat, not knowing where they were being led too. They all knew it was the divine creator’s doing. The golden star is the symbol of being chosen as a vessel for their grace. They also heard the story of somehow feeling more stronger as the divine creator used them as a vessel. Some even were gifted weapons that were beyond a mortals ability to craft. This made both of the Kamisatos worried. They weren’t able to feel all those feelings that every vessel has felt. Their bodies never had the urge to just run around. The didn’t feel any stronger. They weren’t gifted a weapon like some of the lucky vision holders did. The creator had never used them as a vessel like the others.

Word got out that the Kamisato siblings were blessed by the almighty creator but yet to be used as a vessel. This garnered hostility and harsh judgement to the siblings. To the eyes of the people, they were seen as failures.

‘The creator has probably deemed them useless. What an embarrassment.’ Are the words the people spat at them. The siblings could only hang their heads low as they walked the streets, trying to do what they always did before they were blessed by their God. They felt nothing. Just emptiness with the idea of being deemed useless by their beloved God.

You, on the other hand, were having a problem. Its been days since you were able to get both of the siblings. You were excited to try them out but then you were reminded that you haven’t farmed for any of their materials. You tried to farm for the materials like how you farmed your primogems. But when you start to load the domain that both siblings needed, a text would pop up saying the characters you were using are not available. You kept groaning as you tried and tried again. Your Xiao was unavailable because he was tasked to find you. Zhongli was unavailable because he was busy searching for you also. Even your Childe and Diluc are busy because they were also searching for you. The game wouldn’t let you take these characters in a domain because they were all searching for you!

You sighed as you tried your best to enter a domain with amber but still no avail. Amber was busy scouting the woods of Mondstadt in search of you. You were at your wits end. You were honestly irritated that you couldn’t even play genshin to pass the time. It was as if the game wants you to show yourself to your acolytes. Yeah… no thanks.

You stood up from the bed you were laying on and stretched. You were lucky to find a new abandoned house that had a bed and some other furniture. You placed your phone into your pocket and started walking towards the domain you’ve been desperately wanting to enter. If your phone won’t let you then you’ll do it yourself.

It took a while before you can reach the domain where Ayato and Ayaka’s talent books were located. Teyvat sensed you determination and helped you walk over to the tiny island. Cryo slimes also walked near you to maintain the ice bridge that Teyvat has provided for you. The moon in the night sky shined as if to provide you some light for you to see where you were walking. The pyro slime in your hands tried to burn brightly without harming you so it can also help you navigate your way through the ice bridge. You smiled as you looked at the efforts of these slimes. It was adorable.

When you reached the domain you didn’t hesitate to open the door. But as you get near the door, vines suddenly blocked your path to open the door. Teyvat doesn’t want you to get injured inside. You groaned as you were getting irritated again. You just want to finally build your 2 new character but Teyvat wasn’t letting you. The ground rumbled as it responded to your emotions. Teyvat removed the vines immediately and sent a gentle breeze as if to say sorry. Teyvat didn’t want to anger the creator. The slimes also snuggled in your legs as if to say sorry.

“You guys…” you sighed as you pat the slimes. “its okay. I’m just not in a great mood.”

You stood up after petting the slimes and went in the domain with no hesitation. You were honestly nervous. You don’t have any combat skills in your mind. The best thing you can only do is throw the slimes to the enemies that you are about to fight. You were slightly regretting your decision to fight a domain. As you reached the key in the middle, you inhaled sharply and touched it. The key disappeared and countless of nobushi and treasure hoarders appeared around you. You were ready to be beaten up that was until you saw all of them bow down to you.

“Your grace! What is it that we can do for you.” You stood there dumbfounded as you remembered ‘oh yeah… I’m a God here.’ You snapped out of your thoughts and signaled them to rise up to which the enemies followed with no hesitation. “Uhh I’m in a quest to gather some materials… do you think you can help me in getting these?” You asked as you showed them a list. The men looked through your list and wasted no time to gather them. You were shocked as they managed to bring everything that you needed with no trouble. You were seated at a chair made of vines provided by Teyvat as you watched as the nobushi and treasure hoarders come back with countless of materials you needed. Heck they even managed to make the mechanical array to provide you the mats needed for Ayaka. Everyone will literally give you anything you wanted just because you were their creator. After an hour or so, you were handed a sack filled with the items you needed. The slimes managed to carry it. They wouldn’t want their creator to strain their muscles. You thanked the nobushi and treasure hoarders that worked hard for you, to which they just said that it was their honor to provide for you. With that, you went your way towards your place in Narukami island.

After taking a bath (Teyvat providing you some beautiful clothes that you don’t know where they are from), you realized that the items that you got for the siblings weren’t equipping. The game won’t let you do what you wanted to do again.

‘You can’t equip this item because it is currently not in your inventory’ the words popped in your phone. You were confused because it is in your inventory. Is it because you obtained it physically? You didn’t know. You just frowned and took the heavy sack in your hands and started walking. Just like before, if the game won’t let you then you’ll do it on your own.

Ayato was having some tea as he relished the cool breeze of the night. The day was mentally exhausting for him and his sister. As the yashiro commisioner, he was trained to keep a straight face. But that doesn’t mean that the words thrown at him didn’t hurt in the slightest. It hurts, largely at that. He closed his eyes as he tried to feel his God’s presence. Maybe tonight will be the night. But as he tries hard to search for any warmth, there was none. Was he truly abandoned by his God? These thoughts swirled his mind that he didn’t even realize that the guards outside the gate suddenly bowed. He was only brought out of his thoughts when a hand gently placed itself in his shoulder. Shocked at the sudden touch, he turned to look at whoever touched him only to be left speechless as he couldn’t believe who was in front of him.

“Your Grace?!” Ayato exclaimed as he immediately bowed down. You smiled as you gently nudged him to stand up. “You didn’t abandon me?” Ayato said with a voice that broke your heart. You never imagined to hear such voice leave Ayato. “Who said i abandoned you?” You asked as you hauled the heavy sack that you were struggling to take to bring to their estate. When you finally were able to put the sack on the table you turned to Ayato and handed him the materials that he needed to become more powerful. Ayato accepted these items with a confused look. But when the items touched his fingertips he was immediately filled with the same warmth and the items turned into golden dust that surrounded him. ‘Was this what the other felt?’

You smiled as you looked at Ayato. Finally happy that you were able to build him, even though you literally had to go to him. Once you noticed Ayato’s tears rolling down, you were quick to wipe them. You held his face and smiled as he was still overwhelmed with the sudden emotions he was experiencing. Once he had collected himself, he sat up straight and coughed a bit. “Thank you for believing in me, your grace. I won’t let you down.” His face tinted with a soft pink hue. You smiled and stood up, sack in your hand. Ayato feared that you were going to leave. Not so soon. He hasn’t worshipped you yet. He hasn’t provided you anything yet.

“Your grace!” Ayato exclaimed. You turned around and faced him. “Would you like to stay here? It would be an honor to be able to serve and provide you everything that you are deserving of.” He bowed and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to see his God’s face when they reject his offer. You hummed as you think and smiled. “Sure.” Ayato’s head looked up and saw your smiling figure. It filled his heart with warmth to see you smile like that.

“As long as you don’t tell anyone outside the yashiro comission of me being here, ill stay as long as I’m welcomed.” Ayato stood up at those words, a smile plastered on his face. “I can sure you, your grace. You will always be welcomed here.” Ayato then reached out for your hand and littered it with kisses. You blushed hard as you try to hide your face away. This is going to be interesting.

“Oh by the way.” You said, making Ayato look at you. “I would like to see Ayaka.” You held the sack up. “I would like to give her these.” To which Ayato nodded.

As the guards patrolled around the estate, they heard the cry of the shirasagi himegimi alongside the giggle of their divine creator. They were at ease to know that finally, their masters weren’t abandoned by their divine creator.

#genshin cult au #sagau #genshin impact self aware au #genshin impact sagau #sagau x reader #genshin impact #genshin self aware #sagau ayato #sagau ayaka

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egophiliac · 1 year

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Hello!! I'm in love with your artstyle (especially the way you did the signature spells??? I've been looking at them for a while adsgfdfsf, they look like movie posters tbh and that's fricking cool to me. anyway!! I'm a player on the NA server (btw, I've already seen spoilers of chap 7 due to tumblr/reddit/pinterest, so yeah it's not the most spoiled I've ever been so yea) and yeah. I'm getting through the story okay but do you have any advice for people trying to get through certain events with a more limited life schedule??? Also, what are some of the differences that you notice between the english (if you see a lot of it??) and Japanese versions of the game? sorry if this was a longer ask, i tried to be simple but i wanted to tell you that I loved your art and everything just spiraled AAAAAAH

thank you! ❤️❤️❤️ I've been surprised by how many people really like my posters -- it's kind of a weird style to do fanart in, I guess, but I'm glad other people think it's cool too! :D

(gonna answer out of order because the event stuff turned into a huge block of text, sorry!)

I've seen a few of the localizations, but I don't know a lot about the Eng version, so I can't speak too much about differences. (I do think "housewarden" has a better sound to it than "dorm leader" though...they need a fancy little word to match their fancy little outfits.) I did look up the unique magic/signature spells to see if they were able to somehow work in the glossing -- I'm not even sure how you would localize that without it being super weird, so I don't blame them, but I was a little sad anyway! :( in Japanese, they're all written as Japanese phrases with the English as ruby text, and sometimes they're given a little extra meaning. like -- this is where the episode 7 spoilers I'm tagging are) the words that Mal says are "Fae of Maleficence":

but the meaning of the Japanese is "Blessing", which is a nice little "ooooh" moment given the context of it!

there isn't always an extra meaning, sometimes it's just. super literal. but my other favorite is Jack's, where what he means is "✨howl that pierces the moonlit night✨", but what he actually yells is "UNLEASH BEAST" before turning into a giant dog. what a good boy.

as for event advice (under the cut, because this was already getting long)...

speaking as someone who is 100% F2P and therefore also tends to get kind of burnt by some of these events -- the #1 most important thing is to just...make peace with not getting everyone. :') I am a collector-type person, so it definitely gets grating when I can't have all the fancy PNGs my little packrat heart desires. generally though: never do random pulls, always be saving your keys and gems between events. (once a month you can buy a 10-set from Sam for a 50 gem discount, and logging in on a character's birthday will give you a 10-set for free, so make sure to do those!). when the event info starts coming out, pick one or two cards that you really want and work specifically towards those, focusing on grinding out the items and/or using your saved-up pulls on their specific banner. and in the end, accept that it might just not be meant to be, even if you hit the 100-pull pity SSR no I'm not still bitter over fairy gala Ortho why do you ask. if the event doesn't have any cards that you really want, take it as an opportunity to save for the next one!

hoard your star fragments (the things that restore AP) -- if you're going for a card that requires grinding event items to permanently unlock, and the item is one you get from lessons, you can use star fragments to bump your AP up to 30 at a time (10 is the limit that will restore over time, but 30 is the max you can have at once). that makes for a looong lesson loop, but I usually get about 50-60 items per 30 lessons, and I just let it run in the background while doing other stuff. (usually these items are what also unlock the event story, so I'll do a huge amount of lessons first thing and then have enough to get the whole story at once. 👍) it can get really grindy, but events go on for a while so it's not usually that bad if you space it out a bit, instead of waiting until the last minute to try and get those last 600 items (cough) (cough).

if it's one of the ones where you get the item from doing a rhythmic, you get the same amount of items no matter how well you do, even if you miss every note. so you can just...tap occasionally to restart it and get the same effect. if it's a battle one, you do have to actually win to get the item, but once you figure out the sweet spot of a team setup + highest battle level where you win every time, it becomes basically the same deal.

so...yeah, tl;dr you can get away with a lot just by setting things up to run in the background and paying just enough attention to tap through some of the menus. it does require a certain amount of time to just leave your phone while still sorta-kinda paying attention to it, so it might not work for everyone, but that's the best way I've found to get through most events!

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland spoilers #twisted wonderland episode 7 spoilers #twisted wonderland book 7 spoilers #i feel like i just emerged from juice hell from getting my sunset lilia #and yet here i am diving right into tuna hell for my grim #it's okay i wasn't using these ap on anything else anyway #i have gotten SUPER lucky on some of these events #like i think the only halloween card i'm missing is ace #which is nuts considering how many of those are ssrs #but then i didn't manage to get a single one of the birthday diasomnias past the first year :(#we're not going to talk about the dorm dias. we just aren't.#the gacha giveth and it taketh away

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interact-if · 2 years

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[ID: a banner-style graphic featuring a wavy rainbow background. Text laid over the background reads: “Interact-IF presents: Pride Month. Featured Authors.” The text has sparkles on the outer corners. /end ID]

June is PRIDE Month!

During the next following weeks, we will feature interviews of queer creators. Discussing their inspirations for their projects and experience as IF creators, we want to shed a light on their journey.

Here are our month’s featured authors, please check out their works and join us in supporting them!

Kit, Author of The Northern Passage

It’s cold, so cold, and your head aches, your ears pop, water choking your throat and nose, all you can do is watch as the sky gets farther and farther away from you. Clawed hands grab at your ankles, your legs, your arms, pulling you down, tearing at your clothes and piercing your skin.

You convulse violently, your body struggling to expel the water from your lungs as more floods in.

Staring up into the fading light, you feel your body grow weak, giving in, sinking now, your blood churning all around you in the water. A hand grabs at your throat, caressing a thumb over your skin, pulling you down as the dark water turns red.

The Northern Passage is an 18+ horror fantasy CYOA, where you play as a hunter sent up north to investigate a series of missing people along the border of your home country and in the port cities of the Blackwater. Working with your handler, Lea, you will travel north and discover that things are far worse than you ever could have imagined, and that there is something powerful lurking out in the deep, dark sea…

Read more about The Northern Passage here (18+). Play the Demo here. Kit's Patreon. Kit is also the author of Siren’s Call (18+). EDIT: TNP and SC are on a temporary pause until further notice.

Anna, Author of Wayfarer

When your mercenary work backs you into a corner, you take the only option available and accept a contract: to travel to the city of Velantis and steal an ancient artifact said to be blessed by the gods. Simple, right?

But Velantis holds more than you bargained for. Gathering a ragtag party of malcontents and renegades from across the city, you must navigate enemy factions, meddling guilds, and escalating political tensions. Your choices will ultimately determine the city’s fate – and the fate of every person who lives there.

Wayfarer is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. You play as a Wayfarer, a member of an order of warriors born with magical immunity in a world dominated by magic. It is currently in development. The full game will include three acts and a total of 14 chapters.

Read more about Wayfarer here. Play the Demo here (17+). Anna's Patreon and Ko-fi.

Jupiter, Author of Supernova: Renegade

In the distant future, Humanity has mastered space travel and joined the intergalactic community run by an alliance known as the Galactic Board for Interplanetary Peace. While none of the GBIP species have their own military, there is still a need for a peace-keeping force. Thus, the Arbiters were created.

You have just joined the Arbiter ranks—whether you wanted to or not. This prestigious position comes with a fair amount of perks, including your own ship and crew. However, it’s also the most dangerous job in the galaxy. When a small colony faces an attack from an unknown source, you’re sent to investigate. What you uncover reveals a danger far greater—and far closer to home—than you could have ever expected.

Read more about Supernova: Renegade here. Play the Demo here (17+). Jupiter's Ko-fi.

Brigid, Author of Event Horizon

[EVENT HORIZON] is a science-fiction-horror story, set far into a future in which humans are not alone in a hostile galaxy.

The Failsafe has been activated. War lingers on the horizon. Five years ago, you were one of the last people to be selected for the Failsafe and Final Stand Programs. You were frozen in time, placed into orbit at the edge of the solar system. And now, you’re hurtling through space towards a ship you’ve never seen before. The Nomad. A secret mission beyond the edge of the solar system, to stop the Enemy before they can begin their second invasion. A suicide mission. A point of no return.

Read more about Event Horizon here. Play the Demo here or here (18+).

Brigid is also the author of Lost Birds (link, 18+) and CLOSEDLOOP (link, 18+).

Abigail, Author of Willow Creek Run

It’s finally summer and you’re spending it in your childhood home of Willow Creek. It’s a small, idyllic town in mid-America filled with rolling green hills, winding streams, and miles and miles of horse country. Most of the population learned to ride before they learned to walk, and you are no exception.

You’ve agreed to help out at your father’s training and boarding stable because he’s fallen on hard times and can’t afford the summer help he needs. He’s been missing payments to the bank, and if he doesn’t pay in full soon they’ll either take the farm or he’ll be forced to sell out to his old rival, Alexander Mannor.

Your only hope is to win the town’s summer-end competition, Willow Creek Run, and use the prize money and prestige to pay your father’s debts and save the farm. The problem is that you don’t have a horse of your own to enter and you haven’t competed in years.

Just when it looks like all hope is lost, a mysterious horse turns up on your father’s property with no sign of an owner and a wild look in its eye. Could this be the sign you’ve been looking for? You have the whole summer to train your horse, make friends (or enemies!), and do your best to prepare for Willow Creek Run.

Read More about Willow Creek Run here. Demo: TBA

Maxim, Author of Werewolf Noir

Set in a modern fantasy world, Werewolf Noir is a dark mystery where you’re looking for the person who killed your kid. If it’s for justice or revenge is up to you. You play as a relatively new werewolf after having lost everything and everyone, now living in the city of Reaver, corruption runs deep through the system and the richer someone is the more corrupt they are. Meet interesting characters and ro’s as you put the puzzle pieces together, get adopted by a tiny little pup or kitten, and pick out your new career path (private detective, bounty hunter, criminal) to make ends meet as you navigate this world and try to keep the wolf inside contained.

Read More about Werewolf Noir here. Play the Demo here. Maxim is also the author of Ichor: Awakening (TBA) and A Hero’s Job (TBA)

Jessamine, Author of The Black River

Somewhere, somehow, you lost your memories. You’re aware that–whatever it was that happened –it involved chanting cultists, and horrible serrated knives, but unfortunately none of those nice gentlemen are around to explain what’s going on to you. Oh… and also it seems that whatever they did with the aforementioned chanting and knives tore a hole in the fabric of reality and opened a gateway from the world of the living to the Underworld.

Which you fell through.

And now you’re stuck, despite your best efforts, on an antique ship from several centuries ago, with a crew of dead sailors and a motley assemblage of others from the living world. You don’t know what’s going on back in the world where you’re supposed to be, but you know that it can’t be good.

In order to get home, you’ll have to help sail the Will-o’-wisp across the length of the Black River, uncovering truths that change the entire way you view the world and fighting villains whose ambitions extend to the very act of deicide.

And you’d quite like to get your memories back, while you’re at it.

Read More about The Black River here. Play the Demo here.

Nell, Author of Body Count

Your life isn’t going how you’d hoped. Despite having big plans when you graduated, you're stuck in a dead end job and a crappy flat with zero romantic life to speak of. All until a friend convinces you to join the cast of a new reality TV show.

The premise is simple: 12 singles are sent to a villa on a tropical island and they live there together for a month. After 28 days, the couple who is voted by the other islanders as being most likely to withstand the test of time will win £500,000. In addition, the couple with the highest body count will win £500,000. Total prize pool? £1,000,000.

In this context, “body count” refers to how many people you’ve slept with... right? Well, that’s what you think when you sign your contract. Turns out, though, that not all of your fellow cast members will be using that definition to get to the prize.

Fall in love, win big money, solve some murders and try to stay alive.

Read More about Body Count here. Play the Demo here (18+). Nell's Patreon and Ko-fi.

Heather B., Author of Jade Empire: Shadow of the Lotus

Legend tells of the Spirit Monks; servants of the Water Dragon, shepherds of the dead, warriors without peer. Though their order was all but wiped from existence forty years ago, they are slowly but surely rebuilding themselves. Young warriors from across the Jade Empire dream of joining their ranks.

You are no different.

You are the newest initiate of the Spirit Monk Order; raised in the idyllic Two Rivers and trained by a living legend, you are a martial arts prodigy. As the junior member of the Order, you travel the Empire, dealing with lost and vengeful spirits. But shadows of something far more sinister lurk on the horizon, and it’s up to you and your allies to unravel the dark mystery before it’s too late...

Read More about Shadow of the Lotus here. Play the Demo here.

#if: events #Pride 2022 #interactive fiction #queer creators #queer authors #queer fiction #queer stories #lgbtq #lgbtqa #image description

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andydrysdalerogers · 5 months

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Yours Submissively ~ Neglected

Steve Rogers X OFC Isabella Davis

Summary: Five Years after the events of Civil War, Steve Rogers has moved on from avenging and has started his own business, Grant Inc. He has a secret that would turn his world upside down. And he's good at keep that secret. Until he meets the woman with violet eyes that could bring him to his knees. Now his mission is to make her, his. But she is the key that could bring the world into balance... or chaos.

And she has no idea.

Series Warnings: slow burn at the beginning, smut, angst, sexual themes of BDSM, dom/sub dynamics, kidnapping, loss of virginity, (and a bunch of others that will come up)

A/N: the taglist is open!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Banners by me!

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Broken

Series Masterlist ~ Main Masterlist

Three months later…

Isabella Davis should be happy.

She is living with the man she loves, a powerful man, a hero, the love of her life, Steve Rogers

Isabella Davis has never felt more alone.

Living with two men was a new experience. The first month went by smoothly with Steve and Belle getting used to each other. But as the next month started, Steve and Bucky were busy all the time with the business. While she didn’t regret her decision, she missed her old life. The ability to hang out without the threat of a kidnapping hanging over her head. And consequently, things had changed again.

Steve has been working hard. But not at Grant. No, he left that to Nat and Sam to deal with for the time being. He and Bucky had been working leads, tiny leads, on who was trying to get to Belle. Steve wanted to clear every lead, every mere instance of danger so that he could move their lives forward.

Unfortunately, with that, a lot of time was spent away from home, leaving Belle lonely. But since the dinner a few months ago, Belle had been in contact with her friends. Not Lila, who effectively blocked Belle from all social media. Hope and MJ explained that Lila took some time away and stayed with her family, trying to understand what had happen. Belle was remorseful that her friend was hurt but not for asking her to leave.

But her other friends rallied. Lunch dates with Hope and Scott were planned, dinner and movie nights at Peter and MJ’s were a regular thing. Clint stayed by her side, but the agreement still stood. He didn’t disclose the details to Steve or Bucky, just acknowledging she was safe.

On a girls’ night, Belle spilled about her life with Steve. “He’s so experienced. It’s weird and awesome all at the same time.”

“I bet,” MJ said, drinking her wine. “Like do you guys experiment?”

Hope giggled. “That’s the juicy bit. Scott, he tries, bless him, but we just end up laughing in the end.”

“Peter is flexible,” MJ said. “So am I. It leads to the neighbors complaining on occasion.”

“Oh god,” Belle covers her face. “Now I am even more grateful that Steve has the whole floor.” They all laugh as MJ refills.

Belle stumbles in a few hours later after Clint dropped her off at the door. She drops her jacket on the floor, the crisp early October air coming in with the elevator. She kicks off her heels and heads to the kitchen for a snack. She looks to see that the apartment is still, and she sighs. She text MJ and Hope.

B: I need a getaway weekend. The apartment is too empty H: you can always stay with one of us MJ: true. Peter is working on a project and he’s flying out of town next weekend. H: I’m sure Scott can hang with people. Make it a girls’ weekend B: sounds good to me.

And it did. Steve was home Saturday but working and Belle distracted herself with lesson plans. While she was happy that he was home, she missed the intimacy more and more. As Friday approached, Belle decides to head to MJ’s early after work. Steve was on a business trip and hadn’t been in contact. She had no idea when he was supposed to return. As she packed her case, he strolled in, removing his jacket and tie. “Sweet pea?”

“Oh. You’re back.” She placed a small kiss on his lips and return to her case.

“Where are you going?”

“To MJ’s. Girls’ weekend.” Belle zipped it closed as Clint appeared in the doorway. “Can you take this Clint?”

“No problem, Belle. Be back in a moment.”

Belle turned to Steve who had a look of fury on his face. “What?”

“I figured we would stay in tonight. I mean, I just got back.”

“And how was I supposed to know that Steve? You haven’t called, text, emailed, carrier pigeon’d.”

“Well, I assumed…”

“Let me stop you right there. I’m supposed to be, what, at your beck and call?” He remained silent. “I’m your girlfriend not your submissive remember? You don’t call or let me know your schedule. I live here by myself because you and Bucky just leave me here.” Belle grabbed her purse. “MJ and Hope are waiting for me. I’ll be back on Sunday. I hope that you had a good business trip.” She swiftly left the room.

Steve sat on the bed with his head in hands as he heard the front door close. He meant to call, truly, but time got away from him. The last threat he received on her life had set him off and he went to investigate it with a vigor that borderline obsessed. He raked his hands over his face and went to the closet to change. He donned his workout gear and went to his gym. Wrapping his hands, he started to work the heavy bag. This wasn’t the way he wanted to work out his frustrations but here he was. Bucky walked in; concern etched in his face. “She’s not here.”

“Thank you, Sherlock, for that fascinating observations.”

“No need to be a bigger punk than normal Cap. I was hungry and went to look for her.”

“She’s at her friends. Apparently, it’s a girls’ weekend.”

“Clint is off this weekend. Who is her security?”

“Fuck Bucky I don’t know. I forgot to call her this week.”

“Shit.” Bucky fumbled with his phone. “Barton, I thought you were off this week… Yeah well who is staying with Belle. … Oh. … I guess that’s fine. … No, don’t worry about it. Yeah I’ll talk to him. Thanks.” Bucky ended the call. “Barton put two of our agents to watch her. She ran the entire schedule with him just to be sure.”

Steve looked surprised at him. “She did what?”

“When you and I didn’t answer, she went straight to Clint to organize the weekend. He swept the place and reminded her that going out without protect was dangerous. I guess her friends felt the same and they were going to stay in. Well except for the club.”

Steve took a harder swing at the heavy bag. “Fuck! Why are they going to a club?”

“Because she wants to go out. Relax, she’s going to one of ours.”

“Why am I feeling like this?”

“Because you are trying to protect her. But Steve, you have to know, isolating her, keeping away from her in long periods is just going to damage your relationship.”

“I know, it’s just, I can’t sleep, I can’t concentrate, knowing that there is someone after her. Bucky I can’t lose her.”

“I know pal. But you’re gonna lose her if you don’t get your head outta your ass and spend time with her. Real time. I’m cancelling the next intel mission.” Steve began to object. “Ah, no. You need to spend time with her. She’s the best thing that ever happened to you. You know, beside the serum.”

“Fuck off Jerk. But,” he sighed. “Thank you.”

Friday night was a pamper night for Belle, MJ and Hope. They watched movies, ate junk, facials, the works. It helped, getting Belle’s mind off of Steve. Shopping on Saturday caused everything to come back full force when she went to pay but everything was put on Steve’s account at the store, including anything MJ and Hope wanted. “Fuck,” she mumbled to herself as they walked to lunch.

MJ had heard her. “What’s wrong?”

“Just didn’t think he would be around in any way shape or form. I miss him but it’s like I only get a glimpse of him. Not like before where he was always there. I miss him, you know.” They slid into a booth at the café.

“Maybe walking out the way you did will trigger something in him. He can’t keep away all the time Belle. He has to know that you won’t always be there if he keeps acting like this.”

“I just want to know why. Like why is he’s so busy suddenly? I know he’s not in the office. I called to tell him about making dinner a few weeks ago and Nat said he hadn’t been to the office in over a week.”

“Oh shit, Belle,” Hope said.

“Is he over me? Did I make a mistake?”

“No, Belle…” MJ started.

“Is he seeing someone else?”

“No,” Hope told her sternly. “You can’t think like that. He’s distant yes but he loves you. Maybe its Avengers stuff.”

“Its something…” Belle trailed off as she saw a blonde looking right at her. “Fuck me.”

“What?”

“Its Sharon. Steve’s friend, I guess. She doesn’t like me.” She looks down at her plate.

Hope subtlety turned to look at her. “She’s a hag.”

Belle snorted. She looked up and saw Sharon head her way. “Shit.”

Sharon Carter looked at the group with a smirk. “Isabella, nice to see you again.”

“Ms. Carter,” shaking the woman’s hand.

Sharon waved her hand. “No need to be formal. Sharon is fine. Out with friends?”

“Yes, this is Michelle and Hope.”

“Nice to meet you, ladies. “Well, I hate to rush but I have to get back to a meeting at Grant.” Belle raised her eyebrows. “I was just telling steve we should get together and do lunch soon. Hopefully we can. Please have a nice day.” She turned, allowing her blonde locks flip around before leaving the café.

“Grant? She’s at Grant? Lunch with Steve?” Belle swallowed, trying not to let the tears out. “Fuck this.” She pulled out the black card Steve had given her and paid for the lunch. “We need to find me a dress.”

Arriving in the car Clint had arranged for them, Belle stepped out in front of the club, smoothing her dress down. The flirty eyelet dress in black, a V neckline that hinted at her cleavage but still modest. The hem hit mid-thigh and paired with black booties. Her long black hair was swept up into a high ponytail with simple makeup but a dark red lip. Clint reminded her that she was to be seated in the VIP area or she couldn’t go out. She saw the line and felt guilty as she went to the doorman. “Hi.”

“Name?”

“Belle Davis.”

“For three ladies, VIP?”

“Yea, Clint…”

“I know who you are Miss Davis. The hostess with take you to your table.” A model like red head took the girls to a table where a bottle of champagne was waiting. A waitress approached to open and serve. “I’m Tabitha, your tab is already taken care of by Mr. Rogers so anything you like, including food, just ask.” She walked away and Hope and MJ looked at Belle.

“Don’t,” she said. She picked up a glass. “To us.”

“To us!”

The music was loud and the bodies moving as they chatted. Finally, Belle was loose and ready to dance. A Britney classic played. “Let’s go.”

“Belle…”

“No, I want to dance. We won’t leave and nothing will happen. Let’s just go.” She got up and found a spot on the dance floor, swaying her hips to the music.

The music changed; the beat kept going. The bodies around were glistening with sweat, the smell of alcohol in the air. Belle kept moving, losing herself to the music. They went back to the table occasionally, doing a few shots and kept dancing. A man approached her, dressed in a tight black t-shirt and dark jeans, a chain with a medallion on his neck. His head was shaved, dark blond or light brown, with bright blue eyes. He offered her a smile, a smile that would make any woman swoon. “Would you like to dance?”

Belle looked at MJ and Hope. Two other guys were chatting them up as she turned back to the man. “Sure. Belle,” she extended her hand.

He took it and kissed her knuckles. “Paul.” He kept her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. Temperature by Sean Paul started to play. Paul put Belle’s arms on his shoulders, her hands around his neck as he put his own on her hips. Her fingers grazed his hair, an interesting feeling, the fuzziness of his buzz cut compared to Steve’s longer locks. They moved in sync, his eyes never leaving hers, pulling her just a tiny bit closer. As the song changed to Pony, he spun her around, her back to his front. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her close, her hands right on top of his. His head was near her neck. “This ok?”

“Its fine,” she said breathlessly. They moved in time; he was grinding subtlety on her. She reached back to feel his head in her hands. Her thoughts were scattered, the male attention she was receiving was exactly what she wanted. But it wasn’t Steve. And that was a problem. Because she wasn’t sure anymore if Steve was what she wanted. His neglect was started to get to her.

“You’re beautiful,” he said in her ear. Another spin and he held her close, both hands now on her lower back, her arms back around his neck, foreheads almost touching. His knee was in between her legs as they swayed their hips to the beat, the pressure of his knee adding to the growing pool of arousal that she was feeling. A flash from the light over her eyes and he was lost on the color. “Jesus, those are gorgeous.”

“I…I…,” she was nervous, unsure of the attention.

He stops moving and pushes a tendril of hair behind her ear. “Hey, its ok. We’ll go slow. How about a drink?”

“Sure.” He took her hand and guided her back to her table. She sat with her legs crossed, Paul seated next to her, his arm behind her as she ordered two scotches. “What do you do?”

“I’m a detective in the LAPD. I’m in New York for a job interview.”

“Oh, wow. Detective is impressive.”

“And you, gorgeous, what do you do?”

“I’m a teacher, first grade.”

He flashed her a killer smile. “Shaping the future, I like that.”

In the dark corner of the bar, Steve sipped his drink as he watched her. He was angry. But not her. At himself. She wouldn’t feel the need to allow this prick to be all over her if he had been home with his girl. Something tipped her to this. His eyes followed as Paul took Belle to the booth. He leaned down to say something and she giggled. The glass shattered in Steve’s hand.

Belle leaned into Paul. “I’ll be back. Ladies room.”

“I’ll be at the bar, gorgeous, waiting.”

She blushed and made her way to the restroom. She did her business and went to wash her hands and looked in the mirror. Her cheeks were flush from the dancing and drinks. But the brightness in her eyes, that was from Paul’s attention. She smiled as she dried her hands. She fluffed her hair and went back out. This may only be for one night, but she would enjoy it.

She exited the room and started to make her way back out when a hand grabbed her and pulled her into a room. She went to scream but was cut off by a kiss. She pulled back to slap but stopped. “Steve?”

“What are you doing Isabella?”

“I’m dancing.”

“You’re flirting.”

“And?” Belle challenged him.

Steve grasped her arm. “You are mine, Isabella.”

She pulled away. “Really? Sure doesn’t feel like it.”

“Why are you doing this?”

She glared at him. “Why is Sharon Carter having meetings at Grant?”

Steve stepped back. “What?”

“Why is Sharon Carter at Grant?” Steve hesitated. “Right, ok. I have to go.”

“No, wait, sweet pea, please.”

“No. Fuck you, Steve. Leave me alone. We’ll talk about this tomorrow when I come home.”

“No, you’re coming home with me now. You are mine.”

“Yours? Really? I spend more time with Clint than I do with you.”

“I know, baby, but…”

“No buts. I can’t do this right now.” She pushed him away.

“No, I can’t lose you.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have shut me out.” She exited the room and went to the bar where Paul had moved to. She was rattled, shaken to the core at the exchange with Steve. She loves him, truly, but she needed more. She needed him to be present.

Paul could see the cloud in her eyes. “You ok?”

“Just too much to drink, I think.” She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

He signaled the bartender. “Water, please.” He turned back to Belle. “I gotta be honest, gorgeous, you seem like you have a lot on your mind.”

“I’m sorry.” Belle looked down.

Paul studied her for a second. “Whatever he did to you, it ain’t worth it,” he said, picking up her face. Belle stared into Paul’s eyes and watched as he flicked his eyes to her lips and back. She swallowed hard, he leaned in, and she closed her eyes. Their lips met, softly, his lips warm, comforting. It jolted Belle and she stepped back with a jerk.

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” She turned around and went back to the booth quickly. She saw the security guard and called him over. “We need to leave.” He nodded and made a call. “Guys, we have to go.”

MJ and Hope could see the panic in Belle’s face. They grabbed their bags and helped her to the exit. The town car pulled to the curb and the girls climbed in. Paul hit the exit just as Belle was climbing in. “Gorgeous wait!”

She looked at him, smiling sadly and closed the door. They headed back to MJ’s in silence, Belle staring out the window. As they pulled up to the building, Belle made a decision. “Guys, I’m going to the apartment. I’ll explain later but I need to see Steve.”

“Give him hell,” MJ said with a hug. Hope hugged her as well. The driver took off to the apartment. She went in to find it dark with a single light on, Steve sitting in his chair.

“You’re back.”

“I am.”

“Why?”

“Because when another man kisses me and I like it, I think we have a problem.”

“He kissed you?!”

“Yes, and I ran. Because I liked it. Because I miss you. I miss your attention, our intimacy, our love. I need more Steve. I can’t do this. If you are just going to leave me here, then I should move out and move on.”

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@tinkerbelle67

@before-we-get-started

@bunnyforhim

@alexakeyloveloki

@sunnyhummingbee

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@peaceinourtime82

#andy's hea #andy's shenanigans #yours submissively #chris evans fanfiction #steve rogers au #steve rogers smut #steve rogers fanfiction #Steve Rogers x OFC #Bucky barnes #chris evans #mcu fanfiction #Steve rogers #steve rogers imagine #chris evans au #avengers au #paul diskant cameo

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a-queer-seminarian · 10 months

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June was Queer Pride Month, July is Disability Pride Month, and that means it's the prime time of year for certain people to remind us that "pride is a sin, didn't you know?"

So for episode 75 of the Blessed Are the Binary Breakers podcast, I called up my dear friend Laura, a fellow disabled trans Christian, to discuss how the kind of pride that marginalized communities use as an antidote to shame is not sinful, but indeed essential in our pursuit of justice and abundant life for all!

Listen as Laura and I — interspersed with excerpts from Eli Clare's 1999 text Exile and Pride — contrast marginalized pride with nationalist, supremacist pride; explain why "awareness" and "acceptance" aren't enough; and emphasize the need to join pride with witness.

Click here for places to listen + the episode transcript.

Hear more from Laura on their podcast, the Autistic Liberation Theology Podcast. Click here for their website of essays and biblical Playmobil art.

Look under the readmore for more excerpts + image descriptions.

ID for images at top of post: A messy paint rainbow on a black background with text reading "Our Pride is Not a Sin: a queer and disabled lens. Ep 75 of Blessed Are the Binary Breakers."

Text on a purple banner reads "Pride and humility don't have to be opposites — they balance each other out." A quote from Avery Arden below reads, "When we have too high an opinion of ourselves, thinking we are above others, that’s an excess of pride — time for some humility. But then if we are pushed down, made to feel inferior to others, that’s humility in excess — time for some pride. And it's all about how it influences you to act with others." / end ID

Text on a green banner reads, "Why is pride only sinful when it's marginalized groups' pride?" A quote from Laura Sommer reads, "It shows that this is a made-up argument! Our whole society is built around national pride. As long as it's [pride for something] that is well-established and mainstream, nobody even notices that they use the word proud."

A quote from Eli Clare from 1999 reads, “Without pride, disabled people are much more likely to accept unquestioningly the daily material conditions of ableism, unemployment, poverty, segregated and substandard education, years spent locked up in nursing homes, violence perpetrated by caregivers, lack of access. Without pride, individual and collective resistance to oppression becomes nearly impossible."

A gray banner has text reading "The Progress Pride flag's black stripe & Disability Pride flag's gray background commemorate those lost to queerphobia or ableism." Both flags are shown on the image. A quote from Laura Sommer reads, "Remember the ones who can't be here, or can't feel pride, or can't celebrate. And make sure [pride's] not just about celebration — it's also about defiance, and this feeling of 'we are still here, and we will defend the space that we have carved out.' And we do this to save lives."

#pride #pride is a sin #disabled christians #trans christians #queer christians #faithfullylgbt #faithfullydisabled #log #summer 2023 #blessed are the binary breakers #rebuttals

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ellethespaceunicorn · 1 year

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Bright Like The Moon: Chapter 2

Chapter 2: It’s The Feelings I Wear

Rating: M for Mature, 18+, Minors - DNI

Fandom: Night Hunter

Pairing: Walter Marshall x Black!OFC

Word count: 6K

Summary: Kamaria Mansfield is hired at the Minnesota Police Department as an intern. Detective Walter Marshall is overworked and unsatisfied. Takes place post-film.

Chapter Summary: Kamaria’s first day is filled with confidence and realization. Walter’s day is filled with self-doubt and introspection. Their day ends in a noteworthy way.

Chapter warnings: Mutual pining, accidental flirtation, intentional flirtation, angst, police interrogation procedure (or what Law & Order and The Shield have taught me is perfectly normal police procedure during interrogation), murder investigation (no details), flashback to a fight, Faye’s opinion on Rachel, spicy texting, different POV at times

A/N: I like to write in the third person (omniscient) for the most part, but as a challenge to myself, I decided to try writing in the first person for Kamaria and Walter in this chapter. Let’s see how this works out and if I wanna do it again. Un-beta’d, we die like people trying their absolute best.

Dividers: @firefly-graphics

Support/Reblog banner by me

Cover Art by me

Cross-posted on AO3 @ ElleTheSpaceUnicorn

Series Masterlist

My Masterlist

Kamaria’s POV

After a fun weekend of self-care, a mani-pedi in a cute baby pink with medium coffin-shaped nails on my fingers and getting my locs redone, I am ready for my week to start. I am happy to be woken up Monday morning to my alarm blaring ‘Her’ by Megan Thee Stallion. The catchy and inspiring song was a choice I made last minute on Sunday night, wanting to be roused from sleep with confidence and purposefulness in my mind.

Oh, Megan, if only I had your confidence…and that body-ody-ody.

Grabbing Beary from the crook of my arm and placing him back against the pillows, I pull the covers back over my bed. Making my way to the kitchen for coffee, I’m reminded that I need to pick up some more creamer this week. Black coffee is too rich for my blood and my colon. I turn on the coffee pot and end up in the bathroom ready to shower.

I turn on the shower, letting it warm up while I go grab my phone from my nightstand. Pulling up Spotify as I reenter the bathroom, I select the Shower Vibes playlist. Soon the soothing sounds of Solange’s ‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ is wafting in the air. This song always gets me in the right headspace.

I switch from my bonnet to my shower cap and step into the spray once it’s at the perfect temp. Just right to get squeaky clean and not enough to sweat and frizz up my hair. I put on my exfoliating gloves and pour on enough Apricot & Honey body wash to drown a small town.

Rubbing my hands together, the scent of it permeates my soul. Stepping back from the water, I begin to lather my body.

Before I know it, my mind goes on auto-pilot washing my entire body, top to bottom. I step back into the spray backward to feel the pulsating water on my neck and back. Bless my water pressure.

I turn around, allowing my front to be clear of the suds. I wring out my shower gloves and place them back in the shower caddy. I reach up and turn the nozzle to push water through the detachable showerhead to get my most delicate places nice and clean. I’m careful this time to not allow the powerful jets to lull me into a hazy state of arousal. The last thing I need to be is late to work for that.

I finish up and grab my towel from the hook, patting my skin dry and taking off my shower cap. I wind the towel around myself and turn off my music before walking back into the bedroom. Opening my closet, I see my first-day outfit looking back at me. A mustard yellow turtleneck sweater that makes my amber eyes pop and a pair of black skinny jeans to show off my curves. Not really sure what the dress code is but if all else fails, the jeans look sorta like dress pants so whatever.

I begin my skincare routine by applying face serum, moisturizer, and body lotion. Slipping on some underwear and a bra, I remember I started the coffee pot.

Throwing on my satin robe and house slippers, I head to the kitchen to praise the caffeine gods. The warm aroma of french vanilla wafts into my nose and I smile. Why have any other flavor if french vanilla is available?

Within a short time, I have a perfect cup of coffee and a decent breakfast in my system so I head back to the bedroom to get dressed. I put my butterfly locks in a high bun, leaving out the front two locs to frame my face. I’m not really a big makeup girl with the primer and the foundation and the contouring. However, I do have my essentials and it’s basically muscle memory to apply so what the hell. I sit at my vanity and turn on my lighted mirror.

“Hey, Siri?” I pause and wait for my phone screen to light up and for Siri to acknowledge me. “Play ‘Female Energy, Part 2’ by WILLOW, please.” Siri accepts the command and the song begins to play.

From the instant that I hear the melodic voice of a woman older than her years, I am transported to a state of pure emotional wonder, thinking of my position in the world around me. I begin with a medium line of black eyeliner, followed by some of my favorite Lash Princess mascara. Torn between a matte dark brown lip and a glitter gloss, I choose the gloss because it will reflect every bit of light it catches. Maybe he will notice that little touch? I shake my head to clear my thoughts and apply Shades by Shan in the color ‘Erika(https://sbscosmetics.com/products/new-erika-lip-gloss)’ slowly while the final verse plays.

‘Am I to feel bolder 'cause / All of my pumping blood? / I am human, I am woman / Drifting down my life / Light up this time, light up this time / Oh, oh, oh, oh’

I stop the song before it could play again and get up to check out my outfit in my long mirror. Everything is in its place, nothing too tight. Putting on my flats, I check my phone. Exactly thirty minutes til I start work, with a twenty-minute drive to work, which will allow me to freak out in the parking lot for a good chunk of time. Perfect!

In the living room, I collect my keys and purse and throw on my coat. Taking one final deep breath of unemployment, I exit my apartment and lock the door behind me.

I make my way to work and park my car near the end of the lot under a lamppost so that when I leave later, I’ll have the light for safety. I start to prepare myself for my specifically scheduled ‘freakout time’ when I hear the low rumble of a truck being backed up next to me. I wait until it's all the way in the spot before I look over at the same time the driver does.

We exchange smiles and it feels like the world stops. I turn off my car, grabbing my phone from the mount and my purse from the passenger seat. I go to open the door and he does the same, motioning for me to go first. I’m just closing my door when he exits mere inches from me. I turn around to properly greet him, smelling the clean scent of him in the wind, and try and hide the way it goes straight to my pussy. Down, girl!

“Happy Monday, Detective,” I say, my lips only quivering slightly in my attempt to appear confident.

“Please, call me Walter. I feel like Detective sounds too formal. After all, I’ve already saved your life, right?” His deep baritone radiates through me and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was flirting with me.

‘He’s not interested in someone like you. Think about it, sweetheart.’ The voice of my ex attempts to ruin my morning, I shake my head almost imperceptibly and continue to smile at Walter.

“How long are you gonna hold that against me, Walter? I swear to you, I didn’t stumble on purpose just to be caught by a handsome stranger.” Did I just fucking call him handsome to his face out loud where he could hear it? Don’t freak out. DON’T. FREAK. OUT.

The smile on his face goes from his mouth to his eyes, a slight blush creeping across those perfect cheekbones.

“Handsome stranger, eh? That just made my day, Kamaria. Thank you for that,” He winks at me and my pussy wakes back up at that gesture, “Dads aren’t used to compliments, ya know?” Oh, you have a kid?

“Oh, you have a kid?” Ok, I said that part out loud I guess.

“Yeah, a daughter,” he says, taking out his phone and showing me the lock screen with a picture of a curly-haired girl smiling at the camera, “This is Faye, the light of my life. She’ll be 16 soon.”

“Oh my goodness. She’s gorgeous and she has your curls. Got your shotgun ready?” I laugh, knowing what a Dad would do to protect his daughter, thoughts of my own Dad’s exploits cross my mind.

“Oh, I would love to say it’s primed and loaded. But she’s a pistol. Smarter than she gives herself credit for. And would run circles around any smooth-talking, pock-marked little shit who tried her.” He smiles, putting his phone back in his pocket after checking the time. “Where has the time gone? Let’s get you into your first day, eh?” He motions for me to take the lead and throws another wink my way.

I suddenly remember I had no time to freak out in the car before going in. No time to think about that now, maybe I’ll just freak out a little later. Or something more professional, like excusing myself to the bathroom to have a quick anxiety attack. Perfect plan.

We walk into the building together, Walter holding the door for me. As I am shaking the chill of the early morning off and instantly feeling overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of those in the office, I hear Walter say my name.

“Kamaria?” He tilts his head and shoots me a grin, “You’ll wanna check in with the Desk Sergeant over to the right and let them know it’s your first day, yeah? Along the left wall there, the last one down before the hallway ends is my office. If you need anything, I’ll be in there most of the day and it would be nice to break away from paperwork even if for a second.”

Ok, this man is most definitely flirting with me. At least, it feels like it. The winks, those smiles, basically inviting me to his office to distract him. What else is that, if not flirting?

‘He’s just being nice to the inept charity case, sweetheart. Stop dreaming.’ And that’s when the asshole creeps back into my head to try and pull me back down. I ignore it and smile back at Walter.

“Thank you, Walter. For everything,” I start to make my way over to the right, and he to the left, “I’ll be sure to stop by and save you from the paperwork demons.” We are still in eyeshot and walking backward from one another, “I’ll see you later?”

“Later it is, Kam.” That little nickname he throws my way makes my cheeks warm and before I can ask about it, he turns and makes his way to his office.

I end up standing in front of the Desk Sergeant, a burly bald man who looks like he could break me in half gives me a sweet smile and asks how he could help me. “My name is Kamaria Mansfield and it’s my first day as an intern and I have no clue where I’m supposed to be.” He takes pity on me and points to the intern pool and who has to be the manager giving an early morning meeting.

I rush over and give my name and the manager introduces me to the rest of the interns, none of them look to be starting on their first days as well. Awesome. Kind smiles and waves welcome me and I feel instantly calmed.

Today will be a good day, hold onto this feeling as long as you can.

Walter’s POV

Kam? Where the fuck did that come from? I gave her a nickname without her permission. Might as well have called her ‘Sweet Cheeks’. Just as I am berating myself, someone walks into my office.

“I need you in Interrogation Room 2 before I lose my shit and plug this asshole into next week,” Commissioner Harper starts a tirade before I even have my coat off.

“Good morning, Commissioner.” I deadpan and start to follow him out of my office.

“Yeah, good morning, is it?” The Commissioner raises an eyebrow and I get the hint.

I look to the intern pool as Kamaria is being introduced to her fellow gophers like starting at school late in the year. Her sweet smile stays on her face, her eye line focusing on those in her immediate vicinity so she doesn’t notice me walking out of my office and down to the hall.

Making it to Interrogation, the room’s atmosphere shifts as I notice Rachel behind the glass trying her best to stay in control while every other word out of our suspect’s mouth is cunt or whore. No matter how much she may dislike me, or our history, she doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.

I cross my arms and await her signal to come in and be the ‘bad cop’. She’s holding her own and I don’t want to interrupt that. Being a profiler, she knows what games to play and what tactics to use when it comes to hostile men. She’s not afraid in that room, she’s not submissive. She uses what she was blessed with, her feminine wiles and whatever training she can remember. It’s what any good cop would use when in this position, and she's damn good at it.

After the whole situation with Simon Stulls, I had to give her credit. She knew the tells, she knew there was more to the story. And she went after what she believed. After all, she did save my life. As much as I wanted to return the favor, I couldn’t. She was far too…in control of her own life. She wouldn’t allow herself to be in danger without knowing how to save herself. That’s just Rachel.

She doesn’t need me until she has no further tricks up her sleeve. And I have to be fine with that. I am fine with that. I, after all, have my sights set on another. While waiting for Rachel to look at the glass, I’m reminded of our last night together.

*Eight Months Ago*

Rachel was over at my house after work one night, we agreed to finish the casework outside of the office as another excuse to be able to spend time together.

She throws her pen down on the coffee table and turns to me. “Faye still hates me. And you do nothing about it. That sucks, Walter.”

“Faye doesn’t hate you. She can just tell that you and I are different people. I think she knows when I’m not happy and she knows I can’t hide that from her.” I catch her eye as she furrows her brows.

“If you would just realize that I’m not here to be saved, I think you’d be happier.”

“And if you would realize that I am not trying to save you, I think you’d be happier.”

“See, you say that. But all you do is open doors for me, and offer to help with every little thing and that makes me feel like I’m incapable. Like, I’m not in charge of my own life. And that shit goes against everything that I have been taught my entire life. I can do for myself. I don’t need you to help me do every little thing. Wait for me to ask for your help, once in a while. Don’t just…do.” Her voice raises as she gets up from the couch to walk over to the kitchen for a glass of water.

I stay where I am for a moment before standing up and leaning against the back of the couch to face her. “Look, I get it. You are your own woman. You don’t need me. And you have made that abundantly clear. You don’t need anyone. Until you do, and then here I am. Meant to pick up all your pieces. On your terms.” I move one step closer to where she stands. “Why do I never get terms? Why can’t I take care of you when I need to take care of you? Why do I have to wait until you’re ready to accept me as someone to care for you? How do you think that makes me feel? Knowing I’m nothing more than at your beck and call, for when YOU deem it necessary for me to feel helpful? How is that fair to me?”

“I don’t mean to make you feel as though you can’t help me, but you have to realize that 95% of the time I can do it on my own. I’m not your ward, I’m not yours for safekeeping. We should be equals in this relationship. Not owner and dog.”

“That’s not fair and you know it. I was never your owner, and neither did I want to be. And you’re not a dog.” I shift on my feet. “You’re much more like a cat, feral and wild.”

“Thanks for that,” she takes a sip of water before looking back at me, “I always liked cats more anyway. And I get it, you like being the protector. You like being the one to come to for help and reassurance and I just don’t need that right now.”

“Noted. Let’s get back to work and after this, I will stop trying to be your protector and start trying to be your equal, ok?” I nodded back at the paperwork as she nods at me.

Not long after that night, Rachel and I decided to call it quits. Luckily, we kept everything very close to the chest at work so no one ever asked about it. I had a terrible time trying to put the past behind me, no matter how I excelled at treating her as an equal. I wanted someone who needed me. Not someone who tolerated me. Perhaps, good things DO come to those who wait.

I guess I’ll have to thank Faye at some point for her opinion on the matter. She didn’t like Rachel. And she made it known that Rachel was never going to be in her life if she had anything to do with it. Rachel wasn’t exactly good with kids, let alone teens. I honestly can’t even say if she tried her best. She wanted to be looked at as an authority figure, not a mother figure. That is not the way to get a teen to like you, and she never found the way into Faye’s good graces.

The way into that girl’s heart is by showing her that you care. Care about her hobbies. Care about her favorite color. Or most importantly, as a child of separated parents, show her that you care about the well-being of the two people who brought her into this world. Don’t take anything too lightly, and she’ll give you a chance.

But, Rachel failed there. And there is no relationship when your child doesn’t feel comfortable around your partner. Angie learned that the hard way with Mick or Nick or whatever his name was. But Jackson, the one she’s dating now, he’s a good man. He cares about Angie and he cares about Faye. That’s all I can ask for. All I ever would ask for.

Well, I guess there are other things I can ask for, but I will be patient about those things. My mind retreats to Kamaria calling me handsome. I was dumbfounded at the time, and now I’m incredibly flattered that I flustered her enough for her filter to malfunction in front of me. I could tell she was instantly angry with herself for letting her cards show. But I enjoyed every bit of that interaction, quick as it was. She may have felt intimidated, but she didn’t seem scared and she didn’t seem like she minded my flirting. A good thing, because I plan on flirting with her as much as she will allow me to.

Rachel gives me the cue to step in, snapping me out of my thoughts and I’m slamming the door shut to the Interrogation room before long. Walking up behind the suspect slowly, I stand to the side of him and nod for Rachel to take a break. She collects her things, leaving the case file behind after closing it. But I won’t be needing it.

I pull her empty chair out from the small metal table and act as though I will sit down, but instead choose to throw it behind me. The intended emotion is felt by the suspect. Fear. If I didn’t thrive on that fear, I wouldn’t be able to get the job done. I reach over and grab the suspect by the collar and yank him to me over the table. This is where the fun begins for me and ends for him. I hold him above the ground, speaking to him lowly but still able to be picked up by the audio recording in the room.

“Tell us where the bodies are, and this can be over for you. I’m sure the public defender can get you some type of safety while you live out the rest of your days behind bars,” I tighten my grip on his coat collar before speaking again, “Give us nothing and we’ll feed you to the dogs. You do know what happens to men like you in prison right? Men who’ve done what you’re being accused of doing? They’ll string you up, they’ll castrate you, and if you’re lucky? They’ll make sure you die from your injuries.”

I set him on his feet and straighten his collar. I walk around him to where his chair is on its side and pick it up, nodding for him to sit down. Chancing a glance at the mirrored window behind, I motion for Rachel to re-enter. I pick up the other chair from the floor and let her sit back down. Ever the professional, Rachel opens the file again

“Now, can you tell me where the bodies are?”

The suspect wipes a hand over his face, eyes peeking up at me before nodding at Rachel. I leave the room and rejoin Commissioner Harper.

“Is it unprofessional to say I love it when you do that?” The Commissioner looks at me with genuine boyhood glee.

“Probably, but I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.” I let my sly smirk show and get back to watching our suspect give Rachel the locations of the five confirmed victims. Once done, a uniformed officer comes to collect him and take him back to the holding cell. Rachel exits and comes back to the room where Harper and I are.

“He gave us everything,” Rachel hands me the file and nods, “thanks for taking over, he was making me want to rip out his fucking throat. But, try and keep The Hulk at bay next time, maybe?”

“I enjoyed it thoroughly,” Harper quips, annoying Rachel to no end.

“Understood, Rachel,” I say, not meaning it at all and she knew it, “I’ll get to work on these. Have the transcript to me later?” I hold up the file and leave the room before she can say anything else.

Kamaria’s POV

I’m just getting up to lock my computer when I see Walter walking down the hall, his nose in a file. I head in the opposite direction to hit the bathroom before stopping by his office for a quick chat.

I stop at the door, his attention completely on the file at this point, and knock on it lightly.

“Hey, stranger,” I say, walking in and sitting in one of the chairs across from him. I notice without his coat on, he opted for an oceanic blue sweater today that hugs his biceps which seem even bigger than they did on Friday when I touched them for all of about three seconds.

Without looking up, he smiles and jokes, “I will only be answering to ‘handsome stranger’ from now on, thank you very much.” He finally looks up and I notice his eyes in the sunlight coming through the window, “How’s your first day going?”

“Ha ha, good one. It’s going quite well. I met a lot of nice people. I was taught how to get Spotify on my computer and how to get free snacks from the vending machine at the end of hall. And a couple of the girls are taking me out to lunch.” I guess that could be something friendly, right?

“Oh, they’re gonna grill you. I’ve seen them all go out to lunch a lot. They’re a close-knit bunch but they are also very territorial if they think you’re in a dangerous situation so make sure you play nice.” His tone, although joking, actually sounds serious. Almost like he is encouraging me to make friends with my coworkers, and I like that. I’m sure Yada would be high-fiving him right about now.

“I’ll keep that in mind, handsome stranger,” I chance a wink and him and there is that blush back on his face, “Well before they come to look for me, I better get back. I do wanna make sure I get all the hot gossip and find out where the best places for lunch are.”

“Enjoy your lunch, Kam. If anyone mentions going to Mitch’s Steak Shop, get the cheesesteak. You won’t regret it. I promise,” He smiles and goes to pick up the file again before looking back up at me as I get up to leave, “Actually, I did have something to ask you, if you don’t mind?”

He has a pensive look on his face so I sit back down and nod at him to ask.

“I started calling you Kam without your permission. And I, rather belatedly, would like to say if you don’t like that, I can go back to using your full name. It’s a lovely name, after all. And I would hate for you to feel like I’m getting too personal in calling you something that you didn’t ask to be called.”

“No, it’s fine. I actually used to go by Kam all the time. I haven’t used the nickname in a while and I’m not ashamed to say I missed it. So, please, call me Kam. I like it.” The smile on his face could light up the darkest of nights.

“Phew, good. I spent most of the day feeling like a complete tit. I swear I know better than to call a woman out of her name, but I just felt it in the moment and went with it.” He runs a hand through those curls, and I wanna follow that hand with my own.

“Don’t sweat it, it made me smile,” Just then my stomach grumbles and I remember I was supposed to be going to lunch, “Ok, it’s food time. I’ll see you later, k?” I raise up from the chair and play with one of my butterfly locs, putting it behind my ear.

“Sounds great, I’ll see you later, Kam.” We share a smile and he returns to his file as I walk out of his office.

I head back to my desk and notice the group at the front door is waiting for me. I scurry up to them and apologize for keeping them waiting. They all just smile and tell me that we are walking to Mitch’s. I guess I get to try the cheesesteak sooner than I thought.

Walter’s POV

The rest of the day moves pretty fast. Rachel has the transcript sent to me with enough time to go over it and plan the search teams. The bodies are located within about a five-mile radius. The teams will go out in the morning. The faster we can recover the bodies, the faster we can get these families closure on their loved ones. And that is what matters most of all.

Before I know it, it’s ten after five and I can hear the cleaning crew vacuuming down the hallway. It has been an interesting day for sure. The thrill of flirting with Kamaria, the excitement of an interrogation gone well, and leaving before the sun is all the way down? A splendid day indeed.

Putting on my jacket, I put my work away and lock it in my desk drawer. I turn off the lights in my office and close the door before turning around to see Kamaria putting on her coat. I walk up to her and offer to walk her out. She accepts and we start the short walk to our cars, taking our time.

“So, how was the rest of your day? Did you get all the hot gossip you could handle?” I ask, chuckling as she rolls her eyes.

“You’ll be happy to know I got absolutely nothing. Either there is no gossip or they’re still trying to figure out if I’m worth keeping their secrets. I understand it. But I did have a great conversation with two nice girls, Nina and Sophie. They’re hilarious. We exchanged numbers and I think they actually think I’m cool.” She rambles out, so excited that she made some friends. How is she so surprised someone thinks she’s cool? She’s amazing.

“Ah yes, the twins. They are nice. And they actually finish each other’s-”

“Sandwiches?”

“Oh my god, did you just quote Frozen to me?” I stop walking and look at her, not even trying to hold in my laughter.

“I took a chance that you might have seen it, thought Faye may have made you watch it. The music in that movie is too good for adults to not enjoy it too. And Olaf? He was so sweet!” Her face lights up remembering the children’s film.

“Olaf was great, I’ll give you that. But I loved Kristoff and Sven more. As a kid, when I found out reindeer were real, I couldn’t believe it. I actually asked her to get me one as a pet.” I can still remember my Mom informing me that instead of a reindeer, we could get a dog. I was upset about the reindeer, but I loved that dog.

I realize we’ve made it to the parking lot and are both leaning on our cars, but making no move to get in and leave. In a second of bravado, I try my luck.

“So I feel like I’m not imagining that we have some chemistry here. Or is my head in the clouds?” I remark, watching Kamaria’s smile widen even more.

“Definitely not imagining it.”

“Would I be too forward in asking for your number? I completely understand if that’s, like, awkward or something.” I shove my hands in my pockets, intentionally running my fingers over my phone.

“That depends. If I give you my number, that means I want to hear from you. If you give me your number, I expect that to mean the same. I ask for clear communication. And if you ever need space, don’t ghost me or just go radio silent. Tell me so that I don’t waste my time, or worse yet, worry. Is that something you can do?” She takes on a serious tone, and I can tell this is something that she needs from me and that she probably hasn’t gotten in the past. Clearly set boundaries.

I take her manicured hand and place it over my heart so she can feel my even heartbeat when I answer her. I hold her hand there, her baby pink nails digging in, and say, “You have my word that I will not only call you and text you, but I will let you know when my attention needs to be elsewhere. And when I can talk again, I will let you know as well.” I rub my thumb over the back of her hand and she honest-to-goodness giggles like some fair maiden in a storybook.

I let her hand go and she reaches into her pocket and grabs her phone, unlocking it before handing it to me. She then holds out her hand, palm up, to take my phone. I unlock my phone with my other hand and hand it to her. The light of my phone illuminates her face as she enters her information and I try not to stare for too long. I fill in my number and my full name because she might know another Walter.

Then feeling another spark of bravado, I hit the ‘Add Photo’ button and use the front-facing camera to take a quick selfie. I save my contact and hand her back her phone. She copies me and goes to take a selfie as well. But before I can tell what she is doing, she is standing next to me and taking a picture of us together. She saves the photo and then calls me so I can see the photo. My phone lights up and I see our faces, myself smiling down at her as she faces the camera. I can’t hide the smile on my face, and I wouldn’t dream of keeping that from her. She caused it after all.

“Ok, let’s get you out of the cold. Let me know when you get home safe?” I say, opening her car door for her to get in.

“Yes, Sir.” A low growl escapes my throat at that. Thank God, she was turned around, getting in the car because those words were almost too much for me not to want to turn her around and kiss the words right out of her mouth. I close the door behind her and step back.

She waves goodbye and I wave back, turning to get into my truck. I turn the key in the ignition and adjust my tightening jeans. I watch as she pulls out of the parking space and drives past me before I start to move the car. I notice she goes the opposite direction that I do and I watch her car in the rearview mirror until it’s no longer in sight.

The drive home is filled with me grinning to myself and thinking about all the little moments of the day. Kamaria. Kam. I can still feel her hand on my chest. I can still smell that fresh and sweet fragrance that lingers on her skin. I can still hear her sonorous laugh. If I could, I would burn that sound into my mind so I could hear it whenever I wanted.

I make it home, walking in the door before my phone dings. I hang up my coat and leave my shoes at the door. I smile, looking at the phone screen, knowing what to expect.

Kam: Made it home safe and sound 😁you home yet??

Me: Just walked in the door

Me: What’s for dinner?

Kam: Since I had a cheesesteak for lunch, I’ll be having a salad haha

Me: You had Mitch’s then, did you enjoy it?

Kam: Your recommendation was excellent! And the kettle chips? So damn tasty

“I bet you’re damn tasty,” I mutter to myself, quicker than I can stop it from escaping.

Me: I could write a sonnet regarding those kettle chips

Kam: I hope you know that means you’ll be reading that to me

Me: As you wish, Princess

Kam: And he quotes Princess Bride???

Kam: Ok, I’m gonna get off the phone before I start sweating 😥

Me: And I would just hate to see that 😉

Kam: Ha. Ha. Goodnight Walter 😴

Me: Goodnight Kam

I sit my phone down on the kitchen table and go to rummage in the fridge for dinner, hearing my phone ding again. I reach over and pick it up.

Kam: By the way…

Me: Yes?

Kam: I like it when you growl 🥺

Fuck.

Me: Eat your dinner and enjoy your night, Princess

Kam: Yes, Sir

I grab a beer from the fridge, and adjust my jeans again, willing myself to maintain control and not shove my hand inside. Then that nagging little voice peeks around a corner in my brain. Was I moving a bit too fast giving her a pet name? That might be too much. And this time, she saves me.

Kam: And yes, I do like to be called Princess so DO NOT think otherwise.

Kam: I can hear your brain gears turning from here

Me: Good to know Princess

Me: See you tomorrow

Kam: See you tomorrow

Guess I’m gonna beat this dick like it owes me money.

Chapter 3

**Tag List**

Henry Fanfiction: @enchantedbytomandhenry

Bright Like The Moon: @geralts-yenn @deandoesthingstome @liveoncoffeeandflowersss

Let me know if you wanna be added and for what plz! 😁

#walter marshall #walter marshall fanfic #walter marshall x black!plus size female #walter marshall x black!plus size female oc #walter marshall x ofc #walter marshall x black!ofc #ellethespaceunicorn fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill #walter marshall fanfiction #walter marshall fic #night hunter #night hunter fanfic #night hunter fanfiction #bright like the moon

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