#anyway. the music is still flawless I have no notes there

[lilacmingi]

WHEN YOU’RE ON YOUR PERIOD

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: ATEEZ x fem reader

Total word count: 8,580

Note: I tried to be vague here in terms of sanitary products since I know everyone has different preferences, but pads are mentioned in Mingi’s segment

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𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐉𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐆 | 홍중 | w.c. 900

Your eyes snapped open as you were awoken by a wave of painful cramps in your abdomen, the intensity so bad it made you physically react and curl in on yourself, your eyes squeezing shut in response. When that didn't bring any relief, you rolled over on your stomach, then onto your back with your arms resting on either side of your head as you stared at the ceiling.

You tried not to move around too much so as not to disturb your boyfriend, Hongjoong, who was sleeping soundly beside you. No doubt was he up half the night working on music, so you knew he needed his rest.

Quietly, you slipped out of bed to the bathroom and sifted thought your box of sanitary items to get something to put on before sliding back under the covers, silently praying the cramps would ease up enough for you to doze off.

Your fingers curled around the sheets, hands balled into fists as you tried to ignore the pain and go back to sleep. Minutes passed, though it felt like hours, and the cramps were too much to bare, so much that an unconscious, quiet whimper slipped past your lips, your face twisted in agony as you pressed it into your pillow. You didn't realize you had woken up your sleeping boyfriend until he called your name drowsily.

"Y/n? You alright?"

There was no hiding it at this point.

"Just my period. You should go back to sleep."

He ignored your suggestion and propped himself on his elbow, eyes scanning you worriedly. "Are you hurting?"

You nodded.

"Is it bad?"

"Enough to keep me from going back to sleep." You winced as another intense wave of cramps hit your lower abdomen.

"Do you need some medicine?"

"I didn't want to take any unless I absolutely have to."

"I think you need some." He commented, pulling back the covers.

"No." You put your hand out, stopping him from getting up. "You were up late and I'm sure you've got to go to the company and work on music later today."

"I can work on it here just the same as I can at work. I've got all my equipment with me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I'd rather be here at home to help take care of you anyway."

With that, he got up out of bed and shuffled down the hallway to the kitchen where he grabbed a bottle of water and some pain medication to soothe your cramps.

"Here, love." He handed the bottle to you after returning to the bedroom, which you gratefully took, dropping a couple pills into your hand.

"Thanks." You popped the tablets into your mouth and washed them down with water before placing the bottle on the nightstand and slumping against the headboard with closed eyes.

A frown etched its way into Hongjoong's flawless features as he brought a hand up to brush your hair away from your face. Being a man, he was unsure of the amount of pain you were in or how intense it was. Despite that, he wanted to make sure you were as comfortable as possible during this time. He was fully aware that this was something you'd dealt with for a long time, yet he had a strong desire to care for you and help you through this time of the month. He cared for you too much to watch you suffer.

Your eyes opened to find Hongjoong still standing over you worriedly, his hand resting on top of your head.

"You can lay back down, you know." You chuckled softly.

He stayed in place for a couple seconds before giving in and crawling back into bed with you, his concerned gaze trained on you the entire time.

"Come here." You beckoned him over and he was by your side in an instant.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked, his hand finding your lower abdomen and rubbing gentle circles over it.

"Of course I will. I just need to give this medicine time to kick in and do it's thing."

"How are your cramps?"

"They still hurt and I'm still uncomfortable, but the little massage feels nice."

"Good." He smiled, applying a little more pressure causing your eyelids to slide closed.

It's true, the massage was enough to lessen the pain, only the tiniest bit, but it was the gesture that counted.

"Are you feeling hot? Or cold? Are you getting chills? Do you need more blankets? If you're too hot I can turn the air conditioner up or bring a fan in here."

"You act like I'm sick or something." You tittered softly at his rambling. "This is just something I have to deal with every month. I'm used to it."

"That doesn't mean I can't take care of you."

"I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right." He grinned. "You still didn't answer my question."

A light chuckle left you. "I'm fine, Joong."

"Alright. I'll stop with the questions now. But if you need anything, and I mean anything, you let me know. If you're craving something specific or need another bottle of water, anything, just say something."

A fond smile graced your features as you brought your hand up to Hongjoong's hair, lovingly running your fingers through it. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You're just lucky, I guess." He grinned.

𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐖𝐀 | 성화 | w.c. 850

A knock at your front door sounded through your mostly quiet apartment as you lied in bed curled into a ball.

Not fully awake, you didn't register the persistent knocking for quite some time. Only when it got louder did you sit upright, letting out a frustrated groan. You had started your period the day before and your symptoms were terrible. Your cramps were so bad you had to lie down with a hot pack across your abdomen, the heat making you sweat, though every time you took the pack off, you got goosebumps along your skin and felt freezing cold. To make matters worse, there were breakouts on your face, blotting your skin with ugly, discolored spots, all of these things making you feel gross overall. You hoped whoever was at the door wasn't someone important as you went to answer it.

Your heart dropped to your feet when you saw your boyfriend standing outside.

"Seonghwa!" You exclaimed out of surprise, hurrying to cover your face. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to surprise you. Is it a bad time?"

Yes. Is what you wanted to say.

"I..." You trailed off.

"Are you sick?"

"No. I just look terrible right now."

"That doesn't bother me." He chuckled.

You flinched away when you felt his fingers trying to wrap around your wrists.

"No." You groaned, keeping your hands planted firmly on your face. "It's that time of the month and I'm sweaty, my clothes are soaked, my face is covered in breakouts, I'm bloated, and I'm cramping so so badly that I want to cry."

"Hey." He called out softly, pulling your hands away.

You avoided eye contact with him, not wanting him to see you in such a disheveled state.

His gaze softened when he looked at you, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

"You still look beautiful to me."

You wanted to roll your eyes, but you knew Seonghwa was a genuine person and maybe, even though it was hard to believe, you did look beautiful in his eyes.

"Come on. I have an idea." He took your hand, stepping into your apartment and closing the door behind him before leading you to your bathroom.

You weren't sure what he had in mind, but whatever it was he seemed pleased with himself, so you weren't going to stop him.

Once in your bathroom, he let go of your hand and started rummaging through your cabinets.

"Alright, let's see." He muttered to himself, scanning the items in your bathroom closet.

"Hwa, what are you doing?" You finally asked, a light chuckle accompanying your question.

"I'm giving you a spa day."

"A spa day?" You echoed, your heart fluttering slightly.

"Yeah." He pulled a towel and washcloth from the bathroom closet. "You're feeling bad and what better way to help than to have a spa day? Plus, you deserve to be pampered."

You didn't know if it was your period or your overwhelming love and appreciation for Seonghwa, but you felt like crying.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, my love." He placed a kiss on your forehead. "Bath or shower?"

"Shower."

Though a bath would be nice, nothing beat the feeling of hot water hitting your lower abdomen, right where the cramps were.

Seonghwa was nice enough to get the shower running for you, sticking his hand in to check the water temperature and make sure it was hot enough.

You thanked him as he left the room, removing your clothes after the door clicked shut. The warm steam hitting your skin as you stepped into the shower was a welcomed feeling. You managed to get through your usual shower routine, the hot water helping to soothe your persistently painful cramps, at least long enough for you to finish bathing.

Once out of the shower, you changed into the fresh pair of clothes you brought with you and used the feminine product you had laid out.

Upon exiting the bathroom, you found Seonghwa laid out on your bed.

"How was your shower?"

"Wonderful. I even cleansed my face while I was in there. I feel so refreshed."

"Well, we're not done yet." He got up off the bed. "Come on."

Guiding you back into the bathroom, Seonghwa opened up a little cabinet beside your sink where all your skincare products were stored and pulled out a small box of acne patches.

He plucked one of the star-shaped pimple patches off the plastic sheet, gently instructing you to stay still while he placed the patch onto your face, covering one of the blemishes.

"One more." He murmured, pulling off a second one and sticking it to your chin.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He placed a kiss to your forehead. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

"I'm fine for now. Thank you, though. What I would really like is to cuddle up in bed with you, a heating pad, and something to watch."

"I can arrange that." He smiled happily. "But first, let's get you some pain medicine for those pesky cramps."

"That sounds like a good idea."

𝐘𝐔𝐍𝐇𝐎 | 윤호 | w.c. 1,500

Music echoed throughout the practice room as Yunho danced, hitting each move with sharp precision. His facial expressions were intense and full of emotion as if he were putting on an actual performance on stage in front of fans.

You sat in a chair by the wall, watching him with a mesmerized gaze, enraptured by not only him, but his talent and overflowing passion for dancing. Every so often he would glance at you through the mirror, giving you a little smirk before continuing with his routine, knowing the effect he had on you, especially with the sleeves of his t-shirt rolled up to show off his arms.

As you watched, you were suddenly hit with a wave of cramps so painful it caused you to lean forward a bit, almost curling in on yourself. Your face scrunched up in response to the sharp pain.

You had started your period the night before and was expecting to be hit with these terrible cramps sooner or later—it always happened. When you first start, things are light as your body prepares to run its natural cycle, then on the first official day it hits... and it hits hard. Normally, you're woken up in the early morning hours with the most awful cramps, one's that prevent you from sleeping for a while, but on days like this it hits when you're least expecting it.

Rummaging through your bag, you retrieved a small bottle of menstrual pain relief pills, grateful that you carried some with you at all times. Shaking one out into your palm, you grabbed the bottle of water by your chair and used it to take the medication, thankfully going unnoticed by Yunho. Though you wished it would work right away and rid you of this pain and discomfort, you knew that wouldn't happen.

Attempting to ignore the throbbing in your abdomen, you continued watching your boyfriend move across the wooden flooring of the practice room, hoping for a distraction.

Who were you kidding? Nothing could distract you from from the stabbing pain you were experiencing.

The song ended and Yunho moved over to mess with his phone, choosing another song to dance to, his chest heaving up and down as he huffed out short breaths.

"You're doing so good." You praised him, putting on a smile.

"Thanks." He panted. "I think I'm gonna do a couple more songs before I take a break."

"Don't overwork yourself, okay?"

"I know." He smiled softly, leaning down to press a quick kiss to your forehead.

The next song started to play and he moved back to the center of the room to begin the routine. You crossed your legs and wrapped your arms around your midsection, curling in a bit in an attempt to get some relief. It seemed one of the best positions to be in during your monthly was curling up in a ball, of course, you couldn't exactly do that right now as you were sitting in a chair.

Your cramps eased up for a moment only to return a few seconds later, goosebumps rising on your skin as the air in the practice room suddenly felt cooler than it was moments before. At the same time, you felt yourself starting to sweat a bit.

Great. You groaned internally.

These were the worst kind of cramps; the ones where you're hot but you're cold at the same time, unable to find a comfortable temperature.

Halfway through the song, Yunho noticed your behavior. He caught you squeezing your eyes shut every so often, seeing an uncomfortable expression on your face and the stiffness in your posture. His dancing immediately ceased as he headed towards you, turning the music down.

"Are you okay, love? You look a little washed out." He commented, placing his hand on your forehead. "What's going on?"

"I got hit with the worst cramps ever." You groaned, giving up your act as you slumped forward in both defeat and agony.

"Oh, baby." Yunho cooed, crouching on the floor beside you, his hand rubbing your back. "Do you need some medicine?"

"I took some a few minutes ago. Just waiting for it to kick in."

"Why don't I take you home so you can rest."

"No. You need to practice."

"I've been practicing long enough. You need to be somewhere with a heating pad."

"That sounds nice." You sighed, imagining the soothing heat pressed against your aching lower abdomen.

"Let's go."

"I can't help but feel like I'm preventing you from practicing." You murmured after stepping into the elevator.

"You're not." He assured you, grabbing hold of your hand. "I wanted to get a little practice in and I did."

The last thing you wanted was to be a burden. Yunho was a famous K-pop idol whose group had a giant fanbase. He needed to practice hard and spend hours at the company to perfect and improve his dancing and performance skills. Somehow, you felt you were a distraction that would cause your boyfriend to get in trouble with the entertainment company for "slacking off".

Yunho, who could tell by the distant look in your eyes that you were lost in a whirl of troublesome and perhaps even negative thoughts, gave your hand a light squeeze, bringing you back to reality.

"Are you hungry?" He asked. "Dancing really worked up my appetite."

"Yeah." You nodded. "I had a light breakfast so I could definitely go for some food."

"Good. We can go back to the dorm and I'll order us something. You can pick whatever you want. Oh, I have a heating pad too. That should help with your cramps."

"But I don't have any... stuff there." You responded.

You had one or two menstrual items with you in your bag, but that wouldn't be enough to last you a visit at Yunho's.

"Oh. Don't worry about it. I can stop by a store on the way and buy whatever you need."

His offer was so sweet it had you falling for him all over again.

"You don't have to do all that."

"I don't mind." His round eyes sparkled with the genuine desire to help you out in any way he possibly could.

The elevator doors slid open and the both of you headed through the lobby and out onto the sidewalk where Yunho's car was parked on the curb.

At the dorm, Yunho handed you the plastic bag with the feminine products he had purchased for you on the way.

"What would you like to eat? I can go ahead and order it."

After going through a list of things you were craving, you decided on one and let Yunho know.

Just before he left the room to place the order, he stopped at the doorway. "If you want to change into something more comfortable, you have free range of my closet."

As soon as he left the room, you wasted no time scurrying over to his closet and rummaging through his shirts. What you currently had on was comfortable, but there was no way you'd pass up the opportunity to wear Yunho's clothes.

Pulling one of your favorite shirts of his from the closet, you brought it with you to the bathroom where you switched out feminine products and changed into the cozy shirt.

Yunho returned just a couple minutes later to inform you the order had been placed before rummaging through his closet, pulling out a heating pad.

"Come on." He beckoned, pulling back the covers of his bed and nodding towards the empty space.

You slid under the sheets, staring up at Yunho who worked to plug up the pad.

"You should lie down and use this while we wait on the food. Then maybe your cramps will be gone and you can fully enjoy your meal."

Your heart swelled with adoration at his words.

Yunho laid the heating pad across your stomach before resting his hand on top of it.

"How's that feel?" His gentle voice asked.

"So good." You sighed out, closing your eyes. "My cramps eased up a bit on the ride over here, but this heat is doing wonders."

"Good." The smile in Yunho's voice was evident as he leaned in, brushing your hair away from your forehead to place a gentle kiss there.

You peeled your eyes open to see Yunho grabbing his dog-shaped body pillow which he designed for his birthday merchandise.

"Here. You can hold Pudeongie."

You chuckled, taking the pillow from him and hugging it to your side. Though you preferred to cuddle with Yunho, you couldn't exactly do that with the heating pad laying over your lower abdomen.

"Thank you for taking care of me." You hummed.

"You're welcome, beautiful." He combed a hand through your hair. "I need to get a quick shower and wash all this sweat off. Then we can cuddle properly while we wait for our food."

A content smile settled onto your features. "That sounds perfect."

𝐘𝐄𝐎𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐆 | 여상 | w.c. 1,000

Twice. That's how many times you cried over a commercial that day. Why? Well, you were blaming it on your period, especially since grocery store commercials didn't normally tug at your heartstrings on a normal day. I mean, how can you possibly keep it together when there's a commercial about an animated man who's little granddaughter pulls out an old recipe book from his deceased wife that he hadn't opened in years?

You were wiping away tears that were threatening to spill when your phone chimed from its spot beside you on the couch. Flipping the device over, you were met with your boyfriend's contact photo taking up the entirety of your screen. It was a FaceTime call. Your thumb swiped to accept the call, holding the phone up so he could see you.

"Hi, angel." He flashed that heart-melting smile of his, waving to the camera.

Judging by the background, he was at his dorm in his bedroom.

"Hi, Sangie."

His large eyes suddenly became sad, worried even, while his lips stuck into a pout. "Were you crying? Are you okay?"

"Oh." You glanced at yourself in the camera, noticing the slightly glossy look your eyes were currently sporting.

It wasn't super obvious that you had been tearing up, but Yeosang was always so perceptive when it came to you.

"My emotions are all crazy. I got choked up watching a commercial." You chuckled, finding it a bit humorous.

"So you're not sad?" He wanted to be certain that you weren't upset.

"No." You laughed softly. "Just hormonal."

Yeosang's brows raised, his eyes becoming wider in sudden realization. Then came the flood of questions.

"Do you need anything? Are you hurting? Should I pick up some pads? Tampons? Do you have enough pain relievers? Are you drinking lots of water? I heard being active helps cramps. Have you been active? Are you taking vitamins? There are supplements that help ease period symptoms. Should I get you some of those?"

"I'm fine, Yeosang." You cut in before he could continue, chuckling endearingly at his concerned rambling. "I'm not hurting too bad. It's only the third day so my cramps aren't too bad. They come and go, but they're not as severe as they were on day one. Yes I'm drinking water, maybe not enough, but I'm drinking it. And I've been lounging on the couch since I got out of bed."

"Ah. Sorry. I guess I got carried away." That tiny, shy smile of his made its appearance as he rubbed the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. "Have you been eating fruits or something healthy?"

You nearly snorted. "Actually, I've been indulging in some of the cravings I've been having." You lifted a bag of your favorite chips to the camera. "So, what are you up to?"

"I called because I don't have a schedule today and I wanted to see if you'd like to hang out."

Just the thought of spending time with Yeosang made your heart soar with excitement.

"I would love to."

"Since you're on your period, I'll come to your place. If that's okay with you."

"Yeah." You nodded. "That's perfect, actually."

"Okay." He beamed. "I'll start making my way right now."

"I'll be waiting." You waved. "Love you."

"Love you too."

The FaceTime ended and you tossed your phone back to the couch cushion, briefly considering wether or not you should leave your comfortable spot on the sofa and put some makeup on. It didn't take long for you to to completely disregard the idea. After all, you had just FaceTimed him and he saw your makeup-free (and slightly blemished) face so there was no need covering it up.

A gentle knock on your front door sounded just fifteen minutes after your call with Yeosang. You leapt from your seat and scurried to answer the door. The man you had been longing to see stepped inside, wrapping his arms around you in a cozy embrace while he gently rocked the both of you side to side.

"I'm so happy to see you."

"I'm happy to see you too, precious." He pulled away, gazing at you with those sparkly, brown eyes of his. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm cramping, but it's nothing too bad. Not right now, anyway."

"You sure?"

"Mhm."

"What do you feel like doing?"

"Well, I was watching TV on the couch but I'd kind of like to lie down."

"Okay then we'll cuddle in bed and have a movie marathon."

You hummed in agreement and tugged Yeosang further into your home, guiding him to your bedroom where the both of you got comfortable under the covers.

Your boyfriend had barely gotten situated before you were resting your head on his chest and snuggling into his side.

It was a blessing that Yeosang wanted to come over because it's exactly what you needed at that moment. Being cuddled up next to him made your heart swell and provided you with a cozy feeling in your chest.

"What would you like to watch?" He reached for the remote.

"Actually, do you think you could sing to me?"

Yeosang stiffened just the slightest bit, clearly not expecting the request.

"Of course. Any song suggestions?"

"Whatever you want to sing." You murmured, snuggling further into his chest.

A gentle smile graced Yeosang's statuesque features as he began singing a current favorite song of his. His fingers ran through your hair in a gentle and soothing manner, your eyes fluttering closed in response as you listened to his silky voice, which was doing a great job at distracting you from your cramps that were thankfully going away on their own, albeit slowly.

Yeosang's voice was heavenly. From his low register to his faint lisp that could be heard in his singing. It all had your heart doing somersaults in your chest.

"So beautiful." You murmured sleepily, as Yeosang's gentle ministrations were making you drowsy. "Thank you, Yeo."

This was all you needed.

𝐒𝐀𝐍 | 산 | w.c. 1,400

4 AM. That's what time you were finally able to get to sleep the night before. It was that time of the month and your incessant cramps were so bad not even Midol could fix it. You were miserable. Normally, you could ignore any mild cramps that would inconveniently hit just as you were going to bed, but these were the kind that kept you awake, the pain just a little too intense for you to relax, leaving you tossing and turning for hours on end. Between the cramps and having to get up to pee every five minutes, there was no way you could rest.

It was after barely after 4 AM when your cramps eased up just enough for you to relax and finally doze off.

Presently, it was 12 PM, which meant you got a decent eight hours of sleep, even though your body felt like it needed just a smidge more.

You pushed yourself out of bed, giving a brief glance at the fitted sheet wrapped around the mattress to make sure you didn't have any overnight leaks. With no stains in sight, you shuffled to the bathroom where you went through your usual routine and freshened up, which woke you up a bit and made you feel a little less crappy.

You swapped your PJs for some loose-fitting sweats and one of your boyfriend's shirts that he left at your place before heading to the living room to turn on the television. After a few moments of mindless channel surfing, you found a show that grabbed your attention and decided to watch.

It didn't take long for your cramps to start up again. The ache, while annoying, wasn't anything too unbearable, not like last night, anyway. So you ignored it, sinking further into the couch cushions while keeping your eyes locked on the TV.

You made it through the remainder of the episode before the cramps really ramped up, the sudden increase in pain and discomfort causing you to lurch forward.

Your face contorted in agony, the sharp jabs in your abdomen leading you to jump to your feet and make a beeline for the kitchen where the medicine was kept. You tore open the cabinet and located the pain medicine you so desperately needed. Since your cramps were just as bad as they were in the early morning hours, you took two pills, assuring you'd get the minimum amount of pain relief.

With a hot pack laid across your lower abdominal area, you settled back into the couch cushions and proceeded to watch television, doing your best to focus on the show. Sometimes having a distraction helped to take your attention off the wrath Mother Nature was thrusting upon your uterus.

At some point, you unconsciously started rocking back and forth, partially hunched over. The heat paired with the movement seemed to be helping just a little, however now a very thin layer of sweat covered your forehead and on your shirt where the hot pack was pressed against your abdomen was a damp spot. You huffed, pulling off the hot pack to fan your shirt a bit and cool off. That only caused a wave of goosebumps to rise along your skin, the air in your home being a little too cold for your linking. So you laid the hot pack back across your abdomen. This went back and forth for the next ten minutes or so, only adding to your frustration and discomfort.

"Ha. Ha. I love being a woman." You commented dryly to no one at all, wrapping your arms around your midsection.

You probably looked pathetic all crumpled up and curled in on yourself but you were in the privacy of your own home and you were in extreme pain. You'd do whatever it took to get it to go away.

The stabbing cramps had gotten so bad in such a short amount of time. Your brain was in a haze and all you could think about was the pain. Just when you felt you had reached your limit, your phone rang.

Fumbling for the device, you lifted it to see who was calling. It was San, your loving boyfriend whom you were suddenly missing very much. You accepted the call and raised the phone to your ear.

"Hello, gorgeous." His silky voice came through the speaker.

"Hi, Sannie." You did your best to sound cheery, but the greeting came out as a sort of pained grunt.

"Are you okay?" The pout in his voice was evident.

"No. Not really." You answered honestly. "I'm on my period."

A tiny gasp was heard on his end followed by an, "Oh no."

"Yeah."

"You poor thing." He cooed. "Why don't I come take care of you."

"That would be great."

"I'll be over there as soon as I can, baby."

Less than 20 minutes later, there was a knock at your door which had your heart jumping for joy. As soon as you opened the door, San walked in and pulled you into a hug.

"Hi dear." He murmured as he stroked the top of your head. "Are you hurting?"

"Very much so."

"Ah." He nodded knowingly as you parted ways. "I know what I have to do."

He balled his hands into fists, crouching down at bit so he was level with your lower abdomen. Before you had the chance to question what he was doing, he began to punch the area where your uterus was, stopping right in front of it because, well, he would never actually hit you.

"Stop!" He demanded sharply, going in for another punch. "Stop it."

The phrase was uttered during each strike of his fist, his words being punctuated by his actions.

The chuckles that had begun to spill from your lips were now turning into full on laughter as your boyfriend continued punching at your lower abdomen, demanding that it "stop".

"Thank you, Sannie." You giggled.

The both of you made yourselves comfortable on the couch where San immediately wrapped his arms around you and held you close.

"If you need anything, let me know."

"Okay." You tittered softly.

Having San with you provided a good enough distraction to take your mind off the discomfort in your abdominal area. He would make comments about something on TV and ask questions to help keep you occupied with things besides period pains.

At some point, you stood up and excused yourself to go switch feminine products, doing so in just a couple minutes.

It was only when you were returning to the living room that you realized your abdominal cramps had gone away but a persistent, dull ache had become present in your lower back.

Your face twitched slightly as you shuffled towards the couch, catching your always observant boyfriend's attention.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'm having cramps in my back."

"You have period cramps in your back?" San asked in disbelief.

"Sometimes." You sighed, unconsciously massaging your lower spine.

Your boyfriend was baffled. San knew periods could be a pain and there were lots of symptoms that varied in intensity, but this was crazy. Why would you get pain in other areas? He didn't think that was very fair.

"Come here." San took your hands, leading you to your bedroom where he insisted you lie down on your stomach.

You did as he asked, getting yourself comfortable on the mattress before feeling it dip under San's weight.

"Tell me where it hurts." His hands placed themselves on your spine.

"Lower."

His palms slid further down your back.

"Right there."

San's thumbs rubbed over the muscles a few times, making long upward strokes as he applied pressure on the sore spots. A sigh passed through your slightly parted lips as relief washed over you.

"Is that good?" He inquired tentatively.

"So good."

San hated that this was something you had to deal with every month. Even though that's just how things were and he couldn't do anything about it, it didn't seem fair.

"I'm sorry you're feeling so icky, pretty."

"I'm far from pretty right now." You chuckled.

"Not true."

His ministrations came to a halt as you lifted your head just enough to glance back at him.

"I'm serious." He insisted with a pout.

"You're too sweet." You dropped your head back onto the pillow as he continued massaging.

"Only for you, lovely."

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐈 | 민기 | w.c. 900

If there was one thing about your period, it was that it showed up at the most inconvenient time.

Mingi's body moved with such fluidity that it had you mesmerized—hypnotized, even. His body control was out of this world and never failed to hold your attention. His oversized sleeveless tee hung off his slim figure, the thin fabric swinging about as he danced with rigor and passion. His movements were so intense sometimes that the hem of his shirt would fly up and reveal his tiny waist and smooth stomach. The sight was a small blessing to your eyes and just another perk of watching him get in an extra practice session on his weekend off. His brows were pulled together in concentration, his sharp eyes fixed on his reflection, inspecting his own movements. He had no idea you were practically drooling over him in the corner of the room.

You were having a wonderful time when suddenly you felt it... the gush.

Right away, you sat upright and pushed yourself up from your seat, standing stiffly in place.

This abrupt and unusual reaction caught Mingi's attention almost immediately and had him scrambling to pause the music.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just need to go to the bathroom." You excused yourself and headed straight for the practice room door, trying your best to walk normally instead of the usual stiff-legged hobble you would be doing if you were at home.

You had started your period the day prior and it was already in full swing, hitting you with all it had. This morning before you left, everything was light, so you assumed this time around you'd ease into it, but you were so very wrong.

In the bathroom, you closed the stall door behind you, making sure to lock it before taking a seat to assess the damage.

"Oh boy." You whispered under your breath, reaching for your bag and rummaging for an extra pad in the inner side zipper. Empty.

Oh no.

Normally, you had extra feminine hygiene products with you, however, it seemed this time you had forgotten to replace them.

Great.

After washing your hands, you returned to the practice room, shifting from one foot to the other. It appeared that Mingi hadn't moved since you left the room, his normally narrow eyes now round with worry.

"Is everything okay?"

"Uh." You rubbed the back of your neck.

Just say it. It's a normal thing, Y/n. You reminded yourself. There's nothing to be embarrassed about.

"I don't have any pads with me." You confessed embarrassedly.

Mingi blinked owlishly a few times, not quite understanding what you meant.

You gave a vague nod down towards your lower half, trying to communicate without saying it outright.

Mingi's eyes became wider in realization.

"Ohh!"

"Yeah." You sighed. "I forgot to put more in my bag and I need one... like right now."

You were about to apologize for needing to leave so abruptly so you could take care of the problem when Mingi spoke up.

"Stay here. I'll go find you one."

"What?" You questioned, your eyes following him as he hurriedly exited the practice room.

Without receiving a response, you dropped down into the chair you occupied before your hasty exit moments earlier, waiting patiently for your boyfriend to return.

Mingi moved down the halls of KQ, searching for any staff that may be nearby. He popped his head into empty offices and meeting rooms, turning corners and scouring the place for any employees wandering about. The entertainment company had many staff members, so it shouldn't be that hard.

He came upon one of the lounges, poking his head into the room to find two female staff members having a quick snack together.

"Excuse me." He spoke timidly, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed to ask for feminine products. "Do either of you happen to have any... pads?"

He was quick to put himself back in place, reminding himself that he was helping you out.

You were his girlfriend and if you needed a pad then gosh darn it he was going to get one for you, embarrassed or not.

"Oh. I'm sorry I don't." One of the women apologized.

"I do, but I left my bag in my office on the next floor." The other responded.

"Ah."

Mingi didn't want to inconvenience the woman, especially since she probably had a busy schedule so he thanked them both and left, continuing his search.

He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth while his eyes darted around, reading the labels on each door that lined the hall in search of his next place to check.

After three tries, Mingi was able to get you a pad, which he hoped was enough to sustain you for the duration of his solo practice.

Your boyfriend reentered the practice room, holding up the plastic-wrapped square like it was a trophy.

"I got it."

You plucked the item from his hand, pulling him into a hug.

"You didn't have to do that. I was just gonna go to a nearby store and buy some."

"I knew I could find one quicker by asking around."

You smiled softly. "Thank you."

"Of course." He brushed your hair out of your face. "You feeling alright?"

"For now."

"If you need to go home, just let me know."

"I will. Thanks, Mingi."

𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆 | 우영 | w.c. 980

You stepped down the aisle that housed all the feminine products you could ever need, Wooyoung coming to a stop beside you as you eyed the pad and tampon section.

"So what size pu—"

"Don't even finish that sentence." You cut him off, raising your hand to stop him. "I don't want to hear that phrase or that word come out of your mouth."

"Yes ma'am." He saluted.

Huffing, you proceeded further down the aisle until you found what you were looking for.

While scanning the different sizes of products available on the shelves, your ever curious boyfriend wandered up and down the aisle to keep himself busy.

Once you acquired what you were looking for, you turned to see Wooyoung holding a box of tampons, examining the packaging.

"You put these inside you?" He asked in disbelief.

"Woo, put those back."

He did as he was told, his face twisted in either disgust or discomfort, you couldn't tell, as he did so.

"Alright. I've got everything I need." You announced, preparing to head to the register until you realized Wooyoung stayed put, staring with furrowed brows at the plethora of feminine products lining the shelves.

"What is it?"

"Why are there so many?" He asked. "How do you even know what to get?"

"It all depends on what you're comfortable with. Some people prefer tampons, others prefer pads."

"Okay but the pictures on these are different." He pointed to a section of pads.

"Right. Some have wings so the pad stays in place and doesn't squish up and some don't. Again, that's all depending on personal preference. Some pads are thin while others are thick so they can absorb more. They vary in size as well. Some people like longer pads so they don't have a leak while they're sleeping or lying down."

Wooyoung's eyes remained wide, his brows pulled together as he soaked in all this new information, scanning over each plastic package.

"How do you know if you need thin pads or thick ones?"

"That depends on your flow."

"Flow?" He echoed.

You did not expect to be having an in-depth conversation about periods with your boyfriend in the middle of the feminine hygiene aisle but there you were.

Then again, he grew up with brothers. Of course he wouldn't know everything about a woman's menstrual cycle. Also you didn't think that was something that a mother would talk to her son about, especially in detail.

"You know how you can barely turn a faucet on and the water runs just a little, but when you turn it more, a lot of water comes out?"

He nodded.

"That's how it is with periods."

"So you can turn it off?"

"Unfortunately not. That's why we need these things." You gestured to the array of feminine products. "What I mean is, with some people their flow is heavy while others are lighter, so you buy products according to that."

"It's not the same for everyone?"

"Not at all. Some people have very heavy flows. I've even heard of people buying bladder leak pads because they're more absorbent."

"It gets that bad?" Wooyoung gaped.

"Mhm." You nodded.

"And it's the same for the other things too?"

"Tampons."

"Right. That."

"Yes. They've got different sizes according to your flow as well."

"Wow. That's so complicated."

"Not when you've lived with it most of your life." You chuckled. "Let's go."

"Girls get cravings for chocolate when they're on their period, right?" Wooyoung asked as the both of you made your way towards the front of the store.

"It's not always chocolate, but yes. Cravings tend to happen." You responded.

"What do you usually crave?" He asked.

"Usually sweet stuff, but it differs."

"Should I get you some?"

Your expression softened as you looked at him, seeing the genuine care in his eyes.

"Sure."

"Come on then. Let's go see what they have." Wooyoung took hold of your free hand, pulling you towards the snack aisle which was packed with junk food and sweets.

You perused the shelves, trying to figure out what sounded good at the moment.

"Pick whatever you want." Wooyoung told you. "My treat."

That made you stop. "What?"

"Your period stuff, snacks, I'll pay for all of it."

For someone who was making period jokes earlier, he sure was being sweet.

You leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek, thanking him for his thoughtful offer.

On the way home, you decided to tease Wooyoung since he barely knew anything about periods, curious to see his reaction to a particular prank you'd seen circulating the internet.

"Did you know pads and tampons come in different flavors?"

Wooyoung's eyes widened. "Flavors?"

"Yeah. Didn't you notice the colors and pictures on the packaging?"

"Yes."

"The color is whatever flavor they are. Green is green apple, purple is grape, pink is strawberry and so on."

"Wait really?"

"Yeah."

"Why? What's the point?"

You shrugged, holding back a grin.

"Are you being serious right now? Do they really have flavors?"

"No." You laughed, throwing your head back as you let loose a string of cackles.

"Y/n, that's so mean." Wooyoung pouted. "I almost believed you."

"Sorry." You laughed. "I just wanted to see if I could get by with it."

"I bought you snacks." His full lips were stuck out as he spoke, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I was just teasing, love." You nudged him.

Unable to keep up his act any longer, Wooyoung cracked a small smile.

"That was pretty good, actually."

"I know." You grinned.

"I think you should make it up to me though"

"How?" Your eyes narrowed, wondering what sort of deal he was preparing to strike up.

"Play video games with me when we get home."

A smiled made its way onto your face at his proposal. "I think that can be arranged."

𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐎 | 종호 | w.c. 1,050

The sunlight that seeped in through the window hit your closed eyelids, the intrusion pulling you from your sleep just enough to make you aware of it. You rolled over in bed keeping your eyes shut, snuggling further into your plush pillow. As you slowly began to wake, you stretched your arm across the bed, reaching for Jongho only to be met with an empty space, the palm of your hand hitting the sheets that were crumpled from being haphazardly tossed back into place. The lack of his presence made you frown, sitting up on your elbow while searching the room.

All thoughts of your temporarily missing boyfriend flew right out the bedroom window as a sticky and somewhat uncomfortable feeling below caught your attention. The all too familiar heart-stopping feeling was something you knew well. Without wasting another second, you shot up out of bed, jerking back the covers to find an ugly, red stain on the fitted sheet.

"No, no, no, no, no." You murmured the same word over and over again in a panic.

This was Jongho's bed and it was his sheets you'd just ruined.

"Crap." You hissed, rushing to your bag to grab an extra pair of underwear and fresh pants, taking your toiletry bag with you as you slipped into the bathroom to clean yourself up. While in the bathroom, you managed to get most of the bloodstain off your panties thanks to some cold water and hand soap, which seemed to do the trick. The process was repeated for your pajama bottoms.

Once you were finished, you went back to Jongho's room and promptly stripped his bed, wadding your stained underwear and pajama pants up with them.

You weren't sure where Jongho was, but you hoped you could make it to the laundry room without being noticed.

The universe must've been against you because as soon as you stepped out of the bedroom, Jongho was standing there in the hallway.

"Jongho." You uttered his name dumbly.

"Y/n, you're awake." He smiled softly, his eyes dropping down to the crumpled wad of fabric in your arms. "Why do you have the sheets?"

"I sweat pretty bad last night." You lied. "I didn't want to leave your sheets stinky so I'm going to wash them."

"Oh. You don't have to do that. I can wash them."

You pulled the heap away from him just as he reached out to take them from you. "It's okay. I got it. Really."

He held his hands up in surrender. "Alright."

You hurried past him and into the laundry room, lying the sheet across the top of the washer and dryer along with your underwear and pajama bottoms as you rummaged through Jongho's detergent to see if he had a stain stick or something to pretreat the splotch before tossing it into the wash.

You pushed past bleach, fabric softener, and laundry scent crystals, but you couldn't seem to find any stain remover.

Jongho heard your noisy rummaging from the other room, going to check on you and see if you needed any help. When he stepped into the laundry room he saw his sheets laid out, a dark red stain standing out against the gray fabric. Along with it was your panties and the pair of pajama bottoms you had worn to bed the night before, an equally as noticeable stain on them as well.

Your eyes were blown wide like a deer in the headlights as embarrassment and mortification hit you like a massive wave, your entire face set on fire due to the situation.

Not only had Jongho seen the ugly stain you left on his (probably expensive) sheets, but your underwear and pajama bottoms as well.

You should have moved. You should have scrambled to grab your panties and hidden them behind your back, but you were completely frozen in place, unable to move. As if that wasn't bad enough, you could feel what was sure to be a painful series of cramps coming on in your lower abdomen.

Jongho's eyes met yours and you let loose, sputtering what could only be classified as word vomit.

"I'm so sorry I ruined your sheets. I promise I'll get the stain out. I know it's gross and it's embarrassing."

"It's not gross." He responded, his expression showing no disgust whatsoever. "You can't control it."

"What?"

Jongho shrugged. "It's only natural."

You couldn't ignore the way your heart thumped. Of course Jongho wouldn't think something like this was a big deal. You should've known better. Nothing ever phased him.

Jongho's eyes drifted back over to the sheets on the washer where your undergarment was still laid out for him to see.

"Don't look at those." You stepped in front of your unmentionables to block his view.

"Why?" He chuckled amusedly. "It's just underwear. You've seen mine before."

"That's because you don't know how to keep your room clean and they're tossed on the floor."

"Touché. But it's still just underwear. No big deal." He stepped forward, rubbing the top of your head. "You're worrying too much, pretty."

You huffed softly, sticking out your bottom lip in reluctant defeat.

"Now let's take care of these sheets. What were you looking for in here?"

"Something to pretreat the stain."

"Ah." Jongho moved over to his laundry products, pulling out a spray bottle. "I believe this is what you were searching for. This should do the trick. I've used it to get coffee stains out of my clothes plenty of times. Works like a charm."

"Thanks." You took the bottle from him and sprayed the stains on everything before tossing them into the washing machine.

"I'll start the wash." Jongho volunteered, messing with the settings and starting the laundry cycle.

He came up and rubbed your back soothingly.

"You feeling alright?"

"For now. The cramps haven't started up yet, but I'm sure they will."

"If they do, I've got a heating pad you can use."

Your gaze softened while a gentle smile graced your features. "Thank you."

"Of course." He stroked your hair in a caring manner. "Are you hungry? You want anything to eat?"

"Some breakfast sounds nice."

"Alright. I'll make you your favorite." He pressed a kiss to your forehead. "You just sit and I'll make it."

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[musings-of-a-college-dork]

First Time With Someone Like You…

Eddie Munson x fem!Reader, brief mentions of Billy x reader

Word count: roughly 10.1K

Eddie and his girlfriend finally put a label on it at last and now they’re feeling ready to take another new step together.

Warnings: NSFW (Minors do not interact), oral (f receiving), protected p in v sex, mentions of kinky shit but no kinky shit, reader’s first time having sex, inexperienced reader, terms of endearment (baby, pretty girl, sweetheart), AFTERCARE INCLUDED BECAUSE YES, fluffy sweet sex. 

Author’s note: I got a message the other day from @wdsara48 sending some very sweet thoughts about Bumpy Ride which is my other NSFW piece currently published and asking if I had ever written Eddie with an inexperienced reader and yes I have! This is that piece! It's again part of the same longer work that most of my Eddie stuff is from! Anyway it's on the longer side and I hope you all enjoy!

The Hideout was never a big spot, never drew a big crowd, but recently Corroded Coffin had managed to get a bigger gig - a going away party for a good friend of Gareth’s. The group had all banded together in order to make sure their setlist was flawless, down to a t, and needless to say, it had paid off. 

Corroded Coffin had just finished their rendition of “Jessie’s Girl”, which had left the crowd more than satisfied and their pockets heavier than usual as they began packing up their belongings. Music blared over the speakers, although it was nothing compared to them live. Eddie was also a little stoked on the premise that his girlfriend was here - something that always made him excited. Up until this point, they had never said the words to each other and had never put an official title on it but now…tonight they were ready to introduce her to the band as the girlfriend. People were still laughing and talking, but Y/N and her friend Jude who she had come with weren’t quite ready for the party to be over.

 “Hey Y/Nnnnnn”, Jude sang as they ran up and poked their friend. “Jonathan’s going to drive Nancy, Robin, and I home. Do you want to come?” 

“Oh,” Y/N said as she looked between her friend and the boy she was now thrilled to call her boyfriend, before shaking her head, “Thank you but…I think I have other plans. I appreciate it though! Have fun! And be safe!” She tacked on to the end despite herself. Jude engulfed her in one last hug. 

“You little freak “ they whispered, before heading out the door with the rest of their friends. Eddie was closing his guitar case and walked over to the bar to collect a few last donations people had left for the band. Once he gathered his money, he smiled and jogged to Y/N.

“Hey you”, he looked down at her. 

“Hey there yourself,” she laughed as she took one of his hands into hers, “You put on a remarkable show Munson. Really.” He blushed.

“What can I say?,” He took a pause before asking, “Seriously, what can I even say to you right now? I’m getting so distracted.”

“Maybe brief introductions to your bandmates who I don’t know and then…” Y/N had to take a little breath to gain the courage to ask, “We go back to yours?” Eddie looked into her eyes with disbelief. He grabbed her hand and started fiddling with her fingers out of nerves.

“For sure, yeah. They’ve been dying to meet you”, he said absent-mindedly, as he pulled her over to the boys sitting on the stage. “Hey fellas, there’s someone I want for you to meet”, Eddie beamed. Y/N stood at his side, his hand still in hers as she gained the attention of his bandmates. 

“Hi, I’m Y/N. I’m Eddie’s girlfriend.” God did it feel good to say it at last. The band stood in stillness. 

This stillness lasted for eternity. 

Gareth and Jeff looked at each other, trying too hard to hide their smile. Finally, Harrison broke the silence.

“Wow…” he cleared his throat. “ That’s… excuse me….that’s really cool.”

“Yeah, it’s nice to finally meet this girl that Eddie hasn’t been able to shut up about, since the beginning of summer,” Jeff reached out to shake her hand. Y/N let go of Eddie’s hand to return it only for Eddie to take the free hand on the other side of her with a little squeeze.

“It’s equally as nice to meet his wonderful bandmates at last,” Y/N said, returning the hand squeeze with one of her own. 

“Honestly we thought he was making you up,” leaned Harrison, who leaned on the mic stand in order to properly shake his head. 

“Oh really?” Y/N laughed as she looked at Eddie, “He made me sound too good to be true?” 

“You would not believe it. He said you were hotter than Phobe Caits,” Jeff laughed. “Which you actually are,” Eddie turned to face Jeff with a look on his face that spelled out danger, “Respectfully,” Jeff modified with his hands up in the air.

“No one is actually hotter than Phobe Caits,” Y/N said with a smile, “But I appreciate the compliment. Well, I don’t mean to keep you all from cleaning up, let me know if I can help but if not, I’ll just wait until you’re done.” 

“Hey, no worries at all. Just enjoy the music, we’d be happy to give you a ride home,” Harrison said. 

“Considering that I am the one that drove you gentlemen here, I’ll be the one to offer,” Eddie said with a hint of agitation in his voice. He faced Y/N and winked. “The ride offer is also extended to you. We won’t be very long. Right men?”

“Right,” they barked. Y/N decided to let them work and headed to take a seat at the bar until they were done packing up, enjoying the people still partying around her. It wasn’t very long at all before Eddie slid up next to her.

“Hey,” he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, “Just so you know I didn’t do anything tonight. Like, I’m sober. In case you wanted a ride home. Scout’s honor,” he smiled and put up his hand. “And I am totally down for if you want to come over, but if you….” he faded.

“I really would like to if you want,” Y/N said softly, “I am sober too. I had half a drink and called it quits and…I want that but only if you do.” 

“Legendary,” he chuckled. He took her hand. “By the way, my van smells like armpits because of those little shits. Just so we’re clear,” he led her to the door of the bar. He took her hand and led her out of the bar and towards his van parked at the very edge of the parking lot.

“And the smell of weed?” Y/N teased completely as she enjoyed their hands swinging back and forth together. 

“Yeah…that’s me,” he chuckled as they got closer to the car. “You don’t mind it too much?”

“It’s ok, I’ll just have to sit closer to you since I like the smell of your cologne,” she smiled, making his heartbeat pick up.

“Damn,” he opened the car door for her, and offered his help, “you’re making me feel like a princess tonight.” 

“Simply trying to return the favor since you always make me feel that way,” she beamed at him as she got in the car before the rest of the band brought their stuff out and began loading it in. He shut the door gently behind her and continued to hold her hand through the window. He kissed her hand gingerly and then simply leaned against the rearview mirror, gazing at her. He completely ignored his band’s cries for help and complained. He just sat and looked at her. 

“Nice view?” She asked without looking at him. He said nothing. He lost his smile. His face turned into something else. Before Y/N knew it, he was kissing her more passionately and carefully than she had ever been kissed. 

“EDDDDIIIIIEEEEE” the band cried together. He parted from her regretfully and took one last look in her eyes before he continued onto the driver's side. Y/N was absolutely breathless as she processed it with all her fingertips coming up to trace over her lips. Eddie was opening the driver’s side door before she knew it and she had long forgotten his bandmates were present.

“Do me a favor baby and buckle up,” he said as he reached over and buckled Y/N’s seatbelt for her before not buckling his own, “it’s gonna be a bit of a rough ride.” 

“Hey Eddie, are there seat belts back here?” asked Harrison.

“Nope.” Eddie turned on the ignition and pulled out of the space, “Clench your butt cheeks to the seats and shut the hell up!”

Eddie drove as recklessly as possible, having absolutely no regard for the safety of his fellow bandmates… only becoming careful when he remembered Y/N was in the car. 

“Get out” he would say as he pulled up to their house. 

“I had fun Eddie,” they would say sheepishly.

“Out!”

Finally, when the last member had been dropped off, Y/N could watch the tension leave Eddie’s shoulders. 

“They’re good friends, huh?” She asked. 

“They are,” Eddie pulled his van into reverse and sped off the road towards his castle, “They’re young and can be idiots though.”

The pair fell into a comfortable silence until Eddie deemed that as usual, he had something more he needed to say.

“I am beyond proud to be your boyfriend,” He started making Y/N smile, “But I think, for your sake, we should come up with some kind of protocol. I’m not sure if you’d want anyone else to know that we were dating. It could ruin your reputation.” Y/N looked over at him as he drove, processing for a minute. 

“Respectfully, Eddie, I don’t care about my reputation. But…I do understand if you care about yours,” she said honestly, “I mean having me as your girlfriend kinda ruins the scary guy who hates everyone thing you’ve got going.” 

Eddie shook his head and gripped her thigh tighter. “Believe me, if I had things my way I wouldn’t be thought of as scary. People just fear what they can’t understand. And for everyone else in this dumb hick town, I am an enigma.” He pulled into a lot that had multiple trailers and drove slowly. He pulled up to his Uncle’s trailer and turned off his headlights. “I’m saying that it could be potentially dangerous for you. You could be the target of a lot of hate and gossip. Just promise me you will think about this….” Y/N felt her heart break for him just a tiny bit as she looked at him. Taking his face into her hands and turning her to look at him she nodded.

“I will. I promise,” she placed a soft kiss on his cheek which made him melt, “Thank you for taking care of me.” 

“I got you,” He murmured softly, “Always.” Y/N beamed as she leaned over and kissed him on the lips gently before pulling away. He let out a light giggle before he practically leapt out of the car and scurried to open her door for her. “M'lady," he offered her his hand. She giggled as she took it and allowed him to help her out of the car, shutting the door behind her. 

“Thanks, Eddie.” 

“It’s actually Sir Eddie, to be precise, Lady L/N '', he led her to the front door, puffing his chest out to be the most chivalrous version of himself that he could be. 

“Yes sir,” Y/N said with a laugh as she headed up the steps to stand beside him. Hearing this gave Eddie superhuman strength and he bounded up the stairs to open the door for him. Good to note, Y/N thought to herself.

“Just so you know, my Uncle works nights and I think he’s staying with his girlfriend tonight,” Eddie opened the door and bowed to let her in first. 

“That’s probably for the best,” Y/N said as she stepped inside. She admired the place, the hats that lined the walls, the countertop filled with stuff, and how warm it felt instantly, the warm lighting making her feel at ease. “I mean… never mind,” she cut herself off and stepped fully inside, pushing nerves and fear of saying the wrong thing aside.

“Sorry about the mess,” Eddie said as he moved some things here and there as Y/N continued to take it all in. She thought for a split second he maybe hadn’t heard her remark from before but as he turned to her she knew he had, “And don’t make me laugh. You know what we’re about to do”, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the left of the trailer into the far right room. “This is me”, he opened the door for her, revealing his bedroom. 

“Wow,” Y/N said, admiring how eclectic it was. The walls were crammed with stuff and despite things being fairly clean, she could tell the place was usually messy. 

Maybe I wasn’t the only one hoping for this, Y/N thought as she looked around, admiring the photos and band posters as she stepped all the way into Eddie’s room, missing that he closed the door behind and leaned against it as he watched her. Without thinking much about it she pointed to the blank spot on the wall which was remarkably out of place with the rest of the decor. 

“For your guitar?” She asked. 

“Oh yeah!” He nodded as he took a step off the wall, his eyes trained on Y/N, “You should meet her sometime. Her name’s Roxie and she has the clarity of an angel. But she’s out in the van and…. I don’t feel like she’s my main focus right now”, he grabbed her waist and pulled her in so that her back was pressed against his chest drawing a gasp from her as he moved her hair to expose her neck to him, “No offense Roxie,” he whispered before placing a kiss on Y/N’s neck softly and delicately to test the waters.

“Very respectful of you to leave her in the van when having another woman over,” Y/N teased as she leaned into him, head tilting back to rest on his chest, giving him permission to continue. He smirked and complied leaving another, and another. 

“She’s a strong and independent woman. I guess I have a type”, he said as his hands slid down her waist, giving a little squeeze to her hips. “I’d never leave you in a car though, to be clear,” Y/N laughed out loud as she slipped off her jacket. 

“I appreciate it,” She said as she turned to face him. “Eddie, I just want to say if you have any hesitati-”. He picked her up between her legs and threw her on the bed. She would have bounced but before she could Eddie wrapped his arms around her thighs, effectively pinning her hips down as he looked at her from between her legs, kneeling on the ground still. He looked at her for a moment before confessing with a sigh, “I’m hesitating like crazy.”

“Because…?” Y/N prompted as she sat up just a bit to be closer to him. He grabbed her wrists and threw them back on the mattress, positioning himself comfortably on top. He paused and looked at her for a moment before his expression shifted and he let out a sigh as he sat up to kneeling, leaning back on his hands. 

“I…I’m gonna be honest here and vulnerable and stuff,” he said, trying to keep his demeanor casual but Y/N could tell he was being serious, “But I’ve never been with someone I actually care for in the way I care about you. Most people want to hook up with me - get the town freak’s dick, learn a bit about themselves so they can get off, and leave - and that’s fine but…I guess I’m worried that since I’ve never been with anyone I cared about beyond wanting to learn…well stuff…I won’t compare to Hargrove,” he said with a little look down before shaking his head, “Which is stupid I know-”

“I wouldn’t know what Billy is like,” Y/N cut him off as she sat up. Eddie looked at her and raised a brow. 

“But you…” Eddie’s eyes went wide as he looked at her, “You and Billy never did it?”

“Nope,” Y/N said, not meeting his eyes, “We did not…we just…made out a couple of times…” His expression changed, it lightened. 

“Oh,” he slowly rubbed the sides of her thighs back and forth. “So… and correct me if I’m wrong. This would be your first?”

“Yes,” She said, looking at him because if she couldn’t admit to him she wanted him to be her first she didn’t deserve to have him as such, “It would be.” He leapt up with a drive she knew only from days when he was really pumped for Hellfire. 

“Well, then this is ALL WRONG”, he paced back and forth looking for something. “Hmmm.” He stopped when he saw his stereo. “Well, we obviously need music,” he smirked and bolted to his cassette shelf, diving in and throwing random tapes on the wall. 

“No! Seriously?” Y/N asked as she sat up, laughing as she took the time to examine his room a bit more to distract herself from the nerves, “Eddie I don’t think that’s…” Her eyes caught on a metal shiny piece hanging from the wall near where he was searching for music and she felt her breath catch in her throat. Why did he have those? Just then “I’m On Fire”, by Bruce Springsteen. The soft guitar played through the speakers as Eddie tried to diffuse the tension. 

“Oh,” he ran to his desk and ripped out a piece of notebook paper. He went to work doing something on it, but Y/N was all too distracted by the handcuffs on the wall. He finally turned around and offered her an origami rose made out of said notebook paper. “Next time, I’ll get you a bunch. Sorry, I only had one,” he sat on the bed next to her and brushed her hair aside, drinking her presence. “Whatcha looking at?”. 

“Nothing,” she said far too quickly as she turned back to him, beaming at the rose and at him. “That’s impressive,” She said, trying to clear her mind and focus on how sweet he was being, despite her stomach being in knots. 

“Well, middle school Munson didn’t have the musical talent or sexual prowess that he does now. So…. I… spent all my time making origami.” Y/N laughed out loud, a smile coming to her face.

“That’s sweet,” She admitted, “Do you do this for all the girls?” She said in an attempt at an old cheesy line, batting her eyes in a mock manner. 

“The other girls haven’t seen my bedroom”, he replied matter-of-factly. Y/N sat in silence, her eyes wide as she took in that information.

“Oh,” was all she managed, her mind drifting back to the handcuffs as she went red. Is that because he has his personal stuff here? Maybe it’s because he didn’t want them to know him…does he want me to know him? Her mind raced and he could tell by the hazy look on her face. 

“You like that?” He got up and started walking towards the wall. He looked back at her with a knowing smile. 

“Yes,” she said, completely honest, “Not to sound like a cliche but…it makes me feel…special-god, that’s such a shit thing to say-”

“Oh no, not at all,” he smirked getting closer to the wall, “I like them too. I only break them out for special occasions.” 

“Oh!” Y/N said quickly as she looked at him, “No, I didn’t mean…I meant that no one else has been here…I didn’t…” 

“Hm?'' he scrunched his face as he turned to look at her again, his hands coming to rest on his heart in mock pain. “I’m surprised at you, L/N. Do you not like it?” He pointed to the Metallica poster right next to the handcuffs. “I thought you loved Metallica- Oh did you think I was talking about…” he trailed off, trying to feign, trying to read her thoughts on the handcuffs matter. But genuinely, he was curious despite the fact he was teasing her to put her at ease. 

He hadn’t considered that they would use those ever, especially not for her first time. He didn’t mind if Y/N was vanilla which would have been his guess looking at her. Sure, she could and did talk back from time to time, something he adored, but he wouldn’t have pinged her as being kinky. But Y/N was unlike anyone he’s ever met. And if she wanted it, he’d be happy to oblige. 

“Oh god,” She said as she buried her head in her hands and laughed, “I’m so sorry, I can’t…I just…” She couldn’t even complete the thought she was laughing so hard. This broke him from his thoughts and completely focused fully back on her at this moment.

“You laughin' at me L/N?” He took this as a challenge. He puffed out his chest. This only made her giggle more as she looked up at him with a beaming smile. 

“I like Metallica,” she started as she continued to smile at him, “I also like the fact that I am the first person you’ve had here, for this…and I do like the handcuffs but not for tonight,” she said as she continued to smile at him but it shifted to a smirk at the end, “You’ve gotta ease me into it.” Eddie’s eyes went wide for a split second. Holy shit. She not only rose to the bait, she baited me back. This girl is going to be the end of me. She batted her eyes up at him and he realized in this moment of shock she had managed to get the upper hand, something he couldn’t allow. 

“Hey now”, he bent down on his knees, looking up at her. “Don’t get cocky”, he flipped her over on her back and pinned her hands down on the mattress. “That’s my job”, he paused for laughter. “Get it? Cocky?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she laughed as she looked up at him, “I get it alright. You’re so…I don’t even have words to describe you!” 

“Ah jeez you can’t think of any?” his eyes ran over her body. “Do I make you that nervous?”

“You don’t make me nervous,” she said honestly, “You make me happy and feel important and…you just make me feel like me. Sex…” She hesitated before shaking her head, “Sex makes me nervous!”. His demeanor faltered slightly. 

“Understood”, he said with the most seriousness he could portray, despite the fact that she had just made his heart explode. “ And we don’t have to do anything at all if you don’t want to-”

“No!” she said quickly, “it’s not that! It’s just…look I’ve made out with people but this is totally different from that,” Y/N said quickly, “Because I didn’t love any of them so this is different because…” She trailed off as she realized what she had admitted to. Sure the thought had been in her mind for a bit but she had never dared to say it out loud. Eddie almost missed that last part because he was concentrating so deeply but he heard it. He wanted to ask her if he had heard her correctly. That was his intention. To ask her and then if he heard her correctly. That was the plan.

But he knew he had heard her correctly. He knew it. And instead of replying, the words were moving too fast in his brain and it was all he could do to pull her into him and press his lips to hers. 

Y/N gasped as he did it, her heart racing before she melted into him, her hands coming to tangle in his hair as he laid her back down. It was only an instant before he was all over her, his lips touched every inch of her he could. He quickly slotted his knee in between her legs and pressed into her, the whine that fell from her mouth like heaven, drawing a sigh of his own. He moved away from her mouth as he pressed kisses down her jaw and to her neck. He was deliberate in his actions, strategically pressing kisses until he felt her grip on his hair tighten, earning a smirk from him. He began to abuse the spot, sucking and gently nipping at her skin as she muffled her sounds with one of her hands.

“Come on,” he coaxed as he pulled away ever so slightly to revel at the sight of her lust-blown eyes as she laid under him, “let me hear it all, baby. Just us, and you sound so pretty.” It was at that moment that he pressed his knee into her even more, drawing a whine from her that she didn’t hide as she gripped his black button-up which was still half done and revealed a couple of his tattoos. 

“Eddie,” she said softly as she looked up at him. 

“Yes, baby?” He prompted with a teasing grin as he leaned down to press more kisses to her neck, trailing lower to her collarbones. 

“Remember when you said it was my next adventure to find out how many tattoos you had?” She asked, trying her best to keep her voice steady as he continued on his course. He hummed in reply, and though he couldn’t see it, a smirk came to her face.

“How can you expect me to do that when you’re still dressed?” The chuckle that fell from his lips had her thighs pressing together, his knee still embarrassingly sandwiched between them so she knew he could feel her move. 

“Trying so hard to get me out of my clothes,” he said in a mock attempt to shame her as he pulled back a bit, “Too bad for you I’m a gentleman so…” He went to his knees once more and looked at her with pupils blown wide, “Ladies first.” Y/N’s smirk only grew as she got up from where she was laying down on the bed and first took off her fishnet tights, setting them aside with her jacket. She reached for the hem of her dress before turning her attention back to him. 

“Sure you don’t want to undress me?” The grin on his face would put the Cheshire cat to shame as he leaned back on his hands. 

“Nope,” he popped the p loudly as he leaned back even further, truly getting comfy, “I want to watch you strip for me.” Y/N slowly pulled up her dress without any more fanfare, his request being more than enough to do her in. She set aside her dress and was suddenly struck with nerves once more as she stood in the underwear she had carefully chosen. She went to meet Eddie’s eyes to get any sense of how he was feeling about it all and felt her breath hitch in her throat at the way he was looking at her.

She had people have crushes on her along the way. She’d made out with a few different people, enough to count on a single hand, and she had had sex before but no one, no one on earth had ever looked at her like Eddie was looking at her now. 

He pushed off of the bed and stood up, taking slow steps toward her as his eyes raked over every single inch of her bit by bit. When he came to stop in front of her, he gently took her arms which had come up on instinct to cover herself, and lowered them at her sides, allowing him a full view. She looked at him as he stared at her body, his one hand coming up to cup her bra-covered breast.

The piece she had chosen was mostly sheer with a few red lace flowers covering here and there and without an ounce of padding, something all too obvious as he ran his thumb over her nipple before giving her breast a soft squeeze. 

“Fuck,” he groaned as he felt how soft she was underneath his hand. His eyes then met hers, his free hand coming up to rest on her cheek, “You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.” Any semblance of the cocky arrogant character he had put on at his show and even the teasing tone she so commonly heard from him had left his voice. As she looked up into his eyes, all she could see was sheer adoration, idolatry even. 

“You’ve seen me in my underwear before,” She said with a soft giggle as she thought back to the night last summer their little group of friends had all stripped down to their underwear for a midnight Lover’s Lake swim. His expression didn’t change as he looked at her. 

“But this is different,” his voice was deep and so full of emotions she couldn’t name as he spoke, “You’re letting me see you, touch you…you’re letting me take you as mine and allowing me to become yours. This is…you, are everything.” Y/N looked at him with that same look of adoration he had been giving her written across her face. Their eyes met again before he pressed his lips to hers once more, softly this time, so gentle it was like he thought she was at risk of breaking. She kissed him firmer, more so to assure them both that they were here, really here, together than anything else. He kissed back with equally as much passion, his hand on her breast squeezing even tighter to match drawing a gasp from her. 

Before she knew it, his hands had come to her hips and he had picked her up, her only option was to wrap her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He let out a hum into their kiss as she did, his hands coming to hold her ass and giving it a squeeze. 

She gasped not only at the action but at the feeling of his cool rings against her heated body. He made his way to sit on the edge of the bed, resulting in Y/N sitting in his lap as he continued to kiss her. When he pulled away it was only so he could trail one of his hands up to her neck, kissing down the other side as he used his hand to manipulate her body exactly how he wanted it, listening to every little sound she made as an indication of what she wanted. He wanted to learn every single intricacy of her body, mind, and soul. He wanted to know her heart as well as he knew his own. He kissed her neck all over until he found a spot that made her breath hitch. He smiled as he did, beginning to gently nip at the skin there. When her fingers tangled into his hair and she let out a whimper that made him throb in his pants, he all but lost it. 

“You like it when I leave marks on you, pretty girl?” He asked between kisses, his hand that was on her neck coming to grasp her breast and gently pinch her nipple, drawing a moan from her. “Need words, baby.” 

“Yes,” She moaned out, fingers pulling in his hair as her head fell back when he went right back to it at her confirmation. “Feels amazing.” Eddie’s mind wandered momentarily and he pulled away causing her to whimper in complaint. He looked at her as she sat in his lap and a question came to his mind. 

“Y/N, has anyone ever eaten you out?” 

“No,” she confessed breathlessly as she looked at his swollen lips, ones she was sure matched her own. “I um…people have offered but I didn’t feel comfortable returning so I didn’t want them to so…but I’m ready now, with you.” 

“Oh, sweetheart,” he praised as he gently brought his lips to hers before pulling away and smiling at her, “All I want in the world right now is to eat you out without wanting anything back. I just want to make you feel better than you’ve ever felt before. We’ll have plenty of time to fully explore each other later if you ever want to. And if you don’t that’s ok, alright?” She looked at him and he watched as the tension visibly left her body as she leaned in to gently press her lips to his. As they kissed, her hands came down to the buttons on his shirt and she began to undo them. He let out a hum of approval as she did, pressing kisses to her neck and breasts as she continued until his shirt was fully unbuttoned. He untucked it from his pants when it was and opened it so she could better see him once he had. Y/N pulled away and her eyes ran up and down his body, reveling in the sight. She brought her hands up to where the shirt was on his shoulders and looked to him for permission to push it off his shoulders. He nodded, giving her all the confirmation she needed to expose his torso to her. 

She took this moment to look at the tattoos on his left shoulder, ones she hadn’t been paying that much attention to the first time she had seen him shirtless out of a need to be polite and not stare. But now, she really took them in. There were two of them on the left side of his chest, a spider and a demon. The spider was a bit higher up but they rested very close. She took a moment to trace her fingers over them as he watched her before she leaned in, pressing soft opened mouth kisses to them. Eddie’s hands both flew to her his as she felt him grind up into her, hard as a rock as she worshiped his body. She moved ever so slightly, pushing him to lay down on the bed so she could be on top, trailing kisses down his torso and to the little trail of hair that led down below- 

A little whimper of pain came from Y/N as Eddie’s hands tangled in her hair and pulled her up to straddle him. 

“Shit,” he swore as he moved his hands from her hair and gently cupped her face in his hands searching for any indication, “Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry-”

“It’s ok,” Y/N said, pressing a kiss to his lips to stop his worries. She pulled away to find that the concern had partially eased and she felt a little bit bolder, leaning in to whisper to him, “Besides, I like having my hair pulled.” 

“Jesus,” He swore as she pulled back and smirked down at him beneath her, “You, Y/N L/N, are going to be the death of me.” Y/N chuckled and leaned down to continue as Eddie’s hands wound in her hair again, pulling much more deliberately this time. “Baby, this is about you, not me,” He scolded as he sat up, taking his hands out of her hair and running them down her body, “And I’m trying so hard to be gentle so make it easy for me pretty girl. Don’t you want to be good for me?” He knew it was a risk that Y/N might be against being spoken to in such a way but he watched as her eyes glazed over and her jaw dropped just a bit as she nodded. 

“Then do me a favor, pretty girl, and lay down for me.” She complied in a heartbeat, moving out of his lap and laying down on the bed. He smiled at her as he took a moment to admire her before kneeling beside the bed and adjusting her so she was exactly where he wanted her. 

“Spread your legs for me.” She did, a hint of embarrassment and anxiety coming up as she knew he may not like what he saw. She knew people who condemned girls for having bigger thighs and stretch marks and things like that and for a brief second, she let herself consciousness kick in, something Eddie seemed to be remarkably aware of. 

“Hey Y/N,” he said, drawing her gaze to look down on him, knelt between her legs, “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want but I’m telling you now, you are the most stunning person I’ve ever laid hands or eyes on. Genuinely. You have nothing to be nervous about.” She melted as she could see the honesty in his eyes and again he watched her relax. He brought his hands up and slowly parted her thighs, loving the goosebumps that appeared on her skin as his rings came into contact with her body. He had to fight the moan that threatened to slip from his lips at the sight of the wet patch on her underwear with every fiber of his being. He pressed kisses all over her thighs, slowly working his way closer to her still-covered core, his hands finding their place on her hips as he held her on the bed. When he did finally get to her core, he pressed a soft kiss to her heat through her underwear, drawing a gasp from Y/N. 

“Do you want me to take them off?” He asked gently as his thumb ran circles on her lips. 

“Please,” she said, a smile coming to his face as she angled her hips in such a way that he could pull them off. He leaned up and ever so gently removed her underwear, setting them aside. 

“Holy shit,” He whispered as he looked at her. He knew he needed to be slow, to ease her into it, so he tried his best, repeating the kissing of her thighs, this time without her underwear there until finally he got to her core. He pressed a soft kiss to her clit and felt her hips move on instinct, keeping them pressed to the bed. He continued, slowly getting bolder until he slipped his tongue inside of her. 

Soft whimpers and moans fell from her consistently now as she relaxed into the pleasure he was so skillfully giving her. She felt so very at peace and was truly unable to do anything else but think about him between her legs. 

“Eddie-” She moaned out, the man letting out a moan of his own at the way she moaned his name. 

“Yes, baby?” he asked, briefly coming up for air. 

“Can you…can you also…”

“Y/N say the word and it’s yours,” He said as he leaned back to be able to look at her, “Anything you want baby.”

“Can you use your fingers too?” She asked sheepishly. The grin that lit up Eddie’s face instantly melted any worries she had about being needy. He replied with actions not words, instantly slipping two of his fingers inside of her causing her to gasp. 

From their previous encounters - though simple and brief ones - he knew that usually two was her comfort zone but if he was going to actually fit inside of her he wanted to use at least three. The general theory was if he started with two instead of one then three wouldn’t be such a stretch. 

That theory seemed to be working as she whimpered and moaned from the stretch beneath him. 

“You’re doing- so good,” he praised between moans as he put his mouth right back to work, sucking on her clit like his life depended on it and right now, it felt like it did. As much as he wanted to solely focus on her pleasure, he couldn’t help the little grind of his hips against the carpet every time she moaned. It slowly became a consistent rocking until he feared he was going to cum completely untouched just from eating her out. While he’d love to do that another day, tonight they had a plan and if she had gotten herself all ready for it, he refused to spoil it by finishing too early. He had been so distracted by his name coming out in moans from lips that he hadn’t even registered it was probably because he had been fucking three fingers into her for a while. Her hands were tangled so tightly in his hair and he quickly put two and two together on what was coming, leaning it to suck on her clit more as he continued doing exactly what he was doing until Y/N suddenly gasped and moved away from him with a little, “stop.” Eddie’s hands let go immediately and went into the air as he looked at her breathing heavily. 

“I'm sorry-“

“No, no,” she shook her head at him, moving back closer as her chest heaved, “I was just…I knew I was going to…squirt and I didn’t want it to be while you were-“ 

“Oh my god,” Eddie said as he pressed her down against the bed and climbed on top of her. “You were going to squirt and you stopped me!” 

“Yes!” She nodded, “I…most guys wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that!” 

“First off, yes they would,” Eddie nodded, his fingers already back between Y/N’s legs slowly slipping inside of her again, “and secondly, we already know I am not ‘most guys’.” He went back to what he had been doing before and watched as Y/N relaxed under him at his words. He liked this even more because of how at peace she seemed so he kissed his way down her body and got right back to it. Instead of changing anything he was doing, he continued right on with what he had been doing, putting his whole heart into it and reveling in the fact that he was able to get her like this. It didn’t take long until she was crying his name again, her eyes squeezing tightly closed and her fingers tugging at this hair with a vice. 

“Let go, baby,” he commanded and she did. Her release gushed over his face and he licked her clean with a fearless new to him. He had been with others before but never anyone who got this reaction out of him. It was only when she let out a little whimper of pain he realized she was already feeling overstimulated and he couldn’t have that…not yet. 

“How are you, pretty girl?” He asked as he came to rest over her again. She nodded as she looked up at him, a smile on her face as she pulled him in for a kiss. It was gentle and sweet and he felt his heart melt at her sweetness despite what they were doing. 

“So good to me,” He murmured as she pulled away to kiss down his neck. Her hands quickly found his belt buckle and began to mess with it, a pathetic-sounding whine coming from her when she realized she couldn’t figure out how to undo it. He chuckled as he batted her hands away before pressing a kiss to each one. 

“I got you,” He smiled and she returned it as he undid the buckle. He quickly set it somewhere on the floor to be forgotten about as he sat back on his knees. Y/N quickly sat up and ran her hand down to where his hands were on his zipper. 

“Can I?” She asked, looking up at him with complete adoration. He couldn’t deny her anything and nor would he ever want to so he just nodded and sat back, allowing her to do exactly as she wished. She unzipped his jeans with one hand, using her other hand to trail down his body, following the little trail of hair downward. As she finished unzipping his jeans and looked to him to get up and take them off, something he complied with, slipping them off and setting them next to his belt. Now in just his black boxers, he couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of anxiety. What if he couldn’t please her? What if he couldn’t manage to learn what she liked? He stood with his back facing to her for clearly too long as she was out of bed. 

“Hey,” Her voice was soft as she gently turned him to face her, her one hand coming up to turn his face to look at her as her free hand held his hand, “We can stop here if you want or do something else-”

“No,” He shook his head, “I want this. Really. I want you.” Y/N smiled at him and gently pressed a kiss to his lips before it became less gentle. She managed to move both hands to Eddie’s chest and he walked back until his back hit the door with a little gasp at how easily she had taken over. She chuckled as she began to press kisses down his chest, her one hand coming down to palm him gently over his boxers which made him gasp again. 

“Is this ok?” She asked as she pulled away from his neck for only a moment, taking in the sight of how beautiful he looked with his head thrown back against the door, his eyes shut in pleasure. 

“Yes,” he replied, a breathy moan following. “You can…you can take it out if you want.” Y/N didn’t reply with words, smiling as she did exactly that. She took it in for a moment, her eyes going wide as for the first time ever she processed the idea of him being inside her. She ran her thumb over his tip gently causing another groan to come from him as his hands grasped her hips with a force. He was so hard and she was impressed that he hadn’t finished yet but god did she feel bad for him. She wanted to please him so bad so that’s exactly what she set out to do. She stroked him gently, seeing what he liked and what got the best reaction from him, reveling in each sound he made. As soon as she started to get the hang of things, one of his hands moved from her hips and took hold of her wrist. Her eyes shot up to meet his which were now open and looking at her. 

“Sorry,” he said gently, “You were doing great…it’s just, I’m pretty worked up so I didn’t want to finish yet.” Y/N smiled at him and nodded 

“I get it…but I mean…you made me-”

“It’s different,” he said as he picked her up again and carried her back to his bed, laying her down gently, “Takes me longer to get back to it.” His choice of phrasing made her giggle and his focus snapped to her, “You’re really laughing at me? Now?” 

“Yes,” she replied as she shook her head. He chuckle and pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling away. 

“Well, we can’t have that,” He said as he leaned over and opened up one of the drawers near his bed. He easily found a condom and held it up to her, his expression going a bit more serious. 

“You’re sure?” 

“Yes,” she said as she took it from him and opened it much to his surprise, “I’m ready.” He watched with a smile as she pulled it out and rolled it onto him, careful as always with delicate hands before setting the wrapper aside. He wrapped her thighs around his waist and looked down at her. 

“Tell me if you need me to stop at any point, ok?” He said as he lined himself up. She nodded, words escaping her at this moment. Right as he was about to press in, he heard her speak. 

“Just…be gentle. Please?” He felt his heart melt at her plea. Eddie leaned down and kissed her so softly and whispered, “I promise,” as he began to press in. Y/N automatically tensed at the feeling, it was brand new to her and he pulled away from their kiss to whisper to her. 

“I know,” he said as he fought for his own breath as he waited with just the tip in her, “Just breathe for me, baby.” She nodded through a whimper and took in a shaky inhale, causing him to press into her a bit more, “There you go,” he praised. “Just keep breathing.” While she relaxed for a moment, she instantly tensed again as he started to move.

He instantly noticed and without a word brought his hand up to hold hers, pressing them both into the mattress with a gentle squeeze. The tiny gesture and his soft smile allowed her to breathe easily. Eddie smiled as he noticed the calm this brought Y/N, pressing another kiss to her lips as he slowly pushed into her, stretching her out. As he did, her eyes squeezed shut and her toes curled as a moan was forced from her lips. Their one set of hands parted and Y/N’s nails instantly find their way to Eddie’s back. He let out a shaky moan as she left marks he knew he’d love to see in the mirror tomorrow.

“Fuck. I’m not even halfway in and you’re already...so tight...fucking...damn.” Y/N squirmed under him as he attempted to let her adjust, his words causing her to want more than he was giving her. 

“Don’t squirm,” Eddie commanded in a dark stern hiss, causing Y/N to instantly stop moving and clamp around him, forcing a moan as Eddie buried his head into her neck. Interesting, he thought storing the information away for later. He pulled his head out of her neck and spoke gently, “I’m going to push the rest of the way in now, ok?” Y/N nodded at him and he began to slip in once again. 

“Fuck,” He swore as he bottomed out in one fatal thrust causing them both to gasp, “God Y/N, you feel so good.” She managed to give a little nod to him which instantly caused him to check in with her.  

“How are you feeling?” He asked, making sure to remain very still to give her time to adjust to the sensation.  

“It hurts just a tiny tiny bit,” She confessed, thankful that all the rumors she had heard about it hurting a lot the first time were just that. “I just feel...full.” He gave a little chuckle and began to pepper kisses all over her cheeks before kissing her lips again. 

“Well that’s good,” He smiled as he pulled away, “All I want is to make you feel good, baby. You were still a bit tense. Just relax now, pretty girl,” He purred as he ran his hand down her body, “I’ve got you and everything is going to be ok.” Seeing the genuine and kind look in his eyes made Y/N instantly melt and any trace of tenseness was gone. A dull ache soon settled between her hips and she found herself rolling them in an attempt to ease the pressure causing Eddie to let out a little hiss.

“Is that my sign to move?” He asked with a smile. 

“Please,” Y/N begged softly. Eddie can feel his heart melt at her little plea. Instantly, all he wanted to do was hold her and never let go but he quickly brought himself back to the moment at hand. He pulled out just a little before thrusting into her making her let out a little gasp of a moan at the feeling - his own moans echoing along with hers. Eddie then dropped his weight to his forearms on either side of her head which brought them even closer together. He slid both of his hands into her hair lightly as he quickened his pace causing more moans coming from the pair as they began to fully lose themselves in it all. 

Even through the pleasure of it all, Y/N could tell how remarkably gentle Eddie was attempting to be and it made her heart flutter. Despite his best efforts, Eddie naturally became a bit rougher by second nature, but as things speed up and the knot in Y/N’s stomach came closer to bursting, she don’t mind a bit. Her free hand tangled into his hair and pulled causing him to groan into her neck, nipping at the skin there enough to leave even more marks. Call him possessive, he was and wanted her and everyone else in this stupid fucking town to know that she was his now. 

His need to mark her up though was only overcome by his want to etch every expression that crossed her face into his memory, so he pulled away to watch her beautiful face contrast beneath him.

“Fuck,” He swore as she let out a cry as he hit what he assumed was her G spot, angling to make sure he kept that up, “So fucking pretty for me.” Y/N could tell how close Eddie was getting by the absolutely stunning expressions painted on his face and the little praises that he uttered. His one hand slowly found its way to her clit and he softly attempted a couple of different things to see what elicited the best response. After a particular movement, he felt her tighten around him with a high whine and he knew he'd hit the jackpot. He repeated the movement while continuing to thrust into her, causing Y/N to cry out in response as she felt the coil come this close to snapping. 

“Eddie, I’m going to-”

“I know baby, I know,” He moaned as she clenched around him, “Cum for me.” His command was all it took for her to come completely undone beneath him. Her high and the feeling of her gripping him like a vice was all it took to have him finding right along with her, burying his face into her neck to muffle the long whine that came from him as he pressed as deep as he could get into her. He continued to thrust into her, allowing the pair to ride out their highs before finally stilling. They both lay there, breathing heavily a mess of tangled limbs and sweat, glowing with love. Finally, when he caught his breath, Eddie pulled away enough that he could see Y/N’s face. 

She was always beautiful but damn did she look good post-orgasm. He wanted to burn the sight of her into his brain forever.

“How are you feeling, pretty baby?” He asked as he ran his hands through her hair and cupped her cheek. Y/N’s eyes fluttered open and Eddie swore he died and went to heaven as she looked up at him, the love in her eyes and smile on her face all too innocent considering what they just did. 

“So good,” Y/N replied, her voice high and soft, music to Eddie’s ears, “How are you?”

“So good,” he echoed back to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “I know I just like…popped your cherry and all,” he smiled as she giggled at the expression, “But I still can’t believe you’re real.”

“I’m real,” Y/N giggled as she flicked his forehead, making him beam, “That real enough for you?”

“Yeah that works,” he said as the pair fell into giggles making them both realize Eddie was still very much inside. “Oh shit,” He swore, “I’m gonna pull out now, is that ok?” 

“Mhm,” Y/N hummed as she gave his hand which was still held in hers a little squeeze. He gave her a small smile as he pulled out both of them letting out little moans as he did. He instantly wrapped her into his arms, holding her so close to him as she buried her head into his chest. She had never felt so safe in the arms of another person before, wanting nothing more than to hold him forever. 

“You did so well,” He praised her, “You know that?” He pressed kisses onto the top of her head as she stayed buried in his chest. 

“Thank you,” came her soft reply.

“You don’t have to thank me for praising you baby,” He chuckled.

“No, for…for everything,” she said as she pulled away ever so slightly so they could look at each other. Her eyes were so sleepy as she looked at him but the adoration was still written all over both of their faces. 

“Oh Y/N,” he said as he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “You don’t need to thank me for that at all, baby. I loved it. I really loved it.” 

“Me too,” she replied as she beamed up at him, shifting ever so slightly and grimacing. It was that little grimace that reminded Eddie of what needed to come next. 

“Baby, I’m gonna get stuff to get you cleaned up, okay?” He asked as he gently pulled away. 

“M’kay,” she nodded as she looked at him, “But don’t be gone too long.”

“Getting all clingy on me already?” He teased as he slowly slipped out of bed and slipped off the condom, throwing it away before looking back at her, his eyes going wide.

“Fuck,” He swore as he took in the sight of her sprawled out in his bed completely fucked out. The very worst part of him had never wanted to take a damn Polaroid so bad but his top priority was getting her cleaned up and comfy. 

“Weren’t you going somewhere?” Y/N teased as she realized the effect she was having on him, rolling onto her side to give him a different view. He chuckled at her and gave her ass a little swat as he left the room.

“Little brat,” he reprimanded as slipped on his boxers, “And here I was trying to be chivalrous.” 

“Chivalry is dead Munson,” She said as he walked into the bathroom and wet a towel with warm water, ringing it out before heading back into the bedroom.

“Oh yeah?” He asked as he gently ran the towel over her body, cleaning her up, “Then what, pretty girl, would you call this?” 

“Common courtesy after that,” Y/N giggled as she looked up at him. He shook his head and gently moved the towel to clean between her legs, lifting her one leg as he did and pressing a kiss to her inner thigh. 

“I don’t know,” He teased as he set the towel aside when he was done, “I think I’m a pretty chivalrous guy.” 

“You are,” she said with all genuineness. 

“Anything else I can get for you?” He asked softly as he cupped her cheek again, “Water? Food?”

“Clothes?” Y/N asked as she looked down at her still very naked body. 

“Right,” Eddie said as he got up and walked over to his closet before thinking better of it and coming back over to her, “Wanna come pick out your pjs?” 

“I get to pick?” The joy in Y/N’s voice, as she sat up with a little wince, made Eddie’s heart melt. God I lo… his thoughts trailed off with a little pang in his heart as he made his way over to her. 

“Mhm,” He nodded as he picked her up bridal style in his arms making her smile, carrying her over to his closet, “Take your pick.” She looked through his little t-shirt collection before looking at the Metallica one he had been wearing the second time she had met him. 

“That one,” she said with a point. He smiled and nodded as he set her back down on the bed, grabbing it out for her and bringing it over to her. 

“A good choice,” He said as he watched her slip it over her head. 

“You wore it when Jude first brought me over to your house to pick up their drugs,” Y/N said as she searched for her underwear. “Can you bring me my underwear?” Eddie was frozen and didn’t even register her request. “Eddie?”

“You remember what I was wearing?” He asked softly as he looked at her. 

“Of course,” she nodded, “I thought you looked so handsome. You are so handsome-” Y/N couldn’t even get her thought out before he pressed his lips to hers, pressing her into the mattress again before he pulled away. 

“Sorry,” he said with a sheepish chuckle as he wrapped her in his arms again, “I don’t know what came over me-”

“Don’t apologize,” she said with a smile as she pulled him fully into bed with her, “Just stay here with me?”

“Always,” he replied and he meant it with every fiber of his soul. The pair curled up together, limbs tangled, needing to be so close and neither one had ever slept so well in their lives as they did that night. 

So that's the fic! Yay! 10k words bby! As always, likes, comments, and reblogs are throughly appreciated!

[azurevi]

anchor

pairing: leona x gn!reader

summary: promise rings, some backstory i sprinkled on a whim, a few stuff from the tamashina-mina event. 3k

note: diversity loses! tormented writer posts more leona fluff despite being consumed by angst ideas. @twistedchatterbox gave me the idea of promise rings a while back then so here’s something i made! it’s a bit messy cz i wrote most of this on bus rides lol

This day couldn’t get any better, Leona thought, putting aside the fact that he was at a festival he really didn’t want to attend, and that he had been surrounded by his curious schoolmates the whole day, forcing him into the role of a tour guide. At least he got to show you around the place he’d grown up in, shower you with cuisine after cuisine that you couldn’t find anywhere else, and bring you to a hot spring that made him feel that his bones had been broken down and resembled again, all of which you responded with the utmost enthusiasm and amazement. Despite the love-hate sentiments he held for this place, knowing that you enjoyed the tour put him in quite the good mood.

Also, he was definitely putting ‘roadtrip’ on his non-existent bucket list now.

A content sigh slipped out as he sat sprawled out in his seat, head resting on his fist, a single strand of hair falling over his attentive gaze. Everyone had had their fill at dinner and was enjoying the dance show. Melodies swirled and clashed in the air, accompanied by the soft fluttering of the dancers’ outfits. His focus was, however, not on their flawless performance, but rather on the giggling group in front of the stage.

You were linking arms with Kalim, following his ecstatic steps with a touch of clumsiness. Lilia was linked to your left, even though he was just doing his weird moves that somehow resembled a bird. Grim was somewhere else, struggling to mirror the dancers and trying his absolute hardest not to get kicked at by accident. Once in a while the music would speed up, and you would all scramble to match the tempo, laughing when your legs bumped into each other.

The unbridled bliss on your face was as bright as the afternoon sun. Amidst the collision of songs, he made out your laughs as though they were a melody written especially for him. If the hotel was vacant but for the both of you, he would’ve jumped out of his seat and danced with you just so he could see how much you were enjoying yourself up close. Ideally he would have the song changed to something much gentler for him to soak in the moment under the glorious starry night. 

“…Leona, are you listening?” Vil’s voice dragged him out of the little fantasy he was conjuring in his head.

“I stopped listening the moment you brought up your something-something products.” He said, which was only half a lie. Even when he was distracted, he picked up a few lines, like how the climate here could've very well ruined Vil’s skin without the lotions he’d brought and how all the sweating could’ve melted his makeup had they not been waterproof. Basically just different words to show that he’d come prepared.

“Of course you did,” Vil rolled his eyes. Following Leona’s gaze, he glanced back and forth between the trio and the man beside him. “Lilia is quite good at dancing, isn’t he?”

“Yea.” The answer came mindlessly. By the time Leona realized himself, Vil already had that annoying smirk on his face. 

Darn you for distracting him. 

Vil took a sip out of his glass, letting the fresh juice swirl in his grip. “Even to this day, I still can’t believe that they are into you of all people.”

“Is that jealousy I hear?” 

“Not in a thousand years.” He put down the drink. “It’s just that they’re bright and easy-going and all, and you’re… well, you’re you. You act like you don’t want anyone breathing near you most of the time.”

That’s true, to some extent. Leona had found your presence a handful at first, but you managed to sneak into his life anyways.

“But there are times when your feelings become painfully obvious,” as if remembering something, Vil’s assumed an accusatory tone. “Like today, when you made all of us feel like third wheelers while you went on this lovey-dovey date with them. But really, that just proves my point. Whatever doubts that I initially had about you two… they’re wrong.”

“Do you have a point?” Leona frowned. As much as he would like to call him out for sticking his nose into his business, he knew that he was just looking out for you. Ever since VDC, you two had got on friendly terms, and that meant he was going to care for you anytime he saw fit. It was his way of showing his love.

“If you’re really serious about them, you should put a ring on it.”

He’d never turned his head this sharply. “What?”

“Well, not to straight up propose, just get promise rings or something. A lot of my co-stars wear them to show loyalty and devotion. It’s a good way of telling someone that you’re committed.”

“I am committed.” He shifted in his seat. “And they know that.”

“It’s just a suggestion. Take it or leave it.” That was the last thing Vil had to say before Lilia proposed having a karaoke session, forcing him to intervene. 

…Of course you knew that he was committed. He’d made it abundantly clear, from remembering every little thing you’d mentioned in passing to showering you with gifts. He showed up to most school events for you, and he stood up for you whenever someone was dumb enough to pick fights. The list went on— surely he’d made it apparent enough how much you meant to him.

So why were you knocking on his door at 2 in the morning, with a hesitation that reminded him of when Cheka would stick his head into his room in the morning to see if he was awake? 

“Hey. I know you’d rather sleep by yourself, but I can’t really fall asleep, so I was wondering if you’d have space for one more?”

He rubbed his eyes, brain still a bit fuzzy, and moved to one side of the bed. You scampered inside with the blanket wrapped around you like a cocoon and dipped your weight into the mattress.

“Was the bed uncomfortable?” He asked, spreading his arm so you could roll right next to him. 

“No, I just can’t get used to new ones.” 

And with that, you were off to dreamland in a few minutes. 

The patterned ceiling stared right back at Leona. Where he’d just fallen asleep effortlessly, there was now a recurring thought romping in his mind. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d shared a bed with you. As a matter of fact, Ruggie often found him hogging you while he’s napping in the botanical garden, clinging to you like you were a life-sized plush. But most of the time, he was the one initiating it. He’d thought that it was enough of a demonstration of how he wanted you around, but in reality—

“I know you’d rather sleep by yourself.” 

Just how did you come to that conclusion? It wasn’t even the first time you’d said something similar. You’d always been on the cautious side, tip-toeing around the topic of intimacy like you were afraid that you’d be ‘too much’. 

Perhaps worse still was the fact that he’d never been straightforward about his feelings. They had always been wrapped in other gestures, hidden under layers of seemingly ordinary words. Who was to say that they couldn’t have been lost on you? 

“Put a ring on it.” 

At the end of the day, it was Vil’s fault for planting the idea in his head.

—

Sneaking around the palace was child’s play to Leona. He’d mastered the art of hiding in dark shadows and unseen corners since a tender age, when the guards and chamberlains would talk behind his back. Plus, nothing much had changed inside the palace. They were really driving home the idea of preserving the past.

Minor changes had been done to his room from the weekly cleaning, but otherwise everything was as he remembered. He made light steps to his empty desk and pulled open the drawer, searching for a jewelry box. Within were dozens of trinkets that would make Ruggie’s eyes twinkle like stars, from pendants to bracelets, all of which Leona had no interest in wearing. 

All except this. He fished out a brown pouch and flipped it upside down. Two identical rings fell right into his palm. Each was a bit chunky, with an untainted emerald embedded in the golden shank. He pulled out his hair tie next, checked the mark he’d made in the middle, and compared the circle it formed with the size of the rings. It was a perfect match, as he’d suspected.

Leona recalled the day he’d gotten them. He was sitting at his mother’s bedside, hands balled into fists on his lap. He recalled her fragile, glass-like smile, recalled the shake in her hand as she removed the rings from her fingers. He was still too young and naive to know what was going on, but he had a hunch.

She had placed them in his parched, dry hand then. His knuckles had been cracked and bruised from earlier that day, when he’d lost control of his unique magic during training. With a wistful sigh, she ran feathery touches on the cuts, as if she was trying to heal them. But no dice; she would’ve healed herself had she possessed that sort of power.

“What are these for?” He clenched the golden rings in his chubby fingers. They looked ordinary, just like any other accessories the chamberlains like to throw on him before grand ceremonies. The only thing that stood out were the stones, which seemingly matched his eyes.

“When you find someone who feels like home, and they feel the same about you, give them the rings to show your feelings.”

“Do you mean I have to marry them?” 

She laughed at his uneasy grimace— a sound that had yet to be lost in the currents of time. “Of course, or else they’ll go away forever.”

Young Leona immediately stuffed one of the rings back into her hand, “Then you must keep one! This way you’ll never go away from me, right?”

It would take a few more years down the road for him to understand why her eyes welled up at his words, or why one day Kifaji lifted him up in his arms and rushed him to her bedside, why that was the only time he would ever see her again. It was then that he realized that those rings were not charged with magic or blessings. They were just gold imbued with grief. 

“What are you doing here, Prince Leona?”

Kifaji was standing at the doorway, hands hidden behind his back. God knew how long he’d been watching. Leona must’ve been so absorbed in his little treasure hunt to have not picked up his footsteps.

“You sound awfully accusatory. This is my room, isn’t it?” He slid the rings back into the pouch and pulled at the string to seal it.

Kifaji watched him pocket it. “Those are your mother’s rings, aren’t they?”

It seemed like his keen observation hadn’t been lost in time. “So what if they are?”

“Well. I can’t and won’t say anything since they’re your possessions. But curiosity beats me, so I must ask: what do you intend to do with them?”

“I intend to wear them, cause that’s how rings are supposed to be used,” Leona nudged the drawer shut with his knee, feeling a bit irritated by the questions.

“Yes, but it’s certainly been a while. Why your mothers’ rings in particular, and why now?”

He sighed. Nothing ever went past Kifaji’s eyes. “Fine. It’s because I’m gonna give one of ‘em to someone else, okay? End of story.” 

He strode past the chamberlain out of the door, but the latter persisted, catching up rapidly. There was a moment when he was side by side with Kifaji, and was a bit astounded by the height difference between them. He never really noticed it before. To think that there was once a time when Kifaji could pick him up like he was nothing but a sack of rice.

“It’s that friend of yours that’s been tagging along, isn’t it?” 

Leona decided to focus his efforts on walking.

“I was skeptical at first when you showed up with a bunch of guys that claimed to be your friends. Except for that kid. They seemed different.”

He scoffed. “Why, because they were hugging a cat the whole time?”

“No. Because of the way you treated them.”

“Oh yea? Enlighten me.”

“Remember the mangoes at the Raintree Market?”

And then Leona was strolling through the lively bazaar again, watching his schoolmates try out local fruits. The vendor had planned to give you one half of a mango as he’d done so for the others, but Leona asked for the whole fruit and a knife instead.

“The right way to eat a mango,” he sliced the mango in half, and began cutting squares on the one without the seed. Then he held the fruit on its two ends and pushed the pieces out. “Is to cut it into bite-sized chunks.”

“Don’t you remember? I used to do that for you when you were young. You’d cry and thrash because you despised fruits, so I decided to cut them into tiny pieces and have you eat them while we played chess. You cleared the plate in no time.”

There was a certain tone to Kifaji’s voice that Leona couldn’t quite recognize. All he knew was that he was suddenly aware of the aged hunch of his back. Where he used to race him through the palace with ease, he was now panting with the efforts to keep up with his long strides.

Leona slowed down a little to let him catch his breath. 

“As the chief chamberlain, I do have the duty to ensure the integrity of anyone affiliated with the royal family. But I’m guessing you’ll do anything to get me off your back, so there’s no point anyways. Plus, if you’re taking out your mother’s rings for them, I suppose there’s no point in doubting your decisions.”

“Good.” Leona’s voice came out quieter than he expected. “I didn’t need you meddling in my business anyways.”

Some guards shot him confused glances when he passed by, but he ignored them. The two of them walked in silence until they arrived at the entrance. The sun had just emerged from the horizon, and was marking the land with a warm tint. 

“I’m glad you found someone, Prince Leona.”

“Yea, yea. I got it,” he waved him back into the palace, but stopped just before he could turn around. “Thank you for escorting me.”

Kifaji froze, then let out a light laugh. 

“That’s what I do.”

—

Securing the rings turned out to be the easy part. The challenge was in how to present them. Whatever plans Leona had been brewing in his head vanished thanks to the mishaps during the festival. By the time he remembered the rings in his pocket, you were already on your way back to the school campus.

Fine. He just had to adapt. He could book an expensive restaurant and do it with a band playing in the background. He could do it unexpectedly, in a totally unsuspecting occasion. He could recruit help from his dorm members to build a fitting venue.

But somehow, he just couldn’t do it. He’d had everything planned out in said restaurant, but he just couldn’t pull out the rings. He’d brought you to the beachside to watch the sun set, but he couldn’t make out the words. He’d prepared time after time what to say, but they never managed to untangle the feelings inside him.

The longer he held it off, the more he felt that it was a bad idea. What if you didn’t like rings, or what if you didn’t like him enough to dedicate yourself to that kind of promise? Even though they weren’t engagement rings, they still had a certain weight to them. Not to mention they were not any rings, but the ones his very mother used and left in his care.

He should really stop ruminating about this whole thing before he brought the rings back to the palace.

A crunch prompted him to look in your direction. You were lazing on his bed, back turned to him as you binge-watched one of those boring reality shows. There was another crunch.

“Are you eating chips?”

You froze in place. The video on your laptop went on, the audience’s laugh piercing the silence. “No?”

“Show me your hands.”

You shifted, and slowly raised them where he could see. There was salt on your thumb and index finger. He moved forward instantly, nevermind the chessboard next to him. After a bit of wrestling, he snatched the packet of chips from your hold.

“I said no eating on the bed!”

“Oh, so now you can eat on your bed but I can’t?” You argued.

“Yea, that’s the point.” He read the favor on the packet before reaching in to grab one for himself. 

“Hypocrite.” You rolled your eyes and held your hand out. As he gave it back, you caught a glimpse of something red on his finger. “Hey, what’s that?”

It was a cut, shallow but precise. It must've happened when he was pulling at the packet. He hadn't even realized it at the moment, but now it was starting to sting a little, with a bit of pink smeared on the flesh around it.

“A papercut,” he shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

“Don’t papercuts sting?” You paused the show and leaned in to check its depth. 

“A bit. I’ll just avoid wetting it.”

���Nah, you should put a bandaid on it.”

“It’s a teeny cut.”

“My point stands.” Seeing as he wasn’t planning to do it himself, you sighed and threw your torso off the bed. "This is why you should never steal my chips, you know."

His steely eyes followed as you reached for the desk, or specifically, the drawer on the bottom, where he’d been keeping the rings. You didn’t seem to notice the addition of the porch to the miscellaneous mess inside, as you soon pulled out an unopened box of bandaids.

“May I have your hand, your majesty?” You gave him the best smolder you could muster, which just looked absurdly humorous. He complied regardless, letting you have your fun. 

“Mm. I’ve never seen a cut this deep in my years of being a healer, your majesty,” you nodded meaningfully and ripped the box open. “I must subject you to the most effective medicine I have here: a magical band-aid.”

“You’re ridiculous.” He said despite stifling a smirk at the name you'd been using on him. 

“And you’re in a life and death situation here, so I prefer that you don’t take this lightly.” You peeled off the seal and lined up the cotton with the wound, acting with a meticulousness that mismatched the insignificance of such a small injury. Strands of hair cascaded down your face, and he pushed them out of your face.

Well, wasn’t it just wonderful to have your attention solely on him. He wouldn’t even have batted an eye at something as trivial as this, but you took it upon yourself to care for him anyways, like you always did.

His gaze fell from your face to the band-aid around his finger. Had he been more distracted, he wouldn’t even have noticed that you’d been working around his ring finger, on his left hand no less. And he knew it wasn’t supposed to mean anything, but as you smiled proudly at your flawless work, he couldn’t help but feel warmth crawl towards his heart. 

It dawned on him then: the only thing more wonderful than having you pamper him over a tiny papercut, was to have you do it for the rest of his life. Even on days when he couldn't care less about himself, to have you look after him all the same. The knowledgedidn't come as a spike of adrenaline or in the form of an epiphany. It felt like a moment of clarity, like the wind's kisses against a wind chime.

“Y’know what this looks like?” He asked as you threw the band-aids back into the drawer. 

“What?”

“A ring.”

You shot him an incredulous look. “It looks like anything but a ring.”

“Touché. It did feel like you were putting one on me though,” he stopped you just before you could shut the drawer, and rummaged through the mess blindly. Finally, his hand grasped something velvety. “To prove my point…”

The light-hearted smile fell from your face as you watched him take the content out. It was a bit ludicrous now, to think that after all the time spent creating the perfect atmosphere, he was just going to basically-propose-to-you on a whim, but there was no moment better than this. The gold weighed like rocks in his hands, but heavier were the words brewing in his chest.

“My mother left me these rings and told me to give one to someone I want to spend my life with,” he gauged your surprised reaction, “And I know it’s still early for us to even think about stuff like this, but I haven’t been this sure of anything for a while, so I gotta say it now. You’re the person I want to grow old with, and this will not change no matter if it's a good day or a bad day. I want to go to sleep and wake up to you every day, and I want you to know that there’s nothing that I want more than to be with you if you'd let me.”

He took your left hand in his, his thumb instinctively running over your skin. “So, would you let me take care of you for the rest of time?”

Your bewildered expression slowly shifted, and your mouth curled into a bright beam. “I say, that sounds like a wonderful future.”

The band fitted around your finger so flawlessly, it could’ve been made with you in mind. You planted a kiss on the ring on his hand, and the gold seemed to glimmer, now coated with not just his mother’s, but also your love. 

As you pulled him close, a gush of warmth seeped into his heart, claiming its spot in the depths of his feelings. Perhaps this was exactly where home was— with your arms wrapped tightly around him. Maybe one day, he could even build a home of his own, rooted in nothing but the certainty you'd given him.

[misshoneyimhome]

➼｡ﾟ Love Me Harder I William Nylander

[Pilot]

Sofie Boch de Lacour's life takes an unexpected twist when she's tasked with organising her ex-fiancé's engagement party, reopening old wounds she believed had healed. At the same time, NHL star William Nylander, under constant scrutiny from the press, considers a bold fake relationship to regain his privacy. As their paths cross, an unforeseen connection develops, challenging everything they thought they knew about love and second chances.

Tropes & Warnings: William Nylander x ofc, fake relationship, no warnings

Author's note: So, this is the pilot chapter of a story I've been working on 😊 I'm not entirely sure yet how long the series will be, but it's been my little off-season project 😉 I'm a bit nervous about posting this, but without further ado, I hope you enjoy it 🌺

Please note: the season in this fic is set in 2024/25. However, I started writing it before the schedule was released, so it's entirely fictional (the schedule is based on the 2022/2023 season) 😉

Word count: 3.5K

➼｡ﾟ

“I’m a motherfucking Starboy.”

Saturday, September 13th 2024

Sofie gazed at herself in the mirror, her eyes resolute. "You can do this," she murmured, attempting to reassure herself. "It’s just another day at work, nothing more." She forced a smile, practising how she’d face him tonight.

Her outfit was flawless: a tight navy blue pencil skirt and a fine white silk blouse, epitomising her professional demeanour. Her make-up was perfectly applied, exuding confidence, and her hair was styled in an elegant French knot.

"You’ve got this!"

___

Sofie Boch de Lacour seemed to have it all - or almost, anyway.

Growing up in a cosy, welcoming home just outside Copenhagen, Denmark, with her parents and three siblings, everything seemed to be just right. There was her older sister, Amelia, a powerhouse in Economics and the epitome of a boss lady. Then there was her older brother, Charlie, a dedicated and ideal family man with his wife, Rosaline, and their two kids. And lastly, there was Nicholas, the youngest, a rising star in ice hockey for the Malmö Redhawks.

Needless to say, the parents were beyond proud, beaming at their accomplished children.

Sofie, however, was a bit different. While she did well in school, she never stood out. Her job as a Booking and Reservations Hostess at the Radisson Hotel was decent, but hardly remarkable, and her free time revolved around a small, loyal circle of friends. In short, her life was perfectly average and nothing extraordinary.

Yet, a part of her yearned for more.

Although Sofie had spent years convincing herself that she was content with her life, a part of her still wanted to stand alongside her siblings on that golden pedestal, and perhaps even start a family of her own someday. But with those achievements seeming distant, she opted instead to travel the world, seeking new horizons and fresh perspectives. So, at the age of 24, after completing her studies in Hospitality and Event Management, she volunteered in underprivileged areas and explored the grandeur of bustling cities and serene countrysides. Along the way, in far-flung corners of the world, she immersed herself in diverse cultures, music, and cuisines, encountering people whose kindness left an indelible mark. And though her journey wasn’t without challenges - unpredictable weather, miscommunication, even some precarious moments - it was all part of her grand adventure.

Towards the end of her travels, during a final stop in Canada, Sofie felt weary and craved the tranquillity of home. Yet, just as she prepared to return, fate intervened, and she crossed paths with Anthony Beaulieu — a successful Canadian in Toronto’s financial district, a few years older, and impeccably dressed as if plucked from a Vogue cover. And drawn to his success and her long-held dreams of a small family, Sofie quickly fell for him. So, within months of casual dating and sharing incredible moments near and far, she boldly decided to relocate to Toronto and live with him.

For three years, Sofie and Anthony built a life together, navigating their careers while creating cherished memories. Sofie secured a role as a Booking and Event Coordinator at the Fairmont Royal Hotel, while Anthony ascended in the world of economics and financial investments, steadily climbing the career ladder. Then, on a balmy summer evening on a beach in Greece’s most romantic setting, Anthony knelt before Sofie with a diamond ring gleaming in his hand and proposed, whisking Sofie into a fairy tale.

It was just too good to be true.

So, naturally, that dream swiftly shattered upon returning to their daily routines, where Anthony's attention gradually shifted towards another woman, claiming they shared more common interests.

And perhaps he was right. Daisy, younger than Sofie and vastly different, craved stability in her homeland, aspiring to a high-end lifestyle and the role of a stay-at-home wife - a stark contrast to Sofie's dedication to hard work and community service. While Sofie found fulfilment in helping others, Daisy revelled in luxury, only concerned with her own well-being.

Sofie naturally didn’t particularly like the woman, but she reminded herself that Daisy was simply a young woman who had faced no real challenges in life, whether financial or otherwise. She was just a woman who fell in love with an engaged man.

Heartbroken, Sofie's engagement ended just six months after the proposal. Despite this, she chose to stay in vibrant Toronto, unwilling to abandon the life she had built. Continuing her job that she enjoyed, she found solace in true friendships and shared a home with Samantha; a friend of a colleague who needed a roommate. Sofie treasured her close-knit circle, finding additional comfort as her younger brother Nicholas seized an opportunity to play hockey in Montreal.

In essence, Sofie's journey persisted. Despite setbacks, she remained steadfast in forging her own path and embracing the life she had carved out for herself.

___

Nearly a year had passed, and a day Sofie could never have anticipated arrived: the day she would be organising an engagement party for her former fiancé and his new partner. Sofie was convinced that Anthony had chosen the Fairmont Royal York Hotel deliberately to spite her, yet he insisted it was all Daisy’s preference. And using his extensive network and familiarity with hotel managers, he ensured his new love’s desires were met.

The situation was a stab to Sofie's heart. Despite having no desire to get back with Anthony and acknowledging that Daisy was indeed a better match for him, the circumstances still cut deep.

Yet, on the day of the event, Sofie maintained her professionalism impeccably. She ensured every detail was flawless, transforming the Ontario room into a scene of elegance with soft lighting and fresh flowers, perfectly capturing the joyous occasion. Her colleagues praised her for her poise and dedication, unaware of the emotional turmoil she was enduring. 

As the guests began to arrive, Sofie then retreated to a quiet corner, observing from afar. She watched Anthony and Daisy socialise with their loved ones, their happiness palpable, while she made sure the event unfolded according to plan.

As the night wore on, Sofie found herself in need of a breath of fresh air. Despite her best efforts to act professionally, a mix of anger, frustration, and hurt still lingered within her. So, stepping outside into the alley behind the hotel, she took a deep breath, the cool evening breeze a welcome relief from the heated atmosphere inside. And absent-mindedly, she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and mentally escaping, completely lost in thought.

Meanwhile, in the Canadian Room, the Toronto MLSE Foundation was hosting their grand start-of-the-season charity event. The room was adorned with elegant decorations, shimmering lights, and lavish flower arrangements, creating an atmosphere of sophistication and celebration. It buzzed with lively conversations and laughter, the clinking of glasses, and the occasional cheer from a successful auction bid. Servers weaved through the crowd, offering trays of gourmet hors d'oeuvres and sparkling champagne, while a live band played smooth jazz in the background, adding to the ambiance of the event.

It was a night where the worlds of sports and charity came together, offering an opportunity for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey players to step off the ice and mingle with distinguished guests and sponsors. Amidst it all, they participated in various games and activities to raise funds for underprivileged communities.

And among the crowd of players, William Nylander was deeply engrossed in a game of air hockey. His focus was intense as he tried to outplay his usual teammate but now opponent Ryan Reaves, but luck wasn't on his side that evening. His teammate Max Domi stood beside him, offering words of encouragement and occasional teasing remarks. And behind them, their friend and teammate Auston Matthews chuckled, enjoying the friendly competition as William faced another frustrating loss.

Looking up from his game, William let out a deep sigh, catching a glimpse of a side door leading to the hallway. The need for a brief escape from the crowded room and relentless socialising tugged at him. "I'll be right back," he told his friends, excusing himself from the table. With a nod from Max and a grin from Auston, William then made his way through the throng of guests, heading towards the door for a moment of solitude.

____

William Nylander was an exceptional hockey player, a key star for the Maple Leafs whose talent earned him praise and attention throughout the 23/24 season. From the Global Series in his hometown of Stockholm to being voted into the All-Star Game in Toronto, William had become a prominent figure in the spotlight. He was even set to feature in an upcoming NHL documentary, which delved behind the scenes of the greatest league in the world - fueling William’s already blazing fame.

Hockey was even a familiar realm from childhood for William. His father, Michael, had been an NHL player, leading the family across North America as he pursued his career. Despite the constant moves, William found his home and forged his own hockey path in Toronto. And one of his greatest dreams came true at the beginning of the year when he finally signed an eight-year contract extension.

However, with great fame comes great responsibility. And in a hockey-mad city like Toronto, media scrutiny could be intense. While the players generally accepted it as part of achieving their NHL dreams, invasive media intrusion into their personal lives - fuelled by social media for views, likes, and comments - was unwelcome. Despite embracing the spotlight most of the time, none of them wanted paparazzi following them or their loved ones with sensationalised stories.

And when William suddenly found his name plastered across headlines, discussing his personal life and speculating about his relationships, it infuriated him. While he appreciated the spotlight for his hockey skills and perhaps a bit for his fashion sense, all he truly desired was recognition for his on-ice performance - as a top player who scored goals and supported his team. He resented people focusing on his health issues or spreading rumours that suggested he only reached the NHL due to his father's influence. And above all, he valued his privacy and wished his personal life to remain just that - private.

___

So, seeking what little freedom he still felt he had, William walked towards the door leading to the alley behind the hotel, lost in thought about the swirling rumours surrounding him potentially appearing on Sweden's 'Ex on the Beach.' His steps were quick and purposeful, each one echoing his frustration, as he pushed the heavy door open with a forceful shove.

"Ouch! Fucking hell!" a female voice exclaimed as the door collided with her. "What the fuck?"

William quickly looked to see a woman rubbing her head where the door had struck her. She glared up at him with a mixture of irritation and pain, her eyes narrowing and her lips pressed into a thin, angry line.

"Excuse you?" Sofie retorted sharply, still simmering with frustration and residual irritation from her ex's engagement party earlier. Her voice carried the sting of someone who had been pushed too far.

Exhausted from the relentless attention at the charity event, William felt a surge of irritation himself. He had no desire to deal with anyone, let alone a potential fan lurking outside. So, letting out a sigh, he stepped fully outside and faced the girl he had accidentally bumped into. His shoulders were tense, his jaw set in a hard line.

"Excuse me? Maybe you shouldn't be blocking the fucking door like that," he scoffed, his tone edged with weariness. "What were you even doing here? Spying on us? Hoping some player would come out and give you an autograph if you hung around long enough?"

Sofie looked at him with a curious expression, her eyebrow arching in disbelief. Who did he think he was? Crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive posture, she exuded defiance.

"First of all, I was just trying to get away from another event, and I didn’t realise I was standing in front of a door... And second, I'm not some crazy fan snooping around for a stupid autograph. Do you think you're rock stars or something?" Sofie half-laughed with a snort, a hint of contempt in her voice. Her eyes sparkled with a mix of anger and amusement, daring him to contradict her.

William was slightly taken aback. Part of him felt a small relief that she wasn’t another groupie looking to hook up with hockey players, yet he couldn’t help but be offended by her audacity to speak to him like that. Exhaustion mixed with prickling irritation, he let out another sigh.

"Well, sorry then," he muttered.

"What was that?" Sofie asked, feeling slightly irked by his dismissive tone.

"I said sorry, alright," he repeated, a touch louder and with a hint of impatience. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, a physical manifestation of his struggle to keep his temper in check.

"Well, I suppose that wasn’t so hard," Sofie retorted.

Normally, at this level of exhaustion, William would let it go, not wanting any confrontation at the moment. But her remarks struck a nerve, and he couldn’t let them slide. So, he squared his shoulders, meeting her gaze head-on.

"And what about you, then?" he responded, looking at her seriously.

"What about me?" Sofie shot back, her stance shifting slightly, as if bracing for a verbal duel.

"Shouldn’t you say you’re sorry? For standing in the way," he challenged.

Sofie raised an eyebrow and spoke mockingly, "Oh, I’m sorry, was I in your way, starboy? Oh, you’re right, I am so, so sorry," her tone dripping with sarcasm, each word a barb aimed at his ego.

And with a small huff, Sofie then turned on her heel and headed back inside, her steps deliberate and confident, leaving the self-important hockey player behind her.

William let out a huff as well, thinking she was full of herself and rolling his eyes at Sofie's departure. Then, taking a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, he savoured the moment for just a few seconds before returning to the evening's event. He simply tried to shake off the encounter and focus on getting through the rest of the night, yet the memory of her defiant eyes lingered in his mind.

___

Wednesday, October 9th

"Come on, man, let it go!" Alex's voice echoed in Swedish through the condo as he sprawled on the sofa, his feet propped up on the coffee table. "And stop reading that stuff... it's not doing you any good, believe me."

William lounged beside his brother, the setting sun casting warm tones across his spacious 28th-floor condo. He sighed deeply, his frustration evident. Yet another day brought intrusive articles delving into his personal life instead of celebrating his hockey skills. The media's relentless focus on his relationships, or lack thereof, irritated him like an insistent itch he couldn’t ignore.

"I know, I know," William responded wearily. "But it's everywhere, Alex. I can't avoid it. Every time I check my phone, there's another headline speculating about who I'm seeing or what I'm up to."

Alex Nylander, William’s younger brother and trusted confidant, understood the toll the media scrutiny was taking on William. Despite being a slightly less prominent hockey player himself, playing for the Toronto Marlies as of this season, and not receiving as much media attention, Alex had seen firsthand how fame could invade personal privacy.

"Yeah, it's tough," Alex acknowledged, glancing at his brother with a sympathetic expression. "But you can't let it get to you. They’ll always be looking for something to write about."

William exhaled heavily once more. "I know, I just can’t," he admitted. "Shit, if only I could do something to get them to stop writing about this stuff and let me focus on hockey. Why does it even matter if I see a new girl every week? Just because I have the option to hook up with anyone I want."

Alex chuckled knowingly. "Yeah, man, they're always on the lookout for the next juicy story."

William pondered Alex's words, his gaze drifting to the old framed photo of him lifting a championship trophy when he was just 12 years old. "Yeah, but it's exhausting," he confessed wearily. "I just want to play hockey."

Alex noticed his brother pause for a moment before a mischievous idea sparked in his tone. "Hey, why don’t you just say that you’re in a relationship? Tell them you’re off the market, then they won’t have anything to write about."

William considered the suggestion, remembering the backlash from previous encounters with media scrutiny. "Hmm, yeah - but then they’ll start asking questions… like who she is and all that. Remember what happened with that blonde girl last year?"

“Ah yeah, and then she couldn't wait to get her name everywhere…” Alex recalled with a disappointed grin. Another deep sigh escaped William's lips, his thoughts momentarily distracted by the sound of his dogs padding across the hardwood floor. Then during the brief silence, Alex seized the opportunity with a playful suggestion. "What if you just find someone - anyone really - and, I don't know, pretend to be in a relationship, like strike a deal with her? Then it won’t matter what they ask about. You just say that you’re in a relationship with this girl and she’ll agree - end of discussion."

William chuckled at the audacity of the idea, a slight smile appearing on his face. "What, like fake dating? That’s wild, man."

"Come on, bro, you know, like celebrities do all the time when they're tired of rumours and stalkers. They just pretend to be in a serious relationship to shut down the fake news," Alex explained.

William pondered the unconventional strategy, glancing over at his two beloved doodles lounging beside him on the sofa. The concept of a fake relationship seemed strange at first, yet oddly appealing. Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad plan after all. He could use a break from the relentless media poking. And maybe - just maybe - telling everyone he was taken would finally shut them up.

But then his mind churned with possibilities and concerns. Who could he trust enough to play such a significant role in his life, even if it was all just for show? He needed someone reliable, someone who could convincingly act as his partner in front of the cameras and, more importantly, someone who wouldn’t complicate his life further.

As he contemplated, William felt the weight of his decisions pressing down on him. "It might actually work," he murmured. "I just need to figure out who would be the right person for this."

____

Thursday, October 10th

Sofie’s heels reverberated through the lavish corridors of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, their sound muted against the polished marble floors that gleamed under the shimmering light of crystal chandeliers. The hotel's grandeur never ceased to impress her, from its lofty ceilings adorned with intricate mouldings to walls adorned with timeless artwork.

However, today, the splendour of the hotel felt less significant as Sofie made her way to her manager Cynthia Moore's office - a summons that typically heralded new challenges or demanding events. Or worse…

Pausing to gather herself, Sofie smoothed the fabric of her navy pencil skirt before lightly tapping on the door.

"Come in," Cynthia’s voice called out from inside. Sofie entered, immediately sensing a hint of tension in Cynthia’s demeanour as she looked up from her impeccably organised desk. With a graceful gesture, Cynthia invited Sofie to take a seat, her expression a blend of empathy and determined professionalism.

"Sofie, thank you for coming in at such short notice," she began, her tone gentle as she folded her hands on the desk. "So, as you may have guessed, I have a special assignment for you."

Sofie nodded with a smile, studying her manager with interest. "Of course, Cynthia. What can I do for you?" she asked, her voice steady yet tinged with curiosity.

Cynthia paused briefly, collecting her thoughts before continuing. "It involves an upcoming wedding we’re hosting here at the hotel. The client has specifically requested that you oversee the event. The entire event."

Sofie's brow furrowed in genuine surprise. "Me? But I mostly handle bookings and corporate events. I don't have much experience with weddings."

"I know," Cynthia acknowledged with a hint of regret, her gaze steady as it met Sofie's. "But this client has insisted on your involvement. And... this could be a significant opportunity for you, Sofie - an opportunity to broaden your skill set, enhance your resume, and potentially earn additional bonuses." Her expression softened momentarily, a hint of admiration in her eyes. "While I'll miss having you on my team, I want to see you grow and seize every opportunity in your career."

Sofie absorbed Cynthia’s words, contemplating the implications of this unexpected turn. Despite her uncertainty, she found comfort in Cynthia's unwavering support and belief in her capabilities.

"Well, I'm always up for new challenges," Sofie responded with a genuine smile, though a touch of apprehension lingered in her eyes. "Just one question - whose wedding are we planning?"

Cynthia took a deep breath. "It’s... Anthony Beaulieu’s wedding."

Sofie's heart sank. “Oh, fuck…”

[dragonfirerogue-writes]

is it ok if i request a gn reader x wednesday? maybe slow dancing or just swaying with her :]]? or maybe whatever scenario you prefer with a gn reader similar to howl pendragon ur pick :> i love ur work btwwww

Thaaanks 💜

Wednesday x gn!reader

If she didn't enjoy it so much, lugging around her cello would be the last thing she would do. Especially without Thing's assistance. But Wednesday found the instrument to be therapeutic. Much more so than her actual so-called therapist.

Managing to make it out of the window, Wednesday finally sets up and prepares to play. Taking a deep breath, her posture straightens even more than usual and she brings her bow up to the strings. She's just about to start when a shadow distracts her. She looks up and sees you, floating up to her balcony with an infuriating grin on your face.

"Ah, my shadow. Preparing to fill the air with a haunting melody?" You ask as you land next to her.

Why you chose to pester her was beyond Wednesday's comprehension. She knew of your reputation as a womanizer. Many people, i.e Enid, warned her about your habit of breaking hearts. But she didn't care. She didn't have a heart to break and your skills were useful to her. Might as well use you if you intended to do the same to her.

"Perhaps if you didn't interrupt me, I would be, L/N." The goth watches as you prop yourself on the balcony railing.

"Don't let me stop you, dark love. Whether I'm here or not, I'll enjoy it regardless."

"Yes, because I play specifically for you." Her voice was dripping in sarcasm. You only let out a soft chuckle in reply. This back and forth was fun for you and you genuinely enjoyed it. There weren't many who resisted your charms and yet here she was. You have long since stopped trying to overtly flirt with the goth girl. You knew it wasn't going to work at all anyway. But you still held an interest in her, even if it just ends up platonic.

After some quiet, Wednesday took it as a signal that she could start playing. Soon enough, the crooning notes of the cello filled the night air. You close your eyes and let the music fill your senses. With the instrument this close, you could feel its vibrations fly into the air. It was captivating.

When your eyes open again, they watch the petite girl play. She ebbs and flows with each note as it sways and bends. This was a song that she didn't need her sheet music for. In a rare instance of vulnerability, dark eyes are closed so music can be felt. The look enchants you more than any spell you could ever cast. In a bout of inspiration, you begin to dance.

At first, your light steps could be heard in time with the music as they alight on the stone balcony. Light scuffs and scrapes of your footwear accent each measure Wednesday plays. Your arms wave about, summoning sparks and light to enhance your moves, even if it was for your own delight. Wednesday didn't have to open her eyes to see. The light was seen behind eyelids and sounds of steps matched the beats.

Until it couldn't be heard anymore.

Curious, Wednesday opens her eyes to see you in the air once more, letting the music literally lift you. The moonlight makes your skin and hair glow, making her wonder if you magicked that effect as well. Even distracted, her music was flawless. Even entranced, you took your opportunity.

The goth girl jumps back in surprise as her cello spins and begins to play itself, continuing the melody she was just playing. Knowing who was behind the trick, she looks up at you only to see your hand outstretched towards her.

"May I have this dance?"

Without waiting for an answer, you take her hand and lift her into the air and into your arms. You immediately begin to spin in time to an easy waltz, letting Wednesday become accustomed to being afloat.

"Trust me," you tell her. "I would never let you fall."

As soon as Wednesday gets used to floating, you allow the dance to become more intricate. You lead the dance all around the area using your magic to create trails of light as your feet move.

This was a new experience for Wednesday. While the whole romanticism of the situation made her sick, the feeling of floating was an experience unlike any other. Especially while dancing. Perhaps keeping this wizard around may lead to even more such experiences.

The song begins to end as you lead the two of you back to the balcony. You end the dance by pulling away from your frame and bowing to your partner.

"Apologies for pulling you around like that. I got swept up in the magic of it all."

Wednesday stares at your bent form before saying, "it wasn't.... Entirely unpleasant." You beam at that. "Certainly a new experience, dancing on air. The only other time that happened, I was possessed." A surprised chuckle left your mouth.

"Well, I'm glad I could give you a new experience. Hope we have the chance again, to dance together." You step closer to the girl and for once, she doesn't step back. "I should leave before I'm caught past curfew. Until tomorrow, my dark shadow." You bow again but this time, you reach for one of Wednesday's pigtails and lay a kiss on the end. With a smile, you leap into the railing and make your way to your room, skipping through the air as if on a solid path.

Wednesday watches, fascinated by how magic works for you. Though she'll deny til her dying breath that her heart didn't skip just a little bit at your goodbye. With a sigh, she turns away and packs up her cello. Maybe she could've had you help before you left.

[spoopydooblr]

My King Will Be Kind Chapter 12 / Kendall Roy x OC

an: look at me writing! wow! anyways...enjoy! inbox is open and i would love to hear what you think!

tw: smut- oral f receiving, cursing, mentions of infertility, mentions of death, the funeral ep basically

Violin music soared, the funeral starting.  Stella watched as Kendall and his siblings (and Greg, for some reason) walked down the aisle behind Logan's casket.  Her gaze burned into the back of Kendall's head as he passed her.  She didn't know how to feel, really.  Kendall never led on that he had a problem.  It wasn't like he was lying to her, but he was keeping some of the truth away.  They told each other everything, or so she thought.  

It seemed like such an important detail to leave out, but at the same time, when would he have told her?  They hadn't talked about kids yet, and maybe that was why.

Still, he kept something big from her.  Really big.  

And the fact that she had to find out from his mother.  Stella was so embarrassed.  Unfortunately, Kendall was probably having a much worse time than her.  

At the front of the Cathedral, a tall old man got up to speak.  Kendall, Greg and the sibs attempted to stop him, but he made it to the podium.

The man introduced himself as Ewen, Logan's brother.  His speech took digs at the family, which was kind of funny to her, but sad, as her family would never speak to each other like that.  Not that they were perfect, because they weren't.  Stella remembered her invitation to Kendall.  Was he still going to come to Christmas?  It really wasn't appropriate now, but the holiday wasn't for another month and things could change.  Hopefully, Mencken would lose the election and Kendall would stop the GoJo deal.  

"Godspeed, my brother.  And God bless."

Ewen finished his speech, his harsh words leaving a sting over the funeral guests.  

Next up was Roman, who barely made it up to the podium.  Stella cringed.  It was not looking good for the eulogy.  A part of her wanted to judge him, as her speech at her own father's funeral was almost flawless.  The Roy's got their father for longer than she did.  It wasn't fair.  Stella felt herself growing resentful.  Everyone was grieving around her for a man who was probably better off dead.  And everything happening with the election...

Roman broke down, unable to say what he had written on the cards in his shaky hands.  He motioned to his siblings and they joined him at the podium.  She could hear Roman's whimpers echo throughout the chapel as people started to whisper around her.  

From across the aisle, Stella heard a dissatisfied humph.  She turned, making eye contact with the literal Jeryd Mencken.  Knowing a pretty girl was looking at him, he shot her a crazy smile, flashing what probably were veneers.  Stella's heart skipped a beat and she turned back, focusing on the scene in front of her.  First she had to see Kendall, who she was still mad at, then his siblings, who were still iffy on her, then his mother, who spilled one of Kendall's biggest secrets, now this? 

Before she could process any more of the absolute shit situation she was in, Kendall's voice boomed over the microphone.  

"Um.  Just bear with me a second, please."  He approached the podium with Roman's cards in his hands, while Roman sat down.  The eulogy was now Kendall's responsibility.  

Stella sucked in a deep breath.  This could go a few different ways, from the information she had gathered about Kendall the last months they were together.  He didn't bomb a speech often, but it was definitely possible, given the circumstances.  Especially with Lukas and Mencken there, Kendall was under a ton of stress.  

He mumbled more, taking a pen and writing some notes.  He started, taking some of what Logan's brother said and making it better.  As always, the pressure just made Kendall better, more sharp. It was his fucking father's funeral and he was putting on a performance.  Stella looked around, but still, she couldn't see Rava or their kids.  Maybe they bailed.

"The will to be, and to be seen, and to do. And now people might want to tend and prune the memory of him to denigrate that force. That magnificent, awful force of him, but my God, I hope it's in me." 

She knew it was in him.  There was no one else fit for the job but Kendall.  From her place at the back of the chapel, she swore he said the last line to her.  Kendall spent so much time convincing everyone that it was him, but he never had to convince her.  She knew from the moment they met that he could do it.

"He was comfortable with this world. And he knew it. He knew it and he liked it. And I say amen to that."  Kendall finished, applause echoing through the pews.  

Stella was proud of him.  Even through all of the shit, she was immensely proud of what he did.  

Shiv got up next, delivering a sad speech about her relationship with Logan and his issues with women.  Stella noticed Caroline sitting with a group of women at the front of the chapel.  She recognized Kerry, too, from Kendall's stories.  He was notorious for keeping her up at night, explaining the latest Roy drama.  The front row must have been Logan's conquests.  Stella shuddered, realizing that could be her at Kendall's funeral.  Hopefully he wouldn't replace her with a newer, sexier model every few years.  

The chapel clapped for Shiv, who shed a few tasteful tears.  

--------------------------------

Stella walked down the aisle, staying back so she would have time to talk to Kendall.  He was saying his goodbyes before they went to the burial with the rest of the Sibs.  

Kendall locked eyes with her and motioned for Stella to come.  She breathed s sigh of relief.

"Hi."  She mumbled, unsure of what to say.

"Hey."  He kind of smiled at her, probably relieved everything was over.

"That was...that was good, Ken."

"Uh, thank you."  

He reached for her, grabbing the cuffs of her jacket slightly and pulling her into him.

She returned the hug as carefully as she could. 

"I'm glad you came."

"Me too."

He looked up at her, tears forming in his eyes.  "Rava and the kids..."

"I know."  She said.

"Jess quit on me."

That, she wasn't expecting.  "What?"

He shook his head.  "I'll tell you about it later."

Stella nodded, her hands still on his shoulders and his locked around her waist.

"Um, have fun at the burial, I guess."

"Yeah, yeah, uh, I will."

"I'll see you, um, later, I guess."

"Yeah. Yeah."

Stella really didn't know if she would see him 'later'.  There was a protest to go to and if Kendall got word she was there...she would never hear the end of it.

------------------------------------------------

It was close to 6 AM when he knocked on her door.

"Where the fuck were you tonight?"  Kendall stormed in, scaring Stella's dog.

"Why?"  She shot back, tired of him micromanaging every little thing she did.  Who cares what she did?  

"You were at the fucking protest!"  

"Well we're clearly keeping secrets now, so I thought it would be fine."

She knew that would hit him hard.  "You could've gotten killed!  Or arrested!"  He chose to ignore what she said, even though it hurt.  

"How did you know I was there?  Are you stalking me?"

"Rome saw you!"

"Roman was at the protest?"

"No, uh, well, he was, but--"  He stopped.  "It doesn't fucking matter who saw you."

"You're just mad you couldn't pick out my outfit."

"Watch it."  His hand balled into a fist.  

"I'm almost fucking 30, Kendall.  And there wouldn't be a protest if you didn't call the election!"

"It was for the deal!  Don't you understand how important that is to me?  To us?"  He moved closer to her, pupils blown.  

"Well now that's fucked, isn't it?"  She got close to his face.  "It was all for nothing."

"We're going to block the deal, Mencken or not."

"You sure, Ken?"

"I'm sure."  He breathed.  "It's gonna be me."

"It's gonna be you?"  Her limbs felt like they were on fire.

Kendall smashed his lips to hers, biting down on her bottom lip.

"Ah..."  She moaned.  "I hate you."

"No you don't."  He mumbled, attaching his lips to her neck.  

"I--"  His hand flew under the waistband of her sweatpants and her breath hitched.  "Fuck."

He was rough with his other hand, pulling at her shirt and reaching up to cup her boob.  His fingers ran over her nipple as his other hand worked on her clit.  

"So fucking wet."  He mumbled into her neck.  

He lifted her up, her exposed legs hitting the cold kitchen counter.  His hands fiddled with her underwear, pulling it down off her legs.  Stella groaned as his lips nipped at her thighs, tongue dancing across her flesh.  

"Prettiest pussy..."  He dove in, "in the city..."

His tongue lapped at her clit, his hands kneading her thighs roughly.  They were both pissed at each other, but the love was too strong.  No matter the circumstances, life apart was too painful.  They were connected forever.

Stella hissed when his fingers entered her.  "Fuck, Ken."  He immediately curled them upwards, hitting a deep spot within her.  Her legs kicked, trying to find purchase against his shoulders.  The pleasure was so intense she couldn't stay sitting up, and her back arched against the tiny counter.

"Ahh, pretty girl."  He hummed, the pace of his fingers not letting up.  He sucked at her thighs, definitely leaving deep, purple marks.

"Oh God..."  She gulped, legs already shaking.  Her face reddened, the knot in her stomach embarrassingly tightened.  The Election had him so busy lately, she was touch starved.

The events of the last few days rolled like a movie in her mind.  Kendall was just trying to distract her from what had happened.  Sure, he had saved Roman's ass that day at the funeral, but that wasn't enough to forget what he did on Election night.  

"Ken."  She wiggled.

"Mmm."  He said, practically worshipping her core.  His hands clamped down on her thighs.

"Ken.  Seriously."  Stella sat up, her hands pushing his shoulders away from her.  

"What?"  He looked genuinely sad to be away from her pussy.

"I'm not...I'm not doing this with you."  She slid off the counter and grabbed her sweatpants from the floor.  

"You can't just eat my pussy to make me forget."

"I can try?"  He smiled sideways.  Stella's eyes darted to his pants, where she could see how hard he was.  

"We need to talk about what happened."

"They're gonna do recounts, it's not Mencken for sure--"

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Kendall's face fell.  Stella could practically hear him deflate.  "Oh."

"I'm not mad, I just--"

He slid to the floor.  She followed, afraid to touch him, but also still too upset to give him comfort.

They were silent for a little, Stella trying to find the right words.  She didn't know really anyone who struggled with infertility.

"When did you find out?"  She said.

"Uh."  He scratched his face.  "I was twenty-five."  

Stella was shocked at how young he was. "Oh."

"I just...I'm gonna be honest I--"  his voice cracked.  She had only ever seen him like this right after Logan died. "I was a dumb kid...I never used condoms, but--but I always got lucky.  Every time."

"But uh, when Rava and I got married I got tested, and uh, it wasn't good."

She was silent, still.

"He's uh, he's not mine.  Iverson."

"You're still his Dad, Ken."  Stella's heart broke at his admission.

"We tried everything.  But uh,"  he cleared his throat and wiped his eyes.  "Yeah.  No fucking dice."

"I'm sorry."  She yearned to touch him, but she couldn't.  

"Me too.  My Dad, he always held it over me."

"You didn't deserve that."

"Sometimes..."  He started, "Sometimes I think I do deserve it."

[cerealmonster15]

Kalim and the Great Relationship Rescue [Twst] [Kalisil + Jamiazu]

Chapter: 4/? [Start ch1 here!]

[Ao3 Link]

Chapter Word Count: 3918

Chapter Summary: Kalim and the other second years put their heads together, and Silver gets some... Advice?

[See Ao3 for additional notes and tags!]

The perfect time to plan a party in secret from two specific guests was, in fact, when said two guests were conveniently still being held after class on cleanup duty. Time was not to be wasted, and soon enough, Kalim herded his fellow second years into his bedroom where they could brainstorm. Riddle took it upon himself to take notes for the meeting the moment they arrived - something that Floyd and Ruggie chose to tease him for immediately. Of course.

“Hey, why do you gotta be so serious ‘n formal about party planning?” Floyd asked as he made himself comfortable and flopped down stomach-first onto Kalim’s bed. “We’re literally just gonna hang out, right?”

“Are you seriously asking me that?” Riddle huffed, using all of his willpower to prevent himself from immediately exploding on the spot the very second Floyd started talking to him. He took a deep breath, and sat down on one of the floor cushions. “We at Heartslabyul are known for our traditionally held unbirthday parties. Obviously it is my duty to make sure this one gets planned thoughtfully and efficiently!”

Ruggie snickered and dropped onto a pillow beside Riddle, grinning up at Floyd. “Didja you really expect anything less from Mister Hard Worker over here?”

Kalim landed beside Floyd on the bed. “Thanks, Riddle! I’ve never been super great at taking notes… Oh, but having the two of us team up with our party planning experiences for Heartslabyul and Scarabia is sure to make this party perfect!”

Jade smiled and chose to sit on Riddle’s other side, leaning over to peer at his notebook. “Ah, yes. Flawless, I’m sure.”

Riddle narrowed his eyes at Jade, but made no comment. For now.

Silver found another unoccupied seating pillow and quietly joined in on the little circle that was forming on the floor near Kalim’s bed.

“So, anyway, what kind of party are we talking, here?” Ruggie asked. “And more importantly, what kind of food are you gonna have?”

“Oh, well, usually Jamil makes the food for our parties at Scarabia…” Kalim responded. “I don’t think we can ask him to cook for his own food, can we?”

“Definitely not,” Riddle said with a sigh and a shake of his head.

Ruggie snickered again. “Hey, that’s nothing our helpful Heartslabyul team can’t handle, right? You’re all so good at making party food with Trey Clover on your side.”

“Excuse m- Now just when did I agree to have my boys take up all of the cooking labor?” Riddle scowled at Ruggie’s scheming grin. “Trey and the others already have their hands full with upcoming unbirthday parties. Just what sort of leader do you take me for that I’d overload them with excess work for someone else’s party?”

“Aw, c’mon! What better way to cheer up a couple of heartachers than some good old-fashioned pastries?”

Even Riddle couldn't deny the apparent emotional healing properties of a good pastry baked by one of his very best friends, but he wasn’t going to just offer up Trey’s labor willy-nilly!

“No, no, that’s alright!” Kalim said, sitting up and shaking his head. He still had to keep his promise to Jamil when it came to food, after all. “Actually, maybe we could all make the food together? Like you and I did that one time for that one party, remember, Ruggie?”

Ruggie sighed. “I was kinda hoping for more of a free lunch…” he mumbled, earning him another frown from Riddle beside him. 

“...I’ll write down a few options to consider,” Riddle sighed, “and we’ll come back to that matter later. I’d say we have some more important matters to address before we even begin planning food, anyway.”

“Decorations?” Kalim asked. “Ooh, good point! Do you think they’d like it if we-?”

“No,” Riddle cut him off sternly, “not decorations, not food, not music- before we handle ANY of that, we need to be sure that a party is even going to happen in the first place. To which I mean more plainly: How can you be so sure that Jamil and Azul would AGREE to come to a party when the other is present as well?”

The room went quiet. That really was the million dollar question, wasn’t it? They could try to conveniently leave out the details of each boy’s ex-boyfriend being a key invitee to the party, but with Kalim’s honesty and earnestness at the front of this operation, there was no way such a plan would last long. After all, this was NRC they were talking about. People barely got along with their friends that they hung out with on purpose!

Just as they started to wonder if perhaps the plan was dead before it could begin, Jade spoke up.

“Might I offer a suggestion?” He asked, pointy teeth seeming exceptionally prominent as he smiled at the group.

Floyd caught Jade’s eye and snickered, no doubt expecting a nefarious plot or perhaps a scheme of some sort to come from his brother. 

“Sure!” Kalim responded. “What are you thinking, Jade?”

“Oh, don’t worry yourself with the details,” Jade said, “just make sure you take Jamil out on a little nature walk with you tomorrow morning. I will send you the location information.”

…

“...Is that it?” Riddle asked, scowl reforming on his face. “What happens when they arrive?”

“Do not worry about it.”

“I am already worrying about it, Jade.”

“I’m not worried,” Kalim piped up with his ever-eager smile. “I trust you must have something really solid planned if that’s all you need from me, Jade!”

Jade nodded. “Yes, exactly. I will handle everything from there, in regards to both Jamil and Azul.”

“Perhaps you could stand to worry a little more, Kalim!” Riddle protested, only to be cut off by Ruggie’s laughter.

“Hey, I mean, it doesn’t sound like any of the rest of us have any bright ideas, right?” He said, leaning his arm onto Riddle’s shoulder. “Besides, I kinda wanna see where he goes with it. I mean, no one knows Azul better than the twins, yeah? Best to let just let Jade navigate these ticking timebombs if we don't want a repeat of today’s lab incident.”

Riddle was NOT convinced that either of the twins would actually ever be helpful on purpose, but since Ruggie had a point that neither he nor anyone else had better plans, he relented. For now.

“Would you like any help?” Silver asked.

“Oh, my,” Jade turned his gaze towards Silver. “I’d nearly forgotten you were here, Silver. You’ve been so quiet. Have you been brainstorming this entire time?”

Silver glanced at the floor, then back up at Jade. “I’ve been trying to think up additional solutions, but I’m afraid I haven’t thought of anything very useful. I feel bad for not contributing, though, so please allow me to offer whatever help I can give to your plan.”

Jade’s grin widened. “Yes, that would actually be perfect. Another party besides myself would make everything less suspicious- I mean, create a much needed friendly atmosphere. I’ll send you the details as well.”

 Silver felt a surprising sense of relief from Jade’s agreement to let him help, but couldn’t quite place the origin of the feeling. He decided not to question it, however, as they still had the rest of the party to plan.

Jade’s vague and ominous plotting aside, the rest of the afternoon was spent with what Kalim deemed the “fun” parts of party planning. They all discussed food, music, games, location, decorations… There was plenty of arguing during this part of the planning stage, which surely meant for a lively upcoming event. 

“Man, I gotta say,” Ruggie flopped down onto his back while the group continued their discussions. “It’s kinda nuts how much Azul and Jamil have 180ed- again. First they hate each other, then they're all over each other, now they hate each other again? Like, c’mon- make up your minds already!”

“Hehe, yeah,” Floyd chimed in. “Sea Snakey used to complain aaaaalll the time ‘bout Azul anytime someone brought him up during basketball practice. Then suddenly they came home from that Fleur City trip all hand-holdy. I mean, Sea Snakey still complained about him, but sometimes he’d smile all dumb about it when he thought no one was lookin’.”

“Mm, yes, it was rather surprising,” Jade added. “Unfortunately, Azul decided he did not wish to share the details with neither Floyd nor with me, so it has remained a mystery as to how those two came together, seeing as we  were not so lucky as to attend the trip with you all.”

“Which is crazy, considerin’ how much Azul loves to brag,” Floyd added.

Kalim let out a loud and dramatic sigh. “Same here! Jamil didn’t wanna give me ANY details about him and Azul, and I had SO many questions!”

This earned a snicker out of Ruggie. “Well, lucky for you three that the rest of us were around during that one magical weekend where our couple of honor finally came together.”

Kalim’s eyes lit up. “Wait, really!? You saw what happened?” He looked from Ruggie, to Riddle, then to Silver. “Please, you’ve gotta tell us everything! Jamil’s too shy, and it could be good information to help us get them back together if we know how it worked the first time!”

Okay, maybe Kalim just really REALLY wanted to know the gossip, but who could really blame him? Certainly not the twins, who were equally if not more nosy about the situation.

“Oh, yes, do tell,” Jade said, unable to conceal the devilishly intrigued look on his face. Not that he was really trying to hide it, anyway.

“Hmm,” Silver mumbled, deep in thought as he furrowed his brows ever so slightly and concentrated hard on trying to remember the events of the masquerade weekend trip. “Well, they did dance together quite a bit during the festivities, and again during the final ball.”

“MULTIPLE times?!” Kalim exclaimed. “Jamil only told me they danced together, but he was so vague about when, or where, or how!”

“Oh, I can say for sure that they were DEFINITELY together by the end of the final ball,” Ruggie chimed in, a grin forming on his face yet again and sat back up and nudged Riddle beside him with his elbow. “You remember, don’tcha, Riddle?”

Riddle’s face turned bright red, and he turned away from Ruggie’s teasing. “H-Hardly!”

“Oooh, Goldfishy’s all red!” Floyd locked in on Riddle Teasing Time, turning to flash a grin at him. “Spill the beans!”

“Well, we all had to share rooms when we got there,” Ruggie continued, despite Riddle’s looks of protest. “I was roomin’ with Jamil, and Riddle here shared a room with Azul. When things were winding down during the big party, Riddle and I were gonna go back to the rooms for a bit, and wouldn’t you guess who we walked in on-”

“Ruggie!” Riddle screeched. “That’s enough!”

“Oh,” Silver said, “So that’s where they went. I noticed I hadn’t seen them for a while near the end of the dance.”

“Oooh, Goldfishy and Suckerfish walked in on something exciting?”

“My, my…” Jade once again made no attempts to hide his grin, “how very scandalous of you both.”

“Wh- I-” Riddle sputtered.  “They were only kissing! Just what kind of person do you take me for?!”

Floyd fell backwards onto the bed in a fit of laughter. 

“Aww,” Kalim smiled, “that’s so sweet!”

Silver nodded in agreement.

Ruggie snickered again. “Yeah, we figured it would be easier if we just swapped roomies for the rest of the night. Had to give those new lovebirds their privacy, y’know?”

“That’s rather touching,” Jade said, locking his gaze onto the very flustered Riddle beside him. “However, I just can’t help but wonder… What were the two of you doing back at the rooms so early, together?”

Riddle immediately stood up before anyone else could interject, his face now a vibrant shade of scarlet. “THIS PLANNING SESSION HAS ENDED! WE ARE DONE HERE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

-

Silver made his way back to Diasomnia once he and his fellow second years cleared out of Kalim’s room, the party planning having come to its abrupt end. He was glad that all their friends could come together and find a solution - more or less - for their party problem, but he couldn’t shake that nagging feeling that still lingered in the back of his head. The quiet distress he’d felt as he struggled to come up with any helpful plan to get Jamil and Azul to agree to the party, along with the relief he felt after Jade accepted Silver’s offer to help with his plan… They had to mean something, but Silver couldn’t quite place the reason for such feelings. 

Thankfully, Sebek was there to knock Silver’s train of thought back into place with the sound of his booming voice.

“SILVER!” He shouted, “You’re nearly late for our scheduled practice time!”

“Don’t yell inside, Sebek,” Silver said, unfazed by Sebek’s boisterous and sudden appearance. “I just got caught up with something with the others at Kalim’s. I’m here, so we can get started.”

“Hmph! A moment longer and I would’ve gone and hunted you down myself!”

The two headed outside and approached their regular training space. After a few minutes of warm up stretches, they readied their swords and got into their sparring stances.

“Look alive, Silver!” Sebek shouted yet again. “For I intend to best you at every match today!”

“Do your best, Sebek,” Silver responded. “I don’t intend to hold back, either.”

3… 2… 1…

Their swords clanged together in an instant, and the two locked their focus on their opponent in front of them. For a few moments, they were silent, the only sounds coming from either of them being the clashing of metal and heavy breathing. They were focused, steady, in sync…

Until they weren’t. Mere moments later, Silver’s sword clattered to the ground after a swift blow from Sebek.

Sebek did not look pleased by this victory.

“SILVER!” He shouted yet again. “WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

Silver blinked, caught off guard by his own slip up. “...Oh, sorry,” he said, bending down to retrieve his sword. “Let’s start again-” “No!” Sebek knocked Silver’s sword back onto the ground before Silver could get a firm grasp on it. “See?! You dropped it too easily- Again! What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you not putting forth your best effort for this sparring match - like you should be EVERY time? Do you think that just because you are EVER SO SLIGHTLY older than me that you can get away with PATRONIZING me?!”

“Sebek, calm down,” Silver stood up and sighed. “I suppose I wasn’t focused.”

“Well,” Sebek huffed, “why NOT?!”

Silver paused.

“...I don’t know.”

…

…

…

“ARE YOU MESSING WITH ME RIGHT NOW?!”

Silver sheathed his sword and shook his head. “No, Sebek... I just haven’t really thought about it until now. I didn’t realize I was distracted until my sword hit the ground.”

“Well, out with it, then!” Sebek demanded. “What is it that could be distracting you SO MUCH that you can’t focus on our training?! I would say that it better be important, but I’ll have you know that NOTHING is more important than proper training as a guard for Lord Malleus, so I don’t even know if this is worth asking about in the first place!”

Regardless of how uninviting that statement from Sebek was, Silver continued. “I was thinking about Kalim. He’s been stressed lately, and it’s really not like him.”

“Kalim? As in, Scarabia’s housewarden, Kalim?” Sebek took a temporary break from scowling to put on a more puzzled expression. “He does not seem like the sort to be troubled by most things in life… Wait, you’re not fabricating lies just to excuse your sloppy swordsmanship, are you!?”

The scowl was back as quickly as it had gone.

“I’m not making anything up,” Silver continued. “Kalim is worried about Jamil and Azul, and a few of us have come together to try and help them out. We’re trying to see if we can throw a party to help them get back together after their breakup.”

“Why should you waste your time on a foolishly fleeting human courtship?!” Sebek huffed. “And furthermore, now is NOT the time for you to brainstorm your silly little plans!”

“Oh, I wasn’t brainstorming just now,” Silver clarified. “I was actually only thinking about Kalim this time.”

A thought that both surprised Silver as he spoke it aloud, and infuriated Sebek even further - if such a thing was even possible at this rate.

“...WELL THEN WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT KALIM FOR IF NOT YOUR AFOREMENTIONED DILEMMA?!”

“...I’m not sure. I just keep getting these strange feelings in the back of my mind, but I can’t figure out what they mean. It’s like… I’m worried, but I don’t know why.”

Sebek pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a loud sigh. Hearing about Silver’s personal problems with his fellow humans was NOT part of his daily training plans, but if he didn’t get this out of Silver’s head, they’d be here all day.

To speed things along, Sebek reached his hand out and smacked Silver on the back of his head.

“Wh-?”

“LISTEN UP, SILVER!”

“I was already li-”

“Whatever your reasons are, they simply CANNOT carry on in an unresolved state. I am FAR too busy as a guard of Lord Malleus to allow ANY of my training to be delayed by frivolous distractions, and you should be, too! So I suggest you figure out what it is about Kalim that is so important THIS INSTANT, so that you can then FORGET ABOUT IT and MOVE ON to MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS!”

Silver rubbed his ears. At least all of Sebek’s screaming was keeping him awake… Still, Sebek had a point. He’d helped Kalim out with stuff in the past, but normally he didn’t find those instances to continuously weigh on his subconscious, or at  least not to the same degree that they were right now. Now, something about it felt more personal, even though the issue itself was not actually about Silver…

Sebek narrowed his eyes as Silver was lost in thought yet again. “Come to think of it, you HAVE been spending a lot more time with Kalim these days, haven’t you? Even Lilia mentioned how recently, Kalim has shown up late to their music club meetings because he’s distracted spending time with YOU.”

Silver nodded slowly. “Yes… I suppose Father has mentioned that to me a few times…”

“It was certainly more than just a few times, by Lilia’s descriptions to me! Personally, I thought it was SHAMEFUL that you two would keep Lilia waiting, but he claimed he was ‘just glad to hear that Silver was branching out more,’ or something.” Sebek said with yet another indignant huff. 

“...I guess… I have been spending more time with Kalim lately.” Silver admitted. “I hadn’t realized… We would usually meet up to work on classwork, but he often insists on doing something fun together to ‘balance out’ the work time, and he always offers to help when something’s bothering me. And now that he’s having a problem, of course I want to return the favor-”

“Silver,” Sebek cut him off, suddenly looking shocked and even confused. “Your face is turning pink.”

Silver froze, eyes widening ever so slightly. He reached up and touched his cheek, surprised to find that it did in fact feel a little warm. Come to think of it, his heart rate had increased quite a bit during the conversation, despite the fact that they’d stopped swordfighting a while ago.

“Could I be getting si-”

“HAVE YOU DEVELOPED FEELINGS FOR THIS HUMAN CLASSMATE OF YOURS!?”

Sebek’s shout was so loud that several bystanders passing through on their way into the dorm looked over in their direction, startled and confused.

“...Um, well-”

“COME WITH ME RIGHT NOW!” Sebek lunged forward and took Silver by the wrist, pulling him back into the Diasomnia dorm building. They marched past more curious students, down the hallways, up the stairs, until they made it into Silver’s bedroom. 

“Listen up, Silver!” Sebek stood with his hands on his hips, gesturing for Silver to take a seat at his desk. “Whether or not I approve of your frivolous distractions in regards to matters such as ‘romantic feelings’, when you SHOULD be focused on your training as Lord Malleus’ guard, does not change the fact that you are CLEARLY already distracted beyond return. Therefore, all we can do is move forward, and for that, I am about to impart upon you the GRACIOUS wisdom that Lilia bestowed upon me back in the day!”

Silver knew better than anyone that at this rate, it was futile to try and argue with Sebek. Well, he wasn’t even sure WHAT he would have to argue about, as he was still trying to figure out the nature of his own feelings, but something about being in the presence of Sebek Zigvolt just made anyone feel like they needed to argue back. 

“Take out a piece of paper and your nearest writing utensil!” Sebek demanded, pointing at Silver’s desk. “You are going to start the courtship ritual RIGHT NOW. This way, you will focus your feelings for the month into ONE letter, which should be sufficient enough to hold you over until the next…”

Silver squinted up at Sebek as he continued to ramble. It was just as Silver suspected; Lilia must have given Sebek the same “advice” that he gave Silver back when he was around six years old on what to do if he ever fell in love. The advice was ridiculous in hindsight, of course - writing a letter to the object of your affections once a month for 25 months straight, sending a photo of yourself along with every third letter, and then meeting at the end of those 25 months at Briar Valley Central Park, only to sit on a bench together - with extra space in between, of course.

Such a joke did not seem to clear up in Sebek’s mind just yet, making him an easier, recurring target for Lilia’s pranks of similar nature. 

…Still…

“Sebek,” Silver spoke up, finally cutting off whatever the hell Sebek was still rambling on about. “You have a good point. Perhaps writing a letter to Kalim will help me figure this out.”

Sebek paused, looking partially offended at being interrupted, but also smug over the fact that Silver said he was right. “Hmph! Well, obviously the advice from Lilia would be more than helpful in your time of need. I suggest you get that first letter finished today and deliver it as soon as possible, and then focus on your training until it is time for next month’s letter! Remember - do NOT add the photograph until the THIRD letter.”

“Yes, yes, thank you. Goodbye, Sebek.”

Sebek huffed at how he was clearly being rushed out of the room, but ultimately decided he absolutely did not want to be around for any proofreading of Silver’s letter full of feelings for a human, so out the door he went.

Silver stared at the blank page before him. Now all he had to do was find the words… But what DID he want to tell Kalim? 

[angelbaby-fics]

Christmas Music

Pairing: CG!Eddie x Little!Reader

Word Count: 710

A/N: After going back and forth with myself I decided I like the fic the way it is & I don't need to change it into headcanons 😅😁 I feel bad because all my Eddie fics tend to be on the shorter side and I think it's just because 9 times out of 10 I'm fully Stuck-brained so when I write Eddie I have to think about it more instead of the plot just coming straight from my daydreams lol 😅 Maybe I ought to rewatch season 4 for inspiration anyways I hope you guys enjoy and happy December!!! 💕❄️💕

You’d been napping in Eddie’s bed all afternoon, exhausted from school and your part time job. Eddie knew that naps were the easiest way to put you in your little headspace, so he was more than happy to let you hog his bed. Besides, this nap would be the perfect opportunity for him to work on your little holiday surprise. Once he was sure you were sleeping peacefully, Eddie quietly crawled out of the bed without disturbing you, grabbing his guitar from its mount on the wall, and snuck into the living room, leaving the bedroom door open just a crack, just in case. 

It was time to get to work. Eddie had been setting aside a portion of his tips from the Hideout to buy a book of Christmas sheet music for the guitar from the local music store. He knew how much you loved the holidays, and he wanted to be able to accompany you on all your favorite songs. Being the perfectionist he was, he didn’t want to reveal his plan to you until he was absolutely flawless at every song in the book. It was rare to get a moment by himself since he was usually glued to your side, so for once he was glad you were so sleepy.

Settling down on the ratty couch, Eddie propped the sheet music book against a cushion and positioned his guitar on his lap. Opening the book to your favorite song, he started learning the music, effortlessly reading the notes and translating them to the guitar. His fingers moved across the strings in a way that was already second nature to him, every wrong note played was effortlessly corrected within a second, the tiny flaws and mistakes noticeable to Eddie and only Eddie. The notes carried out across the trailer, through the cramped hallway and into his slightly open door. 

The music made its way into your dreams, swirling around your sleepy little head until you were pulled out of slumber and back into the real world. You recognized it immediately, one of your favorite holiday classics. You sat up immediately, all remnants of sleep immediately shaken off by the excitement of hearing one of your favorite songs. You didn’t know where the music was coming from, and, determined to find the source, you hopped off of the bed and padded out into the main room of the trailer, dragging the blanket around your shoulders. Eddie didn’t even look up, he was so focused on playing the song perfectly. You sat in front of him on the floor, so as not to disturb him, and when he finished playing you started to clap.

“Oh! Baby, I didn’t know you were up!” Eddie said with wide eyes and a soft smile.

“I heard my song.” You whispered. 

“Did I wake you, baby?”

He did, but you knew he’d beat himself up over it if he thought he’d disturb you in any way, so you shook your head.

“Pretty music, dada.” You blushed.

“Yeah? I’m still learning, so it’s not that good yet.” “I thought it was perfect.”

“Well that’s because you’re my number one fan, aren’t you, my little hellraiser?” You giggled and hid your face in your blanket, but peeked back out when you felt a calloused hand brush your cheek. 

“Wanna come up here and help me learn, gumdrop?” Eddie asked, patting the couch cushion beside him.

You nodded and scrambled up, blanket still enveloping you as you settled next to Eddie, as close to him as you could be without getting between him and the guitar. He pointed to the open song book.

“Okay, see the words there, baby?” 

You nodded.

“Follow along with me, alright?”

And he began to play again, the festive song you knew so well. You’d had the words memorized for as long as you could remember, but you still kept your eyes trained on the page, dutifully following Eddie’s instruction. Every now and then, however, you stole a glance up at him, eyes practically heart shaped as he played your favorite tune. You didn’t know it, but every time you turned your gaze back to the book, Eddie was looking back at you with just as much love in his eyes.

[megamanrecut]

Alright, I've been busy and it's taking me awhile to get the next part of Diamond in the Rough up, so here's a little drabble/teaser for a short Become the Night interlude/sequel. (Note: I am in in a rush so apologies for the roughness/spelling errors lol also possible some details may change later for better continuity with everything)

Become the Night 2 Teaser (Now on Ao3)

It was a warm summer day outside Dr. Light’s laboratory. Dr. Light was away at a work conference, Rock and Roll had taken Rush into the city to go shopping, while Proto had stayed behind to work on the skycycle and be on call if Dr. Wily and Snake Man were to strike.

But the emergency satellite scanner remained quiet. Proto was bored—Dr. Wily hadn’t attacked in over a month, and his armor was sitting unused in a heap in his room, collecting dust. He was wondering if he should have gone into the city after all with Rock and Roll—shopping and malls weren’t his thing, but playing at the arcade with Rock and teasing Roll over her music tastes could be fun—

The doorbell rang.

Normally, Proto hated answering the door. Though Dr. Light’s laboratory was located in the country and didn’t receive many visitors, Proto preferred to ignore the few that came, who were mostly salesmen anyway. But today, Proto put down his tools, put on a pair of aviators, and answered the door.

Outside stood a man with short auburn hair. Despite the heat, he was dressed in a formal, tight-collared suit of black wool with orange embroidery and gold buttons. Everything about him looked extremely expensive, as though he were royalty—a strange visitor for Dr. Light’s boring, quiet laboratory in the country. He glanced around furtively, checking the lawn, then stared at Proto with familiar piercing pale eyes.

“Are you Proto?” he asked in a low voice, his lips barely moving, as though afraid the welcome doormat might be eavesdropping.

“Uh, yeah,” responded Proto without really thinking as he stared back (he was not dressed as ‘Break Man’, his public-facing hero identity, after all, nor did many know who ‘Proto’ was). 

The man (or android, as Proto had instantly figured out, despite the flawless disguise) nodded curtly. “My name is Mr. Turner. We haven’t met—“

“Oh I know who you are,” Proto interrupted, grinning broadly at Turner. There was no mistaking the resemblance of those pale eyes. “You’re Elec Man’s little brother!”

“I—what?” Turner wrinkled his nose. “I’m not—that’s not—“ He gave a small, annoyed cough, then changed the subject. “…Are you alone?”

“Yes.“ Proto opened the door wider. “Here, come in.”

Turner stepped warily over the threshold into the brightly lit foyer. After glancing around with a still expression, apparently listening to make sure Proto was actually alone, he began to walked around with perfect, straight backed grace, hands clasped behind his back.

“Checking for bugs,” Turner informed Proto in a cold, crisp tone as he inspected the dull knickknacks on the perfectly ordinary accent tables.

“Good idea, always forget to do that,” Proto replied, hiding a smirk. He was reminded a little bit of a peacock or a very self-conceited show dog.

Then he noticed Turner’s eyes were lingering on the framed pictures, and grimaced slightly inside. He wasn’t proud of this collection, especially not around a Syndicate member—most were family photos both dorky and domestic, yet it was a bit difficult to tell what Turner was thinking as he stared at them.

“So uh, what brings ya to this neck of the woods?” Proto prompted.

Turner turned his cold piercing stare on Proto. “I have a mission for you from your former employer. Top secret. I heard you used to do work for us…as some sort of assistant, or something.”

“Special asset, in the end—a mission from the Syndicate? Really?” Proto asked keenly, taking a step toward Turner.

A mission from the Syndicate would be dangerous—Syndicate missions were always dangerous. Proto missed the danger—fighting Dr. Wily and his goofy inventions didn’t have quite the same thrill as risking his life battling murderous scrappers and powerful mobsters. Yet, he had been placed in a forced retirement from vigilantism a year ago…still a bit of sore spot.

Turner’s eyes fell away from Proto to glance out a window. “Yes, but you must know, I can’t pay you for your work.”

“No problem. I will do it pro bono.”

“Then you accept?”

“Sure.”

“If you double cross me, I’ll make you regret every day for the rest of your short life.”

At this point, Proto was trying very hard not to laugh. The android was clearly trying to act both as impressively tough and coldly professional like Elec Man—a nigh impossible feat. “Of course. But…listen, junior, me and your older brother go way back. There’s no way I’d do anything to hurt you guys!”

“My name’s not ‘junior…’ Turner replied, bristling.

“Well, until you tell me your real name,” Proto responded with a lazy shrug. “And junior, no offense, while you’re earning extra credit in acting lofty and superior, you’re only a B in intimidation and a D in lying. Honestly I’m afraid if I even touched you you’d break like a china doll. Nice try, but lets can the gangster talk and cut to the chase.”

Turner looked affronted. “What do you mean?”

Lowering his voice, Proto took a step toward Turner, his amusement fading. “Junior…you’re supposed to be on a mission in California. You’re a long way from California. Call me crazy, but I don’t think you’re supposed to have any contact with me at all, least of all giving me orders! What the hell is going on? Where’s Elec Man?”

“I—I—” Turner appeared to be valiantly clinging on to his tough Syndicate facade, but a slight shiver shook his shoulders.  “I don’t know,” he admitted finally.

“…Is he in danger?”

Turner’s head almost made a small jerk, as though he were about to nod, but he quickly controlled it and said, sounding genuinely lost, “I don’t know. We—I—need Cypher’s help.” 

For a brief moment, Turner had looked imploringly at Proto, but then his gaze had darted away again.

Suddenly, the situation seemed much less fun, though Proto gave Turner a reassuring smile. “Well you got 'im. C’mon. We’ll take our air raider.”

Continued in Part 2

[sword-dad-fukuzawa]

Oedipus Anon: I hope your move went smoothly. Also, would you share some Saverem headcanons? Thank you.

only a couple of lumps and bumps anon, thanks!

saverem headcanons. mm.

i think that after everything, after knives is dead and so is the people's conception of the humanoid typhoon, vash starts calling himself saverem. the practice of western-style monikers has died out and calling himself "the stampede" gets funny looks at bars, like, "sure you are. been reading too many of those old wives' tales, yeah?" so vash searches his very long memory for a last name to steal. there's his silly, long-ass alkalinella name but maybe he rotates through a bunch of different ones. stryfe, for a while. tries out wolfwood in the safety of his own brain and flinches violently away. thompson never stuck and vash, sentimental fool that he is, wants something meaningful. in the end he calls himself "saverem" and while no one remembers the woman he considered his, vash remembers, and in his memory she is forever, eternally, young.

i think knives, in the long years after the fall, sat alone at that piano and relearned every piano song he knew as a solo tune. he approximates 4-hand songs as best as he can, skipping a note here, adjusting a glissando there, wracking his brain for the snatches of music theory he remembers. but i also think that vash was always the "better" piano player between them, in that while knives could play in a way that was technically flawless, vash had an intuition for the music that was instinctual and fascinating and lovely, so all of knives's songs ring hollow for the next several years. when he finally manages to play something beautiful it's the most mournful song in the world.

i haven't read much of rem's backstory from trimax, but i think that woman really and truly loved her kids. this maybe isn't a huge one. but i think she loved her kids and was perplexed by them in equal measure, stymied often but always, always doing her damn best. i think if someone told her that they would rip each other to shreds after her death, she would have cried, and i think she would have done her best to prevent that future. i think she would have failed. but i think it would have mattered to knives, if she'd had, even if he spend nights pretending to sleep but thinking, always thinking, of how his mother was a dirty hypocrite who loved him anyway.

as for tesla--

i think, had tesla been around but something else precipitated the big fall, had the stragglers of humanity still been forced to drag themselves to survival kicking and screaming on a planet unsuited to them, she would have been there for her little brothers. i don't know if she'd be cold like nai grows to be or soft on purpose the way vash is. but i think she would have tried to be kind, and i think she would have suffered for it. it would have broken her in some ways. but i think maybe the twins wouldn't have parted if there had been someone who loved both of them.

i also think nai would have tried to eat her. such is the way of things.

[sweepseven]

Cirque du Soleil: O and KÀ viewing notes, post-pan edition!

First trip to Las Vegas since the pandemic and holy shit!! Was it a TIME. The When We Were Young festival was my excuse to be there, but I can’t set foot in that town without fitting in at least one Cirque show. I managed O and Ka and a last-second Atomic Saloon decision and oh my god did I have the visit of a lifetime. I’ll keep this post strictly to the circus shows, but like. Truly it was nuts. 

Anyway! O! I cannot overstate how happy I was to see this show again. This turned out to be my 50th ever Cirque performance and I couldn’t have asked for more. The detail most worth reporting is that according to a friend in the box office, whispers say the show is due for a refresh in January! It's been 24 years and O has never had a facelift! This is so so exciting! There's so much new technology they can integrate into the show, potentially new acts (though I can't imagine O without any one of its current acts), maybe even new music...I can't wait.

Richard MacDonald refreshed the sculpture gallery the very day I arrived in town and of course they're all incredible. He was there and apparently I just missed him when I went to pick up our tickets - too bad, I wanted to say hi!

Our performance was flawless, as always. One flyer fell during bateau but every other detail in the show went beautifully. I had three contortionists, and for some reason I am cursed to only ever see solo swinging trapeze but whatever, it was amazing regardless. The singers were going fucking hard, especially on Tzelma, and their little dance during Simcha was worth the cost of admission alone. I just love seeing them have fun. Crowd was solid, probably 75% full, which for O is more than plenty. There were nothing but empty rows behind us so my friends and I moved back a little ways so we could chat. I've never gotten to talk through an entire performance and it was such a treat hearing my friends react, ask questions, and just engage with the show with so much enthusiasm.

Last thing for O is that the day of the show I received a kind of "keep the magic going" email from Cirque offering up to 50% off LOVE and Ka, which is insane! Like, an almost alarmingly steep discount! And of course everyone likes to say both those shows are on the eternal chopping block, so I was a little 👀 about it. Still, hot tip for all: if you're seeing multiple Cirque shows in LV, maybe take the gamble on seats and wait until the day of your first, get that email, then book the others. I wouldn't expect to see an offer for a discount on O or Mystere, but worth a shot!

That said if anyone would like this offer, lmk and I'll gladly forward you the email. It's good until 12/31 and I won't be back in time to take advantage of it!

Next up was Atomic Saloon and I'll just say that show is an absolute fucking blast and if you can go, do. Fernando Miro is living his best life times a thousand. There's a dog. There's some of the most convincing physical acting I've ever ever seen, and I won't go into more detail for the sake of preserving the surprise for you. See this show. The end. Period.

So now Ka! By this point in the trip I am utterly fucking tapped. We had seen and done so so much between the shows, the festival, the partying, everything. I had the wildest nights I've ever had in that city and by that point it was all really taking its toll. So my attitude going in was very "Ka, I love you, but Jesus fucking Christ." Until then I thought it was impossible to feel disappointed that I had Cirque tickets. But I achieved it. Like that's how rough it was lol

That feeling lifted like a fog the minute the music started. I was so exhausted and out of it that I got an almost totally fresh perspective on a show I've seen now six times: it was just happening before my eyes and I was along for the ride. The boat rowed in and I was immediately transported. I forgot how much I missed this show, and watching each character go by as the stage rotated honestly felt like seeing old friends after years apart. And in a way that's exactly what happened! Watching the Chief Archer's Daughter put on her makeup so slowly and gently, the Firefly Boy sprinkling a handful of petals, the Jester eating his grapes, all of it felt as warm and welcoming as a long delayed embrace.

I'll be quick about acts for the most part: Pageant has some updated choreography that was very fun, Icarian games killed it, Storm isn't quite as fun to watch up close as it is from further back, the turtle scene was shorter and tighter (YAAAY), Pursuit was exact as tense and exciting as you could dream, batons remains perfect, idk why I can't care about that wheel of death act but I can't, and Battle was fine.

But listen!!! Kerren McKeeman as the Twin Sister is! A! Revelation! She's a phenomenal performer and utterly shines in the role. The straps act has some updates to highlight her strengths, and at one point she based the Firefly Boy in a lift and I lost my goddamn mind. Their chemistry together is unmatched, probably the best I've seen for this act. At the end she kisses him fully on the lips. Girl just goes for it. I wanted to cheer. I'll reiterate that I wanted to cheer, I who has spent thousands and thousands of words writing out the Firefly Boy entirely to make room for an impossible romance in goddamn clown fanfiction. Amazing act by amazing performers.

Other details of note: Forest has new bugs! The potato bug is BACK and badder than ever. Firefly Boy pets it like it's the family dog or something. Adorable. The snake was out tonight for some reasons, but there was a giant dragonfly-like one instead that I'd never seen before. There was also a green scorpion-ish thing that I don't think is new new but I don't recall from other viewings. The Counselor had new eyebrows - thicker and more sculpted. Both Firefly Boy and CAD had new, more extravagant costumes for the curtain call. Love Dance and Firefly Both have updated arrangements that I'm not sure I like yet: both give a more theatrical, sparkling impression but might not fit as well with the rest of the show's style. Def didn't hate either one. And did they turn up the volume on the seat speakers? Because holy shit were we rocking. The band killed it all night. The power of this show’s music cannot be overstated.

Okay, character details! Ie the most interesting part to me by a mile:

We had Tricia Woo as the Twin Sister and I completely adored her. She was so energetic and expressive and her chemistry with Peng was adorable. Specific shout out to her raw emotion as the ship sinks. She calls out the nanny's name over and over in this desperate scream, and never has that act had the impact on me that it did tonight. It made The Deep so much more powerful.

TS is visibly afraid of the Counselor's Son when he and his pops crash the function. In fact most everyone was, which was new and interesting to me. CAD isn't just perplexed by his pursuit of her, she's actively nervous of it and him. She turns from him in the Den, she startles when he touches her, and she cowers at his finale reappearance. It was a little chilling - you can’t help but wonder what he has done to get such a reputation.

Jason Biltz delivered yet another excellent turn as CS but it lacked the clarity I've seen in other performances. Tonight the character seemed to favor the path of least resistance and and tbh comes across as a master gaslighter: on multiple occasions he puts his hands up defensively as if asking "why are you so upset?" when he has clearly done something out of line, and he hunches his shoulders as though trying to appear smaller. He does appear to court CAD for 90% political reasons, but come Love Dance he looks truly heartbroken. And then later he doesn’t seem to give a remote shit that she just watched her father die right before her eyes, nor is he at all bothered by the way she's held with a literal knife to her throat. And if he’s always looking for an easy way out, why does he still protest the attack on the Imperialists at the beginning? What's the truth, Rensai, you goddamn snake??

Despite somewhat hazy motivations, Jason plays this bastard as ruthlessly, brutally passionate. It's honestly remarkable. His pride at his every entrance, the deliberate dramatics of his firepowder presentation, his restless and energetic pacing during the wheel of death’s construction, all of it makes him look like the real powder keg about to explode. And when that's exactly what happens, you can't help but feel like you should have seen it coming. I stand by my claim that almost every other singular character in this show could be written out except him: he is essential to the narrative and theme.

The first archer to try to present CAD with a gift was a WOMAN. It was something new, some weapon or something I don't know the name of. Kind of a weighted chain that she whipped around like water meteors. Regardless: BI CAD???? I lost it.

If anyone ever asks you to describe non-sexual human intimacy, show them Shadowplay. It is just desperately tender. The Court Jester tends to the Twin Brother's hand with such delicacy - he removes the bandage, of course, but then has TB hold his palms up so the jester can smooth them with his own. He passes the bandage gently over them, and the gesture is miniscule but it feels like something out of a broader practice. A way to prep TB for the shadow puppets to come while also guiding him away from the tragedy of what they just escaped and into this deliberate moment of peace and rest.

My hasty post-show notes say "TS and FB FUCK but TB and CAD are taking it slow :)" and I'm still kind of laughing about it. There's a distinct difference in the way the twins approach each of their new relationships. TS and Firefly Boy are magnetic and give the immediate impression that they can't keep their hands off each other. Meanwhile TB and CAD are very reserved - more whispers in ears, blushes, and hesitation to hold hands. It's an adorable contrast.

Noriko continues to reign supreme. She gave the most adorable, startled little sound when TB kissed her. 

Peng for president. He’s the best. He’s the best. He. 

And to cap it all off, I swear that theater was 80-90% full. Better than I’ve ever ever seen it. I was thrilled for the artists to get the recognition they deserve in a space so massive. I hope they felt the energy because what they gave to us that night was utterly electric.

All in all a wholly epic weekend. And O got to be my 50th! See ya at 100, CdS. Feeling very lucky, grateful, and verrrry tired. Back in LV in January for Mystere and hopefully LOVE. 💛💚

[letsplayballet]

more p4g thoughts while i try to convince myself that afternoon nap is the mind killer (don't worry about the person trapped in the tv rn, they're fine, everything's fine)

not to start at the end, but:

man i thought the game was really pushing for you to be dating yukiko but wooooooooo boy did they ramp it up for rise

i hope over the course of her social link we get to see more of her aside from the weird hero worship crush she gets on just the main character even tho a whole group of ppl go in to save her... anyway..........

i hadn't met kanji fully last time so i want to be absolutely clear here: he's perfect and i love him

like i've liked chie, but kanji has just grabbed me, he's the world's most perfect boy and i want only good things for him always

he rides a bike! he makes elaborate handmade toys! he threatens people who have known him his whole life with redecorating! flawless, no notes

good things for kanji does mean kicking yosuke into the river, but that's fine, i'm fine with that

i know he's a huge fandom favorite (and also lual likes him, sorry i'm gonna dunk on your boy) but i'm just. waiting for when yosuke is anything? anything at all?

all he does is antagonize chie and/or kanji, complain about work, and ask mc about porn and sex. i've heard his rank 7 is "great" but his rank 5 was Terrible and his rank 6 was nothing! he doesn't deserve a "great" rank 7 there's nothing there to build from!!!!! why

also, i'm kind of upset that there's so little to yukiko? she's probably the only teammate that i like better in the group, bc then she gets a personality (even if it's mostly just being clueless and having a kind of strange sense of humor, it's something and it's fun)

still fucking FURIOUS that her social link ends with her wanting to stay in inaba and run the inn after all, bc i really don't think it's true. she's felt guilty the whole link about leaving, and she gets mad when the producer mocks her and her mother, and it feels like they're trying to conflate that with her actually wanting it when she's expressed multiple times that she doesn't!! that's what her whole fucking shadow was about!!!!!!!!!

"i just didn't like that i didn't have a choice" YOU STILL DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A CHOICE, THAT'S WHY YOU'VE FELT SO GUILTY, YOU'RE DENYING YOUR INNER TRUTH HONEY, LET ME TAKE YOU AWAY FROM HERE

............... anyway

side characters! aside from kanji, i prefer a lot of the side characters to my teammates, which makes me feel like i'm doing the persona wrong frankly

yumi is Wonderful (the guide i'm following for 100% has not had me spending time with her lately and i Miss her) and nanako is a perfect angel

i'm also really liking naoki! kinda wish he was on our team instead of yosuke, saki's death meant more to him and everyone in town are huge assholes to him bc of it, he deserves friends and the ability to kick ass

Ai is also really interesting! i don't know her all that well yet but i'm looking forward to learning more

hmm what else..........

rise's dungeon had fucking Fantastic music

(don't ask my opinions about the rest of the music in the game)

alright i've put off playing long enough, let's go maybe rescue Creepy Kid Who Hit On Yukiko Once (if he has a name i refuse to learn it, he makes me Uncomfortable)

[muertawrites]

omg I saw that little note at the end about you maybe making a fic based off sk8er boi 👀 can’t wait if you decide to write it!!

A Girl You Used to Know (Eddie Munson x Reader)

Word Count: 900 (exactly too??? i'm a fucking witch. not editing this.)

Author's Note: did i watch a nearly 20 year old sims 2 music video for this song to psych myself up for writing this? no shame in admitting i did. is this a direct callout post to all the cheerleader!reader fics polluting this godforsaken hellsite? maybe. we'll see how much hate mail i have to ignore. this one is for my alt babes. we all know eddie would like us better.

"I can't do this anymore."

She blinked, uncomprehending.

"What?"

Eddie huffed. He uncrossed his arms, shoulders hunching, tense. Angry.

"I can't keep... fucking you like I don't feel anything for you. Like you don't get off on the fact that I'm corrupting you or some shit. Sneaking around while you're too ashamed to go out in fucking public with me."

She laughed, and he seethed. The broad actually laughed at him.

"Are you serious?" she quipped. "You're dumping me? You're dumping me. Eddie 'The Freak' is dumping the one girl in Hawkins who can have anyone she wants."

"Yeah," he spat back at her. "I am. And I have a feeling I'm not gonna regret it."

She cackled, waving her manicured hand in his face as if to dismiss him.

"That's so rich!" she cheered. "You really are as dumb as they say. You clearly don't realize how totally out of your league I am. How lucky you are that I even let you kiss me in the first place, let alone take my virginity."

"Well, if I could give it back to you, I would. I don't want any part of you anymore. I'm done being used for whatever sick fetish you're trying to fulfill."

The conversation comes back to him vividly, playing out almost in real time as she approaches him. She's definitely out of place here - blonde hair immaculately curled, pinned back with a pearl barrette, white mini skirt under a powder blue sweater. But she smiles at him all the same, running into his arms like the lover he once thought she was.

"Eddie!" she squeals.

"Bethany," he deadpans. His arms go weak at her sides, falling limp with disdain. Her perfume is way too strong, too musky; he gags on the toxic cloud that envelops him.

"I'm so proud of you!" the little cherub squeaks as they part. "I saw your music video on MTV the other day and just had to come see you! You're, like, a major rockstar now!"

She giggles in the way she thinks is infectious, but is actually just vapid. Empty. A hand raises to her cheek to swipe at a stray curl that's stuck in her lip gloss, and Eddie can't ignore the glint of the diamond on her ring finger.

"I didn't think you liked metal," is all he can bring himself to say.

"What, I can't support an old flame?" she asks, giggling still. The sound grates at the inside of his skull.

"You know I'm married," he blurts.

It's a lie, but she blanches all the same.

"O...Oh?"

Her smile falters and she can't hide it. Head cheerleader, homecoming queen, the princess of Hawkins, Indiana has lost her flawless grace.

"Yeah," Eddie confirms.

"But you don't wear a ring?"

"Looks like you do, though."

Your voice cuts through the backstage din, sidling up next to Eddie and wrapping a protective arm around his waist. He physically calms, melting into your touch as easily as he would a warm shower. He gives your bum an appreciative squeeze, loving your vicious gall against the groupies.

"Bethany," he announces smugly, "this is my girlfriend."

"Pleased to meet you!" You smile, holding out a hand for the woman to shake. She takes it reluctantly, the spread of her lips entirely forced.

"I thought you said you were married," she practically growls.

"Well, common law," you state. "We've lived together for what... a year now? Anyway. You're Bethany! Eddie's told me so much about you." You don't give her the decency of keeping the venom from your tongue. "He actually wrote a song about you!"

She perks up at that, seeing something she can hold against you.

"He did?" she coos. "Oh, he was always such a romantic. Which one was it?"

"It's not released yet," Eddie tells her. "I'm actually letting her do the vocals. She sang the demo and the label loved her too much to let me take over."

He grins proudly, hugging you even closer to his side. Bethany looks like she's going to fucking explode.

"We'll send you an LP when we get the final cut!" you offer. "Here, give us your address."

You hand her a bar napkin and an eyeliner pencil, which she sneers at but accepts. After scribbling down the information, she passes it back to Eddie, who grins as his eyes scan over it.

"Still in good ol' Hawkins," he notes. "And your name's Carver now? You actually married that fucking prick?"

You halfheartedly smack his chest, shaking your head at Bethany.

"Guys like him," you muse. "Can't take them anywhere, can you?"

Your eyes cut into hers like twin chainsaws. She's so worked up she's practically vibrating with resentment.

"Well," she ekes, "it was... wonderful to see you again, Eddie. And to meet your... lovely... girlfriend."

She spits the word like used tobacco.

You and Eddie wait until she's around the corner to collapse into hysterics, leaning against each other for support as you savor her absolute destruction.

A few months later, Bethany drives to the grocery store, her infant son screaming in the back seat. She turns up the radio to drown him out, only for the disc jockey to introduce a familiar name: Corroded Coffin.

The lyrics that flow through her speakers make her grip the steering wheel with white-knuckled rage.

Too bad that you couldn't see,

See the man that boy could be.

There is more than meets the eye.

I see the soul that is inside.

🌹💀get your eddie fix💀🌹

[clairenatural]

i had a dream that sam and dean took cas to an art museum and showed him all these paintings of angels and it was like that scene in vincent and the doctor and cas said these paintings are beautiful because they depict the angels as human when a true angel could never be described as anything but monstrous and i woke up crying

anon i love this SO much. i love it so much i had to write it. this is 1.4k, destiel, human!cas

They’re making their way out of the city, monster killed and day saved, when Castiel sees a poster, pasted up on the side of the plywood wall of a construction site. It’s an angel—he doesn’t recognize the artist, but he’d guess late 19th century. Be Not Afraid: a History of Angels in Art, it proclaims, the logo of the city’s largest art gallery tucked into the corner.

Castiel stares at it. The angel on the poster stares back, wings spread and staff raised. Valiant. Something in his heart twitches, but it’s hard to place. He still has his blade, tucked safely into the trunk with the rest of their frequently used weapons, and he never had wings like that; even the shadows, the ones they showed to humans, were simply the closest representation to the real thing possible in this dimension (his back aches anyway, dimly, his human body reacting to the loss as if they were real severed appendages. He ignores it).

Dean notices, because of course he does. He stops, because of course he does, and flags Sam down before his long legs can carry him too far ahead. “Hey. You good?”

Castiel isn’t sure how long he’s been staring at the poster, but it’s long enough that Dean is obviously concerned. “Hm? Oh. Yes, I’m—I’m fine.”

Dean nods but doesn’t move. He considers the poster. “Art gallery, huh?” he asks, avoiding the obvious elephant. Castiel appreciates it. He nods back.

“I’ve never been to one,” he offers, as explanation. It seems odd—he can remember the painting of the Sistine Chapel, he remembers watching with fascination as humans began collecting the smaller paintings into collections and museums, but he’d never been inside one. It hadn’t seemed necessary. Humans collect art in large boxes to remember their history, but Castiel has seen it all.

Dean seems surprised by this. “Seriously?” Castiel nods, and there’s a pause, and he’s about to turn and keep heading towards the car, and Kansas, and home, when Dean claps him on the shoulder and turns to call over his own.

“Sammy! How do you feel about seeing some art?”

“You want to go to an art gallery?” Sam sounds incredulous, and is closer behind him than Cas expected. He hadn’t noticed him retreat the half-block he’d managed to gain on them.

“Yeah, why not? Come on. What happened to ‘a little culture wouldn’t hurt, Dean?’”

"What happened to ‘I’ve got plenty of culture, eat your damn burger?’”

“It’ll be fun, Sam,” Dean counters. Something in his tone has changed. Cas doesn’t think too hard about it.

There’s a long pause, and Cas knows there’s some sort of communication happening he can’t hear or see. “…Okay,” Sam concedes. “Okay, sure. Yeah. Let’s go.”

So they do.

Dean makes a comment about “haven’t been in one of these since I was a kid,” before they all fall into the hushed silence of the museum floor. It’s nice—nicer than Castiel had expected. Not in aesthetics; the building is sleek, and modern, and the art is obviously beautiful. But it’s nice to be there. It feels almost Holy—humans, funny creatures they are, with their habit of treating their own culture with the respect of something divine. Creating houses of worship out of museums and libraries and living rooms. 

He wanders through the various exhibits but doesn’t really pay attention until he ends up in the exhibit from the poster. He’d managed to lose the Winchesters halfway through the photography exhibit, when both the brothers had gotten distracted. Castiel had continued onward anyway, on a mission, and by the time he finds himself walking into the angel exhibit he’s on his own.

He comes to a stop in front of one of the largest paintings in the room. It’s not the same angel as the poster. It’s several, actually, looking over what appears to be Mary and a baby Jesus. The angels are beautiful—smooth, flawless skin. They have long hair that looks soft, even in paint. They’re wearing white robes, and their wings are white and dove-like. None of these angels have several heads, rotating bands of fire, or thousands of eyes. They’re beautiful, but they aren’t angels. The human who painted this didn’t know that, of course—none of them did. Humanity was faced with the concept of divinity and conceptualized it as a version of itself.

“The real things ain’t as cuddly, huh?”

Dean’s voice startles him, which he hates, both because he hates being startled and because he’s still adjusting to Dean being able to sneak up on him.

“I was just thinking,” he starts, pretending he’d known Dean was there the whole time, “you paint us like we’re human.” Not ‘us’ anymore, he reminds himself, but he brushes that thought off. Not now.

Beside him, Dean snorts. “Yeah, well. If you’d told any of those Renaissance guys that the real angels are dickhead balls of celestial intent, they’d’ve arrested you for heresy.”

Castiel shakes his head. “No.” he pauses. “Well, yes. But that’s—” he turns to face Dean for the first time. He notices Sam over Dean’s shoulder, focusing intently on a painting a few feet away and obviously pretending not to listen.

“My father—God—Chuck,” he cycles through, which will never not be weird, “created us first, but not in his image. We weren’t worthy of that. Only you were. Humans, his perfect creation, modeled after their creator. But then—” he turns back to the painting and gestures to it. “You created us in your image. You thought about divinity and you couldn’t conceive anything more Holy than yourselves.”

Dean shifts. He tries for a laugh, but it comes out short. “Well, damn, Cas. Way to make a guy feel self-centered.”

Castiel turns back to him. He blinks. He frowns. That’s not what he means. “Most of my siblings thought so,” he agrees. “But I always thought it was an honor. Look,” He turns again and reaches out for the painting, only remembering a few inches from its surface to not touch it.  “This one has a lyre. You always paint us playing music. But music, art….these are human things, Dean.” He lets his hand fall, but keeps his eyes forward.  “We’re soldiers. They don’t teach us to play the harp in Heaven, they train us to fight. But these angels are…soft. Kind. Angels you trust to protect. The kind of angels people pray to, build churches to.” He looks back at Dean, who is staring at him with a frown. He holds his gaze, steady, and takes a deep breath before finishing. “I wish I was—that any of us were—worthy of being depicted this way. I wish we were the angels you paint us as.”

There’s a long pause while Dean searches his face, obviously trying to decide on the right reaction. If they were at home, Cas thinks Dean might reach out and hug him. Instead, Dean reaches out to clap a hand on his shoulder—he lets it linger there, and Cas knows what it means, so that’s okay, too. “For what it’s worth,” he starts, and his voice is softer than the last time he spoke. “You’re the closest thing to those angels that I’ve ever seen.”

It’s a nice sentiment, but Cas smiles sadly as he turns back to the painting. “I’m not any kind of angel anymore,” he points out, and tries his hardest to keep his voice neutral.

Dean squeezes his shoulder and tilts his head, trying to recapture Castiel’s gaze. “Hey. Look at me.” Reluctantly, he looks back over. “Your wings weren’t what made you a good angel, alright?” he brings his other hand up to poke into Castiel’s chest. “That was all in here.”

He sounds like he’s quoting the Wizard of Oz, and Cas wants to make a joke about that, but he’s also never wanted to kiss Dean more. He doesn’t, because they’re in a museum, and they’re still working up to that, but he makes a note to do it later. Instead, he reaches up and pulls Dean’s hand away from his chest, links it in his own, and squeezes.

“Thank you,” he says, and it’s earnest, and it’s for everything.

Dean smiles. He understands. He squeezes back.

[martsonmars]

Thanks for the tags @letraspal @basiltonbutliketheherb @aroace-genderfluid-sheep @facewithoutheart @forabeatofadrum @confused-bi-queer @fatalfangirl and happy Sunday!

I finally managed to post the first chapter of my @carryon-reverse-bang fic, The Sound of Beauty, an Eurovision AU inspired by the amazing concept and art by @steppjes (you can see the art here!).

Have some pining Simon as a treat.

But I'm not here to make myself a culture about contemporary Italian music anyway. The only reason why I'm subjecting myself to five hours of foreign television was one of the first artists to perform, flawless in his midnight blue suit and shiny sheer shirt, his voice dancing without effort from one note to the other to show off its infuriating range. As if I needed to be reminded of it.

(As if I didn't spend the great part of my 2020 committing every detail of his voice to memory, constantly regretting that I only had access to the parts of it that had been recorded and handed over to the Internet. Missing that little, private laugh of his that I got to know for a couple of hours three years ago and still can't get out of my head. Missing the way my name rolled on his tongue, followed by a spark in his eyes and the subtle movement of his fingertips along my arm.)

Some banners and tags under the cut <3

My banner for this fic is stolen from the actual Eurovision. I just Googled and added my name and the artist's, because why waste my energy when there are already perfectly good banners on the Internet?

At first I wanted to use this. I even downloaded the Eurovision font to add the title of the fic in the corner. But then @johnwgrey said it would be too much, and I agree. But it's a pretty picture, so here it is.

So I went with something simpler. The title of the fic is this year's Eurovision's slogan, so I just Googled and found this pretty graphic:

The actual banner will have our usernames and the Eurovision logo, too, but you'll see when I make my official post for the fic.

@wellbelesbian @urban-sith @tea-brigade @sillyunicorn @mostlymaudlin @palimpsessed @otherpeoplesheartachept-2 @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @johnwgrey @prettylightsbigcity @whatevertheweather @jbrrring @moodandmist @bookish-bogwitch @dragoneggo @captain-aralias @takitalks @theotherhufflepuff @otherworldsivelivedin @excalisbury @shemakesmeforget @starwarned @cutestkilla @ileadacharmedlife @gekkoinapeartree @bazzybelle @bloodiedpixie @stardustasincocaine @angelsfalling16 @messofthejess @ivelovedhimthroughworse

[iibonniee]

Cherry Lip Gloss (Im Changkyun)

Warnings: smut, angst

Word Count: 2.9k

Masterlist | Re-Write

A/N: The end to this might end up getting a re-write. It feels rushed in a way but I still wanna post it regardless. This story needs to be more angsty. Anyways, enjoy my first Changkyun fanfic.

The electric that easily flowed throughout the club was enough to keep the people in it alive and moving. The music that played loudly could almost be deafening if the people that danced their life away weren’t focused on the buzzing feeling of getting drunk and enjoying the feeling of another’s body against their own.

The club was buzzing with life, each second welcomed a new face ready to drink their night away and be filled with a familiar feeling of ecstasy as the night grew older and older ready to meet the greeting sun. A long day brought them here, and they were ready to face the consequences of a hangover when the time came. But for now, letting themselves go would be their main objective.

But the loud music mixed with the smell of arousal from the club-goers didn’t seem to bother Changkyun once as he pushed his way through the crowd. The bar would be his favorite destination for the night.

Sharp brown eyes found a seat away from the rowdy crowd of men and women. A look of acknowledgment was shot between him and the female bartender who looked rather done with her shift. He knew what he needed and what he needed was something strong. So he voiced that to the girl as she lazily nodded her head.

Once the drink was in his hands, he turned his attention towards the crowd. It was easy to tell how many people stood on the dance floor. He ignored the flirtatious looks as his eyes kept scanning. Rather he ignored them all and kept his eyes on one single person as they did the same with him. Changkyun watched her movements carefully. Her movements matched the beat of the music almost perfectly, almost as if the girl dancing had practiced for this moment in particular.

Another sip of alcohol burned down his throat but he gave no signs it did too much to bother him. Relaxing back against the bar, Changkyun could only note how inviting the girl looked dancing alone. It was almost an itch he wanted to scratch ever so desperately, but instead, he stayed by the bar playing with the rim of his shot glass as his brown eyes stared down the girl with mixed emotions.

He knew he shouldn’t do it. But he couldn’t help it. He knew it certainly wasn’t the alcohol talking. He drank merely a sip of it. He was already intoxicated by the mere thought of being in the same room as her.

Changkyun noted her skintight dress. The dress that fit her almost too perfectly. It seemed so new. It had Changkyun shift where he stood against the bar. Everyone around him was a seamless void. Only the girl on the dance floor was in his line of sight, her movement ever so flawless it had Changkyun itching for more, to feel more.

His skin tingled with unknown sensations. He craved for things he knew he shouldn’t have. But he wanted it. To reach for something that maybe could be dangerous, but to live for danger is what he would do if it meant achieving a toxic high. Something so toxic he knew it would be killer.

Changkyun couldn’t recall when he downed the rest of his drink or when he moved to push himself through the bodies that grinded against each other to achieve one of the highs they were looking for. It felt like a hike to get to the single her, but once he was within reach the males hands wrapped around her waist pulling her back flush against his front.

The dress she wore was almost next to perfect in Changkyun’s eyes. The same color purple he had loved so much. His purple. It was almost too much for him to handle. Especially with the way his hands moved around her body, around her dress. It was smooth, the skin showing just the right amount of skin to make anyone go wild. Perhaps with too much skin he started feeling a bit territorial.

Her presence alone was enough to fill his body with warmth. It wasn’t like the packed bodies did much. They were merely a void he’d have his mind pushed to the side so he could focus on her alone.

The feeling of her hands running through Changkyun’s hair was enough to let him hum out in content, but it was the feeling of her grinding against his body that drove him wild. Fingers against the silk of her dress had Changkyun’s mind on a fritz. He was barely holding himself together at the feeling of her body against his own.

Moving his hand up Changkyun caught her face turning it towards the left so he could catch her lips with his own. The taste of her cherry chapstick was enough to send Changkyun’s mind into a mess of foggy unknowns. He knew he’d be in that land for a long time.

The other hand continued to explore her body. Changkyun wanted to feel more. He needed to feel more. He wanted to know what her skin felt like against his own. He wasn’t oblivious to the small whines that came from her. The music was loud, but not loud enough to hide those from the rapper.

When she turned her body around Changkyun’s hands were quick to pull her close lips connecting with hers. Now it was Changkyun’s turn to run his fingers through her h/c. Her hair was soft, surely driving the male into another state of a wild frenzy deep inside.

The moment Changkyun pulled away for some air he could only read one thing from the girl that stood right in front of him.

More.

Whether it was on purpose or accident, the soft cry that came from her when she fell onto the bed had Changkyun go crazy. Brown eyes watched as she propped herself up with a slight smirk on her face. Almost as if she knew what she did to him. Perhaps she did.

He knew she did.

Lips quickly met each other once more. This time there was no worry about where Changkyun could move his hands to. No worries that he’d expose something she didn’t want to. Lips continued to fight against each other, the tongues fighting for an unnamed dominance. It was a perfect bliss that had both of them melting into a mess of ecstasy.

When their lungs cried for air Changkyun moved his lips from her own to her neck treating such like it was a canvas and his lips were the paintbrush. The soft mewls and whimpers that came from the female below him had Changkyun wanting to rush. He knew there was more than just small cries. But Changkyun took his time marking up her neck as if it was the last thing the male could ever do.

Once satisfied with his work he pulled away immediately making eye contact with the panting girl. Her eyes were already half glossed over, lips were swollen from their little make-out session. But what Changkyun wanted to see was more. What she had hidden under the purple silk dress had been hidden from the male for far too long. He wanted to see more. To taste more.

Eyes flicked up for a moment to lock with hers to try and read what she wanted. It was almost a relief when he had read it so easily.

Make me yours.

Changkyun couldn’t remember when he had taken (tore) the dress off the girl that laid in his bed. But seeing her fully exposed for him only had Changkyun’s breath hitch. It was surely a sight that Changkyun wanted to imprint in his mind forever.

Lips connected to her left breast quickly causing the girl above him to cry out in shock, the mewls and whines now something much more. Music to the males' ears more like. Alternating between the left and right breast with his lips, his hand would play with the breast that wasn’t occupied with his lips.

Slowly Changkyun made his way down to the place where he wanted to be the whole night. Soft kisses peppered the girl’s stomach often leaving small little bruises that’ll have the girl remember this night for as long as they remained.

The smell of her arousal was enough for Changkyun’s mind to grow foggy within seconds. Such a sweet scent that he had hoped he wouldn’t forget about.

Her legs were now spread open allowing him to do whatever he wanted to do to her. Teasingly he kissed the corners of her legs while brown eyes met hazy e/c. One lick parted her folds causing her to jerk in surprise and pleasure.

Changkyun was slowly getting off at the moans that emitted from her. The taste that came from her was too sweet, almost perfect. And he wanted more. To have his taste buds remember every sweet drop that her body gave him. His tongue continued to give love to her clit as he inserted a finger slowly gathering a rhythm.

Slowly, her moans turned into whines and praises. Her hands no longer grabbed at the sheets, rather they were now tangled within his hair grabbing and pulling. It didn’t both Changkyun for a moment. Instead, he enjoyed the feeling of it, and the moment it ended he knew he’d be lost.

Another finger was slid in causing the girl to cry out in pleasure. His tongue continued to include her clit while his fingers worked whatever magic they could. Changkyun knew she was close when her walls continued to clamp around his fingers. The whine left the girl was quickly replaced with a cry of pleasure when his tongue entered inside her.

It didn’t take long for her to cry out finding her release. The taste of her on Changkyun’s tongue drove the male wild. It was all he wanted to taste that whole night. Lapping up whatever was left, his lips began to leave more kisses wherever they could.

She allowed him to.

Her body glistened with sweat as his lips met her own once more, the soft moan bubbling from deep within her telling him that she enjoyed the taste left on his lips.

His hands were everywhere once more. His brain needed to remember every single little detail about her. The blocked whine told him that there was more she wanted, and who was he to throw away her want?

Pop.

The sound of their lips disconnecting from one another echoed throughout the room as he made a move to have their bodies fully meet. The unison of cries and please joined the forgotten sound. And soon the sound of the bed rocking and skin meeting was what filled the room.

Her moans were like music to his ears once more. A song so beautiful it would put his own music to shame if it were to ever meet the light of day. But he couldn’t allow it to happen for he knew he was too possessive to allow such to happen.

Fingers clasped together as her legs wrapped around his waist urging him with unspoken words to go deeper. So he did. Deeper. Faster. He gave her his all.

Just for her.

He knew she was close. She squeezed around him tightly. And for the first time, he hated it, but he couldn’t stop himself from chanting “cum around my cock baby girl” over and over like a soft cry hoping that she’d fulfill his dream.

She did.

Her cries were much louder than her moans thanks to the added pressure when his hands snuck down to give her abounded clit some love. He knew he was close. He was sloppy, and her own mixed words of “cum in me. Make me yours” filled the air over his own cries and pleas.

He couldn’t help it. He couldn’t control himself. It was too much. He listened to her. His own cum filling her up as his thrusts never seemed to let up. Not even for a second as he chanted out “mine mine mine” like a prayer.

He knew it wasn’t true. Not even when he fell beside her holding her close. And certainly not when he woke up to an empty bed and the birds chirping. He knew he shouldn’t have been disappointed. But the choked-up sob that left his lips told his heart that he once again wanted to get drunk and forget what happened.

A mistake that he had hoped would fix something. She wouldn’t stay. Not even if he got down on his knees and begged her to. He hated how easily he fell for her charms. Just like the day he fell in love with her. He knew the games she was playing.

She was toying with his emotions. Just like the day she walked out the door after their ugly argument. Just like the day she posted a picture with another man. Just like last night wearing that damned purple dress.

The tears were fresh reminders that the hanging bandages around his heart were torn open. It hurt. Hurt hurt hurt hurt. And all he could do was cry. Soft silent sobs wracking and shaking his body so much that it hurt. And not even curling up into a pitied ball would help ease the pain.

He needed her. The person that held the supply of air. And she took it and left without even looking back. That same four-lettered word rang in his mind. But how could he forget it was his fault she left.

He was busy. He forgot. He became careless.

“I wouldn’t care if you left! I could have anyone!”

It made him sick knowing he didn’t feel the tasteful alcohol. Rather it was his own angered sober thoughts that voiced it. The only time he regretted his words was when she slammed the door behind her and blocked his number.

He lied to her. He couldn’t have anyone. The fame was too much. He needed her. He needed her to feel normal. To not be I.M of Monsta X. No. To be Changkyun that had his heart loved.

But it was too damaged and it hurt. Everything hurt.

***

He knew he should care.

His phone went off like a madman and he couldn’t find himself caring. He was unmoving from where he sat. He couldn’t remember when he carried his body to his dorm room nor could he remember anything other than what happened the night prior. Her body was all he couldn’t remember.

He was stuck. Motionless. Spiraling into the depths of emptiness and he knew he wouldn’t find his way out for a long time. So why should he care? Why should he give a damn about the world when it seemed not to want to care about him? Why was it so hard to hold something that didn’t want him back?

He wanted to scream, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Nothing more but another pitied cry. How had he not noticed the prickling tears welled in his eyes like a dam ready to break? Then it broke. The ugly tears that crashed down his face ready to find a home on the ground below.

His body was shaking. When did that start? When did the hysterics start? Why did she do this to him? Why couldn’t he move on? Why couldn’t he breathe? Why why why?

He screamed.

A cry of agony that was held for no one but the pain he caused himself. He did this to himself. The scars are forever there and unfading. It was unfair. Life was unfair.

Why did he let himself slip? Why couldn’t he stay home? Why couldn’t he just ask Minhyuk for some cheering up? And why the hell was someone blowing up his phone?

The same amount of why’s that drove a headache into his head and a heavy heart cracked more.

He sat on his floor bawled and bare. His heart was out there that was soaked in the tears of his heartbreak. And all he could remember was the damn cherry chapstick that stole his heart.

Who was touching him? Why was he having a panic attack? And why was he hearing the voice of the woman that left while he was asleep?

He was hyperventilating. Freaking out while clawing at his chest gasping for air that tried to fill blocked lungs. Everything hurt. His mind played too many games with him and he certainly felt dizzy.

“Changkyun.” A voice so soft broke his heavy and intoxicating thoughts.

No.

This wasn’t real. It couldn’t. Why couldn’t he tear his eyes away from the floor? He saw it. He saw her. But he couldn’t see her fully due to his eyes that sat unmovingly. She was real. She came back to him.

“I’m here. I’m here.”

She was here. That word repeated in his mind now like a beautiful melody. It snapped him out of his trance. The darkness that fogged his vision was now gone and replaced something else.

His attention slowly turned to her. The girl that stole his heart. She was just as breathtaking as last night. As always. He noticed her teary eyes as she searched his face.

“W-What—” Why couldn’t he finish his sentence?

“Don’t cry. I’m here. It’s ok.”

Ok. It was ok. It was going to be ok.

He couldn’t hold himself back. His lips caught hers, the familiar taste of cherry chapstick staining his lips.

It was going to be ok.