#batting my eyelashes at him like ''sorry sir i won't do it again''

[toshidou]

sure cowboy ghost is a hot concept but sheriff ghost? masked sheriff ghost who protects his outpost fiercely? masked sheriff ghost adorned with brown leather chaps, and a matching leather jacket, completed with a golden badge that clearly states that neither him or his town are to be fucked with?

pussy wetter than a slip n slide, i stg

[xmissrogersx]

“Love Story” | Din Djarin

tags | din djarin x female reader. Fluff. Commander brown eyes. Rescue grogu.

a note from me | this scene lives in my mind 24/7

My writing is entirely my own. Any adaptation and/or copy is forbidden.

I hope you are enjoying my stories! U help me a lot if you give me a ♡! All the love.

-Taking it off is better.

I closed my eyes mentally counting to 10 and praying Din wouldn't kill Mayfeld.

-Concentrate on the road, will you? —I exclaimed for him to finish at once, he nodded in surprise at my outburst and didn't utter another word.

I felt a caress on my hand from the Mandalorian thanking me for what I had said.

We made it to the base successfully despite the disturbances on the way. We were greeted with applause and praise, which delighted Mayfeld, as Din held me by my waist to help me down.

-I still can't believe you're wearing that. I never imagined I'd say this but I miss the beskar on you, but I'll always prefer what's underneath —I whispered, to which he intensified his grip.

-Don't test me, mesh'la.

I laughed softly and we headed for the terminal.

-There must be one in the mess hall.

The convict headed for the room, only to stop dead in his tracks and come back to us.

-I can't do it —he said, slightly frightened.

-Why not? —Din exclaimed.

-It's Valin Hess, my old boss. I was doing field work, but I won't risk him recognizing me. The operation is cancelled.

-If you don't do it, she and I will lose the child forever...

-I'm sorry, I'm not going to do it.

-Give him to me.

-You can't. The network is enabled with facial recognition. Let's go.

-I'll do it —I exclaimed grabbing the device, to which it was quickly snatched away from me by a pair of gloved hands I knew.

-No, I will do it. I won't let you do this.

-At least let me cover for you —I said, begging him. He nodded unconvinced.

We entered the room at a distance. I kept in the spotlight at the entrance, trying to glimpse possible exits in case I needed them. I just wanted to get out of there and rescue my little Grogu.

But suddenly the sounds of the world had gone silent and I felt myself holding my breath in my chest: I watched as my Mandalorian removed his helmet quickly, to use the facial scan on the terminal.

Of course Din Djarin would have brown curls. I knew from the countless number of times I had felt them, even without seeing him to maintain the safety of his creed, I knew he had beautiful hair.

-Trooper —I heard from the side, making me jump in fear. It was Valin, who was approaching me.-Tell me your designation.

-Transport —said Din in his unmodulated voice.

-And your TK number?

-Number TK-593, sir. It's my commander —said Mayfeld. -You'll have to talk to him a little louder, his ship lost pressure at Taanab.

-What's your name, officer? -he exclaimed, raising his voice.

-We call you Commander Brown Eyes, don't we? -to which the three of us nodded.

He turned to me, and smiled in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

-What's yours, beautiful? -I mentally counted to a million so as not to wipe the smile off his face. I quickly thought of the scent of my favorite perfume, so I took the easy way out.

-Yasmin, sir. I really like the uniforms —I batted my eyelashes, hoping he'd buy it. The idiot smiled again.

-Let's have a drink, brown eyes —he walked to the table next to Mayfeld, to which we followed behind them. I felt Din put his hand on my lower back, reassuring me.

-I'm going to get something real to celebrate his triumph —he walked away from the table.

I looked to my left and crossed eyes with Din, who looked really paralyzed. According to him, the world was watching his face, but especially one of the 2 people that made up his was doing it. I caressed his hand, for even though he was wearing the glove I wanted to convey the love I had.

-You are very beautiful, Din Djarin. I always knew you were, but most of all I admire how brave you are —I said so that only he could hear me.

-You give me that courage, cyar'ika. I'm sorry to put you through this.

-Why do you say that? —I frowned.

-I didn't promise you this, to be on the edge of danger all the time, it's my fault that the child…

-Sh, don't say that —I put my hand on his lips, to which he closed his eyes wanting to absorb my touch.-You saved me, Din. Running away from that hell was the best decision I made so far. Rather, that you will rescue me. My brave and strong Mandalorian.

He laughed softly at the nickname I used to call him. Unfortunately the moment was interrupted by the sound of Valin's footsteps approaching.

-Very well, now tell me, what shall we drink to? to the empire? Cheers, success? I don't want to sound original —he exclaimed, laughing.-Where are you from, brown eyes?

Din looked at him not knowing what to answer.

-How about Operation Ash? -said Mayfeld, returning to Hess' focus.

The next few minutes I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Mayfeld began to cross words with Valin, disturbing the atmosphere.

-It was for the common good, son.

Suddenly, he raised his glass in a toast, to which our colleague shot him with his blaster.

We looked at him speechless. He started shooting at the rest of the people in the room.

-You did what you had to do. I never saw your face —he extended the Trooper helmet to Din, who turned to me to put our foreheads together for a few seconds before covering his face.

Finally, after what was one of the most dangerous escapes we had ever experienced, we were on our way to rescue Grogu. As I watched the vastness of space through the small opening of Boba's ship, I felt arms around my waist, making me turn to face him.

-When this is over, we'll go to Sorgan and take a break. I promise, cyare.

-I go where you go, Din. Grogu,and all of us are my home.

-Us? -he asked confused. Dan Farrik, shit, I didn't measure the words I had said.

I closed my eyes briefly and looked up at his visor again.

-I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you this time, but everything happened so fast...

-Are you pregnant? —he exclaimed almost in a whisper. I nodded with small tears on my face.

Next, Din raised his hands to his helmet to remove it. At the sight of his beautiful face, along with his crystallized brown orbs, my cheeks instantly became soaked.

He rested his gloved hand on my slightly bulging belly, which he had concealed. He knelt down to my knees, placing a kiss on it.

A clan of four.

[johnsamericano]

𝔖𝔲𝔤𝔞𝔯 ℜ𝔲𝔰𝔥 𝔧.𝔧.𝔥 •2•

Hi hi! I'm back with another chapter. This one might not be as good(?, it's a really fluffy chapter so bear with me.

warnings: sugar daddy jae, he's a big baby, tooth rotting, kinda long.

sugar rush m.list.

taglist: @thoreeo @trustmahluv @sunny-nyu @nanascupid @silent-potato

“Sir, there’s a girl asking to see you.”

“Hey, I’m not a girl!” He chuckled as his finger pressed the button to communicate with his secretary.

“Hey, I’m not a girl!” He chuckled as his finger pressed the button to communicate with his secretary.

“Hey, I’m not a girl!” He chuckled as his finger pressed the button to communicate with his secretary.

“Let her in.”

Only a few seconds later, your head was peeking through his door.

“I brought you coffee.” You extended your hand out, showing him the carton containing two iced drinks. “Are you busy?”

“Not at all, come in.” You sat on the elegant, individual sofa in front of him, his desk serving as a separation. “Are you here to spy on me? Don't you trust me with your father's case?” He pouted, typing something in his keyboard while your palms started sweating.

How could you not trust the man with the highest case winning index in the whole country?

Briefly, after your encounter with the other lawyer, you'd googled him as well as his company. Because of his incredibly high fees, he didn't have many clients, but those few who had enough money to cost him were almost assured to be on the winning side. So then, why hadn't an excellent lawyer like him popped up when you'd first looked for popular firms? Simple, he wasn't popular.

Just like a hidden gem, only a few had the pleasure to know Yoonoh, and you felt beyond grateful for paying that stupid membership weeks ago.

“No, no!” You were quick to defend yourself, frantically shaking your hands to support your previous statement. “Just wanted to be of help.”

Truth to be told, after receiving your first weekly allowance, an unsettling feeling had been squeezing your heart ever since. Call it guilt or whatever, but it didn't set right to be receiving si much help from him when you hadn't had the chance to do anything in return. The least you could do was trying to be polite.

“You shouldn't be spending your money on me. I'm the one supposed to spoil you, remember?” He grabbed the plastic container by the lid, sipping the bitter liquid with an amused smile. “But thank you.”

“I paid my rent yesterday.” You blurted out, trying to avoid the uncomfortable silence threatening to settle between the two of you. “And I still have money left to save for my father's hospital bills, maybe even buy a present for my aunt.”

He admired how noble you were, making sure those around you had enough before even thinking to do something for yourself.

“I have a party this Friday, would you like to attend with me?” Your presence wasn't required as it wasn't a big event, but by the look in your eyes, he knew you were itching to do something in return for his kindness.

“Yes, of course!” Your orbs sparkled with excitement, finally feeling yourself useful.

“If you don't mind waiting, we can go buy something for you to wear right after I finish with this.” For what seemed like the tenth time in less than ten minutes, small beads of sweat rolled down the back of your neck. Thank God he wasn't able to see them. “Oh, come on, don't give me that look!”

“You’ve already done so much for me. I can buy the clothes myself, don't worry.” With a deep sigh, Yoonoh rose from his chair, taking long strides to surround the desk separating you. “W-what are you doing?” Now kneeling on the floor beneath you, his face was dangerously close to yours, coffee breath crashing against your nose.

“Using mind control to convince you to let me take you out.” He stared at you for a couple more seconds before saying: “Is it working?”

“I think your mind control is broken.” You whisper, unable to hold back the small giggles bubbling at the back of your throat.

“How about now?” He batted his eyelashes, trying to act cute despite his bold features. You shook your head.

Just as you thought it was over, his hand went up to cup your jaw, his thumb drawing uneven figures on the ticklish skin.

“How about now?” He repeated. You stammered, unsure of what to say. “Sorry, that was inappropriate.” Aware of your awkwardness and the rising heat in your cheeks, he stood up, walking back to his chair. “But I do want to get you something, would you let me?”

With your mind busy and your guard low, you nodded, unaware of the silly smile on his face.

“I have a few novels on my shelf in case you want something to kill time.”

“Thank you.” You moved to the huge bookshelf facing his desk, grateful your face wasn't visible anymore.

The books were ordered by genre and size, starting from the biggest law-related textbooks to pocket-sized novels, ending with the smallest one he had. The little prince.

Your eyes widened in disbelief. Yoonoh didn't seem to be the type to read that kind of heartbreaking yet beautiful book. Nonetheless, as many said, you can't judge a book by its cover.

An hour or two later, you were halfway into the first book of flowers in the attic, immersed in the small world the author had created. Yoonoh had finished his work a few minutes before, but distracting you when you were reading so vividly, seemed like a crime. He enjoyed the way your eyebrows would knit together every time something shocking happened, clearly too immersed in the novel to notice his intense gaze.

“Y/n...” He whispered once he noticed you were starting a new chapter. You blinked twice, hands clutching the book tightly as you noticed he had finished his work. “You can take it home, don't worry.”

“Sure?” He flashed his pretty dimples as his eyes turned into half-moons.

“You can come back for the rest of the saga when you finish this one. Take as many books as you please, I’ve already read them all.”

“Thank you.” Another act of kindness you had no way of returning. His favors just seemed to be piling up before you could even return any. “Would you like to have dinner with me today? I'm a great cook, or so did my father said.” You blurted out quickly, twisting your hands nervously as you waited for an answer.

“I’d love to. But I might have to attend some work calls if you don't mind.”

“I don't, maybe I'll even have time to bake a cake while you're at it.” God, how bad he wanted to take a picture of that adorably nervous smile.

“Great, so it's settled. Dinner at your place after we go shopping.” He had already put his blazer on, offering his arm to guide you out. With shaky fingers and sweaty armpits, you grabbed it, walking by his side with his secretary’s gazed glued on you. So much for a girl, huh?

Once seated in his car, with the book resting on your lap, you allowed yourself to relax. Yoonoh wasn't a bad person, on the contrary, he was very kind, so there was no use in keeping your guard up when he was around.

“Ready to roll?” You cringed at his use of slang, making him drop his head back to laugh. “What? Isn't it a thing you cool young adults say?”

“Maybe twenty years ago, Yoonoh.” It was the very first time you used his name so informally, and, oh how good it felt to hear you saying it?

“Fine, I won't use it anymore.” He poked your arm like a little child, and for a moment, you wondered if he was actually more than a decade older.

Several bad jokes, two dresses, and a quick stop at the grocery store later, you arrived at your apartment. Yoonoh held everything while you entered the passcode, struggling not to drop a can of vegetables that was starting to bend the edge of the paper bag.

“Ready, hand me something.” You both entered with your hands packed with different things. You went to your room to leave the new dresses while Yoonoh set the paper bags down on the kitchen counter.

“So...” He clapped loudly. “What are we cooking?”

“I bought the ingredients for lasagna. Is that okay with you?” He nodded, lips pressed and dimples in display. “Alright, let's do this.”

It would've been of great help if Yoonoh had told you he didn't know how to cook. But of course, part of the fault was yours for not noticing when he tried to add ketchup to the recipe.

“I burnt it.” He looked at the semi-carbonized pasta with disgust, feeling ashamed of having ruined your dish. “Let’s just throw it away and order something.” He was about to touch the hot container until your grip on his wrist halted his movements.

“We just pulled it out of the oven.” You shook your head in disbelief at the man standing in front of you.

“Sorry.”

Despite Yoonoh’s endless complaining, you ate the lasagna. The flavor wasn't that bad when you scratched off the burnt parts, especially when accompanied by a cold glass of wine.

“It’s not that bad.” You repeated over and over again. A phone call interrupted him from self-pitying any further. “Go on, take it.” You continued eating while he spoke in the living room.

It wasn't until a couple of minutes later that you realized he was whisper yelling at whoever was on the other line. It was your first time seeing him angry, and you didn't like it one bit. The way his face turned completely stoic, his eyes cold as his hand rested on his hip. Sweet, caring, Yoonoh was gone.

“I told you I needed it for today.” He said through gritted teeth. “You better get it before I arrive back at the office, or you can find yourself another job.” Even after he hung up, Yoonoh stood in the middle of the shared area, clutching his phone so tightly, it seemed like it would break any minute.

You wanted to ask if everything was alright, if he needed any help, but most importantly, if the things he needed were related to your father's case, but all the words stuck to your throat like insects in a spider web.

“I need to go.” He simply said, not even bothering to fake a smile. “Thank you for dinner, I'll see you on Friday.” With his free hand, he grabbed the coat hanging from his chair and left, slamming the door on his way out.

Was that the real Yoonoh?

A shiver ran down your spine. What had you gotten into? From what you'd seen, it was only about time he would show his true self to you as well.

All the trust you'd built up during the day, had crumbled down in a matter of seconds. The worst part? You didn't even feel entitled to be scared, not after all he'd done for you.

‘Just keep your distance.’ You repeated like a mantra as you got ready for bed, leaving the book you'd borrowed right where he'd left it, afraid it would burn your fingertips even with the slightest touch.

(...)

The week wasn't nearly as long as you'd wanted it to be, and soon enough, you were struggling to zip the dress you'd bought days ago. Your makeup was done, and Yoonoh had texted you he was on his way, yet, you'd been fighting with the zipper for at least ten minutes. Your fingers were cramping, and the clock was ticking.

Just when you'd finally started to drag the small piece of metal, the doorbell startled you, causing you to let go of it.

“Fuck!” Have you ever felt so desperate that tears start pricking your eyes? Well, that was the exact case happening at the moment.

You opened the door with the salty water collecting at the corner of your eyes, surprising Yoonoh, who was wearing his best dimply smile.

“What’s wrong?” He had a bouquet poorly hidden behind his back, probably to apologize for the night he abruptly left and almost knocked down your door.

“I-I can't zip up my dress.” Your voice came out shaky, giving away the emotions burning your gut. Thankfully, Yoonoh didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he didn't mention it.

“I’ll help you.” He, not-so-discretely, put down the bouquet, gently turning you around to your discomfort. His cold hands touched your back as he dragged the zip up, noticing how tense you were but deciding not to comment on it. “Oh! You haven't moved the book from where I left it.”

“I haven't had time to read.” He hummed, crouching to reach for the bouquet and hand it to you. “Thank you.”

“It’s my way of apologizing for the fit I threw a couple of days ago.” A fit? That was one way to call it.

“It’s okay.” You lied as you pushed the corners of your lips to form a credible smile. “Let’s get going.”

The flowers were left on the kitchen counter before you left. The ride in the elevator was awfully quiet, and Yoonoh had no idea what had happened. You were so chatty the last time he saw you, so of course, he was taken aback by the sudden change.

“It’s not going to take long, so we can head out for some drinks later if you'd like...” You nodded, for you knew speaking would only expose your discomfort. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah! Just nervous about the party, that's all.”

You stood by Yoonoh’s side for the rest of the evening, smiling and nodding at his acquaintances’ comments. At one point in the evening, a man, not much older than you, approached you both with a wide smile.

“Dude, I hadn't seen you in ages. Stop sending your workers and come see me yourself.” They hugged. Why were they hugging?

“Y/n, this is my brother, Sungchan.” The man with puppy-like eyes embraced you tightly, almost as if welcoming you to his family. “Sungchan, this is y/n, my girlfriend.” He said it so naturally, it’d take a detective to figure out the truth about your relationship.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. I'm sorry for your father. But don't worry, we'll take those bastards down.”

“I’m not following...” You blinked repeatedly, eyes going back and forth between Yoonoh and his brother.

“Sungchan is a doctor. I asked him to look at your father's case for further evidence. My assistant was supposed to pick up the report the day we had dinner, but she forgot to drop by. Now we’re a day behind schedule.” The dark cloud surrounding him seemed to be slowly dissipating as you heard his explanation. “This is an important case, and I want to be as meticulous as possible.”

Thank you didn't seem the right thing to say at the moment, at least not with Sungchan standing there, so you simply grabbed his hand, squeezing it to let him know how grateful you were.

To your surprise, he didn't even flinch as he locked your hands together, causing a small giggle from Sungchan.

“Okay, love birds, I'll get going.” He waved you goodbye, making his way to another table where his friend waited for him.

“Can we talk?” You whispered in his ear, afraid one of the numerous attendants would hear you.

“Sure.” Without letting go of your hand, he drove you to a small, private garden just outside the ballroom. “Are you gonna tell me what's wrong now?” His thumb caressed your knuckles with gentle strokes.

“I’m so sorry.”

“What for?”

“I pushed you away at the minimum trouble when you were only helping me.” He hummed as if he already knew about it. “And it will probably happen again, so please, be patient with me. I'm going through-” Your face collided against his chest as his arms draped over your shoulders, squeezing you tightly.

“Call me reckless, but I've wanted to do this for a while.” Your hands hung at the sides of your torso, unsure what to do next. “You can push me away, I'll understand...”

Instead, your palm found its place in his back, rubbing up and down the designer jacket. Your hair started turning messy from the night breeze, some strands striking Yoonoh’s chin as his embrace only grew tighter.

“Let’s get out of here.” He mumbled, crawling the back of your head with his hand. “Sungchan can deal with my father's friends.”

“Are you sure?” His hum vibrated through his chest, making you giggle at the odd feeling.

Once seated in his car, his hand found yours like a magnet, the warmth emanating from it comfortably enveloping your skin.

The calmness of the atmosphere was interrupted by a call from his brother, who seemed to be anxiously explaining something through the phone.

“Just tell him I had a work emergency.” With that said, he hung up, placing his hand back again on top of yours. “Sorry, he said it was urgent.”

“It’s okay.” An unsettling feeling pinched your stomach, but you decided to dismiss it, immersed in the chilly weather of the dark streets.

You arrived at the river, where Yoonoh asked you to wait for him while he bought a couple of beers. It was a sight to see, both of you clad in fancy clothes, barefoot and chugging down can after can.

“I think I like being with you.” You declared, mind fuzzy from the alcohol intake.

“I think I like it too.” The tips of his ears were rosy, revealing he was as intoxicated as you, maybe even more.

“Would you like to visit my father with me tomorrow?” The words flew out of your mouth before you could even realize. Afraid you'd killed the mood, you tried to excuse yourself, only to be interrupted by his lips grazing your ear, placing a timid kiss on your lobe.

“I’d love to.” It was the sweetest peck, no ulterior motives behind it, just pure affection.

“Are we going too fast?” In your drunken state, what you had felt like a real relationship, not a simple agreement. And this sure felt like a first date.

“We’re moving at our own pace, I believe.” He dropped his head on your shoulder, pressing against it to relieve the dizziness clouding his mind. “Are you okay with that? Maybe you don't want to be with an old creep like me, and I'd totally get it. Just don't let me get my hopes up if that's the case.”

“You might be old, but definitely not a creep.” Your fingers combed through his abundant hair as your mind wandered into the future, grateful for the fact that he wouldn't become bald soon. “Or are you?”

“I don't think so.” Anyone who walked by would've seen a couple of goofs, too intoxicated to talk without slurring the words, but you were living in your own, comfy bubble. “I should get you home before it gets too late. Come on, I'll call a driver.” He tried getting on his feet to no avail, stumbling back a little before falling back on his ass.

“My apartment is nearby. You can stay for the night.” You grabbed both pairs of shoes as his arm surrounded your shoulder for assistance. “If you keep supporting your whole weight on me, we're both gonna fall.” People on the street shot you a couple of funny looks, which was understandable since it wasn't usual to see two drunk idiots walking barefoot in the middle of the night.

“How long till-” Hiccup. “-we get there?” His stare seemed to worsen with every step. “God, I think I might throw up.”

“Stop acting like a teenager, we're almost there.”

As soon as you arrived at the small apartment, you sat him down on the little step where you changed your shoes. You left both pairs on the rack, proceeding to put on slippers to enter the house.

“Don’t leave me here!” He whined, stomping his feet like a little kid.

“Just wait for a second!” His attitude was starting to get on your nerves to the point where you couldn't feel the effects of the beer anymore.

You grabbed a rag from the kitchen cabinet and dampened it under the sink. Yoonoh was half asleep when you walked back to him.

“My head hurts.” He mumbled as you sat in front of him, placing his left foot on your lap. “What are you doing?”

“I don't have any slippers that will fit you, and I don't want your dirty feet making my house dirty.” With utmost delicacy, you wiped away the dirt from his toes, noticing the small scratches caused by the gravel he walked on.

He touched your hair while you finished with his other foot, tangling the strands with fascination.

“Done, get up.”

He followed your indications as you guided him to your room, where you laid him down on his side in case he threw up.

“Are we visiting your father tomorrow?” He asked while snuggling under the covers.

“Sure.” You cleared his forehead from the strands falling in it, grazing the soft skin of his forehead. “Sweet dreams, gigantic baby.”

[hannie-dul-set]

wc: 906 | warning: suggestive content under the cut!

jeno had just exited the doors of the student council room, two beats later than the rest of the members as he volunteered to lock up for them. one might think he did it out of unexpected, uncharacteristic kindness, but his reasons were purely selfish—

he wouldn't want anyone seeing him leave with seolhee. after all, maintaining his reputation was far more important than a quick fuck.

("let's keep this between us, yeah?" hushed voices mixed with the sifting of shallow breaths bounced inside the confined walls of the janitor's closet. jeno nipped her neck, bodies pressed together in a heated friction as his fingers found their way in between her legs. "one word out of you and you won't be getting a taste of this again, sweetheart."

a muffled whimper left her swollen lips, and jeno took this as a yes.

"good girl.")

the hallway was empty as the first period had already begun, and the sound of the door's lock clicking shut echoed through the vacancy of the walls. he had told seolhee to wait for him in one of the empty classrooms on this floor. supposedly no student was allowed there, but being a part of the school hierarchy had its advantages.

jeno spun the ring of keys he had on his index finger before digging it into the right side pocket of his pants. the absence of a single human soul in the clean, white halls felt absolutely blissful.

it was nice not having anyone watching his every single move.

he was about to take a turn, but then the hollow clicking of racing footsteps from behind him put him to a halt.

"hi, excuse me!"

jeno froze. fucking hell. a sigh left his lips, expression contorted in annoyance as he turned around with a tight glare that can have anyone regretting that they even walked up to him. with narrowed eyes, he stared down at your figure, and although much to his surprise, he was met by the bright smiling of your features when he saw you.

"hello! i'm really sorry for disturbing you, but do you know where room 825 is?" you asked, a hopeful gleaming in your eyes as you stared intently at him, and jeno was suddenly caught off guard. "it's my first day here, and i sort of got lost— this school is really big!"

what the hell? jeno was taken aback, eyelashes fluttering to a close intermittently from his surprise. this wasn't the behavior that he was used to receiving, especially from people outside of his circle of friends. he assumed you were new here, which meant you've never even seen him anymore, but why weren't you at the very least intimidated by him?

"excuse me, sir? are you okay?"

"o—oh, sorry," he stammered, diverting his attention to the glassed windows on the right side of the halls. "there was an orientation earlier and you should've already gone with you class after that. weren't you there?"

"i, uh—" a sheepish grin was on your face, along with a semi-shameful, semi-apologetic look. "i was late today."

the glowering on his face had not gone unnoticed by you, and you felt bad for pestering him when he was probably busy, but you were desperate to at least get to class today. chenle and jisung wouldn't be able to show you around until their free time.

"what room are you looking for, again?"

you gleamed.

"ah, room 825! do you know where it is?"

fuck. he grumbled. you just had to share a homeroom with him?

jeno sighed, running his fingers into his hair before looking back at you. guess he had to ditch seolhee today. "that's my classroom, too," you immediately lightened up at his response, brighter than you already were, and jeno blamed it on that fact as to why he couldn't have just lied to you. "we can go together, or whatever."

"oh my gosh— you're a lifesaver. thank you so much!" 

you were practically jumping in your heels when you thanked him, and you followed his strides on the way to the classroom. jeno tried his best to walk ahead of you just so that he wouldn't have to deal with you just in case you attempted to talk to him, but somehow you still managed to keep up with him and started to feel threatened by you— which was utterly ridiculous considering the fact that you looked like you would surrender yourself against a fight with fly.

from a distance, you could see the familiar numbers plastered above one of the many doors, and you clasped your hands together in happiness. you thanked the boy beside you once more, to which he only responded with a barely audible mumble of a "you're welcome."

"oh! my name is y/n, by the way," you grinned at him. "and you are? i'd really like to thank you properly."

again, jeno couldn't seem to ignore you. maybe it was the gravity of your cheery mood having an inexplicable effect on him, or maybe he just didn't know how to act when someone was this unusually radiant and carefree around him. whatever it was, it compelled him to answer.

"jeno," he mumbled. "lee jeno."

the oak doors leading to the large classroom were finally in front of you, and you gave him one last smiling gaze before entering.

"well, thank you for saving my life today, lee jeno."

AN EYE FOR AN EYE // A HEART FOR A HEART

as they say, what goes around comes around. so when you break a hundred hearts out of the selfishness of your actions— be prepared to get your own heart broken a hundred times, as well.

02 // unexpected, uncharacteristic & unusual

a/n: 👁👁 i tried i really did. i'm more of a fluff person, as u can tell, but i think i did a decent job HAHAHA y/nie meeting each of the boys will be written parts~~ i hope you all enjoy :D

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taglist:

@joshva @shailaaa @sehunniepot @junglewoos @stopitvpls @marklexleaf @bat-shark-repellant @johnjaespeach @vinmylife

[yourmidnightlover]

SSA Hotchner: chapter 4 - romantic love

TW - threatening letter, a bit of combat, flirting, alluding to sexual themes but not really? let me know if i missed something :)

WC - 2,898

series masterlist

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walking into the frat house you scanned the room for spencer immediately, finding him in the corner where he could keep an eye on everything in the living room area and then some. you gave him a subtle nod when he made eye contact with you to signal you knowing his presence.

"alright, y/n. i need you to scope the place for the guy in the picture we showed you," morgan's voice rang out from your earpiece. "he'll be somewhere near the entrance looking for his next victim."

you gave two taps on your earring to let them know you understood. you began walking further into the living room, making eye contact with spencer again who nodded his head to your right. you looked over your shoulder and found the suspect.

you grabbed a cup of some unknown substance, not wanting to take a sip of it anyway. you traced your finger along the edges as you saw lucas stillwater eyeing you. you bit the bottom of your lip gently, noticing how he began walking towards you almost immediately.

"hi, pretty lady," he greeted you, his hand coming to find your waist.

"hi," you smiled softly, repressing your gag reflex from his touch.

"this dress is... something else, sweetcheeks," already two pet names. got it, dick.

"this ol' thing? i've had it for ages," you started, before moving to fix the collar of his shirt. "now you... look great in this shirt. only..." you pulled him in so you could whisper, "i think it might look better off."

"damn, junior hotch," morgan laughed. "you've really got some game."

"you don't waste any time, do ya?" he smiled as he tucked a stray hair behind your ear.

"hmm... what can i say?" you pulled back to look him in the eyes, removing your hands from him completely. "i know what i want."

"morgan, how about we don't mention my sister like that. got it?" aaron announced.

"you and me both, sugar. you and me both," he growled as he eyed you up and down.

"sir, yes sir," morgan laughed once again.

"i'm hoping that something is me?" you bat your eyelashes innocently, tilting your head in curiousity.

"that something is most definitely you," he agreed. "what do ya say we get out of here, head back to my place?" he placed his hands on your waist, pulling you closer to his body.

"hmm," you traced his chest with your index finger. "i would love to... but i can't," you immediately pulled back and out of his grip, walking across the living room closer to spencer.

"great. now flirt with spencer to entice him more," morgan announced. "you have to get him really riled up, whatever it takes."

spencer had seen how you acted with lucas. as much as he hated to admit, it got underneath his skin. he wanted to be the only one you talked to like that, even if it was just for a case.

you walked over to spencer, biting your lip once again as you approached him. once you got to him, you turned him to face the direction the unsub was once in.

"is he watching?" you whispered in his ear.

"uh, mmhmm. he uh, he's watching," he nodded.

"i'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable," you swallowed.

you noticed the way his breathing picked up. the way his body nearly trembled at your touch. you were clearly making him uncomfortable.

"just act like it's someone else, alright?" you asked before pulling back, playing with a few strands of his hair.

"he looks angry, keep doing that," spencer announced.

"that's good," you swallowed, feeling a bit nervous about what was supposed to go down later that night. "so you're going back with me, right?" you asked with a grin.

"uhm, yea. i am," he nodded. "doing so would entice the unsub even further, ensuring that he'd follow you back."

"okay, sounds good," it was your turn to nod with a smile. "i can't wait to get out of these heels," you giggled as you brought your other hand to his shoulder. "they're rather uncomfortable."

"they look amazing," he grinned with his puppy dog eyes. "i uh- i know i wasn't really able to s-say anything before," he swallowed. "you look re-really beautiful."

"thank you, spence," you blushed. "do you think we're good to leave now?" he nodded. "great, i'm so glad i can change out of this," you laughed as you pulled his hand out the door and towards a car the fbi had gotten just for this case.

you drove to your 'house,' noticing a dark blue sedan following close behind as you pulled into the driveway. you quickly got out, and made your way inside while holding spencer unbelievably close.

once you got inside you went into the bedroom to grab the change of clothes so you could get out of the dress. it was a pair of sweatpants and a short tank top. you were also able to take out the earpiece since the unsub couldn't directly see you.

walking out of the bathroom, you met spencer in the bedroom once again. you noticed him looking at you in a weird way.

"what is it?" you squinted your eyebrows as you looked over your appearance. "i don't think there's a stain on these clothes, i just bought them a month ago."

"th-there's not," you furrowed your brows even more in confusion. "it's just... you look amazing in both a party dress and while dressed in what some would call their 'lazy day clothes,' i just don't see how that's fair," he chuckled as you went to sit down beside him on the bed.

"well i would say you look great in 'lazy day clothes' and in your work clothes and in a tuxedo and in practically anything," you moved a strand of hair behind his ear. "be sure to give yourself credit where it's due, doc."

"thank you, y/n," he said in a tone so genuine it sounded as though you had given him the greatest gift in the world, not just a kind compliment.

"of course," you smiled as you went to the head of the bed, ensuring that there was a gun in the drawer beside it.

"morgan just texted and said the unsub's car is parked outside. he's going to come in about 5 minutes from now," spencer announced.

"i have my gun, you?" you looked at him, he nodded. "great," you felt your breathing pick up.

"hey," spencer placed a hand on your lower thigh. "i'm here, alright? i'll go to the back door, that's where he enters the house," he rubbed his thumb soothingly. "he won't hurt you."

"right. he won't hurt me. but what about you?" you asked, placing your hand over his.

"don't worry about me," he took your hand and pressed his lips to it. "i'll be okay."

"if you aren't okay by the end of the night i'm gonna kill you," you warned him as he placed your hand in his lap, still covered by his.

"alright, i'll hold you to that," he chuckled quietly. "i'll be back, alright?" you nodded as he got up and made his way to the back door.

you walked up to the front door, looking out the peephole and seeing nothing but darkness which was odd. there was a porch light on, and streetlights on the street that lit it up. so why was there no light?

you moved to flip the light switch on, finding it didn't work at all. you went to the kitchen, it didn't work. then once you made your way to the back door where spencer was supposed to be, he wasn't there.

you began panicking. he was gone. he was dead. he was hurt. gone. hurt. dead? you ran back to the living room, finding spencer passed out you placed your gun beside his body to examine him. with what seemed to be a tranquilizing dart in his neck.

you felt arms around your neck and torso, then another pair by your feet. you immediately started kicking as the arm around your neck began squeezing harder than before. you tilted your chin down, bringing your hands up to gouge at the person's eyes that was behind you. he went down wailing

using your core, you kept yourself up as the person holding your torso fell back, you wrapped your legs around his body. you jabbed his gut before putting arms around his neck as you used all your strength to choke his neck, twisting your body around to the back of his body. once you were on his back, you were able to unwrap your legs from his body and use that leverage to induce more pain, he passed out within seconds.

you quickly dropped his body and pointed your gun at the guy who was still screaming, recognizing him as lucas. the door busted down, morgan rushing through with aaron, guns raised.

the heaving in your chest didn't stop or slow down, still having that rush of adrenaline from what just went down.

"you're alright," aaron breathed a sigh of relief as he went to engulf you in his arms.

"i told you i would be," you breathed in the comforting scent of your brother, home.

"damn, y/n," morgan came to clap you on the back. "i didn't know you had that in you. taking down two grown men? remind me to never mess with you,"

"spencer, he-he got hit with a tranquilizer," you announced, motioning to where his body lay on the couch.

"don't worry about him, it's a normal valium tranquilizer. it'll ware off soon," morgan informed you, a wave of relief washing over you.

"so how'd this happen?" aaron asked, you turned to face him.

"spence went to the back door to wait for them to enter since that's where he was supposed to come in. then i went to the front door just to be safe, but i couldn't see anything. it was totally dark. they had cut off power for the block," you turned to face morgan. "that's what we missed. once i figured that out i went to check on spencer, he wasn't by the back door so i went back to the living room and found him here like that," you motioned to him on the couch. "then i felt someone's arms around my neck and feet. i gouged his eyes out, held my body up and choked the other one. ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom! you guys come in," you summarized.

"i don't think i've ever been this impressed by you, y/n," aaron smiled, proud of his little sister.

"well i have been taking self defense lessons since i left home," you shrugged.

"really?" he asked, surprised by the news.

"mhmm. i thought that since dad was..." you cut yourself off. "yea, i've just wanted to know how to protect myself and others," you corrected.

aaron's eyes softened as you stumbled over your words, engulfing you in a hug to comfort you. he rested his chin on your head.

"i love you, aaron," you whispered so only he could hear.

"i love you," he replied, placing a kiss on your hairline.

back on the plane, you sat beside spencer who was still passed out from the tranquilizer. he was supposed to wake up sometime before you land, but with his quick metabolism it would probably be much sooner. you kept your gaze on his peaceful sleeping demeaner. moving your hand around his face, you brushed his hair back once more.

basically everyone else was asleep on the jet aside from you and emily. she noticed the way you looked at him. wistfully. worried. loving.

"he's alright," emily spoke up, sitting in the chair closest to the couch. you rose your eyes to meet hers.

"i-i know," you nodded. "i just... i thought he was-" you cut yourself off.

"but he's not," she titled her head as you looked back at him sleeping. "he's breathing. he'll wake up soon."

"there was a moment when i saw he wasn't there, by the back door, and i just-i didn't know..." you sighed as you traced his cheekbone with the side of your finger.

"you know, he's pretty smitten by you, too?" emily asked with a smirk.

"please," you rolled your eyes. "he's a genius."

"after he first met you, he asked me all about you. he wanted to know where you went to college, your hobbies, interests, whether or not you had a boyfriend," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"that doesn't mean anything, em. it just means he's curious of a new person," you finally refocused your eyes on her. "besides, how do you know i like him?"

"come on, y/n. i've known you for how long?" she whisper-yelled. "i know when you have a little crush on someone."

"who said it was little?" you laughed "no, i just haven't ever had a real relationship before. i don't think i'm meant to be in one," you shrugged.

"why not?" she furrowed her brows

"i've just never been lucky in the dating aspect. i've learned to be happy with myself... by myself," you proudly announced. "and you know what happened with my parents, it just doesn't seem like many relationships these days are actually happy. they all end in divorce or someone stays because they're too afraid to leave or... or it's just not a good idea."

"if this is because of your dad..." she trailed off.

"it's not just because of my dad, it's because i don't think relationships are necessary. i don't think romantic love is... real," you brought your hands to spencer's, fiddling with his fingers to calm yourself down.

"you don't believe in love?" she asked incredulously.

"i don't believe in romantic love," you corrected.

"how did i never know this about you? i mean not believing in love is kind of a big thing..." she rose her eyebrows comically.

"it's never really been brought up," you dropped his hand and shrugged your shoulders.

spencer began stirring in his spot, he leaned up and squinted his eyes at you. he took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around you, bringing you as close to him as possible.

"you're alright," he sighed into your hair. "i thought they were going to hurt you."

"they didn't. i'm alright, spence. i promise," you stroked his hair gently, trying your best to calm him. "i'm okay," you tried to pull back, only to find his grip on you tighten slightly.

"just... just let me hold you for a little longer?" he pleaded as he placed a kiss to your forehead.

"if you're gonna do that then i wanna take a nap," you giggled as you moved the two of you to lay down together, his arms under yours as you curled into his chest.

"whatever you'd like," he sighed.

he heard what you said about love not being real. he heard about how you liked him, but how it couldn't go anywhere. and he was determined to change that for you, no matter what it took.

and he didn't know much about yours or aaron's childhood. from what happened in his own, he understood why someone would want to keep it under wraps. he just wanted you to know that it was alright to confide in him as he has you.

he wants to be that person you went to when you had nightmares about your past. he wants to be the one to chase away the bad guys from your past. he wants to be your future, as well. he wants to be the one you come home with. he wants to be with you. he wants to love you. he wants to be loved by you.

as much as you hated to admit, he's already starting to break down your walls. and that scared you more than your childhood ever did...

the next couple of weeks went by quicker than expected. you quickly found your place within the team, no surprise there since you already knew them. after penelope found out how you had taken the two men down she began calling you her 'little dynamite.'

spencer and you had hung out a couple more times outside of work. he had come over to your place and watched another movie, you went to his so he could give you a lesson on chess, and the two of you went out to eat after a hard case, finishing it with an ice cream with one another.

aaron had been a bit less protective of you after he found out how you had taken self defense classes. he knew you had training with the bureau, but knowing you had training outside of work just eased his mind a bit more.

emily hadn't pressed you on the whole 'romantic love' topic, but she had pressed you on you crush on spencer. she was convinced you and he would be the power couple of the bau.

the rest of the team had gone out together a total of two times after cases. you went out, didn't drink because you needed to drive yourself home, and then went back home.

there was one more letter. one more threat.

i can't believe people actually look up to you. why do they think you're so perfect?

you don't even know how to do your job right and you have men falling at your feet.

you should rot in hell. maybe i should send you there.

no big deal. yet.

[inber]

Omg, so my friend and I just got pulled over because her tags are expired and there’s like, no way to go in and get it renewed because pandemic. Can you write us Jaskier trying to flirt his way out of a ticket to make us feel better?

Ah, fuck, Jaskier thought. Not again. To be fair, perhaps he shouldn't be speeding, considering the neon yellow paint-job on his 1968 Mustang coupe -- and the license plate that read 'J3AL0US' -- but he liked hearing his baby purr, okay? Muttering, he pulled over.

He watched the cop take his time getting out of his car. "Yeah, I've got all day, you big dumb h--hello." In the reflection of the rearview, it was impossible to miss the officer's built body, and the sharp line of his jaw. Jaskier suddenly thought he wouldn't mind being cuffed.

He rolled down his window as the man approached, and then placed both his hands on the wheel. The officer bent down.

"Good evening, sir." Jaskier flashed a Colgate smile, and was pleased when the officer removed his sunglasses. Yup, Sergeant Snack was on duty.

"You were speeding back there." The cop informed him. Even his voice was sexy; all growl and baritone.

"I was?" Jaskier feigned a wince. "How fast, sir?"

"Seven over." He was told. "License and registration, please."

"Of course." Jaskier pulled his wallet out, and opened the glovebox. He noticed the cop didn't have his hand idling over his gun, and he hoped he was one of the decent ones. He knew his skin tone was the reason for the 'please'. "Don't judge the picture, sir. Have you ever seen a good license photo?"

The officer grunted. "Seen worse." He said, and then, "Wait here, Mr. Pankratz."

Jaskier enjoyed the view as the cop went back to his car to run the information. He knew he had a fairly clean record - a parking fine last year, one other speeding offense that he'd begged down to a warning. It didn't take long for the officer to return, and hand his documents back.

"Thank you, sir." Jaskier batted his eyelashes. The bigger man cleared his throat. Was that a blush? Please let that be a blush.

"I'm going to have to write you up." The cop pulled out a pad. Jaskier pouted.

"I suppose that is fair, sir. I am terribly sorry to inconvenience you. Traffic duty must be quite dull."

The cop smirked. "It can be."

"And look at you. You look like one of the officers on a TV show. Surely you should be running after a dastardly criminal, not stuck patrolling?" The man had paused his writing. Jaskier continued. "It's a waste, really. If I complain about the injustice to your supervisor, will you get promoted?"

The cop chuckled. "I highly doubt it."

"Surely it's worth a go? Forgive me, Officer...?"

"Rivia." The cop supplied.

"Officer Rivia. Surely if I start a petition, they'll leave you off this dull duty. I can be very persistent." Jaskier smiled again.

"I'm getting a sense of that." Officer Rivia arched an eyebrow, but there was half a smile on his lips.

Jaskier tilted his head. "It's important to fight for nice things. I think so, anyway."

The cop frowned a little at that. "Hmm."

"Now, Officer Rivia, you have been most civil to me. How do I contact your supervisors to sing these praises?"

The cop did blush, then. "I'd rather you didn't, Mr. Pankratz. I'll never hear the end of the teasing."

"Oh, they're just jealous because you probably ran laps around them at the academy." Jaskier giggled. "That's the right term, yeah? Or is it a university now?"

Officer Rivia had put the pad down. "No, it's an academy."

"Right, and you could bench-press the guy who tells you what to do. So he gives you traffic duty." Jaskier's baby blue eyes were wide. "Am I close?"

The cop was smiling. "Listen, Pankratz. I know what you're doing." Jaskier's heart fell. "I'm pissed that it's working."

"Oh?" Jaskier tried not to sound hopeful.

"Promise you won't call my sergeant, and I'll call this a warning."

Jaskier tapped the steering wheel. "Well, fine. I suppose you'll have to advance in the ranks on your own merit, Officer."

The cop shook his head, amused. "That's the plan. On your way, sir."

"Thank you, Officer Rivia!" Jaskier trilled, as he started the engine. He waited until the hot officer was clear, indicated, and pulled onto the suburban street again.

Flattery wouldn't get him everywhere, but it got Jaskier pretty far.

[melodiouswhite]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde rewritten - Ch. 34

34. The memorable habits of Miss Donovan (and bar fights)

(A/N: here there be violence and dismemberment)

The physical injuries had healed well.

And now that both Jekyll and Hyde knew, that they had something like a family for the first time in their life, the wounds on their soul were beginning to heal as well.

But Hyde didn't feel strong enough to come out and go around to pursue his hobbies for a while.

Jekyll therefore had the pleasure of staying in control for almost a month, before Hyde got fidgety again.

“Are you sure you want to go back to that?”, he asked one evening, when Hyde demanded to be let out again. “Perhaps that scum will be back-”

“If he knows what's good for him, he won't”, his alter ego snarled in response.

“Hyde, I really don't think this is a good idea.”

“I need this, Jekyll”, the younger pointed out. “And so do you. Do you think I haven't noticed how you've gone back to your old self-repression? You want to be free again. And so do I.”

The Doctor didn't argue anymore.

He did laugh, though. “You're truly incorrigible.”

“Look who's talking!”, Hyde retorted.

Jekyll finished his work for the day and left his office.

Poole frowned, when he told him that he would go out tonight.

“Are you sure, Doctor?”, the elderly servant questioned. “Only a month after you-know-what?”

“It's alright”, Jekyll assured him. “We will be more careful this time. Don't worry, Arthur.”

Poole shook his head. “You're truly incorrigible, Henry.”

The blond chuckled. “I know.”

Only Poole got away with that cheek towards him.

“Mister Hyde! So good to see you again!”, the cash carrier* cried eagerly and approached the small brunette, when he entered the bar.

Hyde hid his scorn behind his creepy smile and told him that tonight he was just here to get drunk.

When he looked around, he recognised some men, he had bested on other occasions.

Some of them saw him and glowered, but Hyde didn't worry about them.

They wouldn't have the guts to do anything, he knew.

He jumped onto the counter and threw a Sovereign onto the table.

“Long time no see! The usual?”, the barkeeper inquired and Hyde nodded affirmatively.

“The usual. And pour it, where I can see it!”, he added scowling, when the barkeeper turned his back on him to pour the drink.

The man gulped. “Alright, alright!”

He stepped to the side, so the smaller man could see everything, poured the ale and handed him his pint.

“Thank you”, Hyde purred with false sweetness and strode over to his accustomed seat in the corner.

To his surprise, someone was already sitting at the table.

And it was none other than-

“No way!”, he exclaimed, “Miss Donovan! Fancy meeting you here!”

She turned her head, recognised him and grinned like a bedlam girl. “Likewise!”, she responded, “Been a while, hasn't it? Come and sit with me, Mr. Hyde!”

He did so.

This time she wasn't cross-dressing. Instead she was sporting a black and red dress. Her flame red curls were in a ponytail and she wore dark red lipstick and rouge.

Probably to lure men in.

Hyde knew a trap, when he saw one.

“How've you been?”, she asked cheerily.

“I'm getting better.”

“I can tell. Up to your debauchery again, eh?”

“Well, what can I say? I am and always will be a depraved man.”

“It's fine. Just don't go forcing yourself on people ever again. Now that you know what that feels like.”

Hyde frowned. “Oh, don't worry. I learned my lesson in that regard.”

She nodded. “Good.”

“Sooo”, Hyde drawled, “What are you doing here in a bar?”

The ginger shrugged. “Eh, ya know. Getting up the pole and looking for girls.”

Oh. So she's a queer too …

“Well, this is a brothel, so-”

“I'm not here to dab it up”, Miss Donovan revealed, “I want to find a lady-friend. Kinda hard for me to keep one.”

He looked at her in confusion.

It was hard for him to imagine.

Alma Donovan was an attractive girl, in almost every way. Even the piercing, feral look in her eyes – so much like his own – could be enticing. He certainly knew that a lot of men had a thing for wild, temperamental beauties.

She explained: “I'm mad. Maybe Luise told you, but I like to stab and mutilate blokes. They just 'ave to look at me funny and then they can say bye-bye to their crown jewels.”

Hyde cringed.

“Do I have to worry about losing mine?”, he queried.

She shook her head. “Unless you ever hurt a woman again, nah. Besides, you already got a taste of your medicine and promised to never do it again. So you're safe.”

Oh thank Heavens …

“And I have quite a few other quirks”, the ginger continued, “So every time I actually manage to get meself a girlfriend, it doesn't last long. I'm looking for a lady, who can put up with me madness.”

Oh.

Well, he knew a few tough girls. Tough enough for him, at least. And he was a madman himself, after all. So in theory, they would be able to handle that madwoman here too. But …

“Just out of curiosity, how do you treat your lady-friends?”

Suddenly, Miss Donovan grinned like a Chesire cat.

“Oh, I spoil them rotten!”, she cried excitedly, “Luise gives me a handsome allowance and I make quite a lot of money by placing bets! I'd give them the best I can afford, take them out for dates, protect them from perverts, teach them how to defend themselves and how to read and write, take care of them, be there when they need me-”

The plural form got his attention. “Them?”

Miss Donovan scratched her head awkwardly. “That's the other problem. Monogamy isn't me thing. That and the fact that I get into trouble so often … well, you get the idea. Have been jailed several times too. Luise cuts me allowance every time she has to bail me out.”

One of these girls, eh?

Hyde laughed: “Miss Donovan, I think you and I are going to get along just fine.”

“Call me Alma”, she requested, “Miss Donovan was me mother.”

The brunette grinned. “Call me Edward then.”

They shook hands and proceeded to chat about this and that.

Unfortunately their conversation was interrupted, when Hyde felt a presence behind himself.

Alma frowned. “Uhh, Edward?”

“I know”, he muttered and turned around to come face to face with a huge bloke, who was glaring down at him. He reminded Hyde of a gorilla Jekyll had once seen at the zoo.

“Can I help you, Sir?”, he asked coolly and with an unaffected expression.

“You sick in the head?”, the taller man snarled.

He raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Ye heard me!”, the gorilla growled.

Hyde looked past him and caught sight of some men he remembered roughing up. They were whispering and staring at the gorilla, like he was off his head. Which he certainly was.

“I have a score to settle with ya!”

“No, you don't”, Hyde responded languidly. “If we'd brawled before, I'd remember you.”

One of the workers in the background stood up and put a hand on the moron's shoulder.

“Are you off your rocker?!”, the man hissed, “That gremlin looks small, but he holds a candle to the devil.”*

A gremlin?!

He heard Jekyll snort in his head and almost laughed too. But Hyde was in a good mood, so the other man was off the hook. Besides, that was one of the more harmless things he'd been called so far.

“Well, you would know, wouldn't you?”, Hyde remarked, smirking.

“See, Sir”, he turned back to the gorilla, “That man would have a score to settle with me. And so do those three gentlemen in the back.”

He pointed at three other men, who were sitting at one of the other tables. The worker returned to his chair at their table.

“They're just wise enough not to”, Hyde continued. “And you should be too. Or you can just tell me what you actually want.”

“Ye must be that Hyde-fella”, the giant growled.

“'Sup?”

“I heard things about ya!”

“Really now?” Hyde's eyes narrowed. He was starting to feel extremely agitated. Why couldn't that twit just leave them alone? Normally he would have punched him in the gut by now, but he didn't feel like getting himself another house ban.

“Ye start brawls and beat people up for kicks”, the bigger man growled.

And you don't? Hypocrite.

“Even if they're over twice yer size-”

And what does that tell you?! Sod off!

“-Almost killed some old geezer for no reason-”

How the hell did that bastard know that?! Sir Danvers Carew hadn't pressed charges or given his name! The only witness had been a maid and Lady Summers had bought her silence. No one knew that it had been him!

Hyde feigned ignorance: “Some old geezer? Rumours! I can't think of one!”

Jekyll snorted: “Fibbing, Hyde? That's not like you.”

Shut up, Jekyll. Besides, it's easy to deny, when he doesn't say who he means.

Well, at least the fib had the desired effect. It threw the other off. Good. So he had only heard rumours about it. He couldn't prove anything. He didn't even know, if it was true.

The brunette scoffed: “Telling stories with no basis on reality? Pathetic! Now, for the last time, who are you and what do you want?”

I swear, if I have to ask one more time-

“I'm Bob Smith”, the gorilla told him.

“And I'm Queen Victoria”, Hyde responded, mimicking a falsetto and batting his eyelashes. “Guess who I am!”

Some people cackled in the background. Alma chortled and even Jekyll laughed in his head.

The gorilla's scowl intensified. “I'm tryin' to talk to ye, little shit!”

“As am I. And I'm currently failing. And I'm sorry for that. But I'm just so irritated! Because a plastered gorilla just strolled up to me and my friend, interrupted our conversation and is trying to intimidate me, like I'm one of the underage attendants!”

Hyde stared him right into the eyes. He could tell that, if he stood up, he still wouldn't even reach up to the giant's chest, so he didn't bother. Also, he'd bested men of that size before, some of them being professional brawlers. And he was in the perfect position to-

Suddenly the gorilla grabbed him by the collar, which made him gasp in surprise.

“Don't give me that sass, ye brat!”, he snarled. “I'll tear ye to pieces an'-”

Before he could continue, Hyde decided that he had enough and kicked him in the nuts with all his strength.

The gorilla let go and wailed like a little girl. Then he dropped onto the floor, clutching his crown jewels and cursed up a storm.

Priceless.

Utterly priceless.

The brunette scoffed: “Look at you! Acting tough, but a simple knock in the nuts is enough to knock you off your feet. Pathetic.”

“Oi!”, Alma suddenly piped up and stood up. She came around the table and grabbed the man by the hair. “I remember you!”

Her ice blue ice narrowed to slits.

“I saw you 'ere a fortnight ago! You're that piece of shit, who walked off with one of the underage attendants! That ten-year-old gal, if I remember correctly.”

So that gorilla is one of those blokes, huh?

“Ew! Gross!”, Jekyll groaned in disgust. “And you call me a dirty old man, Hyde! At least I don't use children to satisfy my carnal desires!”**

Yes, that's one of your redeeming qualities, Hyde thought drily.

Meanwhile Alma was grinning maniacally. “Why, there's only one appropriate way to 'andle blokes like you!”

To the brunette's surprise, she charmed a knife from her glove. “Now”, she purred darkly, “You will find out, why they call me 'Unmanning Alma'!”

Ohhhh, this is going to be good!

“Hyde, no.”

Hyde, yes!

Hyde was quite convinced, that the knife was blunt. Which made this whole thing even better!

But before more could happen, someone new entered the brothel.

He couldn't believe his eyes. “Lucy!”

She turned to face him. “Oh, Mr. Hyde! Good evening!”

He frowned. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you to leave this place!”

The black-haired woman smiled. “Don't worry, I'm just here to get my clothes. It took me a while to find a room somewhere, but now I finally have a nice one.”

Hyde composed himself. Finding a nice and affordable place to live was extremely hard here in London, he knew that.

Lucy went up to the pimp and they began a talk, which quickly turned into an argument.

His eyes narrowed.

Oh no, that snake was not going to take Lucy's things for himself!

“Is there a problem?”, he asked the pimp icily.

The snake began to talk some gibberish about Lucy having debts.

“I see”, Hyde replied coolly and turned to Lucy: “When you moved out, how much did he charge you?”

“Sixty Pounds”, Lucy huffed. “And I paid! Now he wants another twenty!”

“Sixty? Her possessions are worth less than forty – which I know, because I calculated it. But since you're so eager to rob an ex-prostitute, let's settle this business once and for all.”

Hyde turned around, rummaged in his bag and then turned to them, his hands behind the back. “Alright”, he began darkly. “In one hand I'm holding my bag, that contains medical equipment, as well as all the money you could ever dream of. In the other, I have a walking cane stable enough to bash someone's skull in. Of course”, he added with a sneer, “The other option would be that you land behind bars for hiring underage prostitutes. Just a brief reminder, the age of consent was raised up to sixteen last summer. But then again, when has that ever stopped people from lusting for little brats, eh?”

The pimp stared at him for a full minute.

“Her debts are more than settled”, he finally uttered weakly. Then he backed off and let Lucy get her last things. When she returned downstairs, the snake was waiting for her and shoved a bag of money into her hands. “Here you have twenty pounds, just keep your mouth shut!”

Hyde snorted. The things people did to avoid getting apprehended!

“Oh shut up!”, Jekyll scoffed in his head, “You turn into me, when you get into trouble with the police!”

You shut up, Jekyll!

“No, you!”

Just for the record, I haven't got into trouble with the police since that Carew affair! Now shut up and let me enjoy the show!

“What show? This one or Miss Donovan castrating that paedophile?”

Oh, right. He had forgot about that bugger.

When he turned to the red-head, she had knocked the gorilla out cold and was staring at Lucy, like she was the most gorgeous thing in the world.

To be fair, the black-haired woman was the most beautiful girl he knew.

An idea popped into Hyde's head.

He took the surprised Lucy by the hand and guided her to his new friend (who quickly hid her knife).

“Let me introduce you to Lucy Harris, a woman who's too good for this sinful world – don't you dare deny it, Lucy”, he added, when she wanted to object. “And this is Alma Donovan, a friend of mine, who is just as mad as I am.”

“Charmed!”, Alma cried enthusiastically and shook the blushing woman's hand. “It's an honour to meet a remarkable lady such as yourself!”

“Uhm … likewise …”, Lucy mumbled shyly, obviously not knowing how to deal with this.

Jekyll laughed in Hyde's head.

“I didn't pin you to be a match-maker!”, he teased. If he had been corporeal, Hyde would've stuck his tongue at him.

Oh shut up, if these two hook up, it might give me an advantage!

“Sure, Hyde. Whatever helps you sleep at night! There is no way you could be doing this, because you want two people who helped you to be happy!”

I would strike you, if I could.

“But you cahaaan't!”, Jekyll taunted him. “Come on, Edward! You know that I'm right!”

The brunette puffed his cheeks in annoyance.

Better half, his arse! Also, how old was that man again? Oh yeah, fifty! He was a dirty, fifty-year-old bastard!

A groan got their attention. Oh, the gorilla was waking up.

The two mad people excused themselves and dragged the half-conscious man outside and into an alley. Hyde kicked him in the solar plexus for good measure, to render him defenceless.

But when Donovan had her blunt knife out, Hyde laughed and took a scalpel out of his bag. “That knife is too blunt. Use this, that'll be quicker.”

Alma took the medical tool and made short work of the man's nether regions.

She and Hyde cackled maniacally as the child-molesting bastard screamed, then left him to writhe in agony.

“I need to go back”, Hyde told her, “I still have to pay for my drink.”

She grinned. “Maybe Miss Harris hasn't left yet”, she hoped.

I'm sure one of her ex-colleagues is keeping her back for a few minutes to chat, he assumed.

And sure enough, he was right.

Lucy was leaning outside, next to the door and chatting with one of her colleagues, who had crept outside for some fresh air.

Hyde recognised the other woman. That French girl … what was her name … oh right, Marianne.

Alma went up to them and joined in their conversation, while he went back inside to pay.

Everyone was obviously glad, when he paid up and left the place.

Then he had a short talk with the three women (Lucy inquired how he was doing), before turning to go home. “Goodbye, ladies! It was fun to pass time with you!”

“Likewise!”, Alma laughed and waved back.

Then they all went their separate ways.

Hyde was still elated, when he arrived at his flat.

Sure, he hadn't got up the pole tonight, but damn! He had found himself one sister in arms!

“This was the best evening in ages!”, he exclaimed happily.

“I can imagine it was”, Jekyll deadpanned and appeared in the mirror.

“This is my nightmare!”, the blond groaned and shook his head. “You found a partner in crime, who's just as deranged as you are!”

The brunette cackled and revelled in the other's exasperation.

Meanwhile Lady Summers was doing paper work, when her telephone rang and she jumped.

With a frustrated sigh, she took the receiver. “Hello, Lady Summers speaking?”

In the next moment she winced and held the receiver away from her ear.

“You, Luise! I just had the best evening ever!”

Why did Alma have to shout into the phone like that?!

“Let me guess, you castrated someone?”, the Lady sighed in annoyance.

“That too, but I met some really interesting people!”

“Did you now?”

“Yes! First off, I stumbled upon Hyde in a brothel-”

“What were you doing there?!”

“I'm coming to that – and we chatted about this and that, when this huge gorilla of a man interrupted our conversation and started to annoy Edward-”

Oh, so it's first name basis now?

“-and you won't believe this! It was the same guy, who screwed that little girl the other day! The one I didn't get to punish, because I had to leave early!”

“Aha.”

“And just as I wanted to give him, what he deserved, this absolutely gorgeous woman walked in! She was so cute and beautiful, damn! It's true love, I know it! And Edward introduced me to her! Her name is Lucy Harris! She's so adorable! I asked for her address and get this! She just moved into the house where I live! Isn't that amazing?! Maybe I'll finally have a lasting relationship! And I also got to know a Frenchwoman, who is apparently a former colleague of Lucy's. A really bricky**** lady, I tell you!”

The Prussian needed a minute to process all of this.

Then she recovered her spirit.

“That's nice, Alma. But you still haven't told me what you were doing in a run-down brothel bar in Soho.”

“I was looking for a potential girlfriend! You know how hard it is for me to keep one! And every woman in Whitechapel knows me. They don't want anything to do with me. I don't even know why! I'm doing them a favour with what I do! Anyway, I hoped that maybe I'd be luckier in one of the other districts. And I thought prostitutes would be a good thing to start with, because they're tougher than others.”

That's in the eye of the beholder, the Lady thought drily.

“Have you told Mr. Hyde about your favourite pastime?”, she asked curiously.

“Yeah. But he was calm about it, after I told him that he has nothing to fear. He even helped me castrate that child-molesting gorilla! I think I found myself a brother in arms!”

Lady Summers groaned: “This is my nightmare! You found a partner in crime, who's just as deranged as you are!”

---

*cash carrier - Victorian Slang for: a pimp

**Hold a candle to the devil - Victorian Slang for: to be evil

***My version of Jekyll is anti pedo. Anything younger than eighteen is too young for him. Hyde likes them twenty (like himself) and older.

****bricky - Victorian Slang for: brave, fearless