#but if i did it would 100% crinkle them :(

[brainthreeze]

my bug and my fish…. firends….

i lobe them….

obligatory tag ~> @cerereann

[skyahri]

So..? |Kakashi Hatake X Civilian! Reader| HC

Summary: Kakashi finally musters up the courage to ask you out.

Warnings: Nothing, really. Pretty tame. Civilian reader.

- - - - -

You worked in the hospital. It was nothing spectacular; the shifts are long, it can get a bit over crowded, and sometimes you don't even have time for a meal, but it's honest work.

You were decent with medical ninjutsu. You could heal cuts and bruises, but anything more was outside your skill set.

You have your fair share of regulars, Kakashi being one of them.

Sometimes, he's in and out - just there for a few stitches or a mandatory check-up after a long mission. Sometimes it's longer, like after his battle with Itachi or the Kazekage's retrieval.

You scold him every time for being reckless.

"Kakashi, you know what happens when you overuse your sharingan. Can't you at least try to be a bit more careful?"

He always dismisses you, promising that everything he does it put of 100% necessity.

You roll your eyes and fix him up regardless.

Its a lucky thing that you always end up taking care of him, or at least you think it is.

He's actually using his social pull to end up wherever you are. Kakashi Hatake, the copy cat ninja, is very well known and has earned more favors than he could ever cash in.

He remembers the first time he met you - it was several years ago, in this very hospital. He'd been injured during one of his Anbu missions and needed some critical care.

The hospital was swamped that day, and you were new. He could tell by how anxious you were. It was lucky that you had ended up with him, someone who wasn't picky about his treatment and wasn't bothered by nerves.

There was something about you, though he wasn't sure what. Yes, you're pretty, but he's seen lots of pretty girls. Maybe it was the confidence you emitted despite the cluster of the environment. Maybe it was the gentle way you touched him as yo wrapped his arm or the feeling of your chakra on his skin.

Either way, it stuck with him, and all the feelings he felt have only intensified over time.

Which is where we are now.

Eventually, he sees you outside of the hospital. A rare sight, really. He's perfectly healthy, between missions, and not being dragged around by his students for once.

Your last shift of the week just ended. You're carrying home your weekly grocery haul when he spots you and basically demands to carry some most of your bags.

He tries to chat you up, along about work, hobbies... potential partners?

"So what have you been doing outside of work, hm? Interesting... I see. And you do all of this by yourself, or..?"

You laugh, knowing he's fishing for specific information. He already knows you pretty well after seeing him so often at work. Maybe he forgot that fact in his stupor.

However, slick Kakashi thinks he's been all this time, knock it down by 60%.

You may not be a shinobi like him, but you're very well aware of people.

"No, Kakashi, I don't have a boyfriend."

He plays it off. Shoving his hands in his pockets and pretends not to be borderline giddy at this newfound information.

Once you reach your apartment, you have no problem allowing him entry so he can set your groceries down on your counter.

He looks around while you put things away. Everything embodied you perfectly. The plants, the color scheme, the decor. It was perfect.

Once you're finished, he becomes nervous again.

"So..."

"So?" You ask expectantly.

"Would you wanna meet up with me sometime? As a thank you for all you've done for me over the years, of course."

"Of course," you mock him lightly, crinkling your nose.

"I'd love to."

He let's out an animated breath.

"I'll pick you up tonight at 6? We can head to..."

The plans are set. Now, it's just a matter of patience before this long-awaited date.

Although you've been looking forward to this day for so many years, the anxiety is still there, and you're wondering how it'll go and if he likes you.

Little did you know he's having the same thoughts.

What if you didn't like him? What if he just damaged your friendship (could it even be called that considering how confined they had been to the hospital?) and now he's lost someone else because he's stupid?

Only time will tell, so may as well just shove down the nerves and prepare for what could be the beginning of something great.

[switchypanic]

Wishful Thinking || A 'Hazbin Hotel' Tickle Fic (100 Follower Special)

Summary: Vox's obsession with Alastor is no secret, but the true extent and nature of said obsession is an entirely different story. As his thoughts grow increasingly consumed by his rival, Vox finds it harder and harder to think about anything else, ultimately coming to a head with a very interesting discovery.

Content Warnings: Canon-typical language, brief mild violence, use of restraints, a lil' bit of blackmail, and Vox being a thirsty bitch for Alastor (because we love a good dose of one-sided attraction). Also, not really a warning, but any scenes that take place in somebody's head are in blue and italics (you'll see what I mean as you read).

Word Count: 3,669 words.

Vox couldn't fucking stand Alastor.

His stupid smile, his stupid voice, those stupid powers that allowed him to crush anyone in his way like an insect. The man was infuriating, always acting so calm and in control, even after Vox managed to get the drop on him that fateful day seven years ago. It was like nothing could touch him in any MEANINGFUL way, a fact that frustrated Vox to no end.

Yes, Alastor was nothing but a big pain in the ass, constantly doing anything in his power to screw with Vox, oftentimes broadcasting it for the entirety of Pride to witness.

Worst of all was the way that he infiltrated Vox's processor, filling his head with fantasies he had no way of controlling without shutting himself down completely. And it wasn't even intentional! That bastard had no idea what he was doing, or if he did, he gave no indication of it! No, he just kept on smiling that stupid grin, making those passive aggressive remarks, acting like he wasn't the thing consuming Vox's mind nearly twenty-four hours a day.

Vox watched the surveillance footage captured earlier that morning, feeling his breath hitch at the staticky image being displayed. He could just barely make out Alastor's form through the distortion (another thing that Vox hated about him; the bastard made it damn near impossible to get a clear image of him), standing outside the doors of little Princess Morningstar's hotel discussing something unintelligible with that winged cat sinner who often hung around him.

Through the grainy audio, he could just make out Alastor barking out a laugh, the sound itself laced with static and radio interference. The deer demon's shoulders shook, his ears pinning back slightly as he chortled, his companion letting out an irritated huff in response.

How many times had Vox watched the clip now? He had honestly lost count. He didn't know why he kept returning to that particular moment of footage; nothing particularly useful or interesting was occurring. Just a regular conversation, from what he could tell. There was just...something in the other overlord's moment of mirth that captured his full attention, setting something ablaze within the TV demon.

More; he wanted to hear more.

The lights flickered, the sound of screeching radio filling the air, accompanied by something entirely different.

Giggling, pure and hysterical.

Alastor lurched forwards, hands latched onto Vox's wrists as he tried to lean forward and away from the other demon, who held him firmly against his chest. "Rehehehehelease me at ohohohohonce!" The usually composed overlord was a mess, face tinted a bright shade of red, eyes crinkled with mirth as another wave of snickers shook his frame. "Shihihihihihihit!"

Vox chuckled, leaning forward to croon into Alastor's ear, which immediately flicked at the feeling of the other's warm breath. "What's the matter, old man? Too ticklish?" He sang, smirk widening. "What would the public think, knowing the famed Radio Demon is so...sensitive..." He growled the last part, low and teasing, resulting in a shriek of microphone feedback from Alastor. "Perhaps I should turn on some of my cameras, hm? I doubt you could focus on messing with them while your giggling so hard. I could let all of Hell know just how much of a ticklish little-"

Vox blinked, pulled from his daydream by a raised brow from Velvette. "Vox, are you listening to me? This is important shit! I need to make sure you're on top of the advertisements for my new collection if we are going to see any substantial sales!"

Vox cleared his throat, trying to urge his screen to COOL THE FUCK DOWN before his flusteredness became obvious. "Apologies, I seem to have gotten distracted. You were saying, my sweet?"

Vox chuckled, watching his rival's squirming form, bound to the chair with the purest grade of angelic steel money could buy.

Only the best for this occasion.

"Well, well! Look what the cat dragged in!" Vox laughed, walking in circles around Alastor, taking in every detail of the scene before him. He was going to relish thing; savor it. He had waited so long to have the other at his mercy, and now he was going to take his sweet time and ENJOY the fruits of his labor. "You've lost your touch, old timer! It was far too easy to catch you in my little trap."

Alastor's eyes narrowed, grin tightening in a clear show of displeasure. "You would do well to remember who you are speaking to." He retorted, chin raising defiantly as Vox finally stopped in front of him.

"Oho, I remember good and well. I'm talking to the prick who has done nothing but make my life harder ever since he arrived here, and I'm going to see to it you feel every second of what's coming next." He leaned forward, locking eyes with the other overlord as he gave a grin of his own, his far more devious. "Little buck."

Vox's hand's shot out, latching onto Alastor's ribcage and beginning to claw at the boney torso. Alastor's breath hitched, his eyes widening with alarm. His grin became more strained as he jerked forward, trying to curl inwards on himself. His breathing became sporadic, lips sealed shot as a wobbly, genuine smile began to curl at the corners of his mouth. "F-Fuhuhuck!"

The TV demon laughed lowly. "Trying to hold out, are we? We'll see how long that lasts..."

Vox awoke with a start, his screen turning on as he bolted up in bed. His eyes were wide, immediately flicking over to Valentino, who lay beside him. Thankfully, the moth was still sound asleep, snoring loudly without a care in the world. Vox sighed, running a hand across his face and feeling the heat of a blush under his palm.

Damn it, this was starting to get out of control!

Vox was going mad! No matter how hard he tried to clear his thoughts, they always returned back to those deep, hidden desires playing out over and over in his processor. He found himself constantly thinking about Alastor's smile, his laugh, the prospect of taking him down with a few well placed squeezes or prods. To make matters worse, Vox was having a hard time FUNCTIONING at work because of this, and he could tell the other Vees were starting to catch on that something was up.

The TV demon rung his hands together, pacing back and forth in his private office. He had to find a solution FAST or he was royally screwed!

'Damn you, Alastor!’ Vox thought, a small growl slipping out as he rubbed his forehead, flopping into his chair and turning to face one of the many spying monitors plastered to the wall. "Pull up what we have on the Hazbin Hotel." He grumbled, giving in to his urge to spy on his rival once more. Inside, he secretly hoped to catch another fleeting moment of mirth from Alastor, even if it was just a chuckle.

Three monitors came to life, showing the hotel from various angles, with one focused directly on the front entrance. Aside from his...ongoing interest in the Radio Demon, Vox liked to keep tabs on who was going in and out of the hotel, just to make sure the princess wasn't gaining any more powerful allies he needed to know about. The scene was serene, or at least as serene as a live feed of Hell COULD be, nothing out of place. It seemed luck wasn't on Vox's side, as Alastor was nowhere to be seen. The TV host felt his eye twitch in irritation, disappointment stirring within him.

"You motherfucker! This is a brand new suit!" Vox yelled angrily as Alastor dodged another of his attempts to strike him.

The Radio Demon let out an amused chuckle (though unfortunately not the kind of laugh Vox had been secretly craving), one flick of his microphone sending three tentacles darting at Vox from different directions, which the other barely managed to avoid. "Really? Could have fooled me with how tacky and outdated it looks." The redhead retorted smugly.

"Oh, fuck you! I'll wipe that shit-eating grin off your face!" Vox retorted, giving up on using his powers in favor of lunging for the deer demon himself.

Alastor took a step back, Vox's claws just barely grazing the sides of his neck. The radio host opened his mouth, as if to make another snide remark, but whatever he said died in his throat and was replaced by a startled crack of microphone feedback. The two demons froze, eyes widened as they stared at each other wordless for a moment.

"What the fuck was-" Vox started, but in the blink of an eye, Alastor was gone and their fight was seemingly over.

"I mean, seriously?! What the fuck WAS that?!" Vox asked himself, finding himself pacing around his private surveillance room once more. "He never runs from a fight with me! Shit, he only ran from Adam because he was about to fucking die! He was nowhere near that point today!"

Did Vox somehow managed to hurt him? No, he had thrown far worse at the Radio Demon before without leaving so much as a scratch. He had BARELY touched him, and even with his claws, it couldn't have possibly hurt. So what...

The TV demon stopped, eyes shooting wide open as his breath quickened. No...no fucking way...

Alastor was ticklish. Not just in Vox's mind's eye, not just in his secret fantasies. He was actually, tangibly ticklish, and going from the reaction one brief touch had garnered, horrifically so.

Vox's processor raced at the prospect. He had been daydreaming about turning the other overlord into a cackling puddle, wheezing for mercy through a cracked voice, but he had never actually imagined it was possible! Vox got the feeling this discover was only going to make his daydreaming problem worse, but at the moment, he couldn't bring himself to care.

Alastor was TICKLISH...

'There has to be some way I can...some trick I can pull to...' Vox's mind raced, barely able to finish a sentence. He HAD to have the other now, even if just for a brief instance. Vox NEEDED to feel that high of reducing his mortal enemy to giggling shambles; to know what it felt like to be the one to finally BREAK the feared Radio Demon. But how?

Obviously the heat of battle wasn't the best place, though it would ensure a public audience to witness his victory. He doubted Alastor would agree to a private meeting, especially after their most recent fight. And there was CERTAINLY no way Vox was going to lower himself enough to go crawling to Princess Morningstar's little hotel. No, Vox was going to have to come up with another solution.

"Something on your mind?" A voice purred from behind him, low and dangerous. Vox yelped, whipping around with widened eyes. From one of the darkened corners of the room, Alastor seeped out of the shadows, grin ever present but appearing more strained than usual. Vox felt a nervous lump form in his throat.

"What the fuck?! How did you even get in here?!" He yelled, immediately moving to hit the alarm button on his control console, only to find his wrist being suddenly restrained by a shadowy tentacle sprouting from the floor.

"Ah, ah!" Alastor tutted, taking a few steps forward. "None of that. I just want to talk." He cocked his head to the side. "And as for how I got in, let's just say your security is shockingly terrible for a demon of your status."

Vox's eyes narrowed. "If you're going to kill me, at least make it quick." He growled, attempting to put on a brave face and save a bit of his pride.

"Kill you? Why, I'm planning to do no such thing, at least not today! After all, to defeat one's rival in such a disgraceful, sneaky manner would not be becoming of either of us, would it?" Alastor chuckled, moving closer to Vox as another tentacle grabbed ahold of his other wrist, keeping the TV demon rooted firmly in place. A flash of green magic briefly passed over Alastor's eyes as he chuckled. "Though it would be quite easy for me to do so with you sooo defenseless."

Vox's brows furrowed in confusion. "Then why the hell are you here?"

"Like I said, I just want to talk." Alastor leaned forward, maintain eye contact with the shorter demon. "To ensure that you keep your trap shut about matters which do not concern you."

"What are you going on about?" Vox sighed, clearly irritated by the other's continued vagueness. He continued to stare at the other demon, who merely continued to watch him wordlessly, before it dawned on him. "You're worried I'm gonna tell somebody you're fucking ticklish?"

Alastor's eye gave the slightest twitch. "Sensitive." He corrected.

"I'm pretty sure you're ticklish." Vox retorted, taking some delight in his rival's clear displeasure. "And what makes you think holding me hostage in my own office would stop me from mentioning it during my next broadcast? You can't keep me like this forever."

The sound of microphone feedback briefly overtook the air around him, making Vox wince at the volume and pitch. "No, I can't keep you here indefinitely, but I can provide you with a little incentive to keep your trap shut." One of the tentacles coiled further down Vox's arm, the end gently brushing over the trapped overlord's armpit. Vox tensed, breath hitching as his eyes grew wide as saucers. "You see, don't think I haven't noticed your own sensitivity, Vox. In fact, I've known about it for some time."

Shit.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Get the fuck away from me!" Vox stammered, eyes locked onto the other's devious smirk.

"Oh, come now, don't be shy! It's not as if it was especially hard to find out about! We have fought so often, categorizing your little weak points was easy enough to accomplish!" Alastor took a step closer as the shadowy tentacle began to stroke Vox's armpit more firmly, slowly moving up and down in an agonizingly teasy motion. "I will admit, it took me some time to figure out why you often flinched at the slightest of touches during battle. However, all it took was witnessing one little tickle fight at the hotel to make everything fall into place."

Another of Alastor's tentacle slipped up, beginning to tweak at Vox's side, causing him to bite down on his lip in a desperate attempt to hold back snickers. "Those weren't the reactions of a man barely avoiding a fatal blow, those were the reactions of a man trying oh so hard to keep from giggling."

Vox felt his screen heating more and more by the second, both from embarrassment and the effort to keep his laughter bottled up. What the fuck was happening?! How was this real life?! The TV demon lurched forward, straining against the restrains as a particularly well-placed prod to his hipbone pulled a soft snort out of him. "Shuhuhut the fuck up!"

"Being stubborn, are we? I expected nothing less." Alastor chuckled, clearly amused. "Perhaps I should take a page from Angel Dust's playbook then, hm?" The other overlord suddenly materialized behind Vox, melting from the shadows and resting a clawed hand on the back of Vox's head. His grip tightened, pulling Vox's head backwards as he crooned into his ear. "Coochie coochie coo..."

Vox just about short circuited at that, the sound of loud television static filling the air. As Alastor's free hand suddenly dug into his stomach, he couldn't hold back any longer, bursting into a wave of panicked giggles. "Ohohohoho shihihihihihit!" The flood gates had opened, and Vox had no hope of closing them again, no matter how hard he tried.

"Lovely." Alastor seemed quite pleased with himself, clawed fingers scribbling across his rival's exposed midriff as the tentacles (thankfully) stopped their own attacks, now focusing on holding the TV demon nice and still.

"Fuhuhuhuhuck you! Lehehehehet mehehehe go!" Vox tried to sound threatening, he really did, but that was impossible when every word was laced with titters. He squirmed desperately, attempting to curl inwards and protect his sensitive torso, but the restraints held firm. His voice raised in pitch as Alastor zeroed in on his upper stomach, just below the ribs, refusing to acknowledge the borderline squeal he made.

"And why would I do that? I have you right where I want you; nice and helpless..." There was a low growl to Alastor's words, both threatening and teasing in the most awful of ways, sending Vox further spiraling into flusteredness. His claws began to slowly inch upwards, like a spider slowly climbing towards prey trapped in its web. "From what I have gathered, your ribs seem to be an area you're quite desperate to defend during our little fights. I wonder why that could be, hm?"

The TV host began shaking his head furiously. "Dooohohon't yohohohou fucking dahahahahare! I'll kihihihihihihill you!" He snorted, the sound of television static increasing ever so slightly.

"Oops, too late!" Alastor's claws dug in, beginning to rake across Vox's rib cage slowly, moving up to just below the armpits before cascading back down to just above the stomach.

Vox screeched, thrashing becoming downright desperate as he threw his head back with laughter. "NOHOHOHOHOHOOO! OHOHOHOHOHO MY GAHAHAHAHAHAD, STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" His cooling systems had kicked in, the fans whirling loudly as they attempted to cool down his quickly heating form. "NAHAHAHAHAHAT THEHEHEHEHERE!"

Alastor chuckled devilishly. "Why Vox, you should know better! Everyone knows that saying "not there" only makes the attack want to exploit that spot even more." He hummed, mockingly pretending to think. "Perhaps you DID know, and you're just enjoying this so much you want me to keep going? Is that it?"

The other overlord let out a startled squeal at the feeling of something fiddling with his antenna; when had ANOTHER tentacle popped up?!

Vox face felt like it was on fire from the teasing, his laughter pitching up with flustered desperation. "SHUHUHUHUT THE FUHUHUHUHUHUHUCK UP! THAHAHAHAT'S NOHOHOHOHOT TRUE!" He denied vehemently, knees starting to go weak. After a moment, his legs gave out, but instead of slumping to the floor, Vox found himself being held up by Alastor's sentient shadow. The creature's grin widened, becoming downright feral as it let out an amused cackle at his plight.

"Whatever you say, old pal! Now, if you REALLY want this to stop, you will agree to keep what you discovered today between us alone." Alastor rested his chin on Vox's shoulder, the touch shooting a bigger shock through his nervous system than any tickling ever could. "Do we have a deal?"

Vox's processor was racing a thousand miles a minute. Fuck, why was this actually fucking fun?! What was wrong with him?! He knew he should have hated it; the powerlessness, the teasing, the terror of being so utterly defenseless in front of his greatest rival. Yet...he didn't hate it, a fact he found more flustering than any tease Alastor could have pulled out of his ass.

No, Vox did NOT want it to stop.

Still, if Vox DIDN'T give in, it would only confirm the assumption deer demon had so accurately deduced, and he wasn't sure his heart would be able to take the cruel, crooning teases Alastor would no doubt come up with upon such a revelation. When weighing the humiliation of yielding to Alastor to the humiliation of admitting that he was ENJOYING getting tickled to the brink of his sanity, Vox would take the former any day.

"FIHIHIHIHINE, HOHOHOHOHOLY SHIHIHIHIHIT! DEAL, DEHEHEHEHEEEEAL!" He screeched, a little wheeze slipping out as one of the tentacles tugged on his sensitive antenna. "JUHUHUST STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP, YOU BAHAHAHAHASTARD!"

As soon as those words were uttered, all touch disappeared, and Alastor reappeared a few feet in front of Vox. The overlord collapsed against his surveillance console, panting as his fans worked overtime to cool his body down. He shook with residual titters, his sharp-toothed grin nearly slipping his screen in two.

"There, was that so hard?" Alastor purred, sharing a smug grin with his shadow. "Now, I expect you to hold to our deal, otherwise I will have to take this little audio recording and make it the center of my next broadcast!" The deer demon twirled his cane, gazing at it and humming as Vox's eyes shot open.

"What now?"

Alastor scoffed. "Oh, please! Did you really think I would take you on your word alone that you would stay silent? I knew you would not make a soul deal with me over it, so I took matters into my own hands." The other sinner explained. "See, my microphone was recording our little interaction the whole time, minus the parts about my own...shortcomings. Think of it as insurance; it will not be released to the public as long as you behave yourself!"

Vox's face exploded into a bright blush blush. "Wait, that wasn't part of the fucking-"

"Oops, I'm afraid I have another engagement to attend to! Until we meet again!" Alastor cut him off, melting back into the shadows and disappearing from sight before Vox could finish his sentence. The TV host growled, flopping into his chair. His claws dug into the armrests, slicing into the slight padding. That prick! He couldn't just-

The overlord sighed in defeat after a moment, eyes closing as his breathing slowly returned to normal and his fans kicked off. He could still feel those claws scratching at his ribs, setting his nervous system alight with ticklish fire. He could still hear that voice, singing those awful, teasing words into his ear. He could still feel his limbs strain against the tentacle's hold, preventing him from squirming away no matter how hard he tried. Vox swallowed, feeling his blush returning full force.

He might have a different daydream to worry about now...

[sseastar]

성훈  、PARK SUNGHOON !

— THE ONE WITH THINGS THAT BLUR THE LINE BETWEEN FRIENDSHIP AND MORE

info. sunghoon x reader. fluff. childhood bffs to lovers.  warnings. playful physical touch. not proofread. listen to. tokyo by lyle kam

teasing each other. 

i’ve never gotten the childhood friends to lovers energy from park sunghoon but i woke up this morning thinking about how he’d be the friend to always tease you or scold you or whine about something you did but then immediately comfort you to make sure he didn’t cross the line because he doesn’t want to hurt you (exhibit a: his dynamic with sunoo) and now i want to cry. he’d be the type of person to chase you around with a huge smile on his face, just so he can grab you from behind and pick you up so your legs and feet flail out in front of you while you’re screaming at him to put him down but everything just merges into a bunch of sweet laughs. one time, you were baking a cake together for jake’s birthday and you start chasing him with a spatula of icing, but he suddenly turns on you with the entire bowl. sunghoon never fails to giggle (giggle) whenever he thinks about the way your eyes widened in horror before you turned to run away from him. same deal as before - he managed to catch you and pretend to smear a bunch of icing on your face before swiping just a little (there was still the cake left to do) on your cheek. he can only laugh his sweet laugh as he sees you pout before letting you swipe some icing on his cheek as revenge. i just - please. one chance. 

holding things for each other. 

it’s not rare for you and sunghoon to find each other’s things in your possession. as the two of you hang out, it’s easy for one of you to forget things in each other’s room or backpack or car. if he’s not wearing his jacket, you’ll be the one holding or wearing it, and if you don’t have a free hand, he’ll be the one to hold your water bottle. you know how people always seem to lose hair ties or chapstick? it’s because sunghoon always picks them up for you when you forget them, and all you have to do is ask him for chapstick and he’ll give it to you. it’s come to the point that the two of you just ask each other for your own respective items because if you don’t have it, you know the other does. it’s not rare for someone to ask if they can borrow some of your hand sanitizer or hand cream and you’ll say it’s with sunghoon. if you happen to forget your tablet or laptop at his place, it’s already charged 100% when you come pick it up. 

going skating together. 

okay, am i over the fact that sunghoon used to skate? not at all. the idea that you’ve been sunghoon’s biggest fan since he started skating is so so sweet to me. you always went to as many tournaments you could to support him alongside his sister at the edge of the rink, and he always seemed to do better when you were there watching. he would let you hold the plushies he received after his performances (you once refused to give him back a penguin plushie because you said it remind you of him and he gave it to you instantly after you said it was a mini version of himself - it still sits front and center against your pillows on your bed). as thank you’s for always supporting him, he would of course go to any event that you had to support you as well, but would also offer to take you skating every week (if possible). his guard is always up to make sure you aren’t getting hurt and holds you by your arms (like he did for jay and niki) to make sure you don’t fall. his heart beats a little faster when he sees you smiling wide when you get a trick he taught you how to do, and he wonders if it’s because he needs to take a break. initially, when you were first learning how to skate, he would pretend to let go just to make you panic a little, and his eyes would crinkle as he laughed at your wobbling state before immediately returning back to you and letting you hold him. he ended up not wanting to let go as he taught you to the point that you had to beg him to let go so you could skate on your own. 

subtle skinship. 

i feel like a lot of other people can agree with me on this but sunghoon isn’t the clingiest member. sure, he has his moments but i feel like it’ll be very subtle. there’s a clip from the behind the scenes of enhypen and hi where the boys are playing pictionary and sitting cross-legged on the floor. mans literally had his knee on top of sunoo’s for no reason. he has so much space next to him but sunghoon has to rest his knee on sunoo’s thigh just to be in physical contact. he would be the same when it comes to you, somehow always making sure his body is touching yours in some way. a lot of times it’s like that, where you and sunghoon are sitting next to each other and even though there’s so much space, he’ll slightly shift his thigh or shoulder towards your own as if saying “i’m here. just let me know if you need anything.” it’s second nature to the both of you now that neither of you flinch if you suddenly realize your foot is resting on top of his when sitting next to each other or his pinky is just resting on top of your own. 

remembering the smallest things about each other. 

sunghoon, although he refuses to admit it, made an effort to remember all the small things about you. early on in your friendship, he realized how much you remembered his favorite snacks or his favorite character from the show you used to watch - even if he had only mentioned it once to you in passing. so, as he grew to care more and more for you, he made it a point to learn and remember the smallest things about you just so he could help make your life a little easier, or just to cheer you up. at some point, it become second nature for the two of you to just know little details about each other - like how you always seemed to run into the stair railing in front of your apartment, so sunghoon made it a point to either cover it or move you to the side away from it whenever you brought him to your place. or how you remembered how much he loved one of the body washes you had stocked and he borrowed, so you keep a stash of it for whenever he stays over. there’s so many of these little things that has your hearts melting for each other that you don’t know how you could’ve ever gotten throughout your friendship without falling for the other. 

making dumb excuses for each other. 

whenever the two of you find yourselves in trouble or needing an excuse for something, you and sunghoon always make the dumbest excuses. most of the time, it’s the two of you making them in order to spend time together, like when you had joined him, jake, jay, and heeseung at an amusement park. the five of you were fighting over who would be sitting alone every ride you lined up for, and you and sunghoon found yourselves defending each other so that you wouldn’t have to sit apart. “sunghoon said he’s allergic to jay’s cologne and has to sit next to me so he can hold my hand cause he’s scared,” was what you said, and sunghoon, though defeated, had to agree. “what yn said.” the three other boys couldn’t do anything but roll their eyes and continue to fight over who sat alone. you were only laughing at you and sunghoon’s antics when you felt a hand intertwine with yours. you only stiffened, turning to meet the eyes of your best friend. “might as well, right?” sunghoon said with a little smirk. “right,” was all you could let out. 

⌕. author’s note ; been so long since i was planning to post this but never got the chance to get to it! i’ve been trying to finish in our own but i’m very stuck on the hockey aspect of it so if y’all know anything about hockey, please let me know 😭 hope you enjoy, and pls remember to give feedback! it’s really what helps me to keep going with writing as i’ve been losing motivation recently, and feedback is something that always helps me to pick back up!

⌕. taglist ; @soobin-chois @koishua @enhacolor @chrysbibi @acaiasahi

[nectardaddy]

Inumaki Toge drabble

-established relationship-

"Ugh- barf," Yuuji whines as he looked in your and Toge's direction. "I wish someone would hold me like that." You and Toge rested outside, the weather nice enough to enjoy a bit of time outdoors. It wasn't obscene or even unnatural to see the pair of you close to each other, joined at the hip in most cases. But the poor soul who walked by the two of you hadn't much luck, or any at all, in the aspect of relationships. Rolling his eyes and pouting as he passed, letting his eyes linger back as he did.

Platinum hair was splayed in your lap and violet eyes met with your own, a playful twinkle in them as the young man's words hit his ears. Pale fingers typed viciously on the screen in front of him, holding up his phone with both hands in front of his face. It wasn't unusual for the man to lay his head in your lap, often times you preferred it. The cursed speech user wanting nothing more than to latch onto you at any and all times; you preferred a bit of wiggle room sometimes.

Hearing the chime of your own phone, you couldn't help the sly smile that made head way on your lips. Toge was an asshole. A beautiful, caring asshole, but an asshole none the less. Flicking the screen open with your finger, your eyes scanned over the message he sent before letting out a loud laugh.

what do you think he'd even do if he got the chance to speak to a woman remotely interested in him? I'd put money on the fact he'd piss his pants

"That's rude," you replied aloud with a breathy laugh. "I don't think he would go as far to do that." Watching as he typed out a reply with a snort.

can't be that rude if you laughed at it and he 100% would he'd piss his pants then cry about it

Rolling your eyes at his reply, you eyes met with his once more as you looked down to him. "You're so mean," you quipped. "I wonder what he says about you then." A chuckle left his lips at your statement, watching as the marks on the corners of his mouth crinkled from the action. You placed your phone down next to you, the device nearly dead from how much you use it to speak with the man before you.

He lifted his own phone up, letting you read the message from his screen as his chuckle turned to a laugh at your reaction.

he probably says I have the most beautiful partner in the world and that I have a HUGE-

Pushing the phone away before finishing the last message, you let out a flustered huff. A heat driving its way to your cheeks as you stared down at him. "Jesus christ, babe," you mumbled with a smile. "You're too much."

[micropoe10]

Batstarion & Batav (A Headcanon)..Pt.1🦇

I finally got the epilogue from the new patch, and first thing I did was stare this man down til he went to bat form and it did not disappoint! He is so perfect (not like he isn't already 100% of the time), but I wanted to hold him and squeeze him and just take care of him.

I have absolutely adored seeing everyone's wonderful batstarion artwork, and so many of you have inspired me to write Batstarion x Batav Adventures. Recently though I've been inspired by the amazing @pani-artz and their rendition of our favorite fuzzy flying menace.

So I thought what if...(Ascended Astarion and spawn/vampiric TAV) can move freely between themselves and their bat forms. And fly around Faerun causing chaos and going on adventures living their best lives....GET READY FOR SUPER FLUFF PART 1!!!

----

Taking place somewhere between his ascension and the epilogue party, Astarion and Tav are living the high life in their dark palace in Baldur's Gate. Hosting lavish parties, meeting foreign dignitaries, enjoying each other's company everynight. When they aren't entangled in one another's arms Astarion is working on his ascendant abilities.

Walking on walls and ceilings was a breeze, turning into mist nothing too it. But transforming into a winged creature of the night gave him a little more trouble then he'd like to openly admit.

He'd be all too entirely happy to show off to Tav one night after mastering it, hoping for a bit of praise..

He'd transform into a pale white pat with a little pink nose, red eyes, and yes the fluffiest hair on his head between his ears perfectly coiffed.

Tav would be so happy, telling him that he is glorious and magnificent, feeding into his ego lovingly before telling him how utterly adorable he is, as he flies around their head.

He would tell them "Darling, the Vampire Ascendant isn't adorable!" with an exasperated huff "I'm to be feared, I'm a menace look at me." He'd say standing up and puffing out his little chest. They'd be able to understand each other easily without the use of speak to animals due to their bond with each other.

"Of course my dark lord." Tav would reply with a chuckle under their breath, trying to keep a straight face because he is really is too adorable. Tav would then ask if it was a possiblity for them to transform into a bat as well.

Astarion would tell them that of course with Mephistopheles blessings/power there should be no reason that they shouldn't be able too. But that it would probably take many months of practice to be able too, and Tav should feel discouraged if they didnt get it right away. It would take meditation and focus and then POOF in the middle of Astarion talking Tav would transform into a bat.

No of course if Tav was a druid this would be super simple, as they would easily be able to turn via Wildshape.

Tav wouldn't be entirely steady with their wings quite yet, and would just run around on the ground. Because vampire bats can not only fly, but can run and walk on the ground with ease. Which makes them excellent predators.

Astarion would get broody over Tav being able to master transformation so quickly with ease. Pouting his little bat lips and crinkling up his little nose calling Tav a show off. "You just couldn't let me have this one thing."

Tav would crawl over to him, both of them still in their bat forms and try to look him in the eye, but he would keep turning around on them slightly annoyed grumbling to himself.

Tav would climb up on his back, knowing his ears are super sensitive when he isnt in batform and would take this opportunity to lick his ear now knowing how much he likes it. Before setting their head on his between his ears closing their eyes and chittering happily.

Astarion's little nose would flush super red with Tav's actions and he'd sigh contently, as Tav rested on top of him. As annoyed as he'd be about Tav learning it so fast he'd be really proud of them. He'd tell them later.

While entertaining guests in the palace, Astarion gets bored easily, he's into power, and controlling, not diplomatic speeches and old men talking.But also yearns for adventure like they use to have, so without warning he'll change into bat form infront of everyone and just fly off.

Of course guests will be shocked and startled, Tav would excuse themself telling the staff to start "the protocol" the bat has flown the roost.

The protocol is a safe guard for moments like this; normally means the use of the spell Modify Memory, or simply killing off all the guests.

Tav would go and search for Astarion who would be sitting in one of the windows upside down in one of the many towers over looking the city.

Tav would dramtically hold theirs hand to their head as if to swoon "If only there was daring roguish vampire acsendant to rescue me from the drabble and idle chatter of grumpy old aristocrats..." they'd peek up at him with one eye to see him wrapped up in his own wings.

"Darling people will talk if you're the only bat in the belfry, it's not a good look. Besides towers are for damsels, and while you're worth rescuing to me, a damsel you are not. Please come down my love." Tav would say to him before turning their back putting their finger to their lips, thinking aloud.

"I wonder if Gale has space in his tower for you...I'm sure he'd enjoy the company. Would possibly even want to study you." Astarion would fly down at the mention of being sent off to Waterdeep unwilling. Flapping his wings in Tav's face as they grab him and swiftly ties him up in a cloth swaddling him on his head poking free.

Astarion would be screeching and chattering away..."unhand me, I am fear on wings, terror of the night, I am the darkness!!"

Tav carries him into the throne room, as he continues to chatter and struggles against his bind "darling you know I dont understand you when you're chattering that fast".

Tav puts him down still swaddled on the throne kneeling before it. Astarion has stopped thrashing around for now and then the world goes sideways as he falls over his head hitting the stone throne with a thud.

He blinks repeatedly.."I'm going to fucking kill you." as Tav picks him back up and props him up with pillows.

Tave winks at him, "A lot of talk from a little guy, but if you did that my love who would help you take over the world? Bring our enemies to heel..help me drain every last one of those pompous aristocrats out there?" Tav pouts playfully while gently stroking Astarion's head between his ears.

Astarion makes a sound somewhere between a hum and a purr, enjoying Tav showering him with attention, rubbing his head, playing with the little tuft of hair on his head twirling it around their finger.

Astarion also is starting to enjoy the comforting feeling of being swaddled, held tightly in place has a calming affect. Like when Tav normally comes up to him while they are both in their mortal forms and wraps their arms around him in an embrace. Holding him a little longer each time without breaking away.

Astarion smiles at the thought as Tav runs their finger down his small furry cheek and under his chin, bringing their lips to kiss him on his tiny pink nose.

---

A/N: 🦇🦇 WHEW that was a lot, I will be posting many more HCs and you know, bat adventure snippets 🦇🦇 if you have anything you'd like to see, any batstarion x batav adventures you'd like to see, or want to be put on the Tag List just drop me an ask. 🦇🦇 - until later my Bat Babes🦇🦇

---

Tag List

@pani-artz @tragedybunny @tallymonster @bunnidarling @spacebarbarianweird @justporo @just-a-refrigerator

[queers-gambit]

It Feels Like (the Very) First Time

[ part two ]

[ series masterlist ]

prompt: your husband's nameday nears and you're determined to make him feel comfortable enough to show you all of him.

pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Velaryon!wife!reader

fandom: House of the Dragon

word count: 7.3k+

note: i don't know about y'all but i can fix him.

warnings: cursing, smut, 100% author's imagination and simple filler. got a bit tired of myself and only edited once - Father, forgive me.

You didn't broach the subject of Aemond's eyepatch again for several more months. Your curiosity ran deeper than that of Blackwater Bay, and though you'd caught glimpses during the early mornings when he rose before you, or late evenings when he settled beside you in the dark, you hadn't seen the injury in full.

In fact, you did your best to avoid getting any look at the injury you could since it made your husband vastly uncomfortable. It was a big step for you both to finally lay together after he was left shaken from his first (and only) sexual experience, so you didn't want to push him beyond what he allowed already. Plus, you wanted him to show you, to feel comfortable and confident enough to confide in you.

However, you nearly ran to him and ripped the bloody leather eyepatch off his face when you heard the first rumblings of court after your union. Given you were married now, it wasn't paramount that you attended these events, but as a member of the royal family, you were obligated to. Yet, Aemond was always stiff upon these events, and you often would wonder to fetch him a new drink - like a good wife.

It was where you heard the Ladies of the court snickering quietly with their backs turned to you - unaware that you lurked.

"And you saw them, didn't you?"

"Who?"

"The Prince and Princess, of course! Who else?"

"You'll have to be a bit more specific, Tabitha."

This Tabitha character sighed, "I was at Prince Aemond's wedding. She looked ready to cry and he looked like he was going to take his own dagger to his neck."

"Might be doin' the lass a favor," another woman sneered. "I feel bad for her, she has to see what's under that patch everyday. If he was half decent, he would keep it covered at all times."

"It's not all that bad," another woman defended lightly. "Once he started using that sapphire, it's actually kinda pretty."

"It's disturbing," Tabitha snapped. "Honestly, we're lucky he even wears that bloody gem and patch - nobody wants to see what's underneath. It's horrifying. It's disgusting, the wound."

"You've seen it?"

"Once," Tabitha nodded, "when he was young and the flesh only just healing. It's a real shame, you know? Prince Aemond would be terribly handsome if not for that nasty injury ruining his face. Though, I do agree with Mildrith, and feel bad that the Princess has to see it everyday. Could you imagine?"

You let the pitcher of wine you were holding to pour into Aemond's cup set with a distinct thump to the table, making the five or six gossiping women turn with gasps. "And what an honor it is, to be Prince Aemond's wife. Tread carefully, Ladies," you advised, "I don't take kindly towards insults against my husband."

"Yes, but Princess, be reasonable," Tabitha tried, nervously glancing at the others, "we were merely sharing our opinions on the Prince's state - "

"The Prince's state isn't of your concern nor is your opinion warranted," you snapped. "I'd mind my manners and hold my tongue if I was you, Lady Tabitha Tarly." She gulped when she realized you knew her name. "Don't let me overhear this kind of slanderous insult again. You thought my husband had a temper?" You smirked slightly, "You've seen nothing yet." But your smirked of amusement dropped, "Now, mind your tongues before I have them removed."

When you returned to the royal banquet table, where you and Aemond had sat the entirety of the night, he noticed your tense posture as you set his goblet to the table before him. His brow crinkled with worry and lifted a hand to your back, guiding you to your seat, "All right there, sweet girl?"

"Mhm," you hummed, sending one last glare to the women across the hall. "Just fine, love."

"What happened?" He asked, making you sigh and let him pull you into his side, his arm slithering around your waist. "C'mon, pretty girl, tell your husband what happened."

You frowned and spared a glance up the table as you organized your thoughts. Finding the table's occupants either out of their seats or distracted, you turned your head a bit and bowed to keep the words between you and your husband. "Why did you not tell me?"

"Tell you what, my sweet?" He took advantage of your position and proximity, letting his lips pucker to press into your neck slowly.

"What they have said to you? About you?" You worried, letting both hands clasp his one; feeling his mouth still. "You only told me the bare minimum, yet, just now, I overhear what I can only assume is a toned down version to what you've heard before. Women of the court sneering about your injury, your appearance. Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed, nodding as he lifted his head before pecking your forehead, "Don't worry over that."

"I'm not worried over it, I'm terribly annoyed," you argued quietly, leaning back in your chair - but still snug under his arm. "Bordering on angry, actually."

"Do not waste energy and emotion on this, sweet girl, it's over, 's done," he assured, both surveying the courtroom together. Couples who judge others together, stay together. "Hear me? You and I don't have to worry about that shit anymore."

"Yet you still endure it without me," you sighed, "and they still feel the need to ridicule you for something far beyond your control."

"Sweetheart - "

"No," you huffed gently. "It's ridiculously unfair what you've endured and I'd like to take my irritation out on those women who mean you harm."

"Why do we care for the opinions of sheep?" He smirked gently. "We are dragons, my love, and we do not worry about the likes of them."

"No, but when it's forced in my ears..." You frowned, letting your forehead meet his temple as your one hand rose to his opposite cheek to pet it. "I am sorry for what you've had to go through, my love. Say the word and I'll feed them to Kasta."

Aemond chuckled dryly, "Not necessary, my love. Maybe now you can understand why I am not good at this," he chuckled a bit. "Never been a ladies man, myself."

You sighed, "I love you exactly the way you are, Aemond, and I like that you're relatively untainted by other women."

"Only relatively?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who fucked a whore," you teased, looking up at him as he chuckled.

"Fair point," he relented, nodding after.

"I've never been a wife," you reminded. "But we get to figure this out together, right?"

"Of course," he whispered, pecking your temple. "Do not listen to those women, pet, it's not worth our time."

Yet, those words lingered in your mind. You knew his injury was striking but you only ever saw it in full the night he sustained it; with a few, scattered, fleeting, half-lidded glimpses the past few months. You worried he was too far gone to trust you with the sight of him now, and knew it was up to you to reassure him enough to reveal himself to you.

So, after stuffing down the want to just tear his patch off and take him in front of the whole court, where you could scream and moan your admiration and praise for them all to hear, you planned.

And when his nameday drew closer, you let your mind wonder with slight mischief over ways to celebrate the occasion. No doubt, your husband wasn't anticipating anything, but you simply couldn't let that be. You visited his mother first, and the Queen Alicent assured you that she would book the private dining balcony for dinner that evening and she would get him a gift from both herself and the King, then you were off to Helaena.

The Princess was overly ecstatic by your idea and agreed to get Aemond something. She giggled that she'd also get something "from the Twins" to really up the ante and promised to see you at dinner. After visiting Otto with the same idea, he agreed easily, and then, you were off to Aegon's chambers.

And he was less than impressed by your idea. Finally, you huffed, "If I got something, would you please just sign your name on it?"

He considered the idea and nodded, "Fine."

"And you'll come to dinner tonight."

"All right, yes, fine, whatever - "

"And you'll behave," you glared with a pointed finger. "I won't let you upset him on his day, you hear me, Aegon? Clean up for this dinner, please, and just fucking behave yourself."

"You're not my mother, watch your tone."

"Stop acting like a child and perhaps you would not always be treated as one," you snapped, turning for his door and slamming it after your retreating form before he could even respond.

It was well known that you and Aegon did not get along, but mostly because you didn't put up with his bullshit - constantly calling him out on his worst behavior. However, you refused to let that get to you right now.

After stopping off at your rooms to drag a hooded cloak and your boots on, you met Amira at the front foyer with Ser Arryk set as your personal guard. He had an easy enough job following behind you two because you knew exactly where to go and what to get Aemond for his birthday, navigating the city swiftly; saving time on pandering and meandering.

Amira picked Aemond up a new hairbrush after noting his had seen better days. She was a big fan of personal pampering, so, she chose the most beautiful, intricately carved silver brush and you were happy to pay for it. Mira protested, but you promised her it was more affordable for you to pay then she - and she had to silently agree.

Then, you stopped at a book store to pluck an armful for selection. There was more you wanted to get him, but was forced to narrow it down after being reminded there was still two more stops and only one guard to help carry things. You settled and paid for only five.

Then, second to last, but definitely not least, you stopped at a well-kept building that housed one of the Royal Jewelers. Madam Parne was well known in the city after immigrating from Pentos with a rucksack brimming with exotic gems and metals. You never knew if they were stolen or not, but in this moment, you did not care. Madam Parne was expecting your visit and had cleared the shop out of any common customers.

You breathed a sigh of relief as the door was locked to prevent anyone from entering; books set down to a bench and Arryk watching the entire exchange with a hand on his sword's hilt.

Madam Parne was a pleasant enough woman who was happy to show you the ideas she had curated for the Prince's nameday present. You were particular in what you wanted, nixing and refusing several gifts before something golden caught your eye.

"And these?" You asked softly, pulling the velveteen case closer.

"They're pendents, Princess," Parne explained. "Each depict the Gods." She pointed to each necklace set on a gold chain, explaining, "The Father, who represents divine justice and judges the souls of the dead. The Mother, who represents mercy, peace, fertility, and childbirth. The Maiden shows us purity, innocence, love, and beauty. The Crone represents wisdom and foresight. The Warrior shows us our strength, and courage in both life and battle. The Smith, representing creation and craftsmanship. And then," her manicured finger pet over the pendent, "The Stranger, who represents death and the unknown... And of course, you see the Seven Point Star," she showed you the final necklace, "to represent all the Seven."

"Does the Prince even wear chains?" Amira wondered quietly from beside you, looking at the selection.

"He doesn't have one," you sighed, elbow to the showing table to keep your chin propped up. "What do you think?"

"I think he'd like anything you got him," Amira shrugged some, but her eyes cast over your shoulders. "Woah," she gasped lightly, perking up. You did the same and turned to view a glass case latched to the wall, showing off the perfectly rounded array of gems.

"Ah," Parne nodded, "the Precious Gems, good eye."

"They're cut interestingly," you noted.

"All rounded," she agreed with a knowing smirk.

"And large," you cocked your head slightly. "Mira, you would know better than I..."

Amira caught onto your words, lowering her tone to mutter, "He's a sapphire, Princess, but it's smaller... Bit dull and jagged from the years."

"Hmm," you considered, nodding. Then, to Parne, you asked, "Might I see the sapphire, please, Madam Parne?"

"Of course, Princess."

By the end of the long visit, you left with two carefully wrapped parcels. You let Ser Arryk carry the jeweler's packages for protection, leaving Amira and you to carry the weight of the books and silver hairbrush. However, you had one more stop.

The local livestock breeder smiled when he saw you three approach, and laughed happily when you knew immediately what horse you wanted. When you made your request, the breeder offered you a small look, "Are you sure, Princess? He's a bit wild, that one."

Your shoulders shrugged, "No worries. He's perfect for us."

"Very well," he agreed, "then, how's about only seven Gold Dragons?"

"What about the agreed-upon ten?"

"Thought I could convince yah to take a different stallion. Only seven 'cause that boy's out his Gods-given mind."

"He'll do fine," you assured. You paid the man, and gave the instruction, "Have him brought the the Royal Stables, please. Within the Keep." You signed the two parchments that showed ownership, leaving one with the man, "Use this if they do not let you pass."

You scribbled in the margin, 'For Prince Aemond's nameday!' and hoped it was enough for the guards.

"Thank you, Lady," the breeder thanked, bowing. "We'll move 'im tonight."

"Good, thank you," you smiled, nodding to the others, and finally left the inner city.

When you were back in the Keep, you had to sneak around the corners of the halls near your room; cautious to run into Aemond.

"Come on," you waved the two into your room after checking it was empty. Arryk and Mira both darted quickly into the room and deposited the presents on the bed to let you sort through before bidding you a good day.

You were left alone to hand-wrap the presents, barely finishing in time for the mechanics of the secret passage door in your room to whirl to life. You squeaked and turned, keeping the presents behind you, and smiling when your husband's head popped in.

"Anyone here?" He checked.

"Nope. Just us," you promised, watching him sigh in relief and step out from the secret passage. "What's wrong? Why're you creeping around?"

"Helaena and Mother want tea, or something," he sighed as the door shut. He eyed you for a moment. "And you, pet? What're you up to?"

"Nothing..."

"That's suspicious," he noted with a smirk, yanking his weapons belt free.

"None more than you sneaking back into our room," you pointed out, rocking on your toes to approach him with a dramatic pout. "Is spending time with your mother and sister all that bad? Truly?"

"Well, no," he sighed, letting you assist him in undressing for the day. You reached for his buckles.

"Then why avoid them?"

"Just tired, pet," he sighed, and dare you say it, sadly.

"Hmm," you considered, "that's all? Nothing to do with, oh, I don't know, tomorrow?"

He groaned lightly and pulled his arms from the leather jerkin. "Do not remind me, 's why they want tea."

"You know, some people might actually like spending time with their family for their nameday," you teased as he focused on pouring a goblet of wine. "What if I went with you?"

"Hmm?"

"To tea," you smiled softly.

"'S all right, pet," he nodded.

"Well... I might have a confession."

"Oh?"

You winced lightly, "We have dinner arrangements for tonight."

"For what?"

You smiled, "For you, love."

He sighed, "Sweetheart, it's nice to try, but it's not necessary."

"Well, I've already - "

"I don't celebrate my nameday, pet. Hence me taking the back passages to avoid everyone, hmm?"

"Well, yes, I noted that, but it's your first nameday as a married couple," you pouted up at him. "Please? I have a bunch of surprises I think you'll really like."

"Oh?"

You nodded with vigor, a grin creeping over your lips. "Tell you what, if it's really not something you like, we won't continue. But let me at least try, please."

Aemond sighed and let a hand raise to caress your cheek, "Why's this so important, sweet girl?"

"It's your nameday, so, you can't fight me when I spoil you. And you went all out for mine."

"Oh, I can't fight you, can I?" He smirked, making you go rigid.

"Don't. You. Dare," You warned, but it was too late. Aemond chuckled as he lunged, hands clamping tight over your ribs and wiggling to make you almost drop to the floor with shrill laughter. "AEMOND! OKAY! OKAY!" You begged. "TRUCE! TRUCE! PLEASE!"

He chuckled still but relented, making you stumble a bit into his chest from the aftershocks of being tickled. Your husband grinned and let his arms wrap around you tightly, sighing, "All right, pretty girl, I'll play along. What's going on tonight?"

"Dinner with your family," you nodded. "And tomorrow, it's just us."

"Yeah?" He smirked.

"Mhm, thought you'd like that," you teased gently.

"Sounds good by me, love," he nodded, pecking your forehead. But his eyes drifted towards the bed, "Is that what you were hiding?"

You shrugged a little, "Maybe... Now, change for dinner, please."

He glanced out the window to note the position of the sun, wondering, "Now?"

"Mhm," you smiled, part of another surprise. "C'mon."

Aemond was a good sport and let you leave his gifts on the table. They were all wrapped, so, you didn't worry about him finding out what they were, and picked up a few books to give to Aegon to give to Aemond. You were annoyed by his lack of want to celebrate his brother, but knew, not all siblings were as sweet or supportive or loving as your own.

When there was a knock at the door, you peaked out to spy Amira, who whispered, "It's all in place, Princess. King's on his way there now."

"Thank you," you winked, handing her the books through the door, and shutting it after.

"Who was that, love?" Aemond asked, tucking his tunic into his trousers before settling a new jerkin over it.

"Amira, she was just checking on us. I told her we were going to dinner," you smiled lightly, eyeing him up and down. "But now that I'm getting a full look, I don't know if we'll make it on time."

"Behave yourself," he teased lightly, chuckling after.

He smiled when your arms wrapped around his middle from behind. You pushed onto your toes to nuzzle at his neck, "You look very handsome."

"Thank you, sweet girl," he whispered, hand over your own on his chest.

"C'mon," you grinned, letting him go. "I have gifts for you but that's kinda between us... So, you'll get them later."

He chuckled, shaking his head, "You should not have bothered."

Your eyes rolled, "You spoil me often enough, you can let me return the favor. Please."

He nodded and let his arm come around your shoulders as you both finally stepped from your bedroom. "Doesn't mean I'm not gonna complain about it," he teased as your hand rose to hold onto the hand dangling off your shoulder. He eyed you with a smirk, "I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"Only about every other minute when we were getting ready," you smirked up at him. "But thank you, sweetheart," your hand squeezed his, glancing at the black gown you wore.

Naturally, you matched Aemond in color scheme and dressed in something he had bought you weeks ago. You've yet to have a chance to wear it, so, tonight was perfect. When you lead Aemond to a private balcony, he offered a confused look.

"Trust me," you whispered, knocking gently and the next moment, the door was opening widely. "Oh, wow," you chuckled, leading Aemond in. "Oh, this looks great!"

"Gods," he whispered, looking around in shock. "You did this?"

"Well, technically your mother did," you chuckled, pausing to let him get a look at the balcony that was dripping in florals. "Like it?"

"'S beautiful, love," he smirked, "but why the flowers?"

You shrugged, "They're pretty and set a nice scene." A servant approached you, making you chirp, "Ah, thank you." They handed over a bouquet of flowers, a sample of what was decorating the balcony now. You turned to Aemond, "And I'm willing to bet nobody's ever given you flowers before."

"I give you flowers, pretty girl," he gently refused. "Keep 'em."

"You're telling me you don't like it when we've flowers in the room?" You asked quietly, aware of his family watching you linger in the double-doorway. "Why else get them so often 'for me'?"

He paused, and then rolled his eyes begrudgingly, "Perhaps I do."

"I knew it," you grinned, "but for the sake of your reputation, I'll hold onto these."

"Thank you," he chuckled, still glancing around and noting his family waiting on you two. "What's this?"

"I told you," you smiled softly at him, "family dinner."

He smiled softly before letting his usual mask of indifference take over. You chuckled and laced your hands together, leading him up the stone steps to the platform the table rested on.

You were greeted happily by his family, all of whom all but instantly wished Aemond a happy nameday. Judging by his reaction of silence and stony contemplation with only grateful nods of thanks, you figured it's been quite some time since anyone had even acknowledged his nameday. You had a word with the kitchen staff and organized the menu, and Aemond had to chuckle lightly when the main course was served.

"You did this, huh?" He smirked into the rim of his goblet of wine.

"Duh," you whispered with a wink. "You've no idea how fucking expensive this pork is."

"What makes it special?" He wondered.

"Oh, absolutely no idea, but apparently, it's really good," you smiled softly at him.

As dinner faded with laughter and easy-going conversation, everyone began presenting their gifts. Aemond cleared his throat and shifted with discomfort, not liking being the center of attention, and you made a mental note to not pursue a family dinner next year.

Viserys was first, presenting his son with a new blade. It wasn't Valyrian Steel, but it was still a handsome weapon, and your husband was shocked to receive such a gift. When his wide eyes turned to you, you whispered, "That was not my doing, love." When his brows slowly perked, you assured, "That was all your father."

You smiled softly as Alicent presented her son with an entire collection of Encyclopedias of the Known World. He blinked a few times before thanking her and you chuckled, waving a servant forward to take the ten, thick, heavy books with the freshly forged sword to your room.

You'd have to clear an entire shelf on the bookshelf from today alone.

Otto was next and smirked when he nudged a certificate closer. "What's this?" Aemond wondered, picking up the parchment to show you, too.

"I've already paid," Otto nodded, "all you need to do is show up and present that. Your Lady wife might've mentioned your need for new boots and tunics."

You shrugged when Aemond offered you a playfully reprimanding look. "Yours are falling apart," you mused into a sip of wine.

"They're fine," he chuckled, nodding at Otto. "Thank you, Grandfather."

"Of course," he smiled fully.

Aegon gave Aemond the books before slumping in his chair and pouring his (surprisingly) first goblet of wine. You didn't comment as Aemond seemed more pleasantly shocked than anything by the gift, and he chuckled lightly as he pet the spines of the books.

After handing them over to the servant, he leaned closer to mutter in your ear, "Now, I know that one was you, love."

"Shh," you hushed gently.

Before the night was over, the cooks brought out a cake you had spent the previous day (trying to) help bake. Aemond shook his head with a laugh when Alicent asked how the excursion went, and the chef even chuckled.

"It went fine," you assured, sending a pointed look to the kitchen staff. "I didn't burn anything down, now did I?"

"Not this time, Princess, though you did burn the first few attempts," Chef Uller teased lightly. "But it was an honor, you're welcome in the kitchens any time, Princess."

You smiled in thanks, leaving Helaena to present her own gift. She had caught wind of your plans and got him new dragon-hide gloves, knowing his own were wearing out terribly thin. Prince Aemond had a terrible habit of using things until falling part - and then still using them. Sometimes, he needed reminded to replace certain things.

From her children, the Twins, she let Prince Jaehaerys toddle closer with his gift clutched tightly. You cooed and both pushed your chairs back, letting the gurgling toddler waddle closer, all but falling into your arms when he reached you.

Aemond smiled softly as he watched you pull the child into your lap, easily cradling him. "What's that, love?" You cooed gently, tickling his sides - making him laugh shrilly. "Hey? Got something for your uncle, is it?"

The Prince was happy to wave the present in his hands, seemingly offering it to Aemond, and making your husband slowly reach for the gift. "Thank you, lad," he whispered when the kid let go, clapping happily and babbling to you as if in conversation.

"Oh, really? You picked it out?" You teased softly, the babe babbling again. "Oh, good choice, love, yes, yes," you approved with a nod, smirking at Aemond. "He says his sister approved."

"Oh, yeah?" Aemond chuckled, opening the small case. "Look at this, pretty girl," he smirked at you, showing the dragon broach with red ruby eyes.

"That's handsome," you smiled, gently leaning into his shoulder as you both looked at Prince Jaehaerys when he babbled again. "Hmm, yes, you're right," you nodded, "it would look really nice on a pale colored tunic. Maybe even white."

"I don't own any," Aemond chuckled.

"We'll fix that," you smirked with a quick wink, tapping the certificate Otto presented him - making him snicker quietly.

Unknown to you, Viserys, Alicent, and Otto all shared fond looks while watching you and your husband interact with the child on your lap. It was different, seeing Aemond so soft-spoken and at-ease; almost being a foreign sight that made most do a double take.

He was smiling - not smirking.

His eyes all but remained on you, softening his expression.

Aemond looked relaxed for the first time in years, and Alicent's heart burst in her chest when her eyes skated over you - who was leaning into Aemond's side with Jaehaerys sitting on your lap still, child's hands grabbing at your hair playfully. She never thought she'd see the day, but given both your hands were occupied by the wriggling, giggling child, Alicent was pleasantly surprised to watch Aemond fork a bit of cake into your mouth with a small chuckle.

She almost passed out and fell from her chair when she watched Aemond swiftly swoop in to kiss a bit of icing off your lip. Your grin was blinding, making your husband flush slightly from embarrassment. It was a nice breath of fresh air, to witness her son so happy and carefree - if only for a few, fleeting moments.

The dinner lasted only an hour later before Viserys was being escorted to bed - and Aegon wasted no time in surging from his seat to charge out of the dining quarters right after.

You sighed gently and finished off your wine, letting Alicent take her grandson from your lap as Helaena had hold of her daughter. The servants had brought all Aemond's new gifts to your room, leaving you to bid Otto a goodnight, lace hands, and move for your shared chamber.

Before you made it to the door, you ran into Amira, who cheered, "Lord! Lady!"

"Mira," you smiled at the cheerful older woman.

"Here," she presented a thin box to Aemond with excitement. "Your Lady wife helped me pick it out, but I know you needed this. I hope it's acceptable."

Aemond had to let go of any hold on you to accept the gift, looking almost nervous. But when he saw your encouraging smile, he lifted the lid and breathed in slight relief. "Wow, Amira," he complimented, fingering the brush delicately, "this is too much."

"No, nonsense," she assured, "you needed a new one and we were happy to help! Is it to your liking, my Prince?"

"Of course," he nodded. "Thank you," he smirked at her with a head nod. "This was very thoughtful."

"Oh, you're so welcome," she hummed, looking really pleased with herself. It made you smile fondly. "Thank you for keeping this one out of trouble," she teased, pointing at you; smile dropping.

"Hey," you snipped, "he does no such thing."

Aemond chuckled, offering his hand to Mira. When hers laid in his, he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand, thanking her again, but then apologizing as you two needed to take leave. She understood and after another wish for a happy nameday, hustled down the hall to continue her own chores as you and Aemond finally approached your room.

When you got in, you both breathed small sighs of relief.

"Well?" You asked gently, leaning on the wooden door as your eyes followed your husband. He first paused to deposit the new hairbrush on the table.

"Hmm?" Aemond then sat to the edge of the bed, leaning down to unlace his boots; sparing you a confused glance.

"How was tonight?"

He chuckled when you approached, swatting his hands away to pull the leather shoes from his feet. "Yeah, it was nice, pet..."

"Yeah?" You beamed.

"Yeah," he chuckled again. After depositing the boots to the side, Aemond reached for your hands so you stood between his opened legs with your fingers lacing together. "It was a nice change of pace... Though, I don't know if we should make it regular."

You hummed, "Fair point, I'll keep that in mind, love. Tomorrow will be better, I promise."

"You sound very confident in that," he teased.

"I am," you winked, leaning in to peck his lips. "I think you'll like what I have planned."

"I might," he nodded. "If it's with you, I think I'll enjoy myself."

"Good," you chirped. "Now, c'mon, I'm tired. Unlace me, please."

He nodded and let you turn in his arms to undo the back laces of your dress. Calloused fingertips occasionally drug over your skin, creating a legion of goose flesh. When done, he helped pull the laces free; making your arms press to your chest to keep the garment on your body. Your entire back was bare for him to stare at as you selected a short singlet for the night, dropping the material of your gown to shimmy into your silk slip.

When you turned, you weren't surprised to find your husband leaning back on a hand, watching you intently. His free hand rested almost completely over his crotch, just slightly to the side, and drawing your eyes exactly where he wanted.

"Aemond," you reprimanded softly.

"Carry on, love," he smirked, letting his free hand now fully palm himself. He gave a squeeze, making his voice deepen, "Let me watch you."

"Show's over, pretty boy," you laughed lightly, pulling your jewelry from your ears, neck, fingers, and wrists. "Are you going to get ready for bed?"

Yet, his smirk didn't falter and his hand gave another squeeze to his swelling cock hidden beneath the tight trousers he wore. "I'm enjoying my view," he teased, "and I thought I'd let my beautiful wife help me with that."

"With undressing?"

"You'd rather I ask someone else?"

Your mouth hung open as he snickered, "You're not funny!"

"Then why am I laughing, love?"

"Well, I am not," you let your back turn to him, feigning irritation as your own lips pulled in a smirk; forgetting about the mirror you faced, which gave view to your husband. Your fingers organized your gems in a soft velvet box on your vanity, preparing your nightly routine just as you felt arms slither around your waist - like you wanted.

"You think I do not notice you teasing me, my love?" He mused in your ear, tightening his arms as your own moved to lay over his.

"Perhaps," you smirked. "Are you going to be useful and help me fix my hair?"

"Are you going to do the same?"

"Of course," you chuckled, giving his arms a squeeze that he reciprocated instantly; crowding your hips into the edge of the vanity that made your throat constrict with a gulp.

"Then let me mess it up first," he whispered, and before you could respond, you were whining when his lips parted to let his teeth scrape over the meat of your neck.

He was instantly drawn to that sweetest spot on your neck, knees buckling gently to make the table wobble as one hand aided in keeping you upright and the other rose to hold the back of your husband's neck. He breathed heavily against you, sloppily kissing over flesh and taking your earlobe between his teeth; grinding his hips forward to press his defined cock into the swell of your arse.

You were trapped between him and the vanity, holding onto him as if it would give you strength. Aemond let his hands move from holding your hips in a bruising grip to then surge upward and grope both your breasts at the same time. Your eyes fluttered and lips parted in a strangled gasp at the sensation of his hands, lips, and hips working in tandem, the vanity gently rocking with your movements.

Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, your husband was a big fan of dry humping, and though you weren't sure about it before, you knew now that you'd never tire of the feeling.

You breathlessly cursed the Gods - it just all felt so good; so overwhelming; so overpowering. Your shrill tone even praised your husband's name like a prayer, making him rut into you faster, harder.

"C'mere," he growled, turning you to face him swiftly and reaching behind you to easily sweep his arm and clear the tabletop of your belongings.

"Aemond," you groaned, watching your items clatter to the floor and frowning at him with a small glare. A bottle of perfume might've even cracked but there was no time to check.

"I'll clean it up later," he assured, pressing his lips to yours for a breath-stealing, mind-numbing kiss. His hands held the center of your ribcage, thumbs rubbing into the meat of your breasts and making your breath stagger slightly; humming with pleasure. He pulled away only to lean in for your neck again, making your head tilt to the side as all argument died on your tongue. He relished in the sounds of your sharp intakes of breath. "Hold onto me," Aemond whispered, and the moment your hands seized his upper arms, he was gripping your hips and heaving you back onto the vanity's tabletop with a thigh between both of yours for extra support.

"Aemond - fuck," You moaned against his lips after guiding his face back to yours. Holding him against you with legs spread to accommodate his body, his hands traveled to your thighs to push your singlet up to settle around your hips. "You don't," you paused when his lips pushed back onto yours, moaning faintly before pulling back again, "you don't want to move for the bed, love?"

"Not yet," he purred with a smirk, easily slipping his fingers under the thin strap of your singlet to pull off your shoulder. "Love," he chuckled when your arms didn't move, preventing him from revealing your bare chest. You only cocked your head in challenge, and your husband was eager to meet it.

"Aemond!" You scolded with a gasp when he easily tore the strap off, doing the same to the other so the material was fully pooled around your waist and hips.

His eye rolled, leaning in to peck your lips, "I'll buy you five more, pet."

"That was expensive silk, imported from Braavos," you pouted lightly, hands held to the side of you to help keep balance as one of his hands rose to grab your tit once more; giving an appreciative squeeze to the supple flesh.

"Like I said," he nodded, letting his mouth descend onto yours while his fingers tweaked your nipple, only pulling back to whisper, "I'll buy you five new ones."

You hummed as his tongue swept into your mouth, reaching for his trousers and yanking them open. You felt his mouth pull from yours to kiss down your neck, sweep over your collarbones, lick across your chest, and then settle at your breast; tilting his body at an odd angle to take your nipple in his mouth and let you work at the same time.

However, when one of your hands rose to gently pet over the strap of his eyepatch, he tensed up and reared back slightly. "Not tonight," he whispered as he took hold of your hands but did not else move, making you nod in understanding.

It was a long shot, but you had to test the waters.

"Okay," you relented gently, slowly caressing his cheeks in surrender to guide him back to your lips. "I'm sorry," you whispered.

Eyepatch stays on during sex, noted.

"Don't apologize," he hummed, shaking his head as if to rid his thoughts. "Soon, pet," he promised, licking into your mouth as you both moaned. Your hands brought his back to your breasts, aiding them in squeezing and massaging; letting go with a gasp when he moved to tweak your nipples between thumb and pointer fingers.

Your moans encouraged him further, but the feeling of your groin moving against his spurred him onward. You had to pause your own ministrations when his hips started to move; pinning yourself to his mercy to let him thrust dryly into you, fingers still working, and tongue swirling around yours.

His rutting became frantic, tugging you to the edge of the vanity so he could grind into your bare, glistening cunt; eagerly pushing the material of his pants down so they rested around his thighs. Just enough to free his leaking cock and for you to take him in hand.

You both moaned at the feeling of him in your palm, his teeth clenching when your fingers wrapped in a secure grip. You gave a few tugs with a roll of your wrist, but Aemond's plea stopped you, "Don't tease me, pretty girl. C'mon."

"You don't want my mouth?"

He chuckled breathlessly and needed to hold the top of the mirror over you to keep his balance while you stroked him until the tip of his cock was a leaking, angry red. "Always want that, pet, but I need to be inside you - now."

Your one foot moved to the top of the table to hold your position, the other wrapping around Aemond's leg to encourage him forward. "Then don't waste any time, husband," you breathed in response, and in the next moment, Aemond surged forward with both lips and hips.

His mouth devoured your wanton moan when he took no time to line himself up and sheath himself fully in the sopping wetness of your cunt. His one hand held your hip and raised leg, alternating between squeezes and caresses; the other laying over yours, keeping his strength upright as his hips humped ferociously into you.

Your mouth could only form helpless moans as the folded position of your body made it feel as if Aemond was thrusting through you before he adjusted his tempo and let his hips push upwards. Your head fell back to the mirror of your vanity and the entire table rocked with Aemond's frantic motions, briefly worrying you'd break the furniture before your climax.

Yet, Aemond was wound tighter than you realized and his hand abandoned yours in favor of thumbing around your pearl.

With another whine, your eyes screwed shut as your husband took you as he saw fit; only a few strokes in before your tightening belt of pleasure released. Your own hips humped into Aemond's as you clung to him; both his arms around you as your mind focused only on prolonging your orgasm.

"Fuck, Princess, that's it, hold onto me, yeah, good girl," Aemond growled, holding your hips to his as your back was pushed to the table until you were hanging off - hanging on only by your legs wrapped around his hips. It was a terrible position for you, but your husband was focused on his orgasm; and the aftermath of your own made the pleasure prolong as your core flexed to keep your balance. "My good girl, fuck, that's it. Always willing to listen and do as she's told, mmh, makes this cunt so fuckin' tight, ah, fuck, fuck, fuck," Aemond hissed breathlessly, balls slapping to the wetness of your cunt as he finally met his end with a shout.

With one final thrust that sent the table back into the wall, one of your hands slapped backwards to hold the mirror from falling over you as the other clung to Aemond's shoulders. He panted into your neck as his balls contracted to empty his load, painting your insides sticky white while trying to catch his breath.

"Love," you warned, glancing up, "mirror's gonna fall. Help me, please."

"Shit," he looked up, quickly rightening his damp body to balance you with his softening cock still inside and reach for the mirror. "Let go, I got it, love, go ahead," He trusted you to not move as he readjusted the glass so it was no longer in jeopardy of falling. "You all right?" He checked, both hands moving back to the flesh of your waist as you both still caught your breath.

"Mhm," you panted, letting him help you back into a sitting position.

You breathed heavily as he slowly retracted his hips to free himself, pausing only to use his fingers and stuff any escaping cum back inside - your breathing staggering again. "Hold it there, pretty girl," he whispered with a taunting smirk. You sighed through the pleasure with fluttering lashes as he worked, feeling his fingertips stroking that spongey-good spot of your inner walls and only offered him a glare. "What?" He smirked, entire arm flexing to accommodate his ministrations. "Can't handle it?"

"You're playing a dangerous game, my Prince," you warned, knowing he was working you back up to a new height.

"Maybe it's my intention to fuck you all night," he teased, smirking at you as if he won.

"Maybe that was my plan for tomorrow."

"Why not both?" He perked a brow, yanking you to your wobbly feet to trap your lips back to his. His arms were used to support most of your weight, both hands gripping the meat of your arse; moving backwards towards the bed and leaving the scattered remains of your vanity behind.

[ part two ]

[ series masterlist ]

[elli3luvs]

p.u.n.k girl!!

summary: the times you have while dating ellie

wc: 1.1k

a/n: based off the amazing song "p.u.n.k girl" by heavenly! i recommend it a lot!!

p is for the painful way she makes me feel some days.

fighting with ellie wasn't all that common. the two of you were exceptionally good at communicating, opting to talk through problems before going into a full-fledged fight. but there were just some days when ellie woke up with a short fuse. she tried to distance herself during those days, feeling awful for even doing that, but today you wouldn't let her have time to herself to decompress.

she had snapped at you after you continued to be clingy. ellie has asked you to give her just a tiny bit of space. you clambered off of her arm and she felt her body relax. this was all she wanted. when she felt the air suddenly shift, though, that's when she knew she completely fucked up. her eyes trailed over to yours, ready to apologize for her outburst, when she noticed the tears springing to your eyes.

 ellie hated when you cried. it made her feel like a complete and total bitch. when your bottom lip started wobbling she knew she had to get over her mood to comfort you no matter what.

you would push her but it wasn't enough to actually move her, "i thought you wanted to be alone!"

ellie's hand would smooth over your hair whispering apologies. you would try to fight it for a couple more minutes but finally, you would relax into her touch. tears would drip from your eyes onto her sweatshirt.

god, she hated when you cried. it made her heart clench in her chest.

"i'm sorry baby," she kissed the crown of your head, "shouldn't have snapped like that."

u is for utopia, the other times with her.

ellie held the spoon to your lips, which you opened with no hesitation. the smooth caramel flavor of the ice cream hit your tongue causing you to exclaim in approval. your eyes were wide as you looked at her. 

"fuckin' awesome, right?" she looks proud of her ice cream selection. her spoon dips into the bowl again to get a scoop for herself. 

the ice cream parlor was dead except for the two of you. it was the dead of winter with snow twirling around outside. the both of you were bundled up. it made no sense to be here at this time. 

the worker looked at you like you guys needed to be locked up in an asylum, but you didn't care.

ice cream was always welcome.

you take a bit of your brownie-flavored ice cream, "next time we come here i'm getting your flavor. that shit is awesome."

she smiles, "wanna come again tomorrow?"

you could almost hear the worker's eyes rolling.

n is for the new-wave dreams she had back in her teens.

ellie has all of her old school projects spread out on her bed, a cheesy smile gracing her lips as she looks at them. they were mostly to do with space. you wondered if that's all she kept. there was one book report but it was crinkled off to the side, it looked as if she had shoved it in the bottom of her closet. the rest were her pristine condition poster boards explaining the galaxies and solar systems.

"whaddya think?" she is nearly bouncing with excitment as her hand touches a random part of the poster board.

you fall over, nuzzling her neck to stifle a chuckle, "god, why are you so cute?"

she grabs your shoulders, pulling you back and shaking you, "cute?! cute..!!!" her voice growls as she strains it, "i'm so not cute..."

you laugh at the pout that replaces the smile, "you are actually pouting right now. you are so cute."

ellie crosses her arms, "you are cuter. like by 100 times- no, like, 300 times!"

you roll your eyes, focusing back on the poster boards, "why did you do so many on space? i knew you liked it but they are the only ones you kept." you notice her pushing the book report off of the bed.

nerd.

ellie leans against the wall, her arms falling in her lap, "i wanted to work at NASA. well, i knew i wasn't smart enough for NASA or close enough to them but i wanted to do something similar. so, i focused on science fairs and stuff like that. i hoped i would get noticed by an organization."

your chest swells. you would do anything to go back in time so you could see teenage ellie putting her entire effort into the science fairs. you could imagine her winning, a goofy smile going over her freckled face. you wondered if she jumped up and down before she retrieved an award or if she tried to be calm. you bet she poured her entire attention over these projects, neglecting everything else. that was the ellie style.

joel had to have been so excited when she would come home with new awards. he was always so proud of her.

"my little space girl." ellie beams at that nickname. 

k is for the kid in her.

ellie weaves in and out of the crowd that's separating her from her favorite thing. she has a red backpack bouncing on her back and she can faintly hear you yelling, 'god, els! wait up!' but there was only one objective on her mind.

beat the little snotty kids in front of her so she could be in the first row to see the dinosaur animatronics. it was a new attraction that had come to your city and when you surprised her with tickets she almost passed out. ellie didn't let go of you for hours after. she would say 'thank you, baby' every couple minutes as she planted little kisses on your neck.

she had been anticipating this for weeks, and no crotch goblin was gonna take her spot. there were only a couple more kids she had to pass to be the first person. she slowed her full bolt to a speed walk now as she noticed the mothers giving her a nasty look.

she felt your hand on her bare shoulder, "jesus! you are fucking fast."

ellie still has her eyes on the front of the line but she does slow down a little bit more so your legs could keep up, "i gotta get up front."

your chuckle makes her smile. she loves that sound, "els, you are like a foot taller than most of these kids. you will be able to see."

you were right. she knew you were right.

but her legs kept their pace.

she had to see the dinosaurs up close.

[loveharlow]

FLUFF ALPHABET

PAIRING‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚ [2.7k] Fluff Alphabet for JJ. Template from @snk-warriors

WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, might be some suggestive stuff

A/N‧₊˚ A lil something while I work on chapter 8 of my JJ series.

˗ˏˋ jj masterlist ˎˊ˗

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Life on The Cut isn’t exactly luxury so you make do with what you have. If it’s something with the whole group, it’s probably a kegger or hanging out at The Wreck. If JJ wants it to just be you two, he’d try his best to set up something you both like because he just wants to be with you. That can be spending a whole day at the beach and acting like two idiots in love or sitting in his room at The Chateau scrolling on your phone and just cuddling with each other.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

He thinks you’re like out of this world, stunningly, beautiful (obviously) but he’d have to say he loves your eyes because he’s learned to read your emotions just from them alone. He loves the little glint they get when you’re happy or excited, the crinkles when you laugh so hard that you double over. He just loves them because they suit you so well.

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

He keeps it to himself, mainly, but JJ has a had a few panic attacks himself, especially growing up with his father. However, this doesn’t make him an expert on how to handle them with other people. When it first happened, you didn’t really want his help and he truthfully didn’t know how to help you. He was scared but he toughed it out and actually, surprisingly, did research on how to help other people through them. When you’re just sad in general, he’ll let you talk about it, cry into his shirt if you need to while holding you tight and pressing kisses to your forehead. Once you’ve calmed down a little bit, he’ll crack a joke to get a laugh or smile out of you.

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

It took JJ a while to realize where your relationship was headed. It wasn’t a bad thing but he was kind of like “Damn, I really love this girl”. He had to get used to the idea of a future with someone and not seeing himself as a complete fuck-up, which you assure him he isn’t. You both talk about how many kids you want, whether you want to stay in the OBX or move, etc. He honestly doesn’t care as long as he’s with you and you’re happy, as cheesy as it sounds.

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

JJ is the dominant one. 100%. He isn’t aggressive or demanding. More in like a caring and slightly possessive way. His insecurities can get the best of him sometimes, I will admit. Times when he’ll catch someone staring at you a little too long and suddenly his featherlight grip around your waist is holding you against him to the point where you’re almost melting into one another. He’ll defend your name to no end because you’re his girl and he won’t let anyone talk down on you no matter what. And he stands firm on the basis that you can “do whatever you want because he can fight”.

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

It depends. JJ doesn’t like loosing people but he's also not a pushover. He won’t forgive you just because he’s afraid of loosing you. If it’s something small, he’ll be stubborn but one of you will cave and apologize. It always happens. If it’s a big argument that went way too far, the pogues may have to get involved for some kind of reconciliation because no matter how stubborn or not you are, JJ will avoid you like the plague because you either hurt his feelings real bad and he’s overthinking or he said some fucked up shit to you and thinks that you hate him for it.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

Absolutely. Growing up on The Cut and in the household he was dealt, JJ is grateful for everything you have given him. And I mean everything. He may not say it but he tries to show it. He’s grateful for how you help him through his emotions down to the way you bring him a smoothie or snacks from the gas station every time you come by The Chateau because you know he probably hasn’t eaten or drank much since he woke up. 

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

He has some. He doesn’t like it but he’ll do it if it spares you the headache. Like the whole stealing from Barry thing? Yeah, you weren’t there for that and he was not going to let what he did get back to you in any way, shape, or form. For fear that you would be disappointed in him or it might rope you into the BS they’d managed to get themselves deeper into. But if it poses no threat to you, it’s all cards on the table.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

You changed each other, honestly. You got JJ to settle down, which took almost the whole island by surprise. He was a party boy (and a bit of a player, let’s not kid ourselves), so when he started turning down tourons and ignoring these picture perfect girls, it was kind of like “okay, what the hell?”. He changed you by getting you to be more open and outgoing. JJ is totally a golden-retriever type and isn’t much of homebody. So, dating him really got you out of your shell.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

At first, hell yeah. JJ battled a lot of insecurities. Now, don’t get me wrong. The man knew he was attractive. The issue was his status on the island; A pogue with little to nothing to his name. He thought you could find someone so much better and it wouldn’t be long before you did. You helped him deal with it though. Reminding him that he’s the only one you could ever and would ever want. And plus, if you’re a pogue yourself, reminding him that you’re both in the same boat and you’ll row it together.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Why wouldn’t he be? He’s had a lot of practice. However, your first kiss wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t used to the intimacy of a kiss. It was always frantic and needy, just needing to get your clothes off. But when he settled down with you, you had to tell him to take it easy, y’know?

“Why are you laughing?” JJ pulled back from where you both had been sucking each other’s faces off on the worn sofa of The Chateau.

“Nothing, it’s just…you bit my lip like 3 times and I think it was on accident.” You giggled. 

JJ sighed and let his head fall. “Sorry, I’m not used to this.”

Your hand came up to caress his cheek as you looked into his eyes and spoke. “It’s fine. Just take it slow. I’m not going anywhere.” You assured. “So, put the fangs away and kiss me like you love me.”

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

Actually, it wasn’t JJ. It was you. JJ was never good at expressing himself so he would never up and out with a love confession unless he was “under duress” and just like, blurted it out. So, one night you just took it upon yourself. He was having a super bad day and you were comforting him as you both laid in the hammock, his head pressed to your soft chest and you just...said it. He stilled and looked up at you and asked if you meant it and things just went from there.

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

Took him a minute to get used to the idea of it but yeah, he wants to marry you and only you. He probably doesn’t propose, however, until your like mid 20’s, nearing 30’s. He didn’t want to rush into it and he knew he wasn’t going anywhere and neither were you. He would love you anyway he could have you so calling you his wife was just an extra bonus. The marriage would be a little rocky at the start, as most are — you trying to be the picture perfect wife and him trying to be the perfect on paper husband until you both learned that this is your marriage and it doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

Nothing too out there but he loves the typical, cliche ones — baby, babe, sweetheart. He also has one or two specific nicknames for you that were born out of a funny scenario that only you both and the pogues would get. You call him names that you know make his cheeks on red and make him pull his hat down over his face to cover it — pretty boy, handsome, sexy blonde, daddy- what? Who said that?...

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Oh, it’s absolutely obvious. You two are attached at the hip when the other isn’t overly busy. He’s either, arm slung over on your shoulder, arm around you waist, or hugging you tight from behind when he just needs to be near you or wants to touch you. JJ isn’t great with his words so his love language is definitely touch. For you, you love clinging to him like a koala because it makes him smile. You’ll be on his back as he holds you up by your thighs, resting against his chest as he sits back, or literally just straddling his lap with your arms around his neck occasionally kissing his cheek.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

What reason would he have not to be? If someone asks, you’re his girl and he’s your man. Neither of you brag, per say, more like show off one another. And only if you feel someone threatening, more like trying to threaten, your relationship or wedge their way between you both. JJ has never been opposed to PDA but it did take you a little while to get used to his public affection with zero shame.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

He has this like really creepy ability to know when you’re about to get upset about something before you even do it that even the pogues can’t pick up. Like when someone cracks an insensitive joke, he’s learned to just pick up some cues — the way your face twists, the snarl you get in your lip, when your eyebrows do this weird thing and your eyes darken just the slightest while your body stiffens just a bit. No one else notices, like ever, but he does in an instant. He’ll pull you close and kiss your neck before whispering something like “It’s okay.” or “Do you wanna leave?”

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

JJ is still getting the hang of the whole intimacy and romance thing but he tries his hardest. He just wants to see you happy and you remind him that he doesn’t need some grand gesture to do that and he makes you happy but he still likes to spoil you as much as he can anyway because he loves how nervous it makes you. Sometimes, it’s super cliche because it gives you both something to laugh about and remember but the creative ones always stick with you because it came from his heart and everything he remembers about you, even the small things.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

He supports you all the way in whatever you do. If it’s dangerous, he’ll try to talk you out of it but if he can’t he’ll be there to catch you if you fall, and tell you “I told you so.” He’s your biggest fan and you’re loudest cheerleader. 

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Try new things, for sure. He’s up for literally almost anything. He knows your strengths and weaknesses and knows your boundaries. If you say no or anything like it, he won’t push it and won't try to convince you again. But if you’re in, he’s in. 

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

You both know each other so well, a little too well if you ask anyone else. You’re more empathetic towards each other because you can understand and sometimes even relate to one another’s experiences. With other people? You, personally, will try but you’ll also be honest. JJ? If it’s not someone he’s close to, he doesn’t really feel like their feelings concern him.

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

He values your relationship with his life. Same for you. It’s worth everything. You go to each other for everything, take care of one another and if things go south you’re the first person you each turn to. You think your relationship is the best thing to happen to you both.

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Call it creepy but JJ loves to take pictures of you, especially when the sun is beaming on you. For example, he has one he took you of you the morning after you guy’s first time with your head on his chest, a steak of sunshine illuminating your skin. You looked so peaceful and he wanted to see you look that way forever. So pulled the cover up to conceal your indecency and snapped the pic. That was his lock screen for a long while. Until, you went surfing with Kie and came back to the shore in a wetsuit that hugged you just right, board tucked under your arm as the sun was shining on every part of you — hair wet and eyes glowing as he raised his phone with no shame as you shifted your weight and smiled brightly at him.

“Did you just take a picture of me?”

“Mhm.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re pretty. Also my girlfriend, so I can do it without it being creepy.”

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Very affectionate but it gets worse when he’s having a really good day or a really bad one. A really good day — he’s bear hugging you and kissing your face all over. A really bad day — he justs wants to lay with you in bed all day.

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

He will call you anytime he can and text you throughout the day, unless you can’t talk but he’ll leave you cute text messages, take pictures for you and send the occasional voice message if he’s busy himself. 

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

He’ll go as far as he has to. He doesn’t like when it escalates into violence because he knows you aren’t particularly fond of when he gets himself hurt/into trouble. Because regardless of whether he can beat a touron, kook, or another pogue’s ass – he’ll be the one to take the fall and that’s the last thing you want for him and he knows it.

feedback is appreciated. thanks for reading!

©loveharlow

[chaninfused]

The Altar of Angels | Lee Minho

◤“If the jester wanted to play, then the Prince of the Underworld would happily oblige.” In which a mafia heir seeks the aid of a wildcard to upturn his court. ◤Disclaimers: Female reader insert. Chapter five from the ‘dead men don’t speak’ series. Enemies to worse enemies (seriously, there’s not a shred of affection between them, only toxicity). Action and angst. Descriptions of violence, death, blood, and injury. Usage of vulgar language. ◤Word count: 3.3K ◤Note: This idea is a 100% mine and any case of similarity with someone else’s is purely coincidental. Events are pure fiction and do not reflect the idols' true characters. Please do not take my content without my consent. Masterlist. ◤From the author: I'm sorry for the long pause! It took me longer than expected to get back into the groove of writing, but we're back, and I wish you happy reading!

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The Prince of the Underworld had learned many lessons at thirteen. Most notable was the revelation that his life was merely a game of cards. Every person had their pre-assigned place in the deck, and he played them all with a serpent’s ease and a devil’s grin.

A restless mastermind, Minho survived by being in control, and it seemed that his guest was keenly aware of that fact.

He glanced at his silver watch. Seven minutes past the meeting time. He’d known that this alliance was never going to be peaceful when he sent that invitation.

Still, he was patient. Two could play this game if his valued guest so desired.

Ten minutes.

He was sure it was on cue when the doors swung open right then and his guest strode in, that infamous burgundy coat billowing around her, her entourage of one man tailing behind her. She was all too relaxed when she met his gaze, faux apology leaving her lips, “My, what a maze this place is!”

The legs of the chair opposite to him screeched against the floor, but she didn’t seem to care as she flopped onto the leathery cushions, tossing a familiar envelope his way.

“So,” her eyes didn’t crinkle when she smiled, “Do spill. Where did you find the spine to summon me like one of your lackeys?”

Straight to the point, huh?

Minho wanted to laugh. She was just as he’d expected.

A Joker card.

Unruly, unpredictable, and incredibly special. If the jester wanted to play, then the Prince of the Underworld would happily oblige.

“I believe our meeting was supposed to happen at eleven. Seeing as to how it’s ten past that now, I think I’ll be taking my leave,” Minho remarked coolly, barely rising from his seat when the air next to his ear whistled as a bullet tore through.  

“Stay put, will you?”

He mentally cursed at his body for freezing involuntarily. Of course she’d be the type of madwoman to shoot at him in a room full of his men. Any closer, and it would have been his brain matter splattered on the pristine walls alongside the imbedded bullet.

“I did have to make a long journey here, so make it worthwhile, your highness.”

Her mockery didn’t go unnoticed, though the real mockery was the desperation that made him ignore that address and hold her cold gaze. He didn’t know if it was stupidity or confidence that made her and her second so nonchalant despite the guns aimed at them for the transgression.

Minho remained standing. “I’m not fond of tardy people, miss Y/n.”

“And I don’t like to be ordered around, but I guess we can’t all have it our way,” she twirled her handgun lazily, eyes and words sharp.  

Touché.

Minho supposed this made the two of them even, so he decided to let it go, motioning for his guards to lower their arms as he reclaimed his seat.

“I called you here because I would like to propose an alliance between us,” he began once he had settled.

“And what purpose would that serve exactly?”

“My uncle has been running Taunt to the ground lately,” he leaned back into the leather chair, voice dropping, “I think it’s time he fell.”

“Not interested in your intra-organization power struggles,” she shrugged in immediate dismissal. “Besides, it seems to me you’re forgetting the agents Taunt had planted to assassinate me and the Right Claw two weeks ago.”

“That is precisely why this alliance benefits both you and me,” Minho stressed. “My uncle was reckless enough to attack you and spur the Shadow Front’s wrath—against my express advice, I’ll have you know. I want him and his moronic execs gone before my organization is destroyed, and I’m sure you want payback for the hospital.”

She glanced at her second in command, an unspoken exchange flitting between them, before pointing out, “And you think associating yourself with the Shadow Front is gonna fly with the rest of your people?”

Of course it wouldn’t fly. The animosity between Taunt and the Shadow Front was as ancient as the sun and the moon, but the Seraph’s Ring was becoming impatient.

“I don’t plan to associate myself with the Shadow Front,” he corrected, “I’m associating myself with Shiver."

The Six Claws were the highest-ranking individuals in the Shadow Front, and their power allowed them to create their own divisions or even found their own sub-organizations, so long as they answered to their Boss at the end of the day.

Shiver was one such sub-organization, belonging to none other than the Left Claw who sat across from him, murmuring to herself, “I see.”

“Well… I do agree that the executives should perish,” she finally said, and Minho nodded, “And I won’t stand in your way when the time comes. Do we have a deal, then?”

The room held its breath, and then she laughed, “Sure. I’ll kill your boss for you.”

Minho exhaled.

He had done it. The King of Diamonds would finally topple.

“But what do I get out of this?” her question shattered his moment of triumph.

Eyes sparkling with amusement, she rested her elbow against the armrest of her chair and propped her head against her palm. “It isn’t like I actually need your permission to take revenge if I wanted to.”

But of course, Minho wasn’t so naive.

“I’ll give you free access to Port Three for a year.”

“Two years.”

She hadn’t missed a beat, still boring into him with those unnervingly bright eyes as though nothing in this world could ever be worth taking seriously. Her drawl dripped with poison, “Two years or I make a beeline out of here to your uncle’s office and tell him about his little traitor of a nephew.”

Right.

Port Three was under Minho’s control, and the charges he collected from it were only a small portion of his fortune. He could afford to relinquish control temporarily.

“Fine,” he yielded, perfectly composed, and that same grin stretched her lips again, not quite reaching her eyes.

“Nice doing business with you.”

Hatred was a mistress of many faces, and Minho was familiar with all of them. The Left Claw smiled and her second was expressionless, but Minho saw it.

Those two despised him to their very cores.

It mattered to him none.

He had his flimsy alliance and he finally had her.

A Joker card to add to his collection.

•⭓•

Minho wasn’t born a prince.

He’d been nothing one day, and then he was the chosen son of one of the most powerful men in the underworld, the closest thing to royalty among criminals.

And it was only right that the King’s son be raised a Prince. Blessed, untouchable, divine, he could have the very sky that you were now captivated by in his palms if he so wished.

“Haunting, isn’t it?” he remarked as he approached the balustrade where you stood with your second, so still as if meditating. The stars were invisible tonight, but the moon was a bleeding orb of light and terrifyingly close. It had a presence that sent a shiver down his spine, as though it were an omen. A promise of bloodshed.

“That’s not the word I’d use,” you scoffed, turning away from the balustrade to face him. You wore an altered version of your notorious coat, sharply cut to suit the party, and a displeased frown. “Let’s get this over with already.”

You didn’t care to wait for his response before stalking toward the grand doors, and Minho caught up to you with ease. The two of you walking in together would be a statement, and it would create just the kind of fuss needed to ruffle his uncle’s feathers.

More than that, actually. It would set the King of Diamonds’ metaphorical plumage on fire, and the thought of that almost made Minho dizzy with excitement.

The sea of dark suits seemed to still, conversation dying and voices falling into a hush upon your entrance into the hall. He stifled a victorious smirk at the scene.

It worked like a charm.

Every gaze was a spear that directed at you, and Minho felt it then, a gaze hotter and sharper than the rest. The Cardinal Ring, fuming with betrayal and unbridled rage.

They all recognized that deep, reddish color—the Joker card at his side.

You paid them no mind, marching through a crowd that parted for you almost naturally, and Minho matched your pace until your path collided with his uncle and his three executives, huddling close to one another as though to intimidate the two of you.

“You have some nerve, Minho,” his uncle all but spat at him, his name sounding like a curse from his lips.

He only smiled cordially, coldly, in response. “I’m afraid I disagree, sir.”

His uncle seethed silently, snapping his eyes to glare at you. Minho knew he wouldn’t make a scene with him so publicly, but you were a known enemy, so you weren’t spared when he jeered at you, “What, that one-eyed brute finally bored you? Cozying up to your enemies for some excitement?”

You didn’t so much as blink at his provocations. Lips pressed into a flat line, you leveled him with a look so unamused that it stilled the air. Only your second in command expressed any semblance of agitation, a lone vein twitching in his jaw.

Han Jisung was his name. A Jack card, so loyal to his boss.

Silence yawned between the two of you, a depthless canyon, so thoroughly uncomfortable it caused Minho’s skin to prickle. It felt like hours, though realistically, he knew it was a mere few seconds before his uncle scoffed a swear under his breath and turned away with his posse.

You watched them disappear into the crowd for good measure and then faced the direction you had come from. “Let’s go, Han.”

“You’re leaving?” Minho was a little surprised, and you gave him a withering glare.

“I only came here to piss off your uncle, and we’ve done that. Your company doesn’t interest me otherwise. Goodbye."

Minho could only watch as your burgundy coat melted into the mass of black suits. He might’ve been offended at your curt dismissal, and maybe he should’ve, but Minho found the grace in his heart to forgive you.

After all, the Joker, the harbinger of chaos, had but a single instinct driving their every action.

Bloodlust.

He would entertain your antics because as long as he wielded your insatiable craving for bloodshed, you were practically dancing in his palms.

•⭓•

Kings were made to fall.

Minho also learned that at thirteen, when he cradled his father’s cold body in his arms. The King of Spades, he’d later dubbed him. Mighty, boundless. Fallible.

The current boss, his uncle, was also a King and so were his executives. It was a fitting assessment because he had to fall too, for the sake of Taunt’s survival.

That was why Minho considered himself a perfect ‘one’. An Ace. He would only rise, like an angel outstretching a hand for the salvation of humanity.

Blessed, untouchable, divine.

His faction was thus aptly named the Seraph’s Ring, and they had become ravenous beasts praying on his uncle’s downfall.

The doors of the meeting room burst open when Minho charged in, quipping without a drop of lightheartedness, “What’s this? A secret club meeting?”

The stunned faces of his uncle and his three executives greeted him. The Cardinal Ring looked as though they had been caught red-handed.

“I wonder, did our invite get lost in the mail?” Minho sneered as he ambled in, followed by the two other executives who constituted his faction.

Sitting at the head of the long table, Taunt’s boss hissed, “You have no right to sit at this table after sleeping with the shadow bastards.”

What a vulgar mouth.

“I slept with nobody," Minho deadpanned as he dropped into his usual seat. "Your problem has always been that you’re severely short-sighted.”

One of the Cardinal executives slammed a fist against the table, features contorting in anger. “You arrogant little—”

“I learned something interesting.”

Minho savored the small victory of their silence at his announcement. They were all the same at the end of the day.

Vultures.

“Those shadow bastards have quite the deal to close with Six-Six,” he wielded the foreign organization’s name like weapon and saw the executives' eyes darken in response. “Three hundred million dollars or something along those lines.”

“I hear the Claws will be in attendance too,” Minho leaned back, triumphant when he met his uncle’s hungry gaze, “Doesn’t that excite you, uncle?”

“So this was your play all along?” his boss huffed his surprise.

“I’m not as airheaded as you think I am.”

Once again, Minho had played a flawless hand. He could practically see the schemes brewing in his uncle’s head.

“Two weeks from now. Two in the afternoon,” he smiled, drinking in his sweet, sweet greed. “I’m sure Six-Six doesn’t care who meets them at the West Port.”

Foolishness was the downfall of all Kings.

•⭓•

The rusty aluminum ceiling of warehouse 5B would be the last thing Taunt's boss would see. What fine taste you had.

Mino’s gaze roved over the space and the abandoned containers lining its walls. “And you’re sure no one will interrupt us here?”

“Yeah,” you said behind him. “Just make sure your boss shows his face.”

“He will.”

That man was a slave to his greed. Minho was more than glad to pull his leash into this trap.

“And the execs?” you asked.

“They’ll likely stay behind. Wouldn’t want to dim his spotlight.”

 “Right.”

You were as riveted by the plan as one would be by an ant crossing the pavement. It ticked him off, just barely.

“You’re awfully relaxed,” Minho commented as you strolled past him.

“What, haven’t killed a man before?” you paused to side-eye him. “No wonder you sought outside help.”

“Hey.”

“Or wait, there was that cruise incident last year, right?”

His blood chilled. Too late did he notice the sly grin on your lips. He’d basically confirmed your claim with his silence.   

Damn it.

“How did you know about that?” Minho demanded. He had ensured that the coverup was flawless, that it could never be traced back to him.

So how—

“A little fox whispers to me.” you shrugged, resuming your aimless walk. “Anyway, let’s go over your sob story again.”

That fox must have been your informant, and quite the skilled one. Minho bit back his frustration. It didn’t seem like you planned to use the information against him anyway.

“You purposefully fed me wrong information and made me lead the boss here. You then ambushed us and killed him as revenge,” he recited.

“Exactly! I betrayed you,” you lamented mockingly. “Poor Prince of the Underworld.”

Poor Joker card, he thought in response.

The hatred in your gaze never shied from the light, but it was pointless. No matter how much you fought him, you would never be able to truly betray him.

For only he held the cards in this game.

•⭓•

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

There was blood on the ground, seeping from bodies long still, pooling until it appeared like an extension of your burgundy coat. Four bodies, crumpled unceremoniously, and you stood in the midst of the carnage like a Reaper. 

This wasn’t the place the two of you had agreed on. These weren’t the victims the two of you had agreed on.

“What the fuck did you do?” the shout tore from Minho’s lungs, blistering and painful, colliding with your back which you still gave to him.

He saw your shoulders raise and drop.

“I told you they had to perish.”

“You killed them all!” a roar sounded from somewhere seemingly outside his body. Minho couldn’t tell, couldn’t think.

They were dead. They were all dead.

He stumbled and his legs gave out, splattering him in the blood of the executives of the Cardinal Ring when his knees met the ground.

This wasn’t my plan. This wasn’t my play.

You half turned toward him, that smile of utter distaste on your lips. Pity burned in your eyes. “It’s personal, don’t feel too bad.”

Personal? His stomach twisted and threatened to empty itself out on the ground. Minho’s assessments were never wrong. The Joker card was bloodthirsty, and that thirst was easy to control. It should’ve made the finest tool out of you.

So why—

His hands moved before he could process the thought, his instincts taking over.

A wildcard ruins the entire deck.

His gun was warm in his hands, and he aimed it at your head.

You can’t continue to exist, Joker.  

He might have been too late in realizing it, but he saw it now. You were a threat Minho couldn’t afford to ignore.

There was a step before he felt the barrel of a gun press against his temple.

“Wanna test my reaction time?” Jisung’s voice was void of humor and he ordered, “Drop the gun.”

It was futile. The moment Minho’s finger twitched on the trigger, his life would be snuffed out. He likely wouldn’t even see you fall before that. His resolve splintered and cracked, and his aim fell lower and lower until his weapon clattered on the bloody ground.

Jisung kicked the gun away instantly, and Minho felt a scream clawing its way through his throat.

But it was barely a whisper that left his lips, “Why…”

He wanted his uncle dead, yes, but not his executives. As much as he despised the Cardinal Ring, he needed its members alive to keep Taunt stable. There was no way he could avoid a revolt now.

His father’s kingdom. His family.

Taunt would destroy itself, and you would dance over its grave.

“You ruined everything,” he spat, hoping the words stung as he glared at your relaxed form. There was no hint of violence on your person. Your hair was undisturbed and your coat was pristine. No bruise nor blood marred your skin. There was only light in your gaze.

Blessed, untouchable, divine.

Corrupt.

“And who’s to blame for that?” you wondered aloud. “You were the one who led me right into your den, or did you forget that already?”

Minho had done just that. He even promised not to stand in your way.

A mistake so terrible, it would haunt him for the remainder of his days.

His distress must’ve shown because you frowned, disappointed, disgusted, even, “You’re still incredibly boring—”

An explosion shook the earth below you, deafening, and you immediately looked to your second. Alert with your gun ready for attack, you uttered a single word of command, “Han.”

He moved wordlessly, a specter drifting over the corpses as he made his way toward the shabby window of this warehouse. A few seconds later, he declared in the suffocating silence of the explosion’s aftermath, “It came from 5B.”

Minho’s heart sputtered. He didn’t remember setting up any bombs there, and judging from the grim shift in your expression, you didn’t either.   

“Didn’t he say he would be scouting the area?” you asked, and your second answered as he returned to your side, “He did, yes.”

“Well, then. I guess I’m glad I took his advice and changed locations,” you shrugged after a moment’s thought, stuffing your hands in your coat pockets and beginning to make your way to the exit. “Let’s hope we don’t meet again, Prince of the Underworld.”

Minho didn’t have the spirit to bite back. He had become a plummeting angel, his wings torn and his halo dimmed. He grappled with the realization that perhaps he’d been wrong all along.

Alone, surrounded by the corpses of his arrogance, Minho screamed until his mind’s pandemonium ceased.

Maybe Kings weren’t the only ones made to fall.

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Thank you for reading this far! We're nearing the plot's apex, so a lot of answers will be revealed in the upcoming few chapters. I would love to hear your thoughts! A reblog and any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I hope you have a spectacular day, and I'll see you next week for chapter six! ♡

[captainsy-cookiemonster]

Random Escaped Audios character headcanons (semi domestic... Idk?)

Escaped and Jean sleep with socks on, a habit they picked up in prison.

Escaped also sleeps with the mask on sometimes. And only in his boxers... And socks. Sexy. Seductive, even. 😂

Jean sleeps in whatever he wore that day minus the pants. Crinkled dress shirts all the way. (if he even gets sleep that is) On really bad days, before the intern, he just threw on pants the next day and was ready to go. (yes he did shower... But he put his old clothes back on)

Precious baby boy Ivan (actually adorable dilf... ESCAPED NO YOU DID NOT SEE THAT!!!😳) sleeps in matching pyjama sets and even got some for Raven and Paloma so they all three can match! of course the pj's are bird themed!

Now that I'm on a "what they wear to bed" trip... Alphonso does the classic t-shirt and boxers combo, jogging pants if he's cold. Plus a hoodie if he's really cold. Which is rare. Or... Well... His slayer uniform.

Benji does the t-shirt boxer combo too. All year. He mostly wears his old college (or band👀) tees to sleep.

You cannot convince me Crow "i don't have use for t-shirts" doesn't (didn't 😢) sleep butt ass naked. Either that or fully... Clothed? As clothed as he is. Leather harness shoulder bracer and all. There's no in between.

Enough of the sleep hc's... 🙈 Onto the random stuff

Nap dates with Jean!

Escaped has a sweet tooth. Also LOVES home cooked meals. After all the junk in prison, he loves the times in between where he gets to eat real food. If he could choose between take out or home cooked it's home cooked all the way. (one of the goons is a fantastic cook)

He misses his mom's food, though.

Escaped does finger guns all. The fucking. Time. Like...🧍‍♂️... 👉👉...🧍‍♂️

Alsoooo... Escaped and spiderman kisses!

I have many feelings about our slutty villain soo... He's a cuddler. Big time. Won't admit it, but likes being the little spoon (kinda mentioned in the audio). Will also lie on top of you if he catches you lying around, and put his head on your tiddies or tummy.

Crow has one of those photo calendars on his desk. It's with cats. Doesn't use it for calendar stuff... Only has it for the pictures. Gets new ones every year but keeps the old ones in a drawer in his desk.

Benji, our precious marine biologist (yes shh i know it's not exactly his job), is the same but with sea animals.

Also... Benji makes mixtapes. Not just early into the relationship, but also after he got married. It's his anniversary gift. Literally spends all year compiling a playlist, and a movie watchlist for datenights!

Picnic beach dates with Benji!

And forest or bird watching dates with Ivan (birbs☺️)

Also 100% convinced Ivan manages to befriend the crows he's feeding & playing with and they bring him gifts in return.

Jean likes his hair to be played with. (shout out to @stupd000 for saying he likes having his hair pulled🙈)

He also learns more songs on the ukulele and he and the intern sing together. Not very well, but it's cute. When the singing gets too bad, one would just kiss the other to shut them up.

Alphonso keeps souvenirs of the places he visits on hunts and keeps them in his room at the slayers' stronghold when he's there.

Jean is a bit jittery from all the coffee he drinks. Goes through withdrawl after escaping the mafia. But now he's down to the normal amount of coffee for a day (like... 2-4 cups a day)

Ivan will come and wrap his arms around your waist and rest his head on your (Raven's) shoulder while you two cook together. Will steal bits of food, too.

Ivan does wood carvings sometimes. He carved a little raven for Raven. Paloma painted it hot pink, she's very proud of it!

Once at safety, Jean adopts a stray dog... which turn into three.

Ivan will totally bring home injured animals (especially, ofc, birds) and nurse them back to health.

Okay I think that's all I can come up with for now

[ampheenix]

I need (a human’s touch)

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

SUMMARY:

Set during the last episode of Mob Pyscho 100, in which Shigeo has taken over Mob completely.

But Teru is desperate. He hasn’t given up yet.

And he can only think of one thing that might shock Mob enough to break him out of… whatever this was.

TAGS:

terumob, angst and fluff, love confessions, 1.8k

He was hot.

Dangerously hot.

And well, Teru was always dangerously hot of course, but this was actually a huge problem. Teru was sweaty, all over, and could feel his breath coming faster and faster.

The searing pain of several stitches echoed from his core, cuts and bruises were littered all over his skin, his limbs were so tired he could fall asleep right then and there…

Teru hadn’t felt this degree of exhaustion since the last time Mob had lost control, when he had blown his school to bits.

But this degree of destruction triumphed over that event, easily.

Teru gritted his teeth, staring hard at his friend.

Piercing white eyes stared right through him, unblinking, unflinching, in the worst way.

Usually, those eyes could appear as apathetic to someone who didn’t know Mob well, his expression seeming perpetually bored and aloof.

But after knowing Mob for so long, Teru could always spot a slight gentle tinge to his gaze, a small crinkle of humour to the side of his lips, a shine in coal-black eyes. Just because Mob wasn’t very skilled at expressing emotion didn’t mean there was nothing there.

But this… this was different.

These eyes were nothing. Empty. Single-minded destruction.

It was jarring. Teru wasn’t sure he could even call the entity “Mob” anymore. Even so, he had to keep trying.

“MOB, COME ON!” He yelled hoarsely, breath coming hard and fast as he darted out of the way of another attack. Teru desperately tried to force his voice through the psychic energy swirling all around them. “YOU NEED TO WAKE UP! LOOK AROUND YOU!”

He grimaced, as deep down, he knew there was no point to it. These words hadn’t worked before, in the forest, when he’d tried to gently de-escalate the situation. He doubted they’d work now.

Teru’s brow furrowed. Nothing he was doing was even getting through to Mob. And his psychic barrier was chipped and full of cracks – he didn’t know how much longer he would last.

He had to do something. Now. Before it was too late.

And even whilst his mind was racing, trying to come up with sort of half-baked strategy, rattling through letters of the alphabet to devise a plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D, he was having to dodge rubble, save civilians, save MOB.

And keep his hair this time, if he could. It had been a pain growing it back out last time.

Teru clenched his jaw and fists, feeling his energy slowly come back to him. He had to do this. He owed it to Mob, for getting him out of that toxic mindset that had carried him through the first fourteen years of his life.

He owed so much to him.

Maybe… maybe what Mob needed was a huge shock. That was what Teru had needed back then, something BIG that had turned his world upside down – and at the time, Mob had certainly delivered.

(floating naked and bald in mid-air whilst sapped of all power did that to a guy. Yeesh.)

Could something like that bring Mob back? He’d been fighting against whatever had been consuming him, clearly he was still in there… somewhere… right??

Maybe…

Teru shook the idea off immediately. That would be- be awful of him, it’d be taking advantage, it’d practically be assault and wrong in so many books of moral code. There had to be another way.

That idea probably just came to mind because of Teru’s own biases, there was no way it would ever… It would ever…

Despite himself, Teru paused for a brief moment, feeling his cheeks warm. He… could he really-

A searing pain on his arm brought him back to his senses. He let out a yelp, darting away and instantly regretting getting distracted as he glanced down to see a fresh cut on his arm.

It went deeper than the others.

Teru paled, looking up. “Mob” had become distracted too, seeing as Teru hadn’t been directly attacking him for a while, and had just been frantically thinking up a plan (which he still didn’t have!!) but it seemed the entity had its head back in the game.

This was bad.

Teru had already been tired before, but he was feeling more and more sluggish with every minute that passed. He needed to nip this in the bud.

And as Teru watched the dark, swirling mass that was Mob slowly move forward, sending huge cracks skittering through the ground wherever he stepped…

It was still Mob, at the end of the day. Right?

Steeling himself, and wishing that his heart would slow down, Teru hoped in vain that his best friend wouldn’t hate him too much for this.

(He also wished retroactively that he’d remembered to put on chapstick this morning because his lips were very dry, and that didn’t tend to be the vibe when it came to finally kissing the guy you’ve had a crush on for a frankly humiliating amount of time.)

Teru walked forward, his expression soft. Mob’s eyes (?) narrowed, and honestly at this point, Teru hoped he’d be able to get within a metre of him without being blasted away.

His walk slowly became a jog. Then a run. Then a flat-out sprint, as a he used the last dregs of his energy to dodge and zip through all the attacks being sent his way, breath rattling through his lungs.

Within a blink of an eye, Teru was in front of him.

And he knew he had to make this quick.

Teru’s eyebrows furrowed in determination, pulse pounding in his ears and bruised ribs screaming in protest.

“Mob, I like you.” Teru’s voice cracked, and he hated himself. He continued, eyes shining. “I really, really like you, and I hope you’ll forgive me for this.”

And without further delay, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Mob’s, as hard as he could and with all the feelings brimming in his chest.

Teru had never actually kissed anyone, despite the amount of girls he’d gone out with. The most he’d done was a hold a few hands, and posture and flirt a bit. A dazzling smile was enough to make most of them fall to their knees, anyway.

He hoped, hopelessly, that blind devotion would make up for lack of skill.

(Deep inside swirling black, Mob was absolutely losing it.

“Let me out!! Please!! you have to- Teru just KISSED me!!” He exclaimed, hand on his chest, red as a tomato.

Shigeo Kageyama looked at him with disdain. “We literally are on our way to confess to Tsubomi right now.”

Mob narrowed his eyes, fists clenched. “No, YOU are. We just had that discussion. I want you to let me out so we can stop destroying everything and I can tell Teru I like him too.”

Shigeo’s voice was even flatter now. “Since when do you like Teru. That has never been a thing.”

Mob somehow, impossibly, grew redder. “I… I don’t think I really realized until now.” He shook himself, determination now defined. “You need to let me out. Y… You can still confess to Tsubomi, but I need to see Teru, right now.”

“Please.” Mob’s voice is resolute. It’s not a question, and Shigeo lets out a sigh, glancing outside to where Teru’s mouth was pressed against his.

“You’re serious? After all of this? And his lips are chapped, you know.”

“Wh- why would I care about that?! Ours are as well!” Mob gave him a look of despair, trying to claw his way out of the space. “Let me out, right now! Before he pulls away – before you kill him!”

It wasn’t like Mob hadn’t been trying before, too, but his desperation was renewed now. He had been lulled into a sense of defeat, watching himself tear everything he loved apart, but now he knew.

“I’ll hold you to it.”

Shigeo’s voice is quiet. Decided.

“Hold you to what?!” Mob exclaims with furrowed brows, completely and utterly frustrated.

“You’ll still confess to Tsubomi. You have to.” Shigeo’s eyes are deadly serious. “You will. Or else.”

“I… okay. I’ll do it, but only if you let me out right n-”)

With a jolt, Mob realized he was in the middle of his first kiss.

His eyes flew wide open, darting all around, but just as he tried to commit everything to memory, Teru’s lips left his.

Teru was looking at him, eyes equally wide. Teru was there, golden hair matted with sweat and covered in blood and bruises.

Teru was alive.

With tears prickling in his eyes, and with equal ineptitude both in kissing and in words, Mob went for the next best option.

Within a blink of an eye, his arms were wrapped around Teru’s torso, tight and snug, head tucked into the other’s neck as he blindly hoped that this would make up for all the thoughts he didn’t know how to convey.

There was a beat of silence. Mob tensed up, ready to immediately draw back the second he sensed he’d made Teru uncomfortable.

And then, he felt the other melt into the embrace, arms winding around him and pulling him closer. A shaky hand cradled Mob’s inky-black head, stroking his hair and trembling like a leaf, as if still in disbelief that it was there.

Then, came Teru’s frantic words.

“I’m- I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He drew further away, hands on his shoulders and Mob instantly wanted to tug him back, to where he had been stroking his hair. “I hope- I hope it was okay, I just wanted to shock you enough to break you out of- whatever that was- I just-”

As Mob watched the stammering, insecure words fight their way out of Teru’s mouth, it felt… wrong. Those words didn’t belong there. That shaky, unsure expression didn’t belong on Teru’s face.

And before even Mob had figured out what he was doing, he was pulling at Teru’s shirt, tugging him closer and shutting him up with another kiss.

It was… really nice. Especially since he got to experience all of it this time. Teru’s lips weren’t very dry at all, they were soft, and Mob liked how the other relaxed into him.

Teru’s hands came forward, cupping his face, and Mob liked that too.

After another moment of savouring the feeling, he slowly pulled back. Teru was looking at him like he’d hung the stars in the sky, cradling his face, his mouth positively agape. “You… you actually…”

Just as Mob was wondering if he needed to kiss him again, to really prove his point (and it’s not like he would mind) Teru smiled, a genuinely happy smile, soaking it in.

Because this was it. This was requited.

“I’m here. I’m sorry I wasn’t before.” Mob said, as he took both Teru’s hands in his. He bit his lip, not knowing where to start. “I… I have a lot to explain.”

Teru gave his hands a reassuring squeeze, sending him  the softest smile he’d ever seen.

“We’ve got nothing but time.”

[bluerose5]

Hmm how about Halsin and Iron Bull (in whatever relationship dynamic you like!) commiserating after a fight with some goblins?

The kind of ship that snuck up on me out of nowhere. These two 100% took control of the fic and made it longer than what I intended, although I'm not complaining. 😌

...

One thing the Iron Bull never expected was for Halsin to admit to being a lightweight of all things.

While the tieflings' party was in full swing, he made his rounds throughout camp, took note of where everyone else's minds were at, his companions' especially, and he drank.

That was, until Bull realized the liquor on hand was some of the weakest shit compared to back home.

Still, it was a celebration, so he accepted drinks when offered, disgruntled by the fact that he was barely breaking a sweat over it.

Sobriety aside, he waited to speak with Halsin last, mostly because he wasn't quite sure what to make of him yet.

For one, he was big. Probably a little shorter than your average Qunari, but bigger than any elf Bull encountered in Thedas at least.

Secondly, he wielded magic different from most that Bull was familiar with, and the fact that majority of spellcasters in Faerûn didn't have to struggle against demons and possession in order to control their power...

Strange. Reassuring in a sense, but very strange.

When all was said and done, Bull figured no harm could come from getting to know the newcomer. This esteemed, knowledgeable "Archdruid" of theirs.

Who happened to be easy on the eyes —well, eye, singular— as well, but that was neither here nor there.

The Iron Bull sauntered up to him with a friendly smile, his head held high in a show of confidence.

"Well, it looks like I saved the best for last!" Bull greeted. "Settling in okay?" Before Halsin could answer, Bull interrupted. "Wait! Wait." He gave a dramatic pause. "I couldn't bear it if you said 'no.' Haha!"

He beamed at Halsin, who couldn't resist a snort of amusement, the corners of his eyes crinkled in delight.

Bull could practically hear Krem grumbling from there.

"Do not concern yourself with me. I am settling in just fine," Halsin assured him. "Of course, it always helps to have a host as gracious as yourself."

"Let's see if you still think that by the end of the night," the Iron Bull joked. He stood at Halsin's side, giving him a playful nudge with his elbow. "Seriously, though, that fight at that temple was great, yeah?" His heart raced at the memory. He leaned in, his voice low, appreciative. "You were incredible."

"Oh, come now," Halsin said, brushing off the compliment. "I don't know about that. You and your companions did most of the heavy lifting, after all."

"Don't downplay your role in our victory," Bull told him. "The sheer amount of goblins alone would have proved a challenge for anyone, but you cut through them like it was nothing." Try as he may, Bull couldn't help it, his eye trailing up and down Halsin's body. "All of that fury and rage, unleashed, directed at our enemies. You were a sight to behold, but tell the truth. You enjoyed it, didn't you?"

Halsin glanced at him, not even bothering to hide how his eyes raked over his frame in return.

"Perhaps," he allowed, taking a second to clear his throat. "I must admit, I have come to expect at least a hint of fear from outsiders in response to my wild shape."

"Heh," Bull chuckled. "I fought dragons before, pal. It's gonna take more than a big teddy bear like you to scare me away."

"Is that so?" Halsin raised an eyebrow at him, surveying the area around them. "Maybe I should work on that then. Everyone should maintain a healthy balance of fear and respect for nature."

"Trust me, I respect it plenty," Bull said, "but by all means, do your worst."

Halsin shook his head, smiling to himself.

"Tempting as that is, you surely have others to go mingle with. Don't let me keep you."

"Nah." Bull waved off that concern without second thought. "I've done more than my fair share of mingling for tonight. I want to get to know you better."

He gave him a playful poke to the arm.

"Hmm..." Halsin hummed in contemplation. "I wouldn't want to be selfish and rob others here of your company. I can wait until morning to speak with you at the very least."

"Which is fine, if that's what you want," the Iron Bull whispered, "but what if I want you to be selfish?"

Halsin searched his expression for any sign of deceit.

When such scrutiny proved fruitless, his entire demeanor shifted, more open to the idea compared to before.

"In that case," he responded, "will you tell me about one of your dragon hunts then?"

"Fuck yeah, I will!" Bull exclaimed, his excitement radiant like a flame.

He clasped a hand onto Halsin's shoulder, giving it a warm, companionable squeeze.

A small shiver shot down his spine, one that Bull was quick to watch with keen interest.

The Iron Bull reckoned that Halsin didn't know many people who towered over him. It was almost funny how often his gaze would level with Bull's pecs or wander farther below before darting up to his face yet again, as if he had to constantly remind himself that he was the shorter one for once.

Then again, maybe he just liked the sight of his chest. Bull couldn't fault him for that.

"Let's see. Let's see," Bull said, rubbing at his chin while he thought it over. "I could go simple. The first dragon I ever hunted alongside the Inquisitor was terrorizing the countryside we were in at the time. It was a Fereldan Frostback."

Already, his eye was glazing over at the tale, his voice taking on a tinge of admiration that bordered on reverence. Or as close to it as he could get.

"Extremely territorial, those ones, and damn if she wasn't a beauty. All of that raw, untamed power, but unfortunately for her, her territory happened to include a few defenseless villages that couldn't ward her off on their own. That's where we came in."

He wrapped his arm around Halsin's shoulders, drawing him in closer as he spoke, staring off towards a faraway land that was well beyond their reach for now.

"That sharp burst of air that rushed past as she swiped her tail at us. That loud ringing in our ears when she screeched at the skies. That molten heat that radiated in the air when she snapped her teeth at us, so close that we would have been her next meal, had we not rolled out of reach in time."

He bared his teeth into a grin.

"That was a good day," he all but growled. "A good day, indeed!"

Halsin shifted in place. Of course, it didn't escape Bull's notice how he eased closer to him in the process.

He stared at the Iron Bull with a mixture of heat and shock.

"You almost sound excited," he said, hesitant, not wanting to overstep his bounds.

Not that it deterred Bull in the slightest.

"That's because I am," Bull stated, unashamed. "Even now, something about it gets my blood pumping and my heart racing, more so than any other fight." He grunted loudly as he lingered on the memory. "Maybe it's in my blood."

"Your blood?"

"Yeah," he said, "rumor has it that there might have been some dragon's blood mixed into the Qunari's somewhere along the way." He shrugged. "No one knows for certain. Would be pretty badass, though, wouldn't it?"

"Definitely."

"Okay, now it's your turn."

"My turn?" Halsin questioned.

"To share. Come on," Bull encouraged. "You can't tell me that you don't have some wild stories stashed away."

"Well," Halsin launched into his tale without missing a beat, "it's not too different from yours. Back in my youth—"

"Nuh-uh, none of that," Bull interrupted. "You're not that old."

"I'll have you know that I am three hundred and fifty years young."

"Hot."

Bull smirked when that got a laugh out of him.

"I can admire anyone who is so open with their desires," Halsin said, "but shall I continue the story?"

"Oh, alright, I'll behave."

"Somehow I doubt that," Halsin teased, "but as I was saying, I was young and impulsive at the time, traveling and exploring the world to my heart's content. After indulging in nature's gifts on land for so long, life led me to the sea. Throughout my journey, I heard about a string of pirate attacks, led by a rogue band of water genasi. Their greed had already impacted several coastal villages by the time I caught wind of it."

Bull made a mental note to ask more about the race later, too intent on listening to the current story to venture off on another tangent.

"People were being taken from their homes, everyone from their children to the elderly. Those who relied heavily on fish as a staple found themselves on the brink of starvation. Resources were being drained. Their valuables were looted. Any who fought against the genasi were executed or enslaved, made an example of."

"But you stopped them?"

"Eventually," Halsin sighed, it obviously taking a toll on him that he couldn't save more than what he did. "I studied their movements, their tactics. At first, I would rally others behind me, wait until the genasi tried for an ambush, and attack then. But there were still too many deaths for my liking, so I went on the offensive. The locals provided me with a vessel of my own, and I sailed out into the open waters. I took the fight to them, grew more and more cocky with each ship I took down. I believed myself to be invincible, and that made me reckless."

"What happened next?" Bull asked, although he already had an idea.

"You clearly survived, though."

"I was taken prisoner. One of my attacks went exactly as I planned, but I didn't know that the genasi had others lying in wait, holding back until they saw the perfect opportunity to strike. They outnumbered me, enough so that they were able to overpower me, and that was that."

"That, I did. With me as their trophy, the band that captured me left the coastland for quite some time. About a year and a half passed, give or take a few months, but I forced myself to be patient throughout that time of servitude, difficult as it was. I earned the trust of the crew. And later, the captain.

"Then one day, I felt it. There was something stirring in the water, restless, massive in size. I could sense it, and part of me knew that it was my time to act.

"I convinced the crew that there was treasure, worthy of the gods, in some nearby wreckage. I made up a lie, said I recalled the area from my studies, and they believed me."

"You led them right into a trap," Bull said, impressed.

Halsin nodded.

"It was a kraken's territory," he explained. "A sea monster of great power and might. It rose up from its dark depths to confront us. The waters turned rough and formed a large, gaping vortex that threatened to consume us all. The winds whipped at blinding speeds. Storms formed that spewed lightning everywhere you looked. The kraken even managed to charm some of the crew into fighting under its thrall, so you can imagine how everything turned into a bloodbath from there."

"Damn." Bull released a low whistle, recalling a few stories he heard of dreadnoughts encountering an aban-ataashi —a sea dragon— while out on their patrols.

He imagined this creature must have been similar to cause so much destruction.

"Nothing against you or your skills, but I'm surprised you survived."

"You and me both," Halsin agreed. "I was so weak that I couldn't switch forms all that much at the time, but I managed to rely on some basic spells to keep me safe long enough to escape. I fought alongside the crew for a while to discourage any suspicion, but I stole one of the ship's work boats the second it was clear that the crew and the kraken were going to go down destroying each other. Through the gods' mercy alone, I managed to make it out of there. I watched both ship and kraken sink into the sea from afar, and I somehow survived until I found land once again."

"Okay, now that story deserves a drink," Bull said. "Or several. Care to share one with me?"

"In truth, I rarely imbibe," Halsin answered. "The stuff goes right to my head."

The sounds of the party returned to them then. Voices rose and fell. Squeals of delight and the clink of tankards greeted their ears.

People danced and swayed, stumbling around without a care in the world.

"Wait, really?" Bull asked, incredulous. "You're telling me that you can't hold your liquor?"

Somehow, that was even more unbelievable than him fighting a kraken.

Halsin laughed, holding his hands up in surrender.

"All I'm saying is that it won't take long before I'm breaking into song or declaring love to the first person I lay eyes on."

"Well, I mean, if you need a target to focus that energy on..." Squeezing him up against his side, Bull flexed his free arm, waggling his eyebrows at him. "I'm your guy."

"A tempting offer, I'll admit," Halsin said, admiring him openly.

"Plus, I've also been known to break into song here and there."

"Now, that, I have to see."

"Find me something stronger than the swill they serve around here," Bull challenged, "and you're on."

"Ah." As understanding dawned on him, Halsin flashed Bull a secretive smirk. "You thought that I meant that I can't handle the spirits such as those at this party." At Bull's confused look, Halsin clarified. "I keep a, uh, personal flask on hand for special occasions."

"No shit," Bull said, watching him closely, unable to keep his curiosity at bay. "You have your own recipe or what?"

"Something like that, and I have my pipe on me too, if you're interested."

"Don't have to tell me twice. Let's go make a little music, yeah?"

Amused, Halsin readily agreed.

They didn't even try to hide it as they ditched the party in favor of the surrounding forests, neither of them the type to sneak about in such a manner anyways.

They spent the rest of the night in high spirits under the stars, drinking, smoking, trading stories. And yes, singing rather terribly as well.

They fell asleep bathed in moonlight, and only when the rising sun bid them to wake did they return to camp together to discuss their next move.

[merajsblog]

rin itoshi

my most popular writing for for rin actually so…i am now finally doing him again! i hope you guys enjoy this one :) i have been rewatching blue lock again and forgot how much i like him….

——————

rin didn’t like boring. he would always complain and complain about “NPCS” and “how half baked everyone was”. he was rather picky about who he would spend time with. when you asked him after class if he could help with with soccer practice he was confused. you were on the girls team for the school, but you were entirely new the sport. you knew how well rin played the sport, as you always saw him practicing after school. you would always stand and watch in awe, he played with such a grace you didn’t know was possible. you would smile and haphazardly wave before booking it home, it was cold outside after all.

“please just a little after school? i’ll buy you the new horror video game everyone is talking about!!!” you said leaning over his desk. you were desperate. your team had dubbed you as striker, which was fine, but recently you had been losing inspiration for your position. rin rolled his eyes, putting his hand on the desk.

“fine. but only for 30 minutes and you leave, then i can really practice.” he muttered. rin didn’t have any special way with words except for saying them exactly as he wanted to, as straight out as possible. as you were rippling with excitement you went to your desk and sat down, making conversation with your friends nearby. it wasn’t long until the school bell rang finally.

~~

after finally lacing up your cleats, rin was standing there in the middle of the field, hand on his hip like some sassy queen. you rolled your eyes this time. “you’re late.” he said sternly. “okay well there were a lot of girls in the locker room okay, the basketball team is practicing today.” you said pouting. after some discussion of how far along into soccer you were, rin decided maybe he’d just keep it more simple…after all you were a beginner. “let’s do a little 1v1 rin.” you said, amusement in your eyes. he looked absolutely unpleased. “what.” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“well i’ll get better inspiration from this, PLUS, you said we could only practice together for 30 minutes and we’re ALREADY running low on that time.” you said, putting a hand on your hip in turn.

“fine.” he said, walking to his respective spot. “let’s see what you got.” you beamed, before turning around and running to your spot too. he had let you start with the ball, just to kind of give you a step up since he was more advanced than you…

since it was just a 1v1 he was probably gonna act a little more defensive. faking him out seemed like the best idea. you ran at him, not haltering in your stride, when he came to be a few feet away from you, his eyes completely focused on the ball at your feet. you tried a simple elastico (those are NOT simple to do), and you weren’t shocked when he saw through it and darted for the ball, but instead, in those two seconds you had ahead of him, you blasted the ball to the goal. there was no goal keeper, and if there was they 100% would of gotten that shot, but since it was just the two of you, you technically made the goal. you turned and laughed at rin, it was a lucky shot, but it was funnier to you that you got it. of course he wasn’t operating at 100%, if he was you would of been humbled.

he watched as you laughed, only maybe a feet or two away from him. you hands were swinging as you pointed at him, and you pony tail was already falling out. you nose crinkled a little as your mouth was open. your laugh basically filled the entire area, as well as his head. he wasn’t sure that sound would ever come out.

“again.” he said rolling his eyes. it was safe to say you didn’t make anymore goals, not until he pulled you aside. “when you’re shooting for your goal, make it feel like you’re staking your life on it, like the first goal you did. losing in soccer is like dying.” he said with a straight face. you couldn’t help but snicker a bit. “losing and winning are two sides of the same coin rin, you cannot have one without the other.” you said cocking your head to the side. that was basic knowledge, no? he sat with a blank expression on his face. “that’s not what it feels like.” he grunted, before getting up.

“come on let’s practice some one touches and goal shots.” he said dragging you by your jersey away from your precious water. “wait! but the 30 minutes are up!” you said raising your eyebrows.

“i didn’t say we were done with practice did i?” he stated, turning to look at you. you had a little smirk growing up the side of your face. he immediately turned away, wondering if he was turning red because of the sharp cold or something else…

~~

after it was starting to get respectably dark, you both were packing up. “oh! what platform do you want me to buy the game for you on by the way? i promised id do it.” you said looking at rin. “you don’t actually have to do that..” he said looking down. “but it’s a good game!! i bought it too and it looks like fun! it’s a co-op horror game, though the quality is kind of bad..” you said rambling as you packed up. “i don’t have any friends to play a co-op game with.” he stated, finally making eye contact. “ you stood up facing him, “what do you mean i’m literally right here.” you said narrowing your brows. “we will play together!”

he couldn’t help but crack a small smile, “okay.”

you beamed at him, grabbing his arm out of excitement, “that’s literally the first time i’ve ever seen you smile.” you said laughing. your laughter was like music to his ears, it felt like honey oozing into his brain. it was like a warm melody. he adored it already.

“put a jacket on, you don’t want all the heat escaping your body already when it’s this cold out.” he said. nodding, you slip your hoodie on.

the two of you walk home, before getting ready to split up. “isn’t your house that way rin?” you asked curiously. “it is. why?” he asked. “well then why are you still walking this way?” you asked stopping in the road.

“i’m walking you home, you NPC” he said grabbing your hoodie sleeve and dragging you behind him. you giggled, “well why didn’t you just say so.” you hummed, linking your arm with his. you hadn’t thought much of the action, this was how you walked with your other friends. rins mind basically exploded. all he could focus on was the portion of your arms touching and occasionally your side bumping into his. when you unlinked his arm and walked over to say hi to the neighbors cat, he was ultimately disappointed. he sure as hell wasn’t going to initiate anything. he just watched softly as you interacted with the fluffy creature.

“rin come say hi!” you said, turning around with the cat in your arms. as you were smiling down on the cat, he was watching you. he liked cats, and so he knew how to interact with them. he softly pet it too. you put it down before turning and walking towards your home.

“oh! before i leave let me put my number in your phone!” you said with your hand out. fumbling, he handed his phone to you.

“text me when you get home safely, AND we can play the video game later tonight okay?” you said. he nodded.

“make sure you shower first. good night.” he said softly rubbing the top of your hair before turning around and heading back. he laughed a little hearing you fume about how you “knew to shower”.

“good night rin!!!” you shouted before running into your home. you weren’t expecting him to do that to you, you thought leaning against the door clutching your face. at least now school was even more exciting…

[bitchlessdino]

Happier (m)

Pairing: minghao x fem!reader

Genre: smut

Word count: 5.9k

Tags: e2l, gendered reader, college au, mean hao, kinda toxic dynamics,svt member appearances (some good some bad), lap riding, oral (giving), unprotected sex, swallowing

Summary: Minghao was never more clear about how he really feels about you. And you couldn't be more wrong.

author note: So I found this old thing that i wrote a while and never posted and i was like, damn bestie you wrote that. It's been a while since I touched this so it's obviously very rough so I reworked it! always nice to revive old work. especially for hao and i think it turned out really well. enjoy!

You didn’t get why the hated you so much or at least behaved like he did. You belonged in the same circle of friends, were in a lot of the same activities and clubs on the same university campus, and lived a walking distance from each other, so you’d think that the two of you would at least bond or find common ground. Anyone that thought that would be wrong, including yours truly.

“Is dressing like shit your hobby or something?”

You huffed before turning to face him, gritting your teeth. “Nice to see you again Minghao, every one of our encounters is so...memorable and pleasant.”

Not to add fuel to the fire, but did you have to be so attracted to him despite him being a jerk? 

An evil chuckle escaped his assumably soft, pink lips, allowing his signature smirk to stretch over his cheeks. “I am speaking from the heart. There is such a thing as freedom of speech.

You cleared your throat, reacting blandly to his insult, already dulled to them, and pretended your attention was on anywhere but him. “I’m aware. Where’s Seokmin?”

He waved you off, walking past you. “Probably looking for you, when you see him, tell him how sorry I am for pushing your burden on him.” 

You didn’t know whether to punch his face for being such an asshole or punch yours for the hopeful feeling in the pit of your stomach taht is optimistic that his behavior is nothing but a ruse. Why he behaved like that around you, you had no idea, and neither did anyone else within a 100-yard radius. 

“Hey, Y/n. I notice Minghao passed by. How was that?”

You exhaled a breath of relief seeing the familiar teasing smile of the man you were looking for. “Like it always is, you know him. Rude, being a jerk, and me taking it like an idiot.”

“You always do something to change that, you know,” the boy wrapped his much thicker, brawny upper over your shoulders, guiding you to the warm and loving presence of your friends at the other end of the room bickering over an aimless topic like the purpose of time due to being either high or drunk, if not both, which was a disaster waiting to happen. You could see from where you stood, Minghao was already halfway there.

“Like I haven’t fucking tried. You know the man’s bitter like his coffee.” You spewed.

Seokmin looked at you amused. “You mean his vanilla latte with extra cream, I agree.”

“You know what I mean, Seokmin.”

His bright white smile resonates into view, softly giving his friend pats on the back as a sweet gesture, but loud laughter erupts from his lips. “Minghao’s weird and expresses himself unlike others, but he’s my best friend. However he chooses to behave, he probably has his own reasons.”

“Yeah, he finds me a burden and would rather have me dead.” You spoke rolling your eyes as you both reached your friends with friendly nods.

“Are you talking about Minghao again?” Chan oh-so rudely butted in.

You sighed at the younger as you accepted the beer offered in his hand and took a swig sitting on the space beside him on the worn-out, brown couch, “Yes child, but like any other times you ask, it’s none of your business.”

“Y/n, I’m not an idiot. You think I’m not listening when you’re ranting to Seokmin while I play games on my phone, but I do. So, you gonna jump his ass or not?”

You crinkled your nose, asking yourself why you bothered listening to what he had to say. “See? This is why I talk to Seokmin instead of you, Chan.”

You rejoiced in your reunion, smiling at the faces you’d see in some classes, faces that you wouldn’t ever see unless you’d intentionally planned something, and others that were new but simply pleasant. You’d poke one of your girlfriends at how Joshua reacted to being hardcore hit on when you knew she liked him, and every other minute you’d laugh at anything Junhui said, usually something random or obvious. College will always be stressful, but with the right people, it’s all worth it, even with Minghao throwing insults every few minutes, moments like these made everything seem okay.

“So, how long have you and Seokmin been a thing?” The radiant girl before you gave a breathtaking smile, making you peer at the male behind her blushing a deep crimson as you mention his name.

“A couple weeks, but I really like him and glad to know he likes me.” She pressed a tender kiss against his cheeks that would show no sign of deflating.

You cooed over at them, genuinely happy for the man whose care for you all this time. You remembered the last time you spoke the man face to face and that was when he had told you the truth of his feelings for you, how he found rapid his heart would flex at the sound of your voice, the familiar churn of his stomach every time you smiled, and the look of his eyes seeing you meters away jumping excitedly about some new music video from your favorite band.

It was awkward for a while knowing how he felt, but despite your honest rejection, it didn’t change how either of you acted toward each other. Seokmin understood your feelings and he was glad you told the truth instead of leading him on. You were still friends, and that was okay with him.

Now you couldn’t help but smile to see that he’s felt for you towards a girl more worthy for him. He’s someone you’ll always love as a part of your life, but you could never return the same romantic feelings. Now you were just glad that there was someone who would love your best friend for all he’s worth. He was special, and you knew that this girl would remind him of that everyday.

“You guys are precious. The last relationship I had wasn’t nearly this sweet.”

Seokmin chuckled, wrapping your arm around his beautiful girlfriend, “Well, in all honesty, your last boyfriend was pretty big as--Wait, what the fuck is he doing here?”

His eyes lingered on the presence behind you, who was anxiously finding a sign of his ex that has already forgotten all about him. You turned your head to witness the same scene as the couple, and accidentally met eyes with the devil himself, looking absolutely gorgeous from head to toe in a black t-shirt and jeans, stumbling and shoving everyone to grasp for your comparably small hands.

“Y/n,” he heaved a euphoric sigh of relief, “Finally, I’ve found you.”

“Mingyu, what are you doing here?” You spoke as you gave him a deadpan glare.

“I was wrong, everything I did was wrong, I was a terrible person and boyfriend.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

Your head averted to your friend you came with, red in the face, who voiced out her opinion in anger. “Jinhye!”

“No, no, she was right. It was no shit that was a terrible and you didn’t deserve any of that, but I’m here to say I’ve changed. I’m ready to be the person you can be with, Y/n.”

You shook your head. “Mingyu, you can’t honestly expect me to fucking forgive you every lie you’ve told.”

“I love you, Yn.” His broad arms wrapped around your smaller frame in an embrace, “Everything I’ve done was because I was being stupid and I’m going to change everything for you. Please. Please, tell me your feelings for me haven’t changed.”

You couldn’t lie to him, there were times you had thought about the good moments you both had and wondered if you had met later, that things wouldn’t have been as messy as it was now. You honestly missed his warm embrace, and how he smelled like he just spent hours building the most perfect tree house. Even though he ripped your heart into a million pieces in an uncountable number of ways and made you cry for three weeks straight, you couldn’t push him away no matter how much your head told you to.

Seokmin couldn’t stand the sight in front of him. You were just eating the shit he was feeding you as Mingyu grinned profoundly as if he reclaimed his prize. He obviously hasn’t changed and was just going to hurt you again just like he did before. No one could change that much or that quickly. This asshole was deadass looking for you just to use you again.

He was going to do it, make him leave quietly with a civil conversation, or a punch to the face, whatever comes first. Pulling himself up from the couch, he was blocked by the short, paler individual that did the latter for him, making Mingyu crash on the floor with bled out nose. “What the fuck?”

Minghao stood towering over him, stumbling over his own feet, but suavely swiping his nose with the pad of his thumb, displaying a shit-eating grin over his inflamed cheeks. 

“That’s right, bitch! You can’t come into someone’s home to get back a girl that’s dead over you. You cheated on her, stole her money, a whole apartment from her, and here you are groveling on your baby kneecaps saying you want her back. Well, stay the fuck away since she want nothing to do with your pathetic ass.”

Mingyu’s eyes burned a hole in Minghao’s head, quickly picked himself up and wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. He is now the one to tower over that man that previously stood up to him. “Excuse me?”

“You’re just a big dick with no backbone or conscience. You’re pathetic. You couldn’t see how beautiful, amazing, beautiful, sweet, and most kindest girl you’d ever have the pleasure to date. And you took too long to see that, well, sucks to be you!”

You stared speechless over at the man hollering from the top of his lungs at your ex-boyfriend, insulting him while complimenting you, the very girl he’s insulted since day one, making you wonder if he was doing this because he wanted to or because he was drunk enough to do anything, either way it made your heart swell.

You noticed, with everyone else at that party, that Mingyu was at his last straw seeing him finally land his fist on Minghao’s cheek, causing the smaller man to fall backward and crash unconscious on the floor. Everyone gazed over at Minghao in horror, questioning whether or not he was breathing and friends immediately rushed toward his side. You immediately followed until an arm wrapped its thick, rough fingers around your wrist.

“I love you, Y/n. Don’t give up on us. I wasn’t there then, but I’m here now. I want to be everything for you.”

After the scene in your of you, all you could do was a scowl. The rageful disgust from simply looking back at the eyes you once loved made you wish that your fist was the one that planted against Mingyu’s face. You ripped your hand away from his grip, looking him dead in the eyes saying all the right words for the first time. “I never want to see you again. Leave and never come back. Stay away from me and my friends.”

Tearing away from his gaze, you followed your friends and Minghao into a room upstairs, checking to see if he was alive. You never let a breath of relief so heavy leave your lips as you say the man’s chest heave up and down.

“Okay, thank god the idiot’s alive. Who let him drink vodka?” Seokmin asked no one in particular.

Joshua sighed. “We should really let him rest. Come on, guys.”

They all proceeded heading towards the door, ready to head back into that party. Seokmin noticed you staying by Minghao, unable to pull your gaze away from the man who need his rest. “Y/n, you coming?”

You finally met Seokmin’s eyes and shook your head. “No, I’ll look after him if he wakes up.”

Seokmin saw recognized the look in your eyes, it was the same look you gave Minghao when you thought no one was looking. It was the same look Seokmin would give you when you weren’t looking. Seokmin knew all too well of how they felt for each other and for the first time in a while, he felt ready to give it up. He always suspected Minghao’s behavior to be for some convoluted reason and tonight proved that.

He smiled at you and nodded, leaving you two in your own peace.

Your eyes fell back at the unconscious man and wiping his bleeding nose and lip with a tissue you grabbed from the nightstand, feeling his soft breaths ghosting over your hand as you subconsciously smiled. His sweat dampened hair with smoothed over his forehead as you pushed them aside.

This was the most peaceful you’ve seen him, it was a refreshing sight. Any other day, he would be bashing on you for whatever it is you had or looked with no remorse for your feelings, very much like the beginning of the party, but what happened only moments ago on that floor with the surprise appearance of your ex-boyfriend was anything but ordinary.

Why would the man that hated you cared at all about your love life or who even whom had hurt you?

His actions left you with many questions, and many doubts about where exactly you stood in his life. You’ve never a lover, nor friend, he had no reason to get involved the way he did, yet he did. Like a dark knight, his fist landed against Mingyu’s face with all his might, getting himself hurt on the process. “Why would you do that, you idiot?”

It was ridiculous knowing Minghao and the type of person he was, he’d never sacrificed himself in a life or death situation for someone he simply knows. He was a bystander type of guy and very much would laze around in the background, sometimes not even batting an eye if he was in of of those moods, which was most of the times actually. And in every way he has made it clear that the man had nothing but pure hatred for you.

So why?

Your internal monologue was interrupted with a stir in Minghao’s sleep, seeing that him quickly unfamiliar with his surroundings. “W-where am I?”

“Well,” you scanned your surroundings, “I can only guess it to be Chan’s room from the multiple empty cups of ramen, gross by the way, and the unhealthy amount of figurines on his shelves. Wow, when the kid says he commits, he really commits.”

“What dumb shit did I do this time?” He pulled his upper body against the wall behind him.

You looked back at him, “You seriously can’t expect me to believe that you forgot everything that happened there downstairs.”

“Will you stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened?” He gave you the familiar scrunch of his eyes he’d give everyone when he was irritated.

“What happened was that you saved my dumbass from making another dumb mistake with someone I know is all wrong for me.”

He huffed. “Don’t get all hysterical.”

You exasperatedly shook your head, moving your hands in the air uncontrollably in disbelief at his request and lack of reaction. “How can I not? You punched Mingyu, Minghao, someone twice--no three times--your size and even defended me by saying all these nice things about me that I’ve never heard--”

“I was drunk, get over it. As if you weren’t annoying enough.”

He was his old self again, his cold attitude was back, flinging insults to you like monkeys with hands filled with shit, acting as if nothing had happened. He brushed off your enthusiasm and gratitude and you weren't having it.

“Hop off your fucking high horse. You obviously don't find me completely repulsive and even if you did, why would you punch someone for me.”

He gave an aloof shrug, “Maybe I'm nicer than you anticipated. Ever thought of that, Sherlock?”

“You're not nice for no reason. Not the Minghao we know. Just two days ago, you knew Seungkwan was struggling with those boxes, but you just stayed there with your ass on his couch. Like a dick.” You pointed it out, clearly frustrated.

“Kwan’s a big boy, he could handle it himself.”

“Fine! You’re not a complete ass, but that does not change what you said out there, chanting from the top of your lungs how beautiful, amazing, beautiful, sweet, and most kind--”

He brought up his hand to your face, muffling your words. “Okay, okay, I get it.”

“That’s the thing, you don’t. You punched Mingyu in the face, said all those nice things, defending me every way you could, even though you act rudely to me on any other occasion because…” You almost couldn’t believe the words coming out of your mouth yourself, “...You’re into me. That’s the only logical reason for all this.”

“Will you shut up?” He sneered. “You’re so fucking loud and couldn’t be any more wrong.”

Your hands slapped against your sides. “Then what the fuck is it?”

“What? Maybe I did all that because you’re an ugly crier and I just didn’t want to see those stupid tears running down your dumb face since you’re a lot less ugly when you don’t cry. God damn it, Y/n. Just shut the fuck, before I go over there and make you.” He aggravatedly banged the back of his head against the wall, letting out a deep sigh closing off vision from all sides and closing his eyes.

“You’re so into me.” The corner of your lips curled up in a smile, taunting him.

He palmed over his head, feeling the alcohol hit him hard, but has found it in place to calm down. “Don’t get way in over your head because I was out of my mind a little bit, okay? This doesn’t mean I like you.”

You scooched yourself closer, feeling his arm brush lightly against yours. “Minghao, look at me and tell me you have absolutely no feelings for me.”

He exasperatedly sighed, rubbing his thumb and forefinger against his forehead before looking back at you, sitting up straight. 

“I…” He stared back at your eyes, gleaming in anticipation, finding it in his beating heart to reject you, only to find himself getting lost looking at every crease, mole, every scar on your face and committing it to memory. Much like the first time he laid his eyes on you, he could never get over how alluring you felt to him.

He let out a long and deep sigh to pull away from your gaze, then was quickly gripped by the chin to look back at them, noticing your other hand wrapped around his wrist, pinning him to the side of his head. “I’m right, aren’t I? That you’ve only pretended to hate me all this time to intentionally push me away. And for what exactly?”

He gulped down the saliva that formed in his mouth, wanting nothing more than to see if your lips were as soft as they looked. “What can I say? There’s no ulterior motive behind it if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Minghao!”

“What? There’s seriously nothing else to it.” Another lie. He’d spew them out like word vomit. He couldn’t stop.

Your hand crawled up to the side of his face, thumb brushing softly against the soft pink rose of his pale cheeks. “If I kissed you, would you actually mean all those words you’ve been saying?”

He said nothing as if those words have never been said, as if you weren’t in your position right now, hovering over him on the bed, staring deeply into his eyes, giving yourself enough hope that maybe you were actually right about your assumptions and maybe he did actually like you back.

You drew your lips close, fluttering your eyes close as you finally made contact with the velvety soft skin of his lips you’ve imagined on you more than you’d like, and needingly pressed against his until you realized the lack of response. You forced yourself to pull away, washing yourself over with disappointment.

The hand that gripped around his wrist loosened, only allowing you now to realize how insane you were acting, how the boy in front of you was probably terrified and hated you more than ever for being such a perverted freak. You tightly shut your eyes, embarrassed by your actions. You felt more ashamed than you’d ever been.

It came as a shock as he reached up for your face and reconnected your lips, returning the same passion you gave him seconds ago. His lips molded with yours, bringing his head up to kiss you deeper, now cupping both your cheeks in his hands, brushing loose strands of hair away from your face with his fingers.

You remained stunned, processing the fact the man you constantly thought and lusted over was here kissing you like he wanted you. You didn’t have any trouble reciprocating the kiss, running your hands up the soft locks of his thick hair. When you both pulled away, all Minghao could do was stare up at your eyes and for the first time and smile a smile that didn’t intend to be rude or insulting.

“Are you proud of yourself?” 

Heat rushed to your cheeks and now you were holding your cold, clammy palms against them. “I-I’d like to be, but your punk-ass had to get me all flustered.”

He hummed a low tune, brushing the pad of his thumb softly over your chin. His for the first time were genuine, gentle, and endearing, and your heart had no choice but to slam fast and quick in your chest, allowing you no control over the matter. “A-are you gonna deny that you like me?”

He sighed. He’s been doing that a lot lately, more than he should. Only realizing that resisting you get harder and harder every time. It couldn’t help with the fact that you get cuter and prettier every day, and this whole lying thing was getting to his head. He only had so much sanity left and denying it won’t make the truth falter from what it already is.

He was too drunk to deal with this responsibly, not that he wanted to anyway, so he kissed you again without for you a chance to think. He pulled himself up from the be, sitting up and cupped the back over your head. He relayed sweet pecks against the corner around lips, your nose, your cheeks, and then your lips against, unable to taste anything as sweet. 

“I don’t like you, stupid. Because I love you. I loved you then at that student orientation, I loved you when I got punched, I love you now. Happy?”

The corners of your lips pulled align your ears, pressing a hard cheshire smile as you nodded shyly into his shoulder, shielding away from his eyes. “You love me.”

The man scoffed, sliding his hand down to stroke lovingly at your back. “I do...but so does Seokmin, which is why I have to stop.”

You tore away from his embrace. “What? Y-you knew about that?”

“He’s my best friend, of course I knew. Like I knew it’d only be right if I backed off. If anyone deserves you, it's Seokmin.”

You let out a scoff of disbelief. “You don’t get to determine that, Minghao. Shouldn’t I get to have a say in who I get to be with?”

“I was just guiding in the right direction is all.”

You huffed, placing your hands against his shoulders. “Well, now I’m gonna take matters into my own hands and say there’s no way you are getting rid of me now. You’re stuck with me, stupid.”

He shook his head. “But Seokmin--”

“Did you not see him out there with that girl? He couldn’t have been happier.”

“But that doesn’t mean he’s over you.” He retorted.

“He will understand, like you,” you brought a hand to rest around his neck, looking back at him with knowing eyes, “he’s also an amazing friend, and I know that he’d want both of us to be happy, and what would make me happy is obviously you.”

A deep sigh escaped his lips, thumbing over your knuckles thoughtfully before looking back at your wide eyes, gleaming with pure ecstasy. He loved to see you happy, and all this time he thought it is with the best person he knew: his best friend. You were an adrenaline rush worth getting out of bed for. A perfect view to witness in the morning. He wanted everything you had to offer, maybe you were worth being selfish for.

He finally nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Your lips pulled back in an anticipating smile.

“Okay, let’s make this work. You like me and I obviously haven’t pushed you off of me yet, so yeah. Let’s make us work.”

You squealed and crashed your lips into his longingly. Your hands cupped the back of his neck and Minghao’s hands over your hips. You leaned in his chest, feeling him instantly melt underneath your touch. His hands reached around you, crawling up your back to rest on your shoulder blades. You steadily lowered your hands, easing them over the top of his pants to play at his button.

“I see you down there.” He spoke to you in hushed tone.

You hummed, feigning innocent as you undo his pants and teasingly allow your hand to pull the zipper down. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

A corner of his lips lifted up in a smirk. “Y/n, you’re being so obvious.”

You shrugged, “Are you going to try to stop me?”

“Now, I wouldn’t exactly say that.” You beamed a little too brightly. “I can only give you the excuse that our friends are a staircase away, maybe even smaller than that, and would definitely see what we’re doing.”

You drew yourself closer, your nose grazing his ever-so-slightly as suspicious playing against your lips. “I finally got where I want you and I’m not wasting any time, nothing and no one will stop me.”

You wanted this, only able to picture some things in the comfort of your bedroom, and if your roommate was home, the locked door of your bathroom with a running faucet as you touched yourself imagining his beautiful hands. You licked your lips at the thought and rolled your hips on his lap. Your lips reached up, ghosting up his jaw.

Minghao could feel himself practically shake underneath you. He’s never anticipated how active, and even dominant, you were. His mouth feels slack at the contact of your small finger over his member over the thin material of his boxers. He had always been sensitive, and strangely more than often when you were around. He would be lying if he were to deny the reason for his multiple trips to trips to the restroom was because of you.

Your lips pressed against his ear, flicking kitten licks against its structure, and darkly whispered inside. “I want you to fuck me so hard that I can feel your dickprint inside me for weeks. ”

The man in question was speechless, unexpecting such a vulgar and lust-hungry exclaim from the seemingly sweet girl everyone else knew, only giving him a few moments to respond back nearly the same level of passion. He pulled himself up from the bed and had you laid flat against the well worn out comforter.

“Don’t say words you’ll regret.”

His lips clashed with yours hungrily, holding you by your back wrapping your body possessively around his. Your hands reached down for the hem of his shirt and helped him pull it off to toss it aside to the end of the room. You neared your crotch over his, paying the throbbing cock in his pants enough attention to feel it grow against your arousal.

Your legs hook around his waist, allowing his upper body to sit up back on the bed as you, in result, straddled him. The tight dress around you scrunched up on your abdomen, allowing Minghao the easiest access to your cloth covered core as he fingered up your slit, feeling the damp material up rough fingers. “Fuck.”

The pretty brown eyes looked up content at you, satisfied with himself, and steadily bounced you up and down on his lap feeling his fingers thrust into you through your panties. That was enough to get your already weak heart from pumping your heart rapidly in your chest, “Shit, Minghao.”

Your hips moved in an identical rhythm, feeling the excitement pulsing through you like a shot of burning whiskey. You were beginning to understand the feeling of breathlessness as oxygen escaped your lungs in the hottest, unbearable way that just made you want more of it. Your hands instinctively clutched his arms, your mouth opened agape with your eyes locked in his.

A hand weakly pulled up and cupped his cheek, admiring the sparkly glint in his eyes that reminded you he wasn’t completely sober, but fully aware of what he’s decided to do. His hands ran up your sides and slid down the straps of your dress out of your arms and pulled down what covered your lightly-lined, cladded breasts, and reached up to pull the material down and handled them with a hankering squeeze.

The cold metal of his rings brushed along your exposed skin, running shivers down your back, making you gasp but quickly suppressed with the bite of your lips. Both hands grasp his face and your lips press more harshly against his, his hand squeezing, rolling your erect nipples in his fingertips effortlessly. You pressed deeper, feeling the full structure of his member in his pants twitch against you, urging your hands over it, pulling his boxers over, and springing the erect cock in action.

Your hands come in contact with his shaft with a single hand and thumbed over the tip. Some pre-cum immediately released on your digits, petting them inside for your mouth for a taste. “Mmh, tastes good.”

Slipping your hand over his length, you massaged it with between your fingers, coating himself in his arousal as you traced his bulging veins. Your fingers curled around his length to rub him up and down, jerking the grip you had on him, licking your lips. You can practically feel him squirm under your touch, letting soft, but low moans slip from his lips as he twitched in your fingertips like a vibrator at its mild speed. You couldn’t help but giggle.

“You like that, baby?” You pecked the corner of his lips. “Does that make you feel good?”

His chest heaved back and forth, looking at you with this delectable look of vulnerability, something that he knew he’s never felt until now. All he could do was shake his head, giving you an incredulous gaze. “Fuck you.”

“Soon, I promise.” You kissed his cheek. “Maybe I should get back at you for all those insults towards me.”

Your pace hastened, playing with it like a joystick with the single hand you held, and looking at him with a smug glint in your eyes.

“You know what’ll happen when you do that, it’ll backfire, Y/n.” Panting like a tired dog, he still spoke with such confidence and assurance.

“Maybe, I want to see that happen. Maybe, that’s my intention.” You shrugged well-knowingly it was exactly what you were doing.

He responded with a shrug of his one equally smug smile, and took you blindsided by pushing against the bed on your side. “Well, you’re giving me no choice but to react.”

His jeans were pulled down along with his boxers and kicked them aside. He leans close to you, pressing his lips along the structure of your back, tracing shapes against your thighs before reaching the wet arousal of your core. He pushed your panties aside and aligned his digits against your slit and chuckled lowly in your ear. “Damn, even wetter than before.”

He had his stiff cock in hand and help up against the entrance of your core and entered in you with ease. His upper body hovered face up against your side, watching as you struggled to adjust to his size. His eyes met yours as he thrusted his weight against you, feeling your walls clench around him. “Fuck, I’m going to enjoy this.”

His forearms are pinned on either of your sides as he leaned up to make a quick, but messy contact with your lips. Minghao’s hips moved in a steady rhythm and then proceed to grow more rushed. Your eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when he managed to lift a leg over his shoulder and spread you wider than before, his thrust becoming more than what you could usually handle. 

You ran a hand through your hair, pushing the loose, sweaty strands away from your face, and lifted your chest up slightly to watch him in action. “Minghao--ah--yeah, just like that.”

He grinned, fingering up your hair to wrap it around his hands, bringing low moans from you at his small tugs, accelerating the arrival of climax. You desperately grasped your breasts in your hands, feeling your vision grow bleary as you felt the urge of your orgasm happen soon than you’ve anticipated. “S-shit, you’re gonna make me c-cum. Minghao!”

“So soon, hmm. It’s okay, cum, I want to see. ” At the sound of his approval, you released against him and laid your hands for a momentary rest.

It wasn’t long before, Minghao felt himself soon about to erupt, quickly telling you lay flat against your back. He hovered his body and load-filled cock in front of your face and streamed the ribbons of milky white straight down your eager throat, catching every drop, only the small bit dribbling down yoru chin. Your chest heaved up and down, explicitly smiling as you looked up at him. His eyes showed clear pride and utter fulfillment.

He crawled back on top of you and press his lips chastely over yours, tasting sin on his tongue, feeling nothing but a blanket of warmth envelop him as you wrapped your arms around his body in the most perfect, fitting way. The man smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind your ear.

“You were amazing.” He exclaimed breathlessly.

You gazed up at him with an undying grin on your face. “I could say the say for you. You were so...incredible.”

He returned to you with a sweet smile and kissed your lips once more.

“MY EYES!”

Chan rushed downstairs, running from the rare scene in front of him, and proceeded to announce to everyone there that the injured and the person that caused his injury were upstairs frick fracking, inducing laughter from the couple themselves. A loud, but familiar voice then follows up by then shout, “Holy fuck, I knew it! Get some best friend!”

“Wait,” You stopped Minghao from going any further with kissing you, “is Seokmin talking to you or me?”

He scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious? Of course, me.”

“Well, what if it’s actually me.”

“Well, then we’ll see who is when we go downstairs after another round and ask, cool?”

You smiled this knowing grin, cupping his cheek in your palm. “Okay.”

[thewintersoldierdisaster]

a/n: another little focus on dad drei! no worries, we’re moving on to some smut and the early years of the relationship with the next few fics lol. hahah i literally did not think this would be done today but work was quiet so i got to write and post and be the superstitious bitch that i am. so here we go, posting right before i watch the isles/caps game (on tv this time). i love love love the headcanon prompts and i will 100% be getting to all of them at some point, so be on the lookout 🥰

word count: 2.3k

tw: nothing really, a little innuendo

summary: andrei took care of all four kids while you were out and you come home to delightful chaos

“Hey, Nykki, I’m at the door, I have to go,” you wedge your phone in between your shoulder and cheek and juggle your bags. “I hope D’s awake because my boobs are ready to explode.”

Your friend laughs on the other end of the line, “oh my god, better get inside then. I’ll talk to you later about coordinating the kids for game day this week.”

“Perfect! I know I said I wasn’t going to, but I’ll probably bring D along, like it’s just easier to strap him to my chest and go,” you shrug as you push the front door open. “Fourth kid problems, just have to come along everywhere. Thank god he sleeps anywhere.”

Nykki wishes her own youngest would sleep anywhere and says good-bye, promising to text later about the plans. You slide your phone into the back pocket of your jeans and step inside the house, immediately hit with the soundtrack to The Little Mermaid. The movie is blaring, echoing around the house. You set your bags on the floor and kick off your sneakers and pad into the den, the source of the movie’s noise.

The movie’s playing on the big screen TV, Ariel singing about wanting to be where the people are, and your husband and kids are sitting on the floor in the middle of the room. You giggle, muffling the noise behind your hand, when you get a good look at Andrei and the kids. The girls are in full princess regalia - Evie as Sleeping Beauty, Alina as Belle, and Kira as Rapunzel - the costume dresses swishing around as they move. Andrei has two pairs of fairy wings strapped to his back, the elastic armholes stretched to their limits. Dimitri is in his arms, draped face down over one of Andrei’s forearms, his little cheek squished to the side against the crook of Andrei’s elbow. You can see that the three-month-old is awake, watching his crazy big sisters dance around.

“Looks like I missed quite the party,” you tease, drawing four pairs of eyes to you. Andrei grins and you can’t stop the laughter that escapes when you see the smears of kid make-up all over his face. There are butterfly clips in his hair, holding back the overgrown strands in a haphazard style.

“Mommy!” Three little voices combine into one as they rush you, hugging at your legs.

“Hi, my little loves,” you lift Kira onto your hip and kiss the two older girls on top of their heads. “Did you have fun with Daddy?”

“Daddy’s pretty,” Kira chips, smiling widely. Andrei laughs, adjusting Dimitri in his arms.

You smile a crinkle-eyed smile at Kira and agree, “Daddy’s really pretty.”

Evie pipes up, “he came to the salon today and got the works!” You smother a laugh because where did she even hear that?

“He needs to look pretty because he’s got a date tonight,” Alina chimes in and you lift an eyebrow at your husband and kids.

“Oh, a big date, huh?” You tease. “She must be someone special, for you to go to the salon for the works.”

Andrei nods, the glittery eyeshadow smeared across the top half of his face catching the light, “the most special. She’s the love of my life.”

Your stomach flutters with butterflies, still affected by this man after all these years. Just when you think you can’t love him more, you come home to this sight, Andrei with your babies surrounding him and being the best dad in the world. Tears well up in your eyes and you wonder if the postpartum hormones are still wreaking havoc. You wipe at your eyes with the side of your index finger and grin. “Well,” you pause, still emotional, “I think she’s just going to love what your stylists have done.”

“Mommy,” Evie whispers, looking at you like she feels bad that you’re so dumb, “Daddy’s date is you!”

“Oh!” You fake gasp, making Kira giggle. “Really? You guys got Daddy all fancied up for me?”

Alina cracks up, dancing around the couch cushions that have somehow ended up on the floor. “Daddy says that he’s takin’ you to dinner tonight and me an’ Evie said we needed to make him pretty ‘cause you get pretty before dinner. I did his yipstick!”

You love the way she mispronounces words and have basically forbidden anyone from correcting her. “I love his yipstick,” you tell her seriously. The hot pink smudged all around his lips is probably going to stain his face and beard, but he puckers his lips at you, making kissing noises.

“Tell Mommy that she should kiss me,” Andrei says. “I’ll share the yipstick with her.”

Alina’s mispronunciation in his accent makes you laugh and the girls tug at your hands, chanting “kiss Daddy! Kiss Daddy!” Unable to resist your kids and the prospect of an Andrei kiss, you lean down, holding Kira with one arm and cupping Andrei’s cheek with the other hand so you can kiss him chastely. One of his hands reaches out to curl around your thigh, squeezing gently. He laughs when you pull back, “hot pink is your color.”

“Mommy’s pretty now!” Kira giggles, patting your cheek. You press a smacking kiss to her cheek, blowing a little raspberry and she shrieks with laughter. There’s a hot pink smudge on her cheek now too.

Andrei looks between you and Kira and his eyes twinkle with mischief. “I think that Ev and Alya need some yipstick too,” he says and reaches out with his free hand to pull Evie in close. He kisses her cheeks and forehead, making her laugh, and getting kiss marks on her skin.

You do the same to Alina, who struggles and fights like she’s fighting for her life. Her laughter is the only sign that she’s enjoying the kiss attack. “No, Mommy! No more kisses!” She wiggles away from you, grinning her little gap-toothed smile. You love that little smile.

Dimitri babbles in Andrei’s arms and you feel bad because you had almost forgotten about him while you were teasing Andrei - that seems to be a negative of being the fourth kid. But now that he’s made his presence known, your overly-full boobs ache a little and you remember exactly what you needed to do when you came inside, before you were distracted by Andrei’s makeover. You settle Kira on the couch and she immediately slides off to run after her big sisters where they’re performing a little show in front of the TV, giving you and Andrei a minute to breathe.

“Give me my baby,” you say. Andrei hands him over and gets to his feet, shaking out the arm that Dimitri had been resting on. He struggles to get his arms out of the fairy wings, getting tangled in the two pairs for a second before finally freeing himself. He folds them carefully and sets the costume pieces on the couch. You cuddle the baby close and shift him to one arm so you can pull down the neck of your shoulder and pop one boob out of the top of your bra. Once Dimitri is comfortably latched, you head for the kitchen, needing just a little privacy because the girls are way too honest with what they see around the house. You’re not really looking for a commentary on your pancake boobs right now.

“Feeling a little more steady?” Andrei asks quietly, kissing the top of your head when you sit down on one of the counter stools. He moves around the kitchen easily, making you a turkey and cheese sandwich as you talk.

“Mhm,” you hum, watching him move. After an overwhelming few days with Andrei on the road, he’d noticed that you were short-tempered this morning and ushered you out the door, reassuring you that he would handle the kids for a few hours while you did whatever you wanted. “I needed to get out of the house without eight little hands attached to me.” You chuckle a little, but the sensation of being touched out is definitely a real thing.

“Good,” he says, licking the mustard off the butter knife when he’s done with it. You hate that habit of his - one day he’s going to slice his tongue off and then where will you both be? “You look calmer.”

You shrug a bit. “Looks like you had everything handled,” you say and it’s not even a tease, because the house has definitely looked worse when it’s just you and the kids.

Andrei sets the sandwich in front of you and you take a huge bite, starving. “I ran them around outside for a bit,” he says. “The play set got a lot of use and Alina tried to swing herself to the moon. Dimka was getting cranky out in the cold though, so we came inside, had some lunch. The girls wanted to watch a movie and Evie wanted me to paint her nails. Which turned into this,” he grins, gesturing vaguely at his face and hair with one hand.

“I really like that,” you reply, waving your free hand in front of his face in the same vague gesture. “And what’s that I heard about taking Mommy on a date, Mister Svechnikov?”

His eyes twinkle dangerously and he leans forward, palms flat on the counter, veins in his forearms bulging. The glittery makeup and hair clips really should ruin the image, but only add to his appeal. “Daddy,” his voice deepens and grows raspy, “wants to take care of Mommy and show her how much he appreciates everything she does for the family.”

Your thighs clench together instinctively, a rush of warmth filling your body. Your cheeks heat up and you chew on your lower lip. “I like the sound of that,” you whisper, casting a glance over your shoulder at the girls. They’re totally absorbed in the movie, little mouths hanging open and eyes wide and focused.

Andrei smirks at you, cradling your jaw in one hand and titling your chin up so he can lean down and kiss you. His tongue swipes over your bottom lip and your mouth falls open for him. His thumb and index finger tighten around your chin gently and you squirm in your seat, letting out a soft gasp. Dimitri stabs at your chest with those sharp baby fingernails and you yelp, pulling back. “Ow,” you grumble, squinting down at the baby. It’s not like he was getting squished in between the two of you.

“Spoilsport,” Andrei jokes, brushing the tip of his finger over the slope of the baby’s nose. Dimitri wrinkles his nose and his mouth falls off your breast with a little pop. “Whoops,” Andrei winces and you quickly shuffle around, switching him to the other boob before he can start to cry.

“Crisis averted,” you sigh at the relief of the baby eating. Your breasts already feel less achy. “So, where are we going on this date?”

Andrei helps you get your other breast back in your bra, taking an extra few seconds to fondle you, your sensitive nipples reacting to the touch of his fingers. “I thought the new Greek place downtown,” he says.

“That sounds like a fantastic plan,” you grin, already thinking of how delicious the food is going to be. A thought occurs to you. “Who’s watching the kids?”

“Marty and Nykki,” Andrei replies, a smug smile frown on your face when he sees the implication dawn on your face.

“You had this planned? Nykki didn’t say anything when I was talking to her earlier!” You laugh at the surprise. “They’re going to watch our four and their two?”

Andrei nods. “I asked them two days ago and they’re happy to chip in. Half the kids should be asleep by the time they get here anyway,” he leans in to kiss you sweetly. “I told you, solnyshka, I want to show you how much I appreciate the sacrifice you make during the season. A little planning ahead is nothing.”

“Drei,” your voice catches on emotion, “you’re the best husband. Honestly, what did I do to deserve you?”

“You’re just you,” he replies simply. “My best friend, love of my life, mother to the best kids in the world.”

“Stop it,” you cry, waving a hand at him. “I just stopped feeling like I’m going to cry at everything. Don’t be so sweet to me.”

He laughs and grabs your hand out of the air, squeezing your hand gently before kissing the tips of your fingers. “Would it help if I said I wanted to get you pregnant again soon?” His smile is cheeky and you know he’s not entirely joking.

You scoff, wiping at the last of your tears. “Yes, that does help, you lunatic neanderthal,” you deadpan.

“I’m not kidding,” he says. “I think the boys are outnumbered here, Dimka needs a brother.” He traces the tip of his index finger over the lines on your palm.

It is something you’ve wondered about, but not really discussed, whether Andrei would want to give your son a little brother. It’s not an entirely terrible thought. The Svechnikov Brothers, 2.0. Splitting time watching hockey in two different cities in another eighteen years. Following in Dad and Uncle Geno’s footsteps.

You shake your head. Nope, that has to be the baby hormones talking.

“Let’s see just how good dinner is and then we’ll talk,” you say faintly. Dimitri grumbles in your arms, done eating and ready to be burped. Andrei takes him while you fix yourself up and he knows exactly what he’s doing - displaying extreme paternal expertise and looking downright edible with the tiny baby in his arms. Damn him.

“Mommy! Alina said a bad word!”

“I did not! All I said was stupid head! That’s not a bad word! Evie’s a bad word!”

You look at Andrei with a raised eyebrow. “You want to add a fifth kid to this?”

“Why not?” He grins back, showing off his stupid dimple. “We make cute kids.”

“Alina,” you call back, shaking your head at Andrei and trying to tamp down a smile, “stupid head is not a nice word and it’s especially not nice to call your sisters stupid.”