#but my 2 coworkers have been here a little over a year and are both part time so they dont get to learn as quickly

[kiiiiiim]

Trying to get my boss to realize that no, I don't need her to hire more people withno experience for me to train, I need. My boss. To be at work.

[imagine-knowing-a-name]

here we are, no one else

Summary: Wanda and R finally get a moment alone

Word Count: 1768 Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader Part 6 of 'Half of My Hometown' series masterlist <- previous part | next part ->

»»————-　★　————-««

“No Vision tonight?”

Your voice breaks Wanda out of her mindless stare at the floor. She looks up, smiling as she meets your eyes, while slightly shaking her head.

“No. He’s not even in the country, Tony needed him for some intelligence mission.”

“Shame,” you mumble. The woman across from you smirks and raises an eyebrow in amusement at your sarcastic tone, and it’s only then that you catch what you said. Even though you’ve clearly been caught, you clear your throat and quickly try to change the subject to distract her. “You know… it’s been years, but I still feel weird calling him ‘Tony’.”

“Do you still remember all the names we used to call him?” Wanda asks and, though it's light-hearted, you pick up on the slight edge to her tone. 

You sheepishly nod, floods of former nicknames for your current boss resurfacing in your mind. Across from you, Wanda’s tight posture loosens slightly, and you realise the implicit meaning behind her question – testing where you stood with Stark, and whether you'd judge the decisions she had made in your absence.

“I can’t really mention those to Vision,” she adds shyly. Your gaze snaps back up to hers with wide eyes and an open-mouthed expression at the thought, just to see her grinning widely.

“Definitely not,” you laugh, surprised by how at ease you feel again tonight, “those names should… well… they should not leave Sokovia.”

“Probably where Stark would ship me back to if he found out.”

“You and me both,” you hum, “though it would be nice to go back home.”

“Not much left of it though.” Wanda frowns and drops her eyes to the ground, the mood sobering quickly.

Seeing her this dejected is enough to make you frown too, so you bump her shoulder with your own and shoot her a toothy grin once she meets your eyes, “I’d have you though, wouldn’t I? The two of us back in former Sokovian land? That’s home enough for me anyday.” She smiles at that, and you feel a warm sense of satisfaction in your chest with the knowledge that you caused that.

“What about right here? It’s got us back together again, maybe we could call this New Sokovia.”

“Right here? This little patch of corridor?”

Wanda nods, “Yes, exactly! We meet here often enough, it’s basically our spot, and if home is where the two of us are…”

“I’ll bring a sign next time. ‘Welcome to New Sokovia. Population: 2 (only at 2am)’, sound good?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Wanda laughs again with a wide and carefree smile on her face; a small noise which somehow has the power to warm you so completely from the inside out, as well as draw happiness to your own lips. You've missed this. You've missed her.

But then, quickly, your expression drops – something you only notice you've done when you see it mirrored by Wanda, whose face now shifts to concern over your disheartened look. Before she can ask what's wrong, you blurt out what it is that you've just remembered. 

“I won't be here tomorrow.”

Typically, agents only work the night shift a few days a week, at the most. You had volunteered yourself to take the hours permanently – you enjoy the late nights, and it spared a few of your coworkers who prefer to have proper sleep schedules – but even with that, you'd worked every night for over two weeks. A break was long overdue.

Wanda still hasn't answered, and you begin to thrum your fingers against your leg. The ease of your previous conversation is now long gone, replaced by pounding nerves for her reaction. It was only one night, that shouldn't be a big deal, but it hasn't happened yet since your reunion with Wanda, due to the unusual scheduling.

“What?”

Her question gives little away.

“I, uh… I won't be here tomorrow,” you repeat redundantly – clearly she heard you. “I have the day off so… well, you know, if you're waiting here then it'll probably be someone else who comes past at 2am. Not that it will be any problem! Of course you're allowed to be here so they won't have an issue, but… just…”

You trail off, after finally noticing that Wanda hasn't said a word – nor even been able to say a word – amid your rambling. Once you stop talking, the lingering silence is enough to make you squirm, bouncing on the balls of your feet and swinging your arms as you refuse to make eye contact.

“Oh,” is all Wanda finally says.

You force your eyes upwards, daring to read Wanda’s face even while you fear the expression you might see; but hers only matches yours, eyes down towards her hands and lower lip ever so slightly caught between her teeth. She's disappointed, but not with you. There’s a question that’s been dying on your lips nearly every night for two weeks, and a wave of realisation washes over you that this is your opportunity to ask it, the best opportunity you’ll ever have.

“Would you meet during day? With me. During the day. Meet with me during the day. Would you want to meet up during the day instead?” You had to blurt the words out quickly before self-doubts could silence you, but as your cheeks burn, hindsight tells you that waiting a little longer to talk wouldn’t have hurt. At least just long enough to form the sentence. Regardless, your embarrassment from the situation now only served to aid the self-doubt which had finally caught up from your actions, and you quickly stutter over your next words while seeking to give Wanda a get-out clause, if she wanted to take it. “Obviously you don't have to, especially if you've got training or-”

“I'd love to.” Wanda cuts you off with a teasing smirk, well aware of how much you would have continued to talk had she not interrupted. “I finish training at 1.”

“I’ll meet you at 2?” you offer, “2pm. I’ll bring lunch, and you can take some time to wind down and get out of that uncomfortable looking outfit you have to wear.”

“My costume?” Wanda gasps in mock offence, while you struggle to contain your laughter – your teasing comment getting exactly the reaction you knew it would. “It looks very cool! Admit it looks cool!”

You hum, resting a hand on your chin in thought and drawing out the wait for as long as you can. “I did hear the full leather look is the next big trend,” you shrug with a devilish smile that Wanda would have seen had she not started celebrating the admission early. So you continue, “...if you’re in The Matrix.”

Her victory is swiftly ended; her arms drop to her sides and a pout overtakes the prior smugness while a deadpan gaze bores into you. 

There’s a familiarity to her expression that sends you hurtling into your memories, stabbing at your heart when you remember the giggles of you and your accomplice, celebrating to yourselves everytime you managed to lure a young Wanda into your verbal (or even sometimes physical) traps. Over a decade later, you catch yourself before you can turn to share your joy with Pietro. He’s just another face you won’t ever see again. 

Wanda doesn’t see the way your smile falls, something you're glad for. So when she turns to you with a renewed spark in her eye, even when you know that means she has a retaliation incoming, you coerce the prior amusement back into your expression.

“You’re just jealous,” she says with a light shove to your shoulder, and sticking out her tongue too for good measure, “because you used to wear your homemade costume everywhere, but I’m the one with the real one! Didn’t you wear that thing to bed?”

You gasp now, surprised that she not only remembered it, but also decided to use it against you.

“You're going to bring my costume into this?”

“Mmmmhm.”

“Alright, бубамара (ladybug)…” you trail off, grinning wildly as her face flushes redder than the aforementioned costume. “I should have known that’s where the red theme comes from.”

Scare resources forced you down creative routes to stay entertained in your childhoods – one such time involved cobbling together various clothing scraps and other well-worn items into costumes to imagine yourselves in lives that weren’t your own. You pictured yourself as a hero, strong enough to stop the onslaught of missiles raining down in Sokovia. Wanda, meanwhile, became a ladybug.

“It’s the colour of my powers,” Wanda whines, bashfully defending herself. But you still have thirteen years worth of teasing to unleash.

“Which is coincidentally the same colour? Or were you subconsciously channelling the bug all along?”

“...I don't even know why I missed you.”

Your face softens a little, taking in her words as the confession they are, that she’d missed you. Despite the demons in your brain, you find that you aren’t surprised by it – she’s already shown you that she’s missed you beyond a doubt, and those feelings don’t go unreciprocated. Still, the explicit reassurance of your friendship always manages to bring a warmth to your heart and this time is no different. Wanda clearly takes in your expression because she relaxes too, her shoulders sagging and a slight upwards turn appearing on her lips.

…It’s the perfect time to double down.

“The costume memories were a big gap! It’s understandable to miss them, Wands! But don’t you worry, I’ll just tell your team about it and make sure they give you plenty of reminders.”

“You wouldn't-” 

You really wouldn't. Your lack of communication with the Avengers aside, the moments between you and Wanda – the shared memories, experiences, and jokes – they're something you're fiercely protective of. A feeling only comparable to jealousy sets in when you imagine one of Wanda's new friends calling her ‘ladybug’ the way you do. It's your nickname for her, a term for only you to use and nobody else should even get to know it. Not that you'll ever let Wanda know that.

Instead, you look down at the watch on your wrist, flashing the display to her as you grin and begin to walk backwards. Her head tilts in confusion and you almost hesitate to go. Almost. “Oh, would you look at the time? I better get back to my patrol. Got a lot to discuss with any Avengers I run into, afterall.”

Wanda's eyes darken, squinting and daring you to say anything about your childhood nickname for her. You smile innocently in return.

“See you at 2pm, бубамара! Dress comfy!”

»»————-　★　————-««

General Taglist: @canvascoloredin @fxckmiup @wizardofstories

Series Taglist: @holiday-house-of-m @emiliaisdead @wonderingnerd @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @chasethemoon @alexawynters @username23345 @marvelogic

A/N: went home for Easter and lost absolutely all my motivation to write, but it's here now 😭 anyway, comment/reblog with your thoughts on this one and what you want to see in future! :)

[the-goldenbunny-diaries]

Masseuse (M)

⚢ Pairing - Nayeon x Reader

✎ Word Count - 2.7k

☆ Genre - Smut

♡ Description - After being yelled at by your boss, you look for a source of release, deciding to make an appointment with a masseuse for a bit of stress relief. (A/N: This isn’t proofread so I apologize if there are typos.)

★・・・・・・★

"Really, Y/N! I can't believe you actually did that! Such a rookie mistake," Your boss shook his head, ridiculing you. You work at Sapphire Business Company, a division under Gem Industries. Sapphire works specifically with the customer support side of Gem. Unfortunately, you were caught up with her newest task: training a newbie, Tzuyu, who didn't know how to code a lost and replaced item properly. You were called into her boss's office because Tzuyu coded it as just a lost item that had not been replaced yet. So, returning to the present, your boss is yelling at you, blaming you for Tzuyu’s mistake.

"I really expected more from you. You've been working here for over 4 years now, Y/N. You should know better," He scorned. You tried your best to explain to him that it wasn't your fault, that it was your new coworker's mistake, but he wouldn't listen to you. You just had to sit back and listen to him blame you for something you didn't do.

"Y/N, you're now on probation starting now. You're not going to come into work tomorrow, nor for the rest of the week, and you're certainly not going to get paid for it either. Maybe you'll learn that you need to make sure everything is right before you send it in." You looked at your boss with an utterly shocked face, freezing in place. “You may leave now.” He spoke sternly before you politely bowed and walked out of his office. As soon as she left, however, you silently cursed him out.

“How could he blame me for something that Tzuyu did?” You thought to yourself. You felt a strange feeling coursing through your body, almost as if every muscle was tightening due to the stress that your boss just caused you. After a few minutes of this, it was almost painful to move due to how tight your muscles had become. It was an experience you’d never felt before and was certainly not one you would wish on your worst enemy.

You sighed as you finally sat down in your car, slightly relieving the pain in your body. "Shit, I've gotta fix this somehow. I’m not going to be able to do anything like this."

★・・・・・・★

Driving down the road seemed to calm you some, but even the soothing music couldn't help the tenseness inside your muscles. When you pulled up to a red light, you quickly grabbed your phone and looked up local massage places. The closest one with the highest reviews was Ciao Bella. You laughed at the name, which meant “Hello Beautiful” in Italian. Since the spa had the best reviews, you decided to give them a call. You rang the number as you continued to drive. After a few rings, a young female picked up.

"Hello. This is Ciao Bella Spa. This is Nayeon. How can I assist you today?" She said.

"Uhh, hi. I'm looking to schedule a massage for this afternoon." you almost stuttered. The voice that spoke to her over the phone was alluring and made her want to simply listen.

"Of course. Let me pull up the schedule for you." You heard some clicking before the woman spoke again. "Alright, so are you a first-time customer?" Nayeon asked.

"Y-yes." you almost died when she heard Nayeon’s little giggle over the phone.

"You're so cute. So, we have two massage therapists in today; one being myself and one being Sana. We're both pretty good, but I normally start with new clients." Nayeon explained.

"O-okay sure. What time are you a-available?" You asked, your voice continuing to fail you.

"I'm open anytime after 2." She said. You glanced down at my Apple watch and saw it was 1:47. You thought for a moment before speaking.

"Can I come in around 2:30? That gives me time to get from work over to you?" You responded, finally being able to speak without stuttering or pausing.

"Of course, I'll see you then---." Nayeon’s voice trailed off as if she was waiting for you to finish her sentence. You gasped as she totally forgot to give Nayeon her name.

"Oh my goodness. I am so sorry. I forgot to give you my name. I'm Y/L/N Y/F/N." she said.

"Alright, Y/N. You're in the books. I'll see you soon!" you smiled before you said goodbye and hung up. When you set your phone down, you looked in your rearview mirror and noticed that your cheeks were covered in a light pink hue.

"Why am I blushing," you asked yourself.

★・・・・・・★

You pulled up to Ciao Bella Spa a few minutes before you appointment, so you decided to go in a look around. As you entered the building, you immediately noticed that the whole spa was very modernized. You really liked the way it looked, and you instantly felt comfortable. As you slowly walked around, looking at all of the products laid out in the front of the store, a young woman walked around the corner and came up to you.

"You must be Y/N. I'm Nayeon." She smiled a gummy smile as she extended her hand out to you.

"Pleasure to meet you, Nayeon." You returned the smile and shook her hand.

Nayeon gestured to you to follow her over to the front counter. As she went around the back, she grabbed her a piece of paper and a clipboard. "If I could just have you fill this out for me real quick just so I can get a general idea of what you need." you nodded and sat down in one of the chairs in the main lobby. To sum up the form, it asked where her pain was, which right now was everywhere. You chuckled to yourself as uou filled it out and couldn't wait to see Nayeon's reaction.

Once you finished, you walked back up to the counter and gave the paper to Nayeon. She smiled before she skimmed over it. She gave you a funny look before she spoke.

"You hurt everywhere?" Nayeon laughed.

"Yup," you spoke, popping the P at the end. "Work stresses me out."

"Girl, same!" She smiled, and you both laughed. "Alright alright, let get you into the room and get you de-stressed." You followed her down a nice hallway and into a room with a sign above it that said: Venice. The room was extremely nice and was very calming. The lights were dimmed and there was a small water feature hanging on the far wall. Yiou looked around for a second before turning back to Nayeon.

"So, I'm going to leave you for a second. Just undress as much as you feel comfortable doing and hop on the table face up." Nayeon smiled before she left the room. You quickly took off her clothes until you was just in your underwear and climbed under the sheets on the table. She was surprised to feel that the table was warmed. You shifted around a few times until you were comfortable and closed you eyes. As you took a couple of deep breaths, you listened to the flowing water fountain. You was so relaxed that you almost dozed off until a knock on the door brought you back to Earth.

"You ready?" You heard Nayeon call from the other side of the door.

"Yes ma’am," you said as she opened the door.

"Y/N, I'm probably only a year or two older than you. You don't have to call me ma'am." She dimmed the lights further then walked over to the side of the table. She pulled out a couple of tools and oils before she sat in a rolling chair behind you.

"So, I want you to take a deep breath and close your eyes," Nayeon spoke in a very soothing tone. You did as she said as Nayeon started the massage. There’s two things you noticed immediately: 1) she was very good at what she does and 2) her hands were massive. You sighed as Nayeon’s fingers rubbed your temples, already relieving some of the tension. As she continued, she gave your head a massage, which caused a ton of chills to run down your body. Then, Nayeon moved to your upper body. She grabbed some of her massage oil, put it on her hands, and started to move them along your neck and shoulders. You internally laughed at the number of knots she felt Nayeon start to rub out. Her hands seemed to cover your entire shoulder and she continued massaging. As Nayeon finally rubbed out one of the bigger ones, you accidentally let out a sound that was similar to a moan.

You felt Nayeon pause for a moment before continuing to massage your neck. "You okay? Am I going too hard?" She asked you.

"N-no no, you're f-fine." You said, gripping the sheets underneath you and trying your best to keep in the sounds you desperately wanted to make as Nayeon continued to get the knots out of your neck. Everything she did just felt so pleasurable, especially with her massive hands, and sent shivers through your entire body. Nayeon must have been able to tell because, at that moment, your eyes went wide as you felt a pair of lips on her shoulder. At first, they were light pecks but soon turned into little kisses and nibbles. You couldn't hold back anymore and let out a moan. It wasn't loud, for you were trying to be quiet, but Nayeon definitely heard it.

"You like that, princess?" Nayeon spoke in a sultry tone, the pet name making everything hotter. All you could do was nod, for no words would come out of your mouth. Nayeon found your sweet spot, and you felt her smirk on her neck when she bit down on it, causing you to moan a little louder. "Shhhh." she cooed. "You've got to stay quiet."

You nodded again as you bit your lip, trying your best to hold back the sounds that fought to come out of your mouth. You watched as Nayeon got up from her chair and came around the table so that she was on your right side. Nayeon grabbed the sheet and folded it over so that your upper body was now exposed. You shivered as the cold air hit your skin, but that was quickly forgotten as Nayeon started to run her fingers across your chest. She started just below your collarbone and worked her way down towards your breasts. Heat instantly filled your cold body when her hands pinched your nipples, causing you to gasp. Your back arched into Nayeon’s touch as she continued to play around, teasing you like crazy.

At this point, you knew your underwear was soaked through. There was no way they weren't. If you was being honest with yourself, you was probably dripping onto the table. You tried to squeeze your thighs together to relieve some of the growing pressure between your legs. However, Nayeon wouldn't allow it. She removed one of her hands from your breast and use it to push your legs apart again, making you whine slightly.

"Patience is a virtue, baby girl." Nayeon husked. That alone turned you on even more. Your hands had not once moved from grasping the sheets, for you needed something to help with the building in your core. Continuing with what she started, Nayeon moved her hand back to your breast, making sure they were thoroughly massaged and your nipples were standing tall. Once they were, she slowly moved her hands south toward where you needed them most. However, she was going at a snail’s pace just to tease you more.

"N-Nayeon...." you moaned. "I--"

Nayeon just smirked as her hands reached the hem of your underwear. You quietly thanked the Lord above for not putting on granny panties. Nayeon grabbed the waistline, pulling them up slightly before letting it go, letting it snap against your skin. When a whine came out of your mouth, Nayeon ripped the rest of the sheet off your body, leaving you fully exposed, except for your underwear. Although, that didn't last long.

"Baby.... is this all for me?" She asked as she ran a long finger across your covered slit, feeling all your juices that soaked the fabric.

"Y-yes." you stuttered. "All for y-you."

Nayeon smiled smugly as she leaned down and grabbed your underwear with her teeth, pulling them down slowly, before discarding them to the side of the room and returning to her spot between your legs. You moaned just at the sight. The way Nayeon’s lustful eyes sparkled up at you almost had you cumming then and there. Her large bands started to caress your upper thighs and before long, you felt Nayeon’s tongue run a straight line up your now exposed slit, causing you to throw a hand over your mouth, muting a loud moan.

Nayeon expertly moved her tongue around in a figure-8 shape, causing you to lose your mind. You moved one of your hands from the sheet and laced it through Nayeon’s hair, pushing her head closer to your core. The pleasure got more intense, however, when her right hand moved from your thigh to your clit. If you weren’t already putty in this woman’s hands, you knew you were done for. As soon as Nayeon applied pressure, you had to bite down on your hand not to scream out Nayeon’s name. The amount of pleasure you were receiving was indescribable.

"P-please Nayeon" you whisper-yelled at her.

"You're not allowed to cum until I tell you, sweetheart. It'll be better in the end." Nayeon said as she continued to eat you out. You could almost feel the smirk against you as your back continued to arch and moans continued to spill out of your mouth.

"Play with your breasts, Y/N." She commanded before her fingers and her tongue switched places. You moved your left hand that had been white from gripping the sheet so hard to your left breast, kneading it as Nayeon had done before, although your hands were not as big as hers. Nayeon's tongue began to flick against your clit as her fingers started to poke and prod at your entrance, making you start to beg for her.

"N-Nayeon please." You never thought that you would stoop low enough to beg for something, but here you were and you didn't regret it. When you spoke, Nayeon slowly moved two long fingers into you, letting you get used to them before she started to pump them in and out. Once you got used to the speed, you started to move your hips in rhythm with Nayeon’s fingers. Within a couple of minutes, you could feel yourself getting closer to the edge, your core clenching around her fingers.

"I-I'm close, Nayeon." You moaned.

"Not yet." She smirked.

You whined as Nayeon pumped her long fingers quicker, making it a lot harder to hold in your impending orgasm.

"P-please Nayeon. I d-don't think I can h-hold it in anymore." You begged again.

"Cum for me, princess." You almost yelled as Nayeon said those words, finally feeling the release you'd been wanting. Your legs shook violently as your hips bucked against Nayeon’s fingers. She made sure she didn't let any of your cum go to waste, swallowing it all. Your whole body trembled as Nayeon started to slow down her fingers and her tongue, letting you come down from your high. You laid there panting as Nayeon grabbed the sheet again, laying it on top of you.

"How do you feel?" Nayeon asked you, a slight smirk visible on her face,

"Better. More relaxed." You breathed out, still out of breath from the mind-blowing orgasm that happened mere minutes ago.

"Glad I could help. I'll leave you to get dressed." Nayeon smiled as she left the room.

★・・・・・・★

As you went to get off the table, your legs gave out from underneath you, causing you to grab onto the table for stability. You quietly laughed at yourself. "She really did me good, didn't she?" As you get dressed, you glanced under the sheet Nayeon had placed on you and notice the dark spot where your cum had seeped onto the sheets. You’d have to apologize for the mess. As walked out of the room and went back into the main lobby, you saw Nayeon standing behind the counter with a bottle of water in her hand.

"Here, thought you might need this. Your throat might be dry from all that moaning." She whispered the last part, laughing as she saw the blush that crept onto your face.

"T-thanks. I’m sorry about the -uh- mess in there" you smiled shyly at her.

Nayeon smirked before opening the computer. "It’s no problem. I’ll keep them for your next visit.” You gasped while she just giggled and continued. “Speaking of which, when would you like to set up your next appointment?"

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Reflections in Last Twilight

Alright, I was not really planning on writing analysis on for Last Twilight, at least not this early in the game. But my dearly beloved @dribs-and-drabbles has called to me like Beetlejuice to analyze the use of reflections in this show. Which means i have been summoned, which means, it is time to bust out the meta. 

Now, having just looked back through both Episode 1 and Episode 2, there have not been that many instances of reflections in Last Twilight so far, though the ones we have had already are definitely memorable. So let’s get in to it. 

Episode 1

Intro Sequence

I’m not going to talk about the reflections off the fish tank here because the actual scene they are tied to comes in Episode 2 and I think there will be a whole lot more to say then. But I do want to acknowledge that we will be getting reflections at the beginning of every episode, and that Aof is already establishing the important symbolism of fish and jasmine. 

The first actual reflection we get in Last Twilight comes in the form of Mhok in the side mirror of  his sister Rung’s car.

Rung's car has been sitting in Pae's garage for a year at this point. It would be gathering dust if Pae hadn't spent time over the course of that year meticulously maintaining her vehicle. In fact, that is the very first thing we see happen in this workshop. Pae taking car of Rung's car in her and Mhok's sted. Taking care of this car was not his job, we can assume that he did not anticipate the time commitment that would come with maintaining possession of Rung's car while Mhok was in jail, but he has set himself up to task and gone, in my opinion, above and beyond what was expected of him by continuing to maintain her car.

Pae is surprised when Mhok hands him the spare key and says Pae can sell the car. Mhok at this point is in the anger stage of grief. He blames Rung for her death, and wants to absolve himself of the grief and guilt by maintaining the idea that Rung was to blame and to try to rid himself of any and all reminders of his sister. Mhok, as we know, is incredibly alone. His mother died when they were young, his sister has died, he is no longer associated with his friends/coworkers from his old shop after they all got arrested, and he hides as much as he can from Pae. Mhok has Phorjai and Phorjai only as any sort of support system, and she's his ex-girlfriend, so I don't think we need to go too in depth to acknowledge the complications there.

Mhok wants to forget his grief, his pain, and I appreciate greatly that Pae won't let him do that. That Pae knows Mhok enough to understand that the second that Pae sells that car, Mhok is going to regret letting it go. So he extends another six months grace period to let Mhok actually think it over. Mhok looks over the car, at the bandaid that Rung put on the little scratch she got her first day owning the car, in the glove compartment where all the handouts for her failed budiness are. And Pae allows Mhok a minute alone, in the dark of his sister's car.

At which point we get the reflection. Now, personally I think Jimmy has some work to do as an actor, which means it feels harder for me to accurately read Mhok's face/emotional state. But, for me, here, Mhok looks *tired*, but most importantly, he is trapped in the frame of the side mirror, he is stuck in the dark, and he is alone. In just one small frame, Aof is showing us the aspects of Mhok's character that will help him recognize himself in Day, and tell us why Mhok needs the relationship he has (or will have) to Day.

This is the only actual reflection we see in Episode 1. 

But I do want to comment on the end of the episode, like everyone else has, about part of the *The Little Prince* reading that Mhok does at the end. Namely the line "what is essential is invisible to the eye". 

I don't think, in a show with going blind as a part of its central theme that we really *need* to look deeper in to the significance/meaning of this line. But because I have been asked to talk about reflections, I want to go a little overboard on the line reading here. Because, day to day we can't see ourselves, right? We wouldn't know exactly what we look like if we couldn't look in to a mirror. Mirrors, reflections, are often a subject of insecurity, providing us the opportunity to pick at every flaw. In mirrors, dancers can watch and correct themselves, their body positions, tweak their choreography based on what they see that they normally would not be able to. Actors can practice facial expressions in the mirror, figure out how they have to hold themselves to make their emotions believable. In horror movies, mirrors show us what lurks in the background, in spy movies it shows us what exists around the corner. And in our deepest moments of guilt or shame, facing ourselves in the mirror becomes a challenge.

I don't want to get too ahead of myself on predictions about this show and what Aof is planning on doing with it, but personally I think the use of mirrors/reflections is a perfect way to show what is essential and invisible to the eye. Mhok is not looking at himself in the mirror here, and if we were standing in the room with him, we would not be able to see his face at all. But the side mirror of Rung's car allows us to see what Mhok is thinking and feeling. But he isn't looking in the mirror himself. He isn't and hasn't started facing or confronting his own grief, isolation, or pain. I don't know that Mhok is as of yet capable of seeing what he needs to change in his own life, because he hasn't reflected on his own life.

Episode 2

The first "reflection" we get in Episode 2 is not really a reflection, at least in the traditional sense, but I do still want to talk about it. I am of course talking about the selfie with Aon. 

Mostly because I wanted to acknowledge that to me, a photo is a kind of reflection in that you can both look back at yourself and also reflect on the memory of the time. To be honest, I don’t know exactly how I feel about Aon taking this picture of Mhok, because he takes it for the Society for the Blind. But how are they using it? Is this evidence that Mhok is here and doing what he said he will, or is this going to be used in marketing of some sort? Either way, it is capturing a moment in time that Mhok could one day look back on to reminisce about the beginning of his relationship with Day. 

And here Mhok is with someone else, a second person to accompany him where before he just had himself. But this is fake, this is quick, this is right after Mhok has just been shut out of all proceedings between Aon and Day. Mhok doesn’t know what’s happening before he is being told to smile for the camera. And if anyone were to see this photo, they would see a very happy Aon and a decently confused Mhok, but they would have no idea how limited a connection to Aon, Mhok would have had at this point. 

The next reflection is a bit difficult to see, but it comes during the conversation Day has with Mhok about the eye drops, where he explains he can see more clearly right after he uses them. In this scene, Day is talking to Mhok while keeping his gaze affixed to the lone goldfish in his increasingly grimier tank. 

Mhok and Day have a brief conversation about whether or not the fish is lonely since it is the only one in the tank, and Day brushes it off by saying that goldfish have short memory and that it couldn’t possibly be lonely. 

But, whenever we see Day on screen here, we see his reflection in the glass of the tank. And there are a few great moments during this conversation where the goldfish sits directly in front of Day’s reflection. To me it feels like a memory, a ghost, or a projection, and we know by the end of Episode 2, (if we haven’t picked up on it already from the title sequence or how heavily goldfish imagery has features in the promotional material for this show) that the goldfish is a stand in for Day himself. 

So I love the fact that we get this wisp of an image of Day’s face in the tank, like he’s trapped inside of it. Because we know that in a way he is. And the other thing I love about this, or rather about the fact that this goldfish is meant to symbolize Day himself, is that watching this goldfish is what brings Day the most joy at the moment. 

I love that because it shows me that there is hope and joy still left in Day, if he can just take the time to look at himself a little differently.

OKAY it’s time for the Big Boys. 

Our first instance of an actual reflection off a mirror in Episode 2 happens when Mhok is trying to check in with Day after Day runs away from Night’s friends. Mhok has said that he understands Day, and Day Does Not Like That™.

Day’s response to Mhok’s monologue is to say that Mhok has no idea what it is like to look in the mirror and not see your old self. And of course, we see Day’s reflection in his full body mirror. Now, again, Aof is being pretty heavy handed with his metaphors here. But that doesn’t mean I don’t absolutely love the double meaning of these words. Day is going blind so he literally can’t see himself in the mirror anymore. 

But also, Day is deep in his grief for the things he has lost. His freedom, his career, his confidence that I think he has morphed in to a completely different person. One who is bitter, and self-conscious, and more comfortable hiding away where he can wallow in misery over his condition and not have to confront the new world he is living in. Day is running from connection, I mean not a minute before this scene Day legitimately ran away from Night’s friends rather than have to explain his blindness. 

The scene continues, and Day shuts himself off even further from the world around him, by putting in his headphones. Now he can drown out Mhok’s attempts to comfort him, but in the long run what is that going to do? As @shortpplfedup said to me earlier “the set dressers did not come to play” when it came to designing Day’s room. When the curtains aren’t drawn there is so much natural light in Day’s room. His walls are bright and colorful, there are photos and awards all over the place. Day’s room has so much personality in it, so much life within it. But the mirror shows nothing. It shows Day alone, surrounded by blank walls in grayscale.

The costume designer made an excellent choice of shirt for this scene, by the way. Because the yellow blends in enough with the wall in Day’s room, that (especially) when coupled with the camera’s focus in this scene. The real Day almost fades in to the background, and your eye is naturally drawn to this spot of yellow in the mirror. 

The mirror highlights his isolation while at the same time showing the audience how much Day can and does stand out. 

AND it parallels the reflection of Mhok in Episode 1 so well, not just in the emotions that we see from Mhok and Day, but in the sense that Mhok’s reflection is in Rung’s car because he is currently trapping himself in the darker, meaner thoughts about his sister, rather than processing his grief. While Day’s reflection is in his room because he is currently trapping himself in the darker, meaner thoughts about himself, rather than giving himself enough compassion to start moving forward.

When Day does not respond to Mhok’s conversation, Mhok is triggered at the thought of his sister’s death and he breaks down the door to make sure Day is okay, and gets fired for it. Mhok does not argue, he does not put up a fight, he does not try to explain, he just honors Day’s request and gets the fuck out. And I love the way that Mhok is already starting to change Day’s outlook. Because we see how mopey Day is after Mhok leaves, and how much hope there is in him when Night tells him there is someone at the door who wants to see him and he so obviously thinks it’s Mhok. 

Mhok gives him the gift of the fish slippers, and Day goes to visit Mhok at the market, only to find out that Mhok has spent time reflecting on what Day told him about not understanding him, and making a fool out of himself in the eyes of the other market patrons by blindfolding himself. 

Mhok is doing what no one else has really done and is making a concerted effort to truly understand where Day is coming from, the fears that he is carrying, and the challenges he faces as a blind man. 

But of course, we know by now that while there are definitely things Mhok is had not or might never understand about the physical realities of Day’s life, he can understand loneliness, and he can understand rage, pain, and anger. There are parts of himself that have grown within him over the past year that recognizes parts of Day that have grown within him over the past year. 

And we have already been seeing the impact of Mhok on Day’s life, in the fact that Day has smiled more, Day has left his room, Day has eaten at the table, and agreed to watch a movie. And that singular day where Day did not wallow in his own misery, but left his room, went out in the sun, etc stuck with him because he is in the living room watching a movie the day Phorjai comes to visit. 

Culminating in the second real reflection of Episode 2, where Mhok, via the side mirror, sees Day smiling on the back of his scooter. And what I love about this moment is that the focus is entirely on Day. I don’t want Last Twilight to strip Day’s healing processes from him and give them to Mhok. I think it is totally fine for Mhok to contribute to Day’s increasing happiness, but ultimately I want Day to have enough autonomy in this narrative that these decisions that lead to him enjoying his life again are primarily comprised of Day’s own choices. And I think that we can get something visually from that by the fact that we don’t see a lot of Mhok in this reflection, only one small portion of his chin. 

Day made the choice to have Phorjai take him to see Mhok, Day made the choice to rehire Mhok, and Day is the one having a moment on the back of this scooter just reveling in the feeling of the wind on his face. I love that this reflection shows just enough of Mhok to show that Day is not alone, while still putting all of the attention in the reflection on to Day and the joy he is feeling. 

The idea that Day is no longer alone is reinforced after Mhok makes a pit stop to purchase a companion for the goldfish in Day’s room. And again we get in to some of my favorite instances of reflection in Last Twilight, where we place the boys’ reflections in the fish tank. 

And this is where the images from the intro sequence come from. Day looking at Day Noi and Big Mhok interacting with each other in the tank. Here we still have Day alone in the reflection, with the goldfish tying him to this symbolism. But Day’s reflection is so much clearer now that the tank has been cleaned. Now Day’s reflection in the water tank is far more obvious, and hey, since it’s me, I’ll overanalyze this moment to say that as Day has gotten to know Mhok a bit and has started venturing outside of his room more, that Day is getting a clearer vision of himself as a person. Regardless, we as the audience can see Day’s reflection in the tank all the more clearly and that reflection is vibrant and bright, because Day is becoming more vibrant and bright. 

“No More Loneliness Little Day” Mhok says and we get MY FAVORITE SHOT OF THE SHOW THUS FAR

The split screen. It’s not even a reflection, but I am talking about it here, because I think the absence of reflection is just as important as its presence, and I love that we have this moment where half of Day’s face is crystal clear and the other half is completely obscured. There is no trace of it. Considering how much Aof has been turning the camera on Day’s vision, we aren’t that far off of what Day sees in this shot. I like that this image has Day straddling these two worlds. 

And we get the final reflection of Episode 2, Mhok’s face in the fish tank. 

Again, I don’t even know that this is really intentional or it is just the way the reflection happened to have occurred, but I love the fact that not all of Mhok’s face is present within the fish tank. I like that Mhok is slowly encroaching on Day’s space, that Mhok is slowly starting to appear in the parts of Day’s life that Day actually cares about. Mhok is lonely and Day is lonely, and they have finally found someone they might be able to connect to. Big Mhok is there for Day Noi and Mhok is there for Day. 

I love that while the fish themselves are able to cross those barriers and that we get to see the fish swimming up and next to each other, that we have yet to see Mhok and Day’s reflections fully together. Even here, Mhok’s reflection in the fish tank is alone, just like Day’s reflection in the fish tank was alone. But they are in the same place, they are in the same room, they are in the same tank, they are in the same stage of their grief (anger) and there is no way in hell we don’t get one or more reflections in the mirror or in the fish tank by the end of this show where Mhok and Day are both fully present.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for "gossiping" about a coworker?

I (27m) work in a liquor store and am quite genuinely the most competent employee despite having been until very recently the newest. Other than the owner, there are 2 who've worked there longer than me and both of them (I'll call em C (31m) and M(39f) have made much less effort to learn about liquor or even, quite frankly, people skills than I have. And lemme tell you, I started out very socially anxious. I'm a regular socialite now.

So C, at least, has a really good work ethic. He's not super socially adept with customers but he makes up for it by going above and beyond, like taking initiative to do a lot of the relatively "shit" work that the rest of us don't wanna do. I'd also say I get along with him very well bc he's pretty intelligent and open-minded.

M, meanwhile, is genuinely the most simple-minded person I've ever known in my life. The good thing is that she seems to be kind of self-aware of not being very smart and able to be a good sport about it (ngl it helps that I'm gay and she's the type to want a sassy gbf so i can kinda get away with being mean as a joke) - and she is also often just as self-aware about the fact that she doesn't do shit at work. Like she'll literally pause deliveries just bc she doesn't feel like driving, she never takes out trash, she's basically always late, she mentally shuts down at the prospect of any math despite working with money, she has little to no decision-making skills either, she spends half her shift in the bathroom and the other half literally playing solitaire, she isn't able to help customers with shit bc she's never made an effort to learn about anything we sell, etc. But she's nice, and we really don't need her help that much with anything other than just having people behind the counter.

And that's more or less what I told the newest hire, S(25F). It was in the context of explaining exactly how incredibly easy this job is - that basically almost nothing was gonna be expected of her. As examples I told her how M does the least here by far after being here for over 2 years and is at no risk of being fired. I really didn't think much of it bc my intentions were purely to point out that this is a chill job.

But a few weeks later, seemingly at random, M kinda blew up at me for being "disrespectful" about something entirely unrelated. In short it was a matter of me getting a little too comfortable joking about her incompetence in front of a customer, and I hadn't realized in this particular instance it would be upsetting but I understood after the fact and I apologized. She responded literally ONLY by saying "you're not gonna disrespect me, I'm grown" and went on to literally just leave for the day. I was baffled, but when I saw her next I basically immediately gave another apology. She explained then that the reason she was upset was that the new girl S told her that I said she was the laziest one here, saying "I thought we were friends."

I obviously tried to apologize profusely, promising her that it wasn't a "talking shit" sort of thing and trying to explain the context of that, etc. But also I think it's pretty fucking rich and kinda insane of her to be so upset that I said she was lazy. She says so herself, all the time. Also the fact that S would tell M about this conversation and clearly either leave out the context or just do nothing to dissuade M from being upset about it.... Basically idk if I should feel bad about this. In the future I won't be talking shit to S just pragmatically speaking but WAS i wrong to do it at all? AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[cleverinsidejoke]

Part One

Part 2

Based off of my little idea of an Sagau where the Creator is a friend of the reader's from their own world. You can read it here. This is a little long, but I feel that it's necessary to set the scene before going into the plot. I haven't done creative writing in a while, so I hope it's at a good readable state. I don't think there's anything to warn you about, but if there is, let me know and I'll update it.

1.7k words, excluding this introduction.

The hum of fluorescent lights fills the quiet office space, interrupted by your thoughts and the sounds of typing and paper shuffling. It had been a truly awful day.

The HR and customer service departments' phone lines and power had gone out in the early afternoon, and prior experience in both had lumped the workload onto the shoulders of you and your coworkers. All you wanted to do was go home. Even the warm sunny day and Cecil’s quiet humming were serving to worsen your already sour mood.

“Well everyone, it’s going to take longer than we thought to fix the issue, so we’ve got two options for you. You can work late tonight, get paid overtime, and get tomorrow off, or you can call it quits for today and head home.” The IT man nodded in agreement as your boss explained away the situation. “Just let me know by closing time.” Quiet groans permeated the room at the thought of staying late, but not coming in tomorrow was certainly a tempting offer.

“I’ll stay.” You pipe up quickly as your boss begins to leave. She pauses and turns around, appraising you with her unwavering gaze, as though observing your credibility.

“Anyone else?” Empty stares meet hers, the humming ceases, and an air of hesitance is her only response for a long moment. Raising an eyebrow, she turns to the door to leave.

    “I’ll keep Y/N company.” Gene pipes up from beside you. “It’s no good being alone in a big office anyway.” You give them a nod of acknowledgement, also serving to convince the boss that you’re enthused about staying late. It’s a long moment before she breaks her gaze from yours.

    “Is that everyone?” A few more of the older coworkers join in as the clock strikes five, and soon the life in the office blinks out. The boss returns to her office a few floors up. Far enough to not supervise effectively.

    Gene had immediately put on elevator music after the boss’s exit, and began a push to finish the customer service work, which you were thankful for. It was always good to have some motivation. All that was left at this point was to make a list of the companies you couldn’t call this late and to finish checking the HR reports. 

    “Almost done?” Gene leans across their desk, reaching out to spin the papers on yours around to look at. “Nice.” Sliding the papers back, they look around the empty office. “When we get this done, would you like to play some Genshin?”

    “Sure.” Your reply is loud in the quiet room. The devices and sound of people working renders an indoor voice small. “Your world or mine?” The fluorescent lights hum quietly overhead.

    “Dunno. We’ll figure it out when we get home and log on.” The work goes by slowly, the tapping of the keys and rifling of paper sounding as the clock ticks on. Seven o’clock, eight o’clock, nine… “Done!”

    Glancing up briefly as you finish organizing the reports, you see them exit the office, entering the break room. “Where are you going?” You call out quietly. Fluorescent lights hum a dull tune as you wait, clicking your mouse as you shut down the office system and open up the game. Using their back to push open the door, Gene reenters, holding two paper coffee cups.

    “I figured I’d get us something to keep us up. If we’re free tomorrow, what’s to stop us from staying up playing Genshin?” Kicking the door shut, they flounce over, setting your cup in front of you. The pleasant aroma of hot chocolate escapes as you remove the lid.

   “Are we gonna use the work computers or go home?” The pair of you had been friends for years, and recently roommates, as house prices were only increasing. You both pitched in on rent for the apartment, saving the money that didn’t go to rent or necessities to find a nice home so that you could potentially get another roommate. Gene had even pulled a few strings to get you this job, so it was safe to say that the pair of you were close. 

    “The boss is probably waiting for us to leave first, so…” Gene shrugs, taking a sip of their drink, spinning slowly in their chair, soon turning once again to face you. “Let’s get home and see if the update finished.”

    “Got it. Let me grab my lunchbox and we can head out.” Pulling on your jacket, you go to the break room, grabbing your lunchbox from the fridge. Shutting off the lights in there, the dull hum lessens. Picking up your hot chocolate, you push open the office door, using your foot to hold it open for Gene.

    “Thanks.” You exit the building, shutting off lights as you go, the hum lessening with each flick of a switch. The streets are loud despite the time, as all city streets are. Cars passed, each one with its own destinations, men and women called for taxis, others opting for the metro system instead, swiping their cards once and being on their way. 

    Taking public transportation wasn’t so bad, provided that it wasn’t too crowded. Unlike the senseless chatter of vehicles on the topside, the metro acted as the quieter underbelly of the city. Finishing your drink, you threw the leftover cup away as the pair of you waited for your train to arrive. 

    “Oh, I can’t wait to get home.” You groan, rolling your neck in an attempt to release the tension that rests there. “Get into pajamas, get some water, and just brainlessly explore Fontaine.”

    “Want me to make something when we get home?” You don't respond as the train pulls in, doors opening and a straggler or two filing out as you entered, instantly finding a seat to sit on, relinquishing all strength to the anxiety and annoyance of the previous few hours.

    The ride is silent. The stop soon arrives and you both get off, Gene wrapping an arm around your shoulder as you exit the subway into the poorly lit neighborhood. The apartment isn’t all that far or difficult to get to, and you’re soon at home, changing into your pajamas. 

    Wrapping a blanket around yourself, you exit into the small living room, where Gene is setting up your desktops and getting the game going. Curling up on the couch, you scan the screen. You had been doing commissions in Mondstadt last time you’d played, having left Lumine and Paimon to wait by the Adventurer’s Guild. Glancing at Gene’s screen, you make a request to join their world. 

    “It’s Diona’s birthday.” Your remark snaps Gene out of a previously unnoticed thought.

    “Huh? Oh, yeah, I forgot. Wanna do something for it?” They accept your request, and Lumine pops up in their world. Adding Diona to your party, you run circles around Gene’s traveler, Aether. Although Diona could get annoying, this was a tradition for you, and you weren’t about to break something that got your mind out of the ‘surviving life’ mindset.

    “We could go to the Cat’s Tail, make a few wishes, then make a few drinks.”

    “Sounds good.” Adding Diona to their team, you both make your way to the quiet restaurant while pausing briefly to check if you have the ingredients to make a drink. The game never specified if the drinks you could make were alcoholic, but it didn’t really matter with some imagination, did it?

    After an hour or two of doing commissions and cooking, you had reached enough primogems to reach that final intertwined fate for a ten pull. Upon opening the gacha system, you were met with a strange sight. There was a search bar along the top, leaving only the standard banner on the main page.

    “Did they say anything about a gacha change on the Special Program?” Looking over at Gene, you realize that they’ve already seen it. 

    “Give me a name.” They look over at you, hands positioned to type. "A five star.”

    “I dunno.. Wanderer.” It soon pulls up the banner, which had passed a month or so ago. The gacha system is up and running for it. “Try an upcoming character.” You continue on this experimental run. Past and upcoming banners all show up, names of characters that haven’t released or been leaked yet.

Gene take out their phone to take a photo, and… nothing shows up. As far as their phone is concerned, the computer is dead. But it can’t be a hallucination, right? After all, you’re both seeing this.

    “Well, let’s do a couple of pulls before lights out, hm?” Searching up Yoimiya, they do a quick ten pull. The blue stars streak across the screen, a purple one appearing along with it, melding into gold. The built up anticipation of the upcoming five star washes away as a familiar silhouette fills the screen. “Oh, Qiqi! I don’t have her yet!”

    “Try again. You’ve been saving for Yoimiya for a while.” You set off on some of your own pulls, albeit with less success. Despite the guaranteed pity, you land in a web of Mona, Jean, and Tighnari constellations. And soon enough, you’ve stayed up much later than you intended.

    Gene’s soft breathing cues you in that it’s gotten far later. Glancing into the kitchen, you see that the stove reads 11:10. Looking down at your friend, you grab the throw blanket and lay it over them, then beginning to shut down the game. Yawning, you close out of the gacha system and open up the menu, Paimon doing her usual tricks on the side. The exit game icon is gone.

Probably another new update that you missed. Too tired to figure it out, you opt to just shut down the desktops instead. The screens go white, the line up of elements blinking a pale grey before becoming a bright gold light.

    You close your eyes tightly at the invasion of harsh light, flinching back from the desktops instinctively. Your ears ring, and you hear Gene stirring due to the light. Reaching out blindly, your hand comes into contact with something… warm. It grabs your hand harshly, jerking you forwards as you reach back, grabbing Gene for support. Then the tight grip on your arm releases.

    You open your eyes. Your apartment is gone, replaced by a soft golden light around you. Below you is a vast world, extensive landscapes and cities sprawled beneath you, with the subtle shapes of people in the lights between buildings. The night of this world is beautiful. Gene grasps for your hand and you look over at them. Face filling with concern, they can only mouth their words. Where are we?

[honeymoonblues]

Kisses & Dreams

Remus Lupin x Professor!Reader

Summary: The school year is ending and you have a question for Remus. (Gender neutral reader).

Part 1 - Part 2

Word count: 2.9k

A/N: This is a continuation to my last remus fic, I never thought this would turn into a little series! I'm not sure if this will be the last part or not, we'll see.

Let me know if there are any spelling errors, English is not my first language.

It had been such a wonderful winter break, the best you’ve had in ages. Those two weeks felt like you had been walking on clouds.

You decided to stay at Hogwarts, along with some other teachers and a few students who didn’t want to go home. At first, seeing all these kids away from their families for the holidays left you heartbroken. But after seeing them all get together for Christmas dinner, you started to understand why they’d want to stay at school. 

It goes without saying that your favourite thing about the holidays wasn’t dinner, but rather the company. 

Professor Lupin had been the most charming companion ever. By the third tea shop rendezvous on the first week, it had almost turned into a routine. You had tried to get creative and do something different each time, but you always ended up back in the tea shop. There were only so many things you could do in Hogsmeade, anyway. 

Remus always ordered the same thing, and you always picked the same little teacup from the extensive collection that Madam Pudifoot’s had to offer. He’d sip on his Cherry Rose tea, and you’d marvel at the gorgeous little tea set that matched your favourite cup while drinking your choice of the day. 

Now that you didn’t pretend to be ‘just coworkers’ anymore, it became the perfect time to get to know each other better, and the shop was a great place to do so. 

Remus was quieter and a great listener, even when you started talking non-stop, he’d still love hearing your stories. But whenever he got to talk it was marvelous. A gifted storyteller with a million different tales about his life, his friends, and his time in Hogwarts. You adored him, and you were so grateful for the great time you got to spend together.

Regardless, the most heartwarming moment of all was when the clock struck midnight on Christmas day. 

When the kids left the Great Hall after the most delectable meal, you had to ensure they all returned to their rooms. You didn’t want to drink during dinner with all the children there, so after all was over, Remus and you got down to the kitchen to indulge in a bit of wine.

Then, Peeves decided to pull a little festive prank by locking both of you down there. Already on your second glass, you heard the poltergeist’s crazy laughter and immediately knew something was up. When Remus got to the door, he sighed and then started giggling.

“Not this again!” His head was resting against the door, his hand covering his face, and you could see him shaking with laughter.

“Again? What do you mean?” Soon enough, you too were chuckling.

When he finally calmed down enough to take a breath, he explained:

“Peeves did this same thing to me on Christmas Eve, back when I was a student here.”

“What? He locked you up? In the kitchens?” You questioned, speaking slowly. When he nodded, your eyes widened. “But what on earth were you doing down here?”

A dazzling smile showed on his face, and he raised his glass.

“Same thing I’m doing right now.” And you almost choked on your drink.

Realizing that whatever Peeves had done to the door couldn’t be all that serious, you agreed that it wouldn’t hurt to enjoy some more wine before unlocking it. Grave error.

When the third attempt at an Alohomora spell had failed because of your incessant laughter, you managed to say:

“How many drunk wizards do you think it takes to open a door?” And that’s how you spoiled Remus’ fourth effort.

At some point, you collected yourselves. You breathed in, and you unlocked the door. It should have been way easier than you made it. Any second year could have gotten out of the kitchen in a minute, as long as they weren’t drunk like you two.

Acting like two sober adults, you walked over to your office. Thankfully, you didn’t cross paths with any students hanging around the hallways past their bedtime, or it could have been quite embarrassing for everyone involved.

Fifteen minutes to midnight, you decided it would be the best opportunity to give Remus your Christmas gift. While you were talking, he noticed the way you kept looking at the clock and then realized what hour it was. Excusing himself quickly, he left your office.

“I’ll be back in a minute, I promise.”

Frowning at his sudden escape, you sighed. His gift was carefully wrapped, sitting in a corner of the room. You took it, your hands starting to sweat just by thinking about giving it to him. It felt embarrassing how much sentiment you had put into it, and how easy it was to do so for Remus.

Your train of thought was interrupted by him entering through your door again. He had a bashful smile, similar to the one he got the day he asked you on a date. His back was straight and his hands were behind his back. 

You looked at the clock one more time, three past midnight. 

“Merry Christmas, Remus!” He had a surprised look on his face when you offered your gift to him. 

“Well, thank you very much.” Remus chuckled, and he too extended his arms, offering a little wrapped box. “Merry Christmas to you.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to! Thanks!” The delighted tone in your voice was impossible to hide, you looked contented before even opening your gift.

He was the first to open the package since you were taking your time not to damage the cute wrapping paper on the box.

“Wait… you didn’t knit this, did you?” You smiled shyly at his question. “Merlin, you did! This is… so much work.” He immediately put on the sweater you had made, it looked so incredibly cute on him. “Thank you so much.” His tone was genuine, and you couldn’t stop grinning.

You would have almost forgotten about the unopened gift in your hand if it wasn’t for Remus giving a little nod in its direction.

“Well, it’s nothing compared to your gift but I-”

“Remus! Are you joking? Remus this is so…!” Barely containing the excitement in your voice, you started giggling. “I didn’t know they sold these! This is absolutely perfect!”

“Well, Madam Pudifoot said no one ever asked to buy her cups, but she was very glad someone liked them so much that they wanted to keep one.”

Carefully, you put everything on your table. The plate, the spoon, and the gorgeous little teacup from the shop. Then, without wasting any other minute, you hugged Remus tightly.

“Thank you, thank you! I love it.” Your chuckles were muffled by his shoulders.

It took a moment, but Remus was hugging you back. 

“I still can’t believe you knitted me a sweater, that’s… incredibly thoughtful.”

When your eyes met his he had such a sweet expression, and even in the dim lighting, you could see his cheeks taking a pink colour. You couldn’t tell if the heat on your face was from being so close to the fireplace, or from Remus, and you smiled shyly, realizing that you hadn’t released him. 

Suddenly, you sensed a weird movement from over your head and looked up. Mistletoe was twinkling brightly, floating right over the both of you.

“I didn’t put that there, I swear!” You mumbled, a little confused.

“No. I did.”

Then, you kissed. And if there was any remains of alcohol in your blood, you surely sobered up. It was soft, sweet, and slow. Everything you’ve ever wanted. Remus’ breath against your skin tickled, and you had goosebumps all over. You giggled every time you had to pull apart to take a breath. Then, spent the rest of the night drinking tea, speaking in whispers, and kissing each other some more.

The break passed so fast that you barely noticed, as did the rest of the school year. It was a busy semester, you had very little free time and it was all spent with Remus, which you didn’t complain about.

Sooner than you thought possible, the finals were just around the corner and most people were drained, professors and students alike.

Also, history was a tiresome subject for most kids. Even if they liked going to class, studying became monotonous, and it was much worse for those who didn’t enjoy reading much.

This year, you gave the students a choice. Each one would have the opportunity to choose between an oral exam or a written exam, because you’d seen first-hand the different abilities that the kids possess. Now, you regretted your decision completely. The amount of work that took making two different finals for every class didn’t even compare to the time it would take to take the oral exams for each student who had chosen it (which weren’t many, but still).

But there was no going back now. You had arranged the list of students per year, dividing them in those who wanted which exam. From the 800 students that Hogwarts accommodated, only a few more than a hundred wanted to take the oral exam, but they meant more than one hundred individual finals to take, and you just hoped for everything to go according to plan and not take more time than it needed to.

In those two weeks of finals, you said goodbye to your sleeping schedule, and coffee became your best ally. At least, you weren’t the only one dealing with this. All your coworkers related, and the bags under the kids’ eyes told you they weren’t much better off.

Overall, a torturous moment for all. But you could still see the spark of hope in the promised summer holidays. Every time you closed your eyes, you felt like you were almost there. On your short sleep cycles, you dreamt of the warm afternoons and cool drinks, of going back home and enjoying your local lake, and of finally getting to rest. Of course, you also dreamt of Remus.

Neither of you had been together much this last month. His classes had twice as many hours as yours, and he was always doing the most for the students. Excursions, magical creatures, games and mixing different classes together for duelling. He put his everything into his job, and you admired him so much for that.

Still, there was something else. For this whole year you had spent a great deal of time with Remus. Some of the most wonderful dates, or a simply shared breakfast in the morning. In all these months, you’ve managed to known Lupin on a deeper level, which softened your heart as well as his. But some things just didn’t add up.

Every single month, he became sick and took some days off. Which could totally happen to anyone, but each one of his sickness lined up to a very peculiar day, or night to be more specific. Besides, you weren’t stupid, and Remus knew that incredibly well. He was sure it was just a matter of time before you had to talk it out, but he had always been somewhat of a coward, and you were too respectful of his own space to demand the explanation he thought you deserved.

The truth is, you couldn’t care less if he was a werewolf! Remus made you incredibly happy, and no condition of his could affect the way you felt about him.

At first, you found it so silly that he had tried so hard to cover his lycanthropy. But after you let this knowledge sit in the back of your mind for a while, you understood how terrible of a situation this was for him.

You knew the way of life werewolves lead in Britain. The so called supernatural ‘beasts’ had a long history of ill treatment and abuse by the hands of the government that should be protecting them. It was a miracle Remus even had a job, considering the laws the Ministry of Britain had been putting up recently. The mere thought of the things Remus had to go through broke your heart into pieces.

In Britain, getting bitten by a werewolf meant the end of your life as you know it. It meant the resentment and fear of the other people, it meant persecution and judgement, and it meant the suffering and agony of your transformation, because no one provided you with the potion you’re supposed to have to endure your pain. The only potion that saved a werewolf from their own animal instincts, the only that can a 100% stop you from being dangerous after transforming. It was the same country who would point at you accusatorily and call you a ‘killing beast’, the one that would deny you the medicine to help you, and completely erase any danger a werewolf could pose to others or themselves. The irony was not sad, but infuriating.

Not every country was like this, in fact, most weren’t. And many places venerated the lycanthropes. In some of them, the werewolves were the protectors of the family, the ones that gave hope to the generation. Stronger, faster, with better reflexes and senses than most. It was obvious why they were worshipped all over the world, why wouldn’t they?

The only thing you desired, is for Remus to trust you with this piece of his life, to let you be by his side at all times. Because even with everything that was going on, the man remained kind and loving, and you couldn’t understand how. You wanted him to know that you didn’t care about his condition, no matter if he was a werewolf, a vampire or a fairy, you’d never, ever judge him.

But you refused to rush things, just like you both had been doing with everything else. You let things flow. Surely, he’d tell you when he felt ready.

Sadly, neither had any opportunity to truly speak to each other, not with the end of the semester upon you.

The seemingly endless weeks of finals were almost over, and your nerves began to ease. Your dreams turned more pleasant, and you’d see Remus in almost every single one of them. Walking hand in hand by the seaside, drinking iced tea in your couch, and cuddling with you under the stars, he was always there when you drifted off. And with that, you had a realization. There’s no way you’d let him go away on the holidays. He had to be there with you over the summer, and with butterflies in your stomach, you decided to ask him.

The last exam you took should have left you exhausted, but when the only student left had given you his paper, you felt more alive than ever. You checked the clock on your wrist. Remus last exam ended in fifteen minutes, and then, you were going to ask him.

Merlin, your heart felt like it was about to burst out of your chest with how hard it was beating. You were going to make the move, you were going to ask him! Excitement, confidence and nervousness, your head was spinning with so many emotions at the same time.

Your footsteps echoed around your office, you checked the time every ten seconds, until you decided you couldn’t wait anymore, and you made your way to Remus’ classroom.

‘Goodness, I am going to ask him!’ You thought, and had to stop yourself from running all the way to your destination.

The students were exiting his classroom, and you peeked inside, checking there was no one left, before you started to look for him.

‘Remus, good afternoon! Happy about finishing all these exams at last?” You called loud, trying to find where on earth he had hidden. You made your way up the stairs to his office, still talking. “Of course we still have to grade them, but we have almost a whole week for that!”  Chuckling softly, you finally got to his open door.

With your excitement, you almost missed it, but Lupin looked tired, incredibly so. It was understandable up until some point, but he truly seemed like he hadn’t been able to sleep for days. He barely looked up from his papers, and gave you a slight smile.

“Oh, Remus. Are you quite alright, there?” Getting closer to him, you stood by his side and ran your fingers through his hair, in the way you know calmed him down. But he didn’t look up to you again. You pondered for a moment how to ask him, so you started:

“We really, really need the summer break, don’t we?” And you giggled, not as cheerfully as you wanted it to sound. A soft humming sound is all that you got in response.

“Well, uhm…” Stuttering, you looked at him once more to confirm that everything was alright. “You know, I was thinking…” Thrown off by the contrast of his gloomy demeanour, you placed your hand comfortingly over his shoulder and said:

“Remember how I told you I wanted to go back home for the break, mm?” The cheerful tone in your voice was back, knowing exactly what could lift his spirits. “Would you like to come with me? I hope this is not too sudden because I’d love to-”

And just when you were about to ask him, formally, officially, to be you partner, he looked up with those bright eyes and through his wonderful lashes, and got up from his chair. Then, grabbing your arm softly, he interrupted you, speaking with his warm voice and gentle tone.

“I’m sorry. I- This is not going to work. I’m truly sorry, but it’d be best if we… part.”

[ncityprincess]

bad

idol mark lee x makeup artist older?? y/n

this is just a little drabble i cooked up for mr. mark lee 😁 this is my first time writing for him so if this sucks oh well 🤷🏾‍♀️ i just wrote this for funsies lol. also it’s not really important to the story but y/n is like 2-4 years older than mark. nothing crazy. anywho, enjoy!

MDNI!!!!

your body jolted upright upon feeling a harsh smack on your right ass cheek. as the people in the studio slowly started to dwindle, you had been quietly cleaning up your makeup station and putting away all of your tools. today, you were tasked to do make up for the 2 baddies relay dance schedule. promotions season was always a fun time for you as a makeup artist. getting to see the action up close was the best part of the job. it was exhilarating getting to see the boys participate in all these cool stages and music video shoots.

“mark! you’re gonna get us in trouble” you shrilled. you and mark had been quietly seeing each other for the past few months. the members knew about it, seeing as you were practically always over at their dorm. but most of your coworkers were unaware of you and mark’s budding relationship. it wasn’t that you were hiding it, but being an idol meant keeping highly sensitive information such as dating under wraps in case it ended up in the wrong hands.

mark walked up to you with a smug smirk and grabbed your hips. “relax babe, it’s just us in here. besides, it stared at me first.” he rubbed his hands over your plump backside, making you look down at the ground shyly. you reached behind you to grab his hands with your own, and held them at your sides.

“you’re so bad sometimes, ya know that, marky? i need to put you on time out one of these days” you joked. mark pulled one of his hands out of your grasp and booped the tip of your nose. “that supposed to be a threat or something? ooh the pretty lady’s gonna punish me i’m soooo scared”

you looked up at him with sharp eyes “yeah, well you should be!” you wrapped your arms around his neck and reached up on your tippy toes to plant a kiss on his soft lips. his hands immediately went back to their home on your hips and deepened the kiss.

mark’s hectic schedule often rendered him exhausted. even when you two would have sleepovers, you were more than happy to just let him sleep. he needed it. but when you two were both in the mood? it went down.

mark walked you back toward the makeup vanity, never pulling his lips away from yours. your back hit against the vanity harshly, causing a few lipsticks and brushes to roll onto the ground. you giggled against his lips “see, told you you’re bad.” mark let out a breathy chuckle “can’t help it baby, you make me wanna do bad things.” you two continued your heated make out, forgetting your surroundings. it was so easy to get lost with mark. he was everything you wanted and more. he made you feel so beautiful and free. every moment with him was lighthearted and carefree. you even forgot he was an idol sometimes, and that you two were technically coworkers.

that was until, someone had reminded you that you two were coworkers.

a familiar voice caused you two to separate from one another immediately. suddenly, the lusty, heated environment you and mark had created had vanished. “aHEM!!! car’s out front ‘marky poo’ ” haechan chided in a singsongy tone. he always loved to poke fun at your guys’ relationship, all in good natured fun of course.

“uh-yeah- we’ll uh, i’ll be out in a minute” mark croaked, feeling slightly embarrassed that haechan had seen the two of you in a pretty intimate situation. “don’t keep us waiting, mwah mwah mwah” haechan mimicked the sounds of obnoxious kissing before he giggled and walked out of the studio.

you ran your hand through your hair and chuckled softly. “you heard the man, you’d better get going.” you turned around and continued packing up the last few items from your kit. mark slung his black backpack over his shoulder. “yeah yeah. we’re still on for dinner at your place, right?” mark asked hopefully.

“of course, honey. shower up and come over around 8. i’m making fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. and bring back the tupperware i gave you last time. i’m making enough so that you can take some back home with you,” you smiled. “god, you’re the best, y/n seriously.”

“i know, now go! i’ll see you tonight, handsome.” mark’s large, sparkly eyes looked at you with so much joy before he rushed out of the door to meet up with the others. you smiled to yourself, mentally preparing for the romantic night you were going to have with your man.

you had just taken the mac and cheese out of the oven when you heard a knock at your door. a rush of excited nerves came over you, and you skipped over to the front door to answer it. “honey i’m ho—olyyyy shit” mark stuttered. he took in your form. you were wearing a red negligée and a black silk robe. you topped the look off with some red lipstick and stilettos.

“well don’t just stand there, come on in, marky” you said with faux innocence. you grabbed his hand and led him into your house, closing the door behind you. “come sit, i just took the food out of the oven. can i get you something to drink? i just got this new wine the other day” mark set his overnight bag down and grabbed a seat at the dining room table. “i’ll—i’ll take some” mark stuttered yet again. you kept up your innocent act. “something the matter, baby?”

mark’s eyes continued to linger on your curvy figure. he truly felt like he had won the girlfriend lottery. “you’re just…beautiful. so fuckin’ beautiful, y/n” you blew him a kiss and grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet.

after your romantic dinner, mark helped you clean up the kitchen in comfortable silence. “do you have the tupperware i told you to bring,” you asked softly. mark jogged over to his backpack to fish out the tupperware bowl and handed it to you. “good boy” you ruffled his hair and put a portion of mac and cheese and chicken into the bowl and set it aside.

mark mirrored his actions from earlier at the shoot, and came up behind you while snaking his arms around your hips. “thank you for dinner,” mark whispered softly into your neck, finishing off with an open mouth kiss. you tilted your head to the side, sighing at the sensual action.

“mmm, you’re welcome hun.”

“is it time for dessert now?” mark spun you around and looking at you with those signature large brown eyes. he was just so stinking cute to you, even when he was trying to seduce you out of your panties.

and of course, it worked.

“hehehe, yes, it’s time for dessert.” you let out a squeal as mark all but dragged you into your bedroom.

“marky slow down, we have all night” you giggled as he plopped you onto your bed. mark wasted no time tearing his shirt and pants off and climbed on top of you. you looked up at him breathlessly as he inched your panties down your legs. he paused for a moment before speaking up.

“actually, nah. come up here. i wanna try something.” mark quickly laid next to you and patted his chest, signaling you to crawl on top of him.

“mark?! i don’t wanna like…suffocate you or something.” you hesitated, but began to sit up and straddle his hips. “you said yourself that i’m full of bad ideas right?” mark shot you a cheeky smile. you rolled your eyes, then slowly hovered your hips over his mouth.

every nerve in your body felt like it was on fire as you felt his cool breath over your pussy. you were practically dripping all over the man’s face.

mark slowly lapped at your clit and you sank down further onto his face, allowing your body to get into the moment. getting eaten out from this angle made you feel like a goddess. mark had always been so sweet and attentive to your needs. he always went the extra mile to make sure you were well taken care of. the trust you had in him to be in such a vulnerable position mixed with the trust he had in you brought you a rush of euphoria.

“fuckkkk baby keep doing that” you grabbed onto your headboard and began to circle your hips in a steady rhythm. any other time you would have felt shy in a predicament like this, but mark’s tongue just felt so. fucking. good.

mark slapped your ass with both of his hands and pulled your body further down onto his face. he kept his tongue firm as he dragged your body up and down his tongue. you were positive you were about to explode any moment now.

“markkkkk i’m cumming. oh fuck just like that!” your orgasm hit you like bus. your neighbors definitely wanted to curse you and mark for all the noise you were making, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. mark continued to lick up your folds, and you tried to raise your hips from his face to relieve the sensitivity. mark eventually let up his ministrations and let go of your hips. you plopped down on the bed next to him breathlessly and stared up at the ceiling.

“holy shit…that was…AWESOME!! yo i’ve always wanted to do that not gonna lie” your sweet and silly marky came back to you and you busted out laughing.

“give me like 5 minutes and i’ll show you some new tricks myself.”

thanks for reading! please consider leaving a tip if you enjoyed the story 👑🍭

[rhaemaya-valwynn]

Warm my Soul- Naga!Jotaro Chapter 2 (1/2) Study Master Disaster

Hey everyone, I thought I'd drop in and give at least half the chapter of 2 for you guys to have something to eat. I apologize for the lateness, a lot happened over Christmas and I've been stepping away from the JoJo community as a whole due to it. Things are rough here and I find I have little time to enjoy life, let alone write. Been dabbling on this chapter for too long and wanted to give what I have for now. Just know Im still here, just trying to find sanity and recover. <3 - Rhae

The wildlife in Jotaro's habitat was more diverse and intricate than you had initially thought. Upon further investigation, you realized how much effort had truly gone into making this home for him. Birds, lizards, frogs, beetles, bats, and all manner of things lived here. It was as if they had plucked a chunk of the Naga's natural habitat up and put it in Washington State. 

Thankfully, nothing in there was severely dangerous that might harm the faculty or Jotaro. However, after nearly a year and a half of stable recovery, Jotaro had regained the majority of his weight and was almost fully recuperated. This meant most things didn't threaten him anymore, as he was now a wall of sheer muscle. No one could force Jotaro to do anything against his will, which was both a blessing and a curse as his care took on new rules and roles.

On one hand, this meant no more interactions like Angela's could happen. If he didn't want you there, you would know, immediately. 

But on the other hand, this meant playing to his good side. If you could find it, since his distrust of people was only cemented after the big 'A' Incident' as your coworkers came to call it. Still, some people tried to push their luck with him some days, making him more quick to snap.

If fortunate, you'd escape with your bones intact but a few bruises. Those unlucky would be wearing a cast at minimum.

Kyoshi had warned you and others during Jotaro's recovery that healthy Nagas were some of the most dangerous Cryptids. Due to their bulk and sheer muscle, one would think they moved slowly. But that was not the case. Naga could move swiftly and quietly when motivated, crushing their prey with alarming strength that would only get stronger as they grew.

And they never stopped growing.

As if that wasn't bad enough, each Naga was equipped with potent venom strong enough to stop your heart in three minutes flat at a young age, with older Naga killing within forty seconds. When asked, Kyoshi refused to elaborate on how the venom worked, merely stating that: "Dead is dead, regardless of how you get there."

So, seeing as you had become Jotaro's primary caretaker, there were often moments when your mind would run rampant with thoughts of him lashing out at you in a fit of anger. 

Though you knew in your heart that he wasn't like that. Jotaro may have been an odd cryptid. Silent, reclusive, and poor social skills all lined up to make him seem like a wall that would lash out at any moment. But you knew Jotaro enjoyed company that wasn't there to irke him and that he was polite and cordial to those that gave him respect. So you figured, after everything, the chances of him wrapping you up in his nine-meter tail and snuffing out your life while injecting you with venom were....minimal.

On a happier note, the herd of capybaras you had met on your second day in the man-made rainforest were joyfully friendly after several 'snack' filled encounters and would come trotting from their sunbathing spots to greet you every morning thereafter. 

Perhaps a little too eager for snacks and their beloved 'scritches.' A word shared by the older veterinary assistant Tomoko Higashikata, who was typically tasked with giving you the healthier snack buckets on your way in after a noticeable weight gain had been noted in the animals. Jotaro always gave her a weird look when he decided to wait for you at the entrance and saw you talking to the woman. She never said anything out of place, just interesting facts about cryptids and animals, but you never had the guts to ask Jotaro why.

Some coworkers lamented their jealousy over your closeness to the snake man as time passed, and no matter how much you reminded them about Angela, they still flapped their lips in gossip. Eventually, you had given up as people would assume things with or without encouragement. Deep inside, though, you were glad to have broken the barrier between Jotaro and the world, regardless of how others viewed the relationship.

Like a lifeline, you were his bridge to civilization. Or so you hoped. But humility usually beat that thought into the dust when it reared its ugly head. You were never the type to boast or view yourself better than others. The world had enough of those kinds of people already. You just wanted to help in any way that you could.

So you began to delve into researching Naga in a subtle effort to find ways of helping Jotaro. One day, you asked Tomoko about Naga's, and she practically talked your ear off in excitement as they were her favorite. An interesting note of information from her was that Nagas typically are multiple species of snakes in one, Jotaro being a mixture between a Green Anaconda, reticulated Python, and the King Cobra. This explained his massive size, along with the type of venom he made and its extreme potency.

He wasn't so thrilled when you asked about his heritage, eyeing you with suspicion as he straightened during one of your morning walks. Two Toucans, one named Fruit and the other Loops, bounced on his tail in excitement, thinking it was time for treats. 

"Why do you want to know?" he had asked sternly, glaring at you from the corner of his eyes. 

"I just thought-" you hesitated, hands suddenly shaking as his shadow overcasted you. "Maybe it could help?"

Jotaro tutted in annoyance and had turned to you sharply. "Our deal doesn't include my past. Don't ask again." You shrunk down and nodded till he finally relented and continued the slither along, though he refused to speak further till you returned to his home to begin your work together.

The deal.

An accidental mishap, a sheer off-chance that somehow earned you a sliver of his trust. The Naga had caught you studying for a test during two-person care that had been initiated after Angela to prevent further offenses to the facility's residents. By being new to the facility, Jotaro had given you the benefit of the doubt of not being involved with Angela and that your care for him was genuine and not out of unwanted lust or illegal desires. While your coworker was on the phone in the next room, letting the doctors know that Jotaro had refused to eat or take his medicine again, it happened.

"What are you reading?" the Naga had asked you, causing you to jump in fright and launch the book across the room. The Naga frowned at your response, leaving you staring at him with your mouth wide open in shock.

He had never spoken before or deigned a reason to use words over hissing and growling. 

Yet, there he was, asking about your homework. Stuttering, you tried to apologize, but Jotaro tutted in annoyance, "Just answer the damn question," he rumbled darkly. 

While part of your brain went wild over what was happening, the other, more rational section was screaming danger and to flee. When Jotaro wrinkled his nose in disgust and turned to return to his nap, you blurted out: "Oscar Veilto's Domain of Earth and Air." 

To your surprise, he turned back to you with curiosity in his eyes. "Odd book for casual reading," Jotaro remarked dryly.

"It-I'm studying to be a Domain Nurse," you tried to clarify, blushing as you looked away in embarrassment. There's nothing like telling your patient you're studying him as part of your school work to start a healthy conversation...

"What did you think of his assessment of Pheonix's in chapter thirteen?" he continued, asking casually, but Jotaro's eyes belied the interest that was gripping him.

"Well, I thought he focused too much on how they mated, rather than why. Being born full of mercury gives them very little time to adjust or adapt to a new way of making young. Spontaneously combusting alive in an effort to burn away their poison tends to leave little room for descendants to change and become more." You rolled your hand as you talked, making gentle gestures as you pictured the bird in your hands. 

Freezing on the spot, you nervously look at Jotaro, fearing the worst for running your mouth. Only, he was gazing at you with an intense look. Observing you down to the details. Gulping, you go to apologize when he suddenly nodded in agreement. "Yes, deeply flawed observations on Veilto's behalf. It's pitiful that they still have it in circulation for newer generations to base even more flawed hypotheses on. And people still wonder why they went extinct....."

You could feel yourself gaping again at him in shock. It was the most Jotaro had ever talked...ever. All because you had brought in a biology book on Cryptids. Coughing as you reigned your expression, you hesitantly ask, "Do...you know a lot about Cryptids?"

Jotaro deadpanned at you, the monitor in the background beeping loudly before the end of his tail twitched. "Perhaps...." he murmured, sinking into his pillows as he cast his gaze away.

You hurried to apologize, but the opening had sealed shut, like the snapping of a bear trap, and Jotaro returned to ignoring everything around him like a rock with moss growing on it.

You thought it was an opportunity gone and lost. Trying to put it behind you, you focused on studying again after retrieving your book.

Then, to add insult to injury, you failed the test miserably the following day. It was almost comical.

Almost.

While you swore you wouldn't be caught dead studying for a test at work again, during your next dual caretaking of Jotaro, he practically sprung on you. Verbally, that is.

"Failed the test?" He had hummed in observation the minute your coworker had stepped out to grab more rolls of gauze.

Caught off guard, you merely turned to look at him, pen frozen above the report you were making. "P-pardon?" you asked, tongue tripping over itself.

"The test," Jotaro repeated, eyes narrowing slightly at you, "The one you were studying for." When you still stared at him in perpetual shock, he sighed deeply before explaining further, "Veilto's Domain?"

A sharp rush of heat hit your face as you blushed in embarrassment. "Is it that obvious?" you had muttered mostly to yourself.

Jotaro's lips quirked slightly, barely noticeable in your staggered state. "I know the emotional distress a bad test in college can do..." The Naga continued.

A short laugh escaped you at the insanity of such a comment. A Cryptid, talking to a human about college tests. 

This was absurd.

"Must have been a horrible score," Jotaro noted, eyeing you up and down again, forked tongue escaping his mouth to taste the air.

He had never done that before.

The opening had returned.

Your gut clenched in warning, but your heart chimed to you in a soft voice.

'Go on, tell him," it said.

"Twenty out of a hundred," You sighed in defeat, looking down in shame. Jotaro huffed, a strange noise from his frail body that made you worry.

Looking up at him again, you tried not to pry or seem desperate to keep the conversation going. He clearly had trauma from something, which meant you could only lead him so far out of his prison which was his mind and body.

Several minutes passed, and you feared that the opening had clamped shut on you once more. But then, "Who is your teacher?"

Eyebrows knitting, you looked around to see if this was some sort of prank. "Mr.Garauange," you answered.

Jotaro's eyebrows shot up, "That old wrinkly toad is still alive?"

"Unfortunately," you rubbed your temple just thinking of him. "Most bitter man I've ever met. Feels like he enjoys watching you suffer."

"He does," Jotaro answered with a snap of his jaws. You blinked twice in confusion before he waved your concern off. "I was under him for almost four years before he gave up on teaching 'my kind.'"

"Were you.... the one that got away?" you hesitantly asked, your fingers becoming clammy at the braveness of the question.

Jotaro laughed. Actually laughed. Dark and thrumming even in his weakened state. "Is that what he named me? Good grief, he couldn't come up with something more subtle....or original?"

Shuffling slightly, you nervously giggled at his joke, unsure how else to respond. The Naga fell silent, eyes distant as he became lost in thought. "Does he still allow a single retaking for failed tests?" Jotaro questioned, focusing his attention on you once more. You nod, and the Naga smirked devilishly. "Good, hand me your book," he grunted as he pulled himself up on his bed.

Now, you blanched in horror. "Why?" you demanded in fear, clutching your book to your chest like an elderly woman with their purse.

Jotaro snorted and huffed twice as he settled into a better reading position, "I want to play a little game on the toad." Extending an arm, he made a grabby motion. When you opened your mouth to refuse, he rolled his eyes and his hand. "Humor a sick cryptid." Looking around wildly, you expected some show host to come out and exclaim that you were just punked.

Or whatever they called pranks these days.

When nothing happened, a hot flush made you realize a drop of sweat was rolling down your face. Inhaling deeply, you thought to yourself, was offering a simple book and getting educational help from a nearly extinct species that hard?

The answer was yes, yes, it was.

With a herculean effort, you stepped forward and cautiously handed the book over. Jotaro took it from you respectfully, his massive hand holding the human-sized book like a small notebook. Carefully, Jotaro pulled it in and nestled it in front of him. A sneer crossed his face, "Personally edited by the toad himself... Good grief, I take it he expects you to take his words as law?" He opened it with the tentativeness of someone risking getting bitten.

You let Jotaro read for a few minutes, apprehensive as he glossed over the chapter you had marked for reconsumption. "Fae, huh?" he remarked after turning a few more pages. "Easy to get lost here. They range from pixies to faries and even changelings. Do you remember which one he chose for the test?"

"All of them..." You say softly as you rub your arm and look away from his piercing gaze.

"Of course he did," Jotaro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Asshole."

Hearing him swear threw you off a bit, making you jerk back to gape at him with puzzlement. A smidge of understanding hit you. Like switching shoes to ones that fit better, not perfect, but less tight and restrictive. You watched in silence for a few minutes as Jotaro perused the book. 

[defilerwyrm]

Oh, Alcohol.

Barenaked Ladies saved me from a life (and possibly death) as an alcoholic.

Let me explain:

My first official, tax-paying job as as a mutuel teller at a horse track in the mid aughts. I worked for $8.15/hour most of the year and during live season (when races were taking place at my track) they bumped it up to $8.50. During live race nights, I could easily pull in $100 in tips in a night.

You would have thought that a nearly-homeless college dropout trapped in a relationship he didn’t yet fully realize was extremely abusive would have squirreled that away to make a better life for himself, but no. My coworkers (including The Ex From Hell) liked to go drinking at the restaurant/bar across the highway from the track after live race nights—twice a week—and I, being starved for company and having TEFH as my only ride home, went with them.

It was always a jolly old time. I drank so many mudslides & flying grasshoppers and ate so many mozzarella sticks you wouldn’t believe. My regular bartender and I (and that phrase should set off alarm bells in your head already) developed a new drink! It’s still one of my favorites. Here, let me share it with you:

AQUA VELVET 2 parts blue curaçao 2 parts Midori (melon liqueur) 1 part pineapple juice spritz of Sprite Shake with ice, strain, serve cold in a hurricane glass.

Fucking incredible drink.

But yeah. I drank pretty heavily every night we went out. Drank until I got loose and loopy and extremely homosexual. Drank until I didn’t care about the dysphoria I was trying to ignore and the mental illness & traumas I couldn’t afford to get help for. Until, for just a few hours, I was happy.

And then one night as “Closing Time” by Semisonic played on the speaker system and I received my solo bill, I really looked at it and realized I’d spent literally all of my tip money for that day’s work. I spent over $100 on alcohol in one sitting—in 2007 or 2008 money, on an $8.50/hour wage. Moreover, I’d drank over a hundred dollars worth of booze specifically for the goal of getting drunk and staying that way.

As a sidebar, one of the many things wrong with me is moderate/severe OCD. My most intrusive symptom is endomusia—music stuck in my head…every…waking…moment. As in, I can tell when I’ve woken up because that’s when the music starts. (In a fascinating twist, my father and brother both suffer this, too.) Any little thing that I see or hear or think about could set off a new song playing on repeat in my head.

And in that moment, looking at that staggering total on my receipt for the night, I heard Barenaked Ladies jamming their way through a syncopated bridge:

I thought that drinking just to get drunk was a waste of precious booze

Had it not been for that song, I would not have known that drinking to get drunk on a regular basis was a classic sign of alcoholism. But because I knew and loved that song, and because I had that moment of crystalline clarity at something like one in the morning, I realized that I had a fucking problem and I needed to stop.

I am immeasurably lucky that I came to this realization before my alcoholism developed into an actual dependency instead just of a deeply stupid bad habit I did for fun twice a week. I don’t take for granted that it could have been the end of me if not for that single moment. As much horrific shit as has happened to me in my life, holy fuck have I ever gotten some lucky breaks.

I don’t drink much nowadays, and haven’t for almost a decade. I don’t really like how it makes me feel most of the time. I just finished a top shelf margarita before writing this, in the safety of my own home, and it’s—I think the second alcoholic drink I’ve had this year.

So yeah. Music saves lives, y’all.

[sowoozoo-7]

Love, Lust & Litigation | Interlude - NYE (Namjoon POV)

Pairing: Jungkook x Fem Reader x Namjoon

Genre: lawyer!AU, coworkers to lovers, slow burn, eventual smut

Rating: M (18+) whole fic, this chapter PG-13 (for language)

Warnings: some swearing in this chapter, nothing explicit

Word Count: 2.1k

Summary: Unfortunately, you have developed a massive crush on your new boss. Even more unfortunately, your equally attractive coworker is also harboring massive crush on your boss. AKA Jungkook and reader both pine for big, sexy brain Namjoon. 

A/N: It's been a long time coming but here she is! The next installment of LL&L! This takes place in the middle of Chapter 5. More about it in the A/N at the end. Thanks for all your patience as I got over a bit of writer's block (and writer's unmotivation lmao). This is my first time writing a member's POV, so hopefully I did it justice!

As always, I’d love feedback if you have any! Enjoy ~

mlist | ch 1 | ch 2 | ch 3 | ch 4 | ch 5 | interlude | ch 6

Namjoon Kim doesn’t make New Year’s resolutions. 

It’s a stupid concept, in his humble opinion. Not only is it an arbitrary date to make a change, most people spend the first day of the new year recovering from the night before. Can anyone really make any progress toward their goals while nursing a massive hangover?  

No. If Namjoon wants to make a change, he’ll just do it. He won’t wait until Monday, or to the first of the month. He'll just do it.

Of course, if anyone asks if he’s made any resolutions, he’ll just smile and say “Oh, you know, the usual,” or some other noncommittal answer. His coworkers don’t need to know he thinks it’s a stupid concept. He hasn’t gotten to where he is today by ranting about the uselessness of New Year’s resolutions. 

This year, though, this year might be different.

He arrives late to Jimin’s New Year’s Eve party. Everyone at Jimin's fancy high-rise apartment is past buzzed and barreling toward black-out drunk, and here he is, newly arrived and sober. 

Before he can go in search of alcohol, Jimin finds him. 

“You’re late! Why are you late? It’s New Year’s Eve!” 

Some urgent thing at work kept him there. It seemed life-changing and super important in the moment, but as Namjoon opens his mouth to answer, for the life of him, he can’t remember exactly what it was.

Jimin flaps his hand as if to wave the question out of the air before Namjoon can think of anything to say. 

“Whatever. The more important issue is, you’re not sparkling!” 

The theme for the party is “Sparkle or Bust,” in reference to both drinks and outfits. Namjoon doesn’t make a habit of keeping spare sequined shirts in his office, so he’s in one of his work suits, sans tie and jacket. 

Several hours’ worth of alcohol dulls Jimin’s outrage at Namjoon’s failure to follow the theme and he hands Namjoon a bedazzled NYE tiara and a glass of champagne without further berating.

“There. Much better.” 

Jimin leaves as suddenly as he arrived. 

Namjoon stays on the periphery of the party, sipping on the champagne. He recognizes people from work and some of Jimin’s friends he’s met in the past, but they’re all involved in their own conversations. 

His gaze wanders from person to person, wondering if any of them made resolutions, if they’ve ever kept them. If anything has ever changed—actually changed—by making a resolution for the new year. 

If it’s even worth it to hope for a change.

He keeps looking and his eyes catch on a familiar figure across the room. Jungkook, wearing a ridiculous, shiny blazer that he has no business looking so good in. Namjoon’s stomach does a little flip as he notices, not for the first time, how Jungkook’s shoulders fill out the blazer, broad and strong. He’s talking with Taehyung, Jimin’s roommate, a tall eccentric whose family owns half the city.

The crowd shifts, and Namjoon’s stomach flips again when he catches sight of you, looking increasingly irritated at the conversation between the two men. Now you’re rolling your eyes, annoyed at something they’ve said. 

Namjoon’s eyes follow you as you yank the sliding glass doors to the balcony open. Before he knows it, he’s making his way to the door, murmuring his apologies as he tries not to bulldoze his coworkers out of the way. 

Before Namjoon can reach the door, Jungkook is already there, round eyes apologetic and pleading as he slips out onto the balcony, closing the door behind him. Namjoon stops in the middle of the crowd. 

He’s too late. 

Again. 

He tips the contents of his champagne glass down his throat. It’s not enough to quiet the self-loathing, but enough to carry him to the glass door and peer out onto the balcony. 

You’re looking up at Jungkook, something like disappointment on your face. He has his hands on your shoulders, rubbing the bare skin to warm you up in the cold. Your expression softens. You’re forgiving him for whatever transgression he has committed. 

An ugly roil of feelings churns in Namjoon’s gut, a mix of jealousy, envy, and longing he doesn’t want to untangle. 

Regret, though, is what he feels the most. There were so many moments when he could have done something, anything, when he could have made his feelings clear to either, both of you. 

Yoongi pushed him to do something, to say something. Of course he did, what else are best friends for? But even though Namjoon saw want clearly written in Jungkook’s eyes, time and time again, he hesitated. Every time they touched, whether in passing in the office, or when they were working out together, Namjoon was so careful, so careful to not let his hands linger, even though all he wanted to do was feel the planes of Jungkook’s body against his, strong and muscular. Because it was inappropriate, because of Namjoon’s position, because he was Jungkook’s mentor. 

And then you showed up, beautiful, confident. Every time you won a case, you lit up the room, radiant, victorious. And all Namjoon wanted to do was crowd you against the elevator walls as you headed back to the office together. He wanted to know if you were as soft and pliable out of your clothes as you were hard and unyielding in the courtroom. Yoongi had more to say every time you and Namjoon were in his restaurant. But again Namjoon hesitated. 

And he was too late. All he has left is regret and unrelenting visions of both of you, soft and hard, next to him, on top and below him, wanting nothing more than the all-encompassing press of warm skin against skin. 

A loud bang pulls him back to the party. One of the ladies from IT tripped into the glass door beside Namjoon. He reaches out to steady her, his hand on her elbow. She blushes when Namjoon smiles at her, and she laughs it off, embarrassed.

By the time he turns back to glance out to the balcony, Jungkook has you wrapped up in his blazer and you’re both facing out to the city. 

Someone claps him on the shoulder, and he looks back to see Taehyung. “You look like you need something stronger than champagne.” 

A karaoke machine appears sometime before midnight. 

Namjoon has officially joined the ranks of the well and truly sloshed. Taehyung took him to the large pantry behind the kitchen, where Jimin had stashed the good bottles of whisky behind boxes of cereal, and he has gone back several times for a refill.

He doesn’t let himself get this drunk, not usually. He’s so careful, always so fucking careful, about how he’s perceived, about what he’s expected to do, how he’s supposed to act, as an adult, as a manager, as the hotshot lawyer people think he is. But the whisky warms his stomach tonight and blurs the edges of the sharp feelings deep in the pit of his stomach. 

Whoever is screeching at the karaoke machine needs to stop. He feels it in the base of his skull and it’s making the night all the more unpleasant than it already is. He can tell them off, of course he can. He’s the head of Litigation. 

He stumbles his way into the living room to make the horrible noise stop, but the song ends before he can get across the room. Thank god. He’s about to turn back to the kitchen to top up his glass when an angelic voice comes through the speakers. 

It takes a few blinks to focus his eyes. He eventually sees across the room that Jungkook has taken the mic, with Taehyung’s arms slung around his shoulders. 

They’re swaying as Jungkook sings “Leave The Door Open” by Silk Sonic. The rumble of the party quiets down. Someone whoops when he nails a high note. 

Namjoon leans back against the wall for support. It’s not the first time he’s heard Jungkook singing. He hums constantly in the office, but it’s only when he’s several drinks in and past the point of self-consciousness that he lets loose and really sings. His eyes are closed, not needing the lyrics, as he belts the song. 

A little sigh sounds next to him and he turns to see you, also leaning against the wall. Your eyes are soft for the man across the room, and a smile tugs at the corner of your lips. Namjoon looks back at Jungkook, and those feelings he was trying to dam with alcohol come rushing back. 

“You’re lucky, you know?” 

He doesn’t even realize he’s spoken out loud until he hears your voice beside him.

“Lucky?” 

Fuck. He has to say something. Clarify? Does he owe that to you?

“Look at him,” he says, gesturing across the room with his glass. “He’s hot and talented and good at his job. Competent people are hard to come by.” Shut up shut up shut up Namjoon, you’re rambling. “You’re competent too.” 

“Thanks?” 

The song ends and the room cheers for one more. Namjoon keeps his eyes trained across the room as Jungkook queues up another song. He can’t look at you right now. You’re too close.  

"Don't be a manager. It's overrated," he says quietly. "Careers don’t fucking matter. You have that freedom still, to do whatever.” 

The next song starts, “Falling” by Harry Styles. A shiver runs down Namjoon’s spine as Jungkook starts singing. 

“Jesus, just listen to his voice.” 

“Boss, are you okay?” you ask, putting your hand on Namjoon’s arm. 

He closes his eyes at the touch, and at that fucking nickname. He hates it. Hates his role at work, his chronic overthinking. He fucking despises himself for the person he’s crafted himself to be, hiding behind a job title, too focused on what society tells him is success to chase what he wants now. 

He looks at you, finally, to see confusion and concern written all over your face. 

“I’m happy for you two.” He can hear the sadness in his own voice and it’s fucking pathetic. He goes to take a sip of his drink, but it’s empty. Again. “I really am. Truly.” 

You just look at him like you’re about to say something nice and sweet and heartbreaking. Fuck. He’s gotta get out of here. 

In his drunk haze, he doesn’t realize that you don’t follow him to the kitchen. 

Karaoke ends with everyone scream-singing some pop-punk song that Namjoon vaguely recognizes. 

It’s getting close to midnight anyway, so the party roars back into swing, bass thumping, people dancing in the living room in a crush of bodies. 

Namjoon stands against the wall, the empty drink glass in his hand, watching everyone else lose their inhibitions. Even drunk as he is, the vice grip of anxiety keeps him from joining the crowd, from letting loose, and letting his body move to the music. 

He spots you and Jungkook in the crowd, your back against his, eyes closed as you dance to the beat, both faces flushed with alcohol. Namjoon waits, anticipating… something. What exactly, he doesn’t know. All he knows is that this picture is incomplete. He sits on the outside, watching the two of you from afar.

Then it hits him. He’s used to it now, like breathing, like the sun rising and setting, your faces turning towards Namjoon like sunflowers face the sun. Always finding him in a room. How many times has he locked eyes from across the room with Jungkook, with you?

And now, you’re not looking at Namjoon. Neither of you are. 

As the countdown to midnight starts, Jungkook spins you around to face him. You laugh and join in counting with the crowd. 

3…

Namjoon holds his own countdown, waiting for either or both sets of eyes to find him on the edge of the crowd. 

2…

Jungkook’s arms wrap around you. 

1…

Your fingers tangle in his hair. 

Happy New Year!

You’re kissing and laughing, rejoicing in the new year. When Jungkook’s eyes open, they’re trained on your face, and you look back, eyes only for Jungkook. 

Something breaks inside Namjoon. He doesn’t even know who his envy is aimed towards. Does he want to be Jungkook, kissing you, or does he want to be in your place, cupping the back of Jungkook’s head? 

Things never change on New Year’s Eve, except this year, something has. 

He slips out of the party without anyone noticing. The sharp cold brings him back to his senses. Without the party in his head, he can breathe. He can think. 

His breath fogs up in the early morning air. Every inhale brings a cold clarity back to him. 

He knows what he has to do. 

A/N II: This scene was originally meant to take place in the middle of Chapter 5 from reader's POV. The more I worked on it, the more I struggled with it. The whole chapter was dragging and nothing I wrote was working, so I took it out. I think it improved the flow of Ch 5 and helped me finish Ch 5 a bit faster. It's still an important part of the story, and I think it worked better from Namjoon's POV. So before we head to the final couple chapters (!!!!) I really wanted to show how Namjoon's been feeling. (And my brain wouldn't let me work on Ch 6 until I finished this.)

I'm not gonna put a date on the next installment. It's still largely unwritten, but hopefully the momentum from finishing this helps with the draft for Ch 6. Thanks for your patience! Lots of forehead kisses for y'all 💕

[starsstuddedsky]

Chapter 1 - The Mistake

reader x jihoon

masterlist | Chapter 2

summary: when you're caught in a simple lie, the best solution? dig in and stick to your guns until everything inevitably goes wrong and everyone gets hurt

or, a serial dater and a pessimist fake a relationship in the vain hope that nothing will go wrong

genre: fluff, angst, non-idol au, lawyer au, coworkers to lovers??? friends to lovers???? fake dating!!!!!

warnings: mentions of alcohol, food, bad decision making

wc: 3.9k

a/n: thank you all for being excited!!!! the first part is mostly the same as the teaser though there’s been some minor grammatical edits! I’m can’t believe it’s finally being dropped!!! I hope you all enjoy the chaos!!

updates: every tuesday

taglist: open! send an ask or comment!

If Jihoon was stopped on the street and told to name three facts about you, he could probably do it. He doesn’t know your favorite color, or what you ate for dinner last night, but he knows where you went to school (since it’s been the same school as him since elementary school) and where you work (since it’s the same law firm he works at). He might struggle for a bit for a third fact, but eventually he’d settle for this: you are hopeless when it comes to love. 

Unfortunately, Soonyoung isn’t asking three facts about you, he is asking what Jihoon has planned for your anniversary. Jihoon blinks at Soonyoung, standing beside his table. 

“My anniversary?” 

“Yeah,” he says slowly. “With yn?” 

He runs a mental check of any possible thing that Soonyoung could be referring to, then checks his calendar on his phone. Both come up empty. 

To be honest, Jihoon would be more surprised if there is something he’s forgetting. Despite knowing you for so long (in the way that he’s grown up with you but hasn’t had an actual conversation with you since he was seven), he’d never call you his friend; at best, you're a coworker. 

But the way Soonyoung is looking at him now makes him wonder if he’s forgotten something, and worry that whatever he’s forgotten is important. 

“You don’t have anything planned?” Soonyoung says, loud enough for the couple sitting at the table across from Jihoon look up. Soonyoung doesn’t seem to notice. “Dude, it’s been a whole year. I can’t remember the last time yn has had a boyfriend for a full year, you have nothing planned?” 

Boyfriend? Jihoon stands up, snapping his laptop shut. “Look, I don’t really know what’s going on, and quite frankly, I don’t have time for it. Tell yn, or whoever is behind this prank that it’s not funny and to grow up.” He leaves Soonyoung standing there frowning, leaving the coffee shop and pulling his satchel over his shoulder. 

It’s a short walk from the coffee shop to the firm, and Jihoon uses it to think things through. Here’s what he knows: 1) Soonyoung is your best friend since middle school, 2) he isn’t the type to lie about this for fun, and 3) you have sworn off dating (a fourth fact!). So either A) Soonyoung lied (uncharacteristic) or B) you’ve lied (not out of character for you, you are a divorce lawyer). He figures the second option makes the most sense, though the why still troubles him. He waits for the elevator, staring at his distorted reflection that makes face shrink and his ears look comically large. 

The doors open with a small ding and a stream of people flow out. Jihoon politely steps to the side to let them through before getting on. Thankfully, it’s a much less crowded ride up, only a couple other people, none of whom are going to the firm on the nineteenth floor. Jihoon is able to focus completely on the person he otherwise has spent very little time thinking about: you. 

Despite knowing you for so many years, Jihoon really couldn’t say much about you (see above limited list of facts). What he does know is mostly filtered through Wonwoo, whose office is next to yours and separated by rather thin walls. Jihoon didn’t expect Wonwoo to be into gossip, especially since he’s known you since law school and actually calls himself your friend, but Jihoon has heard more about your love life than he ever wanted to. That’s why he knows of crucial fact #4: You have sworn off dating. 

He knows—from Wonwoo—that after your third boyfriend in as many months, you gave up on ever being able to balance dating and work, tired of having your heart broken over and over again. According to Wonwoo—who allegedly heard this from you over the phone with your friend (which Jihoon thinks is at the very least an invasion of privacy, but Wonwoo argued you were on a personal call during work hours so it’s free game)—you cited your failures in love to your own tendency to “catch feelings too fast” (he isn’t sure if Wonwoo was quoting you or using his own words, but they stuck with him). From Wonwoo’s lamenting, he knows that you’ve since sworn off dating, giving up on the pains of failed romance. So why does your best friend think that you’ve been dating him for the past year? 

He isn’t thinking when he walks into your office without knocking. You’re on the phone, though you hang up quickly when he walks in. You’re frowning, and he wonders if Soonyoung was on the phone when you hung up. You stand as he pulls the door shut behind him. 

“I can explain,” you say, confirming his suspicions. “It’s not what you think.” 

“Oh, so you haven’t lied to your friends and told them we’re dating?” Jihoon says, folding his arms. 

“It sounds bad when you say it like that,” you mumble. 

“It is bad,” he says, shaking his head. “Honestly, you’re lucky I don’t report you to HR. This is borderline harassment, you really should know better.” 

“I know,” you say, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Seriously, did you think you could get away with it? Soonyoung went to middle school and high school with us, surely you knew this wouldn’t last,” he says. “What were you going to do at a reunion?” 

“Well, I didn’t go last year,” you mumble. You leave out neither did you, but when you meet his eyes, he can tell that you aren’t totally beat. Not yet. 

“I just thought you were smarter than this,” Jihoon says. “I mean, we don’t know each other well, and I know you never scored as high as I did on tests, but I didn’t think you’d be this stupid.” 

“I get it, you think I didn’t think this through,” you say. “I really am sorry, but I don’t have the time to listen to you lecture me for a full hour, so can you at least make it quick?” 

Jihoon blinks. “Why?” He says, more statement than question. “Why did you lie?” 

You sigh, slumping into your chair. “Long story very short, I had a few too many bad relationships and I decided I wasn’t going to date anymore because apparently I have a tendency to fall in love with brick walls.” 

Jihoon figures it’s a bad idea to tell you he already knew that, opting to nod so that you continue to explain. 

“The problem is, pretty much none of my friends believed that I would actually be able to keep it up,” you say. “They thought that I’d fall for the first person that gave me an ounce of attention. The thing is, it actually did work. I haven’t been on a date in a year, and I think it’s been really, really good for me. But my friends didn’t believe it. 

“So I lied. I told them I started dating someone from work, and I did think it through: I said someone from the firm, since they don’t know anyone, and because my mystery boyfriend is a lawyer, they weren’t surprised when he was busy all the time and couldn’t come to anything. Plus, since it was someone from work, I could say that we had to keep everything quiet because I told them dating wasn’t allowed. Everything was perfect, actually.” 

Jihoon can almost see your logic. Almost. “Why me?” 

You’re quiet for a long moment, staring at your closed laptop. “They wanted a name, and yours was the first I thought of, and then the lie just sort of took on a life of its own.” You have the audacity to smile. “Did you know that you’ve been in love with me since elementary school?” 

Jihoon scoffs. “There’s no way they believed that.” 

“You’d be surprised,” you say, with a fond smile. It vanishes when you meet his glare. 

More than anything, Jihoon is confused, but the one thing he is absolutely certain about is that he doesn’t want anyone walking around thinking he’s dating someone that he isn’t, especially not when that someone is you.

 He can’t think of anyone more different than him; your office is testament to that, filled with all sorts of knick knacks and brightly colored pillows, mugs from around the world strategically spread around your bookshelves, which hold a combination of books on law as well as classic novels and collections of stories. He remembers that before you went to law school, you majored in English. Pride and Prejudice sits in between a copy of War and Peace and Beowulf, with a bright red glass ornament keeping them upright. 

He thinks about his own office. His only decorations were at the insistence of Seungkwan and Seungcheol: a plant that Jihoon was actively trying to kill (and starting to suspect is fake), a set of colorful highlighters that he would never use that Seungcheol said “brightened the room,” and a framed photograph of all of his friends at Seungkwan’s graduation. The last piece, a gift from Seungcheol, is the only one he will admit he doesn’t mind having in his office, but he could live without everything else. He doesn’t know how you manage to work with so much going on in your office. 

But the biggest difference between the two of you, Jihoon realizes, comes from a fundamentally different understanding of the world: while you seem to find love in everything (and everyone), Jihoon simply doesn’t believe it exists. 

.

.

The street lights in front of Joshua’s building are out, again. It used to set Jihoon on edge, but he’s come to expect it more often than not, and waits patiently as he rings the buzzer to be let in. 

He’s also late, again. The door swings open and he waves at the man behind the front desk. He should know his name with how often he visits Joshua’s apartment. There’s no one in the lobby and he gets to ride the elevator to the sixth floor alone. 

Mentally, he prepares himself for the chaos of the night. It’s been months since everyone has been able to get together (and even then, Wonwoo had to cancel because there was a complication in his case that left him stuck at the office even later than Jihoon). Still, the rest of the group—Joshua, Seungcheol, and Seungkwan—were finally able to meet up, which means that the night is going to at the very least be interesting. 

They didn’t wait for Jihoon to start drinking. He has to knock three times before the door finally swings open. Unfortunately, Mingyu is behind the door, and he practically lifts Jihoon off the ground, wrapping him in a hug. Jihoon has met him maybe six times but apparently that means that he’s close enough for a suffocating hug. 

“I haven’t seen you in six months!” He shouts, dragging Jihoon inside. The rest of the boys, in varying degrees of intoxication, tackle him as well. Seungkwan is close to tears, babbling in his ear about how long it’s been, and Seungcheol is one step away from kissing him on the cheek (Jihoon dodges it). 

Joshua is clearly more sober, settling for a quick hug when he finally disentangles himself from the others. 

“Work was good?” Joshua asks. 

Jihoon shrugs. “Work was work.” 

“You’re late,” Seungkwan says, still clinging to Jihoon’s arm. 

“You should be grateful I came at all,” Jihoon says, though he doesn’t push Seungkwan off. It isn't worth the effort when he knows that he’ll latch on again as soon as he can. He still shoves Mingyu before he can take his other arm. 

Jihoon lets Seungkwan drag him onto the couch. It’s long past dinner time, but there’s still plenty of snacks laid out. Despite the faulty lighting outside, Joshua’s apartment actually looks nice. He’s traded cheap beer for a growing collection of wine next to his bookcase that is no longer solely populated by fantasy books. Jihoon still has his doubts about the quality of the wine. 

“You’re still coming Saturday, right?” Seungkwan says, resting his chin on Jihoon’s shoulder. 

“Yes,” he says, pushing him gently on the forehead to get him off his shoulder. “Just like when you asked yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.” 

“Well, it’s not like you always show up,” Joshua says. He sits on the other side of Jihoon, the rest of the boys spreading between the couch and floor. Mingyu stretches out on the floor, long limbs resting in front of Jihoon. 

“I come when I say I do,” Jihoon says, lifting his feet so they are resting on top of Mingyu’s shin instead of beneath them. 

“Except for Johnny’s wedding,” Seungkwan says. 

“And my birthday,” Seungcheol says. 

“Oh, and that one time we went to dinner to celebrate your promotion,” Joshua says. 

“Those were extenuating circumstances,” Jihoon says. “Out of my control.” 

“I’m telling you, if you just went on one date, it would fix everything,” Seungkwan says. 

“Here we go again,” Jihoon mutters. 

“No, no, the logic is there!” Seungkwan says. “If you actually dated someone, you’d understand that you can’t just blow things off, that other people’s feelings do in fact matter.”  

“Plus you wouldn’t be such an uptight little bitch,” Seungcheol says. “What?” He asks when everyone stares at him. “It’s true.” 

Jihoon shakes his head. “I don’t know why you all are convinced that my love life is why I’m like this. What if this is just who I am?” 

“Did Jihoon just admit he’s an ‘uptight little bitch’?” Mingyu asks from the floor. 

“I thought it was an accepted fact,” Joshua says, then apparently realizes that he hasn’t had enough alcohol to excuse rude comments because he takes a very long sip of his wine and looks anywhere but at Jihoon. 

“Anyways,” Seungkwan says, smacking Jihoon’s chest. Jihoon thinks it was meant to be a reassuring pat. “We’re getting distracted from the really important things.” 

“Which are?” Joshua asks when Seungkwan trails off into silence. 

“The fact that Jihoon has never once been on a date,” Seungkwan says. 

“And you guys wonder why I always ditch,” Jihoon mumbles. “Besides,” he says. “I have been on a date. Multiple dates.” 

“Those don’t count,” Seungkwan says. “We set them up.” 

“A date is a date,” Jihoon says. “How does that not count?” 

“Okay, there’s a date and there’s a date,” Seungkwan says. “You go on a date because your friends set it up and it’s too late to say no, but you go on a date because there’s something else, a feeling, a— a—”

Jihoon frowns at the stuttering man beside him. “How much have you had to drink?” 

“Let the man speak!” Joshua says. “He’s got a point!” 

“What point?” 

“You!” Mingyu says, lifting his leg to bounce Jihoon’s feet. Apparently his alcohol impaired brain thinks this is hilarious because he does it a couple more times until Jihoon digs his heel onto his thigh (and maybe a little too close to his crotch). “You, Lee Jihoon, have never told someone how you felt. Actually, have you even felt anything before? Seriously, I mean, I haven’t known you nearly as long as these idiots but have you ever told them you love them? Or even care about them?” 

Jihoon looks around, Seungkwan at his side, Joshua on the floor leaning against the coffee table, Seungcheol on the far end of the couch, and Mingyu, who’s managed to lift his head off the floor. Though no one else says anything, he can tell they agree with Mingyu, waiting expectantly for him to admit that he has a problem. 

And that’s when Jihoon realizes he knows exactly how you felt: cornered with no hope for escape because the people you care about most in the world are convinced that your lack of a love life is somehow congruent with your happiness. Though it’s still just as ridiculous to him, he understands it. And even though there isn’t a drop of alcohol in his system, the words are out before he can stop them. 

“I have been on a real date,” he says. “Multiple actually. With the same person. Because I’m dating someone.” 

Jihoon has been friends with the guys (with the exception of Mingyu) for the better part of ten years, some of them even longer. He knows them better than his own family, and he knows that when they are quiet, it never bodes well. 

Joshua is the first to break, unsuccessfully attempting to hide his snort as a cough. It devolves from there, Seungkwan practically shrieking with laughter while Seungcheol pounds the arm of the couch so hard Jihoon worries it’ll break. He lifts his feet off of Mingyu because the larger man is bouncing them with his laughter. 

“I am!” 

“Sure,” Seungkwan manages through tears. “Just like Mingyu has a real job.” 

“Hey!” Mingyu says. “You were one of my references!” 

Seungkwan waves his hand, leaning fully onto Jihoon, whose patience has begun to wear thin. “Seriously, though, you expect us to believe that?” 

“Yes!” Jihoon says, because there’s nothing he can do but stick to his lie. “I have been seeing someone!” 

“And they’re real? A human being?” Seungcheol asks, then pouts when Jihoon smacks his knee. 

“Yes, they are real, and yes, they are human,” Jihoon says. For some reason, he thinks about your smile (not that you’ve ever directed it towards him). “And they’re… nice.” 

“Wow,” Joshua says with a whistle. “You heard it here first: Jihoon’s definitely not made up date is real and human and nice.” He ignores the glare, running to the kitchen to get another wine bottle instead. 

“So, does this very real, nice, human date have a name, or do you need more time to make one up?” Seungkwan asks. 

“Yn,” Jihoon says. “From work.” 

“Yn, like yn ln?” Joshua asks, returning with a very full glass. 

“Yn? Why is that name familiar?” Seungcheol asks. 

“Didn't they go to the same college as us?” Joshua asks. 

“And law school, right?” Mingyu says. Jihoon curses his friends for having such good memory and caring about his life. 

“Wait, aren’t they the person that you went to school with ever since you were kids and you said something like ‘they’d fall for an lemon if it tasted sweet enough?’” Seungkwan asks, sitting up. 

How his drunk little brain could remember that specific phrasing is a mystery to Jihoon, but he grits his teeth and says, “That was a long time ago. They’ve changed. I’ve changed.” He rolls his eyes at Seungkwan’s laugh. 

“You’re really going with this?” Joshua asks. 

“Going with what?” Jihoon asks with a sigh. “I am dating someone! I don’t know why you all find this so hard to believe!” 

“Okay, for starters, you didn’t tell us that you started seeing someone,” Joshua says. “And you also have only ever said bad things about yn.” 

“Okay, well, despite what you all apparently think, you aren’t entitled to every tiny detail of my life,” Jihoon says. “But we started dating a month ago.” The lie comes easily now, though a small part of him is screaming that this is all a mistake and he’s going to regret all of this. He pats it on the head and pushes past it looking for good things to say about you. 

“What about yn?” Mingyu asks. 

“What about them?” 

“You know, why you like them,” Mingyu says. 

Jihoon’s face curls into a scowl before he can stop it. 

“Okay, since feelings are hard for you,” Joshua says in a rather patronizing voice, “why don’t you tell us something about them? Anything.” 

“Anything?” Jihoon studies his fingers, thinking about his very short list. He can’t talk about school (Fact #1), or work (Fact #2), or even your pitiful romantic life (Fake #3), because apparently they already know about all of those. There’s no way he can talk about Fact #4, so he’s stuck scrambling to put two thoughts together while they all stare at him expectantly. 

He can see their already limited belief beginning to wane as the silence continues, so he blurts out, “Yn has terrible taste in music.” 

“Worse than you?” Seungkwan asks. 

“Shut up.” He knows that he needs to change topics before they ask who exactly you listen to and he’ll really be screwed. He thinks desperately of every time he’s seen you over the past twenty years. He remembers when the office ordered burritos, and tries to remember the color of the sauce you chose. Red, right? “They like spicy food. Like, really spicy food. And…” 

And despite all your heartbreaks and failed relationships, not only in your own life, but in negotiating divorces every other day, you still somehow believe in love. That’s probably the thing Jihoon admires most about you, but he doesn’t think he should say it now since it would (accurately) imply that he still doesn’t believe in love. 

He settles for, “they see the world differently,” because that’s basically the truth. 

Joshua takes another long sip of his wine while Mingyu lays back on the floor, breathing slowing. Seungkwan tucks his head back on Jihoon’s shoulder. It’s clear they still don’t believe him, at least not fully, but for the first time tonight, Jihoon has told the truth, and that seems to be enough to at least shut them up. 

Jihoon starts to feel claustrophobic with Seungkwan still clinging to his arm and giggling, pushing him farther into the arm of the couch. The reality of what he has said hangs over his head like a fuming storm cloud that hasn’t dropped its load yet. But it hangs low, dark and churning with lightning and thunder that warn the destruction of anyone foolish enough to get stuck below it. 

Apparently that isn’t enough to stop his mouth from saying things before he can really think it through. In his final act of this magnificently idiotic night, Jihoon adds, “And they are coming with me on Saturday. As my date.” 

Seungkwan gasps. “Seriously?” 

“Can you get another ticket?” 

“I can do anything if you are actually bringing a real live date!” He jumps off the couch, diving for his phone (Joshua catches him before he faceplants and manages to distract him from whatever drunk texting he was about to attempt). 

Jihoon is finally free to breathe, looking up at Seungcheol to find a strange look in his eyes. “Is this a good idea?” 

Jihoon almost laughs. If only he knew the half of it. But he doesn’t know, which just means that he’s looking down on Jihoon, so he shrugs. “It’s beyond time for you all to meet them.” 

Seungcheol shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. He’ll be the hardest to convince, too busy thinking he knows better than everyone. Maybe he does, but Jihoon will be damned if he admits it. 

Jihoon needs to leave before he says anything else dumb. He stands up from the couch and immediately finds himself on the floor. Mingyu. He had forgotten the tall idiot had fallen asleep right underneath his feet. Now Jihoon is on the floor next to him, listening to the rest of his friends howl with laughter while Mingyu blinks and frowns. As if he hadn’t thoroughly embarrassed himself already. 

Plus there’s the fact that he somehow needs to figure out how to actually ask you to be his fake date for the indefinite future.

Yeah, Jihoon is pretty much screwed.

[mlove44lh]

For a lifetime Part II - En/USA version

Part I here

Warnings: NSFW, +18, smut, angst, fluff, original character.

Words: 12.486

Summary: Lewis and Angie met in their childhood and after a short time they were already inseparable, the relationship escalated and soon they became more than friends. But life happened to both and they ended up following different paths. Nine years later they meet again. Is all that love really gone?

Notes: Some events are out of chronological order.

To read the second part, it is not necessary to have read the first, but you might not understand some things.

August 2015

I adjusted the necklace with my initial on my chest and took one last look in the mirror. The red lipstick highlighted my lips in a way that I wasn't sure if it was pretty or obscene. But I tried to push that thought away since I had already changed my lipstick 3 times in the last few minutes.

-Calm down. -I whispered to myself as I stared at my reflection. 

I was still in disbelief at everything that had happened in my life, everything had gone so well in the last few years, but I didn't think it would reach this point. Being part of the creative direction of a brand the size of Valentino is much more than I dreamed of. But here I am, in London, my new home since the last year, working with much more than I dreamed of. The work is wonderful, and even though I don't use my own designs, I help manage everything that involves the brand and the collections.

When all that happened between me and Lewis, for a moment I thought that my plan was not going to work, I was afraid of having given up the best thing in my life for a dream far from coming true. It was hard at first and to this day I think a lot about how it could have been, but I don't regret for a second the decision I made, even though it hurt for years.

I needed the maturity that time brings to be able to remember Lewis with a smile on my face, and I admit that I haven't stopped cheering for him at any moment in all this time. Seeing him win 2 world titles and go on his way to 3rd makes me the happiest and proudest person in the world. But I know that our story had an end, and it took me a while to accept that, but eventually, it happened, I was able to make peace with my decision and the end of our relationship. And today I only feel gratitude for everything we've experienced together.

I took out my phone and checked for one last time the address of the location where the cocktail presentation of the new Valentino collection would take place. As much as I've been at this job for a while, I still haven't gotten used to all the extravagance around it, cocktails like this are something I don't know if I'll ever get used to.

❀

I got out of the car and thanked the driver before closing the door, I looked at the large building and felt intimidated by its size. The marble stairs and columns of the hall only showed a little of all the majesty contained within the place. All the decorations in the party hall were in the beautiful shade of Valentino pink and I couldn't imagine anything more than such good taste.

It didn't take me long to find my coworkers near the bar, the place was full and I didn't know most of the people. There were guests, employees, and other stylists from all over the world. Valentino didn't skimp a bit on this cocktail.

-Angie! -I had left my colleagues and gone to explore the hall when I heard his voice calling me.

-Paolo, my dear! How are you? 

Paolo is the head director of Valentino, he was the one who discovered me in Paris and called me to work for his brand, and over time we ended up becoming great friends.

-Oh I'm good. Everything is perfect. -Paolo handed me his arm, which I accepted. We started to walk together through the hall. -What a wonderful dress, I wonder what talented hand signed it. 

I chuckled at his statement and patted my hand lightly on his. My dress screams Valentino.

-The best of all, of course. 

Paolo was leading me around the room and he seemed to be looking for someone. 

-Come bella, I want to introduce you to our main model of this new collection.

-I thought we would keep on with Miles, no?! 

-Oh no, I think this new collection deserves someone with more…Personality, you know? And luckily we managed to find someone that is perfect for the job.

I was looking at Paolo while walking, so when we got to that person, I didn't notice who it was until I heard his name. 

-Lewis, let me introduce you to our creative director. - He turned to us and I could see the panic in his eyes as he landed on me. I wasn't any different. No fucking way. -Angie, this is Lewis Hamilton. You must know him, great formula 1 driver, and our newest model for the new campaign.

Oh no.

No.

Please no.

The pain I was feeling in my feet because of the high heels disappeared from one second to another. Suddenly I don't feel anything anymore, the huge hall became a small room the moment I realized who was in front of me. I squeezed Paolo's arm unconsciously, I have no idea how my face is at that moment, but if my shock is showing, I'm letting everyone know how surprised I am to see him again.

I feel like I might pass out, it's like all my blood has been drained from my body, I'm freezing, trying to process everything and not end up throwing up right here in front of everyone.

Lewis looks so different. But at the same time, he looks exactly the same person I left at Stevenage nine years ago. It's almost an insult to how the passage of time has only served to make him even more attractive.

I want to run out of this room and not look back, but at the same time, I could also stay here for hours, looking at him and marking in my mind everything that changed in his body and everything that remains exactly the same. Like his eyes, those beautiful eyes that I would recognize anywhere in this world and at any moment in my life, those same eyes that cried with me, and that same lips that made me promises in vain.

I want to cry, I want to hug him and then punch him. All at once. But of course, I won't do any of those things, instead, I'll just stand here, looking at him and pretending that I'm fine and that the memories of years ago don't affect me anymore. I was very wrong to make myself believe that I could get over this man who is now standing right in front of me.

I can't stop looking at him, but from my peripheral vision I can feel Paolo's gaze beside me, burning me, I know I have to do something, but I don't know how. But then Lewis does it for me, and I see his hand move from the side of his body, and extend it in front of me, waiting for a handshake.

-Nice to meet you, Angie. 

Wait a second. What? He will pretend he doesn't know me? If I looked confused before, it's only increased now. Why would he do that? 

why the fuck is he acting like he doesn't know me??

I was static and it took a little push from Paolo to bring me back to reality. I quickly shake his hand, trying not to stay in contact with him any longer than necessary. And hoping my shaking hands would go unnoticed by him and Paolo 

-The pleasure is mine.

I don't know why I didn't deny it either, I could have said something but I didn't. I just followed his game, whatever it is. I don't want to extend this one second longer than necessary.

Lewis smiles at me, which makes my stomach churns with anxiety, that's not his smile, I know him. That smile now is like a programmed, studied, and rehearsed smile. I was there when the smiles were real and unscarred, I spent hours on end looking at that smile and laughing with it, analyzing every detail of its features when there was just enough happiness in it for me to tattoo in my mind. And there's a big difference to that smile now. I hope with all my heart that this is a consequence of his nervousness and not a change that came with these years we spent apart. It would be mean to the world for people not to have the opportunity to see the perfection of his true smile.

I don't smile back at him, if I try to curl my lips into a smile the chances are I'll get the exact opposite and start crying.

I can hear Paolo's voice in the background, but when I start to pay attention Paolo has already stopped talking and is now looking at me with a face that I can't interpret as being too angry or too embarrassed, either way, I can see it in his face how screwed I am.

-Yes. I can't wait to start working with you, I've already had the opportunity to see some pieces, and from what I believe it will be a great collection. -Lewis says looking intently at Paolo. At this point, I no longer know if the question was directed at me or Lewis.

They start talking about the brand, but I can't pay attention to anything. I took my eyes off Lewis and since then the noise in my mind seems to have gotten even bigger. I don't take long to find an excuse and get out of there.

I go to the bathroom and lock the door, the high collar of my dress manages to make me feel even more suffocated, I take one, two, twenty breaths before trying to get my thoughts in order. This is not right, he is a formula 1 driver, I work in the fashion industry, and our paths would never cross, I know that. I thought about it for a long time. I planned my steps so as not to run into his, it was supposed to be a safe field and away from Lewis. Why is this happening? Why now? Just when I was thinking less about us, imagining us less. Suffering less for us.

Us...

And now it's all gone, all the effort I've made to get him out of my mind, and he appears right in front of me, in flesh, blood, and Valentino.

I should have been part of the decision for the new model. I think about talking with Paolo that I don't like Lewis as our principal model, but I couldn't do that, and it's too late for a change like that anyway. I even think about resigning, but that is out of the question, not when it took me years to live this dream, and not because of a ghost from my past that I insisted on keeping alive.

At the end of the day, I'll just have to deal with it and live the next few weeks running from Lewis. And just thinking about it makes me feel suffocated again.

I take out my phone and check the notifications, I come across an angry Paolo in my messages.

"What’s wrong with you?" 

"Why did you treat our model that way, Angie? Are you insane?" 

"You're lucky I love you and your work is phenomenal, otherwise I swear you were out. I'm so pissed at you." 

-Shit.

God, I could scream right now, everything happening all at once. I type and delete a reply to Paolo several times, not sure what to say to him. What excuse can I make for what just happened? 

"Sorry, I don't know what just happened to me. I promise it won't happen again."

I send the message to Paolo and check the hours before locking my phone screen. Two more hours and I can go home. Two more hours, that's all, and I'll go home, throw myself under the covers, and never come out. 

I leave the bathroom and go back to where I was before my night turned into this craziness.

-Can I have a whiskey on the rocks? -I ask the bartender as soon as I lean against the bar counter. He didn't take long to serve my drink. I swallow all of the amber liquid in a few sips, the burn of the alcohol going down my throat doesn't have the immediate effect I'd like it to, I can still feel my whole body tense. I don't think even an alcoholic coma could calm me down at this moment.

The bar is emptier, most people are now on the dancefloor. I try to spot Lewis but he's nowhere to be seen, I want to make sure I'm at a safe distance from him.

After putting down my glass on the marble counter, I get off the stool and walk outside, which is even emptier. I light a cigarette and try to dissipate him from my mind. Don't blame me, 4 years in Paris makes anyone a smoker.

I try with all the tactics I've developed over the years to put him out of my thoughts. Even after all this time I still haven't found the secret formula for it.

I smell him before I hear his voice, the smell that's been imbued in my brain since the last hour when we meet again. His new fragrance is enjoyable, certainly an expensive perfume that he can now afford it without any difficulty.

-That's not a healthy habit. As I recall you hated that sort of thing. 

I turn to face him. 

-Oh, so you remember me.

He gives me a wanton half-smile that makes me mad. 

- I'm sorry, I didn't know what to say there. I don't want people to start to assume anything.

Pretentious.

-And why would people start to assume anything? -I put out my cigarette and throw it into the ashtray beside me. 

His half-smile disappears. He doesn't answer me. I wait a few seconds before realizing that that was the end of our conversation.

So I walk past him to head back into the party. 

I feel his fingers wrap around my wrist and 

by the surprise of the contact, I stop immediately to look at him. Lewis is inches away from me now, and if it weren't for the whiskey and the cigarette I would probably already exploded from the tension by now.

He's so close, too close to make me intoxicated, too close to stop me from thinking clearly. 

-Let's talk. Please. -His voice is so low that I have to think twice if he really just said that, or if it was just my imagination.

-We don't have anything to talk about, Lewis. 

I calmly let go of him and start climbing the stairs to enter the hall. 

-We meet again like this, after all this time, after everything we've had, our whole history. Don't you think it means something?

I laugh at his comment. I go down the few steps I managed to climb before being interrupted and return to the position I was before.

-It means you agreed to be a model for the brand I work for and now I'm going to have to deal with you for weeks until this is all over. That's all it means. -I went back up the stairs while holding my dress so I wouldn't end up stepping on it. How dare he say that kind of thing when I was the one suffering for him while he was with someone else this whole time? I turned myself to him one last time. -And we didn't have anything. No “history” at all, Lewis, for God's sake. We're childhood sweethearts that ended up nowhere.

I leave Lewis behind and return to the party even more nervous. It doesn't take long for the cocktail party to end and everyone starts to leave the area. I was already leaving the place when Paolo pulls me to the corner.

-Are you okay? What happened there? 

Paolo doesn't look nervous anymore, he looks at me with curiosity.

-I am. I'm sorry about that, I really don't know what happened to me. I already managed to apologize to him too. -Lie.

-Yes, I saw you talking out there. -Shit. I didn't need one more thing to worry about today -Do you guys know each other? 

-No. -I lie. - I've seen him before but we've never been introduced.

I wish like never before that Paolo had not heard our discussion, I don't know how I would explain to him everything that happened. But Paolo doesn't seem to have any doubts about my answer, and that calms me down. 

He nodded and was already walking away from me when I called him back.

-Paolo.- I didn't think I would have the audacity to ask him that. -Why didn't I participate in the meeting to decide on the new model? I should have participated, it's part of my job.

-Cause there was no meeting. He was the one who offered to be a model, and we just accepted. I didn't know that this could be a problem for you.

I freeze for a second before answering him. Why would Lewis do that? Of all the brands in the world and he offers fair sponsorship with Valentino. I can't help but think he already knew he'd find me here, and thinking about that makes my stomach churn.

-No. It's not. I was just curious.

I smile trying to hide my perplexity from Paolo. 

-Alright. See you on Monday then. 

I say goodbye to Paolo and head out of the hall. Still confused. Still unable to believe everything that just happened.

I get in the car and greet the driver. I thank heaven for the end of the night, I close my eyes and wait for the car to start moving, but instead what happens is the door next to me opens. I look at who it is and I can't believe who I find getting in the seat next to mine.

-No fucking way. -At this point, I'm not even trying to keep my composure anymore. 

-There are no more cars available and my hotel is close to your destination so they put us together. -Lewis slams the door and settles down next to me.

-No more cars available? In such a huge event like this? And you want me to believe that?

-I do. Because I'm telling the truth. I would call a taxi but we're in the middle of nowhere, it's two in the morning and I'm tired.

I'm too physically and emotionally exhausted to do anything, so I stay in my seat and hope the time passes quickly. Even before the car leaves I close my eyes and pretend I'm sleeping so I don't have to talk to him. But even with my eyes closed I can feel his gaze on me and it makes me mad with anger.

-Stop it. -I say with my eyes closed. 

-Stop with what? 

-Staring at me, stop it. 

-I just want to be able to talk to you and explain myself.

-Why? For what? -I don't want to open my eyes and have to deal with him. In that way, I can pretend this is all just a dream.

-Cause I know how much it hurts you, and it hurt me too. And I want to be able to explain myself and make you understand my side of it all. 

I opened my eyes finally facing the reality standing next to me.

-I think you're a little too late for that. -Lewis looked the most serious I had ever seen in my life, and with every word that came out of my mouth, his attention seemed redoubled. -You never came after me for anything. And after that last call, I stopped to exist in your life. And you just appeared now by an unfortunate coincidence of fate.

-Stop it, Angie. 

-Stop with what? -My voice is higher now. 

-Stop treating me like that. 

I laugh in an amused tone, even though I'm not amused at the moment.

-You treated me much worse than that. 

I could barely look at him anymore. Suddenly all those sensations from the beginning invaded me, everything that I thought was healed was shown to be even more harmed. I open the window in a frustrated attempt to breathe better inside that car.

-For someone who says we had nothing, you seem to be pretty upset. 

I glared at him when I heard those words. 

- Forget it, Lewis.

-No. Please. I want to listen to you, and I want you to listen to me. Let’s do this. But with a clear head. Let me take you to lunch tomorrow. 

-Forget about it. No. You lost your chance.

-Please. Please, that's all I ask of you. We're going to have to deal with each other for the next few weeks. Let's at least try to work it out and get out of this situation as friends. 

My laugh echoed through the car. 

-Friends?! Do you really think there's any chance of us being "friends" someday?

-Stop being defensive. -He's angry too. I can see it in his eyes. I don't know if he's angry at the situation or me. But I hope he's angry at himself.

-It was you who put me here. It was you who did this to me. 

His expression changed to concern. 

-I'm sorry.

-Listen Lewis. Here is the thing. Let's act like we really don't know each other. Let's deal with each other during these weeks and when it's finally over, we go live our lives like we were doing until today.

We get in silence for a couple of minutes, I thought the conversation was finally over, but it didn't take long for him to go back to talking.

-Just a lunch. And I promise I'll leave you alone. Just have lunch with me tomorrow so we can talk. -Lewis looks at me with a puppy face that I didn't know was capable on the face of a man in his 30s. -I'm a different person now. And so are you.

I sigh in defeat and finally give in to his request, I just want him to be quiet. 

-Okay. A lunch. And nothing more. 

-Perfect. Nothing more.

Suddenly he can't keep his smile to himself. Me on the other hand come back to close my eyes and wait for the end of the trip.

It doesn't take long for the driver to stop in front of the building where I live. I thank him and get out of the car. I hear the other door slam as well and I know that Lewis has come after me.

-This building looks great. -He says while pulling his hands in his pockets.

-It's not mine. My boyfriend lives here.

A huge lie, there is no boyfriend. After Lewis, I had only a few relationships that didn't pass from a one-night stand that didn't result in anything. The truth is that I never felt the way I was used to feel by his side. And when I learn that nobody could ever take his place in my life, I just gave up trying. But obviously, I won't admit this to him. And besides that, I wanted to see what would be his reaction to the false information.

-Oh. -He couldn't even hide it. It's ridiculous that he would even consider getting upset over something like that. We are complete strangers now. -I understood. 

I give him a forced smile. At least one point for me tonight.

-So. Anyway. At what time I can pass to pick you up tomorrow?

As soon as possible so that this ends soon.

-I don't know.

-Noon sounds good?

-Yes. Noon it's fine.

-Okay. Deal. See you tomorrow.

I saw him returning to the vehicle and watched him leaving the street. I take a deep breath, already regretting my decision.

❀

How to look stunning without seeming like you've spent hours trying? 

Not that I've spent hours trying. It's just that... Whatever.

It's past noon. I've always hated being late, but this time I confess it's kind of on purpose. There's no message on my phone because I didn't get to give him my number yesterday. We agreed it would just be a simple lunch, there's no reason for him to have any form of contact with me.

I should change this outfit, all this blue is not matching. But anyway it's ridiculous to put that much effort into it.

I grab my purse and look at myself in the mirror one last time.

 Blue will have to do.

I find Lewis leaning against his car at the entrance of the building. His casual outfit makes him even more attractive than he was yesterday. Now in the sunlight, I can see even more details, I notice the tattoos on his skin and how they only add to the fearless aura he's adopted over the last few years. As much as he looks completely changed, I still see that boy in front of me, so it's hard for me to believe in this whole new person he built.

-You look beautiful. 

-Thank you. -He didn't realize I spent too much time getting ready, did he? He's just being nice. -Sorry I'm late. 

-Don’t worry. Can we go? -Lewis opens the door of his car and waits for me to get in.

-Where are we going? Cause there's a restaurant around the corner that is amazi... 

-Actually. -He cuts me off mid-sentence, leaving me gesticulating in the air. -I already have everything planned. 

-Oh...Okay then.

I get in the car and wait for him. Allowing my ex-boyfriend who I haven't seen in 9 years take me somewhere "surprise" is as scary as it sounds. 

We've been traveling the streets of London for some time now, the silence inside this car it's loud, not embarrassing, but it's like there's an elephant in the back seat that neither of us wants to talk about it.

-You still drive a manual. -I say, cutting the silence. 

Lewis laughs before answering me. The first laugh from him I've heard in person in 9 years, and it sounds exactly the same. That's his real smile, without any mask, I'm happy to see it's still there.

-Of course. If I don't shift gears, it doesn't even feel like I'm actually driving. 

-Apparently, that hasn't changed. 

-A lot of things stay exactly the same, Angie. -He looks at me, taking his attention off the road for a few seconds. I feel myself burning in my seat and try not to make eye contact with him for those few seconds.

-You seem calmer. -Lewis waited a while to talk to me again. Maybe he was waiting for an answer. 

-I had more time to try to understand the situation. 

-So? What conclusion did you come to? 

-That the universe hates me.

Lewis's smile faded and I immediately felt bad about it. As much as he hurt me, I don't want to be mean to him. What happened was a long time ago and I know better than anyone how time can change people, I do believe he is a completely different person than the one who did that to me. Anyway, I knew what was going to happen, I have no right to get mad and take it out on Lewis, not after nine years of all that shit. 

I don't apologize to him. But I promised myself that I would try to be pleasant.

Lewis took the highway and we were moving for a while, I wasn't paying attention to the road until we passed the London exit. 

-Lewis, why are we leaving London? Where are we going?

-Calm down. You will see it soon. Another 40 minutes and we get there. But you'll figure it out before that.

-You're not going to kill me and throw me on the side of the road, are you?

Lewis laughed before answering me.

-Naah. My time is too precious to spend that way. If that were the case, I would pay someone to do the job or something. -I giggled at him and slapped his arm lightly. -Relax. I think you'll like it.

I took the freedom to turn on the radio but regretted it as soon as I did. The melody of in my place by Coldplay started to play through the vehicle. I was washed over again by memories of years ago. My laugh from seconds before was replaced by sadness, I promised myself that I wouldn't think about what could have become of us anymore, but it's impossible when he's right next to me, humming a song that we used to listen to and sing together all the time.

Calm down. It's just lunch. In a few hours, this comes to an end. 

I started to get anxious when I realized which way Lewis was going. Suddenly the highways began to feel more familiar. I was already out of breath, and when we passed the sign that indicated the arrival in the city, I was restless.

-Lewis, why did you bring me here? -I had difficulty speaking, and my voice came out in a whisper. 

-I thought it would be a good idea. Remember the old times. 

There was joy in his voice as if being back at Stevenage by my side didn't bring him all the suffering it brings me.

I look outside and try to focus on the streets of Stevenage, it's been so long since the last time. I don't come here too often cause everything in this town reminds me of Lewis and our moments together. If I want to see my parents, 

I always end up sending tickets for them to come to visit me. 

We passed my old neighborhood, then his. I don't know where exactly he's taking me, but it's already clear that he wants to go through all of "our" places before talking to me. It didn't take long before Lewis parks the car, and only then I do realize where we are.

-Is this place still up? -It's the first thing I've said since we entered the city. 

-Of course. Tony's is the best place in town. -We used to come here all the time. Lewis would pick me up at the school exit and drive me here religiously every week, sometimes more than once. -We used to come all the time, remember?

I nodded without looking at him. How could I forget? We spent our best moments here, eating cheese pizza and reading old copies of the Rolling Stones magazine that Tony kept in the back of the little diner.

Lewis gets out of the car but I stay there a little longer, trying to prepare myself for God knows what's going to happen next. I'm taken out of my thoughts with Lewis opening the passenger door, my stare that until then was fixed on the facade of the place goes to him, who is bent towards me, holding out his hand and waiting for me to get out of the car. I take his hand and I don't know how, but I manage to keep myself firmly on the ground as I get out of the vehicle.

I cut off our contact as soon as I exit the vehicle. Lewis gesticulates for me to go ahead of him, which I do. I take slow steps until I reach the diner entrance door.

I can't remember the exact moment I realized over 10 years ago that I was in love with Lewis. But I remember all the times I looked at him and got butterflies in my stomach, I remember all the times I thought "this can't be" when it came to my feelings for him. And a lot of those moments were here, after class, sitting next to him watching him talk about some weird band he was into at the time. Him bringing me here, after all this time, is such a low blow. Very low blow.

I knew accepting this lunch wouldn't be a good idea, I know I won't be strong enough to say no if Lewis decides he wants to be part of my life again in any way. Not here, not at Tony's.

I walk into the restaurant and it's like I've gone back in time, I know this place has become traditional here in Stevenage, but keeping everything exactly the same that way is bizarre. Even the colors are the same. The beige walls that were out of fashion 13 years ago are still intact.

Lewis comes right behind me and I can see how that took him by surprise too. 

-They didn't even change that stool that sticks the ass of everyone who sits on it. - He whispered close to my ear. 

The sound of my loud laughter echoed throughout the place. There was hardly anyone there, but I ended up drawing unnecessary attention thanks to Lewis's joke. But he didn't look angry, on the opposite, he started laughing with me.

We went up to the counter and saw Tony coming out of the back of the store. Tony is one of the few things here that have changed. When we used to come here, he was a middle-aged guy, too skinny, and he had a huge mustache that covered his mouth. He's much older now, with a protruding belly and gray hair, but the mustache is still there. Tony came over to us with a frown.

-Good afternoon. Are you guys ready to order? -His features immediately changed as soon as he laid his eyes on us. -My God. Angie?! 

-Hi Tony. - I feel shy about his reaction. 

-And this boy. No. It can not be. Lewis? Is that you son? 

-Yes sir. In flesh and blood.

Lewis came out from behind me and walked over to the old man, giving him a handshake.

-Oh, it's great to see you two. It seems like it was only yesterday that you came here almost every day to test my patience. So does that mean you guys are still together? How life is. When is it supposed to be...

-No Tony. - I interrupted him. If he keeps saying these things I'm going to freak out. -Actually, we met again yesterday after a long time. And for some reason, Lewis thought it would be a good idea to bring me here today.

Tony turned red, probably embarrassed by this situation. But definitely not as embarrassed as I am right now. Both Tony and Lewis stare at me without knowing what to say. 

-So. Can we order now? - I asked trying to get their attention back.

-Yes of course. -Lewis says while going back to where he was before going to the other side of the counter to greet Tony. 

-Let's see. Two large slices? What flavor?

-Cheese. Obviously. -I said smiling are the man. Lewis nodded behind me.

-Okay. Your table is free, you can go there. I'll bring the food in a minute. 

-Thanks, Tony. -We say in unison and walk to "our table", which is right in the corner of the restaurant, near the large glass window.

Anxiety comes back to me as soon as I sit down and face Lewis. Lewis sat in the back while I sat in the front seat. We decided on these places when we were 14 years old, and after all this time we're still loyal to them. It's impossible to look at Lewis now and not see that boy that I fell in love with, with the addition of braids and tattoos, but still, it's Lew.

Lewis picks up the menu on the table and starts flipping through it, he looks relaxed, the complete opposite of me right now. 

-What are you doing? -Lewis takes his gaze off the menu and directs it at me. 

-Choosing something to drink. 

-No. What are you doing? Why did you bring me here, Lewis?

My voice doesn't come out as calm as I'd like, I don't think even if I tried hard I could sound less nervous than I am. My hands are clenched so tightly together that I'm already cramping. 

-I told you why.

-No. You gave me a half-baked explanation that I didn't believe for a second. -Lewis lowers the menu and starts paying full attention to me. And I don't know if that's better or worse. -It's not like I'm an old friend that you lost contact with. We ended things, and it wasn't even in a friendly way. I'm just trying to understand what the hell you're doing.

-Maybe it wasn't a good idea to bring you here. 

His voice is lower than normal. 

-Maybe not. But here we are. 

Lewis no longer looks at me. His stare is now at my hands. I take a deep breath before asking the question.

-Lewis. - He turns his gaze back to me. -Why did you come back? 

I can feel my eyes burning, I can't let myself cry, but here in this place, and with him, I want to burst into tears.

-Because I realized I should have never left.

I look at him in disbelief, I can feel my vision beginning to blur because of the insistent tears, but I soon wipe my eyes, not letting him see for one more second the effect he is having on me.

-Here it is kids, Two large slices of cheese.

I didn't even notice Tony coming towards us. I don't look at him while he serves us. I look at Lewis, trying to digest what I'd just heard, trying not to freak out right here, and ended up walking back to London. Lewis thanks Tony and then turns his eye to me. He looks just as scared as I am, as if he's shocked by his own spoken words. I'm static, a million thoughts run through my mind, I need a few seconds to try to put everything in order and answer Lewis.

-Do you realize how mean this is to me? 

I lean back in my chair, pulling myself distant from him, unconsciously trying to feel safer.

-It's just the truth.

He also looks perplexed, his eyes sparkle but there is also a lot of sadness in the black orbs staring at me. 

-I don't want that, that truth doesn't interest me anymore, Lewis. Do you have any idea how I was? The state that you left me in after all?

The memories I try to forget come back in maximum intensity, and this time I can no longer hide the tears. Fortunately, I know that there's barely anyone around, but even if there were hundreds of people in this room, I wouldn't be able to tell.

-I never stopped thinking about you, never. I was placed in a completely new environment, with new people, with the life I had always dreamed of. And I talked about you all the time to everyone. But you told me yourself that it wasn't going to work, and I suddenly started to believe it. I started to believe it because it seemed like a completely different world from the one I lived by your side. And I wasn't sure if you would fit into this new life.

He's fussing, putting words on top of words, gesticulating as if his life depended on it. He took a few seconds but then returned to explain himself.

-And I made the wrong decision. I know, I act like an asshole. I was with someone else and I knew the pictures were going to leak. I did it because I didn't want to make the decision, so I put it in your hands, and you made it for me. And it was a ridiculous and childish attitude, I know. I see this now. And I hated myself for years because of that. But it was the only way I found at the time. -I can see the tears in his eyes and I get a little surprised after I realize that. -And again, I'm sorry about that, Angie. I apologize to you, and I apologize for us and our past. What I did wasn't right.

He stopped, he had to, his voice was getting louder, that way everyone would hear. I remain in the same position, motionless, but now with my arms crossed and my face wet with tears. It's not over, I know that now comes the other part, the resentment part, the part that's gonna kill me.

-But you didn't try it either. -Now his voice is much lower. -You were the first person to try to leave, you said it wouldn't work even before you left my room that night. You looked into my eyes and told me it wasn't going to work. And that was the image that haunted me during those months.

His hands go up from the table to his eyes, wiping away the tears that have started to fall. He looks around for a second before leaning across the table towards me.

-I'm here now and I brought you here because I want you to forgive me. I want to be able to start over with you, because I'm done torturing myself with this. And I want to resolve things with you. I want to listen to you, because I need to listen to you, I need to know how you're doing. I want to die every time I think that everything we've had has come to nothing, I don't want it to be like this. I don't want it all to be in vain.

With tears in his eyes, Lewis smiles at me before continuing.

-I think every day about how our conversations would be, and how you would tell me every little thing that happened in your day. I want to know everything about you. I feel like I'm facing a woman who was the love of my life and who is now a complete stranger, and it hurts so much. I suffered too, Angie. So please forgive me. I don't want to live with these thoughts anymore, I want to make it happen. But if you tell me no, if you don't want to forgive me, I'll understand, and I'll be able to put an end to it no matter how much I don't want to. I just need something, anything from you. I can't accept this torturing me anymore. So you can send me to hell if you want. But if you feel, even in a tiny part of you, that you can forgive me, then please forgive me.

I stare at the table and the two untouched slices of pizza are blurred because of my tears. I don't know if I can look at him. I don't know if I can formulate a sentence right now. I want to get up from here, I want to hug him and then ask for his forgiveness. But I don't do anything, I'm frozen in my place, and I only move to breathe so I can cry more.

I don't know how long we remain in silence before I started to speak. 

-I want to be able to forgive you. And I'm sorry about all of that. But what do I do with the old Angie that is screaming inside of me begging me to run from here and from you?!

I lean across the table and take the same position as Lewis.

-I went through a lot, and the beginning was so hard that I thought that I wouldn't be able to get over it. I was having the worst time of my life because of you while you were exhibiting her off in the paddock. I want to forgive you, and I believe you’ve changed. But I don't know if I would be strong enough to see it with my own eyes.

-Let me show you that I'm worthy of a second chance. Let's start over as if we just met. Just give me a few weeks like this, and if after that you decided that you don’t want to look at me anymore then we never have to talk to each other again.

I can see the suffering on his face. I can see his transformation in every speech and gesture. And all of this only manages to make me even more confused. 

-I need a minute.

I leave the table and walk outside the diner. I don't look at him while getting off the place. When I reach the open area I take a deep breath. As if until now I had been underwater and had finally managed to reach the surface.

I control my emotions and manage to stop crying, the lump in my throat feels a little smaller now. I needed to listen to him, needed his explanation. I spent all those years believing that everything we had was not reciprocated. I felt like an idiot this whole time. Hearing those words from him made all difference in my way of seeing our situation.

I'm glad I accepted this date.

 I don't know how long I spent out here. I only get out of my thoughts when I hear Lewis calling me. 

-Are you okay?

I nod as I watch Lewis coming out of the diner door and walk towards me. He sits next to me on the curb right after. He also looks composed. The street is empty, and apart from his Mercedes, there are no cars around. I look straight ahead, while he's staring at me.

-Valentino didn't invite you to be a model. You volunteered. -It's not a question. I say without looking at him. 

-That's true.

He doesn't seem shocked to hear that I know about it.

-Why? 

-I knew you were there. And I knew this would be the only way to get close to you without you running away from me. I like Valentino. But there was a greater force.

I pull my gaze away from the road and look at him. There must be confusion on my face because it doesn't take long for Lewis to explain himself.

-Not that I'm a stalker or anything like that. -He chuckles. -But since I found out that you worked there, I haven't gotten you out of my mind. And those memories got even stronger. I didn't rest until I called Paolo and offered myself as a model.

-Why now? I understand you spent all this time thinking about it. But why just now? -My voice is low. I feel shy after his confession.

-Cause If I had come earlier, you wouldn't have accepted me. You needed your time to heal as I needed mine. And if I came before, would you listen to me? Would you come here with me? You would run away, I'm sure of it. Because Whether you like it or not, I know you very well.

-So it was all a plan? 

I play with a piece of dry twig I found on the ground so I don't have to look at him.

-No. Many things happened by fate. But since the moment I hung up the phone that day 9 years ago, I've been thinking about how to get you back.

I know what I'm going to end up doing the moment I hear the words coming out of his mouth, I have to do this not just for myself but for both of us. I would be supposing what would become of us for the rest of my life if I said no. I need to know if this is going to work out or not. I deserve it, and so does he.

-As if we had just met? - I look at him to wait for the answer. I see his face lighting up before my eyes, and I can feel the butterflies in my stomach.

-Yes. As if we just met. 

His smile makes me smile too. I nod to him, accepting his request. Lewis extends his hand to me in a greeting form. 

-Nice to meet you. I'm Lewis Hamilton. 

I laugh at his performance but soon join in the fun and shake his hand. 

-Nice to meet you, Lewis. My name is Angie Woods.

❀

I get up from the chair I've been sitting in for hours and go to my bag so I can pack my stuff.

Paolo and the rest of our team say goodbye to me and then leave the meeting room. I make my way to my office and run to finish some paperwork before calling it a day. The pre-season is consuming me all over. I've barely had time to do anything else that wasn't work related in the last week. I saw Lewis a few times at the company doing some photoshoots, but we haven't had time to talk in person since our date because of all the work that surrounds us.

But the text messages haven't stopped coming since that day. It ranges from a simple good morning to complex conversations about our life. I was able to try to understand him more during these conversations, and I am happy with the new person he has shown himself to be. He manages to put together the same essence as before, with all the learning from now, and all of this ends up forming a wonderful person.

I'm not putting expectations related to what I feel for him. I promised myself I would let it happen, and that's what I'm doing. He's given me the space he promised to so I could get used to this new idea, and that's what counts.

I was startled when I hear the office door being opened, it’s past eleven at night, and I didn't think there would be anyone else in the building. I turn quickly to the door and find Lewis staring at me, halfway into the room.

-Jesus! You almost scared me to death. - I put my hand on my chest as a way to calm myself down. - You don't knock anymore? 

-Sorry. - He laughs at my despair. -I wasn't sure if you were still here.

-Still here. This pre-season is killing me. But at least it's almost over. 

Lewis was still staring at me in the same position. 

-I wanted to talk to you. 

-Sure. Come in.

Lewis finally enters the room and closes the door. He comes calmly towards me, getting very close. Way too close. I'm leaning against my desk and observing him intently. He looks gorgeous. The casual outfit only makes him even more beautiful, as if that were possible. But I soon realize that something is bothering him.

He takes a deep breath to start talking but stops before emitting any word. His stare goes to my chest and lingers there for a few seconds. I see his features go from confusion to happiness in seconds. His hand goes to my chest, so he carefully takes the pendant from my necklace. The same necklace he gave me the year we met. I feel my cheeks burn with shyness.

-You still have it. 

We are so close that even though his voice comes out in a whisper, I can hear it perfectly. 

-I swore I'd never take it off, and I never did. It's been with me ever since. - My voice comes out in the same intonation as his.

Lewis drops the pendant but doesn't move an inch away from me. I'm starting to get used to and enjoy his proximity. His gaze moves from my necklace to my eyes, and I can see genuine happiness in his features.

-You really are the same Angie as always, aren't you?! -I don't quite understand what he means by that, so I don't answer his question. -Since always with the same passion for everything, even if it hurts you sometimes.

-I believe in benevolence. 

-I know, and that's one of my favorite things in you. 

His smile suddenly fades, and then he starts talking again.

-I will be back to racing in two weeks. I finished all work with Valentino today. I must go back to Monaco in a few days.

-Oh. Got it.

Lewis comes even closer, I'm already in amazement at his figure so close to me after all this time. His scent makes me dizzy and I can feel his breath on my face. I should walk away, all this closeness is getting dangerous, but I don't want to move at all now.

-I won't stay away for too long. -His hand goes to my hair that was resting on my shoulder and throws it back in a slight movement. -I'll be back in the second week of September. You will be here, right? And I will be able to see you. 

-Of course.

At this point, I'm not even paying attention to what comes out of my mouth. All my focus is on him and his movements.

-Great. -His hand comes to my face very carefully, I feel a shock the moment his skin touches mine, ah that touch, how I thought of it, sometimes I swore I could feel it. I close my eyes for a second to enjoy the feel of his warm touch on my skin.

That Lewis, with all this seduction, self-assured, is a new personality that I am appreciating very much. My head tilts to the side a little, to get more of his touch.

God, how needy I am. 

Lewis comes up to my exposed ear and whispers to me.

-I want to give something to you, A recent memory of the two of us. 

-What kind of memory? 

My eyes open, and I find a look of lust in front of me. I feel his hand moving from my cheek to the back of my neck.

I can't let this happen. That will end with my critical sense, I know that. But this trance is so good, I don't want to be over. 

His hand lands there and pulls me a little closer to him, he moves even closer to my body, placing himself between my legs. I put my hands on his arms, as a way of preparing myself to push him away, or as a way of feeling more parts of him.

-Lewis, we can't. 

My head resting on his hand, my hands holding his arms, his legs in the middle of my body, and every inch of my body screaming for him, it's clear as day how much I want this, and he can see it. Satisfaction is printed on his face. 

Who am I kidding?

-How can we not if you're calling for me right now? 

I don't know who takes the first step, but soon we connect in a kiss full of hunger and longing, the kiss is fast as if we were trying to make up for all the lost time.

He's even better at it, his hands roaming strategic places to drive me crazy. I don't think about what we're doing, I don't think about the possibility of someone coming in and seeing this scene, I just think about him, and how he got better, about his heavy body pressing against mine, and how this is going to drive me completely crazy.

I sit down at the large wooden table, and his hands roam my body as if he wants to memorize every little thing that has changed in me. The hand on the back of my neck pulls my hair back, putting my neck in evidence, Lewis grabs it and distributes kisses and hickeys that I know will leave marks, but I don't care at all about that.

I take my hand to his pants on his lump. Lewis groans and then goes to the hem of my shirt, taking it off soon after. 

-You have no idea how much I've waited for this. I spent all this time thinking of you, missing your taste, crazy waiting for this. -He says to me with a voice more rough than usual, his excitation implicit in every word spoken.

-Show me, Lew. Show me how much you missed me.

Lewis gets rid of my pants quickly after that, and shortly after I manage to help him take his underwear off. There's desperation in our movements, we want to connect like we've been waiting our whole lives for this, and the feeling is like something that. 

I'm already soaked from the moment he walked into this room, so there's no difficulty for him to get inside me. We'd like to linger for hours in kisses and foreplay, but the need to feel each other is so immense that there's no room for anything else.

Lewis put himself inside me without hesitation, and our moans echoed throughout the room. He holds me and stares at me as I get used to his size. He seems even bigger than the last time, and the feeling borders on pain, but it is an immense pleasure that completes me, in every sense of the word.

-God. That pussy is so good. So tight for me.

Our eyes are connected from the beginning. The feel of his body on mine and his words make my body shiver. The lunges start at a diligent pace and our moans are released without any attempt to hold them back. Not caring about anything other than the two of us right now. Lewis picks me up and carries me to the small leather sofa in my office, I get on all fours and wait for him again.

-You look so beautiful like that. So beautiful to me. Ready to get this dick. -His words are followed by a slap on my ass. A loud moan escapes my lips along with the sound of his hand smacking me. 

-Then come and fuck me the way only you know how to do it.

A grunt comes out of his mouth and he quickly positions himself on me again. The feeling is even more pleasurable. Lewis gives a few lunges and then pulls me close to his chest, his hand goes to my clit and stimulates me even more. My mouth is close to his, and our moans come out as one.

-I missed this so much. -He whispers in my ear. I can barely ratiocinate anymore, but I smile at his confession. 

-Oh, I'm so close. 

-Come. Come to me, my love. Come in this dick that is yours.

After that, I can't hold it in much longer, and the strong wave of orgasm hits me. Lewis connects his mouth to mine to quiet down the moaning sound since we're not even sure we're alone here.

My tremors made it clear that I couldn't take any more stimulation. I can't remember the last time I had an orgasm so fast and that powerful, it's like my body was waiting for him, and when I finally had it, I exploded with excitation.

Lewis gets out of me and sits on the couch. It doesn't take me a second to lower myself between his legs to finish what we started. His head falls back the moment I put my mouth on him. I take him where I can and with the help of my hands I stimulate his base, he's big and I end up choking a little. My saliva mixed with his pre-cum and my lubrication that's still in him.

-Oh how I love your mouth, my dear. -His voice comes out in an exacerbated exhale.

I could do this for hours, kneeling in front of him and feeling his cock fucking my mouth is like heaven. I play with my tongue on his glans before taking him back to the back of my throat, he moans loudly and takes his hands to my hair, starting to guide me in the movements. He squeezes my strands and starts to twitch and I know he's getting close.

-Angie, I'm gonna come. -I keep my mouth on him, and then I feel his jet going down my throat. -Yes. Swallow it all like the good girl you are. -He says between moans. It's so dirty and so good. And is with him.

Lewis pulls me up when he's finished and kisses me, we put our clothes on soon after, only then do we realize the risk we're taking with all of this, I feel ashamed and afraid that someone is still in the building and heard us, in this case, the dismissal would be least of my problems, but after what just happened I can say it would be worth it.

After getting dressed, we returned to the sofa to catch our breath. Lewis tucks me against his chest, and I remember how we loved staying like that all the time. Having that back for even a little time is incredible. I didn't think I would ever have that feeling back in my life.

-I didn't know you were the cheating type. -He says after a few minutes. 

His comment confused me for the first few seconds, but then I remembered the fake boyfriend I made up.

-Great. Cause I'm not. -I feel ashamed even though I don't have a boyfriend, ashamed for making him think that I would be capable of doing something like that. 

-What about your boyfriend? 

-He’s not real.

I put myself away from his lap and look at him. Lewis laughs as he stares at me. 

-Why did you lie about that? -His tone of voice is playful.

-I wanted to see the effect it would have on you. It was something of the moment. I just decided to say it, even though it was a lie. 

I was honest with him. He looks at me intently but doesn't seem angry. He pulls me back to him, and we seal our lips. We kiss for a long time, and still, the feeling is that it will never be enough.

-We need to go. - I say in the middle of the kiss. He moans sadly. 

-I don't want this to end. -His lips are still touching mine as he says this. -Come and spend these days with me.

I pull myself away a bit and look at him. 

-I don't know Lew. I still have a few things to conclude, and I don't think this would be a good idea.

-C’mon. We can just hang out, we do good for each other, Angie. I know you can see that. And no matter what happened, we ended up here anyway. -He connects our lips quickly once again. -Let's surrender to this

As if we weren't already surrendered to each other right now. 

I nod to him. 

-Okay.

❀

I feel the weight of his body on top of mine. I smile before I even open my eyes. His kisses start at the back of my neck and work their way down to my bare back.

-Good morning. -He returns to my ear and whispers to me with the voice of someone who has just woken up. 

I turn to him and open my eyes.

-Good morning. -The sight of Lewis, lying on my bed, with his unclothed torso full of tattoos and his face yet with traces of sleep makes me feel butterflies in my stomach.

I bring my hand to the lion drawn on his skin and trace it with my fingertips. My smile fades as I remember what day it is. The day he returns to Monaco. 

The days that we spent together were more than perfect. I managed to finish my work before the deadline so we spent all the time together, sometimes in his hotel room, sometimes at my house, but always together somewhere, alone, and in a bed.

We talked about how we're going to do it after our schedules get full again because of work. We didn't put a label or expectations in our relationship, we don't want to make the same mistake as the first time. So we decided that we'll let ourselves go with the flow. Today traveling is much easier, and we do it more frequently. We're going to see each other when we can, and meanwhile continue living our lives, with our goals and objectives in priority, as it should be, and as it always was been.

He takes my hand from his chest and brings it to his lips, placing a kiss on my fingers.

-What time is your flight?

-At five. -Still, with my hand in contact with his, he interlaces our fingers together. 

-You have to go pack your things, don't you? - The disappointment in my voice is evident.

-Uhmm. -He sounds as sad as I do.

-I didn't even see the days go by. 

-It's because we were too busy. - I accompany Lewis in a laugh. -You could come with me.

-You know I can't. Fashion week will start soon, these days were a little break before the marathon to come.

-Okay. I understand. -He smiles at me. -It's great to see you conquering what you've always dreamed about.

I can't see myself, but I know my eyes light up when I hear his words. I'm relieved that Lewis understands and takes my dream as seriously as his own.

-Thanks. - My smile is sincere. At that moment, I'm completely exposed to him, showing how I've waited for this, even if deep down, how I've always been with him despite all the distance. I can't say that I have no doubts about any kind of relationship with him, but I can say that I'm happy to have received him back into my life. I feel at home in his arms like never before, and that hasn't changed even after all this time.

-You wait for me? -His hand tightens on mine as he utters the question. -I can come back in two weeks, just for a few days but at least we'll be able to see each other for a little while. If you want. 

- I'll wait for you, Lew.

My voice cracks, and he notices. All of this feels like deja vu. I can feel part of my pride going down my throat. I don't want to feel that way, I know I gave him an opportunity I really wanted, and I don't regret it for a second. But I'm afraid of happening again. I don't know if I could go through all that again. 

-I won't let it happen again. -It's like he read my mind. -I'll come back and get you. 

❀

And he came back, after two weeks, as agreed. He came back and brought with him a bouquet of peonies and all the love in the world. It was only for a few days but the goodbye was different from the last time, this time there was no hesitation or fear, just the certainty that we would see each other again, and again, and again.

When he couldn't come to me, I went to him. We learned to deal with the distance and enjoy every day we had together. I got to know his coworkers and his life as a driver, I remembered all the times we spent in karting garages, but there's almost no comparison. Formula 1 is another level.

I celebrated each victory as if it were the first, just like he celebrated with me when I managed to open my studio and left Valentino. As time went by, living with him only made me more confident that I made the right decision, it didn't take long for any doubt to be solved. And suddenly everything was perfect again. As if we were still those two 13-year-olds. As if nothing had ever gone wrong.

I became the happiest person in the world by his side, and with each passing day, it becomes clearer that it was meant to be. It was supposed to be the two of us. 

For a lifetime.

November 15, 2020. 2:52pm – Istanbul, Turkey

Tears rolled from my eyes. I've never felt so euphoric, so happy, and so proud in my life. He did it, he did it again, for the seventh time. I'm almost shaking with so much euphoria.

Angela walks over to me and hugs me. The whole garage erupts in celebration. Everyone's emotion is as if it was the first. 

That will never get boring.

I hear his cry and his words as he crosses the finish line, and I cry even more. I watch him get out of the car, go to the podium and celebrate his masterpiece, I watch closely, with my eyes full of tears and with a pride that does not fit in my chest, after everything I have seen in person, after all the struggles I've seen them go through, after all the times I've watched him racing on TV and swore it would be the last time, but I just couldn't stop rooting for him.

I never stopped believing, not even for a second. Witnessing him get there, and achieve this feat, makes me the happiest woman in the world. 

His eyes find me in the crowd and shine even brighter, he proudly shows me the trophy as if I haven't noticed it in his hands yet. I just want him, here with me, but for now, I watch him enjoying his victory. Today's celebrations begin with a champagne shower on the podium.

00:46 

We entered the room laughing. Our eyes are still teary with emotion. The noise of all the celebrations still echoes in my head. Finally alone. I stop the moment I close the door, and look at him, who is in the middle of the room, hands on his head, still in disbelief. Our eyes connect, and we start laughing together. At this moment it seems that finally, the penny dropped for both of us. I never felt like this, it seems like this time was different, like he finally proved to himself that he made it.

He runs to me and hugs me tight. Even sticky with champagne, I can't imagine a better contact. We stayed there, stuck together, for minutes. I feel Lewis crying into my neck, he's not the type of guy to show his emotions, but in the face of it all, it's impossible not to get emotional. I hug him back even stronger, and the tears of joy come back to my eyes.

-You did it! I knew you'd make it. - I said.

Lewis then pulls away from our embrace, but he still has his arms around me, his teary eyes shining brighter than ever.

-We did it. -His euphoria is almost palpable. -You stayed, supported me all this time, and never let me stop. You understood all the moments when I couldn't be present. My God, I love you so much Angie, so fucking much. 

I wipe the tears from his face with the palm of my hand.

-I love you. And it couldn’t be different. I've been here since the beginning, and I'll be here until the end, here by your side, no matter what. Seeing you achieve everything you ever wanted makes me beyond happy, Lewis. 

-But I still don't have everything I want.

Confusion shows on my face. Lewis walks away from me, going to his suitcase, which is thrown in the corner of the room. He picks something up but I can't see what it is at first.

-I've been carrying this around with me for the last few weeks, waiting for the perfect moment, and I think this is it.

He sounds nervous and a little shy. My heart bumps when I realize that what he's carrying is a small Tiffany box.

-Lewis... -My voice comes out tearful. I can no longer contain the tears at this point. It can't be that. We never talked about it, even though he knows that this is one of my biggest dreams.

Lewis calmly walks towards me, I can barely stand still, my heartbeat must be over 150 bpm. I watch him getting on one knee and taking my left hand. I realize what’s happening, he's going to do it, he's really going to do it right now, covered in champagne and more euphoric than ever.

-I promised you that I would make you my wife years ago in a hotel room in Monza, remember? -I consent. In my mind, it's like a few days have passed since that moment. -I love you more than anything. I want to be able to give you the whole world and even then it still wouldn't be enough. I love you for who you are, for all your kindness and empathy, I love you for your perseverance and hope in everything and everyone, I even love you for your stubbornness because that's what moved me sometimes. Angie, I can't imagine myself without you by my side, I want to be able to spend the rest of my life with you, I want you to be the mother of my children, and I want to be able to take care of you until the end. -My sobs are already audible and I can see how hard he is trying not to cry. -You would make me the happiest man in the world by calling me your husband. Will you marry me?

I kneel in front of him, getting the same height as him, I look at the box that is now open and come face to face with an oval diamond ring, big and shiny enough to catch anyone's attention. Lewis looks at me expectantly. I put my hands on his face and kiss him as I've never done it before, Lewis's hand which isn't holding the box wraps around my waist.

-Yes! Of course. -my voice comes out tearful. -It's all I want. 

Lewis pulls away from me, takes my hand again, and carefully places the ring on my ring finger. He takes my hand to his lips and places a kiss. 

I feel like all my life and phases have brought me here, at this moment. I remember all the moments in our lives together and apart that made it clear to me that he is my soulmate, and there is nothing anyone can do when fate is sealed.

-I can't wait to spend the rest of my life by your side.

Final note

Thank you to those who read this far :). I'm happy with the story even though I wanted to add more details to it, but because it is a one-shot divided into two parts, I ended up incapable to give all the profundity I would like, so you might find it too rushed. But I'm still super happy with the result and I hope you enjoyed it too. I'm completely in love with these two so I might end up writing more about them soon. <3

[vlion]

please please write a jealous jake lockley fic where he’s either jealous of always being in the shadow while marc and steven get reader’s attention or maybe he’s jealous of someone from her work (sfw or nsfw if you want). TY IN ADVANCE!!

Damsel in Distress (Moon Knight Boys/Female Reader)

Author’s Note: I hope you enjoy this fic! I kinda tried to combine both of the things requested and I hope you like the direction I took! This was super fun to write as well as to dust off my smut writing skills! I could definitely see myself writing a part 2 to this so let me know if that's something y'all are interested in.

Link to AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39540033

Content Warnings/General Themes: ⚠ 18+ content: by reading this you affirm you are over the age of 18 years or over the age of maturity as stated in your regional or local guidelines. jealousy, unwanted advances, lots of swearing (mainly from Jake because he’s Jake), Marc/Steven/Jake all making appearances, established relationships, violence (pretty minor, only one instance), one mention of blood, allusions to prior sexual actvities, oh boy here comes the good stuff, semi-public sexual activities, museum sex, spit kink (like A LOT, I’m sorry), mouth spitting, handjob, oral (m recieving), face-fucking, hair-pulling, degradation (including use of demeaning terms), praise kink, facial, “Sir” kink, allusions to Dom/Sub relationship dynamic, mentions of choking, Jake having a filthy mouth (as he should).

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 4,071

“Absolutely not.” 

Your boyfriend’s voice drew your attention away from the mirror you had been anxiously eyeing yourself in. You had been getting ready for what felt like hours, doing everything you could to pass the time rather than anxiously pacing around your shared apartment. You had been invited to a fancy gala at the museum you and Steven worked at together, and much to his and Marcs’ dismay–apparently–you had chosen one of your more revealing cocktail dresses for the occasion. 

You turned to your boyfriend, with a mock frown on your face. “What, you don’t like it?” 

He rolled his eyes after not so subtly taking your form in. “Baby…I already have to stay on the back burner tonight…and now you’re going to be wearing that all night? Are you trying to kill me?”

“Maybe not kill you, just make you suffer internally for a bit,” you said, with a cheeky wink. “And I am definitely wearing this dress, no ifs, ands, or buts about it, Marc.” You had already been hyped up by your friends and coworkers to wear this particular outfit, as well as by yourself, and there was no way you were going to change because of how one of your boyfriends was feeling about it.

It wasn’t like Marc was dressed particularly conservative either–the way his tailored suit and perfectly styled hair looked together had you weak at the knees. You wished that you could take him as your plus one, but you and Steven had specifically been invited, and people would surely be raising some eyebrows if he suddenly started speaking with an American accent. Not to mention the completely different manner in which Marc carried himself, and the fact that he worked for a mummified bird for a living. That probably wouldn’t fly well around the historians and archeologists and whoever the hell else attended these types of things.

“You’re a little brat, you know that?” Marc said in response to you. He also took the opportunity to kiss you on the cheek and pull you in by the hips, which made you practically melt in place. 

“Yeah…but I’m your brat,” you practically whined out, trying to look as innocent as possible. You could tell Marc knew you were just fucking with him, but you had to admit it was fun to push his buttons every once in a while.

You could sense a shift within the man in front of you.

“Surely you mean our brat right, love?” he asked, nose crinkling as he enunciated each word with his distinct accent. 

You knew Steven was going to make an appearance sooner rather than later, as he could be a bit of a control freak when the two of you had a place to be. You honestly preferred it at times though, especially when compared to Marc’s tendency to spontaneously propose things for the two of you to do. You asked Marc on one of your heat-of-the-moment dates why he wasn’t a fan of making plans ahead of time, and he simply responded by telling you he had a lot he wanted to make up for in a relatively short amount of time, so he wanted to make the most of it. You couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pain in your heart at his confession, knowing about his past and the very reason for Steven’s existence. From that moment on, the love you felt for Marc–and Steven–increased exponentially, and you vowed to love each of them for who they are–even if that involves having to rush out the door for one of the escapades Marc took you on. 

As if he could hear your thoughts, Steven glanced at his–or rather, Marc’s– watch, and reached for your hand. “I don’t mean to rush you, love, but we should really get going if we want to make it on time. Or, we could be fashionably late, but I don’t know if we are cool enough to pull that off.” 

You couldn't help but giggle at that. If there’s one thing you could count on with Steven, it’s him making light of what would have certainly been a source of anxiety for you. You dreaded going to these work events, having to get all dolled up just to meet a bunch of stuck-up rich people who you would forget about the moment you step out of the event. Your boss, Donna, wanted the two of you there to ‘represent the museum’–which basically meant to stand there and look pretty while the rich folk had the night to gawk at the various artifacts and collections that you and Steven had so tirelessly fussed over. But hey, at least you were getting paid for showing up to this thing. 

You had to nearly fight Donna to get her to allow Steven to venture out of the gift shop and work in other positions at the museum, which then resulted in the two of you rotating between working the shop as well as in the various exhibit halls. For some reason, Donna had taken a liking to you from the moment you first started working at the museum. Whether it was because you were generally pretty productive, or if she was simply happy to see more women working in this industry, you didn’t know, but you were certainly glad that you didn’t have her constantly breathing down your neck whenever something went wrong. You wished that you could say the same for Steven, but you liked to think that your presence did something to soften her up around him, especially when you were both on the same schedule. 

You pulled yourself back to reality and glanced at the time yourself, realizing that Steven was indeed right in hurrying you along. You looked back in the mirror one more time, swiping your chosen lipstick across your lips once more, and upon interlocking Steven’s outstretched hand with your own, the two of you were off.

~

You were about two hours into the event when you started to get…fussy. That was the best way you could describe how you were feeling after hours of mingling and chowing on whatever appetizers were floating around in the various exhibit halls. Thankfully, you and Steven technically didn’t have to work, but it certainly felt like you each had become some type of designated spokesperson for the museum with the interactions you were having with the guests. You had attended some of these events in the past, and you were required to wear your nametag for security and identification purposes, so it seemed that any time someone had a question about literally anything you and Steven were the ones to come to. You didn’t mind the various questions about the artifacts or historical figures represented in the exhibits, but you were getting seriously tired of telling one person after another where the nearest restroom was. 

You had taken a bit of a break from the event, finding an unoccupied table away from others where you could sit and eat some ‘real food’ that had been offered buffet-style in addition to the hors d'oeuvres going around. You could see Steven from where you were sitting, who upon glancing at the lack of vegan options, decided he would opt for a bite to eat later at the flat. He was currently telling an elderly couple about the history of gods know what. You couldn’t help but admire how passionate he was about the things he was interested in, and how he could articulate information in such a succinct manner. You found it to be incredibly attractive, especially when he was going down on–

“Hey there, gorgeous,” a voice said, drawing you out of your thoughts. You look up to see your coworker, J.B., with a cocky smirk on his face. 

You rolled your eyes and tried to visibly ignore him by angling yourself away from him, making it clear that you weren’t interested. Like, at all. J.B. had been nothing but a dick to both you and Steven the entire time you had collectively worked at the museum, and his crude remarks and tasteless flirtations were usually easy to brush off, especially after a long day at work. Now, however, you had zero tolerance for this kind of behavior.

But still, he somehow found a way to see through that. 

“C’mon sweetheart. You wanna get out of here? Or are you too busy gawking over that freak over there?” 

You immediately snapped your head back towards him. “Excuse me?! You, of all people, don’t get to call him that.” Upon seeing him roll his eyes, you continued on. “You wish you could ever mean as much to me as he does.” You knew you didn’t have to add the last part in order to get a rise out of him, but sometimes you just loved to see the world burn.

And make entitled pricks angry.

J.B. made a show of slapping the table in front of you out of anger at your statement, luckily not gaining the attention of anyone in your immediate area. You tried to glance around him to send Steven a look of ‘what-in-the-actual-hell-is-this-dude-doing-right-now,’ but he was too obscured by the stupidity that was unfolding in front of you. 

Speaking of just that, J.B. reached his hand out and gestured for yours, clearly desperate. “I’m not gonna ask again.” He said, and you almost humored him and leaned in his direction to give him a piece of your mind, but after hearing distinct footsteps coming your way from behind him, you refrained.

“That’s enough.” The voice from behind J.B sounded familiar to you yet also…off. He certainly sounded like Steven, and was presenting himself as such, but you couldn’t help but think that one of your other boyfriends may be making an appearance. Well, rather, faking a British accent and attempting to act like Steven–if you could call that an appearance. You’ve dealt with enough of their shenanigans in the past to know when something was up; and to also know that Steven is pretty much the complete opposite of the confrontational type, further leading you to believe that he wasn’t who you were seeing right now.

J.B. turned around–dramatically of course–giving Steven(?) a death stare. “Here comes the freak to save the day. I knew she was that patheti-” 

J.B. was promptly cut off by your boyfriend’s fist colliding with his face, as well as your shameless chuckle when J.B. looked between the two of you with wide eyes. “Donna’s gonna have a fucking field day with this, you’ll see,” he said, wiping some blood from his nostril.

It was you who spoke next. “Yeah, she would love to hear about how you tried to harass her star-worker. Oh, and that you made my boyfriend–who she already isn’t quite fond of–get into more trouble. Yeah, I’m sure that would go over well.” 

J.B. was once again taken aback, clearly frustrated but attempting to keep his rage at bay out of the fear of being put in his place again. He opened his mouth to say something, but upon making eye contact with you and the other man once more decided just to smack the table again and walk away. What a fucking man-baby.

You turned your attention to the man in front of you, whose hand came up to cradle your cheek. “You know, as much as I hate the trope of the guy swooping in and saving the damsel in distress, I have to say, I’m grateful that my boyfriend knows how to throw a punch.” 

The cocky smirk on your boyfriend's face completely gave him away, and you were soothed by the velvety voice that accompanied his relaxed demeanor. “Princesa, we both know that you would be the one rescuing me in that scenario, no?” A visibly exuberated Jake said, likely feeling the effects of adrenaline from the tussle he had gotten himself into. Well, actually, Steven into– technically. You’d seen each of the boys’ reactions after a fight before, and while Steven and Marc were able to keep the rush from the fight in their pants, Jake was…different. The first time you saw him get like this you were nearly scared of him, but more dumbfounded by how excited someone could get after literally fighting people only seconds ago. 

You smiled at his words, nodding your head to agree with him. He swiped his thumb over your lips, before looking around to judge if the other party-goers were winding down for the night or not. He didn’t particularly care how people would react to the two of you slipping out early or not, but he knew you certainly would; which is why he was pleased to see that no one seemed in dire need of hearing the history of whatever ancient civilization was of interest to them, or to know when dessert would be served.

“Let’s get out of here, eh? Mi amor?” He asked, a twinkle in his eyes. He reached his arm out for you to take, and he was quick to give you a kiss on the back of your hand and then tuck your arm into his elbow when you reached your hand out. Sure, Jake could be a bit unhinged at times, but at least he was a gentleman. Usually.

You glanced around to ensure no one was watching as the two of you made your way towards the exit, and you let out a squeak of surprise as you were pulled into a small room that you and Steven generally took inventory in. There were shelves full of museum merchandise, as well as a few seasonal posters and displays. 

“Jake, what the hell?” You asked, honestly just wanting to get back home to your comfy bed. 

“Sorry, cariño, I couldn’t help myself,” he said, his hands going straight to your curves. “From the moment I saw you in this dress and saw what that fucking cabrón was trying to do…I just…I wanted you so bad .” 

You chuckled at how possessive he was being. For such a big, bad mercenary, you would expect the man to have at least some restraint but alas, Jake was simply built different. 

“Aww, Jakey, don’t worry. The feeling is mutual,” you said, in a rather teasing manner. 

Jake rolled his eyes at the nickname. “Open your mouth,” he said, nearly out of the blue, looking at you through hooded eyes. 

You obeyed, not trying to dig yourself an even deeper hole. He made a show of reaching his hand up and pressing it against your throat, tilting your head back so he could angle himself above you. You closed your eyes, knowing what was to come, and nearly moaned when he spit into your mouth. 

He used his index finger to collect some of the spit that had hit your outer lip and cheek, and brought it back to your tongue. “Swallow” he commanded, a devious look in his eyes. You obeyed him again, clenching your thighs together as you swallowed nice and slowly, his hand still resting on your throat. 

“Good girl. Now get on your knees and show me what a good fucking slut you are for me, hmm?” He said, and if you weren’t already so willing to comply, his words alone would have made your knees weak anyways. 

You sunk down to your knees, making your dress ride up in the process. There was no way you were going to let it get ripped in this new position after seeing what it did to each of your boys, so you didn’t care to straighten it out or fix it. You looked up innocently at Jake, and you weren’t surprised that he was looking exactly where you had just been thinking of. You went to pull the material down out of the fear that he may make you cover up, but you stopped your actions when his hands gripped your shoulders. 

“Keep it like that, princesa. Reminds me how filthy you can be for me. For us .” He exaggerated the last word with a knowing smirk, recalling back to the occasions when he would watch in on the things you would do with the other two men he shared a body with. He mentally reminded himself to thank you for the floor length mirror you brought home to the flat one day, telling Steven that it was just for you to ‘give yourself a once-over before venturing out’, but that certainly didn’t explain why it had only ever rested against the wall directly next to the bed. 

“Take my cock out,” Jake said, and you felt your pussy clench at his words. You forgot how unfiltered he could be when he got like this–you loved it. 

“Yes Sir,” you replied, smirking as you used the title. Ever since you jokingly used the word to refer to him after a joyride in his limo one day, you had become aware of the effect it had on him. You used it a couple other times to tease him, all of which lead to some intense lovemaking (if you could even call it that after some of the sinful things you’ve let him do to you). 

You made quick work of removing his belt and unbuttoning his pants, slowly drawing the zipper down. Once the material was opened, and you had a clear view of his hard cock in his boxers, you took the liberty of lightly stroking your fingers up his easily distinguishable shaft. 

Jake inhaled sharply at that, and grabbed your wrist to stop your actions. “I gave you an order, baby. Now’s not the time to tease.” He released pressure on your wrist, tucking your hair that had fallen forward behind your ear before leaning down to it. “Do I need to remind you that we are still in public? Huh?” 

“No.” 

“No, what?” He asked, a shit eating grin forming on his lips.

“No, Sir,” you replied, looking up at him through your lashes. 

“Good girl,” he praised, loving the sound of the title on your lips. “Now make me cum like a good little whore.”

You clenched your thighs together at that, sure that you were soaking through your underwear at this point. The vulnerability and filthiness of it all should’ve turned you off, but the chokehold that Jake had on you–sometimes literally–was no doubt the cause of many feelings you had yet to fully dissect. But hey, ignorance is bliss.

Not wanting to stall any longer, for both his and your sake, you reached into his boxers and took his cock into your hands. You used your dominant hand to stroke up and down the shaft, using the pre-cum that had already begun collecting there as slick to aid your actions. Your other hand went to his full balls that were surely aching from the lack of contact.

Just as you found yourself getting into a good rhythm, you were shocked to feel Jake removing your non-dominant hand and angling it up towards his face. He leant down slightly, looking directly into your eyes, and then spit twice into your palm. “Use both hands up here, cariño,” he said, gesturing to his shaft. “I want to see how they look on my cock.” 

You obeyed, gliding the hand with his spit in it along the entire length before bringing both hands up to the shaft and jerking him off. Your hands could barely fit around the girth of his dick, adding to the sinfulness of it all. That, combined with the wet sounds that the action made, seemed to be only amplified by the fact that you were in a relatively confined room at your place of work. You tried to focus on pleasuring Jake with your hands, but you couldn’t think straight with the swollen tip of his cock barely an inch from your face. 

In other situations, you may have been a bit more hesitant about acting without permission, but you could tell that Jake was nearing his peak as you kept stroking. You knew how much he loved your mouth on him, so you closed the distance between your mouth and his cock, swirling your tongue around what you could fit in your mouth. You were immediately met with a moan from the man above you, who had to bite down on his knuckles to stifle any other noises. From the way he was breathing, you could tell he was definitely trying to hold back, both physically and vocally, so as not to reveal your location to the others outside the door. You were honestly beyond the point of caring, so you picked up the pace a bit, removing your tongue from the equation and settling to suck hard on his tip. 

That seemed to really do something to Jake, provoking him to reach up and grab your hair in his fists. 

“Fuck! Such a good girl for me,” he praised, allowing his hips to thrust in order to match your tempo. You could feel his balls hardening as they came in contact with your skin, and you knew he was close. 

“Does my pretty princess wanna make me cum? Hmm?” He asked. “Right here, while your coworkers are in the other room?” He added, raising his eyebrow at your eagerness.

You nodded as a response, removing one of your hands to play with his balls once again and to allow him deeper into your mouth. The combination of your willingness to take him, as well as his eager thrusts caused him to nearly hit the back of your throat. 

With a few more deep thrusts, Jake was removing his hands from your hair, and using them to angle your face towards him how he wanted. You removed your hands out of instinct, opting to place them on either side of his hips instead. 

“Stick out your tongue,” he demanded, furiously stroking his length in front of you. 

“I want your cum so bad, Jake” you said, before doing what he asked. 

At that, he leaned down one last time and spit in your mouth again and you smiled with your mouth open, knowing he couldn’t resist.

“Ready for it, baby?” He asked, bringing his cock back to your open mouth.

You nodded frantically, closing your eyes when you could tell he was about to orgasm. You felt his cum hit your tongue and lips, the warm liquid tasting salty and distinctly like Jake. You nearly came with him at the sensation, as well as when he cupped your chin with one of his large hands to admire his work. 

When he released you, you made a show of swallowing the liquid and licking off what didn’t make it inside with your tongue. You made eye contact with Jake while doing so, who you could tell was in a state of complete bliss. You leaned forward to lick up any of the cum left on his tip, then tucked him into his boxers and pants. He offered you a hand to help you stand up, letting you get used to being bipedal once more as he replaced his belt. 

“Maybe I should play the role of damsel in distress more often, huh?” You asked, giving Jake a quick kiss as he adjusted his clothes and hair. You figured you should probably do the same, hiking your skirt back down and running a hand through your own hair. 

“And maybe I should take you out of here and fuck you in the back of my limo to remind you who you belong to?” He responded, clearly still jazzed from everything that had gone on over the course of the night. 

“Jakey, you know me so well!” You took his hand in yours, linking arms and allowing him to guide you out of the room and building with a hand on the small of your back.

As the two of you walked out together, you could’ve sworn you saw J.B. staring at you with wide eyes before looking between you and the security camera terminal. 

Maybe you shouldn’t have insisted on them being installed in the storage room.

~

taglist: @verexi

[smolwoo]

a second chance

genre: fluff and a sprinkle of comedy heh

pairing: seungcheol x fem reader

word count: 2.4k (i went a bit overboard and i know this is more than the limit. i'm sorry :c)

content: childhood friends to strangers to lovers, flashback moments, office au

author's note: this is so late omg but this is for @rasparagus from your secret santa :3 hope you like it! i lowkey struggled to make this for so many weeks. i even changed the idea like a million times BUT is okay. we did it so is fines lmfaoo but yeah. merry christmas gurl! and happy new year as well to everyone!

~ ~ ~

you stared across the cubicle divider, glancing every now and then at your childhood best friend. he was hired not even 2 weeks ago and management was already treating him like a veteran employee. the workload was enormously stressful for you. you couldn't imagine what it would be like for someone as new as him.

and yet, you couldn't muster up the courage to go over there and help him.

you saw him fully focused on the task at hand. it was almost closing time at the office, but he was like a statue at his seat. papers spread across his station as little sticky notes were franatically placed on his cubicle wall. and if you looked closely enough, you could see the frustration in his face. eyebrows furrowed as he tapped his pen in annoyance.

if this were any other time, you would have been over there hours ago. if you were still kids, you would've been there in a heartbeat.

~ ~ ~

"so... why haven't you guys dated yet?" your coworker, seungkwan asked, eating his food as he slouched in his chair. dokyeom was behind him, who was eagerly trying to overhear the conversation.

"because we're not friends anymore."

"mhm sure. because strangers look at each other like that," dokyeom prodded, glancing at seungcheol sitting at his desk who quickly looked away and back at his papers.

"so why did you really not date yet?"

"because he's taken." your voice was stern and straightforward, yet you made sure none of them could notice how much you missed him.

it was a hard few months after he made it official with his relationship and it was even harder trying to adjust to losing him as a friend. you both naturally drifted apart when she came into the picture. partially because she didn't feel comfortable and partially because you knew you couldn't handle seeing it. and if sacrificing a friendship for the sake of your mental health was the better option. so be it.

even if it killed you on the inside.

"you haven't spoken to each other in years. things could have changed," seungkwan added, trying to find a rationale in this. you appreciated the sentiment, but it wasn't something you needed. he was being too hopeful.

"and what makes you say that?"

"because he said he was single," soonyoung peaked up from the other side of the cubicle divider. everyone turned to face him as he flashed an innocent smile.

"so sorry for eavesdropping. you know these website articles are only so interesting for a short period of time." he waved his hand, fluttering at nothing.

"that's so interesting considering you have a deadline in 2 days," dokyeom teased, taking seungkwan's food and throwing it at him.

"you missed."

dokyeom was about to get more food ammunition when seungkwan hit his hand away. he glared in response.

"so wait... how do you even know he's single?" you questioned, doubt settling in as the timing seemed a bit too good to be true.

"for someone that used to be the eye candy around this office, you know when you have competition."

dokyeom gagged at the word and seungkwan did the same. both reaching in for food ammo and throwing it at soonyoung. he stood there and accepted his fate.

"and this is what i get for my service?"

"thank you for your kind service," you teased, batting your eyelashes obnoxiously so he could see the sentiment. soonyoung rolled his eyes as he sat back down, groaning at the work that he had to do.

"well here's your chance. take it."

~ ~ ~

seungkwan's voice rang in your ears. easier said than done, you would've said to him. anything would have been easier than this.

yet it didn't register that you got up from your seat and started walking. it also didn't register that you had food in your hand to offer him. not until you had the courage to say something when he was now standing before you.

"hi."

his eyes widened when he saw you, dropping the papers he had in his hands. his mouth gaped open, but nothing was coming out. your heart was racing so fast you could have sworn he heard it too.

good thing his heart was pounding as loud as yours.

"hi," he croaked, clearing his throat quickly at the sudden realization of how he just somehow lost his voice to speak.

you couldn't believe you were doing this. maybe there was still time to back out and just leave. quitting the office seemed like a good option right now.

"do you want to sit?" he managed to say, his eyes were tired, yet something was hidden behind them. you couldn't muster enough words in the english language to think of a response so all you did was obliged to the request, sitting in the empty chair next to him. like it knew you belonged there.

"thanks."

you sat there, playing at the wrappers of the food that you brought for him. you didn't say anything other than how you pushed the food towards him. he understood the gesture and hesitantly helped himself to the snacks.

"so..."

"so..." he mimicked. it was taking him a lot longer to accept the fact that you were sitting there right in front of him. he never took into account how much you've grown since you last saw each other.

and yet, you still got him nervous. even after all these years. if only you knew what happened when you left.

"how are you?" he treaded lightly. strands of hair falling on your face as you looked down at the question. you wanted to shake him for asking something so stupid. you wanted to tell him that you left because you needed to. not because you wanted to.

"i'm fine, how are you?"

it was a dry response. even seungcheol could see that. he never truly understood why you left. maybe because you didn't want to disrespect his relationship at the time. maybe he was so caught up with himself... he neglected the one person who was there for him since the beginning.

~ ~ ~

"CHEOL I HAVE A BANDAID!!" you screamed at the top of your little lungs. you trudged against the snow, running as fast as you could towards him. he was at the bottom of the slide, gripping his leg at the scrapes that ensued.

you finally reached him, taking the bandaid and placing it on his knee.

"there!" you smiled as your cheeks were growing pink from the snow. he giggled at your response, turning his leg to show all the other scrapes he had. your eyes widened.

"i think we need more bandaids..."

"you're dumb," he smiled at you for trying.

you smiled back at him.

you really liked how he smiled.

~ ~ ~

"i'm okay," he replied, "the editing for the articles are killing me though."

he gestured to his screen and you silently leaned over to pull the monitor towards your direction.

"oh. i can help you if you want," you drifted and he perked up with a soft smile, admiring what he saw in you and what he didn't realized he missed all those years.

in other words, he missed you. deeply.

you grabbed the monitor and politely asked if you could see his work. he gladly gave you the room to figure out his problem as he casually munched on the snacks before him.

he couldn't help but look at you. your face was confused, yet determined. something about it was calming to him. that even with all the years that kept you apart, something in you managed to stay beside him.

~ ~ ~

seungcheol came running down the dorm hall, accidentally bumping into a few students along the way. he was overly excited to tell you the good news. not only did he ace one of his hardest finals, but he also got the girl he had the biggest crush on the moment they arrived at the university. all thanks to you.

he eagerly pushed the door open to your dorm, suprised that he saw your bed completely empty. no sheets, bed covers, and pillows. everything was missing. your roommate at the time looked up and gave him a weak smile.

"she left."

and that was it. his entire world collapsed before him. the sand was slipping thru his fingers. you left without saying goodbye. not even a quick notice sufficed the hole that was growing inside his chest.

"why?"

that was all he could say. your roommate stayed silent, even after seungcheol repeated the word over and over again. to the point where it didn't sound like a word anymore.

the confusion quickly slipped into frustration as his eyes burned with sadness moreso if anything. he was trying to build up the anger, but it melted into numbness. he left the room, questioning everything.

you two were a team. that was what everyone said about you both when you were growing up together. and yet, the term felt meaningless now.

~ ~ ~

it was almost midnight at the office and the more you looked at the computer screen, the more the words didn't look like words.

"i think we should stop," seungcheol began, glancing over at your tired face and sleepy eyes. you didn't even process the words coming out of his mouth until he turned off the monitor.

"but seungcheol, your deadline is—"

"it's fine. this is more than enough," his voice was so soft. the fatigue was getting to you because the chair looked like a great place to sleep tonight. if you gathered up enough papers, you could pile it into a pillow and just knock out right there. it was a great option, which is why you didn't move when seungcheol called for you.

"let's just sleep in the office. so we won't be late for tomorrow." you managed to say, which made him laugh.

"that's actually a great idea." he replied, organizing all the papers back to where they came from. he then offered his arm to you so you could find the energy to get up.

"are we actually sleeping here?"

seungcheol laughed and shook his head no. he was holding you up with his arm wrapped around your shoulders. it wasn't long until your head naturally fell into the crevace of his neck.

his heart was pounding in his chest. it felt like an echo coming into his ears. something about how you fit so perfectly there made his cheeks turn pink. he was so grateful you couldn't see him like this. actually, he was very grateful that no one could see him like this.

"y/n?"

"yeah?"

you both stood before the elevator now. the office was finally locked up and the lights were off. as if there were no memories or traces of what had happened just a few hours ago.

"i just wanted to say thank you."

and that's when you looked up at him. lifting your head slightly from the warmness of his shoulder. and that was the first time you truly looked at him.

he was tired as well, but was trying very hard not to show it. his hair wasn't as fluffy as it was when you were little, but he still maintained it enough to make himself look as handsome as ever. his eyes were soft and his cheeks were flushed.

"oh. you don't have to. it was just—"

"no for coming back."

his voice was steady, but grew increasingly nervous as he looked back at your voice with a sense of urgency. you didn't react. you just blinked at him.

"i left because i had to. not because i wanted to."

and that's when seungcheol finally understood.

"i didn't want to take up your time with your girlfriend. she was your priority. and seeing you two together... i couldn't do it."

the words were coming out of you like a waterfall and you were too tired to press on the brakes. you thought about this moment a million times. would it have been easier to confess how you felt before? would it make a difference if you said something sooner? anger tried to boil up inside you, but it was soon washed over with just sadness.

"you do realize that you have always been my priority right?"

and that's when you stopped talking. you finally saw what he had hidden behind his eyes.

hope.

it wasn't long until you were surrounded by him. arms holding you so close. his grip tightened the moment he heard you whimper. you couldn't help the tears that slowly formed and fell onto your cheeks.

it has been years since you were in a state like this. and for the first time in a long time, you saw what seungcheol saw. what he knew the moment he met you. something that you never wanted to admit to yourself that you felt.

love.

the elevator announced its arrival with a ding. seungcheol had to let you go as you turned away to wipe some of your tears.

you both entered the elevator as the machine began to move down. and you just looked at each other with some kind of fondness that broke into a laugh.

seungcheol wanted to take a picture. he hadn't seen you smile like that in a long time. to hopefully remember all the memories and to make up for all the lost time you were apart.

"are we... are we doing this?"

the elevator stopped at the lobby and as the doors opened, he slowly grabbed your hand. interlacing his fingers with yours. seungcheol glanced at you once more before stepping outside.

"absolutely."

~ ~ ~

copyright of smolwoo

[ghosthoodie]

Sicily (my Captain Three) Fun Facts

i had a lot of fun making that post about 8, so i want to do one for sicily!! i’ve thought about her a lot! :)

this post also kind of outlines more just general information about the storyline of my agents, since it kind of all revolves around sicily. but eventually facts posties for the others will come out as i develop them more!

also this is very infodumpy lol. so be prepared! there’s no pressure to read all of this, but it WILL probably connect eveything more when it comes to my doodles of them!

anyway! here we go…

TW: mentions of emetophobia and broken limbs

During Splatoon 1

sicily was given to an orphanage in Calamari County at a young age. she never knew her parents, but she knew a little about where they came from.

both of her parents had a close military connection, but her dad did more than her mom.

her name comes from a book the orphanage named all of their children after. it’s an old geography book from the human age. sicily’s not sure what an italy is. her last name, Dyerize, comes from her dad.

when she turned 14, in a teenage crisis to learn more about her identity, she sought out to apply to the military to potentially discover more about her parents and to have a purpose in life.

as encouraged by some of her childhood friends, she went to Inkblot Art Academy for a bit for a Fine Arts degree, but dropped out in her 3rd year because of her overlapping duties for the squidbeak splatoon.

she completed her first campaign with a coworker, ryley. they held each other down and trauma bonded through the whole thing, so much so that they got into a relationship soon after it was completed.

ryley became more of a competitive ranked junkie than a secret agent, so sicily took over most agent duties unless he was needed.

during her downtime, she has a beautiful singing voice and would sometimes provide backup vocals for squid sisters tracks. however, she’s insistent her credit be hidden from the tracks, because she wants it to just stay as a hobby. her voice sounds really similar to theirs anyway, so it’s not like anyone would notice…

she and marie became very close. she likes callie too, but she felt like she almost naturally connected with her more.

During Splatoon 2

sicily met caroline and her little brother midway through the splatoon 2 campaign. learning from her habits at the orphanage, she kind of took to looking after them.

sicily and caroline especially became close. caroline would often come to her for guidance and for general life advice beyond the missions.

sicily didn’t really encourage caroline sneaking out from the apartment her parents monitored to do missions, though… but caroline would never listen when it came to that lol

when caroline’s brother dropped out, she helped him pack up his gear and leave. she’d never admit it, but after it was over she cried over his departure. she knew he’d be okay, but couldn’t shake the guilt of maybe traumatizing him.

sicily and ryley start to become distant.

During Octo Expansion

soon after that, she’d been assigned to watch over an unstable area near the mountains. that’s where she encountered an early kait, at the time a rival male octoling, and an average soldier partner (kira).

sicily didn’t want to engage because of the instability of the area, but the octoling was so aggressive that she was forced to. eventually, the ground gave out and her, captain cuttlefish, kait and kira fell into the Deepsea Metro.

she attempted to negate the damage from falling by using an illegal canned special, the bubbler. it worked, but bouncing around the bubble still left all of them with slight head trauma, causing kait and kira’s amnesia.

when she saved the 8s and captain cuttlefish, she punched the blender so hard she broke her arm on impact. she immediately passed out after from shock.

she doesn’t remember her sanitization. all she remembered from that time was a disgusting taste in her mouth, and a burning in one of her nostrils. similar to hand sanitizer.

similar to when they met on the surface, kait fought sicily and kira provided support.

immediately after the NILS statue was destroyed, sicily was rushed to the hospital and treated for her injuries. because so much of her ink capacity was filled up with the sanitized ink, she would constantly vomit up goo if overwhelmed.

kait(at this time aachi) was assigned to look after sicily. it’s not that kait didn’t like her, but it was weird getting adjusted to caring for your rival at their weakest, rather than take advantage of it.

sicily and ryley break up at this point. sicily kind of guessed that he was being unfaithful, and some inkstagram stalking later confirmed he was already in a new relationship soon after.

sicily, mentally and medically miserable and locked in her apartment in a cancer-patient like state, found a lot of comfort teaching kait more about the world. around here is when kait starts to fall in love with her.

after a LOT of flirting, training, rehabiliation, friendship building, gender identity exploration, and a passionate confession during a frustrating spar session, kait and sicily become girlfriends.

caroline also visited sometimes, and shipped the fuck out of them! also played turf war and ranked with kait when she was curious about it. sicily liked watching their game highlights.

During Splatoon 3

captain cuttlefish steps down and she’s promoted to the captain. she’s really excited, and says that she’s the captain because she’s the best at paperwork

(she is fucking awful at paperwork)

she’s assigned to travel to the splatlands because of an emergency call from a splatoon down there. before she leaves, kait proposes to her at their going away party.

she says yes, and cries and cries on the train ride to Splatsville.

she picks up 2 new agents from wandering the desert that surrounds the crater. at this time, they didn’t have names, so sicily, being as creative as she can, called the inkling girl Agent 3A and the octoling boy Agent 3B for the time being.

after they befriend deep cut though, they insist on naming them, thus the names Trikaya (Frye’s pick) and Mitsuo(Shiver’s pick) were born!

during this time, sicily and kait are texting and calling each other incessantly, until kait is deployed on a mission in bleached inkopolis square. they slowly start to text less, and eventually lose communication due to kait entering an unknown environment.

sicily, having flashbacks to ryley, immediately is overcome with anxiety about kait’s whereabouts. not to mention, kait is very much one of her safe people.

however, she tries not to let this get to her and continues with trikaya and mitsuo’s campaign.

THAT WAS A LOT! ok time for some one offs!

General Facts

she’s 5’4, and although not proud of it at first, she loves how tall kait is compared to her…

she’s such a sappy drunk! often she has a hard time expressing love to people, but when shes drunk she gets all mushy and sweet, especially to trikaya and mitsuo’s surprise.

she likes to foster animals, and has kind of a rescuer mindset.

extremely motherly to the new agent 3s.

she picked up wearing long skirts during her recovery period because they were easier than pants, and the style just kind of stuck with her. she still wears pants for functionality though

sometimes runs into ryley in ranked, still. she tries to avoid engaging with him, but with the both of them being frontline players it’s a little difficult not to!!

she likes nose kisses. she thinks theyre cute

mains shooters. kait is constantly whining at her about shooter bias so she has so much survivors guilt. her favorites are splattershot, 52 gal, and a forced learnt splash-o-matic

she loves to dress up kait, since she’s more crazy about weapons than fashion

WHEW! i think that’s everything. if you made it this far THANK YOU FOR READING YOURE SO COOL

i also wrote this at 2 in the morning soo i might come back tomorrow and make edits heehee