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Atlanta Natural Example of a small transitional backyard stone and custom-shaped natural pool fountain design
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Chicago Pool Example of a small traditional backyard design with a rectangular lap pool and concrete pavers.
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Southwestern Pool - Pool Ideas for a makeover of a medium-sized southwest garden with concrete pavers and a custom-shaped lap hot tub
#gravel hardscape#multi level landscape#black window trim#drought tolerant landscape#pool lighting#concrete pool surround#compact pool
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Atlanta Pool An illustration of a little transitional pool fountain design with shaped stones for the backyard
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I watch the newest Demon Slayer arc’s episodes on Mondays, cuz I’d rather not see Crunchyroll have to buffer around on my end if there’s too much streaming traffic overwhelming the app.
#ai art#ai artwork#ai art generated#ai art generator#ai art experimenting#ai art practicing#keywords regenerated#picsart#hobby#habit#spider man phase#spider symbol#bottles#perfume#perfume bottles#spray bottle#spider webs#advertising#sponsoring#pheromones#love potion#logo design#spider man#marvel#compact mirror#mating season#gumoko#fragrances#lids#pool
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Thinking of Installing a Plunge Pool in Sydney? Read This FIRST.
Plunge pools are the ultimate backyard upgrade — compact, stylish, and perfect for Sydney summers
But here’s the truth: Too many homeowners get burned by shady builders, surprise fees, and dodgy installs
Here are 7 Essential Questions you MUST ask before signing anything: ✔️ Are they licensed + insured by NSW Fair Trading? ✔️ Do they specialise in YOUR type of pool? ✔️ Is their quote fully transparent — or full of hidden fees? ✔️ Can you speak to REAL past clients? ✔️ Are they listed on trusted Aussie directories? ✔️ What’s the actual install timeline? ✔️ What warranties + aftercare do they offer?
⚠️ Don’t let a cheap quote cost you thousands later.
📖 Full breakdown here 👉 📚 Our Citations lists 👉 Citation link
#backyard pools#plunge pools#swimming pool#luxury pools#outdoor pool#plunge pools sydney#compact pools#small plunge pools#concrete pools#custom pools
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Best Swimming Pool Manufacturers: Space-Saving Tips and Ideas for Small Backyards
Having a swimming pool in your backyard is a luxury that many homeowners dream of, but if you have a small yard, you might feel like it's impossible to make it happen. Thankfully, with careful planning and the right design ideas, even the most compact spaces can be transformed into a beautiful, functional oasis. In this article, we’ll explore space-saving tips and creative ideas for designing a swimming pool that fits perfectly in your small backyard. Plus, we’ll highlight how choosing the best swimming pool manufacturers, like Dan Technologies, can make all the difference in bringing your vision to life.

1. Assess Your Available Space
Before jumping into the design process, it's essential to assess how much space you have available. A small backyard can still accommodate a pool, but it’s all about optimizing that space. Take measurements of your yard and visualize how a pool would fit into the layout. Keep in mind any existing structures like patios, gardens, or outdoor furniture that need to be factored in.
For very small backyards, you may want to consider compact pool designs such as plunge pools, lap pools, or even swim spas. These types of pools take up less space but still provide all the benefits of having a pool.
2. Consider the Shape of Your Pool
When it comes to smaller backyards, the shape of the pool is crucial. A rectangular or lap pool is often the best option for a tight space. These pools can fit neatly along one side of your yard, providing a long, narrow swimming area that doesn’t dominate the entire space.
If you're looking for something a bit more unique, consider custom shapes like an L-shape or a geometric design that blends well with your landscape. These shapes are often more flexible in fitting into smaller, irregular spaces while still offering an aesthetically pleasing look.
3. Opt for a Plunge Pool or Cocktail Pool
If space is tight, a plunge pool or cocktail pool might be the perfect solution. These smaller, shallow pools are ideal for cooling off, soaking, and relaxing without taking up too much room. Plunge pools can be designed with modern features like built-in jets or fountains for added relaxation.
A plunge pool is usually between 5 to 8 feet wide, so it can fit into even the smallest backyards. With the right design, it can still offer a chic and luxurious vibe while being space-efficient.
4. Maximize Vertical Space
In a small backyard, you need to get creative with how you use every inch of space. Vertical space is an often overlooked area that can be maximized to create a more expansive feel. Consider adding walls or fences with built-in shelves, planters, or even vertical garden systems around your pool area.
Incorporating a vertical garden or climbing plants around your pool area can help soften the hard lines of the pool while providing privacy. This creates a more intimate and cozy atmosphere while keeping the design minimalist and streamlined.
5. Incorporate Multi-Function Features
To make the most of your pool and backyard space, think about incorporating multi-functional elements. For instance, you can choose a pool design that doubles as a hot tub or an infinity edge that enhances the visual appeal while making the pool feel more expansive.
You can also install a pool with a built-in lounging area, which will give you extra room to relax without needing to use up additional space for furniture. By combining multiple functions into one area, you’ll maximize both space and utility.
6. Use Lighter Colors to Create the Illusion of Space
In small spaces, the color scheme you choose can significantly affect how large or small the area feels. Lighter colors like whites, light blues, and soft grays can make a small pool area look bigger and more open. Opting for light-colored pool tiles, walls, and decking can help open up the space and create the illusion of more room.
In contrast, dark colors tend to make a small space feel more enclosed, so they should be used sparingly in smaller backyards.
7. Consider the Pool’s Surroundings
While focusing on the pool itself is essential, don’t forget about its surrounding area. Choose landscaping elements that complement the pool without overwhelming the space. Go for minimalist designs with clean lines and choose plants that won’t grow too large or block natural light.
Opt for modern, low-maintenance materials like stone or composite decking, which can give your pool area a sleek and contemporary look. Consider built-in seating or hidden storage that can help keep the area organized and clutter-free.
Read more: Top 10 Important Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Swimming Pool Manufacturer
8. Select the Right Pool Manufacturer
Once you have a design idea in mind, the next step is selecting a pool manufacturer who can bring your vision to life. Choosing a reliable and experienced manufacturer is crucial to ensure that your pool is built with quality materials, designed to fit your space, and installed efficiently.
One of the best swimming pool manufacturers in the industry is Dan Technologies. Their innovative designs and expertise in custom pool solutions make them an excellent choice for homeowners with small backyards. With a focus on quality, aesthetics, and functionality, Dan Technologies can help you design a pool that maximizes your available space while staying within your budget.
9. Maximize Functionality with Smart Pool Technology
Incorporating modern pool technology can also enhance your small pool’s functionality. For example, automated pool systems allow you to control temperature, lighting, and cleaning schedules from your smartphone, helping you save time and energy. LED lighting can also add a stylish touch to your pool, making it a beautiful focal point in the evening without taking up any additional space.
10. Work with a Professional Designer
If you're unsure about how to optimize your small backyard for a swimming pool, consider working with a professional pool designer. They can offer expert advice on layouts, design features, and the best materials for small spaces. Professional designers, like those affiliated with Dan Technologies, can ensure that your pool not only fits your space but also complements your overall landscape and lifestyle.
Conclusion
Designing a swimming pool for a small backyard doesn’t have to be a challenge. By thinking creatively about the shape, size, and surrounding elements, you can create a beautiful and functional pool area that maximizes your space. Remember, working with the best swimming pool manufacturers like Dan Technologies will ensure that your pool is built with the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship. With the right design and expert guidance, you can enjoy the luxury of having a pool in your small backyard, no matter how limited your space may be.
#Best Swimming Pool Manufacturers#Small Backyard Pool Design#Space-Saving Swimming Pools#Pool Ideas for Small Spaces#Compact Pool Designs#Small Pool Solutions#Backyard Pool Ideas#Efficient Pool Designs#dan technologies
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𝑃𝑢𝑠ℎ 𝑀𝑦 𝐵𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑠- Jung Wooyoung



Genre: smut MDNI
Summary: during a dinner with Seonghwa, Yunho, and San...Wooyoung decides to push your buttons, literally.
Warnings: use of vibrator, multiple sex scenes, dirty talk, some degration, teasing, cursing, public sex, squirting, fingering, oral (f and m), let me know what I missed!
Word Count: 5k
Cosmos Note: this was so fun to write omg wooyoung just has me in a CHOKEHOLD HOLY FUCK-
my library! (not proofread!!!)
You’re adjusting your dress for the fifth time when Wooyoung steps into the room, watching you from the doorway with that unreadable look in his eyes. You know he’s been watching you get ready—he always does—but tonight, the air feels heavier. You can feel it in your chest. The way his gaze lingers. The slow drag of his eyes from your heels all the way up to your lips.
"You look unreal," he says finally, voice low and full of heat. “Like, actually insane.”
You glance at him in the mirror. “Is that a compliment or an accusation?”
He doesn’t smile. Doesn’t blink. Just walks toward you until he’s behind you, fingertips lightly brushing the exposed skin of your arms. “It’s dangerous,” he murmurs, mouth close to your ear. “You can’t expect me to see you like this and act normal.”
“I thought you said you could behave in front of the boys.”
“I said I’d try.” His voice dips. “Doesn’t mean I will.”
You let out a soft laugh, turning your head toward him. “We’re just having dinner.”
“That’s what you think.”
You raise an eyebrow, but before you can ask what he means, he takes your hand and tugs you gently toward the bed. “Sit.”
“Wooyoung—”
“Sit.” His tone is firmer now, commanding in that way that never fails to send a thrill down your spine.
You settle on the edge of the mattress, your thighs pressed together, your breath catching a little when he drops to his knees in front of you. He pushes your dress up slowly, deliberately, until it pools around your hips.
“Do you trust me?” he asks, voice suddenly softer.
“Of course I do.”
He leans forward, presses a kiss to the inside of your knee. “Good girl.”
You shiver, thighs parting slightly on instinct. Wooyoung’s hand dips into his pocket, and when you see the small toy in his palm, your breath hitches. Sleek. Compact. Completely unassuming—except for the gleam in his eyes as he looks up at you, phone already in the other hand.
“You remember the rules?” he murmurs.
You nod, barely managing, “Green.”
He hums his approval and lowers his lips again, kissing along your thigh, his breath teasing, almost reverent. “This’ll be fun,” he whispers. “You’ll sit there at dinner all quiet and sweet while I have full control of this… just watching you squirm while no one knows a thing.”
“Wooyoung,” you whisper, heat blooming across your cheeks and deeper between your legs.
He grins, satisfied. “Lift your hips for me, baby.”
You do, and he slowly drags your panties down, pausing to kiss your inner thigh again, higher this time. The anticipation is a burning ache now, your pulse racing when he finally presses the tip of the toy against your entrance.
“You’re already soaked,” he teases. “All this just from getting ready?”
You gasp as he slides it in—slow, careful, too intimate—and your hands grip the sheets beneath you.
Wooyoung presses the toy in place with his fingers and watches your reaction. “Feels good?” he asks, though he already knows the answer.
You nod, breathless. “Yes.”
He pulls his phone out, tapping it once. The toy buzzes faintly inside you, and your whole body tenses.
He smirks. “That’s level one.”
“Level one?!” you gasp.
He kisses your cheek as he helps you stand, smoothing your dress back down. “You’ll survive.”
✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧-✧
The car door shuts with a soft thunk, and your heart is already pounding. Wooyoung slides into the driver’s seat beside you, phone resting lazily in the cupholder, the little glowing app still open. You eye it warily. He catches the look and smirks, starting the engine with a purr.
“You look so tense, baby,” he coos, backing out of the driveway with one hand steady on the wheel and the other brushing over your thigh. “Don’t tell me it’s already too much?”
Your breath catches as he taps the screen. Just once. The sudden buzz of the toy inside you makes your legs jerk, your back arching slightly against the seat. You clamp your thighs together instinctively, trying to stifle the whimper crawling up your throat.
“I can handle it,” you manage to say, though your voice is already thinner than you’d like.
Wooyoung chuckles. “That’s what I like to hear.”
He keeps his eyes on the road, but his fingers are working fast, sliding up the intensity again with a flick of his thumb. You let out a soft cry, curling forward slightly as the vibrations pulse deep inside you. You can’t even think, let alone speak.
He grins at the sound, tapping again, letting it ease down to a gentle thrum. “Just teasing,” he murmurs. “Can’t have you falling apart before the appetizers.”
You glare at him. “I hate you.”
“You love me.”
You huff and cross your arms, though the effect is somewhat ruined by the way you twitch when the toy flutters again. You can’t believe you agreed to this. Can’t believe how wet you already are, squirming in the leather seat while he hums along to the radio like everything is fine.
Then—he takes a turn you weren’t expecting. Off the main road. A quiet little pull-off where trees line the sides and the restaurant is definitely not.
“W-Wooyoung?” you ask, breathless. “Where are we—”
He’s already putting the car in park.
“Five minutes,” he says casually. “Maybe ten. Just wanna see something first.”
You start to protest, but he’s already reaching over, gently tugging your seatbelt aside as he leans in close. His voice drops to a whisper as his fingers trail up your thigh again. “I’ve been thinking about this since you walked out of the bathroom,” he murmurs. “How good you’d taste like this. Full of my toy, legs shaking, trying so hard to be quiet.”
He leans further, mouth brushing over your jaw, then lower, until he’s between your legs, pushing your dress up once again. He kisses the inside of your thigh—then bites, gently but firm enough to make your breath hitch.
And then—
The toy buzzes to life again, stronger now, and your hips buck. He grins, locking eyes with you as he presses a hand to your lower belly, holding you down, and leans in.
“Keep your eyes on me,” he says, right before he slides his tongue along your soaked folds.
You gasp, biting your lip hard. The added sensation of the toy inside while his mouth works you over is blinding. You can't focus, can't think—he's licking, sucking, moaning into you like he’s starving for it. The pressure’s mounting too fast, too much, and you’re so close to falling over the edge.
BZZZZZZZT
Your phone screen lights up on the dash. The contact reads Yunho.
You whimper. Wooyoung lifts his head just slightly, licking his lips, his chin shining. “Answer it.”
“W-What?!”
He raises an eyebrow. “You heard me. Pick up, baby.”
“No—Wooyoung, I can’t—”
BZZZZT. BZZZZT.
You scramble for the phone with shaking hands, managing to swipe it just in time. “H-Hey!” you squeak.
“Hey!” Yunho says, voice cheerful. “Where are you guys? Seonghwa’s already getting impatient, and San’s—well, being San.”
You try to steady your breathing, but Wooyoung dips his tongue back down between your folds, and your voice catches in your throat. “S-Sorry! We’re—um—we’re just… running a little late!”
“Everything okay?” Yunho sounds genuinely concerned now. “You sound out of breath.”
You cover your mouth with your hand, trying not to scream as Wooyoung adds a finger, pressing inside next to the toy, curling just right. You’re dying, you’re melting, and you have no escape.
“Y-Yeah! Just—uh—traffic!” you stammer. “And I dropped my phone! We’ll be there soon, I promise!”
“Alright,” Yunho laughs. “Drive safe, okay?”
You somehow choke out a goodbye and hang up. The moment the call ends, Wooyoung slams the toy to its highest setting.
You cry out, loud and raw, body jolting as your orgasm hits so hard your vision goes white.
He doesn’t stop.
Not until you’re squirming and twitching beneath his tongue, hands tangled in his hair, your moans turning into desperate pleas for mercy.
And finally, finally, he pulls away, licking his lips again like he’s still starving.
“You good to walk into that restaurant?” he teases, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
You blink at him, still dazed. “I hate you.”
He laughs, smug. “We’re only just getting started.”
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The walk from the car to the restaurant feels like hell.
Or maybe heaven—if heaven was hot, sticky, and full of tension that buzzes under your skin like the soft pulse currently teasing you from inside. The toy shifts ever so slightly with every step, sending small jolts of heat up your spine. You swear you’re walking slower than normal, but Wooyoung’s hand at the small of your back keeps you moving, gentle but firm. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
You want to shove him into the nearest wall and yell at him—or maybe beg.
Instead, you push the door open and step into the warm lighting of the restaurant. It smells like grilled meat and soy-based sauces, and you spot them immediately—Seonghwa, San, and Yunho, already seated at a booth near the back.
San’s eyes light up when he sees you. “Finally!” he calls, waving exaggeratedly. “We were about to order without you.”
Wooyoung chuckles beside you. “Sorry, ran a little late.” His tone is smooth as always, not a single hint of the chaos he left brewing in your core.
You greet them with a strained smile and slide into the booth beside Wooyoung, across from Yunho. Your legs press together tightly the moment you sit, trying to find some semblance of relief. But the toy is still on—low, gentle, maddening.
“How was the drive?” Seonghwa asks politely, sipping his water.
Wooyoung shrugs casually. “Relaxing. Took a scenic route.”
You bite your lip.
San leans forward on his elbows. “You guys look kinda—glowy,” he says with a grin. “Like you were doing something fun.”
You almost choke on your water.
“We were just getting ready for tonight,” Wooyoung says, tone light but with a glance toward you that makes your thighs tense. His hand slides under the table, fingers resting just above your knee. The contact is warm, innocent—for now.
Menus are passed around, and the guys are quick to start discussing what they’re ordering. You’re trying your best to read through the options, but Wooyoung’s thumb begins to move—slow, soft circles against your thigh—and the toy gives a gentle thrum that makes your breath hitch.
You shift in your seat. The menu shakes slightly in your hands.
“What are you thinking of getting?” Yunho asks you.
Your brain scrambles. “Uh… I—I think maybe the bulgogi?”
Wooyoung hums. “Good choice.”
It’s so casual, like he isn’t currently testing the limits of your self-control with a remote-controlled vibe between your legs. Like he isn’t smirking right now because he knows you're already soaked and it’s barely ten minutes into dinner.
You try not to glare at him. Try not to let your lips part when the toy pulses again, a little stronger this time—just enough to make your hips shift under the table.
Conversation flows easily around you. San is ranting about a gym fail from earlier in the week, Seonghwa is giving Yunho shit about being too picky with food, and Wooyoung is the picture of calm.
But beneath the table, he’s not stopping. His hand inches higher, fingers brushing under the hem of your dress while the toy keeps its steady pace.
“Doing okay, baby?” he murmurs low in your ear, voice too soft for the others to catch.
You nod stiffly, gripping the edge of the table.
Your food arrives shortly after, and the smell is enough to make your stomach rumble—but eating proves to be almost impossible. Every time you lift your chopsticks, a sudden twitch of the toy throws you off. And the worst part is how normal everything looks from the outside. You’re here, having dinner with friends, smiling when they laugh. No one would guess that you’re sitting there with your thighs clenched, heat pooling deep in your belly, and a remote in Wooyoung’s back pocket that holds your sanity hostage.
Then, halfway through your plate, the buzzing shifts.
Not stronger—just slower. Deeper. A long, rolling vibration that makes you grip your chopsticks so tightly your knuckles whiten. You can't breathe.
Wooyoung picks up a piece of meat, holding it out to you.
“Try this,” he says sweetly, as if he’s not watching your every reaction, as if his hand didn’t just slide a few centimeters higher.
You open your mouth, letting him feed you, and try not to moan when the toy pulses again.
You chew mechanically. Nod. Smile. And all the while, you’re fighting the urge to squirm in your seat, to press your thighs together, to shove your face into his neck and whimper please.
But instead, you swallow, pick up your water, and take another sip with shaking hands.
Wooyoung leans back, smug. His fingers retreat—for now—but the toy doesn’t stop.
You’re not sure how you’re going to survive the rest of this dinner.
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You're barely halfway through your plate when things start to unravel.
Wooyoung’s hand, which had been resting innocently on your thigh, shifts upward again—fingertips brushing dangerously close to where the toy thrums steadily inside you. His palm settles over your panties, warm and possessive. You keep your eyes fixed on your bowl, pretending to listen to Yunho’s story, but your heart is thundering in your chest.
Then his fingers start moving—slow, subtle pressure, just enough to push the toy deeper against that tender spot inside you.
You inhale sharply through your nose.
The fabric of your panties is the only barrier left between his touch and your soaked, sensitive core. The heat has been building steadily this whole time, but that added friction is what tips the scale. You can’t focus anymore—on the conversation, on the food, on anything except the unbearable, searing pleasure crawling up your spine.
You clench the chopsticks so tightly they creak.
Wooyoung's voice is low, directed toward Seonghwa across the table. “Yeah, we tried that place once. Food was alright.” He’s so calm. So casual. And you’re trembling beside him.
Your thighs press together instinctively. You think you might be able to ride it out—just breathe, blink, survive—but then he rubs a little harder, just the heel of his palm pressing perfectly, and the toy syncs with the pressure.
And that’s it.
Your legs twitch. Your breath catches. Your body locks up for half a second—and then the wave crashes.
Your orgasm hits you hard, fast, and almost entirely silent. Almost.
Your lips part around a strangled sound—barely audible over San’s laugh—but Wooyoung hears it. He feels it. The way you seize up beside him, hips rocking against his hand, eyes glazed and unfocused. His fingers still gently as your walls flutter around the toy, soaked panties clinging to your skin, and then—
He freezes.
You feel it too. A hot gush between your legs—sudden, uncontainable, soaking through your underwear and trickling past his hand.
His head slowly turns toward you, eyes wide for the first time tonight.
He wasn’t expecting that.
You’re trying so hard to stay composed—staring down at your food like it holds all the answers to your shame—but your cheeks are burning, your thighs are a mess, and the seat under you is definitely damp.
Wooyoung swallows hard. His hand pulls back an inch, fingers glistening under the table in the dim light. He stares down at them for a second, then at you, his breath caught in his throat.
Your jaw tightens.
He leans in close, lips brushing your ear.
“Fuck, baby… you really couldn’t hold it, huh?”
You shake your head ever so slightly, eyes still locked on your plate. It’s all you can do to stop yourself from shattering into pieces right there.
His voice drops even lower.
“You just made a mess in a full restaurant… and I haven’t even turned the toy all the way up.”
You don’t even look at him.
You can’t.
Your body’s still buzzing, the aftermath of your orgasm simmering through every nerve ending—your panties soaked through, thighs slick, the soft hum of the toy still pulsing deep inside you like a cruel reminder. You shift in your seat and flinch at the wetness. There’s no hiding it now.
Your fingers clench around the edge of the table.
“I—uh—excuse me for a second,” you mutter, your voice shaky but controlled enough not to draw suspicion.
San glances up from his bowl. “You okay?”
“Yeah—yeah, just… bathroom.”
You don’t wait for a response. You stand up quickly, trying to keep your legs steady as you do, but the moment you straighten, a sticky warmth trickles between your thighs. You’re soaked. You pray to every god that it hasn’t leaked down your legs, that there’s no visible stain on your dress as you turn and walk briskly toward the restroom.
You don’t dare look back at the table, but you feel his gaze on you. Heavy. Burning into the back of your neck like he’s holding himself back from dragging you into the bathroom instead.
As soon as the restroom door clicks shut behind you, your hands shoot down to lift your dress, heart pounding. You let out a breathy curse at the sight of your panties—utterly ruined, dark with wetness. A soft hum still vibrates from inside you, faint but relentless. You grip the sink, trying to breathe through it, thighs trembling.
He made you come in the middle of dinner. At a table full of his friends.
And now you’re standing here, trying to gather yourself while the toy hasn’t even been turned off.
Your phone buzzes in your purse.
A message from him.
Wooyoung:
| Don’t take too long, princess.
| You’ve got something of mine inside you, and I’m not done playing yet.
Your knees almost buckle.
You stumble into the nearest stall, the lock clicking shut behind you as your back hits the door.
Your breath catches in your throat.
The toy is still vibrating—gentle but persistent—and your thighs instinctively squeeze together around it, desperate for friction. You know you shouldn’t. You really shouldn’t. Wooyoung didn’t tell you to come again. He didn’t even give you permission to touch. But you can feel it, curling in your stomach again, dragging you right back toward the edge.
And the ache is unbearable.
One hand presses over your mouth to muffle the whimper that escapes as your other sneaks beneath your dress, fingers trembling as you rub quick circles over your soaked panties—trying to stay quiet, trying to be fast. You’re so close. You can’t stop now. You can feel it building, all heat and pressure and want, thighs trembling as your back arches slightly from the door.
Your body doesn’t care that you’re in a public bathroom. It doesn’t care that you didn’t ask.
All it knows is that you need it again.
“F-fuck—” you whisper into your palm, nearly there, your fingers moving faster—
And then the vibrations stop.
Gone.
Just like that.
Your body jerks in shock at the sudden loss of stimulation, and your eyes fly open in panic. You fumble to check your phone, heart thundering in your chest, hands still shaking.
Wooyoung:
| Did you really just try to come again without asking me?
| You think I wouldn’t know?
A second message follows before you can even respond:
Wooyoung
| Keep those legs closed until I get there.
| Or I swear I’ll bend you over that sink in front of everyone.
Your pulse explodes.
Suddenly, the room feels hotter. Smaller. You swallow hard, frozen in place, not even daring to touch yourself again. You’ve never felt more caught, more owned.
And you know now—you’re not done paying for it.
Your whole body freezes when the door creaks open.
You barely have time to pull your hand away, still shaking, panties soaked and heart racing. Footsteps echo across the tiled floor, slow and deliberate, and your stomach drops when you hear the stall door next to you creak open… and then close again.
You don’t dare move. Not until you hear his voice.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait?”
The door to your stall rattles gently, then opens—
Wooyoung steps inside and shuts it behind him, eyes locked on you like he’s ready to devour you whole. You don’t even try to defend yourself. Not with the way his jaw is clenched and his phone is still glowing in his palm.
“You thought I wouldn’t notice?” he murmurs, crowding you back against the stall wall. “You were about to come all over your fingers without permission. Didn’t even ask me, baby.”
“I-I’m sorry,” you whisper, throat dry, legs trembling under his stare.
“Sorry’s not gonna cut it.” His voice is low and dark, dripping with that dangerous edge you’ve come to crave.
Then he’s dropping to his knees.
Just like that.
Hands sliding up your thighs, pushing your dress up, tugging your panties down slow enough to make your breath hitch. He doesn’t say another word. He just looks up at you—like he owns you—lips already brushing your dripping folds.
And then he devours you.
Right there, in a bathroom stall, tongue licking into you like he’s starving, like this is his favorite meal and he’s been denied it all day. Your hand shoots to your mouth to muffle the broken whine that rips out of your throat. His grip on your thighs tightens, anchoring you in place as he feasts, nose brushing your clit every time he moves, tongue relentless and precise.
Your knees nearly buckle.
Your orgasm builds again—harder this time—your whole body shaking as you try to keep quiet, try to hold it back. But Wooyoung knows. He can feel you clenching, your thighs twitching, body tensing like a live wire.
And he pulls back.
You whimper, on the edge, desperate and ruined.
He stands, lips shiny, eyes blazing. “If you wanna come so bad,” he whispers, pressing his body against yours, “you’ll ask. On your knees.”
You don’t even think. You just move. The guilt, the ache, the unrelenting need all crash into each other inside you, and your knees hit the cold tile with a quiet thud. You look up at him from the floor, flushed and needy, your breathing uneven.
Wooyoung stares down at you with something unreadable in his eyes—half amusement, half disappointment—but all dominance. “Oh?” he murmurs, his voice a low hum. “Is this your idea of an apology?”
You nod slowly, fingers reaching for his belt with trembling urgency. “I-I just… I’m sorry,” you whisper, too embarrassed to meet his eyes but too desperate to stop. “Please.”
His gaze sharpens as you undo the buckle, and he lets you work in silence, letting the tension thicken like smoke. You pull his pants down enough to free him, and your lips part slightly as you take in the sight of him—hard already, the tip flushed, precum beading just enough to taunt you.
Wooyoung chuckles, slow and wicked. “You’re drooling already, baby,” he says, brushing his thumb across your bottom lip. “So fucking needy, even with the toy off.”
You lean forward, tongue flicking out for a tentative taste. He’s warm against your lips, slightly salty, and you moan softly as you swirl your tongue around the tip. He hisses at the contact, a hand threading through your hair, gripping lightly but firmly. “That’s it. Show me how sorry you are.”
You take more of him in slowly, inch by inch, letting your tongue press along the underside, your mouth wrapping around him with sinful devotion. His head tips back with a low groan. “Fuck, your mouth always feels so good…”
But it’s not just about pleasure for you. You’re trying to earn it—to get back in his good graces, to beg for the high he took away. Your thighs squeeze together involuntarily, the toy inside you still dead silent and unmoving, leaving you aching, twitching for more.
Your hands slide to his hips, fingers curling in his waistband as you take him deeper. He twitches in your mouth, and you moan around him, tears starting to prick at the corners of your eyes from the stretch.
Wooyoung glances down, breathing harder now. “Such a good girl when you’re on your knees… Look at you. All messy and needy, and I haven’t even touched the remote.”
You pull back just slightly, your lips glossy and slick as you suck gently on the head. “Please,” you whisper again, voice shaky, your cheeks burning. “Please, Wooyoung. Let me come. I’ll be good, I promise…”
He smirks, clearly enjoying the sight of you begging, so desperate and teary-eyed in the middle of a public bathroom, licking and sucking like your life depends on it.
“Keep going,” he says, voice low and dangerous. “Let’s see how much that pretty mouth can convince me.”
You don’t stop.
Your tongue keeps working him with slow, worshipful licks, your lips wrapped tightly around him, head bobbing in a rhythm that grows needier the longer you go. His grip in your hair tightens, hips twitching slightly, but he holds himself back, just watching you—his desperate little mess on her knees, trembling from the restraint he’s forced you to hold.
Your thighs are clenched so tight it hurts. The toy inside you still isn’t moving. It’s maddening—being full but empty, stretched but unsatisfied. You moan around his length, letting the sound vibrate through him, and Wooyoung’s jaw clenches with a sharp inhale.
“Fuck, baby…” he groans. “You’re gonna make me cum like this?”
You pull back just long enough to whisper breathlessly, “I want to. Please let me—please let us.”
He stares down at you for a second, and then you see it—his hand slipping into his pocket. Your stomach flips. He pulls out his phone, eyes still locked on you.
You’re still sucking him off, tongue swirling faster now, desperate for any sign he’ll give in. And then—click.
A soft buzz ignites deep inside you.
Your entire body jerks. You moan loudly around him, eyes rolling back as the toy finally comes to life again, vibrating low and deep right against your sweetest spot. He smirks when he sees your thighs quiver, your hands gripping his hips like you might fall apart.
“You didn’t think I’d let you finish without me, did you?” he pants, voice darker now. “You’re gonna cum with me, baby. Right here. Right now.”
You nod frantically, mouth still wrapped around him, lips slick, face flushed. The pressure builds in your core so fast it’s dizzying, the buzz hitting you perfectly, the stretch from earlier leaving you already right on the edge. Every swirl of your tongue now is shaky and desperate.
Wooyoung groans, hips bucking slightly as he hits the back of your throat. “Fuck—just like that. Don’t stop. We’ll cum together. You ready, baby?”
You whimper a muffled yes, eyes fluttering shut as the orgasm rushes toward you, hot and fast and impossible to hold back. And when you feel him twitch on your tongue, groaning your name—
“Now, baby. Let go.”
You explode.
Your thighs shake uncontrollably, a silent cry escaping your lips as you keep sucking through it. The toy pulses right into your peak, milking every second of it, and Wooyoung cums deep in your throat with a strangled moan, fingers tangled in your hair as you both ride it out.
You’re still trembling when he gently pulls away, chest heaving, your lips swollen, slick on your chin, mascara threatening to smudge.
And he looks down at you with a proud, dangerous grin.
“Now that’s my good girl.”
Your breathing is still erratic, knees weak, head resting against his thigh as the high slowly fades. Wooyoung's hand cups the back of your head, fingers threading softly through your hair now, stroking you down gently like he’s grounding you back to earth.
A soft click sounds from above — the toy finally powering off.
You let out a small whimper of relief, thighs still trembling from how hard you came. But Wooyoung is already crouching in front of you, guiding you up with warm hands and a soft, “C’mere, angel.”
He helps you stand, even if your legs are jelly. His hands stay steady around your hips, holding you close as his eyes dip down. “You did so well,” he murmurs, brushing his lips over your temple. “Now let me take care of you.”
His hand disappears beneath your panties again — not teasing, not playful this time, just careful and precise. You brace against his shoulder as he slips two fingers in, curling them around the now-slick toy and sliding it out of you slowly.
You let out a soft gasp at the stretch, at the feeling of being emptied again. But what catches you off guard is the sound he makes next — a low groan, absolutely filthy — as he lifts the toy to his lips.
You watch, wide-eyed, as he slowly licks it clean.
Deliberate. Intense. He never breaks eye contact with you.
Then, with a wicked smirk, he tucks the glistening toy into his pocket like it’s nothing and reaches for some toilet paper from the dispenser. He’s gentle, carefully wiping between your thighs, brushing over the sensitive parts with soft dabs and tender strokes.
You’re flushed all over again. Not from embarrassment — but from how soft he is with you. How, after ruining you completely, he still treats you like something delicate. His thumb brushes your cheek as he presses a kiss to your forehead. “Still with me, baby?”
You nod.
“Good. Fix your lipstick—” he smirks, handing you your lip gloss from your bag, “—and let’s go say hi to the boys, yeah?”
You try your best to clean up. The ache between your legs lingers, your body still too sensitive, but you manage to pull yourself together enough to walk out with him.
As you both return to the table, you feel it instantly — three pairs of knowing eyes.
Seonghwa raises a brow, swirling his drink slowly.
San bites back a grin, his gaze flicking between you two with unmistakable amusement.
And Yunho? He just shakes his head, laughing softly into his glass. “Took your time,” he says, not even pretending to play dumb.
Wooyoung pulls your chair out for you with a smug smile. “Sorry, had to take care of something important.”
You sit down, cheeks still warm, heart still pounding — and when you glance at the three men across from you, you know they know exactly what that ‘something’ was.
But no one says anything else.
They just smirk, sip their drinks, and continue the conversation like nothing happened.
Except now, under the table, Wooyoung’s hand slides over your thigh again.
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what if fleabag reader has to get a new vibrator 'cause her old one died on her or she's just getting one for her friend as a gag gift, and she runs into hotch in the process ? also i didn't know you could get them at pharmacies, but i guess that's a more realistic place for hotch to be (old back and everything).
For a Friend
triathlon!Aaron Hotchner x fleabag!reader Genre: 21st-century-feminist-meltdown-over-an-old-man and pre-relationship mutual pining Summary: You just wanted a new vibrator. Instead, you bump into Aaron Hotchner at 2 a.m., holding six modes of clitoral suction technology and a G-spot stimulator in a paper bag. Now he’s offering you a ride, a jacket, and possibly his number. You’re doing great. Warnings: Sexual themes & imagery (non-explicit but VERY suggestive), age gap, cuss words, hint of the vile act of female masturbation *pearl clutch* with *pearl clutch pt.2* sex toys, objectification of the Hotchner body, reader calls Hotch out for not having an ass, grief (your last vibrator died) Word Count: 4.7k Dado's Corner: Thanks for the request, dearest!! Sorry it took me forever, I hope you enjoy itttt!!! Special thanks to @hotchology for the free psychological counseling
masterlist(s)
Experts say it’s healthy to walk at least seven minutes a day, so here you are - taking your medically-recommended stroll at 2:06 a.m., in the direction of a 24-hour pharmacy, because you care about your health.
Deeply.
You really care about your health especially now that your vibrator has officially died in your hand right in the middle of what was shaping up to be a perfectly respectable late-night fantasy involving you, a locked door, and the tall, emotionally unavailable federal agent with zero small talk skills you’ve been mentally undressing since the first time you saw him do a butterfly stroke at the Y.
…It’s not like you always picture Aaron Hotchner.
You’re not that far gone.
You do have range.
You’ve gotten off to strangers.
To that chief of trauma doctor from Chicago Hope.
To the hot background guy from the Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas who had two lines and really great hair.
You are complex. You contain multitudes.
It’s just that Aaron Hotchner is… convenient. Reliable.
He’s easy.
Not easy-easy.
Cognitively easy. Low effort. High reward.
You don’t have to invent a man from scratch. Don’t have to mentally composite three mediocre exes and C-list celebrity actors into a half-decent fuck-doll when he already exists fully formed and fully clothed (barely.)
You don’t even have to think.
He’s basically a mental shortcut to climax, muscle memory with forearms, a comfort fantasy - like soup for the soul, if soup were six feet tall and weekly served wet at your local pool.
…And also dripping, practically naked.
All yours, at least visually.
You’ve memorized the way his thighs flex when he pushes off the wall, that split second of coiled power, the twitch of his calves, the ripple up to his glutes as he launches forward.
Perfect form. Perfect technique. Perfect… well.
Not a lot of meat back there.
Not exactly the kind of ass you’d grab with both hands and sink your teeth into.
No jiggle. No fluff.
Just… deeply respectable glutes.
Taut. Efficient. Compact.
An ass with more function than fat.
An ass that clocks in at the crack of dawn, files a huge pile of case reports, tackles a serial killer or two, then goes home and makes dinner for his kid.
An ass that probably says “thank you” when it finishes and then folds the towel neatly afterward.
Toned, athletic. Not juicy.
You wouldn’t bite it. (Lie.) You wouldn’t slap it. (Another lie.)
(Because you’d absolutely slap it. If he walked past you up a flight of stairs in those tight trousers he insists on wearing - pleated, no less - you’d black out and wake up with a stinging palm, your handprint on him and a federal restraining order in the mail.)
You wouldn’t grope it. You’d shake its hand. A gentleman’s ass. Very in-character kind of ass.
…You’d still let it rail you against a doorframe, obviously.
You’re not an idiot. You have eyes.
And that’s how you know the way his back arches (yes, arches) when he does a lazy freestyle turn. That smooth, arrogant curve of his spine as he rotates, like the water exists solely to show him off.
You’d say he looks graceful, but that feels too innocent.
He’s obscene.
You know everything about his body. Everything except for one crucial part.
The only piece he hasn’t offered up for public consumption.
The mystery.
And yet… is it really?
Because thanks to the tight speedos he wears you’ve done more visual math in that pool cafeteria than you ever did in school.
Circumference. Vein definition. Drop. Girth. Angle. Hinge theory. Left or right lean.
You’ve factored in mass, blood flow, gravitational pull, and fabric stretch.
At this point, it’s not even fantasy, it’s field research. All you have to do is mentally rotate, enlarge by 37%, adjust for arousal, and boom - there it is.
You’ve seen that dick. You know that dick.
If it ever revealed itself in real life, you’d probably just nod.
Like, yes. Correct. That’s the dick I’ve been using. Thank you for confirming.
Your brain barely breaks a sweat.
Which is more than can be said for you, as you’re currently trying to act normal in front of a just-graduated baby pharmacist who definitely still gets ID’d at bars, while heading for the forbidden shelf.
The one that doesn’t technically exist, but everyone knows does.
You make the turn casually.
Like you’re browsing.
Like you’re not here to buy a vibrator at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday only because for some reason, buying it here - in a pharmacy - makes it feel... medical.
Like a wellness thing. Like vitamins, floss, or calcium chews.
Like a very modern, battery-operated form of hormone regulation.
Not pleasure. No, no, no, God forbid.
This is for health, for stress relief. This is for preventing female rage and preserving the social fabric of your household.
Also, it’s very, very late - which is strategic.
No lines. No witnesses.
No grandmas behind you buying Werther’s Originals and silently judging your rotating G-spot stimulator with ergonomic grip.
You tell yourself that’s why you’re here at this hour.
Not because, despite all the feminist essays and body-positive podcasts, you still get flustered at the thought of being seen in public holding a brightly colored orgasm machine.
No. Absolutely not.
You’re here because you swore - never again.
Never again would you endure the trauma of your vibrator dying mid-session and having to switch to manual mode like it was the Middle Ages just to finish.
(And worst of all, it didn’t even work. You dried up. Mood ruined. You just laid there, staring at the ceiling for fifteen full minutes before sighing, getting dressed, and deciding - once again, ironically - to take matters into your own hands.)
You’re a modern woman.
Sexually free modern woman living in a free country that still accounts for death penalty for some of their states. Nothing is more free than this freedom.
You can vote.
You can buy a dual-stimulation, six-mode, energy-efficient G-spot massager - (at least according to the box, which proudly claims it uses fewer batteries than your last one. And you believe it. You trust boxes. You’re loyal like that.)
Right next to the hemorrhoid cream. In the middle of the night.
And you can replace a fallen comrade - RIP to the last one. Gone, but not forgotten - and now, here you are, holding its shiny successor the way you’ve seen people hold babies in movie posters. (Tender. Hopeful. A little overwhelmed.)
Nothing says freedom like that.
Stars. Stripes. Clitoral suction technology.
God bless America.
…Maybe not.
Because just as you take a step back, you collide – directly -with someone you didn’t even hear approach.
“I’m so sorry,” you blurt, right as a much deeper, much more male voice says the exact same thing.
A voice your brain knows very well.
Because not even an hour ago it was busy fabricating that same voice whispering “You’re taking me so well,” and - though you'd never admit this part - also: “Sweetheart.”
(Ew.)
Aaron Hotchner is now standing right there in front of you - real, breathing, and terrifyingly three-dimensional in a full three-piece suit – and is trying so hard not to look at the aggressively pink vibrator box clenched in your hand.
But he saw it. Oh, he saw it.
He’s a profiler. He’s trained to notice things.
(Or at least that’s what your late-night Google search said back when you first typed: “aaron hotchner fbi real???”)
(Which quickly devolved into a behavioral analysis rabbit hole run by people with usernames like @wifeofunitchief69 and @peter-rhea. All of them openly thirsting after him.)
(Especially this Peter guy - who you’re 85% sure is real, 15% convinced was a hallucination - kept posting photos a few years ago that looked… suspiciously intimate. Like “taken through the blinds” intimate. You don’t know how he got them. You don’t want to know. He hasn’t posted since.)
(Guess it was just a phase.)
Aaron’s locking eyes with you. Terrifying. Unfairly hazel, thanks to the pharmacy’s aggressive overhead lighting.
He’s focused on your face. Just your face.
(You are maybe a little flustered by this.)
(You bet all the serial killers he interrogates fall in love with him, too. You bet they get weird about it. Understandable, this man definitely knows how to hold eye contact.)
But you don’t buy it.
There is no way he didn’t read the full headline: “CLITORAL SUCTION + G-SPOT STIMULATION - NOW QUIETER!” (Ironically printed in all caps. For maximum discretion. Obviously.)
You are so incredibly fucked.
Unfortunately, only metaphorically.
Also, the silence is not helping. Not even a little.
…This feels like a crime.
(It’s not. Not technically. You can’t terminate a pregnancy in half the country, but you can buy a dual-motor vibrator next to the Tylenol. It’s somewhere in the Declaration of Independence - just after “life, liberty,” and right before “All men are created equal,” [*except slaves and women].”)
Still.
You are now committing an obscene act of self-service capitalism directly in front of a federal agent.
And some small, awful corner of your brain - the one with leftover shame and badly wired internalized misogyny, inherited from a cocktail of bad parenting and several seasons of Law & Order – fully believes this is the part where he arrests you.
Pushes you against the KY shelf.
Pins you with his full body weight.
Snaps cold real handcuffs around your wrists and whispers, “You have the right to remain silent…”
Which you clearly don’t.
Because your mouth opens before your brain can file an objection.
“…It’s for a gift.” WHY. WHY DID YOU SAY THAT. “…For my friend,” you add… as if that helps. (It doesn’t.)
He nods. Polite. Awkward.
…Too bad his ears are starting to match the exact pink of the vibrator.
Goddammit, he’s a prude.
One of those soft-spoken, morally burdened types who probably says “intercourse” and excuses himself when a condom commercial comes on.
Oh no.
What if this is his first time seeing one up close?
What if you just popped his sex toy cherry?
What if he goes home, locks the door, and has a slow, shameful jerk thinking about you in CVS with a 6-mode clitoral suction wand?
(…You wish.)
No. Worse. Because now he’s staring at you like he wants to ask, “What kind of friend buys a vibrator at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday?”
But won’t.
And since you are a mature, well-educated, emotionally intelligent woman - and not, say, a liar desperately trying to salvage a crumbling cover story – you say:
“Her birthday’s tomorrow.”
(It’s not. It’s in three days. But the product needs testing. Obviously. You’re not going to spend that much money again unless you know it delivers. That’s not selfishness. That’s friendship. That’s quality control.)
“Well… technically today. Midnight and all,” you add, even smiling. So bright. So natural. So deeply suspicious.
“It’s alr-” he starts, finally working up the courage to glance down-
…Only to be slapped – hard - right between the shoulder blades by very enthusiastic, very just-graduated-and-finally-making-big-boy-money night-shift pharmacist who materializes out of nowhere behind him.
Ouch.
Now - to be fair - the pharmacist doesn’t see it. (You do. Unfortunately. In high-definition, too.)
Because Aaron Hotchner is currently holding a box of ThermaCare HeatWraps and naproxen sodium - both of which are for his back.
He jolts forward on impact, barely, and then freezes.
Just enough to make you worry that’s it, that’s the final blow. That he’s going to stay like that forever, just slightly curved, permanently bent.
Italic Hotchner.
“My man,” the pharmacist beams. “Everything alright?”
By the look on Aaron’s face, you can tell he has never seen this person before in his life. Never. Not once.
But Aaron nods - tight, polite, already calculating the minimum number of words required to exit the conversation without triggering a background check or losing his license to carry a firearm.
“Just wanted to say, I really admire you.” The pharmacist grins, still holding Aaron’s shoulder, “Not every guy’s open-minded enough to use toys in the bedroom with their girl.”
…Oh. Oh, fuck.
You should say something. Anything. Correct him. Laugh, even.
But you’re too distracted by the fact that Aaron isn’t saying a word either.
He’s just… frowning. Not full frown, just pulling his eyebrows closer together.
Which, in Hotchner language, could mean anything from “I’m flattered” or “You could’ve handled it differently” to “I’m about to shoot you.”
It’s impossible to tell. You’re not fluent yet. (You need more fieldwork. Preferably hands-on.)
“Damn, look at that,” the pharmacist chuckles, nodding at Aaron’s little arthritis starter pack.
Then turns. To you.
“Is this your fault?”
Ha.
Ha ha.
How adorable.
You wish. God, you wish.
You’d rail him into a herniated disc so bad he’d have to wear a brace for three months and think of you every time he reached for the cereal shelf.
But no.
“Um…” you manage, shaking your head. “We’re not-”
Fucking. Sexually intimate.
Connected in any capacity beyond weekly pool glances and intrusive masturbation thoughts.
(And it’s not like he seems like the type to just have a casual “friend.” No, he seems like the kind of man who'd call a hookup a regrettable lapse in judgment and then spend six months punishing himself for it.)
And so, in doubt? You flee.
A timeless tactic.
You did the same thing when your therapist asked, “Why do you think you’re so attracted to older men?” and you suddenly remembered - oh no! You didn’t lock the café.
“I think I’m just gonna…” you gesture - vague, noncommittal, something in the direction of the register - and after a short, awkwardly graceful round of people-pleasing Olympics with the vibrator-pink-faced pharmacist-
(something between “Sorry if I misunderstood, I’ve been here since 6 p.m. and I’m on my third energy drink,” and “It’s okay, no really, it’s my fault” [for what? unclear])-
You’re outside.
Alive.
Vibrator in a paper bag and…
…It’s pouring.
Not only do you not have a significant other to kiss in the rain like a scene from one of those movies you only watch when you’re actively trying to remember how alone you truly are, but your car is enjoying an extended, all-inclusive, paid-for-by-you vacation at the mechanic.
Great.
“Miss.”
You physically jolt. Because:
1. That voice.
And
2. Miss?! Hello???
Aaron is standing just behind you, yet again.
“Are you alright?” he asks.
“Oh, yes.” You are soaked. And flustered. And holding a fucking vibrator in a paper bag while the hottest man in federal law enforcement addresses you like a schoolgirl who dropped her books in a rainstorm. “Yes. Alright.”
He looks at you with that stupidly concerned face - the one where his brows pull just slightly together.
It lasts a second.
Feels like a week.
“You’ve been standing here for a few minutes…”
…Apparently, the old man’s been watching you contemplate your entire existence under the sad little pharmacy awning while he casually stocked up on meds for his fucked-up joints.
How romantic.
“Oh… I was-” Nope. Nope, you were not anything. You have no explanation.
“Do you need a ride?” he asks.
Oh. Fuck. “Don’t worry,” you blurt. “I live close by.”
Feminism is a beautiful thing.
Except right now.
Right now, feminism is cockblocking you.
Aaron hums - hums?! - already pulling his phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and it’s… it’s the smallest iPhone you’ve ever seen.
Probably an iPhone 4, but in his hand - his massive hand - it looks like he’s stolen it from a dollhouse.
He swipes the screen (with his very thick thumb), squints just enough to tell you he’s absolutely in denial about needing reading glasses, then turns the phone toward you:
“99% chance of hard rain until 7 a.m.”
…Unfortunately, you’re far too distracted by his hands to verify the evidence. Especially that thumb, still hovering near the screen like it’s not the most erotic thing you’ve seen all week.
(And speaking of data - there is a study. Something about men with very large hands also having very large-)
Without hesitation, Aaron just shrugs off his suit jacket. “Put it over your head,” then he hands it to you. “Don’t want you to get wet...”
Too late.
Not only because you're touching his very warm, very expensive, very tailored, very smells-so-much-like-him jacket, but because he didn’t even flinch.
Not at the acid rain.
Not at the dry-cleaning bill.
Not at the fact that he doesn’t have an umbrella for himself.
Not even at the fact that he’s now just standing there in a white shirt.
A white shirt. In the rain.
(You pray that he’s not wearing an undershirt.)
(You pray this turns into an unofficial Aaron Hotchner Wet T-Shirt Contest…Wet shirt. Wet dress shirt.)
“…You’re the one holding the electronics,” he adds, tilting his head toward the bag.
Ah. There it is. Thank you, Aaron, for making it weird. Again.
He sort of redeems himself by opening the door of his very shiny, very hot-dad black car like it’s the 1950s. (You hate how much you love it.)
…He even closes the door for you.
There are a few immediate observations that need to be made about Aaron Hotchner’s car:
• It smells divine. Like clean leather, big paycheck, small emotional availability and a touch of lavender, too.
• It’s spotless. Not a crumb. Not a fingerprint. There’s not a speck of dust anywhere.
• There are superhero comics tucked into the seat pocket. Jack’s, obviously. Unless… they’re his. Which would be - God. A brooding man with a soft spot for two-dimensional justice and emotionally stunted men in capes. Fatherhood and projection, hand in hand. Amazing.
But what really grabs your attention is the seating.
Full black leather.
Sleek. Cold enough to sting if your thighs were bare. Soft enough to leave marks if you were sitting on his lap instead.
Easy to wipe down. Easy to grip.
A car designed to be fucked in.
The hottest thing inside it, though? Probably the fact that it takes a few soft Are you alrights and Do you need anythings before Aaron finally starts the engine.
And it’s… quiet. Disturbingly quiet. No coughing. No sputtering. No “please God start” noises.
Just… starts.
“It’s such a cool car,” you blurt.
Fifty percent because you mean it.
Fifty percent because the silence is killing you and that’s literally the first thing your brain offered up as a conversation starter. You’re not even sure what you’re complimenting. Just that it has… technology.
You’re genuinely impressed. There’s literally a screen. A touchscreen. With sensors. A built-in navigator.
Meanwhile, your car still has a cassette slot, three loose aux cables, a suspicious stain that doesn’t want to come off, and a radio that only plays static unless you hit it twice.
“It’s a good car,” he replies, completely unbothered. Literally just a man stating a fact. About his vehicle. And yet, your brain shuts off.
You’re hot under the collar because Aaron Hotchner said something true… in a nice voice.
That’s it. That’s the bar.
And to make it worse, he doesn’t follow it up. No “Do you drive much?” No “What year is yours?”
Nothing. Just those three words and then silence.
He's the worst small talker you've ever met and now you have no idea how to keep this going.
You consider asking him about… tires. Or gas mileage. Or how long it took him to sell his soul to become this repressed.
Pathetic.
You’re even more pathetic when he does that thing. The hot thing. The driving thing.
Where he turns around to check behind him - one hand on the back of your seat, other on the wheel - torso twisting, shirt clinging, full neck exposure.
Basically porn.
You try so hard not to spontaneously combust.
Not just because you’re pressed into his personal space, or because his white dress shirt is completely see-through now after all that rain and you can see where his spine ends, or because he’s absolutely not wearing an undershirt and is one unexpected pothole away from full nipple contact.
No. It’s the tongue.
The tiny flick. Just a flash. Quick. Absent. Almost innocent.
His tongue darts out - just a little - as he focuses, like it helps him steer straighter. Nothing but a reflex. He probably doesn’t even know he’s doing it.
You, however, are acutely aware-
Just as aware as you are of the fact that the two of you are sitting in near silence. Almost comfortable.
If not for the small detail that you’re horny and holding a vibrator in a paper bag. The only sound is the rain-
And the soft, awkward half-comment he lets slip when you tell him your address:
“Oh. You were right. It is really… close.”
No shit, Sherlock.
If you had even an ounce of courage, this would be the most satisfying “told you so” of your life - because not even four minutes in, he’s already pulling into the cracked little square that overlooks your apartment complex.
“Where’s the entrance?” he asks, squinting at the very charming, definitely-not-a-fire-hazard 1970s architecture. “It’s barely lit here.”
He’s right, though.
There’s a little pedestrian alley that leads to your stairwell, and it’s lit by what is essentially half a lightbulb and probably one moth if you’re lucky.
“I can’t leave you here,” he says, already switching off the engine.
“It’s fine, don’t worry, I’ve done it alone a thousand times.”
You get The Look™.
The full Dad Look™.
Eyebrows lowered. Mouth set. Silent moral judgment loading. Which, naturally, makes you blurt out something helpful:
“I swear. Even at 3 a.m. When I was blackout drunk.”
He looks horrified.
Which is… great. Exactly the vibe you were going for on this totally unromantic, emotionally neutral, post-pharmacy ride home.
“Well, you’re not walking alone all the way there today,” then he proceeds to open the driver’s door before you can even object.
“Wait- really, you don’t have to-”
“Stay here,” he cuts in, already halfway out before you can finish.
Then suddenly, he’s at your door. Umbrella overhead.
Like some man from a black-and-white movie who has no idea you’re holding a vibrator in your bag and have a sink full of crusted risotto waiting at home.
Chivalry.
That’s what it should be called. But that word feels too… medieval. Too knight-in-shining-armor. Too “written by robed men who thought ankles were sinful and menstruation was the devil’s piss.”
No.
From him, this isn’t chivalry. It’s something else.
Not performance. Not politeness.
Just… kindness.
Offensively tender, nonverbal, soak-himself-in-the-rain kind of kindness.
And so the two of you walk under the same umbrella together, arms brushing every other step.
You try to create distance. He scoots closer.
Adjusts the umbrella to keep you dry.
Prioritizes your dry head over his own sopping suit.
Kind of romantic.
You could kiss him here.
Right now.
Under this umbrella. In the rain. In front of your depressing 70s concrete box of an apartment.
You could just… do it.
Lean in. Shut him up. See what that mouth actually feels like.
If it weren’t for the very inconvenient fact that you are juuuuuust a bit terrified of rejection.
Terrified in the “ha-ha I’ll never date again if someone even slightly hesitates when I flirt” way.
In the “I’ll replay the rejection in the shower for the next ten years, write five alternate endings, and mentally workshop comebacks well into menopause” kind of way.
In the “what if he says no and then I have to move to Vermont” way.
Also, you are currently holding a vibrator in a paper bag. So. There’s that.
Still, Temptation is real.
Even because Aaron is still mid-monologue about street lighting standards. Turning his head every few steps. Gesturing with one hand like a man who has read far too many municipal codes for someone this hot.
The idea of shutting him up for good with a kiss is honestly starting to sound like a public service.
“It’s barely visible here,” he mutters, scanning the alley. “No signage. No reflective paint. Anyone could-”
“Trip?” you offer.
“Worse.” He deadpans, then turns toward you, “Are you humoring me?”
“A little,” you shrug (he’s pathetic.)
He stops. Looks at you. “I’m being serious.”
…Ah, the dad voice. Firm. Slightly patronizing. Delicious.
“I know,” you smile. “That’s what makes it so fun.”
By the time he’s done glaring, you’re already at your building entrance, heart stupidly tight.
Saved. Almost.
“Well… this is me.” You pull out your keys to prove to him you’ve got your shit together. “Um… thanks for the ride. And the walk, of course.” (What is this, Pride & Prejudice?) “I think I’m good from here.”
You say it lightly, casual, because if you don’t end it now, you’re 100% sure he’ll keep going.
He’ll follow you to your door.
To your kitchen. To your hallway. Maybe even your bedroom.
Not for sex. God, no.
Just to make sure you’re safely tucked in.
That your bedroom window locks properly.
That the shadow outside was just a tree and not a threat (more likely, the stray cat you and two old ladies keep over-feeding.)
He’d stand there - in the doorway, quiet, stiff, arms crossed - and wait until you hit REM sleep before silently excusing himself.
The worst part? He’d make it feel horribly sweet.
And the much, much worse part? To do that, he’d have to walk through the disaster zone you call home.
The crusty risotto bowls still soaking in the sink. Three wine glasses, none of which match. A fork in a mug.
He’d pass your roommate mid-makeout with a “friend” who’s definitely not wearing pants and is probably sitting on your throw blanket.
He’d see the takeout containers on the counter.
The mystery stain on the wall you keep forgetting to Google.
The chair you keep meaning to fix but now just refer to as “decorative.”
He’d see you. As you are.
And you can’t be the reason this man actively re-dyes his greys by Wednesday. You’d love to be. You really would.
But not like this.
Also, you’re just really tired and you’ve got… things to test.
And, if you’re honest, some things are better when they stay in your head. Untouched. Untried. Safely fantasized.
So you smile.
“I’ll be fine.”
He nods. Doesn’t argue.
But doesn’t leave, either.
Instead, he pulls something from his coat pocket.
His business card.
“Text me when you’re inside,” he says, dead serious.
You blink at it.
The paper is thick. Embossed.
Feels like you’re holding a warrant.
“Oh wow,” you murmur, trying not to smile. “This is the smoothest way I’ve ever gotten someone’s number.”
He straightens slightly. “It’s my work phone.” Still serious, but fumbling.
(He’s so bad at this. It’s almost adorable.)
You nod, suppressing the second smile in a row. “Of course.”
He looks at you for a moment - too long, maybe, or maybe it’s just your perception that’s a bit fucked up - and says, “Goodnight, miss.”
You pause.
“It’s-” You tell him your name.
He nods. Revises. And repeats it. A little too careful. A little too gentle.
You might actually pass out.
Not just from the emotional whiplash, but also because your apartment has too many goddamn stairs and your legs were not built for this level of cardio or romantic tension.
You stumble inside, safe. Unmurdered. Emotionally unstable. Immediately grab your phone and text the number printed in the most intimidating Arial you’ve ever seen.
made it still alive didn’t get murdered not even a little bit
He replies almost instantly.
(Almost, because he’s an old man with disproportionately large thumbs and the texting accuracy of someone whose phone autocorrects “fine” to “filing.”)
aaron hotchner (work, no nudes): This is a work number. Please be mindful. – A.H.
…He signs his own texts. Oh fucking hell.
aaron hotchner (work, no nudes): But I’m glad to hear it. Goodnight, miss. – A.H.
You type back:
goodnight... agent??
Three dots appear. Pause. Then-
aaron hotchner (work, no nudes): 👍 – A.H.
taglist: @beata1108 ; @c-losur3 ; @fangirlunknown ; @hayleym1234 ; @justyourusualash ; @khxna ; @kyrathekiller ; @littlemisskavities ; @lostinwonderland314 ; @mmmunson ; @mxblobby ; @oxforce ; @percysley ; @person-005 ; @prettybaby-reid ; @reidfile ; @royalestrellas ; @ssa-callahan ; @softestqueeen ; @theseerbetweenus ; @todorokishoe24 ; @who-needs-to-sleep
#aaron hotchner#hotch#criminal minds#aaron hotchner x reader#hotch x reader#aaron hotch x reader#fleabag!reader#aaron hotchner imagine#not smut but it's smut for me
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Pool - Hot Tub A small Tuscan backyard hot tub with a rectangular shape as an example
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Compact - Rustic Wine Cellar Wine cellar - small rustic medium tone wood floor and brown floor wine cellar idea with storage racks
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To Here Knows When
Son Chaeyoung x OC
Tags: incest (cousins), forbidden love, power dynamics, age gap (noona/dongsaeng), obsession, possessiveness, emotional, rough sex, creampie, multiple orgasms, breeding kink, marking (hickeys/biting), semi-public sex, teasing, dirty talk, possessive sex, worship, aftercare
Word count: 6668

The house hummed with that particular brand of Korean family chaos that turns oxygen into kimchi fumes. I leaned against the yellowed refrigerator, phone burning a hole in my palm as another off-key "Nae sarang~" from the living room karaoke machine rattled the framed embroidery of mountainside temples. Through the sliding door's rice paper panels, silhouettes of aunties snapped mahjong tiles like gunshots, their laughter sharpening to needles whenever someone's pae clattered to the floor.
My thumb scrolled Instagram reels of strangers' beach vacations - all that blue water and sunlight like a rebuke to this room's sticky reality. No one here under forty except Minjae's hellspawn twins currently drawing dicks on the hanji wallpaper with bulgogi sauce. The air conditioner wheezed 1997-era coolness through its rusted vents, doing nothing against the July heat or the sweat pooling where my dress shirt stuck to the small of my back.
Then the front door groaned open.
Chaeyoung arrived like a distortion pedal cutting through elevator music. Her chunky Mary Janes - same pair she'd worn to sneak me into that underground club when I was sixteen - kicked through the galaxy of discarded soju bottle caps littering the entryway. The aunties' mahjong clatter stuttered as she passed, their disapproval clinging to her like the cigarette smoke wafting from her cropped leather jacket.
I knew that jacket. Knew how it smelled of Nag Champa and the Daiso parking lot where she'd first played me Loveless on her dented MP3 player, our shared earbuds hissing static as Kevin Shields' wall of sound drowned out the cicadas. Tonight, it gaped to reveal a slip dress the color of TV static, riding up her thighs as she leaned against Uncle Joon's prized karaoke machine - the one he'd retrofitted with purple LED strips that made everyone look vaguely cadaverous.
Her eyes found mine through the haze of galbi smoke.
"Yah, jagiya," she drawled, popping the cap off a Hite with her lighter. The sound echoed like a gun cock. "You gonna keep pretending to text?”
Chaeyoung’s laugh tasted like stolen soju and the menthol cigarettes she’d smoked since time immemorial. Seven years my senior, though she wore those years like her leather jacket - slouching off one shoulder, all dangerous drape. She’d been my babysitter back when Busan still had video stores, back when her idea of childcare meant letting me watch R-rated Hong Kong flicks while she practiced winged eyeliner in my mother’s compact.
“Yah, dongsaeng.” Her gaze raked over me like the broken AC unit still rattling in the corner, appraising the stretch of dress shirt across shoulders that had finally outgrown the scoliosis brace. The flush creeping up her neck matched the neon signs bleeding through rice paper windows. “Should’ve kept your baby photos. Nobody warned me diaper duty came with this…” Her lighter clicked open, shut, open. “Glow-up.”
The karaoke machine chose that moment to vomit out Uncle Minho’s rendition of Hotel California, his “warm smell of colitas” curdling into something closer to a sea lion’s mating call. Mahjong tiles clattered like disapproving teeth as Auntie Soojin side-eyed Chaeyoung’s thigh-high stockings, the ones that made her legs look like ink strokes from one of Grandpa’s forbidden manga.
“Noona—” I started, but she was already plucking a half-finished bottle of Chamisul from the recycling bin. Her movements carried the same dangerous grace as when she’d taught me to shoplift lip gloss from the Lotte Department Store, back when her wrists were still scabbed from guitar strings instead of stick-and-poke tattoos.
Her laugh curled around me like the smoke from the galbi grill downstairs. “Remember when you’d hide under my skirt during thunderstorms? Crying until I let you hold my lighter?” The bottle cap rolled across linoleum patterned with thirty years of kimchi spills. “Now look at you. All…” Her tongue swiped a pearl of soju from her Cupid’s bow. “Broad.”
The room tilted. Or maybe that was just the floor buckling under generations of layered ondol heating. Her perfume - still that same Daiso body spray layered with menthol cigarettes - dragged me back to sleepless nights after she’d babysat. How her scent would linger on the couch cushions like a ghost, how I’d press my face into the indent she left and imagine it was her leather jacket wrapped around me instead of my Star Wars blanket.
“You missed last Chuseok,” I managed, thumb worrying the cracked screen of my phone. The Instagram reel still playing showed some Australian influencer diving into neon-lit waves, the exact shade of Chaeyoung’s hair before she’d shaved the left side.
Her nails - chipped black polish, same as always - tapped a staccato rhythm against the soju bottle. “Had better offers.” The look she gave me could’ve melted the ice cubes slowly dying in Auntie Hyun’s fruit punch. “Though if I’d known you were gonna sprout up like a damn Kdrama oppa…”
The twins chose that moment to streak past, their bulgogi-stained fingers now smearing what looked suspiciously like Auntie Jung’s Lancôme foundation across the sliding doors. Chaeyoung’s laugh followed them, low and throaty, the same laugh that used to rattle through my bedroom walls when she’d sneak boys in through the fire escape.
“Still hate kids?” She leaned back against the fridge still plastered with my middle school taekwondo certificates. The motion hiked her slip dress up to reveal the rose tattoo peeking above her stocking - same rose she’d drawn on my math homework when she was supposed to be tutoring me.
“Hate’s a strong word.” My voice came out strangled. The AC chose that moment to cough out a gust of air that sent her bangs fluttering, revealing the scar above her eyebrow from when we’d both tried (and failed) to skateboard down Nampo-dong’s hill.
Her pinky brushed mine as she reached for a paper napkin. “Could’ve fooled me.” The napkin tore between her fingers, becoming a sad origami crane mid-flight. “You used to beg me for piggyback rides. Now you won’t even look at me.”
The accusation hung there, sharp as the scissors she’d used to cut my hair before picture day. I could still feel the phantom weight of her against my back, smell the strawberry gum she’d pop while carrying me past the 7-Eleven where she’d eventually buy her first pack of Dunhills.
“You’re the one who moved to Seoul.” The words tasted bitter, like the dregs of coffee left in Halmeoni’s cup.
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re the one who stopped answering my texts.” The karaoke machine whined into silence, leaving only the wet slap of Auntie Minjun making kimchi pancakes in the adjacent room.
When she stepped closer, the platform soles of her Mary Janes put us eye-to-eye for the first time in seven years. Her breath smelled like citrus soju and the menthol lozenges she’d started stealing after quitting vocals for her band. “Guess some things change, huh?”
Her thumb swiped sweat from my temple. The contact burned like the time she’d taught me to light firecrackers, back when sparklers still seemed magical instead of just another way to burn down to nothing.
The music and laughter faded into static as she stepped closer, her perfume—saltwater and something addictive—mixing with the sharp tang of alcohol. “Remember that summer I house-sat for your parents?” She traced the collar of my shirt with a chipped black nail. “You’d linger outside the bathroom when I showered. Left fingerprints on the fogged glass.” Her laugh was low, dangerous. “And July 12th? When my robe slipped?”
My throat tightened. That specific date seared into me—the way terrycloth had slid off her shoulder, the wet curl of hair stuck to her neck. She’d turned just enough to smirk at the doorframe where I’d frozen, thirteen and trembling.
“You knew?”
“You stopped breathing when I unhooked my bra through the gap in the door.” Her finger tapped my sternum. “Stupid boy. Your shadow stretched right across the tiles.”
I swallowed. “Fuck. All this time—”
“All this time,” she echoed, thumb brushing my bottom lip. Her gaze dropped to my hand. “You’d bite your knuckles to stay quiet.” She picked up my hand, tracing a line on my knuckles. “Left marks from here—up to here.”
The confession shuddered through me. Her scent—vanilla and that menthol cigarettes phase she’d sworn she’d quit—flooded my skull. My back hit the fridge door, magnets digging into my shoulder blades as she leaned in.
“You think I didn’t feel you watching?” Her knee nudged between my thighs. “How your eyes crawled over me when I bent to pick up your toy cars? How you’d pretend to sleep just to catch me changing?”
Auntie Soo’s shriek-laugh sliced through the room. Chaeyoung didn’t flinch.
“Every. Single. Time.” Her hips pinned mine, leather creaking. “Your little hitched breaths? The way you’d sprint to the bathroom after?” She pressed closer, mouth grazing my ear. “I’d lie awake soaked imagining your face if I ever…”
The karaoke machine screeched feedback. Some uncle butchering November Rain.
I gripped her waist, fabric slippery under my palms. “Why now?”
Her teeth caught my earlobe—sharp, fleeting pain. “Because back then?” Her breath scalded my neck. “I wanted to ruin you so bad.” A hand slid down my stomach. “But rules, right?”
Her fingers found my belt.
The fridge hummed against my spine. Down the hall, Minjae’s twins shrieked about stolen tteok. Chaeyoung’s thumb hooked into my waistband.
“Rules change,” I rasped.
Her laugh vibrated against my throat. “You changed.”
Her fingers trailed down to my waistband, pressing just enough to make me gasp. “Tell me, Iain…do you still think about those nights?” Her eyes burned with mischief—and something darker. “Because I know I do.”
I glanced toward the living room, where relatives obliviously massacred lyrics. “Fuck, Noona…we shouldn’t—” The lie died in my throat as her fingers teased my zipper.
Her perfume. The press of her breasts against my arm. Seven years of stolen glances and cold showers after she’d left.
My voice roughened to a growl. “You know I still dream about you. You’re there, just out of reach. And you keep getting farther away.”
Chaeyoung’s breath hitched, her fingers pausing above the bulge in my jeans. “Mmm…so that’s why you avoided me at family dinners.” She pressed flush against me, her free hand tangling in my hair to yank my face to hers. “Let me make those dreams real, baby,” she purred, lips brushing mine in a ghost of a kiss. “I’ll show you exactly how far I can reach.” Her hips ground against mine, heat searing through her dress.
An Auntie’s laughter echoed nearby, but Chaeyoung only smirked. “We’ve got time before anyone notices…” Her tongue flicked my neck. “Unless you want me to stop?” The challenge in her voice dared me to refuse.
My fingers tightened around her wrist, thumb pressed to her racing pulse. My other hand slid down her back, gripping the curve of her spine as I leaned into her ear. “You think I’d risk Auntie Kim catching us? Fuck no.” A low chuckle. “Your old room’s still here, right?”
She shivered, pupils blown. "Second floor, last door on the left." She dragged her nails down my chest, leaving white trails that burned. "But you'll have to be quiet...unless you want the whole family to hear how badly their good little boy fucks his Noona."
With that, she spun away, hips swaying as she headed for the stairs. Over her shoulder, she threw a smoldering look. “Coming, baby? Or do I have to drag you up myself?”
I’d barely taken two steps when Auntie Kim materialized, her talon-like grip snagging my elbow. “Iain-ah! Strong arms—” she barked, already steering me toward the balcony where a ceramic kimchi fridge hunched like a curse. “Help your halmeoni move this before your uncle breaks his hip again.”
Chaeyoung paused halfway up the staircase, biting back a laugh as I shot her a desperate look. Her mouth formed a silent Tick-tock before she vanished into the shadows.
The fridge weighed as much as my regrets. Halmeoni supervised from her plastic lawn chair, thwacking my calf with her fan whenever I adjusted my grip. “Faster! You think I’ll die waiting?” Auntie Kim lamented the state of my “office-worker shoulders” loud enough for the cousins grilling bulgogi to hear. Sweat slithered down my neck, the clock in my head screaming as Chaeyoung’s perfume faded under the assault of fermented cabbage.
When they finally released me, I dodged Uncle Minsoo’s sloppy attempt to arm-wrestle and nearly tripped over the twins building a soju bottle cap pyramid. The third step still groaned like a tortured animal, but the hallway was all nicotine shadows and the muffled buzz of family chaos below.
Her door stood cracked open, leaking cigarette smoke and the blown-out guitars of MBV’s To Here Knows When— a wall of distortion so thick it vaporized the laughter downstairs. She’d swapped the overhead light for a salt lamp that dyed everything fever-red, same incense stick from the Daiso days smoldering in her IKEA ashtray.
She lounged on the bed like she owned me, cigarette dangling from her lips as she scrolled her phone. The leather jacket lay discarded now, her slip dress hiking higher as she arched to stub out the smoke. “Took you long enough,” she purred, eyes raking over the tent in my jeans. “What’d they make you do? Haul bodies for the family grave?”
I didn’t answer. Three strides and I had her wrist pinned above her head, my knee slotting between her thighs as the guitar feedback swelled. She gasped, but her smirk stayed razor-sharp. “Someone’s impatient—”
I kicked the door shut, already unbuckling my belt. “Shut up, Noona.”
Chaeyoung’s lips curled into a wicked grin as she watched you unbuckle your belt, her legs parting slightly on the bed. “Make me,” she challenged, voice dripping with defiance as she reached behind her back to unclasp her bra, letting it fall away to reveal her perfect, perky tits.
She leaned back on her elbows, arching her back to push her chest out. “Come on, baby…show me how much you’ve missed me.” Her free hand trailed down her stomach, fingers slipping beneath the waistband of her panties. “Or do I have to do everything myself?”
The air between you crackled with tension, the only sounds your ragged breathing and the distant muffled karaoke from downstairs.
“Remember when you used to call me ‘baby boy’? Fuck, Noona…say it again. Just like when I was that dumb kid sneaking glances at you changing.”
Chaeyoung’s breath hitched as she saw the raw hunger in your eyes, her fingers pausing just above her soaked panties. “Mmm…baby boy,” she cooed, voice dripping with honey and sin as she spread her legs wider. “You always were my favorite little pervert.”
She hooked her fingers into her panties, sliding them down agonizingly slow. “Look how big you got for me…” Her tongue swiped over her lips as she took in the thick outline of your cock straining against your boxers. “Bet you dreamed about this, huh? Your dirty Noona touching herself just for you?”
Her fingers finally dipped between her folds with a lewd, wet sound. “Fuck…baby boy, you wanna taste?” She held up glistening fingers, eyes dark with lust. “Or do you need me to teach you how to eat pussy first?”
“Teach me, Noona.”
Chaeyoung’s eyes flashed with predatory delight as she crooked her glistening fingers at you. “Come here, baby boy,” she purred, spreading her legs obscenely wide as you crawled onto the bed between them.
Her hand fisted in your hair, yanking your face down to her dripping pussy. “Lick slow first,” she ordered, grinding her hips up against your mouth. “Flat tongue, just like you’re tasting your favorite ice cream—fuck!” Her thighs clamped around your ears as you obeyed, her back arching off the bed.
She was so fucking wet her juices smeared across your chin. “Good boy…now suck my clit like you’re trying to get the last drop through a straw—YES!” Her hips jerked violently as you swirled your tongue exactly how she taught you, her moans music to your ears.
Tugging your hair harder, she forced you to look up at her. “Remember this always belongs to you, baby boy,” she panted, slamming your face back down. “Now make your Noona cum.”
You pulled Chaeyoung flush against you, one hand cradling the back of her head while the other pressed possessively against the small of her back. Our foreheads touched as you spoke, voice rough with years of pent-up longing:
“Every girl I dated smelled wrong. Felt wrong.” Your thumb traced her jawline. “Because they weren’t you, Noona. This fucking obsession—” You ground your hard cock against her thigh to emphasize the point. “—ruined me for anyone else.”
Your breaths mixed, her perfume drowning your senses like it always had. Seven years of jerking off to her memory, and now she was here, real, pressed against you. “You’ve always owned me.”
Chaeyoung’s breath caught as your words sank in, her nails digging into your shoulders. “Fuck…all those times I let you watch,” she panted, rolling her hips against your throbbing cock. “I knew you’d be perfect for me.”
She crashed her lips against yours in a searing kiss, tasting herself on your tongue. “My sweet, ruined baby boy,” she murmured against your mouth, her hands frantically pushing down your boxers. “Let Noona show you exactly what you’ve been missing—”
Her eyes went wide as your thick cock sprang free, her fingers wrapping around the base. “Jesus…you really did grow up,” she whimpered, stroking you slowly. “Gonna fuck me so good your aunties hear how much I scream?”
Without waiting for an answer, she lined you up with her dripping entrance, her breath hot in your ear. “Take what’s yours, Iain.” And with one sharp roll of her hips, she sheathed you to the hilt, her tight walls fluttering around you. “Fuuuck—yes—just like that!”
You groaned as Noona sank onto you, her tight heat swallowing every inch—fuck, she felt even better than you’d dreamed.
“That’s it, Noona…ride your baby boy’s cock just like you promised.” Your hands gripped her hips hard enough to bruise, guiding her rhythm as she bounced. “All those years pretending not to notice me staring…how long have you wanted this? Did you groom that baby boy just for this, Noona?”
Her moans were muffled against your neck, her nails digging into your chest as she ground deeper. “Mine.”
Chaeyoung’s entire body shuddered as your words hit her, her pussy clenching around you in a vice-like grip. “Fuck—yes!” she gasped, her nails raking down your chest as she rode you harder. “Every time I let you peek…every time I bent over just a little too far—”
Her breath came in ragged pants as she ground down onto you, her clit rubbing against your pelvis with each bounce. “I dreamed about this cock!” she cried out, her walls fluttering wildly around you. “Wanted my baby boy to break me with it—just like this!”
Her back arched as she suddenly screamed your name, her pussy drenching your thighs in her cum. “Iain—fuck! Don’t stop—breed your Noona!” Her hips jerked erratically, milking your cock as she sobbed through the intensity. “M-make me yours!”
“Hey Noona,” your voice rough as her hips ground down on you, “remember those lace panties you ‘forgot’ in my room when I was 15?” Your grip tightened on her waist, pulling her deeper onto you. “Funny how they always ended up under my pillow… You planning this back then, or just fucking with me?”
Chaeyoung’s eyes rolled back as you thrust up into her, her slick walls pulsing around your cock at the memory. “Mmm…both,” she purred, riding you with renewed hunger. “Knew you’d jerk off to them…” Her nails raked down your chest as she leaned in, her breath hot against your ear.
“Fantasized about walking in on you,” she admitted with a sinful grind of her hips. “Catching my baby boy with his dick in hand…moaning for his Noona…” Her pussy clenched around you as she whimpered. “Should’ve punished you properly back then—fuck!—like this!”
She suddenly slammed down, taking you balls-deep with a cry. “But now you get to ruin me instead,” she panted, her tits bouncing with every frantic movement. “Gonna fill me up like you dreamed, baby boy?” Her voice was pure temptation as she milked your cock. “Show me how bad you wanted me…”
“Kiss me, Noona. Give me that tender incest kiss you’ve always dreamt about.”
Chaeyoung’s breath hitched as she crashed her lips against yours in a filthy, open-mouthed kiss—tongue sliding against yours with decades of pent-up longing. “Mmm…just like this,” she moaned into your mouth, her hips rolling in slow, sinful circles as she ground your cock deep inside her.
Her fingers tangled in your hair, yanking you closer as she whimpered. “Fuck…baby boy kisses even better than I dreamed,” she panted between sloppy, incestuous kisses. “All those nights imagining your mouth—ah!—needed this so bad…”
Her pussy fluttered around you as she suddenly broke the kiss with a gasp, her forehead resting against yours. “Gonna cum again,” she whimpered, her nails digging into your shoulders. “Make me scream your name where everyone can hear—please!”
The karaoke was still blaring downstairs. “You know the uncles look at you a certain way, right, Noona?”
Chaeyoung’s eyes darkened with a mix of lust and something dangerous as she ground down on you harder. “Mmm…let them look,” she purred, her nails scraping down your chest. “They wish they could have what my baby boy’s claiming right now—”
Her breath hitched as you thrust up roughly, her tits bouncing with each filthy snap of your hips. “Fuck! All of them…imagining this tight pussy—” She moaned loudly, not even trying to muffle it now. “But you’re the one breeding it—ah!—ruining me for anyone else!”
She suddenly clenched around you, her back arching violently as another orgasm ripped through her. “Iain! Yes! Deeper!” Her walls milked your cock desperately, her thighs shaking around you. “Cum inside me, baby boy…mark your Noona forever!”
Your grip tightened on Chaeyoung’s hips—fingers digging into that soft flesh you’d dreamed about for years—as you started pounding into her like you fucking meant it.
“That’s it, Noona…take it,” your voice rough, chest heaving. “Every fucking inch. Just like you wanted.”
Her pussy was still fluttering from her last orgasm, but you didn’t let up—driving into her harder, faster, watching her tits bounce, hearing her choked moans.
“Gonna make sure you remember this,” you growled, pulling her down as you thrust up, burying yourself to the hilt. “My cock. My cousin.”
The bed slammed against the wall, the karaoke downstairs drowned out by skin-on-skin, by her whimpering your name like a prayer. You muffled her moans and screams with a hot, incestuous kiss.
Chaeyoung’s entire body convulsed as you claimed her with animalistic intensity, her nails drawing blood down your back. “FUCK! YES! BREAK ME!” she sobbed, her pussy gushing around your cock with each brutal thrust.
Her legs locked around your waist desperately, her tits slapping against your chest as she screamed into your mouth. “M-make me pregnant! Please!” she begged, her walls clenching like a vice as another orgasm wrecked her.
The bedframe cracked against the wall with the force of your fucking, her juices soaking both your thighs as she whimpered between filthy, open-mouthed kisses. “Cum! Cum in your Noona’s ruined pussy!” Her back arched violently as she milked you dry, her body demanding your seed.
The distant karaoke faded into static as your balls tightened against her ass—seconds from exploding deep inside her.
Your voice, rough and possessive, growled against Chaeyoung’s ear as you pulled her flush against you:
“Look at me, Noona.”
Your hands gripped her hips, holding her down as you pumped deep—once, twice—before your cock pulsed inside her, flooding her tight little cunt with thick, hot cum. Her gasp was muffled against your shoulder, her nails digging into your back as she felt it—jet after jet filling her up, drenching her womb like you owned it.
“Fuck… I love you, Noona.” You ground your hips slowly, milking every last drop into her. “Take it all. Every fucking drop.”
Her pussy clenched around you, greedy, like she was trying to keep it inside. Good. Let it stick. Let her remember this when she walked downstairs later, your cum leaking down her thighs.
“I love you, so much.”
Chaeyoung shuddered violently as your cum flooded her womb, her entire body melting against yours in overwhelmed ecstasy. “I-Iain…!” she sobbed, her walls fluttering desperately around your still-throbbing cock. “Fuck…love you…love you so much…”
Her fingers trembled as they traced your jaw, her tear-filled eyes locking onto yours with raw, incestuous devotion. “Always…wanted you like this…” she whimpered, her hips grinding lazily to milk the last drops from your spent cock.
The distant karaoke finally registered again as she clung to you, her lips brushing yours in a tender, filthy kiss. “Mmm…gonna feel you leaking out of me all night,” she murmured, her voice husky with satisfaction and something dangerously close to love.
She nuzzled into your neck with a contented sigh. “My baby boy…finally where you belong…” Her hand slid possessively down your chest. “And you’re never getting away again…
"Let me worship you, Noona..."
My hands slide up her thighs as I press a slow, open-mouthed kiss just below her navel—savoring the way her stomach tenses under my tongue. I drag my lips higher, teasing the dip of her ribs, the swell of her breasts, her collarbone... each kiss lingering, each exhale warm against her skin.
By the time I reach her mouth, she's shaking, her fingers tangled in my hair, her breath uneven. I hover just barely over her lips—close enough to taste her, not close enough to give her what she wants.
"I love you, Noona. I always have. Ever since i was a kid, when you played with me. Your smile. When i peeked at you changing. I've always wanted you".
Chaeyoung's breath hitches as your worshipful touch ignites fresh tremors through her oversensitive body, her fingers tightening in your hair "Fuck...baby boy..." she whimpers, her hips arching off the bed as your lips brand her skin
When you pause just before her mouth, her growl is pure frustration and adoration—yanking you down into a searing, desperate kiss "Mine," she pants against your lips, her legs locking around your waist "All those years...watching me...wanting me..." Her teeth nip at your bottom lip
Her voice breaks as she clings to you, her naked body pressed flush against yours "I loved you too," she confesses, her nails scraping down your back "Every time I let you peek...every time I teased you..." Her lips crash into yours again, hungry and claiming.
"Now you have me," she moans, her thighs trembling around you "Forever."
Iain's lips brush against hers in a slow, tender kiss— softer than before, but no less hungry.
Her hands guide me back inside her, and this time, I ease in—inch by inch—like I’m savoring the way her body yields to mine.
"Fuck, Noona..." My voice is rough, but my hips move gently, rolling into her with a reverence that feels almost sacred. "You feel too good to rush."
Her nails dig into my shoulders anyway, her breath hitching as I fill her completely—slow, deep, like I’m memorizing every pulse of her around me.
"I love you," I murmur against her lips, "even when I’m not fucking you like an animal."
And then I move—not hard, not fast—just right.
Chaeyoung's eyes flutter shut as you cherish her with each achingly perfect thrust, her walls fluttering in slow, sweet spasms around you "Iain...ah..." Her voice is a broken whisper, her fingers softening from claws to caresses as they trace your jaw
She melts beneath you, her body surrendering to this new rhythm—your cock stretching her so deep, so full, so right "Love you...love you..." she chants between shallow breaths, her hips rolling gently to meet yours
When your lips find hers again, the kiss tastes like salt and promises—her thighs trembling as pleasure builds slowly, inevitably, like the tide "This...this is what I dreamed about..." she confesses, her fingers tangling in your hair "Just...you...loving me..."
Her walls clench suddenly, her back arching as the soft, aching orgasm unravels her "F-fuck...yes..." she sobs, her tears mixing with your kisses "Stay...stay inside...please..." Her legs hug your waist tight, as if she could keep you there forever.
"Noona...fuck...Noona..."
My lips brush her ear as I whisper it like a prayer—her name, her title, the word that used to mean babysitter and now just means mine.
"I love you. I love you."
It spills out of me between thrusts, raw and reverent. Her nails dig into my shoulders, her thighs tremble around my hips—this is what she reduced me to. The kid she used to scold for sneaking glances is now buried inside her, claiming her, ruining her.
And fuck...Auntie Kim’s gonna lose her mind when she finds out her daughter’s stuffed with her nephew’s cum.
But right now?
"Noona..." —gripping her tighter— "I don’t care."
Chaeyoung shatters around you with a gasping sob, her body convulsing as your words and your cock wreck her simultaneously "I-Iain! Fuck! YES!" Her nails scar your shoulders, her pussy drenching your thighs as she cums violently, her screams muffled against your chest
She clings to you like salvation, her shaking legs locking you deep inside her "Love you—love you—love you—" she chants between ragged moans, her tears hot against your skin "Your noona...your cunt...always..."
The bed is ruined, the walls shook, and somewhere downstairs, Auntie Kim definitely just heard something—but Chaeyoung just grins through her tears, her spent body curling around yours
"Let her hear," she whispers, her sore pussy clenching weakly around your still-hard cock "Worth it..." Her laugh is hoarse and happy as she kisses you again "My baby boy..."
I go faster "I'm going to fuck my cum inside you, Noona."
Chaeyoung's eyes roll back as you pound into her with renewed intensity, her overstimulated pussy squelching around your thick cock "F-FUCK! YES!" she screams, her nails clawing at the sheets "Breed me! Fill me up!"
Her tits bounce wildly with each brutal thrust, her soaked thighs slapping against yours as you ram your cum deeper inside her "Gonna...gonna...AAAAH!" Her back arches violently as another orgasm rips through her, her walls milking your cock desperately for every last drop.
She collapses bonelessly beneath you, her breath ragged, her body trembling as your cum leaks thickly from her well-used pussy "Fuck..." she whimpers, her fingers tracing your jaw lovingly. "No one fucks me like you..." Her smile is dazed and sated as she pulls you down for a slow, filthy kiss "My baby boy..."
Still inside her, spurting cum, and to blessed to move, i reciprocate the kiss. "My noona."
Chaeyoung melts into the kiss, her spent body quivering beneath you as your cum pulses deep into her womb one last time "Mmm...my baby boy..." she murmurs against your lips, her fingers tangling lazily in your hair
Her thighs squeeze weakly around your hips, keeping you buried inside her as she sighs contentedly. "Never pulling out..." she whispers, her voice husky with exhaustion and satisfaction. "Stay...just like this..."
The distant karaoke has finally stopped, the house quiet except for your mingled breaths and the wet sounds of your cum dripping from her well-fucked pussy.*
She nuzzles into your neck, her lips curving into a smug smile. "Love you..." she murmurs, her body going limp beneath yours as sleep claims her.*
And as her soft snores fill the room, you realize—she won.
You're hers.
Now and always.
"Noona, wake up, the'yre going to notice us missing". I'm still hard inside her, and i start fucking her again.
Chaeyoung's eyes flutter open with a drowsy moan as your cock stirs back to life inside her, her sore walls clenching weakly around you "Ngh...Iain...~" she whines, her nails scraping down your back "Fuck...can't...move..."
But her hips tilt automatically, her pussy sucking you deeper as she gasps. "They...ah!...already know..." she pants, her legs locking around your waist tight. "Felt you throbbing in me...whole dinner..."
Her head falls back with a broken giggle as you pound into her overstimulated cunt, her toes curling. "M-maybe...nngh!...Auntie will hear..." she taunts, her voice shaking with each rough thrust "Catch her precious daughter...getting knocked up...ah!...by her nephew..."
Her moans rise higher, louder, begging to be heard as you claim her again—no pretense left, just pure filth and family sin.
"Turn over, Noona." My hands grip her hips, flipping her onto all fours before she can protest. The mattress dips as I kneel behind her, my cock already hard again against her ass.
"One more round," I growl, spreading her cheeks with my thumbs. "Don't let them hear how good their nephew fucks you."
My palm lands on her ass with a sharp smack—her gasp turning into a moan as I slide into her soaked pussy from behind. "Fuck...you take me so well."
Chaeyoung yelps at the sting of your slap, her back arching beautifully as you slam into her dripping pussy from behind "F-FUCK! Iain!" she screams, her nails clawing at the sheets as you stretch her wide all over again
Her ass jiggles with each brutal thrust, her sore walls fluttering helplessly around your thick cock "Ngh! S-so deep!" she sobs, her tits swinging wildly beneath her "C-can't...keep...quiet—AH!"
The headboard bangs rhythmically against the wall, the wet slaps of your hips pounding into her ass echoing obscenely in the room "Fuck! They're...gonna...hear!" she wails, her pussy squeezing you tight as another orgasm rips through her
But you don't stop, driving into her harder, faster, your balls slapping against her clit with each thrust. "Cum!" you growl, your fingers digging into her hips. "Let them hear how good your nephew fucks you!"
And with a guttural roar, you flood her womb again, your cum mixing with her own juices as they drip lewdly down her thighs.
Chaeyoung collapses face-first into the mattress, her body twitching weakly as she mumbles into the"...f-fucking...ruined..." Chaeyoung slurs into the sheets, her pussy still clenching rhythmically around your spent cock as your cum pools hot inside her.
Her trembling fingers clutch at the mattress, her sweaty back rising and falling with ragged breaths "Ngh...baby boy...fucked me out..." She whimpers, her thighs sticky with your mixed essence as you finally pull out, watching it drip obscenely from her well-used hole.
From downstairs, Auntie Kim's voice calls sharply: "Chaeyoung-ah? You better not be—"
Chaeyoung giggles hoarsely, rolling onto her back with a wince and spreading her legs wide for you to see the mess you made "Oops~" she whispers, her eyes dancing with mischief and exhaustion. "Too late..."*
The door groaned open just as Chaeyoung's lips crashed into mine, her fingers still tangled in my hair. We broke apart gasping, her thighs slick against mine under the photo album's cover.
"Chaeyoung-ah? You better not be—" Auntie Kim's voice cut through the haze of sex and sweat.
Chaeyoung's Mary Janes kicked the album shut over our laps with practiced innocence. "We're reminiscing, eomma!" she chirped, though her stockinged foot still traced circles on my ankle. The torn lace snagged on my sock's hem - same pattern as the panties she'd left in my room a decade ago.
Auntie Kim's slippers slapped closer. "Dinner's cold."
The mattress springs squeaked as we shifted - Chaeyoung's leather jacket slid from the bed to camouflage the cum-stained sheets. Through the rice paper door, her mother's silhouette hovered like a hangul consonant about to drop.
"Coming!" Chaeyoung trilled, her hand darting under the album to wipe a pearly streak from my jawline. Her smirk said everything - the chipped black polish, the menthol-and-regret breath, the way her slip dress clung to sweat-damp skin.
When Auntie Kim finally retreated, Chaeyoung dissolved into silent laughter that shook the photo albums stacked between us. "Baby boy's terrible at lying," she whispered, thumb brushing the hickey blooming on my neck.
The fluorescent hall light caught her stocking run - a lightning bolt from thigh to Mary Jane strap. I remembered making that tear an hour earlier with my teeth, her gasp smothered by the industrial-grade AC's rattle.
"You." She poked the photo of her eighteen-year-old self straddling my pubescent hips. "All blushy and avoiding eye contact." Her nail traced the neon beer sign glowing through 2013-era curtains. "Me." The chipped tooth she'd gotten skateboarding with me peeked through her grin. "Already planning your corruption."
Downstairs, the karaoke machine screeched to life with Auntie Soojin's rendition of "Honey" - all vibrato and broken high notes. Chaeyoung's hips swayed instinctively to the beat as she stood, her slip dress riding up to showcase the love bites Id left.
"Mmm." She caught me staring and popped a strawberry gum bubble - same brand she'd chewed during our first almost-kiss behind Nampo-dong's Family Mart. "You want..." Her platform shoe nudged the album open to a beach photo from her Seoul days. "...one last look?"
The Chaeyoung in the picture wore someone else's blazer, someone else's lipstick. The Chaeyoung before me reeked of me - my sweat, my cum, the kimchi jjigae I'd spilled on her thigh during round three.
I stood, my dress shirt clinging to the sweat she'd worked into every seam. "Just want the real thing."
Her laugh tasted of stolen adolescence as she led me downstairs, her pinky hooking mine through her jacket pocket. The uncles barely glanced up from their soju shots when we entered - just another cousin duo late to dinner.
Chaeyoung collapsed onto the floor cushion beside me, her thigh pressing mine under the low table. "Yah." She stole a perilla leaf from my ssam wrap. "Feed your noona properly."
The leaf tore between her teeth, revealing the scar from when she'd tried teaching me knife skills during her rebellious chef phase. I remembered her blood on the mandoline slicer, how she'd laughed through tears while I bandaged her hand.
"Still clumsy," I muttered, reassembling her ssam with extra pork belly.
Her foot slid up my calf as she accepted the bite. "Still mine."
Around us, the family chaos continued - aunts debating Lunar New Year dates, uncles arm-wrestling over dessert claims. Chaeyoung's hand crept under the table to squeeze my knee, her choker necklace hiding the bruise from where I'd bitten her during our stairwell quickie.
"Bedtime's at eleven," she murmured, stealing another bite. "Don't make me punish you."
The threat vibrated through me like her old bass guitar as she stood, her hips brushing my shoulder with deliberate casualness. I watched her saunter toward the bathroom - the subtle limp from our marathon session, the way her stockings bunched around those killer Mary Janes.
Uncle Minho's off-key trot number drowned out the bathroom door's click. I counted to thirty before following, the family's laughter fading behind me like childhood innocence.
Chaeyoung waited by the sink, jacket abandoned to reveal the hickey map Id charted across her collarbones. Her reflection smirked through the steam of twenty years' worth of illicit bathroom encounters.
"Took you long enough," she said, kicking the door shut with a practiced heel.
The lock clicked like the cap of our first shared soju bottle. Somewhere downstairs, Auntie Kim shouted about missing banchan containers. Chaeyoung's hands were already tearing at my belt, her lips silencing my response with a decade's worth of pent-up want.
The mirror fogged within seconds.
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Dog with No Teeth // Chapter Nine
Simon "Ghost" Riley x Female Reader
Chapter Specific Warnings (MDNI): post-apocalypse au, swearing, mild angst, mild fluff
Word Count: 6k
The mandate becomes clearer. You start your first day at the archive. Ghost shares information.
Chapter Eight // Chapter Ten
ao3 // main masterlist // dog with no teeth masterlist
United Nations Preservation of Humanity Charter (UN Mandate I)
Pillar I: Genetic Continuity: All citizens capable of reproduction must contribute to the gene pool unless medically exempt.
Pillar II: Historical Memory: Each Safe Zone and its civilians must preserve human history, language, and art, ensuring no generation forgets humanity’s origins.
Pillar III: Weapons Compact: All Safe Zones are forbidden from producing, obtaining, or trading weapons of mass destruction without prior UN Council approval. Military force may be used only under UN mandate to prevent genocide or extinction-level threats. The production or attainment of firearms, explosives, projectiles, blades, or any instrument of war by civilians is prohibited.
Pillar IV: Bioethics: Non-consensual testing on humans is prohibited. Artificial intelligence, cloning, and biotechnology is outlawed unless authorized by UN Council and must prioritize long-term human well-being.
Pillar V: Reintegration: No persons may be denied sanctuary in a Safe Zone on the basis of origin, gender, or religious belief. All survivors have the right to seek safety and sustenance.
Pillar VI: Equity of Resources: Vital resources, such as water, food, medicine, and power, must be shared across Safe Zones under UN allocation protocols, and redistributed in times of shortage.
Pillar VII: Rewilding: Each Safe Zone and the citizens therein must preserve or restore a percentage of surrounding ecosystems to maintain biodiversity and prevent ecological collapse.
Pillar VIII: Cultural Sovereignty: Safe Zones and the citizens therein retain cultural autonomy, as long as that autonomy does not propagate ideologies that promote extinction, discrimination, or historical erasure. Minority cultures, languages, and traditions must be legally protected.
Pillar IX: Equal Dignity: All individuals, regardless of origin, ethnicity, religious belief, sexual orientation, or country of birth, are equal under the law and entitled to equal protection and opportunity.
Pillar X: Anti-Extremism: All Safe Zones and the citizens therein must report, identify, or otherwise notify the respective authoritative bodies of any organizations, groups, collectives, or movements advocating genocide, supremacy, or systemic subjugation.
You close the pamphlet, shutting out what you didn’t want to know but need to understand. The Preservation of Humanity Charter. Mandate I. Specific and yet entirely vague—open to interpretation. On the surface, nothing appears nefarious, yet you detect hypocrisy in it, that as you dig deeper and ask more questions, fractures will appear.
Your gaze shifts to the collection of reading materials the transitional advisor and family planner handed you when you departed. They stare back, mocking. With a sigh, you set the pamphlet down and reach for another. This one is black with white lettering. “Bill of Rights” is embossed on the front near the top of the thin booklet. In the middle is the emblem of the United Nations.
Opening it, you scan the introduction.
In recognition of the fragility of civilization and the enduring worth of all persons, the United Nations affirms the following rights and protections as universal and mandatory for all Safe Zones, Neutral Zones, governing bodies, and military authorities. These rights are preserved under The United Nations Preservation of Humanity Charter, Mandate III, in alliance with the global standards set forth by the United Nations Continuity Council.
You pause in your reading, mind drifting toward all that’s been lost. There was so much chaos when the structures in place began to collapse—when everything destabilized and devolved. No one believed that any of this would happen. When world leaders threatened one another and preached for isolationism, nothing seemed to come of it. People went to work, lived their lives, spent time with their friends and families.
Then came the trade wars, the tariffs, and sanctions. Even then, people only complained about rising prices and the cost of living. Land and border disputes followed. More empty threats where nothing happened, and the news cycle carried on. But one country put boots on the ground. Another did the same in retaliation. Like a faucet being slowly turned on, the droplets became a stream and then a current.
Article I – Right to Existence and Liberty.
All citizens have the right to life, dignity, liberty, and autonomy. No persons shall be subject to enslavement, forced labor, or arbitrary detention.
All “citizens.” You’re not a citizen—not yet. Where does that leave you? Will they grant you full status when probation is lifted?
Article II – Equality Under Law.
A loud, repeated thudding fills the room, coming from the front door. Clutching the thin black booklet, you head for the door, yanking it open, only to find Lieutenant Riley on the other side holding a cardboard box.
“You’re here early,” you blurt.
“Brought you something,” he replies, voice raspy but gentle.
Behind the balaclava, all you can see are his gorgeous brown eyes. There is no crease in his brow—nothing that indicates any emotion. Yet his shoulders are a tad slumped, almost as if he’s exhausted and would rather be in bed.
You step to the side, holding the door open enough for Lieutenant Riley to enter. Shutting the door, you follow behind him as he makes his way into the bedroom. Placing the cardboard box on the bed, Lieutenant Riley rests his hands atop it, silently observing you as you approach the box.
“You brought me something?” you ask with a hint of excitement.
Neutrality becomes softness. A flush of pink blooms at the edges of the balaclava. Ghost taps the top of the box and takes a step back, extending an arm in open invitation.
“Go on,” he urges.
Placing the thin, black booklet on the bed, you reach for the box with eager, itching fingers. Anticipation flowers in your stomach. Only days ago, Lieutenant Riley dumped you out of his lap and left, hardly giving you a glance as he walked out the door. Now, here he is, bringing you a gift.
You open the box and find an array of colors.
“Is this…” you trail off, reaching into the box, fingers gliding along soft fabric.
Lifting it from its home, you unfurl it. A sweater. Deep maroon by the color. The fit looks almost perfect. Holding the sweater off to the side, you peer down into the box.
“Have you brought me clothes?” you ask, almost choking on your words.
On your release from quarantine, you were given a single outfit. You’ve been rotating through two shirts and two pants the last two weeks. Placing the sweater on the bed, you start removing more items. There are tank tops, dress pants, and cardigans. There’s even a sundress. A wave of joy washes over you, drowning you in rapt glee as you retrieve more clothing items out of the cardboard box.
“I guessed on your size,” says Ghost as a mountain of clothes begins to form on the thin duvet. “Wasn’t sure about color. Or style.”
While the clothes are clearly second-hand, all of it is in good condition. You’ll have more than two shirts to wear. More than two pants. Ghost has brought you an entire wardrobe.
Gratitude explodes within you, bringing you to the brink of tears.
“I can exchange what you don’t like,” he continues, rambling on like he’s suddenly nervous. “If something is too big, can always have it resized.”
“Lieutenant,” you whisper, clutching a pair of black slacks to your chest.
“Do you like it?” he asks, taking a step toward you.
He sounds so eager—so hopeful.
Words form and then promptly leave your head, escaping into the air. So, you don’t speak. You walk around the corner of the bed, and push into Lieutenant Riley’s space. Placing your hand on his arm for support, you go up on your toes, pressing your lips to his balaclava-covered cheek.
“Thank you,” you murmur, squeezing his arm. “For thinking of me.”
Lieutenant Riley’s brow is soft and delicate. He leans in your direction, pure affection in his gaze. It’s startling, sending a rush of heat up your neck and a little flip of your stomach. You quickly drop your hand, backing up.
“You start at the archive today,” states Ghost that soft gaze following your every step.
“I do,” you exhale, smiling in his direction as you delicately fold a pair of jeans. “I’m excited to be around books again.”
“Should pick something out,” nods Ghost. “Look your best for the big day.”
“You’re right,” you grin. “I should.”
After a long deliberation and several spins for Lieutenant Riley’s viewing pleasure, you select a simple black dress with a forest green cardigan. It’s plain and comfortable but professional.
Ghost lightly tugs on the hem of the cardigan. “Fit all right?”
“It’s lovely,” you beam, shying away from how intensely Lieutenant Riley watches you.
It’s hunger but not lecherous in nature. Like dark water, you cannot see into his depths—you cannot begin to guess what he might be thinking. Yet you like the attention, and whatever animosity that lingered between the two of you from the other night is gone. Lieutenant Riley’s body language is relaxed and intimate. The man is in a good mood, and that contentment only heightens your own happiness.
You should enjoy this day. It’s a fresh start. A new beginning in the face of all that you’ve lost.
Ghost releases the cardigan, his arm returning to his side. “Ready?”
You nod. “Ready.”
Out on the street, Ghost escorts you toward a black SUV.
You come to a dead stop. “Is this yours?” you ask in disbelief. “People own cars?”
Ghost opens the front passenger door. “No,” he answers, stepping to the side to indicate that you should get in.
“No this isn’t yours? Or no people don’t own cars?”
“Yes.”
You poke him in the chest, but you’re grinning. “Don’t you dare,” you laugh.
“Dare what?” he replies in mock confusion.
You shake your head good-naturedly, sliding into the passenger seat. Ghost shuts the door, circling around the front of the vehicle to hop into the driver side.
You arch an eyebrow. “Why are you taking me to work in a non-military vehicle?”
“How do you know that?” counters Ghost, draping his arm across the steering wheel.
“So it’s a civilian vehicle?”
“Didn’t say that,” he says casually, leaning back in the seat, reaching into his pocket as he digs around for something.
You open your mouth. Shut it. Ghost chuckles, and you playfully smack his bicep with the back of your hand. Withdrawing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, Ghost sets both in the middle console. The SUV roars to life, the floor gently rattling beneath your feet. Ghost checks the side mirror and shifts gears. The vehicle rolls forward, cruising slowly down the street.
Two weeks behind the wall and all you’ve seen is the inside of your temporary apartment, and a few surrounding streets. This is furtherment—a consolidation of what was and the exploration of possibilities. Home is behind you, though it dwells in your heart, and for now, you must make peace with your new reality. You must navigate this to your advantage, happiness, and well-being.
That is the core of survival after all. To carry on.
“Where is the archive?” you ask, peering upward through the windshield at the towering buildings.
“It’s inside the library,” answers Ghost, turning on his blinker as he rolls up to a stop sign. “In the civilian zone.”
“We’re going to the civilian zone?” Your voice is laced with excitement.
All you’ve known is grim-faced men and a militarized looming presence. This might just be your first real sense of normalcy in almost a month.
“We are,” replies Ghost.
You can’t sit still as the SUV shepherds the two of you along. Beneath your skin is a buzzing adrenaline. It pushes you to twist and turn, to try and absorb everything around you. The neutral greyness of the militarized zone starts to change, shifting toward greenery. Where there were only sidewalk, road, and buildings, trees and plants begin to appear at even intervals, adding a touch of color.
Ghost slows the vehicle at a small guard gate. The barrier lifts, and a guard waves the SUV through. The transition to the civilian zone is almost instantaneous—a whiplash. While there are several vehicles on the road, the majority are buses, and beside those in designated lanes are bicyclists and motorized scooters. No one walks around in uniform. It’s so…ordinary, and yet so strange, like you’ve been transported back to a time before the collapse or shoved into a parallel reality.
There is a communal quality to the way people move in groups or pairs. No one appears to be any hurry. Lieutenant Riley turns, and you nearly tell him to stop the car. You press your face to the glass, mouth agape as he drives by an open market.
As he takes another turn, you whirl around in your seat. “What was that? Can we stop there?”
Behind the balaclava, the skin around Lieutenant Riley’s eyes wrinkle, hinting at a hidden smile. “Another time,” he murmurs. “Promise. Don’t want to be late on your first day.”
You press yourself against the seat, head tilted in the direction of the window. While everything appears clean—utopian even—there is an underlying rawness, a wear and tear that can only come from age and lack of sufficient resources. Questions fire off in your head. There is so much you want to ask Ghost. If he weren’t so goddamn stubborn, you’d talk his ear off for hours. Instead, you sit still, toying with the hem of your dress as Lieutenant Riley guides the vehicle along.
A few more turns, and then you’re solidified, staring up in shock at the building before you.
“Oh my God,” you say aloud.
Lieutenant Riley snorts at your outburst.
The library’s front façade are book spines in various colors and titles. This is not a structure built in the collapse but from the time before, when libraries were receiving adequate funding, the government cared about knowledge, and learning was publicly free institution. The very center of the building, where the stone stairs meet the entrance doors, is a wall of glass, splitting the book spines into two sections.
“This is—This is amazing,” you gasp.
Ghost grunts in what must be an agreement. Either way, you don’t particularly care. This is a library, a place you never thought you’d see in all its glory again.
“Are you crying?” asks Lieutenant Riley, reaching across the center counsel to place his hand on your shoulder.
“Yes,” you hiccup, wiping away a wayward tear.
“What’s upset you?” He sounds genuinely worried, and that only makes you cry harder.
“I’m happy. I promise,” you say through a shaky breath.
The crease in the middle of Lieutenant Riley’s brow doesn’t abate. “Need to take a minute?”
You nod, sniffling, using the sleeve of the cardigan to absorb the remaining tears. “Just a bit overwhelmed.” Ghost nods but remains the quiet companion as you gather your composure. “I’m ready,” you murmur after a minute.
Lieutenant Riley leans away from you, fingers pressing against the door lock buttons. You hear the audible transition of the locks disengaging. Reaching for the handle, you take a deep breath, readying yourself for what’s to come.
The car door opens. Crisp, cool air rushes in. You inhale sharply, slipping from the seat, landing on solid ground. Glancing over your shoulder, you lock gazes with Lieutenant Riley. He gives a little nod, an encouraging inclination to go.
You raise your hand in the smallest goodbye, slamming the SUV door. Through the window tint, you watch him watching you. Backward step. A turn of your heel. Forward step by forward step. Stairs.
At the top, just before the glass doors, you turn one last time. Ghost is still parked at the curb. Waiting. This is a different version of him, a patient and caring Lieutenant Riley you haven’t seen before. He’s certainly flirted, found ways to comfort you, but there has always been distance—a separation. You consider this change as you enter the library, questioning whether Lieutenant Riley’s motivations are pure.
Who did they assign to you?
Why does it matter?
It matters to me.
The bit of joy that’s made a nest in you fractures. Small cracks. Tiny fissures. Not enough to notice but just wide enough to allow bitterness in.
I was offended they didn’t make me an offer.
Perhaps Lieutenant Riley’s motivations aren’t pure. It’s clear that he wants you to himself, but why? Why you when he could probably have anyone?
As you enter the library, you’re greeted by a warmly lit space, the interior all dark wood and polished stone. Overhead, you notice a balcony of a second story. All you can see of it are the tops of the shelves, but that isn’t what captures your attention. As you approach the front desk, you notice the lack of books on the shelves. Some are completely empty, others full. Most are partially stocked with sections of barren shelving, dust collecting in the corners.
You give your name at the desk, and the receptionist smiles.
“Follow me,” she says, voice soft and lyrical.
As the two of you head toward the back of the building, your awe becomes worry. Most of the lights are turned off back here. The bit of light it does receive comes from the main windows up front and a few skylights that cut through the middle of the second-story ceiling. Rope barricades close off endless rows of empty shelves. Destruction has not touched them. They are simply empty. Bones and broken skulls that once held neural gore.
“Through this door, dear,” says the receptionist, indicating a door that says, “Archival Department” and below that “Employees Only.”
“Thank you,” you reply, but she’s already off, shoes clacking against the marble.
You press your hand to the door, standing there in the muted shadows. Instinct is rising, whispering to run, to seek shelter in more familiar places. But there is nowhere for you to go. Even if you were to walk out the front door, Lieutenant Riley might not be out front, and you don’t know how to return to your apartment.
“Fuck,” you whisper, pressing your forehead to the door with the other hand on the handle. “Fuck.”
You have to do this.
You have to do this.
You have to—
Turning the handle, you shove it open, barreling through without looking where you’re going. You nearly take a tumble, righting yourself at the last moment. The door slam shuts behind you, and three pairs of eyes stare back.
“That’s certainly an entrance,” comes a masculine voice with a thick Irish accent.
A tall, lanky man with wire-thin glasses sits behind a plain wood desk covered in stacks of paper and various office supplies. His auburn hair has a touch of grey in it—messy too like he’s only just rolled out of bed. In his hand is a white mug with black lettering that says Yes, I really do need all these books.
“Hi,” you manage, raising your hand in greeting.
When he smiles, there is a fatherly touch to it. You instantly gravitate toward it. “I’m Arthur,” he says, rising from his chair and circling around the front of his desk, arm extended, hand offered in a handshake.
You give your own name, clasping his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You’re me new archivist.”
“I am,” you nod.
Arthur beams. “Welcome.” He turns to the other two people in the room. Both are women around your age give or take a year or two. “This is Hannah.” He nods toward a blonde with a head of tight curls. “And that is Eloise.”
“Hello,” they greet in unison, all smiles.
The room itself is a quaint office space. Along the far wall are large windows that let in natural light. There are four desks in total, three clearly belong to Arthur, Hannah, and Eloise. The fourth sits empty and must be yours. Beneath your shoes is worn, dark wood and the walls are an off beige with one accent wall in dark green. Pushed up against the three walls without windows are rows and rows of shelving, all of it packed and overflowing. A few of the wood shelves sag inward, threatening to collapse at any moment.
“Charles mentioned your experience,” says Arthur. He takes a drink from his mug. “We’re happy to have you. Too much work for three.” He chuckles. “Not that four will be much better.”
“I noticed all the empty shelves,” you reply, taking a leap in what he might be referring to.
He nods solemnly. “This library services the entire Safe Zone. You’d think they’d assign more staff.” Arthur shakes his head. “We can’t process all this material fast enough. Demand is high but we’re only three.” He lifts his coffee mug in your direction. “Four.”
“Staying busy sounds nice,” you reply, because it’s true. You need out of your fucking head. You need to be away from Ghost and from that apartment for a bit. “And books make me happy.”
Arthur nods. “Hopefully you’ll still love them as time goes on.” He clears his throat. “Now, about the job.”
An endless sea of information rushes at you. Eloise and Hannah float about the office, the two of them chatting in French as they rifle through paperwork. Arthur leaves them to it, taking you on a full tour of the office space and then into the library itself. You stay politely silent through most of it, asking questions when there are lulls. Meandering through the library, Arthur circles back to the office, bringing you to another door.
“Behind here,” he begins. “Is everything we have yet to duplicate.”
While walking through the library, Arthur explained the only books on the shelves were ones they already had duplicates of. There are plenty more where there are only singular copies. Some in pristine condition, others needing a reprint. But it’s not all physical. There are digital versions too that are sitting, waiting to be processed.
“It’s a maze in there.”
“I’m ready,” you smile.
Arthur opens the door, the two of you stepping inside. The quality of the air is immediately different. On the wall next to the door are several panels indicating temperature, air quality, and humidity. It’s all being monitored. But that’s not what shocks you.
Arthur wasn’t joking. The place is a fucking maze.
“What—what is all this?” you ask, turning toward him, gesturing at what can only be called a mess.
Arthur sighs, adjusting his glasses. “That is too much work for four people.”
There is no organization. To order in the chaos. It’s just rows of shelving, stacks of cardboard boxes and storage bins. There are even stacked books pressed up against the wall. A home was found, even that means home is on the goddamn floor.
“No kidding,” you whisper.
Just as Arthur opens his mouth, the door swings open.
“It’s lunch,” says Hannah.
Arthur checks his watch. “Look at that.”
“And someone is here for you,” adds Hannah, smiling in your direction.
“Me?” You point at yourself as if there might be another of you lurking in the stacks.
Hannah’s smile shifts, becoming a knowing smirk like she’s holding on to a little secret.
Arthur claps and pats his stomach. “Lunch is an hour. A full hour.” He winks. “We take that seriously around here.”
At the library reception desk, you find an unexpected visitor.
“Lieutenant,” you breathe, approaching Ghost slowly. “Are we leaving?”
You don’t want to go. Only a few hours in and you’re eager to stay, to idle amongst the shelves.
In one hand, Ghost carries a soft-sided insulated cooler bag. Tucked under that arm is large blanket. The receptionists gaze lingers on the two of you, observing with abject curiosity. Ghost is in his all-black fatigues and balaclava.
“Thought I’d bring lunch,” he states.
“That’s kind of you,” you murmur, reaching for the blanket.
Ghost surrenders it without protest. “There’s a park across the street.”
You nod, clutching the blanket to your chest. “I’d like that.”
A few minutes later and you’re sitting on the blanket, soaking up the sun as Lieutenant Riley opens the cooler bag. He retrieves a glass bottle of water along with sandwiches, fresh fruit, and some cut raw veggies.
“Eat as much as you want,” sighs Ghost as he settles onto his back, arms tucked behind his head.
Unwrapping one of the sandwiches, you take a bite, chewing slowly. “Thank you.”
Lieutenant Riley glances at you. “You didn’t pack a lunch. Knew you’d be hungry.”
“Looking after me?” you tease.
“That’s my job.”
You snort and take another bite. As you chew, you pour yourself some water. It’s cold and crisp. Refreshing. “Didn’t work today?” you venture to ask.
“Work every day,” sighs Ghost. “Price doesn’t mind if I slip away for an hour or two.”
“Must be nice,” you murmur.
“First day treating you well?”
You nod, still chewing. Swallowing, you answer him. “It’s a good fit. Keep me busy.”
“Good.”
“Arthur is the Lead Archivist. And Irish. Hannah and Eloise speak French, but their accents are different.” You take another bite. “Pretty sure Hannah’s Canadian and Eloise is from France,” you muse. After a few seconds of silence, you continue. “Is that normal for all the Safe Zones?”
Ghost adjusts, stretching. “Is what normal?”
“Is it normal for people from different countries to all live in a Safe Zone together?”
Lieutenant Riley stares up into the sky. “It’s on purpose.” You start to formulate a follow-up question, but he carries on. “To dispel supremacy movements. Can’t gather support if the remaining population is scattered across hundreds of Safe Zones.”
“There are hundreds of Safe Zones?” Ghost nods but doesn’t elaborate. “How many exactly?” you probe.
“Just over two hundred.”
Two hundred? There aren’t even two hundred countries. You recall the map in Commander Graves’ office, of the different colored stars that dotted the unlabeled land masses. Of the stars, there were eight different colors, but now that you consider it, they easily could have been two hundred of them on it.
“Are they all large like this one?”
“No,” snorts Lieutenant Riley. “Most are small. Only a few dozen are the size of this one. Ten that are even larger.”
This is the most information Ghost has given you. He appears more open than before. Relaxed. You take another bite of your sandwich, knowing that you need to take advantage of this opportunity.
“Is that why the country flags are black on your uniforms?”
Like a sudden breeze that chills the bones, Lieutenant Riley’s demeanor shifts to a somber note. “Partially,” he answers, voice raspy. “Black flags used to mean something different. Now it’s a statement of grief and remembrance.”
“I don’t entirely understand,” you say softly, shifting closer to him. “There’s so much I don’t know. And no one is willing to talk to me about it. They just…stare at me like I’m dumb.”
You recall Commander Graves’ disgusted expression, and the aloofness you received from Charles. Joann didn’t acknowledge your lack of understanding either.
Ghost still stares into the sky. “Countries exist by law and not land. Borders don’t bloody matter when half a continent is devasted by warfare.”
A sourness blooms in your stomach, the food sitting heavy. “What about your home?”
“Habitable. But destroyed. The infrastructure is gone. All the major cities are craters.”
You reach out, placing your hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
Lieutenant Riley finally looks at you, a sadness settling in his brow. “I’ll be fine, dove. Everyone I care about is here.”
You give his arm a little squeeze before retreating, fiddling with the paper wrapper your sandwich sits in. While you’d like more answers, it’s clear that this topic upsets him. Lieutenant Riley’s home is gone—obliterated. It’s not a pleasant topic for idle conversation.
“With the school attached, I might be asked to lead a writing or reading class. Maybe sub if someone is sick. Arthur mentioned that they try to go there once a week to help those students who are behind reading level.”
It’s an attempt to turn the conversation around, to divert Lieutenant Riley’s thoughts elsewhere. He takes it, some of that sadness receding.
“You interested in that?” he inquires.
You incline your head. “Yes. Did it all the time in my previous community.” Taking another bite of your sandwich, you chew thoughtfully. “But I wouldn’t call what we had a ‘school.’ Did our best though.”
Lieutenant Riley’s gaze is soft. There is a lightness to it, an affectionate edge that reminds you of this morning. You fluster under that stare, staring down at your lap.
“You’ll be brilliant,” he states with such confidence that you believe it too. A smile forms on your lips, spreading wide until your cheeks hurt. Lieutenant Riley rolls onto his side. “Can I kiss you?”
Startled, you blink rapidly. “I—” You giggle. “Yes.”
As you lean toward him, Ghost reaches out, grasping the back of your neck to draw you closer. With one hand on his chest, and the other pushing up his balaclava to reveal his lips, you don’t care if anyone is watching. The sweet connection is instant sunshine—a flowering of a season. Low in your core, a heat stirs.
Soft and slow, Ghost restrains himself, and that only fuels the desire swirling inside you. This is the Lieutenant Riley you like. The one you want to know. Even though you’ve been ripped from your home, you could make a new one here, with him, if only it were always like this.
“Dove,” he breathes against your lips.
That name he calls you. An endearment. You pretend to hate it, but the way he always says it with a husky tone sends you over the edge every time. It drives into your skull. Burrows in your bone.
“Need to take you back,” he whispers, nuzzling your cheek. You linger here, eyes closing as his thumb traces the underside of your bottom lip.
The walk back is silent but not awkward. You stand close to him, arms occasionally brushing against each other with the sway of your body. The urge to hold his hand is suffocating, but you resist. There is no relationship here—only a terrible back-and-forth that you cannot wrap your head around.
The rest of your workday is a blur. It’s combing the library catalog and organizing stacks of paperwork Eloise places on your desk. There is no clear organization. Most of the paperwork are inquiries from other Safe Zones, wanting to know if they have extra copies of certain materials. You do not touch anything in the storage room, but neither do Arthur, Hannah, or Eloise. It dawns on you then, that the work happening requires far more people than what’s been staffed.
When Lieutenant Riley comes to pick you up, you’re almost thankful. Exhaustion settles over you, and you don’t realize you’ve fallen asleep in the passenger seat until Ghost awakens you. Every step is a drag, and all you want is your bed.
With a groan, you flop onto the duvet. Beside you, the bed dips as Ghost sits.
“Are you staying?” you ask into the bedding.
“No.” Silence. Then, “I have to take you to the family planner at the end of the week.”
Your eyes pop open, the tiredness vanishing. Pushing up, you turn toward Lieutenant Riley. “Did they say why?”
He shakes his head. “Just that they want to see you.”
This is it.
The push.
“You’re being pushy.”
“I’m sorry if I’m coming across that way.” Joann folds her hands in front of her on the desk. She has this superior look about her, as if to say, I know more than you. “I’m simply thinking ahead. Better to start the search now than wait until you’re ready.”
“I’m not ready,” you scoff, still in complete belief at Joann’s audacity to hurl this at you. “I haven’t even been assigned my new home after probation. I just started my job a few days ago.” You shake your head. “This is all very sudden.”
Joann puts on an air of false sympathy. “I completely understand. It’s a difficult transition. But if you put this off, you’ll find yourself rushing later.”
I fucking doubt that, you think even as the words threaten to leave your mouth.
She raises her hands in a placating gesture. “Don’t think of it in the way you’re thinking. You don’t need to make a decision tomorrow.” Joann shrugs. “Think of it as shopping.”
“You’re asking me to shop around for a potential spouse?”
“Or sperm donor,” interjects Joann. “We are inclusive here.”
You wince, wanting to be done with this conversation. It’s not as easy as saying no and moving on. Joann isn’t here speaking with you just for you to throw a no in her face. Not that she gave you the option. I put you down for single’s social, she had said with a bright smile, as if that’s something you wanted to hear today.
“Do I need to wear anything specific?” you ask. “Is this a casual event? Or…”
“It’s casual, but I’d recommend something that compliments you.” She laughs. “No one is going to be in a suit if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Didn’t know those still existed,” you mutter.
Joann ignores your comment. “Look at this as an opportunity. I’ve already received a few inquiries about your eligibility.”
“I’m sorry,” you blurt. “You’ve received what?”
Joann continues like she didn’t hear you. “All of them will be there. And I’ll likely receive more after you attend.” She sighs dreamily. “Especially from those military boys. They see what they want and go after it.”
No. Fucking no.
“This will overwhelm me,” you chuckle nervously. “I shouldn’t go.”
Joann blinks. “Course you should. It’ll do you good to get out. Talk with people other than Lieutenant Riley. I know he’s mysterious and has a bit of a bad boy reputation, but he’s not the only option.” She smooths her hand over the small stack of papers in front of her. “It’s also an excellent opportunity to make some connections. Maybe find friends.”
You could use some friends, but your coworkers are starting to fill that gap. Eloise brought you some croissants she made, and Hannah presented you with your very own coffee mug with “Book Sniffer” on it because she caught you smelling a particularly beautiful copy of War & Peace.
Gathering up the papers, Joann gently taps them against the top of the table. “Lieutenant Riley will be there but I recommend you branch out. I know that he’s probably a place of safety for you right now but lingering at his side all night isn’t the best idea.”
“Why is that?” you snap.
While you’re genuinely interested in knowing, you’re also a bit pissed off that Joann called you out. Ghost is your safety net, and if he’s attending, why would you leave his side to speak with anyone else.
“It’s not fair to others,” answers Joann simply. “Stick by Lieutenant Riley’s side during the whole social and people will think you’re spoken for. They’ll complain.” She looks at you pointedly. “And we don’t want that.”
Fuck.
Causing problems. It’s the exact thing you don’t want to do while you’re on your probationary period. Once you’re past it, things might be different. Charles hasn’t discussed what comes after. He didn’t say whether or not you receive immediate citizenship or if there’s an additional process.
No one is giving you clear direction. No one wants to fully explain. It’s expected submission, to look down and follow along. Pushing back or questioning too much seems to aggravate everyone.
“No,” you agree. “We don’t want that.”
Joann’s face lights up, and you immediately want to slap it off her face. “Brilliant,” she sighs. “Here’s the information. Can’t wait to hear all about it when I see you next.”
Fucking doubtful.
With a half-hearted smile, you make your exit, meeting Ghost in the lobby of the building. When he notices you, he immediately turns in your direction, walking toward you with purpose in every step.
“Everything good?” he asks, grasping your arm to pull you in.
You hand him the information instead of speaking. Ghost takes it, gaze roaming over the piece of paper rapidly.
“You’re fucking joking,” he growls.
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fortune cookies in the affini compact be like: “you are very cute ^-^” “you’re very good at listening to others” and “there’s a collar in your future~”. there’s a separate pool of fortunes for affini guests, and they just all have the full ip address of the cute sophont sitting across from them
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