#even though i initially pictured daniel there too

[figureofdismay]

at what point between Za'tarc testing and Threads do you think it would be most crushingly, precipitously painful for Sam and Jack to encounter another Alternate Universe Mirror Sam and Jack, who are of course Together (as usual)? I'm trying to decide what the maximum angst point would be for fic writing reasons 🤔

[thescribeoflostmemories]

The Sun, Moon, Stars, and even you, my Princess are mine.

(Yandere! Pantalone x fem reader)

Inspired by the ost "Mine" by Daniel Olsén

Might as well click away if you're easily disturbed since I have no clue on how to use tags or trigger warnings.

Tw: Implied sexual themes(if you squint), Objectifying. Misuse of authority. (Soft core yandere, no one actually dies so no mention)

***************************

It's a day he'd not forget.

When he first met you, his pet.

Oh, such a lovely joy to not get so upset about.

Each day he'd send lavish accessories that befit a maiden such as yourself, you deserve the world like him.

Right now, you're in a meeting room with Pantalone. He's making you choose a gift that is either his, Capitano's, and others.

Hesitant hand slowly went over to Capitano's gift, it was a new picture book from Mondstadt. Since you wanted something new to read, but he thinks otherwise. His thick black leathered shoe 'accidentally' slammed on the book before you could even touch it. You yelped at the sudden notion.

"Oh, my apologies, dear oyster." Pantalone really didn't want you to pick anyone else's gifts. Which is why he cornered you into this room and gathered the other's gifts. Choices between his and others were merely an illusion with one and only desirable answer.

"Haha… Oh, Lord Pantalone." With a nervous laughter, your hand went from the book to the jewelry that he had handpicked for you.

The black haired man relaxes and leans back on the chair with a sharp smile.

"Fufu, I do occasionally like jokes but. There are some other times I don't."

Remembering Capitano's words to decline Pantalone's advances, you tried but once you got back from the Palace, you received not one but quadruple the gifts he initially gave you. It's overwhelming, and taking a toll on your mental health that you're afraid to visit Sandrone, Columbina and Arlecchino at the icy halls of the Cryo Archon.

It's starting to be unsettling, that lopsided smile of his reminded you of something. It's always made you so dizzy to remember.

Hell, you don't even know when you first met. He just showed up out of nowhere with a bunch of gifts.

By then you have to either hide from him or get someone to help you answer him. Though mostly the former option is widely available, no one has the power to rival the deep pocket and overwhelming assets he has. Even rumored to have a delusional knowledge hungry man on his side for 'fun' projects…

Occasionally you have Columbina, Arlecchino and Pulcinella to help you out of a few situations like this.

While you're thinking, you opened the jewelry box. Your mind still cluttered with thoughts as Pantalone stood up from his seat. 'Helping' you to put the jewelry on.

"Looks wonderful isn't it? I bought it straight from the auction the other day, it was a steal." Literally, though with a cost of a few skirmishes, nothing too serious had happened to worry your pretty little head about.

The sinister undertones made you shiver as the cold jewelry was placed upon your neck and ears. The black and dark gold's of the pearls compliment each other. If you were any other woman, you would be in awe of the bombastic gift. But with his hands on your shoulders, slowly tightening his grip on you like a python strangling it's prey.

"U-uhm… l-Lord Pantalo-" he cut you off

"Pantalone, call me that instead, Doll." His insistent behavior frightens you. With how dominant he is, it delights him. At first you were just some doll ready to be played with and tossed away though, with closer inspection. It appears you're worth more than what Capitano had gotten you for.

The mannerisms, that purity, that doll look. All good qualities of a perfect doll, but an almost trained wife with a voice of a siren to soothe his nerves, a smile that could shame even the moon itself, or perhaps those bold dances that could get him riled up. He had heard of Capitano and Childe was exposed to it. It's not unheard of him to try and get the same experience.

"O-of course, Pantalone." The power he has over you. Capitano was right, you are a precious little lamb.

"Look at you… " he plays with your hair, occasionally his hand brushes against your cheek.

"Hmm it doesn't look enough… Luckily, I have some spares for you." He retreated his hands for you to breathe. Deep into his pockets are other more extravagant gifts to be bestowed upon you.

"There's no need, Pantalone.. Really, I don't need much" he started to shush you with his gloved thumb.

" Shhh, shh, shh… it's alright, it'll be just our little secret." Pft, secret? Yeah like you could just buy more than a million mora worth of a jewelry set!

"Yes, our little secret… " it doesn't even feel like he's talking to you anymore, but to the idea of owning you under Capitano's nose.

"Ngh… !" He forced his thumb on your tongue.

"Mm.. has anyone told you how your eyes match the stars that blanketed the night sky? " You would swoon over his words if it weren't for the fact that he doesn't even see you as a person.

" Ah… there it is… so cute… !" His smile only grew, he had heard from Childe that your tears were like sparkles of a moissanite.

"S-stop it..! Please..!" You started to hiccup from crying.

"Just a bit more, don't worry I can compensate you. Just keep crying for me, please." Pantalone murmured by your ear, kissing your earlobe before slowly but surely moving to your lips.

Your tiny hands try to push him off, it only manages to summon his ire.

"Dear doll.." he grabbed your face by the cheeks.

"That meager cur has no right to have a precious little gem like you.. you'll only get sullied by those hands." He placed you on his lap, an arm wrapped around your waist to hold you closer. It seems he had a certain distaste to the general, you aren't sure of their history but it's pretty clear they don't like eachother.

" But don't worry, just say it and everything would be yours as well… " Kissing your tears away.

" Though… I don't mind spending some intimate time with you. What kind of sounds you'll make for me, I wonder." You squirmed around on his lap, drool dripped down from your chin. His slender fingers played around with your tongue.

" Just say it, tell me that I'm better than that…  That thing." You don't know what's gotten into him but it's easy to tell that, you're not going to get away easily.

[acertainmoshke]

Falling Petals

So. I am working on 4 projects right now, and I swore I wouldn't start another until one of them is done. So I won't. But I couldn't stop thinking about my next project, Falling Petals, a generational story about autism and trauma, and so I'm writing ABOUT it so I can move on and go back to actually writing a current project.

It takes place over 4 generations, and exactly 100 years.

We start with Ira, a Jewish boy born to immigrants right at the start of the Great War. A boy who sees the beauty and the poetry in the world around him, but not in the people. A clever boy who loves learning but has little use for school. Who doesn’t feel pain right and outwardly uses touching hot pots as a party trick to make the other boys admire him, but internally is always seeking sensation. Whose blunt honesty and humorous comments have a certain charm, who knows strange facts and can talk for hours about minute details until the people he initially had laughing and hanging on his words get bored and wander off.

Ira, a boy who came of age during the Great Depression and got left behind as friends went to college or got married. Who told himself he was happy to write poetry, take pictures, and read endless books while working in his father’s store. He charmed the girls who came in but never got past a first date. His few real friends were gone and the neighbors avoided him. He was really alone with only his books, camera, and mitzvot for company. Because, yes, he went to shul every week. He struggled to understand human reasoning, but the rules made sense to him and he followed them more stringently than his parents.

Ira, who his parents gave up on ever marrying until he started to spend time with Joy. She was from his synagogue and, unlike the other girls, she debated him back about philosophy. She wrote her own poetry and read enough to keep up with him. They were soon married, and Ira kept obliviously talking about his own interests and making jokes at her expense, not noticing as she got quieter.

Ira, who amidst the terror of World War II—which he was not drafted into—had four children, three boys and a girl. Ira, who adored the beauty and frozen moments of their lives but himself froze up when trying to connect to them, who wrote poetry and took pictures but then mocked them and criticized them if they ever showed the weaknesses that had failed to serve him.

Ira, who would one day be known as a crotchety old man for doing the same things he had always done.

And then there’s Daniel, born in the middle of the Shoah and always aware of that terror though an ocean separated them. A sensitive child who cried too much for a boy, whose first tormentor was his father trying to make him stronger and whose second was his older brother. A boy who longed to belong with other boys, but found no matter how he tried he didn’t. Who found solace in stories, who devoured comic books and looked forward to shul services every week in a way his siblings didn’t. The people in the stories there felt more like a family to him than his real one.

Daniel, who was eager to grow up but also smart. Who was able to learn and hide his less desirable traits. Who stopped crying and forced all his emotions down, until he began to feel low-level anger all day every day, made worse by loud noises and crowds and new situations. Who carefully watched and mimicked other people until he could come across as friendly and charming on a surface level. Who never let anyone get closer than that.

Daniel, who came of age amidst anti-war protests and the civil rights movement. Who wanted so badly to be involved but had learned never to shake things up. Who wanted to work in a library but became an architect because his father wanted it. Who wanted to be loved so badly he latched onto the first woman to show him affection, a teacher named Poppy, who buried himself even deeper than usual to earn her love, praying he would never blow up in uncontrollable anger this time.

Daniel, who swore he would be better than his father, and was. Who at least spent time with his daughters and never mocked them, but who had never learned to cope with noise and chaos and would unpredictably yell at them for it. Who always hated himself for that after but never told them that. He worked long hours because he had been taught that he could never assert himself for his needs, and this only made him less able to handle life at home. He rarely yelled at Poppy, but took it out on the girls. Especially Shoshanah, who he saw as giving in to the weakness and laziness he had always fought not to have.

Shoshanah, born amidst a time of change and reckoning and standing up for oneself. Who was a sensitive child, but that was allowed as a girl. Who was clever and full of imagination and struggled to make friends but successfully kept one school friend and played constantly and happily with her sister.

Shoshanah, who came of age in a new age of computers and arcades and neon lights. Who still seemed a child, still played with Barbies. Who read a lot and recited lists of facts but got poor grades in school, where she was overwhelmed and bullied. Whose one friend had abandoned her when their interests diverged and whose Wrongness was stark in comparison to her sister who wore hairspray and lipstick, read magazines, and went dancing with boys. Shoshanah, who still wanted to play games and make up stories and was too old to be this sensitive and hated going out in public and covered her ears at loud noises. Who found solace in novels, in writing stories, and in the familiar prayers at shul with the familiar tunes that made her feel safe and loved.

Shoshanah, who went to college all excited to learn about psychology because she didn’t understand people but was fascinated with them. Who dropped out in shame 3 years later because she couldn’t handle the social aspect or keep up with the homework. Who had to go to her sister’s law school graduation while she still lived at home and worked as a stocker at the grocery store. Who still collected Barbies and wrote novels on her grandfather’s old typewriter and spent her time alone. Whose clothes never quite matched and were always too loud.

Shoshanah, who discovered independence by living with a roommate at 30, found that she could handle responsibility when it was shared and friendship when it wasn’t teenage. Who got an entry-level position at the library and never wanted to leave. Who knew she could never handle having children, but eventually found herself love with someone who got her.

Shoshanah, who saw herself in her baby niece and swore she would never learn to hate herself for who she was.

Naomi, born into a world of rapidly changing technology where there was not even a family computer in the house the year she was born but by high school she would own her own laptop and iPod. Who never seemed able to keep up with the speed of things she wasn’t interested in, but argued rapid-fire when she understood the details. Who grew up too sensitive to sound, to light, to the way people looked at her when she didn’t know the right answer in conversation.

But also Naomi, who learned to wear headphones with no music so the world didn’t hurt. Who lived in pajama pants and long skirts and never jeans. Who cut her hair short at 12 and never went back. Who learned from her aunt that this was ok, that she was clever and beautiful. Who never felt so clever as when she went to Torah study and argued with grown adults about the finer details.

Naomi, who came of age in a world of smartphones and accommodations and who learned to advocate for herself, who got a degree in philosophy but became a book illustrator. Who shaved her head so she never had to touch her hair again, dated several women until she found one she never wanted to hide from. Who set reminders on her phone for every little part of her life, wore “actually autistic” pins in public, was never afraid to spin around when she was happy.

[ben-crytalker]

since it all appears to be over anyway, here was my big, mid-development crackpot theory that i previously didn’t want to share before working it out more...

spoilers below

daniel and eyk are the mind and body of the same dude. eyk is the body with a simulated/ai soul and daniel is the soul with a simulated/ai body.

daniel solace was in fact maura’s husband, but in true reality his body looks like andreas pietschmann. daniel’s body (”eyk”) might have died/be dying/in stasis in reality but somehow his consciousness was uploaded into a different figure in the simulation (a figure that looks like aneurin barnard). while in the 1899 sim, maura's body innately responds to her husband’s physical form (1899!eyk) but for some reason her mind can’t fully register his mental form (1899!daniel) [nor can she truly recognize the avatar it is in even though she maybe should too*]. this could explain certain visual and thematic parallels between the two men and other cues such as:

both being drawn to / partnering with maura and vice versa (to varying degrees)

wedding bands (eyk and maura wear them and daniel has a scar) and daniel turning her wedding band into the key in the end (her symbolically having to take it off/let him go in order to exit that simulation)

her grasp of eyk’s arm is similar to checking for a pulse (this might have been an impactful last touch that they’re intuitively replicating, or it could be her brain subconsciously trying to confirm if he’s alive)

daniel and eyk both somehow cross from the prometheus to the kerberos on their own and are the only two characters who we actually see** pull themselves up into the hanger on the kerberos (visual similarity of their arm hoisting them up: daniel in the last moments of the first ep, eyk in the first moments of the last ep)

“he lost everything he loves” / “i lost someone too”

coats & crying

control/authority (daniel is an alleged creator alongside maura, eyk is the captain in the 1899 sim)

eyk being an anagram for key

eyk following at least the basic explanation of heady tech theories maura gives to him and making quick leaps in logic himself, eg. hoping questioning if daniel’s story/room/pictures may be constructions too

maura might gasp at the sight of eyk on the spaceship because in that reality she realizes it is not really (or is no longer really) her husband, just a shell. OR her last memory in that reality was thinking he was already dead and she is surprised to see his body alive/revived, to a certain degree

*and then going a step further than all this i wonder if the “daniel” avatar used as an 1899 character is ciaran’s physical appearance in reality... especially if somehow ciaran exited the 1899 sim already, maybe his avatar became like an empty vessel that was up for grabs to inhabit and maura’s husband’s real consciousness took the first available spot? the only non-incest way i can think of to explain the love scene though would be if somehow her brain’s memory-wires got mixed up and fused her husband’s soul with the false 1899 visage, or the idea that “brother” in the 1899 sim actually means something different in reality so they aren’t literal siblings like we assume.

**it is implied that Jerome was a stowaway in the 1899 sim but i don’t believe we ever actually see him climb into the hanger or how he initially got onto the ship; we just start with him in the coal room

[matan4il]

Good morning Alice!! Happy Hanukkah! I hope you are having a lovely holiday and a break from work? Do you guys put up a Christmas tree? I don't know if you watch The Goldbergs, but their Hanukkah episodes were always great, especially this last one.

I feel bad because I think I am one of the few that doesn't believe Buck will be in a coma or, honestly, even injured. But.. I do believe that when the next scare/injury does occur, it will be him. For various reasons but the main one was his initial problem was he felt like his life was stale. I picture him more going on a road trip or going home to visit Daniel's grave. We never got resolution really about that.

And in Eddie begins, we got the helicopter crash, his breakdown was when he realized they all had died. Buck Begins was the introduction of how Conor got him to LA but also the reason he was born. I just feel like we will have a pattern

In addition, I don't know if Eddie will be part of the journey, but I do believe he will be part of the resolution. Mostly because again patterns. Now we do need to see Eddie maybe date to see what he really needs in a partner. AKA Bucks journey last season. Again though it all serves the purpose to bring them together.

And now, just for fun, indulge me. I don't think this will happen, but can you imagine. While Buck is confronting his past. He runs into an old boyfriend and his husband! Bi Buck confirmed. At the same time, Chim is asking Eddie about his date. He's like she wasn't my type, I mean, women in general aren't my type anymore." Said all bashful like. Queer Eddie confirmed!! Then the finale is Eddie shyly being like Hey Buck want to go to dinner Friday night . Correcting Buck, he means just them and Buck a blushing yes, but the alarm rings, and at the scene, that's when Buck gets hurt . 2 cliffhangers for the price of one. I know it won't happen, but I can dream, lol.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday!!!! Stat safe!

Hi darling! Good morning to you! And thank you so much for the Hanukkah wishes! ^u^ But Hanukkah is actually the busiest time of the year at my job, so no rest for this shipper. And as you could probably figure out by now, we don't do anything related to Xmas. Thank you for the rec regarding The Goldbergs! I wasn't really familiar with this show. Should I watch it? Is it about a Jewish family? (it sounds like it, but one never knows for sure...)

You have nothing to feel bad about! Neither an injury, nor a coma are a certainty, and everyone's guess is equally as valid. TBH, having Buck resolve some things without an injury would be refreshing. But we are watching a firefighters show (with an added bit of police), so having injuries is a bit more "routine" than on other shows. So yeah, I do think the next serious injury would be Buck just in terms of how long it's been since his last one (we saw Hen and Chim in the hospital during 517, Bobby was in it during 414 and 516, Eddie had a whole arc that started with being shot in 413, but Buck has been free of serious injury since 303), and in giving it greater meaning, it makes sense to employ that injury precisely when he goes through a crisis around the sperm donor thing. But they def could surprise us all and give us a more original way for Buck to realize some stuff and get closure when it comes to the things he learned about Daniel and his parents in 405. I would welcome that!

I always try not to get too invested in any speculation, but either way, I def agree that Eddie is likely to be a part of the resolution. It is the natural parallel, but also, it very much feels like that's what they're building towards with the Buddie distance in 6a, and especially with moments like Eddie being annoyed and hanging up on the group call in 609 without ever talking on screen to Buck about what's going on...

LOL I do love that scenario, thank you for sharing it! XD A double cliffhanger would be some amazing angst. I think it is possible once 911 gets them to the point where there is nothing else standing in their way, so we finally have a moment where it seems like it all may be mutual and slotting into place, only for a physical danger to tear them apart... But TBH, our show so far has made it clear that it's less interested in this type of cliffhanger, so... we'll see. Everything is wait an dsee at this point.

Thank you for the ask! I hope you're safe as well, that you had a lovely holiday and will have a very happy new year! As always, here is my ask tag. xoxox

[incognito-lionbeast]

Three Months Later, I’ve finally finished writing my Aotu World season 2 episode guide! I procrastinated a lot on writing Episode 20′s summary, which is why it’s taken so long.

As always, I retain or omit detailed spoilers on a purely subjective basis, so you’re gonna have to watch some of these episodes to get the full picture. :3c

Season 2:

1: After struggling with nightmares, King finally wakes up three days after the events of Season One, oblivious to the aftermath of his & Fox-G’s battle. Feeling that the contestants have had sufficient time to rest, Daniel addresses their concerns and introduces the rules for an intermediary round: a race sponsored by the Director of the ESP Research Labs. The contestants select their vehicles.

2: The race begins and we’re introduced to the rest of the audience. King’s team struggles to make any headway. This becomes a problem when the rules of the race are finally announced – the most pressing of which being that the vehicle in last place will eventually explode. Phantom is particularly distressed by this, but believes he may have a solution to keep everyone safe. Thus, using the power of teamwork, King’s team catches up to the lead racers and Phantom pleads his case to Ray’s pirate crew.

3: Ray refuses, preferring to antagonize the other racers–including both Phantom and Godrose’s teams–instead. However, though seemingly downed by Ray’s lightning, Kalie reveals that their vehicle has one last trick up its sleeve. Elsewhere on the track, the dorky knight Anmicius introduces himself to Abby & Emy to lukewarm results.

4: King’s team manages to narrowly win the race, earning the privilege of learning this round’s new rules before everyone else. However, King is 0 for 3 versus large walls of text and doesn’t pay attention. With only an inkling of what’s going on, King & everyone else–who are much better informed–are sent into the second round: a Labyrinth where collecting another contestant’s hidden “Points Card” is essential to winning. King runs into Palos, who may have gotten away with stealing an extra point if not for the shifting labyrinth.

5: Wandering the Labyrinth, King is accosted by a monster claiming to be the Labyrinth Master – the Final Boss. Shenanigans ensue, revealing the monster to not be a monster at all but a spherical, amnesiac robot named Robbray. King agrees to help Robbray find his missing parts in exchange for information. Meanwhile, Palos makes the first of many questionable decisions, attacking former Top Five contestant Silver. After which, Palos is given an offer he can’t refuse. 

6: Elsewhere, Phantom hides from the twin contestants Melly & Reddy – only to witness them commit mutual sororicide. He recalls the fate of Riena, fleeing the scene and eventually coming across King and Robbray. Although they initially distrust one another, Phantom still has to properly explain this round’s rules to King. After which, Robbray agrees to share information of his own.

7: Robbray explains Meta Energy – an innate form of energy that all people possess which can be strengthened & manipulated with practise.

Meanwhile, Palos is temporarily reunited with Ray – who asks after Palos’ points card and remains unimpressed by his suspicious behaviour. However, before anything can come of that, a new hunting game is announced to the contestants. The Point Value & Location of Ray’s little brother, Camil, is publicly broadcasted, prompting Ray to leave. After which, Palos is quickly found by Pelley… who’s found a very interesting L-shaped block. Palos makes his second questionable decision: they’re going after Camil, too.

8: The first ones on the scene, Abby & Emy plot to steal Camil’s points card. However, they quickly discover that Camil is much stronger than anticipated, struggling to even escape from the youngest pirate. Caught, their certain demise is interrupted both by the appearance of Palos & Pelley–the first of which tries bargaining for the right to Abby’s points, hoping for an easy score instead of actually committing to his first plan–and eventually Anmicius. Unlike the pirates, Anmicius aims to rescue the Twins, protecting them from Ray’s crew just long enough for Ray himself to show up. After a brief scuffle, Ray tells his dorky rival to fuck off – to which Anmicius obliges with both twins in tow. 

Meanwhile, witness to everything happening, King & Phantom have been surreptitiously trying to steal Pelley’s L-shaped block (one of Robbray’s missing parts). This doesn’t work.

9: Cornered and in serious danger, Phantom tries to bluff his way out of the situation… unsuccessfully. However, the appearance of other hunters distracts Ray’s crew, allowing the two to escape. Pelley & Palos give chase, intent to dispose of them lest the “secret about Ray’s life” Phantom mentioned somehow be about them. They are also unsuccessful. Once safe, Phantom & King undergo some minor Meta Energy training. However, King’s sudden burst of strong Meta Energy attracts all of the nearby top-ranking contestants. 

10: Palos & Pelley are the first to arrive, using Pelley’s uncanny sense of smell to sniff them out. This leads into a fight wherein King struggles to control his powers whilst the likes of Grey, Godrose + his followers, Ray, and even Silver show up. This ominous get-together is interrupted briefly by two new targets being announced: Phantom and a mysterious girl named Lemon – all decided by none other than Phantom’s own father.

11: The fighting continues as the Labyrinth begins to shift. Yet, with unexpected help from Silver, King & Phantom are allowed to escape. None of this deters Godrose from fighting Grey. Meanwhile, now led to safety, Anmicius attempts to leave the Twins… adding yet another tally to the number of Unsuccessful happenings so far. Abby insists that she isn’t giving up her personal bodyguard so easily, and so the three of them set off to find Lemon together.

12: Having freshly suggested that they split up, Phantom’s attempt is thwarted by the appearance of Lemon – the other targeted contestant. She suggests that there may be another way to win the round without killing people, albeit the posse of folks hunting her haven’t listened so far. Neither do those who came to hunt Phantom.

Kalie intervenes, causing the two hunting parties to fight each other while she, King, and Phantom escape. Lemon follows. As soon as they’re a safe distance, Lemon gives Kalie a telepathic vibe check. Kalie doesn’t appreciate this nor King’s insistence that Lemon doesn’t look like a bad person. Wannabe villains Strange & Grotesque show up at precisely the wrong time.

13: Kalie berates and summarily outclasses Strange and Grotesque, and they’re spared only by King’s intervention. He doesn’t want to see Kalie kill anyone. Thus, they retreat, leaving King’s team to bicker amongst themselves on where to go next. Kalie suggests that they split into teams to cover two potential locations – irritated when King suggests that he stay with Lemon while Kalie takes Phantom. Forced to accept, she proposes a wager: whichever girl finds one of Robbray’s parts first gets to stay on the team.

14: After splitting up, Kalie is uncooperative, bullying Phantom into doing all of the searching so that she can run off on her own – with intent to cause trouble for Lemon’s search party. Meanwhile, following Lemon’s divination, King and Lemon run into Final Boss-sized trouble.

15: King & Lemon attempt to run from the monster, only to discover that it both has a piece of Robbray already inside of it & is seemingly able to control the Labyrinth’s movement. Robbray confesses that this is the monster that he based his previous disguise on – the real Labyrinth Master. Back in the metallic ruins, Phantom’s mini spartans discover one of Robbray’s parts, but so, too, has he been found again by hunters. For a second time, Phantom is saved by the appearance of Silver, who offers him the same power he gave Palos.

16: On her way to King & Lemon’s location, Kalie comes across Anmicius and the Twins. Although initially hostile, Kalie sees an opportunity. Emy may not realise it, but he’s already found one of Robbray’s pieces and has been carrying it with him. Thus, Kalie attempts to beguile the three of them into giving it to her. However, having lost track of its previous prey, her ploy is interrupted when the Labyrinth Master arrives for Emy’s part. All attempts to fight it fail. Thus, King and Lemon show up just in time to watch it absorb its second piece.

17: Robbray beseeches the assembled contestants (King, Kalie, Lemon, Anmicius, Abby & Emy) to work together to defeat the Labyrinth Master – or else everyone may be in danger. Yet, before they can act, the Labyrinth Master flees, leaving King with the startling realization that Phantom may be its next target. Meanwhile, exactly as anticipated, Phantom is confronted by the Labyrinth Master… all on his own, he can only hope to stall the giant. Not even the might of the Great Spartan is enough, and Phantom quickly falls into despair. He accepts the power Silver offered.

18: Using this newfound power, Phantom temporarily dispatches the Labyrinth Master. He’s then found by Grey – who’d expected he and King to be together and not for Phantom to be shrouded in darkness. They fight while Pelley & Palos watch from a distance. Eventually, the others arrive, including King’s large group and Ray. Everyone is uniquely concerned by Phantom’s transformation, though King pleads with them not to hurt him. It’s ineffective. Phantom is fully possessed by the being responsible for the corrupted Meta Energy. Elsewhere, Daniel is tasked by the Envoys to do something about it.

19: Because the Invader is far too powerful to let live, the Envoys decide that it must be destroyed alongside the Labyrinth Star. As Arbiter, Daniel is forced to make that decision work within the tournament guidelines. Thus, he tasks the contestants to defeat the Invader within a strict 30 minute time limit. Should they succeed, they’ll all pass this round. If they fail, however, then they’ll perish along with it. Godrose joins the fight alongside the other main characters. They struggle.

20: The labyrinth begins to break apart now that the Labyrinth Master has activated the planet’s self-destruct sequence. This process will take the 30 minutes Daniel gave them to defeat the Invader. Lemon claims that there’s another way to get out of this mess & summarily pushes King off of a cliff. Lemon (holding Robbray) and Kalie dive in after him, though King is able to save himself just fine. Thus, after clearing up their little misunderstanding, they continue further down to the core of the planet – where the Labyrinth Master is.

Meanwhile, Godrose, Grey, Ray, and Anmicius do battle with the Invader once more, working together to bring down a lava flow upon him. Yet, it isn’t enough. 

King’s squad confronts the Labyrinth Master, entreating him to stop this. Yet, their plea falls on deaf ears; unlike Robbray, whom the Labyrinth Master calls a traitor and a coward, he’s steadfast in his duty – even if it means sacrificing himself alongside the Labyrinth Star. Amid this scathing review and subsequent beat-down, Robbray’s true identity is revealed, along with his innermost desire to understand the nature of their existence.

The Labyrinth Master also claims to know what happened to King’s sister. This information is met with skepticism and outrage, pushing King & co to finally start fighting back. Although, presently they aren’t any match for him.

Back upstairs, the Invader is momentarily distracted, and though Silver defends him… his body has begun to deteriorate. Phantom isn’t a suitable host. As such, the Invader leaves Phantom to Silver, revealing that Phantom has been holding one of Robbray’s pieces the entire time. Silver leaps down the chasm to reunite it with its host. The others follow, save for Palos, Pelley, and the Twins. This doesn’t bode well for the siblings.

Below, Robbray manages to calm King down, allowing him to fight back like a true protagonist – til they’re interrupted by Silver, Phantom, and the others. They’re still intent on taking Phantom out. Though, Kalie helpfully reminds everyone that there’s still a whole Labyrinth Master to worry about first. However, before he and Silver leave, Phantom gives the Labyrinth Master the final part, triggering yet another transformation and fusing himself with the Labyrinth’s core. Upon which, the planet begins to deteriorate even faster, though Robbray has an idea. So, while the others provide cover fire, King delivers Robbray unto the Labyrinth Master, forcing them both to accept who they truly are.

Thus, they merge, and Robbray – finally, truly rebuilt – awards King and all the other contestants with the points necessary to leave the Labyrinth Star. Robbray says his goodbyes.

[msfbgraves]

In Knights and Pawns, Daniel and Terry shared a lot of firsts the night they were married, right? first time dancing with each other, spending time alone, holding the others hand, etc. What was their first kiss like? Did it happen in front of everyone at the altar (“you may now kiss your bride/omega”) and if so, did they have a second, private kiss? Was Daniel/Terry eager or even nervous? What did they talk about those first hours where they got to actually be together at the reception? How did they initiate conversation?

Their first kiss was at the altar indeed and it was a bit of a claiming by Terry, not very romantic. I mean it was good but it really was a symbolic victory kiss. Kisses have been a form of contract sealing in our world for centuries too, they're not always passionate. And the reception was one endless round of introducing everybody's people to each other, they talked very little of any substance. I mean of course they took pictures, but it's all very busy and kind of exhausting.

They had many second and third kisses that night together though. Daniel demonstrating that he's good at this, actually.

Terry was very eager, and Daniel was nervous and excited. He does light up in a crowd, and Terry was very endeared to see it. Terry did tell him many times how beautiful he looked, which got him a "thank you, Sir," that turned him on like nothing else. But he is glad that Daniel doesn't do that anymore, and hasn't since their morning after the wedding. (I mean, unless he's trying to turn Terry on. It always works, it's almost too easy.)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Fallen (2016)

What’s truly shocking is not the number of films who tried to capitalize on the success of Twilight. The surprise comes when you realize that - despite being a bad film - the original is one of the few to “get it right”. Fallen swaps out vampires for angels and the results are so disastrous it’s a wonder it was released theatrically.

Troubled teenager Lucinda “Luce” Price (Addison Timlin) is sent by her parents to “Sword and Cross”, a reform school for young adults. There, she notices that handsome Daniel (Jeremy Irvine) keeps acting strangely around her. There’s something amiss about him. Luce and her best friend Penn (Lola Kirke) become determined to find out what, though Luce secretly fears he is connected to the strange visions plaguing her.

While initially Fallen may not seem all that Twilight-y, give it time. It’s got the twist on the mythical creatures (if you can call angels that), it’s got the love triangle as Luce contemplates the ever-distant but handsome Daniel and "bad boy" Cam (Harrison Gilbertson). It even steals scenes directly from the 2008 film, like the one where Edward saves Bella from being crushed by an out-of-control car, confirming his identity as a supernatural being in the process. This puts me in the awkward position of - once again - having to defend Twilight and explain why it “works”.

Here’s the thing. Firstly, vampires are not real. Their abilities aren’t even consistent from one myth to the next. It’s fine to make up what happens to them in sunlight. Criticize the romance all you like, but it made sense, in that story, for the decades-old bloodsucker to fall for the plain girl: he can read everyone's mind but hers. You understand the appeal, or at least you see how it’d be plausible. Secondly, Twilight is relatively simple story. Jacob being a werewolf isn't introduced until New Moon and had the first picture not gotten a sequel, you would’ve never been the wiser. Finally, The film ends on a note that’s relatively conclusive. It never became overconfident. So yes, Twilight did some things right. Not convinced? Let's compare it once again to Fallen.

An immediate issue is the picture’s overcomplicated mythology. We’re told that Angels waged a war in Heaven, that some sided with Lucifer, others with God. A select few couldn’t make up their mind and were cast down to Earth (hence the term fallen angels). Over time, they picked sides… all except one, who sided with love. Until they stop thinking with their heart and pick either good or evil, all fallen angels are stuck on Earth. Got that? If not, don’t worry, the film explains it to you twice at the beginning of the picture. It should be easy to understand but then the film confuses you with some bewildering decisions. Of all the names you could’ve chosen for your protagonist, why “Luce”?! It sounds too much like Lucifer. Maybe there’s a revelation in the second, third, fourth or fifth book in the series, but that’s just another problem: this script follows the book too closely. We meet so many characters who serve no purpose or do so little they could’ve easily been trimmed out at no loss. Screen time would've been better spent on scenes that would at least attempt to make the incoming “twist” about Daniel less obvious. We only see Luce attend two classes: religious theology, and fencing. What kind of reform school has those two courses in its curriculum? These exposition dumps are so obvious you’ve got the whole movie figured out long before the ending… assuming you were able to understand that whole bit about the angels and the war in heaven earlier.

About that ending. Director Scott Hicks isn’t satisfied merely leaving us on an incredibly silly-looking action climax. They end the picture with a "to be continued" so unsatisfying you can't believe no one told the emperor they weren't wearing any clothes. This is where I guess I have to give it a bit of credit. At this point, I've invested so much time and energy making fun of this preposterous scenario I want to know how it ends. A sequel will never happen in a million years so I guess that means I’ll be reading the books…

Among the legions of Twilight knockoffs, Fallen isn’t the lowest of the low but it is kind of fascinating. It’s basically a sanitized, Christian version of a story in which vampires were themselves sanitized. It’s not good. It’s not even so bad it’s good, but if anyone involved with the production is reading, I’ll watch the sequel if you shoot it. (On DVD, October 6, 2018)

[byneddiedingo]

Sally Field and Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (Steven Spielberg, 2012)

Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Bruce McGill, Tim Blake Nelson, Joseph Cross, Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Peter McRobbie, Gloria Reuben, Michael Stuhlbarg, Walton Goggins, David Oyelowo, Lukas Haas, Dane DeHaan, Adam Driver, S. Epatha Merkerson. Screenplay: Tony Kushner, based on a book by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski. Production design: Rick Carter. Film editing: Michael Kahn. Music: John Williams.

The all-star patriotic historical pageant celebrating American democracy had long been a featured genre of Hollywood films until the disillusionments of Vietnam and Watergate put it pretty much out of favor. But during the brief resurgence of liberal optimism after the election of Barack Obama, Steven Spielberg decided to bring it out of mothballs with a film about Abraham Lincoln's struggles to pass the 13th amendment, banning slavery in the United States. He initially planned to star Liam Neeson in the title role, but when Neeson decided he was too old for the part, the choice fell on Daniel Day-Lewis, the most chameleonic of actors. Lincoln has been played on screen by actors as varied as Walter Huston, Henry Fonda, and Raymond Massey, but Day-Lewis covered himself with glory and encumbered himself with a third Oscar in the role. It is in fact a superb performance, emphasizing the humanity of the man with depictions of his marital problems, his earthy sense of humor (no previous movie Lincoln was ever heard to utter the word "shit"), and above all his willingness to play down-and-dirty politics. The bulk of the drama is in the maneuverings to get a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives to ratify the amendment, which has substantial opposition even within the president's own party, the Republicans. This means maneuvering some of the holdouts with promises of government jobs and patronage, a task that falls to a team of lobbyists led by W.N. Bilbo, played beautifully by James Spader. It also involves persuading the most volatile of abolitionists, Thaddeus Stevens, to utter compromising language on the floor of the House, in which he asserts that all men are equal before the law, but not necessarily equal "in all things," creating a fiery, funny scene for Tommy Lee Jones as Stevens. Lincoln is also forced to conceal that he is engaged in peace negotiations with the Confederates, fearing that this would lead to postponement of the vote on the amendment. Tony Kushner's screenplay is more cerebral than most, focusing on points of law and political maneuverings, which is why some reviewers and audiences were not fully enthusiastic about it. Though it was nominated for 12 Oscars, it won only two, for Day-Lewis and for production design, losing best picture to Argo (Ben Affleck) and best director to Ang Lee for Life of Pi. Both losses, I think, are inexcusable, as was Sally Field's loss as the fragile Mary Todd Lincoln to Anne Hathaway's lachrymose Fantine in Les Misérables (Tom Hooper). I suspect Lincoln will grow in esteem over the years, thanks to its many finely detailed performances, the superb re-creation of a period in its sets and costumes, and a general lack of cinematic clichés: John Williams even manages to compose a score without quoting from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "The Star-Spangled Banner," or any number of other sure-fire, heart-tugging patriotic melodies.

[nataliesnews]

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Natalie Ginsburg <natanyag@gmail.com> Date: Wed, Dec 6, 2023 at 3:51 PM Subject: nofim and the evacuess, Fatma and I am glad for her that she died before being chucked out of her home. what is happening on the West bank To: Zianda Goldstuck <Zianda.goldstuck@gmail.com>, Warren Goldstuck <warren.goldstuck@gmail.com>, Amy Stein <amylaurenstein@gmail.com>, Ros and Jack Todes <jtodes@hotmail.com>, Arthur Goldstuck <arthur.goldstuck@gmail.com>, Jayna Goldstuck <goldstuckjay@gmail.com>, Natalie Ginsburg <natanyag@gmail.com>, Shirley Goldstuck <goldstuc@iafrica.com>, Charles Goldstuck <cgoldstuck@gmail.com>, Daniel Goldstuck <daniel.goldstuck@gmail.com>, Daphne Miller <milstein@worldonline.co.za>, Glenn Stein <glennmarcstein@gmail.com>, Kelly Goldstuck <kelly.goldstuck@gmail.com>

The story of the evacuees from the south in "Migdal Nofim" continues to unfold. Among the evacuees we also hosted the Shahar family, Shimon and Tzipi, and their son Tzachi. Although the son is not "our age", out of understanding and consideration of the situation, he is welcomed with open arms. It turns out that Tzachi was gifted with a talent for painting and from the moment the family arrived in "Nofim" he painted every day. At the initiative of the resident Ella Amitai, the curator of "Nofim", an exhibition of his paintings was set up. Nofim residents and Tzachi's family members were invited to the opening ceremony. Ella the curator presented the paintings and he spoke, told about himself, and among other things said: "From the moment I arrived at "Landscapes" I painted every day for three weeks. When I had to move by order of the state to a hotel a short distance from Manofim, I didn't draw any pictures... I see this as a compliment to "Migdal Nofim" whose people make the place and provide inspiration." It turns out that the war that caused a change in world order, created connections that would not have existed in the days of corrections

I had been going to start my letter very differently as I woke up with such a feeling of despair. I had gone to sit with the families for a while in the afternoon...this after having gone with Shlomiet to Ricardo where we used to buy when we went to the DCO. She suggested next week we go even though we know that few people can get there just to see if there is anything we can do. We saw how the villages have been closed off and locked. The only way people can go in and out is on foot and even at Ricardo their shelves were pretty empty because the only way they can bring in produce from many of the suppliers in the occupied areas is back to back. but to go back to yesterday.  

This is the way that all the villages are blocked off. 

 Opposite them, as if it is not enough what the families are going through, this animal whose mouth is straight out of the sewage comes to tell them that they are to blame for the war because of Oslo and I guess what he means by the other saying that releasing prisoners with blood on their hands is dangerous. I wish he was one of the kidnapped. And  also Netanyahu....we could be sure that any information he gives them will only be lies because that is all that comes out of his mouth......such as saying "That  is life" when a hilltop youth murders an Israeli man who killed terrorists and who is unarmed and on his knees. And, as I wrote this, the murderer is to be released this evening because the evidence is too vague. He has  bullets in him. They can't prove whose bullets these were?  And that  is also what will happen when someone on the right kills one of the demonstrators. And in the meantime Ben Gvir is handing out arms to the settlers and every idiot as if they were sweets at a Barmitzvah....see the PDF 

I see I have gone from one thing to another. 

And Fatma, the woman for whom we demonstrated for so many years died last night of a heart attack. I am happy for her. A better ending than that she should b e thrown out of her house. I am sure that the government will use the war to carry out the threat to give the house to the right

Thelma Admon (Anat Gonen) writes about Fatma Salem of Sheikh Jarrah, who passed away last night: "Fatma Salem died of cardiac arrest last night. The strength of the brave woman, who fought for her house in Sheikh Jarrah against many forces stronger than her, was reduced to zero. Fatma was born in her parents' house in Sheikh Jarrah, and lived there for more than seventy years, gave birth to children and raised grandchildren there. For years she suffered abuse from settlers at her doorstep and in the courts. The settlers longed for her home, and she did not give up. Determined and strong she stood in front of them. "I have nowhere to go," she repeated at the Friday demonstrations in the neighborhood. "How are you?" she would ask in the hug. and kisses on both cheeks, and thanks a lot of warm words for her support. A previous illness had caused a disfigurement in her face, but the evidence of this was erased at the moment of the personal meeting with her. To each and every one she gave private, warm and noble attention. Fatma left the evil Israeli world in the middle of a terrible war. Her death marks the limit of human inclusiveness. Now I hug Fatma Salem one last hug. I wish justice would come and stand by her up there, in a place where there is no entry for the wicked. " Photo: Zipi Menashe

 I am putting in several PDFs so that, if you are interested, you can see what is going on in the occupied territories.  And you won't be surprised to hear that the families of the kidnapped are verbally attacked every day by those on the right where they sit. They are told by these hate filled people that their children will die because of them. 

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Mr. Gallagher and Me

Jim (The Delinquent Season) x Reader

A/n- I gave him a last name cause this story doesn't work without one lol

Prologue

Jim, a lecturer at Trinity College Dublin, has his initial introduction with his new T.A, Y/n.

September Working from home had become too much of a bore, that was why he’d jumped at the offer from the university. It was an opportunity to get out of his apartment and tear his tired eyes away from the computer, meet new people and distract himself from the shambles of his personal life. His kids were getting older and they needed him significantly less, Danielle had remarried, he and Orla had recently called it quits after two years together and Yvonne…..well he didn’t even want to think about her. Even if part of him did still love her, the part that was still clinging to the embers of something so beautiful that he’d single-handedly wrecked havoc on his marriage for it. But that was over, Jim was sure to remind himself of it as often as he could.

And when he wasn’t doing that or moping about a prematurely empty nest- a consequence of having split custody of teenagers- Jim was grading papers and planning lessons. At least then he was doing something productive. And he didn’t hate it, so that was great too.

Being a lecturer at the economics department at Trinity College Dublin had actually been much better than he’d anticipated; the faculty had been warm and welcoming, the students were mostly engaged and eager and the salary was hardly anything to complain about. Sure, the days were much longer when compared to his previous job, and returning to bed in the middle of the day had been taken off the table, but that might have been more of a blessing than a curse.

“Jim,” someone, the head of department he’d realized upon lifting his absent gaze, tapped the table to draw his waning attention, “With us?”

“Uh,” clearing his throat, he sat up and collected his glasses off the spot near his sleeping iPad, “Yeah, sorry, I was just…..never mind,” he dismissed, ‘What were you saying?” He, along with the rest of the department had gathered for the staff meeting that was typically held at the beginning of the first semester; the one where course specifics like the weighting of assessments and timetables were approved.

“I was saying that you’ve been here for two years, it’s time for you to start supervising postgraduate students.” Of course, he’d been teaching grad school courses, but supervising candidates, that was something else entirely and Jim wasn’t yet quite sure of how he felt about it

“Yeah, right,” he nodded despite his suppressed reservations, licking his lips, “I uh…I agree.”

“Great, you’ll also have a TA assigned to some of your courses,” Nadia, the department’s head smiled politely as she elaborated, “The influx of TA applications has been pretty small this year, much smaller than usual,” she seemed a little miffed by the fact, persisting with the twinge of annoyance laced in her words, “But I guess that’s expected, the pay isn’t very attractive,” she admitted, quickly shaking off her rambles as she proceeded, “So this year, I’ve decided to do things a little differently, one member of our faculty gets to work with one TA, I’ve taken the liberty of doing the assignments myself. If everyone checks their email you’ll see the applications of your new TA.”

A soft grumble ran through the small conference room, though, Jim hadn’t bothered to join in, much more inclined to check his inbox, giving the last incoming message a gentle tap with his pointer. The file attached, as promised, had opened up to the application of his new TA; a young woman in her mid twenties, enrolled in the two year program. Her picture proved that she was perhaps a lot more beautiful than he thought was appropriate to admit and after another handful of minutes, when he was through with skimming her research proposal he found maybe, just maybe, she seemed a lot more intelligent that the rest of the staff had given TAs credit for.

Y/n Y/l/n, if she was anything like her application suggested, his first time as a supervisor wouldn’t have been as bad as he’d been expected to believe after all.

Two Weeks Later. "Maybe you'll finally get to live out that kinky little fantasy of yours," Elaine teased from her end, the mirth in her tone proving that her words were nothing more than a joke between dear friends.

Playfully, even if her friend couldn't see it, Y/n rolled her eyes, "Yeah? And get myself and the poor guy kicked out of the university? No thank you," she was walking along the path that led to a building where the offices of the economics department were housed, free hand clutching the leather strap of her stylish tote and steps soft on the worn, concrete pathway.

"Who says anyone has to get kicked out?" Elaine continued, "No one has to know. Come on," she enticed, and Y/n swore she could see the wickedness in her friend's eyes, even if they were oceans and continents apart, "He's so hot."

They were talking about her new supervisor, the one she was having her first meeting with that very morning, "He could be so married," men that age, especially the ones with commendable careers and half decent personalities, usually were.

She heard Elaine scoff, "As if that's ever stopped anyone," and at the comment, Y/n chuckled. Upon entry, through the double glass doors, a blast of cold air sent a chill down her spine adding to autumn's already nippy temperature and Y/n tugged her coat closed. Despite her earlier jokes, her friend, the same one who'd pushed her to apply to the university and move a thousand miles away from San Francisco, sighed and her next words reflected a more somber tone, "Look, I just want you to have some fun, you know? Forget about…..he who shall not be named. Doesn't have to be with your hot supervisor, just…..anyone. Get out there, meet someone. Make a friend-"

"I have a friend," Y/n cut her off, referring to a map of the building mounted to the wall near the elevator. According to the email she'd gotten, her supervisor's office was on the fourth floor, a couple doors down from the department's main office, so all she had to do was find the department’s main office on that very confusing map. “We shared an apartment for four years and she’s always in my closet but it's fine, I love her anyway.”

“I don’t count,” Elaine countered, quickly correcting herself, “Well, I do count, obviously. I’m your best friend. But, as much as I’d love to have wine with you over FaceTime every night, I can’t show you Dublin from here and you didn’t travel all the way there just to stay home every night.”

“Ugh,” Y/n huffed, stepping into the elevator and pushing the appropriate button. The reception wasn’t the greatest from in there, but it was still good enough for her to continue the conversation, “Fine….maybe it would be nice to….” She thought about everything she’d read on the region, “Go to that literary pub crawl I read about. That could be fun.”

“It could be,” Elaine agreed, and the cool reflective doors were just sliding open so Y/n could step out onto the fourth floor, the flat heel of her black, ballet pump muting her footfalls on the worn tiles as she made her way down the hall, “Now all you have to do is make a friend…..maybe something more, who knows, and ask them to go with you.”

Y/n sighed again, shaking her head at Elaine’s obvious persistence, “I'll try,” she smiled faintly, stopping in front of a door marked simply with a brass name plate reading, "Jim Gallagher." "I gotta go El, I'm in front of his office."

"Oh, professor hottie," Elaine teased, re-assuming her typical lighthearted wickedness.

"Mr. Gallagher," Y/n corrected firmly, "I'll call you….." For a moment, Y/n contemplated the time difference, deciding that by the time she got home, Elaine would probably still be in bed, “Tomorrow?”

Elaine laughed, “Alright well, have fun and good luck on your first day!” A couple goodbyes later were met with Y/n hanging up and slipping her phone into her bag before bringing her fist to the sturdy oak door in three short knocks.

It took a minute, though not a second more, before a baritone was permeating the aged wood, beckoning Y/n inside, “It’s open, come in.”

Suddenly, the nerves that had formerly been well suppressed crept up on Y/n, settling in her stomach right as she was taking the cool silver handle in her unsteady grip. Even if she and Elaine had joked about how hot he was, she was finding it difficult to find that misplaced ease there. What if they didn’t get along? What if she was a terrible TA? What if packing up and moving countries wasn’t a good idea?

But it was too late to second guess the whole thing anyway.

Exhaling audibly, she turned the knob, peering inside curiously before even extending a foot past the threshold. At the sound of the door, the man behind the desk lifted his head, easing his glasses off and setting them on the keyboard of his laptop. Besides the sleek, neat looking device, his desk was littered with haphazardly packed files, pages spilling out from the sides on one end and what seemed to be graded scripts- presumably from summer school- on the other while a coffee mug and other academic paraphernalia were scattered amongst it. “Ah!” his face lit up in recognition, “Ms. Y/l/n, yes?”

“Yes,” Y/n nodded vigorously, “The new-”

“TA, I remember,” he managed a half smile, quite a charming look on his tired features. “Come in,” he ushered Y/n inside with a wave of his hand, standing upon her entry. He didn’t quite look like a lecturer she thought, at least, not anything like the ones at the university she’d attended before. He didn’t wear a tie or expensive blazer, appearing to have switched out simple suits for a ruggedly gorgeous sweater, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, and dark slacks.

He didn’t introduce himself immediately, opting to pause, just for a handful of seconds and Y/n was enormously grateful because she was sure that if she’d even attempted any words right in that very moment, her first impression might have been that of an idiot. If she didn’t know any better, she’d have likened those minutes to one of those perfectly crafted cinematic moments out of a rom-com. A meet cute, at least, according to Buzzfeed.

And it didn’t help that Jim…..Mr. Gallagher was far more attractive than his staff profile on the school’s website had suggested- and it had suggested quite a bit.

“Uh….” He appeared to shake off whatever thoughts he’d been having, and Y/n had been too busy staring that she’d barely registered what his former expression might have meant. “Jim Gallagher,” he hastily offered his left hand.

Sucking in a breath and proceeding to clamp down on the inside of her cheek for a moment, Y/n took his offered hand. It was rough and his grip was firm, “Y/n Y/l/n, um….its nice to meet you,” despite her best efforts, a breathless smile broke her lips just as his persisting touch sent sparks up her spine.

“Yeah,” even after they’d introduced themselves, his hold on her hand continued and it took her loosening clutch for him to joke, “I reckon you’ll want this back.”

“Kind of, yeah,” she laughed softly, feeling her cheeks heat up. When Jim finally let go, Y/n licked her lips as she searched for anything to fill the new stretch of awkward silence. “So, uh-”

“I-” As if things couldn’t get anymore tense, they both started speaking at the same time, though, because Jim was her new boss, she encouraged him to continue first- she had no idea where her own sentence was going anyway. "I’ve read your proposal, twice actually,” he chuckled, “The effect of electronic currencies on the global economy, I’m really excited to work with you on it.”

Again, she felt warmth rush to her face and Y/n laughed anxiously, “Thank you, I’m looking forward to your guidance.” Once again, they lapsed into a bout of silence, though, after a couple of flustered moments, Y/n was the one to break it, “So, the email from Dr. Micheals said that I’d be accompanying you to lectures, setting them up and stuff?”

“Yeah, yeah," Jim nodded, swallowing thickly and slipping his hands into his pockets as he gravitated to his former seat, quickly offering a chair on the other side of his desk to Y/n, who in turn shuffled over to one of the two guest chairs. “You’ll be tutoring and leading discussion sessions, doing some grading and supervising exams, that sort of thing.” As he continued explaining the specifics of the job, the electricity that was evident just minutes earlier started to dissipate, giving way to a more professional environment. Her breath still caught when her eyes occasionally met his oceanic ones, but otherwise, as they settled in, so did the tension, like sand under a running stream.

From the moment they’d sat, Jim had found himself trying- and occasionally failing- to avoid meeting her eyes because every time he did, Jim felt his heart do a little jump. The picture attached to Y/n’s application was a good one, though, it hadn’t truly done her justice and from the moment Jim had met her in person, he’d started having a hard time seeing her as his student. It had been entirely shocking, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been immediately enamored; with his last relationships, it had been slow climbs towards intense attraction but with Y/n, it was like his better sense had gone out the window and at just the sight of her stunning smile, he was smitten.

A crush, that was perhaps word to put meaning to everything that was going on in Jim’s head, which undoubtedly made him feel absolutely ridiculous, not because of how much younger she was, or the fact that she was his underlying but because it had been a good twenty years since he’d had something as juvenile as a crush. He thought he preferred the term infatuation, though, it wasn’t much better because it still meant that just thirty minutes into his first interaction with Y/n he was broaching a possible ethical dilemma.

And of course, she seemed completely oblivious.

With his hands clasped together and settled in his lap, Jim twirled his thumbs around each other as he glazed over her responsibilities, while Y/n remained perched on one of the chairs on the other side of his cluttered desk, bag positioned in her lap and an expression of genuine interest painting her face. By the end of his watered down explanation, Y/n shifted in her seat and Jim asked if she had any questions, “Uh…” She ruminated for a moment, “Just…this all starts next week, right?”

“Right,” Jim nodded.

She appeared to hesitate for a minute before beginning again, “Okay, well maybe if you have some of the course material-”

“Right!” He cut her off, pushing off the back of his chair and leaning forward to shift some things around in the desk. He knew he’d been forgetting something and it was in times like those did Jim wish he was better at actually putting things into the cupboard in his office, most of the time he’d be inclined to just leave exam scripts, coursework essays and everything in between right there on his desk. It usually only served to annoy him, and crowd the space, “I have….here it is!” He declared triumphantly, weaning a file out from under a textbook and offering it to Y/n. “These are our courses for this semester. Timetable, locations, er, assignments, topics we’ll be covering, grading criteria, that kind of thing.” He’d poured hours into preparing it all a week earlier, desperately wanting his first time as a supervisor to go right. “I’ll email you everything else.”

Browsing the impressively detailed file, Y/n smiled, stealing an upwards glance and unwittingly causing their eyes to meet once again. Cue the little jump that he felt all the way in his stomach. “Mr. Gallagher, this is great, thank you,” just after she’d said it, Y/n returned her attention to the folder in her delicate looking hands, adorned with simple pieces of bohemian jewelry.

“Jim,” he corrected before his brain could fully register the thought, and Y/n glanced up again, that time with her brows raised in surprise, “You can call me Jim,” he explained quickly, unsure as to whether or not asking her to do that appropriate, “We’re adults,” he shrugged, thinking he’d chosen probably the most insubstantial reasoning, “It's just easier.”

“Uh-okay,” Y/n stuttered, taken aback, “Jim,” she tested his name on her tongue he couldn’t help his faint smile, “Thanks….for this, I mean,” she held up the folder a little higher.

“No problem…..” Should he call her by her first name? Was the unspoken rule that once you allowed someone to call you by your first name, they’d afforded you the same liberties? Jim didn't know.

Sensing his issue, she interjected, “You can call me Y/n,” she licked her lips as her lashes fluttered, “Adults, right?”

“Right,” Jim determined, allowing the word to be the last thing off his lips. For a while, they stewed in the awkwardness that was a wordless bout between strangers. It took her a while to speak up that time, and Jim was too caught up in his head to make conversation, and he only shook off his thoughts when Y/n finally mustered up the courage to ask if their meeting was over. Flustered, he said it was and apologized for keeping her, an apology which was politely dismissed.

As Y/n stood, Jim did too and in his haste to hurry to get the door for her, they bumped into each other; his chest making contact with her right shoulder. “Sorry,” they apologized in unison, both a little thrown off by the new proximity. “I’ll just…” Jim took the initiative of being the first to move after they’d spent a good thirty seconds like that, side stepping away from Y/n and resuming his brief trek to the door.

When she approached him, Y/n paused, turning so they were facing each other though with about half a foot of space between them. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday, Jim,” she stole a look at him through her thick, dark lashes, and all his clouded mind could do was think about how stunning she looked, just like that.

“Mhm,” he hummed, “See you Monday, Y/n,” foolishly, when she moved to step past the threshold, Jim reached out and offered the center of her back the lightest touch he could manage, ushering her out of his office.

Well that had certainly been a lapse in judgment.

As he’d done it though, Y/n turned and smiled, and Jim could have sworn he caught a deepening hue in her cheeks. Still, that didn’t really cut it as an ethical justification. When she disappeared down the hall and into the elevator, Jim finally shut the door, slipping his hands into his pockets as he walked towards his desk, turning to lean on the lip as he let one lonesome abstraction rattle around;

If he couldn’t leave their first meeting unscathed, how the hell was he going to get through the next two years?

*****

[licncourt]

I love the idea of Daniel getting Louis to do random fun things; I bet Daniel's just sitting there one day and turns to Louis and goes "You know, I think I'm gonna get a trampoline and you're gonna try it." Any other thoughts or funny ideas? I always love your posts!

Thank you so much and I'm so glad you asked this because Daniel & Louis friendship is one of my favorite subjects

I've decided the first random activity they embark on together is a night trip to Walmart. Daniel notices Louis is sad and doesn't really know how to ask if he's okay, so he just asks if he's ever been to a Walmart before. Obviously the answer is no, so they go people watch and Daniel waits very patiently while Louis examines hundreds of random, brightly colored objects that catch his attention

That's when Daniel realizes that Louis is practically an infant that needs to be socialized after spending WAY too long in his bubble of isolated misery. He's like one of those sad shelter dogs who doesn't know how to play with toys

I doubt Louis and Daniel share the same definition of "fun" as everyone else. Between Daniel's train thing and Louis'...Louisness, they totally have a ton of weird little shared hobbies. They've definitely built a super complicated ship in a bottle with their vampire motor skills (they didn't blink for hours), as well as those hyper detailed model cities (with hand-painted miniatures ofc) and probably several 5,000+ piece Lego sets (Louis saw the Lego Taj Mahal on their Walmart trip and stared at it miserably until Daniel was like "you know, we can get the Lego set. Like, you can literally just buy it if you want. There's no reward for pointless suffering. Get the Legos.")

(Louis, a fellow weirdo, is probably very offended on Daniel's behalf that everyone was so mean about his train thing. They build a really neat train set together when Louis finds out. Spite train.)

Daniel, horrified by Louis' childhood anecdotes, makes sure he hits some belated childhood milestones. Sitting on playground swings talking. The zoo. Climbing a tree. Chain smoking. A concert. Sticking your tongue to a frozen flagpole. Blowing bubblegum bubbles. Vandalism.

Knowing Louis' history with pyromania, Daniel is absolutely beside himself with excitement to get them some fireworks. They drive out to the middle of nowhere and have a very heartfelt conversation while lighting off Roman candles (and throw firecrackers while bitching about their boyfriends). Although they do spend some time staring at sparklers in silence as well

For the price of embarrassing dirt on Armand, Louis asks Lestat if he has any updog

Even though he's getting better with Lestat, at some point in the 80s Daniel decides that Louis needs the formative experience of looking at porn mags and talking about hot guys with friends. That dude still has way too much pent up anxiety and shame over something that's supposed to be an enjoyable part of life. Helpful friend that he is, Daniel comes over one evening with a shoebox full of gay porn magazines. Blueboy, Mandate, Playguy, a nice variety, and sits them down on the couch to pass pictures back and forth and engage in proper locker room talk. (Louis is initially terrified, but Daniel is so at ease about it that after a while he is...looking. The talking remains pretty one sided and what Louis does say is extremely vague, respectful, and PG, but he does actually have fun.)

Daniel, for all his bluster, has his own bad days and mental health nosedives too, and Louis totally puts his awkwardness aside to return the favor when he can. It's the least he can do for someone who was so diligent and patient trying to coax him out into the world and never gave up on him or stopped trying even when Louis was kind of a wet blanket

[queenshelby]

Time for Change – Part Two

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Smut

Words: 4,356

Notes: Not based on Cillian’s life. This is fiction guys! 

YOUR POV

Your night had to be the worst one yet as you received a photograph of your husband in bed of another woman from someone who contacted you via Facebook.

The person who contacted you went by the name of Lucas and Lucas had a story to tell. He asked whether he could call, speak to you about your husband and, of course, you agreed.

You were intrigued and you needed to know what he was up to.

When Lucas called you, he informed you that the woman your husband was with was named Emily and, of course, you knew all about her. She was his secretary back when you lived in New York. She was the reason you demanded to return to your home country of Ireland and he promised you that it was over between them after a yearlong affair.

But Lucas told you that it wasn’t. And Lucas also told you something else which came like a blow to your face.

According to him, Emily had a young child, a child which had been fathered by your husband.

This, of course explained everything. The constant business trips, money disappearing from your joined bank account without explanation and him getting up in the middle of the night in order to go for a walk.

Lucas’s phone call was like a plea for help. He wanted you to know. But why did he, you wondered? He had no vested interest in their relationship or yours, or did he?

He never told you who he was and you didn’t question it once you received pictures of your husband’s daughter via Messenger. On the pictures, your husband was holding her, cuddling her and feeding her. He looked happy and that made you feel guilty.

A child was what you could never give him after you lost half of your reproductive system following an accident in 2001. You were devastated but, at the time, you didn’t realise what consequences this accident would have on your life.

You tried, many times over to conceive and he pushed for you to try harder, to go through the IVF process, which was something you decided against. Instead, you pushed for adoption and this is how you met the most important person of your life, your daughter Chloe.

Chloe was three years old when you both adopted her and she was everything you ever cared for with all your heart. But, to your husband, she was never really his daughter. He never loved her the way a father should because she wasn’t his and he blamed you for it ever since.

Now, you were 32 and Chloe was 10 and you were happy. But obviously, your husband was not and sought the comfort of another much younger woman. Now, she gave him what he had always wanted, a child of his own and you felt as though you should be happy for him. But you weren’t. You were saddened by how your life had turned out. Yet, little did you know that your life was about to change.

CILLIAN’S POV

Cillian’s night wasn’t any better than yours. His wife Danielle had called him from her mother’s house, telling him that she wouldn’t be home until the weekend.

‘What am I going to tell the kids, Danielle?’ Cillian asked angrily and annoyed by the fact that, once again, she ran off.

‘I don’t know, you figure it out. Why is this always my problem, Cillian?’ Danielle asked, causing Cillian to huff.

‘What is all this about. Please enlighten me Danielle’ Cillian then said, wondering why she took off once again.

‘What do you think Cillian?’ Danielle asked, causing Cillian to huff and sigh again.

‘For starters, you rather spend time with Marina and Natasha instead of calling me and your children when you are away filming. Then, when I call your PA, I am told that you are busy. You are always fucking busy’ Danielle said angrily and Cillian realised that, of course, this fight was about his work again and the fact that Cillian had been away for months until recently to shoot Season 6 of Peaky Blinders.

Danielle never supported his career. She hated it and didn’t support his choices and her attitude towards it had become relentless over the past three years as he became more famous.

She was jealous, continuously, and alleged him having several affairs over the years. Every time there was a young and attractive woman on set, she would become possessive and, when Cillian didn’t call her every night, she would lose her mind. But, unlike your husband, Cillian didn’t cheat on her, not even once and her allegations created constant tension between them.

Whatever Cillian did, was never good enough for her. He wasn’t a good enough husband and he wasn’t a good enough father. Yet, on the other hand, she enjoyed the financial stability and the fact that she didn’t have to work as Cillian was able to provide for her and his family.  

After their latest fight, Cillian surely had enough and, whilst he had stayed with Danielle for his children, he didn’t know how much longer he could sustain a relationship like this with her if, all she did, was walk out on him whenever she thought that he done something wrong.

DINNER TIME

With both of you torn, upset and lonely with Cillian’s children at camp and your daughter at her grandmother’s house in Galway, dinner, a movie and some wine seemed like a fantastic idea and you texted Cillian at around lunchtime, confirming your date.

Whilst it felt somewhat weird to you, cooking dinner for your brother-in-law without the presence of your step sister Dannielle, you were somewhat excited to spend some time with Cillian.

You always liked him, his sense of humour and his intellect. You were likeminded and both enjoyed music, movies, books and theatre. You always had plenty to talk about and it was nice to not be surrounded by children for once.

***

‘Are you still coming over at 7 o’clock for dinner and some Netflix? Bring some wine because I know you are picky with the reds’ you texted him.

‘Says who?’ Cillian texted back.

‘Your wife’ you then responded.

‘Will do. See you at 7’ Cillian texted.

***

At exactly seven o’clock, you heard the doorbell ring and there he was, your brother-in-law with not one but two bottles of wine and a book.

‘Right on time as usual’ you said as you invited him inside and he couldn’t help but look at your cleavage again, surprised by the fact that you were wearing a tank top with no bra underneath. Did you have your nipples pierced, he wondered?

‘Cillian?’ you then asked as, clearly, he didn’t hear your question as he was too busy staring at your breasts.  

‘What?’ he then said as he collected his thoughts.

‘Which bottle did you want me to open?’ you asked again, laughing as you did.

‘Whichever one you want’ he then said before offering you some help in the kitchen.

You quickly declined his offer, telling him that everything had been done, before walking into the kitchen to open the bottle of wine.

As you walked off, Cillian couldn’t help but watch you again, moving your hips and causing your rather short and flattering skirt move from side to side.

You weren’t wearing anything special. Just a plain skirt and a tank top, no shoes, no stockings, possibly a pair of panties for what he could tell. But that was it. It was a warm day and he wasn’t really surprised by your outfit. Your figure was immaculate so why not show it.

You eventually returned to the living room with two glasses of wine and sat down next to Cillian.

‘Dinner will be about 30 or 40 minutes, sorry. I had to play around with the oven for a while to get it working’ you explained, noting that your kitchen was rather dated.

‘That’s perfectly fine. Thank you for cooking’ Cillian then said before handing you the book which he brought along.

‘Oh damn, you found it. Thank you’ you said excitedly as Cillian and you had talked about this book which he had read about five years ago and you were rather intrigued by it.

***

Following the initial small talk, you told Cillian over a glass of wine what happened to you over night, about James and his child in the US.

He was shocked but couldn’t stop himself and ask why you never had children together.

‘We tried for five years but I can’t have children’ you sighed, taking another sip from your wine.

‘I am so sorry Y/N’ Cillian then said, placing his hand over yours gently.

‘It’s alright Cillian. I made my peace with it and I do have Chloe’ you explained with a warm smile.

‘Well, she is one good kid, that’s for sure. You should count your blessings’ Cillian said with his hands still on yours.

‘I do, every day’ you said before asking him whether he had heard from Danielle.

Without hesitation, Cillian told you about what had happened and about the problems they were having over the past few years, her jealousy and her possessiveness. He also told you that, today, he had finally seen a lawyer to talk about his options. He wanted to file for divorce. It was long overdue.

‘Well, I can’t say that I blame her for being a jealous although the way she is acting seems excessive if you have never given her a reason to distrust you’ you then said, cheeks flushing as you reached for your wine glass again.

‘You can’t blame her? What do you mean by that?’ Cillian chuckled.

‘I think she is lucky to be with a man like you and she probably knows it. Men like you are rare. You are a great father and husband and, well, you are quite attractive so I can see how she gets a little worried’ you said somewhat embarrassed, the wine helping you tell the truth.

‘You think that I am attractive huh?’ Cillian asked equally embarrassed as he took a sip from his wine.

‘Yes’ you said, your cheeks now red like fire as you got up suddenly.

‘I think dinner might be ready’ you then said quickly as you disappeared into the kitchen and Cillian followed you shortly thereafter to help you plate up.

***

‘So, 45 next week, are you doing anything special?’ you then asked but Cillian simply shook his head.

‘Thanks for reminding me how old I am Y/N’ he then laughed and you couldn’t help but giggle before grabbing your empty plates and taking them to the sink.

‘You aren’t old Cillian’ you said as he followed you, helping you to clean up.

‘Coming from a woman in her early thirties. I take this as a compliment’ Cillian then chuckled.

‘You should’ you smirked. ‘In fact, I think, at 45, you are in your prime’ you then said with a cheeky wink as you filled up the sink. Like most other things in your house, your dishwasher was broken.

‘So, I am in my prime, huh?’ Cillian laughed and, just as the sink filled up completely, you felt Cillian touch you from behind.

‘Yes’ you murmured as the heat emanating from him was incredible and it took all of your willpower to just stand there and wash the dishes while he reached for the kitchen towel by your side, beginning to dry the dishes.

You desperately wanted to turn around in this moment and kiss him, but he was your step-sister’s husband and it was wrong.

This continued on for a while, in your small kitchen. You could feel Cillian’s warm breath behind you, his hands brushing against you so many times that you lost count until, finally, he put the last dry dish on the bench and leaned over your side to hang the kitchen towel up to dry.

Suddenly and somewhat unexpectedly, you felt Cillian’s warm hands run over the skin of your arms and a hot pair of lips kissing your neck. You wanted to move, you knew you had to, but you couldn't. Your body had started sweating and you felt him pull you closer as his lips continued to kiss your neck.

‘I am sorry Y/N, I should stop’ he then said as you stood there almost frozen.

‘No, don’t…please’ you huffed out, staring at the splashback behind the sink as Cillian kissed you gently.

Then you couldn’t resist your urges any longer and, with one swift movement, you turned around and pressed your lips onto his while your wet and soapy hands took hold of his hair.

The kiss was urgent and passionate, unlike anything else you had ever experienced before.

‘We shouldn’t be doing this’ you huffed out as you pulled away from Cillian to take a breather.

‘I know’ Cillian then said as he gently played with your hair, moving your long streaks out of your eyes.

Then, he moved his hand to the side of your face and caressed your cheek. His touch was gentle and he was so close to you that your voice was gone from your throat and you couldn't say anything. Couldn't stop him, you didn’t want to stop him, you just wanted to feel his touch.

Within seconds your lips were connected again and you couldn’t help your urges and desires any longer.

‘I can’t stop’ you then huffed out in between kisses while his hands travelled over your back and then down to your ass.

‘Neither can I’ Cillian said and, just as he did, you moved your hands from your chest down to his stomach and lifted up his t-shirt.

‘I need you Cillian’ you said as he helped you pull his t-shirt over his head and lifted you up onto the kitchen counter.

‘I suppose if Danielle already thinks that I am cheating, I might just as well’ Cillian said, no longer caring about her and giving into his needs.

Within seconds, Cillian lifted your tank top over your head and saw that, indeed, both of your nipples were pierced.

‘I saw you look at them when you walked in’ you giggled as Cillian gently ran the palms of his hands over your breasts.

‘Fuck’ he barely managed to breath out and, when you looked down at his skinny jeans, you could see his cock hardening beneath the denim.

While Cillian was playing with your breasts, giving some attention to your nipple piercings, he pressed his lips onto yours softly at first, gently kissing you, and slowly sucking on your lips.

His kisses were caring, loving, and not at all what you had expected. He parted your lips with his and soon the kisses became more and more passionate again. His tongue slipped into your mouth and his lips moved all over yours.

You could feel his hand trace from your breasts down to your stomach before pushing your legs further apart and finding its way beneath your skirt.

‘Jesus Y/N’ Cillian groaned as he could feel how wet your panties were and he pushed aside the fabric before running one of his fingers through your wet slit.

‘Oh god’ you moaned, causing Cillian to smile. His touch was almost too much to bear and, after just minutes of teasing, Cillian picked you up in his arms and took you to your bedroom. Of course, he knew where it was. He had been at your house many times.

After Cillian placed you onto your bed gently, he pulled off your skirt and panties together in one go and you suddenly bit your lip, feeling somewhat embarrassed about lying there completely naked in front of your step-sister’s husband.

‘You are stunning’ Cillian then said, mesmerised by your naked beauty right there in front of him.

‘If you say so’ you giggled, waiting for him to join you on the bed.

‘Are you sure that this is what you want? Because there is no turning back after this’ Cillian then asked as he stood in front of the bed and unzipped his jeans

‘Yes, I do…and I must admit, I’ve been fantasising about this for a while, but I would never have acted on it’ you said with some embarrassment.

‘That makes two of us then’ Cillian chuckled as, finally, he pushed down his jeans and briefs, causing you to let out a sigh of excitement when his hard cock sprung free.

Cillian joined you on the bed, caressing your body while kissing you gently. Eventually, he moved his hand lower and started pressing his palm on your pubic bone. He pulled you close to him and his hard cock was poking against your thigh. You could feel his pre-cum dripping from his cock onto your skin while the pressure and movement of his palm on your pubic bone was sending subtle vibrations to your pussy. It was getting wetter and your nipples were getting harder.

Your mind was reminding you of your morals, your vows, and values, but your body was no longer listening. Your body wanted pleasure and release and so did his.

‘You are beautiful Y/N. James is a lucky man’ Cillian said in between kisses as his eyes were filled with a lust and fire you had not seen before. Not even in James’s eyes.

He moved his hand to your breast again and fondled it tenderly. He closed his thumb and finger around the nipple. Then he pinched it and a sharp jolt seemed to go through your body. He squeezed your nipple again and your pussy reacted with an involuntary spasm.

Then, his body began to shift, hovering over you and he started kissing the soft flesh of your breasts. He was leaving marks on them as if he was marking them as his territory. What was James going to say, you didn't know, but your body didn't care.

Cillian eventually took one of your nipples in his mouth, sucking on it gently and causing you to moan. His mouth was so hot, you felt it would burn your skin. He pulled his head back, letting your breast slip out, till your nipples was between his teeth and then he gently bit on it. Shorts of pain as well as pleasure rippled though your body and another moan escaped your mouth.

By this time your pussy was so wet that drops of your juices were tricking out of it and down your thigh. You loved this kind of foreplay, something James never bothered with but, clearly, Cillian enjoyed it a lot.

But this wasn’t all of it. Cillian wasn’t done with the foreplay just yet and, when he was satisfied that he had left enough little bruises on your soft flesh, he sat up on his knees and began loving your lower body.

He pushed your legs apart and began planting small kisses on your upper thighs, and licking small trails up and down, stopping short of your mound every time he did, causing you to squirm and moan. He wanted to break your resolve completely and he wanted you to beg. That was going to be his power over you and, as much as you didn’t want to do that, your moans kept escaping your lips. And even though you couldn't see his face, you would imagine his smile.

‘Oh fuck, please Cillian, just do it’ you moaned out loudly and, just as you did, you could hear him chuckle.

Then, finally, you felt it; his tongue on your wet pussy lips. It was a slow broad stroke that sent jolts of pleasure though your pussy, up your spine and exploded in your brain.

‘Oh yes, oh god, fuck’ you moaned before you bit your lips. Your whole body shivered and you felt week in your knees. Then you felt his fingers work their way to between your legs to your pussy.

You squirmed at the intensity. James usually didn’t pleasure you like this and it was overwhelming having Cillian do this to you. He pushed your legs apart widely and forced you to open up, making yourself accessible. His finger traced a line along your pussy lips as his tongue started to twirl circles over your clit. He stroked there, not attempting entry, just teasing your entrance while his tongue worked its magic.

‘You are so fucking wet Y/N’ Cillian observed and then you felt his fingers open your lips, using one finger each from both of his hands. Your body seemed to open to him like a flower. The dampness that was in you started coating his hands. You were enjoying this more than you should and your mind was fighting it, but your body betrayed you. It was welcoming, eager.

‘Oh god, Cillian’ you moaned again his tongue traced the glistening slit on your open pussy. Then, your legs began to quiver as his tongue entered your open hole.

You knew you were going to cum any second as Cillian was rubbing your clit with his lips and fucking your pussy with his tongue. Your pussy was flowing profusely and Cillian must have been gulping down every drop. Suddenly your whole world exploded and you came with thunderous force. You pushed up against his mouth and let out a muffled scream through bitten lips as you came. Your nails were digging into the back of his head but Cillian still didn't stop.

‘Holy fuck, oh god yes’ you screamed out while your legs began to shake as Cillian gave you the most intense orgasm that you had ever experienced.

You don't know what happened next, if you had passed out or not, but the next thing you did remember was lying on the bed with Cillian on top of you. He was kissing your lips and you could taste your own juices on his lips.

‘Hmm fuck this was good’ you moaned, drawing Cillian’s lips closer for another kiss and you could feel him smile against your lips. His cock was touching your wet pussy and the heat emanating from it was incredible.

‘I could spend fucking hours between your legs’ Cillian then smiled, starring down at you with lustful eyes.

‘I wouldn’t object, although, for now want to feel you…all of you’ you said, biting your lips and urging him to push inside you.

Your legs were spread and open with his hips holding them apart. You felt the head of his cock slide across the mouth of your pussy, teasing you and collecting some of your wetness.

‘Please, stop teasing’ you then moaned, bucking your hips and his cock followed your movements before, suddenly, forcing its way several inches into your body.

You were gasping for breath. You were in the grip of some primal emotion as you groaned Cillian’s name loudly and he slid out to the end again. This time, your body moved with him, like it didn't want to feel him leave your confines.

‘Oh god’ you moaned and Cillian slammed into you burying the full length of his member deep into your pussy.

‘Fuck, you feel so good…so tight, Jesus’ Cillian groaned as he pulled out, then drove in again. The power of his thrusts caused an almost violent reaction in your body, as it met his thrusts with powerful thrusts of its own.

Your hips were now rolling with his every move, trying to keep his cock deeply in your pussy. Your mouth was open, you were panting, moaning. Your resolve to keep calm was being sorely tested as you gave in to Cillian’s thrusts.

But it was difficult for him too as he hadn’t slept with Danielle for six months and was starved of intimacy and now, here you were, the woman he had desired for a while right beneath him for his taking.

‘Cillian, I am close, fuck’ you moaned since you really needed to cum. It seemed your whole being was centered on Cillian’s cock splitting open your pussy, almost like it was the first time you had sex. You may as well have been a virgin, since Cillian angled his movements in way that he was reaching places that James, the only man you ever had sex with before tonight, hadn't even known existed.

You pulled Cillian close for a passionately kiss and your fingers clawed down his back, scratching him wildly. You were out of my control. Your body had become a vessel for his use. You heard the screaming and you knew it was your own.

‘Fuck me, Cillian. Oh my god fuck me’ you shouted out as you gave in and then you screamed as your body reached its high.

‘Fuck, Y/N’ Cillian groaned as he picked up speed and, within seconds you could feel his cock erupt inside you, pulsing and pumping as he did. He emptied string after string of cum into the warmth of your pussy while your walls contracted, milking him until there was nothing left and you were a shaking mess.

Finally, through panting lips, Cillian kissed you and pulled out. Just as he pulled out, you could feel his cum leaking from your pussy and onto the sheets. There was a lot and you couldn’t help but collect some of it with your finger and bring it to your mouth.

Cillian raised an eyebrow at you, wondering what you were doing.

‘I just wanted to see what you taste like’ you smirked as you licked his cum from your finger which is when he realised that he probably should have pulled out.

‘Fuck, I am sorry…I shouldn’t have cum inside you’ Cillian then said somewhat embarrassed.

‘It’s fine, really. In fact, I enjoyed feeling you cum like this’ you said, biting your lip and kissing him again gently before asking him whether he wanted to stay with you for the night.

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[ah-ga-seven]

Till The End of Summer - Chapter 14 (The Finale)

>> series masterlist <<

Pairing: Choi Yeonjun x Reader

In a Nutshell: College!AU, Rich Kids, Friends to Lovers, Fuckboy athlete Yeonjun, Overprotective Best friend Soobin, contains all of TXT and other Idol cameos, Omnipresent perspective.

Synopsis: You and Yeonjun are caught up in a cat and mouse game because of unspoken feelings and endless pining for each others’ attention. With the summer break approaching and lots of college parties, will you finally get a chance to explore your feelings for each other; even though the world and Yeonjun’s reputation makes things complicated?

Word count: 12,3K

Idol Cameos: NCT Johnny, ITZY Ryujin, ATEEZ Wooyoung, Stray Kids Hyunjin, Enhyphen Sunghoon, Heesung and Jay.

Genre:  Fluff, SMUT, angst if you squint.

Warnings: explicit mature content, I put a bolded warning sign at the start and end of it so you can skip through if you want.

Month 1.

Yeonjun went back home to save the reputation of Choi Enterprises by dealing with Lita’s attempt to overthrow him and his mother.  

Apparently, she did a lot more than the things she was locked up for initially. 

Lita and her husband bribed members of the board, making promises they obviously couldn’t keep. “When we have the company, the world is yours” but those days never came. and the board members that were bribed were fired effective immediately.

Each and every one of them got disposed of, with their assets included like they were last weeks’ trash. And if that wasn’t enough, Lita’s unjustified psychosis stemmed from the fact that she used to sleep with Yeonjun’s father. Lita felt like she was entitled to the Choi’s fortunes because according to her; the only woman Daniel Choi ever loved, was her.  

The revelation had Yeonjun sick to his stomach as he sat next to his mother in court. Lita looked at him with pleading eyes, claiming to really love him as her own son before the judge announced her 15-year prison sentence for fraud, spying, embezzlement, and attempted murder.

Somehow Yeonjun felt nothing as he looked at her. He really didn’t. If anything, he was glad to close this chapter of his life for good, and look ahead of the road to recovering his soul.

You, on the other hand, were completely overwhelmed with your new surroundings. You threw yourself into your work to forget about your heartache and didn’t dare to talk to Yeonjun in case it’d open up your wounds again. It would cause for you to lose focus, and you simply couldn’t afford that distraction right now.

Month 2

The first month passed without any contact between the two of you, but that changed when you wished him a happy birthday. His heart thumped in his chest on his way to his 6th therapy session as he looked at your message. 

He was even more surprised to see that you sent him a cute card with a Polaroid picture of the two of you; all happy and smiley in the park.  

It was reassuring to him that you were still thinking of him, and that you hadn’t completely forgotten about him or moved on so easily, because lord knows he hadn’t.

When you asked him about Lita’s trial a few days after his birthday, you two started to slowly talk again from time to time. You’d check up on each other and made small talk, but it was nothing like it used to be.  

There was no depth, and the core of your conversations always had to do with how both of your studies were going, if you were taking care of yourselves or if you’ve had dinner already.  

You both figured it was for the better this way, otherwise your break up would have been for nothing if you didn’t use this time apart from each other to heal, especially since you promised to be better individually so you could be even better together.

If that was still what both of you wanted upon your return of course.

He missed you so much, and he was finding it incredibly hard not to check your socials at least once a day, especially when he realized how male-dominated your studies were at Brown.

Your Instagram feed and stories indicated that you were having the time of your life when you could. You were happy despite the crazy hours you spent in a lab with your research team. A team that quickly became your new group of friends at the University.  

There were 2 other guys and one other girl in your team. The girl’s name was Giselle, you seemed to be the closest to her out of all of them. One of the guys was named Chanhee who was quite obviously gay, therefore not a threat. But the second guy, Hwang Hyunjin… let's just say that Yeonjun wasn't a fan.

Month 3

Your almost daily texts and calls with your friends back home started to shift to communication on a weekly basis.  

It was hard to keep up with your friends back home while having to entertain a new friend group here, all while you spent hours upon hours in the lab, working on a possible treatment for neurological disorders.  

You knew that whatever you were getting yourself into with this exchange was going to be hard, but you didn’t imagine it to be this hard and frankly, you were feeling incredibly homesick by now.

You missed Soobin, the boys, Mia…Yeonjun. And one time when you came home at 10 PM after a long day that started at 8 AM; you broke down on the phone when Soobin called to check in on you.

He was so shocked at your tears that he was ready to jump on a plane, but you stopped him from doing so. Knowing that you needed to push through and confide in the friends you made, whom you’ve started to hang out with a lot more, especially with Hyunjin.  

He reminded you a lot of Soobin, the way he was gentle yet in for dumb shit matched well with your own personality, and hanging out with him felt liberating. He introduced you to his friends and spent time with you and your lab partner and roommate Giselle whenever he could, which made your time at Brown a lot more bearable than you had anticipated.

Yeonjun was slowly starting to enjoy life again. He caught up with his studies, kept going to therapy, had regular calls with his mother, and spent time with his friends whenever he could. He started to pick up his neglected hobby of dancing again, finding comfort in the art form with Wooyoung and his crew.

Month 4

Yeonjun’s mother sold Choi Enterprises. She was completely done with the company as it wasn’t hers to begin with. The stock prices had risen for the first time since Daniel’s death paired with the whole Lita ordeal, so she took the chance to get rid of her past with a simple transaction.

She consulted Yeonjun about selling the company and the house he grew up in, for which he agreed, glad that they could finally close that dark chapter of their lives while getting a fresh start with new surroundings.  

With all of this newly acquired money, she opened a new headquarters of her own luxury fashion brand, closer to Yeonjun; only an hour away to be exact.  

She was determined to be a better mother and get to know her son, and the only way to do so was by actually trying. He was happier now that the burden of having to take over Choi Enterprises one day fell off of his shoulders.  

For the first time in a long time, he held the reigns to his own future again and his mother assured him that she’d support whatever he wanted to do in life both mentally and financially.

From there on out things started to look up for them.  

They went on café dates every Sunday, and sometimes he’d visit her for an entire weekend where they would bond by cooking or shopping together. 

During one visit, Yeonjun helped her pick some pieces for Fashion week, which made her pleasantly surprised by Yeonjun’s out of the box and daring passion for fashion. She suggested he’d take a minor in fashion design next to his regular Business studies and after giving it a good thought, he did, enjoying it a little more than he thought he would.

Month 5

You were doing better too. The hard part of your research was over with, and you had a well-deserved break which you spent with Giselle, Chanhee, and Hyunjin. You decided on having a mini-vacation and go sightseeing, rent an Airbnb somewhere in the state, and just chill.

Everything was fine until the last night of your trip, where you got shitfaced drunk and ended up sleeping with Hyunjin.  

You were single, so there was no reason to feel guilty, especially since the last time you even talked to Yeonjun was over a month ago, yet you still did.  

Of course, you had to talk to Mia about it, who only told you to remember that when you’d return in a month; you’d probably never see Hyunjin again, and that was enough for you to start distancing yourself from him.

The guy obviously had feelings for you, and you felt bad for friend-zoning him after being intimate with him, but the fact of the matter was that you just didn’t feel the same way about him. None of it would matter in a few weeks anyway, because you’d be heading back home, to your friends...and to Yeonjun.

Month 6  

Brown had offered you to stay and finish your studies at their facilities but you kindly declined. The experience was great, but you couldn’t put yourself through one more year of this type of curriculum, and you desperately wanted to see your friends' faces again by going back to the place you’ve called home for the past three years.

To your new-found friends’ disappointment, you were getting ready to leave as the weeks passed, packing your things little by little and meeting up with all of the people you met one last time before parting ways for good.  

It felt bittersweet though. Not only did you learn a lot about neuroscience, but you learned a lot about yourself as well. You grew as a person, matured, and blossomed by being more independent. Not having Soobin or your other friends to fall back on really pushed you to become more self-dependent, which was one of the perks of being away from them for so long.

You respected yourself and put yourself first and promised that that’d be a piece of knowledge that you’d be taking back home too.

Now.

Yeonjun couldn’t believe half a year had passed already. But what he really couldn’t believe was that he’d be seeing you again tonight.  

He stood in your apartment with the guys and Mia, organizing your things and cleaning up the place for your surprise welcome home party. Being in there felt weird, almost foreign to be exact.

It’d been half a year since he stepped foot in here, and even though you were gone for so long, the place still smelled like you. If it wasn’t for the empty shelves, missing bedsheets, and plastic covers over your furniture; it’d almost seem like you never really left.

He opened your bedroom door to see Mia struggling to make your bed and chuckled lightly at the sight. He walked over to her, grabbing the other ends of the sheets to help her out.

Mia gave him a faint smile and stopped her movements for a second to look at Yeonjun. “Are you excited?” She asks with a big smile. Lord knows she was, her best friend was finally coming back but Yeonjun didn’t really know how to answer Mia’s question.

“More nervous than excited. We checked up on each other from time to time but it’s not like we really talked or anything.”

Mia pouted at Yeonjun’s insecure facial expression. One she hasn’t seen from him that often. Especially lately. Mia and Yeonjun have gotten a lot closer in the past six months, which was a nice change for the both of them.

“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry. You’re not the same Yeonjun you were six months ago. And that’s a good thing. She’ll appreciate the change.”

“Gee, thanks.” Yeonjun snickers as he throws a pillow at Mia’s head. It hit her straight in the face, messing up her hair which made both of them erupt in loud laughter.

“Asshole,” Mia says straightening out her hair.

“What’s going on here?” Soobin asks with a big smile on his face as he enters your room.

Soobin hasn’t been able to wipe that damn grin off of his face all day. He was so excited for you to come back and honestly the mood with the boys and with Mia has been amazing lately.  

“Yeonjun is back to his old ways,” Mia argues as she tries to throw the pillow back at him, but Yeonjun swiftly caught it, giggling to himself as he fixes it before putting it back on your bed, where it belongs.

“Well, quit messing around and hurry the fuck up, I’m picking her up in an hour.” Soobin says clapping his hands together to try and give orders, but neither Yeonjun nor Mia were phased by Soobin’s attempt to assert dominance. Both of them rolled their eyes before getting back to the task of making your bed.  

It was adorable how stressed yet giddy Soobin was to see you again. Everything had to be perfect before you arrived so he could relax and make sure you’ll be able to relax after your flight too.  

He ran around your apartment like a stressed mother; making sure the boys weren’t messing around too much so that everything planned out smoothly before the guests arrived.

Soobin waited for you patiently…at the wrong exit.

You immediately recognized his tall form when you were skimming the crowd, wondering why he wasn’t there yet, but when you saw his back facing the wrong arrival hall; you knew enough.  

It’s so Soobin of him to face the wrong way. You smile to yourself as it gave you the perfect opportunity to scare him.

You chuckle as you walk towards him while pulling your suitcase with you. He was concentrated on the people exiting the gates, hoping to see you and growing more and more restless as you didn’t show up, but little did he know, you were right behind him.

“Who are we waiting for?” You ask in a serious tone as you stood beside him with your arms crossed while following his gaze onto the crowd.

Soobin’s head snapped into your direction so fast you swore you heard a bone crack.  

His eyes widened before he smacked his bunny-like lips in confusion, looking you up and down before a huge smile crept upon his face that you could only mimic.  

“YOU’RE HERE!” Soobin shouts in shock, relief, and joy at the same time while pulling you in for a tight hug. He inhaled your scent while twirling you around, and all you could do was giggle as he smothered you in his hold.

God, you missed him, and judging from the way he wasn’t letting go of you, you could tell he missed you too.

“Ugh, I missed you so much. How was your flight? And look at you! Did you change up your hair? You look good, happy, healthy. Ugh.”  

You couldn’t even respond to anything he was saying as he wrapped you into his arms again. Normally you’d fight him for being so clingy, but this time you let him have his way for a few seconds…until it got hard to breathe.

“Soobin, I can’t breathe.” You protest softly as you tap his chest to let go which made him laugh in response, holding you at an arms-length. “Sorry y/n. I just…we’re never separating for that long ever again,” he says with a serious yet playful look on his face.

“Agreed.” you beam up at him as you link arms, walking towards the exit.

“Did you have a good flight?” he asks as he pets your hair, not believing that you were standing next to him right now.  

“Mmh, there was some turbulence so I couldn’t really rest. I can’t wait till I’m home again so I can sleep,” you mumble before you let out a yawn as you drag your feet on the tiled floor of the airport.

Soobin gulped. He didn’t know how you’d feel about the hoard of people in your apartment right now, all ready to celebrate your return when all you really wanted was to get some rest after your long travels.  

He felt guilty for a second but also knew that you’d probably forget all about your tiredness when you’ll see all of your friends again.

“Uhm, the car isn’t that far. Give me that,” he says as he takes your suitcase from your hold.

“Everyone quiet down! They’re coming up right now!” Taehyun announces while he cut the music.

Everyone frantically found a spot to hide. Some giggled as it got dark, some held on to each other cause they couldn’t see shit and some were nervous wrecks like Yeonjun.

You weren’t suspecting anything as you dragged your feet to your apartment. Soobin was acting weirder and weirder; fumbling with his keys, dropping shit, and constantly checking his phone, but you were too dense and tired to notice.

You struggle with your lock and let out a yawn. Soobin stood closely behind you, taking a deep breath as the door swung open.

Before you could even close the door behind you or find the light switch, all of the lights turned on in an instant, followed by a loud ‘SURPISE’ yelled out by at least two dozen people who were occupying your living space.

You flinch, your eyes nearly popping out of your skull and stumble backward, just so your back could hit Soobin’s tall form.

He laughed hysterically clapping his hands together like a seal, followed by everyone in the room.

“Oh my god.” Is the only thing that you were able to get out as you covered your face at the overwhelming sensation.

You didn’t even realize you had this many friends? I mean you knew all of them of course, but you didn’t comprehend the fact that they were all here to welcome you back.

The music turned back on and Mia was the first one to launch herself into your arms which had you immediately defrosting in her hold.

‘BITCH!!!” she yelped. “I MISSED YOU SO MUCH.”  

She clung onto you and twirled you around making the adrenaline and confusion in your body shift to pure happiness at seeing their faces again.

You can’t believe they did this, and suddenly you don’t feel tired anymore.

“Y/N!” Beomgyu squealed your name as he hugged you, followed by Taehyun and Hueningkai who all patiently waited until it was their turn to hug you.

You were so caught up in shock and bombarded with love, that you didn't have time to scan the room for other familiar faces. Instead, you just let them come to you one by one as you stood glued to the floor, smiling, hugging and chatting away with all of the people that seemed to have missed you so dearly.  

Yeonjun stood in the corner of your living room, watching the whole ordeal. A smile crept onto his face at how happy and healthy you looked. It’s almost as if he saw you for the first time again. Making him realize that love at first sight really was a thing…even in this form.

He took a sip of his drink, still watching you carefully until someone nudged his shoulder.

“Shouldn’t you go say hi to your girl?” The taller and older guy leaned against the wall next to Yeonjun after nudging him, making him look up at him.

“Hyung, I don’t even know what to say to her. She’s so happy right now, I don’t wanna ruin it.”

Johnny furrowed his eyebrows, cocking his head to the side. “You don’t think she’ll be happy to see you?”

“I don’t know anything right now.” Yeonjun sighed, watching you join Hueningkai and Beomgyu for a selfie with a big smile on your face. “When is the last time you two spoke?” Johnny asked, taking another sip of his drink.  

“Like two months ago.”

“Damn…”

“I know.”  

and just as the picture was taken, you spotted him across the room.  

Your eyes locked, making Yeonjun freeze in place. “Shit,” he gulps, downing his drink in one go to calm his nerves which made Johnny laugh at his antics.

“Relaaaax. Did you see her eyes light up just now? I think she missed you too,” he assures him, throwing an arm around his shoulder for comfort.

This seems odd? Doesn’t it? Yeonjun and Johnny being all friendly with each other.

During Yeonjun’s never-ending therapy sessions, the school’s counselor wanted to connect Yeonjun with someone with a similar background. You should’ve seen both of their faces when they met during a group session, but after realizing they had such corresponding backgrounds, you know; the neglected rich kid kind, they haven’t stopped talking to each other and oddly became very close friends.

It was nice for Yeonjun to have an older brother figure in his life since he’s the oldest in his own friend group, and it was even nicer for Johnny to find out that Yeonjun wasn’t such a big dick after all. Oh, and the part of having someone who gets his struggle was great too, even in the form of Choi Yeonjun.  

You couldn’t believe your eyes. You didn’t expect him to be here for some reason and the last thing you expected was seeing him with Johnny’s arm around his shoulder in a non-threatening way.

Mia chuckled as she followed your gaze. “Yeah…so, they started hanging out a few months ago.”

“How even?”  

“I don’t know maybe they started to bond over being your rejects,” Taehyun says making Mia and Beomgyu cackle with him, but you couldn’t quite see the humor in it. You had only returned to your friends for 5 whole minutes and they were already being annoying.  

Soobin noticed your slight annoyance and chuckled, rubbing your back in comfort as he was the only one to notice how nervous you really were to talk to him again after all this time. “Go talk to him, he’s just as nervous. Trust me.” Soobin says into your ear so only you could hear, and you give him a small nod in response. Smiling at the encouragement you so desperately needed.

You’re a bad bitch. You got this.  

You look at him once more as he talked to Johnny.

For some reason, his whole aura changed from the last time you saw him. His features matured a bit, he lost weight and he completely embraced having a mullet. Ok…hot.  

He was breathtaking. Even after all this time of being apart, he made you feel the exact same way and all it took to remind you of that feeling was one look from him.  

He decided to man up and make his way through the crowd to greet you, but you beat him to it as your legs automatically walked over to where he was standing.

Johnny sensed the sudden electricity in the air as you approached and decided to go in for the hug first to give Yeonjun some time to collect himself. “Y/n!” Johnny coed as he enveloped you into a big bear hug. “It’s so good to see you again. How are you? How was your exchange?”  

You’re snapped out of your trance, but you still feel Yeonjun’s eyes on you as you’re trapped in Johnny’s embrace. You collect yourself as you let go of him, trying to avoid Yeonjun’s gaze for now but it was almost impossible because of how close he was.  

“I’m good, it was good. A lot of sleepless nights but it was totally worth it.” You give him the quickest answer possible; you weren’t quite sure where to start the conversation with Yeonjun but the longer the two of you ignored each other, the weirder the tension between you two was getting.

He took a deep breath, giving you a warm smile before averting his attention to Johnny. He not so subtly told him to leave with his eyes, which made Johnny suavely exit the conversation by announcing that he needed a refill.

“Hey…” you start.

Yeonjun’s eyes glistened as he looked at you with adoration. “Hey.”

You looked good. Your skin had a healthy glow, and your new haircut was working wonders for your features. He was entranced by your beauty for a second before realizing his stare might be creeping you out, though you didn’t even notice, cause you were staring at him too.  

You were completely caught up in your own perception of time. Everything seemed to slow down now that you were looking into others eyes again after all this time and just as you were about to open your mouth to speak, some kid you didn’t know accidentally bumped into you roughly.  

The sudden impact made you lose balance as you jolted forward, straight into Yeonjun’s arms. Luckily, he swiftly caught and stabilized you.

He looked at you in shock, making sure you were okay as he grabbed your shoulders before turning his attention to the random kid who somehow got an invite to be at your welcome home party, in your house, without you even knowing who he is.

He quickly apologized, but you feared for what was about to happen. The Yeonjun you left 6 months ago was a dick and a hothead, he’d make the kid regret running into you like that but to your surprise Yeonjun straightened out the freshman’s clothes and gave him a small side smile.  

“Be careful kid, we just got her back,” he says in neutral yet friendly tone.

That’s it? No threatening glare? No sarcasm?

He seemed to notice your dumbfounded facial expression and chuckled. “Anger management classes,” he explains with playfulness evident in his voice.

“You’re kidding?” you scoff in amusement.

“Nope. I’ve turned into a complete softie, just for you.”  

You teasingly shove his shoulder and laugh loudly. The sound made Yeonjun’s heart flutter as he watched your face contort into pure joy and cuteness. He felt the sudden urge to squish your cheeks together and litter your face with kisses but he withheld himself from doing so, and reciprocated your giggles with the sound of his own laugh as he raked his hand through his long locks.

This small moment of flirty teasing made the both of you realize just how much you had missed each other as you were quick to jump back in your old ways.

You both should’ve known that worrying about any awkwardness between you two was stupid. After all, you were friends before you even started dating; and luckily that dynamic returned quickly because he was just as big of a casual flirter as you were.

Suddenly it felt like you were starting all over again with him, it felt like the first time you tried to connect with him on that damn picnic that started the timeline of your relationship.

Somehow the universe granted you the opportunity to hit the reset button and do things right this time, and you couldn’t be happier now that you realize how stupid it was to worry about the inseverable connection you two seemed to have to each other.

Even after all these months and all those miles of distance, Yeonjun still felt like home.  

He gave you a shy smile, realizing you were staring at him with hearts in your eyes while you expectantly gazed into his dark orbs.

His eyes weren’t hollow anymore, for the first time in ages his happiness felt genuine and you couldn’t wait for him to tell you all about it.

“How about we…ditch your party for a bit and go take a walk,” Yeonjun suggests, giving you a hopeful yet mischievous look as he held out his hand for you.

You boldly lace your fingers through his and lead him out of your apartment without a second thought, ignoring stares from literally everyone.

Oh my god, history really was repeating itself. Your mind flashes back to the walk you took with him that night at Johnny’s party; you lead him out of Johnny’s kitchen the exact same way right after the fight you had with an overprotective Soobin about trying to date Yeonjun.

You got Yeonjun a little flustered, which is a first, but he was happy with your directness. He couldn’t wait to be alone with you in a more private setting and if that meant leaving your own party, then so be it.  

Fresh air hits your lungs as the chilly spring night welcomes you outside. Your apartment was way too crowded and way too hot which made you sigh contently as the cold wind created goosebumps on your skin.

Yeonjun looked at you and stopped in his tracks while diverting his gaze at your still intertwined fingers.

You look back at him, confused as to why he stopped walking, but before you could ask questions; he pulled you towards him, trapping you into his strong arms. One of his hands made its way to the nape of your neck to slowly pat your hair as he leaned his chin on the top of your head.

You just let it happen, wrapping your arms around his torso while burying your face in the crook of his neck. The familiar scent of soap mixed with his expensive Chanel Bleu cologne hit your nostrils and the butterflies in your tummy start to flutter again after being on rest for six months.

Whole. That’s how you feel in the moment.

“You have no idea how much I missed you.” You mumble into the hug, not wanting to look up at him out of fear that he might not have felt the same, but by the way he was holding you right now, you should know better. The insecurity of not being good enough still had its ways of fucking with your mind, even though you had no reason to be.

Yeonjun opened his eyes at your confession, not being able to hide how happy he was to hear that his feelings were mutual. He hid his grin by burying his face into your hair again as he giggled before pulling back slightly to see your face. You were trying incredibly hard to hide the heat that had risen to your cheeks but it was to no avail as Yeonjun mumbled something about how cute you were right now.

He was so worried you didn’t feel the same. He was convinced you forgot all about him at Brown. Your Instagram stories were filled with the countless parties you went to, the new people you met accompanied with the fact that your posts were littered with suggestive comments from guys he could only assume you met over there.

Yeonjun’s biggest fear relating to your return was that you utilized those six months away from him to move on, but as selfish as it sounds; he was so incredibly glad that you hadn’t.  

“Look at me.” He tried to cup your face but you didn’t let him, giggling into his chest as you protested.

The two of you must look absolutely pathetic to bystanders right now. You were completely stuck in your own world, acting like high school kids who were brand new to love, but somehow that’s exactly what you were.  

He chuckled lowly, as you tightened the hold you had on his waist. “Ah, whyyy…Look at me, come on.”

You do as you’re told, and when you look up you are greeted by the most beautiful smile you’ve seen in your life, making your breath hitch in your throat at how boyish yet manly he looked just now.

“Ok, I’m looking. Now what?” You challenge as you take a hold of his wrists as he cupped your face.

He didn’t know if he’d move too fast if he kissed your lips right now, so he decided against it while giving you a sweet kiss on your forehead instead.

“I just wanted to see your pretty face up close again. Instagram doesn’t do you justice, angel.”

“Oh, shut up.” You giggle, rolling your eyes as you push yourself out of his hold. You hate to admit it, but the little pet name made your heart skip a beat. You pretend to run from him, but he snatched you back in no time by tugging at your elbow with laughs and giggles. You give in and link arms with him as you resumed your walk through your neighborhood and look up at him to check if he was really here with you right now.

This whole thing just felt too good to be true. Here you thought he’d moved on from your relationship, but the confirmation that he hadn’t was nice, to say the least.

He looked down as he felt your eyes on him and smiles at you before looking at the path ahead of him.

“What?” he asks with an amused tone, but you just shake your head in response.

“You seem different.”  

“How different?”

“Like you aren’t carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders anymore type of different.”

He nodded understandingly and stopped in his tracks to look into your eyes again. His hands traveled down to yours, lacing your fingers together once more before he sighed, tucking a stray piece of your hair behind your ear for you.

You gave him an expecting look, squeezing the hand that was still intertwined with yours to assure him of the fact that you’re listening, which earned you a small smile.

“It’s cause I’m not. While you were changing the lives of others with your research, I was changing my own. At first, I thought the whole therapy thing was a hoax. I didn’t understand why talking to some stranger would fix me, but it helped me come to terms with a lot. I learned about acceptance and moving forward. And I learned that in order to be able to love someone in a healthy manner, I’d have to love myself first. You know…on a deeper level than just my handsome face” he jokes trying to lift some weight off of his words.

You roll your eyes, but secretly love his arrogance, making a low chuckle escape from your lips before you return to seriousness again.

“I’m so proud of you.” you say, and you mean it. You’re amazed at how clear his mind seemed to be. It’d usually take Yeonjun a good minute to collect his thoughts before he could talk about how he felt with you, but right now it came out so naturally, it was almost odd.

He gave you a weak side smile, making eye contact once again. “I’m nowhere near the finish line though. I can’t promise you that I’ll never fuck up again because I’m learning as I go, but what I can promise you, is that my heart and my feelings for you are unchanged. I haven’t stopped thinking of you, not once. The thought of being with you again was my driving force and I need you to know that.”

He caressed your cheek while you let his words sink in and suddenly you feel tears prickle your eyes.  

You were at a loss for words, completely lovestruck by his incredibly sweet and wise confession.

You hold onto his wrist for leverage, your breathing turned shaky and uneven as a tear escaped your eyes.

Here you thought he had completely moved on from your relationship. But god, you were so wrong, and you couldn’t be any happier.

“I promised myself to never make you cry again,” he joked lightheartedly as he wiped another tear away from your cheek, making you sniff in response, wiping them away with your sleeve quickly.  “They’re happy tears.”  

He looked into your eyes again, searching for answers and maybe even permission. He wanted to take things slow; give you time to reflect and time to adjust to being back home, but he simply couldn’t help himself.

When you leaned into his touch, he knew you basically gave him an okay to proceed.

He inched his face dangerously close to yours, lightly brushing his plump lips against yours. His hesitation made you smile, so you pull him down to your level by the back of his neck as you initiated the kiss.

He froze for a second at your dominance but quickly relaxed in your touch soon after he realized that you seemed to want this just as much as he did.

Kissing him was like muscle memory. It felt natural and blissful and suddenly you find yourself wondering about how you were able to live without this feeling of pure euphoria for over six months.

His love was like a drug, and all it took was one kiss to break your sobriety.

He pulled back, quickly assessing his surroundings before he realized the two of you were basically making out in the middle of the street.

He pulled you into an alleyway and pushed you against the wall of a random apartment building, his hands holding on to each side of your face delicately yet roughly as he kissed you with so much fervor, it almost made you dizzy.  

“You really had me thinking I lost you forever,” he mumbles as his lips disconnected from yours.

You weren’t given the change to respond as his lips found their way to the soft spot in your neck. He still remembered every sensitive inch of your skin and used it against you all too willingly; wrapping his hands around your throat as he kissed and licked a pattern from your jaw to your neck.  

A breathy moan left your lips as he started to suck possessive marks onto your neck and you instinctively wrap your arms around his waist, letting him do as he pleases, too entranced by the delicious feeling. You jumped up and he caught you by hooking his arms under your thighs, stabilizing you against the wall as you kept making out.

You giggled at his eagerness, a little flustered at the fact that you were in public; even though it was nighttime while being in a neglected alley; it still felt wrong.

He smirked against your neck when he felt you hesitate, and placed a soft yet wet kiss on your lips before letting go of you. He made sure you landed back on the ground safely, straightening out your clothes for you. “Maybe we should head back,” he says with a dark gaze, acting as if he didn’t just litter your neck with marks and bruises. He licked his pouty lips in amusement at the sight of what he had just done to you, knowing all too well that people would be able to see what happened while the two of you were gone.

You playfully shoved him aside, completely oblivious to how bad it really was but when you stepped into the elevator and saw your own reflection you gasped and shot Yeonjun a look of pure panic and distress. “YEONJUN!” you gasp loudly. “You can’t be fucking serious.”

“I’m sorry I just…couldn’t help myself.” he licked his lips again, cockiness emitting from his entire being. He inched closer to you to give you an innocent kiss on the top of your head and pulled the hair tie out of your hair, making your hair fall past your shoulders to cover the hickeys.

“This’ll do.”

“Oh my god, I hate you.”

He scoffed, casually smacking your ass in response.  

On the remaining way back to your apartment you were constantly fixing your clothes and hair, trying to let it nonchalantly fall to the front but you knew it looked rather ridiculous.

You had hoped your friends were too intoxicated to notice but when you stepped foot in your apartment with Yeonjun closely trailing behind you, all eyes were on you again.

How long were you two gone for? 10, maybe 20 minutes?

“Hyung.” Taehyun grabbed Yeonjun by his collar, turning him around which made Yeonjun frown at the younger one.

“For fucks sake.” Taehyun sighs dramatically, wiping something pink from the corner of Yeonjun’s mouth with his index finger.  

…it was your fucking lipgloss.

Yeonjun’s ears turned a bright red as he started to chuckle nervously. “Now I lost the fucking bet with Hueningkai. I thought it’d take at least a week before you two would start simping over each other again, it hasn’t even been an hour….AND OUTSIDE?” Taehyun sucks his teeth as a sign of disapproval, looking you up and down before his eyes lingered on your neck. “Animals. That’s it. That’s the description.”

“Pay up, loser. I told you.” Hueningkai cackles as he throws his arms around both Taehyun and Yeonjun’s shoulders.

“Y’all made a bet? An actual bet on our relationship?” you ask in pure disbelief. It was so like them to turn your emotional turmoil into their own amusement, but you couldn’t really be mad at them.

Your friends know the two of you better than anyone and probably saw this coming way before you did.

“Venmo me later.” Taehyun mumbles to Hueningkai in defeat while walking off, and you can’t help but chuckle at the irony of it all.  

All of these months left in pure insecurity about your relationship with Yeonjun. Nights of pondering about your future, worrying if he had moved on or not. It was all for nothing

Yeonjun and you move like magnets, and no course of time could really drive you apart because when you’re reunited, you will always find your way back to each other. Always.

He looked at you a little dreamily, it still wasn’t sinking in that you were back. For good. And all his.

He snaked his arm around your waist as he stood behind you, resting his head on your shoulder as you told your friends all about your adventures.

He was clingy, you were clingy and neither of you was hiding it for anyone. You’ve had your fair share of secrets with Yeonjun and you were more than glad that those times were over with.

At around 4 AM most people left, and you were left alone with the boys, Ryujin and Mia.

You were on the couch, perfectly comfortable on Yeonjun’s lap as you leaned into his chest. One hand was rubbing your back in up and down motions while the other had found its way under your shirt and onto your waist. His cold fingertips grazed over your bare skin and suddenly it was way too hard to stay awake.

The chatter of your friends became background noise as your eyelids grew heavy. But you were shortly awakened out of your slumber as you felt Yeonjuns lips on your temple.  

“You must be so tired after that flight and this whole circus,” he whispered with an empathetic pout, yet all you could do was nod as a response.

He chuckled at your cuteness and fixed a piece of your hair, kissing your forehead again before you buried your face in the crook of his neck.

“It’s funny how nothing has changed, yet everything is different,” Beomgyu says as he stares at you and Yeonjun with a loving smile.

Beomgyu might be a little shit with a smart mouth, but he cares for his friends. Seeing the two of you be so content in each other's presence made love emit from his pupils. Even though Yeonjun had been doing so much better the best couple of months, nothing compares to the pure happiness and giddiness that Gyu was seeing from him now, and that was all because you were together again.

Beomgyu wasn’t the only one to notice, because it was literally all of them, and especially Soobin.

Soobin who literally rebelled against any type of relationship between you and Yeonjun was smiling at the sight of you in his arms fondly. His two best friends finally found solace in each other after all the shit that both of you had been through together, and it made him sentimental.

A year had passed since the two of you started dating unofficially, though this was the first time in that whole year that Soobin was completely okay with it.

You were long gone and off into dreamland by now as Yeonjun looked at you with a small smile on his lips, but when he looked up to check why everyone had stopped talking, he was met with six pairs of twinkling eyes on him.

His pupils darted back and forth between them in genuine confusion. “Why? What’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Soobin sighed contently. “For once, nothing is wrong.” he says as he leans forward to hug Mia from behind who was sitting between his legs on the floor.

Taehyun chuckled at Soobin’s dramatic statement and Hueningkai hummed in agreement.  

“Not to get all simpy or anything, but with her being back it feels like our little dysfunctional family is whole again.” Beomgyu mumbles as he let his head drop onto Ryujin’s shoulder.

“Let’s try to be less dysfunctional,” Hueningkai says with determination.  

“We can be less dysfunctional if you can clean up after yourselves and fold your own damn laundry so I don’t have to start a fight with you every 5 seconds,” Taehyun argues as he throws a pillow at Hueningkai's face. Making him laugh as he got in in the face with full force.

“Why can’t we just…have one peaceful moment…just one.” Soobin says rubbing his forehead in agony.

Yeonjun chuckled at the banter of his little brothers and looked back at you. “I don’t know guys, maybe that’s our charm,” he says leaving all of them in pure confusion as they looked at him for clarification.

“What do you mean by that.” Mia questions as she raises a brow at him.

“We’ll literally walk through fire to be there for each other, right? We go through things individually but will never fail to be there for each other in times of need, and I think we need to embrace our worst mistakes and arguments so we can grow from them. After all we’ve been through, I know we’ll be together forever. So, I say cheers to being dysfunctional,” He says with a proud smile, picking up his drink from the side table to raise it up in the air for a collective moment of cheers.

Dumbfounded by Yeonjun’s odd display of maturity and wise words, they all comply, raising their glasses in the air followed by a loud cheer to being “dysfunctional.”

The sudden loudness of their voices woke you up, completely out of it and sleep drunk; you lift your head from Yeonjun’s chest, squinting your eyes at your friends as you rub the sleep out of your eyes.

“Did I miss anything?” you say, your voice laced with sleep and confusion.

They all burst out into laughter at your current state paired with your obliviousness and messy bed hair.

“Nah, just six months of incompleteness,”  Yeonjun says as he pecks your lips.

Mia stayed over that night and helped you unpack and clean your whole apartment the next day, which you were super grateful for but...you’d be lying if you said you didn’t wish Yeonjun would’ve stayed the night.

The fact of the matter is that you haven’t had time for a serious talk with him yet, because you know, tongue punching each other was of higher priority than hashing things out with actual words. Which meant you hadn’t really talked about your relationship status or how things will be moving forward.

“The last game of the season is tonight. Are you going?” Mia asked as she plops down on your couch with you.

“The last one? Already?”

“Yeah we’re gonna go celebrate after.”

“Even if they lose?”

“Girl, you know they don’t lose.”  

You roll your eyes and laugh at Mia’s overconfidence in her boyfriends’ team. You were about to give her a definite answer before your phone started buzzing.

[Yeonjun, 12.44 PM]: Hi baby.

[Yeonjun, 12.45 PM]: Is it ok if I come over? I’ll bring us coffees from that café you love so much. 😌

[Y/N, 12.45 PM]: Yesss please 🥺

You giddily smile at your phone, wanting to squeal with excitement but you hold it in and Mia seems to notice. “Oh god, is it him?”

“Yeah, so.” you glare at her with playful intent “Let me be happy. He’s changed so drastically; I almost couldn’t believe that last night’s Yeonjun was the Yeonjun I left six months ago.”

“Yeah, he’s been working super hard to change and the whole thing with his mom helped too.”

“His mom? What do you mean?” You ask in genuine confusion, Mia bit her lip as she furiously shook her head. “Listen, I’m never, ever going to meddle in your relationship ever again. When he gets here, I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it.”

You chuckle, nodding in agreement until your attention is averted to your phone again as it buzzes in your lap once more.

[Hyunjin, 12.46 PM]: Hey sweetheart, did you have a good flight?  

Oh….

Your eyes shoot to Mia’s in panic and she frowns, taking your phone out of your hold to read the message.

“Oh my god…is this your little slip-up?” she asks with disgust evident on her features.

“What do you mean slip up? I am a single woman,” you argue, but Mia wasn’t having it.

“AM?”

“WAS? GIRL, I DON’T KNOW. It was a fling, nothing more.”

“Flings don’t call you sweetheart and ask you how your flight was.” Mia says squinting her eyes at you.

“Mia…”

She sighed, visibly irritated with how naïve you were being, but you couldn’t have known that you’d fall back into Yeonjun’s arms that fast, and it’s not like you ever dated Hyunjin. He was just a friend…who you’ve slept with once.  

“Listen, girl. I love you...but after everything Yeonjun has put himself through to be a better man for you, you better ghost this motherfucker right now or else.”

“Jeez, I will. It’s not like I like the guy. And since when are you team Yeonjun?”

She relaxed at your statement, slouching back into the couch. “A lot has changed y/n. He was a good friend to me when you weren’t here, that’s all.”

You nod understandingly, realizing that Yeonjun and yourself have a lot to talk about; maybe even more than you had hoped for now that Hyunjin reminded you of his existence with a mere text message.

Mia left soon after, wanting to give Yeonjun and yourself some privacy for when he got here, which wasn’t long after she left.

You opened the door for him, and he smiled at you. He was wearing a black beanie, an oversized black t-shirt, and those damned gray sweatpants of his that you love so much. Your heart did a thing at the sight and he quickly kissed your cheek before he rushed his way into your living room, trying to find a place to set down the coffee cups that were burning his fingertips at the touch.

“Careful.” You mumble as you watch him struggle. When he put the coffees down on your salon table, he quickly made his way to you again to properly kiss you this time.

He cupped your face, pulling you into him as he started to steal chaste kisses from your lips. You giggled into the kisses as you tried to untangle yourself from him, slapping his chest playfully to shoo him away.

He let go with a smile, taking your hand to lead you to your couch. You could tell by his whole body language and the way he skipped through your apartment that he was happier than ever.

You hoped you wouldn’t ruin that happiness by telling him about Hyunjin, but it shouldn’t matter because he didn’t matter. You only wanted to tell him just so you weren’t keeping any secrets anymore; cause god knows how that went the last time.  

“How’d you sleep?” he asks you as he hands you your coffee. You happily take it from him and keep your eyes on him as you take a sip. “Fine, it was weird being in my own bed again, I missed it though.”

“Yeah? Anything else you missed?” his gaze was piercing into you as he took a sip of his Americano, fully aware that he was fishing for an ego boost.

“Theres this guy I kinda missed, I guess his name is Yeonjun.” You shrug as you take another sip; your flirty playfulness is one of the things that he loved about you, it kept things spicy.

“Oh him? He wanted me to tell you that he kinda missed you too,” he says with an amused glimmer in his eyes.

You chuckle. “Good.”

Suddenly the two of you fell quiet, but it wasn’t an awkward quietness; it was more of a realization that your endless flirting had to turn into somewhat of a serious conversation.

“Yeonjun…”

“Hmm?” his eyes softened at the way you called his name, he set his coffee aside turning to you completely to show you that he was listening attentively.

You sigh, not knowing what else to say other than the following. “I love you and I want to be with you.”

His eyes grow in size, a little shook by your directness but he composed himself as he fixed his posture quickly. “Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming?”

“I mean it, but I need to be honest with you too,”

“About what?”

“While I was at Brown, I kind of…flirted off and on with one of my lab partners and well…I slept with him…once. I swear it was only once and I-” he cut you off by raising his hand so you’d stop your nervous rambling and sighed. He knew exactly who you were talking about, because he had seen that motherfucker all over Instagram and had honestly seen this confession coming from miles away. 

He was glad you told him though, cause he'd feel worse if you tried to hide it from him.

Though you didn’t post about him, Hyunjin did post about you, and basically tagged you in all of his Insta stories or group pictures. Yeonjun shamelessly cyberstalked the guy. It wasn’t one of his proudest moments, but he had to just to stay sane.  

“Baby, we were broken up. You don’t have to justify what you did or didn’t do at that time. It’s not like I expected you to turn into a nun.”  

You raise your brows in surprise at his mature response. “You’re not mad?”

“No. As long as it’s over with.”

“It is, I promise.”  

“Good,” he sucked his teeth as he watched you. “Also, it’s not like anyone can fuck you as well as I can,” he states with a devious smirk as he pulled you close, making you gulp in response to his choice of words.

He chuckles at how easily intimidated you were by him and takes the opportunity to tease you.  

“Did he?”  

“N-no.” you stutter, innocently staring up at him. “He didn’t”

“Good girl.” He says, biting his lip while letting his thumb ghost over your lower lip.

His choice of words made your stomach turn but you knew better than to let lust get the best of you once again.

“Yeonjun…” you breathe his name like a warning, trying to avert the tension. “We…we need to talk.”

“We can talk.” He shrugs, pulling your legs towards him aggressively so you’d slide down. Your back was now on the couch as he parted your legs, settling himself in between them before hovering over you to kiss over the bruises he left last night. “After I give you a little reminder.” He smiles against your skin, pulling your shirt over your bra so he could kiss a trail down to your belly button.

“God I missed you,” he says digging his nails into your waist. "So fucking much."

(Warning: heavy smut ahead!)

Your mind goes into overdrive as he unties the tie to your sweatpants, and as he does so you stare at the outline that had formed in his own.

He didn’t waste any time, pulling down the waistband of your joggers with one swift motion while you helped him by lifting your hips off the couch.

He discarded of your clothes faster than your mind could comprehend but then you noticed that he was fully clothed, when the only thing you were wearing by now were your panties.

You pouted, pulling at his waistband but he grabbed your wrist, pinning your hands above your head so he could look at you, beautiful, bare, and all his.  

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful.” His lips found their way to the sensitive nub of your breast as he eagerly licked and sucked on it while his fingers found their way onto your still clothed heat.

He rubbed his middle and index finger over your clit, making you moan at the sudden stimulation.

He pulled away, making his way down to your core as he littered your inner thigh with more and more hickeys.

You were eagerly moving your hips by now, trying to get him to kiss you where you wanted him most, but he was taking his sweet time and you were losing your patience.

“Y-Yeonjun…” you moan his name. He finally rewards you by pulling your panties aside. Licking his lips at your glistening arousal, ready to feast on you as if it was the last meal he’d ever have.

“Fuck.” He says with admiration to no one in particular, placing a soft kiss on your pussy before he started to slowly kitten-lick your sensitive nub. He lowly hummed in approval at the taste of you and fastened his pace slowly.

You gasped, arching your back to give him better access as he started to eat you out like you’ve never experienced in your life.

His skill was baffling, he had your brain melting and legs shaking while he struggled to keep you still.

“Ah…” you arch your back once more, trying to get away from the overstimulation but he held you down with his strong arms.

“Who are you running from baby, stay still.” He ordered with a low voice before getting back to business, and with ten more seconds, he had you cumming in his mouth as the vibration of his low hums drove you over the edge. You cover your own mouth to muffle your loud cries, but he pulled your hands away from your face, wanting to hear you fall apart for him.

“That’s it baby.” he mused in approval, finishing you off with one last lick before he came back up to assess your fucked out state. “So fucking good for me.”  

Your chest was heaving up and down rapidly as you were trying to catch your breath. Once again you lost to the charms of Choi Yeonjun, but he was nowhere near done with you.

He quickly got rid of his own clothes and pumped himself a few times while looking straight into your eyes.

This man is a god, and he knew it.

His mischief returned when he realized you were watching him. “I think I got you wet enough, right baby?”

You almost forgot about his grit, your mouth salivating at the sight. Any slick you could build with him was a gift, because the last thing you wanted was for him to start a fire down there, cause that’s just how big he was.

You sit up which surprised him, but when you spit in your hand and pumped him a few times to slick him up some more he chuckled lowly as he realized what you were doing. He moaned in the form of a sharp exhale as your pace fastened, but he didn’t let you take control just yet.

“Scared?” he teased, keeping his eyes on you as you twisted your wrist a little more.

“No.” you huff.

“Then turn around.”  

You comply without a thought. You were both sitting up on your knees while your back leaned against his chest. You threw your head back and he kissed your forehead sweetly. guiding himself into you while his other hand held onto your waist to stabilize you against him.

You curse at the stretch, digging your nails into his thighs for leverage as he fills you up.

You both moan as your walls clenched around him. His arms snaked around you from behind as he took a hold of your neck, pinching down on the veins on each side of your throat as he slammed his hips into you continuously with long and deep strokes.

The choking sensation made everything so much more intense, especially when the fingers of his other hand started to rub circles on your still abused clit.

Your eyes rolled back as your vision got blurry, tears prickling your eyes at how good you were being wrecked right now.

He let go of your neck, putting his hand on the small of your back to push you down on the couch so your ass was up, and your face was down.

He started to pound into you mercilessly, his rhythm and pace perfectly alternating as he grabbed a fistful of your hair. “You’re mine,” he grunted as he felt himself getting closer and closer by the physical stimulation of your tightness and the mental stimulation of your moans and mewls.

It didn’t take long before you both reached your highs as he was prone boning you into heaven.

Your orgasm washes over you, and right after you came, he reached his own high.  

He pulled out right before he busted, releasing himself onto your back with a loud growl.  

Your eyes flutter closed; way too fucked out to function as you catch your breath. You feel his weight move off of you to grab one of the napkins on your side table that came with the coffees, and wiped his cum off of you with a cocky smile on his face.

You built up the energy to look back at him, and when your eyes meet all you can do is giggle with him at how ridiculous you two are.

“So…I guess now we can talk,” he says with a smirk.

- end of smut -

Once you fully recovered from having your back blown out…quite literally. You came out of your bedroom after a quick change of clothes.

You walk into your living room while you pull a clean shirt over your head.

 Yeonjun was still on your couch, watching you with a big boyish smile on his face as his gaze followed you.

“All good?” he asks, opening his arms for you. You nod in response, excitedly making your way into his arms. He moved you on top of him so you were on his lap and kissed your cheek sweetly.

“Where do we even start.” You think out loud as you start playing with Yeonjun’s hair. He threw his head back in solace, letting you massage his scalp softly.

You chuckle at his reaction, stopping your actions which made him lift his head up immediately, giving you a kittenish angry face. “Why’d you stop.”

“Because it’s been an hour since you got here and all we do is dance around the subject,” you say as you move off of him. You turn sideways, leaning against the armrest of your couch while you drape your legs over his lap and sigh.

After deciding that Yeonjun would go first, he told you everything. From the progress he has made with his therapist to the baffling information of his mother selling Choi Enterprises and moving closer to the Uni for him. He told you about their relationship and his interest in the fashion industry. He’s been spending time with his friends in the dance studio again after years of neglecting his hobby and his grades are improving drastically compared to last year too.

He’s been doing well both mentally and socially. Even though he still has his bad days, he’s a lot happier than he was before. You listened attentively asking questions and making sure you understood every detail to your best ability.

When it was your turn to start talking, you realize just how sadistic your exchange was now that you’re explaining the details out loud. You told him about the crazy schedules, spending days from 8 am to 10 pm in the lab, neglecting your health just to forget about your heartache. You were being brutally honest, and you saw Yeonjun’s jaw clench at the revelation.  

If he knew you were having such a hard time, he would’ve contacted you more, but you explained to him how the experience made you stronger, harder and less of a cry baby.  

You spoke about your new gained independence and soon realized that, where Yeonjun needed emotional cradling, you needed to be hit with the real world without the safety net that your friends and parents always provided for you.

The two of you had been talking for over two hours, and finally came to the inevitable question.

“So…what does that make us.” You sigh as you played with his fingers.  

“Really, the ‘what are we’ question?” he chuckled, watching you play with the ring on his index finger.

“Well. Do you have an answer?” you mumble, letting go of his hand.

“I’m yours,” he says, putting his hand on your thigh while his other hand tugged on your chin to make you look up at him.

Your eyes grew in size, swallowing harshly when his fingers moved from your chin to caress your cheek. “And I don’t want to take things slow anymore, I love you too much to relive the dating phase."

“Me too,” you agree with determination. He smirked contently, leaning into you to feverishly kiss you on the lips.

“You know what that was?” He asks as he pulls away with his face still in close proximity.

“What?” you question with a giggle.

“Our first kiss as boyfriend and girlfriend.”  

You slap his chest, bursting into laughter at his cheesiness. The sound of your laughs and giggles filled the room as he started to kiss you all over your face and neck, leaving you breathless and ticklish at his touch

“I love you, Choi Yeonjun, but I think you have an important basketball game to get to.”

Of course they won.  

Yeonjun made the winning point which meant he had something to brag about all night.

You were at a local diner with all of the boys, their teammates, and respective girlfriends or boyfriends. Drinking, talking, and overall having a good time.

When Mia, Ryujin, Soobin, Taehyun, Beomgyu and Hueningkai heard the news about your new relationship status, they basically congratulated you as if you announced that you were getting married.  

The whole thing was just way too funny, and Yeonjun dragged you around all night to introduce you to everyone.  

The freshman on the team were so confused when Yeonjun introduced you as his girlfriend because they had never heard of or seen you before.  

“Hyung, Imma be honest with you, I kinda thought you were gay.” Sunghoon admits as he apologetically scratched the back of his head.

“…S-same” Heesung states, looking at you both with apologetic eyes as well.

Yeonjun looked at them a little funny as he burst into laughter, pulling you closer to him. “Why?”  

“Because well, we haven’t seen you with a girl all year, and with the way you look, I don’t know. 1+1 was gay I guess.” Jay, another freshman explained their point of view a little further, which had you cackling at the situation.

“Oh my god, so you little shits were the ones spreading rumors about me and Wooyoung!?”  

“N-no! NO!” The kids protested, but Yeonjun was already playfully grabbing them by their collars to scold them.

You laughed at the whole ordeal, love emitting from your eyes as you watched Yeonjun be in his popular guy element again.

You zoned out for a bit, absentmindedly listening to how Beomgyu and Hueningkai were telling a story about that one time they took Yeonjun’s car for a joyride in the middle of the night without his permission.  

Yeonjun noticed your mental absence, wrapping an arm around your shoulder to pull you into his chest, softly kissing your temple.

“What’s wrong?”  

You shake your head, sentiment getting the better of you. This is the most complete you’ve felt in a while.

You kissed him with fervor, your hands lacing through his dark locks before you pulled away to place a small kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“I’m just really happy right now,” you say as you smile at each other lovingly.

1 year later.

Graduation was around the corner.

It was insane how fast time flew. You celebrated your first-year anniversary with Yeonjun the night before and were now laying in his bed the next morning, slowly waking up just to feel the soreness of what he did to you last night.

You groaned in agony at the bright light, even after all this time; you still weren’t a morning person.

You noticed how Yeonjun was missing from the bed, so you got up to look for him. Putting on his large shirt to cover yourself as you made your way to the boys’ living room.

Soobin was on the couch with Taehyun and Hueningkai looking you up and down with disapproval.

“Jesus. Did you get hit by a truck in there?” Taehyun asks as he clicked his tongue.

“Shut up smart-ass. Where’s Yeonjun?”  

Taehyun chuckled, being completely used to your grumpiness in the morning by now. If Yeonjun wasn’t staying at your place, you were staying at theirs; so they were more accustomed to having you around like this.  

“He said he had to run a quick errand; he’ll be back soon,” Soobin replies with light amusement in his eyes at how roughed up you looked.

“Hey, next time…be a little more quiet.” Beomgyu tells you as he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.  

“My room is next to Yeonjun’s you know.”

“Oh shut up hyung, I hear you and Ryujin almost every night,” Hueningkai says rolling his eyes, which made you crack your first smile of the day.

“Oh nooo, not my pure baby Hueningie” Soobin pouted as he trapped Kai in between his legs for a hug.

“Hyung, you’re gonna have to let go soon. Literally. When you guys graduate you don’t get to live here and baby me anymore.” Hueningkai protests as he tries to push Soobin off of him.

Soobin pouted, making you immediately feel bad for him. 

When Yeonjun and Soobin would move out, Jay and Heesung would move in, which meant that Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai had to hold down the fort as seniors for one more year until they graduated, and the thought alone made Soobin feel uneasy.

Soobin and Mia were officially moving in together after graduation. They had planned their whole futures together and both had job offers in the city from their internships.

“I’ll still come over…every…weekend. You know, just to make sure.”

You drift off into thought, realizing how Yeonjun and yourself have been living your lives in the moment without concrete plans for the future together.

Since your apartment was off-campus you still got to live there after graduation. You had gotten an amazing job offer because of your research at Brown, which had major corporations battle it out with outrageous contracts, salaries, and promises to your favor so your options were most definitely open.

Your future looked bright, as did Yeonjun’s who’d be working as a Creative Director for his mothers’ luxury brand...but how did you two miss the mark on planning a future together?

Were you that caught up in your own world to realize that adult decisions had to be made soon?

Yeonjun walked in, interrupting your thoughts. “Oh, hey guys.”

He set his keys on the kitchen counter, giving you a funny look. “I texted you to get ready.”

“Oh..shit, I didn’t check my phone, Sorry. Give me 20 minutes.”

You didn’t question why he wanted you to get ready, he’d probably take you out for breakfast or some shit, so you weren’t suspecting anything, but Yeonjun could sense that something was off about you.

During the car ride to your unknown destination, he looked at you as you stared out of the window. You were lost in deep thought about the whole graduation thing and didn’t even notice how the houses on the streets were starting to get ridiculously big as you drove further and further into a random neighborhood

He grabbed your hand, kissing the inside of your palm while rubbing those comforting circles into your skin.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, trying to look at the road while also looking at you from time to time.

“I’m just…worried about life after graduation. I don’t like change.”

Yeonjun raised his brows in surprise, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he turned the corner into a brand-new built street filled with massive villas.

The neighborhood looked peaceful, not too flashy and private. Maybe even a little too perfect to be real.

He pulled up to a random house, parking his car on the driveway. The confusion was evident on your face as he opened the door for you, reaching out to take your hand.

He helped you out of the car and you give him a look, chuckling at his awkwardness. “Uh…are we here to see someone?”

He sighed, back hugging you and leaning his head on your shoulder as the both of you looked up at the house.

“What do you think of this place?”

“It’s…beautiful. But I don’t really get why we’re here.” You giggle as you feel him kiss your neck and you turn around to face him, trying to find answers in his eyes.

“If you want…we can stay here.” He bit his lip nervously. “You know, after graduation.”

“W-what? I’m confused. Like Till The End of Summer?”

He shook his head, laughing once again while snaking his arms around your waist at your innocence and obliviousness. “You’re so cute,” he muses, pulling out a set of keys from his pocket and suddenly realization hit you as pure shock takes over your features.  

He bought the fucking house.  

He couldn’t help but laugh at your shocked Pikachu face. He had been planning this behind your back for so long and it was incredibly hard to keep this a secret, especially since literally everyone knew about it but you.  

You didn’t know what to do or say, completely frozen and shocked as you look at the house with big watery eyes.  

He pulled you in for a deep and passionate kiss, giving you the keys to the front door with a big smile.  

“Till the End of Our Lives.”  

Bonus Chapter 15

[avaritia-apotheosis]

Phantom Children Ch. 8

What's this? An update! Massive thanks to my betas for helping me get through this chapter <3

In Which: A few answers are given to the family and Danny is rudely awoken

[Side note: If you wanna know the general ages of the batfam, its listed in the AO3 version. I also talk about katanas in the end notes ^-^]

AO3 | Prologue | 7 | [ 8 ] | 9 DAMIAN INFORMED TODD—and Drake when he arrived on his bike sometime later on—that the boy whose face is plastered across the monitor was neither a picture of himself nor of Father.

Drake took one glance at the monitor and sighed, pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose. “Just when I thought this day was getting better.”

“What, did that café on 5th finally let customers supersize their drink?”

“God that would be the dream, wouldn’t it?” Drake sighed wistfully. “Nah, but I did get a lead on where some of that stolen Cadmus tech might’ve ended up. I was gonna spend the night following up on it, but I guess we have to deal with,” he gestured to the monitor, “whatever this is.”

Todd leaned against the edge of the computer, arms crossed over the red bat insignia on his chest. “What are we dealing with this time, brat? A clone? An alternate universe counterpart? Magic shenanigans?”

Maybe. Perhaps. All of those were perfectly valid conclusions for the enigma that was Daniel James Fenton. (Why Fenton and not al Ghul? Or even Wayne?)

Damian, too, was a genetic experiment; a ‘test tube baby’ as Drake put it at times. Damian was born for greatness, created to be perfect. The perfect soldier. The perfect assassin. The perfect heir. Was this boy—Daniel—like him as well?

A failed one, then. Perhaps the precursor to Damian’s own existence. But that would not explain why the boy was allowed to exist for so long. His grandfather demanded perfection, especially from those of his own blood. If the boy was a failure, he would have been eliminated immediately, not sent to live with some eccentric scientists in the Midwest.

Damian was not naïve enough to think that his mother and grandfather did not keep secrets from him. On the contrary, he expected it. The League of Shadows dealt in secrets as often as it did in death. Certain information was worth its weight in gold, whether it was given or buried away.

But he could not help the sharp pang in his chest. A lightning strike, quick and electrifying at the notion that they kept secrets about their family from him.

His father’s face flashed in his mind. The shock turned into a slow, dawning horror. That flicker of light, of recognition, as he scrutinized the contents of the flash drive and cross-referenced it with a public database.

And grief.

Damian recognized the grief.

Alfred, too, nearly dropped his tray of fresh-baked cookies when he stepped in front of the monitor. His usual unflappable demeanor was momentarily broken at his father’s whispered “Sixteen years. Alfred— he’s sixteen years old.”

His father knew of the boy. He was allowed to know of Daniel when he was not allowed to know about Damian.

------

Grayson returned to the cave with a distinct lack of energy in his step. His mask dangled off the tips of his fingers, chin angled downwards and covered largely by his hand. For a split second, their eyes met. Grayson shifted his gaze away, scratching the back of his neck. Father told him, then. Damian wondered how much Father revealed to his favorite son.

Damian clucked his tongue and buried himself deeper into the chair, arms crossed and pointedly looking away. If it was not for his accursed ankle, he’d have headed out to the training ring to take his frustrations out on the dummies.

“Oh, thank god you’re here, Dickface. Damian’s completely out of it.”

Damian shot him a look. “Shut up, Todd.”

“Leave him alone, Jay. Is Tim back yet?”

Drake emerged from the changing room in a dark green shirt, a fresh cup of coffee in hand. He took one long sip before exhaling. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“O-kay…” He pressed his hands together, mouth thinned into a grim line. “Uh, hey Tim, glad to see you back safe. Bruce is coming down soon to explain some things.” He let out a deep sigh, carding a hand through his hair. “This kind of thing would probably be better with the girls around, but I—god, I don’t know.”

Todd raised an eyebrow. “Don’t know whether to call Steph and Cass in Hong Kong, or don’t know what’s going on?”

“Yes.”

------

When Father arrived, Pennyworth following dutifully behind him, it was with an aching slowness in his gait. His steps measured and precise, preternaturally quiet as he made his way to stand by Damian’s chair. Damian sat up straighter, shoulders squared and back an inch away from the backrest. The rest, even Todd, stood at attention; an ingrained habit among Robins and an amusing instinct even among the senior heroes of the Justice League when it came to facing the Batman.

His father kept a steady hand on Damian’s shoulder, and Damian, shamefully, leaned into the touch; his head inclined towards his father’s hand so much so that he could feel the ends of his hair being pushed up slightly as he brushed against his father’s forearm.

He spoke with his usual monotone, as if he was heading a Justice League meeting as opposed to unveiling the secrets surrounding that boy. He brought forward the few photos they obtained from the flash drive. “A few weeks ago, we were alerted of suspicious movement from the League of Shadows in Amity Park, Illinois. Their objectives are, as of now, unclear, though it appears to be tied to the death of Amity Park resident, Daniel Fenton.”

One photo was a standard ID picture people get for their driver’s license, the lighting deliberately horrible so that any attempt to look decent would always end in failure. Another photo was a little better; a candid scene of him chatting with two others his age, a Caucasian girl in gothic-style clothes and an African-American holding a sleek, but still very outdated PDA. His blue eyes crinkled at the corners, hand reaching up to his face to stifle a laugh. There were other photos like this, some candid, others posed. At the forefront of each, a boy that looked too much like his father, too much like Damian.

His father glanced at the photos. He shut his eyes and when he opened them again, he fixed them on some distant stalactite in the Cave. “Around six months ago, Daniel was pronounced dead in a vehicular accident. A body was present, but according to police reports, he was identified via his driver’s license as opposed to any kind of DNA profiling.” He leaned over Damian’s chair to pull up a profile of Masters. “Our source—Vladimir Masters, mayor of Amity and a friend of the Fenton family—indicated his belief that Daniel is actually alive. I am inclined to agree.”

“He’s your son, isn’t he,” Drake said, more of a statement than a question.

Father gave a curt nod. “I cannot say for certain until I can perform a DNA test, but I highly suspect that to be the case.”

“First the demon spawn, now this. Great.” Todd made a hand motion towards the screen. “You know, Bruce, not knowing you have a kid once might be a coincidence, but twice? How do you do that?”

“As of three hours ago, I was still under the impression that my son never made it to term.”

“What?”

“Over sixteen years ago I was involved in a mission that put Ra’s and I on the same side. During that time, Talia and I entered a relationship that resulted in a pregnancy. Though initially ecstatic, she eventually led me to believe she miscarried the child and pushed me away. For what ends, I do not know, but trust me Jason, if I knew—” He paused, the hand that was not on Damian’s shoulder curled into a tight fist.

Father pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why she hid it from me then doesn’t matter. Why Talia wants him back now is important. Judging from Daniel’s records, he was adopted into the Fenton family as an infant and has since lived a seemingly normal life as a civilian. His adoptive parents, Jack and Maddie Fenton, are brilliant scientists and engineers focused on the field of paranormal studies. Eccentricities aside, they have zero connections to the League of Assassins or any other concerning parties.”

“So why now?” Dick asked, shifting his concerned gaze from Bruce to the static picture of Danny’s tired smile. “Why, after all this time, decide that now would be the best time to recover him?”

------

Danny’s experienced plenty of rude awakenings before, but waking up at the ass-crack of dawn to avoid his kidnapper-slash-assassin-slash-biological-mom launching a surprise attack takes the fucking cake. He can’t believe he’s saying this, but thank god for all those late night ghost attacks that conditioned him to be a light sleeper. And, of course, the League’s insistence that everyone be in optimal condition regardless of how little sleep you actually got.

Danny kicked Talia off of him, ripping his blanket away before scrambling to his feet. Seriously, if the universe decided to spontaneously give him powers again, he’d really like an upgrade to his ghost senses, please and thank you. Something that works on humans and not just ghosts. Like spidey-senses. He’d really, really like some spidey-senses.

“Your reaction times have improved considerably,” Talia said.

He eyed the katana sheathed beside his bedroll. “Thanks. Who could have guessed that constantly challenging someone to a spar in the unholy hours of morning would make them paranoid to sleep too much? Really, how am I supposed to grow taller at this rate? ” If he could just get it--

She smiled, taking a step forward. “Prepare yourself.”

“Heh.” Danny stepped further away from Talia, keeping his back to the mouth of the cave. One hand stretched in front of him and the other, coated in a green light, was kept hidden behind his back. “Am I actually gonna get some answers today?”

“Let us make it interesting. Last 10 minutes against me and I shall tell you more about your brother.” Talia twirled her blade. “If you happen to draw blood, you may ask any one thing of me.”

“Anything?”

“Within reason.”

His face caught between a grimace and a smile. He’d rather be sleeping right now, but if he had to be awake, then he’d better make the most of it. “Deal.”

Talia’s smile dropped. She veered her body to the right, barely dodging the streak of bright green that whizzed from behind her. The ectoplasmic energy that surrounded the katana bled away as the handle connected with Danny’s outstretched hand.

She quickly glanced back at Danny’s bedding. Beside it lay an empty sheath. “You have telekinesis?”

He shrugged. “It comes and goes.” Yeah, no way was Danny gonna admit that seven-out-of-ten-times he forgot that he had telekinesis. Besides, that shit was hard to do when he wasn’t Phantom.

“A surprise attack from behind is a sound strategy, Daniel. Though it’ll take a lot more than that to harm me.”

Danny pointed to the side of his cheek. “Are you sure about that?”

Talia frowned. She reached up to her face. Her fingers brushed against her cheek and came away with a thin streak of blood.

Danny grinned, pointing his blade at his opponent. “First blood goes to me.”

------

Fact: most fights don’t last long. An average street fight could last anywhere between 25 to 40 seconds, and sword fights rarely last over a minute. Like Talia said, the goal of a fight was to end it with as few injuries to oneself as possible. Humans, even the most skilled ones, can rarely last long in a fight. Prolonged combat is suicide; it makes you tired, makes your muscles heavy. It’s nothing like what Hollywood would have you believe.

Even with Danny’s own enhanced stamina and Talia holding back, he couldn’t last a full ten-minute spar. If Talia didn’t finish him within twenty-five seconds, then he’d fall by his own human limitations.

But the goal wasn’t to spar continuously for ten minutes.

He only had to last that long.

Danny sprinted out of the cave. The sun barely peeked out of the horizon, a thin line of deep orange breaking apart the wide expanse of blue-black sky above. He couldn’t see shit; great news since that meant there’s a good chance Talia couldn’t either, but that doesn’t fix the fact that he can’t see.

Nearly stumbling on the ice, Danny veered to the left. The edges of the lake stopped at towering rocks twice Danny’s height, leaving little room for cover. Though if he remembered correctly, there should be a few crevices here and there to hide in.

“You’ll have to be faster than that, Daniel.”

Shit—

Danny stopped. He brought his sword up to parry Talia’s strike and twisted away, putting distance between them.

Well, so much for just avoiding her for 10 minutes.

He adjusted his grip, keeping his sword steady and eyes trained on Talia as they circled each other. Danny lunged with an overhead strike. Talia used one hand to block the downswing by gripping his wrists. She thrust her sword forward, the tip harshly poking Danny’s abdomen.

“Less than three minutes.” Talia let his wrist go, Danny’s arms slumping to his sides.

He sighed as he sheathed his sword. “Damn, I thought I’d last longer than that.”

“You made a good effort,” Talia assured him. “Putting as much distance between us at the beginning was a good strategy. You recognized the win conditions immediately and attempted a battle of attrition.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I am very proud of you habibi, especially as you managed to draw first blood.”

A warmth grew in Danny’s stomach at the words, heating his cheeks. Sheepishly, he scratched the back of his head. “I wasn’t entirely sure that would work, honestly.”

“It was clever; half a second later and you might have even killed me. You are an al Ghul through and through” She brushed his hair out of his face. “What would you like as your prize, then?”

Danny’s heart clenched. He frowned, dropping his arm to his side. If I was such an al Ghul, then why didn’t you keep me? The question lodged itself in his throat, stifling his thoughts. It was something he’d been wondering for a while, actually, in the moments of solitude he had at the compound. Talia, during their training, would always remark at his potential. How talented he was, how adaptable he was, how much greater he would have been if he had been trained at a younger age.

Well then, why wasn’t he? Why did she give him up?

But each time he tried to ask, his tongue would turn to lead and the moment would pass, the question still left unsaid and simmering at the back of his mind. A Pandora’s Box that held none of the world’s evil but all of Danny’s possible shortcomings.

He could ask the question now.

He could.

He didn’t.

“Why did you take me?”

Talia tilted her head. “It is because you’re my son.”

“No. Not that. It has to be something more than that. You had sixteen years to come back for me—or, hell, you could have just never left me.” His breath hitched, fingers mussing his hair and hiding his eyes. “Why else did you take me?”

“It is true that there was more than one reason why we decided to retrieve you from Amity Park. One of which is because you are my son and an heir of the Demon’s Head.” Talia stilled. The dark skies of dawn made it impossible for him to read her. “The second reason was to protect you.”

“You kidnapped me…to protect me?”

“Knowledge of the ghosts of Amity have spread through the more insidious parts of the world. There are many out there who would pay exorbitant fees to study one of you or to use you.”

Use him? What did she mean by—

Oh.

Ghosts—Amity Park’s brand of ghosts—were a new element that the world had to contend with. Amity Park might have a crime rate of zero but that wasn’t the case everywhere else. Theft, assault, murder; the world was rampant with crimes and criminals clawing their way to the very top. Having ghosts, even ones with the most basic powerset, would be a huge advantage.

“There’s no way that would work,” Danny insisted. “Most ghosts just want to be left alone, and the ones that want to wreak havoc would never work with humans. The only reason they even work with halfas like me at times is because they still consider us as ghosts.”

“If my sources are to be believed, ghosts might not even get a choice.”

Danny’s blood curdled in his veins.

No.

Someone’s found a way to control ghosts.

[sub-danny]

What do you think all of our cute little babies would wear to show that they are taken, like would they wear a colllar, necklace, bracelet, etc. idk I’m just really curious.

Zemo:

Zemo already wears a necklace for his son so I think he likes jewellery like that have your name on it, or something symbolising it. So either a necklace to wear alongside the one with his son, or maybe a bracelet so it doesn't take up any space where his son's one is. He would totally wear a collar though when you two are alone and maybe occasionally when the two of you are outside on his more daring days.

Laszlo:

Laszlo would be something very simple. Not something a lot of people might like to spot straight away. Wearing something is more for his own sake knowing he belongs to you rather than for other people to know. Obviously, he has his wedding ring which he loves to look at and be reminded that you love him enough to marry him. I could also see him wearing a necklace with a lock of your hair in it or a small photo of you. I also imagine he might wear a piece of fabric from one of your dresses, maybe wrapped around his wrist. It would smell of you and he loves when you also wear the dress as it connects the two of you.

Andrea:

Andrea would be most likely to wear a collar, though not outside of the house where the other village people could see, but inside he would love wearing it. He thinks he looks really pretty in it. He would also love when you give him hickies on his neck and shoulder as a reminder of the passion you two shared the night before and it would be something everyone else would see on Andera but would feel too awkward to comment on. (plus Andrea loves that people can see it as he is showing off he is yours)

Niki:

I see Niki also wearing a simple necklace that he can have under his F1 suit. It would be simple like Zemo's, a golden chain with your name upon it. He would consider it his lucky charm and might hold it in his palm or kiss it before going out to race. You two might also get matching tattoo's somewhere on your body. Maybe of each other's names or a symbol which is meaningful between the two of you.

Ernst:

Once again I see him with a necklace (maybe this is because Daniel wears a necklace with his son's initial, he's just a necklace kinda guy) it's something simple and won't really go too noticed but he knows it's there and that is what matters to him. Whenever he gets angry he'll look down at it if you aren't around and it helps him calm down. He might also have a bracelet to go along with it.

Alex:

I think he would like wearing your clothes, more of the androginsit ones like maybe a denim jacket you have he would steal. People might not know it was yours but he certainly knows it and wouldn't be shy in telling people how it was yours. He would be proud to wear your clothing out and about and he thinks it suits him a lot.

Sebastian:

Honestly anything you want he would wear, be it a collar, necklace, bracelet, tattoo. He might even wear all of them at once. I think he might have an inkling towards tattoos, but he would be very critical with the artist if you got a joint picture tattoo. He wouldn't mind having your name tattooed upon him though and knowing Sebastian he would have it in a very easy to see spot, maybe on his neck. I could also see him getting a tattoo of like 'property of y/n' right above his ass 😂