#going red next week and then probably back to my natural color

[sailor-aviator]

Was going through some of the photos I took over the summer and decided that I’m not gonna look this good again for a while

[crazycatgirl420]

It's not Magic, It's Science P2

The Fentons had been good at inventing, at research, at theories and experiments to prove or disprove those theories. They had not been good at bussiness.

Danny gave Tucker a hundred dollars to fix the FentonWorks website into something more professional. Sam was his first Client, and they sat down to figure out how Danny would take clients and sell his inventions.

With the Portal closed, the only Ghosts who came through were coming from Vlad's Portal. Being Emancipated meant there was no custody issues. All of Vlad's attempts at forcing his way into Danny's life were slowly esclating with Maddie and Jack dead.

Danny didn't have time to be dealing with the Mayor of Amity Park's obbession with him. So he took the collection of cameras and mics to the police and requested a restraining order.

"Mister Fenton, is it true your parents knew Mayor Masters?"

"-that your parents supported Mayor Masters?"

"-know that Mayor Masters took videos of minors?"

"-Are you pressing charges? Will you sue?"

Valerie and Dash stepped between the Papparazzi and Danny, as they left the school. Sam and Tucker sheilded Danny from the back, and together they fled to Jazz's little car.

"Go with them," Val said, as Sam and Tucker took the backseat with Danny. "I'll follow on my bike."

Danny never thought he'd need bodyguards, or that Dash would become one of them. But a lot of things changed after the funeral. Hiring Val and Dash as bodyguards would probably be smart, at least until the issue with Vlad goes away.

Danny slowly grew Fenton Works into an actual Amity Park bussiness, instead of a local oddity. Ectoplasm was a wondeful green energy source, natural and rewnewable, at least until a thousand years after all life on the planet dies off. Harvesting it from the air, using things the Doctors Fenton had already built that do just that, and then making that into a collection of power sources.

Ecto-Batteries, and their charging pods. Ecto-Light Blubs, with a filter for red light at Sam's insistance, that went into all public lights. Ecto-Blubs for the schools, bussinesses, houses that came with a collection of color fliters to choose from.

"Can Ecto replace gas?" Sam asked, the first time Jazz's car had a leak.

Danny spent the weekend under Jazz's car, and three hours after school learning at a mechanic shop. It took six months, dozens of trips from the lab to the car port, but he built a car able to run on Ectoplasam.

The issue came when he added it to his website.

"Mister Fenton? This is Timothy Drake-Wayne of Wayne Enterprises. I'd like to talk to you about your Ecto-fueled vehicle. Do you have time to talk next week?"

[shyficwriter]

Temporary Home : Chapter 28

Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic | Reader x Guardians (With Yondu and Kraglin!)

Summary: You know Peter is going to get revenge, but how??

Previous Chapter here | Next Chapter Here Or click here to: Start From Beginning

Author’s Note: For my records this chapter ends on day 85 of the Guardians living with reader. Enjoy!

Word Count: 4,946

The room was still dark when you woke. Nervous energy, along with the aid of an alarm, helped you wake early so you might get ahead of Peter, catch what prank he'd have inevitably set up for you during the night.

You checked everything- your boots for grease, above doors for water buckets (noting the advice Yondu had given you weeks ago about how those had been Peter's go-to pranks on his ship.) You also checked your toiletries for dye, just in case he'd revisit one of your best pranks to try and finally pull it over on you.

However, you found nothing. This surprised you, but you suspected maybe he wasn't so motivated that he'd sacrifice sleep to get you back. His revenge must be yet to come.

But it didn't.

At least, you hadn't noticed anything by breakfast, nor after. You kept a watchful eye, but there was still nothing by the afternoon. At most he would grin mischievously at you, or repeat the 'I'm watching you' signal from the day before.

Clearly he was waiting for something, or planning his attack carefully.

Regardless, you knew you needed to get out of the house for your own sanity. Should you stay to keep an eye on him? Probably. Would your absence give him the freedom to do whatever he wanted? Most likely, assuming Gamora didn't reign him in to keep him out of trouble- which she likely wouldn't. Still, you knew you needed a breather before your composure betrayed you. Before your anxiety started to crack your calm faćade and it be known how nervous you were over whatever hellfire would be coming your way.

If nothing else, you wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing you sweat.

So, you decided today would be the day you finally check the tunnel, starting with the door behind your favorite tree. This would kill two birds with one stone. You could get in a 'nature walk', and once you reached the cellar, maybe you could take a minute to 'listen in' and see if you could possibly hear any plotting of Peter's plan while he thought you were away...

Checking your boots once again before putting them on, you started to get ready to go out, doing your best to be relatively quiet so no one would notice you getting ready and ask to join you, as certain members of the Guardians had been wont to do lately.

Luckily, everyone else seemed to be busy doing their own thing, either watching TV, playing cards, or lounging upstairs, so no one was around to notice you putting on your jacket in the hall, or making your way to the back door in the kitchen.

Just as you were about to leave, however, you stopped. It occurred to you that leaving without a trace was bound to concern some nosy someones, so you quickly grabbed a notepad from a drawer and jotted down a quick, "Went for walk. Be back later." before setting the pad down on the table. Surely one of them would be able to read it, you knew you'd seen at least a couple of them reading the books from the sitting room from time to time. And if anything happened, you knew they had a SHIELD phone, of which you were sure must have your number programmed into it.

Hopefully they would call you first, and not immediately Fury.

On that note, you put an earbud in one ear and left.

The walk through the woods was blissfully uneventful. You'd missed this; the leaves had changed color and had started to fall, leaving the starts of a beautiful orange and red carpet on the forest floor; the call of a rook occasionally breaching the music from your earbud; the smell of crisp autumn air...

Though, as much as you loved this alone, you couldn't help but think maybe you should offer to bring the others out here, like Yondu had suggested way back -on the same night he had insisted on following you out here. However, even before that night, the others seemed wary of venturing into the woods once they found out there were hunters in here, and that apprehension almost certainly would now be worse seeing as they had witnessed the aftermath of one having accidentally shot you...

Yeah, probably not a good idea.

In what felt like no time at all you reached the spot of your favorite tree. You looked up at it's mossy branches and considered taking a moment to just relax beneath it. Couldn't hurt, could it?

That thought was quickly brushed aside for the reality that you had already been pushing this off for weeks for one reason or another. Well, years actually, if you wanted to get technical about it...

Better to just get to it.

You let out a breath and make your way to the backside of the tree, where the old door was hidden under some brush. The plan was to open the door, and (assuming it didn't fall to pieces right there) climb down into the tunnel (assuming the ladder was still in good condition) and, if neither of those warranted immediate repair, make your way through the tunnel and inspect it all the way to the house, making a list of any repairs needed.

Bending over, you sweep the leaves and other brush away from the door to inspect the wear- only to receive quite a shock once said debris was cleared away.

* * *

Back at the house Peter was in his room, busy trying to think of the perfect revenge prank- but he couldn't for the life of him think of anything good. Also, it was hard trying to think of a 'master plan' that you'd 'never see coming' while you were in the same house, likely watching his every move in anticipation.

When he thought about it, what really was left that the two of you hadn't already done to each other? Fake spiders, dye in the soap, innocent food pranks, 'misplaced' items, etc. He was running out of ideas, and any he could think of just didn't seem good enough to compare with the remote prank. It was too good. And sure, he technically hadn't 'proved' it was you- and yes, he had never been able to find whatever you were using to do it- but he still knew it was you. Had to be.

Regardless, back to planning.

He wasn't going to try dye again- that really didn't work out for him last time. And bucket of water in the doorway just seemed like child's play. Sure, he could put jelly or something in your boots, but would that really be satisfying?

Should he consider teaming up with Rocket? He usually had good ideas? Then again, last Peter knew Rocket and you didn't get along so well- which might go well in convincing him to team up- but also he didn't want to risk whatever Rocket would plan winding up injuring you. Yes, he wanted revenge, but not like that.

Peter sighed. Maybe a snack would help- who can think of master plans on an empty stomach anyway? He stood up from lying on his bed and made his way downstairs into the kitchen. He'd just grabbed a bag of nuts from the pantry when he happened to notice a note on the table.

After a quick read his eyes brightened. So you weren't home... Meaning that plotting- or setting up- a prank would be much easier. It actually opened up a lot more possibilities! What possibilities? He wasn't sure yet, but possibilities nonetheless.

'Oho- leaving was a mistake on your part,' he thought. He could almost see your face now, coming home to find whatever prank he set up for you.

Now all he had to do was think of one...

* * *

You looked down in disbelief, unsure if you were really seeing what you were seeing.

How was this possible? Who could have done this? Why had they done this?

You rubbed your eyes, just to be sure, but nope. The sight before you hadn't changed.

Someone, you didn't know who, had completely replaced the tunnel door. The old, weathered wood with the flaking paint that you remembered was now replaced by new wood, freshly painted in a color that matched well with the soil it lay in.

After the shock had mostly worn, you cautiously reach down to pull the door open. It was heavier than you remembered, and you quickly saw the reason for this was that the underside was now re-enforced with an aluminium frame.

This was certainly alarming. Who the hell could have done this?? No one knew this was here?? Other than you, the only other people who knew of this tunnel's existence were long dead. Not even Fury knew this was here, and he knew everything!

A glance down the hole showed that the door was not the only thing messed with. The stairs, while seemingly not in need of repair, looked a bit too clean for something that had supposedly been left alone for years underground. Could some crazy person have come along and just... commandeered your tunnel? Oh- that wouldn't be good at all, considering where it led to.

You quickly threw the door completely open and shined your phone flashlight down the hole, though it didn't really help you see much further than the floor directly below you. So, cautiously, you climbed down.

Once in the tunnel you debated if you should have closed the door behind you, but ultimately decided against it. If there was someone living down here, you might need a quick escape, considering you didn't bother to bring a weapon with you. Closing the door would only slow you down. If everything went well you'd close it on your way back out.

You shone your light down the tunnel, and for the most part it looked more or less how you remembered. Dirt and stone walls with many wood supports lining the entire length. Further in you started to notice that at least one of said supports looked new. This gave you a bad feeling, because the only way that could happen is if someone had been down here. You certainly hadn't been, not for years now.

You continued on, but realized once you came to the door at the other end leading into your cellar that you had found nothing out of place other than two replaced supports. No other signs of life, past or present.

This was truly bizarre. You debated opening up the door/false wall into your cellar closet for a few moments before carefully pulling it open to view the closet door itself, and then carefully opening that as well, doing your best to be as quiet as possible.

You gave the cellar a quick but thorough look-through, already knowing the door to the upstairs was locked from the other side. If anyone was down here they wouldn't have been able to make it into the house without someone knowing.

Finding no one, and nothing disturbed, you quietly made your way back into the tunnel, making sure to completely close the false wall and door leading into it.

You tried and failed to make sense of it as you journeyed back to the other end of the tunnel. No one else knew about this tunnel. You hadn't told anyone, not Fury, not Maria, you didn't even have any living family that knew about it.

Thoughts swirled in your head the entire walk back. Yondu had been the only one you ever brought out to the tree- could he? No. There's no way. Even if he somehow figured it out on his own, there was no way. Surely you'd notice his absence if he went out there, and where would he had gotten the materials from? He didn't seem to have much interest in your workshop at all.

Wait- your workshop... Could... Rocket-? No. That was even more absurd. Would he have been easier to miss tailing you on a walk to find the tunnel? Sure, but you still knew that even if he had, which you were sure he hadn't, you didn't have any aluminium in your shed, and you had doubts he could have pulled the wood out there unnoticed, or without help. He was a raccoon after all. And none of them could just leave to get more materials on their own. So it couldn't have been any of them.

Crawling up out of the tunnel you thought about how Fury found your home despite it supposedly having been kept off the books. He was Fury, and he knew everything. Is it possible that this also included the secret tunnel on your property? They had said he had vetted your property for weeks beforehand.

But he'd never said anything-? Though you supposed that wouldn't be unlike him. And if he did know, why only recently repair it? When you had been out here weeks ago to look at it, it had still been the same old weathered door. This had to have been done after that.

Is it possible he didn't know about it at first? Could he somehow had found out about it later? Or knew from the beginning but only decided to inspect it recently?

You closed the door and re-covered it with brush.

Ok, even if that was true. Why? And How?

Well, for all you knew he had hidden cameras around your property to keep watch while he wasn't there. If that was true- no. No it couldn't be that, could it? Because how would he know to set them up exactly in this area? Surely not even Fury could manage that.

You racked your brain for answers the entire way home, and the concern must have shown on your face as you came through the back door.

"You alright?" Gamora asked from the table, Mantis sitting beside her.

You blinked a moment before answering, undoing your jacket. "Uh, yeah. Just thinking." Clearly, you weren't going to let any of them in on your discovery.

"About Peter's prank?" Mantis asked. "Are you worried?"

You turn to her and raise an eyebrow, before shaking it off. You had been so busy thinking about the tunnel you had actually managed to completely forget about this prank feud with Peter. So shaken up, in fact, that you hadn't even bothered trying to listen in to see what Peter might be plotting while you were in the cellar, as you had entertained doing before you first left the house. Forcing a slight chuckle you ask, "Oh, has he finally figured out what he wants to do?"

Mantis shrugged. "I have no idea. He keeps saying it's a secret."

"Ah," you smile, shaking your head to appear completely unbothered as you left the kitchen to hang up your jacket and remove your boots. In reality, you were honestly a little worried, but you sure as hell weren't going to let any of them know that.

* * *

Over the next couple days no pranks happened, and you got increasingly paranoid.

You did your best not to show it, but it was increasingly difficult considering you had to constantly watch your back for Peter, and you still had the tunnel situation on your mind.

On the fourth day Fury made one of his visits, and you had to admit it was awkward. It didn't help that Maria didn't come with him this time, having been called away on another duty, as that only made this visit longer, which didn't help with your current stress.

For one, you were nervous the entire time that Peter was going to pull his prank while Fury was there- which wouldn't have been good at all. At one point in the visit you even pulled Peter aside and asked him what he was planning, and that he better not do it while Fury was here. He simply grinned in response and said he'd of course be on his best behavior. Little shit.

You didn't trust it, and therefore did your best to keep an eye on him the entire time.

Then there was also the matter of how you suspected Fury had something to do with the tunnel, but you couldn't just ask him because if he hadn't known about it, he would then. The whole visit was you mostly giving Peter side-eye and staring warily at Fury wondering if he knew, how much he knew if he did, and -if he did- did he now suspect that you knew that he knew by your behavior?

If he noticed you looked stressed he didn't mention it. Was that a sign that he knew? Or just a sign that he just did not care whatever antics might be going on because it was clear much of your stress was aimed towards Peter?

Luckily the visit ended soon enough without Peter pulling a prank to embarrass you in front of your boss, which was a relief. However, that didn't stop the paranoia. In fact, when nothing continued to happen well after the visit, combined with the fact that nothing had happened the past few days, it only made the paranoia worse because you knew the shoe was about to drop eventually.

That night you pulled him aside again, once again demanding to know what he had planned, only for Peter to smile and tell you "Oh, you'll know when you see it," and then walk away with a sinister laugh.

You were fucked.

* * *

Once again you woke early, just as you had the past few mornings in an effort to stave off whatever Peter might have planned. Like the other mornings you checked everything in your morning routine to make sure it hadn't been pranked before using it, and like the other mornings nothing had been messed with as far as you could tell.

You made your way down stairs for a quick drink, considering if you might go back to sleep for a bit, when you stepped in something wet in the kitchen.

You groaned and inspected the damage- apparently just a bit of juice. First your tired mind went to thinking Peter finally pranked you, but after only a moment you realized it wasn't a prank. There was an overturned cup on the counter and you realized the actual culprit was likely just Groot having gotten up for a drink during the night again, and being messy with his cup when he was finished, judging by the fact that there had only been a tiny puddle on the floor that you'd stepped in.

At any rate, this still meant you needed a fresh pair of socks, so after tossing your soiled ones into the washer, you set off back to your room to grab some.

However, you couldn't help but notice that all the socks in your dresser were gone when you got there. Instead of being frustrated, you were actually relieved. Peter must have finally pulled his prank.

You could feel the stress leave your body as you exhaled. This was completely mild compared to what you had built it up to be in your head, but you weren't going to argue. That said, you did still need another set of socks. So, not bothering to close the dresser drawer, you leave the room with the intent to search for your missing socks.

However, no sooner had you stepped into the hall did you hear Peter's voice cry out, "YOU!"

He had exited his room a little before you and caught you just as you were leaving your own, but you only looked at him in confusion. Why was he yelling at you like you had just done something to him? Wasn't he was the one who had just pranked you?

You barely had time to react, but knew your three choices were to stay put, move left into a corner, or move right to head downstairs. Naturally, you attempted the third option, but he was on you too fast, quickly grabbing your shoulder to pull you back with a "No you don't!"

Just as quickly he pulled you into a headlock and started going on about "How dare you!" and something about taking his socks.

You started to protest but only managed out a "Hey!" when he then topped the headlock off with a noogie as you attempted to pry his arm from around your neck.

Before you could get another word in he stopped with the noogie and switched to scratching his fingers at your stomach, resulting in you letting out a stream of surprised laughter as he continued on about the unfairness of pranking him yet again when 'he still hadn't gotten you back for the last prank yet!'

You finally managed to speak again, but the most you could manage was a giggly, "Peter! No!" as your senses were overcome with the ticklish feeling.

Despite this, you couldn't help but think that this was definitely a confusing turn of events. You for sure hadn't done anything to him, regardless of what he was on about, and therefore you definitely didn't deserve this punishment. Fortunately this time you didn't have the handicap of two grown men sitting on top of you, so you were able to get out of his grasp easily enough. In no time the tables were turned and soon Peter was pinned beneath you on the floor with his arms behind his back.

You were just about to give him a taste of his own medicine when it actually hit you what he had said, now that you were no longer being tickled senseless. He'd accused you of taking his socks, but you hadn't taken his socks. He had taken yours- hadn't he?

"Hey- quit squirming! Listen- I didn't take your socks! You took mine." you scold as he did his best to try and turn the tables back in his favor.

"No I didn't!" Peter argued, clearly indignant at being accused.

You raised an eyebrow. "This wasn't your prank?"

"No-?" Peter answered, now fighting you less, and with more confusion creeping into his voice. "Wasn't it yours?"

"No." you respond flatly. "Wait- why should I believe you? I thought you were all about plotting a revenge prank on me? Why shouldn't I believe this is part of it?"

Peter stopped struggling now, and seemed a little reluctant to answer. "I uh... well, I was going to, but I couldn't think of one good enough... I was going to just keep stringing you along until I thought of something, and then I just kinda... forgot about it..." He sheepishly chuckled.

"You fecker- you were 'no-prank' pranking me?!" You started pinching his side, making him jolt with startled laughter.

"Wait-wait!" he pleaded, trying to reason through his laughter, "If neither of us pranked, then who took our socks?!"

You halt your torture. He was right- unless this was part of his prank and he was just messing with you, and/or trying to save himself.

Just then, as if on cue, Kraglin came out of his room looking annoyed. "Which one of ya two took my socks?"

You decided then to release Peter, and you both attempted to clear your names as you stood from the floor.

"I didn't touch them," you say, "I woke up and all mine were gone, look at him." You pointed at Peter.

Peter scoffed. "I didn't do it! I told you I didn't do it! Mine are gone too!"

Kraglin rolled his eyes. "I don't care which one of ya did it, but y'all better return my socks now."

Yondu appeared in the doorway behind him and just stood there, staring the two of you down with a glare that clearly said that he wasn't in the mood to mess around. It was easy to assume his socks were missing too, but he didn't feel the need to repeat what Kraglin already said when a decent glare could do the job.

You held up your hands in a placating gesture. "I can't return what I didn't take."

Peter frowned. "Well I can't either!"

Drax now entered the chat. "Mine are also missing. I would like you to return them, Peter."

Mantis now spoke up from behind you, "I can't find mine either, Peter- Why would you take all our socks?"

A strangled noise came from Peter's throat. "Wha- Why do you all assume it was me!" He then started wildly gesturing in your direction as if to say, "She's right here! Why does no one accuse her!??"

Gamora sighed from their doorway. "Because this type of thing is right up your alley.... and I want mine back too."

"Where's Groot?" Rocket asked, moving past Drax to get out of their room. His fur was messed up on one side of his face as if the commotion outside had only just woken him up. He didn't seem interested in the missing socks at all- probably because he didn't wear any.

"I am Groot!" Groot's tiny voice answered from the staircase, causing all the attention to turn to him.

"A fort? Where'd you do that?" Rocket answered, rubbing his eyes as he tried to fully wake up.

"I am Groot." he bounced excitedly. "I am Groot!"

"Can't it wait til after breakfast?"

"I am Groot!" The tree child now seemed to be pleading, like, well, a child. He turned his attention from Rocket to include the rest of you. "I am Groot!"

You couldn't understand him, but you gathered enough context clues from Rocket's responses to get half an idea of what he wanted.

"Sure, buddy. Let's go see." Peter answered, clearly happy for any distraction that took the heat off of him.

To your surprise, everyone else moved to follow- so you did too. Whether it was genuine curiosity or peer pressure that made you do so, you weren't quite sure at this point.

Little Groot lead you all into the sitting room to show you his "fort."

At first you were confused. You expected to see your sofa cushions pulled off and made into makeshift supports for blankets, but you walked in to instead see the sitting room was as clean as it was left the day before.

Then Groot motioned for you all to look behind the sofa, and it cleared up multiple questions from that morning. Firstly, where his 'fort' was. Secondly, you all got to see where all your socks had gone.

Admittedly, his 'fort' was actually kinda impressive, and you found that you weren't even annoyed by the revelation that he had taken everyone's socks to build it. It looked like he had somehow managed to make it two stories, and it even had a wall going about it- all made from twisted together socks and what looked to possibly be some wooden spoons from the kitchen.

"Hey, he's the one who took all our socks!" Drax declared redundantly.

Peter rolled his eyes at him while Groot said, "I am Groot!" indignantly at Drax.

Gamora knelt on the floor to speak to Groot. "Yes, and it's a lovely fort- but you shouldn't take other people's things without asking, ok?"

Groot nodded, almost solemnly. "I am Groot..."

"Yeah buddy, time to give the hummies back their socks. You had your fun." Rocket told him firmly, but followed it up with, "I'll teach you how to build a better one later that doesn't smell like feet."

You wrinkled your nose at that. Hopefully Groot had only taken the clean ones, but just in case you'd probably be throwing yours into the wash once you got them back...

While you waited for Groot to untangle all the socks you and Peter retreated into the hall, both only half-willing to apologize for accusing the other.

"So, um... Guess we could call it a draw? I guess I technically got you back with the 'no-prank' prank. I mean- you did look pretty stressed the last few days." He grinned wide, seeming satisfied with himself.

You weren't about to argue, it was better than worrying about what he had planned, and if he'd execute it in front of your boss. Without admitting to it, however, you reply, "Yeah. Let's call it a draw."

He poked you in the stomach, making you twitch. "Admit it first. Admit I had you stressed and then we'll call the truce." He crossed his arms and grinned at you smugly.

You glared at him, and weighed your options. You could refuse on grounds of pride, and risk him taking it as a declaration of war. Or, you could give in, and save yourself all the trouble that usually came with one of your prank wars.

The answer was made up for you, when you noticed Yondu standing in the doorway behind Peter, clearly having listened in, now staring daggers into both of your souls at any prospect that another prank war might be started when it could be easily avoided at just the cost of your pride.

Concerned that he would find a way to make your life hell, and realizing that he was honestly probably scarier than anything Peter could throw at you, you rolled your eyes and gave Peter an answer.

"Fine. I 'admit it.'" You held out your hand, telling him this time you would shake on it.

Peter grinned and accepted your handshake. Before he left, however, he paused just long enough to whisper some infuriating parting words into your ear, "Told you, I'm the prank master!"

[quicksilverdrabbles]

One early morning, in the Dragonborn's home...

Khash: AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

Literally Everyone: *kicks the door down with their weapons drawn* WHAT WHAT HAPPENED WHAT'S WRONG?!?!

Khash: W-WAIT NO DON'T COME IN!!! *holding the sides of her head in a panic, tiny grey feathers sprouting from the top of her head*

Xelzaz: *pocketing his dagger* ...? Khash, what's wrong??

Khash: I-I have feathers!!!! Do Argonians sprout feathers?!?! They l-look so weird!!

Dragonborn: *inhaling through their teeth nervously* Yes..? I mean, yes to Argonians sprouting feathers. Kind of. I-It's kind of like human hair! They look nice on you!

Caryalind: *leaning against the doorframe with his eyes covered, laughing shakily* Gods above I thought you were being killed or something..

Kaidan: *turning to leave the room* Right, I already need some mead.

Dragonborn: *grabs him by the back of his cape* No the hell you don't.

Khash: *sniffling, eyes watering*

Lucien: *kneeling down next to her* Oh darling, what are you so upset for? They look lovely.

Khash: T-They're weird... I never had feathers before..

Xelzaz: They're a natural part of growing up, Khash. I mean granted, some Argonians don't actually grow feathers, but it's certainly not uncommon. My sister Deekawo has feathers, you know. Although typically they're supposed to start coming in earlier in life..

Inigo: Hist sap?

Xelzaz: Hist sap. Probably.

Caryalind: Of course.

Khash: I-I don't like them... *hic*

Dragonborn: Oh c'mere, little lizard. *leans down and gathers Khash in a hug* Why don't you wear it out for a bit and try to get used to them? If you still don't like it after a while, we can always try-

Xelzaz: Tss! Mm-mm. *shakes his head frantically from behind Khash*

Dragonborn: Eh? Why not?

Xelzaz: ... Deekawo tried to pluck her feathers once. She was in pain for at least a week.

Khash: *jolts, screeching right next to the Dragonborn's ear* PAIN!?

Dragonborn: Ow.

Caryalind: Xelzaz!

Xelzaz: I'm just telling the truth!!

Lucien: You could have said literally anything else!

Inigo: ... On second thought, I'm going with Kaidan.

Dragonborn/Caryalind: No the hell you are not!

Dragonborn: *groans, rubbing at their eyes tiredly* Clearly we need a day to get used to this... new change. Cary. Coffee, please.

Caryalind: On it, love.

Xelzaz: I'll go and start breakfast.

Khash: *sniff*

Xelzaz: Khash, what would you like? Anything you want?

Khash: ... *hic* C-Can you make potato tart?

Xelzaz: Of course. Apple juice?

Khash: Yes, please..

Dragonborn: *watches as everyone begins to leave the room, laughing at the sound of Lucien scolding Inigo for trying to get into the mead* ... *turns to Khash with a gently worried expression* ... Grass?

Khash: .. Green.

Dragonborn: Wood?

Khash: Brown. *wipes at her face, hissing slightly at the stinging feeling in her eyes*

Dragonborn: Scales?

Khash: Black..

Dragonborn: Odahviing?

Khash: *giggling* Odahviing's a lot of colors!

Dragonborn: Haha, then pick one.

Khash: Red!

Dragonborn: *grinning* My eyes?

Khash: Scaaaaales, you change your eye color with weird magic every day!

Dragonborn: Hehehe, what color are they right now?

Khash: Yellow! Or wait- gold? Something like that!

Dragonborn: Yep. Good job. *reaches up, waiting for Khash's approval before gently running their hands over the new feathers* ... This is okay. You're okay. Everything's gonna be fine.

Khash: ... Promise?

Dragonborn: Promise. And if not, I'll just turn into an Argonian and sprout feathers with you. How 'bout that?

Khash: Hahaha!

~

Meanwhile...

Taliesin: *snoring away with a beauty mask covering his eyes and earplugs, having gotten tired of Kaidan and Inigo's snoring*

Caryalind: *kicks the door open* Taliesin! Wake up!

[a-ie]

A "The Promised Neverland" Fanfiction

'Afterlife'

Chapter 3: Four Years in this World

I had decided to make friends with the trio to gather more information. I also decided to make a mental note of my physical condition.

It irks me just thinking about it.

The next day after I made friends, I had a horrible fever. I had concluded it was probably because of my excessive crying with Isabella, but it's fortunate that the fever only appeared the day after the next.

I had spent one and a half weeks in the infirmary; no one was allowed to visit me because they would catch the fever I had.

When I had recovered, I was amazed and dumbfounded at the same time that my body could only endure walking down the stairs from our room, and I would collapse.

'Just how weak is this body!?' I mentally groaned while the older kids helped me to my seat that day and gave them a gentle smile as I thanked them.

When I tried going further than my limit, which was just downstairs, I caught a fever again. In my frustration, I cried as a child would; this made my fever worse.worse. I had been confined for two weeks.

'This stupid body.' I cursed.

♟️♟️♟️

It's been 4 years,years, and I am now 8 years old. I can now go outside of the house and to the tree that the trio was always at. I haven't tried playing tag, though. I need to increase my stamina more.

In those four years, I started a routine of waking up at night and going to the library when I'm not in the infirmary; fortunately, I'm light in my step, so I haven't woken anyone up yet, and hopefully I won't.

In the afternoon, whenever I went to the library at night, I would go to our room and take a nap. Isabella might be suspicious, but she saw how hard I was training—more like walking up and down the stairs—to make my body stronger, so she concluded that it must be the reason I was tired.

'Hopefully she thinks like that.' I thought, sweating a bit.

I've also been wondering if Isabella told the other kids about me going beyond the fence. Probably not, since the kids weren't asking me about it.

'Kids are naturally curious, so they would ask a person who went beyond the fence what it was like on the other side.'

My train of thought was cut off when I saw Emma and Norman getting closer to us. I was sitting next to Ray under the tree. I guess I had spaced out.

I had trained my facial muscles to naturally hold a soft smile whenever I spaced out. When I looked in the mirror, trying it out, I looked quite sad. 'I mean, that's better than looking intimidating, right? I wouldn't want to scare the kids away.'

My hair grew long these past years I've been here. My black hair now runs across my upper back, and I've been cutting my bangs so that they frame my face neatly. I noticed that my eyes were a red color, and I have a mole underneath my left eye. What caught my attention, however, is the numbers—seemingly a code—that I have tattooed on my neck.

'31442 huh? I wonder if it's like a bar code like the ones on consumer products. 'A chill ran down my spine at the thought, but I had to compose myself as I smiled at Emma and Norman when they were close enough to talk.

"Wanna play tag with us, Nion?" Emma beamed at me with an expecting grin. I looked at her, surprised, and Ray spoke up. "Yeah, right. Do you want her to faint again?" Ray said, rolling his eyes as Emma pouted.

"Just this once! I mean, Nion hasn't played tag with us!" Emma reasoned.

"I think she never played tag with anyone, Emma," Norman chuckled.

As they bicker, I think about the idea of playing tag.

'Hmm, wouldn't this be a great opportunity to test how far my stamina can go? Also, I would be able to train my body when I escape here anyway.'

I smiled and nodded. "Sure! I'll play!" 'Plus, I'll get to have some time for myself while hiding to think things over' Emma cheered as Ray facepalmed and Norman just smiled.

"Alright, Nion, here's how it works." Norman kindly explained how to play tag. Apparently, there was a timer and one tagger. Everyone gets to hide and run, but they lose when the tagger touches them. If the tagger doesn't catch everyone within the timer, they lose.

'Quite simple.' I hummed and nodded as I listened to Norman and smiled softly. "I got it, thanks, Norman," I say, and Emma claps with a wide grin on her face. "Let's start then!"

Norman was "it," and he started counting while covering his eyes and facing against the tree. Since Ray didn't want to join, he was holding the timer, and everyone dashed towards the forest. I bit my lower lip and also jogged in the same direction as everyone, albeit slowly.

'If my stamina could last long, it would've been easy to hide and run, but given my condition, I think I shouldn't aim to win.' I started to sweat a bit and stopped when I was a bit further into the forest, then looked around for somewhere to hide. 'I need a place to hide. Knowing Norman, he would probably search for me first since I'm the weakest and he knows I wouldn't go deep into the forest because of my weak body.'

I spotted a tree that has an opening in its trunk, not far away from where I was standing, and began to happily jog towards it. 'Oh well, I should be able to last a bit longer here.' I thought as I climbed inside the trunk and sat quietly in it. I can hear the sounds of footsteps nearby and quiet giggles from the children.

I shifted in my seat into a comfortable position and began to wait, and while I did so, my thoughts drifted to a question that had been bugging me for a while now.

'If my body was this weak, how come I managed to go beyond the fence? ' I frowned at the thought. 'Shouldn't I have collapsed halfway on the staircase? I wouldn't have been able to get outside of the house without help, considering that my stamina was worse back then.' I scratched my arm out of frustration.

'Without help..' I widened my eyes as I scratched my legs. 'It would've been impossible for me to go if I was alone!'

I scratch my chin. 'Someone must've brought me there.' My chest tightened. 'But who? ' My vision started spinning as I blink.

'Huh? ' I looked down on my arms and legs and froze with shock as I saw red patches on my skin while my chest tightened, making it hard for me to breathe.

'Shit! Allergies!? From what?! ' I looked around as tears started to gather on the corner of my eyes and saw purple flowers growing near the tree I was currently hiding in.

Letting out a mental curse, I started to climb my way up to the ground outside despite hearing the sounds of footsteps getting closer. 'Great timing! ' As half of my body began to poke out of the hole in the trunk, I turned my head to the sound of the footsteps and saw Norman looking at me horrified after seeing the red patches on my skin. "Nion!" he shouted with worry and rushed in my direction.

'Oh, thank heavens.' I blacked out without even bothering to pull half of my body out of the tree.

...

I woke up and noticed that I was in the infirmary. again.  I chuckled with sarcasm mentally, 'This place has sort of become my own personal room that I occasionally share with the others.'

I looked around and saw that it was dark, probably around midnight. 'Damn, I slept well.' I remarked to myself and settled down on the bed in a comfortable position despite the stinging pain that I felt in my arms and legs. My throat feels itchy and clogged up. I frowned.

'Great, not only do I have to worry about my stamina but my allergies too.' I coughed lightly and looked at the window to my right and saw the big blue moon.

'Come to think of it, the moon looked just like this that night.' I gritted my teeth. 'I'm pretty sure Isabella suspects me now.'

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

I looked at the time and closed the book I was reading, put it back on the shelf where it belonged, and picked up the lantern I had brought with me.

'I should hurry and go to bed before Mama finds out.'

I walked and let my mind drift for a bit. 'I am almost finished gathering information about this world; though most of the books are quite old, some are fairly recent, just as I have suspected, advanced technology does not exist here.'

I turned the corner and walked quietly. 'There are also no records of demons and such, except maybe the book The Adventures of Ugo, but other than that, none.'

I pursed my lips together, biting back a sigh. 'Of course it wouldn't, because first of all, this is an orphanage full of children cultivated for food; why would they provide information about demons in the first place? '

I chuckled quietly and humorlessly as the big blue moon shined brightly from outside the window. 'To be able to trap someone in a cage, you musn't let them know they are in a cage in the first place.'

"Why are you up so late, Nion?"

I froze on my spot and looked up to see Isabella smiling at me with a similar lantern as mine on hand. I trembled slightly in fear and looked down.

'Shit, shit, shit, shit, I'm screwed. Keep calm.' As these thoughts raced through my head, Isabella put down her lantern and kneeled in front of me with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"What are you doing out here late in the night?" She asked again and held both of my cheeks, one finger pressing against my pulse below my ear.

'Shit, since Isabella knows how fast my heart beats, just play along and be scared! '

"I-I'm sorry, Mama." Tears began to gather as I stuttered my words out. "I just couldn't s-sleep because I had slept through the entire day... I promise that it won't h-happen again." I trembled with my words, indicating fear.

'That's right, I just got out of the infirmary today because of another stupid fever and slept through the day, so it wouldn't be a a good excuse.'

Isabella stayed silent for a moment and caressed my cheeks, which sent shivers down my spine, then stood up with a smile that still didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Alright, as long as you promise not to do it again."

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

She then led me to the children's room and tucked me in to sleep. Although I didn't get any sleep that night, after that day, Isabella began feeding me medicine that induces sleep after every dinner in order to "fix my sleep schedule" she said.

'Why is life so difficult?' I sigh and let myself drift to sleep.

♟️♟️♟️

I would have forgotten that it was Christmas the next day if it weren't for the fact that it began snowing and Norman was right next to me in the infirmary because of a cold.

'It's nice to have someone with me suffering the same fate, but I couldn't help but feel bad when I see his red nose and struggled breaths.'

I was about to say something when Isabella came in with a tray of medicine, assumingly for both Norman and me. 'Ugh, where do they get this awful medicine from?' I frown as I see the gooey substance in the container. When I turned to look away, I flinched from surprise when I saw an orange ahoge swaying by the side of Norman's bed.

'Goddammit, Emma. Why is she popping out of nowhere like a mushroom?!' My face was red with both embarrassment and anger because Isabella saw my reaction then turned towards the source.

"Emma! What did I say about not going inside the infirmary?" Isabella said with a stern tone. "What will you do if you catch Norman's fever?"

"But Ray said that I wouldn't catch it!" Emma argued.

"This book says that idiots can't get sick." Ray said outside the open door while pointing to the book he was holding.

I chuckled at the scene quietly and shook my head as I dropped my head back to the pillow to watch the scene with much appreciation while Isabella ushers Emma out of the room, slipping in once more, then getting caught again.

'These cute little kids, I hope they still get to smile like that when they learn the truth about this world.' I pursed my lips and clenched my fists tight under the sheets. 'No, I'll make sure that they get to.'

I turned to Norman after Isabella fed us the medicine and left.

"Hey Norman," I said quietly, and he turned to me with a sleepy gaze. "Yes, Nion?" he replies, despite the raspiness of his voice from the cold.

"It might be a bit cruel to say this, but," I smiled brightly at him, "I'm glad you're here with me during Christmas."

Norman widened his eyes, and his already red face became a shade darker than before. Then he smiled back at me.

"Me too."

"Merry Christmas, Norman."

"Merry Christmas, Nion."

We both spent Christmas in the infirmary and never got to play with the snow. When we recovered, the snow had already melted away, but I wasn't disappointed or sad. After all, I wasn't alone during Christmas. I truly did appreciate Norman's presence, and I hope Norman feels that way as well.

_________________________________________

Mental Note:

1. Gather information about this world.

- The Library

- The Trio

2. Health Reminder:

- Need to improve stamina

- Allergies (possible cause: purple flower)

3. The mystery Friend:

- Find out who

_________________________________________

Author's note: Hey guys! Comment if there is something you want me to improve on (of course, be kind about it). I'm always open to criticism that can help me improve my work and such. Thank you!

Disclaimer! The image is not mine; I made some edits, but I got it from Pinterest. ^^

[wsknbfanaccnt]

May I request Kagami (future version who’s full on NBA) visiting his wife who is a hairstylist at work? Everyone gets all flustered and things so they tell s/o to go home and “be with yo mans” 😉lol can be a bit nsfw but doesn’t really HAVE to be haha

Thank youu xoxo South

YAY ANOTHER REQUEST SDHAFKJDSF

I hope this will satisfy you- I'm not too well versed in the ways of the hairstylist pft

NBA! Kagami visiting Hairstylist! Wife

────────── ♛ ──────────

"Hm?"

Today was a special day for you. After work, you were to see your husband after a week of being away from him. Naturally, while working, your lips curled to a smile from time to time as you thought about being with your beloved again. You were measuring out the layers of your client's hair when one of your co-workers next to you called your name.

"You had that grin of yours practically stapled onto your face since this morning. What's up with you?" she chuckled softly. Your cheeks flushed as you looked down at your client's hair, not wanting your co-worker to see.

"My husband's coming home from America today." you said shyly, not realizing that your smile was on your face again.

"There it is again- you're so in love." she laughed, you laughing along with her. After a while, you finished cutting your client's hair. She thanked you, paid, and left. You smiled accordingly, cleaning up your workspace for the next client. But you heard the jingle of the bells on the door, so you looked up at the person who came in.

"Welcome to [salon name]! What would you like to-" but as your eyes landed on the person, you noticed he had familiar maroon-colored hair. (Which by the way, you had no idea how it even came to be that color)

"Hm... I'm thinking of getting a trim. But I'll let you decide, (Y/N)." he said with a soft smile on his lips as he spread his arms apart for you. Immediately you ran into his arms, the boy kissing your head tenderly.

"Taiga...!" you laughed heartily, hugging him as tightly as you could as if you wanted to hide in his arms. "Why are you here so early...?" you asked, pulling away with a puzzled expression. The boy scratched the back of his head as his cheeks turned pink, averting his gaze from you.

"The game finished early and... well I couldn't wait to see you..." he muttered shyly, but you giggled and pressed your face in his chest.

"I missed you so much..." you muttered. But he was thinking of other things. Gently he lifted your chin with two fingers and pressed his lips against yours, in front of the whole salon. You were taken aback by how forward he was, but nevertheless, you slowly closed your eyes and allowed yourself to melt into his lips.

This wasn't unnoticed of course. Everyone knew about how in love the two of you were, so that kiss sent "oohs" and giggles from your co-workers, and even from some of the clients that were there.

Realizing what he was doing, Kagami suddenly pulled away with his face as red as his hair.

"Well uh... you should probably get back to work," he said quietly so that only you and he could hear. But a familiar voice, your boss, came out of nowhere.

"Go home, (Y/N). Be with yo manz, I know how worked up you've been for the past week." she said, you immediately turning to her.

"Wait what-? But what about my work here-?"

"I know you (Y/N), you won't be able to concentrate." she chuckled jokingly, but your cheeks flushed knowing that Kagami heard that and it was true.

"Oh well- okay then...! Thank you so much!" you smile brightly at your boss, the woman just nodding as you look back at your husband with glee. As you pack up your things and you said goodbye to your co-workers, your boss spoke up for the last time.

"Don't have too much fun. I wouldn't want to lose one of my best stylists for three months."

[thekiltongrammarwriter]

Just thinking about adding a small segment of reader being at home with the flu and bel being surprised because your not at school handing out your buttons and talking with students by your corner your usually at. But she convinces herself she doesn’t care and it shouldn’t bother her. Her day ends up being so unproductive and she’s in a sour mood so she ends up on the walk home with Carter (ditching her cousin when someone comes to talk to her about the dance schedules or something along those lines) she ends up walking to your house which is not far but having a total bel moment where she’s conflicted and having to choose between her usual logical self and her heart.

She ends up knocking on your door after five minutes of deliberation not sure what to say. She’s expecting your mother to answer or your father nothing prepares her for seeing you open the door in your cotton cloud pajamas with your face as pale as she’s never seen before and your eyes dull and red. Cheeks flushed and lips dry. “Bel???” Your smile that lights up your face shouldn’t make bel’s stomach twist but it does. “What brings you here to my ill manor?” You joke. Bel gulps, “I just didn’t see you around school and I just wanted to check on you. I’ve grown accustomed to your greets by the door and-the day just seemed a bit odd without them. How are you? You look great!” Bell enthuses.

“I know I look like shit bel price but thank you for the compliment and thank you for coming over here to check on me. That was-“ you twirl your fingers around your pajama cord, “thoughtful. No one’s ever done that for me. And I’ll be back in school next week. Did I miss anything eventful? You know I have to know everything since I’m a candidate”.

Bel chuckles, taking a risk and stepping a bit closer just enough where she can truly see the indents in your eyes and how the color looks in the sun. It makes her dizzy in the most glorious way. “Well jimmy did plagiarize his essay for Mrs Adam’s again. She took him out by his ear. Carter got mad at me because I was laughing”.

You only shake your head in amusement, your eyes glimmering as you think of bel trying to contain her laughter and Carter admonishing her cousin for laughing at the poor boy.

“I’ll have to talk to jimmy about that.”

Bel only eyed you with a curious look. “Why do you do that?”. The question is straight forward and said with such curiosity it makes your head spin.

“Do what?”.

Bel licks her lips, her grey eyes asking so many questions.

“Care….why do you care so much about the other students I mean?? You do things for them. Things that other candidates don’t do. I mean last week Stella Chapman’s mom was sick and you took them a meal. Jamie rainsford was crying in the hall and you gave her a tissue and helped her. I guess-“ bel meets your eyes, a sense of uncomfortable silence fills her words.

“I guess that type of stuff doesn’t come easy for me. I’m not a naturally kind person just the other day I told my documentary directors son in law to fuck off and then I called him Harry styles so…”

The giggle that erupted from your lips was soft and sweet.

“You’ve got some care in you bel. It might not be as prominent as others but…you do. I know I don’t know you as well as your cousin or your dad but-“ you eye her with soft eyes, moving to her lips before aiming back up. It was just a flick but it’s enough to be noticeable and bel does notice.

“I feel like we’ve known each other forever.”

The silence that follows after gets read by you as uncomfortable and soon your eyes are wide and stumbling over your words, “do you not feel that way?? I’m sorry if I made you-“

“I do too”.

It shocks you how much those three words calm your racing heart, bring at ease in your chest.

Bel looks at her watch, eyes moving to you.

“Carter’s probably home by now. I left her at school to come and see you and she’ll probably be pissed that I didn’t tell her where I was going.”

“Carter price mad at you? She’d never” you joke.

“Is your mom home? I know lunch was like three hours ago I had a sandwich that Carter brought and it was the best sandwich I ever had. Did-did you eat? Are you hungry?”. Bel hated the way her logical mind yells at her. ‘You’re getting too close! Stop’.

You eye her with knowing eyes.

“Are you trying to ask if you can make me some dinner bel Price?”.

Bel’s cheeks turn red, “I can’t make anything but spaghetti out of a can.”

You smile, the edges of your lips twisting up.

“Perhaps another time bel. I’ll look forward to it. I would hate to get you sick.”

Bell nods, “next time. I’ll see you at school y/n. You take care of yourself. Call me- or Carter if you need anything”.

Bel takes calm cool steps back to the way she came, her heart beating out of its chest and her mind racing a mile a minute. She can’t help but feel so stupid, her stomach aches with a kind of numbness that makes her hand sweaty. She can’t help but think maybe going over to your house wasn’t such a good idea. But then your voice fills her head, “you’ve got some care in you bel”. Bel thinks about that question on the way home, thinks about it during dinner, thinks about it when she’s in bed, that stupid question that seems to gnaw at her. Does she have the ability to care about others?

[golbrocklovely]

What did you mean on twitter that people are inventing stuff? What stories are people spreading? I don't see any of it, but maybe I just don't know where to look?

to anon #1, anon #2's ask is what i was referring to lol

(in the quickest of summaries, a few number of fans think Colby cheated on malia this past weekend bc of some insta story where it looks like he's cozying up to someone with red hair).

the rest of this response will be for anon #2.

first off, please don't be offended by me blocking out the link. i'm only doing that bc i don't really want to draw too many ppl's eyes to this bc i genuinely do not believe it whatsoever. the less ppl talking about this, the better.

that being said, i can understand why you might think this is showing him cheating or that that isn't her. but i need you to understand logistically: there would have to be multiple unlikely things in place for this to be real.

first off, katelyn and malia were in vegas with the boys when they had off this past weekend after filming during the week.

for colby to have cheated, he would have had to make malia stay at his house while he, sam, and katelyn went out to a restaurant to eat. and then, still stay at his house while they all went to the club.

then colby would have had to find a girl to cheat on malia with, and then FILM HIMSELF at said club where he could have easily been caught at. then on top of that, he would have had to have cheated in front of sam, his best friend, and katelyn, her best friend - and both of them would have had to be a-okay with him doing it so brazenly.

then someone would have had to film the crowd at the club, caught him in the act, and then post it without knowing. and THEN ON TOP OF THAT, colby that night literally posted a pic of malia and him from coachella, which she reposted almost immediately after he did (almost like she was right next to him when he did it).

now……………….. does that sound like an actual, legitimate possibility to you? bc it sure doesn't sound like one to me.

not only that, they are literally right by a stage, where there is most likely some form of lighting, that most likely is RED. which is probably what is being shown in the video.

and then just for added measure, malia was blonde not that long ago, and seemingly gets highlights and touches up her hair. well, when you go from blonde to brunette, you don't dye it brown and call it a day, unless you're box dyeing it yourself. if you get it professionally done, they usually put in red undertones, or dye your head copper red, so that when the brunette fades it's not a shitty grey/green color that it can sometimes look bc of the blonde. so she probably has red undertones which can make her hair appear more red.

and as someone who has naturally brunette hair that is similar to malia's color, my hair can also look reddish sometimes. it naturally has red in it, along with blonde. red and brown are close on the color wheel enough to sometimes blur into one another.

look, i don't want to come across like a bitch in this reply. and genuinely, if you believe he cheated, whatever i say isn't gonna change that. i'm just saying that there is no way i can personally believe he did. it is much easier to believe that malia was most likely near a red light, that just made her hair look redder than it appeared, rather than literally sam, colby and katelyn all conspired together to have her stay at snc's house so that colby could go out and cheat, and then somehow come back home to her and then post a pic of them from coachella while she was none the wiser. like… cmon now lol

how lowly do you have to think of katelyn and snc to think they would all be on board with him cheating on malia while she was literally in vegas with them??? i'm not saying that's how you feel, anon. but the fans that think he truly did this are sure as hell acting like this is all plausible bc katelyn's a bad friend, sam probably cheated on kat, and colby is a manwhore. even tho by that logic, then anyone that has casual sex is also unable to ever commit to anyone. so we must all be cheaters.

this is no longer scrapping the bottom of the barrel. this is digging into the earth's core to find something to shit on snc for. i'm telling you, it got quiet and everyone got bored lol

[thenarrativefoil]

chronicly ill bitching

I feel like im chasing a weasel around my guts trying to fix 30 years of vit b deficiency.

got my GI MAP results back and saw the doc abt them and if I had candida I don't anymore (yay?) instead I've got massive STAPH and unsurprisingly, strep overgrowth and next to no good bacteria. and a lot of bleeding.

Weirdly, the things I've been taking for candida like undecylenic acid and oregano oil have been improving symptoms like joint and gut pain, and cystitis. Not sure how or why that's working, I expect there's some kind of suppressing effect on the other problem microbes that cause inflammation.

But I'm also experiencing an uptick in all of those symptoms and I'm not sure why. I have been experimenting with more histamine-heavy foods, which I am gonna stop doing. I have been exercising more (read: physical therapy 40 min 2x per week and walks).

I need to focus on eating more. I've figured out how to stay out of ketosis while maintaining the medical diet I'm following.

It's hard to like, know I need to Experience Symptoms to track down wtf is going on, but it's also really fucking painful and exhausting to experience symptoms. So I took some ibuprofen today to see if that touches anything. I think I'm going to give myself a break and order some food for lunch.

on the plus side of things I dyed my hair last night and also the various medicated shampoos in combination with JVN products seem to be working well! I'm really happy with how it turned out, and the henna darkened overnight from copper to a burnt orange. I was hoping for a deeper red but I can live with this. Will probably order a different kind next time tho. If you're gullible it almost looks like a natural color and idk if I can abide by that lol

[whump-me]

Seven Snippets

I was tagged by @i-can-even-burn-salad to share seven snippets from my writing. So here goes--seven snippets from upcoming chapters of Martyr (typos are a distinct possibility)... and I'll make them all blood references, because why not.

(Possible spoilers ahead... but the spoilers mostly come down to "whumpy things happen," which I assume was a given.)

1:

When she drew the knife back, it glistened with red blood. A matching line of red ran down the prisoner’s left cheek, from just under his eye to just above his jaw. A stream of blood welled up and dripped onto his lap.

In his peripheral vision, Wraith saw Isadora set the knife down on the table. But his gaze stayed locked on the prisoner—on the thin line of his lips, on the tendons standing up on the backs of his hands as he clenched his fists. On that one rolling eye, behind his tangle of hair, wild with mindless panic.

The blood dripped rhythmically, like the ticking of a clock.

---

2:

She was a silent whirlwind of violence, pale hands striking out faster than Wraith’s eyes could follow, blood settling on her skin like a fine mist. If he hadn’t seen her as she had been before, he would have thought there was nothing human in her. She was an automaton. A force of nature.

The prisoner’s moans weakened and became rasping coughs, then strangled gasps. He sagged against the hands holding him, losing his footing. The guards held him up so Isadora could continue her assault. They both were carefully neutral non-expressions. But for a brief instant, Wraith caught one of them shoot the other a look of pure panic.

---

3:

His ankle was swollen to what felt like twice the size of the other one. The ankle cuff holding him to the chair, which was even tighter than the one in the cell, didn’t help. Every so often, blood dripped from the wound he had ripped open last night. The blood was the wrong color now, a sickly orange instead of dark red. Maybe the wound was infected. Maybe it would kill him.

As if it mattered. He would die here regardless. That was probably a better way to go than some.

---

4:

This time, the knife slid sideways across the back of the prisoner’s wrist, just behind the wrist bone. It dug deep, parting the skin, letting dark blood flow out as the prisoner bit his lip. He threw his head back, sweat beading above his eyes. His lips grew white where his teeth pressed into his skin in an effort to hold back a cry of pain.

“Next time,” said Isadora, “he loses the hand. I am done with your lies, Wraith. They started when you told us that was your name, and they haven’t stopped since.” She flicked the knife toward the prisoner, making him flinch back. A drop of blood flew off the tip and landed on his cheek, just below his eye.

---

5:

“I know what you were trying to do with the food,” said Wraith. “You can’t buy me off that easily.”

“If I were trying to buy you off,” Isadora said, settling into the chair across from him, “I would have given you something better than the slop they feed us every day.”

Her fingers brushed something wet. She brought her hand up and saw a streak of reddish-brown across her fingertips. The guards hadn’t cleaned up the other prisoner’s blood thoroughly enough. She would have to talk to someone about that display of carelessness. With an inner shudder of distaste, she wiped the congealed liquid off on her pants.

---

6:

Her uniform was covered in blood. Her hands were slick with it. She stank of the stuff. Her eyes ached, like she had been crying. The last time she had cried, she had been back on Earth, sitting in her therapist’s office. She had done it on purpose, to show her therapist she was feeling her feelings the way her therapist kept urging her to do, not just shoving them down where she wouldn’t have to deal with them. It had worked. Three weeks later, she had demanded her return to Mars, therapist’s note in hand.

---

7:

The world flashed red, then turned a sickly gray around the edges. His blood ran in thick streaks across the toe of her boot. He opened his mouth and let out a groan of pain, but he didn’t have the breath to make a sound.

He tried to call back the image of Gabriel, but the only things he could see through the gray haze closing in around him were Isadora and the red of his own blood.

---

Tagging (if you want to do the thing and haven't already been tagged--no pressure): @soheavyaburden @burntcoffeewhump @brutal-nemesis @whumpitisthen

Any seven snippets, published or WIP, a theme of your choosing.

[diamondmind777]

Letter For Jerry

Dear Jerry,

It's always nice to hear from you, I love receiving your letters they're so neat and well put together :) You most definitely have classy taste with your stationary, I admire it.

2024 Has been a bit chaotic but it has finally mellowed out. I don't remember if I told you, but I quit my job of 7 years last October. They were wanting too much of my time (6day work week) and being the millennial that I am, I've been seeking a life-work balance, so I quit. I loved that job, and it paid well but I value my home life too much. I may not have children, but I have hobbies and fur babies I want to dedicate my time to. Two days was not enough to begin with and then they were trying to strip me down to one, I respectfully said, "fuck that" and left. The decision was impulsive, threw my life into chaos, but now I have another job, still working as a lab technician fulltime but only 3 days a week now. The work is much slower paced and like zero stress, I work alone in a laboratory for 12 hours and it's been quite nice. I have no complaints :) Not gonna lie, switching up from a fast-paced work environment to what I have now did come with its challenges, my mind/body was so conditioned to multi-task and work quickly that this current job felt mundane and boring at first. But I bring some of my hobbies to work and it makes time fly when the work volume isn't stimulating enough. I cannot see myself going back to an 8-5 job.

Did you get to see the space needle in Seattle?

I have the desire to visit every state just to go to state or national parks. I really enjoy hiking and now that the weather is cooling down in Texas, I am ready to immerse myself in nature again. Amidst the chaos that ensued in spring, I missed out on the gardening I planned to do. This fall I decided to try my hand at composting. Playing with dirt, leaves and bits of produce brings out the inner child within me, the child that used to make mud pies and potions in the backyard. What's your favorite childhood memory?

My husband and I have planned a trip to West Virginia in October to explore nature, there should be lots of maple trees to see. I am so excited to experience the colors of fall like in the movies. Here in east Texas most everything loses its color (very millennial grey) or is evergreen (very twilight). I want to see oranges, reds, and yellows!

Vanessa Carlton's concert still feel like it was just yesterday. I went and saw Melanie Martinez a second time in May and a few days ago I saw Twenty-One Pilots. It was SUCH A GOOD concert! The pyrotechnics were cool, and their performance was phenomenal! ahh, I'm fangirling just thinking about it! My next concert is in October, I'm gonna see Charli xcx and Troy Sivan. The vibe is gonna be SO ravey and I am SO ready! I love music so much <3 So don't hate me but I haven't given Taylor's Swifts new album my undivided attention yet (I've been hyper focused on other artists). BUT what I have heard is as brilliant as expected, that woman is poetic af and I love her for that. I love seeing the religious fans decode and decipher all the lore she has created for the fanbase, the tea is always good. folklore and evermore are my current favorites, what about yours?

Now that I have opened the door for celebrity gossip, what is your take on the Sabrina Carpenter and Camila Cabello's love triangle album drops? I don't really listen to either of their music but it's all over the internet algorithm and I can't escape it. I think miss Sabrina most certainly has a type because Joshua Bassett and Shawn Mendes look similar to me.

Are there any more trips or concerts in your agenda before the year ends? I heard someone say that there are only 15 more weekends until Christmas arrives. By the time you get this letter it'll be less than that! When you put it in that perspective it makes me feel like I should probably start Christmas Shopping NOW.

Well, I shall end this letter here. If I don't hear from you until next year,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, HAPPY THANKSGIVING, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! may the rest of 2024 be filled with adventure and self-love ❤❤❤

your friend,

elle

ps. Thank you for the wax seals :)

[purplesurveys]

1811

What would you say is the worst part of high school, period? I was actually fine with high school for the most part – my bigger problem was with the very nature of the school itself since I went to a Roman Catholic school. Doing a bunch of church shit several times in a month was the norm, dress code was super suffocating, and 'prom' was not only mandatory attendance but was also instead called 'benefit dinner' because apparently prom is too scandalous. There were also secret student spies assigned by the guidance counselors to tip off whoever was thought to be in a same-sex relationship. I also had a male teacher make a remark about my boobs once. :) Made me hate the concept of religion for as long as I live.

A few weeks into college I was already wearing shorts and sleeveless tank tops to campus because that's how freeing it felt.

What is your favorite color of apple? Red, green or yellow? I don't eat apples.

How old will you be on your mother’s 68th birthday? Is that ‘old’ to you? I will be 41. Yes, the idea of being in my 40s makes me a little dizzy lol.

Ever thought you were dying of something you weren’t even close to having? Yeah, isn't that a running joke on the internet too cos most of us have felt anxiety/paranoia over this?

Ever want to be a doctor? Is it because of all the hospital shows? I considered being a doctor very briefly but it wasn't because of medical shows. I just genuinely enjoyed learning about the human body and with memorization skills coming naturally to me, I thought that could've been a possible route.

What do you think of all these reality shows that try to alter personality? Wdym, like Dr. Phil? Idk they're trashy for the most part but boy are some segments guilty-pleasurely fun to watch hahaha.

Where are your favorite pair of shoes in the whole world right now? In our storage area under the stairs.

Do you live anywhere near a mall? Which one exactly? I live near several malls. Philippines might as well be the Mall Capital of the World because of the sheer number we have of them.

If you were dying who would you say goodbye to first out of everyone? Probably my family because it would be too excruciating for me to be saying goodbye to others first without them having any idea about what's going on.

Are you someone who actually likes to babysit children? Depends on the kid, which automatically disqualifies me from being a good babysitter lol. I'm picky with kids and will avoid ones that are rude/talk back/yell everything everywhere/throw their toys/cry if they don't get what they want/are hooked to gadgets/will do the opposite of what you ask them to do, thinking they're being charming. So...most of them haha.

Do you ever have those ‘ah ha!’ moments? Do those annoy you? Uh, I guess so? That's very vague though, and I can have aha moments that are good, that are bad, or when I realize how dumb I'm being about something.

When is the next time you’ll eat a cupcake, if you know when? I have no idea :( I love cupcakes but there just aren't a lot of shops that sell them, and when I find one it's always so so so expensive.

Does your family go on a lot of vacations? Are they more boring or exciting? For my own standards yeah it's already a lot for me! We go for 1-3 times every time my dad is home, which comes up to 2-6 a year. Our itineraries have considerably slowed down the older we've all gotten, but I like it just like that.

Where did you last buy socks from? What do those socks look like? Uniqlo. It was a pack of three pairs - one is white with blue accents; one is maroon; and the last one is grey.

Do you ever lay in the grass and look up at the sky, just because? I don't lay in the grass because uhhhhhh red ants and stuff lol, but I like looking at the sky whenever I can. I did that yesterday in UP while I was people-watching :)

When do you normally go to sleep on the weekends? Anywhere between 2-5 AM.

Have you ever met someone with the same ‘biggest fear’ as you? Yes, mine is fairly common.

Do you ever have movie nights with your significant other? I don't have a partner but even when I did we didn't really do this.

Would you rather write with a pen or a pencil? Why is this? Pen. I don't like how pencils get dull so quickly.

Who was the last person to call you fat, if anyone at all? Not exactly 'fat' and they didn't mean it in a demeaning manner but my mom referred to me as having put on a little weight over the years, but I didn't find it offensive because it's generally true anyway.

What color skin does the last person you danced with have? That would be the rest of the 32,000 capacity crowd that I watched Seventeen with, and it would be my best guess to assume 99% of us were brown. I saw some foreigners too but super few and far between.

Are you afraid of being kidnapped if you go outside at night time? Yes. I never walk outdoors in the evenings unless I'm at BGC.

Has your mother ever called your school because of your grades? No but that's kind of shitty. I had bad grades because I didn't put in enough effort, so I would have found it embarrassing if she went that route.

The best field trip you’ve ever been on; where was it to anyway? Answered this in a previous survey, but tbh just any field trip where we went to museums. I actually credit my school for kickstarting my love for museums because in Grade 1 we went to a couple of small local ones. It was such a fun and profound experience and I never stopped searching for new ones to visit from there.

In the next twenty minutes, what will you be doing and where will you be? I'll still be in my room but probably watching YouTube videos to prepare for bed.

Do you work? If so, have you ever been fired, then rehired from the place? I do work, but have never been fired.

Can you tell when people are lying or telling the truth? That's hard to answer. Some people can lie effortlessly.

What would you say your average word per minute time is on the keyboard? Anywhere between 85-100.

What is your least favorite class in school? Why is this? Chemistry, trig, calc. They were impossible for me to understand and I also resented those classes a little bit because it definitely made me think, "I'm headed towards journalism school anyway, what is the point of ever learning this?" like it was just a waste of time for me knowing I'll never have to apply the more complex concepts in the real world.

Do you bite your fingernails or tap them on desks? I can't bite them at the moment because I have braces lol, but I used to do it. An alternative I go for is to just tinker with them enough to tear the long nails off.

Have you ever wanted to be in a band? What position exactly? I wanted to be a drummer once but that was more of a fantasy. I never actually had the goal to be in a band.

Do you ever call your cousins just to talk to them randomly? Nope.

When did you last spend the night at someone’s house? Hans' house. Well technically we arrived at his house from Thailand at like 5 AM and then we all took a nap there til noon, but I'm still counting it. This was back in June.

Do you find any of your friends’ parents creepy or really mean? Reena's dad has an attitude problem and I don't like him, and fortunately I've never had to interact with him save for one instance where he tried to be snooty with me after I picked up Reena from their place. I threw it right back at him but just under my breath.

Do you ever have to wash your clothes at someone else’s house? I haven't done that.

When is the next time you’ll go to the library? Why is this? I don't have plans to do that. I don't even know enough about our public libraries to know which ones are the best to visit.

Do you know how to play pool? Are you any good at it? Nope and nope.

Are you someone who likes to get in arguments or fights a lot? No.

[dailyaudiobible]

7/22/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10, Romans 7:14-8:8, Psalm 18:1-15, Proverbs 19:24-25

Today is the 22nd day of July, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I'm Brian, it’s wonderful to be here with you today as we reach the conclusion of another one of our weekly journeys, 52 of these little excursions add up to a year, a year of our lives, and that adds up to us being able to read through every single verse and chapter and book of the Bible. And we are, obviously, well underway. So, that was a bunch of words to say it is wonderful to be around the Global Campfire today, and fantastic that we can take the next step forward. And let's do exactly that, and our next step forward leads us back into the book of Second Chronicles. And at this point, we are moving alongside King Solomon's reign. So, today Second Chronicles chapter 6 verse 12 through 8 verse 10.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for bringing us through another week, another week that we were able to spend together in the Scriptures, and another week in our lives and all of the issues and dramas of life. You have brought us through, here we stand. Or maybe we feel like we've just kind of fallen through this week and we’re barely here, or maybe we've walked boldly through this week, and everything is going our way. Probably a combination of all these things, such as the nature of life. But regardless, we are here. You have brought us here. You have gifted us each breath, we have taken and never abandoned us, for even a moment. And so, we are grateful, we stand here by Your grace, each and every day. So, we thank You for this week. And as we release it and let it go, it drifts away slowly behind us, it becomes a part of our past, it becomes this story, and we thank You for this story. And we look forward to the chapters that are ahead of us. And so, we humble ourselves before You, we adore You, we worship You. There is no one else but You. Come, Holy Spirit, and lead us into all truth we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that's home base, it's the website. It’s where you find out what's going on around here so, check it out. Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. That's where you will find the brand-new Daily Audio Bible Kids byeeee shirts, look in the Lifestyle Section and you'll find the various colors and adult and kid sizes there, for fans of Daily Audio Bible kids. Check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. First of all, thank you, humbly, we wouldn't be here, there wouldn't be a Global Campfire, if we weren't here together. So, thank you. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you're using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, that's the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today, I'm Brian, I love you and I'll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hey, my beautiful DAB fam. This is Kingdom Seeker Daniel and Lady of Victory. And this message is for our brother Morning Lift. Hey bro, I’ve been following your calls and I just wanna just say a couple of words to you real briefly. My wife and I were separated for 8 months, very, very hard time. And I didn’t know how things were gonna go. And I was the one that caused this separation. And so, I’m letting you know, as we sit here on the balcony, looking over the ocean in Porta Biada, Mexico, just taking in the goodness of God, recognizing His grace, His favor. He can do the very same thing for you. And I want you to hold on to that faith, that you have been declaring. And so, be encouraged my brother. And know that we serve a God of restoration. So, I want you to be encouraged as my wife prays for you. Oh Lord, our God, how excellent is You name in all the earth. God, we come before You on behalf of Your son and Your daughter. God, only You and them know exactly what has taken place and what has gone on. You know exactly what has happened and who did what and all the finger pointing and all that. It doesn’t matter what has happened is there’s been a breach in what You have joined together. And You said, when You join together, let no man not even ourselves, put us under. So, we pray for them God, ask that You would give them a forgiving heart to remember how You forgave us, God. And that You would join them back together. Not pointing the finger at each other but asking You God, what can, how can You help them.

This is TD in Texas. And I wanted to reach out to Manita from Lonbottom. Thank her for all your calls, it’s uplifting and encouraging to myself and I’m sure many others. It’s always good to hear your sweet little voice. On one of your calls you stated that you would like to have a home again after being divorced for four years. That was one of your desires and our journeys are very similar. I’ve been divorced for four years as well. And I would definitely like to have a home again. But the housing market where I’m living is very, very high and beyond my price range. So, someone said to me today, well, it’s just not gonna happen. It’s just not gonna happen. And I just sat there thinking, I can’t believe that. I can’t take that in to my heart and soul. And I believe that God is a miracle worker. He makes a way when there seems to be no way. And there really seems to be no way. But I know that if there is, He can make it happen. So, I just wanted to let you know that that will be my prayer for you and myself. And I will look forward to one day, hearing you call in with a praise report that you’ve got a new home. And I really, really, that’s my prayer for you, Manita. And thank you for your calls. It’s always good to hear your voice. It’s so uplifting and encouraging to myself and I’m sure others. So …

Hello, this is my first-time calling in. I would like to go by I Want to See, from Indiana. And I just wanted to say that I have been so inspired by the reading of Romans, the last few days. And especially by Brian’s commentary. Today is July 19th and just the reminder about the grace that God has given us. And I really just wanna pray today for those that are distracted by differences that we see in others and not understanding by intolerance. People that are distracted by hatred and division. And I really just wanna pray that folks that don’t understand different people or different lifestyles, that they can really soften their hearts and can remember the grace that God has given us. And remember that through that grace, we should be giving grace to others. And that really, it’s only through that grace, the reminder of the grace that we’ve been given and giving grace to others, that I think we will really share this message of the Gospel with more and more people. I also want to pray for the people who have been on the other end of not receiving grace and have felt outcast or hatred or intolerance. And so, I really just wanna pray that if you feel that way, you’ve been harmed or you have felt like Christians have not been graceful towards you, I want you to really be able to open up your heart and remember that you are loved. You are so, so loved.

This is Jason in Tennessee. I’ve been listening for several years, on-and-off. First time calling. Playing catch up right now, just listening to June 30th. A young man that called in with Leukemia, praying for this other young man and his family. And man it just pulled on my heartstrings. So, I just wanna lift this young person up and pray God that Your hand will be upon him. You’ll give him peace and health and strength. And also, just join him in prayer for this family that’s struggling with separation and divorce. Just can’t imagine being in those shoes and the pain and hurt that that causes. So, lift all these people up in prayer. People with families, people that are just married together and don’t have children. You know, God’s with us. I just pray for strength in you people. In Jesus name.

[steelmagnolia12]

The worst part of being friends with someone who ghosts you out of the blue is that I have all this useless information about this person taking up space in my brain. Everywhere I go, I see reminders of him.

I walk by a pickleball court every so often and think about all the games we used to play.

I go to a baseball game in my city and it reminds me of him being a former baseball player. I wonder if I’ll run into him, knowing he has season tickets.

I order chicken tikka masala and it reminds me of the dinner he cooked for me.

A watch commercial comes on TV and I wonder if he’s still doing vintage watch repairs as a hobby.

Golden retrievers are his favorite dog, and of course I see them quite often and it reminds me about the time we took his brother’s golden out for a walk at a local nature preserve. It sounds unexciting, but that was one of the best dates (and best day) I’ve ever had. Something about the simplicity, and the easy and natural connection we had was wonderful. I’ve always said that I know I found the right person if I can have fun with someone doing something as mundane as grocery shopping. And I felt that with him.

His birthday was on May 2*, but I did not text him. It took every ounce of self-control not to, because the rational part of my brain says why should I give my energy and love to someone who doesn’t return the same feelings?

The truth is, being with him was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I didn’t expect to feel that way, but I cared about him deeply. It’s been months since he suddenly dropped out of my life with no explanation, but I still think about him every day when I wake up and every night when I go to sleep.

It’s scary because I thought he was the perfect person. Kind, funny, goofy, easy going, intelligent, generous and all around such a joy to be around. I felt this overwhelming sense of comfort, ease, and pure happiness just being around him. We didn’t even have to talk. Being in his presence was more than enough for me. Maybe I had rose-colored glasses on, and that’s what makes the split even more devastating. I didn’t see any red flags or even the slightest warning sign this was going to happen.

He always seemed interested in me and our friendship (situationship?). Until he wasn’t.

Looking back, here are the only potential red flags I might have overlooked:

- He didn’t text me on my birthday, even when I told him when it was the week before - He would take 5+ hours to respond to my texts - Didn’t invite me to a holiday party he hosted for his friends

Why would this guy call me sweet, beautiful, smart, etc. - all these nice these about me if he didn’t like me? Was it all a lie? The last day I saw him we had pizza for dinner, and watched Jake and Amir. He went away on a trip, and never saw or heard from him again. What the hell happened, because I have no idea.

I’m terrified my intuition is off. I’m terrified that I’ll meet another person I love, and they’ll abandon me like he did.

Maybe I was a fool to think we ever belonged together. He’s the affable, all-American guy next door. And I’m not the pretty blonde, loud, former sorority girl type that he probably likes. I’m never going to be that girl. I never fit into his world.

It’s sad that I poured my heart and feelings into a person who didn’t mean what they said. That all of the experiences I had was one-sided. That I liked him so much more than he ever did for me. It makes me feel stupid and worthless that he could just toss me away, while I’m still clinging onto memories of him.

I hope one day I can look back on all of this without feeling pain. The good times were good, while it lasted. I’m trying to appreciate that.

[moonlit-jeno]

red door, yellow door (m.)

pairing: mark lee x fem reader x jung jaehyun

genre/warnings: explicit sexual content | demon au | slight dubcon??? the mans a lust demon idk | Very mild horror themes | minor mlm | don’t attempt this game pls !!!

words: 8.1k

a/n: this is a repost from my old bts blog! pls don’t ask abt it bc i no longer actively follow bts :)

One of these days, you’re going to kill your coworkers.

You love them, you really do, but sometimes they can just be so dumb. It was Donghyuck and Renjun who came up with the idea to play this stupid game, one that is probably only played by naive 12 year old girls during slumber parties.

Normally you’d just brush it off, but Renjun had called you a wimp, so naturally you had to do it. Which is how you’ve ended up on your back with your best friend massaging circles into your forehead.

“Red door, yellow door, any other color door,” is being chanted around the room. You fight the urge to move your neck to a more comfortable position on Mark’s lap. Your hand twitches above your head, where your arms are raised. “This is stupid,” You whisper, and Mark laughs, scolding you lightly.

After a while, the mindless chanting lulls you to sleep, and you feel yourself drift off.

“What do you see?”

Two doors appear in front of you, one red and one yellow. They both look kind of old, paint chipping and peeling off.

“Anything else?”

A black door appears next to the yellow one and you find yourself drawn to it, wanting to go in. This one is shinier, considerable newer and more inviting compared to the other two

“Go in.”

You open the door and walk through, a sense of relief flooding through your senses as you give in to the pull. The room that you find yourself in seems never ending, the only thing in it a large bed.

“Do you see anyone?”

A man appears, sitting on the bed. The suit he’s wearing is unfitting for the plain surroundings- in fact, he’s unfitting for the surroundings in general. His teeth are blinding white when he smiles, not a hair out of place on his entire head. He’s attractive, all golden skin and beautiful features. Almost too beautiful. A shiver crawls up your spine, a tinge of discomfort bleeding into your senses. He smiles, dimples popping out, and you push the discomfort to the back of your mind.

“Who are you?” Your voice comes out distant to your own ears, echoing around you.

“Call me Jaehyun. Why don’t you come here, little bird? We can get properly acquainted.” The voice sounds haunting, like a distorted video. You wouldn’t believe that he’s speaking if his lips didn’t move in sync. Despite the unnatural voice sounding warning bells in your brain, you find yourself moving forward automatically and settling down on his lap when he pats his thigh for emphasis.

“And what’s your name, little bird?” He trails a hand up and down your thigh and you shiver, leaning back against him. He chuckles when you tell him your name, a pleased smile lighting up his features.

“Well, little bird, seems that we’re going to have some fun together.”

Your name is being echoed all around you, and you wake with a jolt, eyes flying open to see Mark staring at you.

“Are you okay?” The rest of your group is also gathered around you, standing in a half circle.

“Yeah, just fell asleep for a bit. Why?” You push yourself onto your elbows, sitting up so that you can lean against Mark.

Donghyuck plops down on the floor, sitting so that he’s facing you. “You were talking like you were having a conversation with someone. Who was it?”

You shrug, trying not to dull his excitement. “I don’t know, just some guy.”

“Was he wearing a suit?” Renjun asks, standing behind Hyuck. He grimaces when you nod. “Y/n, we literally told you not to talk to anyone in a suit. We told you not to talk to anyone. It’s in the rules.”

You roll your eyes, knowing how serious he gets when it comes to stuff like this. “Relax, it’s fine. He seemed nice, and it’s not like it was anything real.”

Renjun still doesn’t look convinced, but Mark interrupts his paranoia by doing what he’s best- or worst, depending on who you ask- at, cracking jokes.

“Hey, was he eating deviled eggs?” He laughs at his own joke, and everyone else groans. “Hey, don’t get mad at me. His place was probably such a hellhole.” The bad mood dissolves into jokes and loud laughter for the rest of the night.

You leave the party- or gathering as Donghyuck had called it because it sounded more mysterious- when it starts storming. The rain drenches you and pretty much everyone else that’s sitting on the porch, leaving you scrambling for shelter. Luckily, Mark offers you a ride.

“Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!” Mark hollars out the window of his truck, his words getting lost in the night as he speeds off. His truck hits a pothole and you can imagine him swearing as his head hits the roof. Giggling to yourself, you unlock your apartment and slip inside. It’s close to 2 in the morning, so you decide that if you’re already not going to get that much sleep, why not binge Shameless?

You only get through two episodes before your eyelids feel heavy, and you have to fight to keep them open. On screen, there’s a bar fight that you try to take interest in, but sleep quickly pulls you under.

“Welcome back, little bird.” The voice is all around you, but no matter how much you turn and search, no one’s to be found.

“Turn around, little bird, I am here.” Spinning abruptly, you come face to face with the man from earlier, Jaehyun. He gives you a chilling grin.

“So we meet again,” he starts, and his voice no longer sounds eerie or inauthentic. He sounds like, well, a normal man. “Tell me, what would you do if I were to kiss you?”

You swallow, tongue darting out to wet your lips on instinct. “Depends. Are you a good kisser?” You aim for coy, but you miss the mark and land closer to worried.

“You could say that.” He pulls you close with one hand on the back of your head, stopping right before your lips. “May I?”

You nod, and he pulls you in for a gentle, closed mouth kiss.

It’s like that touch ignites a fire in you, because before you know it, your arms are thrown around his neck, dragging him closer to deepen the kiss. You lick along his lower lip and he readily grants you access, a throaty groan leaving him when you suck on his tongue. Liquid heat courses through your veins when he nips at your lower lip, tongue flicking over it in apology. You moan, raw and needy. He likes that, if the chuckle and wicked grin is anything to go by. Picking you up so that your legs are wrapped around his waist, he walks over to a bed that definitely wasn’t there before.

He drops you on the bed, and then suddenly you’re both naked. Jaehyun leans over you, all lean muscles and golden skin. His cock hangs hard and flushed between his legs, and you have the urge to swallow him down. He groans, as if reading your mind, and then reaches to pump himself slowly, long fingers wrapped around the length. “Not now, little bird, not now. I have something else in mind.” With one gentle push to your shoulders, you’re lying flat on the bed, Jaehyun between your legs. His mouth hovers over your core, already wet and dripping despite not having been touched. He plays idly with the slick on your upper thigh, drawing random patterns into the flesh. His eyes are dark, and you could swear that they’re entirely black, no white visible. He peers curiously up at you from between your legs, watching your reaction as his fingers get closer and closer to where you want him. Your breathing picks up as arousal thrums through your body, center pulsing and aching for some sort of relief.

“May I have you?” His breath ghosts over your center when you speak, the sensation making you even needier. 

You nod quickly. “Take it, fuck, you have all of me.” He grins, wasting no time in diving in. His tongue feels impossibly good, licking up your folds and circling over your clit. He leaves sloppy kisses along your core, one hand massaging your thigh and keeping you spread open. You cry out when his tongue pushes into you, his nose brushing your clit and sending sparks up your spine.

His tongue feels impossibly long, so good inside of you that you feel like you’re losing your mind. Your hips buck up desperately, riding his face to hell and back. One arm gets thrown over your stomach to keep you in place while two fingers from his free hand dip into your soaking core, curling into that spot immediately. Stars flash behind your eyes, one hand coming down to fist in Jaehyun’s hair. Your feet scramble frantically along his back, heels digging in in an effort to anchor yourself, toes curling at the sensations singing through you.

You feel your orgasm drawing closer, heat pooling in your center. You whimper brokenly as you try to chase after your high, grinding your hips along his tongue. He lets you, just holding his tongue flat out for you to ride.

You come like that, falling apart on his tongue, screams of his name falling from your lips. He works you through it, tongue gently licking along your folds, slurping up your arousal as if he hasn’t had a meal in weeks.

You lay there, boneless and whimpering weakly through the aftershocks until Jaehyun pulls away to kiss up your body. He licks into your mouth hotly, reminding you that he hasn’t come yet. You bat weakly at his chest, pushing him onto his back. “Your turn,”

He groans in appreciation at the view of you above him. “So perfect, little bird. I’m gonna have so much fun with your soul.”

This sentence freezes you in your spot. “What the fuck does that mean?”

Jaehyun meets your gaze, black eyes entrancing you. “That means, y/n, that I’m going to have your soul. You belong to me now, hmm?” One of his hands plays gently with a strand of your hair. “That’s what you agreed to earlier, no?”

“N-no.” You try backing away, but the inhuman voice from earlier is back, echoing everywhere, repeating his words over and over until you can’t take it anymore-

You wake with a gasp, hitting your head as you sit up. Your computer is still on your lap, episode fifteen playing. Fuck, you’ve only been asleep for forty five minutes. It’s not even three yet, and you don’t have to go to work until eight. Deciding there’s no way you’re falling back asleep, you get up and decide to bake.

Five hours later, your coworkers love you when you show up with containers of cinnamon rolls, five different types of cookies, and a coffee cake. Mark looks mildly worried.

“You okay? I haven’t seen you bake since high school.” You snap out of your thoughts and turn to face Mark. The look of concern on your best friend’s face is enough to make you feel guilty and you nod, forcing a smile onto your face.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Had a bad dream last night and couldn’t sleep, that’s all.” You respond, trying not to show how bothered you actually are.

“Wanna talk about it?” Mark leans forward over his desk, chin planted on his hand.

“No, it’s gonna sound dumb.” You whine, shaking your head. And it is dumb, even to you. You’re scared because you had a dream that some man ate you out and then told you he was going to take your soul?

“Well, you always sound dumb. Of course your dreams are gonna be dumb.” Mark laughs as you chuck a piece of cake at him, infectious laugh soothing you. You sigh.

Mark raises his eyebrows at you when you finish telling him your dream. “You’re scared because you had a wet dream? Damn, I’d be living in a nightmare if I was scared after every wet dream I’ve had.”

You kick him under the table. “Mark! It was really scary. He told me he was going to take my soul!”

Upon seeing that you’re actually freaked out, his face softens. “Look, y/n, you’ve got nothing to worry about. You probably just thought that he was hot, and your brain remembered his face and put it in a dream. I wouldn’t worry about it; what’s the worst he’s gonna do, haunt you?”

You give a shaky nod, agreeing. It’s not like something from your dreams could actually harm you. Mark reaches across the desk, taking your hand in his and giving a tight squeeze, warm brown eyes gazing at you openly. “And if something does happen, just remember that I’m your best friend. I’ll be here for you.”

“Thanks, Mark. Means a lot to me.”

He leans back in his seat. “Anytime, anyplace, anything. Triple A.”

You smile, raising an eyebrow. “Anything?”

His eyes go wide, taking in the glint in your eyes. “Within reason.”

“How about a sip of coffee?” You nod down at his cup, pasting a huge smile on your face.

“I did say within reason, so no.”

You huff. “I expected that.”

Although you don’t scare easily, it’s safe to say that you’re a bit unsettled tonight, especially after your nightmare last night. You find yourself jumping at every little noise, hand slamming the light switch on with your pulse racing every five minutes. This has been going on for an hour, and after a final sweep of your room reveals nothing, you decide that maybe a face mask will help you relax.

Your bathroom has two mirrors facing each other, which is normally a blessing when you do your hair, but tonight it does nothing but make you want to hide under your blankets.

Get a grip on yourself, you chastise, grabbing your phone and opening spotify. Maybe some music will help? You click on your Christmas playlist because what better way to cheer up than to think about your favorite holiday?

A mistake, really, because it seems that you’ve forgotten how creepy Santa is.

“He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake,” Yikes. You stop that song in a hurry, feeling anything but comforted. No music then, noted.

You reach for your face wash, turning the sink on and waiting for the water to warm. You can’t help but glance in the mirror behind you every so often, paranoia getting the best of you. Man, you feel pathetic, worrying about monsters in your closet like you’re six and not twenty-six.

You wash your face quickly, hoping that your fears will wash away as well. No such luck.

You swear you see something move behind you after you dry your face off, but there’s nothing there. Shaking it off, you reach for your face mask, taking your time painting your face with the green clay.

It’s after your face is coated that you spot someone in the glass behind you. You scream, whipping around to come face to face with a man. Not just any man- Jaehyun.

Your heart thunders in your chest, eyes widening in fear. He seems to be in the mirror, copying your petrified expression mockingly.

“Hello, little bird.” He purrs, smirking lightly.

“Are you- are you in my mirror?” You’re in disbelief, mind struggling to comprehend this. First you spot him while in a weird trance, then in a dream, and now in your mirror? Maybe you’re having a quarter life crisis.

“No, I am not. Mirrors are just gateways to alternate dimensions. I’m merely using the mirror to visit you.” He says this like it’s common knowledge. It feels like your throat is made of sandpaper with how hard it is to choke out your words. “O-okay. I’m just gonna- yeah.”

You grab your phone from the counter and bolt, fumbling for your keys before jumping into your car and speeding off in the direction of Mark’s house. You call him, fingers fumbling on the screen. He goes to voicemail the first time, and your heart drops. “No, no, no,” you whisper frantically, calling again. He does pick up this time.

“Y/n? It’s the middle of the night.” His voice sounds gruff, and you feel guilty for waking him up. One glance in your rear view mirror reveals that Jaehyun is joining you on this ride, and you scream, car swerving violently to one side before you straighten it out.

“Where are we going, little bird?”

“Y/n? Are you okay?” Mark’s voice has lost its sleepy edge, taking on a concerned tone. He says your name again, more frantic.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Your tires squeal as you make a turn, now only two blocks away. “Can I- can I come over? I really need to be with someone right now.”

“Of course, you know you’re always welcome. The door’s unlocked.”

You hang up, willing the tears in your eyes to not spill over. Finally arriving, you slam on the breaks and haphazardly pull next to a curb, yanking the key out of the ignition and sprinting to Mark’s house.

You lock the door behind you when you step inside, testing the handle as if a door could stop a mirror traveling demon or whatever the fuck Jaehyun was from coming inside. “Mirrors,” you mumble, reaching the stairs.

“Y/n? What’s-” Mark stands at the top of the stairs, one hand rubbing at his eyes. You cut him off, flying up the stairs.

“Mirrors, fuck. Mark, we need to cover the mirrors!” You breeze by his shocked figure, not noticing the way he turns to stare at you incredulously.

“What, why? Y/n, are you crazy?”

Ignoring him, you throw a towel over the mirror in his bathroom, ripping open a pack of bandaids to use as adhesive.

You throw another towel over the mirror in his bedroom, collapsing on his bed when you’re done and finally allowing yourself to sob.

“Y/n, hey, what’s wrong? Talk to me.” Mark, as gentle and caring as ever, comes over to sit next to you, one hand combing through your hair.

“I- don’t laugh at me.” You stare him straight in the eye, pleading with him. You know you’re going to sound crazy, but you’re praying that your best friend listens to you. He nods, urging you to go on.

“That- that man I saw in my dream and during whatever fucked up game Hyuck had us play? He was in my fucking mirror, Mark. I- the whole night, I had this feeling that I was being watched, and then I went into my bathroom and he was just there, and-” You’re hyperventilating at this point, fighting for every breath, tears clouding your vision. “He was in my car, in the rear view mirror-” Mark pulls you closer, enveloping you in his arms and allowing you to sob loudly into his chest. You cry for a few minutes, until you’re finally able to pull yourself together.

“Shh, it’s okay. You’ve had a rough week, I know. It’s okay, everything’s going to be okay.”

He wipes a tear away from your check, patting you lightly. “Why don’t you go wash this off, okay? We can watch a movie after.” He offers, and until that point, you’d forgotten you were wearing a face mask. You grimace at the green imprint on his black shirt, but he just chuckles. “I’ll go grab you some water in the meantime.”

Nodding, you garner up the energy to walk to his bathroom. It’s fine, the mirror’s covered, he can’t hurt you. You close the door just in case, wanting an extra level of protection

You rinse your face with cold water, hoping that it will clear your mind. You give your face a couple more splashes before drying off with a towel.

“You missed a spot on your forehead.” You freeze before looking around wildly. There’s no one around, which can only mean that Jaehyun can still see you. Swallowing, you start the water again, rubbing at your forehead.

“And your left cheek.” You rub at the skin, being way too harsh but you excuse it considering your situation. “No, your other left. My left.”

“Jesus,” You growl in annoyance, reaching up to rip the towel down. Sure enough, there’s a splotch of green on your cheek. Jaehyun’s nowhere to be found. Maybe I am losing my mind.

You finish rinsing the mask off, finding some face lotion buried in Mark’s drawer, screaming bloody murder when Jaehyun appears in the mirror again. “Looking for me?”

“No! Leave me alone!” You cry, head spinning. Jaehyun fakes a pout, holding a hand over his heart in mock hurt. Do demons even have hearts?

“Ouch, little bird. You don’t want to finish what we started the other night? When I had you moaning so pretty, so wet for me. I’m sure your pussy would take me so well, hmm?” Your heart rate kicks up again, but for a different reason this time. You almost moan, thinking about the dream.

Because he was right, you had been so wet. The want comes back full forces, slamming into you like a truck. You remember how needy you were, wanting to suck his cock so bad, wanting him to fuck you like there’s no tomorrow. All fear that you previously had is slowly disappearing, fading into lust.

The demon smiles knowingly. “Ah, little bird, so you do remember. Remember how you promised me that you’re mine?”

You nod, eyes glazing over. You’re wet, panties starting to stick to your throbbing core uncomfortably.

“Mmmh, I bet you’re already dripping for me. Just waiting for me to come out and fill you up.”

Hearing your name leave his lips sends a wave of arousal crashing through you so strong that your knees buckle, grabbing onto the counter for support. He chuckles, but whatever he’s about to say is cut off by Mark.

“What were you say-” Your best friend trails off, eyes wide as he observes the scene. You snap out of your haze at the interruption. His mouth parts in shock. “You really weren’t kidding, shit.” He laughs humorlessly.

Then, quick as lightning, he rears back and punches the mirror. You scream in surprise at the crack, shards falling to the floor.

You and Mark both stare at the broken shards of glass on the ground, gleaming under the lights. “Mark,” You start, trailing off once you realize you have nothing to say. He seems to understand, walking forward until he’s close enough to pull you into a hug. You feel tears start to slide down your cheeks, dampening the cotton of your best friends shirt. You hug him closer, burying your face into his broad chest. He wraps himself around you, and you let yourself be lulled into the sense of security that his larger frame brings you. A sense of security that vanishes once you hear a low chuckle that definitely does not belong to Mark.

You both scream, leaping backwards and away from the noise. Jaehyun stands there, just in front of the door, with a shit eating grin on his face. You cower behind Mark, who is wrapping a protective arm around you while simultaneously trying to hide behind you.

“I really must thank you for finally setting me free. Normally I have to wait for some asshole with a ouija board, but then there’s just so many other demons that I have to compete with. So I just stick to the dream world-” He pauses to wink at you for emphasis “-but this is so much more fun.” His eyes are black, and you can’t tell where he’s looking. Swallowing, you clutch onto Mark’s arm for dear life.

The demon seems to regard the two of you for a moment, before his amusement seems to grow. He begins to move forward.

“Ah, Mark Lee. Lovely name for a stupid boy. Didn’t you know breaking a mirror is bad luck?” By this point, you and Mark are flattened against the wall, while Jaehyun stands less than a foot away from the two of you. There’s nowhere to run. This is it, you think, this is how I die.

Jaehyun chuckles, turning to you. You lower your gaze to the ground; it hurts to make eye contact with him. “No, little bird. This isn’t how you die, don’t worry.”

Then he’s backing away from the two of you, motioning to follow him. The logical part of your brain is screaming not to, but you find yourself drawn to him, legs carrying you after him without your consent, Mark clutching your arm tightly as he walks next to you.

Jaehyun seems to know the layout of the house, leading you straight into Mark’s bedroom. The demon grabs a chair from the desk and spins it around, straddling it so that he’s facing the bed.

He motions lazily. “Go on now, have a seat. Get comfortable.”

You find yourself sitting down on the edge of the bed, following his words like marching orders. Mark sits about half a foot away from you. Jaehyun shakes his head. “No, no, no. That won’t do. I said to get comfortable, did I not?” He raises an eyebrow as if daring you to argue with him. “Go lay down at the head board.”

You crawl to the head of the bed, settling so that you’re on your side, facing the demon. Mark follows suit, pulling you close to him so that you’re spooning. Jaehyun lets out a pleased hum. “Much better. Aren’t you much more comfortable now?” Nodding, you realize that you actually are more comfortable. It’s not just the change of position, but the energy in the room as well. The demon is no longer giving off a threatening aura. It’s more relaxed, maybe even happy? He certainly looks more relaxed, probably as happy as a demon can get, if not a little smug.

Your body is pulsing with energy, and it takes you a moment to place what you’re feeling. The earlier need to run that you had felt has been replaced with another need, albeit further down. Your thighs clench as another surge of heat pulses through your core, and your face warms at the realization. Why now, of all times, are you horny?

Jaehyun’s grin broadens as he seems to sense your dilemma. “Oh, little bird, if only you knew. Tell me, what type of demon do you think I am?” He watches you curiously, black eyes staring into your soul.

You try to tilt your head towards Mark, but the position’s too awkward and you only catch a glimpse of the side of his face. He looks a bit flushed from what you can see, teeth digging into his plush bottom lip, teeth that you could easily replace with your own- you blink, dazedly. What the fuck? Sexual thoughts about your best friend? That’s a new one. Even if you’ve noticed that he’s hot, you’d never thought about him sexually. Now, though, you can feel the hardness of his dick against your ass, and you can’t help but think about how good he could fuck you.

“Incubus,” You finally manage, blinking rapidly to clear the haze of your vision. Jaehyun grins, looking genuinely surprised that you’d gotten it right.

“Good girl. Make a little sense now?” You nod, fighting a moan as Mark starts to rock against you, slowly, as if he’s unconsciously doing it. Jaehyun notices.

“How about you, Mark? You doing alright over there?”

Your friend, your best friend, buries his face in your neck and groans, deep and delicious. It sends another surge of heat through your body, the growing need between your legs pulsing pathetically. “What are you doing to us?” The words are growled behind you, vibrating against the skin where his lips are pressed.

“Oh no, Mark, I’m not doing anything to you. The only thing I can do to you is make you realize your desires. Your deepest, darkest fantasies? I make that happen. Finally being able to fuck the girl you’ve been in love with for years? I make that happen.” The words take a minute to register with you, but you stiffen when the meaning hits you. Mark Lee, in love with you? An unlikely story, bordering impossible.

The demon chuckles at your inner turmoil, rolling his eyes at how dumb humans can be. “You too, y/n. You love Mark, even if you won’t admit it. You let the idea that he was too good for you scare you away from him. Do you not remember how often you thought of him, late at night after first meeting him?”

You groan in protest, not because it’s not true, but because you do remember. It had been so long ago. When you hadn’t known Mark, had only known of him. You pull away from Mark, awkwardly pushing him to lay flat against the pillows while you clamber on top of him.

“Mark, is it true? Do you love me?” You hold his face between your hands, staring into his eyes. He meets your gaze, pupils blown and eyes half lidded. He nods as best he can.

“So, so much.” Mark’s voice comes out raspy, matching his flushed skin. You lean down to kiss him, uncaring of the other presence in the room. Mark moans when your lips make contact, hands pulling you to straddle him. Your eyelids flutter at the feeling of his clothed cock against your center, rocking your hips to try to ease the throb of your core. His hands fly to your ass, pulling and kneading at the flesh as he urges you into a harsher pace.

The kiss is rougher, needier now, open mouthed and panting. Mark’s got his tongue tangled with yours, sucking in such a way that sends waves of heat through you. You want him in you, any part of him really.

Jaehyun seems to agree, speaking up from right next to you. You jump, having forgotten he was there although he’s the reason you’re like this in the first place.

“Let’s get the show on the road. As much as I’m enjoying this, I think we’d all enjoy something else a little more.” The demon reaches for the hem of your shirt and you nod, raising your arms above your head to let him pull the garment off. Mark groans at the newly revealed skin, hands going to cup your breasts through the fabric of your bra. “Fuck,” He whines, staring in awe at your chest. He doesn’t waste time before leaning up to kiss along your cleavage, pulling the bra down to expose your breasts. Another set of hands unclasp the bra before traveling down your torso to rub circles into your hip bones, sliding your sleeping shorts and panties off at the same time. Jaehyun throws the shorts somewhere off the bed. He keeps the panties, a pleased sigh leaving him as he appreciates the ruined fabric.

“Fuck, little bird. You’re really enjoying this,” He comments, as if he isn’t a fucking lust demon that can sense these kinds of things. You don’t voice your thoughts, because Mark chooses this moment to suck a nipple into his mouth, nibbling and sucking on the sensitive skin so that all you can do is moan. “You’ve even ruined your panties. They’re soaked.”

He hands the strip of lace to Mark, who lets out a throaty groan at the sight. “You’re not getting these back.” He informs you, slipping the garment into his bedside drawer. You ignore him, instead tugging insistently at his shirt. He takes pity on you, grabbing the collar and yanking the baggy tee over his head.

You let your hands slide down his chest in admiration, feeling the hard lines of his muscles. You lick your lips at how broad his shoulders are, how strong he looks. Jaehyun doesn’t give you much time to enjoy the view, gliding two fingers along your slit before circling around your little nub. A cry of pleasure leaves you to mindlessly press your face into Mark’s collarbone, nipping and sucking the flesh until you’re sure you’ve left a bruise.

Jaehyun slips the two fingers into your aching core, curling and dragging them so well along your walls. Sparks of electricity flow through your veins, heat pooling in your center.

Mark groans from below you. Looking down, you see that you’ve unconsciously dug your nails into his hard chest in an effort to ground yourself. You remove your hands, only to spot little red half crescents littered over his skin. You rub your palms over the marks as if to soothe them, but it seems that the man wasn’t groaning from pain.

“Y/n” He sounds so fucked out, voice hoarse and raw even though hardly anything has happened yet. “You look so good like this, so perfect for me.” He brings one large hand up to cup your cheek, thumb delicately stroking over your cheekbone before moving down to trace your lower lip. You part your lips, letting him slide in before sucking around the digit, tongue curling around it as if it were his cock. His eyes darken a fraction, tongue coming out to wet his lips, swollen and kiss bitten.

You moan around the digit as Jaehyun adds a third finger, stretching your walls so pleasantly that you can’t help but buck your hips back for more. A whine forces its way out of your throat as the demon pulls his fingers out of you, leaving an empty ache between your thighs.

“Don’t you think it would be more fun if she was sucking on something a bit bigger than your finger, Mark?” The voice startles you, breath tickling your ear as he speaks. The man under you nods, swallowing thickly. Your eyes are drawn to the way his Adam’s apple bobs with the movement, and a gush of wetness pulses down below. Your thighs are probably covered in your arousal at this point.

You scoot down his body, trailing kisses and bites down his toned stomach. You take your time unzipping his pants, sucking a mark into the soft skin below his navel. He’s hard as a rock, and you moan in appreciation at the sheer size of him once you shimmy his jeans down his thighs.

“No underwear?” You ask, mouth curling up in a teasing smirk. He huffs out a laugh, propping himself up on his elbows so that he can watch. “No, ‘s too restricting.”

You lazily pump his dick, thumb flicking over the tip once or twice. You plan to tease him more, but then Jaehyun’s pushing your head down and you have no choice but to open your mouth wide, innocent eyes peeking up at Mark as you take his cock in your mouth. He’s so big that you can’t take him in all the way, keeping one hand curled around his cock to stroke what your mouth can’t reach. You let it get sloppy, using your spit to ease the glide until you’ve got a pleasant rhythm going. Mark replaces Jaehyun’s hands with his own, gathering strands of your hair in his palms and using that grip to control your pace. “F-fuck,” He lets out a shaky exhale, letting his head fall back against the pillows once he’s satisfied with the pace.

Jaehyun slaps your ass, a loud smack sounding throughout the room. You moan, pitching forward onto Mark’s cock and gagging as he hits the back of your throat. A strangled cry leaves the man above you, his hips thrusting even further into the tight, wet heat of your mouth.

The demon kneads your stinging flesh before using his grip on you to pull your hips up. “Good girl,” You keen under his praises, sticking your ass up even higher. The warm, wet pressure against your center has you faltering, moaning almost violently around Mark’s cock. He doesn’t seem to be having any complaints, the vibrations forcing a moan of his own out.

Your eyes roll up into your head as Jaehyun wraps his lips around your clit, sucking harshly. You’re sure you’d be screaming by now if Mark’s cock wasn’t halfway down your throat. You’ve given up sucking him off by this point, content to let the man fuck your mouth while Jaehyun sucks your fucking soul out from between your legs. It feels so good, not used to being the center of even one man’s focus, let alone two.

Mark eases you off of his cock after you accidentally bite him, using your spit to ease the slide as he lazily fucks up into his loose fist. You rest your head on his thigh, alternating between moaning wantonly and mouthing messily against the skin as you feel your orgasm approach.

Jaehyun pulls away at the last second, and you whine loudly as your orgasm is cut off. The feeling of frustration leaves you close to tears, and you jiggle your ass in hopes that it will regain his attention. It does momentarily, as Jaehyun lands a harsh smack on the flesh, but he pulls away again.

“Mark,” The man in question looks up, hand freezing on his dick as if waiting for Jaehyun’s orders. And fuck, what a sight that would be: your normally brash and confident friend being so pliant and submissive to a near stranger… You blink out of it, feeling mildly ashamed even in your current state. Luckily, Jaehyun interrupts your thoughts. “I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll let you go first. You’ve been waiting long enough for this, anyway.”

Mark nods eagerly, pulling you into a desperate kiss. You paw at every inch of skin you can reach, searching for a release from the ache inside of you. Your wish is granted when he hooks two fingers in your soaking cunt, groaning at how wet you are. He scissors you open quickly, hissing at how tight you feel.

“Ready, angel? Want my cock?” The pet name has you moaning, though it draws a low chuckle from Jaehyun, who’s watching from his position next to Mark.

“Hurry up, already. Need you in me, ‘ve waited so long.”

Mark lights up at this, smile stretching his features. He looks so breathtaking in this moment, skin glowing and flushed, hair mussed up, eyes blown wide and half lidded.

“I’m yours,” He breathes, leaning up for one last kiss. His hands slide down to your hips, pulling you forward so that you’re hovering above his thick cock. “Ride me baby.”

“I’d love to.” Reaching one hand down to position him at your entrance, you start to lower yourself down. Of course, Jaehyun chooses this exact moment to stop you. He truly is the spawn of Satan.

“Little bird, hold on just a second. I found something of interest in the back of Markie’s brain.” You cringe as he mocks your earlier nickname for the man. “What’s this I’m seeing, Mark? You like it up the ass?” His tone is teasing, but Mark groans in embarrassment. His face has gone an alarming shade of red by this point. “N-no,” He tries to deny, sputtering excuses but Jaehyun cuts him off with a press of a finger to his lips. “Oh, Mark, don’t get shy on me now. It’s a perfectly fine thing to like. Little bird, you’ll get your turn in a minute. You,” He snaps his fingers at Mark. “Come here. Kneel up, just like that. Perfect.” He appraises Mark’s ass for a moment, hands moulding the flesh before slipping a finger in. Mark’s eyebrows furrow, and you shoot up in alarm. “Doesn’t he need lube?”

Jaehyun looks at you, surprised that you care, before chuckling. “I can produce lube. Perks of being a lust demon.” Winking at you, he returns his focus to Mark. You can’t see what he’s doing, but the pure pleasure present on your best friends face has you clenching your thighs together, waves of need crashing through you. If you thought he looked good before, he looks absolutely gone now. Breathless groans are leaving him now, eyelids fighting to stay open as he sinks down on the others fingers. You watch him, mesmerized, before shuffling over to him.

“How close are you?”

He forces his gaze down to you. “Kind of- nngh- close, w-why?” 

Wrapping a hand around his base lightly, you start stroking. “Will you come if I blow you?”

He moans, a punched out sound that takes you by surprise. “Fuck, yes, I’ll definitely come if you blow me.” You pout in disappointment. Upon seeing your crestfallen expression, he continues. “Maybe we c-can- oh, yes- figure something out. Jaehyun,” He turns his head back behind him, struggling to get the words out between moans. “Can I eat y/n out?”

There’s just something so hot about Mark asking for permission from someone else that you can’t help the whimper that escapes you. Jaehyun must nod, because then you’re being laid back, Mark settling between your thighs. He’s sucking sweet kisses into your core almost immediately, pulling your legs over his shoulders to give him better access. You’re letting out sharp cries of pleasure the whole time, eyes fighting the urge to roll back in your head in favor of watching Mark between your legs. A particularly well placed flick of his tongue has your hips rolling against his face, grasping the sheets in your hand as your mind blanks. The pleasure climbing through your system is insane, threatening to burn you from the inside out.

It only gets better once Mark starts moaning, his sinful mouth sending sweet vibrations traveling up your core. You manage to catch sight of Jaehyun behind him, kissing wetly along his shoulders and neck, features curving into a smirk once he notices you watching him.

“Little bird likes this, hmm? Like watching another man pleasure your boyfriend while he pleases you?” You hum, unable to tear yourself away from his gaze, unable to even think, letting his boyfriend comment slide. Whereas before it hurt to look directly into his eyes, you now find yourself getting lost in his dark orbs. It’s like a drug, your pleasure being amplified by the man, demon, whatever in front of you.

You finally break eye contact, head falling back against the mattress as Mark draws you closer and closer to your peak. Burying one hand in his hair, you use the leverage to grind your core against his face, chasing your sweet release. “C-close, Mark, please-” You don’t know what you’re begging for at this point. It’s too much but not enough at the same time. Jaehyun saves you from having to decide by cruelly ripping your orgasm away from you, again, dragging Mark’s face away from your pussy.

A few tears slip down your face at this point, frustration reaching its peak. Jaehyun wipes the tears away, laughing lowly. “Don’t worry, you’ll get what you desire soon.”

He must pull out of Mark, because your friend whimpers before seeming to realize what he just did and clears his throat uncomfortably.

“Mark, would you like to fuck our little bird now?” Mark nods, tongue flicking out to wet dry lips.

Jaehyun smirks. “Good. On your back. Y/n, ride him.” You don’t have to be told twice. You scramble onto your knees, wasting no time in straddling Mark before dropping yourself down on him. You both moan in satisfaction, you at finally being filled and Mark at your tightness. You have to brace both hands on his chest, almost collapsing at the overwhelming relief you feel. Beyond the burn of the stretch, his cock filling you up so nicely, there’s a sweet pleasure, a satisfaction.

You don’t wait very long to adjust, grinding your hips in smooth circles before lifting yourself off of him and dropping yourself back down. You quickly start a rhythm of you bouncing on his cock, eyes rolling at how fucking big he feels in you.

Mark’s hands are locked in a vice grip on your ass, fingers digging into the supple flesh and using his grip to urge you into a faster pace.

Jaehyun decides to join, coming up behind you to kiss at your neck, one hand reaching up to your mouth. “Suck,” He commands, slipping two fingers past your willing lips. You do, hollowing your cheeks and slurping around the digits, wishing that it was his dick. He hums behind you, bringing the wet digits down to your entrance, finding your clit with ease and rubbing fast circles into the little nub. You moan even louder now, feeling yourself speed towards your climax. You’ve been on edge for too long, you can’t hold on anymore.

“You close, little bird? Going to come on Mark’s cock? Gonna make him fill you up, pound into that dirty cunt?” His words get to you, your head falling back against his shoulder once more.

“Yes, yes! Oh, please, please-” He cuts off your mindless rambling by pulling you in for a kiss, one that you melt into. This is the first time he’s kissed you, and you’re quite upset that you hadn’t kissed him earlier. It’s a hot kiss, lots of tongue and teeth. It heightens your pleasure immensely, and you can’t stop kissing him. You suck on his tongue filthily, and oh, he must like that if the resulting groan is anything to go by. Even when he goes to pull away, you won’t let him, one hand fisting in his hair to keep him close. He seems to be speeding up your release, if that were even possible. Your mind feels hazier now, every sensation heightened, core screaming for release. You feel your orgasm twisting painfully at your insides, pulsing before finally exploding. The intensity of it rips a scream out of your throat, nails scratching across Mark’s chest as Jaehyun licks even deeper into your mouth, drinking up the noises you make.

When you come down, Mark is still thrusting desperately up into you, though he stops at the demons command. “From behind,” You hear Jaehyun say, but everything’s hazy at this point. Your mind is still fuzzy from your orgasm, and it’s like watching through a screen. Like you’re high, though you hadn’t had anything the whole day.

Mark manhandles you into position, hands and knees with your ass raised high in the air. He leaves one gentle kiss on your shoulder blade before relentlessly pounding into you, cock hitting even deeper in this position. Jaehyun kneels in front of you, pulling your face in towards his cock. You moan around him as he slips inside, mouth not quite burning at the stretch like Mark, though the demon still has you gagging. His cock has the same effect on you as his kisses did, and you feel addicted. You’re slurping and sucking and moaning around him, not wanting the intense pleasure to stop. You barely hear the kissing above you, taking far too long to register that Jaehyun has pulled Mark into a messy kiss above you. The image has you moaning even more wantonly, ass pushing back against Mark.

The kiss seems to have a similar effect on the man, because then he’s slamming into you at an even more relentless rate, moans higher and more frequent before he’s coming with a shout, finally filling you up. Your core pulses again at the feeling, and you suck at Jaehyun’s dick with renewed vigor. His hands fist in your hair, keeping you still so that he can fuck your mouth as hard as he wants. You relish in the feeling of your throat being fucked raw, spit dripping out of your mouth and down his cock. He lets out a deep groan, hips slamming deep one last time as he finishes. His cum seems to ignite a fire within you, because you’re coming almost simultaneously with him, despite not even being touched.

You collapse afterwards, dragging yourself to Mark and letting him drape himself over you. You let yourself drift off to sleep, sated and still riding the high.

The demon kisses each of you one last time, drinking in the last remaining parts of your soul, watching as the two humans take their last breaths. “Thanks for the meal, lovelies.” He chuckles, petting your head almost affectionately before walking out into the night sky, not sparing a single glance back.

[erodasfishtacos]

Not Your Charity Case

prompt: Harry is a frat boy - who doesn’t need sympathy from anyone. He makes Y/N feel a sense of home when they’re together. But is Harry just like every stereotypical frat boy?

word count: 6.2k 

warnings: minor violence, language, deaf!harry, smutttt

other: when Harry is talking to Y/N or any other characters - it is to be noted that he is signing. When Y/N talks to Harry - she is also always signing

Let me know if you’d want to see anything else from this verse:)

+++

You were rushed - you really shouldn’t stop at the local coffee shop for a sugary, delicious mocha chip frappuccino.

Despite what people say, professors are much more lax and carefree in college.

It was about two weeks into the new semester, - your third here- and the seasons were changing - becoming autumn.

Chilled breezes, falling leaves, and vivid colors of nature made you happy.

When you arrive in line, there are two people ahead of you. A girl currently in front of the cashier and a tall male with a red and black flannel on behind her- typing away on his phone.

When she moves to the left, the broad man steps forward. His snapback facing backwards, brown curls dancing around his neck. You can’t help but notice how tall and lean he is, shoulders broad and straight.

You definitely haven’t seen him before on campus. You’d remember.

From what you can see, he shows the young girl behind the counter the screen of his phone without saying anything at all.

The raven-haired girl’s face pinches in annoyance. “We don’t accept orders like that. You need to tell me what you want.”

You’re a little surprised by both the rude cashier but also the man who doesn’t respond right away.

He attempts to show her his phone again but she shakes her head - annoyed.

You become interested in the situation when I watch him sign, a few gestures before pointing to his ears. In the most obvious form of saying “I can’t hear.”

The clueless girl gives him a blank look, “Listen, there’s a line. I don’t have time for this.”

You hoped you weren’t overstepping your boundaries when you slide up next to him, tapping him on his shoulder to get his attention.

It is a bit startling how gorgeous the boy is. He was tanned with bright green-eyes and a defined jawline that was currently clenched in frustration.

You sign, “What are you trying to order?”

He studies you for a second with hesitance before his long slim fingers begin to move, slowly as if he thinks you may be inexperienced in the form of language.

He replies, “Large coffee with a little cream and two sugars.”

You squeeze in front of him, “It is not only rude but illegal to not serve based on disabilities. Refusing an order from a deaf person isn’t moral or acceptable.”

The girl has enough decency to mumble an apology and turned bright pink, “Sorry, he doesn’t look deaf. “You roll your eyes - how can you tell that someone is deaf based on solely appearance? This girls a fucking idiot, you think.

You repeat his order to her, along with yours - sliding your debit card towards her and give her your name for the order.

The man trails behind you to the small waiting area. “Thank you,” he signs simply. You nod and return the pleasantry. The. hand him his steaming hot coffee.

“Thank you again. I’m going to be late to class, so I have to go,” he tells me, seeming a little out of place signing with a stranger.

“Go ahead, I’ll see you around.” It was the first time in a long time you’ve signed to anyone outside your family.

+++

Sipping your drink as you are only five minutes late and the class hasn’t even started yet. The man you just helped was sat in the back of the classroom, unloading his laptop.

With a little bravery, you wriggle your way through and plop into the wooden chair easily. Letting your backpack fall to the ground. Curly looks over at you with a frown, he signs, “Why are you sitting next to me?”

You blush, “I don’t know? Thought it’d be good to have someone to talk to.”

His hands are tense as he replies, “I’m not a charity case, so you can leave me alone.”

“Never said you were,” you huff when you tell him. Not appreciating how rude he was being. Signing had its own tones and expressions so to speak. For example, when someone is happy their signs and movements are different than when they’re sad or frustrated.

Harry seems to be the latter. You wrestle out your laptop to the PowerPoint that was going to be discussed today in class. You noticed Harry stared very intently at the professor to read his lips and expression.

You was surprised he didn’t have an interpreter with him but you’re sure he got special accommodations elsewhere. Even though that was absolutely none of your business.

His shoulders are tensed and he makes sure your arms don’t brush like you have cooties for the entire two hours. The nameless boy is up and out of his seat as soon as the professor shuts off the projector and turns on the lights - signaling class to be over.

Well fuck him then.

***

You don’t make the mistake to sit next him again. But that doesn’t mean you could ogle his strong muscular back and big hands.

It wasn’t your place to care but you felt twinges in your tummy when you noticed him struggling to keep up with the fast-speed class on certain days.

You were in the large, rustic library that smelled of old books and damp wallpaper. It was dead silent as people furiously studied or worked on papers due.

As you paced the shelves, you could not find the book you needed for your American Literature class. Fuck the Dewey Decimal System.

Part-time uni students probably just stuffed returned books in any open space they saw fit. But you need this book in particular, a discussion board post due by midnight and it was currently eight-thirty. They had ran out of copies at the on-campus bookstore.

After a valiant effort, you trudge up to the checkout counter. A little sign reads, “ring me if no ones here!”

You impatiently ring the silver bell. But no one comes. You give whoever is working a minute or two but nothing. Another ring it is.

Silence. No one. Of fucking course, luck is not on your side tonight.

You dramatically clunk your head onto the high counter top in front of you - groaning at the fact you may fail the assignment.

A tentative pat on your shoulder makes you snap your head up. To see the boy you’ve been constantly avoiding standing behind the checkout desk.

“Are you okay?” He asks. He had a name-tag on - Harry. He honestly looked a bit out of place. Harry appeared to be a frat boy. He was still had a boyish air about him but an intensity that was unmatchable.

He didn’t look like he would work in the library. He looked like...well he looked like he would be a beer pong referee or something.

You couldn’t see below his torso but he had a plain black snapback on and a vintage Elton John concert tee. A cross necklace dangling over the worn shirt.

You smile, embarrassed, but reply, “Just being dramatic. I can’t find a book and I was waiting here.”

There’s mirth in his eyes when he points to the bell,”Did you ring the bell?”

Your brows furrow, “I did.”

“Well I can’t hear it, I’m deaf,” he deadpans with a straight face and a dry sense of humor.

You roll your eyes, laughing nervously, “I didn’t know you were working!”

“What do you need?”

He helps you locate the book in two minutes flat before checking you out and you rushing home to finish the homework.

You felt bad ignoring your little sister’s FaceTime calls but you promised to call her back tomorrow. 

***

Though once again, you hadn’t interacted with Harry since last week - you constantly found yourself studying his stoic profile or fast moving fingers.

You would never befriend Harry because you feel bad for him - like he presumed. You enjoyed American Sign Language and it actually made you feel back at home.

You’re little sister was born completely deaf. She was much younger than you - eight years old. Fifteen years apart to be exact. You learned the language along with her and your parents.

When you were at home and your sister was there - you guys tried to only sign so she didn’t feel left out. So Harry felt like home - a little despite his completely off-putting demeanor. It made you a little bit more persistent than with any other frat boy.

***

The bulletin board in your advisor’s office caught your eyes. None of the little tabs ripped off in interest.

‘Student with ASL experience and above a 3.5 GPA needed for tutoring sessions - twice weekly. $16 dollars an hour.’

After your meeting, you tugged the little scrap of paper off and tuck it into your pocket. You couldn’t know for sure if it was Harry but you didn’t know of any other deaf students in the program.

You say ‘fuck it’ and type out an email to the advisor of academic affairs and accommodations to throw your hat in the ring.

***

You don’t hear back for three days - nearly forgetting about it in the mean time. Your eyes scan quickly over the email to grant you the position. They include contact information for no other than Harry Styles.

After psyching yourself out a little and a few paces across your kitchen tiles - you text him.

Hey! I’m your new assigned tutor. Would you like to set up a time and place? As well as what kind of help you’re looking for.

The reply text comes shortly after

Hello, thank you very much. I am just in need of hearing ears. I am deaf and have a hard time keeping up with the my professor. I have begun recording the lectures in hope that you can sign then to me.

Sure thing. That won’t be a problem!

I live in Alpha Sigma on 3rd street. I have my own room. I’d rather not have the tutoring session in public. However, if that makes you uncomfortable - we can figure something out.

You take a minute to debate. You understand why this would be a task too loud for the library and why he’d want privacy. You didn’t feel like I’d be uncomfortable with him.

I saw twice a week so does Tuesday and Thursday at seven work?

Sounds great. Thank you again x

Did he know it was me? Was he expecting it to me?

***

He was definitely not expecting you. You automatically knew that by the way his friendly smile dissipated into a frown when he opened the door for you.

You attempted to look nice today without trying too hard. A loose crop top with the university’s name, a pair of tight black leggings, bulky white socks bunched at your ankles, and white sneakers. Very 80’s.

You try to keep your composure, “Hi Harry, I’m going to be your tutor.”

He slowly nods at you, huffing out a breathe of irritation before inviting you into the frat house.

You’d only been here once or twice for a party so you had no idea what the house actually looked like when there weren’t bodies and booze everywhere.

He’s walking you past a group of boys playing FIFA on the flatscreen in the living room, white claws open everywhere.

“Y/N! Hey babe!” You look over to see Niall - one of your good friends from your part-time job at the bookstore - trotting over to you guys.

The blonde pulls you into an overexcited hug. He reminded you of a cuddly, soft puppy dog most of the time.

“Are you Harry’s little tutor?” Niall coos, leaning over to pinch Harry’s cheek. 

Harry- who was observing the conversation, focusing in on our lips, immediately bats his friend away. A small scowl forming on his face.

It automatically turns into a playful brawl where Niall tugs Harry into headlock. But he has no strength on the brunette.

Harry turns out of it quickly and pushes Niall to the ground. He straddles his stomach and begins to jokingly pinch and slap at him.

Niall hisses, “Ouch! You motherfucker! Big oaf!”

Then you don’t know why you find this endearing but Niall signs the word, “uncle” a few times to signal he’s accepted his lost.

The fact that they wrestle so much that Niall learned to sign how to give up made you giggle more than it should.

Harry crawls off of him, running a hand through his messy curls, his face a little flushed.

“I’ll talk to you later!” You tell Niall as your trailing behind Harry up a flight of stairs.

His room is extremely neat. A fluffy navy comfort decorated his bed with a few photos of flowers and nature on his wall. A tidy desk tucked away in the corner that had all of his school work loaded on top of it.

He chooses to sit in his desk chair, motioning for you to perch on his bed. You look at him expectantly when he pulls out the tape recorder and sets it on the surface.

He pulls his laptop into his lap and begins signing, “I need you to transcribe the lecture for me so I can follow it. We can skip through the bits where he is rambling or off topic.”

You nod, letting him know to begin whenever he’s ready. He presses the side button and the recording starts but it super unclear and garbled.

“Did you record this from your seat?” You ask, the professors words nearly inaudible and fuzzy.

“Yes.”

“You need to bring it to the front of the room. Ask Dr. Morrison  to lay it on his desk before class. I can’t hear anything but static and mumbles,” You tell him.

He laughs and shakes his head. His movements rough and angry, “Of course its fucked up. I get you as my tutor and then the recorder is shit.”

You glare at him, offended as you haven’t done anything to this boy. “Excuse me? I’ve literally been trying to help since I’ve meet you. What is your fucking issue?”

“I’m not a charity case! I don’t need you to feel bad for me. I’m not helpless! You’re probably just a silly little girl who took ASL in high school because it was cool and trendy. Go back to focusing on psych.”

“Fuck you, Harry,” Your gestures getting sharper and your face sour, “You know nothing about me so don’t act like you do. I don’t feel bad for you or think that you’re helpless.” You put up a hand and tell him to not talk.

“I was just being nice because I thought you were handsome and at first, seemed friendly. It turns out you’re just like every douchebag frat boy I’ve met. What a disappointment,” You chuckle, swinging your bag on your shoulder and storm out of the room without another look.

***

The cafe was jammed packed - it was Waffle Wednesday. You had said waffles in your tray and were about to plop down on a stool when you hear your name being called.

“C’mere, come sit with us!” He hollers over the commotion of the crowd. Niall.

You’re about to decline when some dude slips behind you and snags the stool. Shit.

A bit unwillingly you slide into the booth next to Niall, cracking open your sparkling water. “Mates, this is Y/N, we work at the store together and she’s Harry’s tutor,” he tells them. “Y/N, this is Liam and Louis.”

“Hello,” you try your best to come off as friendly even though you can feel Harry’s glare on the side of your face. You ended up falling to easy conversation with the boys. Niall has a very limited ASL vocabulary but tries.

The boys are also trying to talk slower and more pronounced so Harry can watch and understand. A couple of times he taps Niall on the wrist to repeat what was going on.

Your phone begins buzzing and you apologize for the interruption. It’s your little sister, Mazie, FaceTiming.

You answer the phone with a frown, signing “Aren’t you suppose to be in school?”

Mazie looks upset, eyes a little watery. She gestures back, “I left early. I’m sick.”

“Are you really sick or where you getting bullied again?” You asks her.

Your sister hesitates before sniffling, “You already know. I hate my school.” 

Mazie has had other children bully her for her disability since she started preschool and it as still happening in fourth grade.

“What can I do to help?” You frown, never wanting to see your baby sister cry.

You chat for a few minutes to help her calm down. When the phone call ends, you don’t realize that all the boys were watching you in interest. Harry in particular, keeps his focus on you with a wrinkled forehead.

“My sister’s deaf,” You tell them. The whole time you’ve been sitting with them you’ve been signing and verbally speaking to help everyone be able to be included in the conversation.

“That’s sick!” Louis says, smacking Harry’s arm. “Just like our lad Harry.” 

Harry grumbles when Louis shakes him a little. It seems like the boys loved to physically interact with Harry which was endearing.

Harry allows him to for a moment before he flicks his cheek hard and laughs when Louis flinches. The conversation goes back to normal.

***

Harry jogs up to you after your group shares farewells and a few punches. You pointedly ignore him as you trek to the class you two have together so it’s not like he can’t walk this way too.

“Please, wait,” Harry asks. He walks in front of you.

“What do you want?” You huff, keeping my glare firm and directed alley at him.

“I’m sorry. I made the wrong assumption.”

“You made a lot of wrong assumptions. The fact that you think of me so lowly is sad. I’ve been nothing but nice,” You try not to focus on his large palms that curve over the caps of your shoulders.

“I’m not very trusting of people.”

You snort rather unattractively, “No kidding”

“Can we please start over?” He asks, stepping back to give you space. He didn’t realize how close he’d been standing to you until your hair wisps across his nose.

“One more chance, Styles.”

Harry lays a hand on your upper arm and squeeze lightly before signing the simple gesture of ‘thank you.’

***

It turns out Harry is very handsy and physically affectionate. It wasn’t creepy though or something that ever made you feel uncomfortable.

You were still tutoring him but you hung around the frat with Harry nearly everyday. The days you just wanted to lay in bed resulted in a grumpy FaceTime from Harry.

Harry once stated during a tutoring session, “It is easier for me to show how I’m feeling with touch than words. If I ever make you uncomfortable - please tell me and I will stop.”

You smile slyly at his words that sounded more like a question, asking if he can touch you. “I guess I’ll let you feel me up every now in again.”

He giggles and looks down wolfishly - like an entertaining thought is dancing around in his mind.

You tuck your finger under his chin to gaze at you. “In all seriousness, I give you my consent to show your feelings with physical touch. I trust you and know you won’t do anything to make me uncomfortable.”

The curly-haired brunette smiles happily, his hand cupping the side of your neck and brushing over your pulse point.

He hadn’t touched you here before and it seems like it was his first goal to do so once he got permission. You can’t help but take in a deep gasp of air. You prayed he didn’t notice but by the small lift of his lips he did.

The simple touch made a flame of arousal swirl in your lower stomach. You felt like you were about to start sweating.

“Anyways,” You clear your throat and snatch back up the recorder. It now had better quality after Harry listened to you about placement.

***

The frat house was ridiculously full of drunk college students. Everybody on the dance floor was sweaty and sticky with a variety of different substances.

Niall had invited you - so you were searching about for him. Pushing through the crowd and nobody was able to hear you say ‘excuse me.’

You finally found fresh air in the backyard where beer pong and cornhole were set up. Niall was tossing his ball across the table, trying to splash in Liam’s red solo cups.

Harry was sitting on a cushioned patio chair, watching the game commence. Maybe he was a beer pong referee after all. 

He looked so fucking good tonight. He had a yellow snapback taming his curls - backwards of course. A black Rage Against the Machine shirt and his signature black skinny jeans. **

You made eye contact and were about to wave when a girl plopped down in the seat across from him.

Awkwardly you turn away, greeting the other boys and taking a seat in a lawn chair to watch them start their third round of the game.

Your eyes keep darting over to Harry who is staring blankly at the girl. She starts stroking his biceps and tracing across the tattoos like they belong to her.

Harry is attempting to let her know he’s not interested. His signs uselessly as she’s staring at his lips and not hands.

You’re moving before you know it, without another thought, you squeeze in between the two - separating them. You dramatically slide into his lap, funnily enough one strong arm wrapping happily around your middle.

The pretty blonde pouts out her lips, “Is he your boyfriend?”

Before you’re able to reply, Harry signs the obvious signal for ‘yes’ to the girl. Then rudely makes the shooing gesture. She’s up with a huff and stomping back towards the house.

Harry turns you sideways on his lap so that you two can see each other’s hands, “You saved me.”

“You’re just such a stud, have to protect you,” You joke - but not really.

He raising his eyebrows and smiles, “You were jealous.” It was a statement not a question.

You blush wildly, avoiding eye contact which you know he hates. He hates anytime you cut off ways of communication.

Harry taps your lips until you look up at him, “it’s really fucking sexy when you are.” A perk of sign language. He could dirty talk just about anywhere and mostly no one would ever know.

His thumb drags on your full bottom lip, signing clumsily with one hand so you had to use context clues to piece it together “Don’t think I forgot when you called me handsome a few months ago.”

“I don’t remember, doesn’t sound like me,” You boldly lie, snickering and nipping at the top of his thumb

His eyes become a shade darker when your teeth meet his skin. He presses his thumb further in until it’s in-between your teeth. The moment is broken when Niall screams, “Styles! You’re up next!”

**

You and Harry become separated after you spent nearly two hours watching all these drunk boys play beer pong. Harry was ridiculously good at the game and only had to drink two cups from the table.

You had wandered back into the house where the party had died down. There were only a handful of stragglers left but mostly just the fraternity brothers and their close friends.

With a fresh alcoholic seltzer in your hand - you didn’t trust open bottles at parties like this - you gaze at Harry through the back window.

Harry was being jumped by Liam and Niall. He was snarling playfully as Liam toppled them all over into the grass. Niall tries to stand up but Harry’s hand wraps around his ankle and makes him fall right back on his bum with a girlish squeal.

Niall leans over to give Harry a wet-willy but Liam manages to throw a plastic cup directly at Niall’s forehead. Harry and the other boys dissolve in childish giggles. Faces red from laughter and liquor. You feel a smile painted fondly on your lips from watching them.

“Hey, Y/N right?” A voice interrupts from behind.

You spin to face a guy you barely recognize from a previous class you shared. You smile nonetheless, “Hi...”

“Jake, Jake from Social Constructs and Society last semester.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right,” You smile and allow him to talk your ear off because you struggle to say ‘no.’ He was fine, nothing special, typical business major who thought he was hot shit because his daddy owned a golf course he wanted to take you to.

It was a normal conversation until his voice gets lower as if he’s trying to be more seductive, “Want to head to a room with me?” He nods towards the staircase.

You chuckle in disbelief at his bold and forward question. “No thank you, I’m good.” You really had eyes for one person right now and he was currently cussing out Niall in sign language in the backyard before tackling him once again to the ground.

“C’mon, I can really show you a good time,” He persuades persistently, stepping into your space - causing your nervousness to spike.

“I said - no thank you,”You bite out, starting to feel scared when he blocks your way out of the kitchen and presses himself against you and the counter.

“You’re really something gorgeous, you know?” He asks, ignoring my struggles to get away from him.

“Stop touching me!” You scream, hoping Niall or one of the boys would hear your wail. He puts a hand up to your mouth to muffle you but that only results in you biting him.

“Fucking bitch!” He cries out, pulling his hand back and winding up to either punch or slap you right in the face. You prepare for the impact.

Then in a blink off an eye, it becomes a blur, a muscular figure is crashing into Jake with full force and knocking him straight into the linoleum floor with a loud crash.

It’s Harry. Broad shoulders and thick but lean tattooed biceps. He’s standing over the harasser and drops on top of him. It shouldn’t look as graceful and tactful as it does.

You’d never seen anything like this from Harry before. Once you really got to know him - he was a gentle giant who liked romantic comedies, soft blankets, and vanilla cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles.

Harry’s fist is repeatedly connecting with the dark-haired boy’s jaw with full force. The only noise is from Jake as Harry is dead silent but his eyes zeroed in on the target.

When blood begins gushing from the man’s nose - Niall and Liam decide it times to physically pull Harry up. Harry had a slight red mark on his jaw when Jake had managed one punch before being defeated quickly.

Harry signs to Niall, “Tell him.”

Niall places his foot on the dude’s chest to keep him down, “My mate wants to let you know if you touch her again we’re not going to pull him off and he’ll gladly beat you to a fucking pulp.”

Jake groans, clutching his nose to stop the bleeding, “Fuckin’ asshole.” 

You were still blown away as you watch Harry’s heaving chest as he glares down at the boy. His fist clenched and knuckle bloody and swollen. Harry’s attention turns towards you. His furious expression melts into worry. You can read his face so clearly. He’s afraid he’s scared you off.

It was hard to believe you had this drop dead gorgeous frat boy defending you past midnight on a Friday night. A boy who didn’t need to hear but just to see you needed help to step in.

All your desires and lusts after the man in front of you burst like a rubber-band and the urge to have him felt uncontrollable. “Take me upstairs,” you demand quickly, arousal creeping up your spine.

He doesn’t understand you’re extremely turned on. Instead he looks like a kicked dog who’s about to get in trouble again.

Nevertheless, he takes your hand and maneuvers out of the kitchen and up the stairs until his bedroom door is closed.

Harry lips are turned down unhappily as he begins, “I’m sorry, love. I...” he pauses a moment before continuing. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I hope you don’t think less of me.”

You look him dead in the eye and sign, “Kiss me.”

He blinks slowly at you like he just hallucinate the gestures.

So you repeat your motions, slow and with intent, “Kiss me, touch me, do something.” No more time is wasted as he is stepping in front of you and cupping your face in his hands.

Without any hesitation now, he pressing a bruising kiss to your lips - taking your bottom one between his and sucking.

Your hands are immediately tugging at the hem of his vintage shirt, pulling apart to bring it over his head. Dark ink decorates his torso, for some reason something you weren’t expecting. A butterfly on his abdomen, two fern branches, tattoos on his side.

Harry chuckles, “This is new to me.”

Your eyes go wide and you sign, “You’re a virgin?”

Harry snorts and rolls his eyes before telling you, “God no. I mean I’ve never been able to really communicate during sex.”

Then before You can speak, he cuts in a bit frantically, “I’ve always gotten consent - not like that. I mean-“ You cut him off with a kiss - knowing he would never do anything you didn’t want.

You wanted everything from him.

“If you’d believe it, I like a bit of dirty talk when I fuck - but no one understands what I’m saying,” He tries to crack a joke but for some reason seems insecure and nervous.

“Hey,” You take his chin so he shyly meets your eye, “I can’t wait to hear it - you’ve already made me so wet.” His eyes light up like a kid on Christmas.

“You’re such a good girl,” he signs before tugging off your shirt and instantly finding your lips again. His hands are skillful as they unclasp your bra without any struggle and tosses it.

You tugs a bit as his hair to show your enjoyment as his tongue finds your nipple - lapping before taking it between his teeth. As good as it feels, you want him to feel even better.

You push him back until he’s sitting in the edge of the bed, legs spread and hands behind him on either side holding him up. Jaw clenched with arousal and restraint.

He’s pressed against the zipper of his jeans. And all you wanted to do was see him in all of his glory. You’re quick to undo the button and determined to get the finicky zipper down as well.

His fingers come beneath your chin until you’re looking at his sparkling eyes, a look of lust made his lids a little droopier and his mouth slack from heavy-breathing.

“Are you sure you want to? You don’t have to - I want to eat your pussy either way, pet,” He signs, leaning in for a slow, wet kiss.

You sign back with a pout, “Shut the fuck up.” He huffs out a laugh, letting go of your chin and wrapping a hand in your hair to keep it out of your face.

As soon as he’s helping you wriggle his briefs and jeans down his narrow hips, you’re met with the prettiest cock you’ve ever seen.

When you make eye contact with Harry, he raises a eyebrow and grins cockily, “Is it nice enough for your liking, love?”

You nod breathlessly - wasting no more time before ducking down to take him to your mouth, a slight burning in your throat from how big he is.

His hands keep ahold of your hair, thumbs pressed against your temples as you bob down his length with sloppy, warm licks.

Harry’s moaning as you pop off to kiss and suck at the underside of him, hands coming to cup and roll his balls. It is a few moments later when he taps your cheek to get your attention, one hand leaving his hair to sign that he’s close.

Your mouth speeds up, wanting to give him all the pleasure you could. Your hand coming to stroke at what couldn’t fit in your mouth, pumping quickly.

Before you know it, Harry’s rutting his hips upwards and coming with a long, deep moan from the rumbles of his chest. He’s pulling you up into his lap, pressing appreciative kisses to your cheeks and jawline.

Big hands palming at your breasts before slipping down into your leggings, brushing softly over your mound. 

You whine and hitch forward to grind against his palm as soon as he cups you. He smiles widely at your desperation, pressing the heel of his palm harder against you to create more pressure.

You were already so wet and turned on that it wasn’t going to take much. The ball of your climax was burning low in your tummy. However, you wanted him to taste you like he said he would.

You sign, “I’m close. Please, I want your mouth on me.”

With that, he’s flipping you until you’re laid out on the bed. His hands tugging off your leggings and underwear with no further ado. “Holy shit,” He gestures, gazing all over your body and not stopping on one spot for too long.

“What?” You ask, fishing for the compliments you know he’s about to shower you in.

“You’ve got such a pretty pussy,” he signs, dimples popping in his cheeks and a curious finger traces your entrance before dipping in.

You lightly kick at his stomach, “Get on me.” He pouts, crooking his finger against your spot before pulling it out. Fucking tease.

Then his face is disappearing between your spread thighs and a strong lick is delivered from your clit all the way down to your bum.

Since he can’t hear you, you grabs handfuls off his hair. Tugging at the roots, scratching your nails into his scalp to let him know how good he is. So fucking good.

When you accidentally buck your hips hard against his mouth, you curse and run a apologetic hand through the locks. He doesn’t look up at you but lift a hand and signs, “Again.”

You absolutely whine, begging to ride him with determination - climax on the brink. He hums causing vibrations on the sensitive nerves. With that, your hips are meeting his tongue and you’re coming. His face dampening with your release - happy as a clam when he pops back up.

You can’t remember the sign for condom, so you sign, “Protection?” Harry understands right away, rustling through the drawer until he finds a stray packets, “It’s been awhile.”

“Same,” You gestures - watching as he slides it down his length and crawls overtop of you. He was pink and swollen - having to be a bit sensitive from just coming a little while ago.

“Ready, love?” He asks, pressing soft kisses to your jawline. You nod, reaching down to guide him in.

And you weren’t lying, it had been a while and he was big. The stretch wasn’t uncomfortable, just a lot. But his wet, open-mouth kisses made you stay grounded.

Harry’s moans were absolutely obscene as he slide all the way in before stopping to give you a moment. His arms strong, holding himself over you. The cold metal of his necklaces brushing against your tight nipples.

When you have him the okay, he begin giving you deep, hard strokes on each thrust. His noises so loud they had to be able to hear them downstairs. They were deep and low - rumbling in his chest with pleasure.

Then his hand is coming to your throat. For a wild moment you thought he was going to choke you but instead he rest it lightly, palm flat.

It takes you a moment - then it hits you.

Holy fuck. He is feeling the vibrations of your moans - erupting from your vocal cords. Feeling out the movement from your throat so he can feel how much you’re enjoying it.

You should be embarrassed but you can’t find it in you when you come again right on the spot. His fingertips nudging into the skin to feel the intensity as it wracks through you.

When you’re done riding out your orgasm, he reaches for the headboard behind you with his other hand, gripping it tightly as he begins to pound in with all his strength.

The bedframe is hitting the wall so loud that the whole house must be able to hear it. Hitting with every directed thrust until his mouth is dropping down into a long, timbred moan and he’s coming.

---

Later, when the two are you have settled for the night in the warmth of his bed. Harry seems a little nervous, once again. It takes him a moment to meet your eyes and brushes a strand of hair off your forehead.

“What is it?” You ask, tucked into his side. His body so solid and comforting.

“It’s corny,” Harry frowns, eyebrows furrowing as his eyes flash across your face.

“Tell me,” You insist, bringing his hand to your lips to kiss his fingertips.

“I feel like you were made for me. Like...we were meant to be together,” Harry signs, hesitant to share his thoughts. But it doesn’t scare you away. You can’t help but agree.

“I think so too,” You reply before pressing another kiss to his puffy pink lips.