#he forgot to use the signature bold letters

[b00tyliciousbabe]

"any more ideas brewing in that creative mind of yours?"

since you asked so nicely......

thicc male reader as a cute little elementary teacher. he teaches a school for celebs cause y not?

reader asked for a meeting with the kid's parents to update the parents on what's going on in school and tell them the school events that are coming and stuff like that.

all the attended are only the fathers (pick any celebs that attended cause im lazy lol) and they can't help but look as reader's bum.

and all of them just keeps teasing them to the point we're a huge gang bang happened.

i also have another one which is a little cliche.

thicc male reader as a cow hybrid and he is an indie camboy.

he's signature shows are one's that include him milking his tits when full and the viewers just go crazy.

one day while reader one doing errands or something he encountered a fan.

reader is a himbo btw lol.

anyways, the fan asked if they could have sex, the fan is like acting desperate and trying to guilt trip reader.

reader being reader he agreed and they fucked.

i also have another which is also cliche.

actor male reader who is filming a bold scene and everyone in the crew just can't help but get hard (everyone in the crew are men cause i said so)

the actor who reader us filming with is so turn on that even his wife can't make it hard to the point where when they have sex the actor thinks of reader to make it hard lol.

you can add more to all of these lol or take some out.

oh forgot to add another where thicc reader gets groped on the train (cliche but i find it hot)

anyways all of these have thicc reader and feminization in mind cause both tags are a superior combo.

YOUR MIND! incredible.

imma deffo have to use these as prompts because what?

how many letters in ‘gangbang’?

you DID that.

[alchemic-elric]

@redwaterruin || Tringham has something to discuss

⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ 'Be Thou For The People', it was an alchemist's creed. Their lifeblood. Their Modus operandi and it was supposed to be their motive behind all their actions when the came to interacting with the world's public. Not just Amestris but everyone they met.

Seems like some people forgot this somewhere along the line.

Amestris is a mess to say the least and there's no real leader at the helm. In the two years he's been gone, Amestris became a democracy since the Colonel didn't fuck it up and managed to take down ol'man Bradley. With the Fuhrer gone, it gave the country a chance to grow and evolve in the same way their alchemy had to.

It was about time they started trying to function on more than just the principal of Equivalent Exchange. It was about time, as people, they evolved too.

With the military in different hands, his status as a convict was removed and erased from his record. With the military in different hands, his status as the Fullmetal Alchemist was restored and he still didn't quite know how he completely felt about it.

These people who would look him dead in the eye on a daily basis once hunted him like an animal at the drop of orders from a leader who only knew how to lie. Blind fools clinging to duty in order to preserve their fragile understanding of honor.

One half of him was screaming at himself to quit on the spot and throw the watch that was engraved with this sins back in the face of those who ruled over these lands but the other half was telling him to stay because now that he had much more life experience than that of a twelve year old - perhaps he could finally truly do some good.

Hero of the People was what they called him, so Hero of the People is exactly who they'd get.

He'd fulfilled his promise, and restored Alphonse back to his original body so nothing else mattered anymore. He didn't need to live in his grief and his self-sabotaging depression. He could - he could focus on moving forward one step at a time.

Winry made him an even better leg, so he might as well get up and use them.

So getting a letter in the mail from the Tringhams he could say was a surprise but somehow, even though it should have been one it wasn't. Russell and Fletcher had always been close. They weren't the best people in the world but they weren't the worst either. Misguided probably but he could say that about the Elric Brothers too if he really wanted to get technical.

It had been a letter to meet in Central and honestly, he had to say that was a bold move. With the way, the elder loved to borrow things that didn't belong to him, he was surprised, he'd show his face in such a place when there were people that were bound to believe that bold faced lie. It was an awfully risky move in his opinion but still, he'd show.

He's pushing open the door to a small café downtown not that far from Central Command and the alchemist takes a moment to scan through the small shop until golden eyes settle on the sight of blond and blue. He supposed this meeting was overdue with the way Russell had yelled down at him to 'Come back alive!' the last they saw each other.

The blond is taking a seat, donned in Amestris Blue from head to toe as he shifts in his chair to make his uniform a bit more comfortable.

"I toldja I keep m'promises, Tringham. Mighta taken a bit longer than I cared fer though." He pauses with a smirk spreading across his lips, his signature braid flooding down his back a bit longer than it had been all those years ago. "So what's up? How you been?"

[sharuruwrites]

Careless Whisper Intensifies (pt.2)

Summary: A new ring to show off A maze to play hide and seek Lastly, a moment of Gojo's jealousy to give them answers they didn't know they need. A/n: Correct me if the French is wrong, because I just google translate it. Usually this chapter is uploaded the same hour as the one in AO3, but Tumblr is drunk to let me save the draft before I edit it.

Tag(s): Gojo being Gojo, Fluff turn up to the max, a dash of angst on the side (think of it as the sprinkles/powder on the cupcake made of Fluff), Jealousy, YEARNING?

Also, I would like to give special thanks to zark or xerox-candybar for beta-reading this chapter.

Word Count: 5.9k

Masterlist

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Jujutsu Kaisen as it belong to Gege Akutami. Also. I don't own the gifs.

*Bold letters meaning they’re talking in English *manju - Japanese confectionery that's filled with red adzuki beans. *De t'avoir - 'to have you' in French

--------------------------------

In the afternoon of their 3rd day of their honeymoon, the couple chose to dine at some fancy French  restaurant, De t’avoir, near their hotel after they strolled along the busy streets of the city’s shopping district.

Gojo had to pull some strings (like he always does) to secure a table without the need for reservations. Shion thanked him silently because her feet were starting to cramp. She’s not used to wearing high heels longer than an hour.

The host seated them near a window which afforded the best views of the city. Shion took note of the employee’s  sudden enthusiasm, as if he had been expecting them. 

Maybe they did have a reservation, but forgot about it? 

The moment they were given a menu, Shion buried her nose in it, thinking which food sounded delicious based on the description. Meanwhile, Gojo didn’t spare a glance at his menu and kept looking back and forth at Shion and at his pocket. 

Sensing her husband’s gaze on her, Shion put down the leather-bounded menu on the table.

“Something on your mind, Satoru?”

Her words caught Gojo by surprise as he hadn’t expected her to address him directly. He smiled sheepishly which aroused a small suspicion in Shion.

“I-It’s” Gojo stuttered before clearing his throat. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Shion looked at her husband in a skeptical manner. There shouldn’t be anything for him to be nervous about. They’re just in a nice restaurant with some nice classical music in the background.

If she’s not mistaken, the pianist was playing Nocturnes, Op.9: No.2. She constantly heard this piece whenever a fleeting yet romantic scene happened in the tv shows she watched. But there were also times this song was played to match the character’s melancholic mood.

Unless…

Shion couldn’t help but to observe her surroundings, taking note of every single detail. She needed to check to prove the sudden uneasiness in her stomach wasn’t just in her imagination. 

Fancy Restaurant? Check Totally intimate atmosphere? Check Gojo’s unusual nervousness? Check

With these facts in mind, suddenly, Shion became more aware of her surroundings. She could feel her eyes going wide, her heart rate accelerating, and her body temperature rising. 

There’s no way this idiot of hers on papers would do it here and right now! And in public?!

From Gojo’s pocket, he produced a small black velvet box and presented it to her. Inside of the box was a platinum ring. A simple yet intricate design with a small blue diamond cut gem nestled in the middle of the metallic band. Its color and shine reminded her greatly of her husband’s signature blue eyes.

"Will you marry me, darling?" Gojo asked.

Gasps and loud cheering erupted throughout the restaurant. Shion rubbed the nape of her neck, embarrassed.

Eventually, the spectators became silent, anticipating Shion’s answer. Meanwhile, the woman in question had an internal debate on what to do in this situation.

Scenario A: She would clear up the misunderstanding by telling everyone they’re already married to each other, luckily, and not other people. Although this was the truth, it would cause a very awkward situation.

Scenario B: Play along.

To save everyone the embarrassment, Shion had to choose the latter option. She and he would have a very nice discussion after lunch.

“Y-Yes!” Shion clasped her hands together. “I’ll marry you!”

“Did you really have to do that?!” Shion elbowed Gojo in his ribs.

“C’mon, don’t be such a sourpuss.” Gojo rubbed his left side, numbing the pain. “Thanks to my heartfelt proposal, we managed to get a free meal from the restaurant’s owner.”

“A meal that we can easily afford!”

“And?” Gojo pouted. “Where’s the fun in that ?”

No words of rebuttal were heard from Shion, making Gojo internally cheer at this small victory. 

“Well, did you like the ring?” He asked.

Jewelry wasn't her thing. Yes, it’s beautiful, but after rejecting many similar gifts from that Naoya Zen’in annoying cockroach, it became a nuisance to her. She had to constantly worry about losing it. Then, she actually did lose her wedding ring only two months into their marriage. 

Shion remembered the spurn she earned from her mother-in-law when the topic of the wedding ring came up. Apparently, that piece of jewelry was a family heirloom.  Shion could see the latter’s gaze hardened with disdain. Every word she spewed from her mouth made her daughter-in-law feel she’d been dragged through mud.

At first, Shion tried to establish a good relationship with her husband’s family before they got married.  Yet, it proved to be pointless when she found out that no matter how good her intentions were, they would still treat her as an outsider, and she couldn’t find in her heart to despise them. 

 She knew from firsthand experience: it’s tiring to keep on living with hate as the fuel, after all. 

However, when Gojo confessed he had lost his wedding ring as well, she found a small sense of relief in his words–although it was accompanied by a chunk of guilt.  

Shion studied the platinum ring around her finger. “How did you know my size?”

“Well…” Her husband took hold of her hand, winking at her. “I’ve held your hand enough times to tell.”

Gojo expected his wife to become a flustered mess, but she blinked and nodded. Aw, did he mess up the timing? Or was the mood not suitable? He swore what he said was  a surefire way to get his desired results.

“One thing,” Shion pulled her hand away from his grasp. “Did you put some of your cursed energy in this ring?”

“Bingo!” Gojo gave her a thumbs up. “You can think of it as my personal G.P.S if I can’t contact you with my phone.”

Completely ignoring the last part, Shion eyed Gojo's ring finger. “Then where’s yours?” 

“I lost mine on a mission,” Gojo raised his hand to show his ringless finger.  “Remember?”

Gojo expected Shion to be nonchalant and move on to their next destination. Instead, his wife grabbed his hand and dragged him along down the road, searching for the nearest jewelry shop. 

Eventually, they came across a small quaint shop, but the moment they stepped in, it felt like being inside a museum.

The inside was filled with beautiful pieces of jewelry ranging from antique to modern. They were all carefully arranged behind glass on tables that looked like they each cost more than an annual salary of a 1st Grade Sorcerer. 

Not soon after, the shop owner and his employee greeted them. Shion responded as she looked around with her husband following next to her.  

Meanwhile, Gojo watched his wife, unknowingly with a small grin on his face. As much as he appreciated the gesture, Shion didn’t have to get him a ring. 

It’s just a ring. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s just a piece of jewelry to remind him that he’s married to an oblivious woman named Shion Ito.

Yet, she looked so cute right now. She’s so focused on such a mundane thing with her brows furrowed and her lips in a thin line. Every now and then, she would hum while browsing through the collection.

“As for the size…” Shion mumbled, turning to her husband with her hand reaching out to him. “Your hand, Satoru.”

Gojo grinned at her, and took hold of it. In his head, he pondered over what he should say to his wife to elicit a flustered reaction from her. He imagined that her expression became shy and soft, accompanied with a blush.

 Last but not least, it wouldn’t be a flustered Shion if she didn’t taunt him back. Idiot, she would say while pouting. 

But, the words forming in his head disappeared when Shion shifted her hold with her dainty fingers intertwined with his. Her soft skin made Gojo feel like it was burning him, and he hated the fact that a simple gesture like this would send his heart racing. He hated how quickly his cheeks were turning red and how much he wanted to pull her hand towards his lips.

It didn’t help that he had no clue what he was supposed to do now. How could he?! It’s fucking rare for his wife to be the one intiating things.

Was he supposed to say something cheeky? Insulting? 

Meanwhile, Shion, oblivious to her husband’s internal conflict, let go of his hand and turned her attention towards the shop owner. Somehow, he and the other employee were fully invested in something in her direction. She took a quick glance behind her, but there was nothing special happening aside from a lone customer by the necklace section.

That customer looked familiar. Maybe the lighting was playing tricks on Shion, but she felt like she had seen them before. In that angle, didn’t they look the-

“Miss?”  The owner called to her, causing Shion to pay attention to him. 

“Can I have this ring?” Her finger tapped against a poster taped underneath the glass pane. “On this size please.”

“Sure, but you’ll have to come back tomorrow for it.” The old man adjusted his glasses, looking at Shion’s hand. “And as for the size, isn’t that too big for you, miss?”

Shion shook her head before she gestured at Gojo. “It’s for my husband.”

The woman raised her brow in curiosity when the owner let out a hearty chuckle. Did she say something funny? Shion turned to her side, and found Gojo scrolling through his phone. He seemed alright and everything, but the tips of his ears had turned a reddish hue.

“Are you okay?”

The reply she got from him was a simple ‘hm’, and it made Shion worried. Usually, he had a witty response to her concern. Was he perhaps feeling under the weather? If this continued, she would consider getting some cooling patches for him.

Racking her brain for answers, Shion missed the owner’s remark as he made his way to his workshop while the employee, his grandson,  directed the couple to finalize their payment.

“Ohohoho,” the elderly man grinned. “To be young and in love.”

----------------------------------------------

On their fifth day of the honeymoon trip, the couple went to a sunflower farm, much to Shion’s surprise. Dread filled her when she found out that her husband wanted to visit the farm’s sunflower maze. She couldn’t say no to Gojo. Hopefully, this idiot wouldn’t make another proposal in front of more people. 

A myriad of tall sunflowers surrounded the couple as they wandered through the maze. Shion admired the beautiful flowers as she contemplated if she should buy some, and then use the flowers to make bookmarks for the Fushiguro siblings.

Gojo would have enjoyed the scenery as well, if it weren’t for the fact that he had been crafting a plan in his head.  

The true purpose of this trip to the farm was the maze itself. He knew how much his wife loathed mazes due to her sense of direction. Yet, he had a very good reason for this visit. She would get annoyed once she learned why, but a nice meal should immediately put him in her good graces.

His reason was to protect her from an assassination attempt.

Ever since their special lunch at De t'avoir, Gojo had a feeling that someone had been tailing them. And if he had to guess the target, it would most likely be his wife–those old sacks of bones really hated Shion. 

He really wanted to know where the higher-ups got the audacity to put a hit on his wife when they’re on their honeymoon. 

Now, how could he convince his wife to split ways without making him too suspicious? The assassin he sensed was in the eastern direction.  

“Wanna see who comes out of the maze first?” Gojo suggested. 

“No,” Shion crossed her arms. “I already know who the winner would be.”

“Do your best, and…” Gojo rubbed his chin before snapping his fingers. “I’ll buy you a couple boxes of *manjū you like from Hiroshima.” 

As if he flipped a switch, Shion dashed towards the left path with a newfound determination to beat her husband. And here he thought that he had the biggest sweet tooth. 

Without further ado, Gojo took the opposite path, and by the end of it, he stumbled upon a spacious area of the maze. This must be the ‘heart’ of the maze that the farm advertised in their brochure.  In the middle of it, there was  a big white wooden gazebo, and the entire area looked peaceful and serene. It was beautiful. If it weren’t for someone trying to kill them, he could have napped with Shion. 

“Oi,” Gojo stopped in his tracks. “You better come out while I’m still feeling merciful.”

Minutes had passed and his threat was met with silence. Gojo turned around, and no one was there.

“This is fucking great.” He shook his head, displeased with the situation at hand.

However, the moment the wind blew the sunflowers eastward, Gojo pinned down his attacker, pressing his foot on the latter’s back and twisting the man’s arm behind him.  One good look at the assassin’s face, and Gojo immediately recognized him as the fucking host from De t’avoir.  

This was why he couldn’t have nice things  in life.  

“Looks like I caught a dirty rat.”  Gojo dug his foot deeper directly at the man’s spine, resisting the urge to kill him on the spot. “Which baldy old fart sent you to kill my wife?”

Gojo furrowed his brows when the ‘assassin’ let out a dark chuckle. 

“You…are wrong…Gojo Satoru,” The man coughed, struggling to breathe under the weight of Gojo’s foot. “You…are our target...not Shion Gojo... I was…sent..alone…in case…I have to fight the…deadliest Sorcerer.” 

‘Our’ target ? That couldn’t be right. From the third day of their trip up until now, Gojo had only sensed one person’s cursed energy–cursed energy which he could now confirm was coming from the man underneath his foot. 

Fuck! 

This honeymoon trip had distracted him, and he had forgotten some simple-yet-crucial information: a trained sorcerer should be able to hide their cursed energy well enough to pass as a normal civilian.

After knocking out the assailant, Gojo rubbed the nape of his neck, considering his next course of action. Knowing his wife’s forgetfulness, he wouldn’t be able to contact her through her phone–if she even remembered to bring it at all.  

Gojo could easily locate her through her cursed energy, but that would be a last resort. 

He remembered the first time he sensed Shion’s cursed energy, faint yet dangerous, as if she had to restrain it. Probably for the good of everyone around her, but that didn’t stop his curiosity.

Yet, in the aftermath of Shion’s mission four years ago, her energy had changed so drastically that even he, Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer–couldn’t stand it. Her cursed energy reeked of death whenever she used it.

But fear not! For he had prepared to locate his missing wife with the ring he’d given her. He’s proud of the solution he came up with.

The ring he’d given to his wife wasn’t ordinary. It was his old wedding ring, from when they first got married.

Before his honeymoon, Gojo had the ring remade into a new piece, fitted correctly to his wife’s size. He was a bit worried that the jeweler wouldn’t complete the request on time, given how complex his order was, and because he rejected multiple drafts of the ring’s design. Although Gojo got the finished product the day before they left, he wouldn’t be surprised if the jeweler lost their sanity as a result.  

Gojo did tell Shion that he had lost his ring, but that was a white lie to spare her anxiety and frustration.  Back then, he’s aware how much he neglected her, but chose not to do anything about it until Shion broke down in tears as she held onto him.

Guilt gnawed at the back of his mind, but he forced himself to deal with the emotions that followed. The pain of remorse was his punishment for leaving his wife all alone, when  she needed someone to lean on and hold.

He should know that the moment they exchanged their vows under the sunny spring, they both became the constant in each other’s lives. 

Now that Gojo thought about it, he realized he had never apologized to Shion for his negligence. Alright, once he dealt with the assassin,  he would find a perfect spot, set the mood, and say sorry. 

However, when Gojo arrived at the location, he only saw a silver ring on the ground. His face scrunched at the metallic scent  in the scene. Yet, there’s no Shion here.

Immediately, a hypothesis invaded his mind and sent him into near panic.

What if… an irregularity like Fushiguro Toji got to his wife?

Immediately, Gojo took off his shades, and his knees almost buckled at the immense pressure he felt from the northern direction of the maze. Yep, that’s her cursed energy alright. She’s the only person in his life who could make him kneel.

After Gojo shook his head, he closed his eyes, and focused on his cursed energy to teleport. When he opened them, a familiar figure came to his line of sight. 

“Shion!” 

Immediately, he threw himself towards her, trying to embrace her from behind.

But Gojo underestimated his momentum, and his wife’s capability to withstand it. He ended up crushing Shion underneath him. 

Shion fell on the dirt face first, only to be buried further by the weight from her husband. For the first time in her life, she got a taste of dirt—sour and earthy. She hoped a full cup or two of mouthwash would help her erase the memory of it. 

Hastily, Gojo got off from Shion and helped her get up from the ground as she started to spit on the ground. He scanned his wife from top to bottom, looking for any signs of injuries. Her white sundress was now stained with dirt and grass.

“Are you okay?” Gojo asked. “Did they hurt you?” 

‘They’? Oh, so Gojo’s aware that they were being followed by a group of people with a killing intent. There’s really nothing that gets past this guy. And, here she thought she could handle this manner quickly and quietly. 

Out of nowhere, Gojo cupped her left cheek, and Shion almost startled at his touch. She felt something wet against her cheek as her husband brushed it with his thumb. 

Gojo’s expression hardened, and Shion lightly dabbed her fingers on the same cheek. Her eyes widened at the sight of her fingertips were stained with red.

“T-that’s not my blood!” Shion exclaimed. “It’s from the assassins!”  

Once Shion saw her husband’s shoulders relax, she was able to breathe easily. Whenever she got hurt, Gojo became a stubborn and unreasonable man. If she didn’t try to stop him, he would have deviated from his plan a long time ago because he killed the higher-ups.

“Did they also steal your shoes?” Gojo joked as an attempt to change the mood of the conversation.

“I improvised,” Shion shrugged. “Since I didn’t have a weapon, I had to disarm one of them with my shoe before I could stab them with their own knife. As a warning.” 

Although Shion was free of injuries, Gojo couldn’t help but be frustrated. He tried to keep a straight face about it so as not to give his wife any more trouble.  Unfortunately for him, Shion noticed his mood and  frowned. 

“I’m sorry,” Shion played with her fingers. “If I hadn’t married you, this wouldn’t have happened.” 

What was she saying? Gojo didn’t even give her the choice to say no. 

The day after Shion had received her death sentence was the day she found out that she’s betrothed to Gojo. She hadn’t fully processed the information until the next morning, when Tsukumo filled her in. Watanabe had accidentally injected Shion with so much sedative that she was not aware of the chaos that ensued from Gojo’s announcement. 

At that time, she never had the intention to fight back, or to plead for her life. Instead, she accepted Death with open arms, never taking into consideration what would happen after. 

Gojo sensed the immediate silence from Shion. Within three years of marriage, he could read her like an open book with the expressions and body language she made. 

“This is the second time you’ve apologized for something that’s out of your control.” Gojo sighed. “Even if I don’t marry you, assassination attempts like this happen like once in a while, depending on which higher-up I piss off.”

“I don’t want to bother you.” Shion rubbed her arm. “You already have a lot on your plate to begin with. Anything that concerns me, my problems, or the consequences of my actions shouldn't be added to it.”

If it weren't for Gojo’s shades, Shion would see her husband’s eyes widen in surprise and amusement. With the exception of those who he considered close, it was rare for someone to be considerate towards him, let alone sincere–he had lost count of the many times someone pretended to be concerned for him in exchange for a favor. He had lived long enough to differentiate between who was being sincere and being a clown. It’s a skill he had to pick up as he grew older, because his life was already complicated to begin with. 

“You know, I wish you would rely on me more often, Shion.” Gojo  carefully took her hands into his with his gaze fixed on it. “I’m not omniscient–I don’t always know what your thoughts are or  where you are in this world. And nothing eases my mind until I’m sure you’re safe and sound.”

He didn’t know if he was saying these words to alleviate Shion’s worries, or to voice his frustration at Shion’s lack of trust. 

“That’s why, rely on me more often.” Gojo locked his gaze on Shion. “I don’t like to watch you suffer in silence, just because you think it’s the considerate thing to do.” 

“Why?” Shion raised her brows. 

“That’s a pretty obvious answer, Shion.” Gojo chuckled. “It’s because we’re husband and wife.” 

Saying those words, it somehow felt right to Gojo. 

----------------------------------------------

As much as the married couple wanted their vacation to last a little longer, their honeymoon ended in a week. They deserved at least two months of relaxation, but they should be grateful that they were given at least a little time off. Next time, Gojo wouldn’t hold back–he’d pull out the big guns and negotiate a few weeks of time off, if they chose to go on vacation again.

When they returned home, one would expect they would sleep throughout the whole night. Instead, Shion craved a late night snack, and she tried her best not to wake up Gojo. Unfortunately, she did and had no choice but to bring him along. She wouldn’t want to wake the kids from their bedtime  with Gojo’s protests. 

After a quick trip to the convenience store, Gojo and Shion chose to linger at the terrace behind their house. The cool breeze tickled against their skin, and watched the stars glimmering above them. The wind chimes serenaded them with a gentle song as they savored their beverages.

Yet, Shion chose to break the silence with an observation of her own. 

“Oh, it’s Polaris,” Shion said.

“You can find the North Star that easily?” Gojo questioned.

“It’s not that hard to look for,” Shion pointed at the cluster of stars in the night sky. “See, if you connect those stars, it’ll look like kitchen pots with long crooked handles, but one of them is smaller and the other is bigger. Polaris is in the smaller one, at the end of the handle.”

“And what are the names of those kitchen pots?” Gojo asked amusingly. 

“Ursa Major, and Ursa Minor,“ Shion answered. 

Shion watched her husband squinted at the scenery before them before his face lit up in realization.

“Oh, you’re right! When you put it that way, I can see them,” Gojo commented, enjoying his discovery. “Despite your funny description, they’re still pretty to look at!”

“Yeah, they’re truly beautiful to see.” Shion said. 

Gojo shifted his gaze on the sky towards Shion, only for him to see her giving one of her rare smiles with a soft expression. A smile that he loved and hated at the same time.

"Thinking about me?" Gojo asked, deflecting the fact that his heart skipped a beat from Shion’s compliment.

"When have you ever assumed that I was not thinking of you?“

“But, you didn’t deny it.” Gojo retorted.

A small chuckle came from Shion’s lips, accompanied by a roll of her eyes.

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

She had been thinking about what her marriage was like when it first started versus now.  She couldn’t imagine her having nightly talks with a man who treated her like a stain. Someone who he had to tolerate until he chose to separate ways, not caring about her thoughts in the manner.

Within a span of three years, she understood a man named Gojo Satoru and his way of life. Not as the strongest sorcerer who held two strong techniques, or the head of one of the influential sorcery families, but instead, she learned about the lonely individual underneath that annoying facade. Something that he wouldn’t admit outright. Shion wouldn’t pretend that she knew what kind of solitude that her husband faced. But, the idea of being averse to sharing problems was something she was familiar with. 

Gojo wanted her to rely on him more often, but how could she? When he himself wouldn't share his loneliness with her because he felt so unreachable? She understood his position, but it didn’t mean that he had to shoulder all of that burden.

Now that she thinked about it, Gojo was similar to Polaris. 

Alone, out of everyone’s reach, but still shining so brilliantly in the middle of the coldest, darkest and most unforgiving nights, a beacon for those who have lost hope. In their line of work, the price of a new dawn to come was heavy and steep with constant partings.

But, it didn’t stop her from wanting to reach for him. She knew it’s impossible for her to rise to heaven’s solitude, but she would never know unless she tried. 

If she failed, then let her become his north star for he deserved happiness as much as everyone.

“Shion?” 

“Huh?” Shion jolted slightly. “Sorry, I was thinking of something else.” 

“Still thinking of your hubby’s handsome face?” Gojo smirked.  

“And, I’m gonna deny it this time.” Shion replied in a deadpan tone. “So, what were you saying?” 

Gojo tapped his fingers against the coffee cup of his hot chocolate. “Have you kissed someone else before me?” 

That’s quite the unexpected question. 

“Kiss?” Shion repeated, genuinely confused as to why Gojo would ask this particular question.

“Yep!” Gojo nodded enthusiastically. “It’s when two people’s lips-”

“I know what a kiss means, Satoru.” Shion interrupted him before taking a sip of her milk from the carton. “I’m not a child.”

“Yet, you didn’t see the problem wearing Mei Mei’s gift to the beach,” Gojo mumbled, shaking his head as he eyed Shion’s raised brows. “Anyways, I bet no one kissed you before I did on our wedding day.”

And, he’s damn proud of it. Secretly.

"Well…if you're talking about if I'm the one who initiated the kiss, then, you’re right." Shion tilted her head to the side. "But, if someone did it first, then, you’re the second guy."

Now, this truly got Gojo’s full attention, causing him to put his hot beverage aside. Who would have thought that someone kissed his lovely wife before him? Unexpectedly, the thought sent his blood boiling.

“Who?” He asked.

Shion furrowed her brows. Why did it feel like she’s being interrogated, right now? 

"I believe it's none of your business who kissed me."

"Was it Nanamin? Haibara?"  Gojo gasped. "Don’t tell me, it’s the Zen’in brat?”

Shion made a face when he mentioned Naoya. How could he forget his wife’s annoyance towards that guy? It’s evident with the way she slapped him as she tried to give him CPR once.

If it’s not one of those three he mentioned, who else could have kissed Shion?

Unless…there’s a good chance it might be him …

“Was it Suguru?”

Gojo was thankful he was wearing his shades to cover the shock in his eyes. Shion’s expression bloomed instantly into a lovely shade of red. She immediately averted her gaze as she cradled her right hand with her other.

Immediately, a familiar yet disgusting feeling swelled in his chest.

Without a word, Gojo carefully cupped his wife’s cheeks, making her look at him with flustered cheeks and her red lips slightly apart. The distance between their faces became zero with his lips pressed against hers.  He resisted the urge to smirk in their kiss when he heard a small gasp from his wife, prompting him to deepen it.

Gojo almost regretted kissing Shion—he could never imagine she’d be so addicting. The hot chocolate he had before against her cold lips from the milk she drank didn’t help. It made him crave more, more of it.

He didn’t care if he came off as greedy. His wife was too dumb to notice anyway. He needed something, or anything to dispel this jealousy. A feeling that he thought was buried, only for it to resurface once again.

Eventually, the kiss came to a stop. His heart still beat fast from the contact, but it eased after he pressed his forehead against hers for a minute.

“Well, am I a better kisser than him?"

He saw the gears turning behind Shion's eyes as she looked down at her hands again before meeting his gaze once more. “I-I don’t know…G-Geto never kissed me there, only my hand and head.”

On the outside, Gojo looked calm while wearing his signature smirk. However, inside, he’s screaming,  trying to process  the fact he kissed her.

“Why did you kiss me?” Shion asked.

‘I was jealous.’ Gojo thought.

He wouldn't admit it out loud, as that would be the same as a love confession. Why else would he feel envy, especially for something that happened so long ago?

Another little white lie wouldn’t hurt, right? Who knows? Maybe this lie would turn into the truth. 

“I kissed you to prove there’s nothing going on between us,” Gojo answered. “Kissing isn’t much of a big deal if you think about it.”

“Then…what’s the answer you got?”

“I can’t tell yet, because one kiss isn’t  enough,” Gojo responded with a genuine yet cheeky smile. “Can I kiss you again?”

It’s hard to deny the possibility that romance may have bloomed between two individuals. However, their relationship was already weird to begin with. They had skipped so many steps that saying they’re friends to someone was questionable, given how Gojo acted

Based on the romance media Shion usually indulged herself in, marriage out of pure convenience tended to end on one of two notes: either they learned to love one another, or they parted ways in an amicable manner. She hadn’t encountered yet where the relationship ended with both people screaming at each other  because the characters grew more mature and learned from their mistakes to properly communicate.

Who knows, maybe she would witness it first hand if Gojo kept acting the way he was back in their first year of marriage.

Thinking about the opposite end of the romance novel spectrum--with couples dying of grief, unable to live without each other--was something that Shion couldn't imagine happening between them, either.

The idea of Gojo mourning for her death seemed plausible but letting the grief from it control him? That's unlikely to happen. He had too much on his plate with his role as the very pillar of the Jujutsu Society. If anything, she thinks her death wouldn’t leave much of an impact on Gojo’s life.

But if she kissed him to dispel the doubts he had, she would gladly do it so. Yet, she couldn't comprehend the small pang in her chest when she came to this conclusion.

"Alright," Shion stepped towards him, closing the distance between them. "Kiss me again, Satoru"

Shion watched Gojo’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded nonetheless. His free hand reached over, cupping the sides of her face gently again, before lowering himself closer to hers, until their noses were brushing against each other. Her eyes fluttered closed, and his lips soon pressed against hers.

Was it just her, or had this kiss become sweeter than before?

The kiss itself wasn’t overly sensual. In short, it lacked all the romantic elements that she expected. Yet, she still felt some sort of warmth blooming from the bottom of her stomach to the top of her head. And maybe even more than that, her heart beat faster and the feeling of possessiveness from Gojo wasn’t there at all. Instead, it was replaced with gentleness, and a hint of hesitation–just like she remembered back on their wedding.

However, their kiss ended a bit too quickly for her own liking when Gojo broke away suddenly. She unexpectedly felt a sense of disappointment, which confused her greatly. Was she supposed to feel a little bit of disappointment?

"Well?"

Gojo leaned further, almost until their lips were brushing  against one another. 

“Third time's a charm right?”

The mischievous tone in Gojo’s voice sent Shion spiraling as her curious expression became flustered. Of course–how the fuck she could forget that her husband is a troublemaker?!

“N-No!” Shion covered his mouth with both of her hands before pushing him away from her face. “I-I’m already embarrassed that we're doing it outdoors"

"So, if it's in our bedroom, can I have more?" Gojo chuckled as his wife slapped his arms with her cheeks puffed up.

How could she be any cuter than now?

“But, Shion~” Gojo cooed.

“Weren’t you trying to get rid of any romantic ideas about our marriage?” Her voice rose with embarrassment.

"Alright, alright," Gojo huffed a laugh, grabbing the coffee cup beside him. "Why don’t you get to bed? You have a mission lined up tomorrow morning."

Unbeknownst to Shion, as soon as she was out of sight, Gojo reached for his lips and a single thought formed in his head.

She tasted so sweet…

Immediately, his hand shifted to cover his mouth with his cheeks and tips of his ears exploding into multiple shades of crimson.

EXTRA

“How’s the trip?” Nanami unwrapped his store-bought sandwich. “It’s been a week hasn’t it?” 

“It’s fun and relaxing.” Shion’s shoulders slumped. “I feel a bit bad that I didn’t get to wear Mei-san’s gift to the beach.”

“Why?” Nanami asked, watching Shion grab her phone in her pocket.

Shion scrolled through it before handing her phone to Nanami. “Satoru didn’t let me wear it. Honestly, I don’t see anything wrong with it. What do you think?”

Nanami took a bite of his sandwich before his eyes landed on Shion’s phone. Upon seeing her almost scantily clad ‘swimsuit’, he choked on his food as he coughed into his hand with his cheeks becoming red.

Well, shit. All hell would break loose if Gojo caught wind of the current situation.

“I need a drink.” Nanami grumbled.

“It’s a bit early?” 

Ignoring his friend’s stupidity ignorance, Nanami grabbed a bottle of shochu from his cabinet, and poured a glass for himself. Usually, he took his time to drink this as it could be very heavy for someone like him, but he needed something strong now to keep himself from going insane.

Nanami chugged down the whole glass before pointing at his friend. “Don’t give Gojo even the slightest idea that you’ve shown me that picture, Shion.”

----------------------------------------------

Things that I like to share while writing this:

-The restaurant scene was supposed to be like a normal intimate talk, but then I remember how chaotic Gojo can and whill get. Thus, the proposal scene came in.

-At 12 am, I blasted Enchanted by Taylor Swift and Polaris by Aimer in my headphones while I was writing the night scene. Let me tell ya, it was a good of a roller coaster. 10/10 would do it again.

-The Geto bit before they kiss wasn't actually there in the first place until xerox-candybar (Who done an incredible job as always) brought up the fact that Geto kissed Shion twice. Immediately, I laugh maniacally while working from home as "I hear a symphony" by Cody Fry was playing in the background.

The extra scene was supposed to between Mei mei and Shion, but I chose Nanami. NGL, I was tempted to write a reader-insert for him, but I love and respect this man so much that I can't read or write romantically about him. HE JUST RADIATED STABILITY LIKE-

ANYWAYS, that's all from me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and if you did, Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'll see you guys whenever the next chapter is up.

[reedmurdock]

Cinderella's Dead- Youngish! Lucius Malfoy

A/N: Voldemort-less AU so James and Lily aren't dead and Peter didn't turn on anyone

TW: arranged/forced marriage, Walburga and Orion being terrible parents

I was nineteen in a white dress When you told me I'm your princess So I played right in to your fantasy

     Nineteen, only one year out of Hogwarts, Venus Black was being married off to the one and only Lucius Malfoy because of their parents. Walburga had claimed it had been hard to find her a "nice" pureblood boy to marry her since she had been sorted into Gryffindor and made friends with, in her mother's words, a mudblood.

    "I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest announced. Lucius and Venus didn't kiss, smile, or give any indication they enjoyed the marriage. All they did was look at each other for a split second and look back at the ground.

=====

   The new married couple arrived back at their home (though Venus would never call it home) and let out a sigh.

   "Look, princess, we can make this work," Lucius said, trying to reason with his wife. All Venus did was scoff at the nickname and glare at him.

=====

   After a few months, Venus agreed to try and make the marriage more bearable. 

Was your good girl, so I'd sit tight And if I don't speak, then we can't fight Looked in the mirror, now I can't believe

    Anyone who knew Venus during Hogwarts would never recognize her now. He wouldn't say it, but Lucius was concerned. During Hogwarts, Venus was loud, outspoken, bold, brave, a natural born leader, and the best Seeker of her the school while she was there.

   "Princess, why don't talk anymore?" Lucius asked her one day. She looked at him. She looked tired. Not just finically tired, mentally as well.

   "If I don't talk then we can't fight. If we don't fight, then we won't disappoint anyone," she said quietly. Lucius looked at her curiously. She used to not care about what anyone said about her. It was like she was a whole different person now. 

=====

   Venus thought as she laid in her shared bed. She thought about the five years she'd been married to Lucius. She realized how much she's really changed. Venus forgot something that made her...her.

I forgot I was a bad *****, tragic Breaking all the rules 'cause they were only habits Cinderella's dead now, casket You thought the shoe fit but I

    The next morning, Venus decided she'd forgotten the most important thing about herself. She'd forgotten how many times she'd broken the pureblood rules. She was sorted in Gryffindor, she made friends with a muggleborn, and she ignored everything purebloods stood by. Venus had had enough of her fake pureblood mask. 

=====

     Seven letters were sent out the study window with a large black owl, one for each of her friends. Needless to say, they were all ecstatic to receive the letters from her.

   Later that afternoon, Venus rummaged through her old clothes and pulled out her ripped black jeans, her leather jacket, and her black combat boots. A grin spread across her face and the mischievous glint returned to her eyes.

I forgot I was a bad ***** Now I'm blowing bubbles in my bath tub After six hours in the night club Got my feet up, put the TV on Probably end up on a rooftop With some new girls and our shoes off Might black out and text my mom

    Remus, Peter, Sirius, James, Lily, Marlene, and Dorcas all squealed when they saw Venus back in her signature look.

   "You're normal!" Sirius yelled. He ran and hugged her. He was also clad in all black with his leather jacket and combat boots.

     "We left Harry with my mom, so we can stay for awhile," James said, sweeping his dark curls out of his face.

   "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Venus cheered. They all smiled and walked into the pub, glad to have their Venus back.

=====

    "So where were you?" Lucius asked when Venus came in a little tipsy. She let out a small giggle.

   "I was with my friends of course!" Venus said like it was obvious. Lucius looked at her outfit. It was what she always wore at Hogwarts when she didn't have to wear her uniform. He looked at her eyes. They had the mischievous glint in them again. He smiled and took her by the hand.

   "Come on, princess, you're gonna feel terrible tomorrow," he said, leading her up the stairs. Lucius made sure she didn't fall and made sure she fell asleep. He smiled to himself as he exited the bedroom. He was glad the old Venus was back. If he was being honest, Lucius thought the pureblood Venus was boring.

..............................................................................................................................

781 words

[boop-le-snoot]

If life gives you melons...

Ship: Loki x F!alt! reader

Rating: Explicit / word count 5,5k

Summary: You've heard about meet-cute, how about meet-ugly? Reader has tattoos and a tongue split. There's this joke that "bisexual alt girls go looking for a girlfriend and end up with sad, tall and skinny white bois" and boy did that hit home. Inspired by this cringy video of Hiddles [youtube link].

During a panel at a comic con, Loki notices reader and they go on a date, reader gets railed: top!Loki, choking, rough sex, unprotected sex, all the good stuff. Open ending, with a bonus of reader and Loki pranking Clint.

x. I usually fancy they/them pronouns for Loki but seeing as it's a smut-shot, I decided to go along with he/him for the sake of simplicity. Loki's at least 6'4 tall and you can fight me on that. Also, I write like a Tony stan - I feel the need to apologize to Loki stans for that. I love you guys! 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

The long line of people appeared to be neverending. Loki was an enhanced, as the government recently had adopted a politically correct term for Earth's non-human inhabitants, but even his enhanced endurance had begun waning due to sheer amount of people wanting a piece of memorabilia signed by The God of Mischief. Loki had gained a considerable amount of fans after doing his part in killing the mad titan Thanos and by extension, saving the world. It turned out, humankind was a sucker for a good redemption arc.

Loki's hands ached where they wrapped around the pen that he'd been using for nearly 4 hours to neatly place his name, written in neat runescript, on various pieces of merchandise that his fans (and wasn't that a strange thing!) presented to him. He used to think that he would have actually succeeded conquering the earth if he had a grasp on how to use social media and his charm; now, he just wanted the torture to end. An involuntary sigh left his mouth when he saw another print of himself in full battle gear being placed in front of him by a reasonably attractive young woman.

"Um, thank you," She stammered, giggling softly, and Loki spared her a painstaking smile, scribbling his name once again. The woman briefly caught his eyes. "Um, you're the reason- the inspiration for me. I became a stripper."

Loki blanked, feeling his eyes widen and blink on their own accord a few times. He wasn't sure if he heard the woman correctly, as the unusual statement made his brain freeze.

Loud snickering from behind the blushing woman interrupted the system error that he was experiencing in his head. It wasn't often that somebody managed to render him speechless. It looked like whoever was in line behind the stripper woman had taken advantage of that. Loki's eyes snapped to the short-haired person, who looked torn between cringing and breaking into embarrassed laughter.

The stripper left without a word, and as Loki picked up the cursed writing instrument once again, the short-haired person smiled at him kindly. "That was a little weird," They snorted, "And thanks, have a nice day Mr. Loki."

"When life gives you melons, you might be dyslexic," Another woman, that appeared to be the short haired person's friend, deadpanned and gave a cynical side-eye to the departing stripper. Loki heard snickering coming from the short-haired person and quietly joined himself. The woman noticed it, winking at him as she collected the newly signed t-shirt. "Bye," She smiled kindly.

It was a split second decision, really. Something about the cheeky way she addressed the situation sparked Loki's interest. "Wait, you forgot something, darling," His baritone called out to the departing woman. She turned around, confused, and hastily grabbed the standard issue photo that he was holding out to her. With a final grateful nod, she smiled and left.

If Loki's smile had returned for the time being, none of his teammates made any remarks on it. Only his brother, Thor, gave a couple of knowing looks to the Asgardian sorcerer.

The woman in question didn't think twice about the photo that she stashed in her backpack along with the signed t-shirt. The Comic-Con had been full of people and the lines were unfairly long. The sheer exhaustion after attending a 3-day long convention had set in and she was eager to simply come home back to her apartment and crash on the nearest soft flat surface. Upon arrival, she did exactly that, flopping down gracelessly on the couch, her backpack landing next to her with a careless thud.

Unloading her trophies was a short time affair: a single white tee with a dozen signatures on it, written in what she hoped was waterproof Sharpie; one mug, shaped like an Iron Man helmet; one poster, showing Spider-Man on a picturesque NYC horizon and a signed photo of one Loki. Strangely enough, she did not remember requesting it - not that she was complaining. Free merch was free merch.

The front side wasn't signed whatsoever. Overcome by curiousity, she turned it around. A phone number was written on the back of it, the handwriting neat and the letters obviously being inked out by a thinner, more sophisticated pen than the one Loki had used for scribbling on the tee. The woman gaped silently, not believing her eyes. Did Loki himself had given her his phone number?

One margarita and a hefty helping of Chinese takeout later, the numbers persisted staring back at her mutely, the neat cursive being almost mocking in its quiet. The woman's smartphone had found a comfortable place right next to the photo, equally mum regarding the unusual situation.

An additional margarita was needed to gather the courage required to actually type out the number in the receiver box. Fruity alcoholic concoction in one hand and phone clutched in the other, the woman's eyes squeezed shut tightly as soon as the dreaded "Hey, got your number today! :)" read delivered. She'd typed and erased the message several times, groaning in embarrassment. How the hell does one approach an alien god?

"Hello! May I ask your name?" The response came after a brief moment - a moment the woman had suffered through by taking too haste sips of her drink, her common since screaming her to not overdo it and wait at least a full minute before replying. Everything felt awkward and misplaced.

In no time, she was sending the screenshots of the conversation to her girl-advice group chat that consisted of her closest friends. Chatting with Loki turned out to be surprisingly easy and he was great at upholding conversation, something that couldn't be said about all those Tinder matches she had had back in the day.

Even if using proper grammar during a text message conversation was something she had to reacquaint herself with, she was glad he wasn't just another boring, shalllow, condescending-ass white boy. Despite the cultural differences and his lack of knowledge of things like pop culture and music - something he said he was working on since New Asgard became a sovereign state on Earth - they bonded over music and tattoos and generally being rebellious against society's standarts.

The invitation to dinner didn't come as a surprise for the woman. She agreed happily, looking forward to continue their conversation outside of the internet - if Loki's part of the chat was anything to go by, not only was he charming, but also quite intelligent. And easy on the the eyes, too. They had traded selfies at some point and the Asgardian didn't look any worse in a hoodie and sweatpants than he did in his battle leathers. Loki had appeared to truly have had integrated into Earth's society.

The night of the date, the continuous text exchange did very little to calm her nerves. Loki texted as much as an overeager teenage boy: every now and then he would double-text and grossly overreact to her sending a simple meme. In fact, he smugly conveyed the fact he'd single-handedly started a meme war between the Avengers and even Steve was forced to participate; something that was, allegedly, out of character for the blonde man.

She didn't mind. Not like she had many friends to have so much fun with. Even if it took her twice the time to do her favourite eyeliner style, it was worth it. She hoped Loki would appreciate the bold, but classy make-up and the dress and shoes combo that accentuated her assets. Her date expressed curiousity about her tattoos and the difference between her preferred style and the humans he spent most time with. She guessed secret agents were not particularly fond of anything that made them memorable so she held out quite the hope for... Showing off some of her tattoos in a more private setting.

In other, simpler words, the woman came in prepared for both a friendly, leisurely stroll and a quality night. Either way, it would be a time well spent.

Loki's shiny, raven hair was impossible to miss as he towered over the rest of the people waiting by the restaurant's entrance. He wore tailored black trousers and a simple cashmere sweater, perfect for the evening's damp, cool air. Tall and lithe, Loki was mouthwateringly handsome.

"Come here often?" She wormed her way through the crowd, causing the man to smirk down at her. Her cheeks flared from the tiny gesture alone.

"Just waiting for a friend," Loki uttered lowly, extending an arm towards the woman, which she gracefully accepted as they made way towards the entrance. "Reservation for Loki," The Asgardian stated to the hostess, who, after a rapid doube-take, led them to a private, secluded area in the back of the restaurant.

Loki shouldered the slightly awkward interaction with grace, paying no mind to the girl. His focus was solely on his date and he was nothing but gallant as he took the woman's purse and held out the chair for her to comfortably sit down. As a prince, he was taught well, she mused.

"Usually I would ask 'what brings you to our little ball of water and dirt?' but I think we can skip that part," The woman stated with a sheepish grin, idly flicking through the menu and curiously eyeing the items that were unfamiliar. The desire to try something new fought with the possibility of accidentally ordering something too far out - like snails or other things that rich people fancied, for some reason.

Loki's greens briefly appeared over the top of his menu, grateful and sparkling. "I think it's best if we do just that," For a second, he looked away, before returning to the menu. "I can think of better things to discuss. I recall you didn't finish telling me about that college friend of yours, who was an anarchist... I'm dying to know..."

The waiter came and went, barely noticed by the pair, as they both poked at something that sounded the most familiar for both of them. Stoically, Loki admitted that Tony Stark did the booking for him and the woman reluctantly acquitted she wasn't very familiar with upscale establishments, being of middle-class background and working a middle-class job.

Interrupting the story she began telling hours ago, the woman took the time to point out the things she was familiar with on the menu and advised Loki to stay away from - like the aforementioned snails, and other things, slimy and salty things that she considered to be 'disgusting but rich people liked it for some reason'. The conversation slowly progressed into Loki telling her the mischief he got up to at the feasts Odin threw. The Asgardian shared the woman's disregard for influential people doing gross things to show off.

The food was good - it was really hard to miss with a traditional Italian lasagna - and seeing Loki shovel an obscene amount of food was an experience, but she didn't comment on it, tactful enough to consider his alien biology might have different dietary requirements that her human one. It was great, really, that she could order dessert and not feel guilty about it.

The gelato melted in her mouth like sweet ecstasy and she moaned with her next bite, only partly aware of how obscene really was the noise.

Loki's hand stuttered on it's way to his mouth. Wide-eyed, he stared at her lips, at her mouth, where her tongue lapped up the small drops of dessert from the spoon. "Why the split tongue?" The Asgardian finally gathered his wits, having had a good look of what he was sure was a trick of the eye at first.

She grinned, acutely aware of the effect that particular body modification had on men. "I like being different. I embrace the weird." She giggled, not at all ashamed, sticking out her tongue and wiggling both parts of it teasingly.

Loki's Adam's apple bobbed; "Weird?" He raised his eyebrow, fighting to maintain his previous cool composure.

She nodded. "Weird," She retorted coyly. "I usually don't divulge the details at least until the third date. Wouldn't want to scare my potential suitors off," The playful wink was the proverbial cherry on top. He was hooked, his eyes darkened, following the plump arch of her lips as she took another spoonful of the treat and savoured it, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

It was pornographic.

"Obviously, Midgardians don't know what's good for them," Loki scoffed in his usual bored monotone, fully aware of how fitful his attempt to conceal his excitement was. He sounded needy even to his own ears.

"And you do?" She pushed away the empty plate, chastely patting her mouth with a napkin. The raised eyebrow and the little smirk spoke volumes.

The grin he wore was hardly anything but feral; he asked for the waiter's assistance by flicking his wrist in an impatient fashion. Once the bill was paid and the woman's cardigan found its rightful place on her shoulders, Loki once again took hold of her arm, this time holding her smaller body against his larger one, taking care to slow down and keep his strides shorter.

She found the coolness of his presence refreshing in the moist, heavy air of the New York city.

"Where to, milady?" Loki asked her, looking down at the woman fondly.

"My place is a block away. Walk me, good sir?" She gave a delightfully easy smile in return.

He nodded, letting her lead the way, allowing himself to get a little bit lost in their shared presence, a little bubble of them in the middle of a busy city. It was as if someone had quickly turned down the volume of the honking cars and noisy pedestrians around them, leaving the soft breeze and the sun slowly descending below the skyscrapers. It felt far too short, partaking in the comfortable silence together, skin tingling under the thin layers of cloth where they were touching.

The sun was trapped in the strands of her hair as she smiled at him from her doorway, worrying her lip between her teeth. It was a bittersweet moment.

"A kiss good night for the good sir?" She asked hopefully, eyes darting between his face and his mouth.

Loki obliged, resting his palm flat on the door frame, towering over the woman as he gently slotted his thin, cool lips against her warm ones. The woman stood on her tippy toes, eager, placing a hand on his chest. The pair melted into the kiss - it had no business being this mind-blowing, brain-freezing for two people that have not met until that very day. The woman didn't refuse when Loki probed with his tongue, requesting entrance to her mouth; she licked into his own with fervor, fisting her hands in the soft fabric of his sweater.

With the hand that was free, Loki pulled the woman flush with himself, feeling the heat of her start a fire of its own inside of him. Her breathing rapid, the gesture only served to tighten her hold on his sweater, until a soft, barely audible moan slipped into his mouth, causing his brain to quickly reassess the situation.

Regretfully, Loki pulled away, clearing his throat. "Perhaps we should take this elsewhere," He meaningfully looked at the array of doors around them.

"I thought you'd never ask," She retorted with a fond eyeroll, tightening the grip on his sweater once more, to pull him inside her apartment and shut the door behind her. The awkward moments were few and in between; neither knew who reached for the other first, mashing their mouths with less grace than before, clutching at the other's arms and hips with hunger.

This time, Loki didn't hold back his own muted groans of satisfaction, shivering when the woman's hands snuck under his sweater and the simple tank top he wore underneath. Blunt nails scraped along his abs.

Step by step, she pushed him further inside her apartment, determined in her small quick strides. There was no mistake of their destination; no mistake in her desire: she was as hungry and as impatient as him. The crease between his eyebrows deepened, long arms extending to unzip the top of her dress to reveal a simple but tasteful black lacy bra covering her breasts. The woman barely noticed the action, stepping out of her dress as soon as it hit the floor.

He admired her. Inches of soft skin covered by intricate ink, some patterns bizarre and complicated, some beautiful in their simplicity. Loki couldn't wait to find out about the meaning behind every one of them, to trace the lines with his tongue and sink his teeth into the heated flesh.

The hands that were holding onto him for dear life tugged on his sweater and he chose to simply vanish it, too preoccupied with looking at the view in front of him. She gasped and her eyes met his: uncanny, magnetic emeralds shone with magic and power and desire.

"Fuck," She more mouthed than said, walking backwards in a trance until her shins hit the bed.

Loki grinned, advancing on the panting woman with the grace of a predator. "Darling?" His tone was innocent; his expression was anything but. His large hand encompassesed the side of her face, thumb running over her bottom lip in a possessive gesture that had her squirming in her place. He loved the way she just melted into his touch.

Their lips met again, slower this time. The kiss was once again graceful and unrushed, allowing them to explore the softness of each other's skin, mapping the arches and valleys with gentle strokes of their palms. The broad expanse of Loki's back was uneven, riddled with scars and blemishes, and she mapped every single one, blunt nails raking down it as she pressed into him, arching into his hands where he held her.

The soft flesh of her ass, barely covered by a scrap of black lace, was shamelessly grabbed - the woman didn't doubt there would be marks left - letting her feel his arousal pressed against her belly, hard and twitching. She didn't resist her desire to ge handsy and palmed it, taking note of the gasp and the twitch coming from the man occupied with the clasp of her bra. In no time, it flew away, forgotten somwhere the very moment Loki's palms took over her breasts, running a careful thumb over each nipple.

"Fuck," She parroted her previous statement, equally breathy and considerably more aroused.

"That's the plan," Loki's chuckle was hoarse.

She huffed, biting her bottom lip before reaching out to swiftly pop the button of his trousers, smirking at the hiss the friction of her palm produced against his cock. It shouldn't have surprised her that Loki was a commando kind of guy, but still, she gasped, partially from the ministrations of his clever fingers, partially from the mouthwatering sight in front of her. The thick, flushed length made saliva gather in the corners of her mouth.

He must've heard the audible swallow. "Not so haste, darling," He tutted, giving her relaxed body a gentle push, causing her to land on her back, heated skin against the soft duvet of her bed. "Let me taste you," A thud; Loki had dropped to his knees, using his large palms to spread her legs, opening her up to his eyes.

If his previous work hadn't made her so pliant, so aroused, she'd have been rendered speechless; instead, the woman arched her back, presenting herself and the desire that had pooled down below. The Asgardian chuckled, fingertips soft against the scratchy lace.

"Tease," The woman moaned, outstretching her arm to guide him but quite unable to reach him. She had to settle for squirming in her place, receiving a fraction of the desired traction against her swollen lips.

"Am I, love?" Loki asked her sweetly, caving enough to dip a single finger to run along the outside of her slit. It glided easily thanks to all the moisture gathered there, lips parting easily before his touch. The panties were vanished away promptly, another finger joining in immediately to rub slow, precise circles around her clit.

She keened low and long, fisting the fabric in her hand until her knuckles turned white. Loki knew what he was doing. It didn't take him very long to slide his long digits to the welcoming heat of her opening, dipping them inside until she began to make the noises he so craved. His mouth followed after that, long agile tongue drawing senseless shapes on the inside of her labia and dipping deeper, where her clit stood out engorged and slick.

He could smell the bittersweet of her arousal, mouthwatering and hot.

"Loki, fuck," She moaned, only half-coherent and partially aware of her own hips following his every stroke, every flick. He only advanced, hitting that sweet spot inside her with every stroke; the sparks traveling up her spine quickened with each time she changed his name like a prayer. "Loki, Loki, Loki..."

He growled, attaching his mouth firmly to her clit, and she arched for the final time, coming undone, squeezing around his fingers and gushing in his mouth, the obscene sounds covered by her own scream of delight and his impatient growling. The growling that sent shivers of aftershocks throughout her body.

"Darling, you taste so sweet," Loki groaned, still panting.

She took the time to open her eyes: Loki looked comically out of place in her bedroom, he dwarfed her bed and made her feel small, but it didn't matter at all at that very moment. His erection stood out hard and proud; despite the leg-shaking orgasm just moments ago, she wanted more, she wanted to taste him, she wanted to feel him inside-

With unsurprising agility, one swift motion was all it took for her to rest comfortably against the pillows, his throbbing member resting against the juncture of her thigh. She tasted her own release on his lips, however brief, whispering a weak, "Please," aching to feel the emptiness.

"As my lady wishes," Loki's cool breath ghosted over her cheek. She waited with baited breath until the tip of his manhood breached her, exhaling a moan into his neck and immediately wrapping her lips around a patch of skin as he stretched her so sweet.

Loki's arms shook slightly as he waited for her to adjust. He kissed her, soft and sweet; there was something vulnerable in him, something as sweet as the ache he'd taken away. Once he began to move, slow and fluid, all there was left was an all-consuming need to feel. As graceful as dancer and with a deadly precision, Loki pounded gasps, moans and screams out of the woman's slack mouth, kisses turning hungrier and sloppier by the second.

"So sweet," He cooed, relishing in the snug grip of her cunt around him.

She only keened in approval, too far gone and unused to the intensity of the feelings from a man with centuries of practice and the power of a god.

His thrusts slowed gradually until he was rutting into her, grinding his pelvic bone into her clit. The gasps and screams turned into drawn-out, longing moans; her hips followed his, meeting in a slow, sensual motion.

Loki was not a patient man. He withdrew - she gasped in protest - flipping the woman over on her fours with ease, taking but a split second to admire the curve of her body presented on display for him. Just for him.

With that thought burning in his mind, Loki sheathed his cock deeply inside her spasming cunt. It was nearly unbearably stimulating and only his own desire to prolong the bliss held back his own impending orgasm. That, and his own ego; he was naught if not a generous lover.

She slurred something, quiet and incorrigible, fucking back onto his cock as eagerly as he was plunging into her heat. The hand he'd placed on her shoulder promptly wrapped around her throat in hopes of lifting her close enough for him to hear the words but instead, it sent a full-bodied shiver throughout her. Loki grinned, tugging her that much closer.

The arch in her back looked quite uncomfortable yet she didn't mind; it was the exact opposite, in fact, her cunt tightened around him, drenching his shaft down to his balls. Her fingernails dug into the flesh of his thigh, the sting of pain going straight to his cock-

"Loki, I'm gonna, I'm gonna-" She slurred, gasping for air.

He weakened his hold on her throat enough to let her gulp the so-needed oxygen. It was her undoing: was it the rapid pace of oxygenated blood traveling to her brain or was it his cock, mercilessly pounding against her g-spot - she was violently spasming around his cock, much like she did around his fingers not too long ago.

It felt like ages, her crescendo coming in waves with no signs of stopping any time soon. Loki's continuous thrusts, his hips slamming into hers, her skin feeling like molten lava.

"Gonna fill your sweet cunt with my seed," Loki moaned lowly, holding her up by the throat, the other hand leaving fingertip-shaped bruises on the outside of her hips. "Mark you from the inside out," His voice had gone into primal territory, growling filling up the room.

"Please..." The woman rasped, oversensitive.

And he pleased, with a series of sharp thrusts, he buried himself to the hilt in her, the force of his release making her shudder and moan once against, going limp in his arms. Loki kept her in her place until every drop was inside of her cunt. Nothing was sweeter than that.

The Asgardian didn't bother with getting under the covers to hold her, conjuring a soft, comfortable throw in modest green, to cover their nudity. He didn't need the extra warmth but his companion was by far more fragile and sensitive to these things- Loki's fingertips traced the array of bruises he'd left in the wake of their passion, expression surprised as he found the woman smiling.

"Feels nice," She supplied meekly, eyes half-lidded, face trusting and open towards him.

He gave a small grin in return, placing a chaste kiss atop her head. "Yes, it does, darling."

Time after time, she didn't expect much out if their date. The sex was nice, nice enough for both of them to want seconds and thirds after their rushed first time - but it wasn't like she expected him to hand around. It was a pleasant change from the usual mutual ghosting she'd done with her previous partners, but Loki had texted again and they had resumed their conversation via text like nothing had happened.

No, that would be incorrect. Now, she had a wonderful friend who was a great conversationalist and an even better lover. There was no pressure to put a label on their relationship so the woman didn't bother with it; it didn't seem like Loki cared about the label, either, so she left the topic alone and enjoyed things the way they were. It wasn't like she had a line of suitors anyway.

She couldn't help the smile that creeped onto her face when she unlocked her phone and saw a video call request from other than Loki himself. She still had thirty minutes worth of lunch break to waste and this was a wonderful time to chat with a friend.

"Stark, hand it back or I swear to Norns-" Loki's voice sounded agitated and far away, accompanied by sounds of a struggle; the bearded, smug face on the screen was not who she expected at all. Only years of customer service and low bullshit tolerance combined stopped her from freaking out seeing none other than Tony Stark smirking at her from the screen of her phone.

"Yes?" She arched an eyebrow, taking note of the anger of Loki's tone.

"Hi, I don't think I need to introduce myself," Stark babbled, eyeing her - disheveled and with a wall full of sticky notes and miscellaneous items acting as the background to her video. "Reindeer games refused to show you to us so we decided to persuade him," Tony's grin grew wider, muted whispers being rapidly exchanged in the background all the while Loki screeched "BROTHER!" and various expletives at the top of his lungs.

"You could've, I dunno," She paused, unimpressed. "Asked me to dinner, like a normal person. Instead of stealing, you know, like a thief," The eyeroll that she performed had the team worried her eyes would fall out of their sockets.

"I merely borrowed his phone, don't be dramatic," Stark huffed, and for a moment, she could see various other people trying to look at the screen and by extension, at her. "So, what is it that you do? Because Smurf over there wouldn't..."

"Oops, bad signal. Sorry, can't hear you properly," Her side of the call suddenly shook and in a moment, she ended the call, not at all willing to deal with people that lacked boundaries. Sure, it might have been Iron Man, but if he was planning on being a snooping asshole, she wasn't gonna go down with that easily.

Exactly five minutes after she had clocked out, an incoming call from Loki had her equal parts excited and mortified. What if..? But he was apologetic. And very angry, swearing in his native language - something that he'd promised to teach her at some point.

"So, Clint did it?" She sipped her beverage, strolling home with the phone pressed snugly against her ear.

"Most of it was his fault, yes," Loki grouched on the other end of the call.

"I vote we get back at him. Invite me over, if he's so inclined to see me, and watch him get humiliated in front of everybody," It wasn't a secret she had her own mischievous tendencies.

"As much as I appreciate your vigour, darling, I doubt the Widow will appreciate you verbally castrating the Hawk in public," He replied sourly, his voice still betraying the faint notes of interest.

"I have a backup plan!" She stated without a hitch. "He'll embarrass himself and I'll be your alibi."

"I'm listening," Loki perked up immediately.

They decided to not to stall and schedule the 'family dinner', as Thor himself dubbed it, for the next available weekend. Loki had made sure Tony's AI had been made aware the trickster would be gone all day, and it took him very little magic and effort to pop in and out of the tower for the five minutes that were needed to execute their prank.

His friend barely managed to keep the snickering at bay as they ascended the elevator to the common floor where the dinner was being held. Not only that, but the woman spouted an area of dark purple love marks, barely obscured by the low turtleneck of her blouse.

She made her introductions and they made theirs. "This affair could use some background noise," She remarked off-handedly, casting a meaningful glance at the TV.

Tony Stark was known for being a great host so he entertained her wishes, flicking on the huge flat screen with a flick of his wrist.

The team froze.

"I... -" The woman stared at the screen, mouth hanging wide open at the scenes that played out. "... am not going to kinkshame, but please turn it off," She stated in a small voice, seemingly unable to tear her eyes away from the mass of tentacles commencing erotic assault on a woman's body.

Wordlessly, the TV shut down, immersing the room in stunned silence. Loki face-palmed, the slap of his palm against his face echoing in the eerily quiet room.

"Loki!" Captain America, red as a tomato, instantly accused the most obvious person.

Except, he had forgotten one thing. "Loki was with me all day," The woman replied, unkindly. "Do you need more proof?" She tugged on the hem of her turtleneck, exposing an inch of skin marked blue.

The good Captain's face changed the shade once again, venturing very well into beetroot territory. "Who was the last one to use the TV?" Rogers asked, now with a hint of anger, as he stared at a guffawing Bucky.

"I believe it was Mr. Barton," The AI piped up, mechanical voice sounding almost insinuating. Or, perhaps, it just appeared that way.

[lucy-the-cat]

Lover's Curse Chapter Thirty - Slippery Bastards

Maven

“Come in.”

The man does not call attention to himself. No competent spy would. He moves with the grace of a soft-spoken sparrow, certain of a hollow to shield him from trouble. His bleached hair contrasts against tawny, freckled skin as he slides into the seat across mine.

“Tyton, was it? Apologies for the wait. I’m a bit overwhelmed at the moment.” I make a show of fumbling for an envelope, stuffing a creased paper inside. “I might need a minute.”

I sign the back with swooping calligraphy, hunched as if to hide the words. He should catch glimpses as I shift, enough to realize the letter is for Queen Cenra of the Lakelands. Let him connect the pieces.

“You summoned me.”

“I did.” I shove the letter in a drawer. “I used to meet with all the newbloods before they were sent to Training, but after a few months that became impossible.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty.” He bows his head. “Why am I here?”

“You’re not in trouble.” I smile with the ease of a boy helping a fellow classmate. “Sometimes I meet newbloods if they catch my eye. I thought it strange how we’ve never had another with your ability.” I chuckle. “Besides my consort, of course.”

Consort. The word melts deliciously on my tongue. I still feel a thrill every time I say it, every time I remember her signature, fierce, bold, and mine.

“Your Majesty?” Tyton jolts me to attention. “You trailed off.”

“Did I?” Mother’s right. I have become smitten. “Apologies. I wanted to ask a few questions.”

The spy runs through his story in excruciating detail, and I nod and interject when necessary. I cough and sniffle with increasing intensity, feigning embarrassment. “My mother-in-law did not inform me she was ill.” I grimace.

His eyes flicker to the drawer, and I pretend not to notice.

“Proceed.” Blah, blah, blah, Piedmont, blah, blah, blah, lightning, blah, blah, blah persecuted. I twitch and fidget as he talks, striking a balance between the lovestruck, impatient boy and the calculating king he is no doubt searching for. I break down in coughs, gritting my teeth.

“Do you need some water?”

“No.” I pat my chest. “I’ll be--” Another coughing fit. “Colors. I need air. Pardon me, I must step outside for a moment.” Cough. “Or two.”

I stagger into the hallway, hacking as I make my way to the courtyard. Certain I am out of earshot, I stop coughing. Now to wait.

Five minutes. Ten. Fifteen.

That should be enough.

I smooth my hair, retreating back to my seat. “Forgive me. I have been neglecting my health. Where were we?”

Tyton finishes his story within minutes, and I dismiss him. My hand strays to my desk drawer, fishing for a letter that is not there. He stills.

“I could’ve sworn . . . ” I fumble through documents, squinting. “Must have sent it already.”

When I look up, he is gone.

_

“My illness has been growing worse.”

The Skonos sits across from me, perplexed. I am no longer coughing, my forehead cool to the touch. I am a portrait of health.

“I will be bedridden for the rest of the day. The disease I have caught is Lakelander, and by nightfall, I will travel to one of their hospitals. Let none disturb me.”

She nods.

I dismiss her, lingering by the window until the door is closed. The rope stings my hands, but

I have more sense than to cry out. Cal’s cycle waits in the trees. Attached is a bag with a day’s worth of food, a couple thousand tetrarchs, and various items to obscure my identity.

The woods block out most of the light, but I’ve practiced enough to apply the makeup in the dark. A smudge here, a dab there, subtle touches transforming me from Silver to Red. Sunglasses shield my eyes from view. A close inspection might reveal me, but I intend to remain inconspicuous.

Cal rode it. It can’t be that hard to drive.

_

I forgot he built the blasted thing.

The cycle collapses on its side for the umpteenth time, and I curse under my breath. Who looked at a bicycle and thought, Hm, let’s do that, but faster and with worse breaks?

The sun yields to the horizon, sinking below the hill as I near the outskirts of the Rift. Magnetron territory. A pocketed chunk of silent stone shields me from their senses, as does logic. I would be a fool to wander into enemy territory unguarded. I must be unimportant.

It’s a gambit. I am not difficult to overpower. But the reward is worth the risk.

Careful.

Mother whispers all the possible pitfalls I could fall to, outlining plan after plan for how to avoid them. I may complain of her meddling from time to time, but she is the one person who has never abandoned me. Not even in death.

A forest rings the Samos estate, and I dash from tree to tree, eyes peeled for patrolling guards. Their defense is sparse, and I make it several hundred feet before encountering any trouble. A warm glow pulses ahead, punctuated by the scent of smoke.

I flatten, heart racing. There’s silent stone in my pocket. I could be burned.

The fire creeps no closer, and I dare to poke my head. Two shadows interrupt the orange, one bulky, one lithe. Voices drift as I draw closer. “I don’t know what to think. Maybe this was her plan all along, and I was too stupid to figure it out.”

“Beats me, man. I haven’t understood Mare since she fell into that damn arena.” The lanky shadow stretches, yawning. “You Silvers and your mind games.”

“I was never good at them.” The bulky shadow, who can only be Cal, hangs his head. “My strengths always lay on the battlefield, where I know the rules, where everything is impersonal and defined. I’m not here to fuck with people’s emotions.”

“No.” Lanky snorts. “Just their livelihoods.”

They stare at the fire in silence, and the memory rises unbidden. Another war, another fire, another two boys with only the other for comfort.

I squash it down.

Cal turns to Lanky--Kilorn, if I remember Mare correctly--and sighs. “I’m sorry. I know you loved her too, and all I can talk about is how I feel.”

“It’s been months. I’m over it.”

“Wish I could say the same.” Cal shakes his head. “It’d be easier if she would give me a straight answer, but I swear, she expects me to read her mind. All these little clues and signals. It’s exhausting.”

“Tell me about it. Almost makes me miss fishing.” Kilorn tosses a branch into the flames. “It was boring, but at least the fish weren’t plotting conspiracies against me.” He pauses. “That I know of.”

“Slippery little bastards.”

They both laugh.

“I’m over Mare.” Kilorn cups Cal’s cheek. “I think I fell for her because she was there, not because of any deep connection. I mean, it was her or Gisa.” His voice softens. “Not a ton of Silver princes in the Stilts.”

“Silver princes.” Cal’s throat bobs. “You’re talking about Mare, right? Not--”

Kilorn interrupts him with a kiss.

I can’t see his expression from the bushes, and I don’t care to. I’m not invested in Cal’s personal drama beyond what is useful to me.

“If you need me, I’ll be down at the stream.” Kilorn pulls away from a speechless Cal. “There are some devious fish I need to betray.”

He leaves.

“Someone’s got a type.” I emerge from the shadows, lingering on the outskirts. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”

Cal draws back. “Mavey?”

“That’s not my name.”

He flinches. Good. I need him vulnerable. “We never got a chance to talk at the peace conference. I thought I’d remedy that.”

“What do you want.”

“Manners.” I tsk. “No ‘how are you’? No handshake? That’s no way to treat family. Father would be ashamed.”

Cal hesitates. For a moment, I fear he might call the guards. Instead, he draws closer, enclosing his arms around my frame. Fuck. “Welcome home.”

I stiffen. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Are you alone?”

“Mare’s in danger.”

That catches his attention. “What?”

He’s hooked. Now to reel him in. “The Lakelands took her in order to blackmail me. I don’t have an army to rally against them.” My throat bobs. “You ensured that.”

“Oh.” He pulls away. “You want to borrow mine.”

I snort. “If that was my aim, I’d speak to someone actually in charge. No. I came here because you’re the one person who still cares about her. And much as it pains me to admit, you are . . . “ I study the ground, twitching. “An adequate meat shield.”

“I’m flattered.”

“Do you want me to beg?” I claw at my chest, wobbling, one unsteady breath away from tumbling to the ground. “My allies have turned against me. Mother is dead. The only girl I’ve ever loved is at the mercy of the Lakelands.” A ragged breath. “I’ll kneel if I must.”

A beat passes.

Cal’s gaze strays to a piece of paper, one I hadn’t noticed before. It lays at the foot of the log, thin and crisp, crammed with so many words I almost miss the handwriting. The handwriting of a familiar signature.

Fierce. Bold. Mine.

He tucks it in his coat. “She’s probably fine.”

“Excuse me?”

“Iris seemed to like her. Maybe Mare asked to be “kidnapped” and wants us to mind our own business. And if she didn’t--” He shrugs. “She handled you pretty well. Given her track record, she’s probably running the place by now.”

Are. You. Kidding. Me. “I knew you were an idiot. I didn’t think you were a coward.”

“The last time I tried to save her, she bit my hand.”

“Well.” My voice darkens. “I guess I’ll have to do it myself.”

“No, you aren’t.” Cal hauls me backwards. “In the Lakelands? Alone? That’s a sucide mission. Don’t be stupid.”

“Giving me orders now, are you?”

“You’re not leaving.”

“By all means, Cal.” I sneer. “Call the guards. That’ll lengthen my lifespan.”

His eyes flicker towards the fortress, to the countless people who would warn him what a terrible idea this is. He shakes his head, trudging past the treeline, past the guards, breaking into a run when he sees the damage.

“What have you done to it?” Cal kneels beside his cycle

I scowl. “You should be more concerned what it did to me.”

He doesn’t know about the letter.

The letter Tyton has no doubt opened, no doubt shown to his commanders, no doubt picked apart the final paragraphs.

My mistake last time was broadcasting his execution on live television. Once you have him, dispose of him immediately. A bullet to the head should do the job. We shall display his corpse on screen together.

I trust you will secure him swiftly.

In time for Cal’s mysterious disappearance.

Queen Cenra took my consort. I will bring an army to her door.

[tobebugjewce]

THE WALTEN FILES: my jumbled notes on my blind run-in with this web series

first off this is gonna be long and unorganized, also this is my second time writing this as i had lost literally half of my progress and im This (imagine two fingers almost touching with a 0.0000000001mm distance between them) close to ripping all of the fucking hair out of my goddamn head. but now this will be extra long and yes, i will lose some accuracy to my first writing but thats okay ill probably edit this a kajillion times over

which brings me to my next tangent; im literally braindumping here. so to have a smidge of organization all afterthoughts, edits and corrections will be boldened, i forgot what im gonna do with italicized text but ill probably bolden it here yeah im pretty sure its for side tangents, separate from Corrections, which are in bold. also theyre for emphasis too.

so in general, this post right here is all of my notes i wrote down on my grid-patterned sticky notes (which i used WAYYYY too much of) about the first 3 uploaded walten files youtube videos transferred onto my handy dandy digital notebook, this b(l)og. yeppers peppers. you know im serious about this shit when i typed probably over like a thousand fucking words including boldened shit, italicized shit and motherfucking links, lost it ALL, and im sitting here re-typing it again.

i feel bad about this but im not gonna trigger warn right here, but this is technically a warning. if you want a list of triggers as to what this post (and the walten files in general) i will link a little list to that here

without further a doo doo, (mama mia) here the fucking fuck we go again.

THE WALTEN FILES - VIDEO #1

clarifying this now, im gonna put some useless shit which i thought was code onto this because even though it was useless it was part of my notes and im physically going to combust if i dont put down every single thing i wrote on my papers. so what i thought was code was in the closed captions, i started writing it down when i got to the second video but came back to my first videos notes to include them. i wrote down the first letter to every word that was capitalized in the closed captions, which i had on as a default because number one i knew going into this id need them because most web horror things like args and cryptic shit like that has some of the most crucial shits in the closed captions. number two i am autistic and have auditory processing issues and have most closed captioning on as a default if theyre available.

firstly jotted, i wrote down the closed captions “code” so im gonna put the rest here too: HYWITB(BSI)Y A(BSI)BJWFKWITW ILHHFSBBSBTLBWI USOISTBNBSFIRBCAWHSHCBWHTAIGRNB*C*BTWLTSFA(20)MCFP ILITIIACPH(1978, 1979)SA(4)YTSCH*C*OGSSU SFTGRPATDBBUTFBNLLCHMIHLBRALLCLAYTUKB*LC*WHATWASTHATTHING 

the numbers in parenthesis are there because i wasnt sure they should be included in the “code” or not. i also thought of this with the BSI - bunny smiles incorporated and also the years 1978 and 1979. the shits in asterisks are coughs and light coughs, which were capitalized in the closed captions so i included them too just in case

i then jotted, in parenthesis of course, the names of the animatronics when they were listed in the animation section of the video; bon aka the blue bunny, sha aka the sheep one, boozoo aka the clown<3 honk<33, and banny aka the purpled eyelashed up one who is also a bunny btw. also i got boozoo the clown and boozoo the mustache guy confused because apparently the clowns name is billy???? but they named “boozoo” in bons sleepover and showed the clown? idk maybe im an idiot and theyre the same or just an idiot and theyre different or a super mega (matt and ryan?!?!??) idiot in general which is probably the case

i started drawing little stars to write down things i thought would be super important or to 100% look at again. the first subject of this pointy torture was the part of the video where at 3:00, i marked it down to make sure to reverse the audio as it was most definitely a weird audio that has that signature warp-y effect that makes sure you KNOW its in reverse. i then listened back to it Very carefully (still got it wrong) and got this: “you finally start to remember. that old doll. they will look out for you soon” im also pretty sure i heard “sophie” at the end of that audio but im not entirely sure and dont remember and i dont wanna go back to check lmfao but anyways it didnt matter because i was wrong anyway. after i had finished all 3 walten files i watched the film theory video on the walten files (which didnt cover all 3 but was dece.) out of curiosity and to hear matpats signature silly little voice explain some stuff i already knew, and click some shit in my brain that i couldve thought up of if i was a bit more... i dont know honestly. anyways yeah so the actual audio is “you finally start to remember. that old day. they will look out for you soon.” so yeah. day, not doll.

i then wrote down “sarah evelyn”, the name on the bons sleepover animation (i dont remember if she created it or animated it or whatnot) and scribbled will she matter? under her name. turns out no, as i didnt see her name in the rest of the series, let alone the first video. this is also a great time to mention how matpat theory helped me realize that the walten files are collections of videos, uploaded onto youtube by anthony. (i already knew about anthony as he signed his name in the descriptions of the youtube videos, making me categorize this overall web series more into an arg type genre.) but yes, the tapes, recorded “irl” footage, animated clips, vhs tape recordings and other audio-visual content is all collected and labeled the walten files, as i had mistaken each video to be a tape. stupid me. alrighty, onward!

i starred this one, good for me; MISSING: Jack Walten LAST SEEN: 06/11/1974

i jotted down with an arrow that; sophie was a nightguard? she was wearing the uniform explained in tape 2 i dont know why but i went back into my video 1 notes after i had watched video 2. organization purposes. i guess.?? 

i then paused the video when the screen flickered a date, the beginning of video footage dated 10/10/1982 (Brian Stells?) god my little genius ass assuming the videographer was brian stells, based on the id card i saw earlier.

i then wrote down what text i saw on the dead, mangled, bloody body in the purple security suit; “i cant feel anything” “he thought i was her” then drew a little arrow pointing to; thought brian was sophie? or ashley? i also starred the name Brian Stells this is totally out of order LMFAOOOOOOOO also i wrote down ashley because, again, my little pea brain went back on my video 1 notes after watching video 2. but yep thats all i wrote for The Walten Files 1 - Company Introductory Tape

THE WALTEN FILES - VIDEO #2 

Tape #1 - created 07/02/1978

awesome how thats first and foremost in the captions. god. so sexy of you martin walls. /j /nsx

this pack of notes is chunkier because again, like i have mentioned before i am an absolute goober and thought the capitalized letters of the words would actually mean something. I MEAN MAYBE THEY DO AND IM JUST DOING IT WRONG but i stopped doing it after this video because holy shit it was exhausting and my stupid little fingers couldnt take the writing anymore becasue i am WEAK. 

so write off the bat (squeak) i wrote down 197[] the blacked out rectangle over the last digit of that year and everything im also now assuming its probably 1978 or 1974 because lore reasons but whos to say but yeah i also wrote down this;

Tape #2 - created 08/13/1978

then, straight up in the beginning of the video i caught it, the flash of text, as i had by now realized i gotta be SUPER stupid focused on the screen in case i miss anything, i wanted to be crazy precise on my theorizing and mental notes, among other things. but yes i saw it, the first half of a youtube link;  “https://youtu” 

claps hands together and rubs them evilly. oh yeah baby. thats the hot lunch. this shit right here? the cats pajamas. lets fucking go.

i wrote down this goofy shit i pasued to inspect when i saw bon sorting through a file cabinet and naturally scribbled down the labels and other written things i could see on the files; 

relocate X/X/75 felix

storage K-9 07/23/1975 felix k(ranken)

Bons Burgers 06/28/1974 Jack Walten

Shipping Service 1975

New Location -> 1982

i also wrote down more goofy shit, like when banny was created for some reason; in 1974

starred, i noted to go back and reverse the audio at 5:09, when played back, i didnt write it down so i dont remember. lmao.

i also marked to screenshot and brighten the darkened image i saw at 5:20, i was going to do it on my phone then realized i can just do it on my computer so i quickly took a screenshot, brightened it and wrote down what i saw; a missing person poster that read MISSING: SUSAN WOODINGS(?) Last seen: 1974 i was very unsure of the spelling of her last name because the image was so goddamn low quality and grainy but its what i saw. this is where tape #3 gets thrown in, which im gonna type again because i like how the formatting looks;

Tape #3 - created 07/09/1978 (BEFORE tape 2?!//1/1??? its more likely than you think)

i wrote down more dates, any dates i saw, i jotted down. i wrote; 

Technical Support 1978 

then, 

Brian Stells (for some reason i dont remember right now)

alrighty this is where the stupid capitalized letters come in, but before it looks like i vomit a keysmash time infinity on this, ill put down the little inbetween things i wrote in the midst of the caps lockalypse like timestamps and stuff, so here you go;

- Reverse at 8:16 which i did but of course didnt write down what i heard. i think it was too warbled to hear anything clear out of it, or it was just the good ol auditory processing issues fucking me over yet again. WAIT yep yes i did here it is: “rosemary would go to the restaurant every night hoping that [her] beloved husband would reappear after being missing for weeks but no response until one day [s]he heard a voice [saying] ‘i know where he is rosie’ coming from the back stage” the bracketed stuff is the corrections, i misheard the audio and thought the audio said “his”, “he” and “singing” like a nimrod

- Brighten at 10:14 which was another missing person poster, but i dont think it had any information on it because i didnt write it down, just;

- Sophie again (pic at 9:08?) (dismemberd and put in Sha) i was stupid and wrong haha idiot it was rosemary who was put in sha but anywho

i starred and underlined a huge thing i discovered which was;

- Walten had 3 kids which i dont remember how i found out but it doesnt matter, its good important info i uncovered.

- Tape #4 - Unkown Date

- recorded 07/12-07/14 1978 

- Hilary B, Ashley P & Kevin W i made sure to get these names down as soon as i saw them on screen but then realized shortly after i wouldnt really need to have it as the closed captions made sure i knew which person was talking by using their first initial (capitalized of course) before each line of text. this is the perfect time to announce the arrival of the clusterfuck of capital letters, which is going to include colons which will indicate that the letter before it is the initial of the person talking. without further aedue, here comes another chinese earthquake;

TCWTSTATO(K-9)TBSSFWFCNEHAWBSUBIUC(BSIIDC)OWHISF INBIJTILNSPL(K-9)LCSCKCCCWTTLTLITTTYROTFAJAMHPYYSTCSPMBBWSBIB H:NTPPCCK:DA:HH:YCPRPMWTCBCRAWK:JH:SYYTCPBACPSTBAWCA:TK(?):FMTTCMK:TCPNOA:DTOFK:ITNPPRA:YBUTIRRFH:HKIBESRAIA:TCK:WA:WPCCFTRRIDPEH:GGK:GPA:LKK:WA:HNCGTKMK:YH:IGKA:ESK:MFH:RK:HILRLBNTRPPUWHITRRTPEIFEPH:YWBEBPK:MAHPBTRPTRPEL(LN)HTACPKLIKHPFITSKLTKLB(LB?)ISIBSUBIPRW AEBATHSPUAICTPURTWBBRPHTRTIIIILTCITCUCCP S(bpe, be)WA”IDCPBPSIB

holy shit its finally over okay now onto some MORE of what i wrote down in between and also after that keysmash attack;

12 doors? (backrooms) 27? 26? i was unsure because ashley was unsure too lmfao

found cassette (6/11/78) <- says “discard”? yeah it did

Tape in clown audio, speaking voice; jack, susan, charles(?), rosemary, sophie, last word sounds like “walrus” it was walten lmfao

Ashley died? yeah she did lmfao OR AT LEAST I THINK SO??

starred this one, Reverse @ 17:06, then got this;

“they left the next day, they thought ashley left early, but she was in the backdoors, screaming as much as she could, but no one heard the screams, the following days the caretakers would complain about an awful smell coming from the backdoors, company decided to shut down facility until new advice, the relocate project was unsuccessful. ashley is still there, but she is not screaming anymore, she saw something she wasnt supposed to see and now shes beautiful” the phrase “shes beautiful” was repeating like a bajillion times in that wall of text. then, god motherfuckng bless: 

at 17:23 i found the other half of the youtube link, “.be/k07QqEDOfQ” i pieced that bad boy together as instant as i think any form of ramen could never be, but remained ever patient. because i made sure to jot down this before moving onto my next segment;

@ end of vid 2, “shadow man sees* me when lights go off” im an idiot *it was actually “feeds” not “sees”, which AGAIN, i only found out after watching the stupid little film theory video *begins snarling and foaming at the mouth*

okay im not proud to admit im editing this to post it and realized ive lost my notes. well. 

might as well post what ive got! if i find my shit ill add onto this, i suppose.

[ruthlesslistener]

Some Lurien Headcanons

-Was originally from a low birth 

-Rose quickly in social esteem because he was born with a third eye and a minor gift of foresight/allsight, which is extremely rare. The mortals under a bug's care always have an equal chance of being born with their abilities, but certain strains of magic can only be handled by gods/have a rarer possibility of being present in mortals because they're just too damn overwhelming 

-And Lurien got slapped with two of the Pale King's rarer abilities 

-For someone who has social anxiety and a tendency to be overwhelmed when around people, this was...not fun. So he threw himself into it as an alternative means of dealing with it, and became one of the rare disciples of the Pale King very early in life, to learn to cope with the visions and tendency to zone out and end up watching fragments of city life from a perspective not his own 

-PK is a very distant, unconventional god in that he doesn't really have high priests or an organized religion dedicated to him; his worship is gathered more through people supporting him and dedicating themselves to things he represents, like free will/mind, intelligence, the pursuit of knowledge, etc. Which means that Lurien spent a lot of years in bug college studying art, economics, politics, spelltheory, spellcraft, history of magic, etc etc

-Him being deeply magically powerful and work-oriented made him rise through the ranks pretty quickly, even though he wasn't necessarily a social guy. Soon he found himself working as a professor, a job he loathed with a fiery passion, and quit to be some kind of government official tasked with spellwork, which didn't vibe with him either, so he kind of just retreated into his house and dedicated himself more to art and worship as a way to attune with his own personal magic and try to control it

-He always considered it a gift, though, even though it was sometimes hell for him. So he took on a mask that had only one eyehole- located right where his third eye was- so that he would be forced to use just his third eye and thus acclimate to how it worked 

-When looking through his third eye, he could see veils of the dream world overlaid onto the real one, he could unfocus and see different regions of the city that he had never walked in, he could hear scraps of verse alluding to the future and dream of events that would yet come to pass.

 -And even if he wasn't fond of being out in public, he loved his city and how gorgeous it was, the richness of life and history in it 

-Eventually he grew bold enough (and possibly drunk enough) to write out a whole-ass letter about this shit to the Pale King and send it in, thinking that it would get thrown out, and that it was more of a ritual than anything (like burning paper notes at an alter to commune with the dead). The letter was like 5 pages long front to back and very dense with information about his magic and all he saw and how he considered it a blessing, and once he sent it in he promptly forgot about it, bc the King never replies back 

-Guess who got a reply a week later in the King's own handwriting, requesting he go to the Palace for assessment

-As it turns out, PK's been distantly aware of Lurien for quite a while, because he's quite the dedicated follower and has a sort of magical signature to him that is distinct from most others. He just never knew who it was specifically, and didn't have the time/care to seek it out, bc this is PK and he has the social emotional skills of a fucking robot

 -But! Now he gets a detailed letter on the artistic, magical, and cultural significance of the City of Tears, from someone who is not only eloquent but also very knowledgeable on the subject, and someone who apparently has his gift of Sight, albeit on a much, much weaker scale (PK's foresight is about 10,000x more complex than Lurien's, who can only see forward like 20 years max, and it’s very blurry/in single short events). So his curiosity is piqued, and he beckons him forth to the White Palace so that he may assess him upfront, because such a person is very, very useful when given the right tools and he needs an excuse to dispose some noble lines that have outlived their usefulness anyways

-Lurien shows up dressed in his most formal wear, gives a rundown of his abilities (and he's the real deal, fuck yeah) does the usual awestruck staring most mortals do except PK can sense that he's seeing much more of his actual power than he lets show in the physical world, and is so stiffly, awkwardly formal and terrified of social situations that PK is like 'excellent, he's perfect', skims his mind to decipher what's the best way of heightening his abilities, and sends him off with a massive raise and the promise to help him attune his magic, if he promises to become his eye in minding the city 

-Lurien, of course, accepts 

-PK, staring intently at him and manipulating his foresight to see how strong he is: interesting. you show promise -Lurien, staring at the afterimage of a giant wyrm with far too many teeth rippling down its form and eyes EVERYWHERE except when they're nowhere: thank you sire

- It took Lurien like 6 months to realize just how small PK was and that's bc whenever he was fully alert and aware of everything it felt like there was a whole fucking wyrm crammed into the room watching and that PK was just the part of it visible

-Lurien is now the most politically and magically powerful bug in the City of Tears, but like, in a really shadowy assassin kind of way, and he's kinda freaked out about it

-But he settles into it really well! He gets his tower, where he can isolate himself from others, he gets a whole bunch of knights to make sure he stays unbothered, he has a magically protected telescope that allows him to use his third eye for ages without tiring, and he actually enjoys the paperwork as long as he doesn't have to interact with anyone. And then he's getting personal (really vague) lessons from the King on how to properly use and handle foresight so he's now no longer getting spasms of visions and blinding headaches

 -So he ends up becoming kind of the secret heart of the city in a way, like a mayor but more hidden and more magically veiled

-As Watcher of the city, he ended up working as a sort of judge/detective for criminals, as he could most often see crimes happening, as well as track their fallout. He’d also gather substantial amounts of information on the crime to back up whatever he Sees or doesn’t see, written in meticulous detail so that the juries could agree on whatever punishment needed to be enacted (though it was him + the King that often decided it in the end, as Lurien was often an eyewitness and PK could simply tear the information from someone’s mind)

-Despite this benefit, he’d often call for people to buy magic veiling curtains and the like bc holy SHIT there are some things he does not want to see, and he values privacy. 

-He was, in fact, famed for his privacy, and avoidance of social situations; almost no parties or unofficial gatherings were unattended by him, as he was very much a duty-only sort of bug and would much rather spend his time painting or writing instead of delving into social matters. This gave him a reputation for being cold and thinking he was above everyone, which he used to his advantage

-The only privacy he never valued was that of the Soul Sanctum, because those motherfuckers had privacy shields up all around them and literally everything they did pointed to unethical bullshit. But because he couldn’t get any eyewitness reports or silkpaper/stone data, not even enough to justify drawing the Pale King down from his workshop to do a full godly judgement on it, he was incapable of directly confronting the Soul Master, something that eventually turned into a well-known rivalry between them

-At one point, he outright told the Soul Master that he would have had him beheaded if he was able to find sufficient evidence for it, which made relations with the Soul Sanctum much more strained (and gathered a lot of respect from his butler)

-His butler was a dear friend of his, one of the only ones that he had, but he was notoriously bad at remembering his name. Luckily, said butler was also a rather timid soul who was prone to forgetting titles in fits of anxiety so he just ran with it

-Lurien is gay but notoriously bad at identifying crushes even when he was more in-tune with his feelings, which lands him somewhere on the grayaro/ace spectrum

-He may or may not have a crush on the Pale King. It gets really weird with the whole godly alluring light and with PK being more of a figurehead than an actual person, and also the emotional repression, but it’s there and it’s not going anywhere

-He has a mild fear of children as well, though this is partially due to the fact that he has no idea what to do with them

-Has fainted from stress before and will do it again, though ironically work-related stress issues hardly ever bothers him. It’s more like, being around people and trying to keep up with social rules that destroys him

-Despite his anxious disposition, he gives off an aura of calm, controlled chaos and is the most stubborn Dreamer/person in the entirety of the Pale Court. All his screaming happens on the interior, not the exterior

-Basically ran on caffeine and magic stimulants up until he took his role as a Dreamer, which meant when the spell hit him he went out the fastest 

[jessikahathaway]

Under the Covers

DON’T OWN THE PHOTO!

Pairing: Kim Taehyung X Reader

Genre: Romance, Spy!AU, Action

Warnings: Graphic depictions of sexual intercourse (Drunk), guns and violence, birth (not too graphic), Character Death, Blood (Not really any gore). If I forgot anything please let me know!

Words: 23.4k 

Sorry I have been absent but please enjoy this spy!AU that’s been in my WIP forever and a half. Love you guys! ~ Jess

The day had been dull, hours ticking by slowly mocking you. You’d recently been put on probation because of irrational thinking out in the field... So, now you were working in the boring section of the office, filing papers and trying to be on your best behavior. 

It wasn’t your fault! 

Your partner was being a damn coward and wasn’t willing to take the shot! You had to or the damn criminal was going to get away with everything... You didn’t mean for an innocent to get caught in the crossfire.

Accidents happen, variables get scewed and people get hurt. But how many more would’ve been at risk if you hadn’t done what you did? At the end of the day somebody has to take the burden, and if it had to be you then so be it.

Although, being forced to live this life day to day was incredibly mundane... How did the office agents do it? Did they enjoy the monotone, unlively plane they were existing in? You were having a hard time believing that. Life was so short, why play it safe when you could lay everything on the line. Risk it all. 

You were a field agent from the International Espionage Agency, stationed in Seoul, South Korea at the moment. This is where you were receiving your punishment. The Seoul office was one of the calmest ones in the entire Agency. Some thought it was due to lack of talent, others thought it was due to the sheer drop in crime rates since the Agency was founded there. There was nothing to do, no one to fight. And not nearly enough booze.

A sweet desk assistant, Lisa, you think her name was, approached you. “Ma’am? Director Jin wishes to speak with you, if you’d follow me please?” she requested. You jumped at the chance for a change in scenery and followed behind her quickly. 

The clacking of keyboard keys resounded in your brain as you and Lisa meandered through the desks and identical office cubicles. People whose eyes were glued to their screens as if it were their last breath. You shuddered to think if this were to be the rest of your life. Had your blunder been that bad?

Lisa finally led you to a deep mahogany door that stood taller than you deemed necessary. However, interior decorating had never been your strong suit. She knocked softly, a deep come in followed. “Please enter,” she announced, opening the door for you. Awkwardly, you nodded your head before dipping inside of the room. The center of attention had never been your place. Much preferring to stick to the edge of walls and ducking behind counters and desks as bullets flew past your head was where you longed to be. 

The door shutting behind you made you jump slightly, before you stood face to desk with Kim Jin, Director of the Seoul Espionage Agency. 

“Sir,” you said, bowing in respect.

“Please, sit,” he offered, doing so himself. You moved to comply and seated yourself in the plush seat provided. Jin cleared his throat before pulling open a file.

“Sir, if I may be so bold, under what circumstances am I here?” you questioned, trying to look at the folder in his hands. 

A sharp clap echoed through the room that made your skin crawl in nerves. “You were sent here for punishment, am I correct in this statement?” he asked, already aware of the answer. 

“Yes, Sir,” you confirmed. 

“And why did you receive punishment?” he quizzed again, sounding like a school teacher scolding a disobedient child. 

“Because of poor thinking in the field as well as doing harm to an innocent,” you answered back. 

“Correct,” he doted. You tried to keep your grimace in check, although it was getting harder by the second. “So, after all of that. Do you feel that you have received a fair punishment? Being sent to, “the most uncharacteristically dull” agency?” he said, finally lifting his eyes to yours. His glare was so dark you couldn’t keep eye contact any longer.

“Sir, I-”

“No bullshit excuses D3!” he growled, using your rank against you. Designated 3rd rank was your official title given by the agency. Field operative in the highest order. You were surprised you hadn’t been demoted. “I don’t know why your main office sent you to me, but ever since you got here you’ve been nothing but an eyesore in my office,” Jin stated.

“I’m sorry, Sir,” you offered lamely.

“If you were sorry then you’d actually do the work assigned to you. How many reports have you blown off or given to my other office workers, because you ‘don’t have the time’ for it? As I see it, you have plenty of time to fuck around on your phone or go out drinking in the afternoon? If you’re here on punishment, why are you acting as if you’re on a vacation?” he said, throwing pictures of your reckless behavior in your face. 

“I had to take that shot!” you defended. “If I hadn’t then the biggest drug lord in the Western Hemisphere would’ve walked right out of that damn store! I couldn’t let that chance go!” 

“You didn’t have to go through an innocent woman to get to him,” Jin growled dangerously. “You’re ten times smarter than that, I know you are. All of your testing shows me you knew better than that. You took the easy shot, not the best one,” he accused. 

“Where else was I supposed to shoot? Through my fucking knees? Sir, if there was another way I assure you that I would’ve found it!” 

“The door frame,” he stated. “It’s made out of a steel and titanium reinforced support system. It could’ve ricoheted and hit the target in the eye. No innocents harmed,” he stated, holding up the store blueprints you’d seen hundreds of times before that night. 

Fuck...

He was right. 

“What do you want me to do Sir? I can’t make it right, so what’s the point in rubbing my nose in it now?” you questioned, staring at the papers before you.

“I’m going a little off the rule book for you, considering how you are a special case indeed,” he stated. “Taehyung, you can come in now,” Jin announced.

The large doors opened to reveal a taller male, lithe frame and bronzed skin gracing him. His hair was a soft brown, gently billowing against the breeze the door created. You looked to him then back to Director Jin.

“Who is this, Sir?” you asked, peaking at the man he called Taehyung. 

“This, Y/N, is my best field agent Kim Taehyung,” Jin stated proudly.

“Pleased to meet you,” he said, giving a small bow before lifting his gaze to Jin. “Hyung,” he greeted. 

“Sir, what does he have to do with me?” you questioned. 

“Listen,” he growled in a warning. You shrunk back into your seat before nodding. “You and Taehyung are to be partners in a new mission,” Jin explained. You couldn’t help the excitement that flooded through you. Finally, out of this fucking office and into the field again!

Jin must’ve noticed your excitement. “However, Taehyung will be taking the lead on this mission. You are to follow his orders to the letter, am I understood?” 

“Sir-” 

“Am I understood?” he asked darkly. You nodded numbly, not wanting to get into any further shit. “Good, Taehyung has already been briefed on this assignment. But a refresher won’t hurt you. Taehyung-ah,” Jin stated. Taehyung nodded in understanding and sat down in the chair next to you. 

You examined him closer and you were slightly stunned. He was rather beautiful to behold. His skin was smooth and seemed to glow in the sunlight. His hair appeared soft to the touch. Although he wore the signature D3 smirk. He knew he was better than you, and he planned on rubbing that in the whole time you two were partners. This was turning out to be more of a punishment than you originally believed.

“Are you aware of this man?” Jin questioned, setting a picture down on the desk in front of you. 

“Of course,” you stated. “That’s Zhao Feng Tong, White Snake of Chinese politics... But what does that have to do with our assignment?” you questioned. 

“Feng has been getting his mutts to attack Korean Intelligence forces. As well as some state side. The IEA requested that I assign my best man in taking him down. However, we are in need of cover. Your specialty is undercover work, is it not?” he asked, directing the question to you.

“Yes, Sir,” you responded. 

“Perfect, you see that is the only place my best man lacks. He has no cover. So, you are to become Taehyung’s cover,” Jin explained. You quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

“Excuse me, Sir, but how am I to do that?”

“Patience is a virtue, one you’re lacking my dear,” you silenced yourself yet again. “As I was saying, you are to be Taehyung’s cover. Feng has his claws deep within the local government of a small town out in the country. You and Taehyung are to be a newlywed couple that are just moving to the town in hopes of starting a family. Feng is known to come during election time, once he’s there you are to eliminate him. These people are very wary of newcomers. I expect you to play your role perfectly, Miss Y/N,” Jin stated. “Otherwise you will be released from the International Espionage Agency permanently.”

Married? To Kim Taehyung?

Oh fuck.

---

You woke the following week with a wedding ceremony to attend. Pictures and things of the like were necessary in order for the new home to be believable. Stories, memories things all newlywed couples had a plethora of.

Taehyung, however, seemed less than enthused. 

Something you’d learned quickly in the time you’d spend with Taehyung was that he didn’t play nicely with others. It was a common theme among D3’s, not enjoying partnership and just wanting to get the job done alone. However, this time your livelihood was resting on you performing well. And like fuck you were going to let that happen. 

You walked into Jin’s office that morning to be greeted by a very bored looking Taehyung. He was looking at his phone and Jin was typing on his computer. You cleared your throat to announce your arrival. Jin looked up and nodded at your arrival, Taehyung remained focused elsewhere.

“There’s the blushing bride, has Lisa contacted you about the photography and the shoots?” Jin asked, you nodded obediently, not wanting to get in trouble before your assignment had even started. 

“Yes, a car is waiting for Taehyung and I out in the lot. We’re going to get our wedding and engagement photos done today. As well as anything else you can think of that couples have,” you declared. Jin nodded in approval then clicked his tongue at Taehyung. 

“Tae, I expect you to be on your best behavior for Miss Y/N, this is her area of expertise. Play nice,” he warned. Taehyung nodded and stood up, placing his phone in his pocket. 

“Come on then, let’s get married.”

---

The day passed uneventfully, as did the following weeks. You’d been put through so many outfits and fake smiles that everything was simply exhausting. However, the real work was yet to begin. You were packing your clothes up. Some of them are worn in photo shoots to prevent suspicion. 

Your phone was removed and a new one took its place. Photos of you and Taehyung as well as simplistic snapshots every girl had on her phone. You were assuming Taehyung had been given a similar set up. 

Tomorrow, you were to move across the country with this man and live as his new wife, until election time... Which was almost four months away. Of course Feng would be around the town doing campaigning and things of the like, however, that wouldn’t be the time to strike. You’d have to be patient this time. Think things through. 

You can’t slip up again. Looking through the photos on your new device you found one of Taehyung that you had taken in the park where you were getting your wedding photos done. He’d found a wildflower that had peaked his interest for the time being and was admiring it. You took the opportunity to capture the moment, one where he wasn’t ignoring you or putting you down for negligence. He was simply existing in nature.

You made it your screensaver and shut the device off for the night. Turning your head to your nightstand you saw the glittering jewels of your wedding and engagement rings. The delicate silver and diamonds wove around simplistically. Nothing too extravagant, but enough to show you were spoken for. Taehyung also had a similar ring, just a touch understated. 

Images of the prior weeks of preparation made your stomach clench in nerves. You hadn’t been part of such a big operation that relied heavily on your trademarked skill in years. Would you still have what it took? Could Taehyung rely on you as Jin said he could?

These doubts were misplaced of course. You were you. An Designated 3rd Ranked Officer of the International Espionage Agency.

And you weren’t going to fail again.

---

The morning sun blazed in your eyes as you and Taehyung drove through the countryside in silence. Your ring glittered in the sunlight as the roads wound on and became more treacherous. Taehyung had picked you up early, before the birds had even begun to sing, and definitely before you were willing to wake up. 

“Get up, we leave in ten minutes,” he said, throwing your pillow on the ground. You heard his footsteps receding into your living room. No doubt to collect the boxes you had placed there the night before. 

Taehyung was hard to get along with. A gruff exterior made it difficult to approach him and he held an air of superiority that was hard to breathe in. All in all, Taehyung really irritated you. 

He held your freedom over you like a stick and was quick to put you in your place. Sometimes more than necessary. During your wedding shoot, he’d pointed out that if his bride ever wore the dress you were wearing he’d leave them at the altar. That stung a bit seeing as how you had felt rather confident in the dress up until that point. 

The photos following his comment were unusable. 

For a top operative, he was a massive dick. 

Although, for the moment, he was silent. Focused on the road and not on you, which was preferable. 

Until he opened his Goddamn mouth. “I’m killing Feng,” he declared as he rounded a sharp corner. 

“I’m aware,” you sighed, looking out the window. 

“I don’t see why we have to go through this ridiculous game,” Taehyung said, looking at his ring with contempt. 

“Feng is a creature of caution. He’ll be on high alert during election season... We need to infiltrate now and make our presence less interesting than if we moved in a week before the election. We need patience,” you explained. 

“You’re one to talk about patience,” he sneered. You bit your lip harshly, not wanting to get into it with him right now. 

However, one prod can be too many. 

“I heard she died.”

Dead silent. 

“Pull over,” you breathed. 

“What?” he asked, straining to hear you. 

“I said pull the fucking car over!” you screamed. Taehyung jumped in his seat before doing as you asked. Before the moving truck had even come to a complete stop you opened the door and got out, stumbling slightly on the uneven ground. 

“Come on, are you really going to pitch a fit right now?” Taehyung asked, getting out of the driver’s seat to follow you.

“I don’t give a damn if they fire me, working with you is next to impossible. I didn’t know someone could be so egotistical and rude until I met you,” you growled, stomping down the road. 

“Where are you going? We’re miles from the nearest town,” Taehyung stated, standing with his arms crossed. 

“Perfect, maybe I’ll die out here and it’ll save Jin the trouble,” you glowered, walking closer to the guard rail of the road. The crunching gravel behind you signalled Taehyung’s approach. 

“Knock it off, we’ve got a job to do and I’m not leaving till it’s finished,” he said, grabbing your wrist. You turned quickly and faced him, cheeks red in anger.

“Then do it without me, you’re the one who said you could do this yourself. Money where your mouth is time, prove it.”

With that you yanked your wrist from his hands and kept moving down the road. “Jesus fuck you get on my nerves. Jin will be pissed if I show up to that house by myself. Come on Miss Undercover, get your ass back in the truck,” Taehyung stated. 

“No, Taehyung. I will not be getting my ass back in the truck, you can forget it!”

“Fine, you know what? Fine. I give up, you stuck up bitch. Walk to the next town for all I care,” he growled, heading back towards the truck.

“You are such an asshole!” you screamed, turning to start walking in the opposite direction...

When you slipped.

The gravel beneath your feet gave way as you began sliding underneath the guardrail. You were high in the mountains during this portion of the trip, and the roads weren’t well taken care of. 

Gravel ingrained new lacerations on your delicate flesh as you tried desperately to save yourself from the fall. Your calves were sticky with hot blood and dirt was clinging to the open wounds like a bacterial infested beauty.

Quickly, you latched onto the metal of the guardrail and attempted to pull yourself up. However, your wrist burned in the effort, scratched up due to your fall. The hot, sticky sensation of blood running down your arm made your hands slippery.

“Taehyung!” you screamed, hanging off of the weakened metal in fear. 

There was no response. Blood was pounding in your ears at the thought of death so close. You’d never feared it until now... Because now it was a possibility. 

“Taehyung, please!”

“Y/N?” Taehyung’s voice echoed in mild concern.

“Help me!”

The sound of dirt crunching at the approach of Taehyung’s footsteps sent relief through your veins. Taehyung’s face appeared before you as he wrapped his arms around your elbows and hauled you up onto the road. You were trembling in fear and exhaustion and Taehyung fell backwards, you on his chest. 

You hadn’t realized it before... But you were crying. 

“Fuck, your arm,” he said, sitting up. “Looks to be superficial, I think if we just-”

A loud sob broke through Taehyung’s sentence. His eyes went from your arm to your face as fat tears rolled down your cheeks. Suddenly you were crying loudly like a child, unable to stop. All the frustration and pent up emotions of the past months coming forward in the form of water flooding your eyes. 

Taehyung watched in shock as you broke down in front of him. “Hey, Y/N, are you hurt somewhere else? What’s wrong?” he asked, trying to figure out how to make you stop. 

“I-I ju-st-” and before you could finish your sentence cries won out. Taehyung looked at you quickly and confirmed that you weren’t injured anywhere else. Although you were still crying. 

“Hey, shh,” he soothed, wiping your cheeks with his sleeve. “We’re not getting anywhere like this,” he sighed, looking down at his knees. 

Eventually, your tears stopped and you were able to speak without cries interrupting your phrase. 

“I’m sorry, I went too far,” Taehyung said, wrapping your arm in a bandage. You swallowed hard as nodded in acceptance. “Allies?” he asked. You took his hand as he pulled you to your feet.

“Allies,” you confirmed.

---

You pulled up to your new house roughly three hours later. Taehyung and you had come to a mutual understanding.

Help me help you. 

You still weren’t particularly fond of him, but now working with him didn’t seem impossible. 

The place you were going to be calling home for the next few months stood before you. A modest house painted a pale yellow greeted you and Taehyung. The garden out front wasn’t thriving, but all wasn’t lost. Then the shutters had been painted a soft blue, complimenting the structure wonderfully. 

Maybe living here wouldn’t be so bad after all...

“Now, remember what we discussed,” you stated.

“Newlywed couples are very affectionate. We’re nice people, but cautious. Flirtatious but not disgustingly so. We are in love, first and foremost,” he repeated. 

“Wonderful,” you smiled before planting a kiss on his cheek. Taehyung nodded before getting out of the truck.

“Oh Tae, it’s amazing!” you yelped, looking at the house before you. 

“I’d certainly hope so,” he stated, coming to wrap an around around you comfortably. You leaned into his touch, looking at the house in its entirety. 

“Can we go inside?” you asked, looking at the key in his hands. 

“Of course babe,” he said, walking forwards and unlocking the door, but before you could walk in yourself, Taehyung wrapped his hand around your wrist. 

“What?” you asked, disappointed. 

“It’s bad luck for me not to carry you over the threshold,” he said, grinning. Your heart thudded for a moment. Taehyung’s boxy grin melted you, unprepared for the attack. 

“Hang on, I don’t know if I-wah!” you said as Taehyung lifted you into the air. Seeing some of the neighbors come out at the commotion you quieted down. Slowly, Taehyung carried you bridal style into the home. Your heart stuttered lightly as you crossed over the threshold. 

“Here you are,” he said, setting you down. You flushed pink and cleared your throat. 

“Alright, looks like we need to start getting the big furniture first, then we can worry about the decorations later,” you blabbed on. Taehyung watched you with muted interest, appearing to be caring however you knew there were probably fifty other things he’d rather be doing.

“Can’t we rest? I was just driving for over eight hours,” he whined, sitting on the floor in defiance. 

“You can sit all you’d like but I’m going to start bringing boxes in,” you stated, turning and heading towards the truck. 

You examined the perimeter when exiting the building. The neighbors that had come out of their house when you and Taehyung pulled up had since hurried back inside. Perhaps they were merely minding their own business or watching. This was a tight knit town. People didn’t move in nor did they move out. People stayed the same here, you’d be a large topic of conversation amongst these people. 

Taehyung walked up behind you and rested his head in the crook of your neck. “What do you see?” he asked. 

“Nothing much,” you announced, a smile on your face as if he just said something endearing. “I’m certain they are playing the waiting game. Seeing how interesting we are, how cautious they need to be. Push and pull, when they push we pull,” you stated. 

“I hate waiting games...”

“Get ready for four months of waiting.”

---

The night air blew through the home in slow waves. You watched as the street was lit with a flickering lamp roughly twenty feet away. No one had shown up at your abode, and you didn’t think they would for a while. 

This wasn’t an American sitcom where the new neighbors move in and everyone starts baking pies. This was a strategic move on the townspeople and Feng’s part. Allowing time for observations and possible encounters was a key part in the beginning stages of any sort of stake out/undercover mission. 

Feng was already suspicious. You didn’t have to know anything about his involvement in the town for that to be a solid fact. His most devout following, holed up in a small town now being invaded by outsiders? Background checks were no doubt in progress.

And they’d find exactly what you wanted. Lives painted like pictures in a story book. Rocky beginnings for Taehyung, where he grew up on the streets but was adopted into a good home and cared for until he met you in college. Love at first sight turned into marriage. And here you were, married, a home to call your own. No doubt children in the future. Perfect, but Taehyung’s dent was what made it less suspicious. A crime record thrown in for good luck. You having one parking ticket...

One you definitely refuted. 

Before the two of you had went to sleep you managed to get your mattress in your bedroom and Taehyung unpacked a box of dishes. Although the emotional day had taken its toll on the pair of you. Grabbing your sheets you made the bed and you and Taehyung collapsed down onto the mattress happily.

Although, the same nightmare kept running through your mind...

The day you made your mistake. 

The day you hurt an innocent. 

The very reason you were in this mission right now, was because you were impatient. You wanted the glory of taking down a criminal, not caring about the life that would be at risk because of your greed. That day haunted you...

You were sitting up in bed, looking over your phone to distract yourself. Cell reception wasn’t the greatest here so you’d settled for scrolling through pictures. Photos of you and friends that had been given names and assigned cell phones as well. A mother and father, a sibling for good measure. So many people strung in this elaborate web of lies. 

You fell on a photo you didn’t recognize. One of you, drinking coffee in the office. You looked flustered, stressed and not wholly interested in what you were doing. Your eyes wandered to Taehyung who was sleeping in the bed beside you. 

He seemed peaceful, which was impressive seeing as how you were struggling to catch an ounce of sleep. 

“If you keep staring I’m going to think you want something from me,” Taehyung murmured.

You flinched at his voice, but otherwise remained passive. No wonder he looked so peaceful.

“Can’t sleep either?” You asked, locking your phone and setting it on the floor. Your bed wasn’t on the frame yet and your bedside tables are still in the truck.

“I don’t sleep much no matter where I am,” he sighed, sitting up and rubbing his face. 

“It’s quiet here,” you announced, eyes casting over the moving truck in the front yard and for sale sign gone from the lawn. Taehyung lazily rested his head on your shoulder. You did your best to subtle the flinch from the unexpected contact. You had to get used to Taehyung’s displays of affection. People could be watching you at any moment.

“These people here are creepy, almost like they aren’t real,” he whispered. 

“We technically aren’t real either. Fake lives made for us like a script for a play,” you concluded. 

“But we’re using our real names, isn’t that a big taboo for this sort of work?” he asked. 

“Perhaps, but, you respond naturally to your own name. Even a variation of it, if I were to call you Kihyun or something, your response would look forced. Unnatural. But calling you Taehyung,” you said, looking at him. 

Subtly he tilted his head towards you, waiting for you to continue. He acknowledged his name without registering it in his brain. Something very common that a lot of people don’t notice. But, it’s easy to observe if you know what you’re looking for.

“Interesting notion,” Taehyung mused. 

“Pseudo-Science. Barely science,” you joked. Taehyung breathed a laugh before pulling you back down into bed with him. You squealed unattractively while struggling against his embrace. Taehyung hissed in disapproval.

“You know, I’ve never seen a new bride so unwilling to let her husband hold her,” he reprimanded.

“Perhaps if you played the role of a husband better, I wouldn’t be so unwilling,” you scoffed. Taehyung just rolled his eyes and kept you in his arms. 

“Just shut up and go to bed, before you give me a fucking headache,” he complained. 

“Good night Taehyung.”

---

The next morning you woke to the smell of coffee brewing. You got up and found the mattress empty beside you. Taehyung was already awake and the smell of food also alluded to his state of alert. You grabbed your robe from atop the boxed besides your mattress and pulled it on, heading towards the kitchen.

Taehyung stood next to the stove with two mismatching mugs and silverware that definitely didn’t belong together. 

“Don’t you dare bring out my mother’s nice ceramics for this,” you warned, smiling and wrapping your arms around him. Taehyung bumped your hip with his while handing you a mug. 

“I put creamer in it, I hope that’s alright,” he smiled. You nodded and took a sip, already warming up from the chill of the morning. 

“It’s awesome, thank you,” you sighed. “Fuck it’s going to suck getting the rest of our shit in here,” you whined. Taehyung’s eyes bulged at your vulgar tone. 

“Perhaps we could hold off on that for a while and eat breakfast?” he asked, holding a plate up for you. Quickly, you took it and hurried towards the island to eat. Taehyung laughed as you jumped up on the counter and used the built in appliance as your couch. 

“This is so good,” you moaned, licking your lips. The thick coating of grease from the bacon made your lips shiny and Taehyung found himself staring, despite not wanting to. You wiggled a little, bobbing your head back and forth while you ate. 

“You’re, like, dancing on our island,” Taehyung said, rubbing his face in disbelief. 

“Food is good, sometimes you just gotta dance with the good things in life. Like this bacon, deserves a quality head shimmy,” you noted. 

“I’m glad I could provide you with head shimmy worthy bacon this morning,” Taehyung stated.

“My head shimmies are only for the most elite pieces of bacon, so consider yourself lucky,” you snarked. He laughed and began to eat his food as well. 

It was silent, save for the clinking of your utensils on mismatched plates. 

You were thinking to yourself about your performance. Had anyone seen you so far, they would assume you were a happy couple. However, you weren’t that touchy feely. Newlyweds normally couldn’t keep their hands off each other. If you didn’t increase intimacy, then no doubt your facade would start to crack. 

“We should probably have sex today,” you noted, hopping off the counter. 

The sound of Taehyung choking filled the room. 

“Babe?” you asked, hurrying over and rubbing his back. Taehyung’s face was red and he was obviously startled by your statement. 

“Jesus, fuck! Are you trying to kill me?” he asked, while you got him a cup of water. 

Well, a bowl of water is what you managed. He gulped down the liquid as his breathing evened. 

“Taehyung, we’re a couple. That just got married. We live alone. What else do you think we would be doing?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well, probably setting the house up? Starting to investigate a litte-”

“Taehyung, there are no doubt people watching this house. If we don’t act like we love each other, then we’re already doomed. We aren’t going to have real sex, just throw a blanket over us and then dry hump me or something,” you said, trying to think of ideas. 

“Really? Dry hump you? Under a blanket?” he said. 

Taehyung didn’t find the idea of dry humping you repulsive, it was just less fun than actually getting to fuck you. Because, oh boy, hate fucking you would be incredible. Although, it wouldn’t be the passionate love making that you were probably trying to convey. 

“Okay, but I can’t promise that I won’t get a boner in the middle of it,” he sighed. 

“Taehyung I will bite your ear off,” you warned.

“So kinky already, darling,” he breathed. 

“Okay, you stink, go take a shower,” you demanded, pulling away. Taehyung huffed and pouted, following you closely.

“Baby~” he whined, wrapping his arms around your waist. 

“Taehyung,” you smiled, however your voice was severely irritated. 

“Let’s have fake sex, then I can go take a shower, yeah?” he urged, pulling you against his body. 

To an on looker, it was no doubt a boyfriend or husband trying to coerce his wife into getting frisky. But you did want to get more of the truck unpacked. 

“Not now, shower then come help me unpack some more,” you stated, placing a hesitant peck on his lips. 

Taehyung frowned before pulling you in for a deeper kiss. You fumbled lightly on your feet, getting pulled closer into him. Taehyung wrapped your body up in his arms and moved his mouth against yours aggressively. He sucked on the delicate skin of your lips, so hard you were certain they’d bruise. 

“Ouch, Tae,” you winced. 

“Mmm, you actually kiss pretty good,” he murmured, moving back in to seal his lips against yours. 

“Loving, tender kisses Taehyung. Not trying to fucking eat my face.”

Taehyung moved away and tried to act playful when he smacked your butt before heading to the bathroom. You rolled your eyes before going to get the keys for the truck.

Again the morning was just as silent. They really must be scoping the situation out. Much like you and Taehyung were. There were a lot of variables right now. Many ways for the whole plan to go wrong. It made you uneasy. But this was your specialty.

Making a new life here was going to be difficult. However, right now wasn’t the time to be doubting your skills. There was too much at stake. You weren’t going to be the reason more people died and another criminal got away.

You started pulling in more boxes, managing to get the frame of the couch out of the truck and into the living room as well. You were sweating and your poor arm stung with a fresh scrape from the day before. You looked at the couch and decided that right there would be good enough for now. Running out to the truck you grabbed the couch cushions and throw pillows so you could sit down for a minute and relax.

After placing the last pillow down the sound of the water shutting off made you turn your head. Taehyung emerged shortly after with his boxers on and drying his hair with a towel. Rendered speechless for a moment, you cleared your throat before turning back to the box that was being used as an impromptu coffee table. Lots of picture frames sat inside.

Many of you and Taehyung and some of you with your family. Taking out your wedding photo you smiled. You knew that Taehyung was pissed in the photo cause you had just stepped on his toe in your heels.

Warm arms wrapped around your waist and you relaxed into his embrace. “Bathroom isn’t bugged, so at least we have that privacy,” he murmured into your neck. 

You nodded and set the picture down. Bending forward you grabbed a couple other frames and moved to place them in different areas.

“Didn’t you say we should bring in the rest of the big furniture before putting the fragile stuff up? We don’t want it to get broken baby,” Taehyung scolded.

“It’ll be alright. Plus I want to look at these now,” You pouted. Taehyung took a couple and started helping you put them up as well. 

You two started decorating and joking around. From the outside it was a happy couple having fun. However it was a strategic move. Making the two of you look non threatening was the most important role right now. Taehyung was set to start his job at City Hall in four days. You were to start working at home as soon as you could. 

But there was much more preparations to make. Like lunch.

“Baby, want some lunch?” You asked, turning to him. Taehyung shrugged and brought his hands to your stomach.

“Mm, not hungry for food babe,” he spoke as he brought you into his embrace. You wanted to cringe but forced your body to relax in his arms. 

“Honestly, you can’t keep your mind from what I said earlier,” you whispered.

“Hey, if we want to make it believable you should just let me fuck you here in the living room,” he growled.

You felt a shiver run down your spine, despite your best efforts. His voice rattled your bones and made you want to break. Newlyweds normally couldn’t wait to set up a bed nicely...

You could fake it here in the kitchen. 

Out of the corner of your eyes, you saw a reflection of light. It was either a camera or binoculars. Someone was watching you both right now.

Bringing your mouth to his ear, you stated instructions. “Taehyung, there’s someone watching us right now. Reflection at 11:00 o’clock,” you informed.

“I noticed,” he said, furrowing his brow to make it appear as if you said something intimate.

“We need to do it out here,” you stated.

“This seems like a lot of work,” he moaned.

“Kiss me and I’ll continue,” you murmured. Taehyung brought your mouth away from his ear and connected it to yours. You moved against his body eagerly, rolling your hips against his. Taehyung groaned and buckled against your body, biting your lip as you whined into his mouth.

“How do we do this?” He asked as he came away for air, moving to kiss your neck and shoulder longingly.

“The couch, I’ll ride you. Your back will be to the observer. So, we’ll mime the action of you and I having sex. But really we’ll just be dry humping,” you explained.

“Okay, I’m going to pick you up and take you there,” he announced. 

You blushed. You realized you’d much rather Taehyung grind against you on a couch for an audience than carry you to the couch. You were a special agent, specialized in camouflage and undercover operations... yet you still fussed when your jeans didn’t fit the same. You still got mad at yourself for eating the whole tub of ice cream... again...

“Taehyung wait a sec-ah!”

You were hoisted in the air and Taehyung carried you to the couch. You clung to him like a child and you couldn’t help the unattractive squeak you made as he threw you onto the cushions.

“You’re not going to convince them you love me if you’re acting like a teenager with stupid insecurities,” he whispered. You pulled him in for a kiss to conceal the frown and no doubt rude remark that would escape if you allowed yourself the option.

His lips trailed your jawline, making you squirm underneath him. Taehyung grinned at your pathetic reactions to his actions. You gripped his shoulders, pulling him out of view of your observer... well the one you knew of.

“I’m going to take off my shirt,” you said. Taehyung nodded, holding your hips as he kissed your lips with longing. You reached for the hem of your shirt and pulled it over your head, throwing it to the floor. Taehyung made an odd noise at the back of his throat, making you raise your eyebrow in confusion.

“God, I didn’t know you were hiding those under the stupid office uniforms, holy shit,” he complained.

“Taehyung!”

“How far can I go?” He asked, coming in to kiss your neck.

“T-this is as far as I want, are you okay?” You asked, making sure his comfort was recognized too.

“Absolutely,” he breathed, coming towards your chest with open mouthed kisses. You tangled your fingers in his hair, encouraging him to move more.

“T-Taehyung,” You whimpered as he bit at your bra.

“One day I’ll get you out of this,” he growled before hauling you up and onto his lap. The straps of your bra fell down onto your biceps and Taehyung’s pupils blew up.

You leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on his nose, cheeks and finally one to his lips. He adjusted his hold on you and you nodded. Grabbing your pathetic shorts you mimed moving them out of the way, then you moved to get Taehyung situated too.

“How should I...?” He asked, raising a brow.

“Just, I’ll dry hump you. It’s fine,” you breathed. He seemed like he was going to protest when you gripped right above his pelvic line. His hip jolted, miming the reaction of you taking him out of his pants. Giving a demure smile, you slowly shuffled forward to place your center against his lap.

Taehyung breathed in sharply, biting his lip hard. “What’s wrong?” You asked, placing a hand on his cheek gently.

“I’m fighting every urge in my body right now, so just hurry up,” he growled. A small shudder ran down your spine as his words took weight in your head.

Would it be so bad for you to give in and let him fuck you here?

Yes, yes it would.

“Sorry, sorry,” you apologized lamely, moving your hips against his gently.

“Fuck,” he croaked, gripping your waist tightly.

“A-Ah, Taehyung,” you whimpered, placing your hands over his. You looked up at the ceiling, as if you were in utter bliss.

“So good baby,” Taehyung encouraged, “keep going.”

“Fuck, Taehyung,” you growled. 

This was bad, your mind was starting to cloud with the burning arousal beginning to raise in your stomach. You really were starting to want him. The way his brow furrowed, it really looked like he was filled with pleasure at the moment. 

“I might come in my boxers,” he huffed out as you ground down particularly hard against him. 

“That’s fine, a real orgasm is better than a fake one,” you rationalized out loud.

“Shit, babe, Y/N,” he moaned, bringing you in for a sloppy kiss. You open your mouth and let his hot tongue slide in to greet yours. 

Kissing Taehyung was quickly turning into a drug you didn’t want to give up. Fuck, it felt so good. His plush lips against your own, practically forcing your mouth to mould with his. Taehyung was gripping your hips, almost as if he was using your body to get himself off. It was so dirty, raunchy and hot. Hearing his soft whimpers made you wet, cheeks bright red at the idea.

You cried out for real when your clit bumped the growing bulge in his boxers.

“That’s the hottest sound I’ve heard, fuck I love you,” he growled out. You squeaked out an ‘I love you too,’ soon after. Taehyung planted slobbery kisses along your collarbones and chest as he panted harshly against your skin. 

“Cum inside me, Taehyung,” you moaned out, feeling a climax brewing in your lower stomach. 

“Ah fuck!” Taehyung sobbed out, bucking his hips wildly against your own. You just needed that little push, something to get you over the edge. 

“So close, so close,” breathed into the air. Taehyung heard your silent pleas, because soon you felt the bulge of his hot erection directly against your little nub, sending you spiraling into the precipice of bliss.

Taehyung cried out your name, holding you closer to his frame. You collapsed against him, feeling your panties sticking to you uncomfortably. Taehyung shivered, his hot breath fanning across your cooling skin.

You shakily ran your fingers through his hair, kissing his sweaty hairline with a tenderness that could only be given in post-orgasmic bliss. Shit, what have you done?

“Tae,” you said, urging him away from you. 

“Hmmm?” he whispered, groggily. 

“You and I both need to clean up,” you said, coughing in discomfort at the end. 

“Oh, shit, sorry,” he said.

Helping you up you took a glance at the window in your peripheral. They weren’t watching any longer. “We’re clear,” you said, rushing towards the bathroom to clean yourself up. 

You shut the door and slid down in, trying not to let your heart beat out of your chest wildly. The sound of the other shower turning on again signalled that you were clear to exit, going to the bathroom before heading out to get another pair of panties and shorts on. 

You were certain you wouldn’t sleep at all tonight.

---

The day finally came when Taehyung began his first day at work. You fussed over him all morning. Tying his tie for him, making him a travel mug of coffee and breakfast for him. Taehyung had to admit, it wasn’t so bad having you for a wife.

“Baby, I really gotta go or I’m going to be late, on my first day!” 

“Okay okay, just one more thing,” you smiled before leaning in a placing a delicate kiss on his cheek. “Have a great day,” you encouraged. 

“I will, don’t miss me too much,” he teased. As he unlocked the front door you were both surprised to find two men standing there.

Taehyung immediately shut the door off a little more, protecting you from their view.

“Can I help you gentleman?”

“We’re here on behalf of Mr. Feng. He wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood,” they both presented Taehyung with some kind of campaign propaganda. 

“Thank you, I’m going to be late for work. Baby, have a good day. Gentleman,” Taehyung said, taking the flyer and shutting the door. You watched as Taehyung moved down the driveway, the men in suits following behind him like a funeral procession. Your eyes followed your husband until he was out of sight, making you shift with unease. 

This would be the first time you’d be apart since the whole mission began. For some reason your chest was tight, something you hadn’t been expecting. It was ridiculous. The only reason you were feeling this way is because you weren’t really alone. There was always someone watching. You were certain that was the cause of your unease. It had to be.

Taehyung texted you a few times throughout the day. Making your chest loosen slightly, knowing he made it there safely. Even if he was a jerk, that didn’t mean you wanted anything bad to happen to him. Well, nothing too bad...

You started your day by moving some more furniture around, getting the kitchen table put together and all set for later on in the evening. You were going to make dinner tonight before Taehyung came home so he had something to eat after a long day at work.

You couldn’t place it, but knowing someone was coming home to you was... comforting? Even if it was the pain in the ass Taehyung, the thought didn’t bother you as much as you believed it should. 

The rest of your day passed by uneventfully, doing some data analysis on your laptop for work. Something Taehyung no doubt picked out for you to do because of your detestment of data worksheets back at the office. Dick. 

But the company you worked for didn’t know anything but you were a newlywed needing some extra cash on the side while her husband went out to work for the day. Plus, this gave you another set of alibis if needed. She was on her computer at such and such a time. Because no doubt it was being tracked. 

You pulled up your messages and sent a quick one to Taehyung. He responded quickly, sending a few hearts after he told you he’d be home soon. 

Quickly you headed to the kitchen and began the real test. Cooking. You weren’t a bad cook by any means, but you usually cooked ramen noodles and things of that nature. So a full fucking chicken was a little intimidating.

Cutting the vegetables and starting the oven went smoothly. You buttered the chicken, slathering the meat in butter and garlic, throwing some thyme in there for good measure. You remember Taehyung mentioning that his mom used to make a recipe similar to this. One he loved. 

The idea of a small Taehyung sitting at the counter, begging for some food made your head spin. W-What are you thinking? This is just a mission, and Taehyung is just a guy who is assigned to be your partner. That’s all this is. All it ever will be. 

Taehyung came home just as you were pulling the chicken out of the oven. He came over and pressed a sweet kiss to your cheek before looking at the mashed potatoes, broiled vegetables and chicken that were being placed on the table by his wife. You bent over after dropping something on the floor. His mouth watered at the sight. The food also looked good...

“Baby, look at all this. Did you really make this stuff?” he asked, coming over and setting his briefcase on the counter.

“Yeah, it was a bitch and a half to make though, let me tell you what. This chicken here, if it weren’t already dead I would’ve taken my pistol and shot it,” you huffed, remembering the tying and stuffing and everything that made you aggravated with cooking the damn thing in the first place.

“Well, it looks great, can I have a seat?” he asked.

“Yeah! Go for it, I’ll get us some wine,” you said. Running over to the cabinet and pulling out two wine glasses.

“I see we’re going fancy tonight,” he said. 

“Well for my husband, anything,” you smiled.

“Thank you baby,” he answered as you set a wine glass next to him.

“Next, do you want red or white?” you asked.

“Red,” Taehyung said, marveling at the domestic nature of this interaction.

Is this what normal people did? Came home to a freshly cooked meal by their significant other and just talked about casual things? Not coming home to an empty house. Stitching themselves up after a bad knife fight. Watching as their blood went down the drain... Was this the marital bliss he heard about?

You came over with a bottle, popping the cork and pouring him a sample to see if he liked it. “How does it taste? Want a little more?” you asked. Taehyung took you in during this moment. You were beautiful. Cheeks flushed and looking flustered as you tried to play your role of dutiful wife. It made him want to paint again...

“Yeah, I’ll have a glass. It’s good, you should have some too,” he said as he watched the berry colored liquid fill the glass.

“I will,” you announced, sitting across from him and pouring yourself some as well.

Taehyung looked at you as you swallowed down some of the bitter sweet liquid in your glass, throat bobbing as it pushed the alcohol down and into your bloodstream. Cheeks turning pink he smiled as the two of you continued to drink. 

“Y/N, honestly, this meal was fantastic,” Taehyung said, looking at you as the second bottle of wine overwhelmed him.

“Thanks, I tried,” you stated, swallowing down the remaining wine in your glass.

Taehyung leaned forward on the table, looking at you with interest.

“What did you want to do before becoming part of the agency?” He asked, nonchalant.

You looked up at him, eyes bigger than your head. 

“Tae! What if-“

“No one is listening, believe me,” he said, grinning at you with his boxy grin.

“I don’t think-“

“Don’t be such a priss, tell me,” he urged.

“I’m not a priss!”

“Whatever, just, tell me something about yourself. Something interesting,” he pleaded.

“Fine, fine... I-I wanted to be a ballerina okay?” 

Taehyung’s eyes widened.

Then he snorted.

“Aren’t ballerina’s supposed to be graceful and shit? You tripped putting on your pants this morning,” he smirked.

“I’ll have you know that for seven years I danced five days a week for four hours a day,” you protested.

“Prove it,” he scoffed.

“Fine, I will,” you said, standing up. 

Slowly bringing yourself together you started a familiar routine you did all the time as a child.

Lifting your leg up you grabbed your thigh, straightening your leg above your head before lowering it to your other thigh, spinning slightly before getting up on pointe. Taehyung’s eyes were watching your every move. It looked like you needed a partner. He stood and grabbed your waist as you stretched your arms out. 

Jumping in his grasp you turned to look at him.

“Taehyung, what are you-“

“Just feel, keep going,” he said, taking your hand in his.

You weren’t sure if it was the wine or your own emotions taking over, but before you knew it, your lips had crashed onto his. Taehyung grunted in surprise. You wrapped your arms around his neck and urged him to kiss you deeper. Licking at his lips, begging for entrance. Taehyung didn’t hesitate. He opened his mouth and greeted your tongue with his. The wet smacking sounds had you throbbing beneath your jeans, something you were desperate to get out of. 

Grinding against his front Taehyung lost his breath to you. “Fuck, mm, like that babygirl.”

You whimpered when you felt his prominent bulge for the first time this evening. Shit your panties were sticking to you at this point. But Taehyung pulled away a few moments later. 

“We shouldn’t do this,” he murmured against your swelling lips.

“Why not?” You whined, gripping his hands as they settled against your hips.

“We can’t go back once we do this. Having interpersonal relations in the field, it gets messy. What if I get hurt or kidnapped? Then they have leverage on you,” he explained.

“Let me at least suck you off,” you complained. Taehyung groaned in the back of his throat. 

“Fuck, we shouldn’t,” he stated, brushing the hair away from your face.

“Please, please let me taste you,” you begged, your wine addled mind taking over. “Do you not want my mouth?”

“Fuck... Yes, I do want that mouth on me more than you can believe,” he said, running his thumb along your wet lower lip. Taking his thumb in between your lips you smiled and tugged on the flesh gently. Taehyung growled at your teasing before looking at you with his dark eyes. “Get on your knees for me,” he commanded. You nodded frantically before falling to the floor in front of him. Taehyung watched with rapt attention as you undid his slacks and brought out his semi-hard erection from his underwear. 

Your mouth salivated at the sight of his thick cock sitting in your warm palm. Taehyung hissed when you ran your hand over his sensitive length for the first time. Your heart was pounding in your chest. Blood rushing to your head, making it spin. But all you cared about was pleasing the man in front of you. Without much hesitation you gave a fat lick from the base of his cock to the head. Taehyung moaned, his head lulling back slightly. You brought the head into your mouth, suckling gently, moving your tongue around the sensitive area.

“Don’t tease me,” he snarled out, looking down at you with dangerous eyes. Complying with his demands you brought a majority of him into your mouth and throat, coughing lightly when he hit the back. He groaned in pleasure, finding your hair and pulling it into his fist. “That’s it baby, suck my dick like a good girl,” he praised, watching as strings of slobber started to form from your mouth to his cock. Bobbing your head back and forth, you built a rhythm for him. 

You hollowed out your cheeks, moving your tongue underneath his shaft and around to stimulate him. Taehyung huffed, trying hard not to come down your throat already. He was intoxicated not only by the wine but by you as well. Your beautiful eyes looking at him underneath your lashes. He could barely breathe when you looked at him like that. Those big eyes sparkling with lust and want.

Taehyung rolled his hips forward slightly, gauging your reaction. You moaned at the force promised behind those hips of his, as he pushed himself further down your throat. 

“Can I fuck your mouth baby? Would you let me fuck that goregous mouth of yours?” he asked, sprinkling praise in with his request. You nodded fast, relaxing your throat and giving him the thumbs up to go ahead. 

He didn’t wait a moment longer before he pushed himself into your mouth and down your throat. Taehyung whined at the tight feeling of your mouth and throat closing in on him, feeling like a vice against his cock. Pulling back out he let you suck in a couple breaths before picking his pace up again. You gagged on his dick, making noise and moaning in pleasure. Taehyung was lost above you, focusing on the sensations of your moaning against him.

“Mmm, fuck baby, just like that,” he breathed out, watching and drool collected on your chin. It was filthy, messy and perfect. You took him entirely, nose touching his pelvis and you swallowed hard. Taehyung cried out, gripping your shoulders and pulling out of your throat and mouth. You coughed at the actions, not suspecting for it to be so intense, but god if you didn’t want him to cum in your mouth. You needed it.

“Tae~” you whimpered, shuffling forwards on your knees to try to put him back in your mouth. But he stopped you.

“Listen baby, this is going to go one of two ways. Either you keep going and I cum down your throat, or I can shove this cock in that pussy and cum inside you that way. Which would you prefer?”

Your body shook with want at the second option.

“Inside my pussy,” you said, already moving to shrug your sweater off and stepping out of your jeans. 

“Come here then baby,” he said, opening his arms for you. You rushed forwards, bringing your lips to his before you could even think about anything else. Taehyung opens his mouth and licked your lips perversely. You opened your mouth at once, letting him take full control of the embrace. 

“Taehyung, bedroom,” you urged. He at least heard part of what you were saying, because the next thing you knew, your body was being lowered to the mattress in your room.

“Let’s take this off shall we?” he said, removing your tank top and looking at you in your bra. “Fuck baby you have pretty tits,” he growled. You moaned at the praise and eagerly un buckled the back and let the offending material fall off your arms and onto the floor. Taehyung was in action before you could blink, taking a nipple in his mouth and sucking on it harshly. 

The sensation sent tingles right to the tips of your toes, making them curl and stretch from his warm mouth on you. With his free hands he held your hip with one and groped your chest with the other, stimulating your body and causing you to arch up into his touch. Taehyung smirked against your skin, laving his tongue against your pert nipple, making you hiss in reaction.

“Such pretty noises you make for me, isn’t that right precious girl?” he said, trailing his lips down your body.

“Taehyung, please don’t tease me. Give me your dick, please,” you whimpered, rolling your hips up against him.

“Tsk tsk, little one. So greedy already,” he smiled.

“Please give me your cock, Taehyung, please,” you begged. “Want it so deep in my pussy, stuffing me full until I can’t breathe. Please please please, give me your cock.”

“Fuck, how could I deny such a sweet request. Alright baby, let me just warm you up a touch okay?” Taehyung pulled your panties down your legs, revealing your wet center to him. “You’re drenched babygirl, who did this to you?”

“You, Taehyung, you did,”

“That’s right precious girl,” he said as he lowered two fingers to your entrance. You relaxed when he ran his middle and pointer finger up your slit, before sinking them inside of you. Taehyung watched as you took him right up to the knuckle. He groaned at the feeling of you, tight and hot around his fingers. He could just picture how you’d feel around his cock and it made him throb with desire.

“Taehyung!” You cried, gripping the sheets underneath you desperately.

“Gonna come?”

“I-I don’t-hah-Taehyung,” you whined out.

“I’ve barely touched this sweet little pussy and I can already feel you clenching like crazy, do you want to come baby? I’d love to see what you look like when you come, I bet you look beautiful,” he said, picking up his speed.

“Taehyung, hngh, please,” you begged, looking at the ceiling with tears forming in your eyes.

“Come for me, come all over this bed darling,” he cooed, using his thumb to stimulate your clit before watching your body tense and finally-finally-release.

“Taehyung!” You cried out, back arching off the bed, shuddering in your orgasm as your mind went blank from everything except the feeling of unadulterated pleasure.

Taehyung smiled at your fucked out face, eyes misty with tears. 

“What a good girl, you came all over me shit, that was so sexy,” he growled. You whimpered and reached for him, wanting his hands on your body.

“Give me your cock now? Please Taehyung?”

“Whatever you want darling, absolutely,” he agreed, lining his cock up with your sopping entrance.

“Fuck!” You cried out when his cock finally entered you. It was so thick, filling you up so well. Taehyung gripped your hips. Letting you ease onto him so he didn’t hurt you. 

“That’s it, what a snug little cunt you have,” he grinned, pressing kisses to your shoulders while he pumped himself inside of you deeply. Taehyung has a hard time thinking clearly like this. The wine and you making him drunk. 

“Taehyung!” You cried out. “So big.” You felt his cock rubbing that spot inside you that made you see stars. Everything was blurry as Taehyung fucked his dick into you harshly. The lewd smacking sounds of skin on skin made your mind whirl with lust. Taehyung wasn’t in a much better state. Watching as he fucked you, tits bouncing and your ass hitting his pelvis in just the right way. 

But he wanted to see your face when you came.

“Lie on your side for me,” Taehyung said, easing out of you gently.

You hissed at the loss, but did as he asked, laying on your side. 

“Leg up,” he encouraged, nestling down beside you. You raised your leg as he instructed, moaning loudly when his cock re-entered you from this angle. 

“How is it? How is getting fucked by my big dick baby? Can you handle it?” He asked, laying his hand flat against your lower stomach.

“I can take it, I’m-I’m a big girl,” you huffed, head lolling back into Taehyung’s neck.

“I know you can take it, does my baby want it harder?” He questioned, giving a few deep thrusts against you, making your pussy clench down hard.

“Anything, I want anything you’ll give me Taehyung,” you pleaded. 

“Anything you say, well then, hold on,” he stated, running his hand between your legs and toying with your throbbing clit. He nestled his head against your cheek, kissing and nipping at your tender flesh.

“Ta-ae-hyung,” you whimpered out. “Feels so good.”

“You too, so fucking tight around my cock. Can barely move... I should’ve fucked you with three fingers to get you ready for this dick huh? Or do you like a little pain with your pleasure, huh?”

Crying out when he pushed against your little nub forcing you back on his dick. Taehyung smiled as you ground your ass against him, trying to get whatever you could from him like this. He didn’t care about tomorrow, all he cared about was you right now. A beautiful woman losing yourself on his dick.

“Taehyung, so close, right there. Yes!” You whined, gripping his hand for some kind of stability.

He interlocked your fingers, using his other hand to continue abusing your clit. “Right here baby, like this?” He questioned.

“Yes! Yes yes,” you said, tears forming in the corners of your eyes for the second time that night.

Taehyung breath came in soft pants against your neck as he worked himself up as well. Your velvet walls were doing him in. Normally he’d last much longer, but with you he couldn’t help but see bliss right around the corner.

“Baby gonna cum,” he warned you.

“In me, cum inside me,” you blabbered out, gripping his hand tightly.

“Fuck-shit!” Taehyung cursed, letting instinct take over as he fucked into you aggressively. It was hard to think straight. 

Not too soon after a shot of warmth encompassed your stomach. That sent you over, eyes blacking out as you slumped against Taehyung who was still cumming.

Giving a few more weak thrusts, Taehyung pulled out, looking at the mess the two of you had made. 

“Fuck you look pretty full of my cum like that,” he commented, kissing your shoulder softly.

“Mmm, Taehyung?”

“Yes baby,” he said, moving his head up to peer down at you.

“Washcloth, I-I don’t think I can walk right now,” you said, turning pink at the notion.

“I’ll be right back, hang on,” he said, standing up and heading to the bathroom.

As the light flicked on, you felt your eyes fall, heavy with the need for sleep.

---

“What the fuck are we going to do?” You yelled at Taehyung.

The pair of you woke up the next morning, dazed and confused. Taehyung was the first one to notice you two were royally fucked.

“I came in you, shit,” he said, looking at the obvious stain on the bed.

“Taehyung!” You cried out, smacking your forehead with your palm.

“Hey don’t get mad at me! You’re the one who initiated all of this!”

“Don’t pin this all on me, you could’ve rejected me!” You said.

“I tried! But you looked at me and then I-uh... Well... Here we are,” he announced.

“Taehyung, if we fuck up this mission I’m a dead woman. That includes me getting pregnant!”

“Can’t I just go buy you some plan b or something like that?”

“We’re married, if they caught you buying plan b then our facade is over!”

“Then I don’t know what you want me to do! I can’t undo what we did!”

You rubbed your temples, trying not to stress over the fact that you could possibly be carrying Kim Taehyung’s child.

“We have to go with this, just, remember our mission. Now hug me, cause we argued,” you said, opening your arms.

Taehyung moved forward, wrapping you up in his embrace.

“Whatever happens, we’re allies. I’ll cover your back if you cover mine,” he said, fingers splayed across your back.

“I got your six.”

---

The following weeks were surprisingly calm. Taehyung went to work and came home. You usually had a meal ready for the two of you. It was domestic ‘bliss’. 

Except for the fact that you and Taehyung wouldn’t barely look at each other. It was hard, feeling the anxiety and panic and not having anyone to bounce it off of. Taehyung was affectionate when you said to be, and the two of you acted your part when you were out in public but... things were different now. And there’s nothing either of you could do about it.

Taehyung came home a little later than usual, you sipping on some wine and staring off into space. He walked over and set his bag down, before kissing your head and pulling you in for a hug. 

“I have some good news,” Taehyung said. 

“Yeah? What is it?” you asked, not looking at him.

“I’m in the running to become mayor!”

Glass shattered on the floor.

“Oh shit,” Taehyung said, stepping back so as not to step on any glass.

You were frozen in place.

“Taehyung do you know what that means for these people? To Feng?”

“What? Like you honestly think I’ll win? You’re crazy,” he scoffed.

“Taehyung what if you do win? What’ll they do when this mission is over? What will they do when they find out their mayor-” he quickly moved in for a kiss. You wiggled against him for a moment before going still. Taehyung worked his mouth over yours with ease, something you weren’t expecting, but weren’t upset over either.

“God you are so annoying sometimes. Listen,” he said, moving so he could start cleaning up the glass you dropped. “If I get an inside position, show Feng that I’m serious about wanting to be loyal to him? Then I’ll get inside information that’ll be influential in his takedown,” he explained.

“Taehyung if you think they’ll give it to an outsider than you’re dumber than I thought,” you sneered.

“You don’t see them the way I do. Don’t interact with them the way I do. I’ve gained their trust, Y/N, something you haven’t done,” he said matter-of-factly.

“I’m a housewife, what do you expect me to do?” you said, placing your hands on your hips.

“The guys and I are going out to dinner tomorrow night. Be my date, and play nice with their wives. See if you can get any information out of them,” he offered.

“Okay, I can play the doting wife role,” you said to him, standing up.

“Hey watch out!”

“Ouch!” You hissed in pain as a shard of glass cut deep into your heel.

“Y/N, watch where you walk I wasn’t done cleaning yet,” he said, rubbing his face.

Then, his face went pale as he saw the crimson liquid coming from your body.

“Ow, fuck,” you whimpered, using the counter to balance as you looked at your foot in pain. Taehyung quickly swept up the rest before he was kneeling down to take a look at you.

“It’s pretty deep, I think you need stitches,” he said, examining your bloodied heel.

“I-I’m fine,” you whispered, trying to keep the dizzy spell from taking over.

“No, you’re not. You need to go to the doctor. Come on, the clinic is like not even a fifteen minute drive. Get your ass in the car,” he demanded.

“No, I’ll wrap it in gauze and it’ll be fine,” you declared.

“Y/N,” Taehyung warned.

“Taehyung,” you mocked.

“I’m not fucking around,” he said, standing up.

“Neither am I,” you countered.

“Fine, be that way you little shit,” he said before bending down and picking you up bridal style in his arms.

“Taehyung! Put me down!”

“Not on your life,” he said as he grabbed his keys and walked towards the door.

He got you in the car, a towel wrapped around your foot before he took off down the road.

The pair of you were silent as he drove, just going through the night without anything being said. Taehyung looked at your foot and picked up the speed a little bit. You looked out the window, not wanting to look down and see the bloody mess that was your foot. It ached so much, making you want to whine in pain. But you ignored it, keeping a poker face the whole time.

Taehyung pulled into the parking lot, undoing his seatbelt and coming over to your side. Before he could pick you up again, you held your hand out to stop him. “I can walk,” you argued.

“Don’t get stubborn now, just let me take care of you,” he said, sounding moderately annoyed with you. But you couldn’t help the fluttering that took over in your chest. Taehyung leaned down and brought you into his arms, fussing with you for just a moment before he started to walk inside.

“Hi, how can I-Oh goodness!” The nurse who was sitting at the front desk jolted as Taehyung brought you to the counter.

“Can my wife please get some help? She stepped on some glass at home and now I’m worried that she needs stitches,” he said, calm and collected.

“A-Absolutely, let me just page the doctor and Martha get them a wheelchair for her!” 

Soon Taehyung was settling you into the wheelchair, wrapping his blazer around your shoulders to keep the chill of the night out. The pair of you waited for less than five minutes before the doctor came out and greeted you both.

“Good evening you two! Taehyung! It’s great to see you,” the doctor said, giving Taehyung a firm handshake.

“I wish we could meet under better circumstances,” Taehyung said softly.

“Now, let’s get you back to an examination room and take a look at that foot,” he said, beckoning Taehyung to follow him. You felt him push you forward carefully, not getting too close to the walls or anything of that nature.

When the pair of you were in the examination room the doctor started the questions.

“Name?”

“Kim Y/N.”

“Age?”

“21.”

“Marital Status.”

“Married.”

“Are you pregnant?” he asked. You bit your lip for a second before answering.

“I-I’m not sure,” you said, worrying your lip with your teeth. You chanced a look at Taehyung in the corner, but he seemed as calm as he was driving here.

“We’ll get a blood draw done then, just to double check. But there are certain antibiotics we don’t use if you’re pregnant so we’ll steer clear of those ones okay?”

“Okay,” you whispered.

“Now, take me through what happened,” he said.

“I dropped my wine glass and stepped on the glass on the floor,” you said, wincing at how stupid it made you seem.

“Well certainly did a number, so I’ll get that glass out and flush the wound. And I’ll need to get a few stitches in there. Next we’ll do your blood draw then a shot of antibiotics and steroids and you should be all set my dear!” he said, smiling.

“Thank you,” you said, gripping Taehyung’s jacket tightly.

“I’ll be right back, just sit tight,” he said, leaving the room.

“You seem nervous,” Taehyung said, sighing.

“Of course I’m nervous, who isn’t when someone is about to stab you in the foot repeatedly?”

“Please, the needle is so thin you won’t feel a thing,” Taehyung scoffed.

“Shut up, it still hurts,” you whimpered out.

“I’m right here,” he said, reaching over and taking your hand in his. You stared down at your joined hands, not so sure what to think.

Then the doctor came back, a tray of utensils in his hands.

“Alright, the nurse will come back with your shots. But we’re gonna do the stitches first,” he explained putting some gloves over his hand.

You tensed as he approached, Taehyung adjusted himself so that he was directly behind you. His head brushed your shoulder as you stared down at the doctor. 

“Baby, look at me,” Taehyung’s low voice echoed in your ear. On instinct you turned to face him. Taehyung rested his forehead against yours, rubbing soothing circles into your wrist. “Just focus on me baby, no one else is here, just us two.”

“Tae,” you whimpered, gripping his hand. 

“It’s alright, shh, it’ll be alright I’m here,” he said, kissing your forehead and bringing your head into his neck so you wouldn’t look.

“On the count of three I’m going to pull the shard out, I want you to take a deep breath on three for me okay?”

You whispered an answer, too focused on how good Taehyung smelt and how warm his body was against yours.

“One, two, three,” the doctor said, calm as could be.

You yelped in pain, Taehyung right there to soothe your cries.

“Look at that, you did so well baby. It’s alright, he just needs to clean you up,” he said softly.

A burning cold and numbing took over your heel as Taehyung continued to keep your focus on him and him alone. Whispering sweet nothings into your ears and placing gentle kisses to your head and face. The doctor continued his work diligently and before you knew it, the gauze was in place and you were almost ready to go. 

The doctor performed a quick blood draw and Taehyung stayed with you through the whole thing. Holding your hand and rubbing your knuckles as he drew even more blood from your body that evening. Once he had what he needed the doctor bid the two of you farewell, saying to drop by the pharmacy for your medications.

“Thank you hyung, it means a lot that you helped her out,” Taehyung said, standing to give the gentleman a fond farewell.

“Anything for you Taehyung, after getting that grant for the clinic, I’ll help you in any way I can! Now, Mrs. Kim please be careful to not walk on your foot for at least two weeks. Taehyung you should take a few days off until she’s settled into a routine. Nice to meet you Mrs. Kim, Taehyung landed a keeper,” he said before exiting the room.

“A grant for the clinic huh?” you said, raising your brows at him.

“Yeah, part of my job is delegating where the money goes,” he said, shrugging off your many questions.

“Fancy pants over here,” you said, scoffing.

“Yeah yeah whatever,” he replied, never letting his fingers leave yours.

A few seconds later a nurse came in with a tray of shots lined up.

“Hi sweetheart, we’re just going to give you an antibiotic, painkiller and a steroid, does that all sound okay to you?” she asked in a kind voice.

“Yes, that’s fine,” you agreed.

“Okay I just need you to drop your pants for me. Are you her husband?” she asked, looking at Taehyung.

“Yes,” he said.

“Would you help her get up on the table and then step outside please,” she requested,

Taehyung nodded, getting you up and out of the wheelchair and up on the table without much fuss. It was when he turned to leave you panicked a little.

“Tae, you’ll be right outside right?” you asked, biting your lip.

“Yes baby, I’ll be right outside the door, just a few pokes and we’ll head home,” he said, kissing your hand before stepping out of the room.

“That’s quite the man you have there, Doctor Namjoon said he was very sweet while putting in your stitches,” she said, wiping your butt with alcohol swabs. 

“He’s a keeper,” you smiled.

A couple pokes later you were out the door, Taehyung behind you.

“Now the painkiller we gave her is pretty strong, it’ll make her a little loopy, so just keep your eyes on her,” the nurse said.

“Got it, thank you so much for your help,” he said, before wheeling you out into the parking lot. 

Your head was spinning lightly from the painkiller, making you giggly. Taehyung picked you up and set you in the car buckling you in for good measure.

“Taehyung~” you laughed.

“Yes?” he asked, looking at you in confusion.

You burst into laughter at the sight of his face. Taehyung simply sighed before putting the car in gear and taking off. 

The ride was mainly your laughter and Taehyung trying not to smash his face into the wheel. But when you got home Taehyung carefully pulled you from the vehicle, careful not to bump your foot or head when extracting you.

You wrapped your arms around his neck easily, cupping the nape of his neck with your palm. He didn’t falter as he carried you into your home, shutting the door with his foot. He kept you in his arms, carrying you all the way to bed, setting you down gently. But before he could remove your arms from his neck, you brought him in for a gentle kiss.

It was different than all the others you’d shared.

It wasn’t passionate or steamy, no lingering touches or wanton desires fueling your actions. You wanted to express your gratitude for him. Just saying thank you because you couldn’t put your thanks into words. He’d changed so much since you first met him. Even though he was still closed off and could be a massive dick sometimes, you were still excited to see him when he came home. Loved hearing the genuine compliments about your food. It was all Taehyung. And you wanted to know more. Any little detail he’d slip you’d take it. Because you really weren’t sure if you wanted this mission to end as much as you did before...

Pulling away, Taehyung breathed against your lips softly.

“What was that for?”

“Just... Thank you, for what you did tonight and-and thanks for coming home to me every night and putting up with me and I really want you to know that-”

“Sure, what else would allies do? If I was cold and cut off to you in that hospital it would blow our cover, I did what I had to do. Namjoon is pretty good at detecting bullshit so sorry if I laid it on a little thick. But he bought our act, so good job to you too,” he said, scratching his neck.

It was like a glass of cold water was dropped onto you. 

Allies...

That’s right. That’s all you were to each other. You weren’t actually husband and wife. The marriage was a sham and you would get it annulled the second the mission was over. At least that’s what you wanted before...

“But I’m going to take a shower, so rest up, I’ll call work in the morning and let them know what happened. Night,” he said, standing up quickly before closing the door behind him.

Tears stung in the corner of your eyes, but you forced them back. You wouldn’t cry over him, not like this. Not now...

But before you knew it, tears were racing down your face as you cried yourself to sleep. Dreaming of a marriage to a man who’d never think of you like that.

---

You were sick again this morning.

Taehyung felt the bed shift as you got up and hobbled your way to the bathroom to puke up whatever dinner you’d made last night. This had happened for the fourth day in a row. You getting up, getting sick then coming back to bed as if it never happened. You hadn’t said a thing to him about it, but he knew. And he couldn’t help the way his stomach clenched when he thought you could be pregnant.

This morning was the last straw. 

He sat up and waited for you to walk in and when you did his heart lurched. You looked sleepy, and like you were parched. But most of all, you looked scared.

“Taehyung,” you said, looking down at the floor nervously.

“We need to get those results,” he said dismissively.

“No shit sherlock,” you snarked. “But ever think that I might have the flu or something?”

“Influenza is coughing, what you’re talking about is a virus.”

“Okay doctor, sue me. My results should be at the clinic. We can go there and get them,” you said.

“I’ll pick them up after work today, is that alright?” he asked, raising a brow at you.

“Yeah, whatever works I guess,” you said.

“Alright.”

It was silent.

“Taehyung?” you asked, coming towards the bed, your heel almost back to full strength after the incident a few weeks ago.

“Yeah.”

“What do we do if I’m... well if I-uh,” you stammered.

“If you’re pregnant? Well... We’ll deal with it, I guess,” he said, sighing and rubbing his forehead.

“They wouldn’t be an it, Taehyung, they’re a baby, a person,” you said, getting a little worked up.

“Listen, we’ll deal with it when the time comes, this mission is over in a month and then you can go and-well...”

“You aren’t suggesting what I think you are, are you?” you said, hurt flashing across your features.

“Y/N, think about it. We’re spies. Espionage Agents. Do you think our lifestyle is one suited to having children? Leaving them with a nanny all day and then not knowing if your parents are going to come home, them leaving you in the care of strangers while they move you all over the world? It’s the loneliest life I could imagine,” Taehyung said, eyes not meeting yours.

“Taehyung were your parents...?” you trailed off, not wanting to believe the truth.

“My parents were D3s with the IEA. They died when I was thirteen, I didn’t even know they were gone until three weeks later when the agency showed up at our door. I know that life, Y/N, I know that hurt. I don’t want anyone to feel that way. Not because we were stupid,” he breathed.

“What if I kept the baby, left the agency...” you thought aloud, trying to calm your racing thoughts.

“Y/N, think about what you’d be doing. You never really leave the agency. They always know where you are, threaten you with what you did in your past over your head. When you sign up, you’re in it for life,” he explained.

“Taehyung I couldn’t do what you’re asking, I can’t,” you said, tears falling down your cheeks.

“Listen, we don’t know for sure. Let’s wait until we know the facts before we start making scenarios up in our heads.”

“Okay...”

---

Taehyung was driving home, your test results in the passenger side.

He couldn’t open them. As much as he hated to admit it, he was scared shitless too. What was he supposed to tell you? How could he get you to see, that this wasn’t a good situation. But, nothing was set in stone until you opened that packet.

Walking up the driveway he saw you in the window, putting some finishing touches on dinner. His heart swelled with something. Something he’d never known before. He couldn’t place this feeling, but he didn’t hate it... He didn’t hate you.

As much as he tried, you wormed your way into his mind frequently. What you were cooking for dinner, how your heel was feeling, if you really were pregnant with his child or not. All of these and more were taking up space in his normally focused brain.

But when he walked in the door, he discovered a glorious sight.

You, in a dress that he hadn’t seen before. Yellow and covered with flowers at the bottom it was flowy. But what he noticed first was that it accentuated areas of you that usually were understated.

Like your stomach. A tiny little bump visible to his eyes suddenly knocked the wind out of him as he dropped his briefcase, making you jump.

“Taehyung! You scared the piss out of me,” you complained, placing your hand over your heart, feeling it beat wildly against your chest. You saw his distress and immediately came to his side. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling faint? Did you eat today? What have I told you about skipping lunch-”

“I-I’m fine,” he said, shakily holding onto the wall and pulling himself together.

“Are you sure? You look pale,” you said, cradling his face in your palms.

Moving away from you he nodded.

“Yeah... Just... Your test results are there,” he said, pointing at the coffee table he collapsed into when he saw you.

“I’ll look at them, you sit down and eat. You worried me,” you said, moving towards the coffee table slowly.

Your heart was going insane inside your chest. You weren’t sure how you’d react to either situation. But Taehyung had already sat down, waiting for you to open it.

Carefully you ripped open the envelope, pulling out the papers inside with delicate fingers. You looked through your bloodwork, noticing nothing of severe importance. But then your eyes landed on the pregnancy test results. 

Pregnant: Yes.

The little circle of red around the three letter word made you want to hurl. But at the same time, you were oddly at peace with the idea. It had taken a lot for you to come to this conclusion, but, if it was meant to be then... So be it. 

“What does it say?” Taehyung asked, looking at your calm demeanour. 

“I’m pregnant,” you say softly. Taehyung’s head snaps up, looking from the paper to your stomach where his child was for certain growing now.

“Fuck,” he said, sitting back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling.

“What do we do Taehyung?”

“We need to call Seokjin, immediately,” he said, standing up.

“You’re right,” you said, nodding slowly.

“I’ll call him now,” he said, standing up.

You wait patiently as Taehyung puts the call on speaker phone.

“Yah, do you know what time it is you little punk, why are you calling me?” he asked.

“Hyung, we’ve got an emergency,” Taehyung said, leaning closer to you.

“What is it?” he asked, mildly concerned now.

“I’m pregnant, sir,” you said, biting your lip.

“You’re... what?”

“Hyung she’s pregnant and...”

“And let me guess, you’re the father Taehyung,” Seokjin said through the phone, distress in his voice.

“Yes, hyung that’s right,” he said, pink tinging his ears.

“Get her out of there Taehyung, that’s an order,” Seokjin said, not sounding at all like he was joking.

“Sir, I can still-”

“I’ll be sending a envoy to come and collect Ms. Y/N by the end of the week. Taehyung if anyone asks you where she went, she went to stay with her sick mother for a while. That should provide you with enough cover until Feng is in town,” Seokjin instructed.

“Yes sir,” you said, head hanging low.

“And Ms. Y/N,” he said, making your ears perk up.

“Yes, sir?” you responded.

“I’ll accept this as your resignation from the company. Goodbye you two.” With that he hung up, leaving you and Taehyung bewildered.

“What?” you screamed.

“Y/N-”

“Taehyung you motherfucker!” you shrieked, taking off your shoe and chasing him around the house with it. 

“Y/N! Please hang on a second!”

“What am I going to do you son of a bitch?!”

“Hey listen, I’ll-ow!” he hissed when you chucked your shoe and it hit him square in the butt. 

“No you listen, I just lost my job because of this! What am I going to do, Taehyung? I’m alone, pregnant and scared out of my fucking mind. What. Do. I. Do??”

“You aren’t alone,” he said, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

“Taehyung when they force me to leave the agency because of this I get a limited amount of money, not nearly enough to support me and a baby,” you said, rubbing your temples.

“I-uh, I can pay child support or... something like that,” he said, coughing at the end to hide his discomfort.

“Taehyung,” you said, already stressed at the idea.

“I’m serious, I’ll send you a check every month. How much do you think you’ll need?”

“You aren’t listening to me,” you said, exacerbated.

“What do you mean?”

“Taehyung, what if I don’t want to take money from you?” you said, placing your hand on your hip.

“I’m confused,” Taehyung complained, continuing to look up at the ceiling.

“I’m so fucked,” you murmured, looking down at your stomach in concern.

Taehyung glanced over at you. Eyes brimming with tears as you cradled your stomach in fear. He felt sick to his stomach. You were both to blame for what happened. He should take responsibility, ease some of your worry. But what would he do? Could he be a good father for this child? Could the two of you work together to make this okay? Did he even want to try?

Yes, he did want to try.

Because you were his wife. Through an agency or not it was still an honest to God marriage on paper. So, you both kinda fucked up, but how you handled it would be paramount for the child.

“Let me help you,” he said, standing up.

Looking up from your tummy in shock, you weren’t sure if you believed him. “What are you talking about,” you said.

“I’ve got your six if you got mine,” he announced, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

“Taehyung a baby isn’t easy. It’s a lifetime commitment. We’d be bound together for life,” you explained.

“Sounds good, I accept this mission,” he said, smiling.

“Taehyung!”

“Let me take care of you, and in the future if something happens, take care of me,” he reasoned.

“Tae this isn’t-I don’t know about this,” you whimpered.

“Trust me, Y/N, trust me this once,” he asked, walking over to you.

Staring into his eyes you didn’t see a hint of a joke or humor in them. He... He was serious?

“Okay Taehyung, I’ve got your six if you’ve got mine,” you sighed.

“Partners?”

“Partners.”

---

The envoy was dispatched to your location a few hours ago. A female agent, playing your sister, would be picking you up and taking you back to the IEA. Taehyung had been almost glued to your side the previous days, saying that he didn’t want anything to happen to you.

“Taehyung,” you groaned, laying in bed around twenty minutes before the car was supposed to arrive. He came into the room, looking at you with a neutral expression.

“Yes?” he asked, eyes locking with yours.

“I-I’m nervous,” you said, twiddling your fingers.

“The envoy will take you to the airport and then you’ll have a meeting with hyung, he’s not so bad. Especially since you’re pregnant. Hyung might be a jerk sometimes, but he’s not heartless, you’ll be safe Y/N, I promise.”

“And the second Feng is dead?”

“I’ll be on my way back to you,” he said firmly.

“Thank you Taehyung, for everything,” you said, feeling emotional.

“Don’t cry, jeez,” he admonished, coming to wipe your tears with his sleeve.

“Sorry, I’m just going to miss you,” you sniffled. Taehyung smiled softly at your tone, placing a gentle hand on your stomach.

“I’m going to miss you too, and your food. Honestly did you refrigerate some of that broccoli soup you made? If you don’t I might starve to death,” he complained.

Giggling you nodded your head. “Yes Tae, there’s at least four servings in there, just don’t eat it all in a row, I don’t want you to get sick,” you warned.

“Yes dear,” he said, rubbing his soft fingertips into your skin. “How big is the baby right now?” he asked, keeping his eyes locked on your little tummy.

“I’m about eight weeks so around the size of a kidney bean,” you explained.

“Our little bean,” he said, smiling.

“Yeah,” you grinned back.

The sound of a car door shutting came from up front. The two of you turned your heads and sighed. “Come on, I’ll get your bag for you,” Taehyung said, lifting what was supposed to be a little weekend bag filled with the necessities. 

You nodded and let Taehyung do the heavy lifting while you went to gather a couple things from the bathroom. Your sister, played by Yeri of accounting, came walking up smiling brightly. The two of you embraced quickly, hugging for a long time before Taehyung huffed like a little kid.

“Okay, off my wife,” he said, pulling you back for a second.

“Sheesh Taehyung, didn’t expect you to be so possessive,” she joked.

“Alright baby,” he said, ignoring Yeri all together, “I promise the second this is over I’ll come to get you,” he said smiling.

“Okay, I’ll hold you to it,” you beamed back.

“C’mere,” he said, pulling you in for a sweet kiss. Taehyung and you hadn’t really been as touchy feely recently, so to finally have his lips on yours felt amazing. Wrapping your arms around him contentedly you could hear Yeri gagging in the background.

“Come on kids, time to go,” she said, clapping her hands.

Breaking apart Taehyung tucked your hair behind your ears, “I’m gonna miss you,” he said, genuine sadness creeping into his features.

“I’ll miss you two, we both will,” you said, holding your stomach. Taehyung knelt to the ground and placed a kiss on your stomach.

“You both better behave,” he warned, shooting you a heated glance before standing up to give you a final hug.

“See you later, Taehyung!” you said, getting into the car.

Taehyung waved as the two of you drove down the road.

Time for phase two.

---

The drive between you and Yeri was quiet.

“Thanks for coming to get me,” you said softly, looking at your thumbs.

“Don’t mention it,” she said, waving her hand.

“Does the whole office know that I’m...” you trailed off, thoughts wandering.

“Pretty much everybody knows, sorry, Director Kim came out looking like he had just gone through an emotional rollercoaster. We all were kinda thrown for a loop when he said an envoy needed to be put together and stat. Everyone kind of murmured when Hoseok from HR spoke up about the reasoning for paperwork. And it sorta slipped that you had a bun in the oven,” she explained.

“Aw man,” you said, rubbing your face with your palm.

“I’m sorry that you got fired over this,” she offered.

“I knew that if I fucked up this mission in any way that it would get me terminated. Just didn’t think fucking would be the problem that got me fired,” you sighed.

“So, you and Taehyung huh?” she asked, eyes focused on the road.

“Oh, we’re not... like, serious or anything,” you scrambled.

“Serious enough to stick with you for a baby, that's a big time commitment,” Yeri commented.

“Well, we’re partners, we watch each other’s back and help when the other one needs it,” you repeated what Taehyung had told you nights prior.

“But with a baby? I don’t know Y/N, I’d just keep your eyes on the skies and head on the ground for right now. Try to readapt to civilian life,” Yeri suggested.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t work,” you mumbled, leaning your head against the window.

“Taehyung isn’t exactly a people person, how do you think he’ll react with a little people showing up in his world. Crying at all times of day, demanding feedings and toys and affection. It’s going to be overwhelming for the both of you,” she said.

“I-I get it, Yeri.” 

“Sorry, Y/N, I didn’t mean to be such a jerk about it. You know Taehyung better than probably anyone at the agency. If you believe him, then I don’t see why the two of you can’t make it work in a healthy manner,” she soothed.

But the damage was done.

A sense of unease settled over your stomach as you felt your heart clench painfully. Nothing was keeping Taehyung from going out and getting another woman. Someone prettier, a better agent who wasn’t so sensitive, someone who could handle him and his intense personality with ease. Not you who would bicker with him every chance you got.

“Y/N, put your head down,” Yeri demanded suddenly.

“What? Why-”

BANG!

A gunshot ran out over the road, taking out Yeri’s review mirror. The car swerved as Yeri tried to keep it from becoming an easy target. 

“Fuck!” Yeri screamed, hitting the guardrail on the other side of the road. 

“Yeri! Please be careful!” you said, holding your stomach in fear. 

“I can’t do much when someone is shooting at us Y/N!” 

“Who would be shooting at us anyways?!” you screamed, grabbing the bar above the window to stabilize yourself.

Another shot rang out, hitting a tire and causing a blowout. The car wobbled, fishtailing as the back end was no longer stable. You gripped onto the bar tightly, remembering your training and attempting to remain calm.

“Yeri, do you have a gun in here?” you asked.

“Yeah, glove box, why?” she asked, trying to drive with a blown tire.

“Because I know exactly who these people are, and they fucked with the wrong person,” you said, pulling the pistol out of the glove box and throwing the magazine in before rolling down the window.

“Y/N! What the fuck are you doing!”

“Saving our lives, maybe,” you said, pulling yourself up and out. Wrapping your leg around your seatbelt stabilized you, giving you better aim. 

Firing you nailed the passenger who was shooting in the head, watching as if flew back against the seat. Glass shattered from the bullet’s entry into the windshield. Next you aimed for the driver, shooting threw the broken windshield, hitting him in the throat. The car swerved behind you, hitting the guardrail and flipping before coming to rest on it’s side.

Smirking you pulled yourself back into the car, looking ahead of you. Only for your stomach to drop.

Dead ahead were three more cars, waiting.

Yeri slammed on the breaks, sending you forward into the dash. 

The two of you were fucked, blocking your only path out with a blown up car. Yeri seemed to notice because she pulled out her holstered weapon, aiming at the guys standing outside the car. The next thing you knew, the windshield was shattering, Yeri’s head slumping forward against the steering wheel, laying on the horn.

“Yeri!” You cried, gripping her shoulder and shaking her aggressively. 

The men swarmed the vehicle, grabbing at you and pulling you out of the vehicle kicking and screaming.

“Let me go you fuckers! I’m going to kick all of your asses!”

Once they finally got a good grip on you, you were held kneeling in front of...

“Doctor Namjoon?” you asked, eyebrow raising.

“Y/N, how pleasant to see you here,” he said, kneeling down to your level.

“What are you-how-when...?” you asked, confusion taking over your entire being.

“Well, you see Y/N, Mr. Feng would like a word with you and your husband.”

“What?”

“Mr. Feng, the one who supplies our town with everything it needs. The one who built our clinic, the one who set up the adoption center in town, would like to speak with you and your husband. We wouldn’t want to keep the good man waiting would we?” he said, standing up and motioning to the other men standing around you.

“Wait, Doctor Namjoon! There must be a mistake, what did we do? Why does Mr. Feng want to speak with us?”

“Because your husband has just won the election for mayor.”

---

Taehyung couldn’t believe the news.

He was now mayor.

Finally he could take down Feng and restore peace.

His co-workers were blowing up his phone non-stop. But there wasn’t a single message from you. Not that you had to message him or anything, but... it’d be nice to hear from you. Taehyung was caught up in his thoughts about you he almost didn’t hear his phone ringing.

The caller ID was yours.

“Hello? Y/N? Where are you? Did you make it to the airport alright?”

“Taehyung!” You screamed.

His blood ran cold at the desperate sound in your voice.

“Hear that little man? We managed to get ourselves a visitor,” a sinister tone echoed over the phone.

“Feng,” Taehyung growled.

“Now now, Taehyung, wouldn’t want to upset me. I’ve got two for the price of one after all,” Feng’s low voice warned.

Taehyung felt sick. You and the baby were in danger.

“What do you want?” Taehyung asked, desperate to save you.

“A resignation letter, brought to the address in the message that will follow this call,” Feng demanded.

“And if I refuse?”

“Two birds with one bullet,” he said, laying it out.

“Is she safe?” He asked, gripping his pant leg, anger suffusing his entire body.

“For now, the clock is ticking Taehyung.”

And with that, there was a click and the line went dead.

Taehyung flew into action, grabbing his bag and throwing on different clothes. 

“I’m coming baby,” he promised into the air, hoping to God you heard him in your heart.

---

Your body ached, hands tied behind your back without any care to blood flow or being able to feel your fingers. 

You were tied to a flimsy wooden chair, feet taped together. Feng and his men were surrounding the area, everyone seemed to have a position. You tried to find points of weakness, something to exploit, but there weren't many flaws in the way these men were placed. If Feng was good at something, it was security.

Looking around at the several areas of escape, you were disappointed to discover men stationed at every one of them. Of course, it would be a rookie move for them to leave any exit open around someone like you. Although you weren’t sure if they knew your true identity or not.

The likelihood of them knowing wasn’t high. They hadn’t pressured you or asked you any questions since your arrival. They’d merely tied you up and left you to wait. It was agonizing to sit still for the longest time, your hands burning from the rope being tied too tight.

The men around the warehouse were all milling around, all keeping their eyes on the doors. Feng was not a patient man, something you’d figured out. As he stood there, staring at the entrance where Taehyung could come through any moment.

“Boss, we should just kill her then kill him. We have the numbers on them,” one person spoke up, looking bored at the back.

“And what good would that do me? Taehyung is respected in the community, if he dies then the people won’t trust me anymore. Do you want my people not to have faith in me anymore? Do you want me to constantly be battling like this against stupid people who try to work against my tide? I am going to rule China one day, and it won’t be because idiotic people like you tell me what to do,” Feng growled out.

“S-sorry sir,” he whimpered out.

“Shut up and go check the perimeter,” Feng said, barking a few more orders before the men scattered like pool balls.

You sat there, silently observing everything going on. They had a standard set up, something two D3s could liquidate easily. But with one of you being compromised, it made it a little harder. Hopefully Taehyung had a plan.

“Worried that your husband won’t come for you?” Feng sneered, looking at you with disgust.

“When my husband shows up, you all should be very concerned about what you do next,” you warned, glaring harshly at Feng with as much venom as you could muster.

“Taehyung is a man of politics and sweet talking, not action. Although, he must have some action to have you end up in this state,” he scoffed.

“I’m known to be a man of action.”

Both yours and Feng’s heads snapped in the direction of the voice.

“Taehyung,” you breathed, so relieved to see him here. But at the same time fear coursed through your veins. This was a volatile situation with lots of variables, you both had to play this perfectly for it to work.

“Y/N,” he answered, coming to walk forward.

You felt cool metal touch the side of your temple and Taehyung halted in his steps, staring at the gun pointed to your head.

“I believe you owe me something, Mr. Taehyung,” Feng said, holding out his hand. 

Taehyung retrieved something from the inside of his jacket, holding it up before setting it down on the floor and kicking it over towards the two of you. Feng bent down to pick it up when you struck.

Lifting your tied legs up you bashed your heel over his head, causing him to collapse onto the ground. Taehyung rushed forward, quickly removing your bindings around your wrists and feet.

“Taehyung we don’t have much time, a majority of the guards will be back soon after checking the perimeter. Once they see your car they’re gonna book it back here,” you warned.

“I know, you act like this is my first rodeo,” he remarked, sounding mock hurt. 

Finally the restraints came off, falling to the ground in a heap. Taehyung didn’t hesitate to pull you into his embrace, quickly claiming your lips with his.

“Mmm, Taehyung, not now,” you said, pulling away after a few pecks. 

“What the fuck is going on here?” A guard asked, raising his gun and pointing it at you. Taehyung immediately put his body between you and the gun. 

“Feng is just taking a nap,” Taehyung pulled out his gun and shot at Feng, three times. “Permanently.”

“You son of a bitch!” 

Bullets started raining down on the two of you. Taehyung interlocked your fingers, taking off down the warehouse floor. You could hear the metal bullets flying past your ears, making them ring in irritation.

Taehyung continued to pull you down the alleyway, running fast as he could. Your legs burned with the effort to carry your body. You were frightened, adrenaline pumping through your veins at the idea of something happening to you. Taehyung or the baby. But you couldn’t think that way here, it was flight or fight time. And it’s time to fight.

Grabbing Taehyung’s gun you fired off a few rounds, hitting a couple guards towards the top of the railing. But with you standing still, you got a nick in your shoulder, a bullet grazing your delicate flesh.

Taehyung ripped the gun from your grasp and pushed you in front of him, sending your body hurtling forward. “Taehyung let me handle this,” you screamed.

“If you handle it that way you’ll wind up dead, and I won’t have that!” He yelled.

“Taehyung trust me,” you begged, going further ahead.

“I trust you with my life, but not yours,” he said, moving towards the car. Bullets flew past the two of you, one hitting the car tire dead on, having it pop like a balloon. Taehyung cursed as he sent a few rounds off back into the warehouse. You watched as a few men dropped like flies. His aim was deadly, no wonder he was one of the top operatives of the team.

“We need to find transport,” you said, looking at Taehyung.

“I know, but my car is around back, we’d have to fight our way through,” Taehyung said, looking dead ahead.

“Let’s do it,” you said, grabbing his hand and interlocking your fingers.

“No, I can’t risk you getting hurt,” he denied.

“Taehyung give me a gun and let’s get them. I’ve got your six if you’ve got mine,” you said, smiling brightly.

A few moments later, a pistol was place in your hand and Taehyung started moving ahead.

“Cover my back, I’ll go in first, you get any that I miss. Extra magazines are in my pockets,” he instructed as the two of you walked down the suspiciously empty hallway.

A few steps in Taehyung fired his first round. You both kept moving, hands interlocked and moving as one. You two were partners, and you both were going to get out of this unscathed if the other had anything to say about it. Taehyung felt your wedding band rub against his fingers and a new found strength gripped him. 

He wouldn’t fail.

Not today.

You saw movement in the room next to you, taking aim as you fired the round, watching as a man collapsed behind the door. A smirk left your lips as you saw the crimson fluid spill from under the door. Another one bites the dust.

Taehyung fired again, making sure to clear the rooms before heading down the hallway. Suddenly, two men appeared from the hallway in your direction. You squeezed Taehyung’s hand, he instantly flipped the two of you around, firing off two shots in their direction. You heard the distinct thud of bodies hitting the floor when you also took three shots at men coming towards you the new head of the movement.

Two went down easy, the third struggled on the floor, aimed and shot, shooting through the ceiling right in front of you. Running forward you crushed his wrist with your heeled shoe, shooting him through the head for good measure before Taehyung came back, bringing your hands together once more and taking the lead.

“They just keep coming,” you exclaimed, fingers already hurting from the recoil of the gun.

“Hang in there, just a few more, then we’re home free,” Taehyung said, shooting down the hall once more.

“Okay,” you agreed, letting the years of your training take over your body.

“That’s my girl,” Taehyung smiled, rubbing his thumb against your knuckles for a moment before pushing forward through the building.

The pet name sent liquid fire through your veins. You were his girl, you were the one carrying his child, no one else. It was the two of you against the world right now, and you were going to win.

“I see the door, I’m not sure if there’s an alarm on it or not, but be prepared to run,” he said, approaching the metal door with an air of caution. He checked around the seal, not seeing any wires or things of that nature that would trip an alarm, nor did he see any sensors that could also send a signal back to the main area of the warehouse.

“I think we’re in the clear. The car is right around the corner when we get down the stairs, okay? You go ahead of me alright. In case this door does trigger an alarm, I want you to get in the car and go. If I’m hit or I go down, you go without me, you understand?”

Panic suffused your body. Leave? Without him? Never.

“No, I won’t go unless you’re there with me,” you argued.

“Listen, if I go down there’s no way you can get me in the car by yourself. You’re carrying precious cargo baby, best not to risk anything,” Taehyung explained.

“Tae I’m not going to leave you,” you said, shaking your head.

“Baby listen to me, I need you to make it out of here. If I lose you now I-I don’t know what I’ll do,” he said, looking at you with concern.

“You won’t lose me, and I won’t lose you. We’re getting out of here together, Taehyung,” you said.

“Then let’s go,” he announced, opening the door. The two of you bolted down the stairs, not waiting for the alarm to trip or anything of the sort. Your heart was hammering in your chest, blood pounding in your ears. God, it had been so long since you felt like this.

The fear, the adrenaline.

It all made you realize what a crazy few months this had been. Originally, you hated Taehyung, hated what he represented. Everything you couldn’t be, just a reminder that you had failed. But in reality he was always there. Like no one else had been. Sure at the beginning it was by force, but after a while, you enjoyed having him around. He ate your dinners with gusto, complimented your appearance, was there for you when the rest of your world fell apart. 

Sure he could be a dick, but there’s a good person under all the bullshit. You wanted to discover that person. The one you had a glimpse of during these months. The one who smiles at every dog, who doesn’t like bitter things, who needs to sleep holding onto you.

Taehyung was the only person you could rely on, and you for him. The pair of you made a pact, all those months ago. Help me, help you. And the two of you were in it for the long haul now, a child on the way changed how you saw your life going. You never expected to be a mother.

But if it was with Taehyung, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe the two of you could make it work in a healthy way for everyone involved...

You saw the car, parked just off the road and in the ditch slightly, enough so no one would see it. Another shot rang out as you two booked it across the open dirt clearing around the warehouse.

Making it to the car you flung the driver side door open, when you realized Taehyung wasn’t standing beside you.

“Taehyung!” You screamed.

Looking behind you, Taehyung was there holding his side as if he had run too fast, but you saw it.

Blood.

Everything slowed down. You watched as he brought his hand before his face, staring at the crimson liquid coating his fingers. His eyes looked to yours, clear orbs that stared into his soul. Fuck, he fucked up. And he fucked up bad.

“Go on baby,” he said, falling to his knees.

“Taehyung, no!” you screamed, running over to his side.

“Y/N, get in the fucking car and go now,” he said through gritted teeth.

“No, I can’t just leave you here are you crazy?” you said, holding his side as well.

“Y/N, I’m serious. Leave me now, they’re coming,” he said.

True to his word you heard footsteps coming down the stairs that the pair of you had just run down yourselves. It sounded like a death march approaching you two. Taehyung was shuddering, white button up during red with proof of his injury.

“I’ll fend them off,” you said, holding his head with your other hand.

“No, you won’t. Go now, while you still can baby please,” he begged.

“Please don’t make me do this without you,” you cried, tears streaming down your face.

“I’m sorry, I wish I could... Be there for the both of you,” he said, placing his hand on your stomach. “Daddy loves you... Both of you,” he whispered. Before he went limp in your arms.

“Taehyung, no! Please please come back, I love you too please!” you screamed.

“There they are!”

“Get the bitch!”

With a final kiss you bolt up, firing a few shots at the men before you took off into the car, wiping your tears with the back of your hand.

Throwing the car in gear you peeled off down the road, hearing furious screaming behind you. But all you could hear were those words that’d haunt you for the rest of your life.

“I love you too, Taehyung.”

---

“It’s been five months, Y/N, you need to take it easy,” your friend, Park Jimin, said, helping you stand from your seated position.

“I’m only seven months, I got two more to go,” you said, rubbing your swollen belly with affection.

When you returned to the agency without Taehyung, Seokjin immediately knew what happened.

“Was it short?” he asked you as you appeared before him.

“Yes, he didn’t suffer,” you said.

Daddy loves you... Both of you...

Thinking about him still hurt, made your head spin with the memories of everything the two of you did together. 

His body laying in the dirt alone, as you ran to the safety of the vehicle.

Tears sprung to your eyes and Jimin rushed over, shushing you and rubbing your back.

Taehyung apparently had written a will out while the two of you were living in Feng’s little compound. Saying that anything and everything was to go to you. His apartment, his stocks and his trust that his parents left for him. It was all under your name now.

You could easily support your child and send them to any college you wanted without lifting a finger, but you knew that couldn’t work. So you got a job at a local convenience store. Something to pass the time while the baby twirled and kicked in your belly. 

People that came in and cooed over you, asking how you were and how the father was. You put on your brave face and told them he passed, but you were still doing well regardless. An old grandmother approached the check out one day...

It had been slow, no one really coming in except for a few college students and a couple middle aged men. Your feet were heavy with the weight of your pregnancy, but other than that, the day was alright.

Slow days like this were always a little harder on you. It gave you more time to think. Think about the past, the daunting cloud that was the future hanging over you. You must’ve looked distressed because a little old lady came up to the counter, a simple bottle of water in her basket.

“Are you alright dear?” She asked, looking at you with concern.

“Yes, I’m fine,” you said, wiping your eyes lightly to get whatever emotion was there out of them.

“Are you sure about that?” She questioned, looking deep into your heart.

And before you knew it, the floodgates opened. 

“No,” you whimpered out, tears falling freely from your face. 

“Oh my sweet, come here,” she said, opening her arms.

Running around the counter you took the embrace. It was the first time since Taehyung died you felt this level of comfort. Jimin tried his best but, nothing compared to the touch of a mother, someone who knew what you were going through. 

“You don’t have to talk about it, I know that pain. My husband passed before the birth of our third child. I know how badly you must hurt, but my dear, we must live on to celebrate their memory. There's sadness that comes with every passing, but we need to be happy for them. Be joyous in their memory, so that they can live on in us.”

You’d never cried that hard in your life you were certain.

But the old lady you’d never met just hung onto you, keeping you close and patting your head until your cries stopped. 

“Y/N, are you listening to me?” Jimin asked as he sat at your feet, rubbing them after your long day at work.

“Nope,” you said, popping the p for effect.

“I was saying, that we should make a nursery soon. You can’t put it off much longer. The baby is going to be here before you know it,” he said, rubbing out a knot that had been bothering you since near the beginning of your pregnancy.

“I can’t touch his stuff, Jimin, I can’t,” you whisper.

“Then I can-”

“Go in that room and I’ll cut your hands off Park Jimin,” you warned.

“Okay, okay. Then we should at least set up the cradle in your room,” he said, trying to compromise.

“Fine, but can we do it later, I’m super tired right now.”

“Yeesh, you’re such a little baby. Fine we’ll hold off until you have your next day off. Then we’re doing it,” he said.

“Okay okay, whatever,” you complained.

Jimin’s phone rang. You whined at the loss of his hands on your feet but let him go take his conversation. You looked down at your big, swollen belly and rubbed your hands over the flesh there. You didn’t want to know the gender of the baby yet. You weren’t sure what you wanted, but you knew that if they looked anything like Taehyung, your heart would break in the best way. 

Big eyes like his, that boxy smile, broad shoulders and large hands that held yours just so. Tears made their way into your eyes as you thought about him. After five months it still hurt. Not to wake up and have his arm over your waist. Hearing his soft singing in the shower. Not having his snarky comments and kinda rude attitude was even something you missed.

You just missed him...

“Hey, Y/N-oh shit, are you alright?” he asked, coming forward and touching your knee comfortingly.

“No, Jimin. How am I going to do this by myself? I can’t raise a child without him. I’m going to fuck it up, it’s going to go so wrong and I... I don’t know if I can do this,” you whimpered.

“You can do this. You aren’t alone. You know that Joy and I will do everything we can to help you out. Trust in us, we’ll be there every step of the way,” Jimin said, trying to comfort you.

“I miss him... So much,” you cried out, tears flowing freely down your face at this point. Jimin pulled you to his chest, trying to shush you, to comfort you in any way that he could. But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t Taehyung. 

After a few minutes you finally calmed down. Jimin explained he had to leave and with a kiss on your forehead he was gone.

You sat on the couch, trying to watch some TV but nothing was getting rid of that feeling. The feeling in your gut that you knew. It was familiar. But you couldn’t pin it down.

Getting ready for bed you brushed your teeth and washed your face. Getting into bed you wrapped up in the blanket. It had been increasingly difficult for you to fall asleep as your pregnancy progressed. Too big to lay on your stomach and back you had to settle for sleeping on your side, something you weren’t used to. And trying to sleep without someone next to you was difficult.

Tossing back and forth all night you didn’t really fall asleep.

You kept hearing noises and having nightmares. 

Watching TV did little to ease your nerves.

You’d been spending time like this recently. So tired you’re desperate to sleep but you know in the back of your mind that sleep is so far away. 

Giving up you decided to go on a walk.

You lived in a decent neighborhood, mainly filled with older couples with no children, so you decided that a nice brisk walk in the fresh spring air would do you well. Struggling to pull on your shoes you heard it.

A rustling outside in the bushes. You waited a few moments before you heard it again. It was large, possibly a young bear, but you weren’t sure a bear would be this far into the suburbs. Again, you listened, this time a cough rang out as you waited.

A person.

Running to the bedroom you opened your bedside drawer and pulled the gun that sat under the false bottom. Gripping it tightly in your hands you moved slowly.

You knew how ridiculous this must look, but you were pregnant, alone and not taking any chances. Worst comes to worst you shoot a bear and call the cops saying you thought you were being robbed. You had a license, nothing would come of it. 

But bears don’t cough like that...

Slowly you approached the door, gun aimed low. You walked with purpose, keeping your posture straight as to be prepared in case someone came up behind you. If this was a robbery, it was likely not just one person. You didn’t want to call the police just yet, because maybe it was dumb kids deciding to take on a defenseless pregnant woman. Easy pray.

Normally.

However, as you approached the door you heard the rustling stop.

You laid your hand on the door knob, preparing yourself for the onslaught of what could be beyond the cherry hardwood. 

Quickly, you pushed the door open, aiming your gun at-

“Meow.”

“What the fuck?” you asked, looking down at a black and brown cat that had situated itself on your front doorstep.

“Meeeooowww.” It drawled at you, looking up and into your house with interest.

“No. Shoo,” you said, waving your gun carelessly into the night.

“Meeeoowww,” it said again, gazing at you with such tender eyes that it made your stomach drop.

“You need a place to stay, is that it?” you questioned, looking down at the animal.

It merely meowed again and moved passed you, strutting into your house like it owned the place.

“Sure, come on in,” you joked, walked back inside only to be stunned by what you saw.

The outline of a man, standing in the middle of your home.

Instantly the gun went up, locking onto his head with deadly precision.

“Who the fuck are you,” you growled, waiting for the intruder to turn around.

“Y/N?”

The gun clattered to the floor.

“What...?” you asked, staring into the face of the man you thought you’d never see again.

Taehyung stood before you, hair much longer than the last time you’d seen him. He looked thinner, but not grotesquely so. You couldn’t help yourself, you walked forward.

“This is a dream, a really cruel dream,” you whispered to yourself as you reached him.

“Baby,” he whispered, as if he was in the same place you were. Star struck.

“Taehyung what are you...” you said, reaching out and touching his face. There were a few scars here and there, but it was the same face, the same man you’d fallen in love with, standing before you.

“Feng’s top operatives are dead, the whole system is shut down, all thanks to us,” he said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

SMACK.

Taehyung’s head whirled to the other side as your hand collided with his cheek. Coming back with a confused look on his face he faced your anger.

“What the fuck do you call this?” you asked, glaring at him.

“What do you mean?” he said, holding his cheek in offense.

“What are you doing here, you’re dead Taehyung,” you growled.

“No, Y/N, I’m right here, I didn’t die,” he said, moving towards you. 

You placed your hand out in front of you, stopping him in his tracks. “Please Taehyung, don’t do this to me,” you begged.

“Don’t do what? Can’t you see me? I came back for you, for us,” he announced, like a grand scheme that had all gone to plan.

“What us, Taehyung? We never really had an us,” you explained, thinking back to your memories with him.

“The us we wanted to have,” he said quickly.

“Is that even possible for us, Taehyung? Did you think about that? About all these men that are going to be chasing you? And you brought them right here? To me?”

“No, baby, listen. I killed each and every one of them. I made sure that no one would hurt what I want to build with you,” he said.

“And what is that, Taehyung?” You asked, wanting to hear him say it.

“A family, Y/N. I want to build a family, a life with you,” he divulged, looking like an embarrassed school boy.

“Do you really think that’s possible? That your work won’t follow you-”

“I quit the agency,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. 

“You what?” you asked, looking at him in disbelief.

“I quit, Y/N, I’m done with espionage,” he said.

“You’re never done with the agency, you told me that yourself,” you accused.

“No, please hear me out. I wiped my record, everything. They don’t have access to anything anymore. Hyung won’t try to find me, I promise,” he begged.

“You can’t make a promise for someone else Taehyung,” you reminded him darkly.

“How can I convince you that I want this, that I want you more than anything?”

“I don’t know,” you whispered, dropping your gaze to the floor.

“Please, tell me how to fix this,” he pleaded, cradling your face in his hands.

“I don’t know if you can, Taehyung. It’s all so messed up,” you said, tears starting to well up in your eyes.

“God, Y/N, I’m so sorry. I did this. This is my fault,” he said, rubbing his face.

“It’s not just your fault, Taehyung, I didn’t help the situation any,” you said, trying to ease his pain.

“I was so hell bent on getting revenge... I could’ve stopped but I didn’t. I didn’t stop until every last one of them was gone, and it took me too long. I mean, look at you,” he said, gesturing to your stomach. “If I had waited any longer our child would be born and I... I could’ve missed that because of wanting revenge. I’m disgusting.”

“Taehyung stop.”

“Y/N it’s my fault that you’re like this. It’s my fault that you had to suffer and it’s my fault that we-”

You wrapped your arms around his neck as you kissed his lips with passion you hadn’t felt in a long time. Taehyung took the opportunity to wrap his arms around your hips, pulling you closer than you were before. Your stomach pressed against his and your baby swirled and kicked and tumbled inside of your stomach. The air wooshed out of your lungs as you felt them wiggle around. Never had they been so active before.

Taehyung pulled away, looking at you with sheer adoration. “I can feel them,” he said, holding the side of your stomach gently. “Can I?” he asked, looking at you with desperation.

You nodded your head, looking down as he fell to his knees in front of you. Taehyung’s hands pushed your shirt up to expose your full belly. His eyes misted up as he wiped at them furiously. “You’re so beautiful, honestly,” he said, placing his lips against your soft skin.

“You’re so full of shit,” you said, laughing. “I’m the size of a whale,” you complained.

“No you aren’t. You’re pregnant, with my baby, fuck that’s so hot,” he groaned, tilting his head back.

“Yeah?” 

“Yes, fuck...” he said, resting his head on your belly. Your baby kicked, making Taehyung’s head pop up quickly. “They kicked! Oh my God, Y/N!”

“Yeah, our baby tends to do that, a lot at night too,” you told him softly.

“Really?” he asked, looking genuinely excited.

“Mhmm,” you said, gazing at Taehyung’s sparkling eyes.

“Y/N,” Taehyung swallowed hard, “can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” you agreed.

“C-Can I stay... with you?”

“What?”

“N-evermind! I’ll get a hotel room or something. Maybe Jin-Hyung will let me stay with him for a while but-”

“Taehyung,” you shushed. He quieted almost immediately.

“Yes?”

“You can stay,” you said softly, “I want you to stay.”

“Really?” he said, astonished.

“Yes, but I’m laying down some ground rules,” you said.

“Of course,” he announced.

“You have to sleep in the same bed as me,” you started. Taehyung simply smiled. “You have to rub my feet when I ask, the first time I ask. And I want you to wash my hair for me,” you said, adding on that last one just to make him annoyed.

“Okay,” he agreed easily.

“And,” you said again.

“And?” he waited patiently.

“And I get to pick the first name of the baby,” you said smirking.

“Can’t we atleast get a list of names we both like together?” he asked, pouting.

“Fine fine, we can do that,” you agreed.

“So I can stay?” he asked, looking for any hesitation in your eyes.

“Yes, Taehyung, you can stay. I want you to stay,” you said again, moving to wrap him in your arms tightly.

“So we’re doing this, officially?”

“I thought it already was?” you asked, holding your hand up to reveal your ring, the one you hadn’t taken off since Taehyung ‘died’.

“You didn’t take it off?”

“How could I? It was one of the only things you ever gave me, besides this,” you said, pointing to your stomach with a laugh.

“I’m not going to apologize,” he said, smiling.

“Don’t want you to,” you said, grinning back.

“Let’s go to bed, my pretty wife,” he said, taking your hand and leading you into the bedroom.

The pair of you laid down, not even wanting to change. Taehyung comfortably wrapped his arms around you, pulling you back towards his body. 

It felt like being whole again, everything was right with the world.

And everything was going to be okay.

---

Everything was not okay.

“Taehyung I swear to fuck if you hit one more goddamn bump in this road I will slit your throat,” you growled, hanging onto the bar above the window for dear life.

“Baby I’m going as smoothly as I can,” he argued.

“Bullshit, it’s like you’re doing it on purpose!” you accused.

“Y/N,” he countered.

“Do not Y/N me right now Kim Taehyung or I will fucking kill you!”

It had started about an hour ago. 

Your baby was quiet, Taehyung and you sleeping soundly when you felt it. A distinct cramp coming from your well... down there.

Readjusting yourself you thought that might help and make it go away. You’d been cramping a lot lately, something the doctor told you was totally normal in your stage of pregnancy. But if it got any more intense then you should probably come in.

Then a sharp stabbing pain made you jolt up in bed. Taehyung was quick to get up too, looking blearily at you in concern.

“What’s wrong baby?” he asked, rubbing your shoulder soothingly.

“Nothing I just-ah!” you gasped, feeling another sharp pain shoot through your body.

“Y/N?” he asked, turning to face you more directly.

“I-I think I’m having contractions,” you paled.

“Are you sure they aren't braxton hicks?” he asked, trying to narrow down the issue.

“No. These feel completely different than those, I-I wanna go to the hospital,” you said, moving to stand up when a rush of fluid went down your leg. 

“Fuck, Y/N,” he said, staring at your soaked legs.

“Get the car.”

That’s how you wound up driving to the hospital at three in the morning on a Tuesday. 

Pulling into the parking lot Taehyung came around quickly to help get you out of the car. You took his arm, legs feeling wobbly as you tried to stand. Taehyung helped you the whole way, listening to you curse him out while you made your way across the parking lot.

It was a blur from there. Taehyung’s voice the only thing you could clearly make out.

You were in a wheelchair and you could feel the urge to push, you needed to push.

“Taehyung,” you whimpered, reaching for him desperately.

“It’s okay, Y/N, you’re going to be okay,” he said, wrapping his fingers around yours as you made it to the room. 

Doctors were in a flurry around you, people poking and prodding at you, adjusting this and moving that when you finally had enough.

“Stop with all the fucking around and just help me push for fucksake!” you screamed.

Everyone stopped and the doctor towards the back seemed to catch on.

“She’s dilated she needs to push,” he said, coming forward and adjusting your legs in the stirrups so that you could have better leverage.

“Okay sweetheart now take a deep breath and push,” the nurse behind you said. 

Pushing was so hard, it was like nothing you’d ever felt before. 

It was as if no matter how hard you pushed nothing would happen.

“Taehyung,” you whined, making a grabbing motion for him. Soon a big hand was wrapped around yours, warmth enveloping you as you felt the urge to push again.

“Come on baby, push, just like they said, you can do it,” Taehyung encouraged.

“I can’t. Taehyung it hurts too much,” you whimpered, grabbing onto him desperately.

“I can see the head! You’re doing amazing!”

“See? They’re almost here baby, just a little more,” Taehyung said, tears in his eyes.

“Do you got my six?” you asked, looking at him with misty eyes as well.

“I got your six baby, till the end,” he nodded.

One more big push and you felt instant relief. 

“Sir, do you want to cut the cord?”

Soon Taehyung’s warmth was replaced by a small body being placed on your chest, crying was all you heard. Instinctually, you brought them to your breast, letting them latch on and drink their fill.

Then a small kiss was placed to the top of your head.

“Baby she’s beautiful,” he cried, nestling his head into your hair.

“She? It’s a girl?” you asked, looking up at him.

“Yes, it’s a girl,” he acknowledged. 

“Oh my God,” you cried, wrapping your arms around your baby, coddling her to your chest. 

“What’s the name?” A nurse from the back asked, probably getting a crib for her ready.

“Rose,” you said, instantly knowing the name was perfect for your child.

Taehyung made a small whimpering sound from behind you, and you knew he liked it too.

Turning slightly you brought him to your lips, a sweet kiss being shared between the two of you. 

“I love you Taehyung,” you said, wiping a single tear from his eye.

“I love you too, Y/N, both of you.”

[whitherliliesbloom]

tough love

[ ffxivwrite2020 ] ★ [ my writings ]  ★ [ prompt #08 - clamor ]

[ alisaie & wol, mentioned alphinaud/wol ] ★ [ 1,192 words ]  ★ [ post-canon, mentioned 5.3 spoilers ]

this is many many years after canon after alphinaud and illya are married and everyone mentioned are adults, involves a pregnant wol.  based off illya’s pregnancy headcanons 

alisaie leveilleur and mentions of alphinaud leveilleur, g’raha and krile

the only thing alisaie isn’t willing to provide her sister-in-law is some peace and quiet

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” 

Illya has no idea why she’d even bothered asking, and now she’s paying for her naivety with a persistent ringing in her ear... and a very crossed elezen woman glaring daggers down at her. 

The lalafell never truly got why her husband had always been so scared of his sister’s temper - infamous and fiery as it can get...until now. If Alphinaud were as cool as ice, and a man who had a love for solving problems with a great deal with diplomatic words, Alisaie would be the type to stick her rapier up the rear of anyone who’d think to disagree. 

And given the blazing fury burning in Alisaie’s eyes right now, Illya was all but certain that she’d be tossed into the pits of hell if she dared argue, pregnant or not.

“By gods, Illya! I don’t understand you! How can you keep thinking of working when you’re carrying a baby?! It’s like.. you have a death wish or something!” 

If the Warrior of Light had asked to wrestle a primal or charge headlong into a battle despite her far more vulnerable state as of the current, she’d have thought Alisaie’s words to certainly be warranted. But surely, a quick trip to the conjurer’s guild in Gridania wasn’t quite as life-threatening as the taller woman would make it out to be. 

It wouldn’t be the first time, and Illya swears, not her last volunteering her time and efforts to the guild she’s owed much to while she’s been reduced to near worthlessness. Healing the sick and providing mentorship to the junior conjurers was but the least she can do, what she believes she has to continue doing. If she had no use in battle now, and was forced to swear off hard labour by all of the members of the scions combined, then what else aside from chores could she do? 

And even then, Alisaie had been insistent on keeping Illya work free in her own home. Attempts to pick up brooms and dish rags thwarted again and again with angry yells and a quick slap to her wrist. 

The only thing she can do, and the only thing she has been doing since Alisaie first stepped into the house was to sit on the couch, head hung low in shame as her sister-in-law towered over her with arms crossed over her chest as if she’d just grounded her own child. Illya would never have thought she’d see the day Alisaie would agree so wholeheartedly with her brother when he complained to her about Illya’s continuous trips outside despite the delicate package she carried in her tummy.

“A-ah... S-sorry-” there’s something of a sheepish, embarrassed tone in her voice as the lalafellin apologizes, hand raised to begin twirling strands of her own hair around her finger.

“I swear.. You have no regard for yourself at all! If not for you, at least think of your baby!” 

 Illya didn’t exactly have plans to be lectured and told off in her very own home when she woke up that morning, and yet it wasn’t unexpected either. From the moment she’d read the note Alphinaud had left on her bedside table, saw Alisaie’s name written in big, bolded letters, she’d instantly felt dread creep up her spine. He certainly knew how to keep her restrained even in his absence. 

“Didn’t you hear what Krile say about exerting yourself too much?? What do you plan on doing if you collapsed and nobody was there to help you?!” 

“Alisaie-”

“What if something happened to the baby?! What if something happened to you?! I wouldn’t be able to live with myself! Or answer to Alphinaud!”

“Um... Alisaie-”

“I said NO, Illya! Ask me to let you leave for work again, and I swear to hells I will-”

“Alisaie, I just wanted to tell you I’m hungry...”

There’s a chilling silence that hung in the air for a moment as Alisaie stops to widen her eyes, before turning her head away with rapidly reddening cheeks. Or at least, Illya thought it to be a blush.. For all she knew, Alisaie’s boiling blood could have begun rising and burned her head somehow. 

“O-oh.” 

It was hard not to point Alisaie’s pout and puffing of cheeks, but many Illya’s known her for enough years to know that that would be a grave mistake. With a quick turn of her heels, Alisaie leaves to brisk walk to the kitchen, and Illya dares herself to stand from the couch to follow behind her.

“Don’t you dare. I’ll get you something to eat.”

“When did you start learning to cook, Alisaie?”

Alisaie pauses to stare blankly at the stove top, eyes darting around the room as if she were a fish out of water, a woman completely out of her element. Were she to be honest, she’d admit to not having operated any kitchen appliances more complex than a toaster. And yet the lack of a verbal answer from her is in itself the clearest answer she could have given to Illya.

“....Doesn’t matter! How hard can it be?” 

That line was almost always telling of someone with incredible inexperience in the kitchen, and it was a line she’d even heard her husband say when he’d first started learning to cook, before proceeding to completely burn his sunny side ups. They certainly were twins, after all.

A stifled laugh nearly causes Alisaie’s to turn and shoot a glare down towards her shorter family, though Illya has learned from Alphinaud’s signature technique of whistling and avoiding eye contact to act nonchalant. 

But whereas Alphinaud was mostly unashamed of admitting to his own shortcomings and asking for help when he needed, there were few other people Illya knew in this world to be more prideful than Alisaie. If she didn’t offer to help Alisaie now, the woman surely would not ask for it any time soon.

“I could help you... if you want?”

“Hells no!” Alisaie retorts and her hands plant to her hips. “Go back to the living room and rest.”

“I won’t exert myself.” Illya only smiles warmly in return, and Alisaie has to resist the urge to grab Illya and shake her by the shoulders. “Cooking’s not that hard, remember?”

She lets out an audible growl, though Illya seems completely unfazed, blinking her wide violet eyes up at her until Alisaie could do nothing but sigh heavily and sink her shoulders.

“Alright, fine! But you aren’t going anywhere near the stove or knives, got it?”

“Promise. Nophica strike me if I do.”

Finally, for the first time since Alisaie’s arrival, the knots of her brows stop furrowing and relaxes, and the corner of her lips turns upwards into a smile. She doesn’t quite say it, but even if Illya were to go against her word, she’d sooner take the bolt for her than to let any harm come to her own dearest friend and soon to be nephew or niece. 

“Oh, I forgot to mention. I’ll be away next week, so G’raha will be coming in to watch over you instead.”

“Oh thank the twelve.”

“Say that again?”

“.....Nothing.”

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Robin and Gale Hood; Ben Hardy x reader Chap. 9

*Author’s note*

WHOA IT HAS BEEN A LOOOOOONG TIME SINCE I UPDATED THIS STORY!!! But now with my Rock Angel series finally complete, I finally had some time to sit down and catch up on this series so here I have for you all 2 NEW chapters of my Robin and Gale Hood Disney AU! So I hope you all enjoy this new update and be on the lookout for the next one in just a few minutes :)

Chapter 9,

Jailbreak chaos

Taglist;

@plethora-of-things​

@waddles03​

@psychosupernatural​

@ixchel-9275​

@simonedk​

@queensdivas​

@queen-paladin​

@sparkleslightlyy​

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels​

@geek-and-proud​

@queendeakyy​

@wormzteef​

_____________________________________________________

Two hours before dawn, two hours before Gale Hood would be burned at the stake before the entire town of Nottingham, Robin and his friends slipped over the gates and ducked the guards as they crossed the courtyard.

They all hide within the stables and hide from a patrol that was coming around the corner just a few yards away from them.  Once the guards passed, Robin gathered his friends and whispered.

“Alright lads, this is it. There can’t be room for error. Share your positions, go.”

“Kit, David and I will meet up with Arthur to free the prisoners from the tower dungeon.” Gilbert said.

“Marian and I will go down below the palace to free Gale from her cell.” Little John said.

“While James and I will sneak into the master suite and bring out the royal treasury. And we all must do it before the clock tower chimes at dawn. And remember, Don’t. Get. Caught.” They placed their right hands over each other before shooting them in the air and went on their way.

Little John circled around towards the gardens where a secret entrance that Marian had found when she first went to visit Gale after she had been brought in.  He soon spotted a dark cloaked feminine figure standing by the tower of the castle and he could already see from the moonlight that it was Marian from her blonde locks hidden underneath.

He let out an owl’s hoot to fool the guards but it told Marian that a Merry Man was nearby.  She turned and when she saw Little John coming towards her, she relaxed with relief.

“Thank God you’re here Little John.”

“Alright, so how do we get in?”

“Just stand back and let me do the code, keep watch for me okay?” he nodded and stood in front of her to hide her from any guards that could walk along the tower.  Marian grabbed hold of the lock and first twisted it to the right till her hand was fully horizontal, then she turned it left to the point where the bottom of her palm was facing upward but her fingers stood diagonally from her palm. Then she twisted it back towards the right twice.

The secret door soon unlatched itself and Little John allowed Marian to lead him down the stairs.  Grabbing a torch from the wall, Marian led on till they reached the darkest dungeon that Little John had ever seen.

“This is where Gale’s been kept?”

“I’m afraid so. Thankfully, she still has her sanity intact.” Marian thought it best to not mention the fact that the Sheriff had been raping her multiple times since her capture.  That wasn’t her story to tell.

“Seriously? God I would’ve lost myself in this darkness within the first hour. Never did I think Gale could be that strong willed.”

“Well best believe it Little John. This is it.” She ran towards a locked metal door that had a sign over it that read in bold letters.

BEWARE THE WITCH

SENTENCED TO BE BURNED AT THE STAKE AT DAWN ON AUGUST THE 24TH.

BY ORDER OF THE KING

And at the bottom was Prince John’s signature and the family Lion crest to make it official.  Little John went to the door but Marian stopped him and said.

“Let me go in Little John. It’s best if she sees a—a womanly presence.”

“What do you mean? What have they done to her?!” he demanded the last part.

“That I cannot say. For it is not my story to tell. If Gale ever gains the confidence to tell any of you men what happened, she will. But for now, I ask that you don’t immediately embrace her or touch her.”

Little John already began to have an inkling on what she meant, but he prayed to God that she was lying and that it was only just physical pain the Sheriff of Nottingham had bestowed upon her.  Marian revealed the key from her breast and unlocked the door before grabbing Little John’s torch and entered inside Gale’s cell.

Gale was now chained up to the wall wearing an all-white gown that they forced all witches to wear before they were burnt at the stake.  Her hair was a mess and her lip was blood-stained. She lifted her head to see that it was only Marian standing there.

“Marian?” she croaked out. She set the torch down on the floor and knelt down beside Gale and unlocked her from her shackles.

“Shh, quiet. We’re busting out of here. All of us.”

“Thank God!” she softly wept as her arms were finally free. “My prayers have been answered.” She rubbed her raw, blistered wrists as Marian helped her stand up.

The two women left their cell, Little John bowed his head in greeting to Gale who greeted him the same way.

“Come on, we can head to the garden’s back entrance to escape.” Marian said.

“Wait, what about the others? Shouldn’t we try to help?” asked Gale.

“There’s no time Gale. Arthur and the others can handle getting the town’s people out. And Robin and James can handle the royal treasury. We’ve only got till sunrise to do this and there can’t be room for error.” Little John told her.

Gale wanted to argue but she knew that whenever her brother said that a plan of theirs had no room for failure, that was a code meaning stick to your position and nothing more.  She nodded and then Marian lead them out of the lower dungeons and towards the garden’s entrance (the very same gate that Michael, Robert, Jimmy and little Laura used when they first met Marian, Arthur and Prince James).

Over at the tower dungeon where the people of Nottingham were being kept, two guards were pacing by the front door with one guard sleeping right by the door.

From some old crates and barrels hid Kit, Gilbert and David. Kit looked over to see the two guards pacing steadily in front of the tower.  Each one holding their swords close to them as they paced.

“Safe to say we’re not gonna easily sneak by the front door.” Kit whispered as he slunk back behind the barrel beside his friends.

“I hope Arthur comes through and knows what he’s doing.” Gilbert said.

“He’s the future advisor to James. I think he’ll hold his own.” Soon enough Arthur comes out and he quickly goes over to the two guards and urgently gestures them towards the stable, which was just a few yards away from where Gilbert and the others were hiding.

The plan was for Arthur to lure any guards from their position by order of Prince James who ‘claimed’ to see a member of Robin’s Merry band sneaking into the stables.  From there Gilbert, David and Kit would knock the guards out and disguise themselves as the guards, followed by getting the key and freeing the townspeople.

As the two guards were racing towards Kit and the others, David extended out the end of his bow which caused the guards to trip and soon Gilbert and Kit dragged them towards the barrels and knocked them out.  They stripped them of their clothes and wore the guard’s uniform.

“Right so David stay out here till the first batch of townsfolk come out, then lead them to the back entrance where Marian and Little John helped Gale escape to.” Gilbert told him.

“Right.” David nodded as Gilbert and Kit went back to their guarding positions.  The two of them met up with Arthur and Kit said.

“You got the key?”

“No. Apparently this drunken fool forgot to take it off his belt before he passed out.” Arthur explained as he gestured to the sleeping guard that was snoring like a pig at his post.

“Alright then. Leave it to me.” Gilbert said as he rolled his sleeves up.  Much like he learned from Robin and Gale, Gilbert was the 3rd best cat burglar of the group.  

He could swindle your pocket change and you wouldn’t have even known about it till you tried to buy something.  He could swipe the prized necklace off your neck with just a feathery touch and a broken finger, and your wedding ring well—Gilbert could take that off your finger with just his fingernail and sell it to the highest bitter.

He spotted the keys hanging off the left side of the guard’s belt.  Slowly he unbuckled the guard’s belt and using one of his arrows, he hooked it into the key ring and slowly pulled on it till it slid off his belt.  

Gilbert grabbed the keys and unhooked all three of them off the ring as Arthur unlocked the tower gate doors and the three of them raced up the tower stairs towards the jail cells upstairs.  Arthur unlocked the last door and there they saw the people of Nottingham all together in chains, some barely hanging onto life, others broken spirited.

The three men all worked together to free the people who looked at them with hope and gratitude.  When he unlocked the Sharpe family from their bonds, young Michael held his bow and arrow and said.

“Alright I’m ready where’s the bad guys!?”

“Whoa, whoa take it easy laddie.” Kit told him.  “We admire your courage but right now we could use an extra hand in getting all these people out of here, think you can be the man to do just that and lead the first batch to David?” Michael nodded strongly. “That’s a good lad.” Kit ruffled Michael’s hair before telling everyone the plan.

Once his family and the first dozen of townsfolk were free, Michael led them downstairs and using the special techniques that Gale taught him, he first peeked out and let out a robin whistle towards Daniel who replied back to him in the same tune.

“Okay, follow me everyone.” They quickly raced out towards David who led them across the courtyard and back towards the garden.

Inside the castle, some of the guards were patrolling the castle when one of them came up to the Prince James’ bedchambers and quickly looked inside to see the young prince fast asleep in his bed.

He nodded before closing the door and left to continue his patrol.  James opened one eye then quickly pulled himself off his bed and quick as a flash opened up his balcony window.  Down below he could see Robin scaling up the side of his balcony, just a foot or two from reaching him.  Once he got close enough, James pulled him up and Robin said.

“Did you do it?”

“Slipped my bastard of an uncle and his slithery snake advisor a little something in their food? Yeah. Knocked them right out. Good news is that his bedchambers lines up exactly with the prison tower where Arthur is helping your men free the towns people.”

“Excellent. So all we need to do is a simple deposit from one tower to the next.” James nodded and the two of them left his bedchambers and snuck up towards his uncle’s just down the hall.

They slowly crept inside to see hills upon hills of sacks filled with gold.  Not only did the gold belong to the people of Nottingham, but all of England’s riches lied within this very bedchamber.

“We better work fast.” Robin whispered to James.  He nodded and Robin opened up the main balcony window and readied an arrow with a long rope attached to the feathered tail.  He carefully aimed straight for the prison tower and let the arrow fly.

It flew straight through the barred windows and landed right along the wall.  Gilbert looped the arrow through a iron keyhole before walking back towards the window to aim the arrow back towards Prince John’s bedchambers.  With a careful eye and steady hand. Gilbert released the arrow and it landed right into the Prince’s bedchamber.  After tying their end to the top bar above the royal bed, they had their makeshift pulley system ready to go.

The two men nodded to each other and proceeded to grab a sack of gold, tie it off and send it down towards the prison tower for the remaining prisoners as well as Robin’s men to collect.

As the gold arrived at the tower, Gilbert and Arthur pulled the gold inside while Friar Tuck and Kit handed the gold to the people.

“Praise the Lord and pass the tax refund.” Friar Tuck said as he handed an elderly couple a sack for each of them to carry.  The elderly couple smiled warmly and the woman even embraced the gold close to her breast.

This plan continued to go along smoothly as the clock continued to pass on and the night slowly shifted to dawn.

The clock tower chimed 4am, dawn was fast approaching. James and Robin looked at each other and James said as he tied the last sack of gold.

“That���s the last of it, let’s go.” He whispered to Robin. He nodded and the two of them quickly raced towards the balcony and grabbed ahold of their make-shift pulley system and rode it the rest of the way towards the dungeon tower.  Robin slid through the window first and he then helped James.

“Going somewhere gentlemen?” that haunting, gravely baritone voice spoke.  The two men slowly turned around to meet over 30 arrows pointed right at them, and the Sheriff himself standing before them with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Sheriff of Nottingham, As Prince of England I hereby sentence you—”

“So sorry your majesty but I no longer take orders from you, by order of your uncle. In fact,” he snapped his fingers and soon the two of them were taken into custody as several men forced Robin and James to their knees.  “It shall be my honor to say that you both shall hang by the neck until death. Just shortly after we burn the witch in trial.”

“Yeah, well good luck finding her. By now she’ll be miles away from you.” Robin sneered.

“Hmmm. Think so?” the Sheriff hummed.  At this they could hear the grunts and screams of one Gale Hood.

“No! NO!!” Robin thrashed wildly at hearing his sister’s screams.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t have thought you’d be coming? So the King and I had the royal army hidden within the forest to capture anyone who tried to escape. Including those meddlesome townsfolk.” Robin struggled like a rapid animal trying to get to the Sheriff but the guards held him strong and firm.

Soon the Sheriff sucker punched him in the gut which made Robin crumble to the ground as he coughed out harshly.  James struggled in his hold and he spat venomously at the Sheriff.

“I swear to God above Sheriff, you won’t get away with this!”

“No need for petty threats your highness. You’ll soon be joining alongside them. Your death will be the perfect leverage against your father.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“If I told you straight away we’d have to kill you. Oh wait, we’re already gonna do that. Take them away, and make sure they have a good view of Gale’s execution.” The guards soon took the young Prince and rebel of the people away from the tower’s dungeon.

As the sun slowly rose above the gallows, a man was throwing hay and sticks around Gale Hood’s feet as she was tied to the stake.  A few feet away from her, the executioner held the flaming torch in his hands, his masked face making him look like the Grim reaper about to snatch her soul away and send it to Hell.  All the while the sound of the executioner’s drumbeats echoed throughout the air.

“The Prisoner Gale Hood has been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft.” The drumbeats paused as the Sheriff continued to read out, “The sentence……Death!”

The people of Nottingham who were forced to witness this gruesome execution all fought against the royal guard who held them back with their spears or axes to keep them from interfering.

“She’s harmless!”

“Let her go!”

“She’s done nothing wrong!”

“She is innocent!” were some of the screams of the town’s people. Gale Hood’s heart was rapidly beating out of fear as she watched as more piles of sticks were being added till finally they felt it was good enough for a big fire deserving for her.  She stared at the executioner in pure fear.

While down below Robin and his friends along with Marian and Arthur were all in cages surrounded by guards so that even if there was a slim chance of them escaping, they’d never make it pass the guards.  Prince James however, he was dealt with the worst punishment.

For he was forced to stand at his uncle’s side on a makeshift platform where the throne looked over the gallows.  He was chained by his hands and ankles right by his uncle’s throne like a dog forced to watch as his beloved would be burned alive.

“The time has come Gale Hood, you stand upon the break of the abyss. Yet even now it is not too late. You can spare yourself the flames of this world, and the next. Choose me, or the fire.” The Sheriff spoke to her in that deep, low voice of his that sent terrifying shivers up Gale’s spine.

After all that he’d done to her.  Captured her, raped her, Gale knew better than to submit to him. In her last ditch effort to give the Sheriff what-for, she reared her head back and spat right in his face. The crowd all gasped as the Sheriff looked at her appalled.

“Go…….fuck…..yourself!” she hissed.

“Then in the name of his royal majesty King John the 1st, I hereby sentence you to burn at the stake until death, and may the Lord have mercy on your soul.” He nodded to the executioner and the two of them traded spots.

Not wanting to bare this anymore, something in James snapped. He pulled as hard as he could on the chains until his uncle let go of the leash-chain that held James in place. He raced towards the gallows and stood protectively in front of Gale.

“If you kill her you’ll have to kill me too!”

“James no!” Marian shouted.

“James you can’t.” Gale whimpered to him. “England needs you.”

“They’re going to kill me either way. And I’d rather die with you than watch you die before me. I told you Gale, I’d rather spend one lifetime on this Earth with you, than face all the ages of this world alone. I love you.” Gale’s eyes filled with tears as James leaned his forehead against hers.

“I love you James Lionheart.”

“And I love you, Gale Hood.”

“Well what are you waiting for? Kill them!” ordered Prince John as he now stood by the Sheriff’s side at the gallows.

“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?!?” a loud boom of a voice cried out.  

[missmalice202]

Designing Your Melody: Chapter 09 - Letters

Chapter 01 - Chapter 08

With less than three weeks to go until Paris’s Fall Fashion Week, Marinette was surprisingly relaxed. After her initial fittings with both Adrien and Juleka, she had been sewing non-stop in preparation for her first major fashion show of her career. A select few of her pieces had been featured in shows and competitions before, but this was to be her official debut of “Designs by Marinette” and she couldn’t be more excited… or more terrified.

So far, she had been making amazing progress completing her collection. Most of Adrien’s looks were finished. It had been a big help that his measurements over the years hadn’t changed much, so a lot of the clothing she had made hadn’t needed much altering to fit the slender model to perfection. She really was fortunate to have such a good friend in Adrien. The advice and behind the scenes knowledge of Fashion Week he had shared with her made her confident that she was mentally prepared for her show. Admittedly, she still had had a panic attack or two due to the immense pressure she was putting on herself, but for her, that was significant progress from the absolute mess she used to be in high school. Yay for maturity! She giggled as she thought that maybe her online screen name may have rubbed some of its good luck onto her.

Carefully hanging up a meticulously packed garment bag on the portable clothing rack she had purchased for the show, she looked at her tablet once more and checked off another item on her “Fashion Week Collection Pieces” checklist.

Setting her tablet down on her sewing table, she heard the alarm on her phone begin to chime. Brow furrowed, she walked over to where it lay next to her computer, still attached to the charger. Why had she set an alarm? She couldn’t remember if she had to do anything today. Later in the morning she was expecting a delivery from the fabric store that she had ordered the lining for Juleka’s final look from, but she wouldn’t have set an alarm to remind her of that.

Upon reading the text on screen accompanying the alarm, Marinette gasped. How could she possibly forget? She had an appointment to meet with the producer of her fashion show to go over music and a few last-minute details at 11:00am. She had thirty minutes to get to the venue on time and no time to call and reschedule the delivery of her material.

Shoving her feet into her pink ballet flats, she hastily tugged the pencil she had used to hold her midnight locks in a messy bun out of her hair and raced over to her vanity mirror. After a quick finger comb to smooth out any obvious kinks, she hastily tied her hair back into her signature pigtails. She grabbed her purse, stuffed her phone inside, and was down the trap door.

She stopped at the counter where her mother was taking care of customers to ask her mother to tell the delivery boy to take her package up to her room when he arrived to drop it off. She wanted to be extra careful with the expensive material she had ordered to be the showpiece of her collection. And frankly, she didn’t want a trace of flour to mar the beautiful deep purple satin she had chosen for her masterpiece.

With a kiss blown to her mom over her shoulder and a shouted “Au revoir” to her papa, Marinette was out the door, disappearing down the street in a blur before the door closed behind her.

-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-

Pedaling down the street with his guitar safely stowed away on his bike, Luka once again checked the GPS on his phone to make sure he was going to the right address.

A few minutes ago, while he had been sitting in the park, noodling on his guitar, he had gotten a text from the courier service he worked for, VeloPostal, asking him to make a pickup and delivery. He’d sent a reply text that he accepted the job, packed up his guitar and set out on his way to the specialty textile store, Brocade, to pick up a bolt of fabric that was to be delivered to a bakery of all places. Why a bakery would want expensive fabric, Luka could only wonder. To each their own, he supposed.

After he signed for the delivery, he secured the large bold of fabric to the back of his bike and once again brought up the job description on the phone. For the first time, he noticed the name of the bakery he was to make the delivery to: Tom & Sabine’s Boulangerie and Patisserie, the very same bakery that Juleka had brought home those delicious pastries from.

The corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile as he thanked his luck on this job. Ever since he had eaten their delicious confections, he had been meaning to track down that bakery so he could get some more, but between working for the delivery service and putting up with Jagged and Mr. Roth’s antics, he just hadn’t had the time to scour the city in search of tasty treats. But today was apparently his lucky day.

With renewed enthusiasm, he pushed himself to go faster to arrive at the bakery. Parking his bike against the pale limestone wall of the bakery, he gently removed the bundle of cloth from the back of his bike and entered the building.

Immediately, he was surrounded by the delicious scent of freshly baked bread and hot, sweet icing. The bell over the door announced his arrival and behind the counter, a pretty little Asian woman looked around the customer she was currently serving and smiled at him.

“I’ll be right with you, dear.” Her voice was lyrical in its clarity, having a sweet tone to it and an almost breathless quality to it. He smiled at her and crossed over the black and white tiled floor to the display case. As he gazed upon its offerings, he completely forgot his reason for being there. The sparkling glass shelves were filled to the brim with an assortment of flaky pastries, berry topped cakes, multi-colored macaroons, and even a triple layer chocolate cake, a hefty wedge missing from where it had already been sampled by the masses. Mouth watering at the appetizing food on the other side of the glass, he gripped the package he was supposed to deliver closer to his chest to keep himself from caressing the glass in a somewhat obscene manner.

“Can I help you, sweetie,” the woman behind the counter asked sweetly.

Jerking his head to snap out of his reverie, Luka reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the display of delicacies and focused his marine eyes on the woman. “I’m with VeloPostal with a delivery from Brocade,” he said.

Eyes falling to the plastic wrapped package in his arms, the woman’s mouth bowed in a smile. “Ah yes, My daughter mentioned that she was expecting a delivery.” She wiped her hands on the apron covering her front and walked around the counter to stand in front of him. His lips quirked as he observed how much short she was compared to him.

She gazed up at him and tilted her head slightly. “I wonder if I could trouble you for a small favor. Would you be so kind as to bring that up to my daughter’s room?”

Luka hesitated. It was usually frowned upon to enter a customer’s home and he didn’t want to get in trouble with his employer.

“I understand that it’s a strange request, but I have to watch the register and Tom is in the back getting an order ready. I’d leave it down here in the bakery, but unfortunately, flour and dark fabric just do not mix well. My daughter asked me before she left to have you bring it up to her room.” She tilted her head in the other direction and looked up at him with eyes sparkling with humor. “If there are any issues, I’ll take full responsibility.”

He thought about it for a moment. “I’ll tell you what, if you can box me up a half dozen of those croissants and a slice of that fruit tart, then I’ll be a customer. There aren’t any rules about customers doing you any favors, is there?”

She blinked at him for a moment, before throwing her head back and laughing. “Oh, I like you.” She turned and walked back behind the counter and grabbed a box to pack his order into. “You’re funny. For doing me a favor, it’s on the house. That way, it’s a favor between friends.”

He grinned at her, nodding his head. “I like the sound of that. My name is Luka.”

“Enchantée, Luka. I’m Sabine. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she replied.

Introductions made, he followed her directions up the stairs and made his way to the top floor of the cozy little apartment. Upon entering the room on the other side of the trap door, the first thing he noticed was the chaos. Bits of fabric and scraps of paper were scattered all over the wood floor. It was made obvious that the room belonged to a seamstress, given the sewing machine in a place of honor in the middle of the room, surrounded by other bits and bobs of her craft.

He looked around to find a safe place to leave his cargo and he decided that the best place to leave it would be right on her worktable. Tiptoeing around the mess on the floor lest he unknowingly disrupt a vital piece of her creative process, he made his way to the table that was home to a green cutting mat and multiple other folded bits of fabric. He gently placed the bolt on top and turned to leave.

And froze. There, against the wall behind the trap door, was a pair of dress forms, one male, one female. The female form was unadorned, but he didn’t notice its naked state in his captivation.

On the male dress form was a work of art. A finely patterned blazed hung from the form’s broad shoulders. The black fabric of the garment shimmered with a nearly imperceptible pattern of vines and the lapels were made out of silk brocade patterned with ivy leaves the color of freshly cut grass. Asymmetrical pockets accented by the same brocade were detailed on the front, one pocket on the left hip, two on the right. Stepping closer to get a better look at the jacket, Luka noticed that the lapels sparkled with fine golden thread; tiny, hand-embroidered veins decorating the ivy leaves.

The construction of the garment reminds him of the design that had haunted him since the day he picked it up from under his boot. Looking up from the piece, he notices the drawings taped to her wall behind the forms which he assumes is for easy access to her designs when she’s working on the pieces.

Stepping closer, his heart stopped.

There, in the corner of every drawing, are three small letters: MDC. He reached his hand out to trace them before he realized what he was about to do. Here he is, in her private domain, invading her personal space. The tips of his ears color and he quickly withdrew his hand and shoved them both into his jacket pockets. After one last glance around her creative space, he descends the stairs into to bakery below.

Sabine – Mrs. Cheng – was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for him, his box of baked goods in her hands. “Thank you so much for bringing that up for me,” she said.

Once more embarrassed at almost losing his cool and touching her personal effects, Luka dragged his eyes away from her observing expression and trained them on the box she holds out for him to take.

“It’s no problem at all, Mrs. …” he trailed off, stretching the silence he hoped she’d fill.

Quirking an eyebrow, she smiled in response to his not-so-subtle inquiry. “Cheng. I kept my last name after I married my husband, Tom. This bakery has been passed down in his family, so our daughter’s last name is hyphenated so if she decides to take it over someday, it’ll still be a DuPain Bakery.”

He chuckled, walking with her as she returned to her spot behind the counter. “From what I saw upstairs, it looks like your daughter has another career path in mind.”

Sabine’s smile was blinding as she proudly said, “I know. My Marinette’s dream is to become a famous fashion designer. She’s well on her way, too.” She sighed. “My husband and I are so proud of her, but I know deep down Tom wishes she would take over the bakery when she gets older.” Shrugging her shoulders, she continues, “But I know that’s not where her heart lies.”

Nodding his head in understanding, Luka bids her adieu and leaves the bakery.

Now armed with her name, Marinette DuPain-Cheng (and some delicious, flaky pastries), he dons his helmet and pedals off down the road, more determined than ever to make the Tom & Sabine bakery a regular stop. Who knows? Maybe next time he’s in the mood for a croissant, he’ll run into Mademoiselle Marinette, his mystery muse.

-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-xXx-

Chapter 10

*Woohoo! He finally knows her name! yay! progress! But it’s not going to be that easy... or is it? Find out next time, my lovelies XOXO*

[jessefandomunited]

crack fic part one

if any of you guys want something competently idiotic about criminal minds here it is enjoy

chapter 1

“We need to introduced ourselves to them,” I said and we idled in our golf cart outside the office of the BAU. We still we unsure how we got in the universe of Criminal minds in the first place but we were here not and we were ready to help. This was at the very beginning, not of the show itself but Reids first day in the BAU with his team, because of this we decided introductions were in order We decided to send one letter to each of the team individually but making it all the same note. We definitely knew we were putting ourselves as the number one suspect in any of the crimes they were solving but, whatever we could leave at any time how, well, we have a time machine, or an alternate reality time machine. We’re not 100% sure how to get back to our own time but in the meantime we decided to have fun with the Criminal Minds gang and try and bring some laughter to the very somber show.

We sat in front of a computer and Khyra asked, “ Okay, what are we typing out?” We brain stormed a moment and finally came up with the following.

“ Dear Team, Yes we are not in your team like it or not. We are not your enemy and we only wish to bring you aid when need be and to bring you joy. We are well familiar with how you guys operate and you guys are always so sad, except Penelope , Penelope I think we’re gonna get along the best. We know the future pretty much and as much as you think we’re crazy and if we wanted to be super creepy we could tell you some future things but I think the butterfly effect would shatter or something like that. Yes Reid I would love to hear you rattle off all the butterfly effect theory right now but unfortunately this is a note and we cannot hear you. But hey we know you love writing notes well maybe not love, but you write a lot of notes so please write us back . Sorry off topic. This is Khyra butting in she always gets off topic when talking about Reid , he’s not narcissistic at all but he might with Amy hanging around. Off topic again all in all we are looking forward to seeing you and while you may all discard these letters however i’d advise you to at least keep our lovely picture we are sending you, so you’ll know what our lovely faces look like. Also don’t try anything tricky with the locks on the doors in your building or extra surveillance because I promise you it’s not going to work. Also if you want us to come in for questioning at any time we’d love to however all we ask is for your to do the thing where you put our names on empty boxes of files. That is it look forward to meeting you all .

All the warmest wishes in the world: Amy and Khyra” We printed out a copy for each one and took a bunch of stupid pictures with my poleroid to put in each letter. And on the envelopes we added some special little jokes and phrases like for Elle we put “ Hold this L”. For Giddeon, “ look out for the 6 fingered man” . For Penelope , “ we’re gonna be incredible friends”. For Hotch, “ the Criminal minds Lassy”. For JJ “ the Criminal minds Juliette”. For Derek “ BROTP Derek and Penelope” And for Reid “please dont be mad at me  <3 Amy”. I was very concerned that he wouldn’t appreciate our little charade so I just wanted to apologize in advance. We prepared each letter and were bold enough to even drop them off at the front desk ourselves before leaving to get slurpies and design our crime fighting outfits.

We decided on these weird shirts we found at good will that say traffic cop, these plaid skorts, white iridescent platform shoes and white oval sunglasses to finish it off. “ We’re gonna be unforgettable for sure,” I chuckled, “ I wonder if they read our note yet.” “ Well if we go there and immediately take us in for questioning i’d say that’s a win,” Khyra added. I nodded and we slowly walked over to the BAU building and decided to just sit on the wall for a bit an wait. In about ten minuets Hotch came out and when he saw us he immediately went back in. “ Awwwww Lassy recognizes us,” I said clutching my hand to my heart. “ Yeah he’s definitely getting backup, “ Khyra laughed, “ you want Reid to lead you in.” I shook my head, “ you know he wont be able to, it’s his first day, but he’s probably gonna be watching us.” The door opened and Hotch came out with three armed officers, “ please bring them in.” “ Can I please finish my Slurpee , this was a whole dollar man ,” I pleaded. “ Whatever you need to  answer to a few things,” He said with his signature stoic face. I clapped my hands, “ don’t worry we know where to go.” He was about to say what when we both took off into the building waving at the different people as we went as the guards followed us . “ REID LET’S CATCH US LATER OKAY,” I yelled as we passed his desk. He looked slightly scared. We found the interrogation room and sat ourselves on the chair and put our feet up on the table. “ Thank goodness they didn’t try to shoot us,” Khyra said with a sigh. “ Ugg that was my exercise for like ever,” I said leaning back. Hotch stumbled into the room, shocked to see us here, “who...who are you guys.” “ Someone didn’t read the note carefully, “ I said, “ listen we may as well be ghosts here, look us up we’ll give you our drivers license, well our old ones if you want to actually keep it, I still may need mine .” We both dug around in our pockets and slapped them on the table. “ Penelope, if your listening we know you’ll be doing the searching you goddess among men,” Khyra yelled before leaning back. Hotch reluctantly left and we made a  beeline for the two way mirror. “ So you think they’re all on the other side,” I said jabbing Khyra in the side. “ Most of them probably aside from Penelope ,” she deduced . “ Hey Reid...Spencer...Spence… Dr Spencer Reid, which should I call him,” I pleaded , “ he liked being called Spence when JJ does it but he dosent know us yet, so maybe formal.” Khyra nodded, “ yes don’t scare him , he get’s enough of that later .” I shook my head and my eyes welled up with tears, “ oh I know,you best bet we’re going to have to help out with that.” “ Butterfly effect ,” Khyra reminded me . “Fuck I forgot about that,” I mumbled then turned to the two way mirror and got really close so I could somewhat see. I noticed he was there and positioned myself so I was looking at him directly, “ gees this is a lot easier when I just see myself. Dr Spencer Reid, you are a wonderful , caring , smart , nerdy , glorious person and I want you to know especially that we come in peace.” both me and Khyra but up the Spock hand sign things “ we too are fellow nerds.” The door swung open and Hotch marched in, “ cut that out and sit down, how did you know he was in there anyway?” “ You can kind of see when you get really close,” I explained , “ soooo did you find out we are ghosts?” He shook his head, “ no I found out these are fake id’s .” Me and Khyra exchanged a glance then laughed , “ yes absolutely, you know it’s about as fake as your hopes of planning a lovely week long break.” “ This is serious,” he sneered .I held up a hand, “ okay one, you didn’t even get our boxes like we wanted, and two you have no right to hold us here, at the moment you guys don’t have a serious case yet, and sheesh it’s my boi Reids first day relax you’re gonna scare him off like you did his friend.” He was shocked. “ We’ve overstayed our welcome,” Khyra whispered . The door was still open . We shrugged, “ gotta blast.” Immediately we sprinted out yelling, “ next time we want our boxes!!!” People tried to stop us but we were able to get to the gogo cart just in time. We waved as we slowly began moving through time.

[edorazzi]

Well, here we are again! Twitter said yes to a review post for a Miraculous magazine that suddenly showed up in my local area. ‘Tis the season after all, and by that I mean someone bought it for me as a joke birthday gift and I was way too happy about that.

I’ve done previous reviews of the Miraculous Christmas calendar, Easter egg set, superhero fashion dolls and action figures, so let’s dive into the unknown world of merchandising yet again!

(As always, if you enjoy my posts, please consider checking out my Twitter page or supporting me on Patreon for lots of bonus content!)

4 FREE GIFTS! PACKED WITH ACTIVITIES! MEET THE KWAMIS! PRANKS & LOLS! CUT-OUT MEMES! FANGIRL ALERT! NAIL ART! 100% OFFICIAL! I’m overwhelmed! It feels like I’m having a seizure just from the packaging!!! 

I should preface this by saying I haven’t bought a magazine like this in years. Possibly ever. I read things like the Beano, Animals & You and the odd Disney Princess zine when I was a kid but I have no idea what to expect from a free-gift-packed kiddie magazine in 2019. If the outside is anything to go by we’re in for a wild ride.

I’m noticing that it says “Miraculous #20″ on the back. Does this mean I’ve missed 19 previous issues? I’m genuinely a little upset by that. My local area is a complete dry zone for Miraculous so I haven’t had the chance to pick these up.

First step: let’s separate everything out and get a look at these freeeee giftssss. Except they aren’t free, because this magazine was like £3.99. This does seem to be the current trend - it’s kinda rare to see any kids’ zines without the excess packaging crammed with ‘free’ stuff. Is it really too expensive to just produce the magazine? Probably, in this economy.

Chat Noir is revealed on the cover! He was on the back of the plastic jacket, but it’s still nice to see the kids as a front-cover duo. Apparently we’re going to learn to draw Pollen, too, which sounds fun. I’m actually liking the look of the gifts as well, but we’ll get into those in a minute.

This hairbrush............. is adorable. Oh my god. It’s pretty cheap and flimsy but it functions the way it’s supposed to, and the Ladybug design has been taken into account in a better way than “it’s red/black, that counts” (lest we forget the UTTER BULLSHIT of the Christmas calendar, and YES I’m still mad about that). I don’t know how well I expect the outer sticker to last, but if it can take a bit of wear and tear this would be an adorable little travel brush. Nicely done, lads!

These nail stickers? Also adorable. They remind me of the kiddie makeup sets I had when I was little, back in the early 00s when plastic stick-on nails and decals were all the rage. Are they still a thing? That’s nice to know.

There are 13 designs (that I can count) - a Queen Bee mask, Chat Noir pawprint cake, macaron, cupcake, heart-print cookie, Ladybug stud, flower, lightning bolt, love heart, Marinette heart, bee, fox tail and star. The majority are directly related to the show and that makes them feel special. No Carapace though? :(

I’ve put a little Marinette heart on my furthest finger. At the time of typing this up (about a day later) it’s still firmly in place. I haven’t really knocked it around, granted, but it’s not flimsy enough to fall off after five minutes either. It’s also really cute to look at. Guess I’m still a decal-loving 2004 girl at heart......

These stickers though!!! Wow! They’re those holographic and slightly-puffy kind and they feel like pretty good quality, and the designs are so cute! I can’t fault these, they’re absolutely adorable. I immediately want to stick them everywhere.

So I’ve stuck them everywhere. I’m especially proud of the light switch pun. My room looks GREAT.

I saved these “mystery stickers” for last because I’m weak for the thrill of mystery bags, and there wasn’t anything on the packaging to indicate what kind of designs to expect. And OH!!!! OH, IT’S MY BOY!!!! Look at him!!!! 

I made jokes with the Christmas calendar about all the Chat Noir items being stolen ahead of time, but that’s definitely NOT the case with this magazine. I have been SPOILED with the presence of my cat son.

These stickers are similar to the sticker sheet (and the Chillin’ Out design is reprinted), but they’re puffier and non-holographic. I’m deeply allured by the “decorate your phone or tablet” suggestion on the packet, but I’m going to see how the previous stickers withstand the wear-and-tear of my laptop lid before adding any more. If I damage these beautiful Adrien stickers I’ll be devastated.

Those are our free gifts! They’re actually very fun and cute, I’m really happy with them! I guess now it’s time to get into the magazine itself...........

I genuinely almost forgot the magazine was the main part of this package. I figured I was done, but we’ve barely even started! Here’s a splash page of the kwami. Kwami with a capital K? Kwamis? I still feel like it should be singular-lower-case-k-kwami. I’ve never been happy about this “miraculouses” business either.

But is that--

It IS!!!! It’s Nino!!! 

I guess this is the new flavour of Miraculous tie-ins. Now they’ve broadened out to a full team we’re seeing a lot more of Adrien alongside the girls, and Nino is the elusive hero who shows up once in a blue moon. At least this time his name isn’t in the title of the gotdam show.......

Anyway, I can see I’m supposed to draw my “fave Kwami”. Better get to it.

Felix just wants a break. Just one break. But not in this magazine.

Speaking of seeing more of Adrien (and, tragically, less of Nino), this is the kind of splash page I want to see! Both kids are here! The banner themed with Marinette’s signature flowers is a nice touch too; that’s associated with her arts ‘n’ crafts in the show already and it makes sense to apply it to the creative portion of this magazine too.

I LOVE the promotion of Chat Noir nails as something the little girls buying this magazine will definitely want to try. I’d expect them to do Marinette vs Ladybug nails, but instead we get a boyish option! Hell yeah!

I’m a little confused by the Queen Bee masks apparently going on the Chat Noir nails though. I guess they’re friends? Is this secret AdriChlo confirmation? Watch out, Marinette, Kagami’s not the one to be worried about.

SURE WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE SOME TURTLE STICKERS FOR AN ALL-BOYS THEME BUT I GUESS NOT HUH

Next up is a short merch catalogue (why would you put the big bold arrow pointing right to the underoos.....). Would those Chat Noir socks come in my size? Asking for me.

Then there’s......... this page. FANGIRL ALERT. God. It’s like the Ladyblog, if only the Ladyblog ever gave a heck about reporting what Chat Noir’s up to.

THE SPELL WAS BROKEN AND THE FANDOM IMPLODED WITH JOY.

I really have to wonder what age range this is meant for. Do kids know what a “fandom” is? Do little girls consider themselves “fangirls”? I guess most kids have enough internet access to figure it out these days (all the hashtags and LOLs and memes speak volumes), but I can’t imagine being young enough to fit the target range of this magazine while also knowing these terms. I dunno.

(Also, the definition of ‘implosion’ is ‘an instance of something collapsing violently inwards’, so I’m not sure that’s the word they’re looking for. Unless the return to the status quo in Dark Cupid and the continuing stagnation of the love square was enough to make people quit in frustration? Probably.)

I’m filling it in, of course. Because I must.

I gave up on the pre-approved ratings system pretty much right away, but I think this is an accurate rating of my LadyNoir opinions. 

I might be kinda cynical about it here, but I am actually pretty fond of how this magazine sells Ladybug and Chat Noir as a couple. The show’s portraying it as very onesided lately, with Chat pining over Ladybug who has absolutely no interest in him (Glaciator was a TERRIBLE episode and I’m still hurting from it), but reading this zine I’d guess they were already dating. It’s cheesy, but in a nice way.

I have to laugh at “the most amazing thing about this super duo is that they always look out for and protect each other” though. Chat’s usually pretty focused on LB, sure, but there are endless instances of LB using Chat as cannon fodder and just generally abandoning him to get mauled by akuma while she carries out her personal private plan to save the day. Maybe we’re just focusing on the better-written episodes, huh?

Moving ahead. I’ve been dreading this page since reading “Plaggs Pranks & LOLs” on the back of the packaging. I feel hatred in my very bones just looking at it.

I like that there’s ONE instance of the term “ladybird” in the joke column. This is a UK-based magazine and that IS the word we tend to use over here - “ladybug” is an Americanism - but it’s like they’re worried kids could have got to the middle of this magazine about a superhero named Ladybug and then not understand the bug jokes. Maybe whoever was writing this page slipped up?

OH NOOOOO. MARINETTE, NOOOOOOOOOO.

THIS IS WHY FELIX GOT RID OF YOU, PLAGG. THESE ARE ADRIEN’S PROBLEMS NOW.

(mmm whatcha saaaaay)

I mean........... YEAH, I guess, but we absolutely did see Plagg destroy Felix with an entire shelf of heavy books. I guess he’s nicer with Adrien. It’s all fun and games until someone has a nervous breakdown in the library.

I do love the concept of Tikki getting glitter-bombed by Plagg through the mail. She just curiously opens up the little letter which got slipped into Marinette’s purse, and-- WOOSH. One entire wall of Mari’s room is glittery except for a little Tikki-shaped silhouette. 

Next up is a two-page comic which is absolutely adorable! Look at those little chibis! The warm and soft colour palette! This is nicer than most of the official Miraculous comic book art I’ve seen, I hope they keep giving this artist work.

Nino’s here too (and he looks great!), and I like the touch of Marinette and Adrien playing as each other’s superhero characters. Adrien even wins the match, though I guess there’s something to be said about Ladybug beating Chat Noir (again)...... 

It does raise the question yet again of where this tie-in merchandise is coming from! They’ve had action figures, a movie, music video features, now an arcade game... Who’s getting the royalties here? Who’s profiting? Is this how Fu can afford to buy all those rare ingredients for the magic potions?

Over the page we have an activity to Design your Secret Lair! Right away I love the Marinette theme of the page, the soft pink and flowers, and the drawing space looking like a page in a binder with marker tabs and everything.

I have to design my secret lair, of course: 

What do you think? I’m very creative. I’ll need an adult to send in the drawing of my hideout but I think I’ve really got a shot at those unicorn headphones.

Now we’re on to puzzles and character pages. I don’t know what ol’ Gabe is doing trying to meet a 13 year old girl in the dead of night without telling anyone, you’d think if he’s got that much free time on his hands he could be spending it with his son.

I don’t know how those points in Ladybug’s power profile are awarded or what they mean, but you can tell this is a fan magazine. Official sources would have put her at a 10.

Standard House of Villains page! Most of these were good episodes but I’m deeply offended Riposte isn’t on here. Maybe her motives weren’t dramatic and cartoonish enough to be up in the ranks with Glaciator and Gorizilla?

“Cat Noir’s dad is also the evil Hawk Moth”, huh? I mean that’s not WRONG, but is it really something to put in his power profile when Adrien doesn’t even know yet??? Feels like we’re kinda jumping the gun on the poor boy. What if he picks up this magazine?

Apparently he’s one point weaker than Ladybug (seriously???), two points faster, equally as agile, one point less skilled and two points less cool. Despite all those lesses he still comes out at an equal 9, which is a relief! These kids are a team, putting either of them below the other would have been a big no.

I did the colouring page too, naturally. Je suis un artiste.

Now we’ve got a page fresh from the Ladyblog, a Miraculous quiz! Not a lot of excitement, but it’s nice to see Alya getting her own section.

I like that the qualifications of “you could be Ladybug herself!” are knowing what city Marinette lives in and what school she goes to. Well done, Mari! You’re doing your best!!!

TEACHER I AM SO HUNGRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I gotta say, I’m not so sure about decorating donuts with fondant. I’ve never tried it so I could be wrong, but it feels like rolled icing instead of frosting(?) would be too heavy for an entire donut. The texture is totally different.

I mean I guess if you’re going to load your kids up on sugar you might as well go all the way. They’re going to look like they’ve eaten something horrible with all that black fondant, but they’ll have fun. Adrien would love these.

WHERE’S NINO. THIS IS JUST UNFAIR. You’ll have four out of five heroes, then a double of Marinette and Tikki? Maybe this just goes to show how little memorable dialogue Carapace has.

Though if “Spots On!” is Marinette’s dialogue and not Ladybug’s, why are the other transformation phrases attributed to Rena Rouge and Queen Bee instead of Alya and Chloé? Surely they could have picked something better for Marinette to justify having her on this list twice instead of Nino.

The next page brings us one of those flowchart quizzes! And ouch, yet again the absence of the other heroes is obvious. I can understand not including Chloé here since she’s technically not a “friendly” character yet, but no Nino? Alya and Marinette are close friends, but Adrien doesn’t really hang out with them without Nino around. Having the three of them together just seems strange.

I do like the little fashion page! They’re all cute and affordable and easy to find on the high street here. I’d love to see how other issues of this magazine are structured; is there a different fashion spot every time? Styles to channel each individual hero would be adorable.

Moving on to a tutorial for a Ladybug notebook! I would have made this, but I didn’t have the time nor a notebook to stick it to.

Between this and the donuts, it seems weird that these designs are based on, like... an actual beetle, eyes and antennae and all. Shouldn’t it be Ladybug’s symbol? These come across more like “fun animals” arts ‘n’ crafts instead of themed after Miraculous specifically. I think if I made this (or decorated the donuts) I’d miss out the head and match the spot pattern to Ladybug’s symbol. 

The hidden message design is adorable though. I can see this being a craft kids are super proud of.

Another activity page! I didn’t have a go at these but they’re pretty standard. It’s cute that the coded message designs are the same as the stickers and nail decals!

Also, apparently Ladybug’s ‘secret’ is “LB mask + heart + CN mask”, which was (somehow) stolen by Volpina. Is that the secret Hawk Moth was talking about earlier in the magazine? Is he blackmailing Ladybug with revealing she has a crush on Chat Noir? How did Volpina ‘steal’ this secret? Is LadyNoir finally reciprocated???? THIS IS A WHOLE EPISODE IN ITSELF, I NEED ANSWERS--

Next page we have an ad for another girly magazine (Quizzes! LOLs! Celebs! Cringes! Puzzles!). I think I’ll pass, no matter how appealing that giant microphone pen is. 

And a “Miraculous Identity” quiz! Tikki’s apparently super fickle with her wielders, three seasons of relentlessly praising Marinette and now she’s telling us we’re the Chosen Ones. You can’t fool me with those big ol’ eyes.

My inner superhero is Marvellous Fox, by the way. Though yet again I’m noticing we don’t have turtle options...................

And on the back cover... the memes. Oh, sweet lord, the memes. They’re hashtag-SoRelatable! And I can cut them out to keep! Oh boy!!!

Is this what kids do when they have limited internet access? Cut fresh memes out of magazines and carry them around? I need to know.

That’s a very sinister Ladybug at the bottom of the page though. What’s-- What’s she going to do to me if I don’t cut out and keep these memes. Ladybug what are you going to do if I d--

Well that brings us to the end of the magazine! And yet again I’m surprised by how much time it takes to just put a bunch of photos together and write about them.

This is a neat little magazine all in all! The ‘free gifts’ are pretty nice, there’s a fair amount of content and the whole thing is pretty cute for young fans of the show. I could see myself buying this again - if it ever shows up on shelves, Miraculous is so scarce around here that I fully expect it to disappear again after this one issue - just for the free junk, but it would be interesting to see how they’d structure different issues too!

I notice we never did get that promised tutorial on how to draw Pollen; the one advertised on the cover. Was the “draw your favourite Kwami” activity supposed to cover that? I’m not sure that really counts.

If you got this far, thanks for joining me on this Miraculous journey! We’ll meet again whenever I get another piece of weird ML merch to cover. Bien joué!

[usertimothee]

author’s note: happy father’s day!  to celebrate, i wanted to write something for my favorite fictional dad - rick grimes.  so have this tiny fic starring rick and rick jr!

xoxo, rebekah

He remembers Father’s Days of old.  When Carl would give him cards covered in balloons and bears with #1 Dad! printed across the front in bold letters, a tiny note scrawled inside in his son’s messy handwriting, a tiny keepsake crafted under Lori’s watchful eye presented alongside it.

He remembers a Father’s Day at the dawn of the new world.  He spent the day with his family, playing games and telling stories, Judith almost continuously presenting him with original songs and dances, and every so often throwing her arms around him and telling him he was the, “best daddy ever and ever!” while Michonne took a picture in the background with Aaron’s Polaroid camera.

He isn’t expecting anything this Father’s Day.  And it’s not just because Judith is at the Hilltop for a visit with a recently-returned Aunt Maggie and Hershel.  Or because he’s planning on not going to the community gathering tonight to celebrate all the dads, because he still feels a bit out of sorts in this place, even though it’s surviving and thriving on the foundations that he built, and he’s married to the leader.

It’s RJ.

RJ...is having trouble warming up to him.  It’s not so unusual, and it will get better, will fix itself with time.  That’s what Michonne keeps telling him, along with Siddiq, and Aaron, and anyone else who knows of the problem.  And it’s not hard to understand.  For the first seven years of the child’s life, he was nothing but a ghost.  Then when he did reappear, he was so strange.  Famished and filthy, flighty and far removed from the man who starred in the stories RJ had heard, so much so that it was hard for everyone to reconcile, let alone a child.

And he knew that.  He knows that.  He expects to have to put in time and effort to build a relationship with his son.  He’s willing and eager to do it.

It’s hard, though.  Incredibly, unspeakably hard.  You see, he never loved anything as quickly as he loved RJ.  It was instantaneous, there within a single beat of his heart.  One moment, he didn’t know he had a son.  Then, he saw him, and he knew he was his, and he loved him, wholly.  Ferociously.  And now, all he wants to do is smother his son with that love, make up for all the years he missed loving him.

It’s hard, though.  It’s hard when he feels RJ tense every time they touch, when he talks to Rick in one-word mumbles, and gazes at him with suspicious eyes.

It’s hard.  And he’s not expecting anything.  Not this Father’s Day.

He’s surprised, then, when he’s awakened by a small finger tap, tap, tapping on his shoulder, as he lies in bed on his stomach.  He’s finally readjusted enough that he doesn’t startle at every unexpected touch, and his eyes blink open.

His blue orbs meet a pair of brown ones.  Ones he’d recognize anywhere, because they’re a carbon copy of Michonne’s.

RJ.

He swallows the enthusiastic greeting that bubbles to his lips, and treads carefully.

“Hey, RJ.”

“Hi, Daddy,” he murmurs back, in a small voice, a cautious look on his face.

Rick goes to speak again, but first catches sight of the sheriff's hat sitting on the boy’s head.  Carl’s face flashes in his mind, followed by Judith’s, before settling back onto the child in front of him.

“Whatcha got there?” he asks, motioning to the hat with his head.

RJ’s eyes flash with alarm, before he looks away.  Rick can hear him twisting his foot into the carpet, the soft cotton of a sock grinding against the rug.

“Judy forgot it when she left, so I took- I mean, borrowed it from her.”

RJ frowns, and stares down at the ground.

“I know Judy doesn’t like it when I go in her room, but - “

“I won’t tell her,” Rick interrupts.  When RJ looks up at him, he smiles softly, and places his index finger over his lips.

“Our secret?” he whispers.

“Our secret,” RJ agrees, and places his own finger over his lips.

A small grin begins to take over the child’s face.  Then, he lifts his arms and lays a folded piece of paper on the bed next to his father.  As Rick picks it up, he reads the words scribbled on the front in bright blue crayon.

#1 Dad!

“Mommy told me it was a day called Father’s Day, so me and her made a card for you while you were in the garden.  Mommy helped me write the words, and I drew a picture of us inside.”

Rick opens the card to find two blue stick figures, one much taller than the other, in a field of pointy green grass.  Happy Father’s Day! is written below it, followed by RJ’s sloppy signature.

“Thank you, RJ,” he says, as he props the card up on his nightstand.

Again, he’s careful.  He wants nothing more than to sweep the boy up into his arms, and shower him in cuddles and kisses.  But he knows he can’t do that.

“I really love it,” he says instead.  “I’m gonna hang it up so I can see it all the time.”

RJ nods, the smile on his face still lingering.  He looks over his shoulder at the doorway, and then turns back to his dad.

“Mommy said she’s making waffles instead of pancakes today because they’re your favorite.  We usually can’t because we have to save ‘lectricity but she said today is special.  Do you wanna eat with me?”

He stares at Rick with wide eyes.  Rick can see a hint of eagerness in them, and it makes his heart swell.

“I’d love to, RJ.”

He moves to get out of bed, and RJ takes a few steps back to give him space.  Rick gets a shirt from his dresser, and pulls it over his head.  RJ watches him with curious eyes.

“Ready?” Rick asks him.  RJ nods, and then reaches out and takes his hand.

“Ready.”

They make their way out of the room, and down the hallway.  He can hear the sounds of Michonne moving around in the kitchen.

When they get to the stairs, RJ stops him.

“Daddy?” he says.

“What?”

RJ glances away.  When he looks back at him, his gaze is shy.

“I love you,” he tells him softly.

It’s the first time he’s told him unprompted by Michonne.  His jaw drops slightly, and he can feel the pressure of tears behind his eyes.

But he must be subtle.  Careful.  So he swallows once, and then crouches down so he can look into his son’s eyes.  Before he can speak, RJ steps towards him, between his legs, and wraps his small arms around his torso.

“I love you, Daddy,” he repeats.

This time, he can’t help the tear that escapes from his eyes.  He’s glad RJ can’t see, as he hugs his boy back with all his might.  He wasn’t expecting anything this Father’s Day, and instead, he got this moment.  Something worth so much more than any trinket or gift.

When RJ pulls back, Rick looks into his eyes.

“I love you, too.  More than anything else.”

RJ smiles, a beaming smile that Michonne keeps saying he inherited from Rick.  The two stand up straight, and then RJ takes his hand again, and leads him down the stairs.

[bri206]

Soulmates

Oliver wakes with a start and gasp. Reaching around, he searches for his blonde beauty. When his hands come up with only cold sheets, he sits up panicked. Looking around for the first time, he realizes he is no longer in their bedroom, but his old bedroom.

His senses increase ten-fold immediately. He looks around the room like an animal out of its element. Before he can think to much about it, there is a knock at the door.

“Oliver?”

His mother’s voice cascades through the door. A few seconds later she cautiously comes in.

“Oh you’re up” she says in surprise.

He stares at her in shock.

“I just came in here to make sure you were up and not late.”

“Late? Late for what?”

His mother just gives him an exhausted look.

“For your shadowing. Did you drink to much last night, again?”

“What? No, no, it just slipped out of my mind.”

Sighing she just says, “alright, well your father is leaving in 30 minutes.”

“I’ll be down there.”

When she leaves, he thinks to himself, ‘What the hell is going on?’

On the other side of the city, Felicity slowly stirs into consciousness and begins to whisper.

“Good morning my Love.”

But when she feels an empty space beside her, her awareness hit her full force.

“Oliver?”

Looking around the room, she notices that she is no longer in the bed she fell asleep in, but the bed that was in her first apartment.

“What the?”

Getting up, she goes to the living room and sure enough she is in her old apartment. Going straight to her tablet, she picks it up and turns it on.

“March 15,2007? That’s impossible.” She says in disbelief.

Before she can think anymore about it, her phone goes off. On the screen it reads in bold letters, ‘FIRST DAY of WORK’.

“Work?” she whispers confused and then it dawns on her, ‘QC’. Today was her first day as a tech expert. Anxiety is gnawing at her, and she tries to calm herself down with a pep talk.

“Ok Felicity, it’s going to be ok. The number one rule to time travel, is don’t change the past. So that means go to work.”

Without further thought she goes and gets ready for her day.

When Oliver gets downstairs, he is met to his father reading a newspaper and drinking his morning coffee. The scene before him gives him chills. Seeing his father in the flesh after 10 years brings nothing but happiness.

“Oliver, I’m glad to see your extravagant partying last night has not affected you waking up for work this morning.”

Remembering that he woke up in his pre-island body, he fills up the act.

“Well I know this is important to you.”

Hearing the sincerity of his son’s voice, Robert looks up for the first time. Seeing that Oliver really meant what he said, he gives him an appreciative nod.

“It is.”  Not pushing his luck, he goes back to reading and simply says, “let me finish this page and then we’ll go.”

“Can’t wait” Oliver mutters grabbing a freshly made muffin, courtesy of Raisa.

“Alright let’s go, we have deals to make and people to manage.”

When they step into the building, Oliver is in absolute awe. It’s everything he remembered. The gold floors, extravagant desk and high ceilings. It is so clean and chique.

“Are you going to stand there, or are we going up?”

Coming back to Earth, Oliver simply nods and follows his father into the elevator.

When the elevator closes, the door to the lobby and in comes a flustered Felicity in a pink blouse, black midi skirt, and 2-inch black heels.

“I can’t believe I ever dressed like this” she mutters under her breath.

Thirty minutes before, she was rummaging through her old closet and was very frustrated by the small amount of choices of clothing.

When she gets up to the front desk, she tells the polite man her name.

“Hi my name is Felicity Smoak, it’s my first day.”

“Section?”

“IT”

After finding her badge, he hands it to her and she heads for the elevator.

‘Wow, I forgot how sleek this building was’ she thinks to herself.

When the doors open to his father’s office, Oliver continues to take in every detail, soaking it in knowing that all of this will be gone one day.

“Good Morning, Monica”

“Good Morning Mr. Queen & Mr. Queen.”

“Come on Monica, how many times do I have to tell you it’s Oliver” he says in his signature charming voice.

“Yes, I’m sorry, Oliver” Roberts secretary says blushing.

As Oliver sees her blush, he remembers that he had slept with her at one time, and that causes him to give off a bit of a guilty look. Oliver knows once upon a time, he would have been revealing in the fact, but now he feels absolutely disgusted with his younger self. Considering the fact that he couldn’t fathom the idea of sleeping with anyone but Felicity. But Robert ignores it and gets straight to the point.

“What’s on my agenda today Monica?”

“Yes, Mr. Queen, you have a meeting with the board at 10, and then a meeting with Kord Industries at 1, and then a presentation with one of the new projects at 3.”

By the end of her sentence, Robert is already to his desk, reading a file.

“Alright Monica, thank you.”

“Your welcome Mr. Queen.”

And without another word, she is back at her post outside of his office.

When the elevator opens to the 15th floor, Felicity is immediately taken back to her first day. She remembers being in awe of this being her first real job. Breaking from her reverie, she hears someone calling her name.

“Ms. Smoak”

Turning around she sees a face she hasn’t seen in years.

“Walter?” she whispers. “I mean, Mr. Steele. Hi.”

“Hello” he says warmly. “I just wanted to make sure you got in ok and were getting settled.”

“Oh yeah, I got in great. I got my badge” she says holding up the badge, “So yeah great.”

“Well good. Do you by any chance have a minute, there’s someone I would like to introduce you to.”

Thinking back to her real first day, she can’t remember being introduced to anyone, but takes it in stride anyway.”

“Uhm, yeah sure.”

“Brilliant, follow me” he says leading her onto the elevator she just came off of.

When they arrive to the top floor, Felicity is now very confused.

“Um, Mr. Steele?”

“Right this way” he says leading her out of the elevator. When they turn the corner, Felicity knows exactly where she is, and her anxiety shoots up like a rocket.

As they walk closer to the office she sees in front of her, she passes what use to be or what would be her desk.

“Hello Mr. Steele.”

“Good Morning Monica.”

As they continue to get closer, she sees the man she has only ever seen in pictures and heard stories about. Robert Queen, himself in the flesh. What quickly captured her attention though was the fact that there was already someone occupying his time.

Before she can tug on Walter’s shirt to tell him that he doesn’t have to do this, Walter speaks.

“Robert, I’m glad you’re here, there is someone I would love for you to meet. This is one of our brand-new IT specialist, Ms. Felicity Smoak.”

At the sound of her name, the man in front of her immediately turns around, and sure enough blue eyes meet blue.

The man before her is the very man that she had been searching and praying for since the moment she woke up in the past this morning. And the sight brings shock and joy to her face.

“Felicity?” he whispers in the voice meant specifically for her.

“Oliver” she says in a relieved sigh.

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