#he’d look so fucking sexy with the mask and dark eye makeup

[katandmouse]

Seeing Danny dressed up as Velma. It’s like he enjoys torturing me. I sincerely have had enough. I don’t know how much more I can take at this point. The only thing that would make it worse and surely put me in my grave is if Jake dressed up as The Winter Soldier, mask and all. I don’t think I could handle that 😭

[vixenpen]

Look me in the face and tell me that a thick asf, black, bookworm fem reader is the next door neighbor of the sexy twitch streamer or cam boy Shinsou, who wants nothing more than to make you his and have you screaming his name doesn’t sound hot! I dare you 🗿 She’s so shy and sweet and Shinsou just wants to know how loud she can be after the two get to know each other more

Omg that’s so hot 🤤 if y’all can’t tell, I love men secretly pining and lusting after unknowing female readers. ESPECIALLY if they are shy, nerdy, and or curvy/thicc girls. So Inhad fun with this

Girl Next Door (Shinsou x Black Reader)

Quirkless AU

(Art by: @raikiriart)

Shinsou kept his blinds opened when he gamed. He always joked with his viewers that it was for the natural lighting.

“Y’all know the sun really brings out the purple in my eyes.” He’d smirk, and that was that.

They didn’t need to know the real reason he kept them open. His violet eyes flitted towards the window again as he mindlessly navigated the game. That’s when he saw you walking into the complex.

“Uhh, alright guys, I think that’s about it for today. I’ll be back on tonight for our midnight stream,” his eyes flicked over to the window again. You were checking the mailbox. Perfect. “Until next time, later guys.”

Shinsou quickly shut off his computer and threw on a pair of shoes before rushing down the stairs.

“Hey there bookworm.” Shinsou grinned as he approached you.

As soon as you turned and flashed him your little brace face smile, he felt an arrow pierce his heart. God you were adorable. With your colorful braces and glasses and pretty chocolate dimples.

“Hey yourself, e-boy.” You replied.

“Get anything interesting?” Shinsou nodded at your stack of mail as he opened his own mailbox.

“A new book.”

“Of course,” he shot you a smirk.

“Of course,” you giggled.

“Well, hey, that’s what makes you my little book worm.” He teased.

You glanced away your shy little dimpled smile making his heart flutter.

“Well, I better get upstairs,” you said, “I have studying to do.”

“Alright then,” Shinsou’s heart sank a bit at the thought of losing time with you. “Mind if I walk up with you?”

“Sure!”

Shinsou let you lead the way.

You two were neighbors and had come to be good friends; often walking up to your apartments together. So you thought nothing of it when he took up space behind you. Not even feeling the predatory gaze on your ass.

Shinsou’s friendly face fell into an almost hungry gaze as you strutted in front of him. There was something about your cute face juxtaposed with your stacked curves that drove him crazy. Your round ass bounced with every step as you led the way up the stairs. He tucked his hands in the pockets of his joggers and stroked the bulge growing in his pants as your ass wiggled.

Stop being such a creep man.

He chastised himself as you bounced up the stairs, but fuck he couldn’t help it.

All he could imagine was how loud he could make your soft little voice scream for him while he pounded into your thick ass from the back or watched your bouncy tits jiggle in his face.

“Hey, y/n,” Shinsou piped up before he could stop himself.

“Yeah?” You cocked your head.

Cutie.

“I was wondering if you wanted to come over and order take out. We can just watch a movie or somethin’..or not! I don’t want you to think I’m tryna Netflix and chill or something!” Even though he totally was.

You felt your face burn. In all the time you and Shinsou had been neighbors, you had always had a crush on him, but never knew how to express it. You honestly never expected anything more than friendly mailbox banter; so getting invited to his house was a pleasant surprise to say the least.

“O-oh, um—Sure!”

“Really? Ahh, I have to stream tonight at midnight, but how bout eight?”

Your cheeks burned as you nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Alright, I now have an hour to make this place look presentable.” Shinsou gazed around his messy bachelor pad.

He managed to make his place decent and changed from his joggers into jeans and a t-shirt. He even combed his messy purple locks a bit. He wanted to look good for you guys’ first hang out session. After all, he couldn’t believe you had actually agreed to hang out with him. Shinsou had been crushing on you for months, but he didn’t think he was actually good enough for you. You were smart and studious and hard working and he was pretty sure you only viewed him as a lazy gamer guy.

That was why he had to impress you. This was his first shot to make a real impression and maybe score a real date with you.

He wondered how you would wear your hair and makeup. If he’d finally get to see those curves of yours hugged in a dress. He groaned aloud, thinking about running his fingers over your body.

“Fuck...” he muttered, feeling his dick flex at the thought of your thick chocolate body writhing under his.

Shinsou stroked himself through his jeans growing harder as his thoughts about you ran wild.

I can’t act like this when she’s around. I’ll scare her off for sure.

Ok. He had twenty minutes. He could just rub one out, right? That way when you got there he wouldn’t be thinking about throwing you on the kitchen table and deep dicking you until you were a groaning mess.

You knocked at Shinsou’s front door. You stepped back and bounced on your toes a bit.

When he opened the door, you felt your heart quicken. He looked so handsome. You weren’t used to seeing him in jeans and you could see how well sculpted his chest was through his shirt.

“Hey, bookworm.” He smiled.

“Hi, you.” You replied.

“Come on in.”

As soon as Shinsou ushered you inside you were intrigued by all the cool super hero posters and pictures of friends on the family.

“DC guy, huh?” You smirked at him as you observed his DC posters.

“For the most part,” Shinsou replied, coming up to your side. “I like the world building more in DC; feels a bit more real to me than Marvel. I don’t know why, but I have to admit I like Marvel’s villains more.”

“Hmm. I’m the opposite.”

Shinsou’s brow quirked as he grinned down at you.

“Oh yeah?”

You nod, shrugging. “I just think marvel has cooler, more powerful heroes and I like the world building in marvel. But I think DC has cooler villains and I like the grimmer grittier vibe.”

“Hmmm, let me find out my bookworm is a comic buff.”

Your heart fluttered again at the possessive nickname, but you mask it with a grin. “Try me.”

By the time the pizza arrives you and Shinsou are deep in your conversation about movies, comics, books, and your favorite shows.

Shinsou proudly shows you his custom PC and set up and swells with pride at how you gush over his build.

He loves hearing about your studies and theories and you guys bounce ideas off of each other for hours.

Before you both know it, it’s eleven o’clock.

“I’m so sorry, Shin. I didn’t mean to hold you up.”

“Trust me, y/n, if it wasn’t for that alarm I wouldn’t have even noticed the time. This has been really fun.”

The grin that lit up your face made your dark eyes sparkle and Shinsou desperately wanted to kiss you.

“Yeah. It was fun. I’m really glad we did this.”

“Yeah, totally. We should...do it again sometime. Maybe we can go out for dinner next weekend?” He offered, carefully.

You glanced away, sweetly, composing yourself before meeting his eyes again with a shy nod.

“I’d like that a lot.”

“Cool,” Shinsou grinned, scratching the back of his neck as a blush burned on his cheeks. Guess I’ll hop over next door and pick you up huh?” He chuckled.

“Sure.” You giggled back. “Well...night, Shin, have fun on your stream.”

“Night, y/n.” He smiled back.

As soon as you were out the door, Shinsou wanted to whoop and holler. Holy shit! He couldn’t believe he’d finally did it! Not only did he ask you to hang out, he scored an actual date with you!

Not only that, he finally got to know you beyond just a few words, and you were totally cool!

Knowing how cool and interesting you are coupled with your sweet, shy nature just made you more attractive to him.

He couldn’t help being even more turned on. You were like the perfect girl. Shy and sweet and nerdy and cool and Thicc as fuck.

He couldn’t wait to get to know you better in more ways than one...

He felt himself stirring once again and sighed, palming himself through his jeans.

“Dammit,” he muttered, eyes fluttering shut in frustration. “I’ve really gotta stop working myself up over you, bookworm.”

Alright. He had an hour. He could take care of his ‘little problem’ before he started his stream. He would be thinking of you riding his face the whole time.

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

not allowed iv, m | jjk, myg

pairing(s): est. poly relationship – jungkook x reader x yoongi

summary: Your boyfriends woke up and chose violence. Excuse me, Jeon Jungkook, Min Yoongi? Do you really think you can post one after another on Twitter, send the world into heart palpitations, and not expect your girlfriend to do something about it? Hmm?!

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; mentions of the pandemic; reader and Yoongi have giant heart eyes whenever they see each other; feels and fluff; smut (fem reader, dirty talk, nipple play, f and m-receiving oral, fingering, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, m-masturbation, double penetration/spit roasting); idol!BTS

that’s right JK posted his blue hair and i absolutely lost it part of ‘not allowed’ series, but can be read alone. basic summary: your boyfriend asked JJK to fuck you, then again, and then they decided to make this a thing; based on real time.

--

Your boyfriends woke up today and chose violence.

Everything was fine. You were on your lunch break, sitting in your kitchen, knowing you would have to get back to work soon. A quick meal and scrub of the dishes left you with you a few minutes to check your phone. You didn’t get many messages throughout the day and you preferred it that way. You took a moment to scroll through social media.

Only to choke a little seeing Jeon Jungkook, the Golden Maknae of BTS, reveal his dark blue locks to the world in the middle of the damn day. Did you almost drop your phone? Yes. Did you not because it was the special edition BTS S20+? Also, yes. The TinyTan SUGA phone case would have protected it anyway, but… still.

You placed your phone aside and went back to your computer, ready to attend work again.

Not quite composed, but it was just a picture, just a picture, just a picture…

Except you knew what Jungkook looked like naked and that wasn’t helping.

Three hours later, you snuck a glance at your phone only to be attacked by the cutest human being in the world, Min Yoongi, SUGA of BTS, sometimes Agust D, all the time lil meow meow because, holy shit, why the fuck was this man so cute? Those damn cheeks. Those eyes. Fuck, you loved his eye shape. And his pretty lips. Damnnit, why couldn’t you kiss him right now?

They’re trying to kill you and ARMY all at once. 

You’re convinced.

You rubbed your temples and took a deep breath.

It is only a coincidence. It doesn’t involve you. They’re only being their usual adorable, attractive selves and giving a gift to the fans. You weren’t delusional. It was their job to do things like this. You knew this and you were used to it. You’ve seen Yoongi say all kinds of things in V-LIVEs and you always thought it was funny. Lately, he hadn’t been responding to them much though. As for Jungkook, well.

Everyone in the world wanted Jungkook, including you, so could you blame the world? No.

Jungkook tried to tell you before that he was shy and you recalled all those see-through shirts he’d worn on stage. All those ab reveals. Hmm, you weren’t fooled.

“I wanted to make sure you were looking at me, noona,” Jungkook had teased you, hooking his arms around your waist. “I had to get your attention somehow.”

Yeah, yeah, your attention and millions of other people.

It made you laugh, until he became your boyfriend, and now it made you choke on air like every other human being who saw him looking that good. Before you had the safety of giving your full attention to Yoongi. Yoongi had always been your priority and you wanted to make sure he felt that way.

Little by little.

Jungkook grew up.

And became harder and harder to ignore.

Even more difficult when Yoongi gave him the apartment key and told him to fuck you in his stead.

You heard your phone ping. You checked your messages, saving your work in the process.

That will teach you to post such sexy pictures.

You twitched. Excuse me? What was Jungkook talking about? Your personal, private Instagram was for expressing your – sometimes eccentric – fashion sense. Was he referring to the images you posted for Valentine’s Day, the ones with the white vinyl coat, red stockings, and sky-high red heels? Hmph. You couldn’t even see your face in those. Actually, you deliberately cut off most of your face in all of your pictures. The most you showed were your lips, always painted to match your outfit. You didn’t want anyone to recognize you, even by happenstance.

Made taking pictures much easier, since you never had to do eye makeup or worry about accidentally making ugly faces.

It was private now, but it wasn’t before, and the only reason you privated it was because you started dating Yoongi. You still wanted it use it as an outlet though, so you left it as is, with your follower count unchanging. It wasn’t that many people to begin with and you were pretty sure a lot of the accounts were bots.

In any case, sometimes you felt like being creative and dressing up, thus you did so on Instagram. You couldn’t dress like that when you went to visit Yoongi. Ah, and now Jungkook too. To be honest, you loved fashion and trying on different looks, but it wasn’t possible unless you were alone. And you were alone a lot, with no one but strangers to appreciate (or be confused by) it.

Might as well take a picture, right?

And if you could tease Yoongi a little, at least from a distance, that was even better.

You forgot Jungkook also followed you now though. 

Dammit. 

Had the photos been sexy? Sure. Provocative, lots of leg, almost a peek of ass but not quite. Red lips to stand out against the white. If the coat was black, it would have been more traditionally fetishist, but that's why you had picked shiny white vinyl. Brighter for the cute holiday. 

Who are you kidding? You wore it to provoke Yoongi.

He texted you after you posted it. Usually, he said things along the lines of, pretty, cute, you look crazy, I like it. Only sometimes did he say...

what the fuck

You had asked him if he liked your post today. 

I'm not trying to pop a boner in the middle of practice, control yourself woman.

Maybe don't post such cute selfies then, you had thought. Then your phone pinged again. 

Send a picture with the coat open. Jungkook wants to see. 

Oh, so now that the maknae was involved, he was going to pin things on the younger one. Two can play at this game. You sent the photo to Jungkook first. You knew that if the situation was reversed, Yoongi would have done the same. Jungkook's reaction had been hilarious.

Noona?! WHAT???

And then a slew of head exploding emojis.

Yoongi had been agitated until you finally sent him the picture too. It had been a fun incident.

Until your boyfriends woke up today and chose violence.

Dammit. 

You stared at blue-haired Jungkook and 'Blue and Grey' Yoongi from the MTV Unplugged performance. 

This just wasn’t allowed. 

-

This visit had a purpose, but then you saw Min Yoongi standing in the hallway waiting for you, wearing an olive-green shirt, hands in the pockets of his black sweatpants, small smile on his lips. Purring your name lovingly after you closed the door, and you realized you missed him so very much, his lovely dark brown eyes and dark hair, and then you were suddenly in his arms and he was hugging you. 

With both arms. 

Yoongi was recovering well and he still couldn't do strenuous activity yet, but he was hugging you with both arms and you wanted to cry because it was so nice to have them both around you. You could've been cool and collected, yet somehow both you and Yoongi had the same idea to first hug and breathe in each other, his fresh, woodsy scent strongly invading your nose and his soft cheek against yours.

"You smell different."

"Do you like it?" you mumbled into his neck, kissing it lightly. 

"Mhm."

You thought it had worn off by now, but the new perfume you had purchased lingered far longer than you imagined, clinging to your hair. Warm spiced sweetness with a hint of sharp smoke. Yoongi inhaled deeply beside you.

"You should wear more perfume," he murmured, hands kneading your waist.

"Someone might notice."

"Nah, your taste similar enough to mine."

He was taking off your coat and you were stepping out of your shoes, being pulled deeper into the apartment, and now his kisses were yours, soft and light, every one saying, I missed you, I want you, I love you. There no need for words when it was Min Yoongi. Fingers tapping down your waist, pulling your oversized black shirt up and over your head. 

"Excuse me?"

You pooped your head out to see Yoongi staring at your chest, jaw dropped and eyes wide. Oh, right. You had been so occupied with hugs and kisses that you almost forgot. Your shirt fluttered to the floor, forgotten.

You smirked. 

"Surprise."

Yoongi made a face at you. Somewhere between angry, aroused, and shock. Good. Serves you right for posting such a cute selfie.

The front door opened. 

Both of you instantly moved, you sliding behind him and into the bedroom, Yoongi standing in front of you, masking your frame. The discarded shirt and jacket could be explained away – that's why you wore oversized men's clothes, usually in Yoongi's preferred color palette.

"Hyung?"

Oh, whew. Actually, wait. No, this was danger. 

"Ah, Jungkookie."

Yoongi placed his hand on your arm and you popped your head over the corner once you heard the door close. Yup. A swift shake of dark blue locks, white sweatshirt and loose black sweatpants, and that mischievous smirk with a wrinkle of his nose. 

Danger.

"Hey, noona!"

Damnnit, planning for two is hard! You couldn't just go put your shirt on and do the grand reveal again. Yoongi grasped your upper arm with his right hand and yanked you from the doorframe. You squeaked, body stumbling into Jungkook’s view.

"Did you plan this?" Yoongi asked with a cocked brow. 

Jungkook's eyes went wide. 

"Uh... no, but I like where this is going," Jungkook replied, smirk growing. 

The black lace bra stood out against your skin, strappy and elegant, molding to the swells of your breasts and the curve downward to your waist, matching the garter belt that disappeared into the black jeans you were wearing. You didn't usually wear lingerie. It wasn't practical and if you accidentally left something behind... it wasn't worth the risk. Yoongi and you took every precaution to not fuck this up. 

Therefore, you only wore lingerie on your private Instagram. 

Only showing little flashes, never the whole picture. And, really, you wore it in your photos to mess with them. It made you feel nice too, so it was a win-win. This set was familiar to Yoongi and Jungkook because you had worn the red version in the original Valentine’s Day themed photos. 

Again, you didn't usually wear lingerie, but Jungkook and Yoongi couldn't just post pictures on Twitter back-to-back, two-shot you, and not expect a damn reaction. That kind of shit wasn't tolerated! On top of all that, you had to wait and get properly tested before getting here. This pandemic extended your frustrations. So, yes, fuck it, you wore the damn lingerie that made you feel the sexiest. Even if your jeans were still on, you knew you looked good. 

No one had to tell you. You checked in the mirror before you left. 

"Is this your response to my text a couple days ago?" Jungkook teased, kicking off his shoes and bounding over to you two. His dark blue hair shimmered in the light, like a night sky covered with stars, smile pure and naughty at the same time, lighting up his whole face. 

Fuck you for being hot, Jeon Jungkook!

You leaned back against Yoongi, crossing your arms under your breasts, pressing them together. Jungkook grinned, the mole underneath his lower lip winking at you. 

"Something like that," you coolly replied. Shit, there was an edge to your voice. Hopefully neither Yoongi or Jungkook picked that up.

"Hmm..." 

Jungkook pursed his lips, the tip of his pink tongue sticking out the side. Ack. You had to look away. You turned and bumped your lace-covered tits against Yoongi's chest. His dark brown orbs flickered to your breasts, sly smile on his lips. 

"This is your fault too, by the way."

Yoongi raised his eyebrows, amused. "What do you mean?"

You dropped your hands, surveying him suspiciously. "You think I don't know? Posting right after Jungkook? That's not allowed! You know what that does to me."

Yoongi leaned forward. Your breath caught in your throat, heart beating fast all of a sudden. You backed up, right into Jungkook's chest. Uh oh. Yoongi hummed, black hair shadowing his face, devious sparkle in those dangerous eyes, his voice a raspy, purring drawl. 

"What does it do to you?"

Your hand fell back to brace yourself and Jungkook's fingers wrapped around your wrist, stroking your skin. You felt him shift behind you and then his lips were on your ear, whispering in his silvery voice. 

"Yeah, noona. Tell us.” His grip on your wrist tightened, squeezing lightly, asserting his presence behind you. “Or you can show us."

...

!!!

How dare they tag team you? First, they visually attack you – and millions of other ARMY – in the middle of the workday, and now this, Yoongi closing in, kissing you once more, deeper, hungrier, with dark intent, smirking against your lips as Jungkook took both your hands, ghosting his long fingers over yours. You whimpered into Yoongi's mouth, body tensing, Jungkook pressing himself into your back, breath against your hair. 

"You smell different," he murmured.

You couldn't reply. Yoongi was sucking on your tongue, making you whine. 

"Warm, sweet, and spicy."

Yoongi released you and you gasped for air, bucking into Jungkook's crotch. "I bought it last week... thought it smelled nice..."

Jungkook nuzzled your hair. "I like it. Makes me horny."

You laughed a little, turning your hands around in his to lace your fingers together. He held your hands firmly, grinding his crotch into your ass. You could already feel his arousal through your jeans.

"Sounds dangerous," you mused. 

"It is," Yoongi chuckled. "But you should keep wearing it anyway. You smell good."

Heat rose to your cheeks. Then you realized your jeans were already undone, being daintily pushed down by deft hands and an amused expression, Yoongi crouching to pull them along. Bit by bit, revealing the matching garter belt, the high-cut black lace panties that framed your thighs, and lace-topped sheer stockings, all the straps emphasizing your softness, sinking into your thighs and ass.

"Fuck..." Yoongi breathed, running his fingertips over the delicate fabric, touch so light against your skin, dancing up your knee. "You're so fucking beautiful."

He looked up at you, eyes so dark they seemed black, playful smirk on those perfect pink lips. Thump. You felt Jungkook pull your arms back and press them to his sides. You grabbed fistfuls of Jungkook’s shirt, staring down at Yoongi advancing between your legs, his smirk growing wider and more teasing, lovely voice low and husky, deep with arousal.

"What's the matter?" Yoongi purred. "Cat got your tongue?"

Your body tensed in anticipation, Jungkook's hands crawling around your sides, one tattooed, one not, fingers hovering over your now trembling chest. Looking down at Yoongi's smug expression, tongue flicking out and teasing you. Reminding you how good he was and how long you'd been waiting. 

Fuck you for being hot, Min Yoongi!

"Don't overexert yourself..." you breathed.

A sculpted brow lifted. 

"I have help now," he reminded you and Jungkook's hands sank into your barely-covered breasts. 

"Fuck..." Jungkook hissed into your ear, running his palms over your nipples, listening to your gasps as Yoongi dived between your thighs, hot tongue sliding against the lace. "Missed these tits so fucking much." His lips on your ear, growling your name, that dominant edge to his silvery voice, tweaking the hardened nubs while Yoongi teased your clothed clit with his tongue, the lace hardly a barrier but still an effective one, the rough threads plucking against your sensitive nerves.

How long had it been? So long, almost forever since Yoongi’s tongue was on you, soft and fast and the perfect pressure, deliberately teasing you and not moving the fabric aside, so close yet so far. If it wasn’t Yoongi, maybe you could tell him to move it, maybe you could beg, but you couldn’t speak because of Yoongi’s tongue and Jungkook’s rough touch, his hands on your breasts, pushing them together, your nipples poking tiny tents in the black lace, running his fingertips over them over and over, his hips grinding into your ass. Yoongi cupped one of your ass cheeks and spread them, your panties bunching in the center, Jungkook’s hardness slipping in, still covered by his sweatpants.

Wetter, hotter, sanity slipping little by little.

“Y-Yoongi… J-Jungkook…”

You tried not to shove your hips in Yoongi’s face, not wanting to strain his neck, and ended up pushing back instead, bouncing against Jungkook’s cock. The younger man snickered, nipping at your ear, pinching your nipples, and you felt a slick squelch as Yoongi’s tongue pushed the lace into your dripping pussy. The moans dragged out of your throat, eyelids fluttering, letting them do whatever they wanted, pleasure flooding all your senses, watching Yoongi wreck you, clutching Jungkook’s sweatshirt, panting their names, leaking more and more, the scent of your juices getting stronger and sweeter.

“This isn’t fair…” you panted. “I’m going c-crazy…”

Yoongi hummed on your clit and you cried out, hips rocking, so good, head tipping onto Jungkook’s broad shoulder, his long blue hair brushing against your cheek and eyelashes.

“Good, because you make us crazy,” Jungkook muttered, pushing your breasts together and squeezing them roughly. His voice was so deep you could feel your back vibrate with his words. His other hand came up and gripped your chin, trailing down and fitting around your neck, the loose sleeve falling and revealing his forearm tattoos, contrasting your lace-covered skin. “Always looking so fucking pretty and making me want to fuck you…”

His index finger came up and pressed against your lower lip. Those chocolatey eyes were watching your face from his peripheral vision, smirking as he witnessed your expression.

“Even showing off these sexy, fuckable lips. That’s not fair either, noona.”

“T-That’s not…”

Jungkook’s hand at your throat dropped and you yelped, his large palm fitting around your right thigh and lifting it up, fingers sinking in. Stockings, lace, garter, Jungkook’s touch, holding your leg up and out, giving Yoongi a perfect view of your glistening core. Then there was more, too much more, Yoongi pushing aside your panties, soaked fabric snapping against the inside of your thigh and then his mouth was directly on you, oh, fuck, his tongue on your throbbing clit, lips wrapped around it, pure suffocating ecstasy, your slick juices dripping down his chin, so easy, it was just too easy for Yoongi to make you feel so fucking good and he looked so sexy doing it too, those cat-like eyes piercing into you, ordering you to cum for him, to spill all over his beautiful face.

“Yoongi… fuck, your tongue is so fucking good–”

Your body rippled with pleasure and you flung your head to the side, away from Jungkook’s ear to moan far too loud, filling up the entire hallway, wanton and lewd, absolutely pornographic and sinful in nature, orgasm gushing into Yoongi’s waiting mouth, shuddering against Jungkook’s hard body. So many sensations, too many sensations. Yoongi sank his nails into your ass, growling as he sucked out your cum and drank it, Jungkook grinding his stiff length in between your ass cheeks, spreading your leg so far that your left one was quivering with strain, tits squashed in Jungkook’s left hand, his warm tongue on your ear, whispering darkly. Dirty, sensual, and your pussy couldn’t stop throbbing, Min Yoongi’s mouth and Jeon Jungkook’s low octave driving you insane.

“You look so fucking good, noona. Your body is so fucking perfect, so sexy wrapped up in lace,” he exhaled, sliding his palm over your nipples roughly, earning more depraved moans. He lowered your leg, slowly, Yoongi lapping at your clit, sending shocks of pleasure up your torso as he cleaned you off. Jungkook’s hand slid down over your stomach, flicking the straps against your skin, small snaps of pain that made you gasp, trapped in Jungkook’s power, letting him take over you. He took a step back, forcing you to arch your spine and look up at him, a curtain of cobalt surrounding that handsome face and those intense brown eyes.

No one could make you feel the way Yoongi made you feel. No one.

So...

Why did staring up at Jungkook like this do things to you? Why did it put your heart on a string and tension in your throat? Get it together. You weren't a teenager. Ask for what you want. He was just so insanely attractive in every way.

Jungkook smirked and you wanted him to ruin you. 

He lifted you up easily. You saw Yoongi standing up and wiping his chin, self-satisfied and amused. He tilted his head and plucked one of the straps on your stomach, a light, erotic sting. Yoongi made eye contact with you, locking you in his gaze. A single look, and your heart was fluttering, immediately smitten. One by one, fingers wrapping around a few of the straps and pulling you to him, backing up, leading you to the bed by own your lingerie. 

"Why today?" Yoongi drawled, tracing the curve of the bra cup, sending shivers over your skin. "Feeling risky?"

You raised a brow, focusing on him, trapped in those cat-like eyes. 

"Control yourself. Aren't you used to this body by now?"

Yoongi grinned devilishly, darting closer, leaving you breathless in his speed. The scent of his cologne and your orgasm lingered on his skin, a delicious combination. 

"Never."

Kissing you, taking your startled inhale, and you could taste yourself, fuck, just something about his skilled lips and your taste had your fingers twisting into Yoongi's shirt, rolling your body into his, still being so careful, but it was so hard because he was making it so hard, teasing you with that deft tongue, bursts of pleasure with every heartbeat you had while captured in Yoongi's lips. You missed it, this intensity, the overwhelming feeling that Yoongi gave you, being able to give in to the want, but you still couldn't give in without abandon, but you were so close. 

So close. 

Ruin me. 

He pushed you lightly and you felt another pair of arms wrap around you, the kiss suddenly broken, but the second touch was familiar now, one tattooed arm, one not, and you knew that if you fell, these arms could catch you.

Jungkook put you in his lap, your back touching his bare chest. Oh, shit. Before you could think much about it, he turned you so you were laying in his arms princess-style. He must have removed his sweatshirt while you were talking to Yoongi, but he still wearing his pants, now sitting in the side of the bed, blue hair messy from your hands and the removal of his clothes. Your arms hooked around his neck instinctively, not wanting to fall, but he had his right hand splayed across your shoulder blades, holding you up securely. 

"Mmm, this is nice," Jungkook murmured, playfully smiling. He nuzzled your nose, tongue flicking over your lips. "Why did you make us wait so long, hm?"

You frowned, breath against his chin. "The number of cases got higher... and you all were so busy... I couldn't get tested until recently."

Jungkook made a disgruntled noise. 

"Hey, public health and safety is important."

He pouted at you. "But..."

"He's horny and wants to fuck," Yoongi cut in.

"Hyung…!"

Yoongi pulled up his chair and sat down, looking amused. 

"He's been jacking off to your pictures."

"N-no, I haven't!"

"Really? I have."

Yoongi's face was completely neutral. It was hard to tell if he was lying or not. 

Jungkook tried to hide his flushed face with your hair. "... M-Maybe I h-have..."

"Tsk, tsk, naughty Jungkookie," you teased.

"Noona..."

"And you?"

You felt Yoongi grasp your chin, tipping you back in Jungkook's arms. Some of your hair fell over your eyes, hazing your vision of Yoongi. Even so, his intent was obvious. You could feel it in his gaze, the burning hunger, his fingertips caressing your chin, leaning forward slightly to observe you. 

I want to ruin you. 

Yoongi didn't have to say it. You knew it, pierced by the predatory glint in his eyes. You could tell he missed this, could tell that he wanted to give in to his desires, wanted to lose control, only limited by his own physical body.

However. 

He pressed his thumb into your lower lip, lifting a brow. 

Jungkook was here now.

Yoongi gave you his trademark open-mouthed smirk. 

"Ruin me," you whispered, staring into those cat-like dark brown eyes. The recognition was instant, pleased that you knew what he wanted. You shifted your attention to the maknae, his chocolate eyes wide, watching your tongue slide out and licking Yoongi's thumb. "Ruin me, Jungkook."

You loved the way Jungkook could turn from blushing anxiousness to sly confidence, and all it took was your words and the way you said them, enabling him in the best way possible. The dark blue hair helped accented the shift in demeanor, creating cool-toned shadows over his lightly tanned skin. 

"Anything for you," Jungkook purred.

You gasped sharply as you felt two fingers slide into you, Jungkook’s thumb rubbing your overstimulated clit. Your body jerked, trying to get away, but Yoongi's hand on your chin slid down, pressing on your chest, holding you still, your name a dangerous rasp from Yoongi's lips.

"Stay still."

Your eyes flickered down. Right hand. Okay. You shouldn’t be worried anymore, but you were. It was habit.

"Yoon–ah!"

You gasped, left arm firmly behind Jungkook's shoulders and the other behind you, your hand on the bed to steady your balance as Yoongi shoved the bra cups down, exposing your breasts. He lowered his head, the contact of his lips on your hot skin paired with Jungkook's thrust of his fingers into your pussy. Instant waves of pleasure overtook you, fingers sinking into the sheets and Jungkook’s hair, fuck, his beautiful navy hair standing out against your skin and, for some reason, seeing that made you feel prettier, thrusting your chest in Yoongi’s face to get more into his mouth, spreading your legs wide to give Jungkook more access.

Only a brief moment of, I should know better, I shouldn’t be doing this, and then Yoongi’s eyes were on you, tongue flicking your red nipple.

Let go.

Was this even fair to them? Could you satisfy both? Could you and should you? But Yoongi’s eyes were telling you to let go, to chase the feeling, to give in, and hunt the desperation and the want. They wanted you. There was nothing like this and there will never be anything like this again.

“Give it to me,” Yoongi growled.

You whined sharply as you felt two more fingers push into you, but not Jungkook’s fingers, Yoongi’s fingers, his thumb joining Jungkook’s on your clit and your eyes rolled back, so wet and aroused from knowing both Jungkook’s and Yoongi’s fingers were thrusting into you, four in total, your pussy sucking them in, back arching as Yoongi sucked on your nipple. So much pleasure, rapidly ascending higher and higher, so fucking full and tight that their fingers were making sloppy smacking sounds, matching rhythm so they filled you completely together, all at once.

You couldn’t stop your hips from meeting them, fingers spreading out in Jungkook’s hair and the sheets as you came hard, gasping their names, euphoria soaring through your nerves, and still they didn’t stop even though your pussy was violently spasming, creating a messy splatter of your juices on the inside of your thighs and their hands. Instead, the pace changed, Yoongi switching sides on your chest, and then you really couldn’t think, because Jungkook was lowering his head too, and now both of your nipples were getting abused, Jungkook’s arm firmly under your upper back to hold you up, not letting you fall.

“Yoongi, Jungkook… p-please, oh fuck!”

Your other hand flew up and buried in Yoongi’s dark locks, both hands in their hair now, one blue, one black, another orgasm crashing down, moan torn from your chest. And they kept going, changing the pace again, your toes and fingers curling, every muscle tense with irresistible, consuming ecstasy that you almost felt a little numb, unable to compute anything else but your body scantily covered in lace, two mouths sucking on your nipples, four fingers stuffed into you, clit engorged and sending violent shocks throughout your system. You couldn’t even discern one orgasm from another, pussy continuously throbbing and convulsing with the continuous, chained orgasms, so wet that it was soaking the tops of your stockings, the sweet honey of your cum the predominant scent in the room.

“I… I-I can’t take a-anymore, please…”

Your legs threatened to close but Yoongi snapped his head up, snarling your name dangerously.

“One more,” he ordered. “Give us one more.”

“Your pussy feels so good,” Jungkook panted, saliva dripping down your chest. “I love it so fucking much, even when it’s around my fingers.”

You were trying to hold back, trying to control it, tensing everything, your core, your legs, your arms, and you didn’t even realize it, but you held your breath too, biting your lip and seeing Yoongi and Jungkook at the same time, both watching you, fingers punishingly squelching into your tight little hole, stretching it out unforgivingly, abused clit pulsating so hard it almost hurt, and it was exactly what you wanted, brimming, boiling pleasure that threatened you on the brink, closer, closer, closer, and the world was almost hazy with how ferociously you had constricted the coil.

“Fuck!”

You threw your head back, back abruptly arching and smacking them in the face with your tits as everything came plummeting down, resolve cracking with a wanton howl, orgasm racking through your entire frame so hard that your body lurched and flinched, Yoongi and Jungkook cradling you while you rode your high, grinding your hips into their hands and carnally moaning, liquid gushing out and dripping down your legs, your ass, down Jungkook’s sweatpants and onto the bed.

It was such an intense orgasm that you were lightheaded, hands slipping out of their hair and falling down, drained, aftershocks causing your body to shudder, even as they removed their fingers. Your clit was still throbbing, pumps of pleasure spreading through you.

It was obscene witnessing Yoongi and Jungkook cleaning their fingers off right in front of you, pink tongues sliding between the digits, licking off your viscous cum, giving you a perverse sense of satisfaction when Yoongi moaned softly and Jungkook groaned lowly, savoring your taste like a fine wine. Yoongi spied your exhausted, smug expression.

“Do you think you’re done?”

You gave him a weak smirk. “I better not be.”

“Sit in Jungkook’s lap,” Yoongi said calmly. “Face me.”

You tilted your head curiously but did as you were told, shifting your still quivering legs so your thighs were on the outside of Jungkook’s thighs, the balance a little difficult, but Yoongi took your hands and placed them around his hips. You held onto him as he lifted his shirt, pulling it over his head.

“Jungkook, rip her panties off.”

Wait, what did Min Yoongi just s–?

Two strong hands dug out the lace trapped in your ass and fastened around the thin fabric.

Riiiiiiip!

“Yoongi!”

The shirt fluffed his black hair as he removed it, dropping it onto his chair. You glared at him as Yoongi looked down at you, expression blank, dark brown orbs full of mischief.

“You knew it was going to happen. If he wasn’t going to rip it, I was.” Yoongi placed his right hand on his left shoulder. His tone dropped, mockingly rueful. “You wouldn’t want me to hurt myself, right?”

Yeah, this was why you didn’t wear lingerie.

But, also, this was why you wore it today.

You felt Jungkook tugging off the now useless pair of panties, plucking them out from under your garter belt. Oh well. You liked the red more anyway. That’s why you had bought two sets, after all.

“Remind me to take all the bits before I go,” you grumbled.

“Sure, noona.” Jungkook dangled the said lacy bits next to your head. You narrowed your eyes and mouth into slits even though he couldn’t see. “I’ll put them in my pocket.” You felt him shove them into his sweatpants.

Were you… going to remember?

Yoongi beckoned you. You shot him a warning look, still annoyed, but Yoongi pointed down to your hands on his hips.

“Isn’t there something you want?” Yoongi mused in that raspy, dark tone, the one that made your irritation fade instantly and replace it with arousal. “Take it.”

He cocked his head, shading his dark eyes with his hair, pink lips parting, the slightest hint of a smirk. Challenging you. Go on. Show me how much you want me. Your body still buzzed with the aftermath of moments before and yet you still lowered your head, sliding your hips back, sucking in a breath as your puffy pussy lips touched Jungkook’s toned chest, smearing yourself on his skin.

“Ooh, I like this,” Jungkook murmured, leaning back a little to give you space. You rocked your hips into his torso, his muscles flexing under you opening, inflamed clit brushing against his hardness. You pushed Yoongi’s pants and underwear down, dipping your head, hearing Yoongi breathe your name lustfully.

“That’s a pretty picture.”

He was only semi-hard, but he was getting harder and harder, watching you grind against Jungkook’s pecs. You knew exactly how to get him the hardest, dipping down and latching your mouth around one of his balls.

“Fuck, yes,” Yoongi gasped, his hand coming up and fitting behind your head. You sucked it into your mouth and then extended your tongue, bouncing the other with your wet muscle while sucking the first one. The first time you did this, Yoongi was literally speechless, sputtering and confused at how you could stimulate both at once and in two different ways, sucking with your lips as your tongue flicked against the other, slurping slightly to add vibration over the sensitive skin. You felt his cock swell, smacking your cheek, fully hard at the combined sensations.

“I still don’t know how you do that,” Yoongi gritted out, keeping your hair away from your face.

“Do what?” Jungkook asked behind you, one hand on your ass and squeezing it.

“She can suck one of your balls and lick the other at the same time.”

“What?!”

You yelped at the sharp sting of Jungkook’s slap to your ass.

“How come you never did that for me?” Jungkook complained, whining a little.

You tried to lift your head, but Yoongi’s hand refused to move. You make a muffled noise of distaste, but Yoongi answered for you as you switched sides.

“Have you asked?” Yoongi replied calmly, sighing in satisfaction.

“How am I supposed to know she has porn star skills?”

“Is this a discussion for right now?” you mumbled into Yoongi’s balls.

“No, because you’re supposed to be swallowing.”

“Wha–”

The second your mouth opened, Yoongi nudged his cock between your lips and you wrapped them around it, moaning as his stiff length slid down your throat, so satisfying, his taste on your tongue, so delicious that you didn’t even want to complain, you only wanted to bob your head up and down, hands on his hips. Yoongi chuckled above you, guiding your head with his right hand, left loosely by his side. You slid your lower body up and down Jungkook’s chest, your increased slickness adding more stimulation.

“Fuck, that’s so damn hot,” you heard Jungkook groan. There was a rustle of fabric and then skin on skin, his muscular arm brushing against your stocking clad thigh with every stroke.

If only you could take a picture and could see how sexy you were, blowing Yoongi with his hand behind your head, tucking the head of his cock into your throat a little deeper every time you descended, your pussy sliding up and down Jungkook’s chest, and Jungkook furiously jacking himself off while watching you suck his hyung off, feeling your slippery clit throb against his skin.

Good thing the door was locked, because of any other member walked in on this, it might have become a damn foursome.

“Close,” Yoongi panted, fingers digging into your scalp. “You want it like this?”

You hummed approvingly in your chest, increasing your pace and fucking Jungkook’s torso harder, nearing your end too, Jungkook moaning louder and pumping himself harder. So many indecent sounds, skin on skin, mouth on skin, hand on skin, moaning, crying out around Yoongi’s cock, his saliva-covered balls smacking you in the chin, you ass slapping down on Jungkook’s chest.

Hot, wet, positively sinful.

The chain reaction started with Jungkook. He came suddenly, choking on your name, shooting up your chest, warm stickiness splattering onto your skin and you squeezed your eyes shut, moaning as you came all over his chest, slippery and sweet, drenching his skin, throat muscles tightening, Yoongi whimpering your name, a rare moment of lost control as he thrust his hips into your lips, coating your throat with thick hot strings, forcing you to swallow fast, the pressure satisfying and overwhelming, gulping it all down eagerly.

You did ask to be ruined.

Just… a little more.

Your eyes were still closed, lazily licking Yoongi’s twitching length. He was panting above you, gently stroking your hair, words so soft that they were almost inaudible.

“I love you…”

You went all the way down and Yoongi groaned, your tongue flicking the top of his balls, rapid, swift laps that made his cock swell again, bending against the roof of your mouth. Yoongi chuckled, knowing exactly what you were doing.

“Still want more?”

You backed up, panting hard, Jungkook’s cum clinging to your chest and lingerie, hair a mess from Yoongi’s hand.

“Want your cock in my pussy,” you demanded hoarsely. “Want you to fuck me, Yoongi.”

He pretended to think about it. “Hmm, I don’t know…”

You got off Jungkook’s lap, snaking around the younger man’s body, crawling onto the bed, eyes on Yoongi, his intense gaze following you, enticed by your movement. On all fours, hips in the air, dropping your chest down a little, the curve of your back accentuating the roundness of your bare ass. Still in your garter belt and stockings, your bra half-off, the lowered cups pushing your breasts together invitingly. Jungkook turned his head, pink lips parting as your fingers fanned out over the sheets, one eyebrow arching gracefully.

“Jungkook in front. Yoongi behind.”

“Do… Do you want a towel or something, noona?” Jungkook asked, blinking rapidly at your assertiveness.

“I want to get fucked and I want to get fucked now, so get over here.”

“Bed’s going to be a mess,” Yoongi remarked, moving quickly, shedding his pants and going for the nightstand, taking out a condom.

“We can sleep in Jungkook’s room,” was your dry reply, yanking Jungkook’s hips towards you after he removed his sweatpants.

“Wha– ack!”

You spread his legs out in front of you, eyes roaming over his naked body, admiring it all, his legs, his abs, his pecs, covered in your drying juices, his adorable surprised face, navy curls around his chiseled cheeks, chocolate eyes round and awed at your prowess. Your hands were on his knees, breasts hanging down, breathing hard, adrenaline humming in your veins.

“You are so fucking pretty it’s unreal,” Jungkook breathed.

You grinned.

“I can’t wait for you to fuck my face.”

Jungkook grinned back at you.

You dove down, tits bouncing before becoming squashed against the bed, Jungkook’s drying cum flaking off as you wrapped your lips around one of his balls, moaning as you felt Yoongi’s hands firmly grip your hips.

“You have to help me a little,” Yoongi murmured.

“I will, hyung.”

“I mean her too,” the older man chuckled, smacking your ass playfully. Your tongue flitted out, slurping at Jungkook’s other ball from the side of your mouth as you sucked the first one, wiggling your ass at Yoongi to indicate that you heard him. Jungkook yelped, hands slamming down onto the pillows and clutching them, moaning out your name.

“What the fuck, what the fuck, holy shit…” His head hit the headboard lightly, speaking to the ceiling and maybe even the higher power himself. “H-How...? Why does it feel s-so good…?”

You felt Yoongi slide in, so easy because of all those back-to-back orgasms, and yet he still hissed at your tightness, muscles holding him firmly. You could cry with how good it felt, Yoongi finally fully inside you once again, filling you up just the way you liked, knowing how to hit your deepest spot right away, skillful and wonderful. You licked up Jungkook’s now hard length, moaning deeply as you slapped your hips back into Yoongi’s crotch. Yoongi moaned to match yours, enraptured by the feeling.

“Fuck, you feel so fucking good,” he hissed, nails digging into your ass. “Missed you so fucking much, my love.”

“I’ll do the moving, love,” you gasped back, squeezing Yoongi’s cock inside you. You reached for Jungkook’s right hand and grabbed it, planting it on your head. “Fuck my face, Jungkook. Please. Don’t hold back until you cum.”

Jungkook bit his lip, exhaling your name. “I think I love you.”

“And I definitely love you, so please give it to me.”

You closed your lips around him and sank down, looking up at him and his sweaty dark blue hair, his blown-out pupils, his outstretched tattooed arm, so fucking hot, fuck yes you loved him, him and his body and his work ethic and his sweetness and his firmness as he obeyed your command, thrusting into your mouth from below, filling your throat with the thick head.

Perfect.

You rocked your hips back to Jungkook’s rhythm, matching him, slow at first, but gradually faster, rougher, planting your hands on the bed for balance, completely focused on clenching your core and your mouth to fit the two cocks, giving them the maximum amount of pleasure that you could offer, suffocating them with tightness. It if was obscene before, it was ten times obscener now, Yoongi’s hand on your hip, barely having to move as you smacked your ass into him, Jungkook lurching you forward with his force, clenching his jaw as he chased his release, the bed screaming for help and none of you listening.

“You’re so fucking sexy, fuck, you always make me feel so good, can’t help but want you, need you, miss you so fucking much,” Jungkook gritted out, fingers curling in your hair, desperately and viscerally whimpering out your name as you tipped your head to change the angle, the sensitive head dragging against the roof of your mouth as he buried himself in your throat. “You’re so good to me, such a soft and tight mouth, fuck.”

You arched your back a little more, Yoongi hitting you deeper, hearing him suck in a tight breath at your movement.

“Tighter,” Yoongi growled. “I’m close, come on, give it to me.”

And then he smacked your ass with his open palm, making you moan around Jungkook’s thick cock, pussy clenching around Yoongi’s entire length, and then again, smack! Control slipping with every hit, falling into Jungkook’s pace, the sheer force of his hips pushing you down on Yoongi’s cock over and over, now only focused on hollowing out your cheeks and gripping Yoongi’s cock, the sudden twitching indicating that Yoongi was close, so close, holding out a little so he could watch you longer, torturing you just the way you liked, but he couldn’t hold out for long because you didn’t let him, walls pulsating around him brutally as you came, stuffed so full that you couldn’t think. Yoongi groaned your name, gripping your ass with both hands and digging his nails in your softness, cock jolting as he came in thick pumps, filling up the condom and swelling it against your walls.

It took Jungkook a little longer, but not that much longer, your mouth still locked tight and he hissed out your name, whimpering as he came down your throat, filling it with cum once again, so fast that you had to swallow hastily to breathe, and yet there was more, thick salty dribbles that made you moan, so delicious that you leaned into it, sucking Jungkook dry.

“A-ah, n-noona…”

Your body ached, flinching from oversensitivity, your mind swimming with pleasure. Had it ever felt this good before? You slid off Jungkook’s cock, falling against his thigh and using it like a pillow, chest heaving, sticky all over, lips overused, pussy throbbing, barely realizing that Yoongi had pulled out, far too spent to see straight.

“Fuck, I love you two…”

Yoongi’s face suddenly appeared, smug expression above you. He had crawled over your body, ruffled black hair hanging down, dark cat eyes gleaming.

“Romantic.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Mmm.”

He leaned down and kissed you, smiling against your lips, mouthing his love to you, forming each word against your skin slowly so you knew. You smiled back, showering him with light pecks, mouthing the words back to him. Yoongi purred and lifted himself up, taking you with him.

“I can’t move,” you complained, using your arms to push yourself up to avoid straining Yoongi’s shoulders. He chuckled, not the least bit fooled by your whines. He pushed you into Jungkook’s hard chest, covered in sweat and cum, and sandwiched you between them, your face right beside Jungkook’s, cheek to cheek. You could feel the heat in his face, his hair sticking to it.

“Noona?”

“Hm?”

Everything was far too messy for this cuddle session, but that could wait.

“Is it okay if I love you?” Jungkook mumbled, burying his nose in your hair.

“Mhm,” Yoongi responded, sounding sleepy.

You brushed Jungkook’s hair away from his face. “I would very much like that.”

“Everything is dirty,” Yoongi grumbled.

“You are a main contributor,” you said cheerfully.

Yoongi grunted, leaning against you, squashing you a little harder against Jungkook. Nothing to complain about. You were enjoying every second of this.

“Jungkookie?”

“Hm, noona?”

You reached up and ran a hand through his dark cerulean hair. Jungkook hummed appreciatively, closing his eyes at your touch.

“You know this shade is Cookie Monster blue, right?”

“… Hah?”

“Does that make you Ggukkie Monster?”

Yoongi burst out laughing, raspy and full, a rare moment of Min Yoongi absolutely losing his shit.

-

part v "Sorry, Jungkook, you're not allowed this time."

--

masterpost

[tobesobri]

When the Lights Go Out (Halloween fic; 8k)

𝖆/𝖓: first off, happy Halloween yall! This is my second favorite holiday and so I really wanted to get something up in celebration of it! I’ve talked a lot on here about having trouble with writing recently and so I do what I normally do with writer’s block and I just leave what I’m stuck on and go off to write something random, which is what this ended up being. So, my writing style is definitely different and maybe not great, but this is just for fun so I don’t care! I still hope you enjoy! There’s spookiness (not too much), enemies (frenemies) to lovers, pumpkin carving, smut, alcohol consumption, and giant skeletons 💀 (oh and Harry dressed as Tarzan 🥵)

my masterlist  🎃 my askbox

𝕸ost people’s Halloween traditions weren’t too complicated; usually involving cult-favorite scary movies—ranging from Halloweentown to Nightmare on Elm Street—handing out Snickers and Kit-Kats to tiny trick-or-treaters, or just getting wasted at a friend’s haunted house party down the street. Their friend group, on the other hand, opted for a pumpkin carving contest every year on Halloween at Jason Hallow’s house, and, yes, his favorite holiday is Halloween because of his last name. And so, a few years ago when they were all undergrads together, he began hosting the annual carving contest at his house, in which they all paired up and, at the end of the night, whichever pair’s pumpkin came out the best—as judged by Jason, the resident Jack O’ Lantern expert—won whatever candy was leftover. That and marathons of R-rated horror flicks as well as occasional breaks to go out in the neighborhood and scare some of the kids while dressed in terrifying monster masks and slightly drunk off their asses from too much Tennessee whiskey.

Jason’s house was, hands down, the place to be in their neighborhood. Everyone who came by always wanted to join in on their festivities, and one year, they’d been just drunk enough to let a few of-age neighbors join in. This year, though, it was different. The stakes were higher. They were competing not only for the candy, but also for the much envied twelve-foot tall skeleton Jason had found at Home Depot which currently sat in his front yard amongst his other outrageous decorations. The skeleton was definitely the most noteworthy and had been the center of plenty group photos from just about every one of his neighbors since he had brought it home and especially tonight. In fact, every time the doorbell rang and he greeted another group of kids in his gory doctor costume—because Jason was in med school after all—every one of them squealed about how much they liked his skeleton. And so it almost pained him to have to give it to one of his friends after tonight, but if he’s being honest, he has nowhere to store it—he’d purchased it completely on a whim—and next year they will compete for it all over again anyway.

Tonight is also different because Harry and Y/N are not getting along. They all knew this beforehand, but simply brushed it off until they realized it was much worse than anyone had imagined. They had a horrible friendship—if one could even call it that—ever since they’d met as freshmen pre-law students six years ago. Sometimes they got along, but mostly, they bickered non-stop at each other, which all their friends took as misguided flirting. They got along for about six months once, after a drunken hookup, until, of course, Y/N hooked up with someone else and set off the volcano that was their relationship all over again. It had been calm recently with both of them needing each other’s help through their vigorous law school studies. So, a truce had been made and they tolerated each other at best. Tonight, though, the monsters had truly been unleashed and neither one of them had stopped picking at each other since they’d arrived.

It began on the street, when Harry took the spot Y/N had wanted to park in. Then at the door, when he asked her how her midterms were going and she felt like stepping on his toes until she crushed them. Which was perfectly logical since his was barefoot and mostly naked in his stupid Tarzan costume he’d recycled about four times now since they’d all known each other. He only wore it when the weather was warm, as he claimed, but they all had a suspicion he wore it so that he could watch Y/N drooling over him all night.

She wasn’t innocent either, in his defense, at least not this year when she came dressed in a sexy Beetlejuice costume, something none of them ever thought was possible. But she made it happen. She wore a too-short black and white vertical striped t-shirt dress—which had rips in all the right places, particularly across her chest—and a pair of neon green boots that were Doc Marten knock-offs she had found online. Other than that, she had spray painted the front bits of her hair a grey-green color and did her makeup to match the theme, dark purple smokey eyes and a green color used as contour. It looked good, she looked good, not that Harry would ever say that out loud.

Jason’s entire living room and dining room floors were covered with plastic tarps. He’d set up the usual fold-away tables and chairs for everyone. It was an easy clean-up job that wouldn’t leave pumpkin guts smudged into his hardwood floors or, even worse, the beige carpet in his living room. And, as always, he had a line up of various pumpkins on his kitchen counter—and the necessary kit of carving tools—ready to go. They usually didn’t start until nine-thirty or ten, once everyone arrived and had a few drinks in them and they had all agreed on what movies to watch. This year was a marathon of The Conjuring franchise, because Jason had spent way too much money on a box set and he would not be wasting them. Nobody objected anyway because the movies held a sentimental value to all of them. Every year since the beginning when a new movie came out, they all managed to go see it together, and also cause a horrible ruckus in the theater. Although they’d almost been kicked out a couple times, it was still some of the best memories together they’d ever had.

There was also that one year, when Annabelle Creation came out and Y/N and Harry were getting along on account of the LSATs, that they’d secretly gone home together. And then, of course, pretended it never happened.

That had been the second time they slept together, the second time she’d woken in his bed, with Harry’s annoyingly toned arm wrapped all the way around her, and the last as well because Harry got into a serious relationship their first year of law school and that had been the end of things.

Well… not completely the end. At least not until tonight.

“Okay we’re getting started!” Jason announced over both the music and the television, which someone turned down before Jason continued. He stood, wobbling, on one of the foldable chairs, for no other reason than the bottle of vodka in his hand. He was teetering on the edge sobriety and really didn’t give a fuck if he fell off. “Y’all know the drill! Isa’s handing out the cards. No whining. No trading. Or you’ll be disqualified.”

The cards in question were riddles that they had to match up with the answer. Half of them got the riddle card, the other half an answer card and that would determine who their partner was.

Y/N both wanted Harry as her partner and detested the idea at the same time. She was all for it because, well, he was hot dressed in nothing but his small piece of brown loincloth fabric hanging loosely on his hips. But at the same time, she knew they wouldn’t win together and she really wanted that skeleton.

The riddles were all hand-made by Jason on his computer and then laminated in his girlfriend’s school’s teacher lounge however many years ago. They all knew every answer to every riddle by now, but it was still a much more fun way to pair up than picking names out of a hat.

Y/N read her riddle twice, having absolutely no recollection of the answer to it, however—which was probably due to the alcohol she’d consumed herself within the past hour. She wasn’t all to blame, though, Harry had a lot to do with it too. She was still mad at him, for what she wasn’t sure, but she also could not stop herself from stealing glances at him and the only way to stop feeling so many confusing things about Harry was to drown it all away.

She read her riddle one last time: The person who built it sold it. The person who bought it never used it. The person who used it never saw it. What is it?

Her brain felt like mush after the third read and she hoped someone would find her first and give her the answer. She peeked around at people’s cards as they all tried to find their pair, some of them meeting up immediately and getting the prime pick of the pumpkins. It had dwindled down to just a few of them and she finally waltzed herself up to Harry, grabbed his card from his hand without his permission and read it.

In bold, 16-point Helvetica font, it read: A coffin.

Of course.

She rolled her eyes, shoving his card against his stupid bare chest and groaning audibly. “Figures I’m stuck with you.”

When she finally looked up at him, though, she wasn’t all that upset about her odds as she pretended to be. Not with the way his face set into a devilish, wicked, up-to-no-good look that made her want to rip him from the room and rip his useless Tarzan costume off too while she was at it.

He had also been drinking, which was made even more clear when he opened his mouth. “You’ll always be stuck with me.” And then he leaned in a little bit, his smirk widening and his eyes darkening and the sweet smell of vodka on his tongue strengthening, “Forever.”

She hated the buzzing in her stomach he caused, and hated that she liked knowing they probably would, at the very least, know each other for the rest of their lives. It had already been six years since they met and she still hadn’t managed to shake him off. And now they were finishing up law school together and getting offers to work at the same firm together. There would be no escaping him, not that she really wanted to.

The only time she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him was when he had a girlfriend. She hated seeing him in her classes, in her study groups, her circles, at her internship. He was always there, though, rubbing it in her face as she had once done to him. Hers was just a dumb hookup, partially just to spite him, and his was… well he dated the girl for entire year before they broke up and he seemed genuinely heartbroken over it. It had been serious, and Y/N had been seriously miserable the entire time. Even more so when she found out they’d split up and she just about threw a party while Harry moped around campus. She couldn’t help it, though, she’d liked him ever since they met, but then they just sort of… didn’t get along all the time.

She knew he liked her too, at least a little bit, or he’d never have slept with her twice. How much he actually liked her though was still up for debate, and so she chose keeping their weird hate-love relationship over ruining all of it by admitting her feelings for him. Plus, she liked working with him and getting his help on exams and papers too much to ruin that as well.

Y/N grabbed the third to last pumpkin, an unopened carving kit, and led the way to two lonesome chairs. They sat closest to the door, and farthest from the dining room and Jason, in their own little corner where they had enough room to stretch out given that no else had laid any claim on the other side of their table yet.

“So,” Harry began once they were settled and Y/N began opening the kit of tools, “what are we making?”

Before giving him an answer, she laid out all the tools on the table in front of them, next to their poor misshapen pumpkin, and then reached down into the side of her boot and pulled out a black sharpie; she’d learned a couple years back to start brining one. It might have been cheating, sketching her design beforehand, but Jason never outlawed it.

“I’m making Jason’s favorite Tim Burton character and you’re in charge of the guts.” She dictated confidently, slapping the sawing tool and the large orange plastic spoon in front of him so he could get started right away.

He eyed the tools for a moment, then the pumpkin, and then finally her. “Absolutely not. I’m not doing all the shit work while you do the fun stuff.”

“Thought you’d be used to that.” She half-mumbled, but he still heard her over the rest of the noise in the house. And, frankly, she was right. When they had interned together last year, she always handed off the demeaning tasks to him, like getting the coffee or making copies, while she did the much more interesting parts of the job. What she didn’t know was that she didn’t make him do anything. He always did it so she didn’t have to.  

He sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, arms that her eyes—which were completely out of her control at that point—glued to immediately. He’d been working out ever since the break up and finally filled out the Tarzan costume a lot better. He’d always had a nice body, she knew that, but now… now he made her dizzy.

“I’m not doing it. Least not all by myself.”

She gave up then, mostly because she lost her will to argue against the pout of his lips and the flexing of his biceps—which weren’t ridiculously big, but they were subtle and modest and very much bigger than they had been this time last year when he’d dressed up as a shirtless baseball player. Most all of Harry’s costumes involved some level of nakedness and not much sense, but she didn’t complain too loudly. And his arms were definitely bigger now than they had been the last time she was in his bed and he was over her.

“Fine.” She groaned, grabbing the mini saw tool and then standing to begin carving a hole at the top of their pumpkin, around the stem. She made it big enough for them to be able to stick their hands inside, and then once she was finished, pulled the stem piece off and set it aside for later, chopping off some loose bits of pumpkin shreds first.

Despite his earlier protests, he was the first to dig into the pumpkin, standing as well and going hands first into the thing where he pulled out fistfuls and dumped it into a pile on the table. They went back and forth digging out the insides of the pumpkin until finally, Harry grabbed the spoon and really went in. And she didn’t even bother offering to help, and instead stared, again, at his stupid biceps and especially at his hands, which were slick from the pumpkin juice. She shuddered remembering where his hands had once been, and then pulled herself together remembering how long ago it had been and how very little interest he’d shown in picking up where they’d left off pre-girlfriend.

Once the pumpkin was fully gutted, they both sat again, and cleaned their hands off on the paper towels Jason had set up on each table.

She was the first to begin the process, sketching out the design with her sharpie of Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas. She’d carved the character before, but still needed a reference picture on her phone to get all the details right. And Harry watched her the entire time, memorizing her face for the millionth time while she concentrated, and sometimes he stared at her hands, too, hands he also found himself reminiscing over, to the point of needing to cross his legs so it wasn’t made visibly clear what he was thinking about. He was starting to regret recycling the Tarzan costume.

While they all worked, Jason answered the door and handed out candy about once every five minutes. The best part of their tradition wasn’t the pumpkin carving itself, but rather, the atmosphere. They loved the feeling, the adrenaline rush of it all. How messy everything would eventually get, how loud they all were. The anguished shouting when someone messed something up. The sounds of Thriller playing in the background mixed with the loud jump scares from the horror movies played all night long. It was heaven to any lover of Halloween (and they all loved Halloween).

She’d let Harry start the carving of the design, informing him what parts were staying and what parts needed to be cut away, before she ventured into the kitchen to grab them both a drink. On her way back, she paused for a moment, just watching Harry work over in their corner. The sight of him almost made her want to finally admit how she felt. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad if he rejected her, at least then she’d know.

But then Zoe plopped down into her empty chair next to Harry and crushed everything back down like an aluminum can being recycled. She tossed back about half of her Smirnoff after Zoe had scooted closer to Harry and grazed her fingertips across his arm—the one he wasn’t using the carve the pumpkin. And at first, he ignored it, but then he set down the tool, pushed his hair back with his clean wrist and offered Zoe one of his annoying little smirks that Y/N always thought he saved just for her. But now, seeing him use it to flirt with Zoe, she felt stupid and betrayed. And stupid again for feeling betrayed.

She had no claim to him. She just had her memories, as inconvenient as they were at times. But that was nothing and it’d been so long that he showed any interest in her, in anybody, that for her to be jealous now was just pure selfishness. As much as she hated Harry sometimes, she still wanted to see him happy again.

Y/N made her way back slowly, eying what others were doing, until finally joining Harry again just as Zoe went back to her own pumpkin.

She was quiet for a moment, sipping on her drink, watching him as he got back to carving, before cleaning her throat as she finally said something, “What did Zoe want?” And she tried not to sound anything other than curious, but the way Harry glanced at her, with a raised brow, she knew she needed to be so much more subtle.

He took the other cup from her that she hadn’t drunk from and replenished his blood alcohol level. “She just asked me what I was doing after this.”

Instead of opening her mouth and being obvious, she just set her drink down and grabbed both the carving tool and the pumpkin from Harry to take over. He’d already done way more work than she had, so it was about time they switched anyway.

He eyed her curiously still, even though he allowed her to continue where he left off as he leaned back in his chair and took a break, downing what was left in his cup as she worked.

“You’re not jealous are you?” He finally asked, after a few moments to let his brain marinate in the alcohol in order to brave that question in the first place.

“No.” It was sharp. A piercing rejection he felt dig its claws deep into his heart. He couldn’t tell if she was lying or not, but if not, it hurt. More than he was willing to admit, even to himself. He wanted her to be jealous. He always did. That was part of the reason he’d gotten a girlfriend. And of course she was also part of the reason they broke up, if not all of it.

He nodded, “So it wouldn’t bother you if I went home with Zoe?”

He noticed her brief hesitation, when her hand stopped moving and she took in a breath of air, but then she settled again. “Doesn’t bother me what you do, Harry.”

Again, he nodded, still watching her just to get a sense of her reactions. Of course he had no plans on going home with Zoe. He just wanted to know. Where they stood. How Y/N felt about him. Whether she thought about their nights together as often as he did. When they were studying together and she’d shift her hair behind her shoulder and he’d get a whiff of her shampoo and be taken right back to one of those nights, and the nights that came after that when he got lost in that scent on his pillows until it eventually dissipated and left him craving more.

He tried again. One last time. If he still didn’t get the response he was hoping for, then he’d give it up and leave her alone. So, he sat forward, crossing his arms on top of the table, close enough to her now that the buzzing in her stomach reappeared even though she never braved a single glance at him. He was close enough that the smell of his cologne overtook the odor from the pumpkin. Close enough that she felt his breath on the side of her face when he spoke.

“So, I’ve just been imagining the way you’ve been looking at me all night then?” His voice was just above a whisper, and soft, caressing her ears as the sound crept its way inside of her. As it seeped into all the places the alcohol had been, although Harry was always something way more potent than whiskey or tequila. He made her head spin, made her feel everything and nothing at the same time. Made her heart flutter so much at times it hurt.

His words sunk in and all her motions stopped as she froze in place. She stopped carving their pumpkin, stopped blinking, stopped breathing. Staring blankly at their half-finished design until he was wrung out from her system completely. That never really happened, though, because he was staring at her, watching her with those glinting, impatient eyes, waiting for an answer. There wasn’t even the familiar hint of a smirk or a bit of amusement on his face anymore, either, that might have calmed her nerves. Because at least if he seemed to just be messing with her, she could play that game with him, but this was different.

He leaned forward a bit, trying to get her to look at him, to say something, anything, really. He’d be satisfied enough with her lies at this point. But he also knew the absence of an answer alone was all he really needed. He didn’t feel like he was getting ahead of himself, seeing the way her body reacted to him, by assuming that she felt, at least somewhat, the same way he did about her. Because if she’d been the one to ask if she was imagining how he’d been staring at her all night, he wouldn’t deny it.

Just as she opened her mouth, just as she had gathered enough words to form a coherent sentence, the room went dark. Pitch black, actually. The lights all around them flickering off, the television going blank, the music cutting out. And once the startled gasps and dramatic, drunken yelling had subsided, they were left in a ringing silence, so completely opposite to what they had been moments ago that it was painful for their ears to adjust to.

“What the fuck?” They heard Jason’s voice in the darkness and then, finally, a bit of light as he turned his phone’s flashlight on.

“Did the power go out everywhere?” Someone else asked.

And while everyone panicked, all Harry cared and thought about was Y/N’s hand wrapped tightly around his own on his lap. He wasn’t exactly sure when she’d grabbed for him, but once he realized she was there, he didn’t really care too much about the lights anymore. What he did care about still, however, was whether she’d ever answer his question now. If he’d ever get to hear what she was about to say just before the darkness cut her off.

A few of them stumbled about, making plans to go outside and check on things while everyone else stayed inside and waited. The room went dark for a few more moments as Jason left, but then someone else turned their flashlight on, and shined them at the ceiling so that there was at least enough light so that they didn’t have to sit in complete darkness.

If it wasn’t Halloween, the power going out wouldn’t have bothered her so much. Outages happened happened all the time. But now, in the middle of the second Annabelle movie with all sorts of other spooky shit around them, she couldn’t help but be terrified and imagine the worst. Like… what if there was a killer on the loose who had cut their power. What if the killer was chopping up Jason and the others and then eventually heading inside to do the same to all of them?

“Hey,” Harry mumbled beside her, inching closer and rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, realizing she’d grown tense when her grip on him had tightened. “You alright?”

Hearing his voice again, she let out a breath of air and tried to relax. She watched way too many scary movies and this was most definitely not one of them. Just a power outage, possibly due to everyone being home and using lots of extra electricity on their lights and decorations. She had no reason to panic. Although it could be blamed on Harry as well, if he hadn’t made her an astronomical amount of nervous just before.

She nodded until she realized Harry couldn’t even see her very well. “I’m fine.” She finally affirmed, and, to his dismay, took her hand away from his.

They sat in their own silence for a while, listening to the quiet conversations around them, particularly to Zoe and Julie who were trying to look up any information they could even though their phones were slow from the lack of Wi-Fi and service.

After a little while, she found his hand again in the dark, and this time, she wasn’t afraid from the power going out, but rather what she was about to say. Because if there was ever an opportunity to spill your guts to Harry Styles, it was in a dark room where his grassy green eyes weren’t all over you, sucking every ounce of courage from your bones.

Her voice was in a whisper, and she finally looked at him, or rather in his direction. To the outlines of his face, of his nose and his cheekbones. Even though she couldn’t find the green, she knew he was there, waiting, listening.

“You haven’t been imagining anything.”

She couldn’t quite see it, but his eyebrows had hit the ceiling and before he could question her further, she continued.

“I was miserable when you were seeing Liv and so fucking happy when you broke up.” Her voice shook, but she didn’t let that stop her, “And then miserable again because you didn’t want me. And maybe you still don’t, but it would really bother me if you went home with someone else.”

The quiet almost ate her alive for the next few seconds when he said nothing and she didn’t have his features to go off of. But then, she felt him getting closer until, finally, his lips were at her ear.

“I’ve always wanted you.”  

The buzzing was back but this time it was debilitating. Especially when he faced her and cupped his free hand along her jaw. And especially when he tilted her head back slightly to meet his lips, which had pretty good aim given their predicament. She missed the way he felt, she realized, once he was kissing her. Once he had scooted closer and released his hand from her grip on his lap. Once he grabbed up the other side of her face and pulled her closer. And then her hand was left to fend for itself on his thigh, and she, almost unconsciously, drifted her touch closer and closer and closer…

He moaned softly into her mouth when she toyed with the flimsy piece of fabric tied around his waist with her fingertips. And finally, she pulled apart from him, catching her breath before whispering, “Do you think they’d notice if we left?”

He shook his head, “Don’t think I care if they did.”

And so they were off. Trying not to draw too much attention to themselves even though she slightly tripped over the leg of the chair and he tried not to giggle too loudly while helping her. His hand fell into hers again as he led the way out of the living room, down the hall and into Jason’s guest room, closing them both off from any light source completely, not that they really cared too much about seeing each other; they just wanted to feel each other again.

And as soon as Harry had closed the door behind her, that’s exactly what they did. As she wrapped her arms around his neck; as he felt his way around her waist, he kissed her like he hadn’t kissed anyone in years. Like he was a dry, cracking desert and she was a vast river flowing through him.

He took brave steps towards the bed blindly, backing her up further into the dark room and managing to not trip over anything when he finally made it to the bed. They’d both, on separate occasions, spent the night in Jason’s guest room before, which helped when maneuvering around in the dark. For instance, Harry knew that Jason kept his secret stash of condoms in the bedside drawer. Harry had no idea why, but he was thankful for it right now, when, after laying her back on the bed, Y/N had already begun undoing his costume—with such quickness, he was sure she’d studied how the thing was connected to his body so that she knew exactly how to get if off if need be—and, within the next few seconds, tossed the flimsy Tarzan loincloth out of sight.

Which left him in just the black thong he wore underneath. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have even bothered with it. But, when he had first gotten the costume and tried it on without anything, he imagined all the wardrobe slips and potential boners might not be in everyone’s best interests. So, he went out and bought the smallest pair of underwear he’d ever owned, tucked himself inside of them, and called it a day.

Those, too, were stripped from his body in a matter of seconds, or at least pushed down his thighs to where they no longer covered what they were intended to cover. But then she flipped them around, so that Harry was on his back this time, splayed across the bed and she was finally ridding him of the thong all together and not wasting any time getting her hands on him and he wondered, with how quick she was to get to this point, if she had been thinking about this all night. And if she had, then he would definitely have to whip out the Tarzan costume more often.

He seemed to sink into the mattress once he felt her mouth close on him, his eyes fluttering shut and his mouth hanging open involuntarily when he hit the back of her throat. He had no idea how he’d gone so long without her, or why either. Why had he been so stupid? Why did he let her think he didn’t want her? Why did he deprive the both of them of this? Of the way she felt circling her tongue around the tip of his cock, the way he knew she was looking at him even though he could physically not open his eyes or come down off his cloud long enough to tell her how good she felt. How much he missed it. How much he was probably in love with her, even if that might have been crossing some sort of line.

“Forgot how big you were,” she whispered, giggling almost shamefully after wiping her mouth on the back of her hand and giving him a break to actually breathe properly again.

“Think we both know that’s a lie.” He was out of breath already and he was right, although she wouldn’t feed his ego no matter what he said. Although she remembered his cock perfectly fine, she wasn’t exactly used to it. And maybe she had momentarily forgotten what he had hidden under his costume. It’d been two years since they slept together, and the first time it happened they’d been drunk.

She didn’t say anything else, just tried to hide the blush on her face—even though he couldn’t’ see it anyway—by taking a mouthful of him again. She didn’t let him come, though, of course, and he didn’t expect her to either. She never had before. She always led him get right to the edge, to where he was panting and writhing and digging his fingers into her hair, on the verge of screaming her name into the dark, and then she’d stop. Pull him from the back of her throat and leave him a sopping, moaning mess.

He’d somewhat recovered when she crawled on top of him and and sat on either side of his hips with her hands planted on his chest. And now that their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she could see the curve of his lips as he smiled up at her and even the sinister little twist of his mouth just before he grabbed hold of the hem of her dress and ripped it off over her head, letting it fall onto the bed next to him. He wished they had just a little bit more light, but at the same time, it turned him on having to see with his hands instead. Having to reach up and cup her breasts in his palms and rely on his memories for a better visual than the one he currently had. And as she came down to kiss him again, there was one thing for sure he didn’t need any light or anything but his fingers to do.

He tossed her bra into the same vicinity as her dress and within seconds had his hands all over her again, and his tongue as well, wishing she was on her back so he could worship her in all the ways he desperately wanted to, but also aware that the power could flick on at any moment and he really didn’t have the time.

Not that she had asked, and maybe she just hadn’t thought of it yet, but he still, while continuing to make out with her, reached over, pulled the drawer open on the nightstand and reached inside to locate the box of condoms.

However, once he did, and he didn’t find what he was looking for, he sat up and pulled apart from her, twisting himself a bit in order to see inside the drawer. His other hand held onto her hips so she didn’t fall off of him as he searched the drawer. But, soon enough, he was laying back again, groaning as if he was in physical pain.

“There’s no condoms.” He muttered between his teeth and just that one little sentence ruined his entire night.

“It’s okay.” She assured, continuing to whisper just as he did so that no one would hear them through the thin walls. “I mean… we’re clean right? And I’m on birth control…”

He ran his fingers through his hair, looking up at her and trying to decide if it was a good idea or not. She was right, of course, but even so there was always a possibility. Even with condoms there was always that same possibility too. He knew one thing for certain. If he remembered correctly. There was absolutely no way in hell he’d be able to pull out, so that really wouldn’t even be an option either.

“If you don’t want to though, that’s fine.” She spoke again amongst his silence. It’s not like he would hate the potential consequences, and of course he would not hate feeling her without a stitch of anything in between them, he just needed to be reassured that’s what she wanted, truly.

“I do, just um… are you sure you’re okay with that?”

She nodded first and then, confidently, “Yes.” As she fell back into place over him, her lips came to his ear this time, “I want to feel you coming inside of me.”

His whole body shuddered, needing her more than he quite possibly ever had. And as she tucked her panties to the side and guided herself onto him, he would most definitely go outside and cut the lines himself if the power decided to come back on before they were finished.

“Forgot how wet you are…” He whispered, heart fluttering at the way she laughed while fucking him. He never forgot either, not quite. But feeling her again now, pooling around him, warm and snug, he again wondered why in the living hell he kept himself from her for so long. Sure, they didn’t like each other most of the time, but their first time together had been hot, drunk hate sex and ever since then he’d chased that feeling with other people, none of them ever quite adding up to her. He wondered if she thought the same. No one ever making her feel the way he did either. If, when she was with someone else, she thought of him instead.

He knew he wouldn’t last long the second she put her greedy hands on him, and so her being in control now was slightly dangerous. He wasn’t ready for it to be over, even if he was racing the clock, even if he could just take her home from here and do it all over again, properly. He didn’t want it to end as quickly as it started.

So, he flipped them back over, getting her on her back like he’d wanted to earlier. Slipping a pillow under her backside to get a better angle and letting her sink all the way through the mattress this time. He remained inside her the entire time, only making quick, shallow movements to avoid the sounds of their skin slapping against each other. But he gave up being careful about their noise level after she begged him to go faster, after he reached between them and rubbed his fingers over her clit to catch her up with him.

She tugged at his hair while he kissed her, breathlessly and without much of a second thought this time about how loud they were being. He assumed all their friends knew about them anyway, even if she chose to be ignorant to it. They all speculated about the secret hookups and the mindless flirting that was disguised as harmless bickering. So, he just stopped caring the closer and closer he got.

That was until he buried himself as far as he could inside of her, his hand wrapped around her throat the way he remembered her liking, and he felt the scream building beneath her skin, beneath his palm. Quickly, before her noises led to everyone barreling into the room to find out what was going on, he clasped his hand from her throat to her mouth instead. Holding tightly as she let it out, his eyes pouring into hers like a lake of shining emerald waters getting her to stay there in the room with him. So that she didn’t close her eyes and float away like he had before.

He titled her head to the side, kissed up her jaw to her ear. “Mm, I missed the way you sound.” He wanted to tell her how he thought about her pleads and her moans and her yells late at night when he was feeling particularly alone. When he wanted nothing but her, to either be inside of her, or to just have her there next to him. But all of that got caught in his throat, and instead, as he continued burying himself into her, he whispered like a growl in her ear, “Missed how well you take me.”

And although it made her moan, made her eyes cross and her fingernails scrape across his shoulder blades, he wanted to tell her that he missed how they fit together. How where he ended she began so seamlessly no one else could hardly compare. There had always been a seam with everyone else, with Liv, a visible divide between him and them, soldered together haphazardly. But with Y/N, it was smooth, flowing together as if they were the same person.

His hand slipped from her mouth as he began losing control, and soon she was the one having to cover the noises. Though, this time, she just simply pulled his lips to her own and felt all the vibrations escape from his throat against her skin, her teeth, her tongue. She breathed in nothing but the air from his lungs, and held onto his tightly as she began to unravel.

His moans quickened and quickened until she felt his release, warm and deep inside of her, just as her own gave way, until his body began to give out, until he was panting and no longer able to hold himself up over her. And so once they both descended from their cloud, once their wave had crashed onto the shore, he planted himself beside her, their chests in rhythm as they cough their breath.

And before either of them even managed to open their eyes or breathe steadily again, the surge of the power coming back on dimmed the haze. Their room was still dark, but light seeped under the door and the rest of their friends cheered from the other room as the music began again. And for a brief, stupid moment, Harry thought about fucking her again and letting her scream all she wanted, but that fantasy was cut short when he remembered their friends would soon realize they were missing.

“We should get back.” She mumbled. Although she made no sudden movements to get up. She even closed her eyes again, still off in another world.

And so Harry risked it, just for a few more moments, anyway, where he rolled closer to her and slid his hand up her jaw softly, pulling her attention toward him again as her eyes fluttered open, waiting.

“I was miserable when I was with Liv too. And we broke up because she knew I spent all my time thinking about someone else.” He swiped his thumb across her cheek, realizing for the first time that he’d probably royally fucked up all her makeup and then hoping she wouldn’t come to her senses and kill him for it.

“And who might that be?”

He smiled, sweetly this time unlike all his asshole smiles, and just as he glanced at her lips, ready to kiss her again, he was cut short.

“Yo, where are Harry and Y/N?” It was Jason, loud and clear and possibly headed their way to investigate his missing party guests who had snuck off together in the dark. Jason didn’t know that yet though, and as much as Harry would like none of their friends to find out, it wouldn’t exactly look great the two of them waltzing out of the guest room together. Harry’s curls in shambles, fresh scratches all across his back, and Y/N’s makeup smudged. There was simply no use in hiding what they’d been up to, it was written all over them.

Harry grabbed her clothes and handed them off while he went on a search for his own tiny pieces of costume. And just as they got decent again, there was a knock on the door.

“You guys in there? You better not be doing what I think you’re doing.” Jason warned and Harry and Y/n looked at each other for a moment before busting out laughing.

Harry got to the door first, throwing it open to a very surprised Jason, who then narrowed his eyes when he saw Y/N come up behind Harry.

“God, not in my guest room!” He whined as Harry pushed pass Jason, a looking Y/N following shortly behind, “Now I have to clean the sheets again! I just did them yesterday.”

“Sorry, mate!” Harry called over his shoulder, glancing down at Y/N quickly to give her one of his cocky little winks. And once they had reached the main room again, as he fell back into his chair, she realized just how many scratch marks she’d left on him, and wished he’d worn a costume with a shirt to cover it up.

She drowned out all the whistling and the comments about how everyone knew she and Harry were up to something, about the bets won and lost. All she heard was Harry’s voice in her ear, telling her how much he missed her and she wondered if it was real. If he really did miss her, or he just missed fucking her. If, when it was no longer October 31st, they’d just go back to normal. Like the horse-drawn carriage turning back into a lumpy, ugly pumpkin.

Harry noticed this, of course, because he’s a law student and notices everything, but just as he leaned in to ask if she was okay, she pulled away.

“I just, uh, need some air.” And then she was gone before he could do or say anything. She used through the front door, abandoning their poor pumpkin and headed toward her car. She’d left the keys and her purse inside, but it didn’t matter. She just leaned against the passenger door and gazed up at the stars, thankful for the clear night and warm weather.  

And, of course, he was beside her not too long afterwards. She’d heard his footsteps against the pavement, knew he’d probably follow her out anyway.

He cleared his throat, half watching the same stars she was and half glancing at her. “Did I do something?”

“No, it’s um…” she faltered, her eyes falling to her feet. “Think I just had too much to drink.”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I—” she cut him off before he got too far in the wrong direction.

“No, I mean…” she pushed off her car then and faced him, “Are we just going to go back to how we always are after tonight? Because I don’t know if I can do that. But I never know what you’re thinking, Harry. Do you even like me or do you just like sleeping with me sometimes and arguing with me all the rest of the time?”

He continued to watch her for a moment, almost waiting for her to tell him she was kidding. But when she just ran a nervous hand through her colored hair, he realized she wasn’t.

He waited for a group of kids all dressed in various Star Wars outfits to pass by them before he began. “I guess I thought I was clear, but obviously not enough… I don’t just want to sleep with you every couple of years and pretend we don’t like each other in between. I think we’ve already wasted enough time, don’t you?”

She nodded once his words sunk in.

“Can we go finish our pumpkin now? And win the stupid skeleton. So I can take both it and you home with me?”

Again, she nodded, but this time it was matched with a smile. “Who says I want to go home with you?”

He rolled his eyes and threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close enough to kiss the top of her head as he steered them back toward the front door. “Guess it’ll just be me and the skeleton then.”

They both glanced over at the giant thing stuck in the middle of Jason’s front yard, still attracting every young person like it was a princess at Disneyland, and then she looked up at him again. “On second thought, I might like to see that.”

He shook his head, opening the front door for them, “M’sure you would.”

[pascalpanic]

Caffeine Rush: Chapter Four / Irish Coffee

Pairing: Javier Peña x f!Reader

W/C: 3k

Warnings: alcohol, language, sexual harassment, physical fighting, Javi is a legend for this chapter/next lmao, reader wears makeup and heels but clothing is otherwise not described

A/N: HI I’m gonna forgo summaries for this series from now on, if anyone has an issue with that pls lmk and we can go back to it, I’m just sick of using like the same summary lmao! Hope you guys like it, idk when chapter 5 will come but somewhat soon!

previous chapter || next chapter || masterlist

Irish coffee: a cocktail consisting of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar, stirred, and topped with cream. The coffee is drunk through the cream.

Four nights after you first kissed Javier, and now many kisses later, Javier insists he take you to the one place he knows in D.C.: a nice bar in the downtown area. You’d spent the days visiting museums and monuments, giving him a tour of the Georgetown campus too. He’d hum along to the radio in your shitty car while you drove place to place. He surprised you with how much modern music he knew.

If the past four days have been getting to know Javier, privately becoming acquainted with each other’s minds and lips, tonight is some kind of grand exposition. Your brief whirlwind of a romance has been contained to your coffee shop and small restaurants off the beaten path. Javier is a well-connected man; he’s sure to know people downtown. From what he’s explained to you, he’s somewhat of a powerhouse in the DEA. Everyone downtown knows a version of the man, who goes by Agent Peña, but all you know is your Javi, your Javi who kisses you goodnight after buying you cupcakes, who drinks your peppermint mochas like it’s the nectar of the gods.

So, it’s safe to say you’re nervous. If he’s bringing you somewhere where he will know people, which he offhandedly told you, you’re going to be the living legend’s date for the night. As you stare into the mirror, your brow furrows in concentration, drawing a line across your eyelid with a pencil of kohl, your phone rings on the vanity in front of you. It makes you jump and the eye pencil drag upwards across your eyelid- most definitely not where you intended it to go. “Fuck!” you shout in annoyance and toss the pencil down. When you pick up, your voice shows your frustration. “Hello?” You ask sharply.

“Hey, abejita,” a smooth voice answers: who else but Javier. 

“Hi, Javi,” you sigh as you press the button, moving the call to the speakerphone. “You made me fuck up my eyeliner.”

“Sorry. Just calling to talk.”

His words make you smile and your ears feel warm as they rush with blood. You aren’t picking him up for another hour. “What, you couldn’t wait that long to talk?” You ask him, biting down on your painted lips with a smile. 

“No. I’m bored and I miss you.” It’s true, he thinks to himself. He hasn’t seen you all day. After spending the last three days in nearly 24-hour contact, he misses the sound of your laughter and the way your soft lips feel pressed against his stubbled cheek. 

“Well, I suppose it’s been…” you trail off as you calculate, “about 20 hours since I’ve seen you. I”m practically going through withdrawals,” you laugh, and it makes Javier’s chest warm to hear that beautiful sound, even through the tinny receiver of the hotel’s phone. “You know, if you have a cute nickname for me, I need to have something equally cute for you.”

“There’s a difference, abejita,” Javier teases, opening the hotel window to smoke out of. “You’re cute. I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

“I am many things, little bee, but I am not cute,” Javier chuckles as he sticks the cigarette between his lips and lights it up.

“Well, I think you are,” you refute in a stubborn tone. “You bought me cupcakes on our first date. That’s cute. You come to my work and bring me treats and kiss me in front of my coworkers. That’s cute too.”

Javier shakes his head. Sure, the things could be classified as cute, he supposes, but they’re not the normal Javier. Sexy, rude, intelligent, any of those words could describe him. He’s a playboy, a heartbreaker, and all in all is, by principle, a lone wolf. Well, he was. He’s been chasing Escobar for years and years… and now he’s dead. Maybe he can allow himself to start anew, and this new beginning has to have you in it.

He takes a slow drag from the cigarette, getting lost in his own thoughts and forgetting to answer. The silence makes you suspicious. “Javi? Did I lose you?”

The words snap him back to reality. “No, I’m here. I’m sorry, I… zoned out there.”

“Good,” you smile as you wipe off the messy eyeliner and apply a new, perfectly winged layer of the dark makeup. “I suppose I’ll just have to see what comes. Nicknames have to be earned, not given. Did you ever have any nicknames when you were little?” You ask as you brush a sparkling powder over your eyes.

Javier thinks for a second, almost to the point where you have to ask again if he’s there. That seems to be Javier’s biggest flaw so far. “No, not really. Sometimes the other kids would call me Peñita. Didn’t like that one,” he chuckles, and you can hear air rush past the microphone as he exhales the smoke into the ever-darkening D.C. sky. “My mom had all kinds of names for me, but they were the things you’d call a little kid.”

You nod, then realize he can’t see you and you need to speak. “That’s cute. Tell me about your parents,” you ask him as you continue to brush various makeup products across your face.

Javier shakes his head. “That’s more of an over-drinks topic, I think.”

“When have you ever held back information from me?” You scoff lightly, as if you’ve known him a thousand years. It hits you as you say it, the whirlwind this entire thing has been. You’ve known Javier for five days, and he’s already everything to you. And he’s going back to Colombia in 3 weeks. It makes your heart sink in your chest, and anxiety creeps in, the realization that he might not be falling as quickly as you are. Maybe it’s time to pull back a little, you tell yourself. He won’t be here long.

“Ha,” he says dryly and takes another drag from his cigarette. “Well, I’m ready when you are, if you want to come get me a little earlier.”

His emotionless tone makes you panic. You wonder if you just went somewhere you shouldn’t have by asking about his parents, if you’ve just crossed some line you didn’t know existed. You desperately want to ask him, to reassure yourself and get rid of the worry slowly collecting in your gut, but you don’t. You can’t. You shouldn’t. “I’m still getting ready,” you tell him, and it’s truthful. “I’ll be there at 7, like we said. Is that alright?” you ask. 

Javier blows a breath of smoke into the night, the cloud of smoke mingling with the heat puff of his breath. “Sounds good to me. I’ll leave you alone to get ready,” he tells you with a small smile.

“Alright. I’ll see you then. You’re wearing something nice, right?” You clarify one last time. 

“Whatever you wear will be beautiful on you. Don’t worry about it.” Javier, ever the king of flattery, looks down and appraises his own outfit. “But yes, I’m wearing something nice.”

You smile at the reassurance, looking down at the swirling colors of your makeup palette. “Well, thank you. I’ll see you in a bit.” -

You have to say you’re surprised at the level of refinement of the hotel. You’d expected the DEA would’ve put Javier at some shitty little hotel, but it’s surprisingly nice. You remember a few days ago, the sheer terror masked behind a stoic face, but you chuckle as you consider that this famed agent had very few context clue skills. This hotel is nice, a couple of stars at least. Why would they put him here if they were firing him?

Javier stubs out his cigarette in an ashtray when he sees your car approaching, straightening his sport coat. You hold back a grin as he walks over, but the fighting ends when you see him smile as he opens the door and slides in. 

“Hi,” you beam at him, and he leans across the center console, stealing a kiss.

“Hey.” He sneaks one more kiss, one that lasts a little longer and dares to use a bit of tongue. He only breaks away when you do with a laugh. 

“My foot is on the brake right now; be careful but kiss me one more time,” you ask of him with a grin, and he happily complies, cupping your face and kissing you. When he breaks away, your eyes open slowly and you can’t hold in your happiness. “Alright, now we’re going. You’ll have to guide me,” you tell him, and he nods. 

“Sure. You’re just going to go out of here and onto that street to the right,” he says and points the way for you.

Your car follows the path, nodding along to Javier’s instructions. “Jesus, that’s a fancy place. How much does that hotel cost a night?” You marvel as you stare at the gorgeous building in your rearview mirror.  

Javier shrugs. “I’m about to find out. They’re only paying for a few nights for me, then I’m on my own. I’m guessing it isn’t cheap,” he chuckles as he looks over his shoulder. “Or I might switch hotels. Don’t know yet.”

Frowning, you take a turn he’d earlier instructed you to follow. The hotel fades from sight, the dark blue of the December night filling your rearview instead. “Well, I know of a place you could stay for way cheaper.”

“Oh yeah?” He asks, adjusting in his seat to face toward you more. “What is that, pretty thing?” He asks, a hand resting on your thigh. 

“Stop,” you giggle and rest one hand atop of his. His fingers are much larger than yours, a fact that makes you shudder as his fingertips find bare skin there. “Pretty thing? That’s weak,” you tease, and Javier just rolls his eyes. “I was going to say you could stay with me, but now I’m not sure,” you say teasingly, eyes locked on the road and most certainly off of Javier. 

His brow furrows. “Well, I can pay you then.”

You shake your head. “Javi. We’re dating… aren’t we?” You ask, the hesitancy creeping into your voice. Now that you say it aloud, you’re not entirely sure that you are. “I mean, I don’t know, I just kind of thought,” you stumble over your speech, word-vomiting out whatever you can to backtrack. 

The man next to you tilts his head, but he nods. “I… I haven’t dated anyone in a long time,” he admits, his fingers starting to slowly grip your thigh rather than rest atop it. “Is this what dating is like to you?”

You nod too, knowing he’s watching you, staring down at the steering wheel. “I… yeah?”

A small smile cracks on his face, making the mustache there twitch softly. “Then I guess I’d say we’re dating. But that doesn’t matter, I don’t want to live in your place rent-free for three weeks.”

“It’s an extended vacation,” you chuckle and bring your hand back to the steering wheel to have two hands for a turn. “Don’t worry about it. I’d like having you around. We’ve already been together nonstop for a couple of days. What’s a little more?” You ask as you look over at him, seeing his eyes soften and his forehead relax from its tightened state. “And besides, any hotel is going to be painfully expensive right now. D.C. during the holidays makes the hotel rates skyrocket.”

He nods as you speak, processing the idea. “Well, do you have a guest room? I don’t want to invade your space, I can sleep on the couch if you don’t, or I can stay in a hotel.”

“Javier,” you chuckle, putting your own hand on his thigh to reassure him. “We’re not moving in together permanently. You’ll stay with me until you need to go back to Colombia, and that’s that.” Your mind has been made up. He can’t argue it, and he knows it from the firmness in your grip on his leg, in the way your body goes rigid as if the words are some formal deal that requires a handshake.

“How do you know I’m not some serial killer who does exactly this to lure you to your death?” Javier asks dryly as he looks over at you, lifting a hand to trace the side of your face slowly.

“Because you’re Javier Peña. Your name was in the newspaper next to Steve’s. You work for the DEA.”

“Some of the guys I work with could definitely be serial killers, that doesn’t discount anything,” Javier grumbles, which makes you laugh and makes him even grumpier. 

“The fact that you said that to me in the first place is my proof, Javi,” you chuckle and pat his thigh softly. “I’m an excellent judge of character. I just graduated from 7 straight years of studying psychology. Remember that?” Javier’s quiet and you know you’ve won. “Then tonight we’ll get your stuff after dinner and get you settled in my place. How does that sound?”

He’s quiet again, studying your face and the way your cheeks move with your lips, the way your brows rise and fall when he’s being ridiculous. He’s just as trained as you are, with 10+ years on you to prove his competence. You like him. You might even love him already, he thinks to himself. Your pretty lips purse at his silence and he finally cracks. “That sounds great, abejita.” Javier leans across the console to kiss your cheek, which makes you shiver softly, like any touch from the man does. “Thank you.”

“Thank me by buying me some drinks, huh?” You tease, turning back to focus on the road. 

-

The bar was nice. Really nice, you learned as you walked in. It projected the essence of Javier to you; naturally, you loved it from the moment you looked around. The room had a low ceiling and wood paneling around the walls, a floor that your short heels clacked upon as you walked to the only open stools- well, only one stool, you realized as you walked. Javier walked behind you, a hand on the small of your back, admiring your legs in the outfit you wore. 

When you finally found the available spot, where you’re now sipping a drink, you’d found that there was only one stool. 

“Do you want to go sit in the restaurant?” You asked Javier as you nodded with your head to the side of the establishment with tables and booths.

He shook his head and pulled out the stool. “You sit. I’ll stand.”

“Javi-”

“Just sit, abejita. I’ve been sitting all day. I can handle a little standing,” he chuckles and kisses your head, gesturing to the stool. When you sit, he smiles down at you and wraps his arms around you loosely from behind. You lean back against his strong chest.

Over the past few days, you and Javier have made infrequent contact, a hug in greeting or in goodbye and plenty of shared kisses. This, however, speaks directly to your touch-starved soul, the way his body practically encompasses you. He orders himself a whiskey and the drink you’d ordered on the first night you met him for you, then continues to stand there.

You crane your head around to look at him, smiling. “I love this place already,” you say, admiring the way you can hear over the hum of the other patrons and the quiet music playing. You’re much more accustomed to places your friends would drag you, where it was more for the cheap drinks than the atmosphere. 

The crow’s feet by his eyes are more pronounced as he smiles at you, but he looks even younger as his lips curve up softly. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Shit, is that Peña?” A loud voice calls from somewhere else in the building, and Javier turns, his face falling flat then smiling as he sees the voice behind it. 

“Be right back,” he murmurs and presses a kiss into the top of your head. 

It’s someone he recognizes, that’s for sure, as the man and Javier wrap their arms around each other and firmly pat the other’s back. “No shit! When did you get back to D.C., man?” The other guy asks. “Escobar just died and they’re already sending you back?”

The bartender delivers your drink, and you turn your back to Javier, thanking them and sipping at your liquor. Over your shoulder, you can hear the man and Javier talk shop, about Colombia and their days as DEA trainees, about Escobar’s recent death and Javi’s recent promotion. You glance over your shoulder at him, smiling as he easily talks with the group. You’ve not had the privilege of seeing Javier with his friends- or what seem to be his friends- yet, and he seems fairly social but humble. You appreciate that.

The talking goes on for a while, and you sip at your drink and look around the bar, appreciating the wood that makes a nice noise as your fingernails tap against it rhythmically. 

When your drink is about half-drained, the bartender sets another in front of you. It’s different from what you were drinking, a fluorescent neon color surely made by a mix of ridiculously fruity liqueurs. You look at the bartender with confusion and they nod to a man at the end of the bar. He’s not looking at you, which makes it all the easier to stare at the drink in confusion and disgust rather than drink it. His tie is absolutely egregious, boldly patterned in bright colors. There’s not an ounce of taste about this man.

The drink goes untouched, sitting in front of you as you study it. There seems to be layers, maybe, or maybe the mixed alcohols just congealed awkwardly. You sip your drink and then Javier’s whiskey, refusing to drink whatever fucking concotion sits in front of you.

Five or ten more minutes pass of Javier talking with his friends. You don’t mind- you know the feeling of catching up with people you haven’t seen in a long time. In that time, the drink remains untouched, and you ask the bartender for a refill of your go-to drink.

Not long after the second one arrives, you feel a hand on the curve of your back. You turn, hoping it’s Javier, and instead find it to be the man at the end of the bar who ordered you the drink: Tie Guy. Panic sets in immediately and you arch your back to dodge the hand, which only follows your spine. “Hey. Thought you’d like this drink. You tried it yet?” The man asks, voice clearly showing that he knows you haven’t. 

“No,” you say with a swallow, turning away from him. “Not exactly my style.”

“I thought it was such a pretty drink for such a pretty thing.”

Pretty thing. When Javier called you that earlier, even though the name wasn’t one you liked, it was at least endearing. To hear it again, dripping with sleaze and ill intentions, you shiver and push it further away. “I’m sorry, sir, it’s not my type of drink. My boyfriend will be right back, and-” you try, hating the defense you try to pull.

“He drinks whiskey,” Tie Guy says and gestures to Javier’s ¾ full glass. “No fun. Boring. Too manly, pretentious. Real men can drink something fun like these and not need to worry about someone thinking they don’t have a set of balls,” he says and his fingers trace the rim of the martini glass the concoction sits in. Now you’re definitely not drinking it, now that he’s touched it. 

“Please, I’m not interested,” you try, turning around to face the man that towers over your seated body. “I’d appreciate it if-”

“Hey,” a familiar voice- thank fuck, it’s Javier- calls from behind you. “Excuse me,” he says and pushes Tie Guy out of the way, his arm wrapping around you. It’s a relief, a grip meant entirely for comfort and not for the coercion the man across from you had tried. You melt into it instantly. “She said to back the fuck off, or could you not fucking tell?” He hisses at the man. Javier pulls away from you, stepping towards the man who instinctively steps back.

“Whiskey drinker,” the man snorts and rolls his eyes. “So manly, so over the top. Gotta let everyone know that you’re the alpha, the dominant male, huh?” He asks, getting in Javier’s face. He’s taller than your Javier, but lankier. The fact that Javier could take him crosses your mind, though you hope desperately that it doesn’t come to that.

“What I drink doesn’t fucking matter,” Javier says and shoves his chest. “What matters is that you’re fucking harassing my girlfriend. Back the fuck off,” he says and turns from the man, back to you, his hand on your upper arm. “You okay?” he asks quietly, and you respond with a nod and a forced, close-lipped smile.

“Yep, go ahead, go back to your little prude,” the man laughs drunkenly, his voice full of vitriol. “Oh, no, I bet she loves to act all shy, but then she’s a kinky little thing in bed, isn’t she?” He asks, taunting Javier. “Ties your ass up and whips you, with that sass. I wonder if she-”

The sentence isn’t finished. Javier’s fist flies through the air and connects with the man’s face, followed by a loud, ringing thud as the taller body hits the floor.

-

caffeine rush taglist:

@remmysbounty @mishasminion360 @blo0dangel @binarydanvvers  @sleep-tight1 @apascalrascal @randomness501 @spideysimpossiblegirl @notabotiswear @pedro-pastel @sanchosammy @lv7867 @greeneyedblondie44 @hunnambabe @astoryisaloveaffair @emesispo @pedritobalmando @magikfanatic @yooforia @oceanablue @sara-alonso @pedrosmustache @feelingmadclever @hnt-escape @radiowallet @obsessivelysearching @sugarontherims @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan @linnie0119 @1800-fight-me @autumnleaves1991-blog @toilet-keeper @evelynseventyr @metalarmsandmanbuns @shannababyy @sambucky21 @princess76179 @starless-eyes-remain @theorganasolo @jagi-yaaa @mrsparknuts @tacticalsparkles

[jeonsjiddies]

Like I'm Gonna Lose You | jhs (m)

Summary - After a terrifying dream, you decide to show Hoseok how much he means to you.

Word Count - 3346

Pairing - Hoseok x reader

Genre - smut

Warnings - nightmares, mentions of death(in nightmare), assault (in nightmare) dirty talk, oral (f and m receiving), fingering, implied sex

a/n: another re-write from a previous fandom. :)

You were running, running as fast as your legs could carry you, but you weren’t moving. You were stuck in place, frozen. You pushed and pulled and tried to break free but you were bonded to the muddy grass. Hoseok stood up ahead, blissfully unaware of what was happening. You screamed, you screamed until your lungs burned but no sound escaped your lips. Your silence in that moment would haunt you until your dying breath. The panic rising in your throat made it hard to breathe. No, no no!

“HOBI! RUN! PLEASE!” you tried to warn him.

You tried. But it wasn’t enough. You didn’t save him. The masked killers came out from the shadows like flashes of lighting, silent and deadly. It took five of them to hold Hoseok down. He kicked and thrashed and screamed and fought but he was outnumbered. They pinned your boyfriend down, digging into his pockets and holding his own switchblade in the air. It caught a ray of light and shone in the dark, damp forest. He tried to pry his way out of their relentless grip, to no avail. You felt like you were going to throw up. You used every bit of strength you had to try and release from whatever invisible hold you were in, but nothing worked. It felt like tree limbs had grown up from the soggy dirt and wrapped themselves around your legs, your arms. You were trapped, a caged animal. Just like Hoseok. He couldn’t escape either.

The switchblade was held in the air, then thrust down into Hoseok’s chest. He cried out in agony, and so did you. You were being held captive, forced to watch the worst horror movie you could possibly imagine: the death of the love of your life. Dark red filled the fabric on his favorite flannel shirt and you choked on your sobs, as one of the masked men continued to pull the knife out, then sink it back into Hoseok’s flesh, over and over and over again until he stopped struggling. He looked over at you in his final moments, eyes locked with yours. You were the last thing he saw before his body went limp and the men screeched out a victory.

“One freak down. Let’s move boys,” the leader grinned with no remorse.

As soon as they were gone, the invisible cage you were locked in vanished and you rushed to Hoseok’s side, throwing yourself on his lifeless body as the sobs racked through yours.

“No no NO!” you screamed. “I tried to warn you baby, I tried to save you. I couldn’t fucking move! I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. Please come back to me. PLEASE HOBI!”

The silence that answered you was deafening, and you could literally feel your heart shattering in your chest, little pieces of the broken thing falling into the pit of your stomach. You were covered in his blood, and it was on your hands. You didn’t save him.

You woke up, gasping for air. You sat in your bed, breathing heavily. There were already tears on your cheeks, and remembering that awful dream you’d just escaped, more tears poured from your eyes and your body shook with sobs. You looked next to you, where Hoseok was sound asleep. He had a small smile on his lips, and you watched his chest rise and fall with the intake of air, your heart stilling in your chest. Just a dream. It was just a dream. Your hand tenderly found his face, and you caressed his tan skin, with the light stubble he refused to shave. He said it made him feel manlier.

You giggled to yourself, replaying that conversation in your head, and the burning in your stomach started again. You choked back tears to no avail, because they sprang from your eyes again. What if you really lost him? What if you couldn’t wake up next to him anymore? You couldn’t fathom a life without the sweet, lively, hardworking and loveable man. You bit down hard on your bottom lip to try and stop crying, but it was no use. You loved him so much, and the thought of losing him just made you want to die yourself.

“Y/N?” he groggily asked, one eye opening to peek at you, “why are you awake?”

“I just had a freaky dream,” you tried to sound normal so you didn’t worry him, but your voice shook.

He immediately sat up, turning so his body was facing you.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern laced in his voice.

You couldn’t take it anymore, you broke down in sobs, and he gathered you into his arms without missing a beat. He held you close while you cried into his chest. He gently rubbed your back, trying to soothe you. You weren’t sure which feeling was more overwhelming at that point: the sheer terror of ever losing him or the blissful relief that you hadn’t, that he was still here with you, alive and holding you in those safe warm arms you called home. He kissed the top of your head and rocked you back and forth until you’d calmed down enough to explain why you had burst into hysterics at 3am.

“Wanna tell me what happened, baby?” he asked softly.

“I had a dream you died,” you explained.

“It was just a dream, I’m right here. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Hobi , it’s not funny.” you sniffled.

“What happened in the dream?” he coaxed, sensing you needed to talk about it.

“Gosh Hobi, it was awful. We were in the forest,” you began, spelling out all the gory details for your boyfriend, who listened intently and let you talk.

“That’s intense,” he finally said when you’d finished, barely fighting off tears as you relayed the dream to him.

You nodded, reaching over and grabbing a tissue from the nightstand, wiping your eyes and blowing your nose, not caring how unattractive it was. You were fragile and felt like any wrong move could shatter you right then.

“Baby, I know that was scary, but it wasn’t real. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere,” he assured you, holding you close. “Do you want to try and go back to sleep?”

“Can we cuddle?”

Hobi nodded, laying down and opening his arms for you. You snuggled close to him, letting the sound of his beating heart drown out all the fears inside you. You fell asleep with his warmth wrapped around you, and his heart singing your favorite lullaby.

Even though you were exhausted, you woke up before Hobi; and even though the dream wasn’t real, the possibility was. You’d decided that you were going to treat him like a king, like it was the last moment you’d ever spend together. You were going to treat every day like your last day with him. You were going to love him like you were going to lose him.

You slipped out of bed quietly, tiptoeing into the kitchen, being as quiet as you could while you made his favorite breakfast. The aroma of the food filled the whole apartment, and it was making your mouth water. You fixed Hobi a plate and put it on a tray with orange juice and carried it into the bedroom, setting it on your bedside table. You climbed into bed, peppering soft kisses all over his face, gently waking him from his slumber.

“Mmmm…” he smiled, eyes opening and focusing on you, “good morning beautiful.”

“Good morning,” you giggled, pressing a real kiss to his lips.

“Oh gosh, what smells so good?”

“Your favorite,” you grinned, standing and handing him the tray, then cuddling up to his side.

“Breakfast in bed?” he grinned, then his face fell with panic, “did I forget our anniversary or something?”

“No, silly. I just wanted to do something nice for you,” you laughed.

“Aw, thanks baby,” he grinned, digging in.

You watched him, eating your breakfast but focusing more on Hobi, memorizing everything he did, the way he moved, the sound of his breathing, how he ate. You wanted to remember it all, just in case. He glanced over at you a few times, making silly faces. You giggled and continued to watch him, full of awe and love and wonder.

“Why are you staring at me?” he laughed.

“I love you.” you shrugged.

“Is it because of that dream?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“No! Maybe… yes. But I should be doing this stuff anyway, you’re so amazing and so good to me, you deserve to be treated the same way,” you explained.

“Babe you don’t have to do all this.”

“I know. I want to,” you smiled, gathering the dirty dishes and walking them into the kitchen and washing them.

“Let me help.” Hobi bumped his hip into yours.

“I got it, you go relax baby,” you reached up on your tiptoes to kiss him.

“Y/N…” he trailed off, sighing.

“Seriously, I got this. Go relax. You can make it up to me later,” you wiggled your eyebrows suggestively.

He smirked and smacked your ass before walking into the living room and settling into the couch, turning on the TV. You watched him walk away. I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave. You thought to yourself, admiring his perky butt and broad back. His broad shoulders were bare, he’d slept shirtless and he was wearing basketball shorts slung low on his hips, letting his boxers peek out of the top.

He had no idea how sexy he looked, with his wild sleep-mussed hair, smooth tan skin, and those lips. Oh, his lips. You could write an erotic novel just based on his lips and the things they could do. You smirked to yourself, finishing the dishes and following him into the living room.

You decided you’d have a little fun with him today and snuck away into the bedroom, putting on your best lingerie, and styling your hair the way you knew he liked best. You put on a little bit of subtle makeup, just enough to enhance what was already there so you couldn’t tell it was on if you weren’t looking for it.

You quietly walked back to the living room, sliding in next to Hobi on the couch. He didn’t look in your direction, but he slid an arm around your shoulders. You didn’t blame him - the best part of the crime drama he was watching was on the screen, where they determine who the killer really was. Turns out, it was the jealous mistress. Typical, yet still alluring.

“I KNEW IT!” he grinned, looking over at you for the first time since you’d returned.

His eyes grew wide as he took in your outfit and you bit your lip nervously, looking up at him through your lashes, and leaning forward slightly to show off your cleavage. He visibly gulped, eyes roaming hungrily over your frame.

“You look so fucking sexy in that,” he said, voice thick with desire, eyes turning dark.

“You look sexy in everything, so I guess we’re even,” you fired back.

“You always know exactly what to say.”

You giggled and climbed over onto his lap, straddling him and running your hands slowly down his chest, and his eyes followed your every movement. His body was enticing, he was like a greek god in your opinion. He was a work of art, exquisite, delicious, absolutely mouth watering, and he was all yours. You intended to fully worship his body the way it deserved. You wanted to show him how much he meant to you, how much you cared for him, and how devastatingly sexy he was.

If the damp pool in your underwear didn’t alert him to how he affected your body, the look in your eyes had to. The insatiable thirst you had for him apparent in your gaze. His sturdy chest rose quickly as his breathing became shallow, trying to keep his composure as you started grinding against him, trailing your hands all along his torso. You were teasing him, taunting him, but you both knew the end result would be worth it. The more foreplay, the better the sex. He groaned as your fingers traced lazily over his hardened member, and you smirked to yourself.

You pushed him back onto the arm of the couch, leaving searing kisses along any patch of skin you could reach, your nails gently scratching a trail following your mouth, which you knew he loved. He loved having marks from you, proving he was yours as much as he loved leaving marks on you, and showing the world that you belonged to him. He was agonizingly hard and could barely focus on anything but the way you looked, devouring his body slowly.

You licked lines around each of his abs, and he let his head fall back at the sensation washing over him. It was all he could do not to pick you up and slam you down into the couch, take control and fuck you into next week. But, in true Hoseok fashion, he was respectful and let you follow your plan. You nipped at the skin above his shorts, and he actually whimpered. The great Jung Hoseok actually whimpered, he wanted you so badly. You pulled his shorts and boxers down, and he lifted his hips to help you, like the gentleman he was.

His cock sprung free and slapped against his stomach, swollen, aching, and ready. The tip was leaking pre-cum and you licked your lips seductively before pressing soft kisses to the tip, bold strokes of your tongue following. He groaned, writhing under your touch. Your hand found his balls and played with them while you sunk your mouth over his throbbing erection, a hiss erupting from his delicious lips. You hummed a response, the vibrations doing him in almost as much as the feeling of your warm lips wrapped around his aching cock.

You started bobbing your head up and down, swirling your tongue around the base at the same time, driving him absolutely insane. His moans were music to your ears, encouraging you to keep going. Your hands worked in time with your mouth, occasionally offbeat just to spice it up as you sucked and bobbed and swirled your way around him, bringing him closer to the edge with each passing moment. He groaned loudly, his cock tensing, and you knew it was almost time so you doubled down on your efforts, and soon, he was shooting into your mouth, and you took it all, swallowing and licking your lips before lifting your eyes to meet his gaze.

His face had a sheen of sweat on it, and he looked spent. His breathing was ragged and he just had this shit eating grin on his lips as he stared at you, eyes wide and joyful. You climbed up to lay on his chest, taking a break. But this sex-capade was far from over. He wrapped his arms around you, both of you sticky. You smiled into the soft kiss he pressed to your swollen lips.

“You’re so good at that, babygirl,” he praised you.

“I can’t help myself, you’re just so delectable,” you teased, booping his nose.

He rolled his eyes but couldn’t wipe the satisfied smile off his face. You kissed his cheek, his forehead, his nose, his lips. He laughed, loving all the attention from you, but very much wanting to return the favor. He flipped you over, pinning you down on the couch, not that you would have dreamed of trying to break free of his hold. You loved being underneath him, feeling how big and powerful he was. He tortured you the same way you’d tortured him, leaving hot, wet kisses down your neck and collarbone, sucking love marks along the way, nibbling at your sensitive spots. You loved how he kissed your body, how he knew exactly how to please you, where all your favorite spots were.

He treated you like a princess and you loved him for that and a million other reasons, but you couldn’t really focus on those at the moment, not with his lips causing that familiar fire to grow in your core. No man had ever touched you like Hoseok touched you, no man had ever made you feel the way he did. He was a magician, a wizard, a sex-god. His hands traveled along your sides, up to your breasts, and he gave your nipples a gentle squeeze through the thin fabric of your lingerie. You moaned his name, praising him for how good he was to you.

“Fuck, Hobi. You always feel so good,” you encouraged.

“Mmm. You like that, babygirl?” he grinned, looking up at you, a brief halt on the ambush of your body.

“Love it, love you so much,” you told him.

“I love you too, Y/N.”

He pulled your lingerie top off and began kissing along your breast, sucking harshly on the nipple, causing your back to arch off the couch and into his touch. More. His teeth grazed along the already hyper-aware nub, and you bit down on your bottom lip harshly, groaning inwardly. Once he’d decided he’d tortured your breasts enough, he slowly made his way down your stomach, hot breath fanning over your aching, soaked core. You shivered, trying to stay still and not yank his head down. He used his teeth to pull down the panties of your lingerie, and you nearly came from that sight alone. You watched him eagerly as he tore them from your trembling body, tossing them aside carelessly.

His tongue slithered along your folds, teasing you. You whined loudly, showing your displeasure of having to wait, and he chuckled.

“So impatient, baby,” he chastised.

“Only for you.”

He smirked and his tongue dove into your heat, pressing flat against your clit in broad, slow licks. It was almost disrespectful, how slow and tantalizing he was being. Two fingers entered you, curling just right to hit your g spot every time. He took his time, paced himself, slowly bringing you closer to your high. You wiggled on his fingers, trying to get him to speed up, but his tongue and fingers kept their slow assault.

“Patience, my love,” he cooed.

You whimpered in frustration but agreed, and soon, the rumbling deep down in your core was becoming less of a rumble and more of a roar as your release quickly approached. Your walls began to clench, and only then did he speed up, bringing you the most intense euphoric feeling you’d ever experienced in your life. You saw a flash of white light when your eyes screwed shut, you felt like your soul was leaving your body. Maybe that’s why the French called orgasms “the little death”. It crashed over you and you were drowning in ecstasy. When you came back down, Hoseok slowly pulled his fingers out, and leaned up to kiss your lips. You could barely breathe, let alone speak. He laughed at your disheveled state.

“That’s how I felt after you gave me the blowjob of a lifetime,” he winked.

“Remind me to do that more often,” you breathed out, “I kinda like the payback.”

“I do too,” he wiggled his eyebrows.

“I’m so fucking lucky to have you,” you gushed, crushing him in a hug.

“I’m the lucky one, babygirl,” he countered.

You grinned mischievously, biting down on his lip as he kissed you, riling him up again. You both spent the day making dirty memories in every room of the apartment, enjoying each other's company, and spending quality time together. You loved every second of it, and Hoseok did too. By the time the sun went down, you were both completely wrecked, falling asleep as soon as your heads hit the pillows. That night, you only dreamt happy dreams, about life with Hobi and how happy you were that he was yours.

[witcherslittledove]

All Tied Up

Joey Batey/Henry Cavill RPF - Also on AO3

Rating: E

Summary: All of the things Joey had expected from his first day back on set, he hadn't expected to spend the morning in a harness and chained up. And he really hadn't expected Henry to be staring at him like that. It was going to be a hard day.

CW: Light spoilers for Blood of Elves, bondage, references to torture (for Jaskier not Joey), exhibitionism, masturbation, hand jobs, frottage, multiple orgasms

Thanks to @jaskiertheflowertwink for being my beta!

__________

Joey tugged at the cuffs of Jaskier’s doublet, it felt strange to be back on set after so many months away, trapped in his flat with Madeleine. Luckily, Jaskier was an easy character to settle into, almost like a second skin. The bard was eager to come out and play, taking the edge off of Joey’s anxiety. With Jaskier, he almost forgot how much he fucking hated other people. Still, not even Jaskier could save him from first day nerves, and Lauren hadn’t started his shoot off easy. Joey was diving straight into a torture scene, and he would be spending the majority of the day hung up from the ceiling in ropes and shackles, waiting for darling Anya to come and save him. It wouldn’t be real of course, there would be harnesses and all sorts of wires to make sure he wasn’t injured, but it wouldn’t be comfortable. The harness was already bulking out his costume, and chafing the insides of his thighs.

 And after the mess of the pandemic, Joey wasn’t sure how he felt about losing control and being trapped for the afternoon. It unnerved him. He wanted to be free, and thought of the shackles around his wrists just… nope.

 “Hey?” Henry came up from behind him, a hand squeezing his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

 “What? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I’m fine,” Joey mumbled, staring up at the set. “First day back and all. It’s like being back at school.”

 “You’ll be fine, Joey. You’re an incredible actor and I couldn’t ask for a better bard,” Henry reassured him, his voice low and gravelly in Joey’s ear. It was unreasonably hot. Honestly, Joey knew that Henry was fucking Superman but did he really have to be so godlike, and on top of that he was a complete dork.

 Perhaps Joey could invite him to a D&D game once they were done shooting season two. Would that be too weird? It was probably too weird. They were just colleagues. Christ, Joey hadn’t even seen Henry since they’d finished promoting the show the year before. He really needed to get a grip, and ignore Jaskier’s voice in the back of his head. They were not best friends, and Henry would not want to play a shitty Dungeons and Dragons game with him.

 Okay. Not shitty. His games were pretty fucking brilliant, but Henry would be too busy with his PC games, and his War Hammer and whatever cooler nerd stuff that he got up to in between his work outs and eating far too many chicken breasts and smoothies.

 Jesus Christ, he missed Madeleine.

 He didn’t say any of that aloud, no, that was for the safety of his own thoughts, racing at a million miles per hour. Instead, he channeled Jaskier and laughed, hiding his anxiety behind the more confident mask that had fooled millions of people into loving him. “Now, now, witcher,” he teased. “We both know you don’t mean that, what was it you said? If life could give me one blessing.”

 “Oh fuck that, we’ve both read the books,” Henry groused, rolling his eyes.

 His very, very blue eyes. He was in full make-up except for the yellow contacts and it was just weird to see Henry’s eyes looking back at him from Geralt’s face. It was confusing. Were they Henry and Joey right now? Or Geralt and Jaskier?

 Perhaps a weird blend of the two.

 And it was only the first fucking day.

 Joey chuckled, “Yeah, talking of which, why are you here, Henry? I don’t recall Geralt being Jaskier’s Prince Charming in this scene.”

 Henry shrugged. “It’s your first day, I wanted to see how you are.”

 Joey swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling dry, and he flicked his fringe from his eyes, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He wanted to run his hands through his hair but the poor hair and make-up team would have his balls in a vice if he tried. It was bad enough that he kept pulling at his costume, but luckily he seemed to have made fidgeting into a characteristic for Jaskier. He grinned, settling back into the character more than ever. “So, you came to see me all tied up?”

 Henry, the bastard, winked. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

 Joey squeaked, feeling his cheeks heat up beneath the make-up. He tried to laugh it off but holy fucking cock balls… was Henry actually flirting with him? And about bondage of all things. Fuck. He was not going to survive the day, not if Henry was watching him.

 No. It was going to be fine. He was an actor, a professional. He wasn’t going to get hard on set just because his unfairly attractive co-star was watching him. The harness was uncomfortable. He’d probably be in pain and there would be an entire crew watching him. There was absolutely no reason to get hard.

 So… naturally… he got hard.

 Getting into the rigging was awkward and possibly the least sexy thing he had ever done in his entire life, which was really saying something. The shackles around his wrist didn’t hurt at first but his arms became tired quickly. He opted to stay in the rigging as much as he could between takes though. It was better for continuity and, well, if he was being truly honest with himself, he was enjoying the way Henry looked at him. It was intense, not dissimilar to how Geralt looked at Yennefer whenever she entered the room, but this time that burning desire wasn’t directed at Anya, it was directed at him… and Henry wasn’t acting.

 It was all incredibly distracting, but having Henry there made him completely forget about his previous anxiety of being tied up for the morning. Something about the other actor’s presence was grounding and Joey trusted Henry not to let him get hurt, more than he trusted the crew, which was completely stupid and probably the result from some teenage crush. He was lucky that he only flubbed his lines a couple of times, and by the time Yennefer flew into the room, he was aching and desperate to return to his trailer.

 He’d never been so grateful for Jaskier’s baggy clothes.

 “Ah, umm, Lauren?” he stammered, rubbing his wrists. They were sore, and he really needed to stretch out his arms, maybe have a nap too. Fuck, he was really out of shape. Lockdown had really been a curse. “Can we take a breather?” he asked, scratching the back of his neck and giving the showrunner a sheepish smile. “I umm.. I need a break.”

 “Oh yeah, sure. You’ve done brilliant work today, Joey. Let’s take a half hour everyone!”

 Joey all but ran back to his trailer, shuffling awkwardly as he tried to hide his erection as best he could. Occasionally he stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders back so that if anyone saw him then they would think he just needed to recover from the physical exertion of being strung up like a puppet for most of the morning. He was sure that he looked like a state, his doublet was torn and bloody and his shirt barely covering his torso. The makeup team had had far too much fun spraying him with fake blood and dirt. He hadn’t been allowed to shave for a couple of days and heavy film makeup was caked on his face, making him seem bloodied and bruised. His lips itched from where they had been made to look split…

 And everyone was staring at him.

 Fuck.

 He supposed he was usually the one that wasn’t covered in shit. The worst he’d had was the djinn wound from season one, but normally he was all bright doublets and smiles. Sometimes a little bit mucky, but nothing like this.

 And Jesus Christ, he really needed a wank.

 Why on god’s earth had Henry been staring at him like that? Did the bastard know how it affected him? He probably knew. Fuck, cocking shit balls! He was in trouble. Joey was still trying to break into the industry, if fucking Superman lodged a sexual harassment complaint against him then he was done for. He’d never work again…

 But then again, Henry hadn’t been looking at him like he was angry. No, he’d been looking at him like he wanted to eat Joey alive, get down on his knees and get his mouth around Joey’s cock whilst he’d still been suspended in the rigging, the shackles caught around his wrists, unable to move…

 “Fucking cock!” Joey slammed through the door to his trailer, fiddling with the fastenings of Jaskier’s trousers as soon as he was inside. His cock was already leaking in his boxers, throbbing and desperate for relief. He bit back a moan as he thumbed the slit, collecting the precum on his fingers and sliding it down the length of his cock. Waves of pleasure washed over him, and he closed his eyes, picturing Henry’s blue eyes, dark and wanting, his pretty pink lips stretched around Joey’s cock.

 He barely managed to stumble to the bed, his legs shaking, head already spinning. It wasn’t going to take him long, he’d been far too keyed up all morning, and with Henry at the forefront of his mind, he was tumbling towards his orgasm faster than he would have liked. Joey moaned, biting his lip as he stroked his cock, the memories of the day fuelling his fantasies. It felt so fucking good and soon he felt a familiar tug at his core.

 “Joey, are you alright?”

 “Shit!” Joey gasped as he came all over his hand, but the pleasure seeped from his body, leaving him feeling hollow and dissatisfied, “For fuck’s sake, Henry! Fucking knock!”

 Henry was staring back at him, blue eyes, silver hair, sleeves rolled up to his elbows and looking like a fucking god. The bastard smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest, raising an eyebrow. Joey had a sinking feeling in his chest.

 “You- you did knock?”

 Henry chuckled, his low gravelly laugh that sent shivers down Joey’s spine. There was a reason he spent much of their time on set trying to make Henry laugh. It was a gorgeous and beautiful sound, and Joey was completely addicted. He would quite happily spend the rest of his life trying to make Henry laugh… although that made him sound a lot more infatuated than he actually was, right?

 They were just friends.

 And Henry was a very attractive friend, friend? Co-star? Fuck!

 “I am      so    sorry, Henry,” Joey whined, pulling a pillow in front of his face to try and hide his embarrassment but Henry wasn’t having any of it. He sat down next to Joey on the bed, gently pulling the pillow from his hands.

 “Don’t apologise,” he said hoarsely, “I shouldn’t have walked in. I heard you moaning. It wasn’t exactly a hard jump to make… pun intended.”

 Despite himself, Joey snorted and whacked Henry on the arm with his clean hand. “You arse!”

 “What?”

 “I’m actually dying of embarrassment and you’re making dick jokes!”

 Henry smirked. “Sorry, I thought you’d be up to it.”

 “Fuck off!”

 “Oh come now, Joey.. it’s just a joke.”

 Joey whined. “I hate you.”

 And then Henry was suddenly in his space, so close that he could feel the warm tingle of the other actor’s breath on his cheeks. Lips brushed against his ear, and despite already cumming, he felt heat prickle over his skin and he mouth was dry. “I don’t think you do,” Henry whispered, his voice dropping to a low base, not dissimilar to the accent he used for Geralt.

 Joey took a shaky breath, very aware that his cock was still on display, covered in his spend, already twitching, trying to get hard again. “What- What are you doing, Henry?”

 “Tell me to stop, Joey, I’ll leave and we never have to talk about it,” Henry breathed, pressing a kiss to Joey’s neck, nosing along his jaw.

 “I-I… no. Don’t stop…”

 “Seeing you today, chained up, Christ, Joey. It was so fucking hot, and then you were hard. I bet you could hardly resist cumming in your pants like a fucking teenager, and with everyone watching you,” Henry growled in his ear, the actors fingers now stroking along Joey’s thighs, higher, creeping closer to his slowly hardening cock. Joey whined, pressing his head into Henry’s shoulder, “but I think you like that, don’t you Joey?”

 His cheeks flushed red, burning hot right up to his ears. “Fuck off.”

 “Or was it just me watching you?”

 “Hnnng.”

 “Can I touch you?” Henry asked, his voice sounding almost as wrecked as Joey felt, “We don’t have long but, god, I’ve been wanting to touch you since you walked into the reading room that first day all those years ago.”

 “Wh-what?”

 “You seemed so shy, then you started reading and you just melted into Jaskier’s character. It was fucking amazing. You’re amazing.”

 Joey whimpered. “Henry, please.”

 And then Henry’s hand finally wrapped around his cock. The effect was instantaneous. Joey keened, bucking into Henry’s hand as his second orgasm began to build, his poor cock already sensitive but he was craving more, he wanted to feel that overwhelming pleasure that had been so cruelly stolen from him. Henry covered Joey’s hand with his own, gathering a mess of sticky white fluid and then continued to stroke down the length of Joey’s cock.

 “Can I kiss you?”

 “Hmm.. uh huh.. Yup,” Joey stammered, lost to his pleasure, his head feeling hazy, almost floaty, but he didn’t need anymore words as Henry’s lips crashed against his. Moans and grunts and gasps were muffled by the kiss, and Henry shifted on the bed so he was sitting over Joey, one of Joey’s legs pressed against his clothed cock.

 If Joey had any more sense left in him, he might have offered to get Henry off at the same time, but he was too far gone, babbling nonsense in between kisses, curses, moans, wordless cries. Henry seemed more than happy to thrust against his leg, grunting as he moved to suck kisses onto Joey’s neck.

 “Henry, god! Oh fuck!” Joey keened, his back arching off the bed. “I-I… fuck!”

 His eyes squeezed shut as he came, sparks flying across his vision and his head rolled back onto the pillow. His energy seemed to drain as the waves of pleasure took over his body, Henry’s hand stroking him through his orgasm, still rutting against his leg until he came with a strangled moan. Henry collapsed on top of Joey, breathing heavily, silver strands of hair getting in Joey’s mouth and eyes.

 “Urgh, get off me,” he groaned. “Heavy and you have so much fucking hair!”

 “Blame Sapkowski,” Henry grumbled but rolled over, lying next to him on the bed.

 They both stared up at the ceiling, panting as they tried to catch their breaths. It should have felt weird, fucking his apparently not straight co-star in the middle of takes… but, well, it sort of just felt right?

 Joey laughed, turning to face Henry. “Make-up are gonna kill us.”

 “Costume too,” the other actor groaned.

 “And Lauren if we don’t get back…”

 “Yeah.”

 Their eyes met and it was no use. They both reached for each other, their lips meeting once more in a feverish kiss. It wouldn’t hurt if they were a little late… right?

[nano--raptor]

Say My Name

Pairing: Charles Blackwood x Reader

Word count: 1092

Warnings: Cursing, smut, sex, Charles being irresistably sexy, more smut!

A/N: Written for @the-ss-horniest-book-club​ Drunk Drabbles on Quarantine, for this prompt sent in by @prunes-said-bucky​, thank you for the delicious inspo!! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

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Charles had been eyeing you all night at the dinner party. It was subtle, he was excellent at keeping a neutral face, exchanging pleasantries with the other guests, but you could see the fire in his eyes every time he looked at you. It had started at home already when he walked into the room as you were sitting at your makeup table, applying the finishing touches on your makeup. He’d paused and stared, taking in your whole look, red dress, hair updo, and makeup, complete with red lipstick - his favorite. You smiled sweetly and stood, crossing the room to him and straightening his tie.

“Ready to go, my love?” He smiled and held out his arm for you.

“Of course darling.”

The party had gone off without a hitch, an engagement party for a good family friend of yours. The food was excellent and the wine was delicious, and it was nice to be in the company of friends. As the night wound down you started feeling butterflies in your stomach every time Charles’ eyes met yours, and you started seeing a small, playful smirk on his lips. The drive home was calm, his hand rested on your thigh, and your hand on top of his, but all bets were off once you got into the house. You barely made it through the door before Charles slammed it and was pressing you up against the wall, his mouth on yours. He caged you in against the wall, swallowing your gasp of surprise and subsequent moans, no longer masking his hunger and desperation.

Pressing himself against you, Charles slipped his knee between your thighs, hand coming down to your waist, his other cupping your face.

“So gorgeous tonight,” he murmured between kisses. “Could hardly keep my hands off you.” His praise made you blush, and you raised your hands to his shoulders, gently fingering the edge of his collar.  You gasped his name as his mouth attacked your throat and he paused, pulling back to look at you with dark eyes.

“Say my name again.”

“Charles,” you breathed, looking up at him through your lashes. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth with a groan, before picking you up almost roughly and carrying you to the bedroom. Dropping you onto the bed you giggled as you bounced, and Charles pulled away to rid himself of his jacket before crawling over you. He kissed you again, hot and heavy, and his hand trailed up your leg and beneath your dress. Your hands flew to his collar again, loosening his tie and fumbling to undo the buttons of his shirt. He growled against your lips as his fingers brushed over your core, hot and so wet for him already. Another sigh escaped your lips and you pushed his shirt off his shoulders, smoothing your hands down his back as his own reached to find the zipper of your dress.

Slowly dragging the zipper down, Charles trailed his lips down your throat and over your shoulders as your silky skin was uncovered. You couldn’t help your soft moans as his lips traced over your skin, warm and hungry for more of you. Shimmying out of your dress at his prompting, he sat back on his heels to admire your form before reaching to undo his belt. The lingerie you’d worn tonight was the icing on the cake for Charles, he loved it. He fumbled with his belt and you sat up, kneeling and pressing your lips softly to his. Your hands covered his and you helped him, undoing his belt and pants. Slipping your fingers beneath the waistband of his underwear, he growled now with renewed vigor, his hands flying to your waist, fingering the edge of your lace underwear. 

“Turn around,” he said, voice husky, and you did, sending him a sultry look over your shoulder. He rid himself of his pants and ran his hand along your spine before bending you over at the waist. He trailed his fingers down between your legs and brushed them against your heat, nudging your underwear aside and sliding them through your dripping folds.

 “Mmm, sugar, you’re so wet,” he moaned, his voice low and hungry. “Just for me, you sweet thing.” Your hips backed into his hand, craving more of him, his touches and kisses almost too teasing. “Yes, please baby,” your moans deepened as you felt the tip of his cock nudge against your entrance, gathering some of the wetness before he slowly pushed inside you. You moaned and gasped louder as he slid all the way in, his hips nudging your ass as he bottomed out. He held your hips and paused as you adjusted to the size of him, but only for a moment before he was pulling out and slamming back in again. He slowly picked up the pace, folding over you and pressing kisses to your upper back and shoulders. You were panting now, whining with each thrust, your sounds quickly becoming more desperate. You couldn’t help but moan his name, pleading and begging him for more. At the sound of his name on your lips he jerked into you roughly, his voice deep and gruff against your ear.

“Mmm sweetheart, I love it when you moan my name and take my cock so well. So fucking good for me.” His words and warm breath on your skin sent shocks through your body and you whined again, arching your back and pushing your hips into him. You felt the coil tightening deep inside as he fucked in and out of you, and once he trailed his fingers down your stomach to brush against your clit, you were done for. You cried out, screaming his name now as you came on his cock, squeezing and soaking him as your orgasm ripped through you. Charles slammed into you a few more times before groaning and clutching you tightly, fingers digging into your skin as his hot cum painted your velvety walls.

You both collapsed to the bed, panting and trying to catch your breath. Charles rolled onto his side and pulled you against his chest, wrapping his arms around you. He breathed deeply and pressed another just below your ear, making you shiver and giggle.

“Wow,” you breathed, tracing your fingers over his arms and hands. “Baby, you’re too much!” Charles chuckled and slid his hand down your stomach to your underwear again, hooking his fingers into the waistband and slowly peeling it down over your hips.

��Oh sweetheart, I’m just getting started.”

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[travellvogue]

Five Stars- Dele, Jadon, Reiss & Eric

SMUT- when i say it’s long i mean it’s longer then eric’s dick 

wordcount- 2339 (grab the popcorn)

You looked at the three of them with a smirk and spoke slyly, “we’ll invited Eric next time, yeah?”...

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They’d both gone home, leaving you and Del in bed together once again, your body washed from the quick shower you’d had together, just the two of you- the way he secretly liked it. He definitely wasn’t complaining about this threesome... well now foursome, business but it was nice to have you in his arms, all to himself. It was definitely an unintentional love, he hadn’t expected to fall head over heels in love with the girl he and his best mate shagged that one night, bringing you home from the bar in a tipsy state. But here you were, practically moved into his house, next to him in bed with his hoodie on a pair of panties he’d bought you, just for his eyes.  

“So...” he smirked, running his hand up and down your spine as you cuddled into his chest. “You wanna call Eric now, or?....” he smirked, watching you giggle and hit his chest playfully. He knew there wasn’t 100% seriousness in your suggestion but he knew you’d probably be open to the idea with a little persuasion, plus he’d like to show his best friend how amazing you are- just once. “Hmm I want you all to myself before we start inviting the whole England Team” he teases. His hands wondering down to your bare ass, giving it a good squeeze as you look up at him, his eyes instantly telling you what he wanted. 

So that’s exactly how you found yourself under his body, feeling his cock pumping in and out of you slowly. A caring, gentle feel to the sex as he presses kisses all over your face and collar bones, loving how you whimper his name- just his name. Your pussy clenching around only his cock, your legs shaking solely because of how he’s thrusting into you. He loved moments like this, he loved having you all to himself. God he loved sharing you and watching you get fucked. But he loved being able to make you feel incredible all by himself... he loved you. 

“I love you” he whispers gently as he stills inside you and fills your pussy with his cum, feeling you clench and look up at him in shock. “I-“ words failed you at that very moment, smashing your lips against his and pulling his face as close to you as possible. Tongues dancing in an intimate passion as you pull away breathless, “I love you too Del... so much” you whisper gently, his heart tightening at those words. “You still want Dier to join in?” he doubles checks again, cheeky smirk on his face when he watches you nod with absolute certainty, “good...” he winks, “wanna show my best mate what the love of my life can do” he whispers, the two of you falling asleep in a mist of pure love. 

He was already at training when you woke up the next morning, a little note on top of a box on his side of the bed, ‘I love you, be home at 4, wear this ;)’ peeling back the lid of the box and the delicate white tissue paper you were greeted by the most gorgeous set of lingerie. You’d spent the day getting ready, hair and makeup perfect, the lingerie set making you feel so bloody sexy. Spraying yourself with Dele’s favourite perfume on you, knowing he can’t resist you when you wear that ‘sultry’ scent. 

For some reason you were nervous for his return home, feeling as though there was more riding on this night than usual. “Pretty girl” you hear called through the house as the door opens, quickly wrapping your silk dressing gown around you, the noise of several footsteps and rustling around confusing you slightly. Making your way down the stairs to the kitchen where the noise was coming from, pausing at the door when you don’t only see Del, but three other boys along with him. “Oh, hi boys” you pull the belt of your sexy dressing gown a little tighter and walk towards Del. Jadon, Reiss... and Eric. This could only mean one thing. 

“Looking good Y/N” Jadon smirks, Del pulling you closer and giving you a kiss. “Thank you” you blush. You’d noticed Eric’s eyes watching you intently, not leaving your body since the second you walked into the room. “So...” Reiss teasing voice captures your attention, his eyebrows wiggling around at Dele. An awkward chuckle leaving Del’s lips as you look up at him. “Baby?” he asks, the three boys watching the interaction, you only hum in response. “Welll... uh” he begins but is quickly cut off by Jadon, “You said you wanted to shag Eric” he says bluntly. Brain ticking away at the thought of having all four of them as you look up to Del. “You wanna show him what you got?” Del smirks, your expression matching his as you look over to Eric. His cock had grown harder within the short space of time, eyes dark with lust as he waits for your reaction. You only smile sensually and nod. “Come here” you smirk, Dele propping himself up onto the kitchen island whilst J and Reiss took a seat on the stools, Eric taking three strides towards you with a smug smirk. “You want me to suck you off infront of everyone?” you kiss his neck, hand running over his bulge, “You know I do pretty girl” he growls, taking no time in pulling his joggers off and dropping to your knees. “Show him what that mouth do” Reiss hollered, no doubt the three boys supporting hard ons by now. 

He was big, almost too big. A slight thought of ‘where the fuck am i gonna put all that’ running through your brain, but that didn’t stop you shoving as much of his cock down your throat as you could fit. Instantly spluttering and choking around him, hand cupping his balls as he moaned your name. You can sense three pairs of eyes on you, only encouraging you to take his thick length even deeper down your throat, eyes streaming and airways burning but fuck it felt incredible. The moans Eric was emitting was enough to get your pussy dripping into your panties. “Fucking hell brooo... i might have to steal her” Eric groans, looking over to Del who simply smirks and replies, “She’s mine; my little cockslut” you hum around Eric’s cock at Dele’s words. “Don’t act as if I ain’t been balls deep in that pussy” you hear J say, the sound of a high five from the two young boys say together, “and me” Reiss adds with a chuckle. “Get up princess... let’s get to the bedroom before I destroy you in the kitchen” Eric instructs. Everyone following his request as you all make your way up stairs, losing your dressing gown in the process, leaving you only in your new sexy lingerie as you lay on the bed. 

“How do you wanna do this?” Dele asks, the boys stood next to him, practically drooling at the sight of you. You watch them all contemplate how this is going to work, so you take it into your own hands to make a suggestion. “Take it in turns...” you begin, grabbing everyone’s attention, “each one of you fucks me whilst the others watch, and if you’re good boys then you can all have me at the same time�� you watch them all gulp in anticipation, cocks growing impossibly at the thought. Four heads nodding along to the suggestion. “Who wants to go first?” you ask jokingly, finding this whole thing so thrilling. “Me” “Me! “Me” through separate voices answer with the same word, “Think the newbie should get the first taste” Del speaks, Eric nodding in agreement, not taking long for them to settle on the order in which they fucked. Eric climbing onto the bed with you, pulling you around so you were under him, watching him strip himself naked as the other boys took their seats around the room. 

“Oh jesus christ” he moans deeply as he slips into you, your wet hole stretching out to fit him all inside you, nails raking down his back. “Fuck this is hotter then I thought it would be” Reiss moans, hand wrapped around his hard shaft as he pumps it up and down slowly, teasing himself until he gets to be inside you. Eric’s hips rocking against you in a steady rhythm as he masks in the feel of you, your juices covering his cock, the slight clenching every time he fucks himself a little deep inside you, all three boys watching in complete awe. Dele making his way over to the two of you, cock rock solid as he comes to kiss you, sucking on your boobs as you whine his name, “tell him what you want baby, you’re a filthy slut, he needs to go harder don’t he” he mumbles to you as you gasp and nod. “Lift her legs over your shoulders bro, she likes it like that” Dele tells Eric but his eyes never leave yours once again, Eric happily following his demand, “can’t believe believe you get to fuck her everyday, lucky git” Eric growls, pistolling himself incredibly fast into you, cock now deeper then before. “Lucky inni” Del smirks, wanking over you as you watch him with lustful eyes. You squeal as you reach your high, the mixture of having Eric inside you and having three other boys watching you becoming too much as you clench uncontrollably around Eric’s cock. “Fuck I’m cumming” he moans, stilling inside you and pushing himself as deep into you as possible, three long strings of his warm cream coating your insides. 

“My turn” you hear and eager Reiss say, jumping up from his seat, walking towards you as his cock stands loud and proud. “Turn over baby, imma take you doggy style” he instructs, watching you get onto all fours and arch your back just like the pornstars, a small trace of Eric’s cum dripping out of your little hole. “Gotta fuck this back into ya” he scoops up the small amount of liquid as gets you to clean it off his fingers, wasting no time and sinking inside you. A fast pace as his balls slap against your skin, moans emitted from his mouth only forcing you closer to another orgasm, squealing his name as Jadon and Dele come to stand in front of you, Eric still trying to catch his breath. “Suck me off gorgeous, get me all wet for when I fuck ya” Jadon says, bringing your chin up so your face was level with his cock, Reiss not calming down with the thrusts, Jadon’s cock slipping down your throat so easily you’re almost embarrassed... almost. “Can’t even get enough of you” he groans, wrapping his hand in your hair and practically ducking your face, spit and cum dripping down your chin, “I’m gonna fill her up, i’m fucking close” Reiss moans, the whole build up making him not last long, groaning your name as he thrusts his cum into you, now mixing with Eric’s, your walls coated in the mixture of cum, making you feel so full. “Thank fuck, was close to cumming in her throat if you didn’t stop” Jadon smirks, pulling his cock out of your mouth as a long string of spit follows, replacing Reiss, admiring how your pussy looks fucked red-raw. “Filthy little slut aint ya” he slaps your pussy as you wince from the overstimulation. Pounding himself into you relentlessly, Dele feeling as though his cock was going to fall off as this rate, “that’s my good girl” he whispers, knowing you’re not used to this amount of stimulation and pleasure, lips pressed against yours gently, loving how you whimper into the kiss at the pure pleasure of J’s thick length inside you, hole already stretched out from the two previous cocks, loving how the other boys are already growing hard again at the sight of their real life porno. “Oh shitttt” your interrupted by a loud groan from Jadon, feeling him fill your pussy up with more cum once again, feeling like you could practically explode from how full you were. Dele smirking knowing it’s finally his turn.

“Save the best for last” you smirk up at him as he lies you on your back, your words had a filthy meaning but the look in your eyes was nothing but love, gripping hiks biceps as he sinks into you, truly feeling like a puzzle piece as he slowly thrust into you, able to feel the three other lads cum squelching around his cock, listening to your pussy talk to him, a wet noise with each thrust that only made him beyond horny. Cock soaked in the mixture of seed as well as the dripping wetness of your pussy. Leaning down to rub your clit in figure eight motions, “you gonna cum with me baby? I’m not gonna last long” he mumbles against your lips, knowing the boys are still watching the two of you. You only whimper and nod, completely exhausted from being taken by four different cocks, hole stretched out to the max and fucked raw, squealing and whining when you finally reach your third high, pussy clenching around Del’s cock, tipping him over the edge as he releases the most amount of cum inside you, pussy literally full to the brink, slipping out of you with a wet pop, a mixture of all of their cum gushing out of you, a smirk on their faces when they see Del scoop up the concoction and bring his soaked fingers to your mouth, humming as you suck it off him, tongue swirling as you swallow it all. A blush on your face as you look at everyone’s gobsmacked expressions, knowing that was the best night of all your lives.

[anubislover]

A Heart to Be Used as Needed (a dark Corazon!LawxBaby 5 fic)

“Joker killed another one, huh?”

Sniffling and tearfully nodding her head, Baby 5 skulked into Trafalgar Law’s lab, the young Corazon’s afternoon coffee carefully balanced on a silver tray. “The bastard didn’t even give me enough time to set a wedding date.” The Buki Buki no Mi user was a mess; mascara blended with tears down her cheeks, her eyes were red and puffy, jet black hair tangled, and there were thin rips throughout her maid uniform. She’d clearly just come from another failed attempt at killing Doflamingo, her rage at once more being denied her dream of marital bliss no match for the shichibukai and his Ito Ito no Mi powers.

Law scoffed as he continued to dissect the man on his table. His victim was barely conscious, chest cavity wide open, any resistance he might make suppressed by restraints, a cocktail of opioids, and the fact that his limbs were in a bin on the other side of the operatory. Doflamingo had caught the guy snooping around the castle, so he’d been generously donated to the lab for the Surgeon of Death’s amusement. He’d started off using his powers, but after a while decided to practice more traditional surgery—minus the anesthesia, of course. The result was a rather bloody operating table, organs lined up in little trays encased in their own Rooms to keep his subject alive as long as possible.

Holding the man’s liver up to the light, Law tsked at the cirrhosis that had formed. “You know, they say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”

Grimacing at her superior’s handywork, the maid replied haughtily, “I’m pretty sure it’s also finding pleasure in playing around with a man’s organs while he watches.”

“No, that’s sadism. Completely different.” Turning around, he pulled off the bloody latex gloves and surgical mask, switching them with the coffee mug, warm viscera dripping onto the polished silver. Despite being red with tears, Baby 5’s eyes rolled heavenwards in annoyance; with his abilities, he could have easily thrown those in the trash, but he always left it to her to clean up instead. Frowning at the red stains on his dress shirt and white lab coat, she knew she’d also be spending a good hour on his laundry. Oh, well. At least it made her feel useful.

Taking a sip of the bitter beverage as he leaned against the operating table, Law quickly scanned her for injuries. Apart from a few bruises and some thin cuts, she seemed relatively unharmed, but it was still worse than Joker’s usual retaliation. Either he’d been in a bad mood, or Baby 5 had really gone all out this time. “Need me to bandage those up?” the surgeon asked, indicating the long, thin slash at her waist.

She waved of his concern as she dumped the contaminated gloves into the trash. “Oh, don’t trouble yourself; I’ll take care of them later.”

It was an expected response; heaven forbid the maid allow anyone to do something for her. Half the time he had to drug her just to fix her up after a mission, as she’d insist on not being a burden even while bleeding out. So, knowing it was a lost cause, he pointed to the sink. “Then at least wash your face; I don’t need you dripping snot and makeup all over my nice, clean lab.” It wasn’t clean, and Baby 5 would inevitably be the one to mop up the blood later, but she was smart enough not to comment.

As she dutifully bent over the sink, scrubbing away tears and reapplying her lipstick, Law diverted his gaze from her injuries to instead appreciate the way her short dress and high heels made her legs look impossibly long. He couldn’t help it; as a doctor, he enjoyed studying anatomy, and as an admitted hedonist, he loved a sexy pair of legs on anyone. The way she leaned over, arching her back and presenting her pert ass, filled his head with impure thoughts of burying his stiff cock inside her, fucking her hard and slow while she made helpless little sounds of pleasure.

Joker really was a sadist, parading a beautiful, biddable woman around in such a tempting outfit, then basically forbidding anyone from touching her. It was easier on everyone else, as most saw her as a sister or niece if they regarded her at all, but as Law’d never bought into the family crap, he lacked that barrier. Instead, his main reason for not going after the sexy little maid boiled down to the knowledge that if he did, she’d cling to him for life, and Doflamingo would be pissed.

Even the best fuck in the world wasn’t worth upending his ultimate plans.

Downing half the mug of coffee in one go to quell his urges, he said, “Not that I approve of any of the worthless peons you’re stupid enough to fall for, but if you want to get married so badly, quit telling Joker and just elope. Why ask permission when you know you’ll never get it?” Despite his harsh words, he was vaguely impressed—foolish as it was, he’d give her props for persistence. Her intense desire to get married was almost comparable to his drive to bring the Heavenly Demon’s world crashing down around him before finally crushing his heart in his bare hands.

The fact was, despite being Corazon, Law had spent the past decade plotting to destroy Joker and his sick criminal empire. It was hardly for altruistic reasons; he’d set the whole world on fire so long as Doflamingo burned with it. All that mattered was avenging Cora-san, and there was no line he wouldn’t cross. A man in his position couldn’t afford to have scruples; his job generally revolved around torture, unethical experimentation, helping enforce Joker’s rule, keeping his twisted subordinates alive and in line, and more. How could he ever hope to take down the former Celestial Dragon if he wasn’t willing to do the same for his plans?

Besides his lack of limits, Law’s greatest strength was his patience. Much as he wanted to simply rip out his still-beating heart, Doflamingo was too strong to fight directly. At least, too strong for the Surgeon of Death. At first, Law’d planned on simply earning his trust and killing him on the operating table under the guise of performing the Perennial Youth Surgery, but after seeing how monstrously powerful and resilient he was, the young doctor had been forced to figure out a new plan. Then, two years ago, he’d had an epiphany; to take out a Warlord, you needed an Emperor, and he was in the perfect position to sabotage Joker and Kaido’s partnership. He would break one of the gears that kept the New World running, then sit back and relish the beautiful storm he’d ushered in.

It wouldn’t be easy, and at the moment, his greatest challenge was gathering the right allies to help him enact his brilliant scheme. Violet used her powers and sexual relationship with Joker to keep him informed of their boss’ plans and divert any suspicions of betrayal. Law had amassed a small but devoted crew eager to follow him into Hell. Last year, he’d secretly saved the Straw Hat boy at Marineford, healing and handing him over to Silvers Rayleigh to train with the intention of calling in the life debt once he and his crew were strong enough for the New World. The young upstart’s brand of chaos would be useful for destroying Joker’s SMILE factory and invoking Kaido’s wrath.

Slowly Trafalgar D. Water Law moved the pieces into place, playing a quiet game of chess with the unwitting shichibukai while acting as his sadistic but loyal Corazon.

Perhaps it was that devotion to subtlety and meticulous planning that made him so annoyed at Baby 5’s foolishness. “Seriously, you do this every time; flounce into his office crowing about how you’re getting married, and the next day the guy’s entire town has been razed to the ground.”

“But I want the Young Master’s approval!” she declared. She simply could not understand why everyone was so against her getting married. Ever since she was a child, she’d longed to belong somewhere, to be useful and needed by someone. To be a man’s wife meant that there was someone who truly valued her, who saw how useful she was and was happy to let her tend to his every need. To be useful was to be needed, to be needed was to be loved, and a loved person would never be abandoned in the mountains, determined a burden, or forgotten.

Once more presentable, her cheeks flushed as she basked in a romantic fantasy, imagining her hypothetical wedding day. “I know he’s just being protective and doing what he feels is best, but he’s never even met my boyfriends! Once he sees how truly in love we are, he’ll walk me down the aisle and give me away to my beloved—”

“That’s just it—he doesn’t want to give you away,” the Dark Doctor interrupted sourly, running a tattooed hand through his messy hair in irritation. Really, how was he the only one who saw through their boss’ illusion of “family” for the brainwashed cult that it was? Was it because he’d witnessed first-hand what he’d done to his own brother? The volatile maid was one of the few he cut any slack; he’d spent the past twelve years watching Doflamingo cultivate her psychological need to be needed into something fanatical and horribly unhealthy, whereas the rest were just plain cruel, stupid, or greedy. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t gleefully tear into her I delusion like a pinned-down frog, though. “You’re most useful when you’re solely devoted to him. If you marry outside the Family, your loyalties will be divided.”

“No, they won’t,” she argued, clasping her hands over her heart, eyes sparkling dramatically under the cold, florescent lights. “I’ll always be loyal to the Family!”

“But what if your husband wants you to choose between us and him?” Law pressed, setting down his mug. Normally, he didn’t bother trying to reason with her, but he was feeling particularly sadistic at the moment. Such utter devotion to that monster disgusted him, and something urged him to pick at the fresh scab over the maid’s damaged psyche and watch it bleed as she was forced to face painful reality. “Your taste in men is generally atrocious, so who’s to say you wouldn’t end up falling for the enemy? Let’s say your husband needs you to shoot Joker, but Doflamingo needs you to kill your husband. Who would you obey?”

“I—I would…” she trailed off, eyes dropping to the floor and hands wringing her apron as her mind struggled. Cheeks flushed red with strain, white teeth bit into her plump, cherry red lip, and sweat started to form across her brow. The butt of her cigarette fell to the floor, slowly burning out on the white linoleum. Law didn’t need to check her pulse to know her heart was racing, and her bountiful chest heaved as panicked adrenaline raced through her veins. It was like a computer attempting to process a paradox, slowly frying its own circuits trying to figure out the unsolvable answer.

A wide, cold smirk stretched his lips, gold eyes greedily taking in her mental anguish. Really, it was quite an attractive look on her. Control freak that he was, he got a special, sick thrill from the knowledge that he could play with her emotions so easily, his words as precise and sharp as his scalpel. “Exactly. That’s why he’ll always kill your pitiful fiancés. He doesn’t trust you to make good decisions on your own, so he guards you like a dragon would a princess, incinerating any would-be knights in shining armor trying to rescue you.”

“But I don’t need to be rescued,” she insisted weakly.

“Well, that’s good, because none of those idiots cared about you enough to want to rescue you. They wanted to take advantage of your weakness, just like everyone else.”

“You’re wrong; they loved me!”

“Then tell me all about your latest ‘romantic’ proposal,” he said sarcastically, slowly circling her like a leopard sizing up a wounded doe, deciding what part of her soft, defenseless flesh he should sink his teeth into first. “Did he get down on one knee and declare his undying devotion? Whisper sweet nothings as you gazed at the stars? Give you a sparkling diamond ring and a bouquet of red roses?” he rasped in her ear as his hand teasingly stroked along her shoulders.

“He…he gave me a daisy,” she muttered, hopelessly staring at the floor.

“Ooo, a daisy! I’m sure it was the prettiest weed freshly picked from a crack in the sidewalk a woman could ask for.”

Spinning around, she struck him, the deafening slap of her open palm against his cheek echoing throughout the operatory. “Why are you such an asshole?!” she shouted, tears once again welling up in her big, dark eyes.

Even though he’d been expecting it, Law glared at her like a basilisk for her insubordination, smirk returning as she instantly cowered before him. Toying with her was so amusing, her reactions volatile yet comically predictable. Really, it was something he’d grown to enjoy over the years—seeing just how far he could push her before she snapped, only to watch her immediately regret it from nothing more than a cold look.

Relishing the power trip he got from her fear, the Corazon stalked back to the table. His victim’s eyes were becoming a bit clearer and his struggles had renewed, strained noises bubbling up in his throat as the drugs wore off. It seemed his body had processed the opioids more quickly than expected; too bad for the unlucky fool, but that just meant more fun for the Surgeon of Death.

Chuckling, Law glanced over his shoulder at Baby 5. With no one to cling to like she normally would, she’d remained frozen in place, trembling as she fearfully awaited his response. Dismemberment was his go-to punishment for her if her were in a particularly bad mood, though he always put her back together, and by the next morning she’d be back to scolding him for not showing the young master enough respect or stealing her last cigarette.

Lucky for her, this was one of his better days, so instead of having her join the man on the table, Law threw her a bone. “I need you to fetch me that gag on the counter. I don’t trust my patient not to start screaming again, and it would be rude of him to cause a racket when we’re trying to have a conversation.”

The second the word “need” had left his mouth, Baby 5 ceased her cowering, dashing over to the counter and grabbing the leather gag, nearly tripping over herself in her eagerness to be useful.

Despite himself, the Dark Doctor gave the barest hint of a smile. Much as the woman annoyed him with her fanatical devotion to Doflamingo, her desire to help was just so pure it was, at times, endearing. If he were honest, Baby 5 was probably the one he hated the least in the organization; besides being the nicest to look at, her wants and needs were simple, and she could be surprisingly compassionate in little ways. She was one of the few who, despite considering him a traitor, had acknowledged just how much Cora-san had meant to Law. Held his hand while he’d mourned for his savior after he’d been dragged kicking and screaming back to the Family. Been genuinely thrilled that his Amber Lead Disease was cured. Taken up smoking with him as a small tribute to the former Corazon, huddling behind a tree as they retched at their first taste of tobacco.

If nothing else, he always enjoyed watching her attack their boss when he murdered her fiancés. Even when she failed, Law found it to be catharsis-by-proxy, as he spent most of his days plotting how to horribly and painfully murder the shichibukai. A hell of a turn-on, too; who wouldn’t have the occasional sexual fantasy about a hot maid trying to assassinate the man you hated most?

Sparing a nod of thanks, the surgeon shoved the gag into his patient’s mouth before tightening the restraints. He prided himself on his steady hands, and he wouldn’t have his work ruined because the worthless fool couldn’t keep still. “You may call me an asshole, but I’m the only one who cares about you enough to give the cold, hard truth. Everyone else sugar-coats their words so they can keep you compliant and unwilling to think for yourself. So, you’re welcome.”

Hands fisting on her hips, Baby 5 scowled. It was remarkable how she could go from trembling before him to arguing like they were still children. “Oh, so people who are awful to me care, and yet the men you claim give such horrible proposals don’t? You’re so full of shit, Law!”

He shrugged, taking another sip of his now-lukewarm coffee. “Am I? Even when I was officially promoted to Corazon, you still treated me the same as when we were kids—slapping me when I got mouthy and refusing to kiss my ass like all the other sycophants in this shithole. Are you saying you don’t care about me?”

Her beautiful face twisted in genuine confusion. “I…well, of course I do, but…”

“I let you get away with so much more than anyone else. You hit me, insult me, order me about, and the most I’ve ever done is cut off your limbs for a few hours, and I always fix you back up good as new. Because, even though you’re a foolish, emotional pain in the ass, our little spats are the only thing that feel genuine some days. To you, I’m just Law, and I actually appreciate that.” It surprised him how honest he was being, but he supposed it was as he said; he cared enough not to bullshit her, at least compared to the others.

“You do?”

“Yeah. So that’s why I’m telling you to stop accepting every ‘proposal’ a guy throws your way. You’re famous for your eagerness to please, and men are always looking to take advantage of that. And even if you did manage to find the one decent soul in this world who genuinely loved you, Joker will never let you go. He’ll kill anyone who might take you from the Family.”

Something sparked in her eyes at his words, as if he’d given her the greatest epiphany of her life. “Maybe…maybe I could marry someone in the Family, then! Trebol nearly offered just this afternoon!”

Law gagged on his coffee at the very thought. A man like him needed a strong stomach, but perhaps he did have some limits, after all; not even he would inflict marriage to the snot-dripping freak on someone. “Please tell me you had to good sense not to accept.” He facepalmed at her embarrassed blush. How could anyone’s standards be so low? Was marriage really such an enticing concept that she’d bed that? And the risk of death aside, shouldn’t a woman as sexy and submissive as her attract better suitors?

A sudden, cruel idea popped into his head. What if he married Baby 5? A dangerous assassin and obedient maid could certainly be useful in his scheme. Doflamingo wouldn’t dare kill him for proposing; not if he wanted that Perennial Youth Surgery. He wouldn’t even have a good excuse to refuse the match, considering how it would both keep Baby in the Family and—so he’d believe—further secure his Corazon’s loyalty. After all, what better reward could Law ask for after years of faithful service than a gorgeous trophy wife?

And on the day he finally enacted his revenge against the Heavenly Demon, he’d either have a powerful, completely devoted ally in Baby 5, or she’d be too crippled by indecision to pick between them, keeping her from interfering. Either way, Joker would have lost a piece on the chessboard and not even know until it was too late.

A little voice that sounded disturbingly like Cora-san’s whispered in his ear that using Baby 5 like that made him no better than the Doflamingo, but Law brushed it away. If anything, he was being kind to the silly maid; hadn’t Rosinante wanted to keep him, Baby 5, and Buffalo out of Joker’s clutches? The Marine’s own methods of doing so hadn’t been gentle or entirely ethical, either—throwing kids out of a window wasn’t exactly a safe way to deter them from a life of piracy. Besides, even with his not-so-noble intentions towards her, Law was still a far better suitor than anyone she’d pick on her own. In fact, he was making her dream of becoming a wife a reality, and wasn’t that generous of him?

Putting his mug down, the surgeon reached out to gently rest his fingertips under her chin. Startled at the unexpected contact, Baby 5 nearly stumbled back, but he stepped closer, wrapping his arm securely around her waist to steady her. “It astounds me that a woman as beautiful as you would even consider settling for a disgusting thing such as Trebol,” he said lowly, looking deeply into her obsidian eyes. It would be easy to simply say he needed her or demand she marry him, but he wanted to be sure her loyalty fully shifted to him, otherwise, she could become a liability.

Besides, seduction was just so much more fun; since he’d hit adulthood, Law’d indulged in all manner of sexual vices with hundreds of partners, men and women alike. After all, he hadn’t expected to live past thirteen, and even with his Amber Lead Disease gone, he was on a ticking clock. Death loomed on his horizon, whether it he be killed in battle, forced to fulfill his purpose and conducting the Perennial Youth Surgery, or Joker uncovering his betrayal. So, in between plotting and research, why not make the most out of the time he had? And for all her annoying quirks, Baby 5 was a gorgeous, obedient woman, and he’d be lying if he didn’t like it when she showed her feisty side. She’d starred in many a wet dream over the years, and now he could finally justify making them a reality.

Hot, coffee-scented breath made the wispy strands of hair that framed her face flutter delicately. “You’d see you’ve got far better options if you simply opened your eyes.”

For her part, Baby 5 was utterly shocked. First, Law admitting that he cared about her, and now he was implying there was someone out there who might be interested in proposing? Was he serious, or just making fun of her like Trebol?

Slowly, the tattooed fingers at her chin journeyed south, brushing lightly down her pale throat, over her trembling heart, between her voluptuous breasts, across her trim waist, until they reached the pocket of her apron. Her eyes were fixated on his hand as he fished out a cigarette and her lighter, her breath quickening as he raised the former to her mouth. Instinctively, she opened up to take it, but with a playful smirk, he teasingly ran the filter over her bright red lips, amused at the way the cherry gloss stained the white paper.

Finally, he pushed the cigarette between her lips, murmuring, “Have you ever been kissed before, Baby-ya?”

The way her cheeks went pink was so uncharacteristically demure he had to chuckle, the sound rumbling deep in his chest, sending strange but thrilling tingles between her legs. “N-no,” she stammered bashfully.

With a soft click, Law flicked the sparkwheel with his thumb, carefully bringing the dancing flame to light the tip of the cigarette. He could tell he was making her nervous by the way she hurriedly took several steadying puffs, embers flaring with every inhalation.

“Such a shame. I imagine there are women who would kill for lips like yours. And the way you practically suck on that cigarette,” he growled, gold eyes fixating on her mouth, “it gives a man ideas.”

“What kind of ideas?” she asked, breathless and full of wide-eyed, eager curiosity.

Unconsciously, his arm tightened around her waist at her innocence, forcing her to arch against him, soft curves molding against hard muscle. God, she didn’t even know how tempting that question made her. If he were a man with less control, she’d be on her knees learning first-hand what a mouth like hers was made for.

Plucking the cigarette from her unresisting lips, Law took a long drag before blowing the smoke out his nose as he looked down at her with hooded eyes. Licking his lips, he could taste the lingering hints of cherry gloss, sharp and sweet and delicious. “The kind a sweet little thing like you wouldn’t ever dream of.”

“Are they,” she swallowed harshly, pupils dilating as she instinctively gripped his lab coat, “the kind husbands and wives have?”

“Husbands and wives, lovers, bedmates, bored, horny teenagers; basically, anyone who likes to fuck,” he replied before taking another drag. As he leaned back his head to release the stream of smoke into the air, he smirked devilishly at her rapt expression. Oh, he was going to ruin her.

Gently tucking a strand of raven hair behind her ear, he murmured, “Let me talk to Joker. Maybe I can pick his brain, figure out if there’s anyone he would consider a worthy husband for you.”

He forced himself not to laugh at the shadow of disappointment that crossed her face. Dropping her gaze, she pushed against his chest, trying to break away. “Ah…thank you, Law, but you don’t have to. I’d hate to be a burden, and you’re so busy—”

“Nonsense. A loyal, caring woman like you deserves a husband who appreciates everything you have to offer.” Deftly, he maneuvered them so her backside was pressed against the operating table, caging her in and thwarting her escape. Their legs entangled, Baby 5 had no choice but to meet his piercing gaze as he absently flicked the cigarette’s ashes onto a small puddle of blood by her hand. “I may not always agree with him, but he was right to kill the worthless bastards you were so infatuated with. Hell, my only complaint is that he always got to them before I did.”

“What?”

“I mean, if killing every man on the planet is what it takes for you to notice me…”

Baby 5 blinked blankly, mind desperately trying to process what he’d just let slip. “Law, are you…?”

“Am I what, Baby-ya?” he teased, leaning forward as he took another drag, his hot breath mingling with the sweet smoke as it fanned over her lovely face.

“Are you…proposing?”

“What if I were? Would you blindly accept like you did Trebol’s?” Putting the cigarette down, he ran the very tips of his fingers over her exposed collarbone before resting his palm over her thundering heart. He was positive if he removed it, it would jump right out of his hand. “Are you so desperate that you’d accept the proposal of a man who’s cut you apart for fun?” Roughly, his other hand buried itself in her thick, jet black hair, yanking her head back and pulling her even closer until their lips lingered barely an inch apart. “So desperate you’d give yourself over to a man covered in blood, pressed against an operating table occupied by a half-dissected idiot?”

“Yes,” she replied with bated breath, hopeful eyes sparkling.

God, she was weak. Law could pin her down and fuck her on that table, do any number of depraved things to that luscious, untouched body and she wouldn’t even complain so long as he said he needed her. The thought was tempting, but he couldn’t risk Joker refusing their union because he couldn’t control his libido. The Heavenly Demon had to feel like the surgeon genuinely desired his approval—that he wasn’t trying to go behind his back and destroy his wretched “Family.”

“Then no, I’m not.” Despair crumpled her face, tears once more welling up at how easily he’d played with her emotions. Before they could fully fall, Law released her hair to cup her chin. “Mainly because my pride would never let me give such a half-assed proposal. When I ask you to marry me, I’ll have Doflamingo’s blessing, a ring, and it’ll be somewhere far more romantic than my laboratory.”

Jaw dropping, she stared at him in disbelief. “Y-you mean that?”

“Absolutely. I can’t stand the sight of your tears; if marriage is what it takes to make you happy, I’ll do everything I can to help.”

“Thank you, Law!” she cried, flinging her arms around his neck. “You really do care about me!”

He had to chuckle as he returned her embrace; he knew she’d readily agree, but her pure joy at just the prospect of marrying him stroked his inflated ego.

“I promise I’ll be the best wife you could ask for! I’ll clean your surgical equipment twice a day, launder your lab coats by hand, give you back rubs, make onigiri for dinner every night—whatever you need!”

A tiny smile pulled at his lips. All such sweet, innocent promises from a woman who was far more sheltered than one would ever imagine from an assassin for a family of criminals. Though, he’d definitely take her up on that last one.

“Just promise me you’ll be a loyal, dutiful wife, Baby-ya, and I’ll give you a marriage unlike anything you’ve ever imagined,” he whispered intimately, cradling her cheek. His hand was so big he could fit the whole side of her face in his palm. She turned her face to nuzzle it blissfully, causing his calloused thumb to brush over her plump bottom lip.

Gold eyes darkened at the sight of her red lips against the tattooed appendage. Unconsciously, he stroked it against the seam of her mouth, gently coaxing her to open up and let it slip into her soft, hot mouth. He gave a faint moan at the sensation of her silken lips wrapping around him, molten tongue curiously stroking the rough pad. Experimentally, he gave it a few shallow thrusts, and he nearly lost his damn mind when she responded with an instinctive suck.

“Good girl,” he whispered without thinking, and the way her pupils dilated with desire at his words forced him to pull away, lest he jump the gun and the eager maid before him.

“Is…is that the kind of idea my mouth gives you?” she asked, panting faintly, her pale cheeks flushed as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

“That’s one of the tamer ideas,” he rasped, retrieving the forgotten cigarette. It had almost burnt down to the filter, but there was just enough left for a few steadying puffs. “Once we’re married, you’ll get to experience every dirty thought I’ve ever had about you. Would you like that?” he asked, unable to help himself.

Her harsh swallow was audible in the taut silence of the lab. “Yes.”

The pleasant throb between his legs urged him to start the wedding night early, but besides the logical part of his brain telling him he needed to set things in motion with Doflamingo, it was coaxing him to wait; this wasn’t the time or place to indulge in such a delicious morsel. Baby 5 needed to be savored, like a gourmet meal he’d spent hours preparing, not swallowed down in one bite. Once she was officially his, he’d have plenty of time to mold her into his perfect concubine, subordinate, secret weapon, and tool.

Desire under control, he took her hand, pressing a chaste, gentlemanly kiss to her knuckles. “I’ll meet with Joker tonight; I’m sure I can convince him we’re a match made in heaven. But I need you to not to tell anyone about us until I formally propose, alright? I want everything to be perfect, and we can’t risk Joker finding out too early and thinking we didn’t value his approval.”

Black eyes sparkled as his careful choice of words. “I promise, darling!”

“Such a good girl,” he chuckled, admiring the way her cheeks instantly flushed at his praise. How…interesting.

As Baby 5 giddily skipped out the door, the click of her heels silenced by the door slamming shut behind her, Law turned to the man bound to his table staring at him with wide-eyed shock. He’d nearly forgotten they’d had an audience, and he’d have to make sure he was properly disposed of before meeting with Joker; he couldn’t let anyone spoil his plans before he even got to the good part, after all.

“Oh, don’t give me that look,” he said as he pressed the smoldering embers of the dying cigarette against his patient’s cheek, smirking as the accusing eyes watered in pain. A fresh pair of surgical gloves stretched over his long fingers, and as he selected his scalpel, he added, “Trust me—I’m still a better option than that fucking creep Trebol.”

[vixenpen]

Dabi smut with a teacher. Like in some quirkless au or something (He’s scarless but hella pierced and tatted), he had to pick up kid!Shoto one day and he sees his hot black teacher (Sis got thickness and curves for days, even in simple clothes) So he consistently picks up Shoto (even when he doesn’t have to) just to hit on her and when he finally scores a date with her, he’s at his limit after seeing her in casual wear and how amazing her personality is.

I LOVED this request. I had so much fun writing it and the details were amazing! I hope you enjoy

Hot For Teacher (Dabi x Black Reader) Quirkless AU

“Ah, come on kid,” Dabi sighed, expelling a stream of smoke as he waited at the curb for his baby brother to get out of school.

He rolled down the window to air out the car and watched the stream of middle schoolers burst through the double doors and head to their respective busses or cars.

“Shooo,” Dabi groaned, “where are you? I got shit to do, kid.”

He enjoyed hanging out with his youngest sibling, and he had no problem picking the kid up, but he also had a business to help run. If he didn’t get back to the shop in an hour and a half like he’d promised Hawks, he’d get an earful about responsibility and time management and blah, blah, blah.

He leaned back in the driver seat, deciding to give Shoto another fifteen minutes before he texted the kid.

Just then another wave of kids exited the building, Dabi’s bright blue eyes scanned them before landing on the finest woman he’d ever seen in his life.

Her cream colored silk blouse popped beautifully against her rich brown skin and a pair of slacks hugged her wide hips. Her makeup made her dark eyes sparkle and red lipstick painted her pouty mouth.

Dabi sat up, turquoise eyes running up and down that beautiful body of hers as the sexy teacher strutted past to talk to parents and wave good bye to students. When she turned around, his eyes slid down to the fattest ass he’d ever seen and he licked his lips.

Damn it must be hard as hell for her students to concentrate in class.

She turned again and began walking back towards the school. Fuck! If he didn’t stop gawking he would miss his chance. He couldn’t let that happen.

Holding his cigarette between his lips, Dabi quickly stepped out of the car and took leggy strides to catch up with the teacher.

“Excuse me.”

She turned around, her big dark eyes landing on him. Immediately Dabi knew she was sizing him up and wasn’t impressed. She gave that same disapproving teacher look Fuyumi gave whenever she was put off by someone.

Regardless, he flashed her his most charming smile. He may not be a goody two shoes like these other khaki wearing dads out here, but he knew he looked damn better than any of them.

“Sorry to bother you ma’am. I was just hoping you could help me out.”

“Sure,” she smiled back, showing off a pair of pretty white teeth. “Let’s start with that cigarette. It’s against our school policy to be smoking on the premises so if you could.” She cocked a brow expectantly.

Dabi cocked his own pierced brow back in response, but quickly stubbed out his cigarette on a nearby janitor’s cart and threw it away in the accompanying trash can.

Her smile widened. “Great. Now, how can I help you?”

Dabi chuckled. “Well, ya see, I just got this new phone and cleared out all my old contacts. Ya know, new year, new me and all that,” he shrugged, “anyway, my contacts are pretty empty now. So, I was wondering if I could get yours.”

She let out a little snort of amusement.

“That’s your pick up line? How many Girls have had the misfortune of hearing that one?”

“You’d be the first,” Dabi smirked back. “Figured the usual ‘hey beautiful, what’s your name’ line wouldn’t exactly help me stand out.”

“Trust me, you don’t need help standing out.” She replied, eying him again.

“Then that means I’m ahead of the game, right?” He held out a hand, “I’m Dabi.”

Tentatively, the teacher shook it. “Ms. Y/n.”

“Ms. Y/n, huh...” Dabi repeated slowly, his eyes ran over you with a barely masked longing. “Not ‘Mrs’?”

“Not yet.” You replied.

“How soon are you looking to change that?” Dabi asked, his smirk growing a bit smaller and more intimate.

“Who said I was looking to change it at all?”

“Certainly not me,” he replied, “that’s why I asked. I would love to talk more about how much you don’t want to change it over dinner sometime though.”

You fended off a smile. You were not about to give this over confident asshole any encouragement.

“Sorry, but I make it a point not to date my student’s parents.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not a parent then.”

“Oh? So you just like to stroll on the campuses of random middle schools and hit on the teachers for fun?”

Dabi chuckled again.

“I’m here to pick up my little brother. Ah, hell, speaking of which, I actually could use your help with that. Kid hasn’t come out yet and I’ve already been here over half an hour.”

Your pretty face immediately crumpled with worry.

“What’s your brother’s name?”

“Todoroki Shoto.”

“Oh!” You looked surprised. “Shoto. I think I saw him headed towards the baseball field. I think the team has practice today.”

“Dammit! Really? Well, I better go say hi to the kid anyway. You mind, uh, leading the way?”

“Sure.” You shrugged.

Turning, you took the lead and guided Dabi towards the baseball diamond behind the school. You could feel the man’s eyes on your ass the whole way, and couldn’t help but put an extra switch in your hips as you did. Much to his appreciation.

You had to admit the man was fine as hell. The black undercut with lines cut in the side, his multiple piercings and even the colorful tattoos you saw peeking from under his fitted black tshirt were hot as hell. However, you had long since given up on bad boy types. You preferred nerds. Still a little light flirting wouldn’t hurt anything, right?

“There he is.” Dabi stated once the two of you verged on the field. He held up his hands to his mouth and called out: “Yo, Sho!”

The boy looked up, heterochromatic eyes widening in surprise.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had practice today you little half and half?”

“Why don’t you ever check mom’s texts?” Shoto shouted back. “She told you to come later.”

You snickered as Dabi pulled out his phone and checked his text messages.

“Huh. Well I’ll be damned.” He muttered to himself. “Alright, kiddo, I’ll be back in an hour!”

“Can you stop shouting and leave now?! I have to concentrate.”

Dabi laughed before turning back to you.

“Anyway, thanks a lot for your help Ms. Y/n.”

“Just doing my job.”

“Still, I would love to thank you properly. Maybe over coffee.” He said, sounding hopeful.

“Before it was dinner.” You quipped, playfully.

“I know. I‘m just planning for future dates.”

You giggled, shaking your head. “It was nice meeting you, Dabi.” With that you turned and strutted off.

“I hope you know I’m gonna keep trying until I get a yes or no.” He called after you.

As you entered the school’s back entrance you could hear Shoto shouting: “Can you please stop hitting on my teachers? I have to see them everyday!”

Unfortunately for Shoto, his plea seemed to go in one overly pierced ear and out the other because almost everyday since then, Dabi made it a point to stop and talk to you when he came to pick up Shoto.

“Hey there, Ms. Y/n. My contacts are filling up fast. You sure you don’t wanna reserve a spot?”

“Sorry Dabi, but my no dating policy extends to immediate family members as well.”

“I hated to cancel our reservations, but you’re left me no choice, Ms. Y/n.”

“Nobody told you to make reservations, Dabi.”

“Dinner was lonely the other day. If only I had a beautiful black queen to keep me company.”

“I’m sure There are plenty of black queens out there that would have loved to accompanying you to dinner.”

“Yeah, but they wouldn’t have been you.”

Dabi was unrelenting. Always complimenting how amazing your outfits looked on your skin tone, how flattering your make up was, or if you wore a new hairstyle or new jewelry.

You couldn’t lie. The attention was both flattering and refreshing. Since becoming a teacher, you usually only got hit on by studious academic types. Attractive yes, but straight laced and all the same with their game

Unfortunately a disturbing amount of married dads also tried their luck with you.

But Dabi was different.

He may have been a far cry from your usual type, but he was always perfectly respectful and even funny. Not to mention he was much closer to your own age than other men that came on to you.

He must have started bribing Shoto for help or asking him about your interests too. Because sometimes when he would see you, he’d have a new book to give you or your favorite iced tea from a cafe you always frequented. Which, admittedly, was pretty damn cute.

The tatted up alt boy was actually growing on you. So one day, when both of you least expected it, you finally agreed to give him your number and go on a date.

That was the first time you ever saw him straight up smile. Not smirk or grin. He actually beamed. Just like a little boy who’d been told he could have a puppy.

Ok, ok. You admit it—he was cute.

Hopefully, that charm would extend over to dinner.

When the big date came, Dabi cleaned himself up. Opting out of his usual dark attire for a deep blue fitted Ralph Lauren polo and skinny khakis. He even took out some of his piercings in an attempt to look more presentable. He thought he cleaned up pretty nice if he did say so himself, but it was nothing compared to what you strutted in wearing.

Dabi had gotten used to your stylish but conservative work attire. He was so used to your hot teacher look, that he forgot you probably had some regular clothes in that amazing wardrobe of yours.

And damn did you pick out the most show stopping dress you had. You wore a wine colored dress that cut low in the front showing off those juicy tits of yours and stopped above the knee. The heels you wore made your thighs look even yummier and your ass was jiggling out of control with every step.

Down boy. Down boy. Down boy.

He scolded himself.

“Well, don’t you clean up nicely, Dabi?” You teased.

“I’m Touya tonight, beautiful.” He struck a pose like a GQ model. You laughed. “Dabi was that guy that kept hitting on you, Touya’s the guy that’s gonna try not to screw it up.

“Oh,” you ran a manicured finger along his solid chest, “well, I agreed to a date with Dabi, but I guess Touya could be fun too.”

Dabi licked his lip, and your eyes fell on his tongue piercing, hungrily.

“Depending on how well the night goes, you might see Dabi come out later tonight.” He replied, suggestively.

You rolled your eyes, but could feel your cheeks (and your pussy) warming.

“Boy! Come on.”

Dabi as Touya opened the door to the restaurant and ushered you inside.

The restaurant he took you to was definitely a high end place; complete with soft candle light, a jazz quartet, and a maître d’.

The chemistry the two of you had definitely translated over dinner.

Dabi was just as funny as he always was and he was genuinely interested in getting to know everything about you. He hung on to your every word about the funny things your students did in class. He enjoyed hearing your college stories. He even knew some of the books you enjoyed reading and could talk literature easily.

You discovered that he was the co-owner of a tattoo and piercing shop. He was the oldest of his siblings. And he enjoyed traveling and learning new things.

Dabi enjoyed vibing with you. He loved that your personality and sense of humor was just as amazing and substantial as that body he wanted a piece of so bad.

Dinner rolled into drinks and lasted well into the night. By the time the two of you were done it was damn near four A.M.

From that night on, you and Dabi became practically inseparable. He picked you up from school right along with Shoto for dinner after work, swung by with coffee, bought you any and everything you wanted (he does come from money after all) and after a year of dating, you became more than just a ‘Ms.’

Pt.2

[amzyspinkarch]

At Last Tamagon x Reader

Smoke fills the air. The unpleasant smell of burning meat hits the nostrils of individuals nearby.

''Oi Tamagon! Nani shiteru no?!'' Kiev chastised.

''Tamagon!''

Kiev makes his way over to the said man and grabs the tongue utensil out of his hand. Being ripped from the clutches of memory lane, Tamagon is brought back to his reality where he's confronted by his brother. He blinks once, twice, thrice, before giving Kiev his attention. 

''Huh?'' Kiev jumps and slaps him across the head. 

''You're burning the food!'' He seethed while the rest of the crew chastise him as well. Some laugh at the male shaking their heads.

''Oh'' Tamagon pauses. ''Gomen ne''

Kiev sighs and tends to meats. Tamagon follows suit letting out a sigh knowing he's messed up. He just couldn't get out of his head. Not when horrid memories took over his mind. His eyes train up towards the blue sky masked with stark white clouds. He always finds solace when his eyes are fixed there. Something about the sky and shapes of the clouds is peaceful. A pass-time of his when he isn't busy with the company. Such sessions are even shared at times with a certain young woman. 

'I wonder if A-' 

''Oi, Tamagon!'' a voice belonging to his other brother Zanbai interrupts his thought. ''Your lady friend is here'' The men snicker at him.

Tamagon fights to keep down a slight blush trying to evolve and paint his face identical to a tomato.

''Thank you Zanbai. Let me know when you want a shot at announcement gigs. I'll set you up'' you pat his arm and turn smiling at Tamagon. The look in your eyes never fail at making him shy. As always though, he adverts his head after a hello to you.

He strides over to the steps and takes a seat. You shake your head, but your determination does not falter. You make your way over to the male and sit beside him. You remind yourself to put distance between you. A mental note you made from your last encounter.

''How are you Tamagon?''

''I am fine. And you?'' 

''I'm well.'' you chirp.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees you flashing him a wide smile that he swears lights up his insides. Yet, he remains facing forward as if you don't affect him in the least. Another usual was silence. Though, frankly speaking, it was something pleasantly surprising that you'd become accustomed to.

''Tamagon'' he picks up on the tone of your voice. A shift from your usual playful. Concerned, he turns to you while you gather your thoughts to make your statement in the best way possible. Hopefully not messing up. You clear your throat.

''Are you okay?'' he'd like to know

''Qui. Je le suis merci.'' He nods. You let out a breath. ''Tamagon, I like you. Tu me rends heureux. You make me happy.'' Your hand covers one of his with yours as you look into his eyes.

''I know you're wondering how that can be. Well. It's the little things about you. I have made no secret of my crush on you, nor my attraction. I am not ashamed of it. However, I must let you hear it from me verbally.'' You pause taking a breath

''I love how even when not saying much or anything at all, I still learn so much from you. I love how expressive you can be with your family, yet, you're also reserved. I would love to be with you. I don't care what you or anyone says. You may second guess this and think I that have motives, but I'll do everything to prove to you that my affection and adoration. Mes sentiments, my feelings. '' Your hand squeezes his. ''Are real. I see the kind of person and man that you are, and I'm so attracted to him. You once caused mischief, but you, along with these rest of this crew, have turned your lives around. You're now an honest, hard-working man.'' Your eyes trail down to his mouth and smile seductively.

''I love your lips and how plump and soft they look. I love how when you're around, I instantly feel warm. And safe. I could go on and on Tamagon. And I will when, not if, but when you accept to be my man.'' You were so focused on the man facing you, that you hadn't realised you'd gained the attention of your family. Everyone's munching on their lunch both entertained and awed by the words coming out of your mouth.

And Tamagon's facial expression.

A certain pink-haired cutie suddenly interrupts.

''Love'' Himari, relaxing on her mother's lap, comments. Parting her hands and arms gesturing to you and the chubby-cheeked male. It was then you noticed the audience gathered and partly wished to be buried into the Earth.

Turning to Tamagon you see a mixture of emotions swirling around in his eyes and contorting his face. His unnerving silence causes you to panic. You turn to walk away abruptly deciding it's best to regroup and approach later. Plus, the more you felt examined, the more agitated you got, and no one wanted to see you snap.

Everyone ate and socialised before getting back to work. Tamagon secluded himself on a comfy seat in the backyard trying to process your words from earlier. His mind indeed sent off warning bells to tell him you just messing with him. He couldn't imagine someone taking him on and not at face value and appearance.

''You shouldn't overthink it.''

''Franky aniki'' Franky rests a palm on the male's shoulder. 

''Tamagon, when someone loves you for you, don't take it for granted. She's been showing you for how long now she's interested. And you still won't budge. Baka. You like her and she's let you know how much she likes you. Stop letting your fears get in the way and kiss the girl. Honestly, you're so hard-headed'' Franky boxes the male on the head and leaves, going back to work.

Evening had approached by the time last-minute checks on the stability of the booths, the lightings, sounds and decorations occurred. The ideas for this game night Coby and Ame were going to host were superb. You were proud of the woman for finally having the balls to connect more to her other family. Whether she wanted to accept and embrace them or not. From what Coby's described, the Newgate's were a great family.

Taking a few steps backs, you observed the sight before you. The large backyard was now transformed into a mini carnival. Though the best part, is the gorgeous, fairy lights lit tents created for an outdoor theatre. You released a sigh.

''It's beautiful," Ame said from beside you. Her eyes captivated by the sight before her and who could blame her?

''Qui. Il fait beau. You're a genius"

"I wouldn't know about that"

"Yes, you are. A game night that ends with an outdoor movie in dreamy tents with seating that has the comfort of a bed? Dang woman. By the way, I hope you know it's about to turn into a baby-making fest tomorrow night." The gorgeous, dark-skinned woman swats your arm

"Your mind's always in the damn gutter."

"No more than yours" you snicker at her, but she just gives you an amused look

"Oh? I beg to differ sis. I see the way you look at Tamagon."

"So, does everyone." You shrug "I make it no secret my interest in him"

"Yeah. We know from your declaration earlier" She smirks at you teasingly. Your cheeks, being devoid of melanin, flushed a deep pink

"Shut up. I didn't know everyone was around. I got lost in the moment.'' You release a sigh. '' But I wouldn't change a thing. He's so sweet. And a hunk" She nods while staring forward.

"I know what you mean," she says with a distant smile on her face. Movement catches the corner of your eye and you peer over to the person.

"Ooo. Speaking of sweet and a hunk. Your husband is home.'' You notify'' Mind if I go entertain him with the idea of a ménage a trios?" You teasingly raise an eyebrow. Ame laughs light-heartedly.

She smirks and closes the gap between you two. Taking a hold of your hands, she gives you her best puppy dog eyes filled with fake desperation.

"More than anything" Her body is yanked backwards. Rope binding her torso and arms. 

"Oi Ame! Nani shiteru-no" 

"Mmm Paulie, I like where you're going with this." You grin mischievously at the male. His face blushes a deep pink.

"Urusai! Ame! You're married for shit's sake. Stop going after other men's ladies"

"Shut the fuck up and release me, Paulie! This is so tight" 

"I bet that's what Coby's says about your-" your sentence is cut short by the ranting male.

"And you. Stop starting things and entertaining her!" You chuckle and give the older male a fake look of conviction.

"Je regrette Paulie. You know we're only playing" you wink at Ame and she winks back.

"Uso-tsuki!!" The man yells at both of you 

"Can't have these two in the same vicinity" Franky chimes in playfully

"Honestly. They're both something else" Kop replies

Paulie took Ame over to her husband. They verbally went back and forth with each other as everyone laughs. You simply waved at her before laying on the grass, gazing at the evening sky. You blew out a breath. You wondered how to go about things between you and the certain male when you felt a presence nearby. Tamagon. He gifts you with a slice of cake but does not speak. Neither of you say a word. Both too afraid of the unknown.

''I... I like your native tongue. Both your accent and your language. I find it sexy and adorable when you switch between French and English. Especially when flustered.'' He takes moment to gather his words carefully ''I-I'' he takes a breath ''I like how opposite you are of me yet we.. blend.. perfectly. Like makeup.'' He blushes recalling a time watching you apply products to your face and the lessons you taught him while at it. ''I love your hair'' he says with a warm smile ''It's so fluffy and full. A small, lovely afro crown adorning your head.'' Your smirk turns into a slightly sad smile

''But you can't run your fingers through it.''

''I'd happily get tangled up.'' He replies smiling. His fingers brush against your hand.

''I love your skin very much. You may have a skin disease to others, but to me, you're so beautiful. You're a work of art, a masterpiece and you should never feel any other way about yourself.''

Tamagon shifts closer to your body. Your body stills, not believing what's happening. You let out a breath and relax when his hand now takes hold of yours, squeezing it. You turn on your side to face him. ''I-I like you y/n,'' he says. He turns on his side to face you as well.

You smile lovingly as your hand goes to his cheek. You caress his face rendering the man weak as he leans into your touch.

''Tamagon?'' you softly call. He hums. ''J'ai tres envie de faire l'amour avec toi ce soir. I really want to make love to you tonight''

His eyes widen with shock and his face lights up like a Christmas tree as he rolls onto his side. His back faces you as he tries hiding his reddened face. Your laugh resounds throughout the yard, and Tamagon works on calming his heart rate. Another stretch of comfortable silence passes. You take that time trying to calm your own beating heart and fight your blush fest. You decide to use food as well as a counter and take a bite of your dessert. You relishing the sweet taste before abruptly choking, taken by complete surprise by his response to your confession.

''Y-yes. You can make love to me tonight''

(A/N: I know this one is longer that rest but I'm especially attached you will, to this one-shot. I really felt it necessary and it took me a long time to finish it. However, I'm happy that I am and I hope that you enjoy it. Happy reading people! Translations are down below) 

Japanese:

Nani shiteru no- What are you doing?

Gomen ne- I'm sorry, sorry

Aniki- Big Brother, brother

Baka- Idiot

Urusai- Shut up.

Uso-Tsuki- Liar.

French:

Qui. Je le suis merci- Yes. I am thank you.

Tu me rends heureux- You make me happy.

Mes sentiments- My feelings

Qui. Il fait beau- Yes. It is beautiful.

Ménage a trios- Three-way

Je regrette- I'm sorry. I am sorry

J'ai tres envie de faire l'amour avec toi ce soir- I really want to make love to you tonight

[lady-divine-writes]

Kurtbastian one-shot “Spooktastic” (Rated PG13)

Summary: Sebastian fantasizes about Kurt showing up at the rink in the costume of his dreams.

And he does, but that depends on the type of dream ...

Notes: For those of you who will inevitably ask, yes, we had someone dressed in a giant lavender inflatable unicorn at our rink this Halloween xD

Part 49 of Outside Edge

Read on AO3.

“A bloody hockey mask?” Blaine snickers, sliding to a stop with enough force to spray Sebastian’s skates with snow. “As far as Halloween costumes go, isn’t that a little too on the nose for you?”

“What are you talking about?” Sebastian raises the red streaked and busted mask so Blaine can hear him clearly. “I’m not wearing a costume.”

“A-ha. Okay, Captain Edgy,” Blaine says rolling his eyes.

Sebastian doesn’t defend his costume choice. Easy is as easy does, and he’d rather be on the ice than wasting his time dressing up. He knows he copped out. So what that his costume is a little low maintenance? He doesn’t want to admit that he’s not into the gory side of Halloween. It’s a carefully guarded secret (so guarded, not even Kurt knows) that he hangs out at the rink and coaches on Halloween because blood and gut costumes freak him out – a residual fear from an episode years ago when Sebastian, alone at home while his folks were off on another of many ‘important’ business trips, decided to spend Halloween in his parent’s wine cellar watching every horror movie the satellite TV could pick up.

After the fifth movie, he’d wanted to call it quits, but he couldn’t bring himself to walk through the cold, dark cellar upstairs to the main house, so he hunkered down under the blankets he had brought with him and stayed there, eyes wide open, watching cartoons on repeat till his uncle came home in the morning.

Three straight nights of zero sleep followed, and he swore he’d never watch another horror flick again.

The rink goes all out on Halloween to give kids a safe place to Trick or Treat and enjoy themselves. The kids who attend more or less stick to store bought, cutesy costumes that are easy to skate in, so Sebastian’s hockey mask is pretty much the grossest thing out on the ice.

“What about you?” Sebastian gestures to Blaine’s gelled hair, his leather jacket, and his tighter than necessary (especially for skating) jeans. “You dressed like Elvis?”

“What?” Blaine looks down at his clothes, then back at Sebastian and grins. “I’m not wearing a costume.”

Sebastian scowls, but then bounces his head in agreement. “You’re right. I don’t think you are wearing a costume.”

“Hey! Have any of you guys seen Kurt? He’s supposed to check in by now,” Chandler asks, skating over with roster in hand, and wearing a giant, inflatable, lavender unicorn costume. Blaine, Sebastian, and the other coaches with them can’t help chuckling every time he waddles over. The consensus is it’s literally the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever seen.

But the kids love it so, in that respect, Chandler wins coach of the month.

Sebastian is grateful Chandler has the skating skills to keep him upright in that thing. It would suck to have to pick him up off the ice every five feet.

“I haven’t seen him yet,” Blaine answers, which annoys Sebastian thoroughly. In Kurt matters, Sebastian should always get the first say.

“He didn’t come to the rink with us,” Sebastian adds when Chandler looks at him with confusion. “He was still working on his costume when we left. He said he wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Ooo la la!” Chandler coos, grinning behind the clear panel in the unicorn’s chest that allows him to see. “I can’t wait to see what he comes up with this year! He has the best skating outfits on the ice. His Halloween costume must be epic!”

“Yeah,” Sebastian mutters dreamily, biting his lower lip and imagining the kind of costume his boyfriend might have come up with. Like Blaine, he favors tight shirts, even tighter pants, and dramatic makeup, which Sebastian never thought for the life of him would be a thing that would get his engine going. Makeup on boys seemed unnatural to him - a desperate cry for attention. But after seeing the looks Kurt comes up with, boy has Sebastian changed his mind! And not just about Kurt. About every boy who wears makeup. It never dawned on Sebastian how freeing makeup could be, how expressive, how unique.

And in Kurt’s case, how erotic.

Quite a one-eighty for a boy who never thought he’d date in high school, not to mention Ice Queen Kurt Hummel.

Sebastian can picture Kurt dressing up as a fox in a sleek velvet bodysuit with a fluffy tail. Or an elf, Lord of the Rings style - regal and strong in a tailored tunic and silver-blond wig. Or maybe something with Spanish flair, like a flamenco dancer or a Matador. (Kurt’s been really into Ricky Martin lately …. obnoxiously so …) Another coach on the ice is dressed as a peacock – teal blue spandex unitard covered in crystals and sequins, with a full tail of feathers attached to the rear that shimmies when she skates. Sebastian can see Kurt rocking that look, no question. That shade of blue would make his eyes pop.

And that fan of feathers would make his ass look fantastic!

Sebastian shifts from skate to skate, becoming antsy as images of his boyfriend in sexy Halloween costumes flood his brain, some of them as unoriginal as a box of bricks - sexy doctor, sexy lit professor, sexy crossing guard. But that wouldn’t matter, because on Kurt, a burlap potato sack would look hot as hell. Sebastian doesn’t think Kurt would opt for store bought though. Whatever he’s come up with has to be glamorous, elaborate, and bedazzled within an inch of his life. But if he shows up dressed as a sexy police officer, wearing aviator shades and carrying handcuffs, they may have to take off their skates and call it a night, because Sebastian wouldn’t be able to stop tripping over his tongue.

“Uh … Sebastian? Are you in there? Are you still with us?” Blaine says, waving his fingers in front of Sebastian’s eyes. Sebastian went catatonic the second Chandler mentioned Kurt’s costume, staring off into space and licking his lips as if he’s daydreaming about his favorite ice cream flavor. Blaine can’t help envying Sebastian’s relationship with Kurt. He does every single day.

Watching tough guy Sebastian Smythe drool over his boyfriend is too jealousy-inducing for words.

Sebastian shakes his head, snapping out of his stupor as a whiff of Blaine’s aftershave invades his nostrils with its overpowering scent of ‘tree’. “Ugh,” he groans, turning his head and scanning the rink, jumping from costume to costume, searching for his boyfriend. “Can you lay off the cologne a bit? I know it might be too late for you, but I want to keep my brain cells.”

“Fuck you, too, dude.”

Blaine spots him first. Of course he does. Sebastian knows Blaine sees him by the way his stupid eyes grow wider and wider until they take up three-quarters of his face, squeezing his mouth down to the vicinity of his chin.

“Oh … my … God …” Blaine chuckles, eyes darting from behind Sebastian’s back to his face. “Hi, Kurt.”

“Hello, boys.”

Sebastian hears his boyfriend’s voice and he smiles. His man is here. His moment has arrived. Sebastian glares at Blaine, who’s already backing away, a look on his face that Sebastian doesn’t know how to interpret.

“I think I’ll just … go this way.” Blaine laughs into his hand as he joins a small group of starter tots on center ice.

“See that you do,” Sebastian says, glad that, for once, Blaine can take a hint and skedaddle. He feels Kurt’s hands slide up his arms to his shoulders, caressing gently from behind. He can’t see Kurt’s hands, but that’s okay. He doesn’t want to see anything that will give Kurt’s costume away before he can turn around and get the full effect.

Sebastian tilts his head to talk over his shoulder. “Hello, handsome.”

Kurt drops a subtle kiss onto Sebastian’s ear. “Hello, yourself. So, what do you think of my costume?”

“I haven’t seen it yet,” Sebastian teases.

“Oh,” Kurt says, probably assuming Sebastian had caught a glimpse in the reflection of the windows as he approached. “Well, turn around and take a look.”

Sebastian doesn’t need to be told twice. He spins around with the enthusiasm of a kid hoping for a bike on his birthday but expecting a car. He’s prepared to see Kurt in skin tight spandex of some variety, with a wicked cat’s eye liner, and cheekbones contoured to cut glass. Kurt probably shimmers like a disco ball, a God in Swarovski crystals and mesh paneling.

It takes a few moments of staring, blinking, and gaping to comprehend the look that Kurt has put together.

When Sebastian does, he recoils.

“Oh my God, Kurt!” he squawks, stumbling backward over his heels and falling on his ass. “What the … what are you!?”

“I’m a zombie!” Kurt raises his arms and turns on his toe picks to give Sebastian a look at the final product.

“A zom---wha-what?” Sebastian’s eyes work overtime racing up and down Kurt’s body – the filthy rags hanging off his limbs, gaping holes torn through the fabric; his skin greying and ashen, the makeup done (brilliantly, Sebastian has to admit) to make his eyes and cheeks look sunken and rotting; his hair darkened and plastered to his skull. Considering how voluminous his hair normally is, it must have taken gobs of product to get it flat like this. Then there’s the blood - thick, black, greasy blood crusting at the corners of his mouth, leaking from his eyes, oozing out his ears and nose. He’d glued pieces of organs bulging from cracks in the exposed sections of his torso, a fractured bone splitting the skin of his forearm.

This look, so far removed from his usual makeup creations, definitely showcases the incredible talent of Kurt Hummel. It could have been done by a professional effects artist, it’s that detailed.

And it’s repulsive!

“Why would you wear that?” Sebastian cries, scooting backward to keep his boyfriend at arm’s length.

“Duh! It’s Halloween!” Kurt giggles. “It’s not like it’s Christmas or the fourth of July! We’re supposed to dress scary! You’re wearing a bloody hockey mask!”

A hundred remarks flash through Sebastian’s brain, but he can’t get a single one past his tongue, not with his boyfriend standing above him looking exactly like a putrid corpse! It’s not Kurt’s fault. Sebastian never told him how much ghouls and spooks and zombies terrify him. Still, he never pictured Kurt going full out gore for Halloween, not in a million years. Sebastian plans to tell him as soon as he can get Kurt alone, but that’s provided he takes that makeup off first. But Sebastian can’t ask Kurt to do that. It must have taken ages to do! He has to find a middle ground. He glances with his eyes from side to side until he finds what he’s looking for.

“Uh, I’ve got to … there’s somewhere … I’m going to the locker room,” Sebastian says, scrambling to his feet. “But, uh … I’m going to text you, so keep your phone on. Okay?”

Yeah. That’s it. He’ll text him an explanation. Through a locked door from fifty feet away! Not like that’s lame or anything.

“Come on, Sebastian.” Kurt puckers black, broken lips and obliviously gives chase. “Stop playing hard to get and give me a kiss!”

“Nope. No. No way, no how!” Sebastian says, crawling on his hands and knees when he finds he can’t stand, clawing at the ice to evade his boyfriend. “Kurt! Get away from me, Kurt, or I’m gonna cancel my ten o’clock!”

[chimmy-joos]

As Long as You’re With Me Yandere Taehyung |M|

Description: Taehyung just wants you to know how much he loves you and he will do whatever it takes to keep you from leaving him.

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader

Word count: 4.3k

Tags: smut for miles, degrading name-calling, spanking, bondage, creampies, mind-break, Yandere!Taehyung, you know the good stuff

*inner psychopath comes out* thank you so much for this request I had so much fun writing it! This turned out longer than I expected, but its worth it, isn’t it? :) Anyways enjoy this rubbish if you didn’t notice i have a thing for psychopaths

-

You felt his alluring stare shoot daggers into your back as you walk up to the stage to accept your award for Best New Artist. Or perhaps that was the the effect of the 500,000 people in the audience and everyone watching on national television, but it felt like it was only Kim Taehyung and you.

You started dating Taehyung before you debuted as a solo artist. You met through mutual friends at a Korean barbecue restaurant and the two of you immediately clicked. Well, you tell other people that the two of you hit it off right away, but really it was after he had taken you home and fucked your brains out. It was the morning after when he had made you breakfast in bed(an apology for being too rough) when you had actually developed some romantic feelings. An idol with a good looking face, incredible sense of humor, and a beastly libido to match? What more could you ask for?

You accepted the award from the MC and bowed your head to him before turning to the audience and bowing even deeper. This was the first daesang you received with your new album and you could not be more proud of yourself. All your hard work to get you to this point had paid off, but it was too early to take a breath of relief. There was still room for improvement and you weren’t about to slow down now. Still, you held back tears as you peered out to the sea of people in the audience, screaming out your name.

Your speech was filled with words of gratitude, mostly to your fans that voted for you as well as friends and family that had supported you to this point. You didn’t forget to mention your managers and staff that helped you as well.

After the award show was over, all you wanted to do was go home and take a nice, long bubble bath in the hotel room and you were just about ready to leave when you were stopped by a fellow idol friend, Eunwoo.

“Y/N noona! Congratulations! I knew you would win, your album is so amazing!” The young man expressed his praise with a bright smile, like an innocent lamb.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. Congrats on winning Popular Artist! You guys are really working hard, aren’t you?” Your expression softened and you reached up to pinch his cheeks. The younger idol blushed and lowered his head; his dyed brown fringe fell in front of his eyes.

“Thank you, noona. Well, my members are probably waiting for me. I’ll talk to you later!” He said, bowing to you before leaving. You waved him off with a wide smile and turned around to return to your dressing room where your managers were.

Down the hall was Taehyung, watching you. Watching you with Eunwoo. That bastard. His fists were clenched at his side, hidden underneath the sleeve of his tuxedo. Taehyung followed you as you entered your dressing room before swooping in and sliding in right behind you.

“Y/N,” he called out in his rich voice. You turned around, your gorgeous hair flying through the air like a majestic goddess. Taehyung sighed and felt his heart skip a beat. It was like he fell in love with you all over again every time he looked at you. You were perfect. You were his, only his.

“Hi baby,” your red lips stretched into a toothy smile and you stood on your toes to kiss Taehyung. “You did great today.” You cooed and scrunched your nose at him.

“You did too. You don’t know how badly I wanted to scream when you won.” Taehyung reached around your waist and pulled you closer to him until your chest was pressed against his. If only he could stay like this forever, just centimeters apart from you. He couldn’t bear being any further from you. If only you knew how much Taehyung longed for you. Every morning he wished you could be the first thing he saw when he woke up and every night, it was your voice he wanted to hear wish him a good nights sleep. Well, you do that anyways, but it’s different over the phone. He just needed to feel you.

“Are you coming over tonight?” You tapped your finger over Taehyung’s lips and your eyes settled on them with a hint of suggestiveness. He licked the sides of his mouth.

“Of course, I’ll just let the other guys know and my manager. Wait for me, princess.” He smiled and leaned in, pressing his lips to your ear. “Without any panties, understand?” He whispered and the vibrations of his deep voice made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

“Yes sir,” you replied with a meek voice as he pulled away. Your boyfriend smiled almost devilishly and backed away. He dragged his hand along your arm, lingering longer at your small hands.

“I’ll see you soon.” He said and kissed your knuckles before heading out the door. Once the doo closed behind him, his eyes went dark. He looked down to floor so the people passing wouldn’t be intimidated by his icy, murderous glare. He returned back to BTS’s dressing room with his head lowered and entered the room the same way.

“Taehyung! Where have you been? Why haven’t you answered your phone?” Namjoon scolded him. Taehyung glanced up as his eyes slowly brightened.

“Sorry hyung, I went to go see Y/N for a second. You know she just won her first daesang, so I have to congratulate her.” He said and grabbed his jacket off the clothes rack.

“That’s fine and all, but hurry up and grab your things. The managers are waiting for us.” Yoongi said hastily, pulling a black mask over his mouth. Taehyung picked up his Gucci handbag from off the makeup table and turned to Jungkook as he was leaving.

“Hey,” Taehyung called out to get his attention. Jungkook looked up from his phone and moved his large headphones away from his ear. “I’m not going to be home tonight. You can play without me.”

Jungkook groaned and Taehyung literally saw his shoulders drop in disappointment. “Seriously? Hyung, you promised you’d be online tonight! Who else am I going to team up with?” Jungkook whined and Taehyung was having none of it. He brushed past Jungkook and followed the rest of the members back to their van.

“Sorry, my little princess calls for me tonight.” A smirk crept over his face, sinister and almost psychotic. He had a long night ahead of him and you an even longer night. Just thinking about the way Eunwoo spoke to you kindled a burning jealousy inside of Taehyung. Although he shouldn’t be, in any way, jealous because Taehyung knew deep down that you only had eyes for him, he would never allow anyone else’s eyes on you. And likewise, he would never allow your eyes to wander away from him.

Taehyung had to explain his rooted love for you even if that meant by force.

Keys? Check.

Mask? Check.

Ropes? Check.

That was all Taehyung needed tonight. If he truly wanted to go the extra mile, he’d opt for the collar or the vibrators, or even the gag, but that’d be saved for another time. Taehyung expected you to take off on him after learning about his sexual preferences kinks, but you stayed and Taehyung knew you were the one.

Taehyung didn’t have to beg much when asking to borrow the company’s car, perhaps that being because his managers didn’t want to hear anything about Taehyung’s sex life. Taehyung drove to your apartment in record time so he could give you your punishment right away.

As he pulled into the parking lot, he looked up to see the dim light of your lamp through the sheer curtains. Perfect, he thought. Taehyung hummed to himself as he pulled out his bag out of the passenger seat and also while he walked up to your apartment. Knowing you were behind the door waiting patiently for Taehyung—possibly with no bra and definitely no panties like he ordered you to—excited his inner sadist.

He knocked on the door three times before turning the doorknob to find it open. You left it unlocked for him knowing he wouldn’t want to wait for you to come open it. Smart girl, he smirked before waltzing inside the dimmed apartment. Your room was the last room on the right of the hall and he made sure that his creaky footsteps responded throughout the house. As he approached your room, he could hear soft R&B music playing from your Bluetooth speakers.

Taehyung pushed open the door slowly and his eyes flickered to your thin body lying across the silk bed. You wore nothing but a pink babydoll dress and your hair swept over the valley of your back in waves. Something stirred inside of Taehyung upon seeing your nubile body and it only made him want to deliver his punishment even faster.

“You’re finally here,” You hummed and turned over  to face Taehyung. You weren’t wearing a bra, which was even better. Less things to take off which saved time. “What took you so long, baby?”

“I got held up,” he replied and set the bag on the floor with a heavy thud. Your eyes darted to the bag and for a second, Taehyung could’ve sworn your face paled. “I have to talk to you about something.” He said and walked over to you. You swung your legs over the edge of the bed and looked up at him with a sweet smile.

“Yes?” You fluttered your eyelashes, but Taehyung’s blank expression didn’t change. Blank expression? How could he put on such a face when you went out of your way to put on an extra sexy outfit just for him? Something was wrong. You reached up and touched his arm. “Did something happen, baby?”

He slipped his arm away from your touch only to touch your smooth cheek with his other hand. His long fingers caressed your face gently all the way down to your chin where he pinched it.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you love me?” He asked and the sudden question made you raise your brows in surprise.

“What?” You chuckled and grasped Taehyung’s hand. “Honey, love can’t be measured on a scale, it’s a feeling. That’s ridiculous.” You said lightly, but Taehyung didn’t seem to find it funny at all. He continued to stare down at you with those dark, lifeless eyes that didn’t belong on his handsome face.

“I need a number.” He said. You realized that he wasn’t going to let you off the hook without one.

“Fine, a 10. I love you sooo much, Taehyung.” You smiled at him. Those reassuring words chipped at his stony exterior just a bit and you saw the faintness of a smile on his lips.

“You won’t leave me, right?” He asked, he stroked small circles over your chin.

“I won’t.”

“And you won’t talk to other guys? You won’t look at them or be friends with them? Not even Eunwoo?” Taehyung blurted out and you couldn’t even comprehend the first one, much less the absurdity of the rest.

“W-What? What are you talking about?” You asked and he took your face in his hands, squishing your cheeks together until your lips were puckered.

“You have to promise me, Y/N. It’ll only be me—only us, right?” He asked gently, almost overly anticipating your answer.

“Yesh,” you said the best you could with your cheeks pushed together. Relief caved into Taehyung and he sighed audibly in relief. His shoulders fell and you could see the craziness in his eyes diminish right before you.

“Thank god,” he said and kissed you. “Shall we get started?” He asked before peppering you in more kisses on your lips down to our chin. You closed your eyes as Taehyung kissed your neck; he licked a small spot on your warm skin before promptly placing his lips on your nape and sucking. You moaned; the spot grew in heat and spread throughout your body the more he licked.

“B-Baby...” you moaned and squeezed Taehyung’s shoulders—a silent plead for him to do more than just kissing. Taehyung jerked away and you looked up at him with startled eyes.

“Wait, I have something,” He suddenly remembered his toys that he brought with him and rummaged through his bag to retrieve them. Once you saw him pull out the black blindfold and the bright red rope, your heart rate quickened. Either you had done something wrong or Taehyung was just feeling extra adventurous tonight.

“Get on the bed.” Taehyung snapped and his sharp eyes flickered to the bed. You scooted back to the middle of the bed and stretched your legs out in front of you. Taehyung unraveled the rope from its knot with his long, bony fingers which you followed with hungry eyes. Oh, what you wouldn’t do to have those fingers inside of you.

Firmly but with precision and skill, Taehyung swiftly brought your ankles together and looped the rope around them. He tied a knot around it and yanked it a few times to make sure that it was tight, just as he liked it. You kept your eyes on his face because he was the most attractive when he was focused on something. His thick eyebrows were set heavily over his eyes in concentration. He flicked his gaze up to you and you nearly lost your breath underneath his fiery gaze. Definitely the most attractive.

“Turn over,” He reverberated lowly. You turned over and dug your knees into the mattress as your ankles being tied threw your balance off. Already knowing what to come next, you reached behind your back and linked your wrists together to make it easier for Taehyung to wrap the rope around them. He clutched his hand around your hands, holding them together as he tied your wrists together.

Taehyung leaned back to look at his marvelous handiwork. Seeing you tied up like some toy he can’t wish to make a mess of switched something on inside of him. He had to have you. No one else could make him feel this rush of arousal and infatuation. His eyes trailed down your arched spine and the curve of your ass stuck in the air to your glistening slit. He raised his brow.

“Have you been playing with yourself?”

“No sir, you know I never do.” You pouted.

“Really,” He smoothed his hand over your hamstring and smacked your ass with a resounding, hard thump. You choke back a gasp and pushed your weight into your knees while your toes curled in a mixture of excitement and pain. “Then why are you this wet?” Taehyung’s fingers slipped in between your slit and spread your slit to reveal your sipping wet pussy. His mouth pulled into a side smirk.

“J-Just dry humping...” you moaned into the mattress. “I was lonely.”

“Hm,” Taehyung hummed in amusement. “Did you think about me?”

“Yes sir,” you clench your hands into fists and resist the urge to push yourself onto Taehyung’s fingers that were right there. “Everyday, sir. It’s only you.”

Taehyung could never tell you how much his heart swelled when he heard you say that. You belonged to him, only him. Should anyone ever test that or doubt it, he had no problem in showing them—the entire world what you mean to him. Even if that meant putting both of your careers on the line. It was all or nothing for you.

“That’s right, you little slut,” Taehyung snarled and squeezed your ass cheek. “You did well tonight. Waving this ass around in front of thousands of people. Do you like it when people watch you, hmm? You like the idea of men getting hard because of you?” He taunted, giving you another slap on each cheek. It wasn’t even that forced, but Taehyung’s hands were so big that his palm covered your entire cheek.

“I-I do,” you whined. You didn’t, in all honesty. It was nice to know that people liked seeing you dance, but knowing that there were some fans that enjoyed your performances a little too much was something that you tried to not think about. But whatever Taehyung wanted to hear, you’d say it.

“If only they knew what I see every night.” Taehyung purred; his thumbs spread your pussy even more to reveal your small hole. So pretty and pink and looked like the perfect cock sleeve to place his cock in there soon. Your sweet scent numbed his brain and all he wanted to do was eat you up.

You gasped as he slid his wet tongue down your sex. It was ticklish and your pussy clenched. He flicked his tongue against your slit and took your clit in his mouth, sucking it and swirling his tongue over it. You let out your moan into the mattress knowing damn well that it would come out as guttural.

“F-Fuck, Tae... o-ohh baby, that feels so fucking good,” You whined, pushing your ass back into Taehyung’s face as he happily lapped up your juices. Taehyung grabbed your thighs and pulled you closer to him as his tongue moved more aggressively. He focused more so on your clit knowing that it was your most sensitive part. Then, he licked long strips along your pussy and you let out a shuddering moan. Your face fell into the mattress yet again and you drowned your moans into the sheets.

“So sweet,” Taehyung pulled away and licked his lips. He suddenly plunged his finger inside of you and the intrusion sent a new sense of pleasure through your body. Your jaw fell open and you groaned. “Look at you, so tight around my finger. Can’t wait to fuck you with my cock.” He snickered in amusement.

“Oh god, yes!”

“You like that? You want me to fuck you with my cock, baby?” Taehyung teased, twisting his finger inside of you.

“Y-Yes!” You stuttered, already feeling yourself on the brink of an orgasm.

“Yes what?”

“Yes sir, I want you to fuck my tight little pussy with your big fucking cock! Please, sir!” You screamed; your pussy clenched in need for something to wrap around. Taehyung hummed, still digging his finger inside of your pussy and watching your juices drip down your slit. He licked up the thick, sweet juice before it stained your sheets and sucked your clit again.

Taehyung stood up and palmed his erection through his pants, wrapping his hand around his balls. He groaned and licked the corners of his dry mouth. “Spread your legs.” He ordered and you did so, sliding your legs over the sleek sheets and raising your ass in the air. Taehyung slid his pants down and his thick cock sprang up. He stroked it from the base and inhaled sharply. He lined the tip up with your hole and didn’t give you a single warning before sliding his cock all the way inside of you.

You groaned at the stretch and how fucking deep he was reaching inside of you. You could feel him in your guts and every part of you felt so full.

“Fuck! Oh my fucking god—s-so deep!” You moaned—your legs shaking in ecstasy. Taehyung grabbed the rope around your wrists and started slamming his hips into you—the sound of his hips slapping against your ass mixed with your stuttering moans. With each thrust, Taehyung pushed you into the mattress and forced a moan from out of you.

“Agh, fucking hell! You cumming on my dick, baby? God, you’re so tight.” He growled and slammed into you; his balls rubbed your clit as he grinding into your cervix. You gasped and gripped the sheets in pain. Okay, Taehyung was fucking huge and sometimes it was beneficial to you. Most times it felt heavenly, but at times like this when Taehyung had you tied up like a roasted pig and was fucking your brains out from behind without a single thought about you was when it was nearing a border that you weren’t comfortable crossing.

“Ta-Taehyung—oh fuck—slower p-please...” You pleaded in staggering increments; your breath was continuously being knocked out of you. Then, you felt rough hands grab the back of your neck and forced your face into the mattress. Taehyung propped both of his feet on the bed and plunged his cock deeper into you.

“Mm, that’s right. Squeeze my cock, baby. Oh fuck, you feel so tight around my cock, like a little cock sleeve. You like being fucked like a whore?” Taehyung hissed as he inhaled. The feeling of your wet folds wrapping around his cock as he plunged into you was blindingly pleasurable. If he lost focus, he’d cum right inside your pretty pink hole.

“Yes, yes, yes! Fu-uck me, da-addy!” You stuttered our while your body was thrown against the bed wildly. Taehyung grinding into you and you could feel the coiling in your stomach burn and then you were cumming; you buried your face in the mattress and screamed as Taehyung continued to fuck you.

Taehyung paused his forceful thrusts to savor your pussy convulsing around his dick—your walls twitched in pleasure. He could see the edges of your pussy lined with cream that had accumulated over time.

He spread your ass cheeks apart and slowly started to move again. He gauged your sensitivity by your deep moans.

“God, you’re so good. I’ll cum soon baby, just wait.” Taehyung reassured as he picked up his pace. As Taehyung fucked you, the feeling of his thick cock pulling at your pussy gradually made you uncomfortable, but you just had to wait. It wouldn’t be long before Taehyung reached his climax.

“Aggghh fuck! I’m gonna cum!” He exclaimed and buried himself deep inside of you before planting his seed. You felt his cock twitch as his warm cum filled you up. You chewed on your lip and pressed your ass against his hips and have him dick grind deeper into you.

Taehyung pulled out of you and spread your ass to see his thick spunk dribble out of your hole. He slid his fingers into you and pushed the cum back in.

“Keep it in there. You’re going to have my babies and I’m going to keep coming inside until you do.” He smiled too purely as he fingered you.

“Y-Yes sir.” You moaned back. The thought of having Taehyung’s kids sounded amazing, but the fact that your career would be thrown down the drain wasn’t so appealing. Though, you felt the need to agree to everything he said.

Taehyung stood back, marveling at your body sprawled out on the bed, your reddened and abused pussy looked ripe for another round and Taehyung was tempted to dive his cock right back in there. He held his temptation at bay and instead slipped back into his pants. You glanced back.

“Um, babe? Can you untie me now?” You asked in a small voice. Taehyung nearly glared at you with an offended, angry expression that flashed across his face.

“Untie you?” He moved closer. Taehyung presses his knee on the bed in between your legs and pressed down on the small of your back. You yelped in surprise. “Why should I? So you could go and flirt with guys backstage again? So other people could stain your beautiful skin with their filthy hands? Hah, I don’t think so.” He laughed heartlessly. You could feel your heart rate pick up as fear settled in. You squirmed under Taehyung, but his large hands held you down effortlessly.

“T-Taehyung? Baby, untie me. This isn’t the time for jok—ow!” You cried out as your arms cramped from being strained from both from the ropes and Taehyung’s strength.

Taehyung leaned in, pressing his body against yours. You felt his nose brush against your hair and you jumped. His breath felt hot against the back of your ear.

“Jokes? You think I’m fucking joking? The only thing that’s funny is seeing thousands of men across the country crying because their dearest idol is pregnant with someone’s child,” Taehyung ran a hand along your ass and sliding a finger between your wet, cum-filled slit. You whimpered and lowered your head into the mattress. Taehyung reached under and wrapped his hand around your throat, yanking it back up. You gasped sharply until your breath was taken by Taehyung’s vice grip around your neck. “You’re staying in this room until I say you can leave. Understand?” He spat and released his grip.

“What? Taehyung, you can’t be serious! Let me go right now!” You coughed and jerked under him. Taehyung crawled off of you, watching you struggle. You glared at him while gritting your teeth in anger. Had your joints not been restricted by those damned ropes, you would’ve been all over Taehyung. The only thing you could do was tighten your fists into balls.

Little did you know that seeing you so angry only aroused Taehyung even more. He felt his pants tighten around his erection and he glanced down at it. What stood between him and dumping another load of cum inside your pussy or down your throat was the part of Taehyung that cared for your well being.

He just wanted to show how much he loved you.

“Just listen to me and you’ll be fine.” Taehyung reassured calmly, earning another menacing, tear-filled glare from you.

“Are you fucking insane?! Let me go!”

“Baby, you know I can’t do that. You’re safer in here with me.” Taehyung cooed and knelt down so he was eye to eye with you. Your frightened eyes cowered beneath Taehyung’s unwavering, scarily calm gaze. He stroked your hair and you flinched at the contact. “Everything will be alright as long as you’re with me.” Taehyung’s eyes shift into a empty, crazed look--he cups your face in his large hands and smooths his thumbs over your supple cheeks. There’s a strange, unfamiliar urge in Taehyung to press his thumbs into your eyes. The flashing image of your eyeless body with blood running down your cheeks as if they were the tears of a fallen angel sent a shudder through Taehyung’s body. It was tempting, almost.

“I don’t want to hurt you...” his voice shook as he was on the edge of crying. You were well beyond crying at this point. Your sobs went unnoticed at this point and dread started to sink in. He wasn’t going to untie you. You’d be tied up like some sex slave and forced to bear his child. Had it been under any, preferably more romantic circumstances, you’d be swooning over the idea of having Taehyung’s child, but this was different. Your entire world flipped upside down in one night. How many other people can say that?

[freddiewatts]

Soapberry Pride 2018

@ephrampettaline | @charliesfins | @gracevilliers | @ianncardero | @rydenbolt | @scarlettxruby | @mayaparker | @ashcaplan | @lilo-el-lobo | @thisbrutalbelle | @cassiegermaine | @bumblingbrujo | @freddiewatts | @monsterbyamile | @danisavin

The parade had gone off nicely without any hitches, and Ephram’s officers had dispersed afterwards to meander around town and participate in the festivities (while still being cops, of course; they were never really off-duty). He’d opted for Erzebet’s because it was familiar and he was curious what in the hell a black light party was in the first place.

Charlie prepped a set of neon paints at their station inside Erzebet’s. They’d volunteered to do some body painting. That didn’t meant Charlie planned to stay on the sidelines. They’d worn an all white suit and planned to loose the jacket for dancing and paint fighting, especially since they’d heard rumors of paint twister. Charlie was ready for a good time and planned to be wearing every color BUT white by the time they left.

The Soapberry cops were kitted out in black t-shirts and jeans with white wings painted on the back and rainbow beaded bracelets, and Ephram realized with a start as he entered the club that he was a little out of place not being painted up like most of the dancers. Sidling out of the way of the crowd, he fetched up next to a table with a bunch of paints and an extraordinarily handsome person presiding over it, and asked haplessly, “…so is this normally what these sorts’ve things are like? People out there lookin’ like goddamn ghouls.”

Grace wore a black bra under a sheer blouse, showing rather more skin than she normally would have done, but it was Pride, and it wasn’t as if she had to worry about getting cold. Her blonde hair was highlighted with pastel colors, a mixture of rainbow flag colors and pansexual flag colors but nothing too bright. She got some paints at the door and painted something of a bedazzled pattern on herself in the mirror before putting her blouse back over it. She got a drink and headed to the bar. The chap who’d had the argument with Fane was behind the DJ Booth, which she supposed would keep him out of trouble.

Iann told himself it would be a ‘good experience’ and 'broaden his horizons’ which even as he said these cheesy phrases to himself, he wanted to rebel…against himself. But it was true - a black light party was normal fare (as far as Iann was concerned) but a supernatural blacklight party? Would that include seafolk bioluminescence? Atronach rune illuminations? Vampires with glow-in-the-dark blood? Fairies and witches with magical glowing awesomeness? It was hard to resist. Plus, it was at Erzebet’s and Iann knew places he could retreat and Bellamy would totally indulge him. Besides, he still had a goal to recruit people for the talent show. With that in mind, he figured a plain white t-shirt and white baseball cap would be glowy enough under the black lights. Iann beelined for Erzebet’s bar first, not because he wanted a drink but he wanted to see someone he knew. When he saw Grace, Iann blinked for a moment and then leaned in closer. “Your Ladyship?? That you??”

Charlie looked up at the sheriff sidled up to their table. Chuckling at his comment, Charlie shrugged. “It all depends. When you only get to be this crazy once a year, I guess some people can go a little overboard. Or just on board enough, depending on your perspective.” They scanned his outfit, wondering if he was allowed to cover a temporary uniform with paints and such. Then again, he was probably the one who had picked them out, so Charlie figured he could do what he wanted on the subject. “Were you hoping to add some dazzle of your own?”

Ephram scrunched his mouth to the side, considering. “Weellllll,” he demurred, “reckon it ain’t such a bad idea to blend in. I don’t wanna look like no narc, do I?” He grinned and touched two fingers to his hairline in introduction. “Ephram. And since it seems like you’s the artist in charge of makin’ folks look good instead of like somebody sneezed silly string all over em, would you be so kind as to colour me up nice?”

Grace lifted her head at Iann’s voice. “Well, at least you didn’t call me Gracie,” she teased, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Charlie let out a laugh. They were pretty sure most people could recognize who he was around here, and while he was a pretty good sheriff, he wasn’t exactly known as a narc. They’d heard of an exploit or two, but Charlie wasn’t about to ask if they were true. “Charlie. And that is my job, so to speak. I do tattoos over at Needle Point most of the time.” A little free advertising never hurt anyone. “What are you thinking you’d like? I can do something a little more surreal and just get the color everywhere or a more specific design if you’ve got some ideas.

"You can teach an old dog new tricks,” Iann grinned back, now prepared for the kiss on the cheek for a greeting, as she’d done it before at Ash’s party. “I wasn’t even sure it was you! Jesus look at you, lady.” Iann leaned back and gave what he considered a very appropriate wolf-whistle at Grace, given the venue and festivities around them. “It’s like you’ve been dipped in a leprechaun’s hot tub. In, y'know, in a sexy kinda way.”

Ephram looked more interested and less bewildered as Charlie offered their name and mentioned Needle Point. “Oh, hey! I been by that place a couple times.” Holding out his left hand, Ephram showed Charlie a somewhat uneven blue stick-and-poke tattoo of the name 'Edith’. “My great grandmaw,” he explained. “Did this when I was thirteen and she passed on. But it’s startin’ to git a mite raggedy – wonder if you’d be able to fix it up without makin’ it look, y'know, fixed up?” He offered a hopeful smile, finally answering the colour question with a drawling, “somethang simple’s fine, no need to slap makeup on a pig.”

God, he actually missed this. It’s been a while since Ryden’s party days, when the young wolf picked up a few odd jobs in a few clubs and underground joints, either bar tending to impress for tips or DJing on stage while the crowds went wild. He liked his vantage point right now, as the large space started to fill up and a random playlist played in the background while he prepared, fine-tuning the set. The shock of electric blue hair made him stand out above the crowd, the skull-shaped make up on his lower face eerily matching his unnaturally white grin. He took another glance over the room, predatory eyes reflecting the light in that odd, spooky way, accented by the black light. The crowd was building up and Ryden figured it was as good a time as any. He picked up the mic. “PARTY PEOPLE IN THE HOUSEEEE~” It boomed across the room, drawing attention. “YOU READY TO GET WILD WITH ME??? I SAID, YOU READY TO GET WILD WITH ME!?” There was a roaring response as people began gravitating towards the dance floor, a sea of neon colors. “LET’S DROP THAT BASS YO.” And then, there was a boom of noise and not even a minute in, the crowd went positively wild, especially when enchanted mist machines blew in a pack of colorful, glittery wolf wraiths to meander about, exploding color and glitter whenever they’d bump into someone. A huge panel lit up behind the stage with explosions of color on the display one probably shouldn’t stare at for too long.

Grace quirked her brow. “Are you calling me an old dog?” she teased, but she knew she looked good, so who was there to deny it? “I like to shake it up every now and then. I’m not as stuffy as I seem sometitmes, you know.” It was a special occasion. She wasn’t that much of a Pride person usually, but it was nice when you had good friends, a partner, and were in the mood for a good time. “I’ll take that as a compliment. How are you?”

Ruby was fairly certain being back at Erzebets was on her list of 'things she would never do again.’ But well… fuck it. This was her last week as a human, and she intended to have as much fun as possible. So the moment she stepped inside the building, she put her mind in 'fun mode’ and didn’t think about anything else. Having opted for a fairly simple outfit: black laceup shorte, white tank top, braided back glittered hair, she made her way towards the first familiar face she saw. “Hey!” she called over the thump of the music, grinning at Grace and Iann as she sidled up into their space.

“I’m the old dog–!” Iann protested but then realized Grace was teasing him and burst into laughter. It was still surreal, even in this surrealist of events, how well they got along. Iann still couldn’t understand why, but some mysteries were best left to be enjoyed. Grace Villiers never ceased to surprise and titillate Iann’s mind. He tried to shimmy his shoulders (it came off more like a jiggle). “You like to shake it up a bit?” he repeated with his little dance, and was about to get a drink from the bartender when the DJ booth exploded in energy-raising noise and heart-pumping demands from the DJ, who the dance crowd completely went wild for. “Let that bass drop, your Ladyship,” Iann smirked at Grace, leaning against the bar. “Hey I know that kid! The one DJing. That Ryden kid, wow. He’s…talented.” He heard another call and looked over at…jesus it was hard to recognize people with all the paint and the glowing and the black light. “….ahhhh….Ru….Ruby? That you?”

Charlie leaned forward and studied his tattoo, flinching slightly as Ryden’s mic picked up and blared his voice across the room. “The party has begun,” they mused, already adjusting to the new noise level. They looked back up at Ephram. “You’d have a few options like a straight touch up or covering it with something larger and working her name back in in a different place. If you stop in later this week or next week, we could talk about it further. For tonight, I could do something more traditional on your face like a demon mask, zebra stripes, or a dot design.”

Maya had considered just skipping the entire black light party. After completely losing her shit at the parade she’d rather not embarrass herself further. But she had wanted to go that morning and still kind of did. She felt a little better too after talking with Fane. When she arrived she’d swapped her causal parade clothes for shorts, a rainbow bandeau and some canvas sneakers she’d painted herself. Her skin she’d hand painted, which had helped calm her significantly, and it might remind a World at Night map. Upon entering she spotted a small group of people she knew, but opted instead to head to the bar first. Glancing up at the DJ stage she had to look for a moment before recognizing Ryden. She smiled in spite of herself before sighing and turning to the bartender to order a drink.

Grace chuckled. “That I can believe.” She loved the drinks at Erzebet’s. They made drinks specifically for vampires, and though she had to say her girlfriend’s were better for loyalty’s sake, these came close. She sipped on a blood Martini, swaying casually to the music. “I’ve been alive a long time, Iann,” she chuckled. “I lived through the flappers and the sixties. I know how to party.”

“Who else would it be?” Ruby asked over the music. “Didn’t think I"d see you here. Didn’t seem like your kinda thing.”

Ephram flinched when Charlie mentioned a possible demon mask, tucking his hand back into his pocket as the music seemed to start thumping physically against his back. “Uh,” he said, “well, now – I always saw myself as more of a giraffe than a zebra, to be honest, so I reckon I’ll give that there dot design a whirl. Even though I got no idea what that is.” He looked around. “Should I sit down somewheres? Or do you got a stepstool you could use? Or I could jes lie on your table I guess…” Ephram was grinning again now, shoving hard to get that demon chill from his bones.

“It’s not,” Iann replied to Ruby with a grin and a wink. He reached out and held both their upper arms, leaning in to talk over the music. “But since I got you both here - has Savin already asked you two to volunteer for the talent show? Open Mic night? Any talent you got. I’m helping with the recruiting and I’m sure you two lovely ladies have oodles of talent just bursting at the seams to show off to an adoring crowd.”

Grace nodded. “I’ve already been coerced into it,” she said with a sigh. At least she’d gotten a beautiful set of knives out of it. “Hi Ruby,” she said with a smile. “Nice to see you again.” Was it just her, or did Ruby smell different?

“Talent show?” Ruby said, scrunching up her nose a bit. “No… he hasn’t yet. All I got is singin’,” she told Iann. “Hey Grace,” Ruby smiled, looking the other woman over. “You too. You look real nice.”

It wasn’t hard for Ryden to notice Maya, being that the bar at Erzebet’s was pretty much right under the stage and he had the best vantage point out of anyone in here. Hell, he could recognize that girl in whatever crowd she mingled. A pang of guilt washed over him as he remembered the incident at the parade earlier and how he’d just slipped away without a word so things wouldn’t escalate with Fane. Reaching for a chug of beer he had set aside, he eased into an ABBA remix, kind of winging it. Just to get her attention, he picked up the mic again. “A cute girl told me ya can’t be sad listening to ABBA, so SING ALONG WITH ME PEOPLE~” The Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie chorus began, the crowd picking up on the well known lyrics and Ryden grinned at Maya below at the bar, motioning her over to join him on the stage.

“Is it dancing, Grace? Please tell me it’s dancing,” Iann said, motioning to the aforementioned dropped bass thumping hard around them. “C'mon give me some dance moves. The Charleston or the Mashed potato or something…” And when ABBA came on, Iann couldn’t help but bop as well. “Ruby, singing is literally a talent that can be performed in front of an adoring audience. You didn’t know that?”

“I can do giraffe,” they said. He seemed slightly more uneasy than a moment ago, but Charlie chalked it up to the music starting and throwing him off. They gestured to the backed chair they’d commandeered for the occasion. Charlie had a stool for themself, though they started out standing for now. They paused, contemplating paint colors before settling on a florescent orange to do the spot patterns. “If you’ve got any wiggling to do, get it out before I start. Give me a few minutes and you’ll be ready to party like nobody’s watching.”

Grace scoffed. “It is not dancing,” she answered emphatically. Grace could dance, but alone on a stage in front of other people? No chance. “I only dance in crowds,” she joked.

Maya thanked the bartender as the beginning of Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie played over the speakers. She looked up, trying to figure out if that was indeed what she was hearing. Ryden’s words then confirmed it and she looked up at him with a smile. While she wasn’t happy with him for clearly antagonizing Fane earlier, nor was she happy with Fane for his behavior, she wasn’t angry with Ryden for disappearing when he did. It would be easy to believe that attempting to help her in that moment would get him only in more trouble. When he gestured for her to come up on stage she hesitated, only because she never liked being on stages. After only half a moment she picked up her drink and joined him on stage. “You should’ve held out,” she said, “I was going to offer to blow you in exchange for playing ABBA.”

Ryden leaned in, just so he could hear her better over the noise, hands never leaving the board. His eyebrows rose and a huge grin stretched his lips “Well SHOOT! Can I get one anyway??”

Ruby gave Iann a withering look. “Yes. I’m aware singin’ is doable in front of folks. Just I"m sure there’ll be a hundred others doin’ the same thing. What about you?” she asked him. “You have a talent?”

Ash loved a good party, and he loved Erzebet’s, so being able to show up to a blacklight party there for pride was pretty much the best idea anyone could’ve had. He turned up with a bare chest, paint all over him, jet black hair and what could only be described as a half jacket, half cape, covering his shoulders with black and gold. He already had a drink in his hand when he spotted Ephram. “Hey Officer Sexy,” he said with a wink and a smile. “What, no handcuffs and hotpants? I’m gonna file a complaint.”

Maya snorted her laughter. “Considering ABBA’s already playing and earlier, probably not today,” she replied with only a little edge to it. She wasn’t happy with what had happened, but it also wasn’t about her. Despite how she’d been affected by it. Although that wasn’t Fane or Ryden’s fault, not really.

“You can dance now, this music’s actually good,” Iann said, taking Grace’s hand and then Ruby’s wrist and shuffling them away from the bar, towards the dancefloor where the crowd was. He bopped along still and shrugged carefree-like at Ruby. “Yeah, but you’ll be the best one out of the pile,” he replied breezily. “Yes, my talent is to not be on stage and kill the audience’s buzz.”

Ephram snorted at the mere idea, saying, “Now do I look like the wigglin’ kind, Charlie? I’m a man, not a nightcrawl–” Naturally, Ephram’s left shoulder started to itch in one barely accessible spot and as he contorted to try and scratch it he also sneezed three times in succession. “I don’t think that counts as wigglin’,” he said to Charlie. “Or at least, don’t tell nobody.” He leaned closer, voice dropping for confidentiality. “Cain’t maintain my dignity as Sheriff if folks know I’m prone to wrigglin’ and wigglin’.”

Charlie laughed at his expense for a moment before leaning in to start painting. They quickly had to comment as Ash appeared behind them with a scathingly quippy comment. “But that wouldn’t go with a giraffe,” they said, feigning annoyance.

Ruby looked up at the stage as movement caught her eye. She saw Ryden with Maya joining him, the wolf smiling at his new companion. Ruby smiled a bit to herself, though she suddenly felt strange and had to come back to Iann and Grace. She made a small 'oop’ sound as she was snagged away from the bar and onto the dancefloor. “If this is you sayin’ you wanna dance, Iann… all you have to do is ask.” She grinned at him, doubting he’d enjoy it if she starting dancing with him, but tempted to try anyway.

Ephram was pulled out of his comment by Ash’s arrival, greeting him with a half-hug and then pulling back to admire the young man’s outfit. “Good Lord, boy,” he hooted, re-situating himself for Charlie’s paints. “You look like you’re trying out stripper costumes. Not that I’m complaining. Or getting out my handcuffs.” Ephram snickered, then said, “You two know each other? Charlie, Ash, Ash, Charlie. The pair of you pretty as sugar pie.”

Ash beamed at the compliments. He lived for this shit. “Thank you, sir,” he said with a nod. He wasn’t exactly looking to hop right back into bed, but there was nothing wrong with a little flirting, especially at Pride. “Charlie and I are buds. Hey babe,” he said, wrapping them in a little hug. “You look incredible.”

Grace joined Iann and Ruby on the dancefloor, not being given much of a choice but also not complaining either. “Iann always has a round about way of asking for things, and it’s always the long way,” she snickered. She took Ruby’s hand to dance with her. “You feel warm,” she commented, curious. “Warmer than usual.”

Ryden noticed the edge to Maya’s tone, painted lips pressing into thin line. Guilt poked at him again. “Yeah, well, I figured.” Was the only thing he said about it before a grin was back on his face again. “Hey, wanna try this thing?” He guided Maya by the hand so she was between him and the DJ set, explaining how the things worked into her ear. “So here’s the volume, the pitch bend, ya change the cue here~ Let’s try somethin’ huh?” He guided her hands over the board, to press this or that, to slide something up or down and alike, each action adding a little something to the music blaring out of the speakers.

Iann was totally content to let the ladies dance together, trying to get into the song and dance more. Because he loved ABBA and because he did kind of enjoy raves, 'back in the day’…but this seemed to just be skipping a beat and a syllable or something and and after a while it started to drive him nuts. Kids these days and their music! “HEY! HEY YO MISTER DJ!!” Iann cupped his hands to his mouth and hollered towards Ryden. “Play Super Trouper! But nothing fancified, just straight-up!”

Charlie leaned in to reciprocate the hug, holding their right hand away from their body to keep Ash from adding any unintentional paint when he looked so planned. “We’ve met a time or two. He loved to get his ass kicked in Mario Kart.” They knew those were fighting words, but they didn’t mind much. “Sheriff, you can talk a little, but try not to move too much with it.” They leaned in to do the giraffe spots on his forehead. Normally they’d be a bit pickier, but this was much less at stake with paint than a tattoo. Plus, it didn’t seem like he intended to be a picky customer.

Maya knew that now was not the best time to talk about it. If only because of how loud it was. Plus she thought she saw a bit of a tail between his legs look on Ryden’s face, which meant he already felt guilty. “Suppose I can’t blame you for trying,” she shrugged with a smile. “I’m not sure that’s a good…” she started to say as he pulled her in front of the board. She listened and nodded as Ryden explained how it worked. Understanding which buttons did what was very different than being any good at it. Luckily before he made her try it on her own Iann shouted that they should play Super Trouper, the classic version. She turned her head to Ryden with a bit of a smug smile, “You heard the people. And when the people are Iann you gotta listen.”

Ephram hummed his assent to stay mostly quiet, but that didn’t prevent him from murmuring with teasing mirth in his voice, “Oh, yeah. I know a lil somethang bout how Ash loves to get his ass … kicked.”

Ash cocked his head at Ephram, giving him a playful little nudge with his shoulder. “Aw shucks, big guy. You’re gonna make me blush. And if you weren’t so damn muscular I just might kick your ass too.”

Charlie let out a strangled choke. So that had happened. They did seem to remember the two flirting during Ash’s party on the beach, so it wasn’t the biggest surprise in the world. “Did you see how he’s dressed?” they teased, knowing he could hear everything. “I think he’s definitely the kind that wants more ass kickery.”

Ryden snorted at Iann, chuckling when Maya supported him. Picking up the mic, he answered to the request. “LAAAAME~~~" The familiar melody did blare through the speakers but it wasn’t a straight up one, it was still a remix but one easier to dance to.

Maya laughed, completely unsurprised when instead of playing the original version of Super Trouper Ryden played some techno remix. "But I think the real question is, are you sad right now?” she asked, grinning.

Ephram snickered at Ash and Charlie bantering, enjoying the particular pleasure of being around people who genuinely liked each other and didn’t mind sharing that easy congeniality. Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Ephram mumbled, “He’s a lil minx, this one, puttin’ on this half an outfit and then makin’ a beeline to me all poses and purring. But did you hear that?” He sounded highly indignant now, waiting for Charlie to finish a few strokes around his mouth before continuing, “he wouldn’t kick my ass on account of I’m bigger'n him! After all the boasting on how he normally could do either.” Ephram finished this overblown complaint with the wisdom: “Ain’t no man who says he could do either who don’t immediately give in to bein’ bottom.”

“Not if you aren’t~” Ryden spoke into Maya’s ear, working on the remix around her, chin resting on her shoulder and body moving behind her so that she’d have no other choice but to move with him to the rhythm of the song.

Iann hopped, flipping Ryden the bird when he drawled out 'Lame’ from his microphone but he played the song anyway and it was exactly what Iann wanted, sounding so retro and old school. “Oh yeah! THAT’S THE STUFF!” Iann clapped for Ryden and angrily elbowed some other nearby dancers to clap for the DJ as well, which they did half-assedly before Iann just started jogging in place backwards to the music, totally getting into it.

Maya turned back to look at the crowd as Ryden spoke into her ear. She smiled as Iann’s dancing caught her attention. “I mean, you do see Iann’s dancing right? That plus ABBA, how could I be sad?” she replied as she moved with him.

Ash flashed Charlie a grin. “Hey, I thought this was a progressive town. A guy can look sexy without necessarily wanting to get smashed,” he teased, then looked at Ephram with a chuckle. “Honestly, if it led to sex every time I flirted with someone I’d never get anything done.”

Ryden snorted at Iann, picking up the mic again. “WATCH OUT FOR THE MAN WITH THE MUSTACHE, HE FARTS IN PUBLIC.” Attention turned back to Maya and he grinned at her. “Good. Wanna go down? I’ll take a break in a bit and join ya?”

“Am I?” Ruby said to Grace as they started to dance. “Do I smell different? God I wonder if I taste different too…” Though the last bit was said mostly to herself.

When Iann started getting a little too enthusiastic his back had something to say about it. A warning twinge in his spine and Iann held the small of his back and paused, tugging his baseball cap so the rim was back to the front (somehow it had migrated backwards). The song was segueing anyway, and regardless of Ryden’s taunts, Iann gave him two thumbs up anyway and then carefully headed back to the bar. Well. At least he’d convinced Ruby to sing (maybe? He’d make sure Fane would double down on her, just to make sure).

Grace chose to ignore whatever was going on with Iann and the DJ, just dancing without a care. “You do. And I’d take a bite, but… we’re in company,” she joked with a snicker.

Maya raised an eyebrow, “Is this you trying to ask me to dance because we both know I’m very bad at that. And I’m not magically high like I was this morning.” She gave him a smile, “But if you want to buy me another drink I’ll let you do that.”

Charlie felt a little like dying of laughter. They stepped back for a moment both to survey what they’d done so far and to give themselves a pause to laugh. “I can believe that,” they said to Ash. They heard Ryden on the mic again and looked over. Sure enough, the man with the mustache in question was Iann. What wasn’t he in the middle of? They stepped forward to add a few more strokes around Ephram’s jawline. “Would you like any other colors to be a giraffe? It’s simple but effective right now.”

“Awww! A'ight, drinks are fine. I’ll need to take a breather anyway.” Ryden let Maya step away from him, helping her off the platform real quick before getting back to his DJing duties for now.

“Is it a… good smell?” Ruby wondered, glancing at Iann and wondering how he had survived as long as he had. Ruby shook her head, watching as he moved back off to the bar. “So… how’s Alia? And this is Erzebet’s,” Ruby grinned.

Maya protested, “You’ve seen me dance. I’m not good at it and I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough for one day.” There was no edge to her tone this time. She was smiling as she said because she knew that after a couple more drinks she’d say yes. Ryden helped her off the platform and they towards the bar.

Grace pondered Ruby’s question. There was something going on that was bigger than just a change in scent. It was the reason behind the change. “It’s… a little like how a werewolf would smell.” If Ruby chose to elaborate, then so be it. “Alia’s good. She’s here somewhere…” Grace glanced around for her. At least she knew she didn’t have to worry about Alia misconstruing anything. It had been over six months since anything had happened with her and Ruby, and they were all friends, at least so she believed.

Ephram laughed, shaking his head as he straightened from the stool. “Nice 'n simple does me fine,” he declared, regarding himself in the mirror on Charlie’s table and exclaiming when he actually saw their handiwork. “Shit, darlin’ – if that’s what you call simple, you must got some real chops on you when you’re workin’ in earnest.” Ephram half-hugged Charlie, saying, “Thanks for this. I din’t know how to fit in here and this helped plenty,” before half-hugging Ash and planting a big, showy, smacking kiss on the naga’s mouth. “Shameless,” Ephram chided him, flicking at the half-cape. “Saucy-pants.” Grinning at them both, Ephram readjusted his bracelet and handcuffs and walkie, saying, “Gotta git back to commingling with the crowd, now I’m properly attired.”

Ephram nodded at Charlie and Ash, moving off through the crowd to leave a request at the DJ station for – what else – Cotton Eye Joe.

Ryden: Once Maya was off the stage, Ryden stepped up his game now that they practically had a full house. Other special effects joined in as the music got super hard core, the bass practically making the entire room vibrate. Confetti exploded from the ceiling, the lights flashing to create a stop-motion effect, spilling color over the walls and the people gathered on the dance floor. Elaborately painted dances went up on the stage, riling up the crowd.

Ruby nodded. “Well… you’re not wrong. I got bit so… that’s what I’ll be in a week. Fun times hm?” Ruby’s voice was mostly matter of fact. Though there was a tiny undertone of fear and perhaps a bit of uncertainty there too. Though she’d become more comfortable with telling people. “I"m glad. I like her alot.” Ruby had no romantic intentions towards Grace, t hough she did enjoy teasing the other woman a bit. Especially because she truly did like her a lot.

Charlie grinned. “I’m glad you like it.” They accepted the hug and snorted at the display between Ephram and Ash. As Ephram walked away, they raised an eyebrow at Ash. “Is there anyone you don’t have wrapped around your finger?” If you say yes, I won’t believe you.

When Cotton Eye Joe came on, Iann perked up, but he knew dancing too much would just get him in trouble. “AW MAN!” he yelled out instead, realizing it was the Sheriff who’d requested it. Iann threw up his hands at the tall witch. “Of course you would. Of course you would!” The worst part was how would Iann be able to resist dancing to this??? He opted to just semi-mosh instead, but as sedate as possible. In the meantime, he kinda hoped Pettaline would jig or clog or whatever yeehaw thigh-slapping dance those mountain men did.

“Oh,” Grace answered. She wasn’t sure how Ruby felt about it, and she wasn’t sure if this was the place to ask. “Well, that explains it then. I’ll take you for a coffee some time and you can tell me all about it,” Grace offered. “What the bloody hell is this music?” she scoffed. “The nineties were a terrible decade.”

Ash didn’t really blush any more but if he did it would be Ephram who made him do it. “That man,” he said with a little swoon, wiping his lips. “And that was some nice artwork. We’re gonna have to schedule another session soon. Feels like I haven’t been inked in forever.”

Charlie smirked before sliding slightly into business mode. “Definitely. I would love to give you more ink. Have something particular in mind?” As they spoke, Charlie leaned against the table to survey the dancing crowd. Iann was flaying around a bit, and while Charlie was tempting to join the crowd, they figured they should stay at their paint station a little longer. “God, this is a fun night. We should do this stuff more often.”

Maya made her way towards the bar. She enjoyed watching other people dancing although she really had no intention of joining them at the moment. Taking a sip of her drink she smiled to herself, glad that she’d decided to come out after all.

Ash sipped on his drink, something multi colored and sparkly, befitting the event. “You know I never have anything in mind. If I didn’t tip so well I’d be a terrible client.” He scrunched up his face at the music. “This DJ is Chaotic and I dig it.”

Ruby gave Grace a smile. “I’d like that, thanks.” The fact that people weren’t making a huge deal out of it when she told them helped tremendously. So Ruby let the conversation move on, looking up as the music changed. “Cotton Eye Joe,” Ruby said. “Ephram must be here,” she grinned, looking over as Iann exclaimed out loud.

Grace arched her brow, still in distaste at the choice of song. “Some sort of inside joke?”

“ALRIGHT YA’LL, KEEP IT LIT, YA’LL! QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT B'FORE WE BACK WITH SOME MORE FINE TUNES FOR YA’LL, THE TWISTER BOARD IS UP, ANYONE WHO’S FEELIN’ BENDY, GIT YER SWEET BOOTY RIGHT O'ER THERE AND LET’S SPIN THEM COLORS!” The music dimmed down to something more generic as Ryden made the announcement, giving some more instructions although they weren’t exactly necessary. Then he took a chance while the Twister event was up to take a break, the large screen panel playing a little video in his absence while the playlist rolled on to keep the music going.

Charlie “Chaos is good,” they said. Charlie eyed the bar. “I want to drink, but I also feel like I shouldn’t get shitfaced if–” They paused as Ryden made an announcement. “Scratch that. I’m going to leave the paints here for people to do what they want. I am playing twister.”

“He just… likes the song,” Ruby shrugged. “Oh my gosh… come on… we should play twister.” She tugged Grace by the hand. “I bet Alia would be great at this game. All bendy and stuff.”

Grace was definitely out of her element tonight, but she sighed and let Ruby drag her. “Alia will definitely be better at it than I am…”

Ash snickered and followed Ruby. “Oh, are you tryna play Twister with a naga? Honey, you got a big storm coming…”

Maya turned to have a better view of paint Twister, but didn’t move to join in. Again she had embarrassed herself enough for one day. As she watched she picked up her very pink drink and took a sip from it.

Ruby grinned back at Grace as she let herself be pulled along. She grinned even wider as she saw Ash join their little duo in heading towards twister. “Honey, you might be a naga, but you’ve never played Twister with me.”

Charlie arrived at the paint Twister station totally ready to play. It looked like they weren’t the only one interested in the game, and that meant a lot of opportunities for fun.

Able to take a break now that the Twister competition was up, Ryden headed for the bar where he knew Maya would be waiting. Finding her, he took up a seat next to her. “Phew, the crowd ROCKS t'night, yo~ How you holdin’ up, babe? Havin’ fun?” He waved the bartender over. “Whachoo drinkin’ there?”

Maya glanced over at Ryden as he came to sit next to her at the bar. “I’m good, less freaked out than I thought I might be,” she replied. She shrugged, “Not sure it was on special.”

Ruby stopped at the twister game, looking around to see how many others would be playing. She saw Charlie and gave them a wave. There was Grace and Ash. “No tails,” she said to Ash. “Doesn’t count.”

Charlie nodded. “Definitely. If my tail can’t give me an advantage. You can’t used yours. The rest of us won’t be able to reach the dots if you’re both slithering around like that.”

“Huh.” In the end, Ryden decided to just get a beer. He got drunk once on some questionable liquor when he DJed. Never again. Sitting close so he could easily lean over and talk to Maya, he took a sip. “Don’t like the crowds, huh?”

“What’s the winner get?” Ruby asked, unsure who was going to be calling the game. “Braggin’ rights? Free drinks? Good snog?”

Maya shook her head, “Not when I know a bunch of them. Perks of growing up famous in a small town.” She couldn’t help but sigh. Even though this town was nothing like the one she’d grown up in. And perhaps most importantly she was hardly famous in this town, not the way she had been. “So how long have you been DJing?” she asked, not eager to talk about her past. Especially not when it had caused such an issue earlier.

Charlie “All of the above, pending who wins and how impressed others are?” Charlie suggested.

Ruby laughed out loud. “Sounds good to me.”

Ryden: “I feel ya.” Ryden grinned over the rim of the neon yellow plastic cup that held his beer. “Uhh, ever since I was legal enough ta go to clubs I guess? Happened completely random, turned out I was good at it so I do it occasionally.”

Lilo was bobbing his head in some corner, or the closest he could get to one. He was interested in the dj, werewolf music, but he was beginning to think maybe he was too old for this sort of scene.

Maya added, “Not that I think I’m famous in this town.” She was certain she wasn’t and had no interest in being so. “And that’s younger than here right? In the US you aren’t supposed to be able to go to clubs until you’re 21,” she said supposed to because she had been to a few long before her own 21st birthday.

Ash threw an arm around Ruby’s shoulder with a grin. “Hey beautiful, long time no see.” He scrunched up his face at the no tails rule. “I guess that makes sense. Can’t do right and left leg when you got a tail. But I’ll still win.”

Iann headed out of the washroom, intending to head out for the night but instead collided with a shorter man. “Hey I’m walking her– oh it’s you. Hey Lopez. Uh…welcome back,” Iann added. “You here for the party?” As if Lilo would be here for some other reason. “You don’t strike me as a….Pride kinda guy.”

Ryden: “Hey, I’m a fan, so I guess ya kinna are~” He threw an arm around her. “Well… Legal was a loose term in my case.” He grinned.

“Butterin’ me up won’t make me go easy on you, no matter how sexy you look,” Ruby grinned at Ash. “But its good to see you too. Though there’s no way you’re winnin’ this.”

Lilo was just about shoved to the side when someone shoved him aside. “Ayy, fuck there watch where you are going…” Iann of course– getting a good look at him now, Lilo sighed and regretted his earlier jump to frustration. It was tough being a shorter guy among the giants that seemed to populate Soapberry. “Yeah, hey Iann. I like this party. I mean, what do you mean I don’t seem that kinda guy?”

Maya rolled her eyes, “C'mon there’s three hundred year old vampires and witches with more power than I’ll ever have. I’m just me.” She had to smile as he admitted that he hadn’t exactly been legal either during his early clubbing days. She lifted her glass in a salute, “Yeah, I feel you on that.” Pausing to take a sip she considered for a moment before asking, “So are you going to tell me what was up with you and Fane earlier?”

Cleared his throat over and over, tugging at the collar of his shirt absently. He couldn’t look at Lopez as he replied. “Y'know, I - you just don’t seem like thatkinda…I mean you know. What with. Anyway. Look at that–!” Iann pointed at the giant Twister map, literally a hasty attempt to distract Lilo from the previous topic. “It’s like a game or something. I thought it was just for kids, Twister right? Now that I’m seeing it, I’m thinking maybe it’s better as a game for adults, not kids.”

“But, apparently, their old butts are not as cute~” He gave her a little squeeze with the arm around her shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at her question though. “He didn’t talk to ya about it?” He figured he would and Maya would hate him because she got only one side of the story. He sighed. “We had a fallout durin’ that blob thing. I crashed his car and he wrecked Princess. So… yeah.” He didn’t have anything against Fane personally - he didn’t even know the guy - but his attitude was just… rubbing Ryden in all the wrong ways. Wrecking his precious ride aside, the guy just acted so high and mighty, even when Ryden tried to fix things and apologize. So Ryden was just responding to that, although that probably wasn’t the right way to go about it.

Charlie looked around. “Do we have anyone to spin the thing? Seems like everyone over here just wants to play. There needs to be some kind of placement caller.”

Lilo narrowed his eyes trying to make sense of Iann’s words and his discomfort. He almost got it but then his attention directed elsewhere “Oh huh, ayy, yeah that’s twister!” He brightened. “Hah! I remember that at parties, nothing past when I was thirteen though, that was when we thought it was lame and didn’t need some board game excuse to get all kinds of close to somebody. hah, remember those days Iann?”

Iann laughed. “No, I don’t remember. I didn’t have friends. C'mon,” Iann nodded for him and Lilo to approach it if only to watch. He heard Charlie’s question though and raised his hand. “Oh, we’ll announce the spinny thing. What do we have to do?”

“Drat,” Grace said. “I was going to volunteer.” Mostly to get out of playing. “Iann, I think you need help. So many people, we must have two referees…”

Lilo found himself tagging along with Iann again, somehow. Too interested in all the excitement to say no, and now he had a fellow old man with him he felt less like an odd one out. “Oye, didn’t have any friends though?” Just couldn’t let that one go. “Referees? I can do that.”

“My buddy Lopez here can referee, easy. Nah, Your Ladyship, you get to do all that bendy-stuff,” Iann flourished a bow at Grace, smirking all the while.

Lilo blinked at the lady, far more put together then he felt. “Ohh, but uh… I mean I can just watch? I don’t want to get in the way of anyone’s fun.”

“Have you seen all their butts though? Can you really be sure?” Maya asked with a smile. She took another sip from her drink before nodding. “Yeah, we talked about it,” she admitted easily because they had, “But both of you were out of line, so…” She shrugged, not sure how to say that there were at least two sides to every story without it sounding ridiculously cheesy. As she listened to Ryden tell his side she nodded. At the end she sighed, “So, should I just expect you two to antagonize each other whenever you’re in the same room?”

Iann shook his head at Lilo. “Well….not like friends my age. Do Aunts count as that kind of friends? I wouldn’t play Twister with them…but we did play Parcheesi.”

Lilo tried not to look like felt bad for every shitty thing he said to Iann after that question, tried very hard. “Uh, no, aunties count only as Aunties friends. But Parcheesi is nice yeah… Sooo, this twister? Is that paint stuff?”

“We fall, we get paint splattered,” Charlie explained. “It also makes the mat and our limbs slickers, so it’s harder but to keep a good balance.”

“No cheating!” Ruby said to Iann. “No weird positions that you think’re funny.”

“Maaaybe~” But Ryden’s grin faded a bit as Maya insisted on the topic. “Look, I ain’t sayin’ sorry twice. Not a reason why we should be in the same room. Not like you gonna invite me home for dinner or anythin’. I’ll steer clear and keep my mouth shut. Cause whatever, I’m just passin’ by, and he’s yer dad and of course you’ll take his side. So whatever. Let’s just forget about it.” He downed almost half of his beer. “I gotta go take a piss.” Obviously sort of miffed, though not at Maya directly, he stood up.

Iann listened to Charlie’s succinct summary of the rules. “Nice! And I promise, cross my heart and let a werewolf eat it,” Iann crossed his fingers and blinked innocently He spun the thing that spins, just to see if it was working. It spun happily, slowing eventually on a colour and symbol and he called out at random. “Hot pink, right hand!”

Grace exhaled. She didn’t know the person Iann was talking to, but Ruby seemed to really want her to play, so she didn’t push it. “No, I’m sure you’ll both to an impeccable job,” she said, getting ready to get into position.

Iann nodded in agreement at Lilo. “Aunts are only Aunts. Hey - if one of them fucks up, you can throw the paint at them.” Iann looked at the little pots of paint, brightly coloured lined in front of them. This was oddly…comfortable. Iann was surprised, considering he was with Lilo Lopez but this actually wasn’t so bad. “You know hombre, I really thought I’d be more of an asshole to you. But I’m not….hah!” Iann clapped Lilo on the back. “I’m so great.”

“Do you seriously think that?” Maya asked, hurt by the implication, “That I’ll just take his side out of some blind loyalty to family?” She set her drink down.

“Ahah… yeah… that was? Thanks?” Lilo didn’t really know what to make of all this but he nodded at the lady Iann had talked to and the nice person that explained the rules. Looking to see if he could do anything referee like before dipping into whatever was this conversation. “Hah, yeah all that slippery stuff probably not that best for me.” He wiggled his prosthetic leg, not that it didn’t shine brightly under the blacklight already, but people were in all sorts of getups and it was hard to tell.

Charlie knelt to put their hand on the pink circle. It was positively radioactive in the black light. Charlie managed yo position for one of the end circles, which they figured would give them more room to start.

Iann was getting into the logistics of this game now, and earnestly shook his head. “No, you wont have to step onto the Twister board, don’t worry. We’ll…” Iann looked around, then pulled one of the large posters off the wall and lay it on the floor next to the Twister board. “There, that’s where the losers stand when they need to be splashed with paint. All you have to do is take one of these paint sticks, swizzle it about in the paint and just like…fling–” Iann demonstrated, accidentally slapping paint onto Maya’s back. “Whoops! My bad!” he called out to her.

When Charlie got themselves situated on the giant mat, Iann hustled back to the thing and spun it with more gusto this time. To Ruby, he called out, “Left foot, acid green!”

Ryden looked down at her, giving a little shake of his head. “What, you’re actually gonna ask him to be nice to me or somethin’? Psshh. He thinks I’m trash, I’m not stupid. I can figure out that much. I don’t need no one bein’ nice to me cause someone told 'um to. I didn’t do it on purpose, yo! A fuckin’… jello-shot hit me on the head and I was trippin’ balls! But nooo, Ryden’s a jerk, he–” and then Maya got hit by a splash of paint accidentally. Ryden couldn’t help but snort a little. “…. that aim, yo. Dangerous.”

Lilo nodded at Iann’s instruction, looking a bit more serious then he wanted too. When did young people’s fun complicate things so much. “Okay, okay, fling paint. Losers get to stand on the shame poster and get more painted… yeah…”

Some part of Lilo couldn’t help but sort of wish he could get in there and win the challenge, it was sort of a shame for him just to twiddle his paint stick.

Maya stood, “Yeah, actually that’s exactly what I did. And I said that much to him as well. That its hardly fair to blame you for something you did under the influence of magic, but more importantly that he should get over it because you and I are friends.” There had been more to the story she knew from talking to Fane himself, but didn’t feel it was hers to tell. She was distracted from her mini speech by paint hitting her in the back and Iann’s voice calling out an apology. “You owe me a beer Iann,” she called back, not angry with him. Seeing as she’d done the painting herself her back wasn’t as good anyway.

Iann couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. “Shame poster…” he repeated in high amusement, and for a few seconds Iann’s eyes shone with that same level of geeky admiration he’d held for a Lock Lopez, werewolf cholo gangbanger, from over 15 years ago. He had no clue what was really going on in the werewolf’s mind.

“Whew I’ve been out of this scene for a while… you seem to know everybody though Iann. You got a lot a friends now huh?” Lilo nodded at Maya, the girl with more paint on her back who seemed engaged in a very complicated discussion Lilo couldn’t over hear but imagined it made twisting even harder.

Iann nodded congenially about the owed beer for Maya and then shrugged lightly. “I mean, it’s useful to know people,” Iann defaulted to his usual reason. “People are useful and all that.” He looked over at Lilo, “You know me, always on the lookout for an opportunity, hm? You settling back into small-town life okay again? Back at that University daycare?”

Ryden groaned audibly at Maya’s words. Seemed like this will be their first little fight. God, this was so frustrating, this whole situation. “I said, I ain’t sayin’ sorry twice. I like you but I don’t gotta like him and I ain’t gonna.” He said his final words, looking away from her. When it comes to stubbornness, Ryden could rival a mule.

Lilo shrugged. “I mean I am settling in mostly yeah. The team at sprouts is a little miffed I have been gone so long my Ms. Ramsey has my back, she knows what it’s like.” Iann sighed, on the lookout for cheaters who let their hands leave the colors and tired to shrug it off. “Ayy ayy! stay in position now.”

Bella had been in the kitchen for much of the night, and then her office as she was slowly becoming concerned that Ryden had let the party be free - and therefore exceptionally crowded - but finally brought together as much of herself as she could to come downstairs, her platform marc jacobs boots easily lifted by the vampire but admittedly very loud. “What on Earth is happening?” Bellamy asked as she approached the ridiculous twister game that seemed to be happening.

“I’m not asking you to like him, I just…” Maya cut herself off and looked down at the floor. She took a deep breath. “I’m just scared I’m going to lose one of you over it and I don’t want that,” she wished she wasn’t blushing, but since she was she didn’t look up from the floor. “I’m sorry,” she added, “It just really freaked me out.”

Ryden snapped his mouth shut. Again, there was this insufferable pang of guilt he shouldn’t feel. “It’s got nothin’ to do with you, babe. Not yer problem to fix. Don’t worry about it.” He sat back down, deciding not to leave after all, at least not yet. “Hey…” He pinched the tip of her chin, trying to lift her head up. “We’re cool. Ain’t the first daddy who tried to chase me away. But I’m like an undead cockroach. I keep comin’ back~ No matter how big his slipper is. He can swat at me all he wants.”

Iann was impressed by Lilo’s referee vigilance, clearly he was the right person for the job. “If you couldn’t do that, what would you do instead?” Iann asked, trying not to make that sound like an interrogative question an older brother might ask the fiancee of his younger sister. Nothing like that at all. He could almost hear Bellamy before he saw her, in those shoes, and turned to goggle at her. “Belle! Hey! It’s giant Twister…wait. You didn’t plan this?” Iann asked, somewhat in shock. He assumed all of the events in Erzebet’s was planned or at least authorized by her.

Lilo clammed up, fortunately the big lady boss arrived just in time for him to avoid answering life and career questions. Unfortunately he felt as if he was now caught red–hot pink–handed doing something in the bar that wasn’t sanctioned.

Bella shook her head at Iann and pointed over to Ryden who seemed to be dealing with some kind of personal thing, way too intense for her to be willing to approach. “Ryden’s idea. Do you really think my idea of a party would be giant twister and paint? If I had planned things it would involve much less clean up after. But how could I say no to a puppy?” Really whatever Lilo was doing didn’t bother her though. Lilo was perfectly sweet and it amused her that he and Iann had such an odd relationship.

Lilo: “Ayy, uh, hello Ms. Miss… Bellamy. You know if you need help cleaning up after I mean… I did accidentally fling some paint around. I would feel bad just leaving it this way.”

Iann waggled Lilo’s shoulder to reassure the werewolf, because he looked like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Ahhhh I don’t know. I don’t know what you kids find fun these days,” Iann teased Bellamy. Lilo piped up then and Iann motioned to him. “Look at that! What a good guy. Looks like you got all the puppies eager to get in your favour, mija.”

Maya spoke softly, “I know.” The not worrying she wasn’t particularly good at, but she could try at least. She let him tilt her chin up, still blushing and feeling stupid and guilty for making it about her. She nodded, “Okay. But can you not call him daddy? It kind of makes me want to vomit and no one wants that.”

“Oh no, obviously Ryden will solely clean this all up,” Bella joked, giving a little giggle as she cuddled herself in the furs she wore. “Why was paint being flung around though? Did I miss something?” she questioned before batting her eyelids. “I am obviously the mother of wolves, all adore me, as I like it.” Lilo obviously didn’t but she enjoyed the light playfulness.

Cassie double checked the posters about DJ Howl before ending up at Erzebet’s. It was busy on a good night, but it had a totally different vibe with the party going on. She could hear the music and feel the vibrations just from standing outside. She took a deep breath and entered. Cassie squeezed between people, glad to see that a fair amount of people were on stage playing some sort of weird twister. Lilo, and several other people she recognized were there. “Having fun?” She called out to specific person in particular.

Ryden: “BWAHAHA okay, yeah, it kind of grosses me out too, just did it cause it annoyed him~” Cause at least Ryden made if very obvious that he was not a mature adult and was very up front about it. Looking up, he noticed that Bellamy was in the house now. “Gotta report to the boss, babe. Be right back.” He scooted away, going through the crowd to reach the teal puff of fur that was Bellamy. “Yoooo~ And here’s our gorgeous host~ Heya baby girl~ Lookin’ goood!”

Lilo laughed awkwardly at Bellamy’s joking. “I mean we flung things, only at the losers though…” Then his eyes were drown over to the door, he couldn’t quite make out what Cassie was saying over the music and the multitudinous conversations but he waved from where he was at the stage. Hoping his bright smile was enough.

Bella raised her brows as Ryden approached, a little amused by his sudden arrival. “We’re the hosts,” she smiled, the skeletal make-up on her face looking exceptionally odd as her own perfectly pearl teeth came through. “Who are both exceptionally beautiful,” Bella assured. “But standing next to Iann aren’t we all?” she teased her Pa. “As long as they were losers,” Bellamy said, turning to see what he was looking at and smiling as she saw Cassie’s dark tendrils in their beautiful curls. “The attack must have been warranted.”

Maya rolled her eyes at his admission. She picked up her drink too, taking a sip from it. “Fine, go be responsible, see if I care,” she replied, smiling again. As for herself she decided to stay at the bar for a few more minutes. She needed at least one to gather herself.

“BWAHAHAHA right, right~” Ryden barked out a laugh, the bottom part of his own skull make up kind of matching Bellamy’s. “Ya’ll guys havin’ fun?” He asked other people gathered there. “Hi Cass~” He gave the she-wolf a little wave.

“Uh I think everyone’s done for the night,” Iann said, when he realized he hadn’t spun the thing in a while. “Unless you guys want to start a new game, I guess.”

Lilo waved again a little bashfully and leaned in close to Iann. “Oye, cabron. Who the heck is that guy in the skull makeup that seems to know Cassie?”

“What other games are there?” Bellamy asked, looking to Ryden for a suggestion while they all waited for Cassie to approach their small collective.

“Full body paint on the stage, color wars aaaand unicorn jello shots drinkin’ game~” Ryden updated Bellamy real quick.

Maya walked over to the game of Twister after a moment. She stood next to Iann and asked, “So, how’s the game Master Spinner?”

“Unicorn shots!” Bella happily requested, linking arms with the large wolf and giving him a grin. “Are they just unicorn in colour and sparkliness or magic too? Iann have some with us. I hardly ever get to see you drunk.”

“Hello! Hi! My name is Lilo nice to meet you. I am Iann’s friend Lilo.” He smiled and extended his hand to Maya as an introduction, trying to be more cheery than awkward. He really was off his game lately.

Iann’s eyes flicked from Ryden to Lilo. “That lobo. Eso es Ryden,” Iann replied to Lilo. “He’s just a kid,” he supplied, but then again maybe Ryden was older than Cassie? Iann couldn’t be sure, werewolves’ aged differently. He looked down at Maya, and wiped a hand down her back. “At least it washes off. I think. Apparently Ryden was in charge of this, not Bellamy. You know Bellamy would look after details like that but Ryden’s like - ” Then Lilo barged in and Iann grinned, getting a weird vicious glee from Lilo’s awkwardness. He was usually so cool and social, ha ha sucker. “This is Maya, this is Lopez. Lilo, Lilo Lopez.”

“I got no clue~ But I caught a glimpse and they sure look pretty~” Rydenadmitted, tucking Bella’s arm more comfortably under his.

Cassie hurried to the stage when she got not only a wave from Lilo but a greeting from…Ryden. She just needed to get a little bit closer to realize it was him. “Hi!” She waved, speaking a little bit louder than normal. She smiled at Bellamy, standing closer to her when she first stepped up towards the group wrapping up their Twister, “Unicorn shots? They don’t have actual unicorn do they?” She asked playfully, somewhat laughing at herself. “I bet I could win a drinking game.” Cassie mused.

Iann looking over at Bellamy, Iann shook his head. “Oh hell no, I’m not drinking tonight, mija. Go get drunk! I’ll hold your hair back when you’re puking and Ryden’s singing ABBA in the bathtub, totally plastered.”

Maya shrugged, “I’m sure I’ll figure it out. And if all else fails, magic,” she replied, not worried about the paint Iann had gotten splattered about her other than to tease him about it. When Lilo introduced himself she smiled back, “Name’s Maya.” She switched her drink to her other hand in order to shake Lilo’s hand. “Nice to meet you too,” she added.

Miguel had been doing his behind the scenes things. But people were playing now and he didn’t need to be behind a table or ushering people anywhere. So when he was Iann having fun and hangout out with people he figured he might as well go say hello. Miguel walked up to the group a little nervously, he was in his blue and pink T-shirt that said “trans dad” on it - hawthorn has given it to him to thank him for helping with the event. “Hey! Iann and friends.”

“How exactly are they a drinking game then?” Bellamy asked, before happily smiling at Cassie, glad the werewolf woman felt happy being close to her. After baking breast cakes together they were definitely friends. “Oh, don’t get Iann started about unicorns, they couldn’t possibly because according to him they don’t exist. But hee should drink anyway,” she said, frowning at him that he’d said no. “Doctor!” she let out with a grin when Miguel arrived, squeezing Ryden’s arm in the process.

“Unicorns do not exist!!” Iann called out randomly, only because he heard the word unicorn and felt compelled to proclaim this. “Hey Miguel - wait.” Iann read the t-shirt a couple times over. “Ayyyy I didn’t know you were a father! Unless you mean you’re a daddy in which case that’s none of my business.”

“Excuse you, old man, I sing Bonnie Tyler when plastered.” Ryden glanced down at Bella. “Oh, ya get your hands tied behind your back and ya get timed how many ya can drink without spillin~”

Miguel chuckled and waved, still a little sheepish. At least he recognized her and the man on her arm. “Bellamy,” he said with a nod. “Student,” he said at the young wolf whose name he never actually got.

“Or is it his business?” Bellamy winked at Miguel, smirking happily. “I can definitely do more shots than you without spilling, even if I was human I could drink you under the table,” she assured. “Anyone else want to join?” Bella asked, figuring they’d have to move closer to the bar to give the game a go.

“Holy shit, abuelo do you ever shut up?” Miguel rolled his eyes but playfully pushed his body into Iann’s side. “Hawthorn made it for me. Because I’m a dad friend or a father figure I guess.” He was blushing just a little.

“Wait, if we’re playing a drinking game I’m 100% in,” Maya piped up.

“Iann’s too grumpy for drinks.” Cassie crinkled her nose at Iann after he refused the idea. Not that it shocked her or anything. Cassie didn’t drink, but she really never saw Iann drink either. She laughed openly again when Ryden explained the drinking game. It was very college-esque. But then, Cassie had never taken part of it. “I’ll give it a whirl.” Cassie shrugged.

“Oh sorry, Bright Eyes,” Iann called out to Ryden, then motioned at Maya. “Hey that’s the spirit, all of you drink and I’ll referee, go on.” And when Cassie volunteered to join in, Iann was truly surprised. “Cassandra Margaret Germaine!”

“Unicorns do exist…” Ruby said to herself, though she would never convince Iann even though she and Alia had SEEN one. “They do exist Iann!!”

“Hi doc~” Ryden snorted at the 'student’ part, looking down at Bellamy to explain and kind of brag. “I been doin’ my homework~” But then he had to wiggle out of Bella’s grasp. “Ya’ll, gotta pass on this, I’m workin. You have fun, mmkay?”

Lilo had taken a step back from the conversation once introducing himself to Maya, wouldn’t want to be rude, but he sort of just enjoyed being around people and talking again. Leirsurely and friendly like, he missed this. “Ayyy, that is my beautiful wife! Ah, almost wife.” He smiled at Cassie enjoying herself.

“Dad friend, okay okay,” Iann chuckled at Miguel, waving him forward too. “I’ll accept that. Hawthorn knows how to treat a parent-figure.” He whirled and wagged a finger at Ruby. “They do not exist!”

“You have to work?” Bella raised a brow. “Fine, be responsible.” She rolled her eyes before happily attaching herself to Cassie, grabbing Maya with her other arm. “We shall have to show the boys how it is done as they are all clearly aware we’ll beat them.”

“Laaaaaame,” Maya replied when Ryden excused himself on the reason of work, imitating perfectly the tone of voice with which Ryden had earlier mocked Iann. She didn’t say more than that about it though.

Ruby hung back from the game, pulling up a seat beside Iann. Not because she didn’t want to play, but because she didn’t want any lingering awkwardness between herself and Bellamy to make the game weird. “They do exist…” she said again to Iann. “But not like you think. Ask Alia…”

Freddie wandered up, already slightly tipsy - fairy biology at its finest - just in time to hear his partner admonish his ex-wife, and he sighed dramatically. “Are we on unicorns again? Or is this something new you don’t believe in?”

Lilo nodded at the newcomer Miguel. “Oye! Sorry friend,” he moved forward to shake Miguel’s hand. “I’m Lilo, Lilo Lopez. Iann’s friend.” Sort of, mostly less antagonistic these days but that was better left out especially in front of Cassie.

Charlie remained crouched as they waited for everyone to take their turn. “I’ve heard a lot of big talk. Can any of you live up to it?”

Miles This sort of party was definitely outside of Miles’ comfort zone. He didn’t think he’d been to a party like this since college, and even then this was definitely ten times more intense than any of the college parties he’d been to. Not to mention so many people had face paint or glitter or overall strange outfits and hairstyles, and the lights were strobing and there was either a smoke machine or someone was throwing powdered paint in the air. He pushed his way through a throng of dancing people, trying to find a familiar face.

Lilo slapped Iann on the chest, lightly and with the back of his hand. “Ayy, spin the spinner guy. People are waiting to win.”

Iann harrumphed. “I already talked to Alia and all amount of talking ain’t gonna make them any more real. It’s not that I don’t believe you, Ruby,” Iann said in an indulgent way, smirking at her. He pulled a chair backwards and hunkered down on it beside Ruby. “It’s that I don’t believe any of you wishful thinking delusional liars. And I mean that in the nicest way, I swear!”

Miguel shook his hand and grinned. So that was his other werewolf neighbor, and the other Chicano Iann has mentioned. Miguel just had to wink at him. “You’re the other Chicano in Soapberry Iann mentioned. We’re neighbors!”

“Freddie!” Ruby grinned, reaching over and snagging his arm to pull him closer. “Tell him unicorns exist. I saw one, remember? Telll him and he’ll believe you,” she mock whispered. Which was meant to be a real whisper but failed.

Cassie nodded in agreement with Bellamy, “That’s right. Lilo!” She called turning back to see him still lingering with Iann and Miguel, she was going to ask if he wanted to come watch but seemed well distracted. She leaned in and told Bellamy, “They’re clearly intimidated.”

Freddie’s mouth fell open in mock offense, and then he laughed, the drink in his hand sloshing a little. “Oi - I’m a very grounded liar, I’ll have you know…” He felt a hand on his arm and stumbled a bit as he was tugged sideways, but lit up when he saw who the hand belonged to. “Hello, love,” he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek, “You look gorgeous…” But he shook his head. “He won’t,” he said firmly, “Iann’s bound and determined to think they’re a fairy story…” Freddie grinned again. “As opposed to a fairy reality.”

Iann watched Miguel and Lilo talking and it felt weird to see them, but not in a bad way. Just in a way that suddenly felt like strings being pulled from the back of his throat. But then a tipsy fairy tottered over looking all sparkly and cute, as Ruby pulled Freddie closer. “I won’t believe anyone, I keep telling you! Some people don’t believe in ghosts though. Now that - that is absolutely loco.”

“I mean why wouldn’t they be? Lilo and Iann are obviously total light weights,” Bella agreed with Cassie. Freddie being tipsy and approaching was almost enough to distract the vampire when Miles showed up, likely unable to recognise her with the make-up adoring her face, but not quite enough. “Miles!” she screamed with excitement, letting go of the two women she had attached herself to and grabbing him, pulling him towards the collective. “You’re not working!” she beamed happily, planting a black lipped kiss on his own.

“Are we?” Lilo smiled in surprise. “Well I should be more neighborly It would have been nice to meet another Chicano! All I’ve had to deal with was this guy.” He nodded back to Iann, teasing the man as he got deep into unicorn discourse.

“I’m sorry we haven’t met sooner then.” Miguel rolled his eyes in Iann’s general direction. “Abuelo, unicorns exist. I had to lure one, slay it, and use its blood, bones, and horn for a spell when I was a preteen.”

Bellamy dropped Maya’s arm when a man that Maya did recognize came up to the group. It seemed they might not actually get to the drinking game. She wasn’t too worried about that though. Instead she was content to listen as Iann argued that unicorns were by no means real. Given his knowledge about the supernatural she was liable to believe him. Of course it wasn’t particularly pressing as far as issues went.

Grace had eliminated herself from the twister as soon as possible and managed to avoid any paint baths with stern glares and quick movement. She started mingling again, noticing immediately when Freddie had walked into the room thanks to his very Freddie energy. “Where are your short-shorts?” she asked, tssking.

“Nooo, no tell me you are joking.” Lilo was aghast at Miguel, fully forgetting what he’d been up to as a teenager. His eyes darting this way and that, distracted a bit by all the colorful outfits to get a good read on the crowd.

Cassie blinked at Bellamy’s sudden burst of excitement but quickly found the source. Miles. She’d spoken about him before, and Cassie smiled with a silent little wave that he may or may not have seen. Cassie was glad to know him and Bella were still doing well. “Are you going to come watch us drink unicorn shots?” Cassie called to Miles next.

Ruby looked back at Iann, the motion jostling Freddie where she still had her hand wrapped around his arm. “You’re like… fucking Mulder but without the… I wanna believe part. I’m gonna… bring you a unicorn and then… theeeeeen you’ll believe me.” She pointed at Iann, though her aim was off and she ended up pointing out into the crowd a bit.

Lilo will forever live with the shame he missed Grace with the loser’s paint and accidentally hit two innocent party-goers as she darted out of the way I am sure.

Freddie turned when he heard Grace’s voice in his ear, and grinned at her. “Wore them earlier, didn’t I?” he teased. “Thought I’d show off some other assets tonight.” He leaned in and bussed her cheek. “You, however, put me to shame, you gorgeous thing. How are you?”

Grace wrapped Freddie in a hug, kissing his cheek as was her usual greeting. “And what wonderful assets they are. Were you in the parade?”

“We’ll play with just girls,” Bellamy said to Cassie as Miles said he would watch, figuring that was a fine enough reason for Miles to join the rest of the men in not attending. “Maya you still going to join? Ruby?” she asked, looking towards the other woman she didnt know, they all seemeed pretty focused on Iann’s discussion about unicorns existing or not though and Bella didn’t want to insert herself too much with Freddie there, especially since it was such a rare occasion they were at the same event.

In the sea of smells and sounds, Miles barely registered that someone had called out to him, but realized fairly quickly that Bellamy had grabbed him and dragged him towards a group of moderately familiar people, “Yeah, I got someone to cover my beat,” he returned her kiss with a smile, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He nodded his head at Cassie as she waved, and said a quick, “How’s it going?” As a general greeting. “Unicorn shots? I didn’t think that sort of thing existed, but sure, I’ll watch.”

Iann made it like he was listening keenly to Miguel’s claim of knowing a unicorn, nodding in interest until he proclaimed, “Nope, you were fooled by a fake-corn.” He grinned when Rubby said she’d bring one to him, rubbing his hands in glee. “Ahhhh now we’re talking! Bring me a unicorn. Because you know the mere presence of me next to a unicorn would supposedly cause it huge agony. That’d be hilarious.”

Freddie laughed. “I was a bit, yeah. It was smaller than I’m used to, but good fun all the same.” He winked. “Bit of magic in the air makes all the difference. Did you and Alia attend?”

Maya nodded, “Yeah, I’m still in.” This was especially true seen as she had nothing to add on the subject of the realness or lack of when it came to unicorns. Plus she had been in plenty of drinking contests at Pride in New York and saw them as part of the fun.

Charlie almost slipped and fell as they maneuvered on the Twister mat. The group was getting smaller, but it was also becoming more entangled as they continued to play.

“Ayy, gee Iann you are such a stand-up guy.” Lilo raised his eyebrows, giving Miguel a nod, then peered out to wave at Freddie. “Oye amigo! You look shiney and good. Having a fun time?”

Cassie rolled her eyes at the group huddled debating unicorns. It had been a joke when she asked, but apparently the topic was too hot to let be. “Okay, but do you have any idea what kind of alcohol it is?” Cassie asked Bella, wanting to know at least somewhat she should expect. She waved Maya over silently so the girl wouldn’t get lost in the crowd.

Miles leaned his head to kiss Bella’s cheek, but she had so much makeup on and he didn’t want to mess up what no doubt took hours to accomplish, so he planted the kiss to the top of her head and whispered into her ear, “You look beautiful.” Then he responded to Cassie suddenly, “No no no, you’re not supposed to know what sort of alcohol it is! That defeats the purpose of getting drunk.”

Ruby smiled as Freddie saw her and gave her a kiss. He seemed a bit drunk, which was hard for him to achieve, but seemed happy. That was good. Happy was good. For everyone. “You look beautiful too. And you have to convince him because it’s true.” Grace came to greet Freddie them and she turned to Iann as the two embraced. “What do I get if I bring you a unicorn? Oh… yeah, sure. Okay…” Ruby was a bit unsure as she got up, snapping h er fingers at Iann and gesturing between the two of them with an 'i’m watching you’ gesture before going over to the game.

Charlie wiped out and completely biffed it, smearing paint all over their white pants. That had been the goal, though, and it wasn’t the first paint smears of the night. They stood up and looked around. Spotting Iann and a few others in a clump, Charlie headed over. “What mischief are we causing over here?”

Ruby squeezed in beside Maya, looking around to see what they’d be drinking. She was good with tequila, not so good with whiskey and vodka.

Cassie smiled somewhat lopsidedly at Miles when she scoffed, “What? They could serve me rubbing alcohol and what fun is that!” She raised her hands in defeat though, “But fine, to be fair you don’t have to tell me.”

Bella happily leaned against Miles side, pulling his arms so they were wrapped around her middle. The whisper in her ear making her cheeks grow with a flushing, especially since in their environment at least half the people could still hear what he’d said with some kind of supernatural hearing. “Exactly!” she agreed with her partner. “Plus Ryden didn’t mention anything beyond unicorn and he was sort of in charge of this thing. It’s definitely not poisonous…” she rolled off. “You know, beyond alcohol being generally alcoholic.” With that Bellamy dragged Miles over to the bar, assuming anyone who wanted to join would follow, requesting one of the bartenders to line up a bunch of the shots.

Grace had another drink in her hand, probably her third or fourth that night. She wasn’t drunk, but she was in a pleasant and relaxed mood, in spite of the crazy music that had been playing. Definitely not her usual taste. “We were! We had a lovely time. I saw Ephram around.”

Ruby silently wondered if she would have any sort of…. pre-shift advantage over anyone. That would be neat, her brain though idly. "Iann should play because he DOESN’T BELIEVE and how can you get drunk off somethin’ you don’t believe in…“

Freddie realised belatedly that someone was waving at him, and, squinting slightly, not entirely sure who it was, he waved back. Though when he noticed the wolf on the bloke’s shirt, and the word 'amigo’ finally permeated, the fairy smiled broadly, no longer confused. "Lilo! Hello, darling,” he called. “It’s been ages…” Freddie glanced down at his bare chest, gleaming silver, and smirked. “And I suppose I am a bit shiney, yeah - but it’s been a good day. Good party, too. What about you, love? Having fun? Where’s your missus got to?”

Cassie followed right behind Bellamy and Miles taking a seat at the bar and adjusting her dress before she leaned an elbow on the table. “So what did Ryden say? Whoever drinks the fastest? And I guess whoever falls off their stool last wins?” Cassie went to clarify.

“Magic is mostly belief,” Miguel said with a smirk. “I’ll play if Iann plays.”

Miles wasn’t too sure what sort of unicorn conversation was going on in the sidelines, but he laughed as Ruby tried to convince Iann to join their proposed drinking game. “The shots seem real enough but I doubt there’s any actual unicorn essence in them.” He helped hand them out but he, of course, wasn’t going to partake himself.

Maya made her way over to the bar. She flashed the bartender a thank you smile. “I think it was most shots without spilling in some amount of time,” she replied, “Oh and no hands.” As she said the last part she put her hands behind herself as if they were being cuffed. She didn’t sit though. Standing gave her a better angle.

“Uh huh! Yeah I feel like I haven’t seen you since the ring thing! That worked real well tho!” Lilo smiled and pointed to the love of his life Cassie who was barreling forward into a drinking contest to get herself plastered as all get out. He sighed, a bit stary-eyed, “Ay there she is, about to drink this bar under the table, or fall right on her face.”

“Iann doesn’t believe in unicorns,” Ruby said to the person she didn’t know. “He’s just chicken I think…”

Freddie beamed at the mention of his husband. “Did you? I haven’t found him yet. He had some police business that needed seeing to,” the fairy smirked, “-so seeing to me will have to wait for a bit.”

“You drink for me, hermano,” Iann said to Miguel, and laughed when Ruby called him out. “I am a chicken! Look guys - the sky is falling down!”

“Exactly what Maya said,” Bellamy nodded, knowing that it was at least the three of them and Miles watching. He wasn’t exactly an unbiased judge. “Anyone else?” she asked, checking to see if Ruby and Miguel were joining them.

“Oh…” Cassie nodded along with Maya, placing her hands behind her as well and looking to the other women along the bar to know when to start.

“I’m in,” Ruby said.

Miguel shrugged. He had done his work for the day. Might as well have a little fun. And he was a sucker for alcohol. “Alright I’m in.” He stood next to Bella with his hands behind his back.

Lilo turned to look back, nodding at Miguel’s answer, and addressing Freddie directly. “I am having tons of fun… uh.. I seem to be under-dressed though.” He looked down in regards to his radical wolf tee and khaki shorts. “Everyone else seems so prepared for this, uh, pride thing.”

Charlie sat down beside them ready to go. “Count me in for strange drinking games. Just explain to me what we’re doing.“

Miles clapped Iann’s shoulder, "Guess we’ll be the sober judges.”

“Miles? Miles! You look so…” Iann looked the man up and down. “…Straight.”

“Iann come drink and you can video me next week in your cave pit…” Ruby had no idea how that might sound to others that didn’t know the details, but she really coudln’t be arsed to care.

“Shocker of shockers…he might possibly be…straight,” Bellamy turned to Iann with wide eyes before nudging Miguel. “You’ll let me win right? To curry favour with Iann? I am his prized child.”

Miles nodded, “What clued you in? Is it the jeans?”

Freddie clapped Lilo reassuringly on the shoulder. “There isn’t a dress code for Pride, love,” he smiled - albeit a little drunkenly. “I promise you’re fine.” The fairy grinned. “Though I can glamour you something a bit sparklier if you like.”

The bartender gave each of the players a myriad of the glittering unicorn themed shots, enough for each to make it through the minute with more to spare. Looking to Iann and Miles the bartender counted down, girls putting hands behind their back. Finally he let out a “Go!” and the game began.

Lilo laughed, a bit bashfully out of his normal character. “I mean, I’m good. Thank you for the sparkle offer but really. I mean, I’m fine not drawing too much attention to myself. But hey, aren’t you sparly enough to rub off on everyone tonight?” He joked back to Freddie, slowly edging closer to the bar to see his fiance compete.

Grace nodded. “I think he was in uniform, or at least a version of it.” Not that they seemed to have needed the police so far. The town was pretty chilled out. Even the almost fight between Fane and Ryden hadn’t escalated to anything involving violence.

Ruby leaned over and wrapped her lips around the shot glass, stopping the flow of brightly colored liquid with her tongue as she tipped her head back and swallowed. Christ it was sweet. She sat the glass back down and moved on to the next, repeating the motion one after the other.

Charlie grabbed the first one and nearly gagged just from how sweet it was. They’d been expected sweet with a name like unicorn, but maybe not that sweet. With only a momentary pause, they grabbed the next to keep drinking.

“Ruby, I am drinking, technically,” Iann said, nabbing some club soda from the bartender. “So now I get to film you in the sinkhole. Booyah.”

At the sound of go Maya picked up the first few shots with her teeth and easily tilted them back into her mouth. On the third one though, the glass slipped out of her mouth and shattered across the bar. Luckily they were spread out enough that the flying shards only injured her. But she did get sliced by a piece under her rainbow bandeau. “Oh fuck,” she said, immediately making sure that it wasn’t stuck in there. “First aid kit?” she asked the bartender.

Muscle memory from med-school kicked in and Miguel started drinking shots like a well oiled machine.

Miles grabbed a wad of napkins from the bartop when one of the shot glasses fell and broke with a shatter. “Careful there,” he offered the napkins to the younger woman.

“Whoa whoa whoa! What kind of violent game is this??” Iann said, because he hadn’t really understood the game until one of the glasses shattered and Maya was asking for a first-aid kit. “Miguel’s a doctor. But also maybe this isn’t the best game for increasingly drunk people to play if one of you is gonna start bleeding for it. No game’s worth that,” Iann intoned in surprise.

Lilo began enthusiastically clapping his hands. “Whoo! Go Cassie! Ay! Show them how a real lobo drinks. I am behind you and I will hold your hair all night mi tesoro.”

Ruby nearly lost her third shot as well. Her tongue was tingling from the sheer volume of sweetness. Which was perhaps a bit ironic considering the unicorn she’d seen had been a half-rotten, zombieish sorta thing. On her fifth one, she looked over to see the new face keeping up with her and the others.

Maya waved off Iann’s concern, “Don’t worry about it. I’m just a dumbass.” She took the man she could only guess was Bellamy’s boyfriend with a “Thanks,” and started cleaning up after herself. It was a shallow cut, certainly not the worst she’d had. Mostly she just felt annoyed that she was the first one out of the game.

Cassie was careful with the first shot glass, but as soon as the alcohol poured over her tongue and she realized how sweet the concoction was she smiled to herself, moving faster and a little more confident with the other shots handed out. It was almost like liquified sugar, and that Cassie could handle. Lilo’s cheering definitely helped too.

Freddie nodded, a small smile playing on his lips at the thought of Ephram in uniform - even today’s rather whimsical version of it. “He can’t be too far off,” he said, “I heard Cotton Eye Joe play not long ago, and I’d bet my arse that he’s the reason why.” Glancing around for a moment, he turned back to Grace. “Is Alia here somewhere too, love?”

If Ruby could drink Ephram’s moonshine, she could drink more of this unicorn fizzy sugary… stuff. She had a hell of a sweet tooth, but seven shots in was making her doub herself. She didn’t feel sick, but as she looked over at Cassie and saw the progress the woman was making, Ruby didnt know if she could keep up.

Iann looked over at the bartender, not convinced that Maya being a 'dumbass’ prevented danger. He knew the bartender was a witch and so Iann asked, “Hey, can you charm these glasses not to break? And do you know a healing spell?” The bartender nodded and used a few spells to clean up the shards as well as break-proof the glasses.

Grace glanced at Ruby. Whatever she was drinking was incredibly intoxicating. “Hm, yes. Ruby said he must have something to do with it… An inside joke?”

Miles helped the bartender clear up the broken shot glass and wipe down the bartop. “Damn Bellamy, you go babe!” He cheered her on as she knocked back shot after shot.

“Whoo! Magic! Pride! Drinking!” Lilo was getting a bit too enthusiastic getting wrapped up in all the excitement.

“Oh my god I thnk I’ve got diabetes…” Ruby said as she took a small breath before readjusting her stance and wrapping her mouth around the next glass. IT went down smooth and she coughed just a little bit as she put the glass back down.

“Maybe we should line up some water after this,” Miles wondered aloud.

Charlie picked up the next glass without really looking and didn’t quite get a good grasp on it. “Shit!” they said as they almost dropped it. Thankfully Charlie managed to catch it before it hit the counter, but it still spilled everyone. “Guess that’s me.” They’d had enough that the sugar was threatening to overwhelming them, but the alcohol hadn’t quite hit yet. Not hard anyway.

Bella was drinking rather easily, she didn’t exactly have a technique so much as she was acting how she did as a teenager, and admittedly she loved sugary sweet things as Miles had seen from the dessert spreads she had done, still she smiled happily as he cheered, wishing she could nudge the wolf and share a happy moment they had two wolf-dads egging them on.

Lilo clapped his hands on this guy Miles’ back. “Water! That is such a good idea amigo! Party, but with responsibility and smartness- uh, niceness. you know what I mean. being responsible.” Lilo smiled again and nodded to a bartender to get a club soda of his own. “This is a wild drinking game. I got to say when I was a kid there were no unicorns. It was just beer and liquor and the game was to see who got drunk quickest.”

Miguel’s soft baby esophagus started to get worked up and he made a really terrible noise before running to the bathroom.

After a bit, your mouth and throat just sorta go numb, so as the contestant got weedled down one by one, Ruby wondered if she just might be able to win despite most of her talk being of the smack variety. Though if she /did/ lose, at least she was technically human against a wolf and a vamp as the only other guy that was left suddenly made tracks.

“Ooooh, eeeeh,” Lilo sucked in air through his teeth sympathetically as he watched Miguel run to the bathroom. Practically hearing the rough noise of defeat.

Iann burst out laughing. “Miguel!! Are you okay?!”

Freddie laughed, shooting a glance at his ex-wife. “Sort of,” he chuckled. “For whatever reason, that horrible song always puts Ephram in the mood - so, now it rather puts me in the mood too.” The fairy rolled his eyes at himself. “But let’s have another drink, yeah? And then you can tell me something mortifying about yourself in order to level the playing field again.”

Cassie side-glanced over at Bellamy down the bar and arched a brow with a curled grin at the corner of her mouth. It was just short of smug, but in competitions Cassie could get cocky and she and Bella were doing well.

“Yeah, water’s a good idea,” Maya agreed with a hopeful nod to the bartender. Satisfied that she wasn’t bleeding too much she turned her attention to the remaining contestants. A moment later she had a water glass and this one she was more cautious with. She drank nearly half of it in one go though, knowing that the sugar would make her hangover that much worse.

Miles nodded pointedly at the man who had been cheering on Cassie, “Yes, exactly! It was just plain ol’ vodka shots or tequila shots back in my day.” He sounded like an old man. Then one of the contestants made a strangled sort of noise and ran off, to where he assumed the bathroom was. “He’s going to need to eat something. Maybe get some food going around after this too.”

Bella’s idea of…well, not really having a technique didn’t work out for her. Picking up the glass and the scent of blood in the air finally hitting her nose her fangs descended and the glass slipped from her mouth, happily bouncing off with the bartenders spell before she laughed and turned to Miles. “Do you have a glass of water for me to help my awful breath?”

Grace didn’t know whether to laugh or cringe, so she did a mixture of both. “Oh, bloody hell. That’s hilarious.” She glanced around at what she could only assume was a drinking game going on. “Can fairies hold their booze?”

Surprisingly, Bellamy fell out of the game, leaving just Ruby and Cassie. She glanced over at the other woman who was doing shots like they were water. There were worse ways to lose. “Can I get a kiss if I beat you?” she asked Cassie as she turned back another shot.

Miguel walked back to the game slowly, running his face with paper towel. He felt gross. It was so easy to make him vomit, and it was getting worse as he got older. He should have known better than to play a drinking game. “I’m okay,” he said and then leaned on Iann.

Lilo excitedly clapped again. “Ayy, I mean. Like greasy food yeah? Food like that is good for drinking right friend?” Lilo nodded over at Miles, happy to induct more people into his growing circle of friendships this night.

Charlie reached around Maya to grab another glass of water for themself. It was definitely a good idea, but they figured it was too little too late to stop a hangover. Starving off the worst of it seemed like a positive note, though, so they gulped down the water and asked the bartender for more. They were still in “speed mode” from the shots.

“You poor thing,” Iann said sympathetically, and handed Miguel a glass of water. “You need anything else papito? We can go get some fries after this or something.” Iann always liked downing boatloads of crappy food after his old drinking binges.

Iann nudged Charlie as well, “Honestly my money was on you.”

Maya “Did someone say fries?” Maya asked, turning in the direction of Iann’s voice, “We should definitely get fries.”

“Yes man, gotta get some shit fries or some chips and dip.” Miles’ attention was distracted though as Bellamy lost her grip on her shot. “Yes baby,” he grabbed a filled glass of water off the bartop for her. “You did good.”

Charlie blinked in surprise before a grin spread across their face. “I mean I am great, but I have to admit this isn’t really my typical. I’m all about the scene, but I tend to be more easygoing with my drinks. Give me a glass of scotch over this marathon of sugar any day.”

“Papito comiendo papitos,” Miguel said with a chuckle. “Please. I need the salt.” He grabbed one of the many bottles of water and drank it slowly.

Freddie laughed and shook his head. “Not even a little. Fairies are the first ones under the table-” he winked, “-and under the host.” Freddie laughed again, his tipsiness shining through a little more strongly. “Or at least I am, any road. Whereas vampires, I know, barely feel a thing.” His eyes sparkled. “Unless you’re the exception to the rule.”

Bella took the glass from Miles, sipping it gently. “Ah well, I’m exceptionally beautiful, I can lose at other things,” Bellamy shrugged, wrapping a free arm around his middle and leaning onto him. “You guys getting burgers?” she asked the collective of Dad-Bros.

"Fries it is! I know a great place that uses beef tallow. Or like…something vegan if you’re vegan or whatever.“ Iann nodded at Charlie. "Yeah, the sugar is really what kills, these drinks are nuts. Come get fries!”

Cassie was sort of startled to see Bellamy drop out of the game and looked over at Ruby when the other woman spoke to her. Cassie didn’t know what to say. Her mouth hung open for a moment and all she could say was “Uh…” Before she tried to take another shot, but now Cassie was unsure of herself, and the glass slipped spilling alcohol out on the bar and it trickled down onto the skirt of her dress. Cassie jumped up wiping at it frantically, “Shit, shit.” She hissed before running off to clean it in the bathroom.

Ruby hadn’t intended what she said to distract Cassie, but apparently it did and CAssie dropped her shot. Ruby swallowed the last of her (last) shot, and grimaced as seh looked around. “Did I win?” she grinned. “Because that was… awful,” she laughed, wiping purple foam from her lips. “Did I seriously win though?? Holy shit…”

Lilo’s mouth dropped open. “Ooh oh shit.” Lilo grimaced at the mess on Cassie’s dress know this wasn’t goin gto be an easy night. “Oh, oh, lobocita, mi tesoro are you okay? Oh honey.” He rushed to her side, willing and ready to comfort Cassie in her loss.

“You cheated! And it was great,” Iann simultaneously accused and congratulated Ruby.

Grace nodded. She didn’t know much about fairies but not everyone could be immune to the effects of alcohol. “Shame. I suppose I could have tried to beat them, but I think Ruby is having a good time.”

“Sounds like it. Burgers and fries are happening.” Miles kissed the top of Bella’s head once more and then slid a glass of water over toward the victorious Ruby. “You did! Congrats!”

Charlie smiled. “I would totally get fries with you, but I think I should probably head home. Devon is making me head in to work tomorrow, so I don’t want to be up too terribly late. I’ll see you later this week, though, right?”

“No rules against talking to each other,” Ruby shouted back happily at Iann.

“Oye! Cassie baby, you okay in there,” Lilo called into the ladies bathroom hanging just outside it.

“Thanks,” Ruby grinned up at MIles, both for the water and the congratulations. “I think I’m turned off to sweets forever now. Kudos to whoever mixed that up… ugh.”

Grace turned to Ruby, giving her a congratulations pat on the shoulder. “Well done. What the bloody hell was that? It seems to have sent half the party to the bathroom.”

“For the talent show yeah! I’ll text you, Ariel,” Iann said with a clap on Charlie’s back, before he pointed at them. “Lots of water. And Gatorade, you need electrolytes. You could probably just down a glass of sea-water, now that I think about it.” Maybe that was a common merm cure for a hangover.

Maya gestured towards Ryden up on the stage, “I think that’s one you have to take up with DJ Howl.” She took a sip of her water. “And congrats, although we’re definitely having a rematch with real drinks.”

Charlie nodded, waving briefly to say goodbye to everyone before slowly ambling toward the door. It had been a fun night, and they were definitely looking forward to the rest of the week.

“I have no idea,” Ruby said to Grace, sucking a bit of sticky off her fingers. “But it tastes like liquid cotton candy times infinity.”

“I’m down for burgers and fries,” Bella grinned, unsure if they meant here or if they were going to make some kind of awkward half drunk-half sober group trip to a local burger joint. Finishing off her water she placed it down, waving goodbye to the person she had just competed with.

Dani was quite fond of the dance floor. It was the perfect place to channel the energy they’d built up all day long - and a powerful distraction against thoughts of earlier events. With a bob of glowing hair that was impossible to miss, they finally escaped from the crowd to grab a drink. Nothing alcoholic, for the moment. Just something to allow them to recharge for whatever they got up to next

“I’m fine!” Cassie called, quickly popping out of the restroom wiping at her dress with a wet paper towel, “I just don’t want this to get ruined. I could have kept going. Spilling is a stupid way to win anyways.” She grumbled, Cassie was not a good loser.

“Well technically this place just serves fries, but…lots of fries.” Iann looked over where Freddie and Grace were. “Confetti, are you coming for greasy food?”

Ruby grinned at Maya. “I’ll have to thank him properly later.” She glanced up at Ryden behind the booth, grinning a bit more before turning back to Maya. “You okay? Did you get cut

"Well it’s okay baby! Plenty of other people at the bar lost that way. besides you got so close!” Lilo brightened, smiling at her. “I mean, runner up isn’t so bad?”

Ruby: “Did you get cut on your glass?”

“I can be a doctor,” Miguel said around his water bottle. “I’m sober enough.”

Maya shrugged, “A little bit. But chicks dig scars.” She smiled, not wanting anyone to worry. Besides it didn’t turn that bad. “Jury’s still out on whether or not dudes dig scars, but I’d be happy to do some scientific study on that one,” she added, “You know, for science.”

When Freddie heard Iann’s voice, he turned in his friend’s direction, realising a bit belatedly that he’d lost track of Lilo Lopez when he’d been talking to Grace and feeling a bit badly about it. “What?” he asked. “Chips?” Freddie wrinkled his nose a bit, “I could do, I suppose… Where?”

“Words patients don’t want to hear from their doctor!” Bellamy called out to Miguel as though she were playing jeopardy.

“Mmmm science is good. I used to have… a whole shit ton of scars,” Ruby said, gesturing a bit drunkenly with her hand. “Big one…. right here.” She swept the finger up her right cheek. “That shiny as fuck fairy right there fixed me allll up.” She pointed somwhere towards Freddie.

Miguel nodded. “I dig scars.” He nodded some more. “But like… I dunno they have to be strategically placed. “For 500!” He said to Bellamy, a little too loud to seem very sober at all.

Freddie noticed Ruby pointing at him and grinned. “Me? What have I done now?”

“He digs scars,” Ruby said, pointing towards the man she didn’t know.

Lilo tried to placate his no doubt disappointed fiance, knowing her competitive streak was strong. “I mean I know you could have kept going, I mean they could have probably run out of drink before you even got too drunk. Which is probably a good thing you spilled. Ruby would have really hurt herself trying to keep up with you.” He shrugged. “Honestly you probably saved a life tonight.”

Bella grinned widely as Miguel got her joke, quite pleased with herself, watching as the more humanoid of the group that had drank were clearly getting quite drunk. Fortunately for herself, and likely Cassie, it wasn’t really enough to get either of them drunk.

“Doesn’t sound very sober to me,” Miles laughed. “Alright, we gotta get some food in these people.”

Maya laughed, “Okay, the doctor is definitely drunk. But I am still taking his survey response for science.”

“Just tellin’ Maya how you fixed me up that one time. ’s good stuff… good stuff… don’t worry…” Ruby said to Freddie.

“The Big Fry,” Iann announced cheerfully. “It’s a couple blocks down from here, we can all just walk.” It was still super-busy outside anyway even though it was so late, but - this was Soapberry. And Pride. So no one was sleeping. “Vamanos, people!”

“Lilo,” Cassie started, “Runner up is the worst.” She sighed and then waved her hand in dismissal, “Whatever. Did you find out what everyone was up to before you came over here?” She grumbled again when Lilo commented about Ruby and nodded, “Yeah, someone better make sure she gets home alright.”

Freddie leaned over to Grace, and murmured, “Did Iann say he’s taking us to see Stephen Fry, or have I missed something?”

“Uhhhh….” Lilo stared at her blankly, then glanced at the group which seemed to be gearing up for something. “No, no I did not. Was I supposed to? I just kinda wanted to check on you.”

“Dani!” Ruby exclaimed as she saw her friend sidle up to the bar. “Dani, where have you beeeennn? WHere’s Sam? ARe you here alone? Have you meet my other very pretty friend Maya?” Ruby slid off her stool as she said all this and wrapped her arm around Dani’s shoulder, turning them a bit to point at MAya.

At Iann’s request they leave Bellamy looked to Ryden, unsure if she should leave the party when they were meant to be hosting. The place was full though and he was quite focused on his music. She’d either return later that evening or the next day to help with things. For now she was happy to cling to Miles and get fries with her friends. “Lead the way, Pa,” she told Iann, heading off in the same direction as him, still leaning on Miles as she walked. “You going to dress this nice for the auction?” she teased him.

Cassie shrugged, “No. But you know it’s easy to lose people in here, that’s all I was thinking.” Cassie took his arm, “Thanks for checking on me and cheering for me though.” She stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the cheek, “You’re the best.”

Maya smiled as Ruby slid off her stool to try and introduce her to Dani. “Yes, we’re kind of sisters,” she replied, which she mostly only said because she was definitely buzzed by now. The fact they had earlier learned that they were eskimo sisters helped a little too. “Now,” she stood herself, “Lead me to fries please Iann.”

Iann kept company with Bellamy and Miles, motioning for others to follow if they wanted. “Is Miles going to be in that auction thing? You’ll be the only one betting on him though,” Iann stated plainly, right in front of Miles as if he was merely commenting an uncontested and inoffensive fact about Miles.

“Wait what?” Ruby said, frowning a bit as she looked between the two. It took her a second to put it all together, but once she did she snapped her fingers. “Ahhhh because Fane’s your Dad. Cool.” Ruby blinked. “I miss my sister…”

“Oh the auction I’m in it! You’re bid on me right, abuelo?” Miguel winked at Iann as he clung to his arm.

Lilo smiled at the kiss. “I know that I am, and so are you.” He wrapped arm around Cassie’s back. “Lets go see what these drunky drunks are up to!”

Miles went along with the group of people heading out, he kept an arm around Bella’s slim shoulders as they walked. “This isn’t that nice,” he was just wearing a plain button up and jeans, “I’ll probably wear a suit for the auction, unless you had something else in mind.” He wasn’t bothered by what Iann had said, in fact he nodded his head at him, “That’s probably true, at least the proceeds will go to a good cause.”

Ephram caught up with the group just as they were headed out to forage for fried potatoes, face wiped clean of the giraffe makeup that Charlie had put on him earlier. He bumped against Freddie, grumbling, “I been on my feet all day. Feel bad for me.”

"You comin’?“ Ruby asked Dani as everyone started to head out for fries. Ruby was quite suddenly starving.

Cassie nodded, walking with Lilo back towards the bar. But just like she thought, most of the seats had been cleared. Everyone was on the move. “Shoot…” She muttered. But she suddenly saw Ruby who was lingering a bit behind. “There!” Cassie pointed, hurrying through the crowd and pulling Lilo along, “Hey!” She called to Ruby before getting up next to her, “Where’s everyone going?”

Bella gave Iann a frown of disapproval. Even if Miles didn’t think anyone would Bellamy still wanted to defend him and his handsomeness. "You could wear nothing? Perhaps then you’d get some bids,” she smirked, knowing Miles would never, though part of her considered wearing less than her usual dress. “I’ll bid on you no matter what you wear. And apparently Tuah is going to be fine with you bidding on the doctor,” Bellamy’s words moving from Miles to Iann. Her eyes moved back, spotting Ephram catching up with Freddie and giving him a little wave before returning to Miles, Iann and Miguel. “Anyone else catching your eye, Miguel?”

Dani blinked when their name was so excitedly called from down the bar. It was so loud that they weren’t able to make out the owner of the voice until she made her approach. Once they recognized her, an effortless grin brightened their features. “Ruby!” They wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed, a glass of water in their second hand. “We’ve been dancing,” they laughed. “He stepped out a bit ago. We’re supplying all of the flowers for gay prom, so he wants to get some sleep and get an early start tomorrow. The sooner we get them done, the better.” When proclaimed them as 'kind of’ sisters, ignoring the other sister identification they shared, Dani felt a faint, warm sensation swell in their chest. “Yeah. Kinda sisters.” They bumped Maya’s shoulder harmlessly with their fist and then turned back to Ruby. “Why not. Lead the way, love.”

Freddie lit up when Ephram appeared beside him and he slipped his arm around his husband, leaving smudges of fairy dust everywhere they touched. “My poor darling,” he sympathised. “You’d best lean on me then, yeah?”

Maya smiled softly like candlelight when Dani agreed that they were kind of like sisters. She worried a good deal that while Fane had no problems taking her under his wing the rest of the family might not be so excited about it. It seemed at least when it came to Dani those worries were unfounded. Something especially needed to hear today.

“For fries,” Ruby told Cassie. “You two coming?” she asked. “I mean… you so woulda beat me if I hadn’t distracted you, so I know you could use some carbs.”

“Oh I dunno. Maybe Milo will. I think he’s pretty cute.” Miguel shrugged. “Not that I think Iann is cute. He’s like my brother or my cousin!” He bumped into Iann again for good measure. “Or my old grandpa,” he added.

“Ayy, this is like a scavenger hunt! Find the group of aging drunk people huh?” Lilo teased, anyone and in general as he was on the move. Just sort of giddy to be out late for once, and with Cassie on his arm as they played around with the good time group at pride. “Late night snacks? That sound good to me. I like these people, they seem fun.”

“Responsible Sam,” Ruby smiled at Dani as they all started towards the door. “I don’t know if I’m gonna go though. Depends on if I can get a date. Though it’ll be real embarrasin’ if no one bids on me,” she snorted.

“So you’re in the auction too huh? I’m going to bid on everyone,” Iann said cheerfully and then added in a gracious way, “Even you, Miles. But especially you, Miguel. Anything for Doctor Cursebreaker, who else will I go to when I get cursed and need help, huh?”

“Hey,” Ruby said across Cassie to Lilo. “I’m not 'aging,’” she laughed. “Just… refined.”

“He is like a grandpa,” Bellamy acknowledged of Iann. “And Milo is cute, I would offer to suggest he bid on you but I don’t think I have sway with him.” An 'aww’ came out of her mouth as Iann said he would bid on everyone. “Will you bid on me, Pa?” she asked, big grin on her face.

Iann paused and waved at where Cassie and Ruby were. “Hey, hey! Come on! The Big Fry, we’re going to The Big Fry!”

Ephram took Freddie up on his offer immediately, continuing to grump, “–used to be I could work a double shift and then go put back a few at the bar on my feet the whole time! I’m gettin’ soft, Freddie.” He looked around at the group, taking in familiar faces with a sigh of contentment. “I din’t even see you this morning, lookit you.” Ephram took in Freddie’s attire (or lack thereof) with grateful appreciation as he half eavesdropped on the others’ conversations.

Maya fell to the back of the group as they discussed the auction. She’d seen it advertised on one of the event flyers and didn’t even think about going. The idea made her uncomfortable. It was for charity though so she said nothing.

“Fries!” Cassie gasped, looking up to try and see Iann through the crowd, “And he didn’t even wait.” She grumbled, but hardly taking it to heart. “Lilo-“ She wagged his arm in her hand but smiled when he happily agree. “Yes of course. We gotta catch up.” Cassie glanced back over to Ruby, a slightly guilty quirk in her mouth. “That’s alright. As long as you think you’re feeling alright? That was a lot of shots for a human.”

Miles noticed that Cassie and Lilo had rejoined the group. “You put up a good fight there, Cassie. And I don’t think I caught your name before,” he addressed Lilo, offering out his hand for quick shake. “I’m Miles.”

“Hi Miles!” Miguel said. Because the face and name were new. “Are you Bella’s boyfriend?” He asked, because when he was drunk he had even less of a filter.

“Now I’m a grandpa, greaaaaaat,” Iann groused, but he didn’t seem that displeased. He just liked to gripe whenever he could.

“Yes that’s me, Bella’s boyfriend,” Miles returned. “And you’re the not sober doctor.”

“Of course you are, abuelo. Listen to you complain about everything!” Miguel smiled at Miles. “Yep that’s me!”

Ruby raised a hand to Iann. “We’re comin’… skeptic.” She turned to Cassie. “It’s because he’s a nonbeliever. And yeah I feel pretty okay… a little bleck. But mostly okay. Oh!” she said suddenly. “I;ve been meanin’ to call you. Look.” She held out her bare forearm, the one with the wolf bite. “Imma be a wolf in a week or so. Wanted to call and tell you.”

Dani returned Ruby’s smile and squeezed her arm. “You should! Why don’t be just bid on each other, hm? Then neither of us will have to shoulder potential public shame and embarrassment.”

Lilo moved with Cassie to catch up with the group, happy to do so. “Ayy, Ruby, I just mean… well how none of us are mischief-ous, mishchiving, misch- none of us are teens that go out and get drunk and be silly anymore.” Lilo cleared his throat and tried to shake of the mispronunciations, he wasn’t even drunk. “Nice to meet you miles!” He moved forward to give Miles’ hand a good gripped shake. “I’m Lilo, Cassie’s guy. You might not have seen me around lately but I’m back.”

Ruby snorted at Dani. “Sounds good to me. Though I’m poor so you might go for like… twenty bucks if no one else bids?”

Freddie smiled at Ephram’s grumbling, making soft soothing commiserative sorts of noises as they walked, happy to take his weight. “Well, for what it’s worth,” he said, “I happen to think your stamina’s quite something. Soft or not.” He leaned up and kissed at Ephram’s jaw before grinning, “And you didn’t even see my morning outfit. This is number two.”

“We’re doin’ it now aren’t we?” Ruby smiled at Lilo. “But nah, I get it. Adult responsibilities and all that stuff. But I mean… you guys… you got kids… how great is that??” She gestured between Cassie and Lilo.

Bella frowned at the two men who acknowledged themselves so simply. “Miguel says that he can break curses, he broke Iann from being an eight year old boy, reverted him back to grandpa state, and Miles works for the sheriffs department pretty much all the time, so you each can be contacted by dialling nine one onee” she told each of them so there was a little more for each of them to go off.

Lilo eyeballed Ruby, then back at Cassie. Completely caught off guard. “Ayyy… so… huh. Welcome Ruby? Um to, the wolfhood?”

Ephram waved back to Bellamy, scrunching his face at her in their old way and doing a quick observation of what she was like with Miles there. They seemed so relaxed and at ease with each other, more than he’d ever seen Bellamy with any boyfriend and sure as hell more than he’d ever seen Miles at work. A worried little knot in Ephram’s chest unraveled, and he nudged back at Freddie, feeling a little more buoyant with both his husband’s attentions and his friend’s happiness. “Say,” Ephram asked, “you gonna do that auction thing?” He raised his voice, hollering over the others. “WHO ALL’S GONNA DO THE AUCTION THING??”

Iann gave an impressed whistle. “That’s a great summary, Belle. Nice work there. Now describe yourself!”

Dani chuckled and offered up a hand as if they were forging a genuine business deal. “Twenty bucks it is.” But then Ruby held out her arm and proclaimed some rather shocking sudden information. “What?” Dani reached out to take Ruby’s extended arm in both hands, allowing their eyes to roam over the sight in a wild mix of concern and curiosity. And maybe the slightest bit of hurt for not having heard of it sooner. “Since when?”

“I tried-“ Cassie shrugged at Miles, “Thanks though. Nice to see you again. It’s been a little while.” Her attention was bouncing between people and it landed on Ruby again. She smiled kindly at the woman, that is until she saw the faint bite mark that Ruby held out with drunk pride. It made Cassie’s breath catch in her throat, “Jesus Christ. Ruby-“ She hissed taking her arm for a closer look, “Oh Jesus Christ.” She panicked, trying to hide most of the nervous reaction. But it was difficult. “Ryden was talking about you.”

“Thanks,” Ruby nodded at Lilo. “Was pretty ticked about it at first but now I"m like… okay cool.”

Dani raised their hand with an enthusiastic wave at Ephram’s holler. “Me!!”

Lilo looked from person to person. All geared up to make friends with Miles, have some guy time or Chicano time with Miguel when he wasn’t so green around the mouth, maybe tease Iann some more. But Ruby’s revelation stunned him. “Dios, I need a drink.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, uh, good for you for… making the best out of a situation.”

Ephram’s cute face to her had made Bella smile, turning back to Iann. “If I described myself it would just be me going on for hours about how exceptionally beautiful and gifted I am,” she answered. “I’m doing the action too!” she called out to Ephram, squeezing Miles arm. “You biding on me?” she asked Ephram. “Give Miles someone to compete with?”

“What auction thing, sweetheart?” Freddie asked, his pleasant drunk making his thinking meander a bit. “Are we selling something? Or should we be?” He chuckled. “I’m a bit lost…”

Lilo tilted his head down to Cassie. “So Ryden knows this?” He’d been meaning to ask her about, what had Iann called him, some young lobo.

“Mmm… couple weeks?” Ruby said to Dani. “My idiot brother. I told your Dad couple of days ago. Well, I mean… sort of. He could smell me, so… but it’s fine. It’s really fine,” she said to Dani, giving them a bit of a squeeze. Then her attention was back on CAssie as the other woman took her arm. “Ryden? Did he talk to you? I like him, he’s a real nice guy. Reallll nice,” Ruby grinned to herself. “But hey… what’s wrong? Its really fine.”

Iann nudged Maya. “You okay kid? Is there still glass in you? You look like you sucked on a lemon.”

“Okay cool?” Cassie repeated in disbelief, “Why didn’t you tell me before! Oh my god you’re drunk.” She stomped her foot, “Shit I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. And Ryden was being all hush about it after I helped him. Unbelievable. ‘Okay…cool’.” She threw up her hands in frustration, looking back to Lilo, “I just want fries. /Now/.”

Ruby raised her hand as well. “ME!!” she said loudly. “What’re we doin’?” she asked Dan, then nodded again at Lilo. “I like wolves. Every wolf I know is just… fantastic, so…”

Maya gave Iann a smile, “I’m fine. Glass free. It’s just been a long day.” She’d already managed to make enough things about her today. There was no need to mention her personal discomfort with the Date Auction, especially since she was handling it.

“Woah,” Miles had overheard Ruby’s casual announcement that she was now going to be a werewolf and looked over at her. “Well damn.” He wasn’t sure what else to say about it though, especially since she seemed to be okay with it. “I think it’s just up ahead,” he said, nodding toward a building coming up on their left. “Alright, try not to make a mess in here everyone,” he said to those who were listening, holding the door open so people could filter in, and feeling very much like he was herding a group of ducklings.

Lilo “Fries yup, they are good. I sure like wolves…. So! What is everyone doing for this pride thing? Auctioning off?”

Finally working out what exactly the auction in question entailed, Freddie’s face settled into a small moue of distaste at the idea of Ephram bidding on Bellamy Barnes, but he didn’t object, just said, “I honestly haven’t given it any thought…”

Ruby glanced over at Cassie. “Cant do much else bout it, can I? Was gonna tell you, was /still/ gonna tell you before hand… just… you got a family and kids and… I didn’t want you to feel obligated since we’re friends and all.” Ruby gave a small shrug. “Rein was mad too.”

Ephram looped his arm around Freddie’s waist, lifting him slightly as he jogged the fairy up and down. “Babe! It’s some sorter date auction thingy what’s happening. Folks can sign themselves up to git auctioned or they can bid on the auctionees.” He drew out the eeeeeee for a while, liking how it felt in his mouth – there was a good chance Ephram was a little tipsy himself, on tiredness and the occasional special Pride drink – and then bellowed back at the others, “Well shit! Reckon I might jes have to bet on alla y'all to keep things fair!”

Freddie laughed when Ephram bounced him a little, announcing that he’d bid on everyone, and said, “Well, then you’re going to need my credit cards, aren’t you?”

Bella stayed next to Miles as he let people in, not allowing herself to get involved with what Ruby had said. It felt exceptionally like the thing about Ruby that had always upset her and therefore she did not want to get involved, and admittedly she didn’t want Miles involved but that was his choice. “You and Iann will be battling it out then, he intends to do the same,” Bella told Ephram as he and Freddie entered, assuming that they would remain merely silent and in orbit of each other.

Ruby didn’t notice that Miles overheard her, but honestly at this point what did it matter? She worked with him, just like Ephram, so he should probably know. He was a wolf too, though he was also Bella’s man, and Ruby didn’t want anyone thinking bad things about her.

Iann nodded and said, “Well, okay,” because he really shouldn’t be asking Maya questions anyway; it was a slip-up on his part. Fortunately they were at The Big Fry and Iann motioned her to go in. “Go get yourself fries. There’s so many to choose from.”

“Lilo!” Cassie hissed, giving him a tug as the restaurant came into view, “Let’s go.” She didn’t even want to look back at Ruby. Of all the times to announce such a thing. And being drunk wasn’t an excuse. Cassie just wanted to have a good time, and Ruby dropped that piece of info on her? Other people might not care, but Cassie fretted about it more than most people.

Lilo was tugged along and know well enough when to take a hint. He was sure Ruby would be the center of some dinner table conversations in the future. “Going lobocita!” He didn’t even want fries that much, but damn did they seem a better choice now. “Sure do love fries! Didn’t know there was a shop that only made fries. So are they like special? Or regular but just a whole lot?”

Ruby felt a bit less chipper as she filed into the diner with everyone else. Should she still be more upset about what had happened to her? I mean… everyone else seemed to be. Was that a good thing? Or a bad thing? Or was it just… a thing? They could feel how they wanted, but Ruby certainly didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for her. It was what it was.

Ephram turned his attention back to Freddie, noting the little pinched expression, and hid his smile until his fairy brightened again. “Oh, I can afford it,” he exclaimed loftily. “Or I can always run out on my debts or offer some sorter trade, couldn’t I?” His fingers stroked lazily along Freddie’s side as they moved into Bellamy’s periphery, and Ephram rolled his eyes at the mention of Iann. “WELL,” he said in a huff. “If Cardero’s already gonna bid, I won’t git tangled up in it. You know he’s gonna whip out a fossilized sasquatch eye or somethang to pay for it, I cain’t beat that.”

“Depends on what you order,” Miles replied to Lilo. “They got some poutine as well if you want to go for something a little dirty.”

Maya smiled, “You’re a true American hero, Iann. Don’t let anyone tell you different.” She slipped into the diner and made a beeline for the counter. Fries first, catching up with the conversation second.

Ruby headed towards the counter and ordered a large batch of plain bacon cheese fries before moving back to find a spot with everyone that was sitting around.

“What are you thinking of going for, babygirl?” Miles asked Bellamy, rubbing her shoulder as he glanced at the overhanging menu.

Lilo “Ahh, so let’s just say for the sake of, reality.” Lilo laughed, looking over at Milo once they caught up. “What is poutine?”

Miles: “You don’t know what poutine is? Aw man. You haven’t lived. It’s fries, smothered with gravy and cheese curds.”

Iann made a face. “Why’re you insulting me like that, Maya,” he complained as he followed her in, intent on getting so much curly fries. So so much, all curly.

“Pretty sure he’s just going to steal one of my cheque books, or maybe your beau’s,” Bellamy said, unsure how Freddie would feel about being mentioned. Either way she moved in with Miles, raising her brows as he suggested something dirty for Lilo, maybe it was pride week but that sounded flirty. “I’ll try whatever you like, just get double so there is enough for both of us. Ooooh and get drinks. And a bunch of sauces, I’m going to drag Cassie into the bathroom to help me get my weird make-up off,” Bella told him, finding the wolf woman in the group. “Help me with my face?”

After Ruby explained, vaguely, what had happened, Dani released her arm and sighed. They weren’t going to show that there was a slight sting to hearing their own father had found out before they had, but that didn’t make the wound any less real. “Right. Okay. As long as you’re alright. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me, yeah?” When she asked what they were shouting for, they covered up the dip in their feelings with a chuckle. “Nothing. Ephram was just asking who was in the auction.” Once they had all settled down at their destination, Dani sat rather quietly, listening to the conversations of others. They weren’t feeling very hungry at the moment.

Lilo’s jaw almost dropped before he broke out in one of the biggest smiles. “Oh, they can do that?! Cause I want that thing, the thing with the gravy.” He looked to Cassie, grinning. “I’m getting some gravy fries baby, what kind do you want?”

Maya frowned. “I’m not?” she replied, “At least not intentionally. Would you rather be a true Canadian hero?” At the counter she ordered garlic fries, a large order. It wasn’t as if she was likely to make out with anyone tonight anyway. Plus garlic fries were the bomb.

Iann scoffed even more. “That’s twice the insult! Keep the American part, and lose the hero. Unless you’re talking about a sandwich, of course.”

Cassie stubbornly looked up at the menu, motioning few options to Lilo, “Looks like they make all kinds. Want to split some curly ones with cayenne pepper seasoning?” Cassie asked, though really the more moments passed the more she wasn’t particularly hungry either. But the fries would keep her busy from being so angry. She couldn’t even pinpoint much of why at the moment, but Cassie knew if she didn’t start to relax her eyes would change to yellow, and that was embarrassing on its own. Just as she was going to suggest finding Bella and Miles, the vampire appeared. Cassie let out a breath and nodded, “Yeah sure, let’s go.” She could use a bathroom break, for sure. “Get gravy too then!” She called out to Lilo as she walked with Bella to the restroom.

Freddie enjoyed the slow gentle stroke of his husband’s fingers on his bare skin, looking up with a playfully raised eyebrow. “And what will you be trading, Sheriff? And with who? Charities generally frown on that sort of thing.” He looked back over his shoulder at Iann, and called, “And on sasquatch eyes!” The fairy turned back to Ephram, explaining with a bit of a happy slur, “Whatever he’s told you, we’ve only got one more of those bloody things, and it’s for a guest.”

Ruby picked at her own fries, eating a few before sliding a bit closer to Dani. “You okay?” she asked a bit more soberly. “’M sorry I didn’t tell you…” Ruby huffed a bit, but not unkindly. “Everyone’s mad I didn’t tell them… shoulda sent a mass text I guess…” Ruby poked a fry through her cheese, frowning a bit.

Maya laughed, “Iann you are a true American sandwich and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” She handed her cash over to the cashier, who didn’t even appear to register that she was painted all over.

Miles ordered a double portion of poutine for himself and Bellamy to share, and he wasn’t sure what sort of sauces would go well with it, or that she’d be interested in, so he just got some of all them, then as an afterthought he added to his order a portion of pastrami fries.

“Cayenne, gravy. Yup!” Lilo was totally paying attention, god he was so good at hearing everything and paying attention to his future wife he was going to order the best fries. “So you normally eat this sort of stuff with a fork right?” He leaned into Miles to ask the question. Trusting the wolf-man and his fry wisdom.

“I am the only person here with a skeleton face and it’s super weird,” Bellamysaid to Cassie as she linked arms with her like they had earlier. Each woman still exceptionally sober. Really though Bellamy had heard Cassie try and escape things that had come out a bit…suddenly. Honestly the surprise didn’t shock Bella but it seemed silly that Cassie’s night be upset by it, especially when it was meant to be such a nice week. “I’m glad Lilo was able to come, I haven’t seen him in ages. Who has Addie?” she asked, hoping the other questions would distract her from how she was feeling.

“That’s more like it,” Iann approved of being a sandwich. Really, anyone who wouldn’t want to be a sandwich would need a good friend to help them through their troubled times. The cashier was half-naked and mostly just in a rainbow loincloth, so they didn’t bat an eye at anyone’s outfits as they took everyone’s orders. “If you were a sandwich, which one would you be.”

“You can fork it,” Miles responded, grabbing a wad of napkins, “Or just use your fingers if you don’t care about getting messy, but fork is usually the best option to get some of everything in one bite.”

Maya considered for a moment as she picked up her fries. “I’d want to be grilled cheese, but I don’t know if I really /am/ grilled cheese, you know?” she replied before laughing again and adding, “Alright. I’m officially drunk.”

“Okay good! As long as I don’t look like some silly poutine-ing first timer.” Liloreached for some plastic forks, knowing that Cassie wouldn’t be too happy with more messes tonight.

Since Freddie was happy-drunk, he either didn’t register or blithely ignored Bellamy’s comment, which was good enough for Ephram. “Listen, you,” he growled at Bellamy with a quick grin at Miles, “I can afford my own reckless bidding! Unless I cain’t and then I rob one of yous after.” Not trusting Freddie to know how to properly order a glut of late night french fries, Ephram stepped up to the counter and briskly rapped out, “Extra-large one'a them poutine things, extra-large steak fries with chili and cheese, and extra-large them tots you got back there, make em all taco-flavour.” Ephram overheard Maya collecting her fries at the counter and made an aggravated bumblebee noise. “Gawd dammit, Maya!” he complained. “Now I got a hankerin’ for a grilled cheese. I’m gonna be thinkin’ bout that all night now.”

“Welcome to the rest of my life, dude,” Maya replied with a grin, “I’m always thinking about grilled cheese, at least 10%.”

Lilo started to walk back to the group, where he and Cassie might sit when she was done with Bellamy in the bathroom. “Y'know I am happy and all, this is a good pride, proud of my lady. I just kinda wish I got a little messy you know? Maybe a little sloppy drunk, or a little painted up from twister, but ayy. I’m probably too old for this, too many responsibilities man. But at least good old fries are here for me.” He said to no one in particular.

“Oh yeah? What does grilled cheese mean to you?” Iann said, bypassing all the youthful glory of drunkenness. She should enjoy it now, while she still had that stamina and it made for cool stories. He was interested (for funzies, not for any serious reason) about the sandwich comparison. “Please don’t tell me you’re just bullshitting, I’ll be disappointed.”

Cassie chuckled and reassured Bella, “It might be weird, but be comforted by the fact that you’re the only one here who can also pull it off.” Cassie settled in front of the mirror when they got into the bathroom, leaning her back against the sink, “Lilo? Yeah me too, he got back in town about a couple weeks ago. He’d been with his mom who was in an accident uh…” She trailed off for a moment before giving another small smile, “Addie’s with my mother. She’s visiting. We’ll probably take her to the puppet show tomorrow. I got her this cute little dress and everything.” Cassie brushed back a piece of hair before adding, “I don’t think I’ve seen you and Miles together in person before. You’re cute.” She leaned forward saying a little quieter, “We also had the best cheerleaders.”

Iann swat Ephram away in annoyance. “Get out of here, go on git!” Iann said, as if trying to chase away one of Pettaline’s fowls.

“That’s okay, you’re probably not the only poutine virgin we got here.” Miles also grabbed some forks and brought all the things over toward a booth. He sidled into it and already started digging in. “You know where has the best grilled cheese? It’s called Cheese Meats Bread, and it’s the best. Literally all sorts of grilled cheese.”

Dani glanced over at Ruby before looking down into their lap and sighing. “No, no– it’s not your fault. Something that drastic… you have every right to keep it to yourself. I should know better.” Because there was something rather drastic in their own life that they had neglected to share with all but a few choice individuals. Now they were almost debating whether or not they should share such details with others. But instead, they shook off the thought and bumped their side against Ruby’s. “It’s just that you got hurt. I’m guessing you weren’t carrying a sword around at the time, were you?”

Ephram grunted at Iann, picking up a straw and jabbing him with it. “Clear out, quit clutterin’ up the place.”

Ruby listened idly to all the conversations going on around her. She saw Cassie and Bella going off towards the bathroom, arms linked like besties, and couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place. A bit… not unwelcome, but just an awkward wheel.

“Ban the straw, man. Ban the straw!” Iann tugged the straw away, waving it and totally using his hippie voice.

Maya shrugged, “Officer Baer used to make them for me whenever it was a shit day. But like with three kinds of cheese. I guess I just associate it with being safe and warm. Plus its delicious and I would like to be delicious.”

“You don’t think that Iann and his beautiful mustache could pull off a skull face?” Bellamy smirked as she turned on the faucet. Whatever was happening with Lilo’s mother Bella figured wasn’t much of her business but family was as good a reason as any to need to go away. “Aww, that’s cute,” she said of Addie. “I’ll have to pop by to see her in it. Not really sure puppet shows are my thing though, puppets are super creepy.” Bellamy flushed with a smile when Cassie commented on seeing her with Miles, she knew Iann found the man to be a little dull but Bellamy didn’t and she felt particularly special to have someone who would show up to something that was by no means his thing, buy her fries and, as Cassie noted, cheer her on. “Right? We might not have actually won but we are doing quite well that we can’t possibly be losers,” she grinned, getting some soap and rubbing it and water on her face to remove things. “You okay?” she asked while she cleaned.

Freddie rolled his eyes fondly at Ephram. “Oi,” he teased, “-I just had you out of your sulk, and now you’ve slid right back in. I’ll make you a bloody grilled cheese when we get home, yeah? But first, you have to promise to explain to me just what exactly it is that you’ve ordered before I’ll put any of it in my mouth.” He peered up at the menu, mystified. “I mean, did I hear you say tots? And taco-flavour?”

“The night is still young,” Miles said to Lilo, stabbing a thick cut fry with his fork, “You got time if you want to crazy things up a little.”

Lilo set the fries he ordered down, settling among this rowdy group and leaving space for Cassie beside him. “Ayyy what in the hell are you yelling about now! Iann! you’re gonna wake the drunkies up!”

Iann laughed suddenly. “Officer Baer, making grilled cheese. I’m just imagining a grizzly holding a spatula and wearing an apron.”

Ruby looked over at Dani. “I was just… shocked at first. I got… attacked. By my brother. After some stupid shit went down between him and a friend of mine. I think he was after my friend. Got me instead.” Ruby leaned into Dani, appreciating their friend’s proximity, especially with all the couples sitting around so close and comfy. “I didn’t mean to not share, it was just….” Ruby shook her head. “I didn’t know /what/ to do…”

Iann motioned widely around the little take-out joint. “All the drunkies are here!! Okay maybe just Ruby’s a drunkie. Everyone else seems okay.”

Maya laughed too. “Nah, he was a werewolf though,” she replied, “But he was the officer who found me the night my parents died and he did his best to take care of me over the next decade.”

Lilo looked worriedly to the group, eyes falling to Maya, Ruby, and Dani in differeing orders. “Hey, Iann’s not drugged huh?” Then he directed his attention straight to Iann. “I dunno, isn’t that Miguel sleeping soundly on you amigo?”

Ephram rocked on his heels. “Back in Apple Fall,” he informed Iann, “we never used plastic straws. We used possum guts pulled out reeeeaaaal thin and dried. If you did it right then the meat taste faded after like, a week.” Turning to Freddie, Ephram gave him a resounding kiss at the promise of grilled cheese, and explained, “Tots. A staple of American casseroles and school cafeterias. Lil gumdrop-lookin’ nuggets of potato deep fried and covered in everthing you would put on a taco.” Ephram thought for a moment. “And not like, a fancy taco with slaw and whatnots.”

Ruby threw a cheese covered fry at Iann. “Hush, you. I"m not as drunk as you think…” Though she was pretty drunk.

Lilo looked up from his food and didn’t say a word to Ephram, just looked fully offended that the man would bring up dried possum guts while people were trying to eat.

Ephram rudely didn’t notice a damn thing and wouldn’t care if he did

“Iann?” Cassie scoffed, still smiling because just the thought was laughable. “Please.” Cassie rolled her eyes, turning to take a quick look at her make-up. “Puppets are creepy.” Cassie agreed, “But babies sure love them. And it’ll be a little more low key than tonight.” Which Cassie knew she needed. She raised her brows when Bella asked after her, “Me? Yeah I’m fine…why was it obvious?” Cassie pressed her fingers below her eyes, wondering if they changed without her noticing. “I don’t know why I got so mad. I usually don’t but…ugh just now I’m going to be thinking about what Ruby said all night.”

Miles just sort of glanced at Ephram and shoved a forkful of gravy loaded fries into his mouth.

“No, no… you gotta… you gotta use the hollowed out bone that comes in a squirrel tail…” Ruby said across the way to Ephram. “They’re bendy… Also, fuck squirrels.” “Not… like… in a sexual way, but like in a … hit 'em with your car on purpose kinda way…”

“Yeah, I remember you telling me,” Iann said to Maya, then shook his head at Lilo, “I’m - drugged? What the hell are you talking about?” It was true that Miguel was slumped, standing, asleep. He grinned and pointed at him. “I’d say let’s draw a moustache on him, but….” Then Pettaline had to make it all twangy backwater Southern American gothic to add to Maya’s tragic past of tragic woe tragedy and Lilo’s general awkward weirdness and Iann threw up his hands. He turned his attention to Ruby and opened his mouth. “Throw another fry, into my mouth.”

Dani’s expression softened as Ruby explained further. “Hey, it’s okay.” They placed their hand over hers. “We all get a little lost sometimes, but you can’t really find your way until you’ve gotten a little lost. At least in my experience,” they smiled. The woman’s toss of a fry at Iann earned a snort, followed by a highly raised eyebrow as she and Ephram began chatting about their own version of straws.

“I got it.” Dani smirked and snatched up a fry from Ruby’s order to toss it in Iann’s direction.

Lilo looked down at his fried and just sighed. Totally not being awkward and weird no matter what Iann thought, he was a normal smooth guy and not some old dude who doesn’t know how to party anymore when it’s not for a five-year-old. He shoved a forkful of gravy fries into his mouth.

Miles then looked at Ruby. What the fuck. “Dude, just don’t use straws. Straws are only good for one thing. Making a fool of yourself when you go to drink from it cause it moves and instead you just poke yourself in the face with it.”

“Thanks. I um… still feel kinda lost, but… I’m gettin’ there.” Ruby squeezed Dani’s hand and gave her another bump before tossing a fry towards Iann. It almost made it, getting caught in his mustache instead. “Soembody lick the cheese off…”

Maya nodded when Iann mentioned that she’d already told him that. “Cool, I’m going to sit, eat these garlic fries and be 75% less depressing,” she said to no one in particular before snagging a seat next to Dani.

Ephram finally realized he’d drawn some attention with his claim and looked around at them, bemused, even as Ruby added her own two cents. “Well, hellfire,” he spluttered. “Cain’t you Yankees even tell when I’m talkin’ bullcrap?”

Iann half-caught the fry in his mouth and threw his head back like a seal to capture it. But he pointed at Dani as he did. “Dani Savin! I didn’t realize you were here. You were so tiny I mistook you for a stool.”

Ruby snorted, knowing full well that Ephram was as full of shit as she had been, but enjoying the horrified looks all around nonetheless.

“I dunno Officer Ephram, with a twang on like that when your drunk Imma believe whatever white nonsense comes out of your mouth.” Lilo couldn’t help but joke back between bites of gravy and curds.

Ephram snorted a laugh at Lilo’s jibe, holding up his hands in defeat

“True, much more low key. Ryden clearly wanted to go all out,” Bella smiled, really it was nice. Usually when it came to Erzebet’s it was just her but with Ash’s party and Ryden doing this it felt like people were more open to doing things at her establishments. “I mean, I don’t think super obvious but you sure did dart away pretty quickly and I mean, I can hear a bit better than normal, stuff like your heart rate,” she reasoned with a slight shrug. “Try to just enjoy being out with people,” Bella said as she got the last of her make-up off. “I mean, you have a babysitter and have had some drinks, you deserve to focus on fun. It sucks it pissed you off. Ruby is…still learning how to share her stuff with people in a way that works, I think.” With her make-up down she started to head out from the bathroom to the restaurant. “But its your night too.”

Miles just kept shoving gravy fries into his mouth and was about half way through it when he remembered he should save some for Bellamy, so he started on the pastrami fries.

Lilo nodded in mild triumph and nodded to Dani and Ruby. “Good shot there friends! You keep that up you can take the show on the road. Iann the marvelous man who eats things!”

Again, Ruby snorted. “They make movies about that sorta thing you know…”

Dani grinned at Maya when she slid up to their side, glad to have their two favorite girls in town beside them. Iann Cardero, on the other hand, received a mildly grouchy narrowing of their eyes. “Hey, I’m not that short. And I’m far to colorful to be classified as a piece of furniture, thank you very much.”

Freddie kissed back, rumbling a little growl of contented satisfaction, but wrinkled his nose slightly at the description of taco tots when it came. “If you want me to eat any of that, you’re going to have to feed me,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “Turnabout’s fair play.” But he laughed out loud when he realised that some of the others had taken Ephram’s possum nonsense seriously, leaning on his witch with a grin.

Cassie “You’re right.” Cassie couldn’t help but agree. And while she was slightly embarrassed Bella had noticed her mood, it was slightly comforting too that she took the time to say something. She followed the vampire out of the bathroom and said, “Honestly, I think just some fries will get my mind off of it all for a little while.” It was rare when she got to go out like this, she didn’t want it completely spoiled. “Hopefully the boys saved some fries for us, huh?”

“I hear there’s biiiiig money to be made….” Ruby waggled her eyebrows at Iann. “I’ll toss things in your mouth for $10k a pop…”

Bella laughed as Cassie pointed out Lilo and Miles might have already devoured everything but as she took her place next to Miles she smiled that he hadn’t, kissing his cheek quickly. She probably looked a little funny to everyone else since she rarely went anywhere without her face done up but crashing at Miles place he had seen her lack of lashes and the light pink shade of her lips before. “What did we miss?” she asked him and anyone else around. “Other than half of the food,” she pointed out, grabbing a fork and picking up some poutine.

Another fry from Ruby whanged him in the face and Iann peeled it off, wagging it at Ruby. “Okay, I deserved that one,” he said peaceably, then laughed at Lilo’s words as well. “Do you hate being short, or do you like it?” Iann asked Dani. When Ruby made an offer Iann looked at her in surprise. “Wait, I missed a part of this conversation. How’re you making bank again, Ruby?”

Lilo laughed a dropped the next big forkful back into his plate. “Ayy, that sounds like something crazy rich perverts would pay for. Pretty women tossing food into their mouths. that is wild.”

Ephram huffed at Freddie’s terms, rumbling, “How is that even remotely a hardship on my side’ve things?” he asked, collecting the tray packed with variously adorned potatoes and shuffling them over to sit with the group. “Only thing we gotta worry bout is folks who don’t care for this sorter sappy behaviour in public.” Ephram leaned in a little, lips brushing the pointed tip of Freddie’s ear, and added, “Good thing most’ve em are drunk outta their gourds.” He didn’t bother with a fork, just picked up a tater tot piled with salsa and sour cream and guacamole and held it up for Freddie to sample.

Cassie slid into the open seat next to Lilo grabbing a few of the fries she ordered and eating them. “Pretty women tossing food?” She repeated at him before smiling and glancing at the rest of the table, “What did we walk into?”

Ruby had leaned back and was picking slowly at her fries again, her other arm stretched out on the seat behind Dani. “Hm? Oh… well, I sold my yacht which gave me a pretty good bit of savings. Then I was doing little part time stuff here and there, still working at June’s House of course… and then I’m workin’ as dispatch.”

“Your fiance is starting to get into weird fetishes, Pegs,” Iann informed her soberly. “Better watch out.”

Ephram caught Ruby’s list of jobs and interjected loudly, “–and we’re damn lucky to have you!”

Miles scooted over to give Bellamy more room, “Apparently now there’s money to be made by throwing food at Iann,” he tried to clarify it as succinctly as he could.

Dani mused for a moment over Iann’s question before shrugging. “I mean, sometimes it’s a little frustrating, but it makes me harder to catch, so I’m not complaining.” As an afterthought, they sported a smirk and added, “Besides, the husband seems to have fun with it. Gives him something to tease me about and makes him feel slightly less height-conscious himself.”

Lilo held up his hands in defense, most of the fries uneaten– okay half of them there still. “Ayyy, lobocita I was just joking! I’m not into anything weird!”

Iann “No money is to be made by throwing food at me! Just do it for free!” Iann demanded, fists rested n the table on either side of his curly fries.

“But I’m gonna tell ya…” Ruby leaned forwards, pointing a fry at Iann. “For enough money… I’d do porn. I mean… why not?” She grinned over at Cassie as she came back to the table. “Food porn,” she said. “And thank you, sherrif,” Ruby said to Ephram.

“I mean, I’ll throw food at him for nothing,” Bellamy said, picking up one of the fries covered in graving and throwing it in the direction of Iann. “This is good though, not as good as my poutine but good,” she reasoned.

Cassie scrunched her nose playfully back at Iann, “Well I mean if it has to do with food…” She trailed off before laughing. Cassie patted Lilo’s arm to show him that she really wasn’t worried about it and continued to pick at the fries. “Was the gravy that good?” She asked motioning to just the little bit left on the plate. Cassie dropped her head slightly, ignoring Ruby who was in a sort of drunken ramble.

Iann “Ahahaa yeah! Because Sam’s a shorty too. Almost as tall as Lopez here. Almost.” He nodded at Ruby. “I had an Aunt who did porn. Out there it’s not so great, but in Soapberry, I heard it’s lucrat…wait didn’t we have a conversation about this before?” Or was he imagining things? He knew he was talking so someone about supernatural porn recently.

Lilo “Hey, hey, hey, who brought up porn? I wasn’t bringing up porn. I didn’t mean any of that… I’m just gonna…” Lilo shoved a forkful of fries in his mouth enjoying them loudly and motioning to Cassie’s fork he set out for her. “Soo, hey! I’m not that short! I mean am I?”

Miles was about to throw a pastrami fry at Iann but was distracted by Ruby saying she would do porn, and then added on it would be food porn. “What even is food porn?”

Maya commented, “I knew a girl who auctioned off her virginity. Made a couple hundred k.”

Freddie eyed the little potato monstrosity skeptically for a moment, then leaned closer and took it from Ephram’s fingers, eyes widening in surprise as he groaned happily while he chewed. “Fucking hell,” he murmured once he’d swallowed, huffing out a laugh, “-I must have drunk more than I thought, because those are really bloody good.” The fairy looked over at Iann. “It was me you had that converstion with, love. I was considering it.”

“Lilo’s plenty tall for me,” Cassie scoffed simply.

“Oh yeah? Well mainstream I hear isn’t that great,” Ruby said to Iann, agreeing with him. “But here?” She shrugged a shoulder. “And I think we did. In passing. Was it you?”

Freddie turned to Miles. “Food porn’s just what it says on the tin, darling. Pornography that food features prominently - in all sorts of capacities. It’s a fetish, yeah?”

Bella looked at Miles, raising a brow that basically said everything. 'Do you need to know about porn relating to someone you see everyday?’ Because Bella watched porn, but she didn’t watch porn with people she knew in it. “Everyone is tall for us, Cassie,” Bellamy pointed out to her friend who she was almost exactly the same height as, though her platform boots did hide that tonight.

“Food porn… I mean… what do you wanna see?” Ruby said. “And what he said.” She gestured at Freddie.

Iann snapped his fingers and pointed at Freddie, grinning. “Right! Right, right, you’d be so fucking good at it too. No pun intended.” He looked up at Miles, blithely eating fries. “Food porn is when there’s food involved, in porn. Eating, or…putting food places. Or sexing the food. Or letting the food sex you. Stuff like that, Miles, c'mon you’re a cop. Google it and call it research.”

Bella was actually ready to do something when Ruby asked what Miles wanted to see but ground her teeth together quite firmly instead trying to focus on what she had just told Cassie.

Lilo nodded with conviction that Cassie gave him. “See I am plenty tall! Iann is just freakishly tall” Lilo cleared his throat, dying to get the conversation on something else. “Soo, hey, everyone have good plans for this pride week? It’s my first one I am really involved in. I am excited. How about everyone else, huh?”

Ephram grimaced at Maya’s story. “That’s disturbing,” he said, before turning back to fully enjoy Freddie’s shock at his own liking the fried morsel. “See?” he said triumphantly. “All’s you gotta do is give things a chance. Especially when you’re all swizzled and adorable.” He sat back, lazily eating the poutine, and waved his fork at the current conversation. “There’s porn what features food in it, like Cardero said. By the way –” Ephram gestured with his fork pointedly at each person, “–there’s a feller in town what looks sorter like me who does porn, so don’t git the wrong idea if you come across it.”

“Gross,” Iann grunted at Pettaline, as he chawed down more fries.

“Shit. Like, willingly?” Dani raised their brows at Maya. Turning back to the group and the unexpected rise in porn conversation, they threw in their own comment. “I might have done porn once…” they blinked as if trying to summon a memory, “but I was way too wasted to be sure. Or to remember the specific details.”

Miles instantly felt like he was getting himself into some hot water with Bellamy. “No. I didn’t mean I’d watch it. I don’t even like eating in bed,” he wrapped an arm around Bella’s shoulders, “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Ruby looked at Maya. That /was/ slightly… disturbing. Not the same as what Ruby thought of as something that could be fun and possibly lucrative, but to each their own, as long as it was consenting.

Maya shrugged and said to Dani, “Yeah,” then turned to Ephram to ask, “Disturbing that she’d do it or that she’d make that much money? It might’ve been only like tens of thousands. I don’t remember exactly. She bought a house with the money I think.”

Lilo picked up on what Ephram said more quickly. “Oh, hahah, that’s such a coincidence. Weird how thinks like that can happen.” In went another mouthful at fries, slowly infringing on Cassie’s share. Then boggled a little at Dani’s own revelation. “That doesn’t sound that good at all. I mean, not about you, about whatever operation that was. Eeesh.”

Iann paused in eating and blinked at Dani slowly, the young human’s seemingly offhand comment a complete shock to his system. The virginity thing, Iann didn’t blink an eye, so long as the girl was legal and knew what she was doing, but Dani being drunk and engaging in sex she didn’t even remember? Iann felt his throat tighten in anger. “That was wrong of whoever allowed that.”

Ephram looked highly indignant at Iann’s contribution. “Ain’t like I commissioned it, christ!” He looked shocked at Dani’s comment, repeating, “You was wasted? And don’t recall for sure?” His gaze slid over to Lilo, innocently eating french fries in his dad shorts, looking every inch the responsible suburban father; Maya’s reply broke him out of his reverie. “Disturbing that she thought to do it and extra disturbing that there was men in a rush to pay.”

Freddie grinned at Iann. “Course I would be,” and then he pulled a face at Ephram, chucklingly protesting that he gave all sort of things chances before nudging his husband in the direction of the tots. “And I’ll have another of those, thank-you.” It occurred to Freddie as the conversation drifted on that he would have sold his virginity in a heartbeat if he’d only understood at the time that it was an option, but by then the tone of things had shifted and he thought it best not to put in his two bits.

Iann paused in eating and blinked at Dani slowly, the young human’s seemingly offhand comment a complete shock to his system. The virginity thing, Iann didn’t blink an eye, so long as the girl was legal and knew what she was doing, but Dani being drunk and engaging in sex they didn’t even remember? Iann felt his throat tighten in anger. “That was wrong of whoever allowed that.”

Cassie scooted closer to Lilo resting her head on his shoulder for a moment. Across the table she watched Bella tense and Miles jump to defend himself. Cassie didn’t say a word, she was just glad to know her prior irritation wasn’t unwarranted. She pulled her plate slightly away from Lilo and muttered, “Relax. I want some too.”

Lilo stopped his assault on the fries. His tension relaxing under the gentle weight of Cassie’s head on his shoulder. He smiled at her. “Ay, of course lobocita, so sorry I am getting caught up and forgetting myself.” He set his fork on the table so he wouldn’t be tempted to stress eat, or shove fries in his mouth as distraction from it running again.

Maya was less phased by Dani’s admission than the rest of the table seemed to be. It was not the first time she’d heard a story like that. “Like professional porn or like amateur porn?” she asked calmly. The answer to that question would inform her level of concern about it and also whether or not if she’d offer to kick someone’s ass.

Miles arm moved around her shoulder, resting in the fur of her jacket as Bellatried to loosen the tension in her mouth. At least Freddie’s answer had been succinct, it certainly hadn’t bothered her but Miles didn’t need to think about Ruby like that, even for a second and this was probably the first time Miles was actually able to witness her jealousy beyond the passive way she had tried to be when he was dating around. Still, her jealousy seemed a lot less dark than the other part of the conversation, Bellamy agreeing with Iann, so she focused on Miles. “You wouldn’t try any food in bed?” she asked.

Miles: “I don’t know, probably not. It’d get the sheets all messed up, wouldn’t it? Then I’d have to do a load of laundry or change the sheets,” and he wouldn’t want to do all that afterwards.

Ruby looked at Dani, wanting to ask about the maybe porn comment, but feeling like maybe it wasn’t her business, especially as Dani elaborated. Which made Ruby feel awful. She glanced at Miles and Bella, who seemed to be in some sort of tiff now… and then Ephram was upset too. Iann as well. And Cassie seemed irritated. It was all just… “Um… sorry for… bringin’ it up… I’m just…” She felt entirely absurd now. For dismantaling the good mood because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. “I’m just… gonna go home now…” she said, moving towards the edge of the booth.

“Oh, no no– I didn’t mean it like–” Dani swallowed trying to piece together a proper explanation, but when people were phrasing it like that… “It wouldn’t have been with some random stranger or anything. I knew the girl, but…” scratching the back of their neck, they looked down into their lap. “It was a different time. I was– kind of a mess.” They glanced up at Maya. “Oh, amateur shit, for sure.”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong. I won’t be shaming anyone for making money how they need to though,” Lilo added his two cents, just in case anything was misconstrued. “Work is work, huh? No matter what kind it is… Sooo, just, anyone showing up to the puppet show?”

“Eating in bed is fun,” Cassie spoke up looking to Miles. “Breakfast in bed? Like a treat.” But then Cassie also just really enjoyed eating.

Ephram kept scrutinizing Lilo, mouth curling from side to side as he tried to place a memory in his head. “Maya,” he said, a little bit of a warning tone in his voice. “Maybe that sorter question ain’t the most useful.” He continued to feed his husband, taking comfort in the intimate caretaking of the motions, especially when Dani explained what Ephram supposed they thought were mitigating factors. Sighing, he said, “Well, cain’t say we ain’t all been a hot mess at one time or another, eh?”

“Crumbs in bed though,” Miles protested to Cassie.

“Exactly!” Bellamy agreed with Cassie until she realised Cassie just meant generally eating, though that was good too. “If I did the laundry afterwards would you?” she asked him, fondly recalling their first kiss and how he’d tasted just like ranch. It wasn’t exactly a 'sexy’ taste but it made her happy.

Lilo quickly remembered Cassie’s remark about making sure Ruby got home safe, and felt suddenly guilty she seemed to feel pushed out of the group. “Hey, hey, Ruby! Hold up where are you headed so quick? At least have another drink of water huh? Then let one of us walk you home maybe?”

Freddie slid his hand up Ephram’s back to play idly with the hair at the nape of his neck, nodding his agreement. “Some of us for a very long time."

Iann had heard many, countless stories like what he’d thought Dani’s was as well, but he refused to be desensitized to it, because as a man he shouldn’t just brush it off. Besides, his anger simmering and steady, but serious because it sounded serious. However Dani’s elaboration made his shoulders relax slightly and when Pettaline spoke up, Iann just looked away out the window. "Yeah I should head home too,” he said when Ruby got up. “I’ll get you to Tuah’s.”

Lilo smiled at Iann, the drunk whisperer and commendable human being he was being right now. Then turned his attention to Miles. “Ayy, I don’t mind waking up lightly breaded if my woman is happy! Breakfast in bed can be nice.”

Maya glanced over at Ephram and gave a look that sort of said, you’re not entirely wrong but I’m asking it anyway. Her concern though dissipated when Dani explained further. It wasn’t exactly a good story, but it wasn’t all that unusual. “I’ll still kick her ass if you want me to,” she offered.

Cassie “An easy fix.” Cassie began, but motioned to Bellamy when she clearly shared the same thought. Lilo’s comment made her laugh heartily and held his arm again. “Lilo knows how it works.”

Freddie turned to look at Maya, quirking an eyebrow at her. “Is that something you offer to do regularly, love?” he asked, “Because it rolled off the tongue a bit easily.”

Dani: “Well, if you guys are headed out, be safe. Pride makes some people crazy.” They leaned over to place a small peck on Ruby’s cheek, leaving behind a neon green mark. “And tell Tuah I said hi.” Turning back to Maya, they shook their head. “It was years ago, and certainly not in this country. Not worth it.”

“I’m just… tired,” Ruby lied, giving Lilo a smile as best she could. “And I will,” she said to Dani before she got out of the booth. “I don’t wanna… make any more trouble tonight. So…“ She gave a small wave and turned to go, resisting the urge to just run away, though Iann’s offer didn’t fall on deaf ears. She waited outside a few minutes to see if he would actually come to take her home, otherwise she’d call a cab.

Ephram let out another sigh, this one satiated and grounded as he leaned into Freddie’s fingers. He returned Maya’s look with a flat, horselike disapproving stare but didn’t reprimand her any further. At the moment, he was distracted by Freddie and that simple comment that spoke to both of their experiences. "I wouldn’t of been able to afford you,” Ephram murmured to his husband. “But I wouldn’t of had to pay, would I.”

Freddie shook his head gently, eyes only for Ephram. “I’d have given myself to you the moment you asked.”

Lilo sat a bit taller in his seat, despite being one of the shorter people present, at all the praise from Cassie. “Hey I am a cool guy. I get it. You know I used to beat up people easy too! Not so much anymore.” He nodded to Cassie, assuring her.

Iann marched outside briskly, walking a few steps ahead of Ruby, before stopping and turning around to look at her. “What’re you waiting for? C'mon.” Iann said, stuffing his pipe and lighting it as he kept walking. “My van’s up the block,” he stated curtly, trying to work out the anger running in his veins. He turned to look at Ruby. “And what the hell are you talking about? Making more trouble…? I’m confused.”

Miles quickly felt like he was going to lose this battle about food in bed. “Maybe,” he said to Bellamy, but didn’t really say much more cause talking about his sex life while out with a bunch of people wasn’t really something he was comfortable with. “Maybe I’ll make you some breakfast in bed one day though. Something that doesn’t leave crumbs or gets you all sticky.”

“I’m probably supposed to say no that, but I would be lying and I’m kind of shit at that,” Maya replied when Freddie asked if she often offered to kick someone’s ass regularly. She gave Dani a smile and replied, “Well offer’s still on the table.” She didn’t expect Dani to actually take it, but the offer was more about having someone angry on your behalf. She knew how much that could mean.

Ruby was pulling out a cigarette when Iann came outside. She took a drag before following. She snorted. “Everyone at that table except for like… two people… was upset or irritated because of me. I’m surprised Bella didn’t chew me out because her fucking boyfriend looked in my direction. CAssies ill with me. You got upset second hand…” Ruby shrugged.

“Cantaloupe is a pretty good breakfast,” Lilo supplied helpfully. He took the entire food in bed talk much like Cassie, completely on surface level. “Not too sticky, and the fresh ones are delicious as well as good… but uh…” It began to dawn on him. “Not the most nourishing I think for a vamp lady.”

Ruby (outside to Iann): “So did Ephram… this whole… good vibes thing broke down because I can’t be fucking quiet…”

Cassie When Lilo happily announced he used to beat people up all she could do was shake her head and finish up her fries. Her gaze lifted and she noticed Iann and Ruby gone outside. Her focus on ‘breakfast in bed’ was mostly dissipated.

Bella pouted but she knew how he was and didn’t intend to push things with so many people around. “Well I’ll make you breakfast in my bed and it will be very sticky,” Bellamy responded, popping poutine in her mouth. She didn’t mind being this way around people, though hearing Ruby outside made her look at Cassie who could likely also hear her. Ruby would hopefully realise soon enough, when she really was a werewolf, that you definitely had to get further away from supernaturals for them not to hear you.

Ephram smiled against Freddie’s cheek, flowing along with the notion. “And then lie to whatever fucker figured he bought your cherry. Lil trickster.”

Iann lit Ruby’s cigarette for her with a snap of his zippo and snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was angry at something that had nothing to do with you, Ruby. You weren’t a part of my anger.” He slowed slightly thought, puffing for a bit. “So you feel more bad about the Bellamy thing, or the Pe - the Cassie thing?”

Lilo was mostly wishing he couldn’t hear Ephram and Freddie whisper sweet nothings to each other. Not that he held anything against the two but he did feel like some dirty eavesdropper when he honestly was trying to pay attention to anything else. Supernatural hearing was a chore sometimes.

Iann shook his head. “And I’m pretty sure whatever Pettaline was feeling had nothing to do with you either.” Not from what Pettaline said to Maya, and then to Dani. Ruby didn’t factor into that at all.

Miles snorted at Bella’s comment that she would make him an extra sticky breakfast in bed. “Guess I’ll have to stay over at your place more often then,” cause lately she’d been going over to his most of the time.

Ruby (outside to Iann): “Alright. Well. What’re /you/ mad about then? But I"m not even interested in Miles. He’s a nice guy. A good cop, but… I"m not gonna watch what I say just because he might… glance towards me. I mean… and why is everyone getting so mad with me because they didnt find out the second I got my arm nearly chewed off??” she sighed. “Maybe not,” she said about Ephram. “I’m just… I"m fucking tired, Iann. Of always… always feeling selfish and stupid and… the odd one out no matter what I do…”

Lilo: “Okay, so, I take it Cassie and I are the only ones going to the puppet show? I’ve also planned some kids activities and stuff if anybody here has kids coming to pride?” Lilo made one last ditch attempt at the subject before he was going to drop it.

Freddie turned slightly into the little nuzzle, with a smirk. “As many times as I could, if there was money in it,” he confirmed. “And you wouldn’t have me any other way.”

Lilo: “Puppets are weird right?”

Ruby was rambling a bit, she knew, but her thoughts were all over the place. IT had been such a fun night, and then to have it just… fucking tank on her… was disconcerting. Though maybe it was all just in her head.

Ephram (to Freddie): “Not true, kitten. I could have you any way I fuckin’ well want.”

Iann laughed. “So don’t, jesus. Stop letting other people’s precious feelings make you feel bad. They’re not your fucking responsibility. You’re not a tool that’s designed to make others happy. Enjoy being odd, it means you’re different. And selfishness is self-preservation. The stupid one I can’t help you with,” Iann smiled over at her. “But everyone’s stupid about something. Yes, yes even me and I’m brilliant.”

Cassie finally took Lilo’s bait about changing the subject and sat up slightly, “Bella said she might stop by, to see Addie. Right? You can’t blame most people for not coming.” Cassie pouted at him, “Only babies like puppets. Literally.”

Bella snorted a laugh, a little surprised by his respond, leaning on his shoulder before giving it a quick kiss. “Speaking of places, where are you looking at moving to?” she asked him, unsure of where he’d really been looking for a place. Still when Lilo asked about the puppet show Bella turned to him and shook her head. “Yeah, I’m gonna come, I wanted to see Addie’s dress. Plus I want to avoid the mess that is Erzebet’s.”

Dani patted Maya’s arm in a rather sister-ly fashion. “Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind.” Their eyes then drifted to the two men across the table and Dani couldn’t resist the wistful sigh that fell from their lips. “Gods, you two are so adorable.” Did their interaction spark a longing in them to return home to their no doubt slumbering husband? Yes, but for Dani Savin, the night was still far too young for proper sleep.

Freddie grinned, leaning in to kiss Ephram again, not particularly caring what the rest of the table thought of it. “Well, when you put it like that…”

Iann he slowed and even turned to walk backwards, facing her has he gesticulated. “Not that you shouldn’t vent. A good venting-fest like this is good, but once it’s over you should feel better, not stagnant, hm? That’s what venting is for, letting out the steam and resetting to normal.”

“I think my kids are bit too old for puppet shows,” Miles said to Lilo apologetically. He had one entering her teens and the other wasn’t too far behind. “Oh, I actually found a place. It’s pretty much in the same area I am now, and Iann said it was just a few blocks down from yours, so we’ll be closer.”

Maya yawned. She’d almost finished off her fries, just a few sitting cold at the bottom of her tray. “I should probably head out too,” she said as she stood and cleared her place, “Before I pass out on you all.”

Lilo snorted a laugh of his own. “Yeah, ay, puppets are a little this concerning.” He meant disconcerting but he was Lilo, and it was late. “But Addie is sure to look cute, and ay, puppets aren’t the only youth thing. I’m gonna make some rainbow shirts with the kids. Tie-dyes and paints and stuff. You know look as fashionable as everyone out there.”

Ephram took his time in kissing Freddie, pulling his husband in close afterwards to continue feeding him. “Might come to this puppet show,” he declared, “if the lil’ gingersnap’s in it.” He nodded over at Dani with a lopsided grin, saying, “It’s all this one. He’s the adorable one between us. I jes provide shade in the sun.”

It was best Miles daughters couldn’t come, because then Bellamy wouldn’t have been able to go and see Addie. “Really?” Bellamy asked, a smile on her face as she found out he would be closer to her than he was now. “When are you moving?” she continued before Lilo spoke of Addie’s cuteness. “Make me a shirt? I could wear some cute tie dye once in a while,” she smirked. “And Cassie definitely needs some hippie shirt.” It wasn’t Cassie’s style but it would be very amusing to see the pair of them in them when it was so unlike them.

Ruby (outside to Iann): “But if I don’t care… then I’m just some… heartless bitch. If I do care… I’m a pushover who lets other determine how she feels.” She gestured towards him. “I know that… I get that. I’m the only responsibility I have.” She gave him a small eye roll at the stupid comment. “Yes, I know, I just….” She ashed her cigarette, kicking a rock on the sidewalk. “It doesn’t matter…” She took a breath and looke up at the sky at they walked. “What the fuck is normal though?”

Ephram watched Maya get up, halfway wanting to talk to her and halfway figuring he should just let her head out as she wanted. “We should make plans to see each other at one'a these things, girl,” he called to her. “Maybe this puppet show?”

“Not a bad idea,” Dani smiled at Maya’s yawn. “I’ll see you around soon, yeah?” They grinned back at Ephram. “Maybe, but everyone’s got a little adorable in them somewhere. It’s unavoidable.”

“It’ll all be plenty of fun. Kids deserve some good PrideFest stuff too.” Cassie was practically praising, but she only did so because she felt it was warranted, “You’re just the man for the job. They picked well.” Her mouth fell open slightly in fake offense at Bella’s suggestion, “No. No way no tie-die for me. I look awful in that stuff.”

Lilo moved his arm around Cassie’s shoulders. “I think you will look beautiful in whatever you want to wear.” He planted a kiss on her cheek. It was only slightly gravy flavored. “It is getting a little late lobocita, we’ve had a big night. You want to head home soon mi tesoro?”

Maya shrugged, “I might sleep in tomorrow. Is it okay if I just text you in the morning?” She gave Dani a nod, “Yeah, you text me too? I’ll probably be in and out of stuff all week.”

“Uh….so?” Iann asked Ruby. “What does it matter if some asswad thinks you’re a heartless bitch? Let them, who cares what they think, that’s what I’m saying. People who give a shit about you won’t think that, get it? You’ll be surprised to learn who your real friends are the moment you stop being a pushover. It may be less than you think but that’s not a bad thing.” Iann opened the passenger door for her, pausing to admire Ryden’s handiwork as he went around the van and got in too. “Whatever your normal is. And if you still don’t know, well when the full moon comes at least that’ll give you some definition, hey? Bright side.”

Dani: “I could help out with the shirts, if you need it,” the professor turned toward Lilo. They couldn’t help but think of Noel and how much he would have loved the vibrancy of Pride. “I’ve got nothing else on my schedule in the morning.”

“I got another month before my current lease is up, and then I can move out.” Miles hadn’t started packing yet, and likely would keep it that way until the last possible moment. “If tie-die shirts are going to be made, I think I might bring my girls. Ellie would probably love it.”

“Wait-” Freddie said, his forehead wrinkling in confusion as he turned to Lilo, “-is the baby in the show, or just attending the show? And has she ever seen a puppet? They might bloody horrify her…” The fairy settled a bit heavier against his witch, happy to be talked about, before beaming at Dani. “Aren’t husbands wonderful creatures?”

Cassie nodded at Lilo’s suggestion, “Yeah sure. It’s going to be an earlier morning anyways and then we have to pick up Addie from the farmhouse.” She grabbed her purse, “You paid already right?”

Lilo beamed at Dani. “Ay really? That sounds awesome. Most of this I arranged by text with that Miguel guy, who’s uh, out now… But I think he’d be fine with it. The more helping hands the merrier huh?” He grinned. “Besides you can probably help the kids with designs more. You got way more of an eye for style it looks like.”

Bella smirked as Cassie objected. “Not even if Addie made it for you?” Bellamy laughed, watching as Lilo kissed her cheek, assuring her she’d be beautiful. The suggestion to leave not shocking, it was getting late. “Want me to help?” she asked Miles of his move, unsure if his kids would be there for it, it seemed they would be coming to do shirts though so Bellamy made a note to avoid that area when the time came.

Dani nodded back to Maya. “Sure thing. I’ll be around at pretty much everything, so just keep an eye out for a short person with rainbow hair. I won’t be that hard to find.” At Freddie’s response, they smiled warmly. “Yeah. They’re pretty astounding. Half the time, I’m amazed mine puts up with me.”

Ephram nodded. “Sleep in however long you want. I ain’t goin’ nowhere,” he assured Maya as she left. Tuning back in to Freddie’s concern, he asked, “I thought youn’s liked puppets? Them Punch and Judine ones, that’s English, right?”

Ruby got in the van, tossing her cigarette in the nearby ashtray first. She waitied until he got inside to buckle up. “What if I don’t have any friends after that?” Ruby said, blinking over at Iann, looking slightly downtrodden. OF course Ruby would have friends. A few at least .There was Fane and Dani. Tuah. And Iann, even though she didn’t think he considered them friends. Probably Ephram since he already knew her prety well. Freddie. Fuck… that was a fair few people. “I just… wanna get it over with. So I can… get on with things.”

Cassie looked back at Bella and narrowed her eyes slightly, lips pulled in a curl, “Oh…you’re tricky.” She let out a huff before she admitted, “I guess if Addie ran up and said she’d made it especially for me. I couldn’t refuse.” She glanced to Miles, “Aw, I hope we’ll get to see one of your girls.”

Lilo turned back to Cassie. “At the counter my love, it’s one of those kinda places.” He nodded to the group still left at the table and those slowly leaving. “It was real great to hang out with you guys again, and meet you for those I did not know before.” He nodded to Miles and held out a hand for another too manly ™ handshake. “We should hang out sometime man, you look me up okay?” He saluted Dani. “I will be on the look out for my rainbow-haired saviur when all the kids bombard me tomorrow. You stay good guys. Officer Possum guts. Everyone else!”

Maya smiled, tiredness creeping into her movements, “Okay. See you all tomorrow.” She waved before tossing her garbage and heading out into the night. She planned just to grab a cab since walking seemed a bit excessive given her current state of dress and the late hour.

Freddie chuckled across the table at Dani. “Same, darling; believe me,” before goggling affectionately at Ephram. “Have you ever /seen/ Punch and Judy puppets, sweetheart? They’re what nightmares are made of.”

“Of course,” Dani grinned at Lilo. “I know Miguel. We’re sort of, uh– fellows doctors in supernatural science?” At the mention of an eye for style, they chuckled. “I guess. I wouldn’t say it’s a hobby of mine, but I can’t deny that I was raised by several very fashion-oriented individuals.” As he got up, they saluted in return. “Sounds like a plan. You too!”

“If you want to, yeah,” Miles said to Bella, smiling at her. “And you need to help me pick out some furniture for their rooms, just not another one of those giant princess house things you got them last time. One is enough.” He turned toward Cassie, “Hopefully you’ll get to see both of them,” and since they seemed to be leaving he took Lilo’s offered hand and gave it a good shake, “Definitely man, I’ll give you a call or something.”

Lilo: “Oye! Freddie, to answer the question. I am pretty sure Addie is just gonna be watching.” He looked at Cassie. “Right?”

Iann laughed as he started the van, loving the grumbly thrum under foot. “That’s it, wallow in the self-pity. You might as well indulge right now, it’s late and you’re drunk and you’re gonna have a wicked hangover tomorrow so you might as well enjoy this wallow.” Because honestly, sometimes it just felt good to have a good pity-party, in Iann’s opinion anyway. “Yeah I’ll bet. And when you go werewolf, it’ll be interesting to see if you’ll look back and wonder why you didn’t enjoy your last human hours to the fullest. Frankly, I hope you don’t, but you never know.”

Ruby: Get on with whatever her normal was gonna end up being. Get on with… being alone. Being clueless. Being someone that no one would notice if they left and never came back. They were idle thoughts, and alcohol induced. Ruby wouldn’t truly think them in the morning, but right now she did. A bit. She laid her head against the window as they drove, watching the streetlights go by in a blur of light.

“And I will then see you in amazing tie-dye,” Bella told Cassie with a smirk. “I promise to only shop at IKEA,” she teased him, figuring if she spent a lot of money that could end up making him a bit uncomfortable too. “But no more princess castles…even though they’re amazing.”

Ephram waved goodbye to the exiting throng before looking suspiciously at Freddie. “I don’t believe it,” he said. “Youn’s got them other things too, them shows at Christmas where actors dress up as twelve-foot-high princesses or the like. It’s gotta be an English delight.” Ephram looked at Dani, trying to enlist their help. “You must of been to England before, right? They love their freak puppets?”

Lilo took Cassie’s arm and excited out of the diner, ready to find there way back and enjoy the rest of their night.

Freddie followed suit as Ephram waved at the departing masses, then turned his attention back to Lilo first as he and Cassie stood to go. “Well, stick close, Dad - just in case,” before back round to Ephram and Dani. “Pantos aren’t the same thing at all,” he argued good-naturedly, “Dani, back me up, yeah?”

“I’m not wallowing…” Ruby groaned, turning her head to look at Iann. “I’m… not… okay, maybe a lttle bit. BUt I was doing so good. So fucking good. I was.. happy. Ish. Better. Which is why I just blurted shit out there tonight like an asshole.” She rubbed her forehead. It was laready starting to hurt. “I’ve got some blood tabs that’’ll fix anything…” She turned back to teh window. “WEll, I was until tonight…”

Miles gently nudged Bella’s side, “You wanna go make tie-die shirts with me and the girls?” This was kind of big for them cause Bellamy hadn’t actually met his kids before, but he figured that since they’d been seeing each other for a while, it was about time they met.

Dani shrugged at Ephram. “Yeah, I lived there on and off as a kid. Can’t say I ever paid much attention to freak puppets, though. I was usually busy getting into trouble while my father was busy dealing with whatever work he was up to.”

Iann (to Ruby, driving home): “That’s called moods! Indulge the wallow. You had fun, now you’re feeling like shit, then tomorrow you’ll feel different. You don’t have to keep forcing yourself to be one mood and only one perfect unflawed mood anymore. Moody-moods.”

Bella knew she felt a little…upset when it seemed like Cassie would meet them first but ultimately she figured that it wasn’t that big of a deal. Cassie and Lilo were sweet and they had a kid and they weren’t…dangerous. “Maybe we should talk to this somewhere people can’t hear,” Bellamy suggested, knowing if she could hear Ruby then there was every chance others there could easily here them. It might not have been the sweet reply Miles wanted but saying yes like she wanted wasn’t quite so simple.

Ruby crossed her arms petulantly. “’M not moody.”

Iann: “It’s not a critique. Moody isn’t a negative word.”

Freddie followed suit as Ephram waved at the departing masses, then turned his attention back to Lilo first as he and Cassie stood to go; telling him “Well, stick close, Dad - just in case,” before circling back round to Ephram and Dani. “Pantos aren’t the same thing at all,” he argued good-naturedly, “Dani, back me up, yeah?”

Ruby: “Maybe.”

Iann: “Definitely. I’m moody. I’m not slamming myself.”

Ruby: "Not right now.” Then, “You deflect.“

"Oh, yeah. 'Course it’s not the same,” Dani tagged along with Freddie. “Puppets are a bunch of fake figures on strings. Pantos are more like comedic plays, and such. But geared toward kids rather than your usual theatre crowd.”

Freddie grinned. “Which isn’t to say they aren’t horrors in their own right - they’re just the sort of horror you think fondly on.”

“Pantos,” Ephram repeated firmly, although he had no clue that it was short for pantomime. “Hey, you cain’t claim Dani! Dani’s on my side!” Ephram reached across the table to fold Dani’s hand in his own. He intended to keep up the banter, but instead found himself asking, “You and your daddy wasn’t close back then?”

“Sure, I guess?” Iann shrugged and looked over at Ruby. “Are you trying to put me in my place or something? You’re the one who’s hating yourself. I don’t hate you.”

Ruby: “I don’t hate myself. And no I"m not trying to put you in any place. It’s just an observation.”

Iann: “So it is.”

“Exactly,” Dani grinned at the fairy before the witch took their hand, and a quiet giggle resulted. His question, however, caused them to blink. “No, we were still close. He was just extremely busy. When we were over there, it was typically nobility stuff he was dealing with, which awfully complicated and frankly boring for a child who would much rather roll around in the mud than learn proper manners for elite festivities.”

“Sure,” Miles returned, “Yeah, no problem.” He finished off the rest of the pastrami fries and then wiped his fingers clean with a napkin. Since people seemed to be slowly filtering out, Miles glanced at his watch and did see that it was getting late. “I got to go, babygirl,” he said to Bella. “Are you going to come over later?”

“Makes sense, yeah. Mr. Savin’s got plenty of nobility stuff and scholar stuff to attend to.” In truth, Ephram didn’t know much about Fane other than his scant (and largely unpleasant) interactions with the man. And it was good to have Freddie with him for the conversation, so Ephram could demand his husband’s interpretations later, in private. Ephram valued Freddie’s perspective on these things very highly.

Bella worried she had upset him, taking one of his hands in hers once he had wiped it off, squeezing it gently. “I /want/ to meet them, I promise,” she assured him. “You working tomorrow?” she asked of him leaving. “Yeah, I will probably head back to work for a bit to make sure everything closes okay but I’m definitely staying over.”

Miles pressed a reassuring kiss to her lips before he scooted out from the booth, “Yeah I work tomorrow. I’ll see you later then.” He leaned down to kiss her cheek and whisper lowly into her ear – though likely others with heightened hearing would still be able to hear him, “Love you, babygirl.”

For his part, Freddie thought being too busy with the trappings of nobility and his sense of his own importance seemed like Fane Savin in a nutshell, and he wasn’t surprised in the slightest - in fact, what had always surprised him the most about Fane was that his child was as lovely as they were - but he stayed quiet, choosing to only smile politely along with Ephram’s assessment, popping the last tot into his mouth. “Not quite so nice cold,” he mused after he’d swallowed.

Bella kissed him back simply, knowing he wasn’t into anything intense so publicly. “Love you,” she said back, watching as he left and said goodbye to everyone else. If he was upset then she knew that when they talked all would be well so she didn’t worry. Instead she began finishing off her food before heading over to Ephram. She knew he was a bit busy with Freddie and stuff but she didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye, moving behind his seat she kissed the top of his head. “I’m headed back to work. Stop by before you miss all the fun. Maybe arrest anyone who has vandalized the place.”

Miles waved and nodded a few quick goodbyes to the rest of the people.

“Thankfully we don’t have to deal too much with it anymore.” Dani waved their hand as a gesture. “Occasionally something will come up– an invite to a party or a hopeful suitor, which I no longer have to bother with either.” As Bella and Miles headed out, Dani waved their hand goodbye. “See you. I know I’m likely to stop back in at some point, so long as the party’s still going.”

Freddie glanced up at Bellamy, expression inscrutable, gaze level, and shifted just slightly in his seat; his body language just a bit more noticeably possessive and protective, though he didn’t say a word. Waiting until Ephram had said his goodbyes before leaning closer to his darling’s ear to murmur, “What about us, love? Nearly time for bed do you think?”

Ephram leaned his head back when Bellamy came over, demanding another kiss on the forehead. “I would say you’re workin’ too hard, but I know you don’t need sleep.” He laughed at the idea of arresting anybody, and said, “If anybody insults the venue, maybe. Goodnight, sweetpea.” He petted Freddie’s back, forking the poutine over like he was pitchforking a field, and suggested, “Try that one. It’s like, molten hot forever.” Going back to Dani’s reply, Ephram said, “Heh – a benefit of gettin’ older. You don’t gotta do things you don’t have to. Or like.” His husband stirred, suggesting that they retire, and feeling tiredness seep back into his bones Ephram wasn’t inclined to argue.

Bella kissed his forehead as requested by his movements and smirked at his comments. “Night,” she happily said as he moved back to Freddie. It felt like a fairly successful interaction with Ephram while Freddie was around. Not perfect by any means but it didn’t seem like either of them had done anything to make Ephram feel put out which was what she presumed each wanted. Now to just see what had happened with the black light event.

“I’ll see you roundabout the place, Dani,” Ephram said, standing with Freddie bundled against him and grabbing the poutine container with one hand so they could tote it home with them. “Right now I better take the love of my life home and tuck his tipsy but cute ass into bed.”

Dani chuckled at Ephram and nodded. “That you will.” They smiled at the pair, stepping out from the table themself. “Sounds like a plan. I might stop home briefly as well… If I don’t show up, just expect I’ve been dragged into bed by a grouchy florist.”

“Oh no,” Freddie interjected, smiling as he cuddled into Ephram’s side, “-not tonight. This one’s coming to bed with me. But tell Sam hello, love, yeah?”

“By expect you mean imagine, right?” Ephram snickered, giving Dani a one-armed snug before they parted ways.

Dani laughed and returned Ephram’s squeeze. “Whatever you fancy, I suppose.” To Freddie, they gave a peck on the cheek and nodded. “I’ll pass it along. Good night to you both.”

Ephram ended up eating the poutine on the way home. But in a way that was all right, since the warm food got him hungry for something else, too.

[bastionkeeper]

Plus One

A birthday gift for the wonderful @mykindofcontent who asked for a fake dating Taakitz fic, I had fun throwing some secret twin angst and future Taakitz fluff into here I hope it’s worthy of one of the most amazing people in the universe! Happy birthday!

Taako took a step back, admiring his handiwork. He dusted off his hands and grabbed the umbrastaff, lowering it to face the circle of raven's feathers.

The sun had set long ago, and there was a chill in the air but nothing the shawl draped across his shoulders couldn't handle. He was standing in the courtyard of a large party hall, just out of reach of the golden light pouring out of the windows.

A few slanted words from Taako's lips whispered into the night, stirring the wind, somehow leaving the feathers untouched.

A black and red energy surged within the circle, and a screaming form lurched out of another plane to fix Taako with furious red eyes.

“Who has dared summon me?” the reaper roared in a cockney accent.

“'Sup, love the enthusiasm, but shut up for a minute,” Taako said, grabbing Kravitz and pulling him out of the summoning circle.

“Wai- what?” Kravitz stumbled along behind the elf. “You again? From the crystal lab!”

“Nice to see you again,” Taako said with a wave. “Now be quiet.”

Taako looked Kravitz over with a critical eye and then pointed the umbrastaff at him. Kravitz summoned his scythe defensively, but it turned out to be unnecessary as the only thing Taako did was cast minor illusion on his clothes. Kravitz was now in a tuxedo, fit for a black tie event.

“What is this?” Kravitz asked.

“Okay so,” Taako began. “I need some help crashing this wedding.”

“Why are you...?” Kravitz trailed off with a sigh, rubbing his temples. “Why couldn't you just get one of those other death dodgers to help?”

“Because a job like this requires finesse, and those dingdongs couldn't finesse a jar of pickles.”

Kravitz took a moment to look at Taako, noticing that he too was well dressed. He was in a gold dress, his face was freckled with gold glitter, and he wore an impressive pair of heels.

“See, there's uh...there's a relic in this shindig, and I need some help getting in to grab it,” Taako said. He watched Kravitz's face, and his theory that the voidfish didn't affect the dead was proven right by the look of recognition on Kravitz's face.

“Something like that transformation magic the necromancer was using?” Kravitz asked.

“Precisely!” Taako clapped his hands together. “But just lil ol' Taako on his own is suspicious. Taako plus one though? No one wants to kick out the nice couple!”

“I'm your date?” Kravitz realized he was blushing. He'd be lying if he said he'd never noticed how attractive the elf was. Even for a bounty.

“My husband to be precise,” Taako said. “You in, bone daddy?”

Kravitz considered the possibilities. He could just refuse and go back to the astral plane to his room where a half-re-read book and a mug of tea were waiting, waste some time in between bounties...or he could accompany the gorgeous and volatile elf on a dangerous mission.

Kravitz sighed, wishing he had more sense than this.

As the double doors to the hall opened, Taako took Kravitz's arm, and the reaper tried hard to keep his composure. The pair entered, and Kravitz blinked in the sudden brightness.

It was hard to tell who was the bride and groom in this room, as everyone was dressed not just to the nines but maybe to the twelves. Some even went so far as to wear masquerade masks, or elaborate headdresses decked out in feathers. Suddenly Taako's dramatic makeup made sense.

“Hello! Welcome! Mother of the bride,” an aged half elf woman greeted them at the door with a smile. “Who might you be?”

“Magnus Highchurch, remember that name in case I do something to make you angry later,” Taako winked and kissed the woman's hand. Despite Taako's strange introduction the woman appeared quite charmed and tittered at the gestured. “This is my husband.”

“Lucas Highchurch, pleasure to be here, we go way back with the groom, and we think your daughter is going to make him very happy.” Kravitz shook the woman's hand, meanwhile Taako was gaping at Kravitz, shocked at how easily and willingly he was going along with the performance.

“Oh well, I do hope I see you fine gentleman around when I'm done greeting guests,” the woman said, her smile widening. “Please, enjoy yourselves! Tessa and Marc are sitting in the back with the rest of the family if you want to say hello!”

“Thank you, I hope we'll talk again later.” It was Kravitz who took Taako's arm this time, leading them away from the woman and striding with confidence into the party.

“Dude that was so dope.” Taako seemed to have pulled a fan out of nowhere, and was using it to cover his pleased giggling.

“I'm just trying to blend in,” Kravitz said.

“You won't do that easy looking like that,” Taako said, looking Kravitz up and down. The reaper stiffened.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“That you're a fine skeleton,” Taako winked. “Also you look super nervous.”

“I do not!” Kravitz huffed indignantly. “If anything my performance was more convincing than yours.”

“Wanna bet?” Taako pulled away from Kravitz and looked him in the eyes, smiling dangerously. “I remember your little gambling problem. What say we make this interesting?”

Kravitz felt that familiar itch he could never seem to scratch when it came to gambling, and tilted his head curiously. “What did you have in mind?”

“I say we lie outrageously, and the first one to get found out loses,” Taako suggested.

“Wouldn't that make it hard to find this magical item you're looking for?” Kravitz asked.

“I can just cast disguise self no worries, Taako's still got some spell slots left.” Taako closed his fan and used it to tap the umbrastaff that was hanging from his arm. “You in or not?”

“What does the winner get?” Kravitz asked, the red in his dark eyes surging. “Do I get to drag you back to the astral plane when I win?”

“I was thinking when I win, you give me your shoes.”

“What?” Kravitz laughed. “Why?”

“Nothing funnier than a sore loser with sore feet,” Taako said. “Now shake on it, bone-man.”

“Fine,” Kravitz sighed and shook Taako's hand. “Let's begin, Taako.”

They made the rounds, chatting with friends and family and gathering information about the party as they went. Kravitz told stories about how he was a conductor for the Goldcliff Symphony Orchestra, and how Taako was in the front row one night during their best performance and that was the night they fell in love.

Taako spun a tale about a paparazzi swarm that had been chasing him, until his bodyguard made them scram in a way so sexy he couldn't help but marry him.

The stories got more wild from there, but somehow no one doubted them. Everyone in the room wanted to talk to the most interesting couple of the night, and that certainly wasn't the newlyweds anymore.

Kravitz finished another story and excused himself to meet Taako by the bar. The elf offered him a paper plate with a couple finger foods on it.

“Try this one.”

Kravitz popped the food in his mouth and grimaced. “That's terrible.”

“I know right?” Taako shook his head, tutting. “What were they thinking. They got the texture all wrong, and the whole thing is basically salt.”

“I can still taste it,” Kravitz complained, sticking his tongue out.

“I have something that'll fix that.” Taako pulled a hand out from behind his back, revealing a rather expensive bottle of wine.

“Did you steal that?” Kravitz hissed, checking to see if the bartender was watching.

“He said we each get one free drink. I just like my drinks a bit bigger than others.” Taako winked. “Come on!”

Taako grabbed Kravitz's hand and pulled him away from the bar and towards a secluded table in the corner. He popped open the wine and took a swig straight from the bottle before handing it to Kravitz.

“Can't believe no one's called your bullshit yet.”

“Is it that hard to believe Mr. “The King of Neverwinter asked me to visit and I declined”?” Kravitz shot back.

“That part actually isn't a lie.” Taako winked.

“Come off it,” Kravitz snorted, taking a sip of wine. They sat in silence for a moment, watching the dancers sway drunkenly to upbeat music. Then Kravitz turned back to Taako.

“Why did you really bring me here?”

“I told you, needed backup.”

“Taako, there's no relic here.”

Taako's ears drooped slightly and he shrugged, not even ashamed to be caught in a lie. “I don't like crashing parties alone. It's more fun with another person.”

“You do this a lot then?” Kravitz asked.

“Only when I'm feeling lonely or want good booze or food,” Taako said. “Haven't done it much since....since...uh...I can't really remember, but not for a long time.”

Kravitz chuckled and Taako gave him a confused look.

“Your shoes, sir.” Kravitz held out a hand.

“What?”

“First one caught in a lie loses their shoes, remember?” Kravitz smirked. The realization dawned on Taako's face, and he smiled, then he started laughing. He clapped a hand to his forehead, and was laughing so hard he was crying a little.

“Oh shit!” he squealed. “You're fucking right, damn I really liked these ones.”

Taako put a leg up on Kravitz's lap and started the arduous process of removing the intricate heels. Kravitz tried very hard not to move.

“Here you go, asshole,” Taako snickered, handing over the shoes. “But you better give a homie a portal home so I don't have to walk with bare feet.”

“I wouldn't be that cruel,” Kravitz smirked, taking the heels.

When the portal opened up into Taako's room, Kravitz felt sad that the party was over. Some part of him had actually enjoyed being lied to and kidnapped for some strange wedding crashing. Some part of him had really enjoyed spending time with Taako.

“Well, this is me,” Taako said, stepping through the portal. “Thanks for the lift and...for...humoring me I guess.”

Kravitz was stunned to see that it was Taako blushing now, looking down at his feet sheepishly. The reaper smiled and gave Taako a deep bow.

“Well, anytime you want to win back your honor and your shoes...” Kravitz dangled the heels in front of Taako's face. “...give me a call.”

Then the portal was gone, and Taako and Kravitz were both left standing in their darkened rooms, hoping secretly that the reaper would get a chance to return the shoes.