#i get why it's a whole research field i really do | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

silentcryracha · 3 months

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❍ ‗ Spotlight (lee know) ‗ ❍

Pairing : Lee Know x f reader

Summary : An upcoming work event stresses you out of your mind. But someone's there to help you relieve some of that stress, and who would've thought that it would be that one annoying co-worker?

Genre/ Warnings : it's a light co-workers enemies to lovers thing, talk about stage fright, mention of anxiety and bad breakup, talk of being chated on, some insecurity (brief and not specific mention), smut with plot (ONLY 18+), protected sex (UNBELIEVABLE?), soft dom minho of you squint, the whole this is a bit angsty, ending is open (is it tho?)

Word count : 10k (oh brother)

A/n : Has it ever happened to you to be SOO pent up and stressed that you could punch a wall and cry at the same time? Yeah, exactly. How about we fuck instead! Lmao, enjoy

ps: There could be grammar errors. Do NOT repost on other socials. Leave feedback if you feel like it, otherwise enjoy! ♡︎

masterlist

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

It all started with that damned research plan. 'Why the fuck did I even agree to that?', that's pretty much the same question that's been going through your mind for the past week.

Your boss held a meeting some time ago and asked your unit to bring up some ideas for an upcoming convention that will be held a few hours from your city. Several major companies in your field would be presenting their own projects to some big names in the industry plus some extremely wealthy people, that actually put their money into good causes.

So you did what you had to, took a couple of days to research and came up with an idea. You knew it was a good concept, and that you were good at your job. You were pretty confident. However, you were part of a team. A small one, but still, you were not in charge of anything in reality.

Which is why you nearly had a heart attack when during the meeting your boss actually decided on the spot to create a whole concept based on your idea. With you in charge.

Panic flooded your mind as you tried to reason with him, going from 'I can't do it' to 'We're a team', literally anything to try and make him change his mind. Even downplaying yourself, for how much it hurt your ego. Just because you have great ideas doesn't mean you want to have the literal spotlight in a livestreamed work convention!

"This unit has been doing a good job for the past months, while still being experimental. I think you deserve it. But I need you to prove yourselves this time, too. So what do you say, y/n?"

And with that, he got you. Why lie. Not only because you desperately wanted to get ahead in the company, but also because you knew for a fact that the rest of the team wanted it as bad as you did.

Were you really going to be the villain and turn down such an occasion for everyone, just because of your own overthinking? So, in the end, as unsure as you were, you still accepted.

And you couldn't lie, the prospect of getting recognition and a better working position fueled your motivation. You would've still been sick 10 minutes before the event, you were sure. 'But that will come later', you tried to convince yourself.

Fast forward to two weeks later, that's how you found yourself stuck to the office computer at 8 pm. On a Friday night. In your twenties. All the documents, research, presentation, audio, script…literally everything was ready and finalized.

You were pretty sure that if you asked your co-workers to check it one more time...you would've had the whole computer thrown at you. So you did it yourself, of course. Again and again.

You were the one who would have had to go up on a stage and explain it all, weren't you? You were so worried that your stage fright would make you somehow forget it all and even managed to fuck up reading from the script.

The fourth, or maybe fifth, coffee of the day being the only thing keeping you going. Aside, maybe, from the adrenaline. You were tired, yes. You should be going home, checking that your suitcase was properly packed and your tickets ready for your morning flight. Yet your anxious and perfectionist mind just wouldn't let you relax.

"Aren't you going home?" a voice interrupted your flow of thoughts, making you roll your eyes. You didn't even have to look to recognize that voice.

"No. But you should." you responded, with annoyance in your voice.

Lee Minho. Your 'second in command', as per your boss words. You have never quite spoken, before the past two weeks. Which sounds incredibly unrealistic, being in the same small work unit and all, but it was true.

Your team was an efficient one, but definitely not a tight one. All seven of you were literally picked out from different bigger divisions in the company, some even from other office buildings.

Straight away you were told that your team was going to be an experiment. This was roughly ten months ago, which wasn't much, but for a bunch of people who were essentially stuck in a limbo, uncertain of where they'll end up the followung year, was more than enough.

Being honest, you weren't particularly eager to get close to any of them. Whether it was an off-vibe or just you being kinda closed off and shy, you weren't sure. Regardless, you kept work life and personal life well separated.

Lee Minho, for example, was someone who you could never quite read. You may not have been very social, but you were observant. You knew that he was good at his job, often getting extra meetings and praise from higher ups. He was also quite standoffish, kinda like you. You did see him a few times talking with some other people at the company's cafe. But you didn't know them.

Then, suddenly this presentation thing happened, and just like a bunch of new class mates, the team was forced to collaborate. And boy, did you learn to know him quickly.

Your guess that he was good at his job was correct, but he was also extremely cocky while doing it. Your boss put you in charge, and yet it seemed that his life mission was to contradict and question you in almost everything. And the most infuriating thing was that he had a point, each time.

You lowkey hated him, because he would just add fuel to the fire. More details on a topic, some script corrections, visual corrections to pictures and illustrations. He seemed to be wanting to do stuff his way. But so were you, so it was kind of a silent war between you two. During one of the earlier briefs, you even mentioned it to your boss, and he just said to compromise. Easier said than done for two stubborn, competitive, people.

"The janitor will come soon to kick you out." he insisted, as he took his long suede coat from the hanger.

"Then I'll tell him to give me a few more minutes." you replied, squeezing your eyes for a moment, desperately trying to moisten them a little after spending so many hours in front of the computer screen.

"You said that forty minutes ago. Everyone else has already left like, two hours ago." his voice didn't have any particular feeling to it, but the fact that he was so insistent made you snap.

"Listen, Minho" you started, turning your head back towards him, "Whatever this is, quit it. I don't need an assistant, nor someone to remind me of the office's rules and I certainly don't need your concern."

This time it was his turn to roll his eyes, an annoyed smirk on his sharp features as he crossed his arms and leaned back on the wall.

"And I'm not claiming to be any of those. Are you forgetting that you're the head of the team and it's your job to make a decent presentation for all of us, right" he responded, the scolding tone suddenly making you feel uncomfortably small. He was right, of course you knew it.

You stood up, the desk chair rolling slightly behind you.

"Of course I fucking know-" your venomous response was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the big glass window of the office.

You and Minho both turned your heads and saw the two janitors staring at you. The older man who knocked looked quite annoyed and like he didn't give a single fuck about intruding, but the younger one behind him had his eyebrows raised and looked to be hiding an amused smile, clearly enjoying the show.

"I'm sorry miss y/l/n, we can't wait any longer to close up the floor. It's the company rules." he said, absolutely not meaning the 'sorry' in the slightest. And you couldn't blame him, really. You wouldn't either.

So you took a deep breath, faked a polite smile and nodded.

"Yes, I understand. I'll just pack my stuff and be out in a couple of minutes. Promise." he just grumbled a 'sure' while the younger one behind him gave you a tight lipped smile in embarrassment, then walked off.

You side eyed Minho as you turned back to your station to pack up your stuff and turn off the computer. Making sure to send yourself a copy of the slide presentation and the speech script. Well, another copy of the previous five files, anyway. Can never be sure enough!

'Don't you dare say anything.' you warn.

'Wasn't going to.' he replied, 'That was embarrassing enough already' you picked up on the humor in his voice, but it didn't make you smile in the slightest. You just wanted to get rid of him and go home to stress yourself until tomorrow, in peace. Maybe with a drink or two.

You noticed him waiting for you, for some reason, but you decided to ignore him and walk out of the office without sparing him a glance. He quietly followed ad you approached the elevator, and then pushed the button for the first floor before you could.

You stood there in silence, annoyingly aware of his presence not even a meter behind you.

"Why do you hate me?" Minho spoke with a curious, yet careful tone. His question took you by surprise, and also embarrassed you a bit. Did you actually even hate him? That seemed like a strong word for whatever you had going on.

"I don't 'hate' you." you answered, making the word, "You're just extremely annoying." he snorted a laugh.

"Well, at least you're honest." the irony in voice didn't escape you, and you instantly felt... quite bad? Qauite honestly you didn't know how to reply, so you shut up instead.

The elevator doors finally opened at the first floor, which was already eerily quiet and dark. Except for two security people that waved both of you off as you exited the building.

"Well, y/n, get home safely. I'll see-" he started to talk while taking a step back, but you stopped him, gesturing with your hand.

"Wait, Minho" he stopped in his tracks, clearly surprised. Your eyes wandered on the street, watching the cars pass by, as you rubbed your clothed shoulder, both from the cold and the nervousness.

"I'm sorry. I don't actually have a personal problem with you. And even if I did, my behaviour was unprofessional and rude. So I apologize." you created a small puff of hot air as you talked.

"Y/n-" you interrupted him yet again, not on purpose, but you kept going, in hopes of finishing off that awkward interaction.

"Also, I'm not your boss or anything, but I wanted to tell you that you did a good job. And, while it does cost a small piece of my ego to admit it, you gave some very good inputs. So, thank you." you cleared your throat a bit, still not looking back at him, even though you could feel his gaze on you.

Minho bit back a smile, and was about to answer, thinking you were finished, but suddenly the mood shifted and your voice started to tremble. His smile dropping fast and a confused expression taking place as he listened.

"I'm not usually like this, I-I...' you bit your lip, trying to regain composure, 'It's been a shitty period lately and this was kind of the last straw you know? I fucking hate speaking in public, goddamn it." a bitter and shaky laugh left your lips, your eyes becoming shiny.

You must've been out of your mind, you thought. How did you go from being a bitch then opening up and crying in the span of ten minutes? With Lee Minho of all people?

You were just about to wrap the conversation up and start trying to catch a taxi, but the cherry colored- hair man suddenly started to walk closer. You finally looked up, mainly in confusion, and saw just the shadow of a smile and kind eyes.

"'It's fine, y/n." he paused, "How are you getting home?'

You sniffled, blinking a few times, "I'm gonna catch the first cab that passes from here, I don't live that far but I can't be bothered to walk in the dark right now." he nodded in acknowledgement.

"My car is parked about two minutes from here" he pointed behind you, "If you allow me I'd like to offer you a ride." you stood there for a second, trying to rationalize the fact that your co-worker with whom you had beef until five minutes ago was offering you a ride. So you relied on humor, to lighten up the situations.

"I don't know, are you going to kill me?" he widened his eyes for a second, genuinely looking panicked for a second. He started to wave his hands around awkwardly.

"No, woah-" he spoke, "If you don't feel safe-" your small laugh instantly relaxed him, as he lowered his arms back down and giving you a side eye in the process.

"I'm sorry. But you can't honestly blame me, with everything going on in the world." you justified yourself, starting to walk to the spot he pointed out, "Just so you know, my mom and best friend have my location. Just in case."

"Ah, ah, ah." he faked a laugh as he followed behind you. The light of a grey, seemingly spotless and quite expensive looking, car blinked a couple of times.

Minho opened the passenger seat for you, then circled the car back to the driver's side.

The car ride was pretty much silent, and a light but definitely present layer of awkwardness filled the air. He asked for your address, put it on the navigator, then didn't speak again.

You joked about his car looking expensive and he snorted a laugh, nodding. "It did take a couple of years and a promotion to pay off, yes."

Then silence..again.

Thankfully the car ride was quite short, as you anticipated. Only made a couple of minutes longer by the traffic of the people getting off work. Late, like you two, you imagined.

He pulled up in front of your building, parking the car to let you get off.

You truly had no idea what came over you, but nonetheless you blurted out "Do you wanna come up for a drink?"

Minho's mouth went slighly agape, as he was so obviously trying to suppress a smile. His cocky aura making it actually hard to understand if he was about to mock you or seemed pleased.

"Oh?" and that made it so much worse, making you scramble for a response.

"I mean- it's not even nine pm, and tomorrow it's gonna be the end of a jurney of hard work." you justified, "I'm still gonna celebrate by myself, by the way. I was just offering." the last sentence being almost muffled, which actually made it funnier for him. You looked kinda cute.

"You know what, boss number two," your head snapped at those words, along with him turning off the car engine, "I think I may use a drink. I wouldn't have any at my place, anyway." he smirked.

You rolled your eyes, fighting back a smile as well. You both got out of the car, and walked to the building's entrance as he locked it witht he distance key.

"And what do you have waiting at home, if not a glass of wine at the end of the day?" you joked as you entered the building. You started to walk up a set of stairs, so he just followed, a few steps behind.

"Three cats?" the humor in his voice actually made you turn your head to read his expression.

"Really?" you smiled. He nodded prudly, still following behind you.

"Oh yes. My pride and joy, if you will." you laughed, finally stopping on the second floor, in front of a white door.

"Wouldn't have made you out to be a cat's man" You unlocked it, turning on the light as you invited the redhead inside. He politely took off his shoes by the entrance, following your example, and bowed his head.

"Well, you don't really know me, if we're being honest."

"True." you nodded, a bit embarassed, "Please, give me your coat. It's warm here, I promise." you smiled. He thanked you, handing you the item.

He looked around while you went in another room. The apartment was definitely a nice one, even if not the largest. It looked cozy and quite artsy, but tastefully so. Lots of CDs, a couple of paintings, a nice tv, a leather couch. The living room had a balcony with a city view, and was connected to an open space kitchen.

"Please, make yourself comfortable. On the couch, at the table. Wherever you want." you came back with a pair of black light tracksuit pants, a nice loose shirt with some graphic design on it, and your hair down.

Minho couldn't help but, casually, notice how good those pants made your ass look. But he cleared his throath and opted for a seat at the table, before his gaze lingered too long.

"Thanks", he sat down comfortably, curiously looking at the kitchen furniture, "You have a really nice place"

You smiled politely, giving him a nod.

"Thank you, Minho. I actually didn't move here too long ago. About five months-ish?", you explained, "Alright, let's get back to business. I have a few things." he tilted his head to listen.

"I have two types of my personal favorite, red wine. Then some whiskey that wasn't even gifted to me to begin with," your tone was slightly off as you said it, but he didn't ask.

"Then I have some tequila, gin and... champagne. Yeah, that's it." he chuckled.

"Well, comparing to mine's, that's a small but respectable collection." he joked, "I'll just have some of that italian wine, thanks" he smiled, amused. You laughed a bit.

"It's all small bottles. I only really drink wine. I also use it for cooking. The rest is for nights with girlfriends. Don't picture me as an alcholic, please" you both laughed at you scrambling to justify yourself.

"If you say so, yn" he teased.

"Oh, c'mon!"

You didn't really remeber exactly how you ended up from sharing a glass of wine and cheering to your incoming job presentation, to eating leftovers, then moving to the couch. But you got there.

The difference is that after getting a bit too giggly and a little lightheaded, you both agreed to switch to water. Yeah, that's probably when you also decided to put something in your stomachs.

After all, he would've had to drive back home. And both of you couldn't afford a hangover when you had such an important day ahead and a flight at eight am.

It was now around eleven pm as you sobered up, just hanging out on your cream colored couch.

"So that's how my friend from sixth floor found out boss is cheating. Big time." he concluded, making you rolle your eyes dramatically as you took a sip of water.

"Of course he's fucking cheating on his wife. Of course" he raised a finger, leaning a bit forward.

"It's not only that he's cheating. He's cheating with the chief editor and a bunch of other emplyees too. Lost fucking cause" your mouth opened in shock, gasping.

"Nasty man! I just hope it's a bunch of immoral people and nothing more serious it's going on, at this point." you shook your head as he nodded in agreement.

"I know right? Of course it's mainly hushed office rumors, but at least a couple of those have to be true. My friend's girlfriends says there's eye witnesses." you smirked slightly, humored.

"Scandal" he snorted a laugh at your comment as he ate a piece of cake. A strawberry and whippe cream cake your best friends got you when you got the job.

"What about you," his eyes moved back to you, "Do you have anyone? Aside from your three fur babies, of course." he smirked a bit as he chewed on his bite, taking a couple of seconds to try and read your expression.

"No, no one." he answered, "I was actually married for about a year. Then the stupidity wore off." your eyes actually widened in surprise at his words.

"You were married? For a year? What happened?" your questions were quick and probably quite nosy, so you backtracked, "I'm sorry. If- I mean, if you feel like sharing. Of course."

"It's fine", he shook his head lightly, he moved a bit on the couch to get comfortable, "It sounds crazy but it was years ago. We were eighteen, and stupid. We were together for like, six months, and since she was having trouble with her parents and needed a place to live, I guess that my stupid-in-love mind decided that getting married and renting an apartment was the right call." he explained, not with any particular intonation. Maybe some humor, actually.

"It was an extremely quick decision too. Proposed, one day later we were legally married. But then we quickly understood that marriage wouldn't solve her problems, so while I just questioned myself over and over and scrambled to find work, she went out and cheated."

"Oh my gosh!" you exclaimed, covering your mouth with your hand. He nodded, with an ironic expression.

"Yeah. I actually never found out how long that went on. Hopefully less than our marriage. That'd be embarassing." you instinctively reached out, placing your hand on his knee. You regretted it immediately as soon as your eyes met though, so you retracted it, brushing it off.

"I'm really sorry. That's shitty. I know how it feels." the bitterness in your voice finally made Minho place the small pieces you had intentionally scattered in the conversation that eventing, making him put it together.

"You got cheated on too?" you cleared your throat, sighing slightly.

"Not that I would've imagined the conversation going there tonight but, yes. That's- well that's why I'm living by myself now. You know how it is, messy breakup, lots of tears, and then you move on."

"I'm sorry.", his voice was soft and sincere, "How have you been holding up? You're certainly killing it on the job, though." he smiled at you.

"Even if it makes you nervous." he added. You gave him a small grateful smile, but couldn't help to get a bit sad.

"Thanks. You know, I do love being by myself. The relationship had become stale for a while. I kind of saw it coming. But of course, after two years, it stung." you admitted, "Wasn't particularly kind to my self esteem. Leaving him with my half of rent to pay while being jobless was kind of paybay, not gonna lie." you raised an eyebrow, making him laugh.

"Deserved, honestly." you laughed instinctively a bit too, but your mood was definitevely affected a t least a little now. Minho wanted to comfort you, telling you that he didn't see anything that you should be insecure about. But he stopped himself, feeling like he would've overstepped some boundaries.

"I'm sure you're doing great. Parties with girlfriends, a whole place by yourself, killing it at work. It's gonna be okay." that was the most he allowed himself to say, but judging from the grateful look in your eyes, that was probably enough.

You blinked a couple of times, awkwardly catching yourself getting voulnerable for the second time that evening with a man that until a few hours prior was just a bit less than a stranger.

As you thought that, you actually remembered to take a look at the clock on your wall and saw that it was half past midnight. You got up instantly, slightly startling Minho.

"Shit, look at the hour. I will probably not sleep for a good while, but it may be late for you. With the drive and all. I'm sorry I kept you blabbering for hours." you released a small, nervous laugh as you picked up both of your leftover cake plates.

He nodded slightly, mostly at himself, getting up.

"I don't have very regular sleeping schedules. My cats tell me when it's bed time." he joked, making you smile. "But I think you're right. I definitely sobered up now, don't worry."

You nodded, eyes struggling to stray from his brown, shiny ones. You cleared your throat, catching yourself before you could make things more awkward.

"I'll get your coat, wait a sec" he silently followed your figure as you disappeared again, then, just as you did, he tried to get a grip and walked towards the entrance where he had left his shoes.

He slipped them on, slapping himself slightly on the cheek to get some composure back. Just after that you came back, smoothing out his coat.

"Let me help you" you spoke softly, without really asking. He turned his back to you without speaking, offering you one arm, then the other. He then shrugged his shoulders a bit to fit the coat properly on.

"Thanks" you nodded, acknowledging him silently. You proceeded to open the door, and turn on the stairs light on for him. He turned back to look at you, now just a few steps outside of the apartment.

"Your cheeks turned red.", he teased, "Did you warm up well?"

"Yes" your tone was a bit more serious than his, wondering if his question hid a deeper meaning behind it. Maybe what he was really asking was if you warmed up to him, after all.

He looked down, nodding. He then smiled warmly, looking up back at you.

"Good. Thanks for the drink, it was fun", he stated sincerely, "Make sure to rest well, goodnight yn"

But, as he was about to leave, he felt your hand reaching for his sleeve. He stopped, turning back to look at your hand, then fixing his gaze on you. Your eyes were looking at him so intensely, almost burning into his. He didn't speak. He waited.

"Would it be extremely unprofessional if I asked my co-worker to stay over?" your words were teasing, but your tone as well as your gaze didn't match them. That's what made him hesitate at first.

"Are you sure?"

You retracted your hand, letting go of his sleeve. A hint of insecurity hitting you. But not towards your desire, more towards yourself. Imagine if he said no and rejcted you.

"You can say no" he fully turned to face you, walking closer.

"I didn't say 'no'. I asked if you are sure. Are you?" his tone wasn't harsh at all, but it was serious. It's true, he didn't say no. And you also weren't really sure why, but you were sure you wanted him. So, just in case...

"Yes, I am. We're both free, consenting adults. Doesn't have to mean anything. Letting go some stress, you know." you shrugged, leaning against the doorframe, crossing your arms. Acting way more cocky than you were actually feeling. Truth be told, you were so horny you would've probably crawled if he asked you to.

Minho squinted his eyes a bit, studying your expression. But he saw right though you. He didn't know the extent of your confidence at that moment, but he could see that you wanted him like he wanted you.

"Right" he finally spoke, slowly walking closer and closer, instinctively making you backtrack inside, your eyes fixiated in his as if you were hypnotised.

"Just de-stressing a bit, I guess" he pushed the door shut lightly with his foot before reaching for your cheek with one hand and your waist with the other. Taking the hint, you crashed your lips with his.

The kiss didn't start slow, it was right away a messy, passionate one. Minho shrugged out of his coat, never leaving your lips for as much as he could.

"Wait- the coat-" you panted softly, but he shut you up quickly, pulling your even closer by grabbing at your lower back.

"Fuck the coat" he managed to answer, making you laugh faintly. Your lips separated as you stepped back enough to lead him to the bedroom. During the small walk, there was a pause, and neither of you talked.

You reached the bedroom, and slowly as you stood at the edge of the king size bed, you started to undress each other.

Starting from his tie, which was alrady loosened, then his shirt buttons coming undone one by one, then his belt. Minho didn't really move, nor rush you. He just held you by the waist, following closely your hands.

Being so lost in admiring his perfectly soft but muscular body, you kind of forgot that you were still completely covered. Not that you were exactly looking forward to getting naked and vulnerable at that moment in your life, but it was kind of require, as they say.

You stopped just before getting to the zipper of his elegant pants, his boner already forming a tent. You looked up at him, kind of questioning his stillness. But he was already looking at you, eyes lusty but comforting at the same time.

"Do whatever you want." he stated, taking one of your hands and encouraging it towards his pants, "Consider it a personal congratulations gift. Guide me." he continued, then squinted his eyes a bit, getting closer with his face to yours with a small smile.

"Unless you'd like me to?" that one sentence did so much damage to the least bit of self respect you were clinging to...so might as well.

You nodded slowly, you chest going up and down heavily, trembling a bit from the mix of excitement and, well, a bit of shame. The kind that will bring you pleasure though.

And he saw it. Again he saw right through you. Not that in the horny state you were at that moment you would've had much to hide anyway.

Minho chuckled, leaning in right next to your ear, whispering "Good girl", his lips starting to kiss your neck seductively, "Take my pants off for me, mmh?"

A moan escaped your mouth as your hands worked shakily with his zipper, then pushing the fabric down, revealing the expensive brand boxers he was wearing. And the hard on. Couldn't forget about that.

"So good for me. I'm going to undress you too, now. That's okay, right, honey?" his hands toyed with the hem of your t-shirt, waiting for consent, which arrived very quickly after.

"Yes, please" he cooed at that, proceeding to lift up your shirt and get it off you, leaving you in your simple, cotton bra. You didn't exactly dress up expecting this, but well.

"'Please'? You're so cute" he praised, continuing his works by pushing down your tracksuit pants. At that point, as drunk on lust and praise as you were, your insecurity couldn't help but hit as you were becoming aware of Minho's gaze.

That's why when he felt your hands squeeze his sidez a bit and get tense, he stopped, leaning back to check on you.

"What's wrong?" you gulped, throat suddenly feeling a bit dry.

"Nothing, it's- ...Don't stare too much. I don't know if I can handle it." your words were just above a whisper, but it made him a bit sad. He wasn't pitying you, he just felt sorry that your head wasn't allowing you to be as free as you wanted.

He understood. Of course he did. Everyone at least once, at some point, felt insecure about themselves. And while he truly think you shouldn't be, he wouldn't push it. He'd just make sure to make you feel good in the moment, like you deserved.

He brushed it off, shifting the mood to a lighter one. He nodded as he went back to touch your body up and down, his lips back to your neck.

"Alright, but- " he paused, his hands coming up to cup your breasts, squeezing them, eliciting a sigh from you. "On the condition that you'll let me suck on these later" he smirked, winking at you. You blushed even more, huffing out a laugh. Your head was clear again, so you decided to have fun with it.

"But now-" you gave him a little push, making him land on the bed, then straddling him. "There are a few things I want." he smirked, amused.

"Seems like it's gonna be a little of a game after all." he teased making you smile seductively.

"We'll see. Now stay still like a good boy." Minho's hand on got even harder, if possible. at your words. He wasn't used to be a sub at all, but that 'good boy' kinda...intrigued him.

At that point you got off of him, kneeling down beside him. You pinched the hems of his tight boxers and pulled them down, letting his cock sprung free, standing up mid-air from his abs. You pushed the fabric down enough for Minho to discard it, which he did.

He was half up, standing on his elbows, to not miss the view. And what a view.

You had started to stroke his cock slowly, with both hands, doing a sort of up and down gesture mixed with some twisting, that was sending him directly to heaven. But he was way too turned on already, he was afraid that at the minimum touch he would cum, so he regrettably stopped you, and instead switched positions, dragging you under him as he hovered above you.

"I'm sorry, princess, I'm not gonna last if I let you play too much" he explained with a sigh.

"You though...let's see if my sweet girl is ready for me" he continued, with mischief in his voice. His hands invited you gently to part your legs, and you complied easily. Your need to be touched almost unbearable now.

Minho shimmied down on his stomach, directly face level with your, still clothed, pussy. He raised his index, teasing your mound then your slit, which was clearly indicated by the wet patch on the grey cotton panties. You hissed and squirmed, desperate for him to touch you properly.

"Oh wow, look at my sweet girl, looking so wet already." he cooed as he started to kiss the inner of your thigh. "Should we check properly, mh?" all he needed was a desperate yes from you, to quickly act and slip down your legs the panties, discarding them somewhere.

"Oh my godness...look at this sweet, shiny, pussy. So cute. Is it all for me?" he asked cutely. You moaned instinctively and nodded quickly.

"Yes, all for you. Please Minho, I need it" you whined, trying to rub your thighs together for some relief, but his hands promptly kept them open.

"Tsk, tsk, kitten. Now be good for me. I promise I'll give you what you want." and with that he started out giving a fat, tongue flat, lick from your ass, then your pussy, and reaching the clit. The deep moan that exited from you would've almost been embarassing, if only Minho's actions with his tongue didn't distract you again right away.

He had started to kiss right where your whole was messily, occasionally trying to poke in the tip of tongue to try and gather as much of your arousal as possible. You were a whining, moaning mess, but you knew exactly that as soon as he'd actually start giving attention to your clit, you were done for.

Which is exactly what happened a few minutes later. When he was satisfied enough that you were absolutely drenched all over, his mouth and chin included, he moved a bit north, starting right away to skillfully suck and toy with your clit.

The sensation was so intense and you were already so sensitive that the contact made you prop yourself up a bit, but Minho promptly placed one of his strong, veiny hands on your stomach and pushed you back down, which you allowed yourself to go right away. But his hand was still there, so you took the opportunity to intertwine your fingers with his.

"Fuck, oh my God- Minho, please...please" you were incoherent, but he knew very well what you wanted and he was determined to give it to you good. That's when you felt first his index, then index and pointer fingers enter you swiftly. No resistance at all. You were so wet that you barely felt them, until he started to move them just right, stimulating your walls.

The gradually added movements and speed of both his fingers in your cunt and his mouth on your clit had your stomach tightening so quickly, and then you came. You came for like a whole minute, and then some. It was actually crazy how intense and how prolonged minho had managed to make your orgasm. No doubt the best head you've ever recieved.

He gradually slowed down, until only his fingers remained to play with your slick as you came down from your crazy high. Minho had leaned his cheek against your warm, kids shaky, thigh while he watched you with a satisfied smirk.

"Are you okay, kitten? You have no idea how cute you sounded as you came on my mouth and fingers, purring and whining like a sweet kitten." you looked back at him with hazy eyes, as you made grabby hands. He chuckled and removed his fingers from your pussy, placing them immediately on his own cock, starting to stroke himself up and down.

You pulled him close, over you, pushing down on his shoulders with your arms. Your legs closing around his hips, immediately trying to grind on something.

He moaned in the kiss, "Such a horny baby that doesn't even need a minute after she just came" he teased you but you didn't cared, you whined and pulled him closer to keep the sloppy kiss going.

"Need you, mh- please, get- get 'nside 'o me" your words slurred but he understood you anyway. He parted from your lips, panting.

"Baby girl, w-", he swallowed trying to speak coherently, "You have protection?"

You nodded, pointing to the drawer of the nightstand. He moved a bit to reach into the drawer, fishing out a condom. But not before taking a peek at your cute, little, clit sucker toy.

He bit back a smile as he sat back on the heels of his feet to unwrap the condom and slide it carefully on his painfully hard dick.

"Usually it's rabbit toys" he teased, making you laugh faintly.

"I can't come with penetration only" you shrugged, which made your tits jiggle in your bra. Suddenly hypnotizing Minho, which had a promise to respect, he remebered.

He smirked, then properly got back between your legs, and just as you were about to pull him in for a kiss, he retracted with an eyebrow raised.

"First, this is gonna come off" his hands slid down the strips of the bra down your shoulders, then he reached behind your back to untie it completely. He sighed when finally he could throw the piece of fabric away, and enjoy the heavenly sight of your tits. Which, with his outmost disappointment, you rushed to cover with your hands.

"Hey, you promised!" he scolded you, "Plus, I already ate you out, what damage are a pair of tits gonna do now? None." he answered his own question, at which point you gave up and moved your hands back on his strong shoulders. He gasped, in awe.

"Ah, here they are..." he bent down, immediately attaching his mouth to one of the nipples, making you moan.

"So soft, round, so sweet..." he cooed as he grabbed them, squeezed them, kissed, licked and soft-bit them. Your hands were now intertwined in his cherry red hair.

"Minho, baby-" you both noticed how you slipped with the petname, but you brushed it off "Please, I need you. Need you inside me so bad, please.." he heard your plea and nodded, giving a break to your breasts just enough to position himself with your entrance, and then slowly but steadily he entered you.

It felt like one long stroke, until he filled you to the brim, his tip hitting the back of your walls, making you both moan. He stayed still for a couple of seconds, propping himself up with his forearms by the side of your head.

"Oh- hng, fuck. You feel s-so good. C-can I-?" you nodded frantically, moving your hips to meet his, making him hiss.

With that, he started moving, back and forth, at a normal speed, without ever exiting completely, instead focusing on stroking your g spot each and every time, driving you absolutely insane.

"Ah, fuck M-min...please go faster, please, please" he whispered praises and reassurance in your ear as he complied, his hips starting to go faster and faster. He kept going until he started to feel you tense up, and you croaked out "M close..s-so close, please"

At that point he moved his dominant hand from your side and slipped it between your bodies, circling your clit with two fingers to help you get there.

You gasped at his action, tightening the grip your thighs had on his hips a bit and arching your back, feeling your orgasm so, so close.

And it only took a couple more strokes for you to cum.

"Ah! Fuck, I'm- I'm coming, Minho", while your orgasm was happening, he felt your walls tighten around him, which made him frown in fatigue. "I- I know, sweet, come for me" he managed to say as he was still punding into you, but his pace was faltering.

This time it was your turn to help him get there, so you grinded on him, helping movement and friction, while also tugging a bit at his hair, which you noticed he seemed to like. And as expected, he groaned, then moaned, finally stilling as he came inside the condom.

His arms were trembling a bit, and he looked absolutely fucked, so you just pulled him to lay on your chest and rest. His head on your breasts. Both trying to calm down your breaths.

You were in silence for a little while, but then Minho pulled himself up and carefully got up from the bed, going straight to the private bathroom in the bedroom.

It kind of hit you at that moment, that this was not normality. This was a one night stand with a co-worker. So you also got up, quickly picking up your discarded clothes. Putting Minho's on the edge of the bed, while you exited the bedroom to go wash up in the other bathroom.

It didn't take long, as you decided that you would've taken a full proper shower tomorrow before leaving. Right. The flight. The speech. It all came back hitting you with a force, hitting you back with reality.

But reality was still in your bedroom, too. So you dressed back up, freshened up and quickly went back.

Minho was in his boxers, busy buttoning up his work shirt. His gaze landed on you as you appread on the doorstep. He gave a quick smile, then looked back down. And your heart kind of broke at that.

Was he also embarassed, or did he regret it already? And what were you feeling?

Everything was contradicting in your head right now, so you recomposed yourself enough to think clearly. It was now two am in the morning.

"Please, spend the night here. Then you can drive home tomorrow morning. It's so late now, I'm sure you're tired." it sounded so fake, so foreign to go back to being polite while just ten minutes prior you were tangled up in bed horny like animals.

"Yeah, okay. I'll be on the couch." he said as he also slipped his pants back on. You looked at him confused.

"The couch? But, the bed is big enough-" he interrupted you, picking up his tie.

"The couch will be fine. I just-", he sighed, "I need this, okay?" he pleaded silently. So you just nodded, keeping your head down.

"Please take anything you need. Good night, Minho" you spoke softly. He just breathed a "yeah" then closed behind him the door to your bedroom.

That night you didn't hear a single sound coming from the living room. It was just you, your overthinking, and the uncomfortable knowledge that a person that you have very quickly come to care about is sleeping seprately from you. On the couch.

You got him. You were confused too. But it still heavied on your heart. Until finally, you fell asleep from exhaustion without realizing it.

The morning after you woke up startled by your alarm. You checked the hour: six thirty am. Yeah, you definitely needed to get up. Those five more minutes will have to wait another time.

Then it hit you. You remebered what happened the night before. You remebered it all, perfectly.

The way you asked Minho not to go. The way he made you feel so good, both physically and mentally, for the first time in a while. Then you remembered how cold things ended up, too.

You got out of bed quickly, praying that he was still here, to at least make sure that everything was okay with you two.

But as you opened your bedroom door and walked out of the corridor, into the open space living room, no one was there.

The only thing out of place was the, usually discarded carelessly, now neatly folded blanket on the couch.

For some reason you felt like crying. What was wrong with you!

It was you, after all, that asked him to have sex and reassured that it wouldn't have meant anything. "Just stress relief", you said. He agreed. You both consented. You didn't regret it. So why did your stomach hurt?

At seven thirty pm sharp you were already on a taxi on your way to the airport.

You showered, got presentable enough, checked to have all your files, then picked up your small suitcase and you were ready to go. You would've had all the time to get 'professionally' ready when you got to the hotel. Which was also the place where the convention was gonna be held at, so even less stress.

When you arrived at the pre-established entrance number of the airport, you saw the team standing outside, chatting and some smoking.

You took a deep breath, preparing yourself to act like everything was normal. But nothing was normal about you getting on a stage to talk live in front of million dollar companies. And nothing has been normal for you after the night before.

As soon as the team saw you walking over, they started to cheer and shout out embarassing stuff to tease you. You laughed, but gestured for them to shut up.

Everyone picked up their cases to fo inside, and that's when you noticed Minho. Of course he was there. It was his job, too. But while you were instantly named 'leader', mainly because of a joke and the other's laziness, he remained at the back, minding his business. So you did the same, for now.

Once you got through all documents, tickets and baggage checks, you entered the waiting area at your assigned gate and could relax for a while before they started calling in passengers. You and the team did not go first, but almost.

Your boss had been gracious enough to put you seven in business class, so you would be the second type of passengers to board the plane.

And with a rather quickly queue, that's exactly what you did. In less than an hour you were ready to take off. You had almost secretly hoped that your seatmate would be Minho, but of course it wasn't. It was an older co-worker, around his fifties. You made some small talk at first, but then you put on your headphones and focused on reharsing your speech and the slides.

The flight was on time, two hours later, you were back on land. You were kind of disappointed with youself, because at some point, Henry saying it was about half an hour in, you fell asleep.

But at the same time, you did have a very short and shit sleep last night so, better rest now than be sleepy later.

When you walked out at arrivals you saw a man in suit and tie holding up a sign with your company's name of it, so you approached him.

"Good morning, miss. Are you the seven people I have to take to this address?" he asked, showing you the paper. You nodded.

"Yep, it's us." you turned and gestured with your hand to follow you.

With some surprise, you found a mini van waiting outside, with nine seats including the driver's. Minho went on first, as far back as possible, and you went on last, next to the driver's seat.

The hotel wasn't that far, only fifteen minutes, so you got there pretty quickly. When you entered the reception, it was a bit crowded, of course with the amount of hosts that were there for the convention.

Yet again, you waited in line, then provided documents and the staff gave each of you a card key to your rooms. For organization purposes you were put all on the same floor, with rooms near to each other.

You just nodded in understanding and politely declined the invitation to have lunch out that some co-workers offere, opting to remain in your room, practice and maybe rest some more.

You didn't need distractions in that moment. But not everyone was on board with the plan, so you and another two people, oneof which was Lee Minho, went straight to the elevators.

You were grateful for Amanda, the senior of the team, that made small talk abou the appearence of the hotel. She was talking mostly to herself, even though she thought she was talking to you and Minho.

Thankfully in a couple of minutes, everyone went their separate ways and rooms. You sighed, relieved when you were finally alone again. This 'ignoring' situation was ridiculus, you were adults for fuck's sake. And yet neither of you approached the one for now, so you were both fools.

'This is getting fixed, tonight', you thought. The gala would've started at about seven pm, so hopefully by ten pm you were gonna be done. No matter what, you promised to yourself that you would've had a grown, mature conversation. But later.

Now you just preoccupied yourself with ordering lunch and, once again, going over your files. For the last time, thank god.

Five fifty pm. You were ready. Kind of.

Make up, done. Hair, done. Clothes, done. Papers, done. Purse? Ready. Your brain? Not ready.

You were honestly just trying not to sweat literal cold now and not cause yourself a stomach ache. Your only salvation at that point would've been distraction.

You remembered how fucking nervous you were at every single graduation in your life. High school, degree. Hell, even middle school. Being on the spotlight for anything always made you so extremely uncomfortable and sick.

It was only as you grew older that you understood that really, the only secret to get through this type of stuff is just fakin' it til you make it. No other way around it. If you deluded yourself into thinking that you had your shit together, so would others.

So that's when you decided to just go downstairs, a bit early just to hang out. Maybe have a drink or two. You weren't the only one who would've had to speak publicly that evening, so who knows, maybe you'd find your trauma twin.

You picked up your phone, purse, papers, then you were out of the door. Just as you almost made your way down the corridor, nearing the elevators, one of your heels got stuck on a bump in the moquette.

You gasped, saving yourself by planting your hands on the wall at your left for support. But that meant that now your papers and purse were on the ground. Messy. Great. Always better than a twisted ankle, you thought.

You bent down, trying to pick up the scattered papers in order, when you suddenly heard a voice.

"Everything okay?"

"Shit!", you clutched the paper to the chest, scared. You looked behind you, but aside from the scare, you recognized the voice immediately. Of course you did.

"Yes, just tripped. Thank you." Your tone was cool as you addressed Minho, going right back to stacking your stuff in your hands.

"Wait, let me help" without thinking, he joined you, starting to pick up the files as well. In perfect order, too. Of course your second in command would know the presentation by memory as well.

"I got it." You so much spared him a glance as you got back on your feet, snatching back the paper. He stood back up, too. Hands in his elegant pants pockets. Awkward.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice so casual and polite it actually made you mad. You crossed your arms, a little awkwardly as your hands were busy.

"Oh, so now you're talking to me?" Minho frowned. Mirroring your pose, closing off.

"What? You think it would've been appropriate to air out personal business while sitting in a car with five other people? Co-workers?" he snapped back.

"No one said anything about drinking and hooking up, a normal "good morning" would've been enough" you rolled your eyes.

"Well it's not like you attempted it either, yn"

"Ah, yes because I surely felt welcomed with open arms after you-"

"Hey guys! Wait for me!" You and Minho both turned your heads toward the young woman speeding up her walk. She was the youngest in the team. Niece of the boss, nonetheless.

You both took a step back from each other instinctively. You offered a fake smile and wave as the red haired man pushed the button for the elevators.

"Ah, thank you! It's a bit late, but at least I won't be showing up alone" she laughed. You widened your eyes, scrambling to fish the phone out of your purse.

"What do you mean 'it's late' !?" The clock showed six pm and five minutes. You frowned, but before you could speak, Minho did it for you.

"It's not late, stop panicking her. They opened the conference room at six. They're gonna start at six thirty. It's fine." the young girl seemed a bit intimidated by the stern tone used by the man, but the just shrugged.

"Oh well, I may have read the invitation wrong. Same thing." you took a deep sigh, taking a moment to calm not and not choke her on the spot.

"Better this way." you offered the same brief fake smile.

Finally the damn elevator doors opened, so you stepped inside and once again Minho pushed the first floor button. It could've been a silent couple of minutes, but of course they younger girl just could not resist.

"Did you learn everything well?" Oh wow.

"I have spent weeks researching and editing this stuff, I didn't only 'learn' it like a school poem." the annoyance in your voice really couldn't be hidden anymore, so good thing the elevator doors opened back up.

This time Minho took it upon himself to lighting place his hand on your back to lead you outside.

"Everything is ready, see you inside" he exclaimed back. So much for not acting suspicious, you thought.

You stopped a few meters away, stepping to the side away from his hand.

"Is everyone trying to get on my nerves specifically tonight, or" your voice dripped sarcasm, making the man roll his eyes.

"Yeah, right. You got enough on your plate right now, I know. That's why I tried to be civil" he didn't let you have the chance to bite back, as he kept going " In any case, I'm gonna leave you alone now. Go get a drink. A light one. Relax, you'll do great. Later, we can talk. In private."

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Let me actually distract myself now, or I'll end up starting to argue at the stand instead of explaining my speech." with that, you forced yourself to walk away.

At exactly six thirty the conference started. You were seated with your team, of course. Everyone around this large, round table.

So cute, like king Arthur and his knights. And you were king Arthur in that moment. And hell, you would've better extracted that sword perfectly at first try.

Your turn didn't came until about an hour and a half later, after the welcoming speech, a couple of virtual messages from rich people who were too busy to be there in person, and a bunch of other companies' expositors.

"Please, give a round of applause for the next representative." the announcer spoke into the mic as he read from a folder, listing your company's name, the CEO, a few words of introduction, then finally your name.

The public applauded politely as you walked on stage with a smile, as carefully as you could. Couldn't have attempted twisted ankle number two at that moment.

"Thank you. Good evening. Tonight I am here to represent our," you extended your arms toward your team's table, " - company's project. I was honored with the duty of exposing the project to you. Hopefully it was the right call!" the crowd laughed and smiled.

You focused on explaining the idea, from the first draft, to research, then one by one describing and arguing the slides. Finally citing sources and closing your speech with some polite greetings.

The crowd once again clapped as you gracefully made your way down the stage. The presenter moved on, and a big sigh of relief left your mouth.

Your team looked at you with smiles, congratulating you as you went back to the table.

The whole official thing actually wrapped up around eight, not nine pm as you expected. Dinner was served and then a more casual after party was held. Not an actual party, more like a jazz music ambience with drinks, made for conversation.

And you did engage in some conversation, mainly with strangers and people from other companies. Some more job related topics, some about the event itself, others just very small talk.

By ten pm you were absolutely ready to ditch the whole thing and go to bed. You did it, it's over, it went well and the world didn't fell. So yeah, you called it a day. With everyone else, at least. But you still had some unfinished business with a person in particular.

Minho not so secretly followed you with his gaze all evening. He was so glad that the presentation went smoothly and it was over. He was also very proud of you. While your... relationship had been very short by then, he worked with you enough to know that you put your whole efforts into this project, and it paid off.

He was keeping his eye on you, but you were keeping yours on him as well. And both of you noticed. To be honest, the intention wasn't even to hide it.

You never interacted once. He just congratulated you along with everyone else, then that was it.

As he had been doing all night, he followed you with his eyes as you made your way out of the conference room. He waited a couple of seconds, then nonchalantly ditched his half consumed drink and followed you. As he expected, he found you waiting for him.

"Fancy seeing you here" he teased. He may have not acted like it, but he was actually quite nervous.

"Yeah, right" you replied with the slightest hint of humor, " I know there is a pool outside. It's closed now but you can still access it through the garden."

The man nodded in acknowledgedment, silently following at a moderately short distance, behind you.

Neither spoke a word until you were outside, the pool sides and the small garden dimly lit with warm lights. You sat on the sunbeds, next to each other. It was actually pretty cold, but you didn't seem to care at that point. At least there was no one else there, as you hoped.

"So..." he started, mostly to break the ice. And like that, as if you were waiting for a clue, you blurted out "Do you regret it?"

Minho stared at you for a second, slightly confused.

"What makes you think that?"

"Just answer. And be honest. I can take it, you know." your rubber your shoulder, both from the cold as well as the nervousness.

"I know you can." , he stated, serious "No. I didn't. Did you? Is that why you're asking?"

Your gaze finally found his again, the annoyance giving you some courage.

"No, I didn't. It was my idea, remember?", you paused, " I'm asking because you were cold last night. You know, after." just like that, eye contact was out of the window again.

"What? If anything it was you who disappeared without saying a word." he retorted. You raised an eyebrow.

"I went to clean up. You went to the bathroom so I thought you wanted some space."

"I was going to help you clean up. Not even the time to come back with a towel that you already left. At that point I thought, 'ah nice, the stress relief is over, better go back home' ", he air quoted with his fingers, "What was I supposed to think? Those were your intentions after all."

You couldn't really debate that. That's exactly what you said. It was crazy, you didn't even really know each other. If you weren't co-workers you wouldn't have seen each other again, ever. And that was probably the biggest mistake.

You knew the risk of getting personal life involved with the workplace. But then again you only wanted a night of meaningless sex. Why even make this fuss? Yet, there must be something. Otherwise you wouldn't bother having this conversation.

"Might be. All I know is that I literally asked you to stay, I offered you a place in my bed. Without any second meaning." you specified, "And instead you shut me down and went to sleep on the fucking couch. Left without a note or anything." you tilted your head to the side.

"I have already explained my reasons.", he replied, "Honestly what I get from this is that we're both pretty bad at communication." you stared at each other for a moment, and then, out of the blue, stifled laughs.

"Why are we arguing like an actual couple?" you asked, genuinely confused and weirdly amused by the situation. He shook his head, as clueless as you were.

"I have no idea."

Silence fell between you two for some time. Until you leaned back, propping yourself up with your hands on the sunbed.

"So what now?"

"What now?" he repeated.

"Do we pretend like this never happened?" yours was a genuine question, no second meaning or pressure behind it. He shrugged.

"Do you want to?"

"Do you?" he rolled his eyes, a light smirk on his face. You were just parroting each other at this point.

"I mean, I enjoyed myself. Don't know about the future, but that's a quite nice memory to keep, at the very least." he replied honestly, sneaking you a look, "Did you enjoy it?"

The question and the eye contact combined making you you blush. You nodded, acting more nonchalant than you were actually feeling. But you couldn't hide the but of mischief in your eyes at the thought.

Minho licked his lips, biting back a smile. Then nodded to himself.

"Right. Well, I say we see what happens. One thing we can agree on, though, is whatever, - if- anything happens, it stays out of the office" he waited for your response.

"Okay", you said, "Let's see what happens on Monday, then." you exchanged a smile.

Yeah, who knows, what will happen on Monday?

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Y'all are gonna hate me for that finale🤣 but I warned you!!

That's it from me, hope you enjoyed and if you did, feel free to leave a feedback :')

Bye<3

#silentcryracha #stray kids x reader #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #my writing #lee know x reader #lee minho smut #stray kids lee know #lee know fanfic #lee know hard thoughts #lee know smut #lee minho #lee know x you #stray kids fanfic #skz angst #skz hard hours #skz smut #skz x reader #skz x you

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jo-speaks · 4 months

Text

more ways than one

in which...

luke shows up to fem! reader's college soccer game.

Luke scanned his ticket, walking into the stadium. He had a really big test coming up, but the second Mark, Ethan, and Dylan invited him to watch the girl’s soccer team take on Michigan State, he dropped everything and headed towards the stadium.

“I heard that Y/N girl is really good.” Ethan said, leading the group of boys to their seats.

Mark hummed, “Is that the girl who absolutely destroyed you at beer pong last week?” Mark’s comment caused the boys to laugh, and Ethan to grimace.

“Yeah.”

“Well if her soccer skills are anything like her beer pong skills, I’d say that what you heard is right.” Luke stated, getting a few more jabs at Ethan.

Dylan chirped in, “She’s only a sophomore and she’s captain and she’s leading the whole NCAA in goals. I mean, why do you think her friends called her the ‘sophomore sniper’ when they introduced her at the party?”

Mark laughed at Dylan’s slight rant, “Sounds like someone has a little crush.”

“I do not! I just did my research before coming here.” Dylan retorted. “If anything Luke’s the one with the crush. He told us he had a huge test coming up, but the second we mention girls soccer, he drops everything. A little suspicious, no?”

A warm feeling rose to Luke’s face. Knowing Dylan was right, he just laughed it off and stayed quiet.

Luke had approached you at said party because the second he laid eyes on you the boy was smitten. The two of you talked the whole night, but by the end of it you were both too drunk to remember to exchange numbers. Sure, he could’ve asked around the fraternity, but he wasn’t sure if you remembered your interaction at all. So he saw this game as a perfect opportunity to get your number.

You could hear the laughter approaching close to the field. It was familiar, but you didn’t care enough to turn around as you were on your 47th juggle.

“No way you get 70!” Your teammate, Jules, exclaimed.

You laughed, “Not if you keep talking!”

She chuckled as she watched you closely. Soon enough, you had passed seventy, nearing ninety. You hit 86, wanting to go for more but your coach called out your name, telling you to go meet with the refs to decide which side you wanted. Settling the ball with a groan, Jules grabbed your hand and pulled you to the midfield with a slight tug.

You greeted the refs and the opposing team’s captains with a slight smile. When you went to shake one of the girls’ hands, they both side-eyed each other, looking you and Jules up and down, then refusing your hand.

Furrowing your brows, you let out a small scoff at their attitudes, but let it go as you picked ‘tails’ for the coin flip.

It was heads, and they picked having the right side of the field, meaning you’d have the ball first. As you walked away, heading back to the rest of your team, Jules’s laughter filled your ears.

“Oh my god! The attitude they had?” She laughed.

You gave her a smile, “I know! On our field too.”

The closer you got to the sidelines, your eyes couldn’t help but take a glance at the group of boys who had sat down laughing. The second you could make out their features, a smile grew on your face. Luke was sitting there, along with three other boys which you quickly realized as his hockey teammates. You had been trying to get his number ever since the interaction you had at the party, but never found the right time to. In your head, you promised yourself you’d get it tonight.

You decided to snap out of your thoughts and nudged Jules, “Look. Your boy toy is here.”

Jules’s eyes widened as she followed your eyes, “What the hell are they doing here?” She walked over to the fence to say something you couldn’t quite hear, but figured she called Ethan over as he walked down a few steps to talk to her.

Not caring enough to eavesdrop, you walked towards the rest of your team, letting them know you’d have ball first. They nodded, going back to their warm up. You took a glance up at the scoreboard which had the clock displayed on it. There was around five minutes left, and you wanted to do some long passing.

“Jules!” You called out, bringing her attention back to you.

She said something to Ethan before jogging back towards you. “Sorry. Long passes?” You nodded, “What was that about?

“They invited us to get some food after the game. You down?”

“Is Luke gonna be there?” You asked.

Jules smirked at your question, “Yeah. Why?”

You left her question unanswered, smiling as you walked away from her with a ball at your feet.

Five minutes went by quickly, as you heard the whistles blowing, telling you that the game was about to start. You jogged towards your team, listening to a quick pep talk before getting ready to hear the starting line up and National Anthem.

You blanked out during the whole process, too focused on the game ahead of you. By the time you knew it, the whistle blew and you passed the ball to one of your teammates.

Knowing exactly what play you were running, the second you saw the ball get to Jules, who was playing at the left wing, you made a diagonal run towards the goal. It was a high cross, but you managed to settle it at your feet before taking a shot from the 20 yard line. You watched as the ball soared towards the top corner of the net, making its way past the keeper’s gloves.

You ran towards Jules, who was waiting for you at the corner flag. The two of you did the handshake you did every single time one of you assisted the other's goal, before hugging each other, then the rest of you teammates.

As you ran back down the field to restart, you couldn’t help but take a glance up at the stands. They were decently packed, but your eyes quickly found the ones you were looking for.

You saw Luke sit back down from his standing position and to no one’s surprise he was looking right at you. You pointed at him with a smile and he quickly returned the action.

While you focused back on the game, Luke was getting teased by his friends.

“Ooo! Lukey’s got game!” Ethan exclaimed, shaking his friend by the shoulders.

Luke laughed, “Shut up.”

~✩~

The game ended an hour or so later, the final score being 4-2. You had scored three of those four goals, earning you a post-game interview with some reporters who had shown up at the game.

They had decided to interview you on the sidelines. This meant you were close enough to be near your team, but also close enough so Luke and the other guys could hear what you were saying.

“Y/N, amazing performance out there tonight! What would you say is the biggest factor in your training that makes you such a valuable player out there?” The interviewer asked, bringing a mic close to your face.

“The conditioning, for sure. I mean, we’re making a lot of long back and forth runs out there and we’re able to do so consistently because of that conditioning.” You answered, smiling slightly to take away the nerves you were feeling.

The interviewer nodded, “You pointed to someone after that first goal. Was it a family member, a friend, or…?”

You let out a soft laugh, “Um, no. It was a good friend of mine that I'm meeting up with after this."

Luke heard your words, as did his friends. His eyes widened at your statement, specifically the part where you said you were hoping to meet up with him.

“Oh shit!” Mark exclaimed, “Bro, she's talking about you!" He shook his head, “We don’t even know if she’s talking about me. She could’ve been pointing at one of you.” The boys laughed at his statement.

“I’m talking to her best friend, Mark’s taken, and Dylan’s not her type.” Ethan said.

“What’s wrong with me?” Dylan asked jokingly, yet seriously.

Mark shrugged, “She said she was into tall guys. As in, guys over six feet.”

Laughing at Mark’s words, the group of boys made their way down to the field to wait for Jules and hopefully, you.

Jules made her way over the boys, sliding her hand into Ethan’s. “What’s Luke all red for?”

“Y/N mentioned him in her interview just now.” Ethan told her casually.

Her eyes widened, “Seriously?”

Luke quickly shook his head, “We don’t know for sure it was about me.”

Before Jules could question it any more, you were walking over. You gave everyone a quick greeting which they happily returned. As you were all about to make your way towards the exit, you decided now was a better moment than ever.

“Hey Luke? Can I talk to you for a second?” You asked, trying to ignore all the stupid grins on everyone else's faces.

He smiled and turned around, “Yeah.”

The two of you stepped away from the group towards an area on the sidelines where people couldn’t hear you.

“Great game tonight.” He said, trying to dissolve some of the awkwardness that was beginning to build.

You smiled, “Thanks. I appreciate you coming.” “Yeah, anything for a good friend of mine.” He smirked, quoting your previous words.

You looked away and laughed, now knowing he heard that part of your interview. “Funny. Anyway, I had a really good time talking with you last week and I was hoping to maybe get your number?” Luke’s face turned slightly red yet again as he smiled and nodded as you pulled out your phone so he could type in his information. “I was hoping you’d ask.”

After he handed you your phone back, the two of you made your way back to your friends.

Jules pulled you back slightly, letting the boys walk ahead, “Looks like you scored in more ways than one, huh?”

“I definitely did.”

#nhl #nhl hockey #luke hughes #luke hughes x reader #new jersey devils #umich boys #umich wolverines

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sweetbillwriting · 22 days

Text

In The Dead of Night

NINE

Characters: AU Eric played by Bill Skarsgård from The Crow (2024)

Setting: This story is set in A WHOLE OTHER WORLD than the movie. Shelley isn't a part of this story. Eric will be different from the movie, especially because I haven't seen the movie.

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, heavy themes.

Notes: I have STILL not seen the movie because it hasn't premiered here yet!

“I just think about him a lot. I'm sorry, I don't have the right to do that; I haven't even met him; I just believe I would have really liked him…”

I sat opposite Lotti by her little table with Eric's photo albums in front of us. Sneakily, I had put back the photos I've stolen because I didn't need them anymore.

I shouldn't have been there; I was lying to her in the most awful way, but I also went behind Eric's back to find out things he didn't want to tell me. I had the answers right there, and my curiosity took over.

“You know, I think he would have liked you too. You have a curiosity he would have liked. You feel comfortable with yourself, but with optimism and creativity. He would have liked that,” Lotti said with a smile. She had a good day today and talked about Eric with a smile. I smiled back at her by her words, but the warmth in my chest was from the memory of hearing Eric say “I love you” to me. He had said it that morning on the phone. I would go to him later that night; he worked late that Saturday, so I didn't have a reason to go to him that early, but I had a key to his apartment, so I didn't need to wait for him.

“Can't you tell me more about him? Why do you think he started to take drugs?”

Lotti looked out through the window and smiled sadly. It felt like she had a need to talk about everything, and I was right; my simple question made her tell me stories I never thought I would hear.

×××

Lotti looked at the little boy in the playroom, through the plexiglas. He wore a striped long-sleeved shirt in green shades and red sweatpants. The clothes were a bit big and looked well-used, probably from other kids social services had rescued from dysfunctional homes. He was two years old but lacked the chubby cheeks other two-year-olds would have but also was disinterested in the toys surrounding him. A white rabbit stuffy lay just in front of him, but he didn't give it a look; he just looked around. A young social worker sat by his side and looked at him with wonder. He looked like a doll with his big green eyes, and he sat just as still with his small hands resting on his thighs.

“He can't stand up yet or crawl, so that's probably why he doesn't play,” said the social worker next to Lotti and her husband Eric. They nodded a little even if something else felt wrong.

“Why can't he do that? Does he have a disability?” Eric asked the social worker and looked at baby Eric again. He hadn't moved an inch.

“No, no. He's healthy. Just a little underweight and some rashes. Ehm… We believe he hasn't left the crib very often. Most of his time had probably been spent alone in the bed-”

“What? Has his mother left him in the crib?” Lotti looked between the social worker and the boy, upset.

"Yes, but that is nothing that will shape him. He's so young, so that's nothing you’ll need to worry about.”

The social worker said it with assurance, even if there wasn't any research on the subject in the 90s.

Lotti nodded but felt a lump in her throat.

"His mother is sentenced to six months in prison for drug trafficking, but we believe she needs help with the boy after that too. She must make changes to be able to get him back.”

Lotti was sure. She didn't need to know any more. She wouldn't leave that boy to his destiny. They had room for one more child in their home, and Eric, her husband, earned enough money as a seller in the technology field. It was a business growing every day, and his salary went up with it. He looked at Lotti with a calming smile. He knew his wife had already made a decision, and he felt the same. They could give the boy the security he never had. He looked at the papers, seeing the boy’s name, the surname they shared. It felt like a sign. He wasn't the religious type, but Eric was a family name, a name passed on with love and respect.

The social secretary opened the door to the room baby Eric was in, and the married couple saw him look towards it with a fast movement. They walked in slowly to him, afraid that their presence would scare him, but he sat the same way and looked at them with big eyes. Carefully, Eric lifted up the boy in his arms, and Lotti moved close to them. His eyes shifted from side to side, looking at them. He looked sad but with a calm curiosity.

“Hey Eric, hey sweetie…” said Lotti. He looked at her the same way, but his eyes gave away so many emotions. Lotti dragged a finger over her cheek, wiping away a tear. For her, it was impossible to think that the boy's mom didn't want to take care of him; he had an aura—a much stronger aura than other kids his age had. It was just something with him. Lotti looked at her husband, who had pulled the boy closer to his chest. Both could feel it in their bones, and they could see in the other's eyes they felt the same thing. This boy was theirs. This boy was theirs, and they would do everything in their power for him to only be theirs and save him from his mother and all the darkness.

×××

Little Eric stood on a chair by the sink next to Lotti. He was quite short for his four years but had a personality bigger than other boys his age, and so lovable Lotti could see how others envied her. He stood and washed the dishes with her and laughed while playing with the bubbles. He always wanted to be close to them, always wanting to help.

“You're so good at this, Eric!” Said Lotti with a laugh when he gave her a completely clean glass. Eric laughed again so she could see the deep dimple in his cheek. She kissed it hard and dragged her fingers through his messy hair. In just a few hours, he would go to his biological mother and then come back to them as a shell again. He never told them what happened at his mother's, and that was what made it harder for them to do something. There was no proof the bruises on his little body were from something else than rough playing, but Lotti knew her boy so well, his games well, and it wasn't bruises from the playground.

Lotti woke up from her thoughts when she heard her other son in the living room. He was playing video games and made sound effects for the game. Eric looked towards the living room, and when Lotti did it too, he waved with his little hand, showing that he wanted them to look at what Robin was doing. He always wanted skin-to-skin contact, so Lotti pulled him up on her hip and carried him out to the living room. Robin gave them a bit of an irritated look but wiped it away when his mom dragged her fingers through his hair.

“Are you winning?”

“Yes!” He screamed proudly, and Lotti giggled at him. She looked at Eric, who didn't seem to find the game amusing, and instead looked out from the living room's big window.

“It's sunny…” he said with a small voice. Lotti often got the feeling he didn't dare to use his full voice, and he almost whispered when he talked.

“Do you want to go out? Should we go out and draw a little?”

Eric nodded and dragged his hand over her neck. He was soon five years old but felt both younger and older at the same time.

They moved out to the back of the house, in the early spring sun. She could see Robin through the window and, at the same time, make the last few hours of Eric's time there the best she could. He sat in her lap, drawing whales and colorful birds. He was great at it and could disappear into it completely, but not today. She knew he knew what would happen soon. How they would put him in the car and drive him to the social service office, where his biological mom would get him. She knew he would cry in panic and how the social worker would need to pull him away from her neck. She knew Linda would look smug when she left with their son, not because he wanted her more, just that she was his mom, whatever they said. She didn't need Eric's love; she just wanted to win.

Lotti knew she would cry the rest of the day and think about what Eric did at his mom's place. She wondered in what state he would come home in. Eric hugged her hand hard in his and looked up at her with his big soulful eyes. They were shining with tears.

“I love you, mommy…”

It was a plea, a cry for help, but she couldn't do anything. She took a deep breath so she wouldn't start crying and hugged his little body against hers.

“I love you too, Eric. My baby, my son... I love you most in the entire world.”

×××

It was the third meeting they have had with Eric's school that year. Becoming a teenager was not easy for him, and it revealed sides in him they hadn't noticed before.

He had been such a calm child, and after he stopped seeing his mother, he also started to feel safe and comfortable in his own skin, but instead of those sides growing in him, other things took over.

While some teenagers became a bit moody, he got depressed and had a hard time getting up from bed in the mornings. When he finally was in school, he couldn't concentrate and did things you should absolutely not do in a classroom. Playing with a lighter and burning things up was his favorite, painting on the walls another. Even if all his teachers saw that he was a nice boy with serious problems, they kicked him out of the classroom, and Eric found himself chain smoking and listening to music that matched his mood. He was lonely. Extremely lonely, so when the wrong sort of people stretched a hand out to him, he was quick with taking it.

“We haven't seen Eric for a week now. If it continues like this, we're forced to call social service,” said the principal and leaned against his desk. Lotti looked at her husband and sighed deeply. It was always heartbreaking to hear about how Eric slowly destroyed his life. She knew it wasn't his fault. His biological mother had probably taken substances while pregnant; he had trauma since his childhood with her, and on top of that, he had such severe panic attacks that he had cried for death.

“Eric is a lovely young man and is really appreciated as a person-”

“So why don't you help him more? The only thing you do is throw him out of the classroom! Why should he go to school when no one wants him here?” Lotti said, upset. The principal gave her husband a look, like he thought he should calm his wife down, but Eric felt the same thing and looked at the principal with an angry look.

“We must think about the other students... You haven't thought about maybe taking Eric to a doctor? To get some help with his... problems?”

Lotti looked down at her hands and sighed deeply. She knew they probably needed to do that, but pulling him away to a doctor felt awful. He didn't need that on top of everything else.

×××

Robin always came home from school alone, even if they had told him to drive his brother home. They had given him a new metallic red Mercedes, and it’d been clear that he would give Eric a ride home. Robin always said Eric wanted to go home by himself, and their parents didn't know what to think. Eric liked being alone, but it was a long way home. Lotti looked at Robin disappear to his bedroom with two girls laughing while she sat down by the window. She worried the whole day for Eric and how the medications would affect him. He was such a sweet boy, and she didn't want to destroy that with all the pills he had been prescribed.

She smiled a little when she saw him come walking. He looked like a black raincloud in his black zip hoodie, black jeans, black hair, and black eyeliner around his eyes. He carried his khaki backpack on one shoulder, full of pins from different bands and motifs made to provoke. Still, the kids on the street jump around him. Eric smiled a little while they tried to impress him with their skateboards and MP3 players. Lotti got warm in her chest. It was just something really special with him, and everyone liked him.

“Hey mom!” He shouted when he came in through the door.

"Hey, honey,” answered Lotti and walked out to the hallway to meet him. He had pulled off his hoodie and surprised her with a yellow t-shirt, a sex pistol t-shirt, and he had put his converse neatly on the shoe rack.

He gave her a hug, like he always did when he came home and Lotti took his hand. They needed to talk but were interrupted by Robin's laugh. He came down with his two girlfriends, and Lotti let go of Eric's hand to not embarrass him in front of the older girls. They giggled when they saw him, and he got red in the cheeks and ears.

“Hey Eric,” said one of the girls, and the both of them giggled. Robin rolled his eyes.

“Don't forget to come home for dinner,” said Lotti to her oldest son while her younger son stood looking down on the floor.

“Yeah, yeah!” He answered and opened the door for the girls. Just before he closed it, both Lotti and Eric heard one of the girls say, excited:

“Your brother is so fucking cute!”

Lotti looked at her youngest son, who smiled embarrassed but tried to hide it from his mother. She smiled at him, amused. It was true; he was cute, and she knew he would be more than that one day. She wished she didn't need to have the talk she needed to have with him—let him bask in the girl’s words—but instead she needed to take him to the kitchen, where his medications stood in a row.

“So this is for your ADD, this is the antidepressants, these you can take if you have anxiety, these are for the OCD…” Lotti looked at a note while pointing at the medications in front of them. Eric looked at the medications and dragged his hand over a bruise on his neck he had told his parents was from his karate training. He saw something else than his mom did while looking at the pills.

“You can have them here in the kitchen, in a cabinet-”

Eric gave her a disliking look.

“Robin's friends are always here digging around; can't I just have it in my room?” He said and continued to drag his hand over the bruise. Lotti looked at her son. He was a trustworthy young man, and she trusted him with her life.

“Okay, but you must take them every day.”

Eric nodded, taking the medications in his hands, and walked up the stairs. He would take them every day, but also take more and more for every day.

×××

“That doctor… I can't understand why he felt it was a good idea to give a fourteen-year-old so many medications… But also…” Lotti sighed and looked down at the pictures of Eric. “I can't understand how I thought it was a good idea for him to take care of it all himself. I forgot he wasn't my own flesh and blood so many times…”

I sat in silence for a while, until Lotti sighed.

“But what happened then? I guess you noticed he had taken them all?”

Lotti nodded.

“Yes, and we didn't get him any more medications. He tried to tell us he wouldn't do it again, but we weren't that stupid this time. Then I kinda... Forgot about it all?” Lotti looked shameful. “You must understand, Eric was such a lovely young man with me and others around; I kind of forgot he actually didn't feel well, or maybe I didn't want to believe so? He was just sweet all the time, so we didn't notice he fixed his own drugs instead.”

“Like what?”

“First I think it was weed, then he started with ecstasy and amphetamine... I don't really know when he started to take opiates.”

It was all so sad. They had wanted to give him everything, but his background caught up with him. He had inherited the addiction gene and was also traumatized by abuse. He didn't have a chance. His anxiety had taken over his life, and he still was fighting so hard.

I looked at Lotti while she dried her tears with her floral napkin. I wanted to tell her that the person she loves the most was alive and quite happy, but I didn't dare. I didn't know how that would affect her, and I didn't want to create fights with either Robin or Eric. It was both their choice, and I wanted to give them both respect.

“Did he take drugs all the time after that?”

Lotti looked up at me again and made a loud exhalation. It probably took all her power to talk about Eric, but she continued anyway.

“No, he had a girlfriend that got him to stop, Felice, but when the relationship started to go south, he also felt a need for drugs. And then… With Simone, everything got so much worse.” I looked at Lotti with big eyes. I could feel a stir of anger in my stomach when I thought about Simone, but also jealousy, it was hard thinking about Eric with another woman.

“She broke his heart. Eric was a sensitive boy—so sensitive, and she didn't take his mental health problems seriously. She didn't understand where his addiction came from, so she broke up with him. The next I hear...” Lotti took a break and swallowed hard. “The next…” She swallowed hard again, but the tears had gathered in her eyes and would spill over even if she did everything in her power not to cry. I took her hand in mine, and she let herself cry silently.

“He had overdosed. Heroine. My boy… My little boy…” she cried. My heart beated hard in my chest, and my throat burned like I had swallowed a match. It was awful that she believed he was dead.

“When was this?” I asked carefully.

“Soon three years ago.”

I nodded slowly. It must have been around the same time she had been through her accident, so it was easy to fool her, but that was also what made it even worse. She had also lost her husband around the same time. Why did they do this to Lotti?

×××

The full moon looked at us while we made out. Big and round, it stared at us just like in my dreams, but this time we weren't alone. We sat outside on a cold autumn night after having danced at The Pulse. Four of his friends sat and looked at us while we made out on a teeter-totter on the playground. We had run around there like two kids while his friends passed around a joint.

I had his bomber jacket on top of my own coat while he just wore an oversized t-shirt with a big picture of Courtney Love in a thin neglige. Even if he had so few clothes on, I put my cold hands on his stomach to touch his skin and muscles.

“He's just skinny!” Shouted Jackie towards us, and both me and Eric looked at him amused. Eric dragged me closer to him so he could stuff his nose in my hair and breathe in, and I dragged my hands to his naked back.

“Should we go home?” He whispered, and I nodded. I wanted him to myself now.

“Do you know she stalked you?” Shouted Jackie just as loudly as he had done before. Eric looked at him with a smirk, like it was a bad joke. I, on the other hand, gave Jackie a worried look and swallowed hard.

“Yeah, she had seen you around and begged me for your address. It wasn't a coincidence you met her outside the store.”

Eric looked at me with a confused smirk. He didn't seem to believe Jackie, and neither would I, if it hadn’t been about me.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. We're going home now,” said Eric, who helped me off the teeter before he stood up himself. While doing that, his sleeve rode up, and I could see the aggressively purple bruise on his upper arm. I saw that Nick looked at it too, but I looked away when he looked at me.

“It's nice seeing you together. Seeing you with a girl. It suits you,” said Nick in a brotherly way, but there was a hint of worry there too. Eric lit up and pulled me close to him. He looked at me with big eyes.

“Yeah. It feels like a dream sometimes.” He didn't let me go with his eyes while his friends started to ‘oh and ah’ and whistle as a joke. Eric smirked at them but then lifted me up easily so I had my legs around his waist.

“Let's go home.”

×××

It was all so good between us, except when his anxiety crept on him in the night, like something heavy lay on his chest, and he couldn't get it away. I could see him touch his neck, like that was the solution. I dragged his hand away and let him lay against my chest and breathe deeply.

“Tell me. What do you think about?”

Eric laid quiet, like he expected the question to disappear if he just ignored it.

“Talk to me, please.”

“I don't know,” he said lowly. “Just shit. Old memories.”

“What kind of memories?” I wanted him to tell me about his childhood with his own words, but he was quiet again.

“It can help to talk about it.”

“I don't know what to say,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. “It's just bullshit things.”

He was just the same as he was when he was four years old. I wondered if he had told anyone what had actually happened to him as a child. I dragged my fingers through his hair until he suddenly talked with a whisper, like he didn't dare to say it out loud.

“It was my own fault... I should have said something, but... I guess I was ashamed."

“You don't need to be ashamed; it wasn't your fault.”

My comment could reveal I knew more than I should, but he didn't say anything about it; he just sighed deeply and laid a hand over his face.

“Eric? You were a child; it's okay to talk about it. You don't have any responsibility for this.”

He nodded a little but didn't remove his hand, so I moved him away from my chest and laid down so our faces were at the same height.

I waited for him to say something, and at last he did.

“I had the best parents... My foster parents. I love…” he swallowed hard and looked down at the sheets. “They were the best, but my biological mother... Eh fuck,” he sat up in bed and laid his hands over his face. I didn't move, hoping he would lay down when he was ready.

“She was just fucked up.” He shrugged his shoulders like that was all.

“Fucked up, how?” I asked and dragged my hand over his naked back. Eric put his hands on his head and dragged them back to his neck in an uncomfortable manner.

“Eh fuck Della, I don't want to talk about this.”

I nodded a little and pulled lightly on his forearm.

“Okay, of course. Come now, baby, let's sleep…”

He laid down on my chest again, and I hugged his head in my arms. I was disappointed he didn't want to tell me, and at the same time, I worried so much about him. It wasn't healthy to carry around such things in his chest without processing them. I also felt the bad conscience grow in my tummy. I knew so much about him but pretended to know nothing so he would tell me more.

Eric fell asleep after having listened to my heart for a couple minutes; he didn't seem to notice it beating harder with anxiety. I was his girlfriend, but the only thing I did was lie. I wanted to be honest; I wanted our relationship to be true, but for that to happen, I needed to tell him I had stalked him, I had fooled his mom and brother, and I had lied to him. He would never forgive me for that.

I pressed my cheek against the top of his head and breathed in his minty shampoo. I tried to calm myself with deep breaths, but my tears slipped down in his black hair and disappeared. I wished it could be as easy for my lies to disappear.

×××

I could see that all of my girlfriends looked at Eric with big eyes, even my sister, Desiree.

We were out dancing at a club, celebrating Halloween, and getting tipsy on tequila shots. Eric was one of the few guys in the club that had some sort of Halloween costume. He had let me do his makeup, and we matched each other, with black tears streaming down our cheeks, and he also had my black lipstick on. He did what he wanted and didn't even think about how people would react.

“I think you need a glass of water!” He said to me over the music and laughed at my disoriented look. “I’ll get one for you!”

Eric stood up and walked away to the bar. He towered over most people, and it made it easy for me to see where he went. I looked at my friends who also looked after him. He wore a dark gray tank top in a loose model that showed off his arms and muscular chest. He paired it with bleached jeans that sat baggy on his long legs.

“He's hot as fuck!” Nessa said to me loudly over the music even if her boyfriend sat next to her. I giggled and laid my head against the couch. I was a bit too drunk, but I had the luxury to know I had a boyfriend who would be able to carry me home.

“He is, but... He looks like a player! Are you sure he is a good guy?” asked Desiree and looked at me seriously.

“He's not a player! I promise. Don't you notice how shy he is?”

Eric had said hello to everyone but kept mostly quiet while we talked. He just nodded a little with a smile when he agreed with something.

“Are you sure he's shy? It can just be a way to win you over,” said Nessa's boyfriend and took a sip of his beer. I gave him an irritated, pointed look.

“You think he has played shy for three months? He's shy! Even if he looks like a bad boy!” I said with a drunken giggle. Desiree shook her head amused and also giggled. We fell quiet when Eric came back, carrying a glass of water for me and a beer for himself. In my toxication, I crawled into his lap with a giggle and kissed his face several times. I was so proud to have such a hot, sweet boyfriend. I could see jealous eyes on us. Eric smirked at me but then pressed his lips against mine.

“What's your training routine?” Paulina's boyfriend asked suddenly. I had seen him looking at Eric a lot, but I hadn't put so much thought into what it meant, but now I knew. I looked at Eric, who played with my short leather skirt with an uncomfortable expression. He was probably not so comfortable answering that because he trained a bit too much. It was sometimes many hours a day.

“No, you don't really know, right? You just work out when you want to,” I said so he wouldn't need to answer the question. He looked at me with big eyes, then smiled.

“Yeah, it's not scheduled, so I don't know,” said he with a shoulder shrug.

×××

We became even more intoxicated, except Eric, who drank as much as the other guys but was completely unfazed. We were outside of the club, ready to go to the next destination, but we needed to wait on Nessa, who puked in an alley with Desiree as help. Paulina and Amanda looked between me and Eric, leaning against the building further away, closer to the alley.

“He's super hot... Isn't that hard? I don't mean this in a bad way, but... He's a really hot guy, while you're more... Cute?” said Amanda.

I scoffed and looked at Eric, who had pulled up his tank top to show his abs for the men around him. It was silly behavior and probably nothing they would have done if they weren't drunk.

“You mean I'm not hot enough for him?”

“I don't mean it like that! Just that you maybe don't match?”

I shook my head in disbelief but also wondered how she would continue the conversation, but instead both of my friends just looked at him when he laughed showing off his abs. I was so proud of him. So, so proud of that amazing human, but now I felt worried and jealous. Because of Demi's reaction to him, I had started to believe I was the only one seeing his beauty, but I was so wrong; even the guys stood and gawked at his body. I had been naive, and now I got worried some other girl was around the corner, prepared to steal my man.

I left Paulina and Amanda without saying anything and walked up to my tall boyfriend. He was the tallest in the group. He was the fittest in the group. The hottest of them too. I wasn't the hottest of my friends; I wasn't even the tallest.

“I'm tired,” I whined and pushed my face against his chest, acting like I was more drunk than I was. Eric looked down at me with a silly smile and put my hair behind my ear with soft fingers.

“Do you want to go home?” He asked and lifted my chin so he could look me in the eyes. I pouted and nodded like a sour five-year-old. He played with my pouting underlip with his thumb in a teasing way and made the same face himself.

“Then we go home, yeah?”

I nodded but lifted my arms, and he lifted me up like it was obvious what I wanted. I could see my girlfriends look at me with some sort of envy. Maybe they just wanted their boyfriends to be more like Eric, or they wanted him. I didn't care, the only thing I knew was that I would never let him go. He was mine.

×××

How we ended up on the floor I couldn't remember. I could only remember what I saw right then and there. Eric had my naked leg in a tight grip, slung over his shoulder, while snapping his hips fast. His girthy cock pushed into me fast and hard and I could hear myself moaning in a pathetic way; sometimes I even mixed in his name, something I've never done with any guy before. When I looked up at him, I could see his dark gaze and open mouth. I could see a sweaty chest and abs and a v-line carved with the sharpest knife. He kissed my calf while slapping his hips against mine. He let me often lay down because I couldn't match his strength and stamina, but he didn't complain; it felt more like he fucked me even harder because he wanted to tease me.

“Can I come inside of you?” He said it between his pants, and I just nodded. He had learned he didn't need to do much to get me to come when he had transformed me into a pile of just lifeless body parts, he just pressed down with two fingers over my clit, like it was a button, and rubbed it a few times, then I came together with him.

×××

I really needed to start to work out again. Even if I hadn't really done any heavy lifting, I had pain in my thighs the next morning. I was happy my parents had been nice and had taken Odin for a night; in exchange, they could meet my boyfriend. I looked at my boyfriend snoring loudly with an open mouth. He always snored loudly when he had been drinking alcohol. Sometimes he even woke me up. I was nervous about bringing him to my parents. I knew he would be the best boy but I didn't know if my parents would be as well behaved. I don’t even think they had seen someone with as many tattoos as Eric. They would probably be uncomfortable but I hoped they at least would be nice.

I laid my nose against his neck even if he was snoring and slung a leg over his hip. I just wanted to be close, and I hoped the sight of my pussy so close to his cock would make him perk up when he was awake. I smirked to myself, lost in filthy thoughts, so I didn't even hear the entrance door open.

If I knew, I would have jumped up and closed the door to the bedroom. If I knew that Robin had taken his own key to surprise me early in the morning, I would have suggested Eric should take a run in my neighborhood. The last thing I would do was lay naked with his brother, who started to get hard in his sleep.

I thought I heard the sound of keys but waved it away as nothing. Instead, I dug down my nose even further down in Eric's neck and let my pussy push against his hardened cock. I knew it was okay I did that; he just likes being woken up with sex.

“What the fuck?” I heard Robin say behind me in such a confused voice that I didn't even recognize his voice. I turned to the door and met his blue eyes that looked at us upset. First I couldn't move, even if he could see so much of our naked bodies, and when I started to realize what was actually happening, I moved away from Eric and covered us both up with covers.

“Oh my god, oh my god... Robin, it wasn't meant…” I whined and put my hands over my face in shame.

“You're fucking with him??” Said Robin, upset and waved with his arms, so he accidentally waved down a vase standing on my vanity table. It was crushed into hundreds of small pieces, but it also crushed Eric's sleep, and he looked up, confused. He sat up, exposing his whole naked torso, and it made Robin look away, like he thought the view was disgusting. Eric looked at Robin in silence than at me in confusion.

“What, what, what is this?” He stuttered. His big green eyes were full of worry but also hurt. He already knew I had done something stupid that would break his trust in just as many pieces as the vase.

#bill skarsgård #bill skarsgard #fan fiction #writing #story #bill skarsgård writing #bill skarsgård fanfiction #fiction #the crow #eric

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max1461 · 2 years

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only tangentially related but sometimes I wonder if survivorship bias makes us view modern art as less than older art, that time and cultural memory acts as a natural bullshit filter, that actually people were just as vapid and pretentious back then, but none of the vapid and pretentious work had enough cultural value stick around to be examined now

I think it's partly this, but it's partly something else.

This is probably gonna piss a lot of people off, but I think in a particular sense, contemporary art is just... straightforwardly more advanced than older art. I know, I know, but hear me out: I don't mean that as a value judgement. What I mean is like...

Ok, take math as an example. Math started out talking about things that everybody's heard of: triangles, circles, whole numbers. But as those concepts were better understood, they got abstracted more and more. Symmetries of shapes where abstracted to symmetry groups, numbers abstracted to rings and fields, eventually it was all abstracted to category theory, and so on. And now if you look at major research topics in modern math, things like e.g. the Langlands program, as a non-expert, it often looks like a bunch of fucking nonsense about bullshit objects that don't have anything to do with the real world! But even though I don't understand the Langlands program itself, I know enough math to understand why all the levels of abstraction that I have understood are meaningful and valuable, and I can see why going even further would be too. And math is useful enough that the results often speak for themselves.

So I think contemporary art is much like this. If you read contemporary art theory, you will immediately see that it is all very meta. Art used to be made about very concrete things—people and nice looking vistas and so on—that anyone could understand. And then theorists came along and built up frameworks for thinking about art, because they wanted to understand why that art worked, why it was powerful and emotive. And then new, avant-garde artist came along and made art about the frameworks, pushing at their edge-cases or exploring their unintuitive implications. And then new frameworks were built up to understand that art, rinse and repeat. This account is, as I understand it, a little bit ahistorical—the building and the pushing of frameworks was often simultaneous and often not clearly articulated. Although, frankly, the same could be said for the history of math. But in retrospect I think a pretty undeniable picture emerges.

So, to put it bluntly, I think one of the reasons so much contemporary art looks vapid is that it isn't for you. It's about things you've never heard of, in the same way that category theory is about spaces and morphisms, and explaining that to someone who's never heard of groups or topological spaces is basically impossible. And I think there are some differences—art is obviously, you know, totally vibes based in a way that math isn't. If a big wire sculpture with styrofoam cups on it or whatever doesn't speak to you then it doesn't speak to you, no one can defend it on "objective" grounds. And art isn't useful in the way that math is, so it doesn't demonstrate its validity to people who don't get it in any way. But what I wish people understood is that there are people, who know a bunch of art theory and art history, who that wire sculpture with styrofoam cups on it does speak to. It makes them go "oh, I love how it plays off of X and contrasts with Y" etc. etc. And that isn't going to happen for you because, like, you don't know what X or Y even are! But that doesn't make it valueless, it just makes it insular. Which, you know, contemporary art really is! I think there are a lot of contemporary artists who claim to not be doing what I just described, who claim to be making art "for everybody", but I think if you read their artist statements and stuff it often becomes pretty clear that this is not the case. And this is a valid criticism of contemporary art! But "vapid" is mostly not.

Pretentious, definitely. It's pretentious as fuck.

#anon #navel gazing

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yersina · 1 year

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a linguist* plays chants of sennaar (pt 1)

*i studied linguistics for four years and concurrently did three years of sociolinguistics research, but i'm not currently employed in a linguistics-related field.

[pt 2] [pt 3] [pt 4] [pt 5]

thought i'd have some fun breaking down the languages in cos and stretch my rarely used linguistics muscles in the process! disclaimer: can't promise that i'll have any insights that a layperson wouldn't have, this is kinda just me thinking through the grammar of the language out loud haha.

this post covers the first language and will contain spoilers! it also assumes that you know what each of the symbols means already.

so the three glyphs from the devotee's language that you get introduced to right off the bat already tells me a lot: it's a pictographic logography (real life example: chinese characters), which is probably a good place to start for people who are new to language deciphering (also, none of these languages are spoken so an alphabet would be pointless lol). a logography is a writing system that represents whole words/concepts with a single character, as opposed to representing the sounds that the words make (like alphabets or syllabaries). i haven't completely finished the game yet (most of the way through the fourth language), but i'm p sure 1) all of the languages are logographies and 2) the devotee's language is the most true-to-life with its pictograms.

with these three words we can also begin to establish a pattern--verbs most likely have a line on the bottom, which holds true for the rest of the characters. i think the only exception to this rule is the character for "greeting", which is also used as the verb "salute" later in the game (an interesting choice (considering etymologies for greetings in irl languages), but it makes sense when your language is only 40 words lol). other patterns include the curved line for tools, the semi-open box for structures/locations, and the half-circle with the line for things relating to sight (which amusingly is also the overall game symbol for examining something). (not gonna include things like "man" and "music" and "plant" in this list cause they're defined in game.) i do think it's kind of fun that they introduced "i/me" and "you" before they introduced "man"—it validates that you'll find patterns haha.

(while writing the prev paragraph, it finally hit me that the symbol for "key" is open-tool. isn't that cool!)

i did notice at one point in the game that there was a devotee word that was cut off in one of the stone carvings that looked like it might have been the equivalent for "fortress"--it was the room radical with the two opposing arrows from the word for "warrior". although it's not validated by the game's automatic translation function, it does seem to be evidence that the language elements are fairly flexible and recombinable!

this language is SVO (subject verb object), like english, which again is a choice that makes sense in terms of easing people in. it uses reduplication with nouns to indicate plurality, which as far as i can tell is unique amongst the languages in this game. there's no tense markers, which is common to all the languages in this game (again, as far as i can tell without having encountered the last language yet). given how simple the languages in the game need to be, i'm not surprised that there aren't really auxiliary verbs or indications of infinitives either.

questions that still remain unanswered: - "dead/death", "seek", and "find" all have dots that don't show up in the other characters. not sure why that's the case. could be a representation of something metaphysical? - the character for "go/pass" has a "room" radical on the right side and something else on the left side. wonder if that was intentional

#sina rambles #sina plays chants of sennaar #chants of sennaar #linguistics #language

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icypenguin · 2 months

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could I request a Tyler x reader who works out, is a track (+maybe basketball) athlete and just in general really toned? Like she seems kind of nerdy and stuff to most people but she’s actually really strong and all? Please 🫶🏽 no rush!

ᯓᡣ𐭩 running to your heart ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ

hiiiii! i tottaly love the ideaaaa and the fact that tyler loved baseball has its chemistry muahahahhaa but anyway, i’m a bit ignoring the whole phantom situation whoops but be fr noone wants that anyway right? and lucky for you i have two prompts for this and couldn’t pick one!..

cw: sweating, mention of kissing, a bit sexist i guess?

prompt 1: reader does track!!! btw guys i don’t know much about track and i’m a bit lazy to do research so i’m sorry if there’s anything wrong T-T

it was your usualy routine to practice for another track tournament next week. often, it was quiet, not even a single human being was there. and you enjoyed it, it’s nice to just focus on your practice and to not bother anyone. or so you thought

as you pulled out your bottle from your bag, you steadied your breathing to a normal tone. ofcourse, doing so, you looked around to predict the time as it is getting darker, when you noticed a boy (just your age) jogging laps through the track.

tt was… suprising yes. but it’s not like this place is yours afterall. just.. a bit embarrassed that the boy was probably watching you (NOT IN A WEIRD WAY OKAY) and it was only you two at the track. now, it was a bit awkward to continue running, but you tried to not mind him and actually use him as an opponent for your practice.

the next day, you were practicing for your competition again when suddenly, he was there first. now, you thought that he would come rarely but i guess now it’s also his daily to come here? for some reason, this second encounter, knowing he’s going to go here daily, pushes the feeling of wanting to get to know eachother. as far as you admired him, he looks like a pretty focused guy, you might not want to interrupt him…

third day you’ve been practicing with him without concious. the eagerness of wanting to know him or atleast know his name soon gets you.

fourth day and he brought someone.. who seems to be like this sister.

fifth day, you were going to take a break when he was already taking one. but, he didn’t seem to be drinking or gaining energy from anything except to just calm his breathing. knowing that he must be tired, it was your time to finally get to know him.

going closer to him on the seat, and handed the water bottle out for his reach “hey uhh.. do you need some water? i brought two…” you asked nervously, hoping for him to take the water so there wouldn’t be any awkward tension. “uh.. thanks i guess” he accepted the water and chugged it down. huh, he really needed it

not wanting to awkwardly stand there, you sat next to him and drank your water, finishing whenever he does. “uh.. i’ve noticed you practicing here before.. do you do track too?” you asked, trying to sound calm and relaxed even though nervous sweat was dripping from your neck. with the cold eye contact, somehow, the more you’re focused, the more charming he gets.

“um no.. just practicing for baseball ‘n stuffs” he answered back, trying to sound polite.

you were a bit confused since why would someone practice baseball on a track field? oh. oh yeah, they have to run to the thing blablabla

“oh cool, i’ve never met someone who can play baseball” you tried to lighten up the talk to ignore the sharp gaze upon you.

“um yeah..” not normally socializing with people, especially someone random who just gave you a spare water and is now asking stuffs, he was rather stiff about chit-chats. and you, disappointed by the dry answer, decided to just end the conversation.

“alright then, i guess i better get back to practice..” but before you leave “i’m y/n by the way, incase we ever meet again which i doubt we won’t” you joked a little, adding an extra chuckle at the end.

he, who was still processing everything, answered awkwardly “tyler, tyler hernandez”

“pleasure to meet you, tyler” you gave him a smile before walking back to the field and start focusing again. somehow, just as you tried to focus back, your mind keeps on sliding to him, even catching yourself stealing glances at him.

sooner or later, you both always practiced together and it almost started as a routine. even though you both barely interact, it still feels like you’re interacting somehow.

the day of your race has has arrived. suprisingly, when you went to the arena, he was there too. he was standing at the corner with his baseball members. you didn’t know this match would have a mix of other sports too. in some way, you felt a bit embarrassed since he’s probably going to watch you- okay- nevermind. you’re acting silly and he’s definitely not going to look at you like pfft- there’s other girls.. right?

well- anyway. at the end of the game, you both won each categories. sucking in all your guts and fear, you tapped his shoulder and congratulate him.

“congrats! guess your practice finally pays it, huh?” you placed your hands on your hips while giving a big smile and trying to look casual.

“thanks.. congrats to you too. it’s visible you’ve been trying hard” he congratulated you back and it’s back again to an awkward silence.

“thankyou.. well- alright then. you go and have some fun with your team” you bid him goodbye with a smile plastered on your face. but is it the smile of feeling to be a winner or the smile when you’ve successfully made a comversation with your crush?

- after that moment, you both still come to the track field where you practiced and indirectly practice together. you started warming up with eachother and from small conversations to conversations that you’d be having with your bestfriend.

- we can say you have a lot in common. one of the things are working out. you sometimes go to the gym with him, but you both prefer to be outside in the fresh air.

- since you both like to practice in the evening which means near sunset, you like to hang out somewhere after practice on an open space to watch the sunset.

- your status wasn’t clear. you two were close, close enough to be a couple, yet denies and go with the “close friend” trope.

- but one day, on a big day, a big competition for you, you won first place which was very shocking since it was international and you were expecting the least. but what you most didn’t expect is to earn a kiss from tyler himself. it was a bit sudden but definitely better than that gold medal you’ve earned. and there, he proposed of being girlfriend and boyfriend. what answer is there other than yes?

Prompt 2: i’m changing basketball into baseball sorry :( i couldn’t rlly think of anything with basketball so intead of writing trash i decided that this is better instead (?) so um yeah and tyler is the baseball captain here :p also i don’t know much about baseball ut all i know is you hit the ball and blablabla

it’s unusual and rare for a girl to join a baseball after-school class when it’s full of boys. though, rather than being a pickme and a burden to the team, the members find you really well-toned and strong, even not that bad at all as a baseball player.

they somehow usually pick her as a nerd, but this? it’s somehow impressing. all were grateful and chreeful that you’re part of them now.. all of them except tyler ofcourse.

“goodgame everyone, see you all tomorrow” the coach said as everyone started to pack their things. you were stuffing ur bag with ur shirt while getting your phone out. everyone was starting to exit the field to get picked up or either walk home. you were about to do that too, until you felt a tap on your shoulder.

“huh?” looking back towards who tapped you, tyler hernandez was standing behind with a somehow grumpy-like resting face.

“try not to try too hard mixing in with us, plus you need to hit the ball harder” he said with a monotone tone, not even bothering to introduce himself or even excuse himself.

“um… okay? sorry i guess?” you were a bit confused like.. what’s even the point??? and the fact that he just left after hearing your answer makes it seem to be more perplexed.

The next few days, you were getting more praised and soon became popular amongst the other baseball player; you were welcomed with warm open arms to the team. though, in the distance, someone seems to be sulking and frowning all day long.

“don’t try too hard to take the role as a captain leader, you're still a noobie” tyler suddenly spat his words before he left the building. it was normal for him to act rude and stuffs over to you after game, which you found a bit normal since you just joined and being a girl doesn’t help it.. but this time, you wanted to fight back.

“dude what’s your problem? just tell me or something???” he stopped his tracks and looked back.

“what’s MY problem? pft nothing, definitely nothing when someone has stolen my spot” he scoffed and turned around again. that’s when you realized that he may be true. i mean, he’s the captain but all what the members have been listening to is you.

“hey, i’m sorry, okay? i just.. i didn’t ask for it either.. i just wanted to play normal in the team…” you stopped for a bit before getting closer, clutching your bag strap as well as fidgeting with it. “but honestly.. i don’t think i would be able to beat you, you know? you’re a good captain and the team must be glad to have you as a captain.. they’re just.. giving me attentions since i’m a girl and stuff” you looked at him and gave him a smile to assure your words.

it was not normal for someone not close to him say that. it was a bit unbelievable but somehow, his could feel his heart warming by the words and your smile in addition.

you both just stood there in a somehow comfy silence.. until he broke it.

“um.. thanks, i didn’t know that” you both made eye contact for a bit.

suddenly, you got an idea. “hey um.. can you maybe teach me how to do that trick you did earlier? it’s really cool and i’ve never seen anyone do that before” you secretly let out a relieved breathe from saying that out loud.

“huh? really?” he couldn’t believe you really asked him, it felt unreal. “i mean- only if you keep it a secret and not tell anyone” he added “don’t want anyone to know my secret… just wanna show you ‘cause you’re a noobie” he excused, trying to not take it as something else but just a mere practice with a friend.

chuckling at it, you nodded your head and responded “ofcourse! why would i ever tell anyone else anyway?”

and soon from that time, you became closer.

- after finally teaching you that trick, you both started sharing tricks and hacks to eachother and giving tips too!!! practicing together are always.

- one day, it was raining and only he who bought an umbrella. ofcourse he accompanied you home. you both walked under the rain while sharing stories to eachother. after that incident, he sometimes walk you home again and again, sometimes stopping to get a scoop of icecream.

- after a big game of baseball late at night, you all had a small party afterwards, but you and tyler decided to go to a more secluded place and enjoy the feeling of winners. that’s when you confessed first (since he was a coward).

- then you became boyfriend and girlfriend!!! his mom and sister are very proud he chose you, you all get along really well.

- on his birthday, the gang (ashlyn, ben, aiden, taylor, logan) and you were chilling at the bus graveyard while singing happybirthday and giving gifts to the birthday boy. that’s when you gave him his first kiss as a gift. and, oh boy, someone should’ve brought a tomato so we can play spot the difference.

#tyler hernandez x reader #tyler x reader #tyler hernandez #tyler sbg #sbg x reader

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ryan-sometimes · 5 months

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hi! you're the only biochemist i know so i have to ask this

my aunt recently got really into this holistic-sounding thing called healing immunity by transfer factors, tied to a very fishy company, 4life. in my understanding, they're preying on the lack of scientific proof that something /doesnt/ work to convince people that it /does/, based on reports of 'clients' that miraculously healed from various conditions from minor allergies to literally cancer, as well as preventing/curing >autism< 💀 problem is, she totally believes this bulshit and is giving them tons of money and trying to get the whole family to try it too

as a biochemist, I was wondering if you ever stumbled across transfer factors, know about any recent research on this field, or know the scientific explanation for why this is a load of baloney

thank you!

I’m familiar with transfer factors. A transfer factor is a chemical compound (often a protein) that is taken from an organism after it develops immunity against a disease. It’s part of immune cell signaling- it’s how your immune cells talk to each other.

But that’s the issue with pseudoscience. Oftentimes, they take something that has a small fraction of truth to it and then completely invent the rest.

Here’s the rest: transfer factors are often incredibly specific. So specific, in fact, that just two strains of the exact same bacteria could lead to two completely different factors being generated in response to them. Also, two different people infected by the exact same illness could generate different antibodies/transfer factors in response. Your immune system is as unique as your fingerprints.

Even if you took the antibodies/transfer factors from one person immune to a disease and injected them into someone currently afflicted by the disease, there’s no guarantee that it’ll make them immune as well. Cell signaling compounds are essentially words in the language your body uses to communicate with itself- and who knows if other people’s cells speak the same language?

For all you know, that transfer factor is telling your body something it might misunderstand completely. What if it “mishears” what that factor is trying to say? You could trigger an unwanted immune response! And that could potentially be even worse than just developing immunity naturally through exposure.

The field of transfer factors is still rudimentary- all of the real (actually scientific) research on injecting people with transfer factors to boost immunity is still very much in its experimental phase. Any company alleging to sell transfer factors to boost immunity is scamming you. Not even real medical companies are doing that yet, and if they could, they would. You know how money hungry pharmaceutical companies are.

Here’s one thing that’s certain: transfer factors cannot cure non immunity/infection related issues. Autism isn’t caused by a pathogen, how can your body develop an immune response to it when there’s nothing to fight? And regarding cancer, there’s already an existing field to treat cancer using your immune system: it’s called immunotherapy. And that will be given to you by a doctor, not some random company trying to sell glorified supplements. And for allergies? Get some antihistamines and an EpiPen.

The best way to boost your immune system is already available: vaccines. Vaccines prompt your body to make ITS OWN transfer factors and antibodies, which guarantees your cells will understand what those factors mean. And the transfer factors your body makes for itself will always be safer and more effective.

Real science beats pseudoscience.

#I love it when you guys ask me scientific questions please ask me more of them #long post #biochemistry #pseudoscience #science #biology

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twisted-wonderland-shenanigans · 1 year

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Okay, either the scientist knew she was preggo or they just thought she was going through hormonal changes or whatever, there is NO WAY CROWLEY DOESNT KNOW THE HUMAN IS PREGGO.

Also, how much should I bet that Cater is just going to keep the whole world updated with every single DETAIL.

Oh, Lilia is going to have a FIELD DAY WHEN THE BABY IS BORN, same for Trein, he’s probably going to love it.

Referring to this fic snippet here:

Okay, to be fair, I forgot to mention that the events take place shortly after Yuu's arrival. Probably between chapter 2 and 3 given the timeline we have, which puts it at about...two, three weeks after the prologue and shortly after Riddle and Leona overblot.

As for the scientists/researchers, while logically speaking they would immediately jump at the chance to come to the island to start their studies, they first had to make sure these pictures circulating on Cater’s Magicam posts were legit first. Once it is established through a video or two that was posted, that's when they reach out to Crowley to make the arrangements!

And they actually arrive a week after the pregnancy announcement, so you can bet that they are very eager to get some studying done as quick as possible! 😂

As for the staff not realizing that fem!Yuu is pregnant, they are aware of what a pregnant monster's scent is like for sure. But because there hadn't been a human in centuries, even if Crowley was old enough to have been around humans, it's not like he remembers the scent off the top of his head! The staff would all essentially be like those confused cats and dogs trying to figure out what this strange bump is and why their human smells funny before instinctively feeling protective.

Can you just imagine Crowley building a nest for Yuu without realizing just *why* he was doing it in the first place? Or the blank stare he'd give the moment someone asked him like, "...why am I doing this??" and it only becomes clear shortly after the announcement, in which he tries to pretend he knew all along 😂

I'm also reminded of this one post where OP's cat had had multiple litters in the past and was so excited when OP got pregnant that the kitty kept trying to show her to the nest she made for OP's "kitten", and it was the sweetest thing I'd ever read 🥹

Anyway, you can bet your bottom madol that Cater will absolutely be keeping EVERYONE updated on Magicam throughout the whole process, and he is getting flooded with baby picture requests 🤣 It's also sweet how mothers come across the posts and try to offer advice that they'd learned on raising their kids, which is nice, though not all of the advice would really be practical based on species 😅 But at least they're sweet enough to offer that and words of encouragement! I can even see some inviting Yuu to a mother's support group meeting ;;v;;

You can also bet that Yuu will be receiving a lot of baby shower gifts and such from Cater’s followers. At least they don't have to worry about needing to buy diapers for a while! 🤣

Ooooooh yes, Lilia is going to be ecstatic to be able to hold and care for a baby again! He will offer to help watch over the little one (hadn't decided on a gender or name yet for the new baby) so Yuu can take a break, though don't worry about him trying to feed the baby his cooking. He learned and knows that milk is important for the baby, so he makes sure to have the bottles readily available even at Diasomnia~ (though Silver and the others make sure to keep an eye on him when it comes to feeding time just to be on the safe side)

Trein has already raised two daughters, and while he may not be interested in raising another, that's not to say he won't wind up spoiling the little human baby like any grandparent would! He'll also offer a shoulder for fem!Yuu to lean on and reassure her that she's doing a great job as a mother ;;v;;

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland monster au #twst monster au #faun speaks #fem!yuu

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sapphire-weapon · 7 months

Text

So. Here's my thing.

In OG, Cloud couldn't have killed Sephiroth without Rufus. Rufus's call to move the cannon from Junon to Midgar -- as well as his relentless fight against Sephiroth and the Weapons -- resulted in the destruction of the barrier around the North Crater.

And in Advent Children, even though there is no more Shinra, Rufus still has the Turks recover Jenova's head -- which Rufus himself keeps safe on his person, until he personally destroys it.

In the novella The Kids Are Alright (written by Kazushige Nojima, who's writing the remake series), Rufus says:

"My father [...] invested most of [the immense fortune and power he'd gained] into new fields – on a massive scale, and without ethics. And one of those was the research of, and experimentation on, Jenova. Eventually this gave birth to a monster named Sephiroth. [...] My father took his leave from this stage early on, abandoning those of us left behind to suffer the nightmares in his wake. I am not my father. I will bring it to an end, once and for all."

Rufus is a real threat to Sephiroth.

That's why, at the end of Remake, the Whispers make it a point to draw Rufus's attention to the highway so that he can see the bullshittery going on around Sephiroth so that he focuses on that instead of getting lost in the political sauce.

And so when Rufus says during the ending of Rebirth: "I'm onto you. This war's nothing but a ploy to distract me from Sephiroth." and Sephiroth cops to it, this is an acknowledgement of that threat.

So, like. Rufus's motivations are not unclear to me. He used the name Sarruf, funded the Wutai resistance in order to depose his father, and then, once he was in office, saw the existential threat that Sephiroth posed and shifted his attention to that -- partially because he feels a responsibility to as the president of the fucking world, and partially just as a "fuck you" to his dad.

So why not just kill him? Why distract him with a war when you could just fucking kill him?

It made sense why Kadaj never killed Rufus in AC -- he wanted Jenova's head, and Rufus was the only one who knew where it was, so Kadaj couldn't just kill him outright.

But that's not an issue here. So why doesn't Sephiroth just kill him?

This is where the whole "multiverse" meta aspect of the plot completely fucking breaks down, because like -- it's framed, during that ending scene, that Sephiroth is keeping Rufus alive because he believes that Rufus will actually lead him to the promised land, but like

Not only is that weird because, in OG, it's the other way around, and Rufus follows Sephiroth thinking that he'll lead him to the promised land -- but it's weird because Sephiroth's clearly been peeking at the OG script, and he follows Aeris through realities and tells her to accept her fate because he knows she has to die because that's what the OG script says, but like

In that case, wouldn't he also know that the promised land doesn't really exist and/or is either the North Crater or Midgar it's not really clear?

And how the fuck is a war with Wutai going to allow Rufus to stumble on the promised land? He'll be busy fighting a war.

And how the fuck is he going to fight that war in the first place?! HE'S THE HEAD OF THE ARMY OF BOTH SIDES

AND SEPHIROTH KNOWS THIS

Like, I don't understand Sephiroth's motivations here at all. They don't make any fucking sense when you actually sit down and think about them a little bit (as opposed to not at all).

Is he trolling? Is that it? Is Sephiroth just being a big old fucking troll? Doing it for the lulz? Got a nice taste of Rufus's despair when he got infected with Geostigma and was like "mmm delicious daddy issues I wanna go back in time and taste that again"???

It's very stupid. It's very dumb.

#ff7 rebirth #final fantasy vii #rufus shinra #sephiroth #rebirth spoilers

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oasiswithmyg · 7 months

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Aranahe

So’lek x Sarentu!Reader

Summary for this part: Etuwa, the tsahik of the Aranahe clan has invited you to her Hometree. You are determined to convince her father, the olo’eyktan, Ka’nat, to join the Resistance to fight against the RDA. But it seems to be a tough hill to climb. No worries, it seems you have gained a teacher for hunting.

Word count: 5K

A/N: I'm really sorry it took so long to post this part, I was sick for a week and half where I couldn't even get out of bed and go to work. Then when I finally got back to working, I got a big project to handle. I thought of posting this over the weekend. But I'll need to rest for a bit as my doctor told me, so I'll try my best to work on the next part as well!

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Although you were excited that Etuwa asked you to come by her Hometree, you felt the need to recharge yourself and head out with proper equipment and restock on your supplies. You decide the best thing to do is to head back to the base for now and possibly leave in a day or two for the Aranahe clan.

You also want to check up on the rest of the team and see how they're doing and reassure Priya, who has been contacting you through your radio, that you are indeed fine, albeit with a few bruises here and there, nothing much to worry about compared to the Resistance members that were hurt during the attack at the research field lab.

You can finally see the familiar sight of the base in the distance as you travel back, a sigh of relief escaping you, although the base is a bit cramped for Na’vis, it has become a safe haven to you throughout these times. However, you do not want to think about the other reason or Na’vi in this case of why you find the base calming. You sigh again, these thoughts about So’lek consuming you out of nowhere. You wonder if these thoughts about him are because he is a new member to your band of Na’vi, those who you have known your whole life or is this feeling and thoughts something more that you cannot describe.

You’re brought out of your thoughts when you hear the airlock door open with a hiss and head inside the base after waiting for the second door to open as well. Your head turns to look around for the bubbly human you have come to adore. You notice that a certain Na’vi is missing. So’lek must be finishing up some loose ends and is probably the reason why he’s not back yet.

You finally hear her voice near the comms as she seems to be explaining something excitedly to Anqa again, who looks to be back from her mission out in the field labs. Her hands move animatedly as she explains and she must see you in the corner of her eyes because the next thing you hear from her is, “Y/N!”.

You grin as you head over to Priya, smiling at Anqa as well, who smiles back at you and claims she has some work and heads out. You turn to look at Priya who seems to have a suspicious wide grin, as if she’s being mischievous and hiding something. You look at her curiously before deciding to ignore it for now. “Hi Priya, I got rid of the bad guys just like I said I would”. You state proudly.

“Thank you so much Y/N! Honestly I was worried that we wouldn’t get there in time but you really did save them, Alma and So’lek told me you fought really hard and amazingly!” priya tells you as you bend down to speak to her at equal eye level. You smile, feeling happy that Alma and especially So’lek were praising you for the job you did. However, before you could get any word in, Priya gasps, “Wait! I wanted to ask, are you hurt anywhere ? Do you need me anything to help you ? I see you have bruises, Oh god I’m gonna tell the medic team, you should really rest up !”

You stare at her in surprise, not sure what to say about all that but you know that you have to stop her from worrying again. You place a hand on her shoulder smiling gently, explaining to her in a calm manner, “I’m alright Priya, I promise. I made sure to take a Dapophet plant after the fight and don’t worry I will rest up.” You giggle at the relief in her face and continue, your heart warm from a human caring about you. You were always treated like freaks at TAP, “Thank you for worrying about me Priya, you are a really good friend”.

Priya grins at that, however it seems to be that mischievous grin again and lets out a secret that was supposed to be kept a secret, but Priya decided that playing matchmaker might be fun, “So’lek sounded really worried about you know? He radioed me and basically asked me to check up on you which I was already gonna do because we’re friends and that’s what friends do, but that’s like the first time he’s asked something like that, like ever! I also tried to ask him what’s going on-”. You don’t seem to hear the last of her sentence because you feel like your heart wants to jump out of your chest with how much it’s beating, your cheeks heat up again for honestly the nth time, So’lek being the main cause of all this.

To hear that he was worried for you and asked about you to Priya, who says that this kind of thing is a first for him? Your thoughts about him were already jumbled and yet here he does again with him not even being present! So’lek’s words were repeating in your head and even Priya can notice for the first time that you’re not listening to her and she just giggles feeling like she completed an important mission. If she thinks this is going the way it’s going, then she hopes that she can be the first one to say to So’lek something like I told you so.

“I think I will rest Priya, I will head out to the Aranhe clan in a day or two. Irayo (Thanks) for checking on me”, You say to her before you head out of the base, Priya waves a bye at you in response with a knowing smile and goes back to her work. You decide to head to the campfire under one of the base tunnels, where you figure that it would be a good place to rest up and you were also hoping to avoid So’lek as well, just so that you can clear your head for a bit.

As you rush out of the base to head to the campfire underneath it, your mind is swirling with thoughts on what Priya said again, sighing, you decide to remove your gear and eat a Rich Meat Roast. After all the fighting you definitely feel famished and exhausted. Maybe tomorrow you can talk with Nor again and see how he feels. You also feel like you need to talk to Teylan, you haven’t spoken to him much once you reached the base, maybe you can ask him some questions on tech the humans use, he usually gets so excited about them even though you much prefer the NA’vi way. Though some of the human contraptions do have their benefits

Although Teylan is not your brother by blood, you worry so much over him, not only with his fascination with human tech but also over the radio that Mercer gave to him. It seems that no matter what, Mercer would have some control over that boy, your little brother. You wish you could purge his mind about any fears of Pandora, of being a Na’vi. Maybe one day you and So’lek can talk with him

There you go again thinking about him, you sigh and just lay down, forcing your mind to just empty and sleep. You try to remember your sister humming the song of your people and it seems sleep comes to you at that moment, with one thought left before you do.

‘You would have loved Pandora Aha’ri’

It’s been two days, you have finally rested and restocked all the materials you would need on your journey to the Aranahe clan. You feel nervous, you are so used to the Humans and So’lek at the resistance, that meeting Na’vi out in Pandora was something else. But it also lit a fire of excitement and determination in you, you hope to get them on your side in fighting the RDA for Pandora.

You gave farewell to your friends at the base and set out. It took you awhile to get there on foot, but you managed to get there without encountering much predators. As you were passing by you noticed, 3 Na’vi crouched and talking to each other, they looked at you in shock and started whispering furiously

“Is that…That looks like a Sarentu?”

“A Sarentu? The lost clan?”

“Look at the mark!”

“It must be something else. The Sarentu are long gone.”

“Ka’nat will want to know about this’

“Let them pass. Hometree’s scouts will see them soon enough.”

You hurry along, not sure what to feel from the encounter. It seems the shock of meeting a Sarentu might be the highlight of many of the Na’vi people. You can only hope that it is with Joy that your clan has been back to the people. You finally reach what seems like the entrance to the Aranhe Hometree, there are three important looking Na’vi who look to be in a deep discussion. As you approach them closer, someone shouts from above.

“You! Stranger!” A Na’vi male comes flying down from an Ikra and lands while holding a bow aimed at you, he’s agitated as he continues talking, “I’ve not seen your kind before. What clan are you?”. One of the other female Na’vi who was having a discussion also aimed a bow at you, seeming to reply to the cautious Na’vi, “They look odd”.

Well that’s just rude.

You decide to calm them by raising your hands in a surrender manner and explain the situation as the other two who were in the back walked closer to you, “Etuwa invited me here…to see her father.” The very important and regal Na’vi comes even closer to you, his features seeming similar to Etuwa. “What’s that on your face?” one of the Na’vi aiming an arrow at your face asked you. The Na'vi, who you think might be Etuwa’s father, makes the Na’vis point their bow at you to lower their guard with a shout, “It’s the mark of a Sarentu!”

He comes even closer, slowly circling your body, his gaze looking up and down at your form with slight disdain, “and yet, the Sarentu we once knew did not defy Eywa with scraps from the Sky people”.

Ok you get his hate but this is just plain rude, It was honestly most of what you had during your time a tap and it helped you in battles. “It’s all I know.”. You wish that it was different, that you grew up with more of the Sarentu Na’vi in you, “They stole us when we were children.”

The Na’vi seem to agree with your statement with his own, “They have stolen many things. You were gone a long time. And you are young. Has your spirit been molded by the Sky people? Or do you remember the ways of your clan?” You are thankful that Nor isn’t there to hear this, because it made even you, feel doubtful of your connection to your people. Why did it hurt so much to hear such questions you did not know?

The other older female Na’vi, who has a yellow chest guard around her shoulders, looks like she’s had enough with the conversation, making hand motions of lowering and making a dismissing face to the guarded Na’vi, “Shoo, put that away”

She comes closer to you holding you by the shoulders, curiously gazing deep into your eyes, “Hmm. Sharp eyes. A Sarentu’s gaze. But yours is heavy” Her voice is gentle as she notices. She must see the pain in your eyes from the years stolen. She points to the Hometree as she holds you gently, “I am Nefika, let Hometree be a refuge from your burdens. We will put some color in your cheeks. Or clothes, at the very least.” she jokes in her last statement, making you feel lighter, you definitely like her a lot already. You can see through the corner of your eye that Ka’nat who you have determined, is still circling you.

Nefika continues as she holds your hands gently, “You will pick up the threads of your people here. Oh,How I miss their stories.” As if struck by some nostalgia, she places her hand on Ka’nat, looking at him, remembering her past with the Sarentu, She looks back at you, “They loved our Silk Harvest. The sweet smell of dye, ma’ yawntu! (loved one)”

She goes quiet for a moment, thinking something over before deciding on it, she addresses the other Na’vi, “Ka’nat, let me take the Sarentu. The poor child knows nothing of our ways”.

Ka’nat looks you over again, as if deciding whether or not you are a threat to the Aranahe clan. He makes up his mind, “Go. we will speak more when you are settled.”

Nefika, The kind older Na’vi who was speaking gently to you, beckons you over to the Hometree with a smile, while the Na’vi that were cautious, lower their guards with a smile and let you in.

“I really must speak more with Etuwa’s father. About the Resistance.” you rush to get the words out, already feeling restless, like you should be doing something more about the situation at hand.

“Later, ma’yawntu. He is our olo’eyktan, our clan’s leader. Let us clean up a bit first. You would frighten the hide off an Angtsik looking like that.” She speaks and laughs in a jovial manner. You like her nature a lot, her words making your body relax as you both walk through the Hometree. She continues, “Besides, I would not mention those Sky people if I were you. They are nothing but trouble, and Ka’nat does not like trouble.” You finally reach the main gathering area of the Hometree, making you look at it in awe, curiously looking over the intricate weaving done in the interior and the Na’vi gathered in the area.

You focus back to the conversation with Nefika as she addresses you while guiding you through, “Let me show you off a bit instead, hmm? Will you allow me that? It has been an age since we had a Sarentu around here. Your people certainly made life more interesting”. Her voice then lowers in wonder as she recalls an old tale, “One time, they told us a tale about the rare mating rituals of the giant Zakru. Apparently, it can take days!” her tone joking as she laughs which makes you laugh as well, the tales of your people are not only informative but hilarious as well.

As she leads you through the area many Na’vi stand up in wonder looking at you, You smile shyly and nod at them in acknowledgement, not used to the wonder and awe in anyone’s gazes. You also look over at the beautiful colors that fill their home, maybe one day you can fill your own home with it too. Maybe with Na’vi at the Resistance base. You stopped and shocked your head, ridding of the thoughts making sure they do not fill your brain, before continuing on with Nefika.

“There will be more time to listen to their tales later. Our great tree has many stories, lived many lives, hosted your ancestors as our guests before you. And there was not one Sarentu who could not resist how our dyes dance.” she laughs, beckoning you over to a younger female Na’vi, “Come, see my weavers.”

There she introduces you to Koranu, who showcases you the latest silk, though Nefika informs you that it was not strongest as it once was due to the Kinglor’s flowers being closed, but that it was still stronger than Zakeru wool even with the Zeswa clan loving to brag. It seems Koranu will be the Na’vi you go to for any weavings that need to be done.

Koranu felt relieved to have something to do other than the thing she was working on, it seemed that it was causing her a bit of stress. She was nice, you felt that she would provide the things you needed.

Nefika is delighted by the talks of the beauty of weaving, her tone appreciative, calling it a work of art. She leads you to a place that looks like the cooking area, she calls out to her friend Relun excitedly. They both seem to have a friendly banter with each other, with Nefika having her heart set on the ways of the silk and dye, while Relun says that the heart of Aranahe is taste. You giggle at their back and forth of teasing. You let Relun know that you’ll visit more to try his cooking, Relun seems happy about that.

Nefika takes you to meet one more Na’vi, who looks stern but her gaze kind, just hardened from the war perhaps, Kitangi. Nefika, talks about the grace that the Sarentu had possessed as they definitely knew how to dress. She wanted you to wear the weavings of the Aranahe, as they are strengthened with Sturmbeasts hide, that even if you are caught, she said jokingly that you would be hard to swallow.

Kitangi looks at you as if you were a baby that did not know anything, asking if you could even track and whatnot, not liking the answer you had given, asking if your ‘okay’ was enough for you. Nefika looks at Kitangi, bringing up a Na’vi’s name you do not know. “Eetu is on a hunt. I’m sure he will make a fine guide”.

Kitangi laughs at that, looking at you as if giving you a challenge, It makes you wanna prove yourself, “Indeed, if you can find him. There is a hunting camp near the water. Eetu will be there. But do not upset his hunt! He will not thank you for that”.

Nefika looks at you, her gaze gentle and teasing, shooing you on, “Go on, ma’yawntu. A respectful hunt will show Ka’nat you remember the ways of The People.” You nod at her and head back to the gathering area of the Hometree to get your thoughts in order. There was so much you learned by just meeting so many Na’vi, you can only hope to learn much more. Maybe this Eetu could be a great friend and teacher.

You decide to radio So’lek about the situation, feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything, knowing that his voice could soothe you, “So’lek, I made it to the Aranahe. You…weren’t wrong about them. But one of them took me in. Nefika. She thinks I can impress Ka’nat if I show him I can hunt properly”.

So’lek felt a bit annoyed that they were making you go on a hunt as the first thing, was it not enough that even though the Sarentu clan had been gone for so long, the fact that you have persevered through difficulties, especially being taken as a child by the RDA, to them ? He wished he was there to guide you. You could tell he was annoyed by the tone of his voice, “They sent you on a hunt? I should have shown you how myself”

“It’s okay. Nefika said one of their hunters might show me how. Eetu”. You replied quickly, not wanting him to feel bad. Although you would have loved to learn from So’lek itself, maybe making some friends might help you along the way on your journey.

Eetu. Eetu? The fearless, reckless and cocky hunter, Eetu, will be the one to teach you? So’lek was already annoyed, now hearing this tidbit of information just made him more frustrated. He really should have been the one to teach you how to hunt. A storm raged in his heart, a feeling he was not so quite used to ever. He felt jealous. Usually he would be able to calm down and think with a clear head, but it seems jealousy fueled his next words, “Hmm. Be careful Sarentu. You do not need to prove yourself to them. You are Sarentu, and Ka’nat should honor that. I have seen you as well Sarentu, you are nothing like those demons, you have a bleeding heart that cares and you are strong-willed. You do not need Eetu to teach you this. Do not ever think less of yourself. Come back to the HQ any time you like, all right? You are not alone. And there is much to do here”.

You think your heart might have stopped and suddenly start back out of nowhere hearing So’lek’s words. “Is this what he thought of me?”, you think to yourself, your body heating up at his tone, it sounded deep and tense. You don’t want to get ahead of yourself, but So’lek sounded jealous. He was jealous of this Eetu teaching you. You liked it.

“Irayo (Thanks) So’lek…I…I will remember that. I will come back to the HQ soon after the hunt, see you there”, you could not contain the shakiness in your voice, you wish you could see his face right now, what did he look like when he heard someone else teaching you. You cut the radio off and decide to find a corner within the Aranahe Hometree, where there were not too many Na’vi to cool down. Your body is too heated from the conversation. You sigh and wonder if this is a sign of some sort from Eywa. You pray to Eywa that maybe you could get through this and figure out what is going on inside your heart.

So’lek on the other end, felt heated for two reasons, his tail for the first time after so long started twitching fast, feeling agitated by what he heard. He had been out of the base, just scouting nearby the area.

One, how could Eetu be the one to teach you? He should have just told you to come back to the base and that he would have taught you himself, after all he has seen you fight. He has seen you.

Two, you voice at the end. It sounded shaky, but it felt like it was filled with something. Longing. He leans forward and rests his head against the tree and lets out a shuddering breath. Eywa was testing him. How could the great mother not, when the only thing he could ever think nowadays was of you, your curious mind and your loveable heart.

The only thing he can do for now, while waiting for you to come back to the base, is go over plans with Alma and finish off some of the RDA. He will decide what to do with you later.

You decide to leave around time the sun starts to set, wanting to grab some of the flora that are pristine during the night to collect as your resources. You have decided to block your mind of So’lek for now. Otherwise, he would be the only occupant of your mind and you had to focus for now.

As you travel through the woods, it seems many of the Aranahe are spread out, living in groups. You reach the hunting camp at last, looking around you can hear an Ikran roar, your feet decide to head towards the sound, using your Na’vi senses, you can sense an Ikran and her rider, with a successful hunt, nearby . You wonder if the rider could be Eetu. You wander over to them, your eyes gazing at the Ikran up close. Even though you saw Etuwa’s, you did not get enough time to study her Ikran during the fight with the RDA.

The Na’vi, who could be Eetu, twitches his ears as he hears you come closer and stands up to greet you. You could not see it, but Eetu definitely felt shocked to see a Sarentu, having heard his family talk about the clan and their distinctive mark. He decides to hear you out. Not expecting the next words to come out of your mouth.

“Your Ikran is beautiful”, You are in awe of the rider’s ikran, she truly was beautiful. Eetu felt happy and proud hearing such words, as his Ikan is a part of him, just as he is a part of her, he decides he can boast a bit, “My Zomey. For her, no wind is too strong, no challenge too great. We hunt with heart, in harmony”. He smirks as he bows a bit, as his voice turns flirty and cocky as he continues, “Are you here to admire us? I would not fault you for that”.

You blush at that, more so surprised at his boldness than feeling shy. Not so used to anyone being this forward with you, you just laugh nervously and decide to let the Na’vi know that you are searching for someone, “No, I…I-I’m looking for Eetu.”

Eetu’s eyes brighten even more if possible as he grins, “My name has reached other clans! Even lost ones” his gaze on you mark as he utters the last line. Eetu’s voice turns teasing, chuckling as he rolls his eyes and asks, “Let me guess, Nefika sent you to me? She wants me to teach. Boring, I say! To be safe at Hometree telling the little ones of hunts, of adventure?” his voice turns slightly serious as he continues, “They would not understand. What does danger mean to those who have only known safety? Zomey and I tear through the skies together, our hearts pounding. Our senses on fire. That rush makes us strong. Fearless! The best hunters”.

You are moved by Eetu’s words, to have such a bond with someone must be the greatest thing on Pandora. You could only imagine what it must feel like. Though he sounds reckless, you could tell his heart was in the right place. He would definitely make a great friend. “Nefika did say you were hunting sturmbeast. Can I join?” You ask him, hoping he would say yes.

Eetu hums, “Is that what you are after? Are you a good hunter?”, his eyes roam over you, judging whether you are a good hunter or not. His own senses tell him what he needs to know. You had the strength and heart, just not the technique.

You falter, hearing Eetu ask. Feeling a bit ashamed at never learning how, you then remember something, “Do not ever think less of yourself”. So’lek’s words give you the strength you need. You straighten up and reply, “I was never taught how, but I’m willing to learn no matter what”.

Eetu looks at you in disbelief, what do you mean you were never taught how? “Never taught how? What have your people been doing all these years? Did you find a land without hunting? A place where creatures lay down to die willingly?”, his words may seem rude, but you could tell he was just teasing you, you roll your eyes and smile, you could already tell he will be a fun and troublesome friend. His demeanor turns serious and gentle as he points to what seems like some sort of practice area, “See there? Young hunters practice on targets first. Practice. Or it will be the sturmbeast hunting you!”

Eetu gives you a bow, however this bow seems different compared to the bow that So’lek had given you. He tells you that it is a Heavy bow, meant to aim for far targets and their weak spots. You position yourself as you lift the bow and aim at the target, your body tense as you focus only on the target. Eetu sees you tensing and comes close, using his hands to place your hands where they need to be, he was quite close while doing so. Once he finds your stance satisfactory, he steps back. You let the arrow fly, your aim hitting true.

Eetu hums and jokingly says, “You can hit a static target at least. Come”, He takes you back to where you were before. “Not bad. At least your thanks will have meaning” he praises you, sensing the potential within you.

You are confused. What did he mean by that? You gaze at him in question, “My thanks?”.

Eetu chuckles thinking you are joking, but then he sees that you really are confused, his voice cannot hide the disbelief as he questions you, “Are you serious? What have your people been doing? What kind of life have you lived?”

“A terrible one”, you reply in your thoughts, while you reply something else to him, “It’s…a long story”.

“If I wanted to hear a long story I would be at home”. Eetu looks at you, making sure that you listen to his advice carefully, “Each time you hunt, you must take a life. And so you must thank your sister or brother for their gifts as they return to the Great Mother.” He decides to demonstrate how to do it, his body bending down at his hunt, moving a hand over it, while saying the words, “I See you. Your spirit goes to Eywa and your body stays to become part of the people. Thank you for these gifts”

Eetu gets up and looks at you, his gaze and words trying to convey how important this was, “This way, you let her ascend to the ancestors. Remember that. And do not waste the gifts you receive”.

You try to imprint the words bestowed by Eetu in your mind. If you want to be a true Na’vi, this is the way. But you were confused what gifts meant. “The gifts. Right.” You try to say it convincingly. Eetu just shakes his head at you exasperatedly, “The hide, the meat. Ah! Nefika will show you. Go on. You do not need me to hold your hand.” Eetu shoos you away.

You grin and decide to head out, feeling like heading back to the base first to meet a certain Na’vi then testing out your skills to hunt. “Thanks Eetu, you are a good teacher I suppose, but time will tell” you joke a bit with him. Eetu laughs, “and you might make a good friend and student, Eylanay (acquaintance)”

You nod at him as you turn to leave, your pace turning quick at the thought of heading back to the base. It wasn’t because of him, you were probably just tired. Well whatever it was you could deal with it when the time comes.

You hope to make lots of friends as time goes on.

∘ tsahik - Matriarch/Interpreter of Eywa.

∘ olo’eyktan - Clan leader.

∘ Eywa - Great mother, world spirit, Gaia.

∘ Ma - Generally means to refer to someone or address them.

∘ Yawntu - Loved one

∘ Eylanay - acquaintance

Thank you for reading! Let me know if you liked it! If you want to be tagged for the series, please give a comment or send me an ask !

Taglist : @daydreamer246

#so'lek x reader #so'lek #sarentu #so'lek fluff #so'lek x na'vi!reader #avatar frontiers of pandora #afop #avatar #eetu

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