#it makes sense why Rem was trying so hard to keep them hidden. trying SO hard to prevent this from happening again

[orcelito]

hahahaha. you dont say.

in any case i just read chapter 40 of trimax and i am. not the same.

[good-beanswrites]

My thoughts on how the Milgram mv machine works based on the evidence we have:

(I know there’s been discussion about where exactly the interrogations take place, but wherever they are,) the prisoners are made to sit in a specific chair near the wall that houses the machine.

It’s ordinarily hidden, but the wall panels shift aside to reveal it when the mechanical sounds play in the dramas. As well as the walls moving, the chair transforms to restrain the prisoner and attach whatever it takes to access their brain. The fact that none of the more frightened prisoners try to run or break it makes it seem like they physically cannot. This is why Fuuta sounds so panicked, and why Amane is suddenly helpless in front of Es in their T1 vds.

(My mind conjures very classic sci-fi mad scientist machines with wires, pipes, lights, nodes, needles, etc, but I’d love to hear how other people visualize it.)

In some vds (maybe all? I’d need to check,) you can hear Es take some steps right before their iconic line -- it would make sense that for safety reasons, the power mechanism is placed across the room. Once again it could be anything, but the sound effect makes me think of one of those giant wall-mounted levers you have to pull down.

The voice dramas don’t really provide the type of crime details that an actual interrogation would reveal, and it’s odd that they’re placed before the extraction rather than after Es gets to see the new details. This leads me to believe the machine functions with priming. All Es needs to do is get them talking about their murder, so it’s on their mind.

The video produced is much like a (non-lucid) dream. Even if the prisoners figure out that this is how it works, they can’t control it just by thinking really hard about something else. The murders produce the strongest emotional affect, and that’s what it picks up on. If someone else used the machine, it would default to whatever gave them the strongest emotional reaction in the ~15 minutes beforehand, hence why Es’ video focuses on their daunting task ahead. (The Undercover theory is still a bit loose, though, given the private shots that Es wouldn't have known about). It’s why the videos are usually closely linked to the vd topics/beats. I also like to think that the reason their prisoner colors appear so much is because they’re looking at those colors on their uniform 24/7.

The bell rings to inform Es that it’s the optimal time to use the machine -- the prisoner has been thinking about things for long enough that the video will be about their crime, and if the conversation lasts much longer they’ll start thinking of other things. It’s at a different time for each prisoner because it’s based on the specific conversation. I guess Jackalope is listening in to the interrogation, timing it perfectly. (The only one that kind of messes with this theory is Yonah, because they just keep talking afterwards lol, but it could just show that the interrogation is still in Es’ control.)

Their “Sing your sins” is the final priming nudge to get them to think of their actions as a sin, revealing their guilt.

Once activated, the prisoner enters a sort of trance/sleeping state. It’s very much like REM sleep, with the machine forcibly activating neurons and recording the output. The prisoners have asked Es what they saw, meaning they don’t remember the mvs. I like to think the prisoners do experience the mv in real time, acting as the major version of themself that appears, but can’t remember it afterwards. It’s when you experience a dream, but as soon as you wake up you’re just left with fleeting emotions and memories right on the tip of your tongue.

The video plays immediately upon extraction -- whether on a huge projection or little screen depends on which room it’s in. It simultaneously saves the memory so that Es can rewatch it later (on those old TVs in the jailbreak mix). The machine downloads the song and video together, but requires special parts to retrieve them. The technology is pretty new and fragile, so if one is broken, there might be a delay between when Es can hear the extracted song and see it with the video. (That’s my justification for Kotoko’s delays -- after 9 prisoners the parts wear out, or maybe Mikoto himself overheats it with his complex situation.)

Based on the lack of conversation we get afterwards, I picture Es leaving before the prisoner wakes from the trance. The machine adjusts their brain back to normal before they awaken, restraints freed and able to return to the rest of the prison.

It’s very much like a dream, so it’s not harmful despite the amnesia/head injuries the prisoners have. It does, however, exhaust them. Brain activity alone takes a lot of energy, so forced brain activity with added emotional strain would cause them to feel pretty drained the rest of the day.

[moonctzeny]

Promotion

This is technically a part 2 of my fic Work for it but it can be enjoyed on its own!

pairing: supervisor !johnny x intern ! female reader x assistant !haechan

genre: smutty goodness (this will send me to hell vip)

word count: almost 14k

summary: “After you fuck the Sales’ department supervisor, Johnny Suh in your office during an overtime, you’re left to deal with the unavoidable lingering emotions that come with getting his dick on the regular. At the same time, his assistant and your best work buddy, Donghyuck, who initially helped you with getting with his boss, realises his growing crush on you that is too big to be ignored at this point. With their masterful skills in seduction, you’ve ended up tangled in a sexual game with the both of them, all the while trying to move up from an intern to a permanent worker in the company”

warnings: threesome w/ two doms, alcohol consumption, mention of food (meat, lettuce, eggs), oral, overstimulation, thigh job, at some point- reader borrows a shirt from haechan and it’s mentioned that it’s ‘too big on the shoulders’, thigh riding, office sex, pussy slapping, choking, fingering, sir kink thrown in there at some point, a little degradation bc this is my fic we’re talking about

a/n: omg it’s finally done! I really love this so I hope you guys like it as well :)

taglist:  @rainodanna​, @markresonates​, @unknown5tar​, @yoongsicles​

For every other worker in the office, virtually nothing had changed. 

They relive the same mundane routine, Monday after Monday, the same excruciating 8 hours and short cigarette breaks. The same trees, stuck in their ceramic imprisonment would greet them in the company’s entrance. Rigid and dusty and reeking of cheap plastic. It’s not like they’d come alive, open their little mouths on their thylakoid membranes and tell everyone you fucked mr. Suh, the Sales Department’s supervisor, in your office during your overtime. No, that’s not possible, you reminded yourself when you pass by them every morning, giving them a side eye for good measure, as if that would scare them off their zombie state.

And you were the same too, completing your tasks and meeting your deadlines. Blending in with the rest of the company’s human resource, with the exception of the occasional double take of some tactless male worker here and there.

Donghyuck, however, said supervisor’s assistant and your best friend, wasn’t your typical office worker. He noticed the extra layer of cherry lip gloss coating your lips. He noticed your new perfume, sweeter than the one you used to wear. He noticed the knowing smiles between you and his boss, the heat of your body when you were around him. And it wasn’t just because he was sharp overall.

He was the one who practically got you together, planted the seed in Johnny’s head about the cute new intern of the Financial Department. He was the one who convinced him to finally make a move on you, tired of seeing you trying over and over again to seduce the supervisor to your bed. 

And when that seed finally sprouted, in the form of Johnny spitting in your mouth and taking you on your office chair like you were his last fuck on earth (according to the hair-raising description you gave Donghyuck the morning after), he should’ve been happy, right? 

It didn’t really affect his life in the slightest.

You were just y/n. His friend, his work buddy. The person whom he was close enough to let you know you had a piece of lettuce stuck on your teeth from that sandwich you had on your break. The person who texted him funny gifs of pandas falling asleep during the most boring of meetings. With your nerdy glasses and that ugly brown suit you loved wearing so much. The person he dreamt of fucking every time he fell asleep.

When you told Donghyuck you had a crush on his boss he wasn’t shocked, but the stinging buzz in his guts surprised him. He would see you waltz right past his office all perked up and pretty, to see the person you really came for, nervous as you hung from every word that left Johnny’s mouth. He’d put up with the sound of you giggling over every stupid joke that left the older man’s mouth patiently, just to wait until he’d smell your sweet perfume as you’d walk past him again. To tease you over something that would make you mad enough to notice him, glare at him, maybe even hit him.

And Donghyuck wanted to hate Johnny, he really did. His stupid boss who asked for his coffee specifically made, who was rude and cranky on Monday mornings and got the credit for all his hard work, yet Johnny was nothing of the sort. He was helpful, and kind and let him off early. He was funny and good looking and taller than him and had a six pack, damn it. If Donghyuck was being honest, he didn’t just like his boss, he admired him. It was pathetic, he thought. Most days he’d live vicariously through him. 

Sometimes he would lay on his bed at night, picturing himself to be the second lead of a romance drama that would sweep you off your feet. Everyone gets second lead fever, right? In his rem cycles, he’s handsome and hilarious and much more interesting than the main actor. He would imagine himself stretching out his rays, like the full, rising sun that he was, until they overcame the big mountain that was Johnny and reached your skin. So hot against it that you’d have to undress, remove the clothes sticking on your sweaty skin to embrace him. 

He thought about your body a hundred times too many for it to be considered healthy. The curve of your ass in your pencil skirts, the little hairs on the nape of your neck that stuck out from your tight ponytails. The runs on your tights that he wished were caused by the sharpness of his fingernails. He listened to your voice carefully, all 90 Hz of it, and played it inside his head as if it was an instrument. Putting together chords and harmonies, composing a music piece of all the ways his name would sound like coming out of your lips.

Donghyuck, Donghyuck, Donghyuck

“Earth to Donghyuck? Are you listening to me?”

It was unlike him to be out of it, especially when he was around you. He blames it on skipping coffee this morning or the shade of red of your blouse that fits you so well. Either way, he had to respond, and keep the pink from flooding his cheeks further. There’s no way you could’ve known what was going on inside his head.

“Uh, yeah, yeah. So, let me get this straight. Weren’t you the one who didn’t want a relationship?”

You were upset, he could tell. After the night of the overtime, you and Johnny had indulged in a few more nights of each other’s presence, but had kept it at that. Sex. Delicious, mind blowing, porno worthy sex, but nothing more than that. And you were starting to itch for a little bit more.

Donghyuck was right, of course. You were the one who told Johnny that this wasn’t the right time in your life for any sort of commitment, especially with someone in the workplace. This was your internship, and you were determined to get a permanent position soon, that should be your first priority. Get the bag and go. There were men everywhere. But why was your heart aching for that particular one with the long hair and the caramel eyes and the flower tattoos? 

“I just don’t want people at work to gossip about us, you know how they get. But seeing him so nonchalant about it gets on my nerves.”

Leaving his apartment at 2 am when he was sprawled out on his bed, in just pyjama pants and the light layer of sweat from the athletic sex you just had, hurt enough. It was a sight so beautifully hidden under his work attire that it soon became addictive, the withdrawal symptoms too intense for you to have your dose only once a week. 

Donghyuck scowled when you first let out a frustrated sigh, your eyes pitifully following his boss’s silhouette around. He knew you’d never really complain about it, you were set on that promotion and you deserved it too, but it was hard not to get angry. Everything he ever wanted stood willing and ready for taking in front of Johnny’s lap, how could he not claim you?

He hated seeing you sad.

“Let’s go for a drink. I think you need it.”

Even he surprised himself with the sudden proposition, blinking back at you to gauge your reaction. You were best work buddies, sure, but you never hung out after office hours alone. It would make sense for you to refuse, Donghyuck told himself, trying to soften the blow of a potential rejection. You’re probably tired from working, or maybe you’d feel awkward to be alone with him for so long. Maybe you hated to drink, or maybe you hated him. Oh God, what if you hated him? What if you only spent time with him out of social obligat-

“Sure, sounds good. Pick me up after you’re done? Since you’re on the top floor.”

Donghyuck nodded back at you, too eagerly for his liking, the gears in his brain already trying to figure out where he should take you. You excused yourself back to your office, the small pat you gave his shoulder making him grin like an idiot.

This is not a date, he reminded himself. 

He had dreamt of this moment for months now. He thought about you every time he walked past that korean bbq place, promising himself that one day he’d muster the courage to finally ask you out. This wasn’t exactly the case today, but it was as close to his imagination as possible. This is not a date.

He repeated that phrase over and over again, let it resonate inside his head. This is not a date because he is a coward and you like someone else. Was he a bad person for taking you out today? Was he taking advantage of your slight disappointment? Was that why you ever said yes in the first place? The self deprecating thoughts lit a fire in his belly and he tried to extinguish it with every shot of clear liquid that disappeared from between his full lips. Like he expected, you weren’t far behind on the drinking either, enjoying the grilled pieces of meat blissfully, moaning in satisfaction with every delicious bite.

You looked pretty before, but now, through the pink coloured glasses of intoxication, you were stunning. There was a halo of bright light surrounding you, making you look so celestial chomping on that piece of lettuce. If it was anyone else, he would pull a face of repugnance at the sight, yet Dongyuck thought that you just looked so cute, so content in that little moment and he wished he could just lean in and leave a kiss over your filled cheeks.

No, that was a dangerous thought. This is not a date, pull it together.

Donghyuck desperately tried to focus his attention somewhere else, anywhere but you would suffice. His eyes finally landed on a bowl of marinated eggs on the table, and it reminded him of the three boiled eggs he makes for breakfast every morning. He was a man of habit, following the same routine until he’d see you and you’d colour between the lines of his life, making it interesting finally. Donghyuck would fill the pot with more water than needed, just enough so that it doesn’t overflow. He liked to be closer to you than he could handle, close enough but never touching you.

Lost in his daydream, he doesn’t realise that he hasn’t talked in minutes. And when you touch his hand lightly with yours to bring him out of it, he almost feels the boiling water burning his skin.

“You’re so quiet”, you say with a chuckle, and Donghyuck makes a mental note to add this harmony to his composition, “you got drunk before I did? Are you really Lee Donghyuck?”

“Well see, I drank all this soju, so I wish I was someone else for the night.”

The statement saddened you, and you withered a little in your seat. Why did Donghyuck drink so much tonight? You came here for you to cheer up, didn’t you? Or were you so caught up in your little personal drama - that you caused yourself - that you missed hearing about his cat dying? You must offer your condolences. Did he even have a cat?

You don’t want to bring up his dead cat in case he did so you just lift your hand next to his head, and weave your fingers through his locks. He has been growing out his hair for months now, and the look might not be the most corporate-professional but it sure fit him. The ash blonde shade that he decided to colour it, brought out the tan of his skin nicely, and the hair itself though bleached was still soft to the touch. 

You see him react to the work of your fingers instantly, his expression shocking you. His mouth is hanging open in a loose ‘O’ shape, small wrinkles forming on the space between his eyebrows. You pick out small pieces of hair, one by one, letting gravity do the rest by allowing the individual hairs to return to their previous state. 

“What are you thinking about?”, you ask so softly it’s almost a whisper, and Donghyuck can only sigh.

YOU, he wants to scream, you’re in my mind all day long and I think I’m going crazy! He is full on staring at you now and there’s nothing in the world that can take his eyes off of you, off your worried eyes that seem to hold all the stars in the sky, or the soft skin of your neck that he wants to kiss and suck and break so badly. But he doesn’t, and the soju calls him a coward for it, so he settles for the next best thing.

“You are pretty”

It was just three words but they sent your mind in a frenzy. Why did it matter so much to you that Donghyuck found you pleasing to look at? He has complimented you before, even flirted with you a lot of times, yet it was always said half-jokingly, followed by a diss. But this time he was serious, no signs of alcohol clouding his eyes. He was so solemn in fact, that those three words made the heat burn on the skin of your cheeks, rising up your throat and hindering you from responding with a human sound. 

He takes one more shot, washing away the embarrassment of his sudden confession and offers to order one more fatty dish to sober up, then take a walk in the city.

The walk was relatively quiet, less awkward than it was 30 minutes ago but Donghyuck was still being uncharacteristically silent.

“I thought you said that alcohol doesn’t make you red”, you say teasingly, trying to spark conversation. 

It doesn’t actually. You were the culprit of the wash of burgundy all over his skin, accumulating even more pigmented around his ears and the freckles of his nose. You were walking side by side now, and Donghyuck thought that for the passersby you two must look like lovers. He let his brain entertain that fantasy, his hand itching to hold yours. He’d intertwine your fingers together, give your palm a little rub with his thumb. Then he’d lift the bundle of fingers on his lips, kiss the thin skin of your wrist and make the aunties that are looking at you now coo in adoration.

“Says you. You look so fucked right now.”, he jokes and you’re relieved to see him go back to his teasing self. You don’t know if it’s the chilly night, but you’re overly aware of the heat his body emits, and the smell of his cologne makes your head spin just a bit more. You’ve been sitting so close to him this entire time that you can list off most, if not all, the ingredients in his perfume. Rose, chilly pepper, orange blossom, lavender. 

“Donghyuck, I will step on you.”

“Mmm, tempting”

You shove his arm playfully and he reciprocates, but his strength is not as controlled as he thinks. The heels of your boots, slippery against the wet floor that the drizzle caused earlier, make you trip on your steps, and Hyuck is luckily there. With his quick reflexes he catches your elbows first, pulling you up against his chest and you grab his left bicep to support your weight. 

You take a deep breath, to register that you did not fall head first on the floor, and that’s when you realise how close Donghyuck is to you. His bangs are tickling your forehead, your deep pants fanning them apart. You admire his glowing skin, the wrinkles of his lips, the two moles lined parallelly with the bridge of his nose. You’re not sure what comes to you, but you raise your free hand and place it over his hot cheek, your thumb connecting those two moles with an invisible line. A raindrop, fresh out of the sky and signifying the start of a new drizzle, falls on his face and follows the trail that a tear would, his voice weak and breaking when he speaks again.

“I’m sorry”

He dips down his head then, connecting your lips and letting the plumpness of his mouth reel you in. You’re over the initial shock almost immediately and kiss him back in vigor, surprised with the heat his kiss has spread to your chest and belly. It was an ember at first, glowing in the very depth of your insides but it was soon starting to spark up uncontrollably, and you were scared of how rapidly it was fueling up. This was your friend you were kissing. So where did all this hunger for him come from?

You pull back when you realise you’re in a road full of people, and you can’t bring yourself to look at him in the eyes. Donghyuck looks disheveled and anxious, and he apologizes again before he urges you to keep walking with him.

“It’s starting to rain. We should get home.”

You walk next to him in complete silence now, stealing quick glances of his reflexion at every surface that made it possible -  the windows of the parked cars, the puddles of water on the sidewalk, a passersby’s glasses. The look on his face is unreadable, pensive if anything else, and it’s rare for the expressive Donghyuck you’re used to dealing with. Your homes are towards the same direction, his a little closer than yours, and it doesn’t take too long for you to reach the entrance of his building, your clothes not even half wet from walking without umbrellas.

Donghyuck fumbles to find his keys, his hands shaking from the adrenaline his body released from the kiss earlier, the feeling still too fresh against his lips. He stresses thinking of what to do next. Should he hug you goodnight? Apologize again for kissing you? Unlock the entrance without a word and never speak to you again? 

“I’m here”, he states dumbly, as if you’d sit at the porch of a strange house and he avoids your eyes as if you were Medusa, “Goodnight.”

You smile back awkwardly at him, waving with a hand made of clay as you wish him the same. He has turned around to unlock the door, key already at the keyhole and you turn to leave too when his voice stills you in place.

“He’s an idiot.” His back is still facing you, and when he turns to look at you his eyes finally lock with yours, as honest and earnest as ever. “Johnny. If it were me, hell, if you wanted me like that I would grab that opportunity- grab you in an instant, convince you to be mine any way I could.”

You’re stuck looking at him like a fool, trying to comprehend what he’s saying and the complications of it. He puffs out through his nose, chuckling to himself and shaking his head.

“It doesn’t matter. Goodnight y/n.”

Donghyuck is half inside the entrance now and your body suddenly exits its frozen state, blocking the door from closing with your boot. He’s shocked with the sudden movement and he opens up the door further for you. You get inside the little hall without thinking, sitting firmly in front of him, a puzzled look on his face. 

“What if I told you he hasn’t even crossed my mind this whole time we were out? What if I told you I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you kissed me? Would it matter then?”

He opens his mouth momentarily, as if to speak but decides to stay silent. He already said everything he needed. It’s up to you now.

And you aren’t ready to leave yet.

You take a step forward to close the distance between you, your chests touching and you pick up the distinct smell of soju in his breath. You’re not sure if it’s that smell or the proximity but you feel drunk all over again, the yellow light of the hall shining disturbingly bright down at you and urging you to do something.

You plant a kiss over his neck, leaving a trace of the remnants of the pink lipstick you applied at the start of the workday. It was tentative, but you could still feel his raging pulse from under your lips. You could feel it get faster too, the rhythm going higher along with his body temperature and you decide on a path. A path of kisses starting from the same spot you’ve turned glittery pink, up his jawline and all the way to his earlobe.

Donghyuck clenches his jawline, you feel that too, and something snaps inside him. He just can’t take it anymore, having you so close to him, your lips on his neck and doing nothing about it. The boiling water finally spilled over the pot, hot and overflowing, and he doesn’t care if he gets burned.

You feel the cool wood against your back before you taste his tongue a second after. He has pushed you up against the entrance door, you realize, but it’s hard to comprehend anything around you when he kisses you like that. It’s the steamy, purposeful continuation of the kiss you shared earlier, and with the lack of prying eyes Donghyuck has a good idea of where he wants it to lead.

He shows you too, pushing his knee between your thighs and he feels your heat almost melt the rough fabric of his jeans. There are so many things he wants to do, so many lines he wants to cross but there is one thing he must ensure.

“Tell me you want this.”

You glide your hands upwards from his pecks to the slope of his neck and wrap them around his neck. Your body seems to act up on its own, and you feel yourself grinding down his leg that is still positioned against the wall. It feels dirty, the desperation of it all, and you connect your chest with his again before answering him.

“Lee Donghyuck. I want you to make me cum” 

You grab his hand before he gets to respond, the cool silver of his watch digging against your fingers, and you drag him to the elevator door. As if the universe had sensed your urgency, you find it waiting for you at the bottom floor, and you pull him inside with a tug of his tie.

In no time you find yourself pushed up against the wall again, and you can’t see much beyond Donghyuck’s lips, but you do catch him clumsily pressing the button to his floor with your peripheral vision. Once the elevator is in motion you feel like you can finally submerge yourself in his lips and the way his kisses take your breath away, not sure if the funny feeling in your stomach is from the sudden change in altitude or the arousal. You’re already taking his clothes off, removing the jacket of his suit off his shoulders and working the top buttons of his shirt open.

It’s him that drags you to his apartment this time, urging you out of the elevator as soon as the robotic declaim of his floor number rips through the wet sounds of you kissing. His keys are already easily accessible in his front pocket from your conversation earlier, and when he manages to unlock the entrance with trembling hands you walk inside as if you own the place.

It’s small and cozy, decorated minimally. The first thing you notice is that it smells like Donghyuck, something that should be obvious but it still overwhelms you. It’s maybe a bit stuffy from the hours he was gone yet this is the smell still lingering in your nose from his skin you were sucking just moments ago, trying to distract him from the easy task of opening the door. It’s addictive and you want it stuck on yours.

And Donghyuck does stick on your skin, discarding his tie on the floor with a strong pull and finishing the task of unbuttoning his shirt that you started in the elevator. His movements are impatient and soon he’s half naked, and you barely have time to admire his caramel skin before his hands are all over you. They start safely at the dimples of your waist, then sliding upwards to your ribcage and copping a feel of the underside of your boobs by sneaking his thumbs under the wire of your bra. You want to feel more, encourage his probing fingers so you reach to the clasp on your back, unfastening the garment and removing it through the hem of your blouse. 

Donghyuck can’t take his eyes off your chest, nipples hardened from your arousal and poking through the thin fabric. He takes his thumbs, the same thumbs that lit a fire in your belly earlier and flips the bud, toying it around and rubbing circles around it. The response from you is immediate, moans that start off soft and build up to a crescendo bouncing off the walls of his apartment.

It drives you crazy, a little bit, that smirk he has on his face now. It’s so familiar in between his features, you’ve seen it countless of times, especially during his typical teasings of you, yet is carries so much newfound weight now, so much sex appeal. He’s already giving you what you need but the climaxing is too slow for your liking, you want more and you want it now. You want what you asked him for in the lobby of this building.

Donghyuck can either read your mind or read through the increased frequency of your moans because he undresses down to his boxers, forming a trail of clothes from his living room to his bedroom, where he has led you. He doesn’t even bother to open the lights, relying on the moonlight from his window for lighting and pushing you down on his bedsheets. 

He climbs up with you, hovering over you and you move back a bit so that your head rests comfortably over his pillows. If the smile he gave you earlier had affected you, then the hungry look on his face right now almost makes you come untouched, his eyes raking up and down your body as if he doesn’t know where to start.

He decides on your calves, kissing them and moving upwards slowly and sensually, not missing the sensitive skin on the side of your knees and paying extra attention to your inner thighs. He’s still at it a minute and a half later, and you can’t tell in the dark but you’re sure they must be decorated by bite marks by now, his close proximity to the source of your pleasure making you squirm in his hold.  

It feels like ages since you last felt his fingers when he grips the soft meat of your thighs and spreads them apart. They soon move up to the hem of your skirt, rolling the fabric upwards and over your ass. You feel his breath against your pussy, making it tingle and twitch even more than it already has, and the wait feels like a new level of hell in Dante’s Inferno. 

A single finger pets you over your underwear, drawing lines over the damp fabric from your clit down to your entrance and then up again. You whimper and whine at the sensation that is half a step from what you consider satisfactory and he hooks a finger on the black lace, moving it to the side and letting you experience the cool air of the room all over again. The full exposure brings heat to your face and you breathe through the embarrassment that arouses you even more.

“Hey, Donghyuck?”

“Yes?”

“Is your cat still alive?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He licks one long stripe over your entrance, and you feel the goosebumps spreading all over your arms and legs. Nimble fingers spread your folds apart, and you hold your breath as he lets his cool spit drip from his lips and land onto your lower ones, then starts sucking over your clit. His tongue is wet and his breath is hot, the combination driving you insane. You grip the comforter, digging into it with your nails to keep yourself grounded.

“Oh my god, yes, right there”

The praise motivates him to keep trying hard, not that it will take a lot of effort to make you come undone. Donghyuck’s unprecedented touches and the newfound sexual tension they have ignited had already worked you up, his skill in oral accelerating the build up to your climax even more. And just when you thought it couldn’t get better than this he starts a series of kitten licks right over your clit, each one sending a wave of pleasure stronger than the one before.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum”

You’re grinding on his face, trying to find the right pace when you finally come undone, thighs shaking and desperately trying to push his hands away to cover up your sensitivity again. His hold is steady and he continues to lick you keenly, the lewd sound of him slurping your wetness filling the room. Your eyes open wide and you can only stare at his white ceiling during your overstimulation, the cracks and crumbling plaster caused from humidity looking like constellations in your orgasm-drunk mind. The second climax hits you suddenly but forcefully, unable to control the volume of your voice, not that you can hear yourself clearly in your daze. It’s an array of moans and screams and tiny whimpers of Donghyuck’s name, his beautiful symphony coming to life.

His appetite for you is finally satiated, and he decides to take mercy on you and remove his lips from your pulsating heat. You look so beautiful right now, he thinks, skin illuminated by the pale moonlight that is reflected on the wetness dripping from your pussy. He hovers over you again, pulling you into another kiss and you lazily reciprocate. His member is painfully hard, sliding over your slickness. You squirm and yelp everytime the fabric of his underwear grazes against your clit, your nerve endings screaming in sensitivity.

“I don’t have a condom on me”, you whisper against his lips, the taste of yourself on his tongue engaging you in the kiss again.

“I’m too tired to fuck you like you deserve anyways”

It would be criminal from you to leave him untouched like that. He looks so hot over you, messy hair and chin glistening in your juices. You absentmindedly place your nails on his collarbones, then scratch your way down over his navel. Donghyuck hisses at the numb stinging of pain, hips buckling against your pussy in the pursuit of some sort of friction. 

You move your hand even lower, slipping your fingers past the waistband of his boxers. You move past the bristles you find and grasp his member, that is not too long but an impressive girth. You manage to free it from his underwear, and you can’t really tell in the dim lighting but you bet it must have turned a purple-ish red colour. It’s leaking.

“But we don’t have a condom”

You take one of his hands in yours, giving it a kiss to calm him down, then place it over your left boob. He toys with the mound of your chest, squeezing the softness. You had other plans for him.

Connecting your knees together, you let the softness of your thighs connect, with only maybe a slither of space between them. Your hands are still on Donghyuck’s cock and you reach to hold his balls, massaging them slightly and pulling him towards you.

He takes your cue and leans forward, sliding himself between your thighs. The moan he lets out is guttural and elongated, laced with the beautiful metallic tone of his voice. He lets go of your breasts and wraps his arms around your knees, putting your calves on each of his shoulders and continues to rut his hips against you. 

“Fuck. This feels so good”

You look up to see Donghyuck’s face, contorted in a frown that can only be described as desperate, his lips puffy and red from all the licking and kissing and sucking. 

He looks painfully sexy, and you momentarily imagine all the things you would do to him if the serotonin of your double orgasm and the alcohol in your belly weren’t weighing you down. You’d gladly stay up all night for him, tugging on his long hair as you’d let him bend you in any position he wanted. You bet that thickness would feel amazing stretching you out and you moan at the thought, your thighs flexing involuntarily and making him moan even more. 

Soon he has picked up his pace, the tip of his cock reappearing between your thighs more frequently and you can feel his thrusts getting sloppier by the second.

“Fuck fuck, I’m coming”

He suddenly pushes forward, almost collapsing on top of you as a string of satisfactory groans leave his lips. His hips still with a stagger and you entrancingly watch the ropes of white dripping from his cock and landing on your blouse. It was a mess, but you can worry about it in the morning.

Donghyuck fucks your thighs slowly for a little longer, elongating his pleasure for as long as he can and soothing the crescent moons his nails formed on your skin with his fingertips. He reaches one hand to his bedroom floor where he finds a -what you hope is- clean t-shirt, and pats his cum off your blouse as best as he could.

It has gotten late and you’re both exhausted, Donghyuck’s comfortable weight on top of you lulling you to sleep. He’s hugging your hips now, head resting on your stomach and occasionally kissing your hip bones tenderly. You’re not sure when you slip out of consciousness but you do hear Donghyuck mumble something against your skin, something the kiss of Morpheus doesn’t allow you to make out.

You wake up to a white ceiling. Not just any white ceiling- a cracked, full of moisture pockets ceiling and you wonder when you let the humidity mess up your apartment this much. The culprit of your awakening, the morning sun rays that shine right on your eyes; way too bright than what you’re used to, force your eyelids to open, and it takes you a moment to adjust to the abundant light. This isn’t your apartment.

The sight of a man that greets your barely recovered rentinas shocks you, and you rub your eyes just in case you’re stuck in a lucid dream or something. You see the mess of ash blonde hair and the pile of work clothes discarded on the floor and your mind soon is flooded with last night’s events, buzzed out in your foggy memory. You sense another buzz as well, a physical one this time and you wiggle in place when you feel something hard and metallic digging in your butt. You prod a little with your fingers, trying not to wake up Donghyuck too abruptly and you realise that yes, you’ve been sitting on a phone all night.

Shouldn’t it be a Tuesday today? It’s very bright for it to be that early but surely Donghyuck must have set an alarm for the both of you last night. You yawn involuntarily, deciding to play with your phone until he wakes up as well when the bright white display pulls all the blood from your face.

8:40. You have to be at work in 20 minutes.

“Donghyuck! Hyuck!”

You didn’t care to make your touches light. They were shoves, really, pushing at his shoulders frantically to get him off of you and pull him out of his slumber. He wakes up with a gasp, trying desperately to keep his balance and failing, to then fall unceremoniously on the floor.

“What the hell?”, he groans out with a hoarse, groggy version of his voice, “My head is pounding”

“It will hurt even more once I’m done with you! You didn’t set an alarm last night? Today’s a work day!’

With his eyes bulging, he launches himself forward, grabbing the phone from your hands. 

“Shit, shit, shit”. He’s fully awake now, hands rubbing his face to come up with the next logical steps to take, in order to have you both at work on time and looking presentable. “I have a mouthwash and hairbrush in my bathroom, I’ll get ready here”

“And what the fuck am I supposed to wear?”

“Yesterday’s clothes? Are you really that concerned about recycling an outfit right now?”

You roll your eyes, pushing your blouse down and dragging his comforter off your body. 

“Did you forget about this?”

You straighten out the fabric for him to see, and the big, grossly dried out cum stains aren’t hard to notice. His face looks worried, but not necessarily apologetic, and you can almost see the scenes from the sex you shared last night play through his eyes like a porn film. 

“Your skirt is fine, right? I’ll find a shirt that fits you”

You’re spitting out the fluorescent blue liquid when he timorously walks in the bathroom to leave the piece of clothing he promised. It smells heavily of those moth-repellent sachets and looks slightly wrinkled, like something he pulled out from the depths of his closet but you don’t really have the privilege of playing Suzy Menkes right now. You pull and tuck the fabric in creative ways, in order to style the garment into something you might walk into work wearing one day, yet it’s painfully obvious to you how misfitted it is; too big around the shoulders as one would expect from a man’s shirt.

You exit the bathroom after giving up, pressed by the limited time and the sound of Donghyuck’s uneasy steps through the door. You let him freshen up as well and use the time to collect your things that are scattered all over his place - he was kind enough to bring you your bra that was discarded in his living room floor along with his shirt - and soon you were rushing out of his house and into separate cabs so as not to raise suspicion.

The rest of the day was normal, well- according to this new definition of normalcy for you. Where everything and everyone seems to follow this movie script of what a typical company must look like, while you worry that someone will probe uninvitedly into your thoughts. God knows what they would fish out. A broken record player of Donghyuck’s moans when he cums, the burn of his thick sex rubbing against your thighs, the paths of his neck veins you memorized by heart. 

You shake your head to clear it from the intrusive thoughts, and click the refresh button of your emails. The sound of keys being tapped and printers being put to use lands you back to reality, and you calmly click on the new incoming message from the Sales Department.

It was Johnny.

You’d think that after having his dick down your throat for about half a minute, getting butterflies in your stomach from the mere sight of his email address would stop being a recurring event for you. But alas, here they were, tapping their little wings in a flutter that turns into a hurricane of anxiety, and you sarcastically thank the universe for having to deal with Johnny while looking like an 80’s librarian.

You walk up the stairs like your ankle’s dragging a ball and a chain, the piece of paper in your hands getting slightly ripped from the abuse of your nervous fingers. It was a stupid document, barely half filled with any valuable information and you think it can’t be worth the calories you burned with that trip. It certainly wasn’t worth entering hell, aka mr. Suh’s office, and just the thought of him waiting for you in his fitted suit and gelled back hair is making you light headed. If Johnny was Hades then Donghyuck definitely was Cerberus, guarding his boss with his three heads and his big dick.

You leave a breath out when you realise he isn’t there, making your way onto Johnny’s office with lighter feet. He smiles brightly when he sees you, handsome as ever, and you carefully leave the document on his messy desk.

“Well, isn’t it my favourite intern”

You laugh at his sing-song tone, enjoying how warm he was being today.

“You used to avoid me like the plague and now I’m your favourite?”

“You always were my favourite”, he winks, and pushes back his hair like he knows the effect it has on you, “If someone is avoiding anyone like the plague that’s Donghyuck. I would have sent him to you but I can’t find him anywhere.”

You gulp dryly at his words, an invisible awl pinching your chest. You could feel Donghyuck slipping away from every place that you might share, in a very subtle way, but still noticeable from you. He left the kitchen hastily when you walked in to make your coffee, excused himself out of the lunch break through which you always kept him company, and now he was gone as well. Was last night such a big mistake in his point of view?

“I’m kidding, I just wanted to see you.”

He motions you to come closer and you timidly oblige, serenaded by the sound of his voice but not missing the hunger his eyes hold. He’s still seated in his big leather office chair, thighs spread out in a way that turned you on embarrassingly much, and you fit yourself in the space between his long legs. 

“He is very jumpy though, Donghyuck. Do you know what happened to him?”

Your whole body tenses up, muscles hardening defensively. “Why would I know?”

“I don’t know. It’s just that you guys are so close.”

Close. Close as in having his knee between your thighs, close as in being pushed up against his chest and the elevator mirror. Close as in knowing how his tongue feels massaging your clit. 

“Have I seen you in that before?”

You’re confused with the sudden question and when you search for the context you realise he’s talking about your- Donghyuck’s shirt. Did he smell the sex on you? The overwhelming scent of pheromones and Donghyuck’s cologne that your nose just couldn’t ignore?

“I don’t think so”, you try to answer as nonchalantly as possible, “it’s new.”

“No”, Johnny insists, and pinches the fabric with his fingers. He’s very knowledgeable about fashion, always complimenting you on your outfit choices and you know he wouldn’t let this one go so easily. “I’m sure I’ve seen this before.”

You follow his line of sight towards the ivory fabric too, as if you expected there to be written “YOUR ASSISTANT GAVE ME THE BEST HEAD OF MY LIFE LAST NIGHT”, in a bright red marker. It was a prison, in the form of 99% cotton and 1% pure anxiety, and you know you had to distract Johnny out of this subject one way or the other.

“You like it?”, you ask seductively, tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear.

“I’d like you better without it.”

With just one strong, yet calculated pull he has you sat over the length of his thigh. Your hands land on his chest for stability, right over his pecks that fill your palms easily. There’s nothing you want more than to suck on those perfectly sculpted lips of his, but you’re not too faithful on Donghyuck’s mouthwash so you settle for the earlobe that isn’t pierced instead.

He loves the feeling, the activation of his erogenous area and the suction of your lips that resembles one of your favourite activities together.

“I like this shirt”, he starts, unbuttoning your chest into plain view, “and I love this skirt”

He runs his big hands over the plumpless of your ass, squeezing it then retracting his fingers back on your thighs. They’re cold against your burning skin and the contrast causes goosebumps to erupt in the shape of his handprint.

“You love all my skirts Johnny”

“I do. Because I can do this”

His fingers roll the hem of your skirt up your thigh, the only thing separating your heat with the smooth fabric of his slacks being your skimpy underwear. You’re pretty sure the wetness must be transferring to it already, your thoughts of Donghyuck and all the things he could do with you having you desperate for a release. Johnny pets your clit over your panties then, just a light graze of his finger that elicits a moan from you.

Your hips move on their own, slowly humping his thigh that flexes from under you. You grab his tie to help your movement when your pace picks up, enjoying his body heat that coated you. 

“Someone might see us.”

His desk chair was large, sure, but so was Johnny, and even though his back was facing the door of his office, no one could mistake the sight of you riding him as anything else. 

“I told you, Donghyuck keeps disappearing. And it seems like it won’t take you too long to cum with the way you moan like that, right babe?”

“Johnny…”

You were a whiny mess at this point, humping his leg to reach your high. He was nice enough to help you, his hands guiding you as you mess up all over him, lips stuck on the patch of skin right under your ear.

“You know, I kind of miss you calling me Mr. Suh.” he whispers as he’s sucking on your neck, and you shiver at the tone of his voice, “What do I have to do next time you come over to have you call me like that?”

You can’t contain your whimpers anymore, the stinging tears of arousal threatening to roll down your face, so you close your eyes to keep the moisture in. Everything is just too much, the pleasure of your clit rubbing on him, his nails that dig in the flesh of your hips, the heavy suggestions in his words; your orgasm was hanging by a thread and it was a matter of seconds for it to snap. And it did snap, with a bite on your neck, and along with it your eyes snapped open as well.

Donghyuck was staring right back at you.

Your eyes crossed in pleasure, blurry vision making it hard to focus on him. You were falling apart over Johnny’s body, legs shaking and insides melting with his praise. Donghyuck took the sight in from the opened door, eyes studying your face of pleasure and bare chest decorated with Johnny’s kisses peeking from his own shirt. You’d be lying had you dismissed the fact that his presence intensified your orgasm times a hundred. The exposure of your act, the naughtiness of getting caught and by him of all people. You watched as he retreated outside from the office with silent steps, to give you privacy or recover from the embarrassment or both.

And Donghyuck would be lying too, had he said he didn’t like the sight. The mere memory of your face all fucked out flushed his own in crimson red. He remembered it all clearly, from your plush lips to Johnny’s mess of a hair, to the tremble of your body. It refused to leave his mind, the scene of you getting satisfaction from another man, but not because he wanted to erase it. He thought he fit right in, right in that scene between you and his boss.  

You texted him later that day, apologizing for what he had to witness and promising him you would return the shirt as soon as you washed it. He politely allowed you to keep it, not at all acknowledging the incident from earlier, nor the night you spent together. You didn’t have the guts to ask, for you didn’t know that Donghyuck didn’t regard last night as a mistake, like you thought. He was tired of boiling in the guilt of his feelings, selfishly admitting to himself that he did not regret a single thing. He was into you, he meant every word that came out of his mouth, so why was he avoiding you all day yesterday? He was still the fucking coward.

The next day came rolling along, and with it came a long list of things you wanted to avoid. The first one was arguably dealing with your best friend, the lengthy paperwork you had to fill out being a close second.  

Your mind was occupied with a plethora of thoughts, with Johnny holding the main spot. You’d seen him in your sleep last night, starring in the extremely detailed wet dream your brain fabricated for you, hot breaths and deep thrusts forcing you into the disappointing consciousness of today’s morning.

And the pictures he had sent you right after you decided to get up weren’t helping either. His tall, half naked build occupied most of the shot, skin glistening in the after-shower steam. His toothbrush was hanging from his foamy mouth, in an attempt to make the picture look nonchalant, yet you knew his motives. You let your eyes drink up the sight of his defined abdomen, then moved downwards along the dark happy trail that peeked from the towel, loosely hanging from his waist. Hip bones teasing you and all. Just drop the fucking towel Johnny.

Needless to say, you were a mess when you arrived at the office. The cats in heat outside of your window, the phallic shaped baguette your baker generously treated you with this morning; everything seemed to remind you of the heat between your legs that you couldn’t bring yourself to ignore. You tried rubbing your thighs, drowning in the paperwork, even locking your phone in one of your drawers so as not to be tempted to look at Johnny’s thirst trap again. But he had won.

You grab a bunch of documents that seemed important enough, shove them in your favourite binder, and make your way to Johnny’s office upstairs. 

You knew you had to deal with Donghyuck. It was the unavoidable repercussion of messing up your life like that, getting men that were too good looking for this boring ass company tangled up in what seemed to be a simple internship. Taking a deep breath, then two more for good measure, you start to strut confidently in a straight line that led to Johnny’s office door.

“He’s on call, come back later.”

Your head instinctively turns to the source of the sound, to find Donghyuck staring at the display of his laptop that seemed to be much more interesting than you. The matter-of-fact way he formed his sentences was not unlike him, yet something in you begged for a little bit of attention. Blame it on how horny you’ve been all morning, or the fact that now that you’ve seen him naked, the strict tone affects you much more than it should.

Bothered by your thoughts and thinking about having to sit back at your office for the rest of the work day, you let the binder slip from your hands and drop on the wooden floor. You lean down to collect the scattered pieces of paper, your heels making it hard for you to keep your balance easily, and soon enough you sense a movement from behind you.

“No panties huh?”

It was supposed to be a surprise. Payback for the dirty thoughts Johnny planted in your head this morning. You’d walk in all innocently, sit right across his desk and give him a little Basic Instinct Sharon Stone moment. Then leave him high and dry again, while mentally keeping a note to clear out all your plans for the weekend. But see, he couldn’t give you what you wanted after all, and your resolve started to break. Whatever it was you wanted, you wanted it now.

You get up, unfolding your body slowly and refusing to look at Donghyuck, much like he did when you walked inside. The smirk playing on your lips couldn’t be concealed through your voice.

“Like what you see?”

You gasp as he presses up against you, the only contact you have with one another being his hard-on that nudges your ass. Following your body’s orders, you push back against him too, and you can tell the breath he lets out is ragged and full of tension.

He reaches for your binder with an arm around you, flipping through the pages as he sucks his teeth in disapproval.

“These are last week’s reports. Are you really here for these or are you looking for another quickie with Johnny?” A moan escapes you then, and the little thrust that Donghyuck allows himself drives you both crazy. “Thought so. How insatiable are you? I made you cum two nights ago, Johnny helped you out yesterday. If you really are that desperate you could’ve just come to me for help, doll”

His soft palm rests on the front of your thigh, slowly sliding his way under your skirt. You squirm in his hold in anticipation, and you have to bite your tongue to hold in the noises that threaten to leave you. 

“Donghyuck, Johnny is sitting right through that door. He could come out any minute now and see us”

“And?”

“Your boss is sitting right through that door. You could get fired”

“I could die after this”

His thumb ficks your clit swiftly, and Donghyuck takes this opportunity to slip his other one inside your gaping mouth.

“But-“

“Shh. Don’t talk with your mouth full, baby”

You’re melting in his hold at this point, your back still resting against his chest, lips sucking his digit. The scent of his cologne that you’ve grown so familiar with overwhelms you, painting all your surroundings in a red tint of lust.

“Spread your legs for me”. You oblige with his orders immediately, your arousal not allowing you to keep him waiting. “Wider”.

You take a quick look behind your shoulder to check that the door is still, indeed, closed, only to be met face to face with Donghyuck. His breath is hot against your face, eyes locked on his thumb toying with your lower lip and you completely forget what you initially turned around for. The kiss was natural, your lips melding easily with his ones. The need for him washes over you like a heatwave and you lift your skirt to urge him to continue before you go insane. 

He gets the hint and moves his hand lower, middle finger tracing your opening ever so slightly. It makes you shiver and you realise how quiet the room has fallen, the only source of sound coming muffled through the closed door to Johnny’s office. It excites you and it must show through the wetness between your lower lips, and Donghyuck patiently collects it all. He transfers the moisture over the bud of your clit, his finger smoothly massaging the sensitive skin. It feels divine and there’s no way you’d ask him to stop yet you know there’s something else Donghyuck is after, the sweet tightness that he didn’t get to experience that night at his apartment.

It was a bit much to fuck you out there like that, even for his exhibitionistic tendencies, but nothing could stop him from feeling the next best thing. 

His first finger enters you unhurriedly, careful of your reactions. You moan out his name and he moans at how tight you are, soft pussy practically sucking his finger in. He soon enters his ring finger as well, slowly moving them inside you until you feel every stretch and curl. Your wetness starts to drip at this point, coating his fingers with your juices.

“Such a dirty girl, making all this mess at my office”

The leisure pace ruins you, your eyes shut close in search of patience. You feel his other palm move from under your skirt as well, resting flat against your lower abdomen. He wants to feel himself inside you.

“Donghyuck, please. More”

A chuckle is heard from your left ear, and you can vividly imagine how his face must look like now. The cocky smirk, the tongue poking the inside of his cheek. The next pump has you muffling your whimpers with the back of your fist, his fingers curling just right and fucking straight into your g-spot. 

“More? Look at you. Pretty slut.” 

He’s full on finger fucking you now, and swallowing your moans is gradually becoming more and more difficult. The world crumbles from under your feet and you let yourself get carried away in the intense pleasure, the fast pumping making your legs shake.

“You’re gonna cum?”, he whispers again, and you can only respond with a nod, “That’s my fucking girl”

The orgasm’s intense, shaking you as you bite your hand and hold onto Donghyuck for extra support. He continues to move his fingers afterwards, drawing out your euphoria for as long as he can, then finally leaves you empty once your moans have died down. You immediately cover yourself up again once you sober up from your high, suddenly embarrassed by Donghyuck’s intense stare. He’s moving his eyes through all the features of your face, only for them to fall frozen on your lips, and lifts his hand up to rest his two fingers over them. You get his initiative and put them in your mouth, tasting yourself on your tongue.

“Unless you want us both to get fired I think you should go back to your office. I don’t think I can contain myself around you”

You release his digits with a pop, your eyes full of seduction.  

“What would you do to me?”

Donghyuck growls at your question, turning you around so that you’re fully face to face and chest to chest. 

“You’d look so pretty on your knees, mouth full of cock”. He grabs a handful of your ass, bringing you flush against him and proceeds to grind his painfully hard dick between your thighs. Your noses touch and you feel dizzy at the proximity; the words he mutters against your cum coated lips. “I’d peel those clothes off of you, find the nearest mirror. Stretch you out against the glass so that you see how good you take it.”

You shiver as a response, then force yourself to put some distance between you before you do something stupid. He kindly helps you collect your things in silence, those useless documents that were laying scattered on the floor, and in a moment of weakness you let him pin you against the wall right before you go.There was something so addictive about him and your chemistry, and your lips burn at the memory of his kisses. You’re not sure how much longer you can contain that hunger anymore.

The end of a shift and the beginning of another overtime. It felt like deja vu at this point, after all the countless extra hours you’ve put into the internship, seeing people grab their briefcases and their car keys as they empty the space around you. You take a moment to appreciate the view of the setting sun from the small window of your office, inhaling deeply as you wrap the hair that’s been bothering you in a ponytail. Your neck hurts and the tension of your body is translating into a dull pain, so you stretch it a little, bobbing your head from side to side.

You jump a little in your seat when you feel a set of hands on your shoulder blades. They massage the sore spots, treating the muscle knots and helping your blood flow freely. It was obvious Donghyuck didn’t have enough of you earlier, and you pout at having to turn down another visit to his apartment because of your overtime duties. 

You were ready to scold him off, tell him you’re busy and that you promise to make it up for him another time, when you feel his soft lips kissing the most sensitive spot on the slope of your neck. You let out a long sigh, subconsciously exposing your neck more for him, and a high pitched whine rumbles in your chest. It’s released as a moan of Donghyuck’s name.

“Donghyuck?!”

You freeze in the uncomfortable arch, your ears confused by the deepness of the voice belonging to the man behind you. Not even the confusion laced in it can cover up the lack of airiness and clarity you’re used to when it comes to Donghyuck’s tone. It’s Johnny.

“I… We-“

You’re left speechless, clueless as to what to say next. You know you don’t have to explain yourself, it’s not like you and Johnny are exclusive. Yet his shocked face at the sound of his assistant’s name coming so lewdly off your lips has your brain scrambling to find some sort of explanation. Thankfully, he’d interrupt your panic in a second.

“The big boss wants you upstairs. I offered to come get you.”

He doesn’t sound angry or upset, nor disappointed. It’s a fresh air of relief before you realize that this is not what you should worry about right now. What the hell does the CEO of the company want to talk to you about? Are you getting the boot? It must be it, but why? Your numbers have been great, you’re always on time - except that one morning, but technically it was Donghyuck’s fault - and you’ve been praised by your supervisor numerous times during your internship.

Unless- What if there’s cameras in the office? 

You start to panic at the thought of an involuntary sex tape become the cause of your dismissal, so caught up in your thoughts that you’re completely unaware you’ve spent the entire trip up the stairs with Johnny in silence. When you enter the CEO’s office, heartbeat echoing loudly in your ears, you notice that all of the department’s supervisors are present in the impromptu meeting as well. You sit next to Johnny, in an attempt to calm yourself down, and you see the head of your department send you an encouraging smile.

“Shall we start?”

A briefing of your work in the company ensued, numbers and graphs that wouldn’t make sense to anyone other than the people in the room. Thirty minutes have passed and no surveillance tape has been whipped out, turning you more confused than ever. The numbers were good, the words from your supervisor are complimentary, so why would they fire you? 

“That is all for the briefing. After seeing your progress and the contribution you’ve made to the company, we’ve decided to offer you a permanent position, if you’d be interested of course”

Oh my god. You can’t believe this day finally came. Your face was glowing, and you tried to convince yourself to stay calm while you talked about your new position and the raise in salary that came with it. With shaky hands you sign the documents, and your boss congratulates you once again, dismissing you off your overtime. 

You waited for everyone to leave the hallway before jumping in Johnny’s arms. He caught you easily, strong build supporting you and lifting your feet off the ground before landing you safely again.

“Good job intern, I’m so proud of you”

“Hey, I’m not an intern anymore!”, you complain by bumping his chest with your fist and he pats your head lovingly in return.

“Why did you have to be in the room as well? Did you know about my promotion?”

“No, actually, they just told me an hour ago. It was hard to keep myself from telling you everything right away.”

The excitement coursed through you, and a sudden urge to kiss him until your lips were numb overwhelmed you. You were ready to turn your thoughts into reality, when you saw Donghyuck from the corner of your eye, instinctively smiling at your obvious happiness.

“What’s the occasion?”

“I got promoted!”

Donghyuck gasped, a huge smile spreading across his face. Your excitement’s contentious so he tackles you without a second thought, his embrace so tight that you can barely breathe. You can see that he’s trying his best to contain a kiss, his glance moving back and forth between you and Johnny. He still kept a possessive hand around your waist once he let you down however, a gesture that could seem innocent yet you knew better.

Johnny smirks at the sight of you two, confidence dripping off his body and making you shiver. You get dizzy at the thought of Donghyuck not knowing that Johnny knows about you, yet Donghyuck knowing about Johnny but not giving a fuck.

“So how do we celebrate?”, the older man asks, with a playful tone that might as well be your active imagination.

“Wanna go for a drink?”, Donghyuck suggests, boldly keeping his eyes at you only while he does so.

You pout in thought, humming pensively when an idea pops into your head. 

“How about you come over my place for one?”

You should have thought this through more thoroughly, is all you can think about as you’re trapped between Johnny and Hyuck on your couch. Well, not really- there is a sizable distance between you three, yet the atmosphere in the room is so dense it’s nearly palpable. Three glasses, half-full of the alcohol of their choice are sitting on the coffee table in front of you, and you awkwardly stare at the sweat that falls from your glass and forms rings on the wooden surface. 

Your body has loosened up from your drink yet your heart can’t stop racing, not when Donghyuck is looking at you like that. He looks like a man starved for days while you’re the meal presented deliciously in his arm’s reach, and he can’t wait to have you alone and curve his growing appetite. And you ignore Johnny’s cheeky smiles and flirtatious winks as well, carrying on a conversation that doesn’t belong in the inescapable tone of the room but flows easily, until it ends and you’re met with heavy silence and the ticking analog clock on your wall again.

You ask them if they would like some water, getting up before you receive an answer, and you yelp a little when you feel a strong arm halting your trip to the kitchen before it even started. You lose your balance and wobble a little in your spot before unceremoniously landing on Johnny’s lap.

He doesn’t help you up, but loops and arm around your waist instead, holding you in place. In circumstances other than the ones that have already made their mark on your sexual history, staying in this position with his assistant still in the room would be highly inappropriate.

“You’re all we need”, he reassures you with a voice made of silk, then repositions you with a jerk of his knee, your heat grinding right against his half hard member.

“When were you gonna tell me?”

You open and close your mouth sequentially like a fish out of water, choking out a reply after the insistent tick-tock that resonates through the room and gives a tempo to your anxiety.

“I’m sorry?”

“You know what I’m talking about. A little birdy told me I’m not the only one enjoying this perfect little body. Is that right Donghyuck?”

Donghyuck’s eyes bulged out of his skull, almost choking in the sip of the drink he was enjoying when the unexpected question hit him. Sizzling heat floods your face as he stares at you sternly, and you shake your head defensively.

“I didn’t tell him-“

“Well no, not exactly”, Johnny interrupts and places his big hands over your thighs, “I was just kissing her neck, trying to get her to relax, and lo and behold, she starts moaning your name like its a fucking reflex. You’ve really gotten into her head, apparently”

Donghyuck swells up in pride, that much is evident, yet he’s way too distracted to say anything in response, too busy staring at Johnny’s fingers spreading your thighs apart to expose your damp underwear. Johnny’s lips are planted on your neck, teeth nibbling on your earlobe and you wince when you feel the sharp sting of a slap on your inner thigh.

“You aren’t being a good hostess, baby. Open up your legs more, let Hyuck see your pretty pussy. You remember what word to say when you want me to stop, right?” You whimper the designated safe word while opening your thighs further, digging the heels of your feet in the couch’s pillows. “Good girl”

He dips a hand through the band of your underwear, busying his fingers under the fabric. You moan as they slide through the wetness and he smiles a cocky smile when he sees Donghyuck palming himself through his slacks. He removes the skimpy thong with the help of your hips moving to assist him, to then push the fabric inside your mouth with little to no resistance from you.

“Isn’t this pussy divine? I swear when I bottomed out inside of her the first time I thought I lost my damn mind”

He toys with your opening, only dipping half a finger in to challenge Donghyuck to pay attention.

“We haven’t actually…”

“She only let you play with her?”, Johnny teases him, then pushes his point and middle finger all the way inside you, making his assistant’s imagination run wild at what your pussy must feel like sucking him in. “You’re missing out man”

“I’ve made her cum probably twice as many times as you’ve ever have”

You chuckle at his smart remark and Johnny glares at you, softly slapping your pussy to keep you at bay.

“No one addressed you. You’ll get to make all the noise you want in a sec, baby”

You squirm in place, letting out a muffled apology through your gag and Donghyuck looks seriously affected by the sight.

“Isn’t she obedient?”, Johnny asks while grazing your g-spot, and you moan from both the praise and the stimulation.

Hyuck unbuttons his pants at the lewd sound, pulling his dick from the slit of his boxers and you admire his impressive girth. He lets his body decline comfortably on the pillows behind him, spreading his own legs at shoulder-length. The mouth-watering sight of him jerking himself slowly with the aid of his precum clouds your vision; you’re just as needy for him as he is for you.

“She’s a little brat”

“I guess I know how to make her listen”. Johnny lifts your dress over your hips, then helps you off of it through the hem. With a rehearsed flick of his fingers he discards your bra as well, leaving you completely naked for Donghyuck’s eyes to feast on. His hands immediately grope your breasts, playing with the mounds and putting on a show. “I could undress you over and over and over again”

You feel his fingers retract from inside your pussy to form a ‘V’ over your lower lips, making your hole even more visible along with the wetness that’s dripping out of it.

“Will you let Donghyuck use your pussy baby? I feel a little greedy using it all on my own”

You groan in the anticipation and let your head fall back on Johnny’s shoulder, nodding pathetically and mumbling through your thong.

“Oh god, yes, yes, yes”

Donghyuck has heard enough, and with Johnny urging him on he’s standing half naked in front of you in seconds. His boxers are discarded next to his trousers on the floor, tie hanging loosely from the collar. He still has a hand wrapped around his angry sex, red tip and veiny details making you swoon.

“Go on”, Johnny encourages him, “she’s more than wet enough”

Donghyuck rests his left knee on the cushion of the couch, right between your foot and Johnny’s thigh. A little foiled square is getting ripped by his nimble fingers and you bewitchedly watch him wrap up his cock. He slaps it over your entrance a couple times, coming in contact with the other man’s fingers that are still keeping you fully exposed, then finally thrusts himself inside you. A conglomerate of what seems like three different curses leave his lips, eyebrows furrowed in a pleasureful expression.

“Fuck”

“Tight, isn’t she?”

“So fucking tight baby, damn”

Johnny may have a cock so lengthy that most men are envious of, yet Donghyuck’s girth is really something else. It stretches you out more than you've had in months, dull pain getting numb with every release of serotonin from your brain. You almost cry when he removes the entire thing out of you.

“I have to feel that again”

And indeed he does, submerging himself in the tightness of your walls only his fingers had the privilege of experiencing thus far. You feel amazing wrapped up around him, pussy hot and burning in desire as he dips himself further inside you, pushing you up against Johnny’s chest. You hiss in the sting and whimper softly, prompting the man behind you to ungag you finally.

“What is it baby? Hyuckie’s dick is too big for your tight little hole?”

You nod affirmatively while keeping eye contact with the man mentioned, big glossy eyes awakening something dark inside him. He wants to ruin you.

“Maybe you don’t fuck her hard enough”

You can’t see Johnny from the way you’re seated but you know he must have a smile on his face, well aware of the confidence he possesses for his own abilities in the bedroom. His big hands leave your labia and make their way over to your calves, bending you in a way that is almost painful.

“How about you show me how it’s done, then?”

Donghyuck is always up for a challenge, so he wraps a hand loosely around your throat so as to gain leverage. He pulls his hips backwards, gaining momentum, then slaps them forcefully against your own. You moan loudly at the depth, hands scrambling to find something to hold on to as he’s nailing you against the couch. Johnny’s there to catch your sounds with his lips, eating them up eagerly as he slips his tongue inside you and continues to play with your nipples. 

“Is that hard enough for you?”

Continuing his brutal pace restlessly, Donghyuck tightens his grasp around your neck, enough to hamper your blood flow and drool around the other man’s mouth. You’re so out of it at this point, dirty sound after another leaving your lips and you gasp at Johnny’s fingers that are suddenly circling around your clit.

“I’m close, please”, you manage to whimper from between them, Hyuck’s pace only fastening in the sound of your plea. The tip of his cock, thick like the rest of him, grazes against your sensitive spot again and again, not missing a single thrust. He digs a thumb in the softness of your cheek, pulling you away from Johnny and connecting his forehead with yours. By the sounds of his grunts it won’t take long until he comes as well.

“Made just for me”, he whispers against your lips, and you gasp when you feel the heat overflowing in your sex area, vision blurry as you let go and scream in complete pleasure. Donghyuck basks in the confirmation of how good he’s made you feel, hips stuttering as he empties his cum in you and inside the condom. His thigh muscles may be contracting in tiredness yet he doesn’t halt his movements, milking your orgasm for all its worth. You’re basically putty in Johnny’s lap at this point, sex drunk and high from your release.  

“Not bad”, he admits, even though he had some credit to claim with the fast fingerwork he showed earlier. He holds your thighs again, closing them up to help you relax and you wince at the pain in your haunch, the result of staying in a flexibility-demanding position for so long.

You wait until your heartbeat slows down, turning around to face Johnny as Donghyuck ties up and discards the used condom. He sends you a warm smile, petting the messy hair out of your line of sight and you relax in the feeling of safety, batting your eyes up at him cutely.

“What about you?”, you practically meow, moaning softly as you feel his boner twitching from beneath his trousers.

“What about me? Didn’t you have enough?” 

He knows your appetite, knows there’s no way you’d be satisfied by one round only. And how could you, when he sits so deliciously from under you, his big body reeling you in. You know what he wants to hear.

“Please, Johnny”, you plead, playing with the thin tie still neatly keeping his shirt in place. “I need you”

“You need what?”, he growls against your lips, trying to coax as much desperation out of you as possible.

“I need your big cock inside me, please”

“Ass up”

You get up from your seat, complying with his commands and getting on your knees before your tired legs betray you and leave you a mess on the floor.  His hands cup your ass in admiration, giving it a little spank before he slides them over your dorsals. A careful push forces you to arch your back even more, and your cheeks burn at the eager position he has bent you in. You shiver when his cock enters you halfway.

“You’re still not used to me babe?”

“It’s not my fault that you’re so fucking big, Johnny”

“Then maybe I should stay still? Since you can’t take it?”

“No!”, you oppose, tears of frustration threatening to spill out of their ducts, “I can take it, just move!”

You howl as he bottoms out, his long length making you lose your mind. It’s been a while since you’ve had anything more than his fingers and you’ve missed the way he fits inside of you. You hear shuffling from behind you and soon he’s bending over you, wrapping his tie around your neck. With a pull you’re flush against his chest again, and the buttons of his shirt are already leaving little indentations on your skin. You wish it bruises.

“Do you remember what I wanted you to call me the other day?”, he whispers next to the shell of your ear, dark tone sending shivers down your spine.

“Mr. Suh”

“Exactly. Now will you let me fuck you the way I want?”

“Yes sir”

“What a good girl”

Johnny slams into you fully, every pull of his hips resulting in the restriction of your airflow. A game of wanting more of him and sacrificing your oxygen for it begins, and it doesn’t take long for you to turn completely into a submissive mess for him. He’s whispering filth in your ears, hips keeping their inhuman tempo until you’re all out of energy and fall nonvocal. Donghyuck gets hard again at the sight.

It doesn’t go unnoticed by Johnny, who is more than willing to share your body for the pleasure he’s after- at least part of it. He waits until the younger man’s dick is fully solid in his grasp, standing tall and red right in front of you and he lets go of the constraint of your neck without notice.

You fall face first on Donghyuck’s thick thighs, his quick reflexes catching you from a harder impact. His member is twitching right next to your face, tip grazing against your left temple and he helps your head up by wrapping your hair in a makeshift ponytail that his fingers hold together. You wrap your lips around his tip obediently, twirling your tongue around his member until you reach his hairy base. He tastes a bit rubbery from the condom earlier but you choose to ignore it, focusing on hollowing your cheeks around him instead.

Every hard thrust of Johnny’s propels you forward onto Donghyuck’s cock, the bobbing motion natural yet you struggle to take them both inside you. Donghyuck enjoys the vibrations of the moans you make when the other man hits a deep spot in your pussy, Johnny groans when you clench around him as Donghyuck abuses your throat. It’s a give and take of intense pleasure and you know you can’t take much more, the men’s moans growing louder with every thrust. 

“Do you like Hyuck’s cock needy baby? Have you finally had enough?”

He punctuates each word with a slam, one harder than the other, and the rope inside your belly snaps with the arrival of your second orgasm. You try your hardest to stay in place, beg your thighs not to let you collapse as you let Johnny drive you into overstimuation.

“Yes, sir. I love it”

Johnny grunts at the sound of his title, so dirty coming muffled by another man’s dick that it’s enough to send him over the edge. You feel the hot cum filling up the condom inside you, and his spurts take so long that the little tweaks coax another orgasm from you.

Donghyuck drinks up the scene unveiling in front of him, a steady hand forcing your jaw open as he starts to jerk off quickly over your face.

“I want to see your tongue covered in my cum”

You lick your lips seductively in response, opening your mouth up to welcome his ropes of white liquid that leave his slit a second after. They fill your mouth little by little, painting the inside of it and you hold your tongue out to show him his creation, a couple of drops dripping from the corners before you swallow as much as you can. He collects whatever’s left on your jaw, pushing it in and letting you suckle on his thumb dumbly before letting go.

You collapse on the couch, exhausted after giving all that your body could handle after a work day, and you sit in silence as Johnny massages your feet and Donghyuck kisses your neck to calm you down. Your head hurts from the sex and the possibilities that this new combination can bring to your love life, belly tingling in excitement at the same time. You don’t know where this will lead, or when will be the next time you’ll indulge in the company of the both of them stuck on your body. All that you know is that this promotion, at least the celebration of it, tastes really, really sweet. 

thank you for reading ❤ feedback is much appreciated! If you liked Promotion you can check out Work for it to see where it all started! :) 

[subtlereferencetomyinterests]

Complexities Unknowable- Chapter 7 (Finale!)

Ao3,   1    2    3    4    5    6.  MasterPost

Relationships: Deintruality, background Analogince

Warnings: Cursing, Remus-typical language and jokes, Minor self-deprication/insecurity, the ol’ ‘thinks-it’s-unrequited-and-is-oblivious-to-obvious-flirting’ song and dance, all sympathetic sides, feelings of being left out, also I accidentally projected too hard and now Patton has adhd oops. 

Word Count: 4,000 (approximately)

Patton felt better than he could ever remember feeling. Sleep came easy as it hadn’t for him in years. It was amazing how far a little bit of understanding went.

When all your closest friends are together, you get lonely. Patton wouldn’t say that he was jealous, but everything was different now. When he used to spend time with the others, it was four pals spending quality time together! Now when they did, it was a date, except oops! Patton’s here too! How awkward!

He knew that was unfair. They didn’t really think of him that way, of course not. Hence why he didn’t bring it up.

It wasn’t like that with Remus and Deceit. Even though they were dating, Patton never felt left behind. Their humor was dark and snarky but accessible, not laden with inside jokes that he’d missed out on or specific clues that he didn’t pick up. 

The inclusiveness they treated him with was probably borne from being excluded for so long, though he didn’t like to think about that. The fact was, the three were friends now, the past was past, and Patton was drinking in their companionship like fine wine (or, to be more accurate to himself, a grape juice box).

It did not take him long to figure out why he was so fond of their company. You can only spend so much time with Deceit prattling about the dangers of repression before you start to unearth all of those deeply buried feelings.

He’d fallen for the Dark Sides. Whoops. 

Could you really blame him? Deceit, suave and clever and funny, yet so gentle when he wanted to be; Remus, bold and brash and energetic, but still with such a deep empathy hidden in him! It was no wonder that the two were already together- anyone who spent as much time with them as they spent with each other would be head-over-heels as well! (Patton was speaking from experience on that one). 

Initial surprise regarding the feelings had soon faded to something almost comfortable. He was happy to have them as his friends alone, so what was a little crush? No big deal!

...Was what he had thought ten minutes ago, when there wasn’t an affectionate Remus wrapped around him, chattering off various compliments.

“I could hold you forever, Patty. You are just the softest, like a water balloon full of blood and organs! But still so ripped, I mean, damn!”

“Language,” Patton chided meekly, trying very hard to not dissolve into the ether.

“Awww, you can’t make an exception for me? Just this once? I’ll make it worth your while~,” the last part was a hushed sing-song right near Morality’s ear. He felt his face redden, but forced himself away to refocus on… whatever he had been doing.

“Nope, no exceptions,” he chirped, going back to- right! Cleaning!

“You aren’t tempted at all? You are so responsible- and that’s really one of the sexiest qualities there is.”

It was just Remus’ nature to talk to people like that, Patton told himself firmly. The Creative side was just expressing his friendly affection in a way that made sense to him. It came alongside being close to someone so unused to ‘typical’ friendship dynamics, after all. Patton reminded himself of this again and again, denying himself the desperate urge that welled up and told him to respond in kind. He would not purposefully misinterpret Remus’ actions for his own gain, he was better than that!

“Thank you, Rem,” just nice, platonic gratitude for nice, platonic compliments. 

Eventually, finally, mercifully, The Duke had seemed to get bored. He disentangled himself from Patton (appearing rather crestfallen, though the moral trait wasn’t sure why), and wandered off. 

But that, whether for good or for bad, was hardly the end of that.

Deceit’s room was magnificently cozy. It was armchairs that swallowed up whomever sat in them, warm lamps casting down on all surfaces, and jazzy music playing distantly in the background. In other words, the perfect place for a good cup of tea and some sandwiches, not to mention pleasant conversation.

Deceit lounged back in his oversized chair, sending Patton an inscrutable look across their teacups. The side smiled, hoping that was the appropriate response.

“So,” he drawled, switching the track of their conversation abruptly, “You’re something of a seamster, aren’t you?”

Patton stared blankly for a moment before the term clicked.

“Oh, you mean a seamstress?”

“Sorry, I thought you’d prefer the masculine, but that really was presumptuous of me,” Deceit amended in apology. 

“I didn’t know that there was a word for it other than seamstress. Hey, isn’t it kinda weird how some jobs are like that, when you think about it? Like how there’s actors and actresses! Why wouldn’t ‘actor’ be all encompassing, ya know?”

Deceit made a vague noise of disinterest and waved his hand, as though manually cutting off the tangent in conversation.

“Yes, gender is a distasteful societal construct and an overall prison to our consciences, we both agree- but regardless, you sew. Make clothing and things like our quilt. Isn’t that right?”

“Right- yes.”

“Do you make all of your own clothes, then?”

“Hmm, sometimes I do- I mostly make stuff for the others. It’s easier to conjure simple stuff for myself, but making them is a lot of fun!” Morality gestured enthusiastically to the pastel pink sweater that he wore, fluffy and intricately patterned. 

Deceit’s eyes glinted in a strange, intimidating, and also incredibly hot way. Patton almost forced the attraction out of his mind, before realizing that that kind of repression would definitely be noticed in this part of the Mindscape. 

“I would have to say you have quite the talent, in that case,” the dishonest trait set down his cup and craned his body over the small table between them, heterochromatic gaze alight with… something. Patton cleared his throat. 

“W-Why’s that?” 

“You look positively hideous in that, my Dear,” he purred in obvious lies, gloved hands now sitting in the middle of the table and creeping forward by the inch.

“Aw, thanks,” Patton croaked, fighting the urge to lean forward in turn. 

Something strangely disappointed flashed in Deceit’s eyes, but he quickly recovered. He reached out to run a hand along Patton’s sleeve, the touch lingering against his arm.

“My my, that’s just like a cloud. How did you manage that, Darling?”

Morality shivered as Deceit continued to toy with the fabric of his sweater. 

“I-It’s probably because it’s made with love! Since that’s what I am, kinda,” he stammered, desperately trying to keep up the cheery tone.

“I’m inclined to agree. There’s beauty in all you touch, Sunshine.”

Oh, the pet names. Patton really couldn’t take it; he jerked away and pressed his back against the chair, before he had the chance to do something stupid. Honestly, it was sad how hard this was for him- Deceit was just trying to be a good friend! It wasn’t his fault that he showed it with flirts!

“You’re too sweet,” with distance reestablished, Morality found it much easier to formulate words, “I really appreciate you, Dee.”

Deceit blinked, still hovering over the table. He cleared his throat and snapped back into his seat, suddenly looking the part of the cold and distant Dark Side that Patton had feared just months prior. Guarded, callous, stoic. It was almost frightening, how quickly he changed. 

“Yes, I know you do. Let’s change topics, shall we?”

Patton, feeling quite a bit of whiplash, nodded hesitantly. Their conversation continued to flow normally, for the most part, but he couldn’t help feeling that he’d messed up somewhere. There was something heavy over them, but Patton hadn’t the slightest idea what it was. 

For a brief, dizzying moment, he wondered if they were moving backwards. If he’d somehow crossed a line when he was trying so hard not to, and now they were two steps back again. Just the thought of it made him too sick to finish his tea.

Patton didn’t have to be worried for long about that particular mishap, thankfully, as a very momentous occasion had swallowed up the fear. Remus and Deceit were going to be joining in their first ever movie night as part of the family! 

There’d been plenty of TV marathons with just them and Pat already, but now they’d all come together! As part of the group!! Contributing to the voting and the arguing and the joking and the experience of it all!!! Needless to say, Patton was practically bouncing off the walls in his excitement. 

He plopped down onto the couch with a bowl of popcorn, passing a much larger container of snacks to the amorphous blob of limbs and sass that had once been his three best friends, cuddled together far across from him. Now, all they needed were the Dark- sorry, former Dark Sides.

He wasn’t waiting for long before Deceit and Remus appeared in the living room (Remus, thank the lord, wearing actual pajamas). Patton couldn’t contain the happy little chirp that escaped him, scrunching himself to one side of the sectional so that they’d have plenty of room to make themselves at home.

Rather than huddling together in the crook of the curved sofa, however, Deceit immediately gestured for Patton to scooch over, and Remus sat on his other side. Morality was happy (if a bit surprised) to comply with this new seating arrangement, flashing them bright smiles. In light of recent events, being so close with both of them was a little dizzying, but it wasn’t too hard to bear. For now.

The conversation on which movie to watch that night was more agreeable than usual, which was nice; they got right to the marathon with little hassle. Patton sighed as the opening credits to Tangled played. At that moment, his life couldn’t get any more wonderful. Surrounded by the people he cared about, finally all together, it was perfect. 

And then, a mere ten minutes in, Remus leaned his chin on Patton’s shoulder and pressed into his side. 

“Mother Gothel is such a Milf.”

Patton would usually have been put off by the sexual comment, but at that moment Deceit had also seemed to decide that he’d make a good headrest. Which was fine, this was fine. Some mild friendly cuddling- nothing he couldn't handle!

Another twenty minutes later and Remus twisted an arm around his waist. Deceit held Patton’s hand between a couple of his own. By this point, they were beginning to look a lot like the cuddle pile wrapped up together on the other side of the couch. He was still alive, though!

Neither of the sides beside him moved an inch until the film ended, only begrudgingly letting go when Morality had to get up for a snack refill. Even then, they latched back onto him as soon as he returned. Thus began the second movie, and the beginning of Patton's slow and snuggly death.

Every few minutes, it would be something else: Deceit ran a hand or two through his hair, Remus hooked his leg around Patton’s, Deceit nuzzled against his neck, Remus laughed into his shoulder, et cetera et cetera et cetera.

Three movies in and he was barely keeping up with the conversation. His head was spinning and he was sure he’d never been so warm, but more than that he felt protected. Even adored. He wasn't often on the receiving end of affection, and the longing brought with it ached, but he never wanted it to end.

Then Virgil yawned (oh yeah, the other three were still there), exiting from the ending credits of All Dogs Go To Heaven and clicking back to the main screen.

“Bed time,” he grumbled, a tone so intimate and low and clearly meant for his boyfriends that Patton almost felt bad for overhearing it. 

“It is getting quite late,” Logan agreed, standing to stretch. Roman followed suit and dragged a  sleepy Anxiety up with him.

Virgil tossed the remote in Patton's general direction and let Roman haul him up in his arms (Deceit caught it with an unoccupied arm, given that the moral side’s brain was currently jelly). The three bid their goodnights and were gone with a few shimmers of color and a whoosh.

“I guess we should head up, too,” Patton murmured, working very hard to disguise his reluctance. To his surprise, the traits sandwiching him only sank further into his sides.

“Oh, you’re absolutely right, it’s so very late,” Deceit rumbled, his face partially hidden in the crook of Patton’s neck.

“Yeah, I’m exhausted. I can’t move,” Remus added, his voice ticking up in a noticeably mischievous way. 

“I can’t either. We should stay, just like this.”

Patton's heart warmed, looking between their adorably sleepy faces. He couldn’t lie, the offer was tempting, but in such a situation his brain came back to him. Despite the continued proximity of his crushes, this was something he could handle! 

“Aww, don’t you worry about it, I’ve got ya,” and, making very sure that his grip was secure, Patton stood up with Deceit and Remus cradled in either arm. He hardly staggered under the weight of the sides, familiar with such heavy lifting. 

Remus and Deceit went from sleepiness to pure shock in a matter of milliseconds. Deceit instinctively clung to Patton with all of his limbs, meanwhile Remus gave a startled laugh. Their faces were a matching pink; oh, he could have made them uncomfortable!

“Is this okay? I promise I won't drop you.”

Remus nodded frantically; Deceit squawked in an affirming sort of way. 

Relief washed over Patton and, satisfied with the response, he sank out in a circle of cyan. For a moment, he feared that the nausea that The Subconscious usually brought him would unsteady him, but he was left pleasantly surprised when he felt none. In fact, it felt just like rising up anywhere else. Just as easy as breathing. Hm.

He didn’t dwell on it too long, ascending The Subconscious’ staircase and bringing his cargo to the first bedroom he saw (Deceit’s). He nudged the door open with his shoe, carrying them right to the bed and dropping them down gently. Remus fell onto his back with a happy hum; Deceit stayed upright and stared at Patton with wide eyes. He huffed a laugh and nudged The Snake's shoulders, and Deceit let himself fall beside his boyfriend, dazed. 

This was routine for Patton: grabbing the covers and blanketing his friends, as he’d done for probably every other side at one point or another (even Logan, though he would deny it furiously). Once Remus and Deceit were sufficiently tucked in, he stood up and dimmed the lights to near darkness. 

“Alright, you two have a good night's sleep.”

There was a noise of approval from the pair. Patton gave them one last smile before disappearing back to his own room. To scream into his pillow and think about how gay he was.

Which meant that he didn't get the opportunity to hear the interaction that followed between Dee and Ree.

“Well, that didn’t backfire at all.”

“I want him to snap my spine in half like a glow stick. He could break every bone in my body and I would thank him,” Remus replied dreamily. Deceit hummed in agreement. 

“Perhaps we should try a more… direct approach, as this doesn’t seem to be working in our favor.”

“I dunno about you, but I’m feeling pretty fuckin’ favored right now.”

“I was suggesting that we be more-” he very nearly gagged, “Straightforward.”

“More like gay-forward, actually,” Remus corrected, “But I’m with you! You know I love being direct.”

“Now when I say direct, I don’t mean blunt.”

“I don’t understand the difference.”

“I know you don’t. Let me do the talking.”

“Fine by me! Whatever works to get him to pick me up and throw me!”

Deceit rolled his eyes, settling his arms around Remus. 

“Yes, yes- but I’m actually wide awake right now, and I’d love it if you keep being loud all night, Dearest.” 

“Oh, right,” Remus lowered his voice, curling himself around the lying side in turn. Together, their breathing slowed. As they drifted to sleep, the feeling of Patton's arms around them still ghosted their skin.

Patton was cleaning furiously. He’d already reorganized the entirety of his room- twice, for that matter- and now he’d moved to the Common area. It hadn’t been so much as a week since his last tidying session, and the Mindpalace was pretty much spotless, but that was irrelevant. It was as good a distraction as any.

Maybe he was avoiding the trifecta of trifling traits- aka his best friends- because he knew that they’d ask about why he was being so weird lately. Maybe he was avoiding Deceit and Remus, the reason that he’d been weird lately. Maybe he was just avoiding his thoughts about them, because seeing them all cozied up and sleepy and adorable a couple nights ago really hadn’t helped settle his growing infatuation with them. Most likely, he was avoiding all three. 

But he had failed to take into account that The Common Area was not the best place for avoiding stuff. Given that it was. A Public Space. 

“Patton,” began the voice of Deceit behind him, in a tone deadly serious.

He spun around to see a very embarrassed Dee and an immensely giddy Remus. Well, Shhhhh-ucks. Shucks. 

“Hey!” Patton tossed the sponge in his hand back into the sink and pretended that he wasn’t freaking out at that exact moment. 

Deceit hardly registered the greeting, continuing: 

“We need to talk to you.”

“What about?”

The Snake opened his mouth, and promptly closed it. His eyes had widened concerningly, and he cast his gaze downwards.

“We-” he cut off again. Patton’s worry was mounting. 

“DeeDee?” Remus prompted, elbowing his partner’s side, “I thought you were doing the talking?”

“I-I can do this, I’m not tapping out,” his voice was frenzied, hiding himself behind The Duke in a rare display of fear. 

“Guys? Is something wrong?” Patton approached them, all of his nervousness about his feelings forgotten in the face of this distress, “Whatever it is, you can talk to me.”

Remus gave him a warm smile, not hesitating for a breath. 

“We came to tell you you’re hot and we wanna date you! But, you know how bad Dee is with words! Anyway, whaddya say?”

Deceit, for his part, nodded in deep resignation. And Patton’s head reeled.

He could hear, audibly hear his heart thumping against his ribs. It was probably as simple as a confession could get, but regardless he found himself frantically replaying the words over and over and over again. He’d never imagined- not even for a second- even the thought of it- 

Mentally, he took a step back. Roman, Logan, and Virgil were an item. Remus and Deceit were an item. And Patton was a third party, paternal and caring and watching out for all of them and their misadventures, though he knew he’d never be entirely part of it. But maybe, now he could be. After everything, they wanted not to just be with him, but to be with him.

It didn’t process.

“I- You- What- Me?”

Because there is good in this world, Remus (correctly) interpreted his flustered stammering as surprise and not distaste. The smile that he almost always wore widened and he took a step forward, dragging the mildly less panicked Deceit along with him.

“You,” he confirmed, shimmying excitedly in place, “Definitely you. And us.”

“I second that not-at-all vague sentiment. We’ve grown unfortunately fond of you,” Deceit uncoiled himself from Remus enough to be seen clearly.

Patton saw it. He saw, in full light and understanding, the subtext in their previous interactions. And now that he did, he had no idea how he’d missed it. A testament to the power of his insecurity, probably. But that didn’t matter, because they liked him back.

Patton failed to words. But, they were very near, and he was very happy, and in the light of new context, he figured that they wouldn’t mind the response he opted for instead. 

He hopped forward with a delighted squeal, scooping the traits up in his arms. Remus started cackling and immediately returned the hug with just as much fervor. Deceit wasn’t far behind for once, allowing his face to split with a smile equal parts shock, relief, and glee. 

“Oh, I love you two so much!” Patton laughed out, burying his face in Remus’ hair. 

“I love you back!” Remus said in kind. 

Deceit attempted a dramatic groan, but he failed to tamp down his grin. 

“It could be said that I feel something love-adjacent for the both of you. Perhaps.” 

Patton’s mind was swimming in joy, so much so that it barely registered when Remus tilted his head back only to lean forward, and oh wow, were they kissing. Patton’s vision was all bright blurs of color, and he melted. The creative trait pushed up against him, rough in much the same way as an overly excited large dog. Patton hardly had time to reciprocate the kiss before Remus broke off completely from the hug, unflustered and unaffected by what he’d done, save for a light blush.

“Now you guys!”

Oh, he was still hugging Deceit. 

“Only if it’s okay?” he’d barely gotten the apprehensive words out of his mouth when it was suddenly occupied, and the world went back to hazey vibrance. Deceit was almost skittish, a barely-there press against his lips like he expected Patton to shove him away. He didn’t, by the way. Rather, he slid a hand up to rest between the side’s shoulder blades, bringing him nearer. 

After a moment, they pulled back slowly, not letting go of each other. 

“That was hot, ngl,” Remus chimed from his perch on the counter.

Patton was overcome with a fit of giggling, energy building in him. He ended his and Deceit’s very drawn-out embrace to satisfy the necessity of full body wiggle. He was in Silly Mode, there was no avoiding this until it had been exorcised via The Joyful Movement™. Patton flapped his hands at his sides and shook his hair out, laughing all the while. Today could not possibly get better!

But he remembered his audience of two. He looked up, hair fluffed up and face flushed with fading excitement and a tinge of self-consciousness. 

“Sorry, I got over-excited...”

“That,” Deceit announced solemnly, “Was astoundingly adorable.”

“I’ve died a gruesome death,” Remus rolled off the counter and onto the ground with a crash (and some bone crunches thrown in, probably for fun), “My heart overloaded, it has burst. There’s blood everywhere, it’s in my eyes, I’m now also blind.” 

Patton’s relief escaped in another bout of laughter, and something lifted in him. A weight that had been there for so long that he hadn’t even remembered it was there, nor how it felt to be without it. But now that it had left, he didn’t know how he had been living with it for so long. There was airiness in his chest, a clarity in his mind, a general sense of contentment rushing over him. This wasn’t a face he put on for others benefit, it wasn’t a fleeting enjoyment of one thing or another- what it was was a deep, thrumming joy that overcame him. 

He was happy. 

Naturally, Patton could not finish cleaning due to. Circumstances. Those circumstances being, he was finally letting himself indulge in some quality time with his new boyfriends (an identifier he very much liked the sound of). 

The trio were half-laying on the Common room’s couch, a tangle of various limbs. Remus leaned against a pile of pillows, and Patton rested his head on his chest. Draped across the both of them was Deceit, fastening all of his arms around them in a manner simultaneously protective and needy. Oh, and also very, very cute. 

“This was totally what I was planning from the beginning,” his voice reverberated through Patton’s chest, “God, I am so great at plotting.”

Remus clicked his tongue agreeably, pressing a kiss to the top of Morality’s head.

“Yeah, I was pretty sure we were gonna end up killing you, Pumpkin. This wasn’t even in the ballpark of outcomes.” 

Patton hummed in thought, cuddling himself closer to his partners.

“I dunno. I’d say your plan turned out pretty well.”

@deceits-left-glove​ 

@princemesscharming

@shrimp-crockpot

[xroamywoamyx]

Sleep My Sweet Prince (Spoilers)

Fandom: Sander Sides

Rating: K+

Genre: Hurt/Comfort and Fluff

Word Count:1785

Pairing: Creativisleep (Roman/Remy)

Roman Sat On The Floor Of His Bedroom Knees To His Chest Face Hidden As He Sobbed Quietly. He'd been there for hours. He knew that at this point he was just being dramatic, but dammit. It still hurt. If Jay had said literally anything else he would have been able to take it. Even if he had said Roman was foolish or unnecessary it would have been fine. He already knew these things, Logan made sure he knew it after all. Though with Logan it wasn't genuine and he knew that... and even if it was he couldn't say that he was wrong. He was stupid, he typically prided himself on it actually, most Prince's weren't known for their high intellect. Heroes use to be brave, heroic and charming without being overly bright. If they needed something done that required more then an average IQ then the lovable nerdy sidekick would do it. It wasn't until recently that his brand of heroics became out dated and... And Toxic... He'd only needed to be good looking and strong before, he stuck by a strong moral code...

A Moral Code He Doesn't Understand Anymore...

If Patton...

No.

If Thomas.... No longer Needed Him Or His Brand Of Heroics Anymore...

What Was The Point.

Thomas did have Remus after all and if Janus fit into Thomas' new found sense of morality.\

Who's to say his Brother wouldn't also...

After all Jay had said he couldn't tell them apart....well...those weren't his exact words but that's what he said.

If He and Remus were truly so similar then surely Remus could handle things on his own. He didn't really need to hang around, he contributed the least out of everyone else and he had a ready to go replacement. What was the point of him staying around?

He clearly wasn't wanted...

He continued to sob letting his thoughts run wild each one doing more damage to his fragile self worth. He continued to sob quietly for several more minutes feeling more and more alone as each minute passed.

After awhile there was a soft knock on his door "Go away'' Roman called out ''you're not wanted'' he said voice sounding muffled

The person behind the door scoffed in fake offense ''Well babe I know that can't be true because I'm always wanted'' The door creaked open slowly and as the light streamed in to reveal the hyper insomniac Remy Sanders. Roman glared at the caffeine fiend "I Am Not A Liar Remington!" he spat angrily still fuming in no mood for jokes ''Well someone's in a mood'' Remy said in a slightly softer tone taking a sip of his drink.

'' Rough day?'' Remy asked plopping down next Roman ''buzz off sleep demon'' Roman insulted weakly Remy lowered his sunglasses and quirked his eyebrow at Roman "oh really, you wanna do nicknames right now'' Roman hugged his knees a little closer ''sorry..''. Roman felt something heavy get placed on his shoulders ''Nah Princy you're fine'' Remy yawned wrapping his jacket around Roman before kicking back against Roman's bed '' just don't call me Remington again'' he picked up his drink and offered it to Roman ''want some''. Roma ignored him ''You know I'm not a coffee person Rem'' Remy cracks a smile "who said it was coffee" Roman looked at Remy with genuine surprise and curiosity. Remy laughed to him self smirking and taking another sip "Your loss, ma petite frère".

Roman loosened his grip on his knees continuing to sulk "What are you even doing here..." Remy signed " well it's not like I want to be here or anything" he twirls his cup sarcastically "and besides there's this prince who's keeping me up" he nudged Roman gently."I'm sorry..." Roman said quietly "don't" Remy looks at Roman '' don't do that Princy'' Roman laughs and lets his head fall back and rest against the bed ''I'm not much of a prince anymore" he smiled as silent tears fell down his face these not from anger or frustration at the days prior events but do to real pain and hurt. "Maybe..." Remy sighed ''or maybe, just maybe you're just tired'' Roman laughed ''you can't take credit for everything Rem'' Remy scoffed ''or maybe, I can'' he gently wraps his arm around Roman making him rest his head on his shoulder Roman yawns ''don't Remy...''.

He Took slight offense to that scoffing as he shoved Roman back off of him ''I wouldn't dare do such a thing  Princy, not even in your dreams'' Roman readjust himself removing Remy's jacket from his shoulders. ''I'm sorry'' he says trying to give it back to Remy ''Uh-uh'' Remy holds his hands up setting his drink down properly. ''Remy..'' Roman whined ''no!'' Remy fussed ''Remy I'm burning up'' he looked at him with a pouty face. Remy cupped Roman's face and placed a hand on his forehead ''Yeah but you're cooling down fast and you'll start to shiver, so put on the damn jacket'' Roman wiped his face and crossed his arms shaking Remy off before shaking away "Roman..'' Remy softened his voice. ''It's okay, you're okay Roman'' Remy grips Roman's shoulder making the distraught prince look at him. ''Listen to me Princy'' he places his hand on his chest applying the slightest amount of pressure to calm him down '' you have one of the kindest and bravest hearts of any person I know, please for the love all the shirtless hot male strippers out there, let me passive aggressively take care of you". A chill ran down Roman's back, Remy was right, his body temperature was already beginning to drop and he was getting cold. He tried to stop himself from reacting to the chill and not shiver but unfortunately failed...

Remy smacked his shoulder "I told you bitch, now put on the fucking jacket and let me run my hands through your beautiful hair while you do that feelings thing and tell me your problems" Roman laughed giving in and putting on Remy's jacket. It was actually really comfortable and calming then he had thought it would be. "Feelings things?" he quirked an eyebrow at Remy "that was such a Logan thing to say" he mentions as he carefully slumps himself sideways and lays down in Remy's lap. Remy takes off his sunglasses and glares at Roman playfully '' How very rude of you to imply I am anything like that nerd'' Roman yawned ''I dunno you guys are kinda similar'' Remy tugs his hair a little harshly in response. ''What are you doing here Remy'' Roman asked sounding pitiful, Remy returned to soothingly stroking Roman's hair gently '' I came to check on you'' ''I came to check on you...'' he sighed ''I was worried'' . ''You shouldn't of been'' Roman continued to sulk, Remy rolled his eyes ''oh get over yourself Roman'' Remy chose his words poorly, Roman turned away from him and onto his side in Remy's lap ''sorry...''. Remy sighed in slight frustration at his Royal fuck up ''No Roman that's not what I meant, I mean'' he pauses for a moment thinking hard about his words. ''Don't think you're the only one who, don't think...Dammit'' he ran hand through his hair '' let people care about you Princy you're not Logan and he shouldn't stop people either'' he finally pushes out. ''And I, I care a lot, so I'm going to worry weather you want me to or not, I'm a stubborn sleep deprived coffee gay, you will not be able to out argue me on the ways you're amazing and worthy'' he let out a long breathe after spitting out his mismesh of words that he really wasn't proud of. Roman continued to sulk refusing to rollover and look at him '' Roman...'' he nudged him gently ''talk to me...please'' no response. Remy's heart sunk and he went to remove his hand from Roman's hair disappointingly feeling like he'd failed. ''Don't stop...'' Came a mumbled whisper ''what!?'' Remy asked surprised ''you can mess with my hair...I like it...'' Remy laughed at Roman's resistant response ''Okay'' he smiled returning his hand to Roman's hair. They sat like that for several minutes in silence Roman staying closed off and Remy just patiently waiting for if and when he'd be okay.

After awhile the quiet broke ''You think I'm amazing'' Roman sniffled ''hell yeah I do'' Remy smiled ''I think you're wonderful Princy'' Roman readjusted slightly still keeping his back to Remy. ''Why'' he asked needing validation, Remy was happy to oblige ''Well'' he began ''you're charming and kind, I really did mean what I said about you having a good heart. You're just filled with so much love and hope, It's really awe-inspiring and you come up with the most beautiful dreams for my nights with Thomas'' his voice was low and soft. ''Oh..'' Roman doesn't know how to respond "but honestly that's not enough, you try so hard to make everyone happy, even more then  Patton does, a lot more actually. You care so much about other people and what they think, I've seen you literally hang the stars for people'' Remy went on ''Logan wanted them..'' Roman mumbled again slowly loosening up. '' And you spent many dreamless nights collecting them and then setting them up for him...'' he trailed off. Roman finally rolled over and looked up at Remy ''How do you know that?'' Remy's cheeks tinted pink ''well-I...You weren't there to help me with dreams...and Remus..did it...instead'' the coffee fanatic was having a hard time getting his words out, something that was Very unusual.

''Anyways..are you feeling better'' he tries to hides blush summoning his sleep mask and lazily flopping it on his face ''I'm tired and out of coffee'' . '' Hey Remy'' Roman readjusted so his weight was entirely on Remy's legs. ''Hmm?'' He responded taking off the sleep mask ''thank you'' he yawned snuggling up to Remy still wearing his jacket. Remy was silent for a moment heat rising in his face ''Yeah- anytime Roman..'' he stays rigid at attention coming from Roman not really sure how to process it.

''Rem'' Roman Whispers again into Remy's neck, ''Yeah Ro'' he responds. Roman lifts his head for a minute and kisses Remy's cheek before laying his head back down on again ''Can you stay and help me sleep tonight please''.

Like he'd even have to ask..

Remy smiled to quietly resting his head on Roman's head ''Of Course Princy, You Can Sleep Peacefully Tonight, I Got You'' Remy curled his fingers around Roman's hand and brings it up to his lips and kisses it peacefully putting the prince to sleep.

''Goodnight''

[blueyesandleatherjacket]

The Fallen, 5/17

Volume: 1.

Number of parts: 5/17.

Pairings: Nine x Rose.

A/N: Written for Whumptober. Scars (D15), Pinned Down (D16), "Stay with me" (D17), Broken voice (ALT2). Tagging @thebookster on her demand.

“We've all fallen, but at the same time we're not broken. There is the hint that we are going to get up again.” - Amy Lee.

CHAPTER 5:

They had taken advantage of the fact he was howling his pain at the ceiling to catch him off guard and pin him down to the ground. He didn’t fight them when they did a body search, nor when they examined his hand. Their voices didn’t even reach him. All of his mind was focused on this image of Rose he had had. She was in a place she couldn’t call home anymore, with a mother who couldn’t understand what she was going through, and the only man who could have helped was gone. He felt so sorry and guilty for failing her. She trusted him, believed in him and he had let her down when she needed him the most. And he was here, in this place, unable to do anything. The fate was cruel. Throwing them on each other’s path only to separate them in the end. It surely was a revenge of some kind for destroying his planet and people. Since he hadn’t been assigned to a new room by his therapist, he was escorted back to the isolation ward after they took care of his hand. It would leave quite a scar if the Wold wasn’t healing it totally. Not like it mattered in any way. This pain was nothing. He didn’t even feel it. It was his heart, his confidence: his ego that were suffering the most. His pain was psychological. Ironically, the persons supposed to help him with that were actually persons who hated him. By going back here, he was thrown back into the lion’s den. Jeremy would ‘work’ on him again. What had been done to him; he hadn’t told the doctor Grieve. She had proved herself to be someone he could trust. He couldn’t help but be on alert. This could be a trick. After all, she had been trained by the Quiston Assassins and he wouldn’t be surprised to have a contract on his head. She proved her worth once again when she managed to have him transferred into a low security ward of the hospital. She didn’t think he was dangerous despite his instability and she was giving him his own room. He also had the luxury of wandering around in the common room with other patients. A certain feeling of freedom and a perfect view on the different cases of mental illnesses. Himself was labelled as a patient with ‘dissociative identity disorder’. They added that he had three personalities, the dominant one being ‘the Doctor’. He was fine with that statement. It wasn’t exactly the truth but it wasn’t a lie either. Maxence should have gotten home alone. The Doctor and the Wolf weren’t supposed to follow. They should have stayed behind. And this was gonna cause him a lot of troubles. The Doctor was curious by nature. Curious and always up for solving unsolvable mysteries. This place had a mystery he wanted to solve. He had already gathered information thanks to Nash and some eaves-dropping of his own. Jeremy Backfire has acquired the place the previous year, had created new rules and renovated the whole basement. A basement that was now inaccessible unless you had the accurate card for the reader. With the sonic, it would have been easy to get through the security. He could even have done a perception filter for himself. Instead, he made a fake ID card and swapped it with a real one he stole from one of the nurses under Jeremy’s orders. He was attentive to the nurses’ rounds. He wasn’t one to work with plans but he didn’t have much of a choice to stay under the radar. He couldn’t be found by anyone. He had to be as discreet as possible. Usually, he loved the unexpected but tonight, he was hoping for nothing unexpected to ruin his plans while he was nosing around. Right after the 3am round, he sneaked out of his room – he had cleverly prevented it from being locked with a bit of paper – and went all the way down to the isolation ward. There were so many screams and despair and cries. His high sensitivity – was it the Wolf? – was making him feel uncomfortable and sick. The pain was pretty hard on him but he walked to the card reader and slipped the card in. The red light turned green. There was a distinct click and he could push the door open. Easy. It was too easy. The sound of his steps was muffled by his socks. He had gone without shoes for more discretion. The door shut behind him with another loud clock that sent chills all along his spine. He was immediately assailed by the bad vibes of the place. It stunk with blood, torture, sweat, excrements, despair… and death. Whatever Jeremy was doing here, it was nothing good. Whatever it was, the Doctor had to put an end to it. He silently followed the corridor to a flight of stairs that took him deeper in the guts of this hospital. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes. Pain. Sperm. Tears. This strengthened his determination to end Jeremy’s actions. This basement was huge. It was like another hospital under the real one. This floor was full of laboratories. The floor under was more interesting. All the rooms had different colours. All of them smelled like fear, blood, urine. No file left, no computer accessible. He was clever but it was too dangerous. It would take too much time and who knew what the security on those machines was? The last floor was full of rooms Well, cells. A lot of cells. Plenty of them were occupied and not by human beings. Jeremy Backfire was experimenting on aliens, torturing them to gather information about them and use them for his own twisted reasons. “Enjoying the visit, Doctor?” The Doctor froze. This voice could only belong to the owner of this place. Obviously, he had been watching him all along. Frightening how he could make his presence undetectable, even for the Time Lord’s enhanced senses. They weren’t as sharp as they used to be but they were still better than those of a normal human. He should have sensed him. Why hadn’t he been able to? Alien technology? It was possible; the Doctor hadn’t seen it all. Jeremy must have other hidden places where he as supervising his experiments. This basement was too well-organised to be a first try. There was practise and experience. “Let me show you around.” The threat sent shivers down his spine again and before the Doctor could say or do anything, a hand was placed on his mouth and nose while a pressure point was pressed on. Struggling was useless. He had already lost, was already out.

x

Nash had made it back home that night and was sleeping soundly when the ringtone of her phone resounded in the silence of her bedroom. It didn’t wake her up immediately. The caller was on their third attempt when she lazily reached for the ringing device. She could have refused the call without looking at the name on the screen but she chose to pick up instead. She pressed the phone against her ear and mumbled an ‘hello’. It was all they could get from her at this hour of the night. A broken voice replied to her. A voice that had been broken from screaming too much, from crying too much. “Stay with me, Doctor. Stay on the phone. I’m coming.” The Doctor remained only all along her drive to the hospital. The only thing that was comforting her about her patient was that Maya was with him. She was the one who gave the Doctor access to a phone. She was the one protecting him while she was gone. She was in the hospital within ten minutes but couldn’t find her friend, nor her patient. She was told that the big boss was waiting for her in her office. This couldn’t be good news. She rushed to her office. Jeremy was indeed there. He was casually sat in her chair with his feet on her desk. He was reading a file. The Doctor’s file. “I told you his name was Maxence Spitz. The Doctor is a stupid title.” “I’ve written it further down in the file. He is suffering from a personality disorder. A severe one.” “Tell me more.” “He’s your son. Don’t you know already about his mental troubles? He should have been diagnosed a long time ago.” She was playing her trump card. Jeremy Backfire was Maxence’s father. An absent father who hadn’t seen his son in forever. Or had he? He hadn’t been surprised to see him here, nor to be the witness of his two other personalities. He had obviously been keeping an eye on him and hadn’t found any interest in him until now. “Has he told you or have you figured it out by yourself?” “Both.” “I would be impressed but someone like you has to be clever to survive, am I right?” He too had information on her. He was insinuating things and she had to be more intelligent than him. She wouldn’t take the bait. She would play dumb. No need to show him that he had hit a point there. She was on alert, more than usual. She was ready to fight if needed. She made sure not to be on the defensive, not to act like she was protecting herself. Poker face. “We are all trying to survive in this world. We are thrown into life without any instruction book. We gotta learn how to live, to fit in. Not many can’t do that. That’s why we’re here.” “Bollocks.” Jeremy snorted and threw the file at her. She caught it thanks to her reflexes. They were better and quicker than those of humans. She wasn’t at her best though. She never was at her best here. It was a distraction. He was out of her sight now. Swiftly, he had moved and was standing behind her. He had his fingers on her neck, was unveiling the brand on her skin. The Quiston Calcium Assassins. She was discovered. Unless he didn’t know what it meant. Maybe she could make something up. “I have one of yours downstairs. Well, two now.” “What is this supposed to mean?” “You know what it means.” “I assure you that I don’t.” “How did you get that brand?” “Don’t you read the newspapers?” “You don’t appear in the newspapers.” “My name and picture don’t but the name of the group of assassins which name is on my skin is. They abducted me when I was young and branded me. Thank you for reminding me of those traumatising times, sir.” She moved away from his nauseating touch but he caught her by the wrist and brought her back close – too close – to him. His eyes were so dilated that they were black when they stared down at her. He wasn’t gonna let her go. He wanted something from her. He rolled up her sleeves, revealing the numerous scars on her skin. Scars of a past she had tried to forget. In vain. “I shouldn’t be here. I’ve come because one of my patients needed me.” Jeremy did nothing for a moment and suddenly smiled. It would have scared her if she hadn’t had the Quiston training. This smile was terrifying. It was the one of a predator. One she might have worn in her past. He finally let go of her wrist but she didn’t have the authorisation to leave the room. There was something in his behaviour that told her she couldn’t. “Yes. Maxence. I gave him the phone, and he sure needs a therapy now. Follow me.” She did as told even though all of her self was telling her that it was a bad idea. He led her downstairs, led her to the staff quarters of last floor. He showed her what he qualified of her new office. This idea was making her uncomfortable. Just like the Doctor before, she could feel all the bad vibes of the place. Then, he brought her to Maxence. He was locked in a tiny cell, in a worse condition than he was previously. She was horrified of course, and Jeremy took advantage of this moment: she was immobilised and before she realised it, and before she realised it, an intense pain exploded at the base of her skull and she forgot everything.

To be continued...

The Fallen © | 2019 | Tous droits réservés.

×××

← Last || Next →

English version:

AO3 || TS.

[xomarauders]

You Can’t Stop Me

—

Sirius stood in the middle of his and the other marauders dorm room anxiously tapping his foot and replaying Regulus’ words in his head.

They know. I don’t know how, but they know. It would be in your best interest—and his—to end it now. Before someone gets hurt...

Part of Sirius thought it was a joke, that Regulus was just trying to pull a fast one on his older brother, but the look on his face made Sirius realize the gravity of Reg’s words.

They knew. Orion and Walburga. They knew about Sirius and, worst of all, Remus.

He had been so careful about it. Keeping their relationship hidden from everyone. Only four people had been let in on the secret: James, Peter, Lily and Regulus. And none of them would betray Sirius like this so how had his parents found out?

It didn’t matter. Not at the moment. Sirius would figure that part out later. First, he had to do what was necessary to keep Remus safe.

Remus. Who he had only been with for a little over 7 months now. Who he had loved long before that. Who he still loved despite what he had to do.

The door to the dormitory creaked open and Sirius turned around to face his boyfriend as he walked into the room. Remus’ hair was slightly messy and he was holding an armful of books. He must’ve been studying in the library, Sirius thought. He smiled at his boyfriends studious ways, wanting to run his fingers through Remus’ messy curls. He felt a pang in his chest at the thought of not being able to do that anymore...

Remus burst into a grin as soon as he saw Sirius, his amber eyes shining brightly at the sight of his adored boyfriend. Remus Lupin never thought he could be so happy with anyone until he met Sirius. Sirius loved Remus for everything that he was, lycanthropy and all. He would often whisper lovely things into Remus’ ear as they spent their nights together, behind the curtains of Remus’ bed. He would hold Remus after the full moons and tell him how beautiful and strong he was and for some reason when Sirius said it, Remus believed it.

“Hi Pads.” Remus said as he walked over to peck Sirius on the cheek. He noticed how Sirius tensed up at the action and pulled away quickly, a look of bewilderment playing on his face. “Something wrong?”

“Remus, we need to talk.”

Remus felt instantly worried. Sirius never called him ‘Remus’ unless they were about to have a serious conversation. Most the time he was addressed as ‘Moony’ or ‘Moonshine’ and occasionally ‘Rem.’ The only other time Sirius had called Remus by his name was when he, along with James and Peter, had sat him down and told him how they all became animagi for him.

“I want to do this, Remus. It’s my choice and you can’t stop me from wanting to protect you.”

That was a good memory. A memory he could think of as he cast the patronus charm that would work every time. But this...this felt different. Sirius had said his name with such sadness that it made Remus not only worried but concerned as to why his boyfriend was so upset.

“What is it?”

Sirius motioned for Remus to take a seat on their—his—bed and he obliged, setting the books down on his trunk at the foot of the bed before looking back at Sirius with a cautious gaze.

“Remus, I...I love you. I love you more than anything in this world and...and what I’m about to say is going to contradict that but I need you to believe it. Because I do love you. Which is why this is so hard...”

Remus felt his stomach tighten, his mind racing over all the possibilities of where this conversation was headed.

“What are you saying?”

“Remus we need to break up.”

The world came crashing down around Remus in an instant, his heart stopping and ears ringing as he tried to process Sirius’ words. This can’t be happening. This doesn’t make sense. Sirius became blurry in front of him and it took Remus a moment to realize that he had started crying.

“W-Why?” He managed to choke out, his throat tightening. Sirius clenched his jaw, trying to hold it together while Remus broke down in front of him.

“It’s not safe for you anymore. They know. My parents, they know.” Sirius whispered, his voice barely audible. Remus furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.

“I...I don’t...so? I don’t care, Sirius. I want you. I don’t care if it’s not safe—“

“I care!” Sirius shouted suddenly, making Remus flinch with surprise. Sirius’ face softened and he knelt down in front of Remus, taking his face in his hands and leaning forward till their foreheads were touching.

“You can’t stop me from wanting to protect you.”

Remus let out a choked sob, unable to hold back his tears. He gasped for air, his throat burning furiously. It felt as though he couldn’t breathe. As if his lungs refused to take in oxygen because what was the point of living if he didn’t have Sirius?

“I’m sorry.” Sirius murmured, pulling away from Remus and turning toward the door, not wanting to see Remus so broken because of him. He left the room quickly, shutting the door behind him before letting out a shaky breath. Tears burned his eyes but he would not let them fall, he couldn’t. Sirius pushed himself forward and toward the common room in order to get away.

Remus sat in the dorm room, staring at his hands in his lap as his heart broke. But as much as he was heart broken, he was also very angry. Angry at Sirius’ parents, angry at the world, angry at Sirius himself for breaking up with him to keep him safe.

Fuck that.

It was not up to Sirius to decide what Remus could and could not handle. It was not up to him to end things based of the possibility of what might happen. Remus wouldn’t allow it. He wouldn’t allow fear to break them apart.

He stood and walked briskly toward the door, opening it and slamming it just as quickly as he hurried down the stairs, desperate to catch up to Sirius. He made it to the common room, scanning the crowd for Sirius. He caught sight of him just as he was about to exit through the portrait hole.

“No!” Remus shouted. Everyone’s attention turned to him. James was sprawled out on the couch with Lily sitting between his legs. Peter and Mary sat by the fireplace playing exploding snap. There were first years studying at one of the tables but in that moment, all their eyes were on Remus. Sirius froze in front of the portrait hole, looking up at Remus hesitantly.

“You don’t get to act like your protecting me by leaving me. You don’t get to make that choice for me. I am in this! I am in this for the long run, no matter the threats. And if that scares you then I’m sorry but I’m not going to apologize for wanting to be with you. You can’t stop me from loving you!”

All eyes were on Remus and Sirius. The first years exchanged shocked looks, Peter and Mary’s jaws dropped and James and Lily’s eyes were wide at Remus’ very public declaration of his love for Sirius.

But Remus just stared at Sirius. And Sirius stared back. It was just the two of them that mattered.

“I love you, Sirius.”

Everything happened so slowly and yet so quickly. Sirius’ lips were suddenly on Remus’, pressing urgently and hungrily. His hands gripped the back of Remus’ neck, pulling him close and Remus threaded his fingers in Sirius’ hair.

As they pulled away from each other, James was hooting and hollering as everyone else clapped. Remus smiled at Sirius and Sirius smiled back, happy to be back in one another’s arms and Sirius swore he’d never let go again.

“I love you too, Rem.”

It was them against the world. Together. And they refused to let anything come between them.

*****

just some wolfstar for you <3

requests open !!

💗- kat

[thatonekawaiigirl13]

Who Said Death Was Easy? [Death Note] Chapter Fifty-two

Chapter Fifty-two: Deceit 

L’s POV:

“I can count on you, yes?”

“First…you know how risky this plan is, right?” the voice on the other end replied. “I’m confident in my abilities, Ryuzaki-san, but this is a longshot.”

At this, L gave a slight smirk. It hadn’t been that long ago that he had spoken similar words to Keiko himself. He felt a twinge of amusement as he recalled Keiko’s response to him, “I know, I know…there’s a lot of reasons why you shouldn’t let me do this. It’s a long shot, it’s risky, and I’ve let Light manipulate me before, I’m still a rookie, I can let my emotions get to me…but please…let me do this. For you. This might be the only chance we have at saving your life.”

Truth be told, he had been hesitant to let her go through with her plan from the beginning. It had not been because of any of the reasons she had listed, but rather, it was because he cared about her. He didn’t want her to get hurt again if things went south. He didn’t want anything happening to her, especially if it was because of Light Yagami.   

I was being truthful when I said I had nothing left to lose…but she…she has everything she could potentially lose. She’s already suffered a lot just being here and working on the investigation. I don’t want her to suffer anymore…but there was no way for me to refuse her…something in her eyes…that determination, that spark…and I’d be lying if I were to say that I wasn’t moved by her motivation to try and keep me alive. She quite literally gives me emotions I haven’t had for anyone else…and she’s mainly doing all of this for me…this is the only thing I can do for her, to help her with her plan. If possible, I want to make sure that everything goes smoothly. 

“Ryuzaki-san?” the voice on the other side of the line repeated. 

“Yes,” the detective replied. He knew what to do, and he was confident that they would help him. “I’m well aware of the possible risks. However, this whole investigation was a risk from the start. With any luck, the information you gather will help us finally put an end to it.”

“Very well,” the voice replied. “As long as you’re sure.”

I have to admit, Keiko was right, it isn’t like there are a lot of options left. Given the circumstances, this is all we can do. I know for a fact that Light’s already gotten in contact with Misa again…which means there isn’t a lot of time left. The sooner we can go through with Keiko’s plan, the better.

L opened his mouth to speak, “so, once again, I can count on you right?”

“Yes, you can count on me…” the voice confirmed, “you’re lucky that I’m damn good at my job, Ryuzaki-san.”

“Great, thank you. Watari will be in contact.” 

With that, the other person hung up. 

That settles that…now it’s time for my other contact… 

“Well, well, well,” the voice spoke on the other line spoke once they picked up. “I was wondering when you would get a hold of me gain.”

“You’re inviting as always,” L responded, chucking a moment. “I’m calling because I will be needing your assistance once more.”

“Again? I’m intrigued, Ryuzaki-san. What’s going on now?”

“A lot,” the detective's tone was dry. He filled them in on the current ongoings of the investigation, slowly leading into Keiko’s plan. “It’s not perfect, but it’s the best plan we’ve got given the circumstances…there’s over a sixty percent chance that something will go wrong, but if we can pull it off, the case will be solved once and for all.” 

“Sounds dangerous,” the voice replied. L could hear their intrigue. “You know I like dangerous…”

L chucked, as suspected, they’ll be willing to help… 

“You know I’m in, Ryuzaki-san.”

/meanwhile/

Light’s POV:

“Misa-chan,” Light whispered into the phone as he stepped into the hallway. He spoke in a hushed tone. “What is it? Any updates?”

“You’ll be happy to know I managed to get in contact with Mikami,” Misa announced, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “He said, as long as you’re truly Kira, then he’s willing to do anything you tell him.”

“Good,” Light replied. A grin spread across his face, “I’m glad to hear that. Listen, I can’t talk for long without arousing suspicion. I will get a hold of you two as soon as I can so the exchange can take place. Just be patient for now and wait for my signal.”

“Sure thing, Light-kun! Is there anything else you want me to do?”

“For the time being, no. Just take it easy, keep on killing criminals, and don’t arouse any suspicion, alright? I’ll talk to you later, Misa-chan.” Before Light could listen to Misa’s protests about ending the call too soon, he hung up. 

Good good, everything’s going all according to plan…Rem’s demand put a dent in my plans, but soon it’ll be worth all this trouble. Soon I won’t have to deal with Misa at all, not after I get the new Kira situated…and once that happens, I can finally get rid of L once and for all… 

/slight timeskip/

Keiko’s POV:

The first thing Keiko noticed when her boyfriend entered the room was the slight gleam in his eyes. Though his expression appeared to be normal, there was a twinge of arrogance in the way he walked over toward her. She swallowed hard, fighting to ignore the nerves growing in her stomach. It’s funny…in the past, I’d be swooning right about now. Everything I loved about him was all a lie. A lie to keep me from figuring out his true identity. A lie to keep me from discovering that he’s Kira. Everything I used to love about him somehow turned into everything I now hate about him…isn’t that ironic?

“Keiko-chan,” Light called out to her. Out of the corner of her eye, Keiko could feel L’s watchful eyes looking between her and her boyfriend. 

Does he also sense something’s off about Light? Or is it just me imagining things? I’m not sure…ever since I discovered the truth I can’t bring myself to trust him again. I find myself questioning everything he does…I suppose that’s what finding out that your boyfriend is actually Kira does to you. 

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Keiko remarked. Like Light, she also had to put on a show. She had to be the loving girlfriend, pretending that everything between them was okay. “What’s the occasion? Discover any new leads for the case?”

“Unfortunately no,” Light responded. He stopped short of where Keiko was sitting, a smirk appearing on his face. “But I was wanting to talk to you in private.” 

You want to talk to me in private, eh? That’s certainly high on the list of things I don’t want to do…

“If that’s alright with you, of course,” he added, running a hand through his hair. Keiko figured he didn’t want to appear too eager, but she could still sense his prideful manner. 

I see. Way to play it cool, Light Yagami...remind me again, what did I ever see in you?

“Sure, Light-kun,” Keiko stood up, letting her boyfriend lead her out of the room and into the hallway. With every step she took, she could feel the pit in her stomach growing larger and larger. Light stopped once the two were near the end of the hallway, which gave them just enough privacy.

But there’s one thing still bothering me. I know for a fact there’s still cameras hidden around in this hallway that L carefully monitors…Light knows that…that can only mean one thing; Light’s putting on another show! 

A chill ran down Keiko’s spine as she realized.

So now he wants to play the doting boyfriend huh? I must have been right in my assumption, there’s something off about Light. Does this mean that he’s found someone to replace Misa as the second Kira? Does this mean he’s gotten in contact with them? Either way, I don’t like this…I know I have Rem on my side, therefore I shouldn’t worry too much, but…he’s far too confident right now! He must want to show L that he’s not worried about being caught or something. It’s off putting… 

He took a step toward her, his close proximity was enough to make Keiko’s stomach churn.

“Keiko-chan.”

“Yes?” Keiko looked up at him. Despite her anxiety, she forced herself to smile. After all, it was imperative that she appeared normal in front of him. “What is it, Light-kun?”

“I know that you were hesitant about getting back together with me,” Light started.

Hesitant is quite an understatement. I never wanted to get back together with you. In fact, I swore I wouldn’t…but unfortunately, things have changed. I didn’t take you back because I wanted to be with you, but because it was safer for me and for L if I did. This is the only way I can keep a watchful eye on you. 

“And for good reason, too,” Light added. “I know you thought that there was possibly something going on between Misa and I. And with the case…I know things didn’t look good. I just wanted to tell you that I’m happy you decided to give me another chance.”

Of course things didn’t look very good before! All the evidence pointed toward you! Things still don’t look good because I know that you’re Kira! 

Keiko wanted to scream. Instead she said nothing. She could hear her heart thudding in her chest, this time out of worry and not out of love. Her romantic feelings for Light had been shattered long before Rem had officially announced his true identity. All the previous hope she had held was gone. The only emotions Light could make her feel now was fear and disgust. 

“Are you alright?” Light questioned, noticing her silence. “Is something wrong? You don’t suspect that I’m seeing Misa behind your back, do you?”

Yes. In fact, I know you are…but don’t worry, I know it’s not because you want to date her…it’s only because she’s the second Kira! It’s only because you’ve deemed her useful! 

“N-no,” Keiko managed to stutter out after a moment. She swallowed, attempting to put on a nice face for her boyfriend. 

Think of something! Fast! You don’t want him thinking you distrust him, do you? You can’t wreck the progress you’ve made with him.

“I…” she trailed off, fishing for words. “It’s been hard lately, Light-kun. The investigation is taking a toll on me, I guess. After all, we’ve been at this for months…we thought we were so close to the end with Higuchi…and here we are, starting from the beginning again. It’s disheartening, to say the least.”

That will satisfy him, right? As long as he doesn’t think I’m mad at him or anything, I should be good… 

Light reached forward, lightly grabbing Keiko’s hand. The touch was enough to make Keiko shiver, but not in a good way. Fortunately for her, it appeared that her boyfriend didn’t notice the difference. 

“I know things are rough right now but I’m sure we can get through it. No, I know we will get through it,” Light told her. “We were able to track down Higuchi, and I’m sure we’ll be able to track down this new Kira.”

You mean to say that we’ll track down your next puppet…and this time, we’ll track you down as well. I will catch the two of you, together…after all, you think you’re fooling me…but I’m the one fooling you right now…it’s hard, as I’m not one for manipulation, but it’s a little easier if I just imagine myself as an actress playing a role. He’s playing a doting boyfriend, and I have to play a doting boyfriend. At least this time we’re more evenly matched…  

This thought was comforting to Keiko. She could feel herself starting to relax a little. A soft chuckle escaped her lips, “you’re right as always, Light-kun. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Light responded, giving her hand a squeeze. He raised an eyebrow, a playful expression crossed his features, “would you like to know a secret?”

Keiko matched his gaze. “Hmm? What is it?”

Light leaned forward, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face. “My secret is…this whole time, I’ve missed you, Keiko-chan.”

At this, Keiko mentally snorted, oh how cheesy. I sure bet you did…   

“That’s hardly a secret,” Keiko found herself saying. She gave her boyfriend what she hoped was a flirty smile, not a grimace. “I’ve missed you too.”

I haven’t, but you don’t need to know that… 

“Good,” Light remarked. “Do you want me to tell you another secret?”

Not really. 

“Yes?”

Before Keiko could properly process what was going on, Light gently pushed her back up against the wall. Keiko gave a small gasp in shock, which caused him to smirk at her. He leaned forward, his face brushing her own.

“You’re cute when you’re caught off guard, you know,” he commented.

“Is that your secret?” Keiko responded. Though she somehow managed to keep her tone light, she was fuming on the inside. 

What’s his motive?! 

“No,” Light whispered. “But this is.”

With that, Light closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against hers. She wanted nothing more than to shove him away, but against her better judgement, she kissed back. There were warning bells ringing in her mind and she was hyper aware of the fact that she was, quite literally, kissing the enemy. Both her heart and her head was racing. 

Calm down, Keiko, you have to calm down…just think, it’s normal for a boyfriend to want to kiss his girlfriend and vice versa…but…he’s not who I want to be kissing…he’s not L. Wait a moment! That’s it! L! Keiko smiled into the kiss as the perfect solution rang through her mind, just imagine that you’re kissing L! He’s the one who you want to kiss! Don’t imagine Light, but L! Come on, Keiko! You can do this...think about how you felt that night when you shared that kiss with him… 

Taking Keiko’s reaction as a positive sign, Light deepened the kiss. His hands roamed her body, finding their way to her waist.

It’s not Light, Keiko reminded herself as she matched Light’s enthusiasm. She wrapped an arm around him, pulling him slightly closer, it’s L…

When Light finally pulled away, Keiko was feeling a little dizzy. “L,” she breathed out. Upon realizing what she had said, her eyes widened. She could feel the blood rushing to her face. Keiko was quick to correct herself, feigning a stutter. “L-L-Light-kun.”

I think I corrected myself in time…but that was close! At least it’s not as though Light would suspect I have feelings for L, as far as I know he thinks I only look up to him. But…still, it’s too risky to let my true emotions show like that! I can’t let a slip-up like that happen again, one too many times and he’ll start to suspect something’s up…

“T-that’s some secret,” Keiko commented. She figured she looked as nervous as she was on the inside. 

Luckily for me, my nerves are probably working in my favor… 

Light chuckled, “I figured you’d say that, Keiko-chan.”

It looked like Light had more to say, but their flirty conversation was cut short by a sudden cough coming from behind them. Started by the sudden noise, Keiko detached herself from her boyfriend, her gaze now fixated on the man standing before her.

It’s L! Keiko could feel her heart pounding in her chest once again, but this time not out of fear or disgust. Her thoughts raced through her mind, it’s one thing to know that he’s watching us from the cameras, but it’s another thing entirely knowing that he’s standing right there watching us! How much did he see? How much did he hear? Did…did he perhaps hear my little mishap?! This situation is already embarrassing enough, and if he heard that bit, I’m not sure I’d be able to recover…

“I’m sorry to interrupt such a tender moment,” the detective said, looking between the two of them, “but I’ve just received word from Watari-san that Kira struck again. There were more victims killed within the last few hours.” 

Keiko studied Light’s reaction to this, but he kept a cool demeanor. “All within the last few hours? Hmm…yeah, we’d better look into this. With any luck, maybe we’ll find some sort of clue or patterns concerning this new Kira.”

“Exactly, Light-kun,” L replied, “we should get back to work.”

“Let’s go,” Light grabbed Keiko’s hand, starting to lead her down the hallway. The two were about to walk into the main room when she felt someone tugging on her arm. 

“Kagami-san,” L started, “I’d like to have a quick word in private first.”

At this, Keiko gulped, me alone with L right now of all times? Can I really face him not knowing if he overheard me or not?

“Don’t keep her too long, Ryuzaki-san,” Light responded. He gave Keiko’s hand a quick squeeze before exiting the hallway, leaving her alone with the detective.

“Why is it you seem more scared to be alone with me, hm?” the detective questioned, leading Keiko to a private interrogation room. “Should I be worried?”

Ha, very funny. Does that mean he didn’t hear what I said? Or is he just trying to make light of the situation? On second thought, do I even want to know which one it is?

“What is it, Ryuzaki-san?” Keiko questioned, deciding it would be best to ignore his comment.

Let’s just focus on the investigation...even though that’s easier said than done.  

“I wanted to give you an update.”

“Update…?” Keiko raised an eyebrow, “eh? Do you mean they agreed to help?!”

L nodded. “Yes. They both agreed…however, it still won’t be easy. We need solid evidence to convict Light Yagami. If Light or Misa notices they’re being tailed that’ll be an impossible task. But I thought about your plan…from what I figure, we should be okay as long as we get a lead about this new Kira from Misa…”

“And then the new Kira will give us the evidence we need to convict Light,” Keiko finished for him. She thought for a moment, “I doubt Light would slip up, but this new Kira…is he’s as loyal as Misa is, then all we need to do is trick him into giving us the information we need…”

“Exactly,” the detective chucked. “I came to that same conclusion.”

“So that means we wait until we get a lead?”

The detective gave a nod, “yes. I assume it’s only a matter of time.”

The two stared at each other for a moment, silence filling the room. Keiko was now blaringly aware of the situation; she was alone with the world’s greatest detective who may or may not have witnessed her making out with her boyfriend while imagining it was him. 

Great. Just my luck, eh?

“I, uh,” Keiko started. She fished for the right words, “is that all?”

“I suppose it is, Kagami-san,” he replied. “Unless there’s something you’d like to tell me.”

Something I’d like to tell him? Does he mean….?! No, no, no, no…please don’t tell me he knows I was thinking about him while making out with Light! As much as I’d hypothetically love to be alone with L, I think it’s time to leave.

“Nope!” Keiko’s response was almost immediate. She flashed the detective a quick smile. “Nothing at all! I should go, Light-kun’s waiting for me!”

With that, Keiko gave a nod before exiting the room, attempting to regain her composure before she had to face Light. 

L’s POV:

The detective gave a slight chuckle as he watched Keiko scramble out of the room. Her embarrassment was as clear as day, something that rather amused him. She always seemed to find some way to melt the ice in his heart.

My, my, looks like someone’s jumpy…however, this means I was right…there’s no second guessing or mistaking it, that was my name I heard her say. 

He raised an eyebrow, so…she imagines me while kissing Light Yagami…? I can’t believe it. It wasn’t easy for me to admit, to realize, that I’m jealous of him for getting to kiss her. In fact, one of the reasons I interrupted them wasn’t because I had to update them on the Kira situation right away…that could have waited until after they returned to the main investigation room…and yet...I couldn’t stop myself from getting up. While he’s technically her boyfriend at the moment, I didn’t want to watch her kissing someone else.

The detective started his walk toward the main investigation room, still deep in thought. The kiss between Light and Keiko was now stuck on repeat in his mind, these feelings are new to me, but at least a part of me can remain happy because, unlike Light, I know Keiko’s true feelings…I’ve known from the start how Keiko feels about me, and it’s obvious from her plan to save me…but hearing her say that…which was quite clearly an accident, a mere slip of the tongue… shows just how deep her feelings toward me are. 

Wait a moment, the detective’s eyes widened as a sudden realization dawned on him. He reached up, his finger lightly grazing his lips. He couldn’t stop his thoughts from wandering, perhaps…does that mean…Keiko would like it if I were to do what Light did to her? Would she like it if I pinned her against the wall and kissed her? Does she...does she want me to do this? Is that why it was so easy for her to imagine it? Has she imagined it before? 

A shiver ran down his spine as he stepped into the main investigation room, his gaze lingering on Keiko. Her hair became slightly tousled as she shook her head, deep in a conversation with Light and his father. When she noticed his presence, she flashed a quick yet shy smile in his direction, causing L’s chest to tighten. 

I have to admit, the thought of holding her close and kissing her...well, it’s almost too much to handle… 

He sat down in his chair, still watching her every move, I’ve completely fallen for her…I know I realized it before but…after walking in on them, my feelings are once again confirmed; I really am in love with Keiko Kagami. Deeply in love...since I’ve already admitted it, there’s no going back now… 

But, a shiver ran down his spine as the thought sunk in, based on both her words and actions, I can deduce that she’s in love with me, too.   

[liambitious]

Chapter 9

It was almost funny, almost worth laughing at. Louis had been so happy to actually sleep in a real bed, rest his head on a soft pillow rather than the hard back of a chair. It wasn’t hard to figure out that he didn’t want to sleep while Harry stood in the kitchen, but eventually he gave in. Eventually he sighed and let his head fall back into the pillow, feathered fringe falling limply over his closed eyes. He had to have been tired; Harry was perfectly happy with that. He was perfectly happy with the way that Louis couldn’t help his eyes sliding shut and his breaths steadying out. The safer Louis felt, the better. That meant it would come as more of a surprise when Harry finally got around to killing him. It hadn’t made sense before, keeping him alive. There had been no real reason other than the fact that he was too confident, too fucking disobedient. If he wouldn’t scream, Harry would drag out his punishment a little bit longer. That was really the only logic that Harry could offer for holding Louis hostage and taking care of him. Now, though, there was the murder of Eleanor. There was the blame placed on Louis’ shoulders. If he were ever to step out into the real world before Harry was caught – and Harry was never going to get caught – he would be arrested and tried for the murder of a girl that he’d barely even known. It was a wonderful excuse to draw out his time in Harry’s home. The longer the police went without any leads on Louis’ whereabouts, without even his own body, the more time Harry could spend killing. So long as he followed the setup of Eleanor’s death – leaving little pieces of Louis’ clothing, wearing his shoes and leaving footprints intentionally, bringing his own knives – the more the deaths would be blamed on a copycat. He could kill twice in the same night, if he wanted; one as himself, the other as his captive. This opened up so many opportunities. This gave him so many more ways to get exactly what he wanted. What did he want? If he were to be perfectly honest, Harry didn’t even know that bit himself. Sure, he knew who to look for. He knew who he wanted dead and he knew why they had to die. There was no real reason overall, other than the fact that he liked to hear them scream. Sure, Harry could blame it on his parents. He could blame it on the fact that he hadn’t been brought up properly, always living in the shadows of his fucking perfect sister and doomed to forever be the black sheep. From the moment he admitted to liking a boy, at the ripe young age of five years old, he’d been branded as damaged goods. Harry had dealt with the bullying and the abuse for almost his entire life. So. What did he want? Was it revenge? Was it proof, to show to everyone else that he was smarter? Possibly; he didn’t choose to dwell on it very often. More often than not, Harry preferred to just do what he wanted. That was a freedom he hadn’t had for long; he made sure to take advantage of it whenever the opportunity arose. When he was younger, that had meant setting fire to things his parents held dear and learning how to skin the animals that ran around his backyard. Now it meant taking out every emotion he’d ever felt on anyone who thought they couldn’t possibly be bested. Again Harry was reminded of Louis, lying peacefully just a few meters away. His chest rose and fell evenly and his eyes were blissfully still beneath the eyelids. It was unusual, how calm and relaxed he could be when he was sleeping. When Louis was awake, it was like he’d been plugged into a battery and someone had left the switch on. His eyes would dart around the room and words would pour from his lips, demanding to know exactly why Harry was so special and what he wanted, why he did what he did. It was different. Most of the people that Harry killed spent their time begging him to be spared, like they were something special. They expected him to let them go if they could only beg long enough or scream loud enough. They expected to mean something to him. Louis wasn’t like that; he didn’t have those ridiculous assumptions. He was just an insignificant boy in Harry’s scheme, a little checkmark on a list. Nothing he said or did would make him any more relevant or important, so he didn’t even try. Perhaps that was why Harry was so reluctant to kill him. Oh, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. Harry still had every intention to run a knife over that smooth skin until all he saw was scarlet. He didn’t have any plans that involved letting Louis live on, no matter how submissive and unimportant he was. No matter how realistic Louis acted, no matter how many times he refused to scream, he was going to give in eventually. He was going to crack. The moment he did, Harry would be waiting with some black gloves and a pocketknife. The problem was the time before he cracked. The longer Harry had to watch him be so careless, the less Harry had any desire to kill him. It was fun to get that occasional glimpse underneath his calm exterior, and those brief moments where Louis was really, truly afraid made the fact that he didn’t seem to give a shit most of the time completely bearable. Louis was a game, the most complex that Harry had ever played. He was determined to win before he went around destroying the board. Louis rolled over on the bed, chain around his ankle clinking softly. Harry smiled, setting aside his dinner. Suddenly, he wasn’t very hungry. His feet were silent on the hardwood floor as he made his way over to the bed, sliding in and wrapping his arms around Louis’ waist. There was a small part of him that had been hoping for Louis to wake up and cry out. There was a part of Harry that had been longing to see the shock and fear on his face when he realized that he was sharing a bed with someone that planned to kill him off. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen. Louis was incredibly sleep-deprived and had been for a while now, fighting to stay awake for extremely long periods of time. That wasn’t necessarily a problem for Harry; he’d had insomnia for quite some time now. For Louis, though, with his horrifyingly normal sleeping schedule and horribly perfect life, these new patterns were beginning to take their toll. Sleep deprivation led to deeper sleep and longer REM cycles. It would take a lot more than Harry climbing into bed to wake Louis up now. He slid back out from under the duvet, walking back over to the kitchen. It was late and he was bored. There was a part of him that was impatiently waiting for him to give in and go out to find another victim, someone else who deemed themselves as better than the people in their surroundings. Harry knew it was only a matter of time before he decided to go out. He made his way over to the dresser, pulling out everything he knew he would need for the night. Should he be Louis? Should he be himself? The safer bet was to be himself; “Louis” had just killed Eleanor. It would be a while before he should be killing again. There were cycles and patterns that had to be followed, and Harry planned to develop some for “Louis” that were entirely separate from his own. It would make things more complicated, of course, but his life would be so much easier. Two could share the blame easily. The night air was chilly on his skin, but Harry wasn’t fazed. He made his way through the streets, head down and hands in the pockets of his coat. There weren’t many other people out; he’d have to go inside somewhere warmer, a bit more comfortable, if he wanted to find anyone tonight. A club was the place he could find people around, but carrying a backpack in with him would be suspicious, noticeable. His best bet was to take a look around at smaller shops, open late and serving warm drinks. He could have tried the same place where he’d met Louis; the area was clear for him now. At the same time, there was always a chance that there would only be more students like him. He could only afford to kill so many people from the same place before people started to notice commonalities. No, he was better off finding somewhere new. It had been a while since he’d killed someone with nothing left to live for, hadn’t it? They might not be able to bargain much, but they always knew how to beg. That was a cruel thought. He took it back. So, where could he go to find some of the city’s less fortunate? Again, it was likely to be near any open clubs. They tended to gravitate towards alcohol and cheap food. Harry’s steps didn’t falter, carrying him forward in a straight line until he was met with thumping bass in the soles of his shoes. He looked up then, lights flashing bright in his squinting eyes. The bar was smaller, probably a little more exclusive. Even so, there were dark forms huddled in the shadowed alleys alongside it, hunched over rubbish bins and digging through piles of useless shit. One of them, feeling particularly courageous, crept forward. Her face was marred by dirt and grime, hidden by a veil of greasy hair. She wore what must have once been a nice dress, tattered and torn now. Her feet were bare, disgusting things. Harry fought the urge to grimace. “Spare change?” she asked softly, holding out her shaking hands. There were track marks tracing up her arms. A new victim, then. Someone who thought that they deserved his pity. She thought that he would give her money if only she asked politely. She thought she’d earned it just by walking up and saying something. What made her so spectacular that he should spare anything at all? She was going to spend his money, the money that his parents had earned and he had earned, using it to get her next fix. She was pretentious and self-righteous, believing herself worthy of his time. She seemed to notice his hesitation, leaning forward further and invading what little space he had left. She smelled like smoke and weed, not that he could claim to be surprised. “I’ll do… whatever you want me to. Please. I have a little brother and two parents that need it.” This lowlife, with her mangy appearance and horrible hygiene, thought that he was willing to do anything with her to begin with. She used the excuse of a family that loved her, something that Harry had never had and they both knew didn’t actually exist. She was trying to trick him, thinking herself intelligent, or perhaps even cunning. She thought she was clever, or at least smarter than Harry. He grabbed onto her hand, forcing himself to hold it gently and breathe evenly. “Come on, then. I know a place,” he whispered, tugging her just enough to get her moving. She giggled; it was a horrible sound. The two of them made their way down the road, toward some public restrooms. The girl didn’t seem to understand, didn’t really seem to get what was going on until they stood inside of one, Harry locking the door from the inside. “Oh,” she crooned, taking a step toward him and sliding the sleeve of her dress down her shoulder. “Mommy and Daddy don’t like it when you have company over?” Harry allowed himself to break character, laughing just a little bit as he discreetly slid on the black gloves. “You have no idea.” Her skin was soft and smooth. It parted easily under the knife, screams ripping from her throat like music. Harry wasn’t feeling it how he usually did, though; there was no sense of accomplishment. He felt no pride in himself, watching her blood pool beneath her body and her limbs writhe in pain. There was no success in this. There was no game to be played. It took one flash of the knife to get her screaming, promising him a fix of whatever kinds of drug he wanted. She promised to treat him well, free of charge. She offered up money he knew she didn’t have, promising that she had ways of getting it. It wasn’t a game. Her brown eyes didn’t offer any kind of resistance, and Harry found himself picturing blue instead, eyebrow cocked in a confident façade and a forced smile playing at thinner lips. It was Louis in front of him, not some random whore he’d found that night. Her screams were nothing like the denials he longed to hear, her submission and pleading nothing like the sort of backwards interrogation that he’d been looking forward to. “So what, Harry? She was no one special. Anyone could have killed her.” Harry gritted his teeth, driving the blade even deeper. She gasped beneath him, suffering from something a little bit like hell. “No.” “Pl-please…” she gritted out, voice like sandpaper. “D-don’t…” “She’s not me, you know. I won’t let you have any peace until I’m dead.” Her hand twitched one last time. Harry watched the light fade from her eyes, more than frustrated. Why couldn’t he just kill her like he had everyone else? Why had Louis wormed into his thoughts like some kind of virus, tainting everything? This should have been spectacular. It should have made him feel alive. Instead, he was left feeling even emptier than he had before. She wasn’t Louis. Her screams didn’t have the rough undertone of his voice and her hair didn’t fall as nicely as his did. She gave in much too easily, made it all too simple. Harry hurried to clean up, actions choppy and angry. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This shouldn’t have happened. It wouldn’t have happened to anyone else, wouldn’t have even been a problem. He’d kept Louis for too long. He’d grown attached. It was a problem he hadn’t been anticipating. He wanted it gone, and soon. Harry ran that thought over in his mind, chanting over and over that he would be done with it tonight. He would finish off all of this. Louis wouldn’t be a problem. He would be done. He finished cleaning and slipped out through a window above one of the bathroom stalls, knowing better than to walk out the front door. The cleaning staff, whoever they were, could find the little surprise in the morning. A little ways away, Harry made sure to change and burn the clothes he’d been wearing. The knife was sitting, safe and clean, in his backpack. He wasn’t going to use it next time. For now, for tonight, he would just use what he had at home. There was plenty to choose from. And choose he did. The second he walked through the door, he made his way to the kitchen, selecting the thinnest blade he owned. He was going to take his time with this, savor every scream. Louis slept in his bed, completely and totally oblivious to exactly what he was about to suffer through. Harry padded over silently, holding the blade up over his captive. It shook. His hands shook. In fact, his entire body was shaking now. Harry tried to stop it, reminding himself to breathe in and out. He told himself to count to one hundred, and then he did it three more times. Still, he hadn’t made a single scratch. What had he done? What was happening to him? Harry let the knife fall to the floor, face a mix of shocked and horrified. When had he grown so weak? How could he let himself down so easily? This was not a part of the plan. This had never been a part of the plan. He was supposed to have no trouble at all killing Louis, no trouble tearing him to pieces. For whatever reason, though, he couldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to lay the blade down on that horribly insignificant skin. He wasn’t capable of hurting Louis, not at all. Until he did, until he got over this horrible phase, he knew that nothing else would ever satisfy him. He would never be able to kill anyone with his old sense of success and pride. Nothing would be able to keep him feeling alive until Louis was dead, and it didn’t seem as though he would be killing the other boy off any time soon. For the first time in years, Harry made his way over to the corner of his tiny flat. He collapsed onto the floor, curled up on himself, and burst into tears.