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gurugirl · 1 year

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A Good Boy | 4. A Mistake

Summary: Y/n goes to an event with Leo for Valentine's Day and Harry's upset. Hurt feelings lead to a messy fallout.

Note: This is stepmon!reader x stepson!harry - both are adults in this story but don't read if you don't like it.

Word Count: 12,565

Warning: 18+ only, NSFW, smut, inappropriate & forbidden relationship, age gap, cheating, lying, angst

A Good Boy Masterlist

“M’not ready to leave,” Harry’s words were muffled as he spoke with his face smushed into the soft part of Y/n’s inner thigh. “I can skip my first class. I can skip them all.”

She laughed. He was adorable with wild curls and flushed cheeks. She almost gave in. Told him to just stay with her all afternoon and she’d skip tennis practice. They could finish off all those strawberries they bought on Saturday at the farmer’s market. But she knew better. And so did he. Their weekend had been nothing short of spicy and fun.

“You can’t skip your classes, Harry. As much as I’d love to laze here with you all morning we can’t.”

He sighed and laid his chin over the top of her thigh as he looked up at her. He’d woken her up like that. Nuzzled in between her thighs and softly licking her awake. He refused to go harder or faster so his slow, lazy tongue up and down her labia drove her mad. She got everything wet as he continued gently eating her out. He wanted to be extra gentle with her because he’d fucked her extra hard the night before. At her request. He made her come and then he pounded into her, biting into his lip hard, breaking the skin as he thrust into her harshly, stretching her out with every brutal thrust. He was getting a little better at holding off his orgasm. Though, last night he did have to keep pulling out to catch his breath. She was sighing and moaning and slick for him. And when she finally did come she was shaking and mumbling so loudly Harry had to laugh but then was abruptly interrupted by his own orgasm.

And so in the morning, he went easy. Delicate strokes with his tongue slipping through her crease and over her clit. She did ask him to go faster, harder, anything. But he shook his head with his eyes on hers and just continued lapping up her sweet, slippery, arousal. He wanted to make it last as long as possible. Didn’t want to rush her to her orgasm. Didn’t want it to be over because that meant it would be time for him to leave.

“When can I see you again?” He asked as he kneaded the underpart of her thigh softly.

“I’ll think of something. We’ll make it work. “

. . .

Tennis practice was more difficult than Y/n imagined. Her whole weekend had been full of Harry, which meant a lot of sex. And that meant she was a little sore in some spots so she wasn’t quite on her game. But the reminder of why she was feeling sluggish only made her smile.

And if it hadn’t been for the lack of actual sleep perhaps her body would have been more willing to work harder during practice. But being next to Harry in bed was akin to sitting at a table with her favorite dish plated and made just for her. With no one around to tell her not to taste or dig in. It was impossible to resist.

So they’d wake in the middle of the night or during a nap and slip together until they were satisfied. Hours of sleep were lost for Y/n over the weekend but she wasn’t upset about it all.

She realized that just the thought of him made her heart skip a beat. The smile that worked its way over her features and the tingle of excitement and the thrill of happiness she hadn’t felt in a long time pulled her through the few following days she didn’t get to see her Harry.

The Valentine’s Day party was on a Friday but Y/n wanted to see Harry so badly she could taste it. It had only been three days since she’d seen him but three days had her longing for him in a way she hadn’t expected.

Harry was doing his best to keep his thoughts from entering into the depths of the truth of what they were doing. Tried not wondering if Y/n had slept with his dad since he’d returned from the Hamptons. Tried not imagining how pretty she’d look at a Valentine’s Day party and what might happen later that night. But sometimes the mind wasn’t kind. And Harry could not stop imagining that she was naked and doing things to his dad that she’d done to him.

And when she called him as he was in the middle of letting his thoughts spiral the burst of hope that filled his muscles and his veins made his dimples dig into his cheeks as he answered.

“I was thinking I could come over tonight. To you. Do you think I could be sneaked in?”

He hadn’t expected her to ask to see him. He was sure she was doing fine without seeing him. Figured that while he was plucking the worst images from his tortured mind, she was off shopping and laughing with her friends. He knew she wasn’t that shallow, of course. It’s just that his thoughts weren’t allowing him any grace.

“Yeah. Definitely. Should be easy.”

It was easy. Harry was on the first floor and he was lucky enough to have his own room. She was able to walk right in without anyone spotting her. Not that most of the guys there would even know who she was.

There was no time for talk the moment the door was closed behind Harry. He pulled at her t-shirt and wrapped her in his arms and captured her lips in his.

She dropped her little bag onto the floor and moved her arms up and over his shoulders as she let him kiss her like he hadn’t seen her in months. That’s kind of how it felt. She’d missed his sweetness and his eagerness. Missed him.

“Mmmm… Harry… baby...” She whispered as he moved his lips down to her neck. “I missed you. God I just needed to see you so bad.”

Harry moaned as he dragged his mouth over her skin and up to her jaw, “I just need you so bad.” He was shaking to have her in his arms and in his room.

When he brought his mouth back to hers his hips pressed against her and she moved her hand down to his sweatpants and dipped a finger under the elastic band to feel his happy trail under her nails. He whined into her mouth and she smiled.

She had wanted to give him a blow job so badly all day. Which was unusual for her. She didn’t mind giving blow jobs but with Harry, the way he’d moan and whimper and beg her… she just loved how responsive he was to her.

“Let me suck you off. I want you in my mouth.” It was all she could think about when she drove across the city to go to him.

Harry’s chest was on fire and his heart was ravaging his ribs as she pulled his pants down and dropped to her knees. She spit on his tip and took him down her throat and focused her eyes up to him.

“Fuck, Y/n. I’m gonna come so fast. I’m sorry…” he frowned as he whined his words and carded his fingers into her hair. She bobbed up and down, slippery and warm on his cock, sucking and using her tongue to circle and slither over his skin the way he loved.

She just needed to show him how she was feeling. How much she missed him. Harry was so much more vocal than she was about how he felt and how much he needed her when they spoke on the phone. She kept her feelings a little closer to her heart. Not revealing as much but giving him bits and pieces. She wanted to tell him how much she missed him too but she also wanted to do the right thing in guarding his heart.

Of course, doing the right thing, well, they were way past that, she reasoned as she dipped down over him further and tasted the precome pushing out through his slit. They were so far beyond doing the right thing it shouldn’t have mattered. But she did want to protect him in some way and by not revealing that she missed him just as much as he missed her she thought he might be able to deal with the distance better.

In truth, she had no idea what she was doing. She’d never done anything like it before. She just hoped that at the end of whatever they were doing, they’d both be okay.

Harry groaned as he rolled his hips gently into her, his pink lips dropped open watching her mouth stretch around him, drool dripping down her neck, her eyes blinking up at him.

“Please… oh my god…” Harry gasped when she brought her lips up and suckled his tip, her tongue swirling and lapping just under his frenulum.

He came so fast it was embarrassing. She always did it to him. Always had him shaking and giving in to her so quickly. He didn’t know how she did it. Not even fucking his own hand was as quick. He was convinced it was some kind of sorcery she used on him but he knew what it was. He knew that she just did it for him like no one else did. He’d watched porn with hot women but none came close to how hot he thought Y/n was. No girl he’d ever met and dated or did anything sexual with at all did it for him the way Y/n did it for him. Her voice and her eyes and her confidence. He’d never been in love but if he were to fall for someone, if he wasn’t already, it would be for her.

Harry choked out a moan and his knees buckled the slightest as he throbbed and pumped hot come down her throat. She slurped and sucked it all down with her hands holding onto his ass, nails digging into his skin.

“Fuck!” He shouted when she pulled on his cock particularly hard to milk the last drop from him and then he laughed, his chest heaving.

A heavy knock cracked on his door, “All right in there Styles?” A male’s voice teased from behind the door.

Harry took a deep breath as Y/n pulled her lips off of his cock, “Fine. Thanks.” Harry shouted, not taking his eyes off his lover.

The pair lay in Harry’s full-sized bed with the radio on chatting about nothing. Harry had his arms wrapped around her middle with his head on her hip. He was like a big teddy bear that constantly wanted to be held and near to her. He just wanted to touch her and look at her. She loved how warm and touchy he was. Loved that he needed to physically be next to her when they were together.

“Tomorrow’s the party?” He hesitated to ask but couldn’t help himself.

“Yeah. Tomorrow. Got fitted for my dress earlier today. What did you do today, Harry?” It seemed like every time they were alone together and having a conversation they were lying and assembled jointly in one way or another with Harry squeezing her tight while she combed her fingers through his hair. It was maybe the best feeling she’d ever had with a lover. Ever. It was gentle and kind. Loving. Like there was no rush or reason to do anything other than to look at one another and be near to one another. Touching, smiling, kissing.

Harry had one class only and he finished an assignment due on Monday so he was ahead of schedule. The studious young man that he was.

“Hate that we can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day together,” Harry lifted himself to sit up, causing Y/n’s hands to fall away from his hair. His sudden change in demeanor had caught her off guard.

She pulled at his hand and sat up, “I know. I hate it too, Harry.”

“Do you hate it? Or are you just saying that so I feel better about all this?”

She squinted her eyes at him and shook her head, “What do you mean by that? Of course, I wish we could spend it together.”

Harry stood up from the bed and walked to his small kitchenette to grab a bottle of water, uncapping the lid and chugging a big gulp before turning and lifting the bottle, “Want some water?”

Y/n climbed off the bed and slowly walked toward Harry. Not understanding the mood change, “No. I’m okay right now. Thank you. But please continue with the previous thought. Explain what’s going on in your head.”

“I’m just…” he shook his head and sighed and walked past her to sit on the edge of his bed. “I don’t know. I know what this is. You and me. But feels like it’s just me who really wants more. Feels like, you’re doing just fine. You know?” He looked up at her as she followed him to where he was sat on the bed.

“No. I don’t know. You think I’m not just as excited to see you as you are me?” She stepped herself in between his legs and brushed her fingers over his forehead and into his hair. Perhaps she should start being more open with him about her feelings. But then again, that could make things even worse in the long run.

“No,” he laughed incredulously. “I don’t think you are. You don’t understand how I feel. How much I want you. And it’s not fair for me to feel this way because I knew all along what this was. But I can’t help it.”

Pausing her hand in his hair, she pulled her fingers out and nudged at his chin so he’d look up at her, “Where’s this coming from? You know how much I like you, Harry. You’re all I can think about.”

He searched her pretty face as she stood over him and shook his head, “You don’t understand how I feel. You don’t feel the same way I feel for you.”

She stepped away and rubbed her hands down her face. She couldn’t force him to believe her but she was sure she was feeling just the way he was. The intense longing she felt for him for the last three days told her as much.

“What do you want me to do, Harry? Should I leave, Leo? You and me, we can just run off into the sunset and never turn back? Will that prove to you how I feel?”

Harry stood up and paced from the kitchenette to his window and back, “You won’t though. I know it. You won’t leave my dad. You don’t have the balls to do that. You need his money and that big house and that huge ring you’re wearing…”

Y/n looked down at her wedding ring and felt a blanket of shame cover her body and pool around her feet as he continued.

“You wouldn’t do that because if you do that then you’ll be stuck with a boy. I can’t provide for you and buy you a nice car or take you on lavish vacations. I can’t compete with my dad on any level.”

Shaking her head as he spoke she was feeling insulted. A bit angry. But she knew he was speaking from a place of hurt.

“Harry…” she approached him and put her palms over his chest and looked up at him, “Stop. I’m here with you because my feelings for you are far greater than I can really even comprehend. You don’t need to compete with Leo or anyone. You’re better than anyone I’ve ever met. You can choose not to believe me but I’m here with you because I couldn’t be away from you a moment longer. I missed you. I needed you.”

He pulled his lips into his mouth as she spoke.

“Do you hear me? Harry I… I want to be so careful with you because you’re so special to me. I…” she sighed and looked up into his big green eyes, her hands traveling up his neck to keep his attention on her, “I want you. You’re better than your dad. To me, you are. I’ve missed being with someone I’ve felt this way for. As for your dad? I don’t feel this way. Harry, you are… god…” she started to tear up as she spoke. Unable to finish her thought as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.

“I’m sorry I said those things. I’m just so jealous and I hate this. I don’t think you’re that way. I know you’re better than that. It was rude for me to say that.” He spoke into her hair.

He felt ridiculous. Harry could be emotional. He tended to allow his sensitive nature to get the best of him at times and this was one of them. He hated that he’d insulted her the way he did but it just fell out of his mouth before he could think. He wished he could take it back.

“I know, baby. I know you didn’t mean it. I know you know me better than that.”

Harry pushed his mouth to hers in haste. His emotions were too much to handle. He couldn’t talk anymore or he’d just get worked up again. He didn’t know how he was going to stay sane the following evening while Y/n was spending Valentine’s Day with another man.

His forceful kiss to her mouth was met with a pinch to her hips as he pushed her back into his bed. “Need you…” he breathed against her lips as he pulled her shirt off and she settled onto the bed and scooted back as he crawled after her, putting his fingers into the band of her shorts and pulling them down.

She wore the sweetest little lacy pink bra with a tiny bow at the center and matching panties that barely covered anything. When he caught sight of what she’d worn under her clothes he thought he could cry again. Had she done this for him?

In fact, she had. After getting fitted for her party dress she stopped at La Perla and picked out the little set. The bra didn’t give her much support but it wasn’t meant to be practical. It was meant to be sweet and pretty. She looked through the various shades and fabrics and tried on strappy pieces with black leather and soft white lace. She put on a bright red bra and thong set she wound up buying, but the pink lace with bows and delicate straps reminded her of Harry. How soft and intimate it looked. So pure and sheer but sexy. And when she put it on all she could think of was how it matched his lovely personality. His tenderness. The way he was so delicate with her and how big his heart was. It felt like what he’d pick for her if he were with her.

“Do you like it?” She smiled at him as he let his fingertips brush over the little bows at her hips and the lace along the edge and up her tummy to the bralette where her tits were spilling out the smallest bit.

“I fucking love it. Y/n,” he looked up at her with a pained face, brows scrunched, and shiny eyes. “You’re… so pretty. Prettiest woman I’ve ever seen and, god,” he pushed his thumb into the fabric that covered her breast and poked at her nipple, “More than just pretty. You’re phenomenal. In every way.”

She hadn’t expected him to give her this response. She knew he’d probably like it. Figured he’d give her some attention while she was wearing it and then he’d want it off but to see his eyes tear up was unexpected.

She cupped his cheek with her palm and spoke quietly, “I bought it for you. I’m really glad you like it.”

Harry let out a shaky breath as he caged her in, arms on either side of her waist, and then scooped her into his arms, holding her tight to him, “Fuck. You’ve got my head spinning, Y/n.”

She let him take the lead. He eventually pushed his boxers down and insisted she keep the set on while he made love to her. He said that. Love. She got hot and felt herself begin to get emotional at his words and his soft touches.

“Keep it on,” he put his hand over hers before she could push the pink fabric down her hips, “Want to make love to you while you’re in this. Show you how much I appreciate the gift.”

And show her his appreciation he did. He pulled the material to the side gently and licked at her until he was so hard it ached and he began whining, not able to handle not being inside of her any longer.

He slowly pushed her legs apart and dragged his nose and lips up from her hips to her tits and then to her neck before sneaking a hand down to keep the crotch to the side as he slowly pushed into her. Always loving and craving the initial plunge. The little muscle at her entry stretching wide open for him.

The bed in his room was squeaky. It wasn’t as sturdy as the one in his room at Leo’s house but with the way he was fucking into her slowly, long and deep strokes, there wasn’t too much of a racket. The slow bounce of the mattress springs was all that could really be heard over the radio. A few moans and soft gasps.

Harry went from watching her face as he bottomed out, stuffing himself into her as far as he could reach, to kissing her while slowly rolling his hips into her.

He could feel the lace on his shaft as he thrusted, and he enjoyed the way it irritated the smooth, velvety skin on his cock. He hoped it left a mark. One to match the mark she’d left on his heart.

“Harry…” she breathed his name as he looked deep into her eyes. It felt so intense this way with him. He was moving into her so slowly but pushing in so deep her toes curled every time his balls were tucked up to her bottom, “I need you…” she panted as she scratched her nails down his back.

He began to shake with the way his heart was pumping so hard. His mind was a blur and the wetness between them felt so warm and perfect that he didn’t think he’d ever be able to recover from the moment. She went to visit him. She wore something special just for him. She said she needed him.

And it was too much to verbalize exactly how he felt. He wasn’t quite in control of his thoughts in that moment as he kissed her mouth and plunged into her as she panted and licked her tongue against his. “Y/n… please stay with me,” his teeth were clenched as he spoke the words on accident. It was only meant to stay in his head, that statement. But it came out and he gasped when she lifted her legs to wrap around his back and pressed her heels into his ass to push him in deeper.

“I’m here with you all night, baby,” she spoke against his lip.

Harry moaned and pushed himself so he could look down at her, never ceasing his movements into her, “I mean stay with me. Be with me. Me and you,” he dipped down to kiss her again feeling the heat of ecstasy travel up his spine.

“I want to stay with you,” her words were breaths against his lips. It was the only way she knew how to respond. Because she couldn’t stay with him like he suggested and he knew that. But she could tell him that she wanted to.

The bed under her slowly gave way to their weight with Harry’s hips pressed against hers every time he bottomed out and it was giving her the perfect friction. His lips on hers and puffs of breath from his nose made her feel like she was encased in him. It was all she wanted.

“You feel so good, baby. I’m gonna come. You’re gonna make me come…” she whined as she felt him tremble and his hips began to roll a bit faster. She could feel that he was just as close as she was.

Harry lifted up again to look down at her, never ceasing the decadent roll of his hips, “Want to watch it. Want to see how you look when you come on my cock,” he whispered over her.

His eyes were dark with lust but the tip of his nose was red as if he’d just been crying. Perhaps he had been.

“Yes baby, yes… yes… yes…” his deep plunges through her insides and pushing her walls apart had her knocked upward over and over. He kept himself deep inside, never pulling back, only fucking into her so that his tip could get into her deep, so she could feel him inside of her tummy and pressing into all her parts, claiming them as his.

They rocked together, Harry’s thighs working himself into her slowly and deeply until her release finally snapped and she moaned loudly.

“Don’t look away, please, look at me,” Harry gasped as he felt her begin to spasm around him. She brought her gaze back to his and her orgasm exploded at the look on his face. He came the moment she looked back at him. Both of them forced themselves to keep their eyes open to watch as the other came from their connected bodies. Harry’s deep groans and raspy, breathy whines met with Y/n’s soft coos and choked moans. He was so deep inside of her, pressing himself even deeper as he poured into her, letting his come coat her insides in ownership. He wanted to make her his.

A sick and twisted little part of his brain hoped her implant wouldn’t work this time. That he could knock her up and she would have to leave Leo and then she’d be his and he could have her. Keep her.

“Fuck, baby…” she yelped when he gave her one last rough push. Wanting that little bit to just make a difference somehow.

Harry kept his eyes on hers and he watched her features relax and she smiled, bringing a hand up to his face, “You’re amazing, Harry. The best I’ve ever had.”

His grin was tranquil and flirtatious. She loved his cheek. His confidence. She also loved his softness and how sensitive he was. It was the best of both worlds and she never realized she’d need it so much in a lover.

“Yeah? I keep hearing you say that and I think I’m gonna start believing it soon.”

She laughed with her thumb at his temple, softly rubbing the skin next to his eyes, “You should just believe me when I say it. Take my word for it.”

It was true. She felt so connected to him. So deeply intertwined that she was positive there was no one better. No one who could make her feel like he did.

Y/n had told Leo she was with Gina. That she’d been at the spa with her and got waxed and ready for the party and had too many glasses of wine so she couldn’t drive home. That was her excuse as to why she couldn’t come home Thursday evening when she was spending it with his son.

And Harry didn’t have classes on Fridays so they slept in until nearly 10 am before Y/n realized she needed to go and actually get waxed otherwise Leo would realize she’d lied to him. And it was going to be a last-minute thing anywhere she could get in without an appointment so she knew she had to get going with the party starting at 5. She also still had to go pick up her dress after the final alterations were complete.

It was always the same, leaving him. He didn’t want her to go. She didn’t want to go. But it was necessary. And she left the sweet little pink set behind to keep in his room, “This is just for you to see. Not for anyone else. Okay?” She said when she put the fabric on his bed before kissing him goodbye and leaving.

. . .

Harry loved that Y/n came to visit him. It felt like they were a couple when they were alone together. He could see them being together. Imagined it all the time. But he knew the deal. She wasn’t his. Though, she did tell him some things that made him feel like she was at least, in part, his. But that didn’t change the reality.

He was spending Valentine’s Day by himself. He had a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon his dad got him for his birthday. He fully intended to treat the $300 bottle kindly. It was meant to be sipped slowly. Enjoyed for a special occasion. But when he thought of how Y/n was on his dad’s arm, probably at that very moment, accompanying him to a Valentine’s Day party, thought about how his dad didn’t care for her the way he did, didn’t cherish her and dream about her and stop himself in the middle of a mundane task to smile as his heart throbbed when he imagined her smile and her laugh. That his dad was fucking someone else who lived nearby and took her on a weekend away with him… How could any sane man want to be with anyone else once they had Y/n? Harry couldn’t imagine it. Couldn’t fathom it.

“Fuck it,” he spoke to himself as he got up and crossed the room to pull the bottle out of the cabinet. He grabbed a glass and looked down at it before deciding he was going to just drink straight from the bottle. The highest form of disrespect for such a sought-after bourbon. A middle finger to his dad. And to the entire situation he was in really.

Placing the glass back in the cupboard he picked up the bottle at the neck and brought the 90-proof liquor with him to the small couch that sat across from his television.

Harry wasn’t much of a drinker. He’d had alcohol a good handful of times but usually at frat parties where it was provided for him. And he certainly never drank alone.

Peeling the foil off the cap and tossing it to the floor, he pulled the top and cork out of the bottle and placed it on the coffee table in front of himself.

He didn’t have anywhere to be the following morning so that was good, he figured. Better to have the morning open in case of a hangover. And he’d have all day Sunday to finish his homework.

And with that thought, he leaned forward to grab the bottle, brought the opening of the neck to his lips, and took his first pull of the evening.

. . .

Y/n was wearing her newly altered peach silk dress. The alterations were simple. The straps and hem were adjusted and the back column was dropped down a bit to drape to her low back. Her strappy nude heels were well-worn but comfortable because she was just simply not in the mood to wear the stiff, new heels she’d just bought.

The estate of Rebecca Manera was impressive. Probably equally as impressive as Leonardo Styles’. Most of the guests had already arrived by the time the Styles’ walked through the front door a little late.

Leo had scolded Y/n for taking so long to get ready and making them run behind but in all honesty, she didn’t give a fuck. They could be half an hour late. No one would care. Why rush to go to a party? It’s not like they needed to clock in and earn a paycheck.

“It’s rude, Y/n. That’s why it matters. You’re so goddamn rude sometimes. You only think about yourself.”

She turned sharply to look at her husband in shock. That was the first time he’d ever said such a thing to her. Normally he had no opinion on how she conducted herself. She was chronically late. Yes, she could admit that was a flaw in her character but she was on time when it really counted. But to get so worked up over a party? And to insult her on top of it?

That had set the whole mood for the night. And now she was even more suspicious about this Rebecca.

But when Rebecca did make her appearance and introduced herself to Y/n she was taken aback. The woman had to be in her 50s. She was pretty, sure, but not quite Leo’s type. If Y/n were any sort of indicator of a type.

Waiters walked around with trays and served the couples in attendance. There were only ten couples there as well as Rebecca’s two daughters, Y/n learned. Quite the intimate affair really.

Leo brought a glass of wine to Y/n as she chatted with Mrs. Topman (she never learned her first name, as the woman literally introduced herself as Mrs. Topman).

“Here you are darling.” His green eyes shined down at her before searching the room casually. She was on to Leo. But she found it odd that the woman he was with in the Hamptons was Rebecca. She was intrigued.

She watched Rebecca mingle and sip wine and laugh and there was nothing there that made Y/n think Leo would be interested in her sexually. But maybe that was it, Y/n thought to herself as she cocked her head to the side watching the woman speak boisterously. Maybe it wasn’t sexual. Maybe it was a woman he felt a deeper connection with than he did with Y/n. Perhaps it hadn’t started sexual but led there.

The snack table was set up with decadent treats. Y/n picked up a toast smeared with something pink, topped with heart-shaped tomatoes on top as she scanned the room for Leo, wondering where he’d gone off to. It hadn’t been that long but knowing about Rebecca being with him made things feel like she was in some kind of true crime detective story and was trying to get to the bottom of a mystery. Though there was no crime being committed, she could entertain herself with that thought.

“Are you enjoying your time tonight?”

Y/n turned her sight to Rebecca who was next to her picking up the same toast with pink schmear.

“It’s amazing. Your home is so lovely, Mrs. Manera,” she smiled and noted the woman’s massive diamond ring in addition to her massive diamond wedding ring.

“Why thank you. Phineas has put in so much work to make this large shell into a lovely cozy home.”

Y/n nearly spat her bite out. The home was anything but cozy.

“It’s incredible. Where is Mr. Manera tonight?”

“Oh, just over there,” she pointed to a man in tweed with thick black-framed glasses, “You haven’t met yet?”

Rebecca led the way as Y/n walked in her wake to meet Mr. Manera. She had still not spotted her own husband.

“Phineas, dear, this is Mrs. Styles. Leonardo’s wife.”

The man held his hand out, “Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Styles.”

“Likewise. You can call me Y/n.”

“Well, Y/n. We’re happy to have you here. Where’s Leo anyway? Haven’t seen him.”

Turning around quickly to look over her shoulder she shrugged and faced the man and his wife again, “Not sure actually. I haven’t seen him in a bit myself,” she laughed. And before she could even think about what she was implying she spoke to Rebecca, “But I’m sure you’ve seen enough of him since you saw him in the Hampton’s this weekend.”

Rebecca and Phineas’ smiles dropped as they looked at one another and then back to Y/n, “I haven’t been to the Hamptons in over a decade. Are you sure you’re not mistaking me for Parker? Our daughter? She was just there all weekend with her girlfriends.”

She blinked her eyes and looked between the pair and cocked her head, “Oh. I’m sorry. I must be mistaken. I thought Leo said…” She shook her head not wanting to finish that sentence. It dawned on her that Leo had been with their daughter. Parker. Or, at least that’s what it was starting to look like. An interesting turn of events.

And it wasn’t much longer after that small discovery that Y/n spotted her husband. He was holding a glass of wine and speaking with a couple, laughing casually and acting as if he hadn’t been missing for nearly thirty minutes.

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.” Y/n squeezed his arm as she took her place next to him.

Leo looked down at his wife and grinned, “Oh? I’ve been around. Here and there. I did go outside for a bit to get some air.”

Liar.

As cold and closed off as Leo could be, she knew when he wasn’t being forthright with her. But she wouldn’t call him out on any of it. How could she? She’d keep the information close to her chest. Something to hang onto for another day. She was curious about Parker, though. Not sure which of the two daughters she was. She’d only met one but never got the young lady’s name as there was another woman talking Y/n’s ear off. That daughter had been quite young, though. Harry’s age. Y/n knew the other daughter was closer to Y/n’s age.

Another three glasses of wine and a slow song with some lovey-dovey lyrics had Y/n feeling a bit sentimental. She was wishing Harry was there. Wishing she could catch his eyes from across the room. Wishing she could pull him into a corner and kiss his warm mouth and run her fingers through his curls.

It wasn’t as if the party was boring or anything. Well… okay. It was quite boring. It was just a bunch of rich people in a massive house worth millions drinking expensive wine, wearing expensive clothes, and pretending to care about what was going on around them.

Y/n watched as Leo’s eyes followed a pretty brunette with a slim nose and a long neck traipse across the room toward the bar for another glass of wine. The young woman looked to be Y/n’s age. Perhaps even a little older. She was very pretty. Her dress was flattering and she had a slim waist and curvy hips. This one- this one, Y/n thought, was more Leo’s taste.

Maybe it was the four glasses of wine or maybe it was just her natural penchant to be outspoken and assertive, but she decided to introduce herself to the woman. Find out her name. Look into her eyes and determine if this woman had actually been with her husband all weekend.

Y/n wasn’t necessarily jealous. She did feel a bit betrayed though. Her husband had lied to her in some way. She knew that much. Knew that he’d been talking to someone on the phone in hushed tones as Harry told her he’d overheard his dad. Knew that a woman had chirped excitedly next to him when he’d been on the phone with her while he was in the Hamptons and that Leo sounded like he was quickly trying to think of a reason why there’d be a woman there when he mentioned the Valentine’s Day party.

Rebecca was a great cover. She was in her 50s and he thought that once Y/n laid eyes on her all her questions would be quashed and she’d forget all about it. But he hadn’t anticipated Y/n to open her mouth and mention the Hamptons to Mrs. Manera.

“Hi,” Y/n sidled up to the brunette, “I’m Y/n Styles. I don’t think we’ve met yet.” She motioned to the bartender for another glass of wine. Probably a bad idea. She would certainly feel five glasses in the morning.

The young woman gave herself away immediately as her eyes widened and she opened her mouth for a moment, searching the room quickly before returning her sights to Y/n, “Uh… oh, hi! I’m Parker Manera, Phin and Rebecca’s daughter.”

Y/n watched her nervously sit her glass down and wipe her hands down her expensive dress and then pick her glass up again before shifting on her feet with a forced smile on her face.

“Oh! You’re Parker. Your mom and dad were just telling me about how you were in the Hamptons all weekend. It’s such a small world,” she laughed lightly and placed her free hand at her hip in a show of confidence, “My husband Leo was there last weekend too. What a funny coincidence.” She smiled widely as she kept her eyes on Parker’s.

The poor thing swallowed harshly and looked down at her glass before letting her eyes dart around the room again, most likely in search of Leo, “Oh. Yeah. Uh… huh…” She took a sip of her wine and then looked at Y/n, “Yeah, that is a coincidence.”

. . .

Harry was trying to pay attention to his best friend as he gave him a pep talk. But it was useless. He couldn’t ever understand what Harry was going through and he had no idea that he’d been sleeping with his stepmom.

“Don’t worry man. Not every Valentine’s Day is going to be spent alone like this. You’re still young, dude!” Tyler said, trying to cheer him up. Only Tyler didn’t realize what Harry’s real issue was. He just thought Harry was depressed because he was still single and a virgin.

Harry had called Tyler and asked him to come over to share the bottle of bourbon with him. He realized early on that he would not be able to drink the whole bottle alone, nor did he want to.

“I know. Just feels shitty. You know my dad and Y/n are at a party tonight. With a bunch of other assholes probably. Sounds so boring. Would hate to spend a romantic day out with rich assholes.” Harry was only on his third glass of whisky but the stuff was strong and he was feeling the alcohol burning in his gut and winding through his veins, impairing his thoughts and his emotions.

Tyler laughed, “Yeah, but after their boring night out they can go home and shag. Unless your dad’s too old for that,” Tyler joked before taking a healthy swig and looking at the TV that was on as background noise.

Harry frowned and felt himself nearly gag at the thought. That was exactly the kind of thing he was trying not to think about, “What’s wrong with you? You’re a dick sometimes you know that?”

“Sorry. You probably don’t want to think about your dad fucking your hot stepmom do you?” He teased.

Only it wasn’t funny to Harry. Not at all. He was spiraling and he’d called his friend as a distraction yet here they were discussing a topic that was a punch to the gut and had Harry surging with jealousy and hurt.

“Shut the fuck up, man. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry barked and stood up from the couch to pace his room, “I fucking hate this!” He ran his hands into his hair and felt his anger peak.

“Whoa. Okay. Sorry dude. Wasn’t trying to get you upset. It was a joke.”

“Yeah? But it’s not a joke. That’s what’s gonna happen. She’s gonna go back home with my prick of a dad and fuck him. Because it’s Valentine’s Day. And that’s what couples do on Valentine’s Day.”

Tyler looked at Harry in confusion as Harry pulled at his roots and sniffed, his nose red and his eyes bloodshot, “She’s fucking him and she’s not even… Goddamnit!”

“What’s going on Harry? Are you okay?” His friend stood up, suddenly aware that Harry was not doing well at all.

“No. I’m not fucking okay,” he sighed and shook his head before looking at his friend, “I’ve… you can’t say anything to anyone, okay?” He continued pacing.

Tyler nodded, still standing up, not moving from his spot, “Of course. You know any secret you have is safe with me.”

Harry stopped his restless motions and dropped his arms by his side, “Y/n and I… we’ve been seeing each other,” he looked down before he could watch Tyler’s expression. “We’ve been sleeping together.”

Tyler’s silence indicated his shock. He had not been expecting to hear that from Harry. All the times they’d teased him about getting with her they were just kidding. No one ever thought that it would actually happen.

Harry resumed his confession, “And it’s been really good. We like each other too. My dad’s a dick. He’s sleeping with another woman. Which is allowed, but… nah… that’s a long story. I’m,” Harry looked directly back at his friend and approached the couch before plopping down heavily over the cushions, “fucking sad. I’m a mess over it.”

Tyler sat down next to his friend and nodded, “So you and Y/n. And that means you’re not a virgin? She’s the one that…” his words faded out, letting the context fill in the blanks.

Harry nodded, “Yeah.”

“Well, fuck man. I’m sorry. Here,” Tyler leaned forward and grasped the bottle, handing it to Harry, “sounds like you need some more of this.”

. . .

Y/n wasn’t mad. Not at all. Nor jealous. But she would keep this information tucked away for a rainy day perhaps. Or maybe it would never be brought up. It did, however, make her feel a bit less guilty for her own insolence.

And she wondered what he had been up to when he disappeared. She imagined that he’d been with Parker. Doing what exactly? Well, she had some ideas about the nature of what they were doing. In fact, part of her did hope maybe he’d gotten his needs taken care of. Hoped that he wouldn’t want anything from her that evening because she was completely satisfied with how well she’d been treated just that very morning by Harry.

That was only going to get trickier as time went on. The more time she spent with Harry, the less she wanted to spend any time with Leo. And she was still irked at him for the comment he made to her before they left for the party. She planned to use that as an excuse for not having sex with him if he tried to initiate. But excuses would dwindle eventually. She couldn’t keep pushing off sex with her husband.

She and Leo said their goodbyes as everyone began to leave the party as normal. Most people were grabbing their jackets and purses and Y/n was shaking Phineas' hand when Leo leaned into Y/n and spoke quietly, “I’ll be right back, dear. Wait for me in the car.”

Fifteen minutes. She waited for 15 minutes for her husband and she knew what he was up to. Or at least in part. And that– that did piss her off. The disrespect of it. She shot off a quick text to Harry wishing she was with him. Wishing she could just drive her husband’s car to Harry’s dorm and stay with him for the night. Finish off her Valentine’s Day properly.

Are you awake still?

It was almost midnight and a Friday night so she assumed he would be awake but by the time Leo made it to the car, Harry still hadn’t seen the text yet.

“What were you doing, Leo?” Y/n looked at his side profile as he began to drive down the long driveway to the gate to exit.

“I had to use the bathroom,” he placed his palm over his stomach and blew out a big, dramatic breath. “Think I ate too many crab cakes.”

Another lie. But also something to bring up should he want anything intimate from her tonight. A stomachache was an automatic no for sex.

“Let me drive, then. If you’re not feeling well that could be dangerous.” She didn’t mind playing dumb.

“Oh, it’s okay. I took some Pepto Rebecca offered me and I think I’ll be okay.”

“Okay. Good. That was nice of her. She was lovely to chat with. I really enjoyed the party. Phineas is also a hoot,” she exaggerated with a smiley tone. “Oh, and their daughters!” Y/n turned to watch his face as she continued, “What’s the younger one’s name again?”

“I think it’s Iris. No, Ivy. I think Ivy.” He answered as he nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.

“And then their older daughter, Piper. She was–“

“Parker.” Leo interrupted.

He took the bait and he didn’t even know it.

“What?” Y/n acted confused.

“Her name is Parker. You said Piper. I was just correcting you.”

Y/n smiled to herself, “Oh. I really thought she told me Piper. But I guess you’d know better than me.”

Leo’s body language did not change whatsoever. He was cool as a cucumber but man was he dumb. He didn’t have to act differently for her to know he was lying straight to her face. No, his answers gave him away.

“Anyway, as I was saying, Parker was really sweet. Talked about what we did last weekend. I told her all about the girls and how we go out for girl’s night every other Friday. Even invited her to come to our next one.” She lied.

She watched his throat bob as he swallowed, “Why’d you do that?” He turned to glance at her before looking back to the road.

Y/n couldn’t stop smiling. She was just having a bit of fun. It was also most definitely the five glasses of wine she’d had, “Because I like her! She’s my age and I feel like we have a lot in common. Oh! And it’s so funny, Leo. You won’t believe this! She was also in the Hamptons last weekend! And it’s wild that she had no idea that her mom was there when I told her that you saw Rebecca while you were there,” she shook her head dramatically and laughed. “Crazy.”

His jaw clenched but he remained quiet. Perhaps she’d taken it a bit too far. Now maybe she’d just given away that she knew something. But she just shrugged and turned to look out the window. She couldn’t wait for her bed. She just hoped that Harry would give her a goodnight text before she went to sleep like he usually did.

But he didn’t. She showered and plugged her phone in and checked her messages and still nothing.

Y/n was thankful Leo didn’t seem interested in having sex. She silently thanked Parker for a job well done as her head hit the pillow and she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

Sensing light through her eyelids, she slowly blinked her eyes open. It took a moment to climb out of her wine-induced groggy haze but when she realized it was her cellphone she quickly rolled to her side to reach for it.

“Hello?” She spoke quietly and sat up against her pillows.

“Sound so pretty,” Harry’s words were watery and disconnected. “You with my dad?”

Y/n knew right away he was drunk. She grinned and shook her head as she responded, “No. I’m in my room. Where are you?” She was just happy to hear his voice, despite him being inebriated.

“My room. Tyler’s passed out. Drank some whisky so I didn’t have to think about you and my dad fucking. Didn’t work.”

The grin fell from her face, “What? Harry, we didn’t. But–“

“Bet you did. Probably trying to just make me feel good,” his speech was difficult to understand as his tongue seemed to be getting in the way, but she could clearly interpret his bitter tone.

“You should get some sleep. I’ll call you in the morning.”

“So you can go back to having sex with another man?”

“Stop it, Harry. I was asleep just now. In my own room. We can talk in the morning when you’ve sobered up.” Her voice was quiet as she spoke into the receiver.

As much wine as she’d had at the party, Harry had clearly had a lot more alcohol in his system.

“F’course. Would hate to disturb you. Just a nuisance to you anyway…” his volume dropped as his words trailed off.

“You’re not a nuisance to me. It’s why I answered. Was excited to hear your voice. Now, go to sleep, Harry. Okay? You’ll feel better in the morning.”

He actually probably would not feel better in the morning if his current state was any indicator.

The phone was silent but she could still hear him rustling around, sniffing, “Harry?”

“Y/n.” He said mockingly.

“Are you okay?” She knew she should probably just hang up but didn’t want to make things worse.

“No. I’m not.”

“I think you worry too much. You should go to sleep, baby.”

“Mmm… Sounds so nice. But I think it’s not fair is it?”

Y/n sighed and held her phone out to see what time it was before putting the receiver back to her ear, “What’s not fair?”

“You can fuck other people. You do too. You’re fucking my dad. I should go be able to fuck other people too if I want. Tyler told me I should.”

Y/n gulped down the upset and tried to keep herself level. He was drunk and not thinking straight. And the comment about Tyler had her wondering if his friend knew about their affair.

“Let’s discuss it when you’re feeling better tomorrow. You’re drunk, Harry. I don’t think this conversation will go anywhere good if we keep talking while you’re so upset.”

“Should have known. Yeah. We’ll see.”

Y/n opened her mouth to respond but he’d hung up. She heard the click and then the silence of her room enveloped her completely as her phone went dark with the ended call.

It was nearly 3:30 in the morning and lying back into her bed and closing her eyes did not bring sleep like she hoped. Instead, her mind went into overdrive considering all the things Harry had said.

And he was right. He should be allowed to do as he pleased. To sleep with others. He should. It would be healthier for him. For her. What they were doing was a mistake. It wasn’t going to end well and Harry’s words rang in her head for hours.

She hated the idea of him sleeping with anyone else but that was not fair. How could she expect him to only sleep with her when she was married to his father and sleeping with him? Though she hadn’t slept with Leo since before she and Harry started their affair. Still. At some point, Leo would expect something and she’d need to give him something.

So, instead of sleeping, she wound up writing in her journal with a mug of Ceylon, hot ginger, and lemon tea. She wrote down her feelings and the things she’d tell Harry. The things that needed to be said.

They couldn’t continue on as they were. They were both going to get hurt and she didn’t want to imagine hurting Harry more than he was. She could tell this was hurting him. When she’d seen him Thursday night he expressed some hurt feelings.

And as hard as it would be, she had to break it off. Had to end their affair because they would both only get more attached. The sooner the better.

He’d hate it. He’d fight her on it, she just knew it. He’d plead with her. He’d say something that would make her waver. Make her want to just give in and let him have his way. But it wasn’t healthy. It was a relationship that could never be revealed. His father couldn’t know. And the thought of leaving her current situation to be with Harry felt ridiculous.

Yes. It was ridiculous. Because she was 27 and he had just turned 21. And he was her stepson. Ridiculous to consider leaving Leo because then what? Harry might not even feel the same way for her in six months. A year. Five years. And she’d be back to square one because leaving Leo meant leaving everything he’d given her behind. Of course, there was a prenup involved in their marriage. That had been the plan all along. She knew going into it that this was how it would be. Should they ever divorce, she gets nothing really. As it should be, she surmised. She wasn’t entitled to anything from Leo if the arrangement was called off. She would have nothing.

She had no career. No money of her own. Very few things she’d bought herself.

Her mother would just say I told you so. Which would be well deserved.

So to stop their little thing as soon as possible was better than waiting until it all blew up in their faces. She hated the thought of not being able to kiss him or chat with him about personal and private things only a lover should know. She’d miss his flirtatious banter and the little pinches he gave her skin when he wanted her attention. It would be hard to wake up every morning knowing she’d never have someone warm and kind to wake up with. His scent. His eyes. His hair. His fingers. His voice.

She scribbled her thoughts and a tear fell onto the page she was pouring her thoughts into.

She didn’t want to do it. She wanted to keep him and have him to herself. Enjoy the secret, private relationship that had maybe been the best she’d ever had. But that was the part that needed to come to an end. Their secret affair would be exposed or Harry would get hurt (and so would she). He was already hurting. It was already hard and they hadn’t been at it for that long. She imagined the longer they continued the worse it would be for Harry. His soft heart would continue to break in front of her and their whole relationship would be based around the sadness and the turmoil and the secrets. It was healthy for no one.

When the pale light from the sun began to stretch into her room she put her journal down and texted Marla. It was early. Maybe a bit too early, even for Marla.

But she needed someone to talk to. Someone to help her straighten out her mind. She was feeling selfish, angry, hurt, and most of all, her heart was being squeezed with a vice in her chest and it was hard to breathe. Hard to think straight.

When you wake up will you please call me?

Her tea was barely touched. It had gone cold and because she forgot to pull the bag out it had also turned bitter. She winced at the taste and placed the mug down on her side table. That seemed to be an appropriate illustration of how her life was going at the moment. She hadn’t taken care to make sure the tea was tasty and done correctly and now it couldn’t be salvaged. A perfectly fine cup of tea to waste.

Y/n felt her phone vibrate and she plucked it up quickly to answer. It was Marla.

“Morning. Thank you for calling me.”

“Of course. Everything okay?”

Y/n sighed and closed her eyes, not wanting to begin crying again, “Not really. Went to a party with Leo last night. Learned he’s been seeing another woman my age, though the issue is that he brought her to the Hamptons last weekend and lied to me about it. Told me the girl’s mother was there with him. And it was just a weird night. So, there’s that. But then Harry called me in the middle of the night, completely wasted,” she went on with the story and what was said, barely taking a breath to pause as Marla listened closely.

“So, I need to just end it with him. Before he really gets hurt. Before I can’t let him go. Because that’s for the best. But now I’m also worried about this Parker girl. If Leo’s been seeing her frequently and taking her on vacations with him then I don’t know what that means for me either. What if I break up with Harry and then Leo wants a divorce because he’s fallen in love with Parker? I don’t care that he’s with her. But my concerns about it are mostly just selfish. I don’t know what to do. I honestly feel like the worst person in the world. I’m selfish and I’m in the middle of this strange affair. I know I need to break it off.”

Marla had listened quietly and hummed affirmatively throughout. She hadn’t realized the depth of feelings involved until then.

“I feel like it might be better if you do break up with Harry. That makes the most sense. He’s so young and you are technically married to his father so even though you can sleep with another man, you’ve picked the wrong one.”

“I know. I’ve never made such an epic mistake in all my life. It’s a mistake, what I’ve done. Isn’t it?”

“I think so. Yeah. You can’t help how you feel. I understand why you are doing it. Why you like Harry so much, but… if you can never be with him openly then that probably makes this a mistake. Will you see him today?”

“I’m going to go see him. Yes. I hate this so much. Can I come see you after? I’m gonna need someone to talk to and cry to a bit. I don’t want Leo wondering what’s wrong with me. Not that he’d care much.”

. . .

Her text to Harry went unanswered. She imagined he might still be sleeping. Hungover from the night before. Hell, she was even hungover from the night before but five glasses of wine at 27 will do that to you.

She chewed the skin at the edge of her thumb as she walked around her neighborhood in the hills. She couldn’t stay in the house with Leo looming because she would frequently begin to burst into tears out of nowhere and she couldn’t have him seeing that.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and nerves were making her skin crawl the longer she waited to hear back. She couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t just ignoring her altogether. And to drive all the way to his campus on a Saturday at noon would be an hour's drive.

But maybe that’s what she needed. Maybe a long drive and some loud music with her windows rolled down would be better than walking along the winding streets of her neighborhood and waiting for him to respond. Yes. That’s what she’d do. She’d go to him. She needed to. This needed to end. Only then could they both move on and begin to heal.

. . .

Harry did see the text come in from Y/n. Sort of. He opened up a singular eye and squinted to read the message but the words were fuzzy and his headache was killer. He couldn’t move. Lifting the phone to look at the text was a feat in and of itself and that had been all for nothing because he couldn’t even make out the words on his screen. He knew it was from Y/n but when he closed his eye he drifted off into a dreamless sleep once again. Tyler never budged from his spot on the couch.

But when there was a knock at his door and his phone was ringing right next to his head he was forced to sit upright and take in his surroundings. His head was still pounding but the nausea from the night before had mostly passed. Mostly.

“Hello?” His voice was groggy and dry and pained.

“Harry. It’s me. I’m at your door.”

It took a minute for everything to fall into place. He stood up and slowly made his way to his door and when he opened up, even though he knew Y/n said she was there, somehow it still took him by surprise.

He silently greeted her and gestured for her to enter.

His TV was on but the sound was muted. Tyler was draped over the small couch with his mouth gaped wide open in a dead sleep. A bottle of liquor, empty on the small table in front of the couch was the final clue as to what had gone on the night before.

She could tell Harry had just woken up. That at least made her feel a bit better. He wasn’t purposely ignoring her.

“I’m sorry I showed up like this,” she spoke quietly, not wanting to wake Tyler up. Especially because it would look suspicious to him to see Y/n there. Though she assumed he knew based on Harry’s comments about Tyler when he called her in the middle of the night.

She was so pretty but she looked so sad. Harry could tell, even with a killer headache and a queasy stomach that she was pensive.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry about that call last night. Got very drunk. And wound up telling him about us,” Harry looked over his shoulder at Tyler then back at you. “So… I’m sorry about that too.”

Y/n watched as Harry got himself a glass of water and chug it before waking Tyler up and asking him to go back to his room.

Tyler eventually got up and greeted Y/n politely, “Morning. Uh, sorry. I just need to run to the bathroom and then I’ll be out of here.”

It was awkward. Sitting on Harry’s bed while she watched his best friend drag himself to the bathroom. Knowing he knew about them. She wondered what Harry had told him exactly. And now she imagined he’d be calling Tyler after she left to tell him what had happened and how she’d broken his heart. Not dissimilar to what she’d be doing with Marla.

Harry stood awkwardly against the foot of his bed with his head turned to look at Y/n, “I am sorry you know. I can tell you’re upset. Is that why you’re here?”

He did feel bad. He’d been way out of line. Wildly jealous. Drunk.

“In part,” she looked up at him. His eyes were bloodshot but he was still so handsome. If she weren’t there at that moment to break up with him she’d stand up and pull him in for a kiss. She wanted to. “But I wanted to talk to you about something else too.”

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his messy curls, “Y/n,” his green eyes looked so bright and tired. The next words he spoke in a quiet whisper, “Please don’t.” She almost didn’t hear him. Almost. But she did and the moment he said it her heart dropped into her stomach. This was going to kill her.

Tyler opened the door and said goodbye quickly but Harry didn’t take his eyes off Y/n’s. He knew what she was doing. Why she’d come. He could just feel it. Tell by the way she was looking at him.

“Is that why you’re here, Y/n? To break up with me?”

Y/n patted the spot on the mattress next to her, “Come sit with me. Please.”

“Damnit!” Harry walked toward his kitchenette and leaned over the small formica countertop with his back to her, “I fucked up. I am not good at this. I’m too emotional.”

Y/n had broken up with a fair amount of guys in her life. Some were easier than others. A few times she was on the receiving end of the breakup. It was never easy.

But this one felt a lot heavier. It felt like ripping out a page from a beautifully half-drawn masterpiece before it was ready to see the light of day. Torn in half and tossed into the trash and wasted all without having had the chance to be completed and filled in with color and then framed and hung. It could have been beautiful.

She got up from the bed and walked across his room to stand behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, smushing her cheek into his back all in silence.

Harry’s breaths were heavy and his t-shirt-covered back was warm against her skin. He brought his hands up over hers and hung his head.

“Harry,” she whispered and squeezed him tight, “I don’t want to do this but–“

“Then don’t,” Harry turned around to face her and took her hands into his, “Then don’t, Y/n.”

Shaking her head she blinked away her tears and tried to focus on her task. It had to be done. It was better for him in the end. And she only wanted what was best for him.

“This can’t go on. We’ll only get hurt. It’s already hurting.”

Shiny tears filled in Harry’s eyes and when he finally blinked they fell down his cheeks and to his chin, “Do you not-“ He shook his head and looked down for a moment as he sniffed to compose himself. Looking back into her eyes his thumbs softly caressed her thumbs, “You don’t want to be with me anymore?”

“It’s not that,” she shook her head, “It’s because I think this guilt and pain will just get worse. You’ve been so upset and unhappy. I don’t want to see you sad.”

“This is making me sad, Y/n. If you’re trying to do something to protect me, then don’t. I can handle it. I know the deal.”

She closed her eyes and lifted his hand up to her mouth to kiss his knuckles, “I know. But it’ll be easier if we do it now. The longer this goes on, the worse it’ll be. We’ll both wind up hating each other. It’ll be messier than it already is. You don’t want to be some secret forever do you?” She looked up at him.

“I would if it meant being with you. Whatever that means. Whatever it takes.”

“You don’t mean that. I don’t think you understand how awful it would be.”

“I haven’t been given the chance. I can get used to it. I’ll be better.”

Y/n dropped his hands and brought her arms up, cupping his face with her palms, “You’re so young. You’ll get over me. You’ll find someone you can be happy with openly and fall in love and have all those things you deserve.”

Harry’s mouth was slightly open as he drew in breaths of air (unable to breathe through his nose as he was crying). He put his large hands over hers and shook his head, “And what about you? Don’t you deserve love and someone who will be only yours? My dad can’t give you that. I can.”

“I agreed to the arrangement with your dad, Harry. I’m okay. I’ll be okay. My only concern is you. You are the one that deserves to have all those wonderful. Not me.”

“No. You’re wrong. You deserve it too. I want to be the one to give that to you.”

She tried to stop her sinuses from tingling and the tears from forming but she couldn’t. Her lips quivered as she tried to respond but her words were swallowed in her throat when she sucked in a sharp breath of grief.

She was helpless to her natural emotions as she felt her cheeks wet. She wanted to be strong and confident when she broke up with him so he’d see she meant it but her position crumbled with his delicate temper. He was too tender and lovely for her to keep up a cold façade.

“Please, Harry. Don’t make this harder. We can’t see each other anymore like this. I will miss you but this can’t go on.” She brought her hands down from his face, causing his hands to fall away.

“Who’s going to show you affection and give you intimacy then, Y/n? You can’t go about life without out. I can see how much you need it. You need me.” He sniffed as more tears fell.

“Harry…” she shook her head and backed away as she wiped her face.

But he grasped her wrist, not letting her get too far, “Don’t. Please, Y/n. You’re gonna break my heart.”

Y/n looked down at her wrist and back to Harry’s soulful gaze, “You’ll be okay. You’ll find someone better.”

He let go of her wrist and let out an incredulous laugh, “The fuck I will.”

He pushed himself off the small counter and walked to his window to look outside. His attitude had changed. Now he was clearly frustrated. Angry.

“You will,” she followed behind him but kept a small distance, “I promise.”

“So you’ll just be fucking whoever comes along that you like instead of me since my dad isn’t offering love to you. Is that what you wanted? Just company. No attachment? No love?”

That’s what she thought she wanted. Before she met Harry. In fact, she thought she’d be okay with just having Leo from time to time to fill in the physical parts of intimacy. The rest she could get from her friends.

But it all changed with Harry. Which is why she needed to stop it before it was too much. Before she was completely in love and had him ruined as well.

“I will be okay, Harry. I’m doing this because I want you to have everything you deserve.”

“Fuck that.” Harry turned to look at her and crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t make you do anything you don’t want. You don’t want me? Fine. We’ll go back to how it was before. Except less friendly, I think, because I’m not sure I can handle being too friendly with you. If that’s what you want. Fine. I want you to have whatever your heart desires too, Y/n. And if that’s not me then I can’t change your mind.”

“Harry… that’s not how it is–“

“That’s exactly how it is. You’re here to break up with me. So we’ll break up. Despite how amazing we are together. We’ll just call it quits. Give up before we can really see what happens. Before we really even got going.”

“It’s because this was a mistake, Harry. This should have never happened, you and me. It’s only caused deep hurt and it will only grow worse if we continue.”

Harry nodded and looked up toward his ceiling to pull the tears back into his eyes, not wanting to let any more drop down over his cheeks, “You’re right.” He looked back at her and she could see a bit of anger rise in his demeanor, “This was a mistake.”

5. When In Greece

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scyllas-revenge · 1 year

Text

A Shield Against the Snow

yet another only one bed scenario, because I’m obsessed with them

Boromir/Reader (gender neutral)

Word count: 1,472

Rating: T

Here’s my next installment of How to Cope with a Middle Earth Bed Shortage, this time with our beloved Boromir! (previous chapters include Eomer/Reader and Legolas/Reader).

Read on AO3!

“We’ll have to share.”

Boromir turned to look at you incredulously as you held your bedroll out to him, and for a moment you feared that your suppressed longing had revealed itself in your shaking voice. But your whole body was shaking with cold as it was, and it seemed you were safe.

“It’s our only option,” you added weakly.

Boromir had lost half his supplies in the snow hours earlier, nearly tumbling into a ravine in the treacherous climb up Caradhras. The two of you had gone scouting ahead for a safer path, but were now facing a night in a snowstorm alone, lost, freezing, and with a single bedroll between you.

“Nonsense.” He turned away, looking irritated. “Go to sleep, and I will keep watch.”

“Keep watch for what?” You gestured to the forest of boulders and ice, ominous in the dying evening light. Too inhospitable even for a campfire. “There’s nothing out here but snow.”

Boromir pulled his cloak tighter around himself and didn’t answer.

“If you’re not going to sleep, we might as well keep walking,” you went on, raising your voice over the biting wind. “We might be able to catch up with the Fellowship by dawn.”

“So late, and in this blizzard? The sun is setting, and soon we will be utterly blind!”

You jabbed a gloved finger at him in triumph. “Then how do you expect to keep watch?”

“I—” But you had bested him, and he scowled. “Just go to sleep.”

“You’re being ridiculous!”

“The Men of Gondor can outlast a little snow.”

“Boromir, you’ll freeze—”

“I cannot share your bed!” He was breathing hard. “I cannot. I beg you, do not ask me again.”

You had expected a show of protest—Boromir always was a stickler for propriety—but the vehemence of his refusal stung. All these weeks the Fellowship had traveled together, he had never spoken so coldly to you. Always he had been kind, warm, talkative, seeking to walk by your side or offer you extra food at mealtimes. There had even been moments when his hand had rested on your shoulder, his eyes fairly glowing with what you had thought—what you had hoped was…

“I thought you were more practical than this.” Bitterness sharpened your voice to a swordpoint. “Would you truly rather freeze than lie beside me for a night? Just to stay warm?”

“Yes.”

He may as well have slapped you. Valar, he hadn’t even hesitated. But the shock of pain subsided quickly, fury taking its place. “Yes?” You stormed toward him, the bedroll shaking in your gloved fists. But the snow had frozen slick on the rocks at your feet, and Boromir’s hand darted out to steady you as you slipped.

Your eyes locked. He was all tension, jaw clenched, fingers tightening on your arm. Something desperate warred behind his eyes.

“Yes?” The word ghosted from your lips in a puff of white, a furious challenge.

“Yes.” His grip tightened, tightened, nearly painful. “For your warmth would burn me.”

“What?”

His breath billowed out in uneven clouds before him, anguish roughening his voice. “To lie beside you, to feel you pressed against me all through the night, to feign indifference all the while—” He released you and stepped away, shaking his head. “It would destroy me utterly.”

You stopped feeling the cold at once.

Boromir must have seen the shock in your eyes and stepped back again. “Forgive me. I had hardly wished to burden you with my desires, least of all now, here.”

“Desires? But how—how long have you…”

He lowered his eyes. “You will think me a barbarian, for I have wished to share your bed since first we met. Though I admit, I had imagined rather different circumstances than this. I am sorry to bring you discomfort,” he added, misreading your stunned silence. “Sorrier still to threaten our friendship. But you understand now why you must sleep alone.”

The bitter wind whipped at Boromir’s hair. Squaring his shoulders against the cold, he turned away into the darkness to begin his watch.

“Wait.” You shook your head breathlessly, finding your voice at last. “No. Share with me. Please.”

You set down your bedroll in the shelter of a little rocky outcropping, in as much shelter as could be found from the wind, and turned back to him.

But the desire in your voice had been lost in the freezing wind. “I cannot…” His mouth moved, but no sound came out. Misery twisted his features, and he stepped back once more.

You came to him instead, reaching out a gloved hand to sweep the snow from his broad shoulders, your fingers lingering on his collar in a gesture he couldn’t possibly misunderstand. “It’s so cold, Boromir,” you whispered. “Let me keep you warm.”

A shudder ran the length of his body, and he pulled you into his arms so urgently that he stumbled in the snow, gathering you to his chest with a breathless laugh. “Yes,” was all he managed to say. “Yes, love.”

And you kissed him.

Boromir’s lips were cold and chapped, but so were yours, and it was a sweeter kiss by far than any you'd conjured up during your long journey together. You melted into his embrace, heedless of the wind biting at your skin, and you clung to each other tighter even than the snow clung to your hair and cloaks.

Already you were warmer than you’d been in weeks. That wasn’t saying much, of course, considering how long the Fellowship had been hiking in the snow. And while Boromir’s mouth was invitingly warm, you felt no heat from his gloved hands, nor the snow-encrusted cloaks and furs between your bodies.

You shivered in his arms. Without speaking, you both trudged, still clinging to one another, to your bedroll, climbing hurriedly inside and draping your snow-encrusted coats and cloaks over the covers for extra warmth. It was more cramped than you’d anticipated, but you found you didn’t mind. The length of Boromir’s body was pressed tight to yours, and you grinned, nuzzling even closer to him.

Boromir wrapped his arms around you, drawing the covers as far over your heads as you could to shelter you from the wind. And without wasting a moment he slanted his lips over yours again, his fingers carding through your hair. He still wore his bulky gloves, making the gesture more uncomfortable than romantic. You laughed fondly and drew away.

“Let me.” You untangled your hair from his glove and took his hands in yours. Inch by inch you slipped the worn leather from his fingers, first one hand and then the other. His eyes were locked on your movements, his breath hushed.

You removed your own gloves next, and the warmth of his bare skin against yours was more welcome than a roaring fire. You gathered his fingers in your smaller ones, heating them against your lips with a long breath. Gently, you massaged his heavy palms, his calloused fingers, his broad fingertips.

“Had I known what sharing a bed with you would be like,” Boromir whispered, eyes slipping shut contentedly, “I would have mislaid my bedroll days ago.”

You laughed, withdrawing one hand slowly to trace the side of his face with your fingertips—the unkempt beard, the weathered skin, the little lines at the sides of his mouth where his smile widened. You had never touched his face before, and you wondered how you’d managed to go so long without doing so.

Boromir mirrored your gesture, cupping your face in his hand. With his other he propped himself above you—protecting you from the worst of the elements even now—and kissed you as though he’d been thinking of nothing else all those weeks you’d traveled together.

He drew away only to press a kiss below your ear, his lips parting hot against your racing pulse. You gasped, arching into him—and the covers above you shifted, sending a flurry of snowflakes cascading into your faces.

The next minutes were spent spluttering, coughing, shivering, knocking knees and elbows as you hurried to readjust the blankets above your heads.

Peace fell again at last, and your breathing calmed.

The wind was quieter now, as though it regretted its former cruelty, and the sun was nearly gone—Boromir’s face was little more than a warm silhouette under the blankets.

“Is this better?” you whispered, the last of the snow finally brushed away.

Boromir swept a strand of your now-mussed hair from your forehead. “No. I wish I could feel more of you tonight.” His voice was soft, the words ghosting warm over your lips.

“So do I.” Your fingers played at the hem of his tunic. “Perhaps, if we were very careful…”

For a moment he looked tempted, but you both knew it was a foolish idea, and he drew your hand up to his lips, kissing your knuckles. “There will be time for that later, my love. I would hardly have you freeze to death now.”

“No, nor I you.”

He laughed softly. “You return my affection, dearest—how could anything harm me now?”

#boromir #boromir x reader #lotr fanfic #tolkien fanfic #only one bed #is this just a bunch of cliches glued together with commas and em-dashes?#yes it is but i stand by it #god i hope these only one bed scenarios aren't getting old #i mean that won't stop me but still

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froggibus · 2 years

Text

Taking Care Of You While Sick - Obey Me!

Includes: Lucifer, Mammon, Levi, Satan, Asmo, Beel & Belphie

Genre: hurt/comfort + fluff!

Summary: you get sick, and your favorite demon knows (or tries his best) just how to take care of you

CW: sick! Reader, fever, lots of medicine, satan being Satan, wholesome Beel

wow i wonder what could have possibly inspired me to write this one….weird. anyway I am still sick but thats okay cause i got to sleep 20 hours one day and watch all the marvel movies so pog. anyway enjoy <3

————

Lucifer

doesn’t know much about human illnesses but knows when you’re getting sick

makes you get lots of bed rest

will have medicine and fresh water for you around the clock

offers to do his paperwork in your room to keep you company

you don’t really notice either way cause you’re asleep mostly

he does anyway tho cause he’s worried and wants to keep an eye on you

corrects your temperature in your sleep too

shivering? adds another blanket

sweating? pulls the covers back and puts a cold cloth on your forehead

“luc did you…swaddle me?”

“you were cold”

even after you get better he’s extra adamant about you taking vitamins

Mammon

thinks you’re dying at first

notices you’re much warmer than usual and actually thinks you’re going to light on fire

panics and thinks lucifer is gonna kill him

you have to explain that you’re not actually dying but that you’re sick

probably has no idea what to do to help you

just does what he likes when he’s sick

brings you lots of fluids (especially juice)

and soup

expect lots of soup/ramen

is with you 24/7

“you’re MY responsibility so I gotta keep an eye on you”

probably forgets to take care of himself in the process

so you make him drink your water/eat your soup/sleep

definitely sleeps with you with the excuse of ‘watching out for you’

Levi

its just like in that anime he watched

except he really hopes you’re not dying like the MC in the anime was

just does exactly what they did in the anime (but with a lot more blushing and stuttering)

probably thinks you’d rather lucifer or mammon take care of you

you try to comfort him but you’re so tired that it just comes out as a bunch of mumbles

definitely has to give himself a peptalk (or five)

“y/n is really sick rn, this isn’t about you, ok?”

will feed you medicine if you’re not strong enough to do it yourself

you’re surprised at how well he’s handling things

“ok y/n im gonna head back to my room but if you need anything tonight just text me ok?”

“levi can you stay with me”

thinks he’s misheard you at first

malfunctions for a really long time

you’re already falling asleep by the time he decides to climb in bed with you

Satan

has been waiting for this moment since you arrived

literally read so many books about human illness and immune systems

figured it was only a matter of time until you got sick

is ready with juice and water and medicine

literally has everything you could possibly need

checks your temperature VERY delicately

“fuck y/n you’re burning up”

gets you a cold cloth for your forehead

even tho he knows everything he still is really nervous

checks on you like every five minutes (if he even leaves your room)

would make himself a bed on your floor so that if you need him in the night he’s there

somehow you convince him to come lay with you

even tho you’re a million degrees

he’ll stay with you all night just to make sure you’re okay

would definitely try and hunt down whoever infected you

Asmo

can tell you’re sick just by how clammy and washed out you look

but he won’t say anything

probably makes you one of his ultra healthy super food smoothies

even if it tastes gross he makes sure you drink it

would probably spoon feed you food too

insists you get lots of rest

and when you can’t sleep he’s there to keep you company

keeps up with your hygiene too

will brush your hair/tie it up so that it doesn’t get tangled while you sleep

gets a cloth to wipe down your face and applies lotion and chapstick

probably wouldn’t sleep with you cause he doesn’t want to get sick (even tho demons don’t share the same sicknesses with humans)

but will stay in a phone call with you from his room all night and if you need anything he’s there in a heartbeat

more medicine?

he’s there

but he’s so tired don’t expect him to return to his room after

Beel

doesn’t know whats going on at first but makes an educated guess

asks what you need instead of assuming

makes you lots of snacks + drinks

i feel like he would hide your medicine in food like they do for dogs??

idk it seems up his alley

also helps you with any tasks you may possibly need with

homework? he’s on it (just don’t tell Lucifer)

need to wash your hair but you’re too weak? all you gotta do is lean your head over the bathtub

he’ll take really good care of you

would probably baby you a little tho

like cut up your food into really small portions

and give you juice out of a sippy cup

“beel where did you even find that?”

“i-uhh—“

definitely watches movies with you until you fall asleep and stays to make sure you don’t need anything

Belphie

probably knew you were sick before anyone else

tries to ignore it cause he totally doesn’t care

but your skin is hot!!

and you’re sweating a lot

and your voice sounds…different?

eventually he has to give in and admit he’s worried about you

and since no one else is around he takes care of you

brings you water and medicine and offers to let you sleep in his bed

“just so I can wash your sheets! you’ll feel so much better in clean ones…”

even lets you sleep on his pillow

probably watches you sleep to make sure you’re still alive

but can’t help and admire how peaceful you look

pushes you to drink fluids and sleep LOTS

and if you refuse to sleep?

well he’ll just have to make you sleep

masterlist

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shadowynn · 2 years

Text

| in love and lore | six |

pairing: ateez x fem reader

genre: fantasy/daemon/soulmate au

warnings: violence, death, yandere behavior, prejudice against mc. (things are a bit darker towards the end of this chapter)

summary: the daemon king and his seven black generals. names and faces of these eight had changed over the years as each new king was crowned, but their reputation as the most powerful daemons always remained the same. upon hearing the rumors one of the seven led the charge of the nearby battle, you should have stayed close to the encampment. you should have never wandered out on your own. but you did, and your life would never be the same again. good or bad, you would just have to wait to find out.

“There’s no need to be afraid, angel.” His words were a breath against the side of your neck. “You’ve done so much for us, let your king now return the favor.”

wordcount: 14.6k

| five | six | seven |

a/n: so, I knew this chapter was going to be long when i first wrote it, but it still ended up much longer than anticipated. oops. but this really is one of my favorites so far (though i have come to learn editing long chapters can be a pain) and hope you all enjoy this too! as always, all feedback is appreciated and loved. even if i don't reply, i read each and every comment and they always make me smile. :) the support for the series so far has been so sweet and i appreciate you all so, so much.

You had expected someone to wake you up the following morning, but found it was nearly midday when you rolled out of bed. The sun had long since reached its peak in the sky when you stepped outside, stretching out the kinks in your muscles. Just like Mingi had said, another Black General sat at the table near the entrance. He was scanning over a stack of papers, taking notes every so often in the margins, but looked up when he heard the tent rustling upon your exit.

You shuffled under his gaze, hovering near the entrance. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sleep so late.”

“Don’t worry about.” He waved your concern away, offering a smile in an attempt to ease your discomfort. “You’ve had a rough past few days and I’m sure the extra sleep was needed. If we had need of you, we would have woken you earlier.” Not only was he as attractive like the ones before, with streaks of red in his hair, but he was tall too. His figure towered over yours when he stood up to pull out the chair next to him and motioned for you to come over when he noticed you holding back. “But, please, come eat. We can head over to the infirmary when you’re ready.”

You were hesitant to take the seat, finding the act of someone pulling your seat out for you strange and foreign. Sure, Hyunwoo had done it for you a time or two, but only on special occasions such as your birthday, and even then it had been done in a half-teasing manner. But there was no hint of mockery in his stance, and he simply smiled at you once more.

He was gentle as you took the seat, pushing you forward and moving the full plate of food left on the table in front of you before returning to his seat. “I’m Yunho, by the way. It’s nice to meet you, angel.”

He stayed with you for the next few hours, leading you throughout the grounds just as Mingi had done the day before. He was less talkative than Mingi had been, and even more so whenever you tried to press him for answers, giving the same stupid excuses as all the others. You would just have to wait until you met with Hongjoong. When this meeting would actually take place, however, no one would say for sure. The only answer they gave was soon. You just had to be patient.

When the sun began to set, Yunho guided you back to the tent to eat and retire for the night, but it wasn’t just food that awaited you upon your return. Several daemons hung around the table when you approached behind Yunho, and you were quick to notice the black horns on each of them. Wooyoung and Seonghwa had made a return, as well as two others you had yet to meet, but were quickly introduced as San and Jongho.

Their presence was overwhelming. The aura of just one of them was intimidating as it was; the raw power each them held was nothing like anyone you had met before, and it all combined was nearly suffocating. But as oppressive as it felt, there was an inkling of contentment hidden beneath. The hollowness that had plagued you since Seonghwa had placed the mark on you had almost been filled, as though the part of you that had burned away had come back. For the first time in a while, you almost felt whole.

You grew accustomed to them quicker than you liked, no longer quite so tense every second you were forced to spend with them. You didn’t like them, and you hardly trusted them, but the nerves that had plagued you in the beginning began to dissipate with each day. You didn’t know what was to become of you, but the kindness they treated you with and the warmth that bloomed in your chest each time you saw one of them made you all the more confused and gave you all the more reason to keep your guard up.

Your time with them was vastly different than back in the city. You were under constant supervision by at least one of the Seven at all times, but they were much more lax with your work. No one ever woke you in the morning, allowing you to sleep as late as you wish and start work on your own time. And when you did work, no one dared to raise their voice or insult you. Your identity of being the Black Angel had become well known, and though discovering you were a half-daemon was a shock to them, it didn’t bother them as much as you had expected. Whether this was because they were actually grateful for what you had done, your constant guard, or both, it was hard to tell.

Hongjoong was oddly missing during the time you spent with them. While his generals were always more than happy to accompany you anywhere and everywhere - as long as it was inside their camp, that is - you had yet to even sneak a peek at their golden king. Despite the orders he gave towards you through them, he had remained out of sight for the time being. And though a part of you was itching to ask them when you would finally get to meet him and get the answers you desperately wanted, it was a different matter altogether to actually ask. Not when you weren’t even certain that he even was their king.

Yeosang was also gone more often than not, spending the majority of the time with Hongjoong in the city while you were left at camp. You had seen him once or twice, and the sight of his gleaming black horns had made your stomach twist. A painful reminder of the lies he had told you and the act he had committed in your name. He approached you once on your second morning, but was quick to pick up on your frustration in his attempt to strike up a conversation and kept his distance after that. The look he had given you as he went, so similar to that as a wounded puppy, had made your stomach twist once more. As though the fact he had hurt you had wounded him just as badly.

They had claimed you would stay with them until they had no further use of you. You had assumed this usefulness was in your healing abilities, but Mingi’s statements upon your arrival the first day had worried you. Leaving you with the fear your use to them was more than your ability, a thought that clung closer to you each day you remained here. Despite having attended to the remainder of their soldiers in the evening of your third day there, there was no inclination of sending you back from from Yunho when you arose the following morning.

And with no work at the moment, you were left with little else to do besides amuse yourself with your current guard. You had just finished lunch and was doodling on the back of one of the papers Yunho had been reading over when you had asked him for one. Though the two of you had settled into a relatively comfortable silence, you saw the way his eyes darted in your direction every so often to look at the random sketches you had done, especially the rough sketch you had done of him from your boredom in the top corner.

Your eyes glanced up when you felt the presence of another general, but it was the person who was with him that caught your eyes and had your breath hitching.

The pencil dropped from your hands and before Yunho could ask what was wrong, you were up from your seat and sprinting in their direction.

“Hyunwoo!” You called out your brother’s name and his head was quick to turn in your direction with just enough time to recognize you before you barreled straight into him. He caught you easily, arms wrapping around your body with the same force you had captured him with. “I was so worried about you. They said you were okay, but I still couldn’t help but wonder, you know? They didn’t lie, right? You’re not hurt?” The words came out in a single breath, rushing to voice the worry you had felt towards his and Soomin’s wellbeing in your absence. “And what about Minnie? Is she safe too?”

“We’re fine.” He pushed back the hands that had been running across his figure to check for wounds, brining your eyes back up to his face when you were satisfied he spoke the truth. “But what about you? Are you okay? Soomin and I were so worried when Suho informed us you had been taken.”

“I’m fine. I’ve just been sent here to heal their wounded for them.” You waved back his concern, knowing it was well placed with where you had been the past few days, but more worried about what had happened to him and your sister since you had last seen them. “What about you two? What happened to you?”

“We were ordered back to the house after the ceasefire was called. We’ve been there ever since, though I was called out for a task in the forge this morning before being brought here.”

His eyes flickered to Jongho, who you had yet to process was standing there next to you until that moment, his expression unreadable as he observed the exchange between the two of you.

You didn’t know how you felt about Jongho. While you had waved away Wooyoung’s and Seonghwa’s teasing comments about him the first night, you had quickly realized there had been some truth in them. He was quieter than the others. Almost bashful when it came to you, but a welcome relief to the way some of the others acted. You knew it very well could have just been an act to get you to drop your guard even more than you already had, but you still preferred his company more than the others, appreciating the silence that surrounded the two of you when you were alone.

“But you are okay, right, y/n? They haven’t done anything to you, have they?”

You shook your head, suddenly self-conscious under Jongho’s inquisitive gaze, wondering what thoughts might have been running through his mind at the moment. “No, I’ve been treated quite kindly since my arrival.”

“Don’t worry, your sister is safe here with us.” Jongho broke the silence, a hint of a smile breaking through as he added to your words.

“Woo, this is Jongho.” You pulled away from your brother, conscious of the way his and Jongho’s eyes kept glancing between each other. “Jongho, this is my brother Hyunwoo.” You knew there was a good chance the two had already become acquainted, but you felt the need to break the silence that had settled between you and it was the first thing you could come up with. “Is there a reason he’s here?”

Now that you were over your excitement of seeing your brother, the anxiety of what he was doing here began to settle inside you and whether or not you were the cause behind it. Jongho had been your guard the day before and had been curious about the dagger you had been using in the infirmary. He had asked to see it that night at dinner, testing out the design for himself. He had praised the workmanship of it, asking if it had also been your brother who had designed the arrowhead that had wounded Seonghwa when you had explained your brother had created it. You had been hesitant to answer his question, but you hadn’t sensed any hostility in his tone. Now, you wondered if you had made a mistake in telling him the truth and that your foolishness had gotten your brother in trouble.

“Hongjoong sent for him. He had a task for your brother earlier this morning and though you might enjoy having your brother accompany you back to your house to get ready for the ball this-“

“Wait, wait, wait,” you interrupted. Any relief you might have felt towards knowing Hyunwoo was was safe for the time being and you would finally get to go home immediately masked by the statement he had made towards your attendance of the masquerade. “I’m attending?”

You had first heard about the event at dinner when you had returned with Yunho that second night with them. It had been San who had first mentioned it, having given up his seat at the table for you to sit, and the first to inform Yunho of what he had missed in the peace talks that day. He had explained it was an event meant to try and lessen the tension built up from the war, but the knowing looks he had exchanged with the others, and the smirk Wooyoung had been unable to hide, had you doubting their words.

The only other mentions of it had been in passing; one general asking another if the proper preparations had been completed or not. While you held some curiosity towards the event, you never bothered questioning them on it. Your attendance was something you never considered, so you never had a reason to question them. The guest list had been reserved to a higher class, much higher than your own, and even if it hadn’t been, no one had extended an invitation your way. And you hadn’t cared. You had absolutely no desire to spend an entire evening surrounded by a crowd of people who would just serve to make your life as miserable as possible.

“Why wouldn’t you?” Yunho must have not trusted you when you had run off without a word and followed you over, his sudden response to your question making you jump. You hadn’t heard him approach. “It wouldn’t be a party without you, angel.”

“Oh, well, um, thank you for the offer, but I don’t really think me going is a good idea.”

Your head tilted, shuffling as a new form of panic bloomed inside you. They expected you to attend? It wasn’t because you hated social events, but rather just events filled with people who hated you. The thought of it sounded more like hell than a party in your mind, and you could only imagine what sort of hell would actually be raised when the humans realized you were there. Did they not realize that you would get kicked out faster than you could explain you had actually been invited. And that was only if you actually got in.

“Ah, but you see-“ Yunho’s reply was cut off short, and while you had found it strange the first few times it had happened to him and the others, you had quickly come to realize it was Hongjoong who was doing it. Apparently you weren’t the only one who he had taken control of before and was now acutely aware he was observing the scene between the four of you and Yunho had been about to say something he wasn’t supposed to. “We’re aware of how some humans might respond to your presence, but you don’t have to worry about them. We’ll make sure nothing happens to you while you’re there. You’re safe with us, remember?”

You just barely caught the tail end of his eyes fading back to black as you turned your head, another sign you had quickly come to discover meant it wasn't actually Yunho who you had just been speaking to. And like always, you had a hard time fighting the urge to glare up at him, hoping Hongjoong would see your frustration. He was more than perfectly content communicating with you through the others, but remained steadfast in staying away from you at the moment. If it wasn't for the fact he was the only one allowed to give you answers, you wouldn't have cared. And though meeting with him still terrified you, you were antsy for that time to come. The unsurety of you fate was starting to drive you crazy.

"Yes, you've all stated that several times now." Your arms crossed, unable to hide the frustration that came with the phrase they had been repeating over and over again the past few days. "But I still don't think it's a good idea. And even if it was, It's not like I have anything to wear." You really couldn't have cared less about what you did wear, but knew the few items in your wardrobe would pale in comparison to anything else the other attendees would be wearing, causing you to stick out even more than your normal presence would have already.

"Don't worry. We've already thought of that and you'll find clothes for you and your siblings were delivered to your house this morning."

"Why?" Once again the question that had plagued your life the past few weeks popped out, more than thoroughly confused as to why your attendance seemed so important to them.

"To thank you for everything you've done, angel."

"And we've been over this a million times. I didn't save Seonghwa and the others because I wanted some sort of payment. I didn't ask for you to repay me. I don't need you to repay me."

You sighed, running a hand through your hair at the lies they continued to tell you. After all, if they truly wanted to thank you for what you had done, they would let you sit this one out. But they weren't. And if Yunho's earlier statement hadn't been proof enough for there being some hidden agenda - what had he been going to say? - then their insistence of you attending was. What that agenda might have been, you hadn't a clue, but there had to be one. This wasn't them showing you gratitude for saving Seonghwa's life, you knew that, but until Hongjoong decided he would talk with you, you had no choice but to play their game. Your very life might depend on it.

"And I'm not saying this because I'm not thankful for what you've done for me. I am, truly. But you've already thanked me enough. You don't have to keep doing this. You've done more than enough to return the favor and then some. Just let it go, let me go, and we can all move along with out lives."

"I know this has all been confusing for you, y/n, but will you let us do this one last thing?" Yunho's gaze had softened, unfazed by your ranting as he raised a hand to the side of your face. "I promise things will start to make a lot more sense after tonight. Just hold on for us a bit longer, will you, angel?"

You wanted to disagree, but one look was all it took for you to know nothing you did or said would change either his or Jongho's mind on the matter. You could try all you wanted in convincing them to let you be, but nothing you said or did would change the end result. It would just be wasted time and breath.

"Sure, whatever." It's not like I have a choice.

You had to bite your tongue to keep the last statement from coming out. While you had some leniency when it came to them - you sure as hell didn't see anyone else talk to them in the same manner you just had - you didn't want to take the chance at possibly putting yourself in a worse position than you already were because you couldn't hold your tongue.

"What the hell is going on, n/n?" Hyunwoo asked when the two generals finally let you leave with your brother. "Angel? Really?"

"Welcome to my life for the past few weeks," you grumbled, arms crossing as you did your best to hide the blush his callout of one of the nicknames they had all given you had created. You hadn't put too much thought into it though. It was nothing more than a playful reference they made to your previous hidden identity. "I keep trying to figure out what's going on and what they're planning to do with me, but they won't answer any of my damn questions. It's all just 'Hongjoong will explain everything to you later,' but Hongjoong seems to have a keep interest in avoiding me at the moment."

You briefly wondered if you should be more careful with what you said about him, just in case he was still spying on you, but you brushed the concern off as soon as it came. Perhaps if you made him angry enough, he would finally come talk to you.

"He has no problem spying on me and telling the others, 'Oh, y/n is exhausted so let her sleep,' or 'y/n's not supposed to hear that yet, so talk about something else.' It's all been Hongjoong this and Hongjoong that, but oh, no. You just need to have some patience. He doesn't want to talk to you right now. And why's that, huh? Because it would be a crime for the daemon king to be seen with a fucking mutt?"

"Are you sure you should be talking about him in that manner?" Hyunwoo's voice had lowered, eyes sweeping the general area to check and see if you had been overheard.

"Oh, trust me. He would have heard me if he wanted to. Did I forget to mention that he's in my fucking head?" You groaned, half regretting what you had just said, but also half hoping he had actually heard it. All of it. "They won't go into any specifics with it, but I'm pretty sure he already knows exactly how frustrated I am with all of this. He has access to my brain whenever he wants, after all."

"He can read your thoughts?"

"According to them, it's a little more complicated than that, but who's to say they're just not telling me the truth to keep me from freaking out more than I am already." You shrugged, letting out another exhausted sigh. It felt nice to finally be able to get your emotions out. To finally release all your frustrations after keeping them in for so long. "To be honest, I'm starting to think this is just some sort of game they're playing. That this nice exterior they've shown me is just a front for something more sinister. Now that they've gotten use of my ability, they'll embarrass me in front of everyone tonight for being stupid enough to believe someone like me could actually be something more in life. Why else would they be doing all of this?"

"I don't know." Hyunwoo's words were still soft as he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, doing his best to calm you down for the time being. "As crazy as it seems, I don't think their motive is anything sinister. I spent quite a bit of time with Jongho this morning, and I didn't get any ulterior motives from him. He just seemed genuinely curious about how my ability worked and even asked if he could see some of my previous work. And when he mentioned you, there was genuine warmth there. If you ask me, I think they really are grateful for what you've done for them, they just have a bad way of showing it."

"Maybe, but does it even matter?" You weren't sure how Hyunwoo's words made you feel. Unsure if them actually being grateful for you like they said was a better outcome than your own demise. "I don't know what they plan on doing with me, but the only good outcome that can come out of this is them finally letting me go. And based on what I've heard, I have a hard time believing that will happen." You sighed once more, wishing you had listened to your sister all those years ago and put your own wellbeing before people you didn't even know. "And now I've got you and Soomin wrapped into this as well. Minnie told me countless times to be careful and of how dangerous it was for me to be going out, but I just always thought the worst thing that would happen would be me dying. I never imagined something like this would happen. I just wanted to help people, but I only ended up managing to hurt the people I care about instead."

"It'll be okay, n/n. We'll get through this together." Hyunwoo's grip tightened, pulling you closer to him. "They offered you answers tonight, right? So we just have to make it through this silly party and then maybe you'll finally figure out what they plan on doing with you."

"I swear, Woo, if we somehow all make it out of this one alive, the next time you or Soomin warn me against doing something incredibly stupid, I'll listen. No ifs or buts."

Despite the situation, Hyunwoo laughed, the sound of it slowly easing the tension and fear that had been eating you up the past few days. "Well, if that's the case, you'll have to tell her that yourself. I'm sure Minnie would love to hear it."

"So she can hold it against me forever? Yeah, no thanks." You couldn't stop the giggle that came at his reply, playfully shoving him to the side, a sense of normalcy settling on you once more. For just a short moment, you were able to forget about the war and the daemons. For just a minute you could fool yourself into thinking it had all been one long dream.

But it all came crashing back down the moment you saw the dress the daemons had given you for the night's event.

If you didn’t think you were going to die beforehand, you sure as hell did now. Whether it would be at the hands of the humans, the daemons, or simply sheer embarrassment, you didn’t know. But you did know you wouldn’t be making it through the night unscathed. That was a given.

When Yunho had mentioned the clothes they had gotten you and your siblings for the ball that night, you had expected something similar to the dress presented to your sister. Something of high quality and beautiful, but simple enough to fit in with the rest of the crowd and not drive any unwarranted attention your way. You hadn’t expected something that would cause you to stand out more than if you had just been forced to wear one of the few dresses in your closet.

While Soomin’s was a deep maroon, yours was a bright, dazzling gold. The top was fitted, with a high neckline that crossed just below your collarbone in the front and let a small second of skin between your breasts bare alongside the entirety of your back. The skirt billowed out beneath your waist, and though loose and light with a slit that reached your upper thigh, still gave you enough cause for concern on what to do if you needed to run.

If the attention the style and color of the dress would bring didn’t make you uncomfortable already, the slit at your chest did. It wasn’t just because it showed more skin than you were used to showing - hell, you hardly even wore dresses, let alone something form fitting - but that it left the top half of the king’s sigil on your chest bared and exposed for anyone to see.

Soomin had attempted to alleviate some of your discomfort by reminding you it was a masquerade, but any relief the mask might have brought left as quickly as it came when you unwrapped the mask that had come with the dress. It was pure gold, melded and worked into an intricate design though extremely beautiful, did little to hide any of your discerning features. When Hyunwoo stopped behind you, you were quick to realize this was the task he had been requested for earlier that morning. You could see your brother’s gentle touch in the shape, and realized now why Jongho had been so curious about his ability.

But as beautiful as the piece was and as proud as it made you that even the daemons saw and appreciated your brother’s skill, you still regretted having to wear a mask that did nothing to hide your identity. If you weren’t certain of the daemon’s hidden agenda before, you were now. With a dress that screamed for attention all on its own and a mask that did little to hide your identity, they had to have something planned for you tonight. They wouldn’t have just dressed you up in something like this to simply thank you.

If it wasn’t for the fact Soomin and Hyunwoo would be at your side, you didn’t think you would have the courage to go. You had already tried to talk them out of making you go, begging for them to excuse your absence with being sick - the nerves bundled in your stomach definitely made you feel sick. But you knew it was pointless. Even if you did convince everyone to stay home, you knew it would be next to impossible. If they didn’t simply send someone to fetch you, Hongjoong could force you there on his own. And if it came to that, you weren’t sure how they might retaliate, afraid you would only risk your own life as well as your siblings.

Soomin did your hair, pulling and twisting it in a way that left the majority up and out of your face while leaving enough down to cover the tips of your ears. While this might have been enough for her to appear human in public, your luck of inheriting your father’s daemon eyes prevented you from easily blending in the way she could. And though she commented how pretty you looked, you couldn’t wish more than ever your eyes would suddenly appear human when she handed you the mirror. It didn’t matter how pretty you might have looked, all anyone had ever seen, or would ever see, were your slit pupils.

The trouble began before you even got inside the palace. Your cloak, once again mended and whole thanks to Soomin, was wrapped tightly against your body. Partially to keep out the brisk, autumn air and partially to keep the dress and mark hidden from view as long as possible. It did nothing to hide your identity, as an invitation with your names had come alongside the clothes given to you. The moment you walked up to the entrance and handed over the card, the guard eyed each of you with disdain.

It didn’t matter that he knew you were the people listed on the card and the guest list in his hands, the fact you were half-daemons had him convinced you were attempting to sneak inside and cause mayhem. For why would the council or the daemon king ever see fit to invite a bunch of mutts to an event that was meant to reign peace between them.

Though his actions struck a nerve with you, you were relieved all the same, hoping the commotion would be enough to send you all back to your house and avoid any further incidents. But just as you opened your mouth to convince the others to drop it and return home, a daemon guard approached your small group.

The human’s face blanched as the guard addressed you and your siblings in a cordial manner before quickly reprimanding him for offending the king’s personal guests. You didn’t know what part of the interaction made your stomach knot tighter. What might happen to the guard due to his mistake or the way the daemon spoke to you as he motioned you inside. The casualness of how he mentioned the king and his generals ‘eagerly awaited your appearance inside’ had you clutching the cloak all the more tightly around your body.

Unfortunately, you only had the safety of your cloak for a few moments longer. The moment you made it inside, a servant was asking to take it for you. And if you weren’t so terrified of revealing what laid beneath, you might have taken the time to note how strange it was to be treated like someone of a higher class for once in your life. You attempted to keep the cloak, shying away from their hands. The thought of taking it off and revealing the dress underneath made you terribly self-conscious, but when Soomin pointed out it might only attract more trouble, you hesitantly shrugged it off, shivering as the breeze from outside hit your skin.

You could already feel the eyes of the surrounding servants and guests milling around the antechamber as the golden dress was exposed. Your arms immediately wrapped around your chest and you hovered behind Hyunwoo is in shadow as the doors to the main hall were opened and you were ushered all the way inside.

You had been inside the castle of Maehwa before, often being asked to make personal calls to attend to any aches and pains of the council members and their families, but you were still left in awe at the scene before you. They had held balls and parties numerous times in the main hall of the castle, but they had never been anything but a fantasy for someone like you. Never before had you dared to so much as peek into one of these events, let alone actually be invited to one. And despite the events that had led up to this occasion, you couldn’t help but let a small smile sneak it’s way out as you took in the scene before you.

The main chandelier had been kept unlit, leaving the ones along the side as the only source of light besides the lanterns scattered amongst the room. It gave the scene a slightly eerie appearance from the way the shadows of the attendees danced along the way, but held a sense of enchantment all the same. Music filled the air from a small orchestra playing in a corner of the lower floor, while tables for food and drinks had been set up on the opposite end. And though the center of the main floor had been cleared for dancing, not many people occupied the space.

You strayed at the top of the staircase next to your siblings, taking in the sight of something that felt right out of a fantasy for you. And yet, here you were, dressed for the occasion in an outfit that was worth more than your own life. The gold glittered in the firelight, sending scattered beads of light dancing across the floors and walls it reflected off of. You might have been able to blend in well enough if you had been dressed in something more conservative. But the dramatic cut of the dress stuck out just as much as the color, influenced by the daemon’s style of clothing. There was no hiding in it, and already you could feel the gaze of the crowd around you, certain they were talking about you in hushed whispers amongst themselves.

You did your best to ignore them, fingers grasping for Hyunwoo’s forearm as you peeled past his shoulder to the scene below. A group was gathered at the base of the opposite staircase, set apart from the rest of the crowd that killed around. It didn’t take long to realize this was where the daemons had set up, recognizing the faces of the Seven behind their black masks. While you had always seen them handsome in their own way - something you would have never admitted out loud - it was even more evident tonight in the way they had cleaned up. Loose fitting shirts and leathers had been replaced with black formal attire, and the hair you always fought the urge to straighten out was slick and combed back.

An odd weight settled inside your chest as you observed them from across the room, tugging at you to go and free them. While the emptiness you had felt since the mark had been placed had nearly disappeared in your time with them the past few days, it had come back worse than ever when you had left with Hyunwoo. You had taken the tightness as nerves for the night’s events, but if that was the case, it should have worsened upon finally seeing them, not filled you with a bubbling sense of warmth and relief.

Whatever you thought of it though, disappeared when you took notice of the new face amongst the group. Even if it wasn’t for the way the lights glittered off the golden horns and crown that adorned his hair, you would have known who he was. Despite never seeing him before, you knew without a doubt this was Hongjoong. This was the daemon king.

He was breathtaking. Not that you had imagined him to be anything else. Not with the way each of his generals looked, but the sight of him still made your heart skip alongside a sharp intake of breath. Even with the distance and the golden mask - it’s twisted, metal shape that oddly seemed to mimic your own making you distinctly aware that this had been the other mask Hyunwoo had created - that hid his face, you knew he was just as attractive as the others. The way he was laughing at something Seonghwa had whispered to him making your stomach flip. Whether this was in awe, fear, or a mixture of both, you weren’t sure.

As though he knew you were looking at him - which very well could have been the case for all you knew - his head tilted up to the top of the staircase where you stood, eyes immediately locking onto your figure hiding behind your brother.

Hello, angel.

There was a hint of playfulness in his tone and you swore you could see a smirk cross his lips as the words echoed inside your head. If it weren’t for the fact he was actually there across the room, you might have felt some frustration over the fact this was the moment he finally decided to break his silence with you. Instead, it merely made your nerves spike and your heart skip another beat, each causing you to swiftly hide your face behind Hyunwoo’s back as a wave of heat flooded your body.

“I think I might go out to the balcony and get some air.”

Your words came out breathless, face hot and chest heavy as the situation you were in came rushing back. The awe of the scene that had killed you began to fade as those golden eyes seemed to pierce into your very being in that split second you had caught onto them. The words which had followed only confirmed it had been you he had looked at.

Now that you were finally seeing him, you wondered why you had ever dared to utter your frustrations towards him earlier. You might have wanted to meet him over the past few days, eager for just a hint of what was truly going on, but one look was all it took to make you weak. One look and you were ready to turn and run. The thought of having to get any closer than you already were nearly shook you to your core.

“But, y/n, you’ll freeze out there,” Hyunwoo replied, both he and Soomin oblivious to what had just happened. “Why don’t I just fetch us some drinks and we can find some dark corner to hide in for the rest of the night.”

“That sounds great, Woo. We’ll be over there,” Soomin voiced her agreement before you could voice any complaint you might have had, and dragged you over to an empty spot against the railing obscured by shadows.

“I don’t think I can do this, Min.” You leaned against the nearby pillar, trying your best to calm your anxiety as you purposefully positioned yourself so you weren’t facing him or the others anymore. “Everyone’s looking and I just know they’re talking. I can feel their judgement on the back of my neck.

“I know, but it’s just a few hours.” Soomin’s hand grabbed yours, squeezing it softly. “They did promise you answers if you came tonight, didn’t they?”

“That’s what Yunho said, but how do I know he wasn’t just lying to get me here tonight? What if it’s all just some scheme to pull me in and slit my throat?”

You gulped, unable to stop every worst case scenario from flooding your mind. Now that you were here, none of the options for how you saw this night going seemed very favorable. And even if you did succeed in getting the answers you yearned for, who’s to say they would even be anything you wanted to hear? And then, you would have to get close to Hongjoong to get them, a feat you didn’t know was possible or not.

“Did you see him, Min? He was so…” you paused, struggling to find the right word to describe how exactly he felt, “intense.”

“He’s something, that’s for sure.” Soomin nodded, observing him from across the room. “I can feel all of their auras from across the room. It’s…” she shivered, turning her gaze away, “uncomfortable.”

“Like you’re caught in a trap with no way out.” You struggled to suppress your own shiver, fully aware of what she was talking about. You may have grown used to their presence after the past few days, but the intensity had grown with the king in attendance.

Soomin nodded. “Though, it seems to do little to suppress Hayoon and the twins from fawning over him and the others.” Her lip twitched as she propped her elbows against the railing, a hint of a smile appearing as she watched them. “I wonder if they’re doing it on their own accord or if their parents put them up to it.”

Her statement caught you off guard and you turned back around to peek past the pillar to look for yourself. Sure enough, Hayoon and the twins, Sunhee and Yunhee, had crept as close to the daemons as possible. None of them so much as trying to hide their intentions as they did their best to catch the attention of one of the daemons beside them and wriggle their way inside.

You had very few interactions with the three girls over the years, but the few you had, had never been pleasant, making the scene with the woman at the infirmary a week ago nearly pale in comparison. The fact each girl had seemed to have suddenly put aside their dislike towards anything daemon because of a few pretty faces had you more frustrated than you had been when Wooyoung had first mentioned their attempt.

“I heard the council is trying to convince the daemons into a marriage union,” you replied, fighting the frustration that rose back up at the scene. “Funny how they don’t seem to mind daemon’s so much when they’re not the ones with the power. Do you think they realize what sort of children they’ll bear or do they magically think they’ll come out human?”

“And what are we talking about over here?” Hyunwoo had returned with the drinks, handing a glass to the both of you as his eyes attempted to follow your line of sight.

“Hayoon and the twins,” Soomin replied, pointing over towards them. “Apparently the humans are trying to secure a marriage alliance with the daemons, so there they are. Making an utter fool of themselves. I only wish I could hear what they’re actually saying.”

“Probably something about how hard it is to be the daughter of someone so high and respectable,” you huff, lips tilting upwards a smidge at the thought. They could try all they wanted to get the daemons’ attention, but you had heard enough over the past few days to know the marriage alliance was never happening.

“Or how difficult it is to find a respectable man in these times and day. All these men only seem to want to marry them for their money and stays. No one truly cares about who they are or how they feel. I mean, really? Who would ever do such a thing?”

You couldn’t hold back the giggle that popped out as Soomin followed your lead, quickly masking it with a hand to your mouth. The fact each girl was failing miserably at catching their attention only added to your amusement. And while the past few days had been strange and unnerving, you couldn’t help but wonder what sort of reaction you could pull out of them if they had known you had spent the past four days accompanied by them and each of them knew you by name.

“Oh, did they finally get a catch?” Hyunwoo asked, leaning over the railing to get a better look as one of the Seven, who you thought might have been San, whispered something into the king’s ear before breaking free from their group.

This immediately caught the attention of the three girls nearby, but any joy they might have felt fell when he passed them by without so much as a glance in their direction. You had little time to relish the disappointment that crossed their faces as San climbed the stairs behind them and began making his way in what appeared to be your direction.

You had no time to hide other than to attempt to obscure yourself in Hyunwoo’s shadows once more, turning your back towards him and hoping he would simply pass you by as he had done with them. Your attempts were in vain, however, as mere seconds later he drew close to your group and called you out by that ridiculous nickname they had given you.

You couldn’t stop the curse that slipped out from under your breath, nearly spitting out the sip of wine you had just taken and doing your best to compose yourself before he got too close.

“What are you doing up here hiding in a corner, pretty?” He peered around Hyunwoo’s shoulder, his smile playful as he caught your eyes. They didn’t stay long, straying for only a second or two before trailing downwards to fully take in your figure.

“Exactly what it looks like. I’m trying to stay inconspicuous.” You fidgeted under his gaze, arms crossing against your chest as you noticed the sets of eyes that had followed San’s movements to this point. Even Hayoon and the others had given up their antics for the time being to see what he was up to and who he might have been conversing with. “Which you’re not helping with by the way.”

“These must be your siblings.” San ignored your attempt at sending him away, turning to your siblings standing beside you. “Soomin and Hyunwoo, was it? It’s lovely to meet you both.”

“Likewise,” Soomin murmured, eyes glancing towards you as he smiled at her.

“Do you need something?” Your words pulled his attention back towards you, nearly shivering at the way his gaze shifted. You didn’t like that he was here meeting them. It felt strange, as though two different sides of your life was converging. As though he was wriggling his way into your private life.

“I happen to love dancing, angel, and am in search of the perfect partner.”

The inflection in his tone made you nervous and you swiftly shook your head, eyes widening. “No.”

“C’mon, pretty. You can’t just hide up here the whole time. Who will dance with me if you do?” He pouted, but his eyes were still teasing. “Please?”

“San, I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You do realize that us just being here is akin to a taboo, don’t you? I can’t imagine what sort of hell you’ll raise if someone like you dances with me.” Your words were hushed, trying not to draw any more attention your way than there already was. The only reason you had yet to have anyone approach you was most likely due to the fact you had yet to be properly identified. Because the last person anyone would expect to be the girl dressed in gold was you. “If you want to make friends with the humans, you have to leave me alone. Go dance with Hayoon. I’m sure she would be dying to based on the way she’s been flaunting herself over there.”

“But I don’t want to dance with her, I want to dance with you.” He pouted, tilting his head, but his eyes were still playful. “And if that’s the best excuse you have, then, well, I’d say this place could use a little hell.” He grabbed the drink from your hand and took a sip of his own before placing it on a nearby table and grabbing hold of your wrist. “If you don’t mind, I’ll be borrowing your lovely sister here for a few moments.” He bowed his head in their direction and dragged you away before either of them could object.

“San!” you whined, trying to pull him back as the panic began to build inside the pit of your stomach once more. “I don’t even know how to dance. I’ll only embarrass you.”

“Don’t worry, angel, I’m a great teacher.” He looked back, a smug smile set on his face and completely unfazed by your second attempt to get him to stop. “Just follow my lead and you’ll be fine. I promise.”

You were left with no choice but to follow after him, bunching up your skirt in your free hand as he led you down the stairs towards the dance floor. If you didn’t have the entire room’s attention on you beforehand, you sure as hell did now. Everyone was bound to be wondering just who had drawn one of the Seven out onto the dance floor.

But as much as the humans’ curiosity unnerved you, it was nothing compared to the gaze of the other daemons. You made the mistake of glancing in their direction just once as San guided you to the center of the floor and immediately regretted it. Now that you were closer to them than before, you were acutely aware of the way their eyes had latched onto your figure next to San. Another wave of heat ran through your body as your eyes ran past each of them and you wondered just how exactly you were going to get out of this night alive, let alone in one piece.

“San, I really don’t think this is a good idea.” Your hands were shaking as he guided the left onto his shoulder. It was bad enough this was your first time dancing, let alone with someone else, but the eyes that watched you made it all the worse. You didn’t care what San had said, this was only going to lead to embarrassment on your part.

“Nonsense, just relax, will you, sweetheart?” His other hand wrapped around your waist, and you couldn’t suppress the gasp he elicited from you when he used his grip on you to pull you in close. “I’ll be doing all the hard work here. Just take a deep breath, relax, and let me lead you, angel.”

That was much easier said than done, but his grip on you was secure. Though you stumbled a few times in the beginning, he always pulled you into the next movement without skipping a beat. And while the ease of his movements did lessen your panic, the attention the action pulled was enough to keep you on edge. You didn’t know where to look. San’s face was completely out of the question with the smug smirk that was plastered there, but the onlookers, especially the daemons, weren’t any better. Eventually, you settled on his jawline, trying hard to not accidentally step on his toes, a feat you had somehow managed to avoid for the time being.

“See, it’s not so bad is it?” His voice was a breath against your ear.

“Everyone’s staring,” you mumbled back, risking a glance behind him and regretting it immediately. If you weren’t so terrified of San or the reaction it would pull from him, you would have just biting your head into the crook of his neck to avoid seeing all of them.

“That’s because of you, angel. Everyone’s wondering just who the pretty girl in the golden dress is.” He chuckled at the way his statement made your cheeks tint, but he didn’t stop there, continuing before you had the chance to rebuke him. “Which you look absolutely ravishing in, by the way. I knew you would when I saw the dress, but damn.” He sighed, fingers tightening against your waist and pulling you flush against him.

If it wasn’t for the music filling the hall, you were afraid he would have heard how fast your heart was now beating. And given the position you were in, you did bury your face into his neck this time, not wanting him to see the effect his words had on you. At the chuckle that reverberated through his chest, however, you knew your actions had hidden absolutely nothing.

“You’re doing great, angel. I think it’s time for you to try a spin.”

“No.” You pulled your head back out, shaking it quickly as a new wave of desperation filled you. You were barely hanging on as it was. Complicating things more than they already were was only a guarantee you would mess up. “Don’t do it, San, I swear-“ But your words were cut off when he ignored your pleas once more and did it anyways.

His grip on your hand was secure, keeping you from stumbling as he spun you around, the motion of your movement causing the fabric of your skirt to swirl around you, casting the nearby area in a sparkle of lights.

“Please, don’t do that again.” You tightened your hold on him when he pulled you back in, breathless by the act. It wasn’t quite as terrifying as you had expected, especially because you had managed it successfully, but you felt much more secure with both of his hands on you.

He laughed, pulling you back into him, a move you could only hope meant he would oblige to your request this time around.

It felt like an eternity, but the song eventually fell to a close and San seemed content with one dance for the time being. You were quick to excuse yourself before he could think to take you over to the others, claiming you needed the bathroom when in actuality you headed outside to one of the upper balconies in front a desperate need for some air.

Grabbing another glass of wine on the way, you were relieved to find an empty spot near the opposite end of the room overlooking the courtyard down below. With winter fast approaching, the majority of the attendees remained inside, but the cool air felt refreshing against the heat the dance had built up inside you, and you leaned against the nearby ledge with a sigh.

What were you doing here? You didn’t belong here.

You had been promised answers tonight, but the dance with San had only served to create even more, unsure of what insanity had driven him to do it. He had said the party could use a little hell tonight, but what had that meant? Was it because their intentions were true, and they truly didn’t care if your were a half-daemon like Wooyoung had insisted upon that first night, or were they simply using you as a pawn? Did they simply want to thank you with a night you had only ever dreamed of before, or was their invitation merely a way to rile up the humans?

And then there was the way San had complimented you. It was different than before. The others, including Hongjoong, had all complimented you before, but those were nothing more than teasing nicknames and playful remarks. Angel was only a reference to your time as the Black Angel, and pretty, was well… just something they said to amuse themselves with the reaction it could pull from you. Tonight, however, San’s words had been different. It had been in the shift of his tone. And in the way his fingers had tightened their grip, as though he was afraid you would slip right through.

You shook the thoughts away, fighting the blush that crept back on your face as your mind ran through the scene once more, hating how easily you had melted at the words. He wasn’t being serious. He couldn’t have been serious. He hadn’t been thinking clearly when he had said it, clouded by the image before him to remember exactly who you were. To remember exactly what you were.

The answers to everything were back in the ballroom, but how were you going to get them? We’re you just supposed to wait until one of them approached you or were you expected to come to them, yourself? Without knowing exactly where you stood with any of them, it was impossible to tell. They had seemed lenient enough with you back in the camp, but it was a different world here. A world where you were reminded just who they were and not the man who stood guard over you. They were the eight most important daemons and you were, well, you. Would they simply react the way they always did if you were to approach or would they punish you for daring to approach without permission?

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard rustling behind you. Turning around, you expected to find one or both of your siblings, or perhaps even San when he realized you had lied to him. What you hadn’t expected to see was Hayoon and the twins in tow.

“You’re fucking kidding me. It was you?” Hayoon’s eyes hardened as she recognized you, lips puckering as she took in your appearance with a newfound disgust. “He picked the fucking mutt over me? What the hell are you even doing here?”

“I-”

“So that’s what she’s been doing since she got sent over to them,” one of the twins - you had never took the time to get to know them well enough to tell them apart - was quick to add as they approached you. “Fucking them in order to get some kind of favor, huh? Tell me, which one did you do it with to get this dress?”

“I can’t believe this. What the hell got in your head to think it would be okay for you to show up tonight, let alone in that thing.” Hayoon’s eyes raked over the dress, jealousy evident in her gaze. “My father said marriage was in the talks and that I should be sure to get his attention to secure it, but I can’t get him, let alone any of his stupid generals to even look in my direction thanks to you.”

“Well, well, well, would you look at this.” The other twin broke Hayoon’s ranting, finger pointing towards the golden mark gleaming in the moonlight. “She was the traitor after all. She was the one who killed that lady. She had to be. Daddy said they requested her by name, after all, so she must have been in league with them for some time now.”

“What did you even hope to gain from it, you stupid whore?” Her sister asked, head cocking. “I mean, you do know what they do to mutts like you, right?” She tan a nail against her neck, mimicking the act of them slitting it. “Did you think helping them would get you into their good graces? Did you think fucking them would keep them from killing you?”

“You do realize you’re nothing more than a pawn to them?” Hayoon was close enough for you to smell the alcohol on her breath, but her eyes were sharp. “That the only reason they’ve been entertaining you this whole time is to you use you against us? My father said marriage was in the works, but I’m not an idiot. I know the daemons would never dare to mix their blood with the likes of us. They’re too prideful for that. They’re just using you as a toy to mock us. Dangling you in front of us as a way to degrade us.” Her finger trailed against the fabric wrapped around your upper arm. “So, just what are we to do with this pretty, little plaything of theirs, girls?”

She grabbed hold of the fabric, tugging hard. The sound of it ripping left you gasping, making you wonder what was going to happen to you when they realized the dress had been ruined. You didn’t have the means or money to fix it.

“Hayoon, are you sure we should be doing this?” The twin on the left asked, more hesitant now that Hayoon seemed willing to act on her frustrations. Her eyes glanced back at the entrance to the balcony, as though worried of getting caught.

“Relax, Sunnie, they’re going to kill her once they’re done with her. We’ll just be doing them a favor when we beat them to it. After all, she is a traitor, so we’re only doing the right thing by turning her in once we have our fun with her.” She took the wine glass from your hand and tilted the rest of the contents onto the front of it, staining it beyond repair. “Oops, my hand slipped.”

You knew you should do something to defend yourself, either by words or actions, but you found yourself shutting down at the haughty expression Hayoon wore. After all, what if she was right? What if this really was nothing but a game for the daemons? And you were just a pawn to get back at the humans? That they would kill you once they were done with you.

Was this why they had brought you here tonight despite your insistence it was a bad idea? Did they dress you up and pull you out into the dance floor to attract trouble your way? To ensure something like this would happen to you? To ensure the humans would punish you, so they could use your death as an excuse to exterminate them all? And that they had only marked you as a means to see the war through to the end?

“What’s going on here, angel?”

Between the voice that spoke directly in your left ear to the arm that was suddenly snaking it’s way across your waist, you couldn’t keep from jumping. You weren’t they only one surprised by their sudden presence, and Hayoon stumbled backwards, eyes wide and blinking as she took in the figure who had just materialized behind you.

You didn’t have to look behind you to know who it was. Even if you hadn’t recognized the voice, you knew it was Seonghwa. While you had been confused by how quickly he had moved the night you had saved him, you had since come to learn his daemon ability had something to do with teleportation.

“Are they bothering you, pretty?”

You had a hard time deciphering the emotions running through you. You were relieved at his presence, grateful that he had come to your aid, but the venom that laced his voice kept you on edge. You didn’t have to look at him to know he was enraged. You could feel how tense his muscles were behind you, and you knew Hongjoong must have been observing you in your absence and had sent Seonghwa before things got out of hand. Whether this was because they were truly upset by the way the girls had spoken to you or because they were simply telling the truth behind the daemon’s behavior, you weren’t sure. Neither option ended with a positive outcome and the image of Hak Seongmin dead in the streets ran through your mind once more.

“No, I’m fine.” You tried to wriggle your way out of his grasp, growing more panicked as the situation began to escalate. If you didn’t do something quick, someone was going to end up in major trouble. “We were just talking.”

“Oh, are these friends of yours?” Despite your attempts at escaping, his grip on you was tight, fingers digging into your hip.

“Uh-huh, we’ve been friends forever.” Hayoon’s expression shifted at his response, eyes glittering dangerously as she took full advantage of his ‘mistake’. The innocent smile batted his way all but proving she was not aware of the danger in his stance. “I came out to compliment this beautiful dress of hers; it’s just a shame she spilled her wine. She’s always been a little clumsy.”

“Is that so?” Seonghwa twirled you around to face him, free hand roaming to the front of your dress that was no soaked. You couldn’t suppress the shiver his touch against your bare skin brought, the dark glint in his eyes lightening momentarily as his finger traced against the blade of the sword etched there. “It must have just slipped.” Oh, he knew. He definitely knew. “Why don’t we get you inside to warm back up, huh, pretty? The others have been eager to see you.”

“I… Mu dress, though. I should probably-“

“Invite your friends? What a wonderful idea, angel.” His hand raised to your face, cupping your cheek with a look that shook you to your core. “I’m sure the others would love to meet them.”

“Really?” Hayoon had a hard time holding back her surprise, but she recovered quickly, shooting a smug smirk in your direction when she thought Seonghwa wasn’t looking. The twins, however, seemed a lot less interested in Seonghwa’s offer, eyeing the two of you carefully as they whispered to each other behind Hayoon. “It would be an honor, sir.”

The last thing you wanted was to go with them. You knew something was up with Seonghwa. His grip was tight enough around your waist that you were afraid it would bruise, and the smile he sent your way was strained, not even remotely reaching his eyes. He was terrifying enough as it was when you had been with him before, but it was nothing compared to the scene now, and you couldn’t suppress a shiver from coursing through you when he dragged you along after him.

Hayoon, oblivious to the tension between you and Seonghwa, attempted to strike up a conversation with him as you went. She batted her eyes and hit him with the sweetest smiles she could manage, but Seonghwa didn’t even look in her direction. And once she realized her efforts were in vain, her smiles vanished altogether, exchanged for scowls directed towards the object of his fascination, you.

It would have unnerved you if your mind hadn’t already been elsewhere. Any fear you had felt towards Hayoon and her threats, and even Seonghwa, dissipated when the person he was taking you to finally hit you. Unless he decided to be mysteriously missing once more, you were finally going to meet Hongjoong. You were finally going to meet the daemon king.

“Seonghwa, I can’t do this.” Upon hearing you speak, he leaned his head towards you to better hear you, fingers drawing you all the closer towards him. A motion Hayoon was quick to pick on beside you. “My dress, it’s ruined. I can’t go in front of him or the others like this. Just let me go home, please? I want to go home.”

“It’ll be okay, angel. It’s our fault this happened. We told you we would keep you safe, that nothing would happen to you tonight, but we failed.” As you made it to the steps, his grip tightened once more to keep you steady. “The last thing any of us cares about right now is some stupid dress.”

“But-“

“Let’s just go see the others for a bit and then we can all go home, okay?” Seonghwa’s expression did soften this time when he looked down at you. “I promise.”

You wanted to tell him that defeated the whole point of your argument. As much as you did take relief in hearing you wouldn’t have to stay here for much longer, it did nothing to relieve the fears you had confessed earlier. It did nothing to get you away from having to see him. But any argument you might have been about to voice fell away as you took sight of the group you were approaching.

Despite the fear clawing it’s way through you, your eyes were quick to lock onto Hongjoong. He sat in the middle of the group, leg propped up as he lounged and looking every bit the king he was. His hair was multicolored, black on one side and white on the other, strange, but oddly fitting of his other features.

Mingi was bent over on his right, listening to something he was saying, but popped up as Seonghwa approached with you in tow. His dark eyes ran over your figure once before stepping away, allowing Hongjoong’s full attention to be on you as he disappeared to do whatever it was he had just been tasked with.

“Your majesty, I present to you Miss l/n y/n, the Black Angel.” Seonghwa’s grip released you as he bowed before stepping away to join the others and leaving you alone before him.

Unsure of what to do or how to act, you decided the best course of action was to follow Seonghwa’s lead and lifted your skirt to fall into a deep curtsy. You didn’t trust your voice enough to speak, so you remained silent. What would you have even said if you did find the courage? The proper etiquette for a situation such as this one was unknown and foreign to you. After all, never in your life did you think a moment like this one would ever come to you. Never in your life did you think you would be face to face with the daemon king.

He was silent at first, face unreadable as he took in your shaking figure. You didn’t dare look him in his eyes and stared at the floor instead, hoping he wouldn’t be upset by the fact the dress he had given you was now beyond repair.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, angel.” He rose from his seat to approach you, and after only ever hearing his voice inside your head before, it felt strange to hear him speak to you out loud. “As well as to finally thank you for everything you’ve done for us.” It took everything in you to not flinch when he reached for your hand, but it was impossible to control the shiver that overtook you when his lips brushed against your knuckles. “You’ve done a great service to your king and your kindness will not be left unrewarded for much longer.”

“Please, you’ve already done so much. Any service I might have done to aid you had been paid in full already. No further reward is needed.” If he really wished to reward you like he said, he could do so by answering the questions that had been haunting you for the past weeks, but you didn’t dare voice this in front of him.

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t change the fact I feel my gratitude has remained unmatched by your kindness and grace.”

His head tilted and you were acutely aware of the way your hand was still grasped firmly in his. As much as you wanted to pull it away and disappear from his intense gaze, you found yourself leaning into it all the same. His mere presence was awe-inspiring. You could feel the power rolling off of him, the intensity of it far surpassing any of his generals, and yet, as terrifying as it was, it was also… inviting. You felt bare and exposed beneath him, and yet there was still a warmth to it hidden beneath the surface, as though inviting you to let his aura fill your entire being and make you whole once more.

The trance was broken when someone cleared their throat behind you, grounding you back to reality. You were swiftly reminded of the three other girls standing behind you awaiting the introductions Seonghwa had promised them. Hongjoong also took note of it, golden eyes glancing behind your shoulder and smile faltering as he took them in.

“These are your friends, are they not?” He spit the word out, as though the mere thought of them being anything resembling it was sickening. “Go see Jongho for me, will you, angel? I’d very much like to talk to them.”

“C’mere, angel.” Jongho called out to you, extending a hand towards you. Hongjoong used the grip he still had on you to extend it in his direction without allowing you to decide for yourself if it was something you wanted. Jongho’s hand was gentle, but firm as he brought you over towards him. His eyes were darker than normal and body tense as he pulled you close to him, masking his usual bashful behavior around you.

��Your highness, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Hayoon approached first, the only one who still seemed interested in this meeting, and drew herself into a deep curtsy. “I am Ahn Hayoon. My father is the lead councilman of Maehwa.”

“My interest doesn’t lie in introductions tonight as I’m already well aware of who you are.” There was a shift in his tone, dark and commanding. Even Hayoon seemed to be taken back, not quite as smug as you expected her to be when he stated he already knew who she was. “I’m far more interested as to what happened out on the balcony earlier.”

“I apologize, but I don’t quite understand what you mean.” Her face fell, eyes flickering towards you, almost as if she was asking for your help. Asking you to back her claims up. “If you’re referring to the dress, her hand slipped.”

“Ah, yes. And please remind me, was this before or after you threatened her life?”

“What? No, I-“

“‘They’re going to kill her once they’re done with her. We’ll just be doing them a favor when we beat them to it.’ Isn’t that what you had said? That you’ll turn her over to the authorities once you’ve had your fun with her?” A smile had crossed his features, but it wasn’t the same smile he had shown you moments earlier. There was nothing kind about this one. "Tell me, just what sort of fun were you referring to?"

“What does it even matter? She’s just a mutt. You already plan on killing her once you’re done with her anyways.” Hayoon’s face was pale, but she didn’t back down, frustrated by the fact you had seemingly still been picked over her and fueled by the alcohol she had consumed. “Whatever it is that she’s done for you, she just did it to save her own skin. She’s-“

But whatever other insults she was going to throw your way was replaced by a low gurgling and her hands flew up to her neck. In a movement faster than you could properly comprehend, Hongjoong had slit her throat; the only sign he had done it was the blood now dripping off his extended claws.

“Oops, my hand slipped.” He laughed, running his tongue over one of the nails to taste the blood that now stained them. “How disappointing,” his face fell, “it’s terribly bitter.”

Your entire body froze, heart nearly stopping as you watched her body slink to the floor.

He had killed her. Just like that. No questions asked. And all for what? Because she had threatened your life? Because she had offended you?

“You fucking monster!” A few scattered screams rose up, alerting the rest of the crowd of the murder that had just taken place, but it was Hayoon's father who drew your attention. "That was my daughter!" The high councilman of Maehwa made his way across the room, collapsing to his knees next to her body with a strangled cry. He was too late though. Hayoon was nearly beyond saving now. "You!" His finger pointed straight to you, eyes glistening with tears and yet glaring at you like this was all your fault.

Was it? Was this your fault?

“Get over here and save her. That’s an order.”

You knew you needed to move. You knew you needed to listen to him and pull yourself back together and try something to save her. She was gone, you knew that, but you couldn't just stand there and do nothing either. But no matter how much you screamed at your legs to move, you were frozen in your spot, paralyzed by fear. Your eyes were glued to the blood dripping off Hongjoong's hand, wondering why you had ever let your guard down around him. Why had you ever let your guard down around any of them? They were killers. You knew that. You had seen it.

Oh, god. Was Hayoon right? Were you next?

"Oh, that's an order?" Hongjoong bent down to match the man's eye level, head tilting to the side as though them ordering you to do anything for them was ridiculous. He grabbed the councilman's chin with his hand, bloody claws still extended and digging into his skin. "And what will you do after she saves your daughter's life, hm? What gratitude will you show her? A noose, perhaps? For taking the precious attention you and your daughter so desperately craved? You pigs make me fucking sick."

While the majority of the crowd watched the scene unfold in horor, glued to their spots in a similar fashion as yourself, a few attendees had made an attempt to escape through one of the two doorways leading out. But despite them remaining open, something was blocking them from leaving. Something invisible. Something that left their pounding fists bouncing back off uselessly.

"This woman has saved thousands of your soldiers and citizens and what have you done to show your appreciation, huh? What have you done to thank her?" Hongjoong dropped the councilman's head in disgust, standing to address the crowd. "She risked her life countless times to ensure the soldiers you left for dead had a second chance at life. Stayed up countless nights to brew the potions you took to save your own and not a single ounce of gratitude was ever shown her way. You punished her for the smallest of crimes. Claimed she was poisoning you. called her every derogatory name you could think of, treated her like she was less than you. You would let her die without a second thought, and yet, despite it all, she still worked tirelessly to help you. But that all changes tonight. Tonight, you'll pay for your crimes."

"C'mon, angel. Let's get you out of here." Jongho began to pull you away, guiding you to the stairs behind you.

"Why? What's going to happen?" You struggled up the stairs after him, nearly tripping on your skirts at his quick strides. You legs still struggled to move, the scene of Hayoon grasping at her throat repeating over and over again. If it wasn't for his tight grip on your waist, you though you would very well collapse. "What are you going to do?"

Your eyes glanced behind you as you traversed the upper level to the main door, unable to hear anything else Hongjoong was saying over the panicked crowd around you.

You didn't like Hayoon. Hell, if you were truly being honest, you would even say you hated Hayoon. Hated her for the way she had treated you. Maybe you had even wished she would known what it felt like to be the one on the other side, to get a small taste of her medicine, if just a little, but that hadn't meant you had wanted her to die.

"Nothing that you need to worry about. All you need to know is that you're safe with us now. None of these pigs will ever harm you again."

Jongho weaved his way through the crowd effortlessly, and the invisible barrier that had kept them from leaving had no effect on you as he guided you through the doorway with ease.

Jongho closed the doors to the hall once you were through, shutting out the noise of the room behind you. He seemed to breathe easier now that you were both out and motioned for a nearby daemon guard to grab your cloak before the two of you stepped outside. His shoulders were still tense, but his grip on you had lightened, fingers no longer digging into your skin.

"What the hell is happening, Jongho?" You pulled away from him as you found your strength once more, eyes narrowing. You didn't know what madness they had planned, but you knew nothing good was about to go down on the other side of those doors. Whatever it was, it was something they didn't want you to see. Something they didn't want you to know about. "Where are you taking me?"

"Has it... has it really always been like that for you?" Despite your obvious frustration, his gaze softened as he took you in, no longer in a hurry now that he had gotten you out of the main hall.

"What are you talking about?" You tilted your head, slightly caught off guard by his sudden change in topic.

"That girl. She treated you so horribly, even in front of Hongjoong, And the others..." His words were soft as he tried to reach for you once more, but you stepped back from him before his hand could touch, causing it to just fall short. "I could hear what they were saying about you. What everyone was saying about you. You've saved so many of their lives, and yet, the only gratitude they seem to show you is to allow you to keep breathing."

"So? It's nothing new." Your arms crossed, attempting indifference. "I've been treated like that since I was born. That's the price you pay when you're someone like me. You should know that. It's not like the daemons have ever treated us any better. Or has the fact you just kill us when we're born blinded you to the way we're treated when we're allowed to live?

"This," you motioned to your figure as you continued, to the dress that still adorned your body and the castle you were still standing in. "This isn't me, Jongho. This dress, this party, the people. None of this is me. They never have been and they never will be. Not for someone of my status. It's just the way that it's always been. It's the way it will always be. Hayoon knew that and you killed her for it."

Oh, god, why had they killed her?

"She was going to have you killed, angel."

"That didn't mean you had to kill her!" Your arms wrapped tighter around your body, unable to suppress the shiver that racked your body as your mind replayed the scene once more. "I didn't want you to kill her."

"I'm sorry, angel, truly, but she resigned herself to her own fate. You're under our protection and anyone who threatens the lives of those under the golden crown are punished with death. Hongjoong had no choice but to-"

"Choice? There's always choice." You spit back. "The law said I should have just let Seonghwa die, and yet I chose not to. So don't tell me you didn't have a choice. The only one who doesn't have a choice here, is me." You were done playing the nice and safe act. You were done playing their game. "So, what the hell is going on? And don't give me the fucking Hongjoong excuse. I want answers. Now."

"And you'll get them, angel, I promise. Let's just get you home and out of that dress. You can take a bath to calm down and change into something more comfortable, okay? And then we can talk. How does that sound?"

You shook your head. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"I know you're upset, y/n, and I can understand your frustrations, but will you please just come with me? I really don't want to have to force you back to camp."

You would have laughed at the irony of his words if it wasn't for the fact they had swiftly reminded you of the fact your siblings were still inside. In the midst of your panic, you had all but forgotten about Soomin and Hyunwoo, and your breath caught at the thought of them still being in there. Of something happening to them.

You scrambled back to the door, fingers prying at the handle to open it back up, but Jongho stopped your movements before just as it started moving.

"Let me go!" You struggled against his grasp, fighting to get back to the door. "My siblings are still in there!"

"y/n, please. You don't need to go back in there. Your siblings are fine. Mingi escorted them out a few minutes before we left. They'll be waiting for you back at camp when we return."

This made you stop. "They're at the camp?"

"Of course. We know how much they mean to you." Jongho smiled, taking advantage of your shocked state to let his fingers brush along your cheek, fully taking in your wide-eyed expression. "So, what do you say? Shall we head back and join them? The others will follow once they've finished taking care of a few things."

"If I agree, you'll answer my questions, right? You'll tell me what's going on?"

"You'll have to wait until Hongjoong returns, but yes. He promises to answer any and every question you might have for us." Jongho nodded, taking the cloak the guard had brought back and wrapping it around your body for you. "Is that okay, angel?"

You hated the sincerity he was showing you. How could he treat you with such softness after what had just happened? After everything they had done? Acting like he hadn't just willingly let his king murder someone and then following through with his orders without batting an eye. Acting like he was innocent in all this. Hongjoong may have killed Hayoon, but he was just as guilty for the role he had played.

Damn hypocrite.

Jongho flinched, making you half-wonder if he had just heard what you had called him in your head. Based on the frown that tugged at his lips, you assumed he had, but felt no ounce of guilt for it. After all, if he didn't want to hear how frustrated you were at him and the others right now, he shouldn't have gone digging through your mind.

"You already know the answer to that," you began your reply to his earlier statement, ignoring the pained expression that had crossed his face as you pushed past him to start the long walk back. "After all, we both know I don't have a choice."

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jubilantmedusa · 2 months

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Untitled Zukka Hurt/Comfort Ficlet #2

“It was good of you to bring him here,” Piandao said.

They were gathered in his library, dried and warmed and fed after their long flight through a misting sky. Night had fallen, the world lit now by torches and candles, casting strange shadows on their drawn faces.

Sokka’s arms felt empty. He had held Zuko through the flight as Zuko had shivered and shivered.

“Zuko’s inner flame has gone out.” Piandao’s voice was even, but the pinch of his mouth betrayed upset. “Not many people know the old ways, the healing of the Firebenders. But Zuko’s uncle does. I have the means to contact Iroh. There is hope yet.”

The silence in the room didn’t feel hopeful. “I thought the ‘inner flame’ thing was a metaphor,” Sokka said, bursting it.

“It’s more spiritual than physical, but it is very real,” Piandao explained. “Our bodies and spirits are entwined. Spiritual damage often manifests physically.”

“Like when you’re upset so you have nightmares,” Aang said.

Piandao gave a curt nod. “Similar,” he said. “This is more severe.”

“It still doesn’t make sense,” Sokka said. His stomach was churning. “Firebenders have an extra spirit part? And if that part is damaged they just waste away?”

That’s what’d been happening ever since Zuko’d thrown himself in front of Aang, taking an arrow laced with something sinister. A gift from Azula by way of the assassins that had been perusing them since they left the Western Air Temple.

At first Zuko’d been hyped up, unable to stop moving for hours and hours. When he crashed, Sokka thought it might actually be a good thing. Get some sleep. Be better in the morning.

But Zuko’d woken up disoriented, confused. And every time he’d woken since there was less of him.

He was growing colder. Sokka didn’t know what that meant. All he knew was that his arms were itching with emptiness.

“We all have inner flames of a sort,” Piandao said. His turned towards Sokka. “Even you and I. But Firebending… to create an element from the spirit’s own energy…” He swirled his hand, then winced, shaking his head. “Iroh will explain when he arrives.”

“When will that be?” Toph asked, leaning forward, harsh torchlight light shining directly in her sightless eyes. “Is he far away?”

“Iroh’s been in hiding since he escaped from Caldera, but I can reach him,” Piandao said, pointedly not answering the question. So they had where Iroh was then. He could be half a world away.

To Sokka’s right, Katara shifted, leaning forward, shadow dancing across her cheek. Sokka could see her eyes and… he knew that look. She had an answer on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t want to ask the question. “Master Piandao,” she said. Katara would push through anything, even this. “This has happened before.”

“Yes,” he said. “Though it’s exceedingly rare.”

Katara nodded, eyes coming in and out of view as she did. “It’ll kill him,” she said, and Sokka could see Aang sinking at her side, head bowing down until his forehead was pressed into the wooden table.

Now it was Sokka turn. He didn’t want to, but he had to, mouth choking on the words. “How long?”

Piandao’s mouth pinched further. “I’ve only read accounts,” he said, “Some say as long as two weeks. Others, three days.”

Sokka was on his feet before he could breath, his footfalls echoing impossibly loud as he thundered across the tatami floor.

It had already been four days.

—

The room where they put Zuko was small and square, usually used as a dormitory for Piandao’s students. It had a simple bed with plain gray sheets, a sturdy but unremarkable desk. Flames roared in its large fireplace, making the room almost uncomfortably warm.

That’s the reason they chose it. It was easy to keep warm.

A wooden chair had been pulled up beside the bed. In it, Fat sat, an empty bowl held in his hands. “You got him to eat?” Sokka said, stomach fluttering.

Fat responded with a single nod. “Zuko was always a dutiful student,” he said. “You’ll be staying with him a while?”

When Sokka nodded Fat rose to his feet. “He’ll rally,” Fat said, voice affectionately stern. “Food, rest, warmth. It will go a long way.” Sokka wasn’t sure if Fat actually believed that or if he, if all of them, were trying to will something into existence, trying to project onto Zuko a strength that wasn’t there.

The only light in the room came from candles and the fire. Maroon curtains were open but it was only black outside, moonless. Shadows danced on Zuko’s face as he lay still and quiet, dressed now in loose pajamas. He looked comfortable at least. Lying on his side, wrapped in a thick, red blanket, with only his head and his toes poking out.

He’d be lost without that blanket, Sokka thought. The red was the only color in the room.

Sokka hesitated for only a moment before kicking off his own boots and settling himself down on the bed, his empty arms reaching, wrapping around the boy in the red blanket. His leg too, so desperate for touch. And maybe Zuko needed it, because he nuzzled forward, pushing his nose into Sokka’s cheek, his hands into Sokka’s chest. Even his feet shifted until the soul of his left foot was somehow pressed into Sokka’s right ankle.

They'd never gotten to touch like this, not really, during the strange flirtation they’d had since returning from Boiling Rock. Everything was stolen glances, lingering conversations, arms pressed together even though they didn’t have to be. A lingering hug. Everything fleeting. Everything discreet. Like it was half real and half a dream.

One stolen kiss. Arms shaking. Lips frantic. In the misting rain.

Now Sokka was living a nightmare. Zuko smelt like sweat and leather. His arms still shook from the memory of holding Zuko while Appa flew, Zuko’s body cold and trembling. The longest Sokka’d ever been able to hold him, and it was because he was dying.

But he wasn’t dead.Zuko was warmer than he’d felt in days.

“You’re going to be alright,” Sokka said, even though he didn’t believe it. But maybe Fat had it right. Maybe it was best to pretend Zuko was strong, even if it was a fiction. Maybe it’d be true if they lied. If Zuko believed them.

Sokka took a deep breath as it let his eyes close, holding Zuko as closely as he could.

#zuko #sokka #zukka #zukka H/C Sketch + fic #my atla fic #art is just for fun #digital art #desperate cuddling #angsty sokka #angsty boys #I probably included too much plot stuff for a piece I wanted to keep at less than 1000 words #but so it goes #titles are hard #zukka h/c

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abiiors · 2 years

Text

Naps

Matty Healy Drabble

A/N: I was only listening to Sufjan Stevens while writing this because I need this to be the softest thing you’ve read today, okay? I just do!

This was based on an ask! (My requests are open)

The clacking of your keyboard mixes with the blaring song in your ears as you finish firing off your last email for the day. Shutting your laptop with satisfaction, you get up and crack your back.

You’re fortunate enough to be making a decent pay out of working freelance. Meaning you can practically work out of anywhere that has a stable internet connection and that includes the 1975 tour bus.

A small string of curses catches your attention and you instantly recognise Matty’s voice. You haven’t seen him all day, and now he’s back on the bus. You pick up your laptop and make your way to him.

He looks thoroughly harassed as he tries to wrestle the guitar back into its case. His eyes are practically shutting on their own and his shoulders look all soft and droopy.

‘What’s up with you?’ you ask as you walk up behind him.

‘Oh, hey,’ he tries to smile but it just turns into a grimace. ‘Just got a bit of a headache. Are you done for the day?’

‘Yea, just.’ You set the laptop aside and push his wild hair out of his eyes, ‘have you been overworking yourself?’

The quiet look he gives is enough to implicate him. He has been working extra hard, you both know it. But reprimanding is not what he needs right now. You touch his stubbly cheek with one hand and he leans into it, closing his eyes blissfully.

‘Come on,’ you instruct gently. He lets you grab his hand and lead him to your little cabin without question. ‘When was the last time you slept?’

‘Um, dunno,’ he mumbles. ‘I have been awake since 5, I think.’

You wince at this. 5 is truly an ungodly hour to wake up at.

He slumps onto the small bed and heaves a big sigh. The bags under his eyes are more pronounced than they have been in the last week. His long eyelashes flutter against his cheekbones as he struggles to stay awake. You take a step closer to him and run your hands through his hair. His arms come up around your waist and he gently tugs toward him so that you’re standing between his legs. Then he rests his head on your stomach and holds onto you tightly.

‘Let’s take a nap, okay?’ you whisper.

‘Mm-hmm.’

‘You’re gonna have to lay down for that.’

‘Mm-hmm,’ he’s still nodding on your stomach but he makes no move to detach himself from you.

He’s just so soft and needy right now; it’s all very adorable. You can’t help it as you pepper a few kisses on his forehead, his closed eyes. His mouth blooms into a tiny smile at that.

After much cajoling, he takes his shoes off and buries himself under the blankets. That leaves you with just enough space to snuggle in. As soon as you are settled in the bed, he’s back at it again.

His arm is around your waist, his face tucked into the crook of your neck. His breath tickles a bit but you continue combing your fingers through his hair. It doesn’t even take two minutes before his breathing evens out and you start to hear soft snores.

For good measure, you press another kiss onto his forehead. He is so warm and soft, so comforting and lovely that it doesn’t take long before you feel yourself being lulled to sleep.

‘I love you,’ you whisper to him just as you’re about to fall asleep.

There’s no way he can hear you right now, let alone respond but you swear you feel his arms tighten around your waist.

#♤: matty blurbs #matty healy x reader #matty healy x you

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use-your-telescope · 9 months

Text

When Everything's Made to be Broken - Chapter 11: Where I'm Hidden Away

Summary: The mission went well, so why is Theo in such a bad mood? Loki’s determined to find out.

Author's Notes: OH SURPRISE EARLY CHAPTER DROP! I had every intention of posting a different chapter that’s already finished, but the more I thought about the order of things, I felt like this chapter should come first.

If you enjoy, please reblog!! I'm a lil' blog and reblogs really help me out <3

Content Warnings: Short descriptions of nausea/migraines? Nothing explicit, though.

Word Count: 7,406

Read on AO3 | When Everything's Made to be Broken Masterlist

Song: Just What to Say (feat. Chrissy Costanza) - Dashboard Confessional

I went through this door For no other reason than it wasn't open And sometimes I'm foolish Enough to believe encouraging things But most times I'm cautiously less optimistic A face in the crowd, I wish to be found I worry so often for those who escape I wonder out loud, I sleep at odd hours And I write 'cause I never know just what to say

Theo should have been relieved that the mission went well; hell, she should have been ready to celebrate.

She was one of six Avengers sent into the field to deal with a batch of bad actors who were somehow connected to the damned beasts who got her into this mess in the first place. Not only did they effectively wipe the floor with the beasts, but they acquired additional intel that would likely prove to be highly valuable in the weeks to come.

However, a week of constantly remaining at attention, heavy reliance on magic, and anxiety turned up to one hundred left Theo absolutely drained. Exhaustion pulsed through her veins. The throbbing between her temples certainly didn’t help, nor did the aches that rolled through her body with every bump of turbulence. It was safe to assume she had pushed herself a bit too hard - really, she’d toed the line of over-exerting her magic for weeks - but the lack of sleep and cortisol overload absolutely made her feel a hundred times worse.

Any sense of time was long gone. Jet lag had a way of flipping everything on its head, and the navy sky as they descended into New York had Theo convinced it was well past an hour when anyone would be awake, which gave her hope that she could succumb the siren song of a quick shower before collapsing into bed and hiding away for a day or two to recoup.

The last thing she expected to see at the descent of the jet’s ramp were all the team members who stayed back, looking far too awake for it to be the middle of the night.

Damnit.

Theo rolled her shoulders and drew in a deep breath before rising to her feet. Static clouded her vision, as the floor tilted beneath her; she paused, blinked the static from her vision and grit her teeth before dragging herself from the jet, only to be met by Wanda bounding forward. “How was it?”

“Asking me how a mission went is like asking how a root canal was.” Theo dryly replied, doing her best not to grimace at the extra painful throb that shot through her skull. “Even if everything goes perfectly, it’s not like I enjoyed it.”

Wanda faltered, frowning at Theo. Guilt tugged at Theo’s chest - there was no reason to snap at Wanda. Then again Wanda knew that Theo wasn’t the kind of person who enjoyed field work.

“The early missions are always hard, but they do get easier.” Wanda sympathized, turning to walk alongside Theo. “We’re doing a movie night tonight - shower up and come join! It’ll help take your mind off things.”

Under better circumstances, Theo would have happily agreed to join. After all, ever since ‘family time,’ she had spent most of her free time hanging out with the other Avengers; just as Loki promised, they accepted her presence with open arms. But when she was on the verge of a migraine and beyond exhausted, the last thing she wanted was to be around anyone else. The only things that sounded remotely pleasant were a silent, dark room and her bed.

Though Theo did not admit it aloud, her lack of desire to watch a movie must have been written all over her face, because Wanda silently raised both brows at Theo and cocked her head slightly, as if daring her to say no.

Was Wanda aware of Theo’s promise to Loki?

“Fine.” Theo huffed, adjusting her bag on her shoulder - for whatever reason her skin felt especially sensitive, and the strap of her bag digging into her flesh exacerbated the feeling. The change offered little relief, instead irritating a new patch of skin while making her arm ache. “Just give me a chance to shower and unpack, okay?”

And take some Aleve… Not that she needed to tell Wanda that.

Maybe Wanda sensed that Theo wasn’t in the best mood, because with a tight smile and a gentle squeeze of Theo’s bicep, Wanda split away to talk to Vision.

Theo was the first to the elevators, not wasting a moment before pressing the buttons for her floor.

“If your response was any indication, I suspect you are less than keen to partake in the evening’s activity.”

Theo jumped at the voice and whipped around; every inch of her body protested from the sudden motion. She winced, immediately reaching up to massage her temples while leaning against the wall.

Loki stood before her, arms crossed over his chest as he gave her a once-over. His black joggers and thick socks were exactly the sort of attire Theo would expect him to wear for a movie night, though he paired it with a soft, crew neck sweater that on anyone else would have appeared strange in such a combination. On him, however, it looked right at home.

“Have you been following me this whole time?” Theo managed between gritted teeth as her head continued to throb.

“Perhaps.” Before Theo could protest, Loki had slipped her go-bag from her shoulder and hoisted it over his own. He offered her a sheepish, almost apologetic smile. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” The question was punctuated with the chime of the elevator’s arrival. They both stepped inside.

“You seem unusually tense for a mission that by all reports, went well.” Loki kept his attention on the doors as they closed and the elevator began its ascent.

“Nothing happened.” Theo rolled her eyes. “And I’m not tense. I’m tired.”

“Simply tired?” Loki countered, “You seem rather… unwell.”

Great, just what Theo needed - the Avengers to think she was a wimp because she came back from a mission feeling like crap.

“Tired, and a bit sore. It’s not a big deal.”

It wasn’t a lie, so at least Loki couldn’t call her out on lying. But it wasn’t the full story, and the way his brows drew together told Theo that he wasn’t falling for her half-truths.

“I see.”

Silence fell between the pair, heavy and ripe with trepidation, only intensifying as they drew near Theo’s suite. Loki kept glancing at Theo as if he wanted to say something, but Theo kept her attention focused on the ground in front of her.

“I understand you are tired, but you should strongly consider attending.”

“I already told Wanda I would,” Theo muttered as she reached for her bag, which held the key to her suite. Just before she could grab one of the bag’s straps, Loki lifted the bag beyond her reach.

“You’re withholding something.” He said, dangling the bag in front of Theo like a carrot on a stick.

Theo groaned. “Who cares?”

“I do.” Loki answered as if it were painfully obvious. “If you are injured, you ought to seek care.”

“I’m not injured, okay?” Theo snapped, jumping up to try and grab the bag that Loki held just beyond her reach. “I’m tired and you aren’t helping–”

Theo landed wrong, her ankle rolling and giving out from beneath her. Just as she braced herself to hit the floor, Loki swooped in and caught her.

“Are you certain?” The faintest hint of a smirk flickered on Loki’s face, though he looked apologetic about the slip. But apparently he wasn't sorry enough to just give her the damn bag, because he still held it beyond her reach.

“Well if you keep making me jump for my bag, I might end up injured,” Theo grumbled. She gave up on the attempt to grab her keys, instead using magic to unlock her door. The throb that shot through her skull confirmed that yes, she had been leaning a bit too much on magic over the last week, but that wasn’t surprising. She ignored it, pushed the door open and took a tentative step forward, carefully bearing weight on her ankle as she determined if she actually hurt herself.

Luckily, her ankle gave no signs of lingering discomfort. She let out a quick sigh of relief.

Theo spun back to Loki and held out her hand. “My bag?”

Loki lowered it down, allowing Theo to grab one strap; however, he refused to let go. “You’ll join?”

What was such a big deal that Loki insisted she watch a movie with them? It was a movie, not the fucking Cannes Film Festival.

“God, yes –” she groaned, rolling her eyes as she tugged on the strap. “I already said I would join!”

“Good; I look forward to it.” With a wink, Loki released his hold on the bag. He bowed to Theo, spun on his heel, and departed.

What the hell was up with him?

It didn’t matter - if Theo had any hope of making it through a movie night without a full-blown migraine, first thing was first: Aleve and a shower.

Thirty minutes later, Theo dragged herself from her suite to the living room. Clad in leggings, an oversized sweater, and fuzzy socks, she wrapped the blanket that usually lived the back of her couch around her shoulders for extra warmth. A persistent, insidious chill haunted Theo from the moment she emerged from the shower, so it was all she could do to prevent her teeth from chattering. Her damp hair certainly didn’t help things - given her magic had already been pushed to its limits, she had to skip using magic to dry her hair and settle for braiding it back on her own (which, with the stiffness of her fingers, brought its own kind of misery).

At least the heat from the shower helped with Theo’s sore muscles. Sadly, The Aleve did nothing to help her head, so she braced herself to spend the whole night grumpier than hell as every noise and flash of light stabbed into her skull.

Almost everyone seemed to be caught up in some sort of side conversation when Theo stepped into the living room. Almost every seat was accounted for, except for one seat beside Loki. It wasn’t surprising - everyone had a regular seat that they gravitated towards, and during the other evenings that Theo hung out in the living room, she inevitably ended up in the spot beside Loki.

Without greeting anyone, Theo went straight to the vacancy. She unwrapped the blanket from her shoulders, settled into the corner of the couch, and snuggled up beneath the thick, fluffy throw. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying her best to relax despite feeling like actual garbage.

Next to her, Loki leaned forward and retrieved a small glass of amber liquid from the table. With a sheepish, almost apologetic smile, he offered it to Theo. “I thought this might help you unwind.”

Though the scowl didn’t drop from her face, she accepted the drink, taking a swallow and mumbling a thank-you.

“Are you feeling any better now that you’ve had a moment to yourself?” Loki inquired.

“Absolutely fucking peachy.” she grumbled as she shot Loki a dirty look.

Sure, Theo knew that he was trying to be nice; however, any sound made her headache worse, and she had no desire to talk to anyone. Besides, the larger group had only just started the long and arduous process trying to decide on what to watch, which meant they had to endure an obscene amount of petty bickering before the movie could even begin.

Loki’s eyes shot wide, like he assumed Theo’s mood would completely reverse just by taking a shower. Or maybe he was surprised that she couldn’t be bothered to hide her displeasure, given she hadn’t been quite so tetchy with Wanda.

“I will take that as a no.” He reluctantly nodded, returning his attention to the larger group.

Notes of smoke and caramel coated Theo’s tongue, the whiskey creating a not unpleasant burn in her throat with each sip. Her stomach, however, was not a fan - the general queasiness that came from overdoing it on magic grew with every swallow of liquor. Yet the nausea didn’t deter Theo, as she had no interest in letting the others know that she felt like shit. After all, if she couldn’t handle a simple mission, what good was she?

Despite the squabbling of her teammates, Theo felt herself fading fast. Now that her blanket retained some heat, it was easy to curl up and melt into the couch cushions. She barely even noticed when they picked out a movie, much less that it was Beauty and the Beast.

The near-slip of her glass from Theo’s fingers jolted her awake; not wanting to risk a repeat and potentially spill her drink (which would absolutely attract attention), Theo ignored the protests of her stomach and downed the remaining whiskey from the glass. She quickly, yet casually leaned forward to set it on the table; a brief touch of cool air infiltrated her blanket nest, giving Theo the chills once more. With a quiet groan to herself, Theo buried herself under her blanket and prayed that her stomach wouldn’t revolt.

While the opening sequence of the movie flashed across the television screen, one thought repeated itself in Theo’s mind: this was going to be a long night.

My friends all believe me When I say I'm busy with pretty big things I cancel most plans I hurt someone's feelings I feel like I'm starting And just when I'm starting, I'm starting to stray And every day, I take a white page And try very hard to know just what to say

It had been quite some time since Loki had been subjected to Theo’s thorns; however, on that evening it was as if she sharpened them just for him.

From the moment the quinjet touched down, Theo’s usually wry, humorous demeanor was nowhere to be seen. All six Avengers emerged from the jet covered in filth, with shoulders sagging and bags beneath their eyes, yet only Theo wore a scowl and a glare that cut like a knife; the others casually chatted, laughing and joking as they greeted the Avengers who remained in New York. The brief exchange between Theo and Maximoff, though not cruel, certainly carried a certain edge to it.

Curiosity, and perhaps a bit of concern, led Loki to investigate the cause of Theo’s displeasure.

His initial attempt to ask Theo about her sour mood was, at best, a partial success. Though Theo simply claimed fatigue, when Loki accused her of withholding information she attempted to deflect instead of deny the accusation. Irritating the already irascible sorceress had not been Loki’s intention, nor had he intended to cause Theo to fall and potentially injure herself, however the exchange had, at least, given him some clues.

Still, Loki’s remorse led him to prepare Theo’s preferred beverage for her, as a peace-offering of sorts. It was not until he passed her the glass that he noticed her bloodshot eyes, the deep indigo bruise along her cheekbone, and the almost ghostly pallor of her usually pale complexion.

How had he missed those details before?

On any other occasion, he would have expected Theo to partake in the chaotic, spirited debate over what film to watch; after all, from what Loki knew of Theo, she loved to stir up some lively discussion. Yet, the woman beside him remained silent. At first, her attention followed whoever spoke as she silently sipped her beverage; however, as the debate carried on, she stopped following along. Her eyes sort-of glazed over, lids drooping as she sank into the cushions of the sofa. Her hold on her beverage loosened, the glass slowly sliding from her hand as she seemed to fall asleep.

Just before the glass slipped from her fingers, she shot upright and peered around with a rather mortified expression, checking to see if anyone caught her. After a moment, when she concluded that no one noticed, she drew in a deep breath, downed the entire beverage, then returned the glass to the table, all the while wearing a rather blatant grimace. The slightest tremble of Theo’s arms as she drew her blanket around herself caught Loki’s attention, as if she felt a bit chilled.

By that point in the evening, Loki concluded that Theo had been partially truthful: fatigue certainly contributed to her prickly mood. Still, he wished to know what else bothered her to the extent that it elicited such behavior.

The answer would have to wait, however - the others had finally decided on and started the film. Silently, Loki let out a sigh of relief when familiar images appeared on the screen. Of the many films which Loki had been subjected to over his time on Midgard, he had to admit Beauty and the Beast was one of the more tolerable selections.

Slightly wheezing breaths and the hint of a snore - loud enough for Loki to hear, but far too quiet to draw the attention of the larger group, drew Loki’s attention back to Theo. She somehow fell asleep sitting up, with her head leaning awkwardly to one side and mouth barely open. Her blanket somehow slipped off one shoulder, fleece material pooling in her lap. The faintest crease between her brows lingered, as if her displeasure followed her into her sleep.

For a brief moment, Loki considered waking Theo so that she might adjust into a more comfortable position. If she remained in her current position, she undoubtedly would wake with a sore neck.

Given her previous mood, though, Loki decided it might be better to simply leave her be. Besides, she would not be the first Avenger to doze off during a movie night.

About ten minutes after Loki noticed the sounds of almost-snores, Theo’s fingers started to twitch, drawing Loki’s attention back towards her. Her face pinched and twisted, while her breath picked up its pace. After another minute or so, she shrugged as though trying to shove someone off. The movement caused her blanket to slip down so it no longer covered her torso. The momentum threw her off balance; she slumped towards Loki, but still, she did not wake.

A strained whimper, barely audible over the film, escaped her, then a second.

Theo was having a nightmare.

If Loki were in her position, he knew he would want to be awoken before he attracted attention. The risk of angering her by waking her was worth the benefits of preventing her from coming undone in front of everyone.

Loki braced himself for a verbal lashing before he gently shook Theo’s shoulder and murmured her name.

Theo startled awake. Panic briefly flashed across her face, her wide eyes skittering about the room as her chest heaved with each breath. Finally she looked at Loki, still appearing rather disoriented as the film ran in the background.

Even with her previously sour mood, the sight of her was almost endearing.

“I didn’t wish to wake you,” Loki whispered, “however it seemed as if you were having a nightmare.”

Theo narrowed her eyes at him, still looking a bit dazed; after a moment, she broke eye contact, then busied herself fixing her blanket. In the dim light cast by the television, Theo’s hands trembled as she smoothed out the fabric. A faint sheen of sweat glistened on her brow.

Whatever haunted her dreams must have truly given her a fright.

“You’re shaking like a leaf.” Offering Theo what he hoped was a gentle smile, he ducked to try and catch her gaze. “Are you alright?”

Theo didn’t reply, but continued to glower at him beneath heavy lashes.

“Yes, yes, I know, you’re cross with me,” Loki muttered and rolled his eyes. He leaned back, draping one arm across the back of the sofa as he settled in. “Very well. I will leave you be, if that is what you wish.”

Just when Loki was about to return his attention to the film, Theo slowly uncurled herself and shuffled a bit closer to Loki - close enough that he could easily wrap one arm around her shoulders if he wanted. She tucked her feet beneath her and curled up in the blanket once more, then leaned a bit closer so her temple lightly pressed against Loki’s shoulder.

The gesture seemed like the sort of thing one might do if they couldn’t muster up an apology, but wanted the benefit of the other person’s support.

Something deep within Loki considered pulling away with a sharp rebuke; after all, Theo had been less than polite throughout the evening, treating his concern with disdain. A younger Loki wouldn’t have thought twice about it. Yet with time came wisdom, and Loki recognized that he himself had behaved in a similar manner in the past, when he needed something but wasn’t willing to admit it, and he recognized Theo was not exactly herself at that moment. So, instead, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and traced his finger tips along her bicep, a gesture which Frigga used many times to calm a younger Loki’s racing thoughts.

Tension practically oozed from Theo’s body. At first, Loki wondered if he pushed too far, and if Theo only agreed to placate him, despite her own discomfort. But, as time passed, she relaxed, even leaning in so she pressed more firmly against Loki’s side. Her eyes slowly fluttered shut, head bobbing forward as she dozed off again.

All the while, Loki continued his ministrations, smiling to himself as he felt the tension leaving Theo’s muscles. For someone who was not renowned for his ability to soothe others, for once he was surprisingly successful.

Yet, a few moments after her head bobbed forward, Theo blinked her eyes back open and sat up a bit. She took a deep breath, scrubbing her face with one hand in an attempt to stay awake.

Meanwhile, the others sang along to “Be Our Guest,” too entertained to notice the interaction on the sofa.

It occurred to Loki that Theo must have been exhausted if she could doze off amidst what had turned into a rather rambunctious sing-along session; yet for some unknown reason, she refused to fall asleep. Perhaps she mistook Loki’s remark about waking her as pressure to remain awake, or maybe she did not wish to have another nightmare. Regardless, the cycle of almost falling asleep repeated itself, though Theo’s eyes remained closed for longer with each reiteration of the cycle.

After the fourth time Theo sat up and scrubbed her face, Loki could no longer sit idly by and watch her struggle to stay awake. She needed the rest. Though Loki suspected that directly telling Theo to rest would not go over well, he could certainly encourage her to settle into a comfortable position that might facilitate slumber.

“You seem uncomfortable,” Loki pulled Theo a bit closer as he whispered in her ear. “You may rest your head on my shoulder if you wish.”

Theo tilted her head towards Loki, squinting at him through glassy eyes.

“My hair’s not dry,” she mumbled after a pause, her words blurring together. “It’d get your shirt wet.”

Loki couldn’t bite back a smile as he rolled his eyes; with a flick of his wrist, he used a hint of his seidr to dry Theo’s hair.

“There, now you have no excuse.” He murmured, flashing an encouraging smile.

Theo stared at him blankly, as though she did not comprehend what transpired.

Loki sighed, giving her another gentle nudge as he guided her head onto his shoulder.

“You are rather stubborn,” he whispered, though he didn’t put any heat behind his words.

“Mhm…” Theo closed her eyes, humming her response.

Loki resumed tracing shapes along Theo’s arm, hoping it would help with lulling Theo to sleep. Though he kept his eyes trained on the television, he paid little attention to the film.

The more Loki saw of Theo’s exhaustion, the more he regretted his decision to push Theo to join; in hindsight, he ought to have let the poor woman sleep. Then again, he would not have been able to stop her nightmare if she had not joined, so perhaps it was not a terrible decision; even so, he could have handled other elements of their interaction differently.

Caught up in his mind, Loki barely noticed when the weight on Loki’s shoulder grew heavier, or when the tension in her body had completely dissolved. The return of the slight wheeze, which gave each of Theo’s slow inhales and exhales a rougher, uninhibited quality, pulled Loki from his ruminations, at which point he realized Theo had finally allowed herself to fall asleep.

If he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn she had taken some sort of sedative with how deeply she slept; even with the team chattering and singing along to the film, she didn’t stir. Yet, Loki still did not feel as though everything was as it should be.

In his many interactions with Theo, he never noticed a wheeze or any sign of trouble breathing; perhaps Theo had caught some sort of Midgardian illness while she was away, which left her feeling unwell. That would explain the lack of color in her complexion, as well as her expression after finishing her whiskey. The more he thought about the possibility that she may have been ill, the more he noticed how Theo radiated heat, even through her blanket. He brought one hand up to rest on Theo’s forehead, only to find the skin burned beneath his touch.

Theo was ill - that must have been the cause of her behavior.

Loki’s stomach twisted itself into a knot. The last place Theo should have been was a social event; she should have been in bed, and they should have been ensuring she was amply stocked with medicine, fluids, and whatever else she might need.

And even worse, had Loki not pestered Theo into joining them, she would have been resting in her own bed, not fighting to stay awake on a sofa while a dozen superheroes sing along to a silly, animated film that could be viewed whenever they desired.

Norns, Loki truly was a fool.

By that point, they were near the end of the film - interrupting to get Theo to bed would provide little, if any benefit. Though he could not undo his previous behavior, he could use his seidr to cool his body, which he theorized might help with Theo’s fever; he barely thought twice before doing so.

Just before Loki reached his lower temperature, Theo shifted in her sleep to lay her head on Loki’s chest, with her forehead resting in the crook of his neck and one arm slung across his stomach as if to embrace him. Loki stilled for a moment, ensuring he hadn’t accidentally awoken her before he lowered his temperature the rest of the way.

Theo slept for the remainder of the film, not moving once despite the racket in the living room. Even after the film concluded, the added light from a nearby lamp did not wake her, nor did she seem to notice the uptick in volume as conversation filled the air. Unwilling to risk disturbing her, Loki remained perfectly still.

Romanoff was the first to notice. At the sight of Theo curled around Loki, her eyes nearly burst out of her head. Barnes was the next to notice; he narrowed his eyes at the sight, nodding to himself. Third to notice was Maximoff, who absolutely beamed at the pair while leaning into Vision.

Instead of acknowledging their observations, Loki pretended not to notice; he only allowed this because Theo clearly was not well, and his actions worsened the situation.

Stark, unsurprisingly, was the first to actually comment.

“Maybe we should call her sleeping beauty, not Rapunzel.” He quipped, smirking at the sorcerers; next to him, Potts mirrored his smirk perfectly.

“When did she fall asleep?” Maximoff kept her voice low, gaze flickering between her two friends with a coy smile.

“Near the start of the film,” Loki answered, careful to remain quiet so as not to disturb Theo.

“How close to the start?” Potts asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands.

“Shortly after ‘Be Our Guest.’” Loki glanced down at Theo, who felt absolutely boneless from how deeply she slept.

“She slept through that much of the movie?” Belova whispered, though it was perhaps too loud to truly be considered a whisper; it was as if she wanted to shout, but refrained from doing so.

“Did she not sleep while in the field?” Loki replied with a question of his own.

“Now that you mention it…” Rogers faltered, his brows pinching together. “I don’t know if she slept more than an hour or two each night, and then on top of fighting she used magic to heal all of us multiple times, including on the way home. She’s probably exhausted.”

“Actually, she looks a bit pale,” Banner pointed out, “Even for her. Any chance she might be sick?”

“I am far from an expert on Midgardian biology, but I suspect she has a fever,” Loki observed, secretly grateful someone else reached the same conclusion. “Not to mention her breathing sounds a bit… off.”

“Friday, what’s Theo’s temperature?” Maximoff called out, glancing up at the ceiling.

“Theo’s temperature is currently 102.3 degrees Fahrenheit,” FRIDAY replied.

“Must be how she melted your icy heart,” Belova muttered under her breath, earning a snort from Shuri and poorly stifled laughter from the Sergeant.

Other than rolling his eyes at Belova’s comment, Loki ignored her. There were more pressing matters to attend to; getting Theo to bed and ensuring she took some medicine top among them.

“Theo,” Loki murmured, giving her shoulder a nudge. “Wake up. The film is over…”

No response.

“Theo—“

Other than a faint whimper, Theo did not stir. A closer look revealed damp strands of hair clung to her skin, undoubtedly the result of her fever.

At that point, waking Theo seemed pointless; she clearly needed to rest, and any one of the Avengers could easily carry her to her quarters. Locking eyes with Maximoff, Loki quietly sighed.

“If I bring her to bed, could you fetch some medicine?”

With a nod, Maximoff darted into the hall on a quest for a glass of water and medication.

Carefully slipping out from beneath Theo, Loki effortlessly scooped her up and rose to his feet. Theo didn’t even notice, sleeping soundly through the trip down the hallway. Maximoff met him at the door to Theo’s quarters with medicine in hand, leading the way to Theo’s bedroom; she pulled back the blankets on the bed before Loki carefully eased Theo on the mattress.

“I’ll leave the medicine here for whenever she wakes up. If she’s sleeping through all of this, she probably needs the rest.” Maximoff set the pill bottle and glass of water on Theo’s bedside table. “Do you think someone should stay with her?”

“You can go–” Loki covered Theo with the blankets, taking care to ensure she was properly tucked in. “I’ll stay.”

It was the least he could do, all things considered.

“Are you sure? I feel bad, I was the one who pressured her to join.” Maximoff crossed her arms, frowning as she watched Theo sleep.

“You simply suggested she attend,” Loki corrected, glancing around for a place he might sit. Without any chairs, it seemed his best choice was the other side of the bed. “It would not have been feasible for you to notice she was unwell from such a short interaction.”

… Unlike Loki, who not only engaged with Theo the entire journey to her quarters, but who nearly caused an injury to Theo as well. He ought to have been more observant.

The scarlet witch sighed. “I guess. Just… if you need anything, let me know, okay?”

“Of course,” Loki conjured himself a book, then rounded the bed to take a seat. “Good night, Maximoff.”

With a final good night, Maximoff departed, leaving Loki to keep watch over Theo.

Loki leaned back against the headboard, opened his book, and tried not to fret over the mess he’d made.

I've planted some clues That I hope you find easily Things that I find hard to speak clear and true I think there's a part of you Hoping I'm hoping you feel like I do And maybe you're listening Somewhere you like to be Where you let everything heavy just go Oh, I'd like to be there How I'd like to stay, How I'd like to listen How I'd like to think I'd know just what to say

When she woke up next, there was no other way to put it: Theo felt like shit.

A steamroller may as well have run her over, backed up, and run over her again with how sore her muscles were. She distantly wondered if her skull was going to crack from the pressure between her temples.

The pain was a significant enough distraction that it took her a minute to realize that despite her last memory of trying not to throw up while watching Beauty and the Beast in the living room, she was now in a bed.

She was in someone’s bed… But her head wasn’t on a pillow. It was too firm to be a pillow, and the shape was wrong. Something twitched beneath her. A muscle? She was laying on someone? Their leg? No, their lap.

Okay, she was in a bed, and her head was on someone’s lap.

Cool fingers massaged her scalp, smooth and soothing in contrast to the misery in her skull. It was a pleasant, though confusing, distraction.

“Good morning…”A low voice rumbled from above, “or should I say, good afternoon?”

With a small groan, Theo forced her sleep-crusted eyes open. She searched the room to find Loki, raven curls loosely falling around his face as he watched her with a small, fond smile.

Her head laid on Loki’s lap. Loki was in her room, on her bed, with her head on his lap, massaging her scalp like it was the most normal thing in the world. And apparently it was the afternoon?

What the hell happened?

“You fell asleep during the film last night and could not be roused, so we brought you to your bed.” Loki’s smile grew wider, as if he was proud to know what Theo was wondering without her saying it out loud. However, the smile didn’t last long, replaced with a stern look. “Why didn’t you tell us you were unwell?”

“I was just tired.” Even Theo had to admit that her excuse was less than convincing.

“According to FRIDAY, you had a fever of 102.”

“I what?” That was certainly news to Theo; a headache and body aches weren’t uncommon from pushing herself too hard, but she didn’t think she’d gotten to the point of a fever.

“Were you not aware of your illness?” Loki sounded just as surprised as Theo was, though for an obviously different reason.

“I thought I just had a bad headache from being tired.” It was, technically, the truth.

“So you were not entirely truthful yesterday evening,” Loki asserted, “you had a headache.”

Damnit.

“Yeah, but I took some Aleve.” Theo grimaced, wishing that she’d had the foresight to move the medicine from her bathroom to her nightstand. “Besides, it’s a headache. I get them all the time.”

“It is rather concerning to think you are a healer who cannot tell when you are ill.” Loki’s teasing would have been much funnier if Theo didn’t feel like complete and utter shit.

“Loki, my job is to heal other people,” Theo scoffed. “It’s different.”

“Yes, well, regardless, it is still concerning. Additionally, your breathing was - and is still - sounds a bit unsettling.”

Fuck. She hadn’t even noticed that she started wheezing again.

“Um, about that.” Theo forced herself to sit up, ignoring her body’s protests, and swallowed nervously. The explanation was not one she was ready to provide, but it didn’t seem like she had much of a choice. “It’s not a cold. I have this thing - asthma - it’s like my lungs get irritated easily and they get inflamed, which makes it hard to breathe. I just need to use my inhaler and it’ll be fine.”

It wasn’t anywhere near a comprehensive definition of what asthma was, but Loki didn’t need to know the specifics.

“Forgive me for my hesitancy to trust you.” Loki arched a brow at Theo and shot her a pointed glance.

To prove her point, she rolled over to her nightstand, fished her inhaler out of the drawer, shook it a few times, sat up as tall as she could, and took a puff from the inhaler while locking eyes with Loki. She held her breath, the band in her chest loosening as the bronchodilator took effect, then let out a slow exhale.

“See?” She took a deep breath, this time noticeably absent of any wheezing. “That would have turned me into a coughing mess if I tried that a minute ago.”

“Very well.” Loki relented, though the way he studied Theo made her wonder if he actually believed her, or if he simply didn’t want to argue. “Do you still have a headache? Maximoff left some medicine for you on your nightstand…”

Theo glanced back at the nightstand; sure enough, a white bottle sat next to a full glass of water, ready for when Theo would need it. She uncapped the bottle, dispersed two pills into her open palm, tossed them back, then washed them down with the water. All the while, she thought back to her original question of what happened.

If she understood correctly, someone brought her back to her bed after the movie. At some point, someone figured out she had a fever. Wanda was there last night, but Loki was there when she woke up, and based on his greeting, it sounded like he must have been there for a while. That meant…

“Wait, were you here all night?”

“Of course.” Loki answered like it was painfully obvious. “We could not simply leave you while you were ill.”

Theo’s stomach twisted itself in a knot. She snapped at Wanda when she got home, and then she was an absolute asshole to Loki the entire night. But instead of leaving her to be miserable, they made sure she got back to bed, had medicine, and then Loki even stayed with her in case she needed anything. He even gave her a fucking scalp massage.

She was the worst.

“God, fuck, I’m so sorry.” Theo scrubbed her face with both hands, desperately trying to ignore the moisture pricking at her burning eyes and the throbbing in her skull.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I was such an asshole to you last night - seriously, a bona fide bitch.” Theo dropped her hands to her lap and stared at them; it was all she could do not to make things even worse. “You didn’t deserve it — you were just trying to help me de-stress. You shouldn’t have had to take care of my cranky ass. I definitely didn’t deserve it.”

A cool finger hooked beneath Theo’s chin, lifting her face so she met Loki soft green eyes. “In your defense, I nearly caused you an ankle injury.” He offered a gentle smile at Theo before continuing. “Please, be forthright with me: why didn’t you tell us you were not feeling well?”

He really wanted an answer to the question, didn’t he?

Theo took a deep breath, held it while she scrubbed her face once more, then released it with a sigh. “How wimpy would it sound if I came back and complained about a measly headache?” Self-deprecation crept into Theo’s tone. “Like, oh she can’t even handle a mission where everything went well.”

Loki frowned, dropping his hand away from Theo’s chin. “You need not fear judgment; you would not be here if you were not capable.”

“Every day, I see people who nearly die when they go out into the field. I treat traumatic, life-changing injuries.” Theo countered, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t bitch about a headache - I should be grateful that I get to come back in one piece and see my friends and watch movies with them.”

“It does you no good to admonish yourself for such a thing; someone else experiencing something worse does not negate your own suffering.” Loki ducked, trying to lock eyes with Theo once more. “Be kind to yourself.”

Refusing to meet Loki’s gaze, Theo chewed on the inside of her cheek. He was right: comparing who has it worse doesn’t make it suck less. Hell, she had even told other people that very same message.

But it was much easier to say than to believe, especially when she already felt awful.

Two arms wrapped around Theo, pulling her into a gentle embrace. Instinctively, she pressed herself a bit closer, burying her nose in the fabric of Loki’s shirt and inhaling deeply. She felt the strong, steady beat of Loki’s heart and heard it in her ear, giving her something to focus on and quiet her turbulent thoughts.

“Are you feeling up to a small adventure?”

Not really, but Theo was curious. She leaned back just far enough to send Loki an inquisitive glance.

“A new cafe opened up nearby that I’ve meant to visit, near one of my favorite book stores. As a fellow literature lover I believe it’s time that I introduce you to my favorite place in Midgard.” Loki explained, and if Theo didn’t know better she swore she caught a small flush of pink on Loki’s cheeks. “We need not go there now, if you are not feeling up to it. But when you are well again, I would like for you to join me.”

Theo’s heart quickened. It sounded like a great time, but she was in no state to enjoy it; even beyond the part where everything still hurt, she was still exhausted, despite apparently sleeping all night and most of the day.

“I would love to go, but maybe not quite yet.” She replied, forcing something that she hoped looked like a smile on her face. “I’m still not feeling great, if I’m totally honest. I’m just really tired, I’m kind of achy, and my head still hurts a bit.”

Before Theo could object, Loki brought one blessedly cool palm to her forehead and frowned. “You still feel a bit warm; perhaps it is for the best that we save the expedition for later.” Lowering his hand, he caught Theo’s in his and gave it a tender squeeze. “Are you hungry at all? You’ve not eaten in some time.”

“No,” Theo quickly replied, “My stomach gets kind of queasy when I get headaches like this.”

Loki hummed. “Is there anything I might do to alleviate your discomfort?”

“I didn’t think princes served other people.” Theo replied, unable to stop the smile that curled on her lips.

A breathless puff of laughter snuck out of Loki; Theo felt the laugh rumble through his chest as much as she heard it. “I am willing to make an exception for you… You must not tell the others, though.”

Theo giggled. The medicine from earlier had finally started to take effect, providing a much needed respite from her discomfort. She relaxed further into Loki’s embrace, earning a satisfied hum from her companion.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, feeling herself start to drift. “... For being here. And for not telling me to fuck off when I totally deserved it.”

Loki chuckled at the latter half of her comment. “Darling, it’s my pleasure.”

Somebody, somebody blocked the door I know it was me for sure But somebody knows where I'm hidden away I try very hard to know just what to say Just what to say, just what to say I try very hard to know just what to say Just what to say, just what to say I try very hard to know just what to say Just what to say, just what to say

#loki #loki fanfiction #loki fluff #loki laufeyson #loki marvel #loki imagine #loki x ofc #loki x oc #loki comfort #loki slow burn #when everything's made to be broken #wemtbb

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cyber-streak-extra · 1 year

Text

So, I decided to write a little something for the ITP: Happy Ending AU, where Spring Bonnie gets to stay and lives with Oswald and the rest of the family—which was made by @maraariana01

I wanted to give Oswald’s parents some names, since I don’t think they were ever called anything else besides “Mom” and “Dad”, and I didn’t want to just repeatedly call them that. So, Oswald’s mom? Jackie. Her husband? Thomas.

Title: A Bunny, A Mom, & Rom-Coms

The animatronic bunny wandered the home, having to crouch slightly to get through the door frames. Where was Oswald? Glancing at the clock on the wall nearby, it was nearing ten in the morning.

Typically, his son would be gone by around six—but that was due to school. But today wasn’t one of those days. It was the weekend—Saturday. He’d checked the kitchen, his son wasn’t in there eating breakfast.

When Spring Bonnie had looked around Oswald’s room earlier, he hadn’t found his son, but he had found Jinx, sleeping under the bed—who promptly woke up and hissed until the animatronic left.

The cat had never liked him—back when he was pretending to be Thomas, as she seemed to realize that the animatronic wasn’t Oswald’s father—and the feeling seemed to remain even after he returned, but truly as himself.

Spring Bonnie wished there was something he could do.

The bunny had just re-entered the house, having decided to check if Oswald may have been in the front or back, when he heard noises coming from the TV in the living room.

Ears twitching—and lightly hitting the top of the door frame until he moved out of the way, Spring Bonnie made his way towards the living room. Oswald?

It wasn’t Oswald.

Instead, the bunny entered the living room, and spotted Jackie sitting on the couch. She had a plate with some food on it—food that the bunny didn’t know the name of, but thought that it still looked nice.

She was in the middle of taking a bite, while fiddling with the remote, most likely trying to find something to watch. She looked tired. Jackie didn’t seem to notice Spring Bonnie yet.

It was one of her days off, Spring Bonnie remembered. He knew, from Oswald talking about it with him, that Jackie’s shifts were long—and that her schedule wasn’t the best. Spring Bonnie saw her the most on the weekends.

Days like these, with her not having to work, usually led to a “Family Fun Night”. Spring Bonnie had already participated in several since he came back. He liked the movies. He liked the games. He liked the picnics—even if he couldn’t eat anything.

Not wanting to walk up and accidentally startle her, Spring Bonnie knocked gently on the side of the wall with his knuckles. That got her attention. She turned.

“Oh, Spring Bonnie,” She swallowed, placing the plate beside her. “Do you need something?”

The bunny started looking through his coat—he knew he had the notepad somewhere, but it had a good amount of pockets, and he kept forgetting which one he would put it in.

Finally, he found it after a few extra seconds of searching, and began to scribble on the paper with the old, blue pen—which was starting to lose its ink.

Jackie watched, about to stand up and move closer, but Spring Bonnie finished before she did so—although she took notice of a little bit of struggle during the writing. She could look around for another pen later.

Spring Bonnie moved closer to Jackie and the couch, and turned the notepad around so that she could see what he had written down.

“Oswald?” It read.

Jackie put the plate back onto her lap. “Oh. Thomas took him to go see Ben,” She took another bite, and swallowed. “They left about an hour ago.”

Oh. Spring Bonnie thought. The bunny guessed that was the reason for, when he was still searching, he hadn’t seen the car—which he had taken notice of, but had still been more focused on his son.

He glanced around, unsure on what to do. As he did so, that was was when Spring Bonnie noticed the TV. It was paused on a movie—which hadn’t officially started yet. She had only been a second or two in, before pausing.

He knew of movies. He’d watched a couple at this point—during Family Fun Night, and on other occasions. He enjoyed them. ...Most, anyway. Spring Bonnie didn’t like horror films.

The bunny wasn’t scared by any of them, no, they just... they were unpleasant. They, if the situation in the film was right, reminded him of an event burned into his mind.

He’d only watched one horror film at this point, a few weeks ago with Oswald. But even then, he still heard about other ones.

Spring Bonnie and Oswald had only watched a total of four minutes of the horror movie—whatever it’s name had been—before, upon seeing a child in it—who was getting chased—the bunny switched movies.

The two of them watched a musical after that.

Spring Bonnie scribbled something down on the notepad once again: “What are you watching?”

She smiled. “Oh, just a romantic comedy that I’ve been meaning to check out for a while now.”

Spring Bonnie nodded as he listened. He’d never seen one, but he’d heard of them. He knew that she seemed to like them—but his son and Thomas didn’t.

“Would you like to watch it with me?”

The bunny stared at her. He nodded.

Jackie moved to the side of the couch at that confirmation, wanting to give him enough space. Spring Bonnie carefully sat down beside her.

Once they were both comfortable enough on the couch, and Jackie took a few more bites of her food, she pressed ‘play’.

...

For the first couple of minutes, Jackie had noticed the confusion, yet also curiosity, in the bunny. She didn’t say anything as the movie went on, and he didn’t write anything.

Now though, as the movie was reaching the tenth minute mark—where everything was getting more interesting—taking off—not going so slow like in the first three minutes or so, she glanced back at Spring Bonnie.

The bunny’s tail was peeking out from underneath the coat, and it seemed to be wagging. Spring Bonnie’s eyes, which were focused on the TV, reminded her of a somewhat excited cat—with how large their pupils could get.

“Spring Bonnie,” The nurse released a little yawn, “Do you like it?” Her smile grew slightly.

Spring Bonnie glanced at her for a moment, and nodded quickly with a grin, before returning his focus on the film.

She snickered. Well, She thought. Good to know that someone else here enjoys romantic comedies.

...

The two of them had already finished the first—which had barely been an hour long. With the two enjoying it, and not having much else to do, and waiting for Oswald and Thomas to eventually return, Jackie decided to play another that she had rented.

This one seemed to be longer. An hour and thirty minutes, and at the moment, the two were at the thirty minute mark. Just like the previous one, Spring Bonnie was enjoying it.

What caused him to look away from the film was a noise beside him. Snoring. He turned to his side, spotting Jackie—the source of the snoring—fast asleep, back pressed against the couch.

He heard something from the TV—it was starting to get loud. The bunny didn’t want her to wake up. Spring Bonnie knew that she had been tired recently. Reaching over, he carefully (yet quickly) pressed ‘pause’.

Spring Bonnie debated on what to do—should he move her? He didn’t want to wake her... but was it cold? The bunny looked around for a second, before getting an idea.

After taking the pen and notepad out of one of the pockets, the bunny took the coat off of himself, before putting it around the sleeping Jackie. He didn’t know if there were any spare blankets around... but this should do.

Spring Bonnie sat there for a moment in silence—minus the snoring. This was nice. He liked spending time with Oswald—and with Thomas and Jackie. The bunny liked spending time with all of them—but occasionally, that could be difficult.

Maybe he and Jackie could watch more of these when they both had the time—he’d like that. And, after all, his son and Thomas didn’t seem to want to watch.

#Fic #Story #Into The Pit #Into The Pit: Happy Ending AU #Fnaf #Fazbear Frights #Spring Bonnie #Jackie #Easier to tag than just ‘His/Oswald’s mom’#I hope this is good- I’ve never written something like this/for this #But I love this AU #I have more plans :)#Anubis’s Chatter #Styx’s Chatter #Cyber’s Chatter #Never thought I’d use this side-blog again

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lazarus-james · 1 year

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low-key pissed off. just personal rant underneath. read if you want or not.

meant to have a chill sesh with a friend tonight at 7:30pm.

ten minutes before sesh, they ask to push it back an hour because they're doing some paperwork. im an easy person, and had been planning on spending the better part of the night chatting with them anyway, so i say it's all good. i'll burn time fucking around.

an hour passes. i finish up what i'm doing, and i get on the PC and let them know i'm good to go. they say nothing. their status has them set as Away. okay...

10 minutes go by. i tell them if they need to spend extra time on whatever they're doing, since it sounds important, we can raincheck.

no response.

20 minutes, still no message. decide to make an executive decision that the hang is going to be rescheduled. tell friend this. because at this point, i've been basically doing fuck all while waiting for them.

it's decision paralysis. if i stay waiting on the PC, maybe they'll be available, so i can't leave, but i have nothing i want to do on my PC, so im just clicking buttons into the abyss.

30 minutes, still no response.

after 35 minutes, that's 95 minutes after we agreed to originally hang, they go: "i'm finished!"

like... bro, good for you. i'm finished too. finished waiting. like... a whole damn episode. that's an entire match of a game. that's 35 minutes i'm not getting back.

they apologize. i say thanks. and suggest a time for the raincheck, because at this point it's 9:10pm and i know said friend tends to want to be in bed by 10pm, so hanging rn is moot anyway.

is it really that hard to think about someone else's time? and also, this shit is like a MONTHLY hang. like, you could've done all this shit before. you had an entire month to plan around it.

i ASKED on friday to check if 7:30pm still worked. you coulda said no then! and if this literally JUST came up, why not keep your phone on you so that the person who is literally waiting can know they're gonna be waiting longer and not just leave them unread?

and this is something we've talked about. about how it felt like there was lack of mutual valuation of time. its literally what stopped us talking for awhile! and they've been really good about it since then... so maybe i'm being too harsh. but i think this is a good boundary.

just pisses me off. i just really don't like it when people don't value my time as much as i value theirs. godddd, i think that's something i hate the most. being made to wait without an estimation.

i deplore it. because all it does is tells you that you're not important enough to inform, and not important enough to be on time for, or not even important enough to remember.

it really ain't that hard. if i'm going to be even ONE minute late to something, i always message beforehand. if there's a chance i won't make the time i say, i always message.

wow. this is a long rant. didn't realise how much this shit hits me hard.

#personal rant #value people's time #sigh

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evelynndecipio-blog · 2 months

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September 5th, 2020

Dear Nightingale,

I’ll be honest, I would have never thought to check the Leaky Cauldron for post. I always thought it was just a basic front for the Alley entrance, but it seems to be the central hub for wizards to gather. Guess I’ve still got a lot to learn about this world. Anyways, I found your copy in the tree, thankfully. Sorry that you had to go through the extra work of making a second letter. At least we’re back in school now so this whole thing will be relatively easy.

Never assume I’m having too much fun. Weirdly enough, you’re the person that I’m probably closest to. Something about speaking to a faceless friend is totally comforting, especially with how I’ve been feeling. I don’t think I’ll be changing my mind anytime soon, and if I do, you have permission to hide one of those howler letters in the tree. I think my dormmates might get a kick out of my opening one in the room, ahah. A consequence of loving my bed is that I really don’t get out much, so the Ball was really the only time I felt like things were too formidable for me. Were there other overwhelming moments like that? Or was it just friendships and the like?

It is pretty dizzying, but I guess the worst of it is the heavy feeling that just sets in when I change my mind. It’s like a big weight that forcing me to stay still. Other than the camp, that was what the rest of my summer was like. That and reading my Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook over and over. I think it’s my favorite subject, though I’m not sure how original that thought is.

I am going into second year now, yes. I’d love a study partner, but I would also feel sorry for them because they have put up with me. My mood changes so often, but I usually hate being flaky. I’m terrified that one day, I’ll show up in a bad mood and scare them away. Or maybe if I just force myself to be excited... okay, definitely not. But I think I need to try. It might just be the best way for me to break the ice, as you put it.

That’s good to hear about summer camp. I did think the events that the professors set up sounded fun, but I guess the execution was probably bad. I wouldn’t know many details about that. All I remember was learning about Quidditch while the actual game was going on, and that the beds in my tent were very comfy. Speaking of Quidditch, you enjoy it, then? I’ve never been a sports person outside of blind support for the Brighton and Hove football team, and Quidditch looks really confusing. But the rush was definitely exciting.

The notion that magic is just nonsensical – I really couldn’t agree more. I enjoy it, but it’s still so crazy to wrap my head around. I mean, I’ve been living in this world for a whole year now and I’m still so lost in classes. Writing theory is fine, but the practical stuff? I have to work on understanding exactly what I’m doing and that almost always takes up the whole night before we get to cast spells. I hope it gets better this term, and I hope it gets easier for you too. Having a summer distraction sounds so good, though. I could’ve definitely used it.

And I’m sorry that your plans fell through. Maybe, since we’re getting older, you’ll be able to have a summer friend next year. I relate so much to that feeling of loneliness throughout the last few months. It’s the same for me with my mother. She works long hours usually, but it’s even more now with the human muggle situation. I do miss falling asleep to the muffled conversations of my dormmates, or studying in the presence of other people in the library during exam time. It really was too quiet over the summer. For once, I’m hyped to get back into the groove. And owl, though! That’s pretty cool. What’s its name? I’m thinking of asking my fathermy biological fa for a pet. Just have to work up the courage to actually talk.

Cannes sounds amazing. I’d love to visit, especially for the film festival. Do you like art? I’m definitely the type of person to check out the art museums in a new place, but I don't paint or sculpt myself. And I think the deeper meanings are definitely lost on me. I’d be horrified to run into my peers on vacation, though! I hope you got out of the situation unscathed.

Hm, I never thought to write to my dad, but that sounds like a good idea. I’m worried, though. The words come easy when I’m writing to you, but I think I’ll struggle a lot if I have to write to him. I guess I have to try, anyway. I don’t want him out of my life forever, and if there’s something I can do to bring him back, I would. I miss him.

Anyways, I hope the year goes well for you. May good grades grace us and blossom ball fiascos stay away from us. And I'd really like it if you could help me find a study partner.

Thank you, Captain Kirk.

#letters

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my-own-au-my-way · 10 months

Text

Genshin Impact fic:

Sumeru region

Monstadt region

My crushes are these guys

Inazuma and Fontaine

Coming up

Sorry I'm so inactive! Life happened.

TW: None that I note, but still proceed to read at own risk.

Thank you.

Comfort fic:

Its a really hot day In Teyvat, all anyone could think of is cool drinks or Ice-cream. However you just fall asleep outside waiting for your boyfriend under some trees, hoping for some relief from the unforgiving glare of the sun.:

Alhaitham:

*He chides you everytime you fall asleep outside, especially since there is possibility of getting dehydrated.

*He makes sure to usher you into his home, even though Kaveh also had choice words for you before he had to go to a building site.

*For the next half hour he makes sure you drinking enough water and keeps a moist cloth on your face to cool you off.

*Even his indifferent as usual attitude melted slightly when he noted how you just fell asleep on the couch.

*When Kaveh came in, Alhaitham slapped a hand over his mouth and a single finger on his lips to signal him to stay quiet.

*Pointing to you sleeping on the couch under the fan, Kaveh shows thumbs up that he won't say one word.

*Evening time was when you got closer to Alhaitham, he had placed you in bed where he feels you belong since you are his girlfriend.

Cyno:

*He doesn't say much, however instead opts to take you to the infirmary to make sure that heatstroke hadn't set in.

*Waking up at the infirmary, your boyfriend was there sitting on the edge of the bed.

*The General Mahamatra was deep in his thoughts at that moment, likely worried about your condition.

*Glancing in your direction, he snapped out of his thoughts and instantly feels your forehead out of concern.

*"You really should be more careful when traversing the desert like thiswhen coming home, you passed out from the heat."

*You blush a shade darker realising that the one important thing you forgot to bring on your travels was water.

*Sitting back on the bed, he pulls you onto his lap in an embrace. The General Mahamatra's usual serious demeanor had finally dissolved. You are his weakness, almost losing you was enough to almost break him[He wont openly tell just anyone this].

Diluc:

*He knew you forget to stay hydrated at the worst of times, and always worried about you.

*Finding you waiting near the tavern under some trees asleep, takes you inside and upstairs where it was quiet.

*Setting up a makeshift bed for you, he leaves some cold water nearby for when you wake up.

*Checking up every thirty minutes, you finally wake up. To say you were excited to see Diluc would be an understatement.

*You jump into his arms, still warm to the touch he grabbed a cloth and dabbed your face down while chiding you for been reckless.

*He promises to take you to Starfell Springvale to go swim and cool off a bit. He has been promising so many times to spend time with you, choosing now was perfect timing.

*It was late afternoon when you and Diluc arrive at the place he chose. You were now in your swimwear, the outfit accentuating every curve that Diluc was left blushing. The settimg sun outlining your beautiful Physique left him speechless.

Kaeya:

*Okay lets be honest, cryo vision equals instant chilling sensation. This was the best moment everytime in Summer.

*You woke up in his arms in the Angels share with Diluc watching him in his typical stoic look.

*"Well Good afternoon my lil kitten~, hope you slept well. Although sleeping outside in this heatwave certainly wasn't the best choice. Make sure Im around next time so you can keep cool at the same time."

*All you could do was blush, since you were caught out by your rather protective boyfriend. He may seem chilled out and carefree, but he has this pritective side that comes out only with you.

*He ordered a cold beverage for you, one of Dilucs non-alcholic specialties with extra ice. It was always so refreshing after a long day.

*"Perhaps a stroll by the lake tonight to unwind and catch up with what you have been up to."

* All you could do was smile, this man just had this way of making you happy with the simplest of suggestions. You loved spending time with him, so of course you agreed to his idea of a stroll at the lakeside.

#genshin impact #CharacterxReader #No gender specified

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the-kipsabian · 1 year

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💫🎀🎉💞💥🍭💎🪄💌

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback? i honestly love everything i get be it just 'good' or a keyboard smash or anything, but ive always been extra fond of feedback that states the commenters favorite part of the fic or picks apart their favorite sentences etc. cause to me that feels like they took the time not only to read, but also to try to invest themselves in the story and understand it and what the words i was putting down were fully trying to convey. they are the very special kinds to me personally <3

🎀give yourself a compliment about your own writing its the one i can keep repeating to the very end, but i love the way i can convey emotions in scenes. i think im pretty hecking good at that honestly

🎉how often do you celebrate completing & posting a work? how often do you give yourself the credit/validation that you seek from others when you post? (if you don't, you should!) oh wow i havent. actually rewarded myself for finishing and posting since i started doing it again lol. i do give myself credit when its due cause i think my work is pretty good at the moment so i dont feel like im posting subpar stuff, but i also dont know what to reward myself with. i cant afford anything and little things dont bring me much joy rn honestly lol. stay tuned maybe i figure this out

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language characters (and their relationships) and the overall mood. i usually want to convey a certain feeling through a scene so thats my top priority, and i take pride in my character work a lot so thats also up there, trying to make them feel as real as possible. reading-wise im a plot person tho, or again the mood is really important to me

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it. (unspirisingly) insomnia. i just thought it was really cute. it also helped my anxiety while working on it and reading it afterwards a few times so like. yeah. its also the piece that got me into writing kip so thats very special

🍭why did you start writing? i have always liked stories. i was a lonely child with no friends and talents, writing was the one thing i was maybe good at and ppl complimented me on when i dared to share something with them. currently im doing it as an outlet and cause it just makes me happy and my god nobody else is writing these fics and ships (except you <3) and someone fucking has to LOL

💎why is writing important to you? i mean its pretty much the same answer as above lol. im sad, im lonely, trying to make something that makes me happy since i have almost completely fallen off from the drawing bandwagon and i need a creative outlet. its the one way im most comfortable expressing myself and it keeps me sane rn. its like the One Thing i feel im actually good at i guess

🪄what is your post-writing/sharing aftercare? How do you take care of yourself or celebrate yourself when you've finished a fic? recently i think all ive done after finishing something is either eat or go to bed lol. i also more often than not let the written stuff simmer for a while, depending how im feeling about it if its an hour or a few days before editing and posting so im not constantly overworking myself, but yeah. food and/or sleep is the most common thing rn. as stated above, i cant afford any big things to celebrate with and small things barely give me any sort of happiness rn

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited! i love how this question immediately drew my brain into a blank lol. i dont really have a lot of things actually in works right now, i just have a very long list of ideas and requests, theres only like. actually three things im trying to work on that i have started (and i might have to scrap at least one of them hmm). but immortal fears is always good!! chapter 3 WILL happen eventually, its maybe 2/3 written right now and i just really. REALLY enjoy writing chuck. so im excited to share that and hope that people like him as much as i do!!

fic writer asks ~

#thank you for asking! <3 #midnightpretenders0

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scottstiles · 2 years

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i wanna give a special kiss to fic writers for without them the social and emotional wilderness of fandom would be so much more difficult to tolerate

#i know i can always find something to remind me why these characters and stories are so important to me #when real humans start getting me down #of course its all self-induced #tumblr is a literal black hole of social paranoia its like being in 30 different high schools at once all alone in every one of them #my friends im sure that more than half of what you'rethinking people are thinking or doing is simply not true #just get back to basics and reconnect to the reason you're here #for me i guess good writing is the clincher #its been so long since i stayed up extra hours reading in bed and i don't regret one second #so thank you all of you any of you who pour your heart and soul into your writing #youre redirecting lives <33 #fan fiction #fandom #personal #thoughts out loud

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meedough · 2 years

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Hi(◕ᴗ◕✿) i really liked THIS TT can u write a 127 one with this concept?

of course i can anon anything for you - mido <3

perv! nct127

warnings: smut, possible non- con themes, yandere behavior , harder kinks , threesomes , mutual masturbation, you’re a camgirl in one (you get extra points if you understand the username :) ), petnames (kitten, puppy, like literally petnames), somnophilia

a/n i go a lil crazy with this one im sorry , anyone who reads and enjoys my content i just want you all to know that i write a lot of harder kinks and if you're not comfortable with that please just keep reading elsewhere!

i took a slightly different approach to 127 neos versus the dreamies i hope its still enjoyable. please leave some feed back in my inbox after too !

also this one is significantly longer than the dream vers (i just feel like i can write more abt the older neos )

thanks for reading

- mido ^.^

taeil: you and taeil have been friends ever since highschool. that's where his love for you started. your hair was long and he loved it so much catching whiffs of your hair when he chased you around your front yard or when you sat in his lap. his infatuation with you only grew deeper when you both moved in with each other for university. now taeil had access to everything he wanted your pillows had your scent all over them, your clothes and you. when you're out at lectures taeil is in your bed with his face buried in your sheets humping your pillows leaving him cum on anything that smells you. his favorite thing of yours to cum on are your silk scrunchies :)

"fuck you smell so good, you're mine"

johnny: your long time boyfriend johnny met after you literally bumped into each in front of a cafe. you were going in and he was coming out neither of you paid attention to the door and a fateful collision happened. below his tall stature he saw your eyes staring back up at him. every time you both had sex he loves seeing your eyes roll back into your head while he's pounding into you, your eyes watering while he fucks your mouth. johnny wants to see your eyes begging for him all the time. he'll tease you innocently throughout the day to see your eyes get glossy. it's enough to get his cock twitching in his jeans. alike a lot of his perverted friends he has a collection of photos for when you two are apart. his collection consists of pictures of your tear-streaked cheek after him fucking your face, videos of him cumming down your throat and a video he visits often is a night that he invited jaehyun over and its you trying to take both his cock and jaehyun's cock in your mouth at once.

"look at her jae, you really think you can fit both in your mouth princess?"

taeyong: you and taeyong have been working together on your groups album. you both would produce and bounce ideas off each other and taeyong was gracious enough to draw your group's album cover. you both stayed after hours working tirelessly on the album, whilst taking a nap on the couch taeyong would face you and palm himself through his sweats watching your sleeping figure. he can't control himself when you're in his presence. while your in the booth recording he'd be jerking off while monitoring your vocals. his mind wanders and wonders if you sound as angelic while his cock is filling you up. taeyong needs reference photos to draw; so he asks you to take a few photos of yourself in fairly suggestive photos but you pay no mind since its for the album. drawing mockups of your body is taeyong's favorite pastime; you in lingerie, sex positions his favorite naked. he often jerks off and cums all over his drawings of you but its just an excuse so he gets to draw more pictures of you.

"y/n can you sing that line again just in a slightly higher and breathier tone?"

doyoung: you and doyoung were known as the cute neighbourhood kids hopefully to grow up and get together. one summer your parents had business to tend to a few towns over. so your parents tasked doyoung with taking care of you. no one else would be better for the job right? he dropped in later than normal one night because of work and he heard sounds of tossing and turning expecting its you getting comfortable in bed. he quietly stashes the groceries he got for you in the fridge before making his way quietly up the stairs. your room is dimly lit with pink led lights and as doyoung slowly opens the door just to peer in on you. you’re sat in front of your laptop bouncing on a pink dildo to match the lights in your room. your soft moans fill the room alongside the sound of donations. “cherrybunnyblossom, can you flip over and show us your ass while you fuck your pussy?” you read out. doyoung leaves promptly with the information he needs. he goes home and searches you up himself on the camgirl website. he lives out his nastiest fantasies with you online, he jerks himself off watching you under his command. you always find yourself getting both your holes while you fuck your own fingers in and out of your mouth, spit spilling out of your mouth and covering your fingers.

mki.yoodnu: how does the purple one feel inside of you?

cherrybunnyblossom: it feels great daddy thank you

jaehyun: you and jaehyun got together after johnny and his girlfriend got together. she had introduced you to her boyfriend's friends and you were smitten. you had thought that jaehyun was just a fairly reserved guy, he was cute when he wanted to be an overall sweet guy. while getting ready for bed one he peers into the closet calmly saying "babe, john says he wants to join us for a night", you stare back at him blankly trying to register what he's said to you. he pushes softly against the wall, massaging your tits and pressing himself into you. his cock presses into your back, slowly getting harder while he explains what him and johnny want to do to you. jae likes to take a backseat. he enjoys watching you get fucked by someone he calls a close friend.

"just one night hun, you'd look so beautiful with two cocks pumping you full."

yuta: you and yuta have a interesting relationship dynamic, you both see each other around the company and exchange greetings sweetly complimenting each other and then you're hidden in the dark corners of practice rooms on the floor from across masturbating watching each other. two rules of your relationships: firstly being no emotions involved purely sexual and finally no touching each other. your relationship was not exclusive to each other meaning you both were able to see other people. yuta only wanted you to himself so him finding out that you were having sexual relations with other guys. he'd peer in on your sexual escapade, seeing the way that other men handle you knowing that he can do better. he saw how you moaned louder when he toyed with your clit and how your voice faltered when he stopped. yuta cock strains, he's jealous that this random man passing through the company for the day gets to fuck you.

"he doesn't know how to make you feel good like i do sweetheart, give it up you know we should fuck"

jungwoo: your puppy like boyfriend knows no limits when it comes to your sex life. you always catch him jerking off while you’re home it makes you question what goes on while you’re not home. it’ll always end with your boyfriends cock in your mouth and his hands buried in your hair. many occasions you’re wearing a skirt or a crop top that show off the small of your back. he comes over and grinds himself into your back. he has this sort of fixation with your hair; he loves running his fingers through it, its soft it smells nice and he loves the way it looks when his hands are in it. you tease him all the time telling him that he’s energetic like a puppy and he laughs alongside you until you realize his cock is pressing into you. jungwoo likes it when you’re on your knees with your tongue out like his own personal puppy. he always tells you while softly stroking your hair that he thinks you’re the cutest when you’re begging for him to fuck you harder.

“such a good little puppy aren’t you baby”

mark: your shy boy mark could never hide how horny he got when he was with you. you’d hug him and his cock would be twitching in his pants. it was time for your weekly date night and this week you suggested to stay in and watch some movies. mark had placed you in his lap to watch the movie. for the most part he was doing fine until you fell asleep on top of him. his hands rubbed small circles on your stomach before moving up to cup your tits under your top. something about doing something so nasty to his sleeping girlfriend made him incredibly horny. he bucked his hips into clothed ass essentially fucking you with your clothes on while he played with your nipple pinching them ever so often and you’d let out soft moans. he left one hand on tits while the other pushed past the waistband of your shorts to slide a few fingers inside you.

“you even take me so well while you’re sleeping”

haechan: found on 00s vers of my perv! series

#nct smut #nct reactions #nct imagine #nct 127 reactions #nct 127 smut #nct 127 imagines #taeil x reader #johnny x reader #taeyong x reader #doyoung x reader #jaehyun x reader #yuta x reader #jungwoo x reader #haechan x reader #mark x reader

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howaboutcastiel · 2 years

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Make Your Acquaintance VI

Summary: Steven wants to talk some things over. Khonshu orders another mission.

Word count: 5.4k

Content warning: making fun of a Christian holiday. No disrespect, I just feel like it needs a warning.

MYA Masterlist

Author’s note: this reader doesn’t speak Spanish, so Spanish-speaking readers, I’m sorry. You just gotta pretend you don’t know what Jake’s saying lol.

Things had been painfully quiet over the last few days.

Steven had fallen behind on his work. He had long abandoned his spot behind the gift shop counter, admittedly far overqualified for the position. He’d gone back to school, somehow scraping by and attending enough online classes and seminars to earn a Master’s degree in Egyptology. He had honestly made the task look easy; he was used to staying up until ungodly hours as it was, so churning out a thesis wasn’t too much extra on his plate.

He had planned to move back to Marc’s hometown of Chicago and become a professor at a community college or even a small private institution. Those aspirations proved hard to realize, though, as Khonshu continued to send the three of them on missions all over the world. Steven opted to become a consultant at the museum and a virtual instructor for an online college in the United States.

Even with the flexibility of a remote job, he often found himself struggling to keep things running on schedule. The very large-print, bolded warning of “tentative” at the top of his course syllabi proved to ring truer than he had intended. Mid-term papers had been due almost three weeks ago now and he hadn’t graded a single one.

Your nine-to-five office job was way too forgiving to you. Marc only asked you to tag along on about half of his missions, but they still quickly cut into your sick days and vacation time. Mercenary work and inheritance meant you didn’t have to have an office job at all, but you both liked the idea of maintaining an image of normalcy. Plus, the schedule gave a kind of structure to your life when you weren’t out chasing felons and wrongdoers.

It was three in the morning and Steven was sitting at his desk in the corner of the apartment. His lamp was pulled to the very edge of its cord, twisted sideways so it wouldn’t glare onto the bed. Anyone who laid eyes on him would be able to tell that he desperately needed sleep. Even with his reading glasses on, he squinted pitifully at the paper he was grading, mumbling words of disapproval at the inability of young adults to capitalize the names of ancient pharaohs.

“This one’s not even half the required length.” He scoffed to himself. He didn’t realize you were awake. Normally, you’d be out like a light at this hour, snoring softly or even murmuring incoherently in your sleep. It was hard to sleep, though, with no one holding you to keep you warm. You had been having trouble sleeping since that night in Budapest. That was the last night you’d felt warm and safe in your rest.

You stifled a yawn as you shuffled out of the bed, intent on heading to the bathroom to pee. He turned his head at the movement, having to pull his glasses down to see clearly over them.

“Am I keeping you up?” His voice was low and groggy. He had a tiny look of guilt, concerned that he was the cause of your persistent unrest. You shook your head as you headed for the loo. Running your hand along the wall, you found the vanity light, which was too bright for comfort for both of you.

“I just can’t get relaxed.” You explained. “Don’t worry. Tomorrow’s a holiday, remember?”

Tomorrow was Good Friday, a holiday that Steven and Marc mostly ignored for very obvious reasons. Your company celebrated not only British national holidays, but their fair share of American ones as well. You honestly didn’t know the full scope of the brand you worked for; they paid you well and didn’t snoop around at how often you took off work.

“I guess that’s as good a reason as any for me to finish up quickly here.” He had gone through most of the stack of papers by now, having started several hours before you came home from work. He’d only had to pause for a zoom meeting with one of his colleagues and another with a very desperate failing student. You had forced him to pause for dinner as well.

When you returned from the bathroom, Steven was on the last paper in his stack. He seemed too distracted to read it in detail, perhaps too exhausted as well. He was a fair grader, though, so whatever poor student was at the end of the list wasn’t going to suffer a bad grade due to his negligence. He skimmed the paper as you ventured to the kitchen to pour yourself a cup of water.

“What did your students say about you missing your lectures?” Steven had been gone for a week and a half, which meant he missed at least two lectures for each of his classes and three for some of them. Most of his students liked how often Steven had to cancel class. He would never let them fall behind because of it anyway. Well, the ones who checked their emails wouldn’t fall behind, at least.

“Marc emailed them for me. Didn’t tell them too much, obviously, but at least they didn’t have to sit there waiting for me.”

“That’s good. I’m sorry you missed so much.” All of the professor stuff went way over your head. Marketing and data entry were straightforward enough for you, but teaching a bunch of newly-graduated teens about the nuances of ancient history was a ship you couldn’t fathom how to steer.

“Yeah, me too.”

It took him a few more minutes to finish his work. He did a quick once-over to make sure there weren’t any wild inconsistencies between grades before returning the stack to the desk and turning off his lamp. Steven pulled off his glasses and folded them on top of the paper as he stood to his feet.

“Did you really have to print all those out?” You pondered as you met him by his desk, trailing a hand along his arm. Just the fact that he was done with his work sent relief and melatonin through your body.

“Beats looking at a screen for nine hours straight, don’t it?” He responded sleepily. “Not trying to make the glasses a permanent thing.”

“I think they would look hot, though.” You teased. He smile a little, following you to the bed. Steven hadn’t really talked to you much since he came back. Not after the initial argument, at least. He’d mostly treated you in the way a roommate would, making small talk when necessary and leaving you to do your own thing when you were home at the same time.

Moon Knight—whoever was included under that title, you didn’t exactly know—had been quite active over that span of time. At least a half-dozen traffickers had been apprehended in downtown London. A couple more had been outright put to rest, leaving no evidence or leads as to who killed them. The police couldn’t be less concerned about taking those cases, though. Whoever had done their work for them had done more harm than good in their eyes, though they wouldn’t admit that to the public.

Marc hadn’t spoken to you. You’d see him front when you were cooking dinner or when you first woke up in the morning, but he oscillated between ignoring you altogether or pushing someone else to the front to deal with you. You didn’t show how much that hurt. You had come around a bit to the idea that you deserved it.

“You think we should sleep in?” You murmured to Steven as you crawled back into bed. He seemed slightly more receptive to you than he had been over the last couple days, not pulling away when you curled into him.

“God knows when we’ll have the next opportunity to sleep.” He responded with a hum. He almost leaned into your touch. “I reckon we should.”

“Awesome. I feel like I could sleep for weeks.” It was true. You had felt tired for as long as you could remember.

“Speaking from experience, I wouldn’t recommend that.” He squinted at you.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“I’m kidding.” He grinned. Tiredness was tugging at him, slurring his words. He appeared a lot younger and happier than normal as he began to relax. “I mean I’m not kidding. I didn’t mean to make you feel awkward, though. It was just a joke.”

“Maybe we should save the joking for tomorrow, sleepyhead.” You planted a kiss on his cheek before settling down at his side. He blushed a bit, tensing. “Sorry. Was that okay?”

“Of course. I just didn’t expect it.” He nervously pressed his lips together, trying to relax enough that he could drift off to sleep. “I’m not trying to push you away.”

“We should talk about this.”

“Tomorrow.” He reassured you. “It’s too late for that tonight. I don’t want to keep you up any longer.”

“Alright.” You shut your eyes and he shut his. “I love you. Goodnight.”

He hummed in response, but didn’t say anything. He was asleep before long.

~~~

You luckily had remembered to turn off your alarm, but that didn’t stop Steven from waking at a far too early hour of the day. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if you had gone to bed at a normal time. He pulled himself out of your grasp at 7 o’clock sharp, something obviously out of his control pulling him from his much needed rest.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” You struggled to pull yourself awake, limbs tired and protesting your premature departure from a resting state. “Is it Marc? Is it Jake?”

“It’s the stupid old bird.” He grunted as he got to his feet. A strong draft blew through the apartment, an obvious protest from the ancient god. Khonshu just couldn’t let you have anything nice, could he? “Go back to bed. I’ll go to the kitchen and handle him. Quietly. He’s not ruining my day off.”

You followed his instruction, but you couldn’t exactly tune out his one-sided bickering with the skeletal bird. You didn’t have the privilege of seeing or hearing Khonshu, but you could always tell by the tone of the boys when speaking to him that he wasn’t exactly a pleasure.

“I don’t care if you think it’s urgent. It’s a holiday, lad. We can wait till tomorrow.”

“He’s not going to get away! You’re a god, aren’t you? Can’t you just go follow him around for a day to make sure you know where he is?”

“Oh, now you remember that we’re Jewish. You’d think you couldn’t recognize any other gods, what with that pathetic ego of yours and all. It’s still a national holiday. I’m taking it.”

“I don’t want to hear it! You can go do it yourself if you’re that bloody worried about it. I’m staying here.”

When you didn’t tag along, Steven and Marc could just use their suit to fly wherever Khonshu needed them. No fuss about plane tickets or any other mode of transportation. Khonshu usually preferred this unless there was a mission too large for them to handle alone. It was quicker. Quieter.

“Sorry about that.” Steven returned to bed with a groggy, lopsided smile. “He really has no manners at all, does he?”

“What does he want you to do?” You were still not quite awake. The morning light coming through the window hurt your eyes. A pressure in your chest begged you to go back to sleep.

“Some mob boss in Madripoor is gonna be vulnerable tonight. Khonshu wants him taken out.” He settled into your grasp, letting you hold him almost as close as you normally would. Maybe it was the tiredness.

“It’s hard for me to imagine you killing anyone.”

You knew what Khonshu asked of your boys. After Steven had found out about Marc, they had made a deal to shift the power complex between them and the ruthless god that asked so much of them. Ending a life was a much scarcer thing for them now; it would be nixxed altogether if Steven had his say. They only agreed to put down the worst of the worst—those who would only continue to cause harm if allowed to remain. Most of the time, Marc was the one who fulfilled the role Khonshu required.

“I have to have a damn good reason,” Steven hummed, a serious tone in his voice. “This next target is an absolute menace. According to Khonshu, he’s got a thing for targeting the children of the people who miss repayments on their loans to him. He’s racked up quite a count. It’s staggering.”

“He kills kids?” Your blood ran cold at the thought. If Steven was ever capable of murder, his ideal victims would be those who went after innocent young souls. It didn’t take much to see why any of the boys had it out for people like that.

“Technically, he orders other people to kill them. I don’t really put much merit to that distinction, though.” You held him tighter and he didn’t dare shy away from your touch. You hated to think of what he was being asked to do, but you had to admit that a bastard like that was better off in the ground.

“So you’re gonna go tomorrow?”

“That’s the plan,” he sighed, “or one of us will, at least. If we don’t go tomorrow, we’ll lose our window.”

The two of you sat in silence for a little while. Steven was on his back, playing mindlessly with one of his Rubik’s cubes while you laid on your side, your leg and arm wrapped around him and your head buried in his neck. His hand rested on your back, but it wasn’t holding you as tightly as you would like. He was still a little wary of you.

A dull ache occupied your chest. You had royally screwed things up by being so hasty and so dishonest about Jake. Steven was being more generous than he really should have been just by agreeing to sleep in the same bed as you. The fact that he let you lay here now, pressed against his chest, was a marvel to you.

“I love you.” You had no idea how to talk this through with him, but you figured that would be the best start. “I don’t know how to explain how sorry I am.”

“You could try.” His voice wasn’t accusatory. It was genuine, intrigued. He wanted this to work out just as much as you. Maybe even more than that, if that was possible.

“I didn’t mean for it to all happen like this. When I first met Jake, all I could think was how different he was. How foreign he was to you and Marc. It was terrifying.”

Steven was listening intently to what you were saying, but he didn’t dawn the same look of trust and understanding that he had when you recounted your story before. He was suspicious, though he hid it well. He was also a bit pained.

“At first, I didn’t know what to do. I mean, we were on the run and I didn’t really have time to stop and think. I thought one of you was in there, talking to him. It seemed like I was annoying him. Like I was a liability.

“But… I don’t think it was that at all. As weird as it sounds, I think he was scared of me. Like he didn’t know what to do with me around. He was good at everything else, though. It was almost reflexive. He got us to safety without a second thought. And then, when we got to the barn…”

“What?” He grew impatient with your pause. “What did he do at the barn?”

“He offered to sleep on the ground. So that I didn’t have to touch him.”

Steven’s eyes widened a little at this. Evidently, Jake hadn’t told him that bit. You guessed you remembered different details than he did about that night.

“What does this have to do with your apology?” There was a small waver in his voice, almost an unnoticeable one.

“I just wanted you to know what was going through my head. It surprised me that Jake wasn’t how you described him. He certainly wasn’t how Marc described him. I mean, he did exactly as you said he would. He came out when you were losing a fight and he did whatever he had to do to win it. But after that…I don’t know. He wasn’t what I expected.”

“No?”

“No. Not at all. Especially… the next morning.” You knew that Jake had told him about that part. Maybe not in detail, but you could tell by the look in his eyes that Steven understood the moment you were referencing. He blushed, maybe more jealous than shy.

“Jake told me that he regretted doing that.” Steven’s expression was a little confused and a little defensive. “He said you wouldn’t let him apologize, though.”

“Yeah. He begged me for forgiveness.” You scoffed, just as surprised as him. “I had to convince him that he didn’t need it.”

Steven looked like he was starting to understand. Maybe he didn’t agree with your thought process, but he could follow your feelings at least. Jake was a shiny new man in the same body as the ones you already loved. It must have been fascinating for you and you really believed that you couldn’t help yourself. Of course, you both knew now that that was far from the truth.

“I wonder how we would get along if he talked to me more.” Steven pondered to you, his voice a little smaller than normal. “I mean, he seemed so desperate for my approval when he was explaining to me—”

He cut himself off.

“Sorry. Don’t mean to be sharing his business, now. I suppose we should talk about something else.”

“I think that he is.” You stated. He dropped the cube from his hand and it toppled to the edge of the bed.

“What?”

“Desperate for your approval. I’m not sure he’s ever had that before. Certainly not from Marc. Not from me. I doubt from anyone else, either, for that matter.”

“Well, I have to admit. I’ve learned a lot more about him in the last few days than I thought I ever would. And you’re right, he’s not at all what I thought.”

Some of the tension that had been looming over you both seemed to dissipate. Not completely—no, of course not—but enough that he could finally reciprocate your touch in a meaningful way. He planted a kiss on your forehead, holding himself there for a bit. You savored the fact that, for the first time in two weeks, you could smell his shampoo as he leaned into you.

You tried to stay as lazy as possible, but sleep was far away from you both by now. Nothing like a dead, bitter pigeon-god to steal away your right to oversleeping on a meaningless holiday. Well, meaningless to some people at least. Your stomach was beginning to growl at you quite angrily, too.

“You know, I missed you while you were away.” Your voice was partially drowned out by the whale noises coming from your gut, making your profession decidedly less romantic than you desired.

“I’m here now.” He responded. “And I happen to know how to make a mean stack of pancakes.”

“God, I hope so. I’m ravenous.” You giggled as he shifted his weight, his fingers dancing playfully over your stomach.

“Yeah, I could tell. The whole bloody block could hear your stomach growling, I bet.”

Something feather-light and warm radiated through you. This teasing, absentminded touch was exactly reminiscent of the Steven you loved. The one before he came to find that you’d betrayed his trust. Maybe you could dig deep enough to find that version of him and beg and grovel and praise it back to the top.

“Alright, then. Feed the beast, if you must. The beast likes chocolate chips in its pancakes, by the way.” You reached down to his hand tickling your waist, grabbing in to interlock your fingers. He let you, but his face dropped a tiny bit. He squeezed your hand before releasing it from his grasp, standing off of the bed.

“Chocolate chip pancakes it is, then.”

~~~

The day had been about as lazy as you had hoped. Other than updating grades on whatever online portal his school used, Steven stayed clear of his work. You did the same gleefully, the most agonizing task of the day being washing the dishes. To be fair, he made quite a mess cooking breakfast.

You spent the morning watching crap television and putting together a puzzle you found on one of Steven’s bookcases. It was 1000 pieces, some impossibly colorful landscape that Bob Ross could have easily put to shame, and you had given up before you’d even gotten the border finished. Steven would have helped, but he needed a different kind of mindless task to do with his hands while reruns of The Golden Girls kept his brain occupied. He settled on knitting, which took everything in your being not to make fun of, but you knew better than to tease him about it. It was more calming to him than pretty much any other hobby he’d ever tried to pick up.

Lunch was ramen noodles and chili Doritos. Was it a wise decision? Not by any metric, but it felt good to live like a seven-year-old whose parents were gone for the day. Steven hated the dust that the chips left on his hands, though. He only tried one or two before resigning to eating peanut butter straight out of the jar instead.

Steven was halfway through knitting what was supposed to be a bunny, but was starting to turn out more like a rat. He dropped the yarn from his grasp, obviously startled, and snapped his head toward the bathroom door. From your perspective, he was staring at nothing.

“Khonshu again?” You could almost hear the snickering of the old god. He still often referred to Steven as a worm, though he appreciated his problem-solving ability and extensive knowledge of Egyptian mythology that Marc Spector so hilariously lacked. Finding him knitting in his living room was perfect ammunition, though. Genius historian or not.

“What are you going here, you limey old bird? I said I’d go with you tomorrow.” Steven squinted at the door, obviously perceiving Khonshu’s form where you could not. He looked pissed and you didn’t blame him.

Steven’s eyes widened and his body tensed as he listened to the god. He must be yelling at him. Not that Steven was scared of Khonshu by any metric, but he was sensitive to the noise and also as averse to being yelled at as any other person would be. You wondered how Jake reacted to yelling.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Steven collected himself perfectly at what you assumed was the end of the old bird’s rant. He had a knack for becoming a little shit when someone was pissed at him. Especially the god of the moon. “I’ve already told you. I’m staying here. It is going to have to wait.”

You watched Steven’s face intently, not having anyone else to look at, of course. He seemed decisive and self-assured, which was normal for him, but it didn’t last very long. His face contorted in confusion. At least, it looked like confusion to you. Then he looked… distant. Steven shut his eyes, rubbing one of his temples with his dominant hand, and he was still.

You knew that look. That’s what a switch looked like.

You sat in silence as you expected Marc to come to the front. After all, he was the one who had taken the oath of servitude for Khonshu. He was the one who agreed to sacrifice his own conscience for the god of the moon. Marc would be much more quickly convinced to drop everything on what was supposed to be a day of rest for him. The service gave him purpose. It gave him peace of mind, ironically enough.

But it wasn’t Marc who emerged. You would recognize that frenzied, openly-deranged look in his eyes from a mile away now. No, Jake Lockley was the man who had chosen to step to the front. He held his head high, just as Steven had, but it was an entirely different kind of confidence.

“What time do you need me there?” His voice was… different. He certainly didn’t speak to the old god in the same tone of voice he used when speaking to you. It was something else entirely. Something you struggled to find the words to explain. He was almost excited, obviously more content with taking orders than Steven, and less hesitant about following through than Marc seemed to be. Had he taken missions for Khonshu before? This wasn’t the look of someone who didn’t know what he was doing.

“Jake?” He didn’t turn to look at you. His eyes were still focused on the bathroom door. Jake slowly got to his feet, dumping the yarn out of his lap and onto the floor, kicking it out of the way. His stance was powerful, not in the way that either of the others held themselves, even with the suit on. It wasn’t a rageful look, wasn’t a vengeful look, and certainly wasn’t a look of self-loathing or pain or guilt.

Jake looked relaxed. Confident, strong, and ready to pounce at whatever Khonshu ordered him to, but he looked more than satisfied to do it. Without a second thought and without compromise.

“What the hell, Jake?” He turned to look at you as if it was the first time he’d noticed you were in the room. His eyes softened immediately as they met your own, but not nearly as much as you would have liked. Not enough for comfort.

“This can’t wait till tomorrow.” Jake gave a quick pleading look before turning back to where the god was standing. They started to converse in Spanish, so most of the meaning was lost to you, but you caught bits and pieces.

“¿Cuántos tengo que pasar?” How many do I have to go through?

“¿Cuánto tardará?” How long will it take?

You caught a few stray words that you couldn’t put in context. Transaction. Seven. Broken. Quickly. It wasn’t enough for you to figure out exactly what was being asked of him. You decided to just stop listening, venturing to the bedroom to grab his duffel. For a second, you considered grabbing your own as well. After a few minutes, he followed you.

“What are you doing?” He seemed hasty.

“Packing your stuff. You’re gonna need to dress warm for Madripoor.”

“I can handle it, and I don’t need to pack. I’ve got everything I need, I just gotta change.” He grabbed the bag right out of your hands, a bit too aggressively for your taste. “Have you seen my gloves?”

“What gloves?” You’d never seen him wear gloves. He hadn’t really been around long enough to wear anything other than the clothes Steven and Marc had put on. They never wore gloves, save for the ones on their ceremonial armor.

“Oh, right. Nevermind. I’ve got all of this. Don’t worry.” He threw the duffel back to its spot under the bed, still almost fully packed. Jake was moving with almost as much frenzy as he had in the hotel before, though he was more calculated in his movements.

“Do you do Khonshu’s bidding often, then? You don’t seem like someone who’s never done this before.” Your emotions were swimming around in your brain and body, none of them quite sticking out. There was still so much to learn about Jake.

“I do what I have to.” He dug around the room, you guessed searching for his mentioned pair of gloves. Why were they so important to him? He pulled a black jacket out of the closet and tossed it on the bed as he shuffled through the clothes.

“You don’t have to do everything he says.” You pointed out to Jake. Perhaps the boys hadn’t explained this dynamic of servitude to him. Maybe he thought he didn’t have a choice.

“I’m not doing it just because he says. This bastard can’t be given the chance to get away. He has to be put down.”

“Put down? Jake, you’re talking about killing a man.” This should be harder for him. Hell, even before you met, you thought that Jake only killed in self-defense. This new revelation of his philosophy was scaring you.

“He’s hardly a man. I gotta make sure he can’t hurt anyone else.” He tugged off the sleep shirt that Steven had been wearing, not even turning to face you completely. He sighed in relief as he spotted a pair of black gloves on the bottom shelf of the bed frame. Jake pulled them on, still half dressed, and continued his search for clothes.

“I’m coming with you.” That stopped him in his tracks. He turned to face you head on, a short fuse behind his eyes.

“There’s no time. I’ve got to be there before midnight.” He obviously didn’t want to raise his voice at you, but he wanted to be assertive. The line between assertive and aggressive was hard for him to find.

“That’s plenty of time. I can get us plane tickets right now.”

“Midnight their time. We can’t fly there in four hours. Khonshu has to take me.” You didn’t want to admit defeat, but there was no way for him to take you along. It was probably for the best, after all. Jake had never been on a mission with you before, and it seemed unlikely that he was used to teamwork.

“Can you at least tell me your plan?” You would be damned if you would let them fly across the world without telling you what they were leaving for. Jake might be new to this dynamic, but he wasn’t leaving you with no idea what he was doing.

“There’s an art showcase happening at midnight. He’s going to be there with half of his normal security and he’s expected to be there all night. If I can get into the venue before it opens, I can scope him out without putting a target on my back. Then I just have to wait until he’s alone. Or… mostly alone.”

“How long is it gonna take, then?” He pulled on his preferred outfit as you spoke. You noticed the gloves had white crescent moons on the knuckles. Jake obviously knew more about Khonshu than you had thought.

“I don’t know. Maybe a day? It could take hours, it could take days. It just depends on what I see when I get there.”

“And your only target is the mob boss that Steven mentioned? He’s the only one you plan to kill?”

This was too much for you. You had come to terms with Marc’s self-loathing and his agreement to seek vengeance for those that Khonshu deemed the travelers of the night. You had accepted that Steven was able to do those things without the resentment that his alter felt, though it required a significant push for him to resort to such things. You didn’t know how to feel about Jake having no remorse for the violence and no hesitance to obey the old god.

He looked at you with a resignation that you saw once before. Your mind shot back to the words he had uttered as he dawned that look. You’re scared of me. He knew exactly how you were feeling right now. Jake couldn’t bring himself to feel guilt or shame or anything else. He knew that this is what he needed to do. It didn’t mean that he felt good at all about his answer to you, though.

“Yes, just him. That’s the plan. For now.”

~~~ @n1ght5h4d3-24 @magicwithaknife @rmoonstoner @nervouslaught3r @unavoidabledirewolf @sarcasm-n-insomnia @kbakery @mccn-bcys @gingermous @dennyreadsfanfic @rosequinn121 @avatarofseshat @damreonsgirl @dragons-are-my-favorite @k8esilver @competentpotato @theconsultingdoctor10 @notsochillnerd @rayrlupin @moony-artemis @nerdory10 @valkyrieace @ahookedheroespureheart @mt2sssss @loki-hargreeves @starfirette @celeste412 @avengersinitiative2012 @sifinskies @unspokenmoon @maplemind @dear-odessa @mainstreambitchlife

#masterlist #make your acquaintance #moon knight #steven grant #marc spector #jake lockley #steven grant x reader #moon knight x you #steven grant x you #moon knight x reader #jake lockley x reader #jake lockley x you #im so sorry i promise we will be seeing more of marc soon

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