CASINO LOVE AFFAIR — P.JS
SYNOPSIS: Hunting supernatural beings is not your passion at all. But somehow, you were always inevitably tied to it. To make your grudge against it deeper, someone had to drag you along a bumpy ride. Who was it? The man that broke into your house in the middle of the night to convince you to join him to save his lost brother in Sin City, Vegas. Jay had one chance to save his brother, and another one chance to rekindle something that was lost between you and him. All in that one casino.
PAIRINGS: supernatural hunter!jay x supernatural hunter afab!reader
GENRE: frenemies (with benefits) to lovers, supernatural au, inspired by tv series "supernatural", jay is based off "dean winchester", romance, angst, action
WARNING(S): profanities, drinking, mentions of death/murder, violence, suggestive content (no smut), slightly possessive jay, demons, possessions
WC: 11k
AUTHOR'S NOTE: specially dedicated to my supernatural enthusiasts, especially to my dean girlies (gn) who loves jay! rest assured, there's going to be hoon ver (based off sammy) <3 i hope you'll love this one as much as i enjoyed writing it, please leave feedbacks!!
masterlist | © jaylver 2023
In this world, accidents and tragedies were recurring happenings, but what people didn't understand was the fact that neither were coincidences. You heard that right, it might sound insanely crazy, but the supernatural exists.
There were two types of people on planet Earth. Ones that were blessed with obliviousness, unaware that the local murder case wasn't just a simple serial killer on the loose. Then, there's the ones that were rather cursed with the ability of hunting, knowing the real truths behind tragedies and solving said supernatural cases. They were known as hunters.
No, not the hunters that chase after deers with a gun, but rather chasing after demons, vampires and much more freaky stuff with more than just a single gun.
You were, unfortunately, part of the small percentage of hunters that were tasked to hunt supernatural beings and protect others. You never wanted this life, you despised it, the constant fear constantly followed. It was your father who dragged you into this, being a hunter himself, it was natural he had to train you to become one as well.
You were an only child, so it was no surprise your father ended up dragging you along to hunts and let's say the amount of therapy wasn't enough to heal the traumas you've witnessed and experienced. Dread was the feeling you carried up until your 20s, tired of this life and craving the normal college life of an ordinary being, but then that was when everything changed. Your father was killed.
You guessed it, freak accident with a vampire. Fantastic. Just to make things even more complicated, the infamous Park brothers turned up at your front door pretending to be police officers, doing their usual investigation, or rather identity fraud. What they didn't know was that you knew who they were, so they were eventually busted. You still accepted their help either way, finding the vampires and bringing your father to justice.
That all happened a few years ago, constantly staying in contact with the Park brothers while they travelled around hunting and you stayed home merrily, occasionally meeting if they were in town. Mostly, the best you could repay them was at least some help in information. You were glad to finally start afresh, getting a new job and shopping for new furniture. You thought this was it, time to settle down and put everything in the past.
But, you spoke too soon.
You were a light sleeper. From the years of your father's gruelling training, you learnt to listen for any weird noses during the night, and it surely did help. You could barely sleep, hearing odd creaks as your adrenaline increased, imagining the scenario where you had to reach for the iron knife under your bed.
Creak. Creak. Creak.
The faint footstep got closer and louder, reaching your side of the bed, standing right beside you and stopped eventually. You sensed a figure, this wasn't good. Demon? Vampire? Your hand slowly travelled down to the spot of your knife, eyes shut tight and heart beating crazily. In the count of three, strike.
One … two … three—
"Woah, woah, woah, easy there tiger,"
Your hand reacted first, thrusting the knife forward without your eyes open, but once the voice travelled into your ears and your mind turned, you opened your eyes in an instant.
This was worse than a demon.
"Jay?"
One of the Park brothers happened to be standing in the middle of your bedroom. At three in the morning. Were you going to question how he got in? Maybe later.
"Y/N," he saluted back at you, a noticeable grin on his face despite the darkness, but you remained impassive, a wary look on your face and your hold on the knife didn't relax.
“Hold on,” you said, scrambling out of bed, scepticism clear in your voice, your stance unchanged as you held tight onto the knife. “Are you really Jay?”
Jay tilted his head, an eyebrow raised. "You're seriously doubting me? Right now?"
"Hey, I'm a hunter, you're a hunter, we both know this is basic caution,"
"Alright," he threw his hands up, giving in. "Quiz me,"
"Where's my birthmark?"
"You're seriously asking this—?"
"You've forgotten it?" You stared accusingly at him, the knife in your hand was dangerously close to him and he was clearly aware of that too. "You're the only person who knows this," you narrowed your gaze.
"It's been ages since the last time we fucked—"
"Can you not bring that up?"
"Fine. On your back," he answered, his eyes flickering between you and the knife.
"Where?"
"That specific?" He whined, but once he saw you were, in fact, not kidding, he cleared his throat. "Lower back, on the right, almost at the side. It's a small birthmark that is shaped like a heart,"
You blinked. Thankful it wasn't some creature disguised as him, but also churning in slight rage that he was here. Look, you and Jay had … some interesting history. No bad blood was caused from it, but it had affected your ties with him, which explained why he was the lesser favourite brother to you. He was never going to know that though.
Just for old times sake and also not seeing him for months, you threw the knife onto the bed, engulfing him into a hug. "Gods, you're alive,"
He chuckled, his hand rubbing your back. "Of course I am. Doubting my skills now?"
"Jay, you literally died and came back before," you pulled away, staring pointedly at him.
"That was the past, this is the present," he waved it off, coughing awkwardly and you rolled your eyes. You switched on your table lamp, taking a small bottle from your bedside drawer and handing it to him.
"What's this? Complimentary water for guests?"
"Holy water, if you count that as complimentary,"
"You're kidding. I passed your quiz,"
"I'm trying to be sure there's no hidden demon inside your body, okay?" You raised the small bottle to eye level. "Drink up,"
"Fine," Jay gritted, snatching the bottle from your hand, chugging half of it down. No demon, thankfully. "See?"
"Just wanted to confirm," you tossed the bottle back into the drawer, turning to face him with a quizzical stare. "Now, are you going to tell me why you've broken into my house in the middle of the night?"
"Breaking in? Pft,"
"Jay," you said flatly, a stern look gazing back at him. "What are you doing here?"
Jay clenched his jaw, seemingly rethinking his words in his mind, calculatingly picking the right ones to make sure you wouldn't explode. "I need help,"
"No,"
"What?" He was taken aback by your bluntness. "You always helped us,"
"Busting into my house at 3 AM doesn't sound like your usual need for my help. You want me to do something more hands-on, don't you?"
Jay was silent. You got him there.
"Jay, I am always here for help. You do know I literally commit illegal things just to dig up information for you two right? But that's the most I'll do and the least I can do for you, I swore I wouldn't go back into hunting,"
"But this one's important,"
"You have Sunghoon to help you anyway,"
"He's gone,"
The next few sentences you had in mind died in your throat. The other Park brother was missing? There was no way this happened. They were skilled hunters, what went wrong?
Jay cleared his throat, shoving his hands into his jean pockets, noticing your obvious shock. "Look, that's why I'm here. Hoon's gone, poof, missing. One second he was at the motel and the next when I got back, he's gone. I should've never left,"
"Any ideas what it could've been?"
"No," he shook his head, frustration laced in the way he had his eyebrows furrowed.
"How are we supposed to find him? Jay, I'm no sorcerer or a crossroad demon that can summon him up. I could be as equally lost as you are,"
He ran his hands through his hair, heaving a deep and heavy sigh. "I don't know either. I'm fucked, okay? I don't have anyone else to find but you, and there's no one that knows Hoon as much as I do but you,"
"How do I know I can trust you this time?" You mindlessly let the words slip out, referring to the incident that caused the slight crack between you two, its effect remained even after.
"I told you I'm sorry already, Y/N," he said softly, catching on your innuendo at once.
It was the last time you went on an actual hunt with the Park brothers when it happened. Crazy monsters and demon ladies were nothing too big for you three, but the moment a human was involved, the hunt became vulnerable.
A part of you wanted to save the innocent man even though he was long gone and already affected by the creature, turning wild gradually. Being the rash and impulsive person Jay was, he demanded to kill the man at once, Sunghoon trying to calm him down while you fought back.
It was a stupid argument, you were emotional and he was aggressive, Sunghoon trying to be neutral and diffusing the tension, but failed. In the end, a cure was found but Jay had already killed the man. Even though you were able to save the others, a part of you continued to seethe with anger.
'Too emotional' was what Jay called you. Storming away was the only thing you could muster in that moment, and it took a few days before he showed up at your front door apologising with a bouquet of flowers. Were you fully satisfied? Not really. Did things change? Definitely.
As for now, you pondered thoughtfully. Despite your valiant efforts of escaping the supernatural part of your past, you knew it was imminent it would come back, just not like this. Sunghoon was a nice guy, he and his brother helped you and your family before, and some part of you wanted to do the same. You swore you didn't want to hunt with the Park brothers after that incident, and it seemed that you had no choice but to eat your words. You were going to regret your decision, you know so.
"Okay," it came out more of a whisper, which made Jay lean in closer, an eyebrow raised.
"What?"
"Okay, fine, I'll go with you to find Sunghoon. Don't make me go back on my word,"
"Right, right," Jay said rather excitedly, his eyes beaming. "Gods, how did I manage to get the Y/N L/N to hunt with me? I am a lucky man,"
"Don't test your luck," you took the iron knife from your bed and pointed it at him, earning a sleazy eye roll from the latter.
"You still have your gears with you?" He glanced around your room, not a single weapon in sight, only messy heaps of clothes.
"Duh," your hand reached for the bottom of your pillow, pulling out another blade, made purely from iron, perfect for killing supernatural beings. "When are we leaving?"
"Best before day break,"
"So … roadtrip?"
"You bet."
Begrudgingly, you shoved some clothes into a small carry on, packing guns, knives, blades, salt. Yes, salt, sodium. It might seem weird but salt literally saves lives, literally. An insignificant kitchen ingredient held a significant role by protecting people from spirits attack. Rock salts were used as ammunition as well to ward spirits off for a short time. Insane, right?
Jay helped you fit your bags into the trunk of his Chevrolet Impala, one that he has been driving almost forever. Among your bags, there were a shit ton of weapons, quite messily scattered around, some stuck on the trunk door. It was certainly a rich collection.
“Hop in, dollface. Be my guest,”
You rolled your eyes as Jay opened the car door for you. He was still the same old Jay. Promiscuous, teasing, haughty, but you supposed that was the charming point of him. You remembered the insides of the car as clear as day when you got in, almost felt like it was just yesterday when you were in it.
“Where to?” you turned to look over at Jay who had just slammed the car door shut, his hands on the wheel, a cheshire grin pulled at his lips.
“Vegas,” he flashed you a toothy smirk, but you could only mirror his expression with an unamused one.
“Sin city? You’re kidding. Why on earth are we heading there—God, Jay, don’t tell me you developed some gambling addiction—”
“No! For fuck’s sake,” Jay pulled the car to start, the headlights brightened the dark street at once. Well, goodbye to your home, you hoped you would make it back alive. “It was where Hoonie and I had our last hunt, the place he went missing, and funny thing, the hunt is incomplete,”
“So, you’re telling me you drove all the way to my house from Vegas in the middle of an unfinished hunt just because Sunghoon’s gone,”
“‘Just because’? Y/N, it’s life or death!”
“I’m not saying this isn’t important!” you bite back, sleep deprivation wasn’t helping your increased agitation. “Didn’t this happen before? One of you goes missing and the other solves the case and finds each other? What’s so big this time?”
“This did happen,” Jay sighed, the bags under his eyes obvious despite the darkness surrounding you, the tuned down rock music played faintly on the radio. “I went lost, got captured by some psycho killer, whatever, but it was traceable, it always was, but this time … something’s different and it’s definitely not only a psycho killer, it’s something stronger, darker,”
“Jolly. A demon,” you wondered aloud, Jay humming in agreement. “Mind telling me what hunt you and Sunghoon were on in Vegas before his disappearance?”
“Saw on the news about deaths in a casino, so Hoon and I decided to check it out, and guess what we found? Sulphur,” demons tend to leave sulphur around, finding sulphur basically indicated a demon’s presence, pretty basic information.
“A demon on massacre duties in a casino? I feel like this one is out for money, something to do with his greed and desire,” you speculated, unsurprised as these were common occurrences.
"Likely," Jay clicked his fingers, his eyebrows bunched together, a scheming look on his face. "Here's the thing, we were somewhat on the road to uncovering some truths, on who the real demon was, but that's when this happened, it's no coincidence that he probably took Hoonie,"
"Which means you still don't know who's the mastermind in that casino right now? Or where Sunghoon could possibly be?"
"No," he answered bitterly, his fingers strumming the steering wheel softly. "And I think the jackass jumps into different bodies working there each time, it's hard to trace,"
"Are we going around splashing holy water? How are we supposed to know whose body is being possessed?"
"We don't," he said plainly, and matter-of-factly, turning his face just enough for you to catch him winking at you. "But we do know he's a higher up, a man with a position, or maybe positions,"
"Guess it's our lucky day testing our fortune on catching demons and winning at casinos,"
"Looks just like the movies,"
Upon entering the state of Nevada at nightfall, you were welcomed with the blistering nightlife of Las Vegas, the bright lights blinding your sights and you couldn't help but be fascinated.
"Where are we heading?"
"Towards the hotel the man was murdered in," Jay nodded at one of the big and tall hotels ahead. "There's a famous casino in that hotel, lots of people constantly betting, rich and powerful men are frequently present,"
"A perfect spot for a money hungry demon,"
"Bingo,"
Jay parked his beloved car and was rather sad leaving it behind in a shabby parking lot. You knew he loved his car, sometimes clingy and attached, but he loved it a little too much.
Grabbing your bags and a seperate one full of weapons, you and Jay headed into the hotel and towards the reception, where a bright young woman named Carrie was smiling back at you both.
"You're not going to make me spray holy water at her, right?" You said quietly in hopes of the receptionist not hearing it.
"I'm not stopping you," Jay passed you an unamused half grin.
"Hello! How may I assist you?" Carrie greeted enthusiastically, but frankly, none of you could reciprocate the same energy.
"We'd like to book two rooms please," Jay slid the card towards Carrie, hoping to get this over with quickly.
"Just two?" She glanced between you and Jay, a question mark basically floating above her head. "We have a 'couples exclusive' promotion though,"
You and Jay shared a look, turning back to the receptionist. "Two, please,"
"There's free access to the facilities and the buffet," Carrie continued on. "Oh—uhm—there's a jacuzzi here too,"
Jay turned to you, you stared back, a knowing look passed between one another, releasing sighs of displeasure.
"We'll take it,"
It would be an understatement to just say the hotel was fancy, it was more than fancy. High ceilings, marble floors, chandeliers, everything was almost in gold. You were able to catch a slight glimpse of the casino as you passed, and indeed, it was packed with people. Boy, you were about to have a time trying to find out who's the real imposter.
"I definitely spotted some sulphur just now," Jay shook his head, his eyes scanning the floor, walls and surroundings. "I think this one has minions here,"
"Amazing," you clicked your tongue, impatiently stalking through the soundless corridor in search of your designated room. You were dying to dive into your hotel bed.
"Do you think we have enough?" Jay eyed the bag of weapons as you two stood outside your room, but just before you could answer, a stranger appeared next to you two, holding a keycard to the room next to yours.
"Oh, I'm sure it's enough," the stranger, a middle aged lady, laughed.
You glanced at Jay, a cautionary sign was understood. "W–what do you mean?" Jay chuckled nervously.
"Condoms? That's what you meant, right?" The lady snickered, and you were absolutely dumbfounded. "Just keep it down kids, it's not entirely soundproof here and I need sleep. It's nice meeting you guys!"
The lady slammed the door behind her, leaving you and Jay standing there like statues, a little confusion and surprise in the air.
"Condoms," you echoed, shuddering slightly.
Jay turned to look at you, a pensive look in his gaze, eyebrows raised slightly. "Do you … unless—?"
"Zip it," you hoisted the bags, opened the door and stormed in while Jay remained standing there, a defensive look replacing his previous one.
"Hey, I didn't even say it," he shouted from the outside, taking his bags from the floor.
"I know what you're trying to say, thank you! Now get your ass in here before I shut you out,"
"Yes, ma'am," Jay scrambled in and shut the door close, soon noticing your figure looming over the bed and was curious. "What's up?"
"There's only one bed," you glanced down at the king size bed, a heart formed from rose petals decorated it and you found it highly ridiculous. "And they made it romantic, how sweet,"
"You're kidding me," Jay ran his hand across his tired face, a weary sigh leaving his lips. "I'll take the couch,"
You stopped him there. "Dude, you're going to be hunting demons, I'm not letting you get backaches from a lousy couch,"
"There's no way you're sleeping on it either,"
You bit your lips, maybe sleeping on the same bed for a few nights wouldn't hurt, right? It certainly wasn't your first time with Jay anyway, but business was business, and this was far from being professional.
"Let's just share the same bed,"
Jay stared doubtfully at you, as if he couldn't believe those words had come out of your mouth. "You're up for that?"
"Do you think we have any other choices?" You crossed your arms, mirroring his pointed gaze.
"Touche," he nodded thoughtfully, dropping his bags to a corner. "Just don't kick me in my sleep,"
"I'll be happy to kick you now instead."
"Stop staring!"
Despite being tired and worn out, you and Jay dragged yourselves out from the room in hopes of some food and checked out the hotel and casino.
The inside of the casino was bright and painted in gold, red themed colours. It was extremely busy and crowded, many were yelling in surprise and joy, while there were those in despair over losing. Jay, on the other hand, was too busy staring at by-passing girls to focus on the real purpose.
"What?" He hissed defensively, winking at another server and you rolled your eyes at his never changing behaviour.
"You can enjoy whatever you want after everything, okay? Not to be a killjoy but there's a demon here that took your brother,"
"Hey! I'm aware,"
"Sure," you mumbled sarcastically, looking around the table and observing people's faces, but you knew none of these normal citizens were possessed.
"Do you think we can meet the host or manager tonight?" Jay made sure to whisper that quietly, glancing around warily.
"You think one of them would be possessed?"
"The chances are high. Hoon and I went over to the dead man's house the other day, the wife told us he was close to the host, something by the name Sam? Sam Clerk?"
"Looking for me?"
You've never turned around so quick, your hand instinctively reached into your pocket for the small bottle of holy water, but Jay's hand stopped you discreetly, giving you one of his 'I got this' look.
"You're Sam Clerk?" Jay laughed awkwardly, playing it cool and casual.
The man before you was tall and seemingly in his mid 30s, his smile was wide and welcomingly, but there was a malevolent energy emitted from him. "Why yes, that's me. And you two are …?"
"I'm … Jack Williams,"
Sam glanced at you expectantly, and if you could dig yourself a grave then from the embarrassment, hoy would've. You cleared your throat, "I'm Stacy … Williams, he's my husband,"
You felt Jay's gaze on you, burning into your skin, but you ignored him and looped your arm around his.
"Oh!" Sam clapped in surprise, a pleasant smile spread across his face. "You two must be new here, right? I've never seen you before,"
"Right, we are," Jay patted your hand, plastering on his most convincing smile. "That was why we wanted to find you! We heard how great of a host you were and wanted an introduction,"
"I'm pleased, but I'm a little busy tonight, so I can't assist you unfortunately," a flash of change in his eyes was barely noticeable, but you caught onto it. "But there's a charity ball we're holding in two days, I would love to invite you both to attend,"
"We'd love to," you said almost immediately.
Sam chuckled, nodding in satisfaction. "Great. I'll see you … then."
Without another word, he left in a dash, moving almost like a shadow. You unknowingly let out a shaky breath, feeling goosebumps rise. "His energy was so off,"
"I know," Jay was thinking hard, his mind working extra hours. "So, it's him … but there's definitely another one which we don't know, there's no way this would be so easy, and we also need to know where Hoon is,"
"I think I have an idea," you held onto his forearm, pulling him on and continued your walk around the casino. "I did some digging on the history behind this hotel and the casino, and it goes way back,"
"How long?"
"Centuries. It was built on a cursed ground, but they didn't care, and guess what? There were deaths here over those years too, unexplained ones. Weird, huh? But that's not the point. There's some hidden underground chamber somewhere here, built by someone from the olden days, and it's said to harbour bad energy,"
"Attracts demons,"
"Perfect hideout,"
"But why Hoon?" Jay scratched his head, eyebrows furrowed and increasingly frustrated.
"I mean, you guys were hunting the demons and they caught on. Plus, timing was bad, you happened to be out,"
"True," Jay sighed. "We should ask that Sam guy more stuff during that charity ball, and we should start doing some digging tomorrow,"
"I'll use my flirting skills and wiggle information off him," you grinned, nudging his side teasingly.
"You should use it on me instead," he grumbled noisily.
"No chance," you smiled sarcastically at him, pulling him towards the bar. "Let's just enjoy tonight and drink a little, I definitely need some before diving into … everything,"
"Get ready to drink until you fall, L/N,"
"Challenge accepted, Park."
The night faded into a blur, you and Jay somehow wandered off without one another, but stayed within the vicinity. You were drinking alone at the bar, the alcohol seemed like water to you, your tolerance coming strong.
Jay was off at the side, leaning against the wall as he openly flirts with a random blonde girl. Laughing suavely, a glass of whiskey in one hand and his charming looks sweeping the blonde off her feet.
You shouldn't be feeling this way, but you would be lying if you said you were indifferent to him and the girl. It was no surprise you and him had history, even on the intimate level, but to have feelings for him? That was something new you slowly came about to realise.
Onto your new glass of gin, Jay slid into the empty seat next to you, looking far from drunk. You forgot Jay had an alcohol tolerance that challenged yours, making him an interesting drinking partner to have on most nights.
"What happened to the girl?"
"What girl?" He craned his neck to stare off at the distance before turning back to look at you, his face inching closer to yours. "Blondie? Nah," he shook his head, a playful grin appearing on his handsome face. "Can't believe I'm saying this but are you perhaps … jealous?"
"Me? Jealous? Don't be ridiculous," you pushed his face away, eliciting a humorous laugh from him.
"I think you are," Jay said in a sing-song tone under his breath. "Rest assure, sweetheart, I never fucked anyone else ever since our last night together," he winked, taking his jacket hanging from the chair and offered you his hand, which you grudgingly accepted.
"Are you sure you're not lying to me? Park Jong Seong, the man who hunts demons and loves to fuck around hasn't been bringing girls back?"
"Don't doubt me or my feelings here," he feigned a crying face dramatically to which you pulled a face at. “You’re seriously underestimating my feelings for you,” he said, a little seriously this time, raising his eyebrows at you before letting your hands go and leading the way back to the room, making sure to turn around to check up on you from time to time.
You were tired by the time you’ve reached your room, changing out of your outfit into a much more comfortable one while Jay did the same in another room. You would be lying if you said you weren’t nervous, it wasn’t an everyday occurrence that you slept next to a man, even if he was one you’ve shared a bed with once.
“Goodnight, Y/N,” Jay yawned as he got under the sheets, you followed suit, shifting around for a better position. Your’s and Jay’s back faced each other, a distance obvious between you two.
“Night, Jay,” you switched the lights off, the room was dark, but you were wide awake. The unfamiliar bed had you tossing and turning, but also making an effort not to bump into Jay while doing so.
“We haven’t done this in a while,” Jay suddenly spoke into the darkness after barely ten minutes.
You bit back a smile, wrapping your hands tighter around yourself. “Yeah, we haven’t,”
"If I have to be honest, I miss it," you couldn't see Jay's face, only picturing it as he continued on. "I miss waking up next to you,"
"Jay …" you trailed off, heart squeezing slightly. "You know we can't,"
"I know," he repeated, a beat passed. "But what if we can?"
"You said it was too dangerous, you didn't want it,"
"I didn't say I didn't want it," he was quick to retaliate. "I want it, you know I do, but this job, this life, your life, I'll be a walking supernatural attractor,"
A short moment of silence filled the space between you and him, you let out a sigh. "Whatever it is, I'm willing to drop it for you, whether it was years ago or now, I don't think my feelings have changed. But that’s for you to accept anyway,"
Jay didn’t say anything more, your tiredness eventually brought you to sleep, unaware that he was still wide awake, turning around to glance at the back of your head, head filled with thoughts of you. Jay knew that being a hunter was a dangerous job, which meant romantic relationships and commitment were two hard things to tackle, even harder than killing supernatural things. But you were different to him. A one night together somehow turned his stone heart soft. The Park Jong Seong was truthfully in love with you. You were the angel to the devil in his heart. What’s stopping him was everything around his life, his cold demeanour, his fears.
The night melted into snores and wild dreams, the sun was soon peeking out of the horizons and sunlight streamed into your room. You were awoken by your alarm blaring by the bedside, slamming it off and trying stretching your limbs, but as you said, you tried.
Jay's arm was wrapped around your waist tightly, his body pressed against your side as its weight leaned against yours. You haven't been this intimate with him for months, and it certainly sparked something in you.
"God, Jay, wake up," you tapped his arm, trying to yank it off you, but he only retaliated by hugging your body tighter and tugging you closer to him.
"5 minutes," was all he could mumble before continuing his snores.
You scoffed, giving in with no choice. Since Jay indirectly wanted a lazy morning in, you decided it was best to call room service instead.
"Good morning, can I order some room service?" It was an awkward position with the phone against your ear, menu in your hands and a grown man's arm draped across your abdomen.
The women on the other line coughed uncomfortably. "Good morning, miss, but room service is currently unavailable. Something happened overnight …" she drifted off and your face scrunched into an expression of confusion.
"What … happened?"
"I don't know if I should be saying this—"
"I won't complain, I swear, I just want to know," you tried to be as convincing as you could, and somehow the women complied.
"A murder happened, in the casino, again," she breathed out, a pinch of disbelief in her tone. "I think it's cursed,"
Oh, you don't say.
"Is there anyone who's hurt?"
"Other than the murdered rich tycoon, no,"
Rich tycoon, as expected.
"Got it. Be safe,"
"You too."
You placed down the phone, shaking the man beside you who only let out gruff huffs of annoyance. "Hm?"
"Don't 'hm' me, get your ass up. We've got trouble."
Dragging a five foot ten grown man out of the bed was definitely a struggle, but in the end, it worked. After spilling the information you got earlier, he seemed content with just a cup of coffee and stormed towards the crime scene at once.
As expected, the police had surrounded the area and curious bystanders were peeking in from left and right. You and Jay slipped into the crowd, making sure to scan the area as much as you could, and as expected, traces of sulphur.
"Another one bites the dust, huh?" Jay hummed as you two roamed around the hotel aimlessly, unable to do much more but laying low since police officers were still around.
"Have you ever thought about there being more than one demon here?"
"Yeah, that guy we met with his demon minions, duh—"
"Forget about the minions, let's think about the powerful ones," you bite your lips thoughtfully. "Remember this hotel being built centuries ago?"
"Yeah?"
"Two brothers owned it. One was the head of everything while the other managed the casino mostly," you said, glancing around. "Ring a bell? I'm pretty sure the guy's just a vessel, they were the ones working here before they got possessed, the demon's in those bodies,"
"You're a genius," Jay gasped, coming to realisation as he pieced it one by one.
"Now, I think I also got a faint idea of the secret dungeon. Their office,"
"Any history lesson?"
"No, just a blind guess, but my sixth sense told me so and you know how trustable my sixth sense is,"
"It sure is," Jay nodded in agreement, proven by your skills in previous hunts. "Should we break into it?"
"Are you crazy? You're walking into hell," you knew it was no secret how impulsive he was, which explained why you were there in the first place. "I reckon we strike during the charity ball,"
"But how are we going to identify the other brother first?"
"Oh, speaking of the devil," you nodded over at the crime scene that was now a distance away. Two men appeared, one was Sam, and the other was someone you've never seen before, but strangely held a resemblance to Sam.
They possessed brothers? You're joking.
"That must be the man of the hour," Jay whistled, eyeing the two men conversing with the officers. The man was taller than Sam, older looking and had a similar friendly face to him that also seemed intimidating.
"They're leaving," the two brothers bid farewell to the officers, watching them leave before turning around and walking away themselves. Jay and his impulsiveness just had to strike again. "Let's follow them,"
"Huh?"
Before you fully register Jay's words, that fucker pulled you by the wrist and started sprinting off into the direction the demon brothers were heading. If you could sock Jay in the jaw at that moment, you would've.
"Are you trying to get us killed?" You hissed quiet enough to not blow your cover, following the brothers a short distance away as they headed towards their office.
"Trying not to, but shush, we need to hear what they're saying,"
The brother stopped just before the door to their office, you and Jay followed suit, your body almost crashing into him from the abrupt halt. Jay dragged you into a dingy closet packed with cleaning supplies, great, and there was barely any room to move, let alone take a step back, and thus you found yourself in a compromising position.
Jay glanced down at you, a smirk etched on his face. "Not our first time, huh—"
"One word and you're not making it out alive, now hush and listen," you glared at him, effectively shutting him up but failed at wiping off his smug smile.
From the other side of the door, you heard shuffling and the voice of Sam Clerck. "But John—"
Jay's eyes widened, and you knew what he meant, there was a name.
"—the amount of killing is making this whole thing suspicious to the mortals,"
"It's annoying that you're calling me 'John'," the latter spat.
"It's not my fault that's the name of the original bodies. Fine, Elijah, don't you think we should rest on the killings for the moment,"
"What? Elliot, here's no way we're doing that, look at the fortune we're making,"
"Mind you, we have a possible hunter captured in the office's dungeon, what are we doing with him? Oh, there's probably other hunters coming as well now that they've slowly caught onto us,"
"Brother, stop overthinking and fretting," Elijah, the presumed older brother, sighed. "We could use him as a sacrifice—"
You clamped a hand over Jay's mouth, knowing him too well that he would let out noises and maybe burst out the door, but there was no way you're letting him do either of those.
"Or just kill him. We've been treating him well with food, excluding the fact that there's no sunlight,"
"We'll see how it goes, underground or not, another killing is too risky,"
"Whatever,"
You heard the door click shut, the two brothers already entered their office. Jay licked your hand and you reacted at once, shooting him a disgusted expression and opening the door, a gush of fresh air filled your lungs and you're no longer pressed against Jay, hooray!
"You heard that? They're going to serve my brother up on a platter or just directly cook him into a meat skewer,"
You pushed Jay to move along, avoiding the risk of getting caught. "We know he's in the office now, and there's definitely a way to get him out, can you try being hopeful for once?"
"It's Hoon we're talking about, so no,"
"Look, Elijah and Elliot, they're the Vamson brothers,"
"Who?"
"They're the original owners of this hotel and they got executed from murder cases. Explains why they knew the dungeon and all,"
"What do we do now?"
"Not 'now', tomorrow," you grinned, a plan brewing in mind. "We're splitting them up,"
The day consisted of you and Jay running around as inconspicuous as you could manage. The plan was slowly forming over a glass of whiskey. Jay would be onto distracting 'Sam' while you get closer to 'John', getting him to bring you back to his office and free Sunghoon by locating the dungeon.
"Must you really flirt with him?" Jay grumbled as he sipped on his glass.
"Is it your turn to be jealous now?"
"Yeah," Jay nodded straightforwardly, catching you a little off guard. "Pains me seeing you flirt with someone other than me,"
You rolled your eyes, playing it off nonchalant and casual, but internally? Your heart was doing backflips. "It's not actual flirting anyway, you dramatic ass,"
He let out a small, humorous laugh. "I know," he hummed. "But I just don't like seeing others with my girl,"
"I don't belong to you, Jay," you raised your eyebrows, playing around with your glass, heartbeat gradually increasing.
"You've been mine since the day you let me touch you," he said almost so nonchalantly that it gave you a whiplash. His words were unexpected, and it certainly stirred something in you.
"You're insane," you scoffed, completely hiding the fact that you were secretly blushing.
He simply shrugged. "Anyway, I'd like to catch some air outside, you coming?"
"Will you be smoking?"
"I quit that shit a while ago,"
You smiled at that. "Good. But nah, you can go on without me, but come back once you're done, I don't feel safe,"
"Obviously, I'm not leaving you alone," Jay carrassed your arm slightly, a small reassuring look present in his gaze.
"Got your gun? Knife? Weapons—?"
"Chill, Y/N, I'm only going out for a while,"
"Knowing you, you're going to get into trouble,"
Jay winked, his usual playful grin on display. "You bet,"
To prove you absolutely right, he did.
Upon returning, you felt an odd shift in Jay's energy. As much as you were in denial, you knew your sixth sense was always, forever right, gut feelings never lie.
He started off normal, but then he got all … how could you put it? Sexy? Seducing? Sensual? Definitely not Park Jong Seong's normal way of seducing someone, knowing it very well especially since you were a victim to his seductions.
You played along, pretending stupid, and it gave you enough time to deduce that he was possessed. Demons that stormed the hotel got to him in the end and you had to be the one to clean the mess up? Unbelievable.
Now, here you were, in his lap back in your hotel room, making out. You heard that right.
His hands tugged your hair, yours wandered his body, lips moving passionately against one another, you had to remind yourself that this WASN'T him!
You broke the kiss, heaving slightly as you reached for the small flask on your bedside table, a plan already in your mind. "Gosh, let me take a sip, want some?"
Jay—or demon Jay—nodded at the flask in your hand with some interest. "What's in there?"
"Whiskey, your favourite," you lied cunningly through your teeth.
"I'll have some,"
You passed it to Jay, watching his every move, from him taking the flask, holding it up to his lips, to downing the contents into his mouth, then a loud scream broke out from him.
"Holy water," you clicked your tongue. "And you're so not Jay,"
You threw yourself away from him, backing away from the bed. Jay turned to you sharply, piercingly glaring at you, his eyes turned fully black, leaving no whites. Oh yeah, hundred percent possessed.
He tried charging at you, but he then hit an invisible barrier. No matter how much he lunged and punched, he was stuck, and never escaping.
"Devil's trap, whoops," it was a precaution you took, drawing a sigil trap under the bed that was designed specially to trap demons, and there was no way out unless the circle was broken. It was great luck you got the demon twisted around your finger to have him follow you into bed. "Now, what's your business? Why are you possessing him?"
"You don't want to continue doing what you're doing here," he seethed out.
"I've got someone to save,"
He cackled with a look of disdain. "You humans are so weak minded and hero wannabes. How about you save yourself and forget about the guy? You don't know who you're dealing with or what you're even doing,"
"Oh, I don't?" You pulled the bedside table's drawer open, your trusty notebook was tucked inside and you snatched it out, showing it gloriously. "Look at this!"
"A stupid little notebook? You're not scaring me,"
"Are you sure? What if I told you there were some verses in here? You know, those types of verses, the ones that can make you go away. What if I start reciting some verses?" You taunted, your innocent smile riled him further.
"Come on then," he poked, challenging you.
"Seriously? I'm giving you choices and time before I send you back to hell. I'm really kind,"
Jay gulped, despite all that, he remained a confident front and a cocky look. "Your stupid chantings won't work on me,"
"A low level demon like you telling me what I know and don't know? Please, save some talk and let me show you what I'm best at," you flipped open your notebook, following the usual ritual and started the latin incantations.
Jay stirred, yelling out and his body shuddered. As your chantings got louder and more aggressive, the demon from within seemed to be fighting to escape. Finally, with one last verse, Jay's mouth opened and a flight of black smoke escaped from within and dissolved back to, hopefully, hell.
"Fuck," you ran towards the bed as you saw his body going limp, getting there just in time for his body to fall into your arms heavily. "I got you, Jay, you're okay,"
"Huh?" His eyes were half opened, looking worse than a drunk.
"Get some rest, we'll talk about this tomorrow. You need it."
"I got possessed, then we made out, and you exorcised me?"
"That was about it,"
It was the next morning, room service thankfully available now and you were having breakfast in bed with Jay as you poured over the happenings of the crazy night. Of course, Jay was having difficulties swallowing his food as he had zero recollections whatsoever, blacking out the moment the demon entered his body.
"So … we made out?"
"Seriously? Is that the important part to you?"
"We never did for months and the demon got to do it with you? This is trippy and I'm salty," he huffed, chewing on his sunny side egg sadly. "Anyway, did the demon say anything?"
"Right, he did. Something about how we shouldn't be doing what we're doing now, like a warning I think,"
"Eh, typical demon bullshit, they always get into your minds and spit some mind boggling ass words to get you all worked up. It's nothing,"
You were unconvinced, crossing your arms nervously. "You don't actually think there's something wrong, right? Something bigger than we think?"
"Maybe, maybe not," he shrugged, uncertainty lingered in his words. "Either way, we have bigger problems. Tonight, the charity ball, saving Hoonie,"
"You're right."
Running around the streets looking for some gown to buy was harder than expected. Buying it rather than renting was a stupid choice, a dumb and expensive one. But what could you do? You're probably going to rip it up anyway. Not in that manner.
The day was soon coming to an end. Earlier on, the two of you made sure to have your bags packed and ready, dumping them into the car in advance. God knows what's happening after the event, all you knew was that you're probably not stepping foot back into the hotel room again.
"Are you done?" Jay shouted from the other room as you finished some final touch ups.
"Can you wait for a second? Jeez!"
You burst open the door, meeting Jay's gaze at once. He was dressed handsomely in a suit, a plain black suit that hugged his muscles and body in a perfect way as if it was tailored for him.
As for you, you were in a simple floor length black gown, one with two surprises: an open back and a thigh slit. You weren't a big fan but it is what it is. It was likely made out of some cheap silk and half assed production, but this happened to be your only option.
"Fucking hell," he whistled under his breath, his eyes swept your figure from top to bottom and back to the top again to lock his gaze with yours. "Wow. You look amazing, more than amazing actually,"
He took a step, and another, until he was directly in front of you, face to face. "Is it okay if I touch you?" He whispered under his breath, something flashing in those brown irises.
"Yeah,"
His hand slithered around your waist, tugging you forward into his chest, eyes widened as it caught you by surprise. Being this close to him had you thinking of yesterday. Despite the fact that he was possessed, it was physically still him, meaning you did kiss him, and God, he missed him and his lips.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Yesterday,"
"That demon got you hooked?"
"You're annoying. I mean, kissing you," you faltered towards the end, gradually getting flustered.
"Would you like to recreate that?" Jay jokingly leaned in and you pushed his face away, laughing slightly.
"We don't have the time to, idiot,"
Jay shook his head, a small smile adorned his pretty features. "After all this … maybe we should talk it out. About us. Just you and I,"
"Definitely," you nodded, squeezing his shoulder lightly. "We should leave too, it's time,"
"You're right," he sighed, obvious disappointment in his voice as he glanced down at his wristwatch. "Let's go," he slowly let his hold of you go, but his hand remained around your waist as you two walked side by side.
That cheeky bastard's hands gradually travelled lower and lower as you walked, teasing you until it reached your lower back. Your head snapped over to give him a questioning glance, to which he reciprocated with a shrug.
"Hands up—" you moved his hands from your lower back back to your waist, eyes glaring at him, "—here,"
"You weren't complaining the last time we fucked,"
"Over a year back,"
"What do you say we relive that tonight, huh?"
"You're such a sleazebag. Oh, manwhore, and what else?"
"Dickhead, handsome jerk,"
"Okay, whatever you say, dickhead handsome jerk," you snickered sarcastically before dragging him towards the main area, making sure to not trip over your gown.
The hotel was bustling with guests from all over the world, being the busiest it has been as staff ran around frantically. The night has yet to begin and people were already gambling their minds off while drinking expensive champagne served by frantic servers.
You looked around, noticing Sam, or Elliot in actuality, conversing with someone, his brother was nowhere in sight … yet.
"Distract him, okay?" You whispered hastily into Jay's ears as you saw the man waving over at you two, possibly coming over once he's done with the guy he's talking to. "I'll try to be within hindsight, but listen to me, if I'm not back by the two hour mark, you come to the office and find me. You have the gun, right?"
"Yeah,"
"Good. I'm going to try and get Sunghoon out, but I've only got so much,"
"I'll be there, okay? I won't leave you,"
You nodded at his words, feeling his hand squeeze your arm tightly. The anxiety was pushing past its limits and you were praying everything to run your way. The moment Sam moved over to you and Jay, you exchanged friendly greetings and pretended to be interested in whatever he's trying to yap about. As he did so, Jay slowly whisked him away, luring him for a talk over some drinks. One thing Jay's excellent at was talking, and you sure hoped his charms were enough to keep the little brother at bay.
After some more digging, you found out John, aka Elijah, mostly hung around the bar area and observed his customers. Interesting man. Lo and behold, the theories were right and he was actually there, all alone, an easy target.
"Not here to gamble?" You slid by his side casually, sitting in an empty seat just a fraction of a distance in between.
"I like to sit and observe a little," he hummed, taking a sip out of his glass. "And you are?"
"Stacy Williams,"
"I'm John Clerk,"
Ironic that you two were actually lying about yourselves to each other.
"Owner of this place I believe?"
"It's true," he raised his glass up, quirking his eyebrows.
"Beautiful casino and hotel, by the way," you said sweetly, putting on your most convincing smile.
"Thank you," he bowed his head slightly. Not much of a conversationalist, huh? Maybe this was your time to strike.
"Mr Clerk, I'm sorry but is there any way I can get a short rest around here? I'm feeling a little light headed and I just wish to lie down for a while,"
The man before you remained stoic, but you could tell he was internally scrambling for ideas in his mind, and you certainly didn't miss the way he gulped. To add extra pressure onto him, you started staring at him expectantly.
"Well—uhm—there's a sofa in my office," he suggested, though reluctantly.
"That'll be great if you don't mind, I'm sorry for the trouble,"
"No worries, Miss Williams," he assured. "I'll lead you there," he got off his seat and slowly took the lead, you following behind. As you gradually made your out of the vicinity, you spotted Jay, giving him a small nod before disappearing from his sight entirely.
He took the same path you and Jay had done during the time you two snuck around the demon brothers office, except this time, you would be entering into the office.
"Here you go, the sofa's all yours," he opened the door for you, leading you into his large office and pointed at the black coloured sofa in the corner. For a murderous, plotting demon, you didn't expect him or his interior to be so simple and minimal. "Would you like anything else?"
"A drink, maybe water or something refreshing will do,"
He nodded before closing the door shut, and you could tell he was worried about leaving you alone. Not because it's dangerous for you to be by yourself, but instead, he's paranoid about his typical demon doings and that dungeon.
Speaking of the dungeon, you had no idea where it was. Upon arriving, you checked for surveillance cameras, there were none thankfully, as for the dungeon you noticed nothing, even after squinting and looking around the room for some dodgy button. What a cunning demon! Time was ticking and you were racing against time.
"Wait…" you read about some theories about the whereabouts of the entrance to the dungeon, so now, you finally had the chance to test it out.
Locking the door and making up a quick lie was easy. But searching for some clues around the room wasn't. It got to a frustrating point of testing out the stupid theories where you ended up failing. There was one more for the test: the bookshelves.
Stories mentioned John being a complete book nerd, his belongings would be chucked in between books and somewhere behind the shelves, it would totally make sense the bookshelves in his office to have some hidden functions. You tried pushing it, punching it, but it wouldn't budge.
Sighing in almost defeat, you found yourself eyeing the books instead, judging the titles and spotting an odd one, reaching out for a grab. That was when everything changed. A small pull had triggered the book shelf to raise itself off of the ground and into the wall, revealing stairs going underground. Bingo.
You defied the laws of horror movies by going down the dark stairway, quietly calling out for any signs of life. Once you descended the remaining steps, you were met with dimly lit torches, chains hanging on the wall. This did look very anciently built, replicating those tacky dungeons in movies.
It was a large underground cave, so it wasn't hard to spot Sunghoon sitting in one corner, his hand chained to the wall and he himself had dozed off.
You made your way there, your heels clicking against the hard floor but Sunghoon never woke from it. You kneeled beside him, noticing the fatigue in his expressions, looking overly worn out, attire soiled and seemingly hurt.
"Sunghoon!" You hissed, shaking him awake. There's no way you're attempting to carry him out while he's unconscious.
"Huh—what—who—" he slowly blinked, startled at the unfamiliar voice. His gaze was on you, his eyes blinking rapidly to rid of the haziness, then he finally registered that it was you talking. "Wait—Y/N?"
"You got that right. Is there a key around here?"
"What are you doing here?"
"We have no time for that! Is there a key or not?" You hissed, trying to strain your ears in order to determine if he's returned or not. Hopefully the guests were keeping him busy in the meantime.
"There is, it's somewhere in the small cupboard there," he nodded over at said cupboard that you hadn't noticed.
Say less, you practically jumped to your feet and bolted over to the small cupboard, pulled it open and the key was there. Tada! It was foolish that it was out in the open like that, but considering the fact they probably didn't expect anyone else to come down here, it was pretty valid.
Being the more thorough person you were, you checked the remaining drawers in case of any dangerous objects. Instead, you found some weapons here and there, so you tossed some over to Sunghoon before unlocking his chain. He winced the moment his wrist found freedom, rubbing it sorely. But there's not enough time, you need him out.
"Park, listen close to me," you tucked some of the knives into the garter belt around your thigh, handing Sunghoon one of the guns found in the drawer. "Your brother is here—"
"Jay?"
"Yes, now hush and actually listen, alright? The demon that captured you is coming back soon, and you're escaping before he does,"
"What about you?"
"I'll hold out as long as I can. Once you find Jay, tell him to come 'fetch' me or whatever excuse he could form. If shit goes sour, I don't think I can handle him alone,"
Sunghoon nodded as he took your words in carefully. There was limited time left, you needed to get out of the dungeon and shut it.
You helped Sunghoon up and had him lean his weight into you as you guided him up the stairs. To say you were struggling and having breathing difficulties was an understatement. He better treat you to some good food for saving his ass after this.
He fell onto the sofa you were resting on earlier as you scrambled to shut the entrance by pushing the book back in. The entrance to the dungeon closed to a shut, and you breathed a sigh of relief. Now that you got Sunghoon out, there's bigger problems to face.
"Are you able to walk?"
Sunghoon grunted, stretching and massaging his legs. "I can … I think,"
"You think?" His words weren't completely reassuring.
"I'll manage," he gritted out, but his gaze softened. "I'm only worried about you,"
"You don't think I can handle him?"
"No, not that. You're an amazing hunter, of course, but this guy—demon—he's not some low ranking one. Not some simple exorcism can cast him back to hell,"
"I know, that's why Jay's got the gun,"
"He brought the colt along?"
The colt wasn't just a normal revolver, it was the supernatural revolver. Built to kill everything and anything. No supernatural beings were able to escape the wrath of the bullet. Who else better to use it on than some powerful demons?
"He's crazy," Sunghoon breathed out after you nodded as a response to his question.
"He's just being careful. Plus, we do need it now anyway,"
Sunghoon blinked, leaning back a little with an odd expression, his eyebrows furrowed. "Oh wow, did you guys…?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, you have this look and I figured something … sparked between you and him again,"
You pressed your lips into a flat line, blinking wordlessly at him. Even he could tell you and Jay were having something?
"Let's talk about this later," you patted his shoulder, nodding towards the door. "You should definitely leave now,"
Knock knock.
"Miss Williams? Are you alright? Why is the door locked?"
You met Sunghoon's gaze, and the one thing you've managed to understand in his stare was 'we're fucked'.
"I'm—I'm not doing well,"
"What's happened? Let me in,"
"No!" You bursted out, which sounded worse than expected. "I mean, no, I got m–my period, and I'm embarrassed to come out,"
"Oh," the man on the other side of the door seemed shocked to say the least. "I'll go get you some pads, Miss Williams,"
"Thank you,"
Pressing your ears onto the door, you heard his footsteps getting further away, finally able to let out the breath you've been holding in for too long. You turned to Sunghoon, grabbing his arm.
"You know, for a demon, he's actually quite a gentleman,"
"Keeping me in his stupid dusty dungeon surely isn't a gentleman's move," he said bitterly as he got up, limping slightly. "You'll be okay, right?"
"No promises,"
"I'll be quick, I'm going to get Jay here. You saved my ass, I'm making sure I save yours," he placed a hand on your shoulder, squeezing it softly.
"I trust you," you patted his hand. "Now, go,"
Sunghoon nodded, though quite reluctantly leaving as he didn't wish to have you all alone in a demon's threshold. You exchanged a brief look with him before he slipped out of the door completely, and you prayed he made it out successfully without any complications in between.
Minutes later, you heard knocks on the door once again, which meant John was back. Bracing yourself, you turned the door open, revealing him and some pads in his hands. "Here,"
"Thanks, I'll—uh—go to the restroom,"
"You're not actually on your period, are you?" His words cut like knives, sharp and certain.
"Are you doubting my knowledge of my own body?"
"No, I'm not," he said flatly, shutting the door behind him and stepping closer. "One thing I know for sure is that you're not welcomed here … hunter," in one blink, his eyes turned black entirely, just like the time Jay was possessed.
"I'm only here for a shortstop, nothing else … Elijah," you kept your cool on the outside, but internally? You were fighting the horrors. He seemed surprised that you mentioned his actual name, but that didn't bother him.
"Oh yeah? Tell your buddies to stop coming after me,"
"How about you stop killing people?"
Your retaliation didn't help your case as it only agitated him. With a swift move of a hand, he had you pushed to the bookshelves, pinning you on there with an invisible force. No matter how you tried resisting it, you couldn't break free from the forceful hold.
"You won't understand. You humans don't," he seethed out, getting closer and closer. "You would be a great sacrifice as well,"
"Fuck you,"
Wrong choices of words. A force was wrapped around your throat and in the next second, it was constricting. Dying from getting choked by a demon wasn't on your list of dumb ways to die.
You swore you were seeing the lights of the afterlife until something intervened. Gunshots sounded suddenly, loud and clear and almost everywhere, a mix of shouts rang through. Chaos was happening.
John, or Elijah, heard the commotion outside and was taken off guard from it, his hold loosening and you were able to breathe just a little bit more. His head turned back to you, then to the door, seemingly conflicted at the two troubles on hand.
"Shit," he cursed under his breath. "For fuck's sake," he released his hold on you, resulting in you dropping to the ground in coughing fits. You take it back about him being a gentleman. "You're so dead when I come back,"
You could only glare at him and his figure as he exited through the door, but then you heard the sound of a click. No, no, no. You rushed to the door, trying to yank it open, but to your worst fears, he actually locked the door.
Jay was coming to find you, right? Doubts continuously fill your mind against your will. It pained you knowing you're stuck here all helpless, unaware whether Jay and Sunghoon were doing well or not. You could only hope for the best and not the worst.
What seemed like forever was you being trapped in this office. The books on the shelves didn't entertain you, the pictures of the actual Sam only made you sad knowing his body was being possessed by a demon. All in all, you were rotting in here.
That was until you heard grunts and some gunshots not far away, heavy footsteps thudding down the corridor. Shouts rang through the empty and quiet surroundings, your heart thrashing wildly against your chest in anxiety. There was no mistake in what you heard next. It was your name, your name was yelled.
"Y/N!" Jay's voice was hoarse as he called for you over and over.
"Jay?" You pounded on the door, shaking the doorknob that wouldn't budge.
The footsteps got closer and his voice got nearer until he was eventually standing directly on the other side of the door. "Y/N? Are you there?"
"I am," you nearly sobbed, wanting to break free and escape the office. "Jay, the door's locked,"
"You've got to be kidding me. I killed that fucker and never asked for the keys," Jay pounded at the door in irritation. "Y/N, step away, I'm going to break this fucking door down,"
You got away from the door, backing away to your previous spot at the bookshelves and crouching down. After a split second, you heard a gunshot, the doorknob rattled and loosened, but that didn't take the cake. Jay grunted, having to go for busting down the door instead.
A few kicks to the door had loosened the handles, you could hear Jay putting his whole effort into busting down the door with his kicks and the way he threw his body to the door. It was almost a while before he finally knocked the door down completely, revealing a overly worn out Jay.
He was injured, cuts on his face, arm bleeding and his fancy suit torn at some places. Despite all that, his eyes lit up the moment they landed on your figure crouched by the bookshelves. He rushed over with speed that resembled the Flash, immediately dropping down to his knees to match your position.
"Are you alright? You're not hurt right?" His hands were on your shoulder, turning you slightly to check for any visible changes.
You didn't say anything yet, just feeling glad that he's here now, safe and sound. Almost instinctively, your arms reached out and pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tightly.
"I got you, I'm here now, nothing's going to hurt you," Jay caressed the back of your head, pressing a soft kiss on your temple.
"I'm glad you're fine too," you slowly pulled away after a few moments, your hands cupping his cheek. "You do look really busted though,"
He scoffed, lips gradually stretched into a grin. "You'll be the one patching me up later,"
"What happened out there?"
"I killed them," he said hoarsely, his touch never leaving yours. "Little brother Elliot attacked me first after he revealed himself, then everyone ran away. I took my chance and blasted him. Sunghoon showed up not long after and that's when Elijah appeared. We managed to kill him, sent their souls back to hell,"
"That's great,"
"Did he … do anything out of line?"
"Other than choking me and saying he'll kill me? Not really,"
"He's a fucking bastard," Jay cursed, wincing slightly from the cut on his lips.
"Should we leave? The police is arriving soon, no?" You slowly got up, supporting Jay as well.
"We really should. I don't need the police on my ass again,"
"Hey guys—" Sunghoon appeared in the doorway, sweating and heaving, but once he saw the two of you together, hands around each other, his face morphed into a teasing smirk. "Am I interupting?"
You and Jay simultaneously let out a cough, facing away from one another.
"Are the polices on their way?"
"They are," Sunghoon replied hastily, ushering you two to come forward and leave the office. "I've cleaned our traces as much as I could. Now, we should just leave while people are hiding,"
"Did the bodies make it? The original Sam and John," you asked.
"No," the Park brothers answered in unison, and the three of you continued your way to the carpark in silence. It was saddening to hear that the bodies of Sam and John didn't make it, the dull atmosphere ended up befalling between you all.
"So," Jay started once you were all in the car, revving his car to a start. "Want some celebratory burgers along the way?"
"Say less."
"Ouch,"
After a long gruelling trip back to your house, Sunghoon ended up passing out in the guest room's bed, leaving you and Jay alone in the middle of your living room, where you were cleaning his injury wounds.
"I'm trying to be as gentle as I can," Your eyes flickered, wrapping his arm up and cleaning some tiny wounds. "Are you leaving after this? Go on your journey wherever supernatural cases appear like always?"
"I am," Jay said, and somewhere internally, you felt your soul crush. "But I'm staying a little longer here,"
"What?" Your mouth almost fell to the ground from the shock, unintentionally applying more pressure to the wound which made Jay wince, and you uttered a small apology, an unknowing smile forming on your lips. "You're serious?"
"Why wouldn't I be? You know how I said I wanted to have a talk after we got back, so here we are. I know our job is … complicated, but my feelings for you never changed over the years. It just took me a shit long time to come to my senses," Jay took a breath in.
"I know I've hurt you before, and I'm going to have to gain your trust back first. But I hope you'll give me a chance, and let me bring you out on a date or two over these few days,"
"You're giving 'us' a shot?"
"I am,"
You were giddy to say the least, resisting the urge to break into the biggest, lovesick smile. "I'd really love to go out on that date with you,"
"Really?" Jay seemed like he couldn't believe you actually would agree, the evident shock in his face made you laugh.
"Yes, really, you idiot. Are you going to kiss me or something now?"
"I definitely am,"
Jay's calloused fingers wrapped around your chin softly, pulling you in and crashed his lips against yours. It wasn't your first time kissing him, but this was different. Desperation, endless pining that was bottled over the years finally burst and welled over, his lips moved against yours with so much fever and intensity, it had you going insane.
Jay pulled you into his lap, your arms falling over his shoulders for support while his hand travelled from your neck to your cheek before making its way into your hair. You could feel him smirking against your lips, his other hand moving down to your waist to tug you closer to his chest, having you totally pressed up against him.
"J–Jay," before he could take it to another level, you registered that it was your living room, and Sunghoon was in the house as well, which meant the possibility of him walking in was there. "Should we move it into … the room instead?"
Jay knew what you meant, his gaze changing almost instantly, something told you that you were in for it tonight. "Oh you're nasty," he suddenly carried you in bridal style, making you yelp out in surprise and scrambling for support.
The night was going to be long, but it didn't matter anymore now that you've got to have him for a few days and nights all to yourself. Killing supernatural beings was a headache, an ill fated string tied to you, but in the end, you couldn't deny it had brought you and Jay together again. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise after all.
taglist: @aerxz @asyleums @dimplewonie @yizhoutv
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caffeine addiction ❃ "what." ❃ chapter 5
bakugou katsuki x reader / coffee shop!au + fashion?au
directory/m.list
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warnings: implied sexual content but no actual yuckies
Bakugou sat in the men’s dressing room with his legs crossed at the ankles, examining the models before the show. The models, makeup artists, and hairstylists felt scrutinized under his wary gaze. Bakugou Masaru’s son is no joke.
This morning, he woke up and cut his daily workout short to go to his café. He was filling up two five-gallon insulated beverage dispensers with his famous drip coffee. To help out with the show, he was supplying the entire staff with caffeination. He knew that the coffee was going to lose its aroma throughout the day, but he was going to be much too busy to maintain a coffee machine today. While he was waiting for the coffee to brew, he kept his café open just in case any customers came in.
To his surprise, you walked in only a couple minutes after he opened. Outside the door, he had a sign telling his customers that he’d be closed for most of the day. Secretly, he was glad that you came in today, but he was disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to see you sit in his café for extended periods of time.
You looked amazing. He had to check if he was drooling each time he glanced at you, and then cursed himself for being such a creep. The fact that you didn’t show any signs of mutual interest in him made him disappointed. He didn’t even know why his ego was getting assaulted in response to this, especially because he got daily doses of female attention.
You were so reserved and mysterious to him, and it made him desperate to get to know you better. You always sat at that same window-seat table while doing your work. And that was the thing-- you were always doing work. He couldn’t ever have a real, meaningful conversation with you because you were always doing things. Even if you took a quick break, Bakugou was too much of a scared little shit to make an actual move.
Bakugou found his eyes trailing to you even when your hair was messy, your eyes crusty, and your dark circles pronounced. What is going on with him? What are you doing to him? And how?
Maybe it was the way you were so dedicated to your work. Maybe it’s the way you were able to look like a drug addict one day and an Instagram influencer the next day. Maybe it’s the way you smiled at him after you got your coffee. Maybe it’s the way your contagious laughter spreads to him each time you crack a joke. Maybe it’s the way you always answered with something so interesting after he asked a question about you, and then left him to keep doing your work again.
“Yeah, I’m just taking a quick break.”
“Whatcha doin’ over there?”
“Oh, I’m designing an advert for a shitty dating app! Well, I’ve gotta get back to it.”
You always walked away before he was able to make more conversation with you. Did you find him annoying? You returned the favor, though. It’s not like you were obviously avoiding him. You seemed to enjoy the short conversations that the two of you had! It just seemed like you backed out of the conversation because you were so focused on doing your job. That only made you more attractive to him. He wonders-- if he was against dating because it encroached on his work, was it the same for you?
If he was a recurring factor in your work, would you feel like you’re more allowed to pursue him? At this point, he was falling for you more and more. He might ask you out on a date and ignore his rules altogether. How did it even get to this point? You’d only started becoming a regular at his café a month ago.
Bakugou watched as you disappeared from his café with your two red-eyes. He’s going insane over a girl that he hardly even knows.
He tapped his foot backstage, standing up when he saw a makeup artist looking at the reference pictures that he gave to them. “Oi. The eyes need to be sharp and bold, like the themes of this line,” he said, voice gruff as he pointed out the sharp edges of the eye makeup in the picture. The makeup artist seemed to tremble a little under his gaze, so he left the area to continue supervising the models.
Bakugou made the reference pictures for the makeup himself, knowing that he would be best at translating his dad’s vision into makeup. His dad was only ever good for translating his thoughts onto textiles. Although Bakugou wasn’t great at makeup, he was great at knowing what this line meant to his parents.
He walked over to the racks of clothing lines up against the walls, running his hands through the fabric. This line heavily depended on the geometric patterns that his dad was inspired by this time around. Thus, everything surrounding the fashion show had to reflect that. Bakugou was always a creative director for Masaki’s fashion lines for a reason. This time around, though, he was the main creative director alongside his father. He took a sip of his coffee as he sat back down on his bench, lost in thought.
Masaki, his mother and father’s passion, became a brand that embodied creativity in an explorative and bold way. Each line always had a small sub-line of clothes that were saturated in color, even if the rest of the pieces in the line weren’t. It was always these three– orange, green, and silver. Always in bright hues. Over time, these three colors had become the face of Masaki as a brand.
In every interview his parents had, they would always describe the brand in one word. Explosive.
Bakugou never really understood the meaning and symbolism behind the pieces that his father made up until he’d grown older. Most people don’t understand haute couture, period. Many look at the pieces that these lines produce and simply look at the price tag and go, “Who would pay that much for an ugly sweater?” While Bakugou agreed to an extent (especially the t-shirts with a simple logo on them that sell for way too much) he also understood the other side of it.
High fashion, to him, is not just about the elitism of the brand—not just showing off your financial prowess. To Bakugou, the works of designers around the world are meant to be entirely works of art. Whether or not you believe that ugly sweater from Gucci is worth a kidney, there was still thought, time, and training put into it. (Hopefully.) Just like a painting, high fashion is an expression of the thoughts of the designer into a piece that takes hours to create. He saw his father hunched over a sewing table for hours for a reason, and he truly believed that the pieces from Masaki deserved their price tag, if not more.
Even then, it took Bakugou years to truly understand what it was that differentiated his parents’ work to others. When he compared the work of other brands to his father’s, he understood. Whereas brands like Kindeki valued the portion of creativity that was more subdued and focused on innovation and symbolism, Masaki was always sharp and in-your-face. It could be seen in the silhouettes of the blazers and the crisp edges of the patterns that his father preferred.
This manifested in Bakugou as he grew up, of course. As a child, he was the exact definition of explosive. His parents would have to calm down his anger-filled tantrums on the daily, and he was the middle-school bully that everybody was afraid of.
But as he grew up, he mellowed out like the flavor of espresso after being watered down. His anger went into going to the gym, and his mind became more relaxed as he worked each day at his café.
After you finished your red eye, you’d pranced over to the table with refreshments and poured yourself another cup of coffee. It tasted just like the drip coffee from your favorite café, so you were absolutely elated. There was nothing as good as the coffee that you’ve had from that place. You’d have to ask someone where the coffee comes from later.
You were watching models get ready at your aunt’s favorite luxury fashion brand. Other than her own, of course. You walked back over to your table, where she was sitting with her red eye still in her hand.
“Honey, when Mitsuki gets back, I’ve got a surprise for you~”
This woman was like a second mother to you. On your fifth birthday, you clearly remember walking into her office and touching all of the pretty fabrics and beaming at the sketches taped onto the walls. As the days continued, you spent more and more time with her when your dad was busy working, and the two of you went on road trips to spark her inspiration.
She was the one to hold you when you had your heart broken, and she was the one who took you on a trip to Milan just to take photos and show your ex what they’d be missing. Strangely enough, your dad wasn’t surprised when his late wife’s "baby" sister told him, “Hey, the 'lil cutie and I are headin’ to Milan tomorrow morning,” over the phone. He must have been used to her strange antics already.
Either way, the trip to Milan worked, because the day after you posted photos of you relaxing by the poolside with a bikini that your aunt recently designed herself, your disgusting ex texted you a long paragraph explaining why you should forgive them for making out with their best friend’s cousin or whatever. After receiving that paragraph, you’d simply texted back a “lol”, before showing it to your aunt and talking shit about him.
Your eccentric aunt was a massive part of your childhood. And now, she’s going to be a huge part of your adulthood, as well. She was still gorgeous after all these years. Although she’d be fifty this year, she looked like she barely aged past her early thirties. Even though your aunt always preached about the stupidity of having to look young as an aging woman, her skincare routine clearly did a lot for her.
Her bangs were clipped to her head with a glamorous brooch, and her matching tweed set matched with her shiny six-inch heels. This woman is the absolute manifestation of glam.
She’d demanded that the two of you match, so you had to change out of your previous outfit and into a tweed set as well. Instead of the tweed pants that your aunt wore, however, you wore a skirt. To keep warm, she’d given you a pair of pearled stockings, but you knew you’d still shiver in the cold later.
You had to pull down your miniskirt before sitting down, but an eyebrow of yours arched at your aunt’s cryptic words. No, her words are less cryptic and more… suspicious.
You continued your work with your aunt, showing her the details of the designs you drew at the café the other day. The two of you were waiting for the show to start, but you were invited backstage by the owners of Masaki because of a long friendship between your aunt and Bakugou Mitsuki. Apparently, they’d been college roommates or something. You weren’t sure. Your aunt was going to explain more about her relationship with Mitsuki, but then one of her Tinder dates gave her a uh… call…
Anyway, you always enjoyed going backstage with your aunt. Having a sneak peek of all of the pieces before the public got to see them was your favorite. Especially because you love Masaki as a brand, today was especially exciting. You noted the makeup was different from the usual haute couture makeup. While it wasn’t overpowering the clothing, the shape of the classic eyeshadow point was rounded in the corner of the eyes and amplified with a ring of white eyeliner, creating a look that was reminiscent of a ringed planet.
Then, your aunt swiftly stood up. “Mitsuki, honey! Meet my precious baby niece.”
A woman that looked oddly familiar walked up to you. She’s beautiful– her hair juts up in blonde spikes, just like on someone else you’ve seen before. You can’t quite place your finger on it, so you just brush it off as maybe seeing her in a photo your aunt has shown you before. Her skin is so smooth, she’s super tall, and her face is perfectly proportionate. Whoever her husband is… he’s one lucky dude.
You arrived at the show a little later than your aunt did so that you could grab her a coffee from your favorite café. Apparently, she’d been meaning to introduce you to this woman– Bakugou Mitsuki. She was wearing some of the pieces from the new line, and it fit her perfectly. Thinking back on your aunt’s words, wasn’t she a former model or something? It’d make sense.
“Oh, you look even more beautiful in person! Takumi has shown me some photos of you, but none of them really do you justice.” Mitsuki immediately complimented you, so you felt your face getting hot.
You turned your face away in embarrassment before turning it back to her, reminding yourself to be polite. This lady, who’s borderline perfect, is complimenting you. “No, you compliment me too much. I think you’re super pretty, onee-san.”
Mitsuki gasped in response. “Onee-san? Oh my!” She placed a well-manicured hand over her mouth. “I’m much too old for that title! I turned 51 recently.”
You gaped at her admission, cheeks burning from embarrassment. Of course she is! Why would you call her onee-san when your aunt just told you that they went to college together? She’s 51. You looked at both her and your aunt, eyes wide. “Please tell me your skincare routine, ma’am.”
She laughed and gave you all of the steps in her routine, and you nodded with a focused fire in your eyes. You took notes on your phone. After telling you her routine, her perfectly groomed eyebrows raised. It seemed like she’d remembered something.
“Oh! I almost forgot. I wanted to invite you to take photos with my son after the show. We’ve got our photographer on site, and since my husband’s just finished this line, we’d love for you guys to try them on!” Mitsuki clapped her hands together and a wide smile pulled at her face. You saw next to no wrinkles. Is she a vampire?
But either way, her offer made you excited. A chance to wear one of your favorite brands and take photos? Yes please. You wanted to commemorate this occasion as much as possible.
Next to you, your aunt placed a hand on your shoulder and looked around the dressing area. “Speaking of your son, where is he? I don’t think I’ve seen him in-person since he was five.”
Mitsuki smiled at your aunt. “Ah, he’s in the men’s dressing room, looking over the makeup artists and hairstylists.”
Your aunt turned to you. “I forgot to tell you! Her son’s like you! He helps his father with the brand and was a huge part in creating this line.” You were amazed. This line is mildly genius, so you were excited to meet this guy! Since you were going to be taking photos with him, you were sure you’d have tons of time to ask him about his creative process and the like.
“I’m super excited! This has been one of my favorite lines from Masaki as of late, so I’d love to meet the minds behind it!” You voiced your thoughts.
When Bakugou Masaru introduced himself to you, you still couldn’t shake the idea that the Bakugous look extremely familiar. You still couldn’t place your finger on it, though. You felt like you’d seen them somewhere outside of just through your aunt’s phone, but where?
As you spoke with them, you tried to dig deeper and deeper into your mind to figure it out.
Bakugou Katsuki groaned as he stood up from his watchpost to trudge over to the women’s dressing room, where his parents were. His mother had sent him a text, summoning him to meet these Kindeki people.
Much to his displeasure, of course. Although he was curious to meet the mind behind the Kindeki brand, he felt like if he left his watchpost, everything in the men’s dressing room would burn down without his supervision. Of course, this would not happen, but Katsuki thought otherwise.
He entered the dressing room filled with models, and saw his parents in the corner, speaking to two people that had the back of their heads turned to him, both with (H/C) hair and both in tweed sets.
“Oh, Katsuki! Over here!” His mom waved him over as soon as she saw him, and he walked over to face the two mystery people. “This is Katsuki." She turned to you. "You’ll be taking your photos with him today! And also, since Masaki will be having a joint line with Kindeki next season, you two will likely be working very closely.”
Both the words coming into his ears and the sight blinding his vision were making Bakugou Katsuki feel like he was going to faint. His entire body froze, muscles clenched and seized together. He thinks his heart may have skipped a beat. Or two. Or three. Wait, is he even breathing anymore?
You, in front of him, gasped. “Oh my gosh! It’s the guy from the café!” You exclaimed, dumbly, while pointing at him in an accusatory way.
“You know each other?”
“You guys have met?”
“What.”
All three of these phrases were jumbled together as you saw the guy in front of you freeze and slowly start to turn red. Wait, is he breathing?
“Hey, are you okay?” You placed a hand onto his shoulder to try and ground him back into reality. You felt his muscles clench under your touch, so you pulled your hand away in fear that you’d overstepped your bounds.
Katsuki took in a deep breath, turning his face back to its regular shade. “Y-Yeah. Wait, a joint line?”
When he came back to reality, all of the words that his mother said had finally been processed.
“Yes,” his father began, “Kindeki and Masaki will be having a joint line. This has been on our minds since our college days, and since the two of you are now well-versed in the fashion industry, we thought it might be good to start it now.”
You clasped your hands behind your back as you listened to Bakugou Masaru speak. You were finally putting together the pieces. No wonder why the Bakugous looked so familiar!
“Wait, but you two know each other? How?” Mitsuki asked as soon as her husband finished his explanation.
Both you and Katsuki looked at each other awkwardly. He wasn’t saying anything. “Yeah, he’s the guy that works at my favorite café. Are you the reason why the coffee here tastes so good?” Katsuki took off his quarter-zip from the line to cool himself down from the heat of the room, though the room wasn’t actually hot. It was just you.
“Y-Yeah. I- uh, I made the coffee this morning for the show.” Katsuki scratched the back of his neck as he tried his hardest to look anywhere but you. He's never stuttered this much. He cleared his throat awkwardly. You changed your clothes, he noticed. While he really enjoyed your outfit this morning, now it’s almost a complete 180 from what you were wearing.
Your hair was put into a style that perfectly framed your face, and you wore those dangly earrings that looked great on you. The tweed jacket was laid atop your shoulders, and you wore a silk camisole underneath it, which was tucked into a tweed miniskirt that outlined your waist and showed off your legs, which were donned with a pair of white stockings with tiny pearls scattered across them.
You were taller than usual with your heels that matched the color in your tweed set of clothing. Katsuki tried his hardest not to stare, but you were making it difficult for him. Next to him, his parents eyed him suspiciously.
You put out one of your hands in greeting. “Nice to formally meet you, Bakugou Katsuki-kun! I’m excited to work with you.”
It took him a moment to reach his hands out to yours after checking whether or not his hands were clammy. His hands were big and rough, and they practically ate up your hands in comparison. You shook hands.
“Pleasure to meet you as well. Lookin’ forward to it.” He steeled himself as much as he could, trying not to make himself look like a fool in front of you, but the way you smiled up at him made him retract his hand from yours a little too early, making it awkward.
“Well, it’s time to start the show. We’ll meet you after, Takumi.” Masaru said, a kind smile reaching his eyes as he patted his son on the back and walked off with him.
You watched as Katsuki’s broad shoulders got smaller in the distance, and you turned back to his mom. “Wow, you guys have great genetics.”
She laughed again and pulled you underneath her arm. “You guys do, too.”
Your aunt giggled as the three of you walked to the front of the stage to view the fashion show that Masaru and Katsuki worked on for months.
a/n: seee, no yuckies :> yet :>
taglist for this series is open! let me know! <3
stay hydrated, cuties!
directory/m.list
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