#latest camera phones 5 camera phone

[03349656115]

appleiphone

[fireflyinks]

I have an idea for a request :) 💗 sorry if this is long but what if hamzah did one of the solo out of character podcasts and then he invited y/n but then the sexual/romantic tension between them so they stop filming to do other stuff (can be the deed if you want to take a smut route or just making out or being cuddly for a fluffy route!) or maybe 🫣 they forget about the camera and accidentally capture stuff on camera

special guest

hamzah x reader smut

contains : smut, oral sex (both giving and receiving), no p in v, use of y/n, cursing, sort of exhibition (they record themselves but don’t post it), munch!hamzah

a/n : I LOVE THIS SM, munch!hamzah is my new favorite thing to write, i’m obsessed. anon you’re literally a genius. thank you so much for the support on all of my hamzah posts, i love you alllll

18+ MINORS DNI

∗ ࣪ ˖༺ ♡ ༻˖ ࣪ ∗

Hamzah and I had been friends for a couple of years. Both of us had YouTube channels and lived near one another so we would hang often. There was an obvious connection between us, but Hamzah nor I were bold enough to point it out. The two of us simply enjoyed dancing around the face that we obviously had mutual feelings for one another.

I sat on my couch, editing my latest video when I felt my phone buzz beside me. I picked it up, reading “hamzah” spread across my screen and a .5 picture I’d taken of him. I swiped right to answer the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey Y/n. Are you busy?”

I shook my head as if he could see me, “No, what’s up?”

“Well, Martin is busy today and can’t record for our podcast, so I was wondering if you’d want to come record with me. Like a ‘special guest’ type thing?”

I thought for a moment. I hadn’t seen him in a while just because the two of us had busy, and viewers loved it when we made content together. We actually got shipped a lot, but Hamzah always ignored it, and I never brought it up. Part of me was glad that even the fans noticed that there was something between us.

“Yeah, why not? That sounds fun, when do you want me to come over?”

Hamzah took a beat before answering. “You could come over now, and afterwards we could order dinner or something, yeah? You’ll have to come to Martin’s apartment because that’s where we film, it’s not too far from mine. I’ll send you the address.”

“I’m on my way, see ya in a second.”

“Thanks, y/n, drive safe.” He hung up.

My heart fluttered at his last comment.

I went to my room and quickly put on something sort of presentable. The star of my outfit was none other then a small denim miniskirt.

The drive to Martin’s house was only about ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity. I was way more excited about spending time was Hamzah than I should’ve been.

Once I arrived at the apartment, I knocked on the door. I was greeted immediately by Hamzah. I couldn’t help but noticed as he looked me up and down once he’d opened the door, a small grin on his lips.

“Hey!” He said, pulling me into a hug. It surprised me a bit but Hamzah was always very affectionate with me, even as a friend. He’d play with strands of my hair on late nights after filming when we’d sit and talk about pretty much anything, and would always grab my hand when leading me places.

“Hi” I smiled into his shoulder right before he let go.

“I have everything get up in here.” Like clockwork, he took my hand and led me through Martin’s apartment. I looked around, seeing the scenes that had made appearances in many of Hamzah and Martin’s videos.

“So…” He sat down on the couch, motioning for me to sit to his right, “it’s going to real casual, just like it is with Martin. I might ask you a couple questions about your channel, if you want me to.”

I shrugged, “I’m fine with anything, just happy I could help you out.”

Hamzah smiled, handing me Martin’s microphone and looking at the camera. “Well, are you ready?”

I nodded, and he got up and began recording.

“You gotta just sit here for a second awkwardly while the intro music plays.”

A few seconds went by as we tried not to laugh at the silence. I couldn’t help but notice how his eyes flicked down to my thighs, exposed by my mini skirt, every few seconds.

“Hey guys, today I’m here with someone who is not Martin.”

Hamzah motioned to me. I lifted my hand and gave the camera small wave.

“Hi there, I’m y/n.”

“Martin decided to skip recording today to go roller skating with Mandy.”

I giggled, “Well, I think they sort of trapped you into recording without them so you wouldn’t third wheel them for once.”

Hamzah rolled his eyes. We went on and on, talking about how much better I am at rolling skating than Hamzah is, how ice skating isn’t real and it’s all just an illusion because neither of us can even stand up on the ice, and after about 40 minutes, somehow the topic of none other than Ice Spice.

“Munch is an absolute banger, but I’ve never met a dude that actually enjoyed eating it.”

Hamzah furrowed his eyebrows, “Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” I went on, “like most of them do it but they don’t like it, which makes it awkward. Like I’m yet to meet a dude that actually gets pleasure out of it too.”

There was a slight pause in the conversation, and I was scared I had made him uncomfortable.

“You’re talking to one right now.”

My cheeks flushed as his comment sunk it. I couldn’t respond, no words would come out of my mouth.

“Sorry,” he looked at me worried, “I totally just made it awkward.”

“Nah,” I shook my head, desperately. My heart thumped as I looked back at him. Maybe I wasn’t delusional about our obvious connection. Why in the world would he make a comment like that if he didn’t mean it in a flirty manner? “it’s okay, really.”

I couldn’t get the thought out of my head. Hamzah’s mouth on my heat, suckling on it like it was his last meal, rubbing my clit with his thumb. I bit my lip. The way he was looking at me showed that he was possibly imagining it too.

He shifted on the couch, looking at me desperately.

“I could show you, if you want.”

I nodded dumbly.

“Please.”

Hamzah leaned in, slowly pressing his lips onto mine. He slowly worked his mouth on mine, growing more and more passionate.

His mouth moved down my body, trailing down my neck. He paused, slipping my shirt and skirt off my body and taking a moment to stare at my breasts.

“God, you’re so beautiful, you know that?” Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. “I was so distracted, I couldn’t stop staring at you.”

He rubbed my thighs, looking down at them. It’s like he was mesmerized. “These thighs are so pretty. I couldn’t stop imagining them spread for me.”

Hamzah’s boldness surprised me, but I couldn’t say that I didn’t enjoy his praises. No matter how lewd they were.

“Can I take these off?” He curled his index finger into the band of my panties.

“Yes” I breathed out, shyly.

Hamzah chuckled to himself, “You’re so cute.”

He pulled my panties off of me, spreading my legs and looking down at my aching heat. Leaning down, he slowly kissed my core. I whimpered at the feeling.

“Tell me you want it.”

I bit my lip, looking down at him with pleading eyes. “I want it. I want it so fucking bad, Hamzah.”

Without further discussion, he dove down into my aching heat, swirling his tounge through the folds. I took his hat of his head with shaky hands and ran my fingers through his curls.

He looked up at me for a moment.

“Do you feel good?” He said quickly, wasting no time to get back to his meal.

“Yes! Yes! So good.” I moaned, my legs involuntarily closing in on his head. His hands held them back in place, spread wide for him to have the fullest access.

“You taste so damn good.” He groaned out. It was entertaining, watching how much he genuinely enjoyed this. He moved his mouth like it was his last meal. I’d never felt this much pleasure just from being eaten out, and it was so sweet.

My brain felt all fuzzy from the way his tounge worked through the folds of my heat perfectly, finding all of the sensitive places and causing my legs to shake under his hold.

“Fuck- I’m gonna cum.” I threw my head back, pure pleasure filling my head as I let out breathy moans.

“Go ahead, cum for me. Cum in my mouth, baby.”

I let myself release on his tounge, my body writhing against his working mouth.

After a few seconds, he pulled away, looking up at me with hopeful eyes, almost like he’d expected me to have had a bad experience.

I didn’t. I had the complete opposite; I couldn’t stop thinking about Hamzah’s tounge.

“Fucking wow.” Is all I could manage to get out.

“Was it good?” He asked.

“More than good. That was… can I please return the favor?”

Hamzah was quick to shake his head, “You really don’t have to. I know most girls don’t like to, and I don’t expect anything in return.”

I genuinely couldn’t let myself live knowing that I didn’t repay Hamzah back after he had me seeing stars.

“No, please, I really want to.”

I couldn’t lie, I’d imagined Hamzah’s cock plenty of times. I’d wondered how big it was, what it looked like, how it would feel in my mouth, what he was like in bed, pretty much everything. But now that I might finally get it, I felt more giddy than ever.

Hamzah slowly nodded, “Alright, go ahead.”

I reached down to his jeans, unbuttoning them as he helped me pull them off his legs, followed by his boxers. His member slapped his stomach, and it surprised me just how hard he was solely from eating out.

It was… big to say the least.

I slowly bottomed him out in my mouth, gagging slightly. He groaned, keeping his eyes on me. I bobbed my head, feeling him hit the back of my throat over and over again.

“Fuck, y/n, just like that.”

I continued these motions, occasionally pulling him out of my mouth and leaving small kitten licks on the tip. He was fighting the urge to throw his head back into the sofa, continuing to keep his eyes glued to me. He breathed out shaky praises to me.

“You’re so good at this, fuck. I- I’m gonna cum.”

“Cum in my mouth… please.” I begged, sucking his faster.

He moaned before filling my mouth with his loud. I swallowed it all before taking him out of my mouth, looking up at him shyly.

“Fuck… that was amazing.”

I giggled as we looked at each other for a few moments. It was crazy, the very things I’d been fantasizing about coming true, all because of a podcast episode.

Fuck. A podcast episode.

My eyes darted over to the recording camera, my cheeks flushing. Hamzah was still looking at me, almost in a hypnotic state.

“Hamzah…” I tried to grab his attention, he hummed in response. “The camera…”

His eyes widened as he looked over, coming to the same realization that I had.

“Fuck- sorry.” He got up, pulling his boxers on and walking over to the camera. “I’m deleting all the footage. You can check afterwards if you want. Recording us really wasn’t my intention.”

He was panicking, his fingers fumbling with the cameras buttons.

“Hamzah… relax. It’s okay. You- nevermind.”

Hamzah looks over to me, his eyebrows raised in amusement. “I what?”

“You can keep the recording if you want.” It felt so lewd to say, but I meant it. It was sort of hot, knowing he had that footage of us and could watch it anytime.

He smirked, looking down at the camera and nodding. “Alright… I will.”

I blushed, “Now can we get that food that you promised me?”

Hamzah chuckled, grabbing his phone.

It was strange, a couple of seconds ago we were performing such lewd acts for a camera we’d forgot was recording, and now we were arguing about whether we should get chinese or mexican take out.

[dilemmaontwolegs]

The Perfect Life || CL16 {5}

Summary: It’s Charles first real introduction to his new employee. Warnings: angst, swearing, sarcasm, underground fighting, injuries. WC: 2.7k F1 Masterlist || One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six Taglist: RETIRED Head over to my dedicated library blog @dilemmaslibrary and opt to get notifications from there.

The black leather pants and hoodie hid your presence well as you crept through the backyard just before midnight. After years of sneaking in and out of the property you knew exactly where to step to avoid activating the motion sensor lights and Charles followed each step carefully. He had tried to get you to stay at home but finally relented to your stubbornness and changed into more inconspicuous clothes too. 

Eventually you reached the small gate that the gardeners used for supply deliveries and found Franco had left it unlocked. The gentle giant had worked security for the last 20 years and aided your escapes more than he liked to admit. 

“I hope you know how to ride,” you commented as you opened the caretaker’s shed and tossed him your helmet. 

Charles looked at the helmet and turned it so the moonlight caught the almost imperceptible writing on the black carbon - What doesn’t kill me makes me angry. “Fitting,” he chuckled before handing it back. “You wear it.”

“You’re the one with the career, you should wear it.” You swung your heel back and knocked the kickstand up before wheeling the motorcycle out of the shed. It wasn’t the quickest way out but you couldn’t risk waking anyone up with the engine so you always walked it down the street before climbing on. 

“It’s actually in my contract that I should avoid dangerous activities and I’m pretty sure this would count as one,” he said as he hung the helmet back on the handlebars and helped push the heavy bike along. 

“You’re welcome to stay here in that case, or walk.”

Charles scoffed and shook his head. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”

You deemed it far enough from the house and swung your leg over the seat, patting the space behind you. “Get on.”

Charles’ arms wrapped around your middle as he took the seat and kicked the riding pegs out with his boots. 

“I’m not sure if you are brave or stupid,” you commented. “You do realise your life is in my hands now.”

“Ma said the two usually go hand in hand but I trust you.”

You were acutely aware of every inch of Charles that touched you for the 15 minute ride to the latest address you had received. His chest rested against your back and his hands that lay on your thighs, only shifting to hold your waist through the corners he leaned into. It was clear he had ridden before but it was probably his first time being the backpack. 

“This used to be a nightclub,” Charles said with a frown as you parked in an alleyway and killed the engine. 

The old staff entrance was propped open with a brick and you ushered Charles inside where the noise grew with each step. 

“Phones,” Rex said as he held his hand out in front of the door that led to the club. You handed yours over first, taking the tab with a number so you could claim it after but the rules were strict, no phones, no cameras. Charles had a harder time parting with his but eventually handed it over with a frown and the doors opened. 

The old three storey nightclub had an empty core surrounded by a spiralling staircase that descended two storeys into the basement and one that rose up. The biggest punters would be in the VIP area above and the spectators would line the rails to get the best view of the pit that sat central on the lowest level. 

Charles looked over the rail and blanched as two regulars went face to face, blood dripping from the gashes that had been opened by the bare knuckles they fought with. 

“Hey,” Arthur greeted with a beer in his hand. “I thought maybe he talked you out of coming.”

“As if, but I was hoping he would stay behind” you said, stealing his beer to take a sip. “Who’s going to bail us out if this place gets raided?”

“We’ll be fine,” Arthur joked. “He’s a runner so we can still call him.”

“Except they took my phone,” Charles grumbled. 

Arthur looked at his brother’s hand that almost always held the device and laughed until he noticed the dark sweatpants and hoodie he wore. “You stole my clothes.”

“You left them in my girlfriend's room.” Charles paused and stole the beer next, finishing it off with a cringe. “That is not a sentence I ever thought I would say.”

“While you ponder what your life has become, I am going to go get ready.” You turned and kissed Arthur’s cheek in farewell. “See you down there.”

“Where’s my kiss?” Charles asked, his brow arched in a challenge. 

You were already two steps away when you looked over your shoulder. “You can kiss my ass.” It unintentionally drew his eyes down your body to the leather that looked like it had been poured onto your skin and those eyes lingered on your ass until you descended the stairs and disappeared from sight.

“You do realise you are fake dating, right?”

Charles rolled his eyes and lightly shoved his younger brother. “I can still appreciate a good looking woman when I see one.”

“Well, keep those thoughts to yourself. She’s been hurt enough.”

Charles dragged a hand through his hair and nodded. “I know, she told me. I really fucked up, but I thought you were happy about the arrangement?”

“I don’t exactly have a genie lying around, so you're the next best hope she has of getting out of that hellhole.” Arthur shrugged. “I don’t have to tell you that if you fuck this up for her I will never forgive you.”

In the bathrooms of the basement you opened the duffle bag and changed into your usual sports bra and shorts before uncapping the Vaseline and smearing the gel over your cheeks. The familiar scent calmed your mind as you wiped the excess off and grabbed the tape to wrap your knuckles. The monotonous routine was your focus, the sounds outside the room fading as you stared at your reflection in the mirror. Evidence of your tears still remained in your puffy eyes but you felt better having finally told him what had weighed you down for a decade. You didn’t want to read too much into that thought as you tied your hair back into a bun so no one could pull it in the ring. 

The bell for the end of the last fight rang out and you shook your head to clear it before kicking your bag under the sink and leaving. Arthur was waiting outside with Charles a few steps away and he checked your fists before walking to the ring. Blood splatters littered the vinyl floor that had been rolled out and two of the helpers were dragging an unconscious man out of the way.

“Bathroom is there if you’re gonna vomit,” you said to Charles as he swallowed nervously. From the other side of the ring Kaine was grinning at you, his mouth guard the colour of blood he was looking to spill, and you blew him a kiss. 

“You’re fighting a guy!?” Charles exclaimed as he realised that was your competitor. 

“There’s not exactly many female fighters to choose from.”

“You could get hurt, that man is huge.”

You rolled your shoulders out and bounced on the balls of your feet as you warmed up. “You’re really great at instilling confidence, you should have your own Ted Talk.”

“If you’re not going to help then go away,” Arthur growled before turning to face you. “Remember, he favours his right leg and Javier broke his collarbone last month. What doesn’t kill you?”

“Makes me angry.” You opened your mouth and Arthur put your mouthguard in before opening the cage door for the octagonal ring. On the floors above cash was trading hands as the bookies took the bets but you paid them no mind as you circled the floor with Kaine. 

“She’s going to get killed,” Charles choked as he laced his fingers in the chain link fence. “He’s massive.”

“She’s agile. What she lacks in size she makes up for with speed. Just don’t be shocked by what you see.”

“What do you mean? I'm already shocked.”

Arthur snorted a laugh. “Just wait, I didn’t even recognise her the first time. It’s like watching a completely different person take over her body.”

All the anger and hate that lay dormant in your body awoke when the bell rang and the ref stepped out from between you and Kaine. All the emotions that you kept bottled inside were released and your eyes narrowed on the man who was going to be at the receiving end. 

Kaine rushed across the mat with all the grace of a baby elephant charging on rollerskates. The very floor vibrated with each stomp of his size 14 feet and his fist reeled back and he poured his entire strength into the first punch. Unfortunately it was his bulk that slowed the punch down and you easily avoided the attack that could have probably crushed your skull. You ducked under his arm and used your spinning momentum to land a kick on his left knee. The joint twisted unnaturally and he cried out as with pain and anger. 

Arthur was right, he did favour his right leg and you had just re-injured the old ailment. Off balance, he tried to follow your quick movements but you were already back in front of him, jabbing a quick one-two combo to his core. Heat flared in your fists as they connected with the hard muscle of his abs but you welcomed the rush of adrenaline that followed the pain. Kaine threw a punch of his own and you skirted away but not quick enough and his knuckles more than caressed your cheek. You had dodged the knockout blow but there would still be a bruise to show for your slow reaction.

“Nice work,” you said with a grin as you circled around each other. “You almost got me, big boy. C’mon, take another shot.”

You probably shouldn’t have taunted him because there was no avoiding the roundhouse kick that rattled your rib cage and knocked the breath out of you with a gasp. It was a mistake to look at Charles through the fence but you saw the worry in his eyes and the white-knuckled grip he had on the chain. 

“Watch out,” he shouted as the concern turned to panic for what was coming behind you.

On instinct you dropped low and raised your arms to protect your head, barely missing the right hook that would have rendered you unconscious. Rage took over as he leapt forward on his good leg to attack again and you waited for him to overextend into the punch before stepping closer. It was impossible for him to defend in such a confined space and he was surprised by the sudden change. You planted your feet and drove the power of your punch up from your legs, twisting your hips as you rolled your shoulder and crashed your left fist into the softer skin protecting his kidney. A deep grunt expelled from him as he hunched over and you followed through with a right hook of your own. Right into his weak spot. 

His piercing cry was almost as sharp as the snap of bone under your knuckles and he stumbled back clutching his collar that was freshly rebroken. The roar of the crowd was deafening as the bell rang for the round’s end and you threw your swollen fists into the air while your ribs protested. 

Kaine limped back to his corner and shook his head to the ref, ending the fight after only one round. You tugged your mouthguard out and shook your head disappointingly. “Pussy.”

He spat his guard to the ground and winced as he cradled his arm over his chest. “Crazy bitch.”

You smiled at the insult and curled a finger. “Wanna come over here and say that?”

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t attempt to re-enter the ring so you turned and made your own exit. Arthur was waiting with a grin on his face and his arms open but before you could step into his embrace Charles was there. The shock barely registered when his arms curled around you and for a moment you felt something, but then the pain in your ribs reared its ugly head.

“Fuck,” you groaned as you shoved him away and looked down at the bruise already blooming along your side. “I think he might’ve broken one.”

“Shit, we need to get you to the hospital.”

It annoyed you how easy it was to read Charles' face. Concern, regret, anger. It was like reading a book and you wanted to tell him to relax but it was quite nice to have another person around who actually showed their feelings. 

“Great idea, and what do you think we should tell them?” you asked as you started to make your way back to the bathroom. “I don’t think ‘it was an accident’ is going to satisfy them.”

“Fine,” Charles sighed, “where do you normally go when you get hurt?”

You stared at Arthur and he stared back before his lips twitched and you both laughed. An irritated growl rumbled from Charles before Arthur pointed to the messenger bag hanging from his shoulder. 

“He makes a cute doctor,” you said with a wink before he followed you into the bathroom. Charles tried to follow too but you blocked the doorway. “Sorry, patient/doctor confidentiality.”

You cut off his protests with the door and leaned back against the cold wood. “Do you think he will still be there?”

Arthur nodded and opened the bag to pull out a few bandages and a bottle of arnica. “I don’t think you are getting rid of him anytime soon.”

“Great.”

“Is it really that bad?” Arthur asked as he gently dabbed the arnica over the bruises. 

“Kind of hard to erase a decade of hate, even if he is hot.”

Arthur grinned and you rolled your eyes. “You think he’s hot.”

“Shut up. I’m not blind.” You unravelled the tape from your knuckles before waving a hand over him. “You’re hot too but it doesn’t mean I want to date you.”

“Thanks? I guess?”

“You know what I mean. Would you date me?”

“Are you asking me out? It’s a bit awkward since you are dating my brother.”

You huffed and glared at his amused grin. “Fake.”

“Potayto, potahto. But, no, if you really need to know, I wouldn’t date you. You’re my best friend, you know me way too well.”

“Exactly, I could never be with someone who brushes their teeth in the shower.”

“Once, for fucksake, I did that once when I was running late.”

You screwed your face up and shook your head with disgust. “There’s no excuse, Tur. We will just have to be friends.”

“Carve my heart out now,” he mocked before patting your side. “All done. Ready to go?”

You thought about the man waiting on the other side of the door and sighed at the thought of having to sleep in the same room as him. “Do you want to stay the night?”

“Oh, no, no, I am not going to be your buffer. You gotta figure out whatever is going on between you and Charles on your own.” He kissed your cheek and grinned at the sour look on your face. “Love you.”

“Ugh, I hate you,” you groaned and his smile only grew wider at the lie.

“Tell Cha to call me in the morning, so I know he is alive.”

Click here for the next part.

[featherandferns]

daylight - six

jj maybank x fem!reader | part 6 of the daylight series | read part 5 here

content warnings: sexual content (m receiving)

word count: 2.8k.

blurb: seemingly not put-off from your last encounter, JJ comes by your house and studies your photographs. There's one within the mix that makes something click in JJ's head.

“Mimsy, it was humiliating,” you groan through the camera. 

She cringes. “I mean…yeah, that is pretty rough.”

“Ah!” you cry, tossing your head into your hands. 

“What was up? Were you not turned on?”

“Of course I was!” you argue, offended at the insulation that JJ wasn’t sex walking. “I just got all in my head, and the dark and Tyler and–”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Mimsy interrupts. You brave a glance at her on the facetime call. “You were thinking of Tyler whilst hot-mechanic-man was going down on you?”

“Well, we never got that far,” you mumble. 

Mimsy silences you with a look. “Why were you thinking of Tyler?”

You sigh and shake your head. Once more, your eyes dart down to the shoebox. “I don’t know,” you admit. “I just felt like I was back in that room with him all over again in December. The confusion and the–”

“Are you sure Tyler never assaulted you?” Mimsy checks. Despite her careless questioning, you know it comes from a place of concern. 

“Yes, I’m sure,” you say. “I mean, his emphasis on consent was honestly one of his finer features. One time I nodded and he went ‘no, no, you gotta use your words’.”

“Condescending prickhole,” Mimsy mutters bitterly. 

Eyebrows raised, mildly alarmed, you say, “well, yes, he was, but he was an consent advocate.”

“Gee, someone give him a gold medal. The bar really is on the fucking floor.”

You click your fingers. Mimsy could get lost in her anti-Tyler spiel easily. “Can we stay on task, please? What the hell is wrong with my body!?”

“Alright, one sec,” Mimsy says. You watch as she types away on her laptop, halfway in shot. “Okay, Google, what have you got?”

Waiting anxiously as Mimsy puruses the web, she makes a ‘eureka’ type sound. 

“Well if it makes you feel any better, apparently around seventeen percent of women aged eighteen to fifty experience vaginal dryness problems during sex. So you’re not a freak - yay!”

“Thank you for that,” you grumble. “What else does it say? Does it say why it happens?”

“Not being turned on enough is the leading cause. Insufficient foreplay type things,” Mimsy reads. 

You shake your head, fingers pressed to your lips in thought. “No, I was definitely turned it on. It was only when he was no longer kissing me and stuff…”

“Is that when the Tyler thoughts started?” Mimsy wonders. 

You nod. 

“Alright, well, other reasons are psychological. Stress, anxiety, that kind of thing. You think that might be it?”

“Maybe,” you muse. Before you can try to expand your thoughts, Mimsy’s phone chimes. She momentarily disappears as she reads the text, and you watch as she gets up in a rush. “You good?”

“Darren hit me up. He said he’ll be here in five.”

“Wait, Darren?” you gape. “Since when were you hooking up with Darren?”

“Like a week ago, at this beach get-together. He’s gotten cuter, y’know? Works out and stuff now,” she grins cheeky at the camera, licking her teeth.

It's times like these that you realise how much your lives are already changing without the other knowing. Most of the time it's easy to ignore, but every now and then the FOMO is relentless and jealousy tries to rear its ugly head. 

“Right, I gotta dash. I need to check I’m nice and clean shaven.”

“T.M.I. Mimsy. We need some boundaries."

“Yeah, you’re right,” Mimsy says before deadpanning: “have fun navigating your dry vagina.”

“Fair point,” you mumble. With that, Mimsy disappears from your screen.

You mindlessly meddle on Instagram, editing your latest post - a picture of the Pogues you took a few weeks ago - and scrolling through the feed. A text notification appears. It’s JJ.

Let me in. 

Frowning, you reply. 

Hello?? 

I’m outside lol. Let me in. 

Frown deepening, you ditch your phone and rush down the stairs. Sure enough, when you open the door, JJ’s there. He’s wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and those same damned combat boots. No cap, messy tendrils of hair sticking out any which way. 

“What are you doing here?”

“I was bored.”

“Oh,” you reply. JJ had never come into your house before. Always picked you up or dropped you off outside. “Well, come in, I guess.”

JJ gladly does so. Wanders through the doorway, hands in his pockets. 

“What you been up to today?” you wonder. 

“Went to Heyward’s with Pope to earn a couple bucks,” JJ says as he eyes up the decor. Most things are unpacked now, having been in Kildare for almost two months. Faux family photos line the mantle of the fire which doesn’t work. JJ peruses them. “You were a cute kid.”

“Thanks,” you say. “You want a drink or something?”

“Nah, I’m good,” he says, pulling out his flask. You roll your eyes as he takes a swig of what you assume is whiskey. “Where your parents at?”

“Trying to rekindle their romance on a weekend trip to my uncle’s place,” you say. “I was just gonna edit the last lot of photos I took at Kook Club.”

“They any good?” he asks. 

The two of you had worked the latest Gala dinner. It had been to “raise money” for the already pristine, state-of-the-art tennis courts. Whilst they were charging guests a thousand dollars per ticket, you and JJ left with less than a hundred bucks for ten hours worth of work. 

“They’re alright. Rafe and his posse are in the back of a bunch, sneaking drinks, so I need to edit that crap out,” you huff. You start up the stairs and JJ follows. Opening the door, you guide JJ into your bedroom. 

“Ta da,” you say. “My humble abode.”

“Cute bear,” JJ teases, pointedly looking at your well-cuddled stuffie.

You rush to grab him, hiding him under the pillow and nervously laughing when you turn back to him. 

His eyes gravitate to your pinboard of pictures. A collection of your favourites. Friends mostly, with about two of your parents. Lots of Vancouver. The Pogues. JJ. Things you took whilst people-watching. Most of the photos are pictures of the neighbourhood and town. Beaches and trees and people going about their days. Boats bobbing on water and fisherman dragging up crab-cages. Children biking down the street and old couples sat on their porches like something from a Suburbia advert in the fifties. There’s an intrigued slant to his brow as he takes in the world you see. 

Then, JJ plucks one from the masses and holds it with care, something seemingly unnatural for someone so energetic. You can’t help but study him as he studies your picture. It’s one you took almost two weeks ago, of a man that you saw smoking a cigarette outside of a dive bar. There was something about him that seemed so tired and worn, like he’d wasted his happiness on something unforgiving. JJ’s smile fades. There’s an urge to ask him if he's okay, though you’re not sure why. 

He returns it to the board and deliberates over some more. You try and think of something to say but come up with nothing. 

“These are really good,” JJ absent-mindedly tells you, eyes trained on the pictures. 

“Thanks.”

JJ smiles at the one you took of him. It’s a strange smile: like he’s surprised by his own candidness. Then he physically freezes. You follow his trained vision to a picture hidden under layers. Oh no. 

“Is that…”

JJ takes it from the board, careful not to disturb the others, and stares at it for a painful length of time. All you can do is fidget nervously, eyes wide, and watch him piece together the picture. Frowning, he holds it up to you as he turns. 

“When did you take this?”

“Um…”

It’s of him, laughing from afar, standing before a sunsetting sky, the sea in the distance. You try to grab it off him but his reflexes are too fast. JJ holds it above his head, out of your reach. 

“Just one time at the beach.”

“Nuh-uh,” JJ says, a grin starting to unfurl. “You’re lying. When’d you take this? I don’t remember you taking this.”

“Just a dumb candid I got at this kegger one time. It was ages ago,” you hurriedly say. 

And all the puzzle pieces click in JJ’s mind. The grin comes through in full effect and he points a finger in your face. Your stomach sinks through the floor. 

“It was you!”

“W-what?” you stammer.

“You were the peeping Tom at Chloe’s kegger! I knew I didn’t fucking imagine it!” JJ announces. 

No, no, bad, bad, bad. 

“Holy shit! I’ve been trying to figure out who it was and it was you the whole time!”

“Don’t be a dick, okay? I just like people-watching. Clearly!” you defend, gesturing to the pictures. 

“I’m not being a dick,” JJ says, enthusiasm dwindling. He lowers the photo and looks at it again. A smile returns, sweeter this time. “It’s a really good photo.”

“Course you’d say that,” you snort, taking it back. “You’re in love with yourself.”

“Damn straight,” he gloats. He watches you place the photo in your bedside drawer. “Putting that in your wank bank for later, then?”

“Careful,” you snarl, shooting him a glare. He cackles.

ADHD brain in full swing, JJ takes to investigating your cameras. “You ever take photos of yourself?”

“No.”

“Ever had people take them for you?”

“Look, some people photograph well,” you say, gesturing to JJ, “and some people don’t.”

JJ quirks a brow. “Are you saying you’re not photogenic?”

You make a face of ‘well, duh’ and JJ laughs incredulously.

“Oh, bullshit. You’re smoking! You’d take a great picture.”

“Well, history proves otherwise,” you laugh, flopping onto your bed. 

JJ looks back to the cameras. At his extended quiet, you gain the sense that he’s plotting something. Concocting. “What?”

“Just thinkin’,” he hums. He grabs your Polaroid camera, turning to you. “This charged?”

“It’s battery powered, JJ,” you say. “So, yes.”

“Got paper in it?”

“That little dial on the right will say.”

JJ checks and a grin reappears. “Lie down.”

“Excuse me?”

“Humour me,” JJ says, “lie down.”

Rolling your eyes, you comply, lying down like a corpse. “Happy?”

“No, fucking…” JJ poorly  imitates a sensual pose. You giggle. “Give it some effort.”

Sighing, as if it’s some great effort, you do as he asks. JJ grins and lifts the camera. With that, you crack up and raise a hand, trying to push the lens away. He snaps a photo before you can. 

“JJ!”

“Come on, come on! Pose it up, girl,” he urges. 

Aware that he won’t quit, you sit up and smile reluctantly with a lopsided head tilt. JJ takes another photo. 

“Okay, gimme something sexy.”

“Sexy?” you guffaw. 

“Yeah! Something for my wank bank.”

“Jesus Christ,” you mutter. You tug your shirt off before you can overthink it and lean back on your arms, dressed in pyjama shorts and bralette. JJ’s grin takes up half his face. “Happy?”

“That’s it baby, work it…”

At his compliments and praises, you entertain him further. Your confidence blossoms under the lens and you start to understand why people like being photographed. It makes you feel important. Beautiful, like you’re something worthy to be captured. You find yourself grabbing at your tit with one hand, staring doe-eyed into the lens. Another photo has you teasing at showing your nipple, pulling down the lip of your bra.

As JJ continues to snap away, you see his dick getting harder and harder under his shorts. When the camera runs out of film, JJ dumps it on your desk and he practically pounces on you. Consumes you with a heady kiss, a hand reaching up to your jaw, tilting your head to deepen it. You’re obsessed with the way JJ kisses. It’s so forward, unapologetic and proud. Tender and telling, dominating and delicate.

When his hands palm at your crotch over your clothes, your heart sinks. Using all the strength you have, you grab his shoulders and force him down onto his back, on your bed. An impressed, bewildered smile lights up his face. It’s quickly overshadowed with lust.

Now straddling his chest, JJ pulls you back down with both hands, bringing your lips to his. You both grin into the messy kiss. 

“Don’t think I forgot what you said during hot seat,” JJ mumbles out through the kiss. You don’t bother to answer. Start making work of his throat, empowered by the new position. “About your favourite position.”

Your only response is to rut back against his hard-on. JJ stammers out a groan which seems to quiet him. You push his shirt up just as he did yours the other night, and take to praising his toned chest. Lightly trace your tongue over his nipples. Who would have thought JJ was a switch? Not you. 

“Please, baby, fuck,” JJ stammers. 

“You want my mouth?” you tease, rubbing him through his shorts. 

“God, yes, yes,” he begs, eyes closed tight with pleasure. 

You drag it out. Leisurely free him from his shorts and boxers. Take long, slow kisses right up from his calves, guiding your trial with your nails. When you finally take his leaking tip in your mouth, JJ grabs at the sheets with a moan. You go down on him, varying between fast and slow, deep and shallow. Suckle at the tip just to hear the sounds he makes, sat up on his forearms to watch. 

“Takin’ me so well,” JJ groans. One of his hands fists into your hair. “Fuck…That’s it.”

You hum around his dick, grabbing at the flesh of his thigh for purchase as you work him closer and closer to the edge. He pulls you off him before he comes, spilling onto his chest with a shuddering groan. You sit back on your haunches, wiping at your mouth, as JJ sits up. You grab the box of tissues from beside your bed and offer them to him. He’s almost blushing as he takes them, cleaning himself up. 

“Christ, you Vancouver girls are built different, huh?” he says. 

You laugh, flustered. “Well, I can’t speak for all of us.”

“Don’t need you to,” JJ smirks, reaching out for you by your hip bone. “I got the perfect one right here.”

He easily pulls you into his lap with one arm. Dumbs your thoughts with a kiss, tongue swirling deliciously in your mouth. But when one of his hands ventures lower, you pull away with a small smile. He tries to chase your mouth with his but you place a hand to the apex of his neck, keeping him at bay. He frowns.

Tracing the pad of your thumb under one of his eyes, you quietly say, “maybe another night.”

JJ’s reaction mirrors that of a child being told they can’t have a candy bar. “Wait, seriously?”

“I’m tired,” you lie with a laugh. Pecking his lips, you smile. “Worn me out.”

“Barely fucking touched you,” JJ grumbles, disgruntled. You move off him and grab the mess of tissues, filtering them into your bedroom bin. You can feel JJ watching you as you gather the polaroid photos from the floor. “Is this about the other night?”

Your lack of reply is reply enough. 

“That was probably a fluke! I read somewhere that dehydration can cause it,” JJ tells you. You make your way back over with a small smile. JJ reaches out a hand and grabs you by your hip. He leans forward and places a kiss to your stomach through your t-shirt. Looks up at you, innocent through his lashes. “Just let me at you and I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“As romantic as that is,” you sardonically say, looping your fingers through his hair and gently easing him away, “I just wanna go to sleep. You staying over?”

“Is that cool with you?” JJ checks. 

“Mhm,” you say. “I’m gonna go wash up, yeah?”

“Alright,” JJ replies, already tugging off his shirt. 

When you’re finished in the bathroom you find JJ under your sheets, scrolling on his phone. You settle in beside him. Your bed is just slightly bigger than a twin. It gives you a good excuse to cuddle up against him. Sighing, JJ clicks off his phone and lays back. 

“You wanna get the light?” he wonders, absentmindedly stroking your shoulder.

“No,” you mumble against his sturdy frame. “I sleep with it on.”

“Oh. Alright.”

JJ coils an arm around your midsection, bending to your form like ivy wills to a building. And how strange is it to think, that as you and JJ fall asleep tangled up with each other, that a box of your ex-boyfriend's things lies under the bed.

read part seven here!

taglist:

@princessuki21 | @psyches-reid | @heybank | @avengersgirllorianna | @rrosiitas | @yourmumstoy | @jjsfavgirl | @void21 | @fictionalcomforts | @gsp420 | @redhead1180 | @wearemadeofstardust0 | @mrs-jjmaybank | @ifilwtmfc | @heybank | @lilyw1235 | @belle101200

[junnieverse]

PRANK WARS ➳ ENHYPEN

➙ pranking enhypen

pairing: enhypen x gn!reader

genre: just a load of crack/humour honestly

warning: not proofread, mentions of food in jungwon and sunoo's parts

a/n: thank you guys so much for supporting my blog! I just only recently started posting but they're all doing so well, I appreciate it all so much and I'm happy you're all liking it :)

🖇️ — 양정원 ; JUNGWON !

you had been bored the entire day and jungwon would be coming back home soon from work

thinking of ways to have some fun to kill the boredom, you grin mischievously at your little plan to prank your boyfriend

you grabbed some peanut butter from your cabinet and carefully scooped a few spoons into a pair of Jungwon's house slippers and quickly ran back to hide your evidence as you heard the key pad signal his arrival

"(y/n)! I'm home and I got all the snacks and drinks for our movie night!" he yells from the door

anticipating his reaction, you rush back to the entryway with your phone camera on as his face contorted in disgust as he felt the mushyness by his feet

"OH NO NO- DID MAEUMI POOP IN MY SHOES?!" he shrieks looking at the brown substance in disgust as he was in complete disbelief

looking up, he catches you filming and laughing and thats when he realised this was all a joke and he was simply an innocent victim to the shenanigans

feeling guilty in the end you spent the rest of the night apologising to your boyfriend who only accepted your apology in your cuddles

🖇️ — 이희승 ; HEESEUNG !

heeseung had been pranking you at any chance he could for the past month and you knew enough was enough

getting revenge was important this time around and getting him where it hurts was the most important, that meant aiming for his jealousy

getting ideas from your best friend, they had suggested texting him, "He's gone, you can come over now" as if it were meant for someone else would most definitely rile him up just as he has you for the past month

after all, revenge is best served hot (with a side of a jealous boyfriend)

heeseung had just given you a kiss goodbye before leaving for one of his schedules and as you watched him get into the car you made sure to send that exact text

to your suprise, the male immediately stepped out the car and rushed into the house to interrogate you

"Who's coming over and what are you both doing-" he huffs as he takes a moment to catch his breath

"Oh nobody in particular. But you kept playing your pranks on me, I had to make sure to step up my game," you say as he raises his hands in defeat sighing in relief at your news.

"Okay okay, you got me there, no more pranks... for now-" he abruptly adds in the last part as he left shutting the door before you could interject

🖇️ — 박종성 ; JAY !

you and ni-ki had been working together playing pranks on the members for fun and your latest victim this time would be your own boyfriend jay

what better way to mess with him then the classic hair dye in his shampoo prank

you knew jay loved his hair, as anyone else did, but dying a colour as wild as neon green would definitely send him through the roof

after telling the other boys about your big plan which in response they laughed saying they would pray for you, ni-ki helped you prepare the green dye for the prank

you all waited in the living room while jay took his shower, at the perfect time, his loud scream was heard as he bursted out the bathroom

his green hands were holding onto the towel wrapped around his torso as his now newly green dyed damp hair, dripped on the floor as he looked at everyone with a deadly glare

"Okay whoever thought christmas was early and made me the grinch has 5 seconds to run!" jay threatened as he became more furious

everyone immediately looked at you feeling guilty as they pretty much ratted you out with their gazes switching to you

softly curse under your breath, you immediately grabbed your bag and sprinted out the door as jay yelled for you angrily to come back

mission successful

🖇️ — 심재윤 ; JAKE !

jake's birthday was approaching and before giving him a nice and memorable gift, you wanted to rattle his heart a bit

the longer you thought about it the more you felt hesitant about going through with it considering how brutal it was

and what better way to successfully do this than to get layla involved in the prank you had planned

you had your camera set as you recorded everything making sure you had the messy mascara and red eyes to make it seem as if you had been crying

it was all meticulously planned out in your opinion and jake thinking his dog ran away and you weren't able to find her was the perfect (yet most heart racing) prank

while this all happened, the little angel was just quietly sleeping in your closet playing along

"Jake I am so sorry, she was right here and then, s-she was gone... layla ran away-"

the prank had taken an unexpected detour as jake immediately froze at the news and dropped to the ground going unconscious

your boyfriend soon woke up after fainting and you nursed him back to health

his immediate response was to look for his dog and he felt himself relax seeing her at the foot of his bed happy as ever

"I understand pranking me but please don't involve layla next time, I can't believe I passed out."

okay so maybe involving his dog wasn't the best idea but you knew your birthday gift for him would definitely make up for the shaking up he experienced moments ago

🖇️ — 박성훈 ; SUNGHOON !

after being in a relationship with Sunghoon for these past months, you already knew how jealous he could get which only made your prank for him work perfectly

you both had been quite playful in your relationship with one another but this next prank would definitely catch hoon off-guard

what better way to get at your boyfriend than the popular hickey prank

you had watched a couple of make up tutorials for this and you were certain your prank would be solid gold and would leave hoon absolutely red in mixed emotions

both of you had just come back from a night stroll and you had purposely worn a turtle neck to hide the fake hickey and get his attention

"You should take off the sweater, it's way too hot for tha-"

pulling the neck of it down, he comes across the purple 'bruise' adorning your neck and his eyes completely widen in shock.

getting your acting skills on you try to hide the spot but he was fast with his movements and started to rub your neck completely ruining the prank

"Make up? Really (y/n), you thought you could prank me? Ha, you're un-beli-bubble... get it-" he says laughing at his own dad joke

anddd there he goes again

🖇️ — 김선우 ; SUNOO !

sunoo had been given time off after promotions and he wanted to ofcourse use that time to be with you before his schedule got full again

both of you being absolute foodies, you knew you would be travelling and eating around the city

being a dessert lover yourself too, you got your boyfriend some mint choco ice cream but decided to prank him when he came over to visit you

adding a scoop of ice cream into the bowl you secretly squeezed some toothpaste in the middle hiding it with another scoop of ice cream

"Here's some ice cream love." you say giving him the bowl with a spoon as he gladly accepted it

innocently smiling, you watched him take his first bite which had been safe but his second spoon left him looking sick as his face contorted into pure disgust

sunoo being the sweet boyfriend he was couldn't tell you that he hated it

not wanting to offend you, he swallowed the toothpaste ice cream before smiling at you as his ears reddened

"Wow haha... what an... unusual taste of mint choco this is,"

unable to restrict yourself you burst out in laughter, "I can't believe you actually ate the toothpaste, oh my angel, I'm sorry."

as funny as it was, sunoo still eating that 'ice cream' just for you was the sweetest thing ever and you couldn't help but feel guilty for pranking him like that

🖇️ — 西村 力 ; NI-KI !

riki had been gifted a ps5 a couple of weeks ago and he had been on it nonstop whenever he was home gaming with his other members or by himself

you just wanted your boyfriend to pay a little more attention to you and you thought getting a fake one would prepare the perfect prank to teach him a lesson

you'd both been pranking one another for weeks now but this one would be unforgettable

jake was able to help you hide his real game in the closet and set up the fake one in ni-ki's room before he came back from practice

preparing for the perfect time upon hearing his footsteps coming, you grabbed the hammer and started swinging at the fake ps5 box

smashing the pc, the door swung open and your boyfriend ran towards you trying to stop you but to no avail the ps5 was shattered into pieces

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?! MY BEAUTIFUL PS5 IS GONE! YOU'RE A MONSTER!" he completely broke down falling on his knees crying as he looked at the game not believing his eyes

the rest of the boys soon came in phones in hand recording everything as they laughed congratulating you for doing a great job

riki soon caught on that it was all a prank and wiped his tears as jake brought out his real one

"You would have been single in the next minute if you really broke my ps5, my poor baby-"

yep, he was hugging his pc...

[highvern]

Teach Me IV

extra credit

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Pairing: Lee Dokyeom (Seokmin) x fem!reader

Genre: smut, humor, college au, frat!svt

Warnings: mentions of drug use (weed) and alcohol , phone sex, exchange of nudes, both are down horrendous, mutual masturbation, making out, dry humping, idiots in like, dokyeom has a praise kink and isn't ashamed, snippets of disgusting fluff

Length: ~5.1k

Note: ugh ... anyways! i know i mentioned potential angst in an ask but i'm weak

read more here

The best part of starting Fall Break on a Friday is having to do absolutely nothing for five blissful days. But because he is easily swindled by his friends, Dokyeom is ass over tits and the clock hasn’t even chimed 8PM. After the incredibly awkward week following your latest tryst, he’s thankful for the mind numbing freedom of alcohol, weed, and nothing but miles of mountain and woods.

Or he would be if wasn’t still upset you turned down his invitation to join him this weekend.

So he sneaks into his room and pulls up your Instagram. You're at the top of his results when he clicks into the search bar.

You posted a new photo this afternoon. A memory of a girls night out, sandwiched between two of your friends outside some bar, nothing but wide drunk smiles and closed eyes under the flash of the camera. Dokyeom already saw it. Already liked it. 

He keeps scrolling, down down down till he reaches his favorite picture. A frozen memory of you outside some cafe, slumped in an iron wrought chair, sunglasses obscuring half of your face; your mouth is spread over a wild guffaw, teeth flashing and the corner of your lips arched high in amusement. Whatever had amused you pulled your entire body in, shoulders curved up as your chest caves, chin tipped back. 

The soft pink sundress hugging you snugly is an added bonus. 

And somewhere in his muddled mind, Dokyeom decides he needs to talk to you. Right. Now.

After the third ring, the call connects.

“Heyyy, pretty lady.”

“Oh my god, are you drunk?” You laugh, and Dokyeom can imagine the same expression from the photo flashing across your face. 

God, she even sounds pretty. He thinks.

He whines through the goofy smile plucking the corners of his lips, “Nooooo.”

“Oh, really?”

“Maybe I’m a little drunk.”

“Only a little?” You jest.

“Maybe a lot-tle.”

“I can tell.”

“Wish you were here.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Haven’t seen you in like a week.”

If he wasn’t wasted then he might feel embarrassed, but Dokyeom finds the words slipping past him without a second thought as he rocks back and forth, caught in waves of emotion.

“How’s the cabin been so far?” 

The sudden change in topic scratches unpleasantly but he lets it go.

“Would be more fun if you were here.” He confesses. “What are you up to?”

“Laying in bed, watching Love Island.”

“What are you wearing?”

“Seriously?” You scoff.

“What?” 

“You’re so lame, Kyeom.”

“I’m curious about what you do when you’re alone.” He tries to sound innocent. “You’re alone, right?”

“Yeah, Ava left for the weekend.”

“So what are you doing this weekend?”

He’s fishing for the real reason you told him you couldn't come with him to the cabin. You’d been purposefully vague the few times Dokyeom probed since last Thursday, claiming any excuse under the sun: a friend coming to visit, getting ahead on assignments, pulling a few extra shifts at the library. Anything to avoid flat out rejection.

“You know, this and that. What about you guys? Any big plans?”

“Some of the guys mentioned a hike tomorrow. And Beer-lympics Sunday.”

“God, you’re such a frat bro.”

“I can do better.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. What are you wearing?” He tries again.

He hears you huff, “Pajamas.”

“Sexy.”

“I actually think this is your shirt.”

“Oh? Send me a pic.”

“What do I get if I do?”

“What do you want?”

“Are you hard?”

“I can be.”

“I’ll send you a picture if you send me one too.”

“Fuck, okay.” He agrees, tapping open his camera app and trying out a few angles, working himself up in the process.

Dokyeom settles for cupping the bulge over his pants, outline of his cock pronounced as he lightly squeezes. He’s highly aware of your obsession with his hands, so he tries to flex his arm forcing the web of veins to rise as the muscles clench.

“I’m waiting.” You goad on the other end of the phone, knocking him out of his concentration.

The five photos he’s snapped all look about the same. Settling on the least blurry one, he quickly opens your messages and sends it before changing his mind.

A sharp inhale announces its arrival on your phone. 

“Your turn.” 

He can hear the rustle of clothes and blankets through the speaker, and a whispered curse following a dull thud. Dokyeom can’t help the chuckle that escapes as he pictures whatever caused it.

The photo you send back takes him a second to decipher. You're definitely wearing his shirt, the bottom hem bunched across your breasts, the swells of flesh peaking out near the top of the picture; perfectly omitting your face. Tracing down your bare stomach, your hips are wrapped in powdery blue cotton panties. And if that wasn’t enough, one hand is stuffed underneath, pulling the elastic taunt across the crease in your hip as it stretches to accommodate your fingers.

Holy shit.

“You like it?”

“You're evil.” Head rolling back, Dokyeom groans as he takes it all in. “You want me dead.” 

You giggle at his tone.

“Fuck,” he mutters, continuing to study your figure. “You’re so hot.”

“Kyeomie,” you whine, obviously embarrassed under his attention.

“Are you touching yourself?”

“Yeah,” you mewl.

“Dirty girl.”

“Yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?”

The back and forth of your relationship is the funnest part, in Dokyeom’s opinion. You like when he puts you in your place as much as he enjoys you putting him in his. It helps that even when he assumes the more dominant role, you still praise him as if he’s the best thing since sliced bread. It scratches that submissive part of his brain that always wants needs to be good. Especially for you.

“I can think of a few things.”

“Oh? Like what?”

Phone sex is unfamiliar territory. He isn’t sure how much is too much and the awkward parting last week still stains his brain. But you just sent him a photo with your hands down your underwear so Dokyeom tries to go with the flow.

“Could make you cry on my cock.” He flushes when you remain silent for a second too long . “Sorry, that felt awkward.”

“No!” You object, voice crackling through the speaker at the sharp increase in volume. “It, ugh, that’s hot.”

“What? Crying from my dick?”

“You don’t think so?”

Dokyeom’s cock twitches, as if to signal its eager agreement.

“I think anything involving you near my penis is hot so I’m not really a good judge.”

“Well, just imagine it. Remember that time we fucked at Wonwoo and Mingyu’s house party?”

“Not appreciating you saying other dudes’ names while my dick is in my hand but yeah.”

You snicker at his reprimand. “Anyway. Remember how I wanted you to fuck my mouth?”

Dokyeom takes a sharp inhale as the memory rushes forward. You on your knees, eyes glossy and lips bruised, begging him to stretch your throat. The second the request reached his ears Dokyeom nearly came on your sweater covered chest, but he’d ignored your request, hauling your ass up onto the counter in favor of stuffing your cunt. You hadn’t complained.

“But you wouldn’t because you didn’t wanna mess up my makeup?”

“You looked pretty… didn’t wanna ruin it.”

“Yeah but I wanted you to.”

Another squeeze of his cock as he slips his hand under his boxers, “Yeah?”

“You’re really hot when you tell me what to do.”

“Fuck.” He groans, vocabulary limited by the husky timbre of your voice. “Are you touching yourself?”

“Mhhmm, doesn't feel as good as when you do it though.”

A pathetic thrust through his fist at the praise. “I know but I’ll make it up to you next time. Promise.”

“How?”

“Might tie you up. Fuck you till your screamming.” Dokyeom doesn’t know who he’s become but you seem to like it.

“Oh?”

Your reply is all breath, the same way you sign when he gives you his fingers after a long study session. The beads of pre-cum on his tip increase as he works his cock, almost able to fill the way you’d coat his fingers if he was there to give them to you.

“You like that? Want me to use your tight little pussy? Fill it up?”

“Want you to come inside me again, Minnie. So hot.”

“I know, pretty girl. So desperate for it aren’t you?”

“Yeah.” you squeak, “Are you close?”

“Send me another picture.”

Only a few seconds pass, filled with muffled groans on his end and the clack of your nails on yours. Dokyeom rushes to open the new attachment you’ve blessed him with, heart clenching when his stomach caves around a moan.

The photo is blurry from your haste but he doesn’t care. You're drenched. The crotch of your panties tinged darker as you pull them aside, flashing the way your entrance stretches around three of your fingers. Your clit just barely visible, puffy and swollen from neglect.

“Fuck, baby.”

“Minnie—” Your voice sounds far away, and he realizes you've put yourself on speaker so you can use both hands.

“Can you do something for me?” he grounds, squeezing the base of his cock to stop his impending end.

“Anything.”

Another deep breath before he lays himself bare, “Drive up here tomorrow.”

“What?” You ask, the springs of your mattress squeaking as you sit up, clearly confused by the switch in pace.

“I wanna see you.”

“I—”

“Promise I’ll make it worth your while.” Dokyeom scrambles.

Another pause before a timid, “How?”

“Whatever you want.” 

“Dangerous words.”

“Pretty sure I’ll enjoy it just as much as you.”

“I don’t know…”

“If you don’t want to, it's fine but,” he sighs, “if you can I want you to come. And not just because of sex.”

“Then why?” 

“Because I like—” He cuts himself off hastily. “Because I like spending time with you.”

As seconds tick by without response, Dokyeom is sure you're going to call his bluff. Or worse, laugh in his face. He’s sweating, heart beating irregularly as he waits for your reply.

“Really?” Shyness creeps into your voice.

Dokyeom nods before realizing you can’t see him. “Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I’ll come.”

“Really?” Dokyeom asks, eyes wide and jaw slack. No way it's this easy.

“Really,” he can hear you smile. “But only because you said you’d give me whatever I want.”

“You’re gonna make me regret that aren’t you?”

“Absolutely.” You tease, enunciating each syllable as his heart beats in time. “But Kyeomie…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m still wet.”

“Can’t have that.” He tsks.

“Please,”

“Be a good girl and play with your clit.” Dokyeom instructs, slipping right back in.

A hitch in your breath precludes a satisfied “hmmm”. He wishes he could taste both on his tongue. 

“Touch yourself too.” You plea.

Dokyeom’s wound so tight a gust of wind would have his load all over his stomach. He tells you as much.

“Shiiit” You curse, catching up to him. “Close.”

“Yeah? Think you deserve it?”

If he was there, Dokyeom knows he’d see the frustrated kick of your legs and feel the daggers shooting from your eyes.

“You ignored me all last week, I don’t know if I should let you.”

“Dokyeom, please!”

“But since I get to see you tomorrow.” he tuts, covering up the catch of his breath as you plea again. “Let me hear it.”

The call devolves into choked curses and groans. He keeps the screen close to his face as he focuses back on the picture you sent, painting his fist with streaks of white as you beg him to cum, choke on how much you want to taste. Your stuttered “ah”s floating right into his ears as you twist and shake in your bed hours away.

When Dokyeom can feel himself returning to his body, he soaks in the lull of you catching your breath.

“You good?”

“Yeah.” You sigh dreamily.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Send me the address.”

“Oh and Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m happy you’re coming…”

“Goodnight,” you chuckle at the double entendre.

“Night.”

Even with the satisfaction of an orgasm coursing through his veins, the fizzing bubbles of happiness in his chest have nothing to do with the cum cooling in his underwear.

--

The drive to the cabin is two hours and thirty seven nerve wrecking minutes. Dokyeom has been up since six, texting you the address, asking you to let him know when you left, keep him updated on any pit stops you needed to make. Not to rush up the mountain and drive safely. 

The digital clock on your dash reads just past noon as you slowly creep up a narrow gravel road, praying another car doesn’t swoop around the bend. Of course a pack of frat boys would choose some creepy woods to set up camp for a long weekend. 

You dial Dokyeom’s number just to be safe. Barely a full ring passes before he picks it up.

“Hey!”

“Hey… I think I’m pulling up to the right place?” You scan for any sign of a driveway on either side of the road without any luck. 

“Oh shit, I’ll come outside. Jun got us lost yesterday when he drove up so it’s tricky.”

Taking a left as you finally spot the red mailbox with a beaver carved into the dark wooden post at the end of the lengthy driveway, a two story cabin comes into view between the trees. Dokyeom jogs from the porch to meet you at the edge of the yard. Rolling down your window as he makes his way over, you greet him.

“Hey,”

“Hey,” he smiles, bright enough to blind a village.

“Um, where should I park?” 

“Just pull up behind anyone, it doesn't matter.”

“Alright.” 

Dokyeom walks next to you as you pull in behind a white sedan. Once in park, you pop the trunk before slipping out the door. He already has your bag tossed over his shoulder, tangling your fingers with his as he pulls you towards the house.

“Some of the guys went on a hike earlier so I’ve been helping Seungkwan and Mingyu clean up.”

“Oh, you didn’t need to wait for me.”

“I wanted to.”

Before you can think too much on that statement, Seungkwan interrupts by tackling you in a hug. 

“Oh thank god you’re here.” 

“Hi to you too.” You say, carrying his weight as he goes boneless.

“Hi,” he responds with a squeeze, before turning to Dokyeom with a blunt, “Goodbye.” 

Seungkwan pulls you inside the front door, beelining for the sliding glass doors that lead to the back porch.

“Hey!”

Without slowing, Seungkwan fends him off. “She was my friend first!”

“Yeah well,” Dokyeom flounders like a washed up fish.

“You dazzle with words. Now go away.” Seungkwan sniffs.

Sending an apologetic smile over your shoulder, you allow Seungkwan to usher you along. You spot another person in the kitchen, face shadowed by the hood of his sweater. He doesn’t look up when you and Seungkwan shuffle pass.

“Ignore Mingyu, his girlfriend broke up with him yesterday.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah, anyway.” Seungkwan plops onto one of the chairs circled around the patio table. “Speaking of girlfriends—”

“Did you finally get one?”

“Being mean is bad for your health.” He deadpans. “As I was saying, did Dokyeom ask you to be his?”

“His what?”

“His girlfriend.”

Your ears ring at the nonchalance in Seungkwan’s tone.

“Why would he ask me to be his girlfriend?”

“Why else would you get up at the ass crack of dawn to come to this dump?”

“He said he wanted me to come.” You answer, turning your head to observe the lake beyond the thin tree line.

“After you told him no? Wow, didn’t realize he was that good in bed.”

Your hands itch to circle his neck and shake but Seungkwan is saved by the very man in question.

“Hate to interrupt but I thought you might want some coffee?”

You turn around, smiling as Dokyeom leans out of the sliding glass door, “Yeah, that sounds great.”

“We aren’t done talking!” Seungkwan calls as you reach the door.

“I am!”

Mingyu apparently retreated to his room after you stepped outside, nowhere to be found in the kitchen or living room beyond the counter.

The isolation makes you nervous which is strange because it’s just Dokyeom. But his words last night over the phone, coupled with Seungkwan’s on the porch twist your guts uncomfortably. 

It’s too late to bail. You can’t claim illness since Dokyeom will fawn over you like some mother hen. Besides, you don’t actually want to leave. You just can’t stand the nagging voice in the back of your head insisting this isn’t what friends do. Even if said friends are having sex. 

“Wanna show me your room?” 

“Sure!” Dokyeom is still cheery, eagerly leading you upstairs and down a maze of hallways. 

The outside of the cabin, while daunting, failed to betray how big it actually is as you pass door after door on your journey.

The room Dokyeom is sharing with Soonyoung is cozy. Two full sized beds with little room for anything else and an en suite the size of a closet. But at least you won’t have to battle it out with anyone else for a bathroom during the next three days. 

Dokyeom was lucky enough to claim the bed closests to the bay windows, framing a pleasant view of the backyard, dock, and sprawling lake. When you step closer, you can spot Seungkwan’s mop of hair as he leans on the edge of the railing that borders the porch; hand animated as the other holds his phone near his mouth.

Turning back to the bed, you spot your bag on the floor at the foot of it. The room is ten degrees hotter when you realize Dokyeom was lying right there as he talked you through an orgasm barely twelve hours ago. You awkwardly shuffle on your feet as you try to find something to say.

Dokyeom seems unperturbed, flopping onto the mattress, arms thrown wide in invitation. A shy grin twists your lips. Hair a mess, and cheeks flushed, Dokyeom looks cute. He’s always cute but navy crew neck and gray sweats transforms him into a cozy dream. The mattress dips under your knee as you crawl to lay next to him.

Settling your head over his heart, arms twining around one another, you feel your own give a peculiar squeeze. It’s truly no different than all the other times you’ve cuddled, albeit those were post-coitous; except it is. Dokyeom told you he wanted you here, that he likes spending time with you, and now he’s squeezing the life out of you as he snags one of your legs to wrap around his waist.

When sleep tickles your nose, pleasantly warm and inviting, you ignore how Dokyeom isn’t your boyfriend. What you have right now is perfect enough.

—

The sweet hum of Dokyeom’s voice lulls you awake, a simple melody you vaguely recognize from his playlist he insists on blasting during your hangouts. Gray light from outside casts the room sullenly dark. Storm clouds, swollen to a near black, eclipse the late afternoon sun. Dokyeom’s neck is the perfect place to escape the unavoidable sounds of the cabin filled with life, eyes firmly shut as you inhale the smell of laundry detergent and pine. 

One of your hands managed to twist under his sweater in your sleep, fisting his thin T-shirt as you attempt to beckon sleep out of hiding and back towards you. A pathetic whine escapes when Dokyeom jostles you in an attempt to find a more comfortable position, only silenced by his lips against your forehead and his stroking your elbow.

“Shhhh,” he coos. “Go back to sleep.”

“What time is it?”

“Like five.”

Lifting back from his neck, you pout. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

A gentle peck to your lips in response leaves you speechless, a soft quirk to his lips as you gape. Collapsing back into his chest you’re left to bask in each other's presence as you take to silently drawing shapes on his stomach, smiling as he giggles from ticklishness. His thumb traces the curves of your hip, digging to the soft flesh of your waist.

A banging on the door makes you both jump out of your skin before Seungkwan’s voice cuts the air. “Come on love birds, dinners ready!”

“If we don’t get up, do you think he’ll go away?” Dokyeom whispers into your hair.

“No.” 

On queue the door flies open, smacking against the wall and rebounding into Seungkwan’s face.

“I said it's time for dinner. Now get your asses up!”

“Go away, Boo!” You demand, chucking a pillow in his direction.

“What happened to respecting your elders?” Dokyeom asks, eyes sharp as he tries to kill the younger man with his eyes.

“When my elder does something respectable, I’ll consider it.” Seungkwan claps. “Now chop chop!” 

The dinner Seungkwan so adamantly demanded your presence at is a huge pot of spaghetti and some loaves of garlic bread. Nothing overly complex but the bustling atmosphere downstairs is nice, comfortable.

Dokyeom introduces you to some of the fraternity members you haven’t met, as well as their dates. Squished between him and Seungkwan at the dining table, you barely engage in conversation. Not that you need to. They both fill the space with their own joking easily enough.

Instead, your mind focuses on the warmth of Dokyeom’s shoulder brushing yours, and how he rests his arm on the back of your chair once he finishes his plate. 

When the mess is cleared away, a few people scurrying off to who knows where, Soonyoung insists on a game of Beerio Kart as dessert. Excited to have a new person to torment, he drags you to the couch before you can object. In a blink, you find yourself wedged between the armrest and Dokyeom as he explains the game.

“The rules are simple my friends! No drinking and driving and you have to finish your drunk before the race ends. If you fail to do so you’ll be publicly shamed.” Soonyoung claps his hands together, the maniacal glint in his eyes a little too intense for such a silly game. 

“And for additional chaos,” Seungkwan adds. “I’ve changed it to blue shells only.” 

“Now may the best driver win!”

“Alright, the first round is Jun, Marci, Sam, and me.”

“This is gonna be a bloodbath.” Someone calls from the other couch.

And it is. Jun uses height to hold Seungkwan’s drink out of the younger man’s reach, resulting in Seungkwan launching himself from the couch in a flying kick. They’re both so occupied with one another they don’t notice the race is long finished and neither of their characters moved past the starting line.

A chorus of boos rises as the race times out, designating them as 11th and 12th place.

“Alright, next is DK, Y/N, Wonwoo, and myself.”

“Can I forfeit?”

Dokyeom turns to you. “You wanna quit already?” 

“Considering my opponents, yes.”

“New rule: no quitting allowed.” Soonyoung interjects.

“You can’t make that a rule!”

“I just did!” 

You respond with a thumbs down, much more effective than the middle finger you want to throw his way.

“It’s okay if you’re scared, Y/N.” Wonwoo taunts from across the room. 

“I’m not scared!”

“That’s exactly what someone who is scared would say!” Soonyoung chimes in.

Dokyeom just shrugs his shoulders when you look at him for assistance. Figures. He’s part of the reason you don’t want to play. He and his roommate rile each other up too much under normal circumstances, let alone when things get competitive and alcohol is involved.

“Fine, let's play!”

Soonyoung divvies out another round of lukewarm beer cans you’re required to drink as Wonwoo picks the track. N64 Rainbow Road because apparently he’s an asshole. The way he reclines back in his seat confirms it.

To avoid the inevitable mess Dokyeom will make in his haste to chug before the race begins, you stand, shuffling closer to the safe zone at the edge of the coffee table. He tugs at the back of your shirt for a second, prompting you to shake your head. 

Dokyeom pouts but stays silent. 

“Alright lady and gentlemen! Start. Your. Engines!”

Cracking open your can the second the countdown begins on screen, you gag at the taste of cheap beer as everyone whoops around you. You manage half the can before you have to stop under the threat of it coming back up. Dokyeom and Soonyoung are still drinking, the later shuffling in place restlessly. Wonwoo hasn’t even opened his beer, focusing on getting as far ahead as he can.

Hopefully Seungkwan’s meddling takes care of him.

The race track is chaos as you press your character forward, occasionally blown off course by a blue shell moving to knock out whoever is in first. Half way through the course, you chance a glance at the other corners of the TV. Soonyoung and Dokyeom have finally started lap one, only for Soonyoung to fly over the edge at the first turn and wait to be rescued. Wonwoo is caught in the mess at the front of the pack, only able to maintain first for a fraction of a second before being sniped by a shell. 

Once you round the third lap, you take your chance. Stopping in a corner of the track to down the rest of your drink, hoping everyone is too engrossed in the events on screen to see you start moving despite still swallowing a mouth full of beer. 

This is when you see Wonwoo make his mistake. He pauses right before the finish line, cracking his can open and nearly choking on the large gulps in his haste. You're gaining quickly, barely a quarter of the last lap remains between your carts. When he finally finishes the can and picks up the controller, you unleash the blue shell you’d been saving. Rosalina goes flying as you sail by, Yoshi claiming fifth place.

“Suck it!” You scream, jumping up and down in victory; joined by Seungkwan who hollers with you as if he won too.

Wonwoo is shell-shocked, literally. He finishes seventh overall, pulling behind another computer character. Soonyoung is on the floor as he and Dokyeom fight for second to last place. The shame goes to Soonyoung as the race times out once again.

When you turn back to the couch you're met with another blinding smile as you drop into his lap. 

“Looooooserrrr,” you taunt as you flick his nose gently.

“Yeah whatever.”

“It’s okay, maybe I can teach you sometime.”

He laughs, squeezing you into his chest. “God, you’re annoying.” 

“It’s so lonely at the top.” You furrow your brow in mock sorrow.

Another race ensues, more chaos and screaming echoing through the living room. The heat of Dokyeom’s chest sinks through the back of your hoodie, strong plains of muscle shaking as he laughs with the group. When Seungkwan and Soonyoung face each other in a rematch you tempt Dokyeom upstairs, kissing behind his ear before leaning back and giving him the “look.”

The “I-want-your-dick-in-my-mouth” look.

Of which he very is familiar.

Dokyeom lurches forward, eager to appease, forgetting you're still in his lap until your weight knocks him back down. Shaking your head you stand and pull him up behind you, moving towards the stairs uninterrupted as Seungkwan and Soonyoung threaten each other's life and limb behind you.

Tacky wood shiplap digs into your spine uncomfortable as Dokyeom crowds you against the wall. His lips ghost along your jaw, hands on either side of your head to prevent him from crushing you. You don’t have the same concern, pulling him closer with the fabric of his sweater. The door to his room is a few feet to your left but the idea of separating for even a second to make it inside is pure agony.

“What does the winner want for her prize?” he whispers, teeth grazing your earlobe.

“Depends.” You sigh, grinding against the bulge of his thigh. 

“On?”

“If my prize is separate from what I get for driving up here.”

Dokyeom nips your chin, dodging your attempt to connect your mouths.

“Depends on what you want.”

“I want you to fuck me.”

“I’m gonna do that anyway.”

“I wasn’t done yet.”

He stays silent, teeth bruising the sliver of shoulder peeking out under your collar.

“I want you to fuck me,” cut of with a hiss at his vigor, “and I want to film it.”

Backing out of your neck, Dokyeom blinks at you, mouth wide.

Peeking at him through your eyelashes, you wait for Dokyeom’s brain to restart. His mouth opens and closes, but nothing comes out. Not a rejection or an agreement. Just surprise.

A heaviness curls in your gut. You thought he’d like the idea, especially from his reaction to the pictures you sent last night. And the videos he’s sent over the months you’ve been hooking up. Videos of him jacking off, cumming on his own stomach, your name on his lips. But maybe you assumed too much.

“Ifyoudon’twanttowedon—”

But a scream interrupts your rant as he lifts you by your thighs, ankles locking around the top of his butt and arms tangling around his neck like a koala. You hold on for dear life as he carries you down the hallway.

Palming your ass harshly with one hand, the other scrambles to open the door as he licks up your neck. The door rattles on its hinges as he kicks it shut but the blood rushing through your ears muffles it.

“Yes, yes. Holy shit, yes.” He’s whining into your ear, hips rutting into your core as he lands unceremoniously on the bed, crushing you underneath him.

You’re shocked for a second, woefully unprepared for his enthusiasm. But another harsh rush against you, coupled with his hands pawing up your shirt to palm your chest makes you bold.

Two things you know to be true about Dokyeom: 

First, he has a ragging praise kink. If you tell him he’s a good boy, he can come almost untouched.

Second, he loves the sight of his cum streaking across your body.

He was right to say he’ll enjoy this as much as you will.

“Yeah? Wanna come on my face?”

Another pathetic whine against your neck as he keeps curling his clothed cock against you. All of his weight settles between your hips as drives you to madness.

“Then go lock the door.”

[jinnirev]

Falling, Fallen (NSFW)

☆ Pairing: Han Jisung x fangirl!reader

☆ Synopsis: Jisung feels a sudden attraction towards a particular fangirl.

☆ t/w: slowburn, depicts mental health struggles, slight angst, jisung stalks the reader on social media, lowkey parasocial relationship on the readers side 💀 choking (jisung chokes in food and reader performs choking exercises), oral sex (f!receiving), softdom!jisung x sub!reader vaginal penetration, unprotected sex, creampie, overstimulation if u squint, porn with plot

☆ Note: Happy birthday late Jisung!! GUYS I COULDNT FINISH THIS IN TIME AND I GOT SICK 😭😭😭😭

Han Jisung. A hardworking idol, someone who tries his hardest to perform despite how he feels. It broke your heart every time you saw him in interviews. After the latest comeback, 5 Star dropped, fans noticed Jisung feeling extremely down. You couldn't stand seeing him look so sad, his usual energetic personality toned down to just a couple of smiles here and there.

"My moustache can be seen?" Han immediately pulled up his mask after reading that comment in the livestream. God, you hated that. Hated the fact that people were pointing unnecessary things out, he was barely showing his face before that comment, now his face was completely covered by the bucket hat he had on his head and the white mask.

Immediately, you rush to comment, sweet, encouraging words to him.

y/nnie: Noo! We don't mind it! :(

y/nnie: Please don't cover your face, you look good

y/nnie: your hair is so pretty I would start barking if you took off your hat

Jisungs glances at the comments, your comments being one of the first ones he sees. He tilts his head up to the camera, his eyes filled with a hint of amusement, "you'd bark for me to take off my hat?" he asked with a deep chuckle. God, you forgot how wide of a vocal range he had. Sometimes, his voice would sound so deep it made you feel things.

You almost screamed to yourself when you realised that he had read your comment, your fingers immediately rushing to type more

y/nnie: YES PLSD I WOULD PLS 🙏

y/nnie: YOURE SO PRETTY I LVOEYOU AONMUUCH

Jisung lets out a brighter laugh this time, seeing your comments with the amount of typos made him chuckle. You were on cloud 9. You just made your favourite idol laugh on a livestream? In front of so many people?

☆☆☆

Han finally ended the live. After running on one hour of sleep and explaining his new song, he was quite tired. He went on his phone, going onto bubble to see what Stays had to say. Ah, it was the same person who wanted to bark for him to take off his hat.

y/n <3: You did so well! Go get some rest, Miserable was such a good song, I cried while listening to it 5 times 😭

y/n <3: eat well!

If he was being honest, Han usually gets sweet comments like these from Stays. But for some odd reason, he felt his heart swelling, butterflies shooting straight to his belly as he read what you said. He looked at your profile picture. It was a cute selfie of you smiling to the camera. Your hair styled perfectly to suit your face shape, makeup done in a way that enhanced your facial features, you were breathtaking.

He quickly switched apps, going onto Instagram to see if he could find more of you. He switched to his personal account. Obviously, he couldn't be seen using the official Straykids account. Who knows what crazy rumours sasaengs can come up with? Typing your name into the search bar, he scrolled and scrolled, finally finding an account, its profile picture set as Han Quokka. He pressed into it, relief overflowing his senses when he realised that your account was public.

Was he being a stalker? He felt quite guilty for trying to find out more about his fan like this, but he thought that you were just so pretty. How could he not? Jisung looked at your highlights, posts, and stories. You were an average girl, random posts about food, some occasional OOTDs which he wished were more so that he could see more of your style.

Jisung catches himself celebrating when he finds out you don't have a boyfriend. Or at least he assumes that you don't have one since you don't post any pictures of men. He decided to take a break from the stalking. The one hour of sleep seriously kicking in, he decided to return back to his dorm.

☆

12.37 am.

Jisung woke up feeling his back aching. He shot up, wincing in pain. He sat there in silence until his stomach rumbled. Ah, he hadn't eaten much. He lets out a sigh as he goes to brush his teeth, grabbing his beanie and a mask before heading out the door.

The night was silent. The stars would've been shining brightly if it had not been for the bright lights of the city. He could still see a couple of them, blinking and basking in all of its glory. He walks silently, the chirping of the crickets fills his ears, the soft breeze blowing in his direction. There was just something about the night that made him feel at peace.

He arrived in front of the local convenience stall, pushing the glass door open. The classic convenience store bell rings, indicating he had stepped foot into the stall.

Jisung grabs the usual cup noodles that he likes, chicken breast and an Iced Americano. He places it onto the counter, greeting the cashier before pulling out his phone. He quickly paid for his food before thanking the cashier and going over to the food preparation station.

Quietly, he prepares his food. His fingers reached up to pull down his mask to, getting a sip of his Iced Americano and letting out a happy 'mmhm!'. He takes a seat at the seating area, disappointed that there was only one. The table, which connected to the large window, perched a girl, quietly sipping at her drink and scrolling mindlessly on her phone. Han decided to just take a seat next to her. He was just there to eat his food, nothing more, nothing less.

He took a bite out of his noodles until he hears the sudden blaring of one of Straykid's songs from the girls headphones next to him. The noodles that he had been trying to eat getting caught in his throat as he lets out loud coughs. He was caught completely off guard when he hears God's Menu blasting from her headphones.

The girl turns to him, surprised by the loud coughing and sputtering next to her. Immediately, she spoke up, "Are you choking?" her voice filled with both panic and concern for his wellbeing.

Han could only look into her eye, nodding frantically, still coughing. She immediately gets up off her seat, pulling Jisung off his seat, making him stand up straight. She wrapped her arms around his abdomen, balling one of her hands up into a fist, the other one wrapped above it. Using some force, she thrusted repeating it until he spits out the noodles he had lodged in his throat.

Jisung lets out gasps for air. The girl rushes away before scurrying back with a bottle of water in her hand, holding it in front of Jisung. He takes the bottle, chugging it down.

"Don't drink so fast, you might choke again!" The girl warns, worried that he might choke on the water.

Jisung finally puts the bottle down, turning to the girl who he was ready to thank for saving his life. His gaze landed on her, suddenly everything was clicking in his head. This girl was the same girl we was stalking earlier, it was you!

His face suddenly flushes in embarrassment when he realises this was his first interaction with you, definitely not ideal, but hey, at least he got to feel your hands around his waist.

"Are you okay?" Your voice breaks him out of his train of thoughts as his face gets even redder when he realises he was just staring at you, blanked out.

"Sorry.. Just wanted to thank you for saving my life," he chuckles, rubbing at his nape. He averts his eyes from yours, clearly very embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it, you should be careful when you're eating," You flash him a pretty smile, even when your voice was laced with concern, he could only focus on how pretty you looked. Your hair was let loose, barefaced and wearing only a grey hoodie and loose wide legged black pants.

Jisung pulls out a tissue that he had stuffed into his pocket, cleaning up the noodles that he had spat out which landed in the table. His face still red from the embarrassment, he doesn't know how he's going to recover from this one.

He hears you moving, taking a seat on the chair that you had previously been sitting in. Jisung sits down as well, silence filling the air before he breaks it, "Uh.. so, do you know who I am?"

You turn to him, smiling sweetly at him, "Are you Jisung from Straykids?"

Han nodded, flashing you a small smile. He still couldn't get over how he embarrassed himself. He doesn't know why but he started talking again, "I, uh.. started choking cause I heard you listening to God's Menu," he chuckled, smiling at you sheepishly.

You burst out laughing, tears starting to brim at your eyes from what you heard. "I can't believe I made THE Han Jisung choke..." You giggled. God, that was like classical music to his ears. It made him forget about how embarrassed he was as he laughed as well.

"You almost killed me, you know?" Han voiced out, his eyes landing on your pretty orbs, the way they looked as if they had the entire universe in it. It sucked him in.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you choke.." You apologised, sounding half serious and half in a joking manner. Jisung chuckled before silence fills the air again. It was a comfortable silence, one which had the two of you staring into each others eyes, not a word leaving your lips.

"I saw your comments," Jisung's lips turn upwards into a cocky smile. A small gasp emitted from your throat, your cheeks quickly getting hot. "W-Which one..?" You cupped your cheeks in your hands, trying to cool it down while trying to desperately avoiding eye contact with him.

He cracked up, "The one about barking, and the bubble one about you crying 5 times to my song," His laughter fills the in the empty convenience store.

"If you weren't right in front of me, I'd be screaming, kicking my legs and celebrating.. I'm sorry, I'm never commenting things like that ever again." You keep my eyes fixated onto the wooden table even though you could feel Jisung's gaze burning holes into you.

"I don't mind, really, but if let's say... hypothetically, if I were to take off my beanie right now, would you start barking?" Jisung snickered. You looked up at him with wide, horrified eyes. A dangerously handsome smirk on his face as he wiggles his eyebrows.

"What?! N-No way!" You scoffed before speaking again, "I can't just throw away my dignity like that..." You let out an embarrassed laugh, acting as if you weren't just thristing for him just a few hours ago.

Jisung snorted, "I see your comments every day, you know?" He had a mischievous smile on his face, eyes glinting with excitement when he saw how flustered you were. You quickly covered your face, "I'm never commenting ever again..." You spoke with your face buried into the palms of your hands. The tip of your ears burned bright red, Jisung couldn't help but laugh at your reaction.

He realised that you were genuinely embarrassed, his hand landing in your shoulder as he rubs it soothingly, "I like your comments though, they made my day better," He whispered sweetly, his cheeks also starting to get flushed.

You raised your head up from your palms, making direct eye contact with him. A sheepish smilen plastered in your face, "Y-You actually remember me?" Jisung nods in response, "I liked your profile picture, I thought it was pretty," He says again in a shy whisper.

Was the Han Jisung flirting with you right now? Seriously? At 1am in the morning in some random convenience store?

Your cheeks immediately turned into a dark hue of red, giggling at his statement, "I can't believe THE Han Jisung is flirting with me right now..." Jisung blushes, reality hitting him hard when he realised that he was trying to hit up a fan.

"God.. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me.." Now it's Jisung's turn to be embarrassed. He whipped his head away from you, his fingers rubbing at his temples. He feels your hand land on his shoulder, rubbing his shoulder the same way he was rubbing yours earlier.

"I liked it," you giggled, "are you not gonna finish your food?" You asked, voice sounding a little bit worried. Jisung turned to you, "It almost killed me, I'm not hungry anymore.." His lower lips poked out. Was he consciously making puppy eyes? Either way, it made you melt in your seat.

"But you need to eat," You say with worry, "how about this, I'll treat you to something nice since I was the one who made you choke," You proposed with a grin, Han swears the more you smile, the more he was getting energised. At this point, he thinks he can survive just from seeing you smile alone.

Jisung nods, "I'd like that, let's go," he excitedly stands up, throwing away the now cold and sad looking chicken noodles. "What?" You're confused as he cleans up the table. "But you should go rest, didn't you say that you had one hour of sleep?"

Jisung looks over at you, "I already slept earlier," he grinned. His heart fluttered at how you remembered what he said during the livestream, god, you were so cute. "But I want to treat you to something nice. All the good restaurants are closed now," you pouted.

"But you promised," He whined, grabbing your hand and ushering you to clean up and leave. You let out a sigh, "Fine.. what do you want to eat then?" Jisung smiled from ear to ear, "Ramen, I know a good place. It's open till 3am, we still have time so hurry!" He helps you grab your empty plastic cup, dumping it into the dustbin next to the table before grabbing your hand in his and pulling you out the convenience store.

☆☆☆

The sounds of the two of your footsteps filled your ears. Again, Jisung was under the night sky, this time with someone who he thought was even prettier than the starry night sky. He shoves his hands into his hoodie pocket, letting out a sigh in relief when he feels the warmth of his pockets engulfing his hands that were previously shivering in the cold.

The flickering street lamps were not quiet either as you followed Jisung. The streets were dead silent, not a single person in sight. "Do you know my name?" You suddenly ask, looking up at him with your pretty eyes. He wanted to capture the moment, the sight of you looking up at him with your gorgeous eyes that seemed to shine even brighter in the night. Your glossy lips that makes him want to press his lips against yours so badly, but he knows he could never do that.

"Y/n, right? I'm a good idol, so I remember my fans," He shoots you a wink as you giggle in response. Slowly, you clasp your hand around his, holding it up, "Not the be sappy and ruin the moment, but I hope that you will take good care of yourself. Don't rush yourself, yeah? We have all the time in the world to wait for you to feel better, so don't feel the need to be funny and energetic all the time."

Jisungs feels his heart pounding against his chest, his vision suddenly becoming blurry. "W-Wait, are you crying?" He hears your panicked voice, he heard some shuffling of your clothes before a soft napkin is dabbed against his teary eyes. He looks down at you, more tears starting to stream down his cheek when he sees you wiping his tears away for him. Your fingers worked on his face softly, treating him as if he were a delicate porcelain doll.

You feel his hand suddenly wrapped around your wrist, his other hand snaking its way around your waist, pulling you into an embrace. You let out a soft gasp when he buries his face into your neck. You could hear his choked sobs as he cries against the fabric of your cotton hoodie. With shakey hands, you wrapped your arms around him, your hands patting his back soothingly. Hearing his crying made you extremely emotional as well. You couldn't help but bury your face into his chest as you start to cry yourself.

Engulfed with each others scents, you felt at peace, even if you're crying your eyes out with him right now. The soft scent of his cologne filled your senses. He smelled of soft floral scent of roses and lilacs.

Jisung's crying stopped, but you didn't even notice as you were too absorbed into his scent to notice. He pulls away from you, with a frown on his face. He reaches up to cup your face in his hand as he tilts your head upwards to meet his gaze. Your eyes were puffy and red from crying, and you could say the same about Jisung's.

"Why were you crying?" Jisung asks in a whisper, his thumb wiping away the tear that falls from your eye, his voice shakey. You sniffled, "...It hurt me to see you cry," You finally get out after a long sniffle. His lips curve upwards into a loving smile, "I'll keep in mind to never cry in front of you ever again," He chuckles.

"What? No! You shouldn't bottle up your emotions. If you cry, we cry together, okay? Then we can cry it all out and feel better afterwards!"

He laughs, "Whatever you say, princess."

"Yah! We're not on pet name basis yet!" You slapped him on his shoulder, his eyes crinkling as he giggled at your response and how flustered you were.

☆☆☆

"Order whatever you want, it's on me," you grinned proudly, as the two of you walked into the ramen bar. The delicious aroma of bone broth filled your senses, you could feel yourself getting hungry after only drinking an iced latte.

"You don't mind if I order the most expensive one?"

"Don't push your limits," you glared at him, taking a seat. Jisung slides into the seat in front of you, smirking. "But you were the one who almost got me killed from choking," His fingers tapping against the table in, feigning a frown.

"You're a literal millionaire trying to milk money out of a poor girl. You should be embarrassed of yourself," you scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest, furrowing your brows to make you look like you were mad.

"But you can afford to pay for Bubble," He shrugged before grabbing the menu and scanning through it. "You're so lucky I just met you today. If I had known you for a day more, I'd punch you," you scowled, watching him point at the most expensive option.

He looks up at you, his lower lips poking out, staring at you with the cutest puppy eyes he could muster. "Are you for real...?" You deadpanned, a sigh escapes your lips, "Fine.. order it, I'll pay." Han smiles brightly at your response, he pulls his phone out, scanning the QR code on the table to quickly order.

Jisung lifts up his head, "What would you like?" Still smiling brightly at you as if he wasn't about to burn a hole into your wallet. "Tonkotsu ramen with grilled chicken."

Han nodded, quickly submitting the order. He turns to you, "Tell me more about yourself, Y/n," he rests his chin on his palm, waiting for you to respond. "Uhh... what would you like to know?" You ask awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

"Hmm.. I dunno, like your job? Your relationship status? Uh, whether you want a boyfriend or not? Uh, do you think I'm your type.." He trails off, realising what he had said, he buries his face into his palm, groaning at himself.

You let out an amused chuckle, "Seriously? Han Jisung from Straykids wants to know if I have a boyfriend?" You laughed again, watching the boy squirm in his seat, cringing at himself. "Well, I don't have a boyfriend, you're in luck." You lean towards him.

He moved one of his fingers that was covering his eye, peeking out from under his hands, "Can I- Can I uh.. have your number," He asks shyly, almost in a whisper.

"God.. you don't know how hard it is for me to not pass out right now..."

Jisungs hands flies off his face in an instant, his shyness vanished as a concerned expression takes over his face, "WHAT?! ARE YOU OKAY? SHOULD I TAKE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?"

You burst out laughing at his little outburst. Jisung stares at you in confusion, a frown on his lips as he tries to comprehend what was going on. "I'm okay... oh my god, you're so funny, Jisung..."

He rolled his eyes at you, "This isn't a joke, Y/n! You scared me!" he whined, grabbing your hand in his and pulling it back and forth. "I'm sorry, it's just that I'm still shocked that my bias is sitting right in front of me, asking for my number. It's crazy, you know?"

"So are you gonna give me your number or not?"

"Pass me your phone then, idiot," This time, it was your turn to roll your eyes at him. He quickly slides his phone over, and the contact page was already open and ready for you to type in your number.

"Yah! Have some respect, I'm older than you! Wait, am I? Wait, how old are you?"

"I'm 20, but it doesn't count cause I'm a foreigner!" You stuck your tongue out at him as if you were mocking him. "But you're in Korea, so you gotta do it!" He argued back. "Would you like it if I called you Oppa?" You immediately cringed at yourself when it rolled off your tongue, you felt like a disgusting Koreaboo. With fast fingers, you typed in your number before sliding his phone back to him.

Han nodded, a sly smile finding its way onto his lips. "No way I'm calling you that! I'd rather die than to be accused of being a Koreaboo!"

Your little banter was interrupted by the arrival of the food. The strong aroma of the nicely cooked meat combined with the warm broth, you swear you were drooling when you saw the bowl of noodles. You said a quick thank you before diving into your bowl of ramen, instantly forgetting about the banter that you were having with Jisung.

Jisung smiles to himself as he watches you struggle to put your noodles onto the big spoon. An eating habit that you've had for a long time. Jisung thought it was the cutest thing as he sneakily picked up his phone.

Snap!

"Did you just take a picture of me?" You asked with your eyes squinted, hands still working on putting the noodles onto your spoon.

"But you looked so cuteee," Han turned his phone towards you, showing you a picture of yourself with your brows furrowed, staring angrily at the spoon you held in your hand.

"I look so bad!" You whined, quickly trying to grab the phone out of Jisung's hand. Screw him and his quick idol reflexes. He moved his phone away in an instant, laughing at your miserable attempt of theft against his phone. "Han Jisung. I better not see you send that to anybody."

"Don't worry, it's gonna be safe kept in my phone."

☆☆☆

11am. Quiet snores fill your ears as your eyes flutter open. It was a quiet morning. The sun shone into your room through the small gaps of your curtain that was blown open by the soft breeze of the morning. Wait. You don't even snore, and why do you feel a hand wrapped around your waist?

You let out a loud gasp when you see Han peacefully asleep next to you, his hand wrapped around your waist as he snuggles closer to your body. Your mind wasn't comprehending what was happening until you blinked a couple of times and finally you remembered what happened.

Jisung begged to come over to your place last night. Who were you to say no to him when he was giving you puppy eyes again? He ended up dragging you to bed despite your protests that you both haven't showered.

"Good morning," His voice was all groggy. It was deep and somehow attractive. "We stink."

Jisung laughs when he heard what you said, "Are you gonna help me take a shower then?" His fingers trace at the skin of your belly, drawing random shapes onto it.

"Don't be creepy, I just met you yesterday," You rolled your eyes at the clearly disappointed man. "Pleaseee?" He tries again with the puppy eyes, thinking it would convince you for the third time. And it did. "Fine," You groaned, slipping out of the soft covers of your bed.

Jisung celebrates to himself when he hears your answer, quickly following behind you. Something about Jisung that many people don't know is how high of a sex drive he has. He couldn't help but stare at your ass while walking to the bathroom, the way it was perfectly plump in your pants. He wanted to hold it in the palm of his hands and slap it to watch the fat of your skin ripple.

"Are you kidding me? You got a boner from me agreeing to take a shower with you?" You had an amused smirk on your face, your index finger pointing at the awfully obvious bulge at his crotch. "But you're just so fine, how am I supposed to resist?" He whined, moving his palm to cover the tent in his pants.

You grabbed him by his hand, holding it in yours and pulling him into the bathroom. You slammed the door shut behind you. You slipped off your hoodie, revealing your bare torso. Jisung's eyes widened as he realised that you were braless the whole night with him. "Are you gonna take a shower with your clothes on?" You ask mockingly, slipping your pants off as well. Leaving you only in your black lacy panties.

Jisung curses, seeing your almost naked body had him getting all tense, blood immediately rushing to his cock. He felt himself get impossibly harder. He ripped off his hoodie in an instant, he was also not wearing anything underneath. Your jaw drops to the ground when you see his small but toned waist. His abs looked as if they were carved by the gods, his soft and milky skin that made him look so inviting to touch and mark up.

Jisung smirks when he sees you ogling his body. He removed his pants as well, leaving him in only his underwear. "Get on the sink, pretty girl," His voice was husky, the moment you heard that, you scurried to climb onto the sink. "You're excited aren't you?" He pushes your legs apart, bending down to your core as he stares it down.

You couldn't help but blush as he was practically breathing against your clothed pussy. You could feel your slick oozing out of you at the sinful sight of Jisung in between your legs. His wavy hair made him look divine. "You're very pretty," His fingers found its way to your pussy lips, rubbing at your clothed clit gently. You let out a small gasp at the stimulation, whining as it wasn't quite enough. "Stay still, princess." He holds your hips in place, stopping you from bucking them against his hands again.

"P-Please, Hannie? Don't tease," You whined, your panties were drenched by your slick at this point. He doesn't say a word as he opens his mouth, this tongue darting out and licking at you through the lacy fabric of your panties. Your hands flew down to his head, grasping at his soft brown locks.

He pulls away, looking up at you with the most gorgeous boba eyes you've ever seen in the universe. "Be patient, yeah? I'll give you what you want," His fingers tug at the waistline of your panties, tugging down your underwear. Your cunt suddenly feels so exposed, you could feel his hot breath against your wet core, the sight was truly something only you'd have the chance to see.

You let out a gasp when you feel him sucking on your clit. His saliva mixing with the wetness of your pussy beginning to make lewd, wet noises. He pulls away, diving into your cunt, you feel his tongue fucking into your tight hole. You were chanting his name like a mantra, hands still tugging at his hair. He stops his movements, pulling away slightly as you whine at the loss of contact. "Best pussy I've ever eaten." He dove right back into your cunt, slurping and sucking at your little pussy. His finger now rubbing circles at your clit, you felt your orgasm approaching.

"What are you doing?" Jisung looks up at you when you pull him away from your wet cunt. His chin covered in your juices, mouth all wet with a mixture of your slick and his saliva. "W-Wanna cum on your cock.."

Jisung lets out a chuckle, "I really wanted to taste you, though. But if you insist," He pulls down his underwear, his cock springing up, standing proud and tall. Your jaw falls wide open when you see the size of his cock. He was definitely above average.

"Speechless?" He rubs the hard tip of his cock against your wet, sensitive nub as you let out a whimper. "Hurry, Sungie.. want you so bad.."

That was all it took to convince him to push his cock through the tight folds of your cunt. He groans as he feels you clamping down on his cock, "Relax, princess, can't fuck you if your gonna choke my cock like that." You whimper in response, trying to keep your vagina relaxed so that he could work his way into you.

He lets out a lewd moan as he was finally buried to the hilt, your warmth engulfing his thick length had him wanting to cum on the spot. "F-Fuck.." He cursed, knowing he wasn't gonna last long. He reached down to your clit, rubbing at it as he rocks his hip slowly against yours, eliciting pretty moans to fall out your lips.

"F-Faster, Hannie, promise I can take it.."

Jisung drags his cock all the way out of you, leaving only his tip inside before slamming back into you. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head when you felt the tip of his cock hitting that spongy spot inside of you, he was practically kissing your cervix with his cock at this point. "So deep!" You wailed as he pulls all the way out before slamming back into you again.

His hands holding your hips, his nails pressing into the soft skin of your hips. Leaving behind small, pretty crescents. He moves your hips with his, pounding his cock into you. His stamina never seemed to decrease as he continued at that pace, you could feel the knot in your stomach about to snap.

Through your mindless babbles of his name, you cry out as you feel the knot in your stomach snapping. Jisung lets out a growl as he watches your pussy cream all over his cock, clenching as your orgasm washes over your body. He slams into you even faster now, ignoring your whines of overstimulation.

"Mhm.. you can cum inside, Hannie~"

You felt his cock twitch inside you before he releases thick spurts of cum, moaning as painted your walls with his cum. He couldn't take his eyes off of your blissful expression as you felt him fill you up to the brim. Your cheeks all red and flustered, eyes rolling to the back of your head. God, you looked so amazing.

He pulled his cock out of you, watching as his cum slowly flows out of your poor little cunt. It trickles down your thighs before ultimately hitting the cold tiles of the bathroom floor.

"Let's clean you up, yeah?"

[serasfanfiction]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3| Part 4 | Part 5| Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12

CW: For Valentino being Valentino. He doesn't do anything, but he does say some things.

oOo

The closer they came to V Tower, the more loud everything became.

Paper posters gave way to bulletin boards. Every street was lit with flashing signs and arrows, pointing the way to different businesses down the main strip. Advertisements were nearly plastered on every single available surface, competing with each other in a cacophony of bright colors and promises to make all of one's troubles go away, if only one bought the product.

Sinners wandered the streets, some glued to their phones as they typed out a text message, watched a video, or shouted at someone on the other end of a phone call. Some sinners loitered around various shops selling televisions, each screen showing an advertisement for the latest gadget VoxTek was selling.

The Vees made it ridiculously easy to learn their faces, as none of the trio were shy about plastering their likeness all over their wares. Vox was clearly unafraid to throw his reputation behind anything he supported, one advertisement proclaiming, "I'd buy it." Valentino left nothing to the imagination - figurative or literally - on what he was selling, with various larger than life posters that featured the moth scantily clad and in suggestive poses. Velvette was significantly more reserved, in comparison, with only a billboard advertising her perfume, named, Love Potion.

Quite frankly speaking, it was all a bit overstimulating.

Walking nonchalantly at his side, Alastor barely gave any of bombastic sights around him a second glance. He had made little commentary since they had set out from the hotel earlier in the day, falling silent as they had entered the Vees territory. Where all of this technology was practically invented yesterday, as far as Lucifer was concerned, Alastor had lived on Earth when most of the technology around them was still in its infancy stages. Advertising, likewise, was hardly new. Humans had been shouting at each other to buy this or to buy that since they'd first come up with the idea of selling a product. They may not have had flashing lights in the 1920s or 30s, but there had been posters, billboards, and radio ads.

Modern technology just made everything more... flashy.

Lucifer watched a group of sinners standing before an electronic shop, TVs stacked up in the window. Each TV was showing the same thing: an advertisement for the latest cell phone. He was a little surprised he still cared enough to be sickened as Vox straight up hypnotized the viewers into buying the phone. He shook his head in disgust a they passed group turned mob making a mad dash into the store. "Quite the salesman, Vox is," Lucifer commented, not trying to hide his judgmental tone.

Alastor snorted. He glanced at the group scampering out with their new cell phones as he drawled, "Vox has always had a... persuasive sales pitch."

It was Lucifer's turn to snort as they passed another poster of Vox, this time just the overlord and his VoxTech logo. His ever present slogan, Trust Us, curved around the logo. "You mean he hypnotizes people into doing what he wants." It was good to know in advance. No one had ever tried to hypnotize the Devil himself before and he wasn't keen to find out if it was possible.

"Hm," Alastor hummed in agreement. "Just so."

V Tower was easy to spot, even with all the noise going on in the background. The number of surveillance cameras also began to increase the closer they got to the trio's headquarters. Lucifer eyed one as it followed their trek down the street. "So much for keeping our arrival a surprise."

The redhead smirked, obviously pleased about something. Sing song, he assured, "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

The blonde sighed. He was walking right into it, he knew he was. He was going to do it anyway, because damn his curiosity. "Oh?"

Alastor twirled his staff around his fingers like a baton. "All the cameras we've passed so far have been laughably easy to take out." With a practiced hand, he caught the staff, it's tip pointing at the offending camera. As they passed it, the little button on the side of it blinked from green to red. "Vox isn't paying attention to his little toys. Dear me, he must be away from his surveillance room."

Lucifer squinted at the camera dubiously. "You can tell we're not being watched, by, what? The camera not coming back on?"

Alastor laughed, short and cutting. "Oh, it's more than lack of interaction." He leaned in close, as if he were parting with a juicy secret. "I can tell when Vox is watching." His smile was sharp and cruel and said everything about how pathetic he found the overlord in question. "His attention has a certain... desperation to it."

Lucifer wasn't certain which part of all of that to focus on first: the fact that apparently Vox had flat out stalked Alastor to the point Alastor knew when he was being watched or the fact that Alastor clearly found the whole thing hilarious.

Father, these sinner could be fucked up sometimes.

Lucifer grinned, unable to pass up the opportunity he'd just been handed to needle the deer demon. "Didn't do much about the camera that recorded the fight."

Alastor's expression soured around the edges. His ears flattened as he resumed his previous position, snide as he pointed out, "Yes, well, I was a bit distracted by doing all the work. You should try joining in next time."

Alastor hadn't let him get involved in any of the attacks, insistent that he had everything covered, and they both knew it. Lucifer had let him because he always half hoped someone would kill the asshole.

Lucifer let the conversation drop with little more than a roll of his eyes, his mind drifting as he processed this new information. If Alastor could indeed tell when Vox was watching (which, creepy) and had been surprised by one of the attacks being filmed, one could infer that Vox was keeping the hotel under a certain level of constant surveillance.

After returning from their day out, he had hauled himself up in his room as he scoured the news for mention of any attacks. Had tracked down the news reports Rosie had mentioned. There had only been a number written reports and many more reposted written reports, with a single video dedicated to the subject. The video itself contained footage from the first attack, despite the news articles having all been posted fairly recently. Judging from the general comments under the articles and the video, few people were interested in the hotel itself beyond wanting to know if it still stood or not.

They had been lucky the fight had forced the drone to retreat or risk being destroyed. Distance had rendered the video quality poor enough his bleeding hand wasn't visible for all of Hell to see. Everyone already knew angels could be harmed, killed even. It wouldn't do for anyone to get it into their pretty little heads that angel weapons might work on him or Charlie, however.

(Lucifer tried not to think about the main image he had seen, again and again, in those news articles. Tried not to think about how reverent Alastor had looked like as he reached his hand out to the Devil, as if he were the only God the sinner would ever be able to touch. The framing of the image had made it appear like it was something so different than it had really been.)

Light pressure on his shoulder drew him out of his thoughts. Out of the corner of his view, he caught Alastor withdrawing the hand he'd used to get his attention. It was a good thing he had, as it took a second for the sensor above the door to register their presence and trigger the door to open. He could only imagine what the media would have thought if a camera had caught Lucifer running right into the front doors of V Tower while lost in thought.

They stepped through the doors into a lobby themed in oranges and reds with purple accents. Hearts were definitely a motif, accenting arches and their support columns. Purple lanterns dotted every other column, more decoration than function. Lucifer took in the additional advertisements, some on the walls, some on a-frames. A large, flat screen tv displayed the VoxTek logo, but there was nothing currently playing on it.

There were a number of employees dotted around the lobby. A sheep sinner carrying a precarious stack of tablets raced off in one direction, while a horned rabbit sinner ran in another direction with an armful of clothing. A trio of sinners loitered off to the side, whispering back in forth in a frantic, hushed argument about what sounded like bottom lines and stocks. Near the back of the lobby, a blue and yellow sinner shouted about "messy actors" and "shitty wardrobes" as he frantically slammed his finger into the up button of the elevator.

At the center of the lobby, themed similar to the surrounding columns, was a welcome desk, currently being run by a white haired, fuchsia skinned sinner. Her tiny bat wings fluttered and drooped as she fielded calls. Distracted as she was, she failed to notice anyone had entered the lobby until Alastor and Lucifer had already reached the desk.

"One moment, please," she said to them, showing that she had at least noticed they were there. "Now where did Velvette say she wanted her calls sent to today...?" She bit her lip, finger hovering over one of a quite frankly insane number of optional extensions. Her eyes darted back and forth between two of them, before she shrugged and for all intents and purposes flat out guessed which one to send the line to. "Thank you for waiting," she said in a practiced, albeit polite monotone. "How may I... help..." She trailed off as she finally laid eyes on who had walked into the lobby, eyes going wide. She gaped as she recognized Lucifer but went completely blank as she took in Alastor's presence. The blonde was fairly certain that if he could read minds there wouldn't have been a single thought going through her head at that moment.

Lucifer fixed an equally practiced polite smile on his face. "Excuse me, miss," he began, only to pause when she failed to regain her senses, apparently still too flabbergasted by his companion. Brow twitching, he rapped his knuckles sharply upon the marble surface of the desk.

The noise seemed to do the trick, the sinner snapping out of her trance to jerk her head around. "Yes! Um." She swallowed, casting one last nervous glance at the Radio Demon. Between looking at Alastor and looking back at Lucifer, he could see her clawing her professional mask back on with the kind of experience that came from needing to remain calm when one's life was on the line. "How may I help you, sirs?" Her voice didn't even shake a little.

Noting the reaction and shelving the topic for later, Lucifer said, "Please let Vox know we are here to speak with him."

The sinner blinked, disbelief clear as day on her face despite her best efforts not to show it. "You..." Lucifer had the distinct impression the 'you' here was Alastor, even if she wasn't looking directly at him. "Wish to speak with... Vox?" Her tone suggested that had she not been speaking with Lucifer Morningstar, the literal king of Hell, she might have asked him if he was smoking something.

The noise, or lack there of, reached his ears. The general hustle and bustle of when they had entered had completely died down to be replaced by whispers and murmurs. Even without turning, he could feel all eyes on them. Lucifer glanced at Alastor, whose Cheshire Cat grin suggested he was internally laughing at all the fuss his being here was causing. His ears flicked to and fro as he followed different conversations.

Smile fixed in place, he affirmed, "Yup!" He waggled his fingers in the direction of her phone. "Now, please."

The receptionist stared off into the middle distance, the same blank look in her eyes he'd seen on soldier's who'd died at war. In the fatalistic tone of someone who didn't expect to have a job (or possibly be alive) in the morning, she said, "Whelp, this job sucked anyway."

Someone, a little too loudly, stage whispered, "Oh, I would not want to be in her shoes, right now."

Without turning, the receptionist flipped the person off with one hand while picking up the phone with the other. She pressed a seemingly random button as she put the receiver to her ear, a down right manic smile crossed her face.

Lucifer (and likely everyone in the lobby, as well) could tell the instant the phone was answered on the other end. A voice that matched the one's he'd heard in the advertisements bellowed, "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT INTERUPTING MY MEETINGS?"

Taking advantage of the fact that it sounded like Vox was a sinner who needed to breathe on occasion, the woman said, voice picture perfect cheerful, "The King of Hell and the Radio Demon are here to see you, sir."

A very long, audible pause, both on the phone and from the lobby around them. Then, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN ALASTOR'S HERE??"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow at the redhead, incredulous. Seriously? What kind of history did these two have that Alastor showing up at V Tower was causing this kind of fuss? It was almost enough to make him forget he had been totally overlooked in that last statement.

Around them, every camera in the lobby suddenly came to life, zeroing in on them. Lucifer could tell by their synchronous motion, someone was likely watching them. Alastor's whole posture changed as he turned on one of the cameras, head tilted just so and smile lazy as he waved at it.

As one, those very same cameras began to sizzle and pop as they were all taken out.

Lucifer noted the redhead looked far too pleased with himself for that to have been anything other than deliberate. He knew Alastor hated being recorded, but that was just petty. Turning his attention to the receptionist, it was only because of his heightened sense of hearing that he was able to hear Vox, voice considerably more in control and at a much more reasonable volume, telling her to send them down.

"At once, sir." She set the phone down at leisure, as if she hadn't just had her eardrums tested by her boss shouting in them. Still looking at something only she could see, she said, "Vox will see you now." She pointed behind her to a set of elevators. "Please use the elevator on the right, as this is the only elevator with access to Vox's personal office." Placing her hands on the desk in a deceptively casual way, she finished, "Please have a hellish rest of your day."

"You, too," Lucifer said on reflex. He watched her as they made their way around the desk, throwing glances over his shoulder after they'd passed it. Under his breath, he asked of Alastor, "Think the hotel needs a receptionist?"

They had a front desk, didn't they? And a land line? Maybe? There was no mail service in Hell and Alastor had to get communications somehow, seeing as he refused to touch anything more modern than a radio. He'd check on it when he got back.

"Ha!" Alastor side eyed him. "Come now, your Majesty, you don't want poor Husker to be out of a job, do you?"

Lucifer belatedly remembered that apparently Husk doubled as not just their bartender, but also as their receptionist. He guffawed. One the one hand, Husk was indeed an great bartender, even willing to be a patient ear for one's troubles, if he tolerated them. He was certainly an exceptional judge of someone's character. On the other, was he a good receptionist? No offense meant to the avian feline in question, but, not in the slightest.

Lucifer added the mental note to check in on the receptionist later to his growing list of things to do.

The elevator opened without them pressing any buttons, suggesting that Vox, the creep, had other ways of keeping tabs on them. Lucifer and Alastor stepped in, the former not thrilled with how tiny the elevator was. There was just enough room for the both of them to stand side by side with little to spare. Insult to injury, the most obnoxious elevator music he had ever had the displeasure to have inflicted on him played over head. There were no buttons to chose from, but there seemed to be none needed as the elevator began its decent on it's own.

Lucifer reiterated: what a creep.

More to fill the silence and distract himself from the growing need to destroy the speaker putting out that horrible noise, he asked, "You ever been here before?"

In the same way most people would say, 'I'd rather die, thanks,' Alastor scoffed. "Absolutely not! I'd never inflict such poor company on myself willingly." Still, it wasn't hard to notice the little ways Alastor was on high alert, very much aware of the fact that he had walked willingly into enemy territory. His ego didn't allow him to worry, but it still paid to be alert to potential surprises.

Thankfully, the elevator didn't take long before reaching its destination. This new room was vast, with a color scheme nothing like the lobby's. Where the lobby was warm shades of orange, red and purple, this room was all cool shades of blue, red, white. The room was dark, only illuminates by dozens upon dozens of screens, most glowing with white light, a handful with red light. Red light filtered up from what appeared to be a deep pit surrounding a bridge-like walkway. Attached at the end was a round platform and attached to the platform was a seat surrounded by even more monitors.

This wasn't an office. This was a surveillance room.

Walking down the walkway was none other than the founder of VoxTek, Vox himself, striding along with all the confidence of someone who was at the top of their industry and knew it. His smile was wide and Lucifer immediately pegged it as the fake kind he usually saw on car salesmen. "Your Highness! Welcome!" Vox greeted. When he was close enough, he offered his hand out for a handshake.

Lucifer eyed it, just long enough to make it look like he wasn't going to take it. He didn't expect anyone to actually bow to him in greeting, but something about this guy left him half tempted to push for it now. Taking the hand, he allowed Vox to shake it to be polite.

When it came time to greet Alastor, the TV demon merely gritted his teeth and said, voice dripping with venom, "Alastor."

Alastor didn't appear bothered in the least by the rude greeting. Matching vitriol with amusement, he merely said, "Vox."

Lucifer looked from Vox, to Alastor, and then back to Vox. Man, he was so sorry he hadn't asked for more details on these two before they'd gotten here. Predicting this could go on a while if they were left to their own devises, Lucifer pointedly cleared his throat.

Vox's smile smoothed out, salesman mask back on place. "Yes, of course. Now, your highness," the sinner held out his hand towards the bridge, indicating he'd like them to come into his "office" proper. Lucifer didn't fail to notice there was only one seat down that way and it was meant for Vox. "May I call you Lucifer? Lucifer--"

Oh, absolutely not. They were going to have to nip that in the bud. Even Alastor, who had somehow become his rival for his place in his daughter's life and literally lived down the hall from him, was smart enough not to call him by name.

"The word you're looking for is 'Majesty'."

Vox paused, body tensing. The fallen angel got the impression he wasn't used to being interrupted. "Excuse me?"

Lucifer effected a bored stance, one hand settled on his cane as he explained, deliberately just this side of hostile, "Your Highness is how you would address my daughter." He looked Vox dead in the eye, making it pointedly clear he was deadly serious and there was going to be none of this BS about who was calling the shots. "Your Majesty is how you address your king."

Vox interestingly grew more calm in the face of his king's ire. "Of course, your Majesty," he said, immediately correcting course. He offered they move the conversation to the platform again. This time, Lucifer nodded. He followed as Vox lead the way, noting how the TV demon never quite turned his back on them, seemingly uneasy having Alastor at his back, even this deep into what was his own territory.

Lucifer took the time spent crossing the bridge to exam the pit around them. While the red light obscured the bottom itself, he was able to make out what appeared to be a very large tank behind equally large glass walls. Swimming around without a care in the world were what appeared to be several glowing sharks. He followed one as it made its way from one side of the pit to the other, able to sense there was nothing natural in their design. These creatures may have appeared to be alive, but they were all circuits and wires, through and through.

When they reached the platform, Vox showed sense by not going for his chair. He did stop in the center of the circle, a subtle attempt to regain some control of the situation. "Now, your Majesty," he began, just sincere enough it was impossible to tell if it was fake or not. "Please, tell me how I and VoxTek can be of assistance today."

Lucifer watched him. Watched the way his face was turned to Lucifer, but his eyes kept ticking to Alastor. Noted the way his body was tilted ever so slightly in the redhead's direction, as if drawn by a magnet he couldn't resist. Vox may have been putting on a show of talking to Lucifer, but he very much only had eyes for Alastor.

Someone was obsessed.

Someone was obsessed really badly.

Something that felt suspiciously like possessiveness reared its head deep within his chest. Lucifer had no more of a claim on Alastor than Vox did, but Alastor had chosen to live under his roof and was his daughter's hotelier. Finicky to the last, with all the loyalty of a feral, stray cat, Alastor was theirs.

Smile all teeth, eyes gold on red, Lucifer raised his free hand until they were right under where Vox's nose would be if he had one. He snapped his fingers, once, twice, sharply.

Vox nearly went cross-eyed, as he zeroed in on the offending digits, leaning slightly back.

"I know Alastor is very eye catching," Lucifer drawled, voice deepening as he let his displeasure seep in. "But you are talking to me. Do you understand?"

The TV demon had the grace to raise his hands, not necessarily in surrender, but certainly in a pacifying manner. It was easy to see him cycling through possible responses, as he fished for the one that would deescalate the situation the fastest. "I apologize, you Majesty, for any offense," he settled on, tone so polite it reeked of falseness.

Lucifer let him have it because it seemed Vox was finally cottoning on to the fact that there was a larger predator in the room then either of the two sinners. The reluctant king withdrew a step, pleased when Vox's eyes followed him, with not a single glance at Alastor. Now that he had the CEO's full attention, he decided it was time to get this show on the road. "I have a message for everyone in the Pride Ring. I've noticed how many people have a TV or a cellphone. I've also noticed VoxTek's reach." Lucifer said this last part only because it was true. However they had managed it, VoxTek has even managed to make it's way into the other rings.

For the first time since they'd arrived, Vox's smile actually appeared real. It put into stark light how fake the one he had been wearing up until this moment had been. "We would be thrilled to feature you on one of our television shows, your Majesty." He was smart enough not to look at Alastor, although it was obvious the next part was directed towards him. "Our viewership ratings have been going through the roof over the last few years. Statistics show that almost every household in the Pentagram City has a TV these days."

It was a good sales pitch. It might even have been true. The hotel had even had a TV, although Lucifer had explicitly forbidden anyone from bringing one into the palace, the exception being the live-in servants' personal quarters. Regardless, Vox hadn't said that to try and sale anyone on anything, he'd said it to rub it in Alastor's face that Lucifer had chosen to pass his message along over Vox's medium, instead of Alastor's.

Although they hadn't discussed it ahead of time, Lucifer found himself saying, in all the casualness of it having been a given, "If Alastor wishes to broadcast the message simultaneously over radio for our viewers who prefer the medium, he's more than welcome to do so, but we're not here to discuss that." He was fairly certain, even without turning around, that Alastor hadn't given it away that this was news to him.

The idea was reinforced by the way that Vox's eye twitched before he could regain control over it. "Yes, of course we want it to reach all of the intended audiences." Hands coming to rest at the small of his back, the TV demon attempted to steer them back on course. "Now, about the content of the message."

Lucifer tilted his head to the side. "Does it matter what the content is? Unless you prefer I go somewhere else to do this." Something that was also true. Mammon may lack any talent of his own, but he knew a cash grab when he saw one. He jumped onto the bandwagon that was television sets, TV shows, and moving advertisements as soon as the technology had hit Hell. The only reason none of his products where seen in the Pride Ring was because Lucifer limited his exposure to sinners were ever he could. If he gave him the green light, Mammon would topple VoxTek within a matter of months, if not less.

Vox paused, sensing he was in troubled waters, but not quite sure from which direction. "No, no. We here at VoxTek simply prefer to make sure that all the content we put out is content we stand by--"

Lucifer leaned in. If his tail were out, it would have been thrashing. "Are you saying your king could say anything VoxTek wouldn't support?"

Vox's screen left eye widened ever so slightly, the sclera going from a solid red, to more hypnotic red and black. It was there and gone in the blink of his eyes. His voice sounded glitchy as he gritted out a, "No."

"May I suggest something, your Majesty?"

Lucifer broke off what was quickly becoming a staring match with Vox to turn his attention to Alastor. The redheaded sinner had been standing behind him, seemingly content to watch the drama unfold from the side as Lucifer took the lead. Considering their rivalry, Lucifer was a little hesitant to allow Alastor to enter the fray, lest he potentially make things worse. However, he did appreciate the fact that these two knew each other better than he knew either of them.

Giving away the floor, at least for now, Lucifer gave a single short nod, for him to proceed.

Alastor stepped up until they were side by side.

Unable to resist now that the redhead had center stage, Vox immediately shifted to face him, Lucifer all but forgotten. He frowned, almost all pretenses of being a businessman all but thrown out the window. "What are you doing here, Alastor?" He snipped at the redhead. "I know you'll take any opportunity to move up in Hell, but I didn't take you as a kiss ass."

Alastor smiled at him, as if he were a short sighted child. "We hadn't gotten to that part, have we?" He gave his staff a little spin, noting the way Vox's eyes narrowed as he took in it's repaired state. "His Majesty asked me to stand with him as he gave his address."

Vox snorted, doubtful. "You'd never agree to appearing on screen." He actually started to laugh at the idea, until he realized Alastor was completely serious. "Wait, you said yes?" Gaping, he turned on Lucifer, seeming in his shock to forget who he was talking to. "What the hell did you do to get him to agree to show up on TV?" He glared back and forth between then, baring his teeth as he asked, "What, are you two fucking or something?"

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, lip curling back. In one fell swoop, Vox had just reduced himself to less than scum on the bottom of his boots. The only reason they were continuing this conversation was because he didn't feel like dragging Valentino down to the Greed Ring. "Maybe you just don't know how to speak his language," he snipped back, mouth moving before he could think about what he was saying or how much it gave away.

Before Vox could think too deeply on it, the redhead cleared his throat. For all that he preferred to be an unseen voice on the radio, Alastor did how to play his audience in person. "Let me sweeten the deal," he said, his hand running down the pole of his staff, eyeing the TV demon as he did so. "If you agree to broadcast our King's message, I'll do that one little thing you wanted me to do when you asked me to join you." He pointed the microphone end at Vox, the tip perilously close to his screen. "From when you agree to the end of the broadcast."

Vox stared at the microphone. Slowly, he raised his eyes until he met Alastor's. Something that looked suspiciously like sadness peaked through his anger, although Lucifer was certain they weren't supposed to see it. "You'd really do that. For him?"

Alastor withdrew his staff, tucking it under his arm. With his free hand, he reached out until a single claw rested under Lucifer's chin. Encouraging him to look up at him, Lucifer let Alastor tilt his head up and around to meet that fond expression on the redhead's face. "As his Majesty said, he knows how to speak my language."

Vox's eyes widened, a dawning expression coming over him. Real horror followed shortly behind it. "Holy shit," he whispered, staggering back. Lucifer tore his gaze away from Alastor's just in time to see him drop into his chair as if his strings had been cut. Dragging a hand down his face, Vox said with absolute certainty, "You actually made a Faustian Bargain."

He said it like this was his worst nightmare came to life.

Beside him, Alastor practically radiated smug triumph. It was all the affirmation he needed to give.

All of the fight hadn't been been cut from Vox just yet. Unhappy as he was with this set back, Vox was already trying to figure out how spin this in his favor. An elbow resting on each arm of his chair, the knuckles of his joined hands pressed to his lips, he countered, "Alright, Alastor does his thing and I'll broadcast whatever you want." His grin took up most of his screen, all pretenses of friendliness dropped. "Give me an hour to prepare the studio for you."

Before Vox could run off, Lucifer placed one last little condition on him. "Vox. Make sure the other Vees are in attendance." At the TV demon's questioning tilt of his head, the blonde merely said, "I wouldn't want anyone to miss my message."

Whatever Vox thought of this was hidden behind his joined hands. Instead of bothering with any of the usual ways out of the room, Vox transformed into a bolt of electricity, disappearing into one of the monitors.

Silence descended over the room. Then, "You two have history."

Alastor snorted. "You know how to use your eyes, your Majesty. I'm impressed."

Lucifer ignored the sarcasm and the insult in favor of observing his companion. The redhead's brows were furrowed with concentration, eyes closed and the very air around him warped to a noticeable degree. To Lucifer, a creature who had existed before physical matter, picking up on the way Alastor was enhancing certain electromagnetic waves around him was child's play. Hoping to kill two birds with one stone - learning more about their shared history while figuring out what the sinner was doing - the little king gave into his curiosity and asked, "What did Vox want you to do?"

Alastor didn't answer for a moment, whatever he was doing taking quite a bit of his concentration. Lucifer patiently waited him out. Several minutes ticked by with nothing by the hum of the monitors and the swimming of the sharks to keep him occupied. Cracking open a single eye a slit, Alastor reached a point in whatever he was doing where he could split his attention. Lucifer noted the pupil of the visible eye was a dial.

"Do you know how the technology in that silly little device in your pocket works?" Alastor asked by way of response.

The only things Lucifer tended to carry on his person were his cane, which was in his hand, and his cellphone, in case Charlie tried to call him (rare that it was). His cellphone, which was indeed in his pocket. Fishing it out, he eyed it. He knew it worked. He knew how to work it. Did he really need to know more? Besides, it wasn't one of VoxTek's cellphones, which made him less wary of it. Confused as to where this was going, he said, "It works, isn't that all that matters?"

"Such a pedestrian response." Alastor hummed, his microphone coming over to point at the little device. "You device works because it's able to transmit data via radio waves." He used his staff to gesture to the room around them, his eye falling shut now that he no longer needed to see to engage in the conversation. "Vox's specialty is electricity. He can interact with anything that uses it."

Lucifer remembered the way the TV demon had disappeared into his monitor, a chill running down his spine as he imagined what all else he could likely interact with.

"Radio waves, on the other hand, are my specialty," Alastor continued. This fit with what Lucifer had observed both in the current moment and back at the radio tower. "Usually I simply use them to connect myself to any radio in Pentagram City, but I can also enhance them." His edges of his smile tightened. There was no strain in his posture, but Lucifer was suspicious they might see hints of it if this carried on too long. "When Vox wanted to introduce wireless technology to Hell, he suggested that we team up. He would create the technology and the demand, and I would enhance his reach." His expression sharpened into a sneer. "I had no interest in being a mere tool in elevating him to the top."

Judging from the short interaction he'd observed, Lucifer was suspicious Vox had wanted much more than just to use Alastor as a tool. Vox had done little to hide the depth of his anger and hatred, and no one reached that level of emotion without having swung in the opposite direction first. Lucifer wondered if Alastor had really turned Vox down because of his own lust for power or if Alastor had seen the way Vox had looked at him and hadn't been interested.

Since that question was more likely to shut down the conversation then receive an answer, resigned himself to never knowing. Either way, he supposed he should be happy that Alastor had turned Vox down. Lucifer didn't want to think about what they could have accomplished if they had somehow found a way to work together.

Instead, he went with, "So, you can interact with anything that receives radio waves, then. Not just radios?"

In response, his cell phone dinged. The screen lit up to the lock screen, showing he had a new text message. Though it should be improbable, there was nothing in the place of a sender's name. Lucifer silently frowned at it, suspicious of who was the sender, but unwilling to open anything he didn't know who it came from.

As if sensing his distrust, Alastor crooned, "Go on. I promise it's not spam."

Lucifer was still wary, but he unlocked his phone. If this was malicious ware, Alastor was getting him a new phone.

The text message was indeed not spam. When he opened it up, there were simply two words:

You suck!

Lucifer glared at the message. "So, what? How would this help Vox?"

Alastor wagged a finger at him. "I'm currently high jacking every TV and cellphone with it's WIFI turned on. 666 News has never been more popular than it is right now." He paused, as if searching for something. "I excluded most of the phones in the hotel, but I do have Angel's."

Lucifer whistled, giving credit where it was due. That was honestly incredible. Terrifying in it's reach, holy shit, but incredible. A thought crossed his mind, an unholy grin slowly spreading across his face as he wondered, "Wait, if I reply to this, will the message go straight to you?"

"Ha!" Alastor shook his head, using his microphone to bop the top of Lucifer's hat. An impressive feat, considering his eyes were still closed. "Sorry, but I'm merely a transmitter and an amplifier. My abilities don't work that way."

Lucifer straightened his hat, half tempted to try anyway, just to see if it were true. Perhaps he would another time.

He was interrupted from any further questions by one of the monitors coming to life over Vox's chair. A moment later, the sinner himself reentered the same way he had left. Vox settled back in his chair, legs crossed and significantly more calm than when he left. "The studio will be ready for you in half an hour." He glanced once at Alastor, who had opened his eyes upon the TV demon's return, before returning back to Lucifer. "Let's relocate there now, shall we?"

Lucifer nodded. Instead of leading them towards the elevator they'd come down in, Vox merely joined them in the center of the platform. It became apparent why when the very middle suddenly began to rise, revealing there was yet more ways in and out of the surveillance room. Once they were back in the lobby, he led them over to elevator on the left, only sticking with them long enough to press the button of the floor with the studio, before pulling back out of it. "I'll meet you up there."

The door closed, once again leaving just the two of them and that horrible elevator music.

Lucifer glanced at Alastor. He still looked fine, but he was definitely putting out a lot of power. Feeling concerned (Alastor had agreed to do this for him) and wary of insulting him, he asked, checking in, "You doing okay, still?"

Alastor's ear twitched, the widening of smile showing he wasn't insulted, but rather amused. "Oh, don't worry your little head, I'll be just fine, your Majesty." Eyes aglow with more than just the power it took to carry out his promise, he added, "But I expect a reward when we return to the Hotel."

Lucifer felt a jolt run up his spine. The chain around his neck didn't manifest, but he could feel it tightening ever so. Alastor was invoking their deal, officially giving him his 12 hour notice. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, as Alastor had yet to actually invoke the deal since making it with him. Tilting his head so his hat hid his expression from both Alastor and the camera's gaze, Lucifer grumbled, "Should have known you'd do nothing for free."

The doors to the elevator opened, illuminating the redhead's sinister grin. A few sinners had paused to catch a glimpse of them as the doors opened, only to pale at the expression on Alastor's face. They quickly scurried off to carry out their tasks. Lucifer stepped through the doors, taking in the chaos in front of him. Numerous demons were running around, similar to the frantic energy he'd seen in the lobby, everyone getting the studio ready. A stack of papers and angry shouting from a blonde woman in a red dress (what was her name? It started with a K) suggested that something else had been planned for this hour, but had been cancelled due to Lucifer's abrupt interruption.

Lucifer might have felt bad, if it weren't for the fact that he knew without a shadow of a doubt this particular reporter was likely going to find some way to verbally eviscerate him later. He may not have remembered her name, but he did remember her particular brand of cutthroat journalism and the outright nasty things she had said about his daughter in the past. And her casual abuse of her co-reporter.

As if sensing she was being watched, the reporter turned her head a full 180 degrees, her smile down right unhinged and full of promises.

Not for the first time since landing in Hell, Lucifer almost wished he was still capable of creating Holy Water. There were some situations one just needed a spray bottle full of the hard core stuff for.

"Your Majesty," Vox pipped up, appearing from seemingly nowhere. The only reason Lucifer didn't jump was because he was still caught in a glaring match with a literal reporter from Hell. "This way, please."

Lucifer carried on glaring at her, right up until he physically couldn't. "I don't care who you've got sitting with me, I don't want her anywhere near me."

Vox followed his gaze, snorting when he saw who he'd been making a stink eye at. "Oh, no worries." He turned his own glare on Alastor. "I'll be copiloting right along with you."

Lucifer took in the two chairs. If he was sitting in one and Vox in the other, Alastor was going to be left standing. Judging from the gleam in the TV demon's eye, this was on purpose. Vox pulled out the seat on the right, the malicious reporter's coworker's usual seat, a smile so fake one would have to be blind to think it sincere spread across his screen. "Just a few more finishing touches, and then we'll be ready to begin." He turned on his heel and disappeared back into the bowels of the studio.

Lucifer blinked down at the seat. He could already feel the sheer number of eyes from the people in the studio, watching and waiting to see what he was going to do next. This was the first time almost every single one of them had ever seen him in person. He already hated everything about this. It was more than enough to make him want to retreat back to his room at the hotel and not come out for the rest of the month.

A gentle brush, an almost tickle, against the back of his neck, the feeling almost shockingly intimate, startled him. He inhaled sharply, not having noticed that he had stopped breathing. Instinctively, he turned his back on the growing crowd, his hand coming up to half way, before he aborted the motion. Turning to face him, Lucifer noted that Alastor appeared to have not done anything, standing in that default pose he favored. The only reason Lucifer could tell it had been him that touched him was from the way the redhead was watching him.

"Smile, your Majesty," Alastor murmured, voice pitched low and soothing. "The hardest part is almost over. I'll be with you the whole time."

How out of sorts had he been that even the Radio Demon was taking pity on him? That the reassurance was a comfort?

Lucifer breathed in slowly through his nose, breathing out even slower through his mouth. His racing heart began to calm, as he reminded himself that he had taken on far more terrifying beings than a room full of nosey sinners. This was all for Charlie and the safety of her dream, and for that, he could handle anything.

He dropped into the offered chair, the anticipation of a battle falling over his shoulders like a weathered cape.

A door opened off to the side, one that he hadn't seen anyone coming and going through. Stepping through were none other than Valentino and Velvette themselves. Velvette was typing away on her phone, muttering about an interruption to her photo shoot.

Valentino paused as he caught sight of Lucifer and Alastor. "Oh! If it isn't papito, himself!" The grin spreading across his face and choice of wording caused the blonde's skin to crawl. Sauntering over, Valentino nearly draped himself over desk, bringing his and Lucifer's faces far too close together. "You wouldn't want to hang around after this little show for some one on one time, now would you, mi pequeño rey?"

Lucifer had barely managed to do more than lean back in his chair, trying to escape the heavy stench of smoke and hard drugs that hung around the Overlord like a second skin, when a weigh settled heavily on his shoulder. He glanced up, finding that Alastor had stepped up beside him, hand placed in such a way that it wrapped possessively around shoulder and was beginning to snake around the back of his neck.

"Valentino." Alastor's filter was grating, a warning despite his pleasant smile.

Valentino lazily blew out a thin pink, heart shaped mouth of smoke. It hit Alastor in the face. His smile was filthy as he gave the deer demon a once over. "Don't be jealous, venado, my offer is still open to you, too."

The static glitch of a record screeching. It wasn't hard to pick out Alastor's distaste with everything from the offer to the Overlord himself. "Pass," he quipped back, shotting down the offer with extreme prejudice.

The pimp shrugged, viewing it as his loss. He turned his attention back to his original target. "What do you say, papito? We could--."

"Val." Vox's voice was barely recognizable through whatever filter he was using, the noise causing Lucifer to flinch as it grated at his ears.

Valentino pouted, somehow making it look aggressive. "Vox, querido, what have I said about using that tone with me?" He twisted around in a way that accented his figure. "Don't be upset because the Radio Demon's already turned you down."

"The show is about to start, Val," Vox pointed out evenly and sternly, despite the dig. Lucifer was beginning to pick up that when it was anyone other than Alastor, the TV demon might actually be able to keep a cool head. "How do you think it will look if we don't start on time?"

Valentino's pout to edge in the direction of a normal pout. "Spoil sport." He leaned back until he was facing Lucifer. He reached out, running a single finger along the underside of the blonde's chin. "Call me if you change your mind." Offer made, he thankfully, finally got off the desk and made his way back over to Velvette.

Lucifer was going to take a long, hot shower when he got back to the hotel. With acid. Regrow some nice, new skin that Valentino had never touched.

Alastor pulled him from his thoughts, giving the back of his neck a squeeze. Lucifer was almost sad for the loss of contact when he pulled his hand away so he could resume his prior position.

From where he stood, Vox watched the two of them, his expression unreadable. Several minutely later, the blue and black themed sinner dropped into his own seat, calling out to the cameraman as he did so. "How's the camera holding up?"

The cameraman peaked at Alastor, indicating this question was because of the redhead's tendency to take out anything with a camera around him. The sinner studied his monitor and then gave a thumbs up.

Vox clicked his tongue. "So," he gripped, irritation heavy in his voice. "You can be recorded without destroying my electronics."

Lucifer couldn't see Alastor from where he was standing almost directly behind him, could only hear the tapping on his fingers on his microphone. His taunt was malicious as he came back with, "We both know I can be photographed ...when I want to be."

The TV demon grimaced, the hit landing where it obviously hurt. He had little time to recover, as the cameraman began his countdown. As he hit zero, Vox's smile was back in place, just a lot less real.

"Top of the hour, folks!" Vox's voice was loud and boisterous, the rhythm and pace almost break neck. "Breaking news: in a rare interview, we're joined by none other than the King of Hell and the Devil himself, Lucifer Morningstar!" Vox leaned over, holding a hand out to indicate the fallen angel sitting beside him. "Please, give your people a little wave, your Majesty."

Lucifer resisted the urge to flip him off. Gave the camera a little wave with little enthusiasm.

Vox carried on, unphased, "Equally rare and unlikely to never happen again, fellow sinners, we also have radio talk show host, the Radio Demon himself, Alastor!"

Alastor didn't wave. He grinned straight into the camera, as if staring into the very souls of the views, eyes and teeth alight as reality itself threatened to warp around him.

The camera gave an alarming whine. The cameraman gave an alarmed cry as it threatened to give out.

Point made, Alastor seemed to remember he was supposed to be behaving. The camera stopped whining as reality returned to normal.

Vox's eye twitched. Smile strained along with his chipper tone, he said, "Your Majesty, I assume your being here is because of the attacks on the hotel your daughter is running?"

Lucifer gave him his own chipper smile. "You mean the attacks you only know about because of your voyeuristic habits?"

Vox laughed, a touch nervously. "You've clearly never dealt with the paparazzi, sire. One has to cross a few boundaries if they want to get the exclusive first."

Was that what he was going with?

Either blind to it or ignoring it, Vox glossed over Lucifer's offense, moving on to, "Please, tell us, do you have any idea who's behind the attacks? We're dying to know."

Lucifer highly doubted that. Or at least, doubted Vox cared. It was more likely he wanted the hotel to fail or get taken out, judging from his poorly concealed eagerness. He leaned his elbow onto the table, chin resting on his palm. "I'm not here to waste my time nor the listeners' with an interview." He took delight in watching Vox falter for the first time since the interrogation began. Over his shoulder, he called sweetly, "Alastor?"

Alastor's voice was just sweet and still more bloodthirsty. "Yes, sire?"

It was a show of how in tune Vox was with Alastor's moods that the TV demon was already beginning to sweat. He was doing a good job of hiding it, Lucifer would give him that. It was a pity he was sitting beside someone who could see right through him, when he chose to make the effort. Lucifer rose from his chair, the blue and black sinner nearly taking a screen full of wings as they manifested. "Be a doll and make certain Vox doesn't get any ideas. Like interfering."

"With pleasure." Alastor's words were nearly lost to his filter. The air around them crackled, the shadows in the corners of the room growing unnaturally dark. Vox dropped all pretenses of pretending he wasn't unnerved, leaning back as much to avoid the wings as to distance himself from the redheaded sinner.

Red and white wings fluttered, giving Lucifer the lift to make stepping up onto the desk look effortless. Papers flew everywhere and a few people made startled noises as they were hit with a few errant pages. His wings fanned out, allowing him to gracefully fall into a seated potion on the other side of the desk. He leaned to the side, placing his weight on the hand braced on the desk, head rolling until he was facing the other two Vees. "Velvette, if you value your life just sit there and look pretty for a bit."

Velvette narrowed her eyes to slits at him. "What the hell?"

Valentino waited to see what advice he had for him. When he received none, the pimp blew out a lung full of pink smoke. His expression turned sultry. "Nothing for me, pequeño rey?"

Lucifer didn't respond, not wanting to give the game away too soon. Relaxing his control over his form, he allowed the full extent of his corrupted, angelic form to appear on full display for all of the viewers to see. Far too many eyes focused in on not just the camera, but the cameraman and the sinners directly around him. Each of them instinctively shied away, hindbrains warning them they were out in the open and too exposed. Vox attempted to push his chair back, the area around the desk suddenly a little too hot, only to be stopped by the end of Alastor's strategically placed staff locking the chair in place.

Lucifer rolled his head back around, until he could easily stare into the camera. "Now, to clear up a few things: I could care less about sinner politics." He grinned in that way he knew looked off, even for a creature of Hell, leaning into the fact that he wasn't human and had never been human. "How you decide to throw away the one good thing you stupid, stupid little humans have going for you is up to you." His pupils were lost in a red glow as his temper spiked, the flame of hellfire blazing between his horns. " What I do take issue with is someone sending hitman to threaten my daughter over something as silly as potential lost contracts."

He slid off the desk, the sinners in front of him all collectively taking a step back. Only the cameraman stayed in place, too frozen to move. "Perhaps it's my fault, I've been away a while." He held out a hand, fingers searching until he found the particular contract he was looking for. "Perhaps it's yours for never reading the fine print." His hand closed around his desired target, a chain made of pink, translucent smoke, deceptively fragile, coming into being. One end led out the doors. The other end led off to the side, leading over to a certain Overlord.

Valentino's and Angel's contract.

The pimp held up his wrist, confusion evident on his face. "The fuck?"

Lucifer's grin was all teeth. He wrapped his hand around and around the chain until he had a nice, solid grip on it. Without warning, he viciously yanked on the chain.

Valentino was pulled so hard, his shoulder nearly popped out of its socket. The pimp yowled like a cat dropped into pool as he was sent crashing to the floor. Lucifer didn't give him the chance to recover, reeling him in like a particularly resistant fish, the Overlord shouting and cursing as he was dragged across the floor. The Devil gave no quarter, even when he had him where he wanted him, pressing his heel into Valentino's back and twisting moth's arm until it was just short breaking.

"You see," Lucifer carried on, tone bored and voice raised over the slew of insults being thrown his way, "There's this little clause in your contracts that say I have the final say in every single one of them."

"You little shit!" Valentino hissed, twisting in a way that should be impossible for someone who purportedly had a spine. "We had nothing to do with the attacks on that shithole your hija is running."

Lucifer pulled on the chain until he could hear the shoulder pop. The sinner's claws dug into the ground beneath him, glare baleful. "Maybe," Lucifer said, almost nonchalant. "But you're the lowest kind of sinner: the kind that profits on selling human flesh and locks people into contracts so they can never escape."

The moth demon snarled, composure gone. "Every one of those whores came to me willingly. I made them stars. They would be nothing without me."

The Devil peered down at him, unmerciful. All of Valentino's sins where on display for him to see and judge and he found him wanting. "Nothing gives you the right to abuse another human being."

Lucifer returned his attention to the camera. He wrapped his free hand around another section of the chain, pulling the links tight between his two fists. "Let everyone remember that your little deals mean nothing if I say so."

Without further ado, he pulled almost effortlessly on the chain, Valentino's strength that of a kittens next to his. A link, just off center, gave, pulling apart until it shattered. Each one of the links similarly followed suit, falling from his hand like crystalline shards. They vanished like the smoke they had originally appeared as before they could hit the ground.

Valentino's arm, free of the chain, fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

Lucifer stepped off his back, releasing him. Stepping around the desk this time, he held his hand out to Alastor. The Radio Demon blinked back at him, something delighted behind his gaze.

It looked a little like victory.

He took Lucifer's hand.

"The Hazbin Hotel and every one of its residents are under my protection," Lucifer declared into the stunned silence, voice projected loud and unearthly, raising the hair on ever sinner's head, save the one in front of him. He looked upon each of the sinners in the room, gaze coming to rest on the camera lens. "I will not have mercy upon anyone looking to cause my daughter anymore trouble."

To his right, a portal appeared. Without another word, he stepped through it, pulling Alastor along with him.

As everyone continued to stare, the portal vanished and they were gone.

tbc

Translations:

-Papito: Little daddy

-Mi pequeño rey: My little king

-Venado: Deer or venison. I chose this word as a way for Valentino to make a dig at the fact that Alastor's demon form is a type of food source.

-Querido: Darling, used if you love or like someone. Chosen as a shoutout to the affair they're clearly having.

[daydreamingmia]

Celebrity Lie Detector Test

Walker Scobell X Reader | Series | You Belong With Me🔱 Part 5

You were in the car going to your first celebrity lie detector test.

You then got a text from Walker.

You were a little nervous. Not that you had anything to hide but what were they going to ask you?

-

You got inside and sat down. They were straping things onto you which mad enough even more nervous.

"Hello" the woman (the interviewer) said with a smile

"Hi" You fake smiled

"So I'm going to ask you some questions and you will answer them then he is going to tell us if you're lying or telling the truth okay?" She said pointing to a man behind glass

"Okay"

The man behind the camera gave the woman a thumbs up.

"Okay what is your name? She asked the first question to make sure the polygraph was working.

"Y/n y/l/n" you replied and the man behind the glass gave a thumbs up👍 (I'm going to put this emoji for if you're telling the truth or not)

"I heard you were going to the Grammys. Are you excited?"

"Yes! I'm so excited!"

👍

"Are you bringing anyone"

"That is a surprise"

👍

"Have you liked all your costars?"

"Yes! All of them are like family to me!"

👍

"Have you ever been in love?"

"No. Not yet."

👎

"I'm lying?"

"Who have you been in love with?"

"I don't know"

👎

"Who have I been in love with?"

"You're most recent album had a lot of love songs on it. Who were the songs about?"

"Usually my songs are about other people or I make a fictional story in my head."

👍

"But what about this album?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you said usually"

"This album is like all my others. Most of the songs are about a teenage boy and girl who are really good friends then fall in love."

👍

"There has been speculation that the songs are about your costar Walker Scobell. Is he the boy and are you the girl?"

"I've heard people say that. Just because Walker and I are friends doesn't mean EVERY song is about him."

👍

"So you have written songs about Walker?"

"Yes. For example track 3 on my latest album was about having a best friend who will be there for you nomatter what."

👍

"Do you approve of Taylor's boyfriend Travis Kelce?"

"I like Travis very much. He is very kind and protecting of Taylor. But even if I didn't it's none of my business."

👍

"Have you ever stalked fan pages for yourself?"

"Yes! I have many times. I really love the videos they post. It always brings up really nice memories for me."

👍

"Do you have a favorite page?"

"Y/Nnumberforever"

👍

"Have you heard Taylor's new album The Torchured Poets Department?"

"Yes"

👍

"Do you know when she is going to announce Reputation Taylor's version?"

"Yes"

👍

"Do you think Percy Jackson will get a season 2?"

"I hope so"

👍

"Do you have feelings for Walker?"

*eye roll "of course I do he's my best friend"

👍

"But do you love him like romantically?"

"Okay we are done here" You said getting up taking off the the things around your chest and hands

"I'm not in love with Walker. I do love him because he is my best friend! All the press cares about now is Walker! He is my best friend and I will continue to hang out with him! And the press is just going to have to get over it!"

You grab your phone and walk out. This is going to be all over the news tomorrow but you didn't care. You call an Uber and get in.

--Walker call--

Hey

Hey

Aren't you supposed to

be at your interview?

I walked out

What? Why?

They wouldn't stop

asking me if I was in

love with you. And if

my whole album is

about you What did

you say? That I was

done with them

constantly asking me

about you.They don't

care about anything

else anymore! I'm so

sick and tired of them

nosing into my

business!

Where are you now?

I'm in an Uber. I was

thinking I'd grab

some food from

Chipolte.Why?

I'll meet you there

Ooo! You're coming!

Thank you!

See you soon!

Like 5 minutes.

Bye

Bye

-----End call-----

You were sitting at a booth. Waiting for Walker.

"Hey!" You heard his voice behind you. You say nothing and just hug him. His warm arms wrap around you.

"You okay?" He asks

"Yeah. Now that you're here." You pulled away and saw someone with their camera pointed st you. When you looked they immediately put it down.

Before you knew it paparazzi was surrounding the building. You and Walker ordered and sat back down. Trying to ignore the flashes.

"You still good?" He asks

"I'm this close to..." You say starting to get up

"Don't do something you'll regret." He said grabbing your arm and sliding it down to hold your hand. Then your phone rings and you sit back down. It was Taylor.

--Taylor call--

Are you okay?

Is it everywhere already?

I opened instagram

and the top 12 posts

said you walked out

on you're interview.

What happened?

They wouldn't stop asking

if I'm in love with Walker

and if my album was

about him. So I walked

out

I'm so sorry. Press

can get out of line

sometimes.

They try to ruin a

relationship before

it starts

*whispers Walker

doesn't know that

they are right?

*clears throat No

Do you want me to

come and get you

from Chipolte?

How did you know I'm

at Chipolte?

Honey...you're

trending on Instagram,

Google, X just to name

a few. The pictures of

you at Chipotle with

Walker are on every

single social media

platform.

You can't come here

you'll be swarmed

I don't care. I'll come

get you. See you in

like 20 minutes

You see a big black car pull up three men in suits get out then Taylor. They cut through the crowd.

She walks in the restaurant hugs you. She said nothing she just hugged you. She remembered what it was like to be so young and have people following your every move.

"You ready to go?" She asked with a warm smile

You nodded

Walker came up behind you and put his arm around your waist and pulled you in. We walked out and the flashing lights were blinding. People screaming our names. When we finally got I the car and drove away. People followed us but we lost them eventually. You opened your phone to see what people were saying.

NEW YORK POST

Y/N WALKS OUT ON LIE DETECTOR TEST?

PEOPLE

WHAT IS Y/N HIDING?

STAR

TAYLOR SWIFT DRAGS Y/N OUT OF RESTAURANT SHE'S HIDING IN

USA TODAY

Y/N AND WALKER SCOBELL TRUE LOVE?

NEW YORK TIMES

Y/N PLAYING THE VICTIM?

TMZ

Is Y/N lying about her album?

A/n: I hope you like this chapter! Sorry this has taken a little while. If you have any requests just comment or message me. I will be posting a lot within the next week : )

P.s. Also thank you for everyone who has liked, commented followed! I'm so happy that you like my stories!

[pinkcrocss]

Limoreau #3: A Sense of Belonging

A/n: Hahaha! Another one-shot... Okay, I solemnly swear, I am not allowed to post anything else until I've posted at least one chapter of one of my two multi-chapter fics.

What can I say? When inspiration hits, it hits.

Heavily inspired by this amazing fan art by @beelze0-0

Jordan is sick of other people pushing their expectations on them...

1,900 words

“I’m super inclusive! So welcome to God U. We’d love to have you.”

“CUT!”

Jordan looked up at the director, from where they were perched on a picnic table out at the student quad. They couldn’t believe they had let themself be roped into this shit. But Brink had said taking part in this video would help keep eyes on them, further bumping up their q-ratings which would in turn help them in the rankings.

 “Hey Jordan! Look, I’m glad you agreed to do this and we’re so happy to have you representing our esteemed establishment, but we were actually kind of hoping you would film this in your female body.”

The stout director must have seen the frown on Jordan’s face because he hastily added, “It’s just that when it comes to inclusivity, a female spokesperson tracks better! It’s no big deal.”

“Easy for you to say.” Jordan thought as they reluctantly switched forms, feeling their clothes get a little looser and their hair suddenly touching their shoulders.

The director looked relieved as he headed back behind the camera.

“And go!”

Jordan started in on their rehearsed line, “I’m super inclusive! So we-“

“Cut!”

Jordan tried not to let any frustration bleed into their expression. 

”What seems to be the issue?” They tried to look cooly at the director.

“Do you think you could smile a bit more when you say the line? We’re trying to go for a more pleasant, feminine energy here.” 

Jordan could feel the plastered on smile on their face pulling tight at their skin.

“Actually, Erica! You think we could have makeup come over, maybe some blush and a touch of lip gloss would help.” The director went on.

Jordan went along with the rest of the shoot. A mantra running through their head for every minute that went by, “It will be worth it when I’m in the seven… it’ll be worth it when I’m in the seven…”

Hours later, Jordan sat at their desk outside of Brink’s office typing diligently on their laptop, as they graded Brink’s last batch of crimefighting essays. Glancing at their phone to check the time, they swore as they realised they only had ten minutes before they were supposed to be meeting with their parents at a restaurant across campus. Already they could see a barrage of unanswered texts from their dad.

Exhaling a long breath, they finished up their latest essay before packing up their things and rushing out of the crimefighting building. By the time they made it to just outside the restaurant, they were already 5 minutes late.

Catching their reflection in the window, they briefly panicked, realising that they were still in their female form. Not at all in the mood for an evening of barbed comments and sour looks from their dearest parents, they hastily transformed into their male form, feeling their body grow heavier as their hair shortened to right above their ears.

Walking in, they could feel the weight of their dad’s disappointed gaze. 

“Jordan?” He said. “You’re late! What do I always tell you? A man must always honour his commitments, right?”

Jordan could only take a deep breath, readying themselves for an evening of similar comments. 

“Yeah, dad. It was my bad. I was busy grading for professor Brink and-“

“Ah! Professor Brink! How is he doing?” Their mother cut them off. 

“I hope he’s been taking care of my little man.” At this point, she had gotten up and rounded the table to pull them into a tight hug.

“Well, not so little anymore. Look how how tall you are!” She grabbed his bicep. “And so strong! I hope you’re not overdoing yourself.”

“I’m fine mom.” they responded, slipping out of her grasp.

Sitting down, they opened up the menu and began scanning the options as their dad flagged the waiter. Having settled on a simple pasta dish, Jordan leaned back and settled themselves more comfortably as they waited for the waiter to approach.

Having gotten a passing waiters attention, their dad turned to them before suddenly donning a frustrated look on his face.

“Jordan.”

Jordan sat up, curious as to their dad’s sudden change of mood.

“Please… just sit like a man. You look ridiculous.”

Jordan followed their dad’s eye-line down to their legs, which they had subconsciously crossed as they had been getting comfortable. Flushing with embarrassment, they slowly uncrossed their legs and sat up, avoiding eye contact with their dad.

Seemingly satisfied, their dad decided to change the topic.

“Speaking of Brink… what’s the plan to get you ranked #1, huh? I noticed your social trending has been flagging a little.”

Jordan tried not to roll their eyes. Sometimes, it was hard not to feel like they were just a trophy to their parents. Something to take off the shelf and dust off in front of company, then put it right back away when there was no more use for it.

“Yeah, um.. I’m actually gonna be in the new campus welcome video for the incoming year. So that should help a bit with social recognition.” Jordan tried not to think about the disappointment on their faces, when they saw which form they appeared in in the video.

“Also, my combat stats are the highest on campus so far.” 

For a moment, their parents actually seemed to perk up at the news, both wearing expressions akin to haughty pride. 

Feeling confident, Jordan continued. “Yeah, and especially when I switch forms I’ve gotten more agile so Brink came up with this manuever wh-“

“Switch forms?”

Jordan immediately realised their mistake as their dad’s face morphed into a sour expression.

“Jordan!” Their dad was aggressively whispering now, as if afraid that other people in the restaurant would find out about what he considered, the more undesirable aspect of Jordan’s abilities.

“We’ve talked about this. You don’t need that part. Your strength, you’re invulnerability, that’s what’s going to get you to the Seven. Now stop embarrassing us and act more like the young man we raised!”

Jordan wanted to argue, but was scared of what might come out of their mouth if they did. Instead, they remained silent, face pinched, once again feeling like their skin was stretched too tight over their muscles and bone.

Finally seeing their waiter approach, their mother looked grateful for the excuse to change the topic of conversation.

“It will all be worth it… It will all be worth it…” Jordan kept reminding themself. They had to.

It was getting dark by the time Jordan was making their way back to the dorms. Shooting that video earlier that morning, grading all of Brink’s essays, a disastrous lunch with their parents, followed by a two hour lecture at their least favourite subject, Hero ethics, and all Jordan wanted to do was crawl under their covers and never wake up again.

Jordan felt stretched thin. Like a rubber band about to snap. But still they reminded themselves to just hold it together until they made it back to their dorm room.

It was days like this that Jordan was grateful that they no longer lived in the freshman dorms, and that their top ten status gave them leverage for a single room. Not having to worry about annoying roommates or being considerate of another person in their space, was a blessing they would never stop being grateful for.

However, as they neared their door, they got the distinct impression that they wouldn’t be alone tonight. Some niggling sense in the back of their mind told them someone would be on the other side of that door, so they weren’t surprised at all when they walked into their room to find Marie lounging on their bed, watching some kind of show on her V-pad[1] that she must have brought with her. 

She looked comfortable, stretched out in a pale blue sports bra and soft, black leggings. Jordan had surprised her with an illegally made copy of their dorm key about a month prior and had offered her use of their room whenever she needed to get away (really it was just an excuse to see her more often without sounding desperate. But hey, Jordan had an image to maintain).

Marie had set aside her V-pad to look up at them, gracing them with a blinding smile. “Hey, baby! How was your day?”

Jordan wasn’t sure how she did it, or what magic potion Marie seemed to possess, but at the moment she might have as well have been an oasis in a scorching desert Jordan had been traversing for weeks now.

Without thinking, they threw their bag to the side, uncaring of where it landed and dove towards her on the bed (careful to keep much of their weight off her, as they were still in their male form).

Obviously, they weren’t completely successful as Marie gave a beleaguered “Hmph” as they landed on her; wrapping their arms around her torso and snuggling their face into her soft belly.

They could hear her giggling above them.

“Hey.” They felt her rest a hand on the back of their neck. “Is everything okay? What do you need?”

“Nothing.” Jordan mumbled, their voice muffled as they pressed further into her. “Just this.”

Jordan basked in the warmth of Marie’s embrace, drowning themself in the vanilla scent of her skin. They needed to figure out what body lotion she used, so they could steal it for themself.

After a while, they finally had the energy top look up, only to find that Marie was already looking at them. What they saw in her eyes was nothing but warmth and adoration reflected back at them. 

Jordan was still in disbelief that they could be the recipient of a look like that, from Marie Moreau of all people! That was something that they would never stop being grateful for.

For a good minute, the two were seemingly locked in an intense staring match, neither willing to break the spell that had been woven in their little embrace.

A sudden curious thought popped into Jordan’s head, and without thinking, they suddenly switched into their female form. Continuing to stare into Marie’s eyes, they were shocked to find that her gaze remained exactly the same. Just warmth, adoration and acceptance. There hadn’t even been a momentary shock at the sudden change.

Jordan was fully overcome with a feeling they couldn’t decipher, and before they could reconsider, they were surging up towards Marie, kissing her with every intense emotion that they could muster. Gratefulness, all-encompassing trust, and love.

Marie of course was delighted, gently laughing into the kiss as she held their face with both hands, while caressing their cheek.

Kissing Marie always felt like a warm, heated blanket on a snowy day. Like solace. Like home.

Only when the need for air became desperate, did Jordan pull away, snuggling back into her torso as they felt Marie start stroking her fingers through their hair.

Jordan was so warm and lulled by the comforting motion, that they almost missed Marie’s question.

“Feeling any better?”

The answer came unbidden. they didn’t even have to look up.

“Yes. much, much better.”

[1] Remember Marie got a bunch of free tech from Vought when she made it to the top ten rankings.

[fishsticksloser]

your latest donnie fic got me curling my toes and kicking my feet-

could I request some fluff maybe with a newlywed donnie with a yokai reader? any yokai is fine, human is fine too! just need that fluff 💞

Give You the Best Years

Donnie x fem!reader

Warnings: yo'kai/mutant!reader, fluff, wedding stuff

A/N: God... I love fluff... This is just cuts to cute things. :) This took so long to write, I listen to music when I write, and for some reason my phone decided that Yung Gravy was perfect for this.

"I pronounce you husband and wife..." The officiant said. You look at Donnie, both of you can't help the huge smiles on your faces. You were trying not to bounce waiting for the final 5 words, then Donatello Hamato would be your husband. "You may kiss the bride."

Donnie quickly pulled you closer, dipping you slightly, kissing you passionately. You hear his brothers cheer. He let's you stand back up normally, pulling away.

"Mrs. Hamato." Donnie grins. You feel your heart skip a beat as you take his arm, walking back down the aisle. You 2 got to the reception area first, your wedding party coming in right after you.

"The last one married, how's it feel?" Leo laughs, clapping his twin on the back.

"Save the best for last." Donnie answers.

"Y/N, you're officially a Hamato, how do you feel?" April smiles, pushing Leo out of the way.

"Good. Although, it doesn't feel too different than normal." You reply. "It's just nice to have it on paper."

⋆｡ ﾟ｡☁︎👾｡ ﾟ｡⋆

"We should've done this sooner." Donnie jokes as you 2 have your first dance. You heard a few loved ones talking, a few camera flash as you dance to your song.

"Why do you say that?" You laugh.

"You'd already be my wife." Donnie shrugs. "I would've gotten to wake up next to you so much sooner."

You feel your face start to heat up. He's your husband, he shouldn't still make your heart skip or make you a stuttering, blushing mess... Right?

"God..." He groans, resting his forehead on top of your head. "You look so amazing... I'm so in love with you."

"I love you too, Don."

⋆｡ ﾟ｡☁︎👾｡ ﾟ｡⋆

"Darling..." You hear Donnie come onto the balcony with you.

He wraps his arms around your waist, his head buried in the crook of your neck. You both sway softly, the cool evening breeze humming through the trees.

"I wish we could stay like this forever." You sigh. He chuckles into your neck. "What?"

"Why can't we?"

"Responsibilities."

"Our marriage is our responsibility now. As long as we're together I don't care."

"When did you become such an optimist?" You laugh, turning to face him.

"Probably since the day I met you." He smiles.

"Ugh, now you're being too sweet." You grin back, pushing him playfully. Donnie laughs, kissing you softly. You wrap your arms around his neck and he holds your waist.

[mingyuluv4567]

Bangchan x Fem Idol reader!

Warnings- fluff, Making out, hickeys, dirty talk..

Descripción- Bangchan leaves a hickey on readers neck. fans notice a hickey on Readers neck during a live!

@ Chan recording studio 4:56 pm JYP company

“ chan- i really have to go jia is going to be waiting for me.” You spoke. However Chan was to busy leaving kiss down her neck to respond, finally Reader had enough and pulled Chan off. Chan pouted a little bit “ Reader.. but I miss you we haven’t seen each other in two weeks…” You sighed knowing her boyfriend was right, you had been really busy with your new comeback and it was doing really well.

You looked at Chan,and could tell he really missed you . You felt really guilty for leaving him but she didn’t want to get in trouble. “ I know channie but I’ll be back after the live, it’s just an hour I promise I’ll be back when it’s over okay?” Chan was silent but slowly nodded his head. You got off Chan lap and kissed forehead one more time. “ I’ll be back okay?” Said reader

“ See you..”responded Chan. You felt really guilty has she closed the door. You knew your boyfriend wanted to spend time with you but due to busy schedules they couldn’t. You check your phone and saw it was 5:03.’ Fuck the live started 3 minutes ago..’ you saw a bunch of text messages from her band mate jia.

Reader walked to the live room quickly, she opened the door and saw jia talking to the fans. “ Yeah I liked the food it was really good.. where reader?.. oh she went to the bathroom.” Jia responded. ‘ thank you jia I own you sooo bad’ reader thought. Reader walked in the room and sat next to jia. “ Hii guys sorry I was kinda late it never happen again” you responded. The chat filled up with ‘it’s okay’ , ‘hiii reader’ and ‘ don’t be late again.’ Just crazy and normal fandom stuff.

You looked at jia and she gave you a “really” look back.. you turned slowly to the camera and started talking about your day and what you did of course leaving Chan out of part of your talking, you also started answering questions about your comeback and your concerts. It went on like this for 25 mins.

It was started to get hot so you moved your hair back from your shoulders ( i am so sorry if you don’t have long hair.😭) The chat was normal for a sec until it blew up. You and jia looked concerned and confused you didn’t know what was happening. Finally the comments slowed down a little bit you were able to read one comment.” OMG IS THAT A HICKEY ON READERS NECK???”

Your eyes widen in shock, jia started reading the comments and turn to look at you. You heard a ding and saw you got a text for Chan. It read “ oops🙂” you were gonna kill him. So for the 25 minutes you explained to your fan that’s your burned your self with a curling iron yesterday that’s why it’s still so red. It was believable to fans because your latest Instagram post was you with wavey hair. (My curly hair people I am so sorry you guys can change that)

finally the live ended and you say your goodbyes. Once the live was off you fell back on your couch. “ reader what the heck did Chan do that?” She looked at you in a smirking way you look at her with a flat face “ of course he did, he must has did this while we’re kissing..im going to kill him..” Jia laughed.” Good luck with that I’m going out see ya” she said as she packer her things up. You waved and then got up your self to go see your boyfriend

You walked down to Chan recording room knowing he be there you knocked on the door. You heard a “come inn” you came in and looked at your boyfriend who had a smug on his face. You came in and close the door. Chan got up from his chair and pulled you over to the couch and sat you on his lap. You look at him” chan..why would you do that.”

He smiled and hugged you tight” because I missed you duh!!” You smiled back but fixed your face to serious right away” Chan I know you missed me but-“ your sentence got cut off and before you can finish it Chan started kissing you. You were suprised but gave in a few seconds later. You guys pulled back still in a daze.

“ I know I was wrong to put a hickey and not remind you before you left” he said pouting a little bit. You chuckled and grabbed your boyfriend face.” Chan I don’t care if you leave hickeys on me just let me know in advice okay?” You said smiling. Chan smiled back and answered with an okay. For the rest of the night you guys chilled and talked to each other with Chan occasionally kiss your neck and you.

That’s the end I hope someone reads it😭 it’s gonna get better when I do a lot my writing will become better so i hope this was good and okay 😭

[spinchip]

NEVER THE DARK

CHAPTER 13

Read on Ao3

Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12

!WARNING: refrences to ancient, non graphic child loss!

NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN LOST. // ALL IS TRUTH AND WAY.

“Gravis, Griffin, and I just arrived on scene, Pix.” Skylors voice crackles through her radio, “The civilian reports weren’t exaggerating- there’s a giant, er, slug-like animal here. In fact, ‘giant’ might even be an understatement.” Her girlfriend sounds openly bewildered.

Pix frowns, “Is it hostile?”

“Not on purpose. It keeps picking up cars and uprooting traffic lights, but it doesn't seem aware it’s doing it. It’s just bumping into things and they’re sticking.” Skylor reports, “The trail of slime it’s leaving is smoking, though, but it doesn’t look like it’s eating at the road.”

“Have Gravis move it to a less densely populated area- out of town completely would be best if at all possible.”

“Already on it. I’ll call Warden Nobel and have him bring us another containment cell.”

Skylor was always on the ball in the field, and Pixal was grateful she was by her side, “Thank you, Sky. Can you alert Commissioner McLane to the possible hazardous materials and have him block off the street until we can have Tox examine it?”

“I’ll send speedster over now.”

At Skylors affirmative, Pixal sets her radio to the side and continues looking through her extensive set of videos pulled from all over Ninjago city. She trusted her father had done what he could to get a hit on Dixie with his facial recognition software, but she wanted to be extra certain she couldn’t find the other woman the same way. She’d started with the cameras around the museum in an attempt to find the escape route the other thief had taken after defeating the ninja, but had come up with nothing. Despite having the technology to feed these videos into and get results in a matter of seconds, Pixal chose to go through the cameras with her own eyes. Her pattern and facial recognition was leagues above any of the market value programs, and if anyone was going to catch the woman’s face in the background of a walmart CCTV feed it would be her. The woman was incredibly skilled at avoiding cameras, apparently, because Pixal was coming up with nothing, nothing, and more nothing. She even had video archives open from years and years ago, hoping to comb through them all and find a facial match for her, to at least give her something to go off of. No luck there, either.

The last set of camera feeds on her upper set of screens is current security footage from several different vantage points throughout Ninjago- these weren’t monitoring for the thief. She’d tapped these in order to monitor the streets of Ninjago which were quickly becoming overrun with monsters she’d never seen before. The slug incident today was the latest in a long line of beasts that seemed to just… appear and begin wrecking havoc. The other elemental masters had been up to their ears in emergency situations, evacuations, and damage control. Today, it was a slug, a skittering weevil-like creature that crashed into several storefronts before dying in downtown Ninjago with no warning, and a flock of birds with bony protrusions on their back and acid spit. The past week has been much the same.

It was sheer good luck that Kryptarium prisons' deeper, more fortified cells were able to contain these animals.

As Pixal flicks through the camera feeds, there’s a familiar chime from her phone. She snatches it up and punches the answer button before the second ring, “Ronin.” She greets briskly, keeping her eyes on the screen as she leans back and crosses her arms.

“You called?” He drawls through the phone, and she can clearly envision him leaned back with his feet propped upon his desk. The very picture of relaxed.

“I need you in Ninjago yesterday. Your expertise is required.” She says immediately, not bothering to beat around the bush.

“Yeah, Yeah, I got your voicemail.” There’s a shuffle on his end, as if he’ sitting up in interest at the topic, “What’s in it for me?”

“You will have a hand in saving Ninjago.” She says flatly. He makes a noncommittal grunt and she barely resists rolling her eyes, “Fine.” She slaps her keyboard and pulls up his criminal record, “You have three unpaid fines here that have put out a warrant for your arrest for- really? Those are huge fines for… illegal parking?”

“I know!”

“Consider them paid off… if you come to Borg tower.” She bargains.

There’s another grunt, this time a winded cough of exertion as he gets to his feet. “What do you need me for anyway?” He grumbles, yawning into the phone.

Pixal slumps a little, “There is a new villain in town- he is working with bounty hunters. I need your help identifying one of the girls working for him.”

“You know not every bounty hunter knows each other, right?”

“I am aware that you and her have spent several years in this profession at the same time.” She says coolly, “If anyone were to know her, it would be you. Will you come?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming to Borg tower. It’ll be a few hours.” She hears the jangle of keys on the other line, “Don’t forget to take care of my fines.”

With one hand, Pixal infiltrates the police database and erases the marks off his criminal record entirely. There was no hint that he’d ever so much as looked at an illegal parking space. It takes ten seconds at most,  “Done.” She says simply, and hangs up the phone.

Another hour of nothing passes by, with a brief update from Skylor about the slug and no further activity on the cameras to be concerned about. She checks her email a few times and shoots Wu another text that he doesn’t respond to- he’d gone out to Misakos current archeological dig site to discuss the gauntlet with her, and was completely off the grid because of it. Or he was ignoring her texts. Pixal has a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that he was hiding something, but there’s no proof other than her gut feeling. She wouldn't start anything over a bad vibe.

She does another useless search for the gauntlet and once again comes up empty- there was nothing about the artifact on the internet or in any digitized academic databases she checked. There were mentions of gauntlets or sets of armor, but nothing that matched up with the powers they’d seen so far. The longer Wu went without checking in, the more certain Pixal became that he’d hit a wall too. All Misakos encyclopedic history knowledge, and even she hadn't heard of this thing… Where were they supposed to go from here?

She’s so lost in thought that the sudden screech of the red panic alarm above her head causes her to launch up out of her chair and to her feet, staggering with the surge of pseudo-adrenaline that floods her processor. She scrambles for her radio and flips it to the correct frequency just in time to hear Dareth's panicked voice shouting from the line, “-taking him to the roof!”

“Dareth! What’s going on?” Pixal demands, reaching out and turning off the alarm with the keypad next to the wall before taking off towards the elevator.

“The thief is back, and she’s stealing your father!” Dareth wails through the radio.

Pixal punches the elevator call button four times in a panic despite the fact the extra pushes won’t will it to get here any faster. This is exactly why she advocated for stairs in the ninja's private penthouse- a project the others continually put off. (“We can just jump out the window and airjitzu down. No big deal!” Well what about if you need to go up!) Stupid! “What?” She demands, squeezing through the elevator doors before they’ve fully opened.

“I’ll explain later- right now you need to get to the roof!” He says urgently, his cartoony voice uncharacteristically serious.

“I am headed that way now. I will meet you there-”

“Sorry, Pix, but you’re on your own here.” His voice comes through with a wince, “I’m down for the count.”

She feels a cold chill sweep over her body, “Are you okay?”

“I’m not dying. Get to the roof, save your father, and we’ll worry about me later.” His voice comes through firm and gentle- there’d been a time where Pixal had written Dareth off as someone she’d always need to protect, but moments like this remind Pixal that Dareth was steady and solid. He’d been training ever since her Father asked him to stay by his side, his skills had grown and he’d become a formidable opponent. It had to have been someone strong to put him down- and he definitely didn't get benched without putting up a fight.

She had to be ready when these doors opened.

“Call Skylor.” She orders, the act of taking control offering her a calm she desperately needed, “She was on her way back to the tower, she can get to you quicker than I can. Do not die.”

“Ten-four, Boss.”

There’s no more time to talk. The elevator doors open up to the roof with a ding! And immediately Pixal is assaulted by whipping wind and the loud roar of helicopter blades slicing the air into pieces. She rushes out onto the tarmac, sprinting straight for the group of people loading her struggling father into the helicopter. Standing out from the black clad ensemble is a shock of bright pink hair. The thief, the woman who took her friends away, looks back at her with a bored, neutral expression. Pixels coolant feels like it’s boiling. The other woman turns towards another member of her crew and says something Pixal can’t hear through all the noise and motions to the sky as if to say shoo!

Then, without a second of hesitation, she spins around and charges at Pixal in return. She’s fast, putting a significant amount of space between Pixal and her father when the two women meet in a clash of fists on the middle of the roof. Pixal has to keep her head on straight, but she can feel her calm, controlled mask rapidly deteriorating each time she catches a glimpse of her father getting strapped into the Helicopters back seat.

He’s looking at her with fear in his eyes, but there’s a calm reassurance there- he knows she won’t get to him in time. It’s okay, Pixal.

A pang of heartbreak bruises her power core. She feels her fighting turn vicious, jabs and punches hitting and hitting hard, until she finally slams the woman face down against the roof. She whips out a set of cuffs from her jumpsuit and slaps them on her wrists- They activate with a hum and Pixal jabs the power button frantically. The cuff link beeps and Pixal slams the woman's wrists down on the rooftop beneath her, the cuffs latching onto the roof and rendering her immobile.

Pixal leaps to her feet and spins around- the helicopter is off the roof, probably has been for a while, and it’s flying across Ninjago faster than Pixal could feasibly catch. She’d have to race down the stairs to the sub basement, gear up, and then give chase- they’d be gone by then. They were already gone.

Her chest feels like it’s caving in. Why? Why can’t she save the people she loves? Why is she always on the sidelines, just a second too late?

Pull yourself together. She takes a deep, shuddering breath just to move air through her circuits. The thick smell of asphalt brings her mind back to the current issue- she turns around to find the thief still cuffed to the roof, her mouth and nose covered with blood and that infuriating bored expression on her face.

A ringing fills Pixal head and she feels disconnected from her body, pushing away her despair so hard she distances herself from her own processor.

Pixal hauls her up and takes her down the stairs to the ninjas level, not caring when she stumbles to keep up with Pixals rapid pace. She can’t care about anything right now. They rarely use the actual interrogation room, but Pixal fishes out the key for it now. On one side is the classic one-way glass and a few metal chairs seated at a metal table securely fastened to the floor. Pixal uncuffs the restrictive suppression bonds and switches them out for classic metal cuffs, weaving the chain through another padlock and chain attached to the table so she doesn’t get any funny ideas. She’s moving on autopilot, clicking locks together with practiced, robotic movements. She has to keep herself together, everyone is relying on her. Once she’s secure, Pixal washes her hands. After that she politely hands her a box of tissues so she can mop up her bloody face and gets her a glass of water and an ice pack.

She doesn’t say anything to the thief, who matches her silence quietly. Pixal observes her behind the one-way glass for several long minutes.

The bubble around her pops, and reality rushes back in. She sucks in a sharp breath and turns away, whipping her radio out and hitting the button frantically, “Dareth?” She questions. No response, “Dareth, status report.”

A long pause.

The radio crackles, “He’s alright, Pix.” Skylor’s voice comes through from Dareths radio, “He’s with the medic now. A few broken bones, but nothing life threatening.”

Pixal closes her eyes and presses the radio to her forehead, relief so deep she can almost feel it in her circuits. “Stay with him, please, and ask him what happened once he is cleared for visitors.” She glances over at the pink haired woman, who looks completely at ease as she balls up a blood soaked tissue and sets it on a clean tissue to avoid getting blood on the table top, “I caught our mystery thief from the museum break in.” Two mismatched eyes glance up and seem to meet Pixals green ones before skating away to look around the empty room, “I’m going to see what I can find out.”

The woman smiles serenely and settles back, unconcerned.

“Good luck. Call me if you need me, okay?”

“I will.”

The room is still deafeningly quiet when Pixal goes back inside. The click of the door closing behind her feels harsh on her audio processor. It’s sterile, with gray floors and white walls and fluorescent lights strung across the ceiling. Pixal sits at one of the available chairs on the other side of the table,  “My name is Pixal borg. I have a few questions for you.”

The woman smiles wider.

“Hello, Miss Borg. Ask whatever you like.”

She spends the next hour asking questions to a brick wall. The thief is listening and attentive to every one of Pixar’s words, but at the end of each question or statement is pointed and resolute silence. She doesn’t rise to any bait Pixal sets out- she doesn’t get angry or scoff when Pixal slips in subtle insults, she doesn’t preen over praise, she doesn’t even look tired or annoyed as the questioning continues on and on. She’s the picture perfect image of poise, and Pixal can’t gain an inch.

Her phone rings at the hour and fifteen minute mark. She answers it with a palpable relief to have something else to do other than fail at questioning her only lead about this kidnapping, “Pixal speaking.” She greets briskly, stepping out of the room and rolling imaginary soreness from her shoulders.

“What’s with all the blood on the roof?” Ronin asks curiously.

Pixal winces- she’d handed out a few good left hooks during their scuffle, “The thief I needed you to identify made an appearance today. I caught her.”

“Damn, did you break her nose or something?”

“Her employer kidnapped my father.” She reveals bluntly.

Ronin sucks a hiss of air through his teeth at that, “…Okay, well, send me up the elevator and I’ll come down.”

Pixal calls the elevator and once it arrives she steps inside and rides it back up to the roof. She’s beginning to hate this thing. She clicks her radio just to be doing something, “Any news, Sky?”

“Dareth is sleeping off anesthesia right now, sorry.”

“Thank you. Ronin has just arrived, I believe he will be able to help.”

“Keep me updated.” Skylor says pointedly.

“I will.” Pixal holsters her radio, staring at the closed doors in front of her. She felt so useless- she couldn’t get a peep out of either of their two leads, she was stuck inside doing futile research while random monsters were running wild through Ninjago, and she couldn’t stop her father from getting kidnapped from right under her nose.

The doors open to Ronin leaning casually against the wall waiting for it. He whistles low, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline, “You look like shit.” Are the first words out of his mouth.

“It has been a rough week.” She says tightly.

“It’s Tuesday.”

“Get in the elevator.”

He obliges and she takes them back down to the Ninjas floor, filing him in on the situation as they ride down. He’s rubbing his scruff in thought as the doors open up and they step out, thinking hard, “There are two possible options I’m thinking of, Maybe Milena or Raven. Both of them color their hair regularly, and they’re sloppy enough to get caught like that.” He muses, “I’ve never heard of a Dixie Samson though, which makes sense if she’s a rookie.”

Pixal heads straight towards the interrogation room, feeling an inkling of dread- part of her is convinced the woman would have vanished in the time it took her to bring Ronin back here. She feels a line of tension leave her shoulders when she walks back inside to see her still sitting there casually on the other side of the glass.

Ronin stops dead in his tracks, “By the first master- You have got to be kidding me.” He groans, reaching up to run a hand down his face. He looks back up at the woman and does a full body wince.

“Do you know her?” Pixal cant help the amused curve of her lips at Ronins dramatics.

“Do I know her…” He grumbles darkly, dragging his feet up to the window, “She’s my ex sister in law.”

Pixals checklist of questions on the woman is immediately derailed in surprise, “You were married?”

“Everyone makes mistakes.” He defends.

“Who would agree to- no, it is not important right now. What can you tell me about her?”

“I can tell you she’s only in those cuffs because she wants to be.” He grimaces, “Her name is Stella and I doubt there's a set of restraints good enough to hold her short of strapping her down like Hannibal Lecter, and I’m skeptical if even that would work. If she’s still here, she has ulterior motives. She wants something from you, or she wants something in this building.”

“She already took everything.” Pixal barely resists baring her teeth. She sighs, “I need to get information from her.”

“Sorry, but you’re out of luck there. I can promise you she won't speak a word of her employer. You couldn’t waterboard info out of her if she doesn’t want to tell you.” He delivers the bad news bluntly.

“So this is another dead end.”

“Not exactly.” Ronin crosses his arms over his chest and leans back against the glass, “Stella isn’t cheap to hire and if we throw in who exactly she’s dealing with- Borg, the ninja, you- that’ll only make this job that much more expensive. So we can confidently narrow down her employer to Ninjagos one percent.” He grins at Pixals shocked expression, “She does damn good work- the best work- but it’ll cost ya. That big paycheck is what ensures her loyalty. As long as her employer is supplementing her bank account, her lips are sealed- even in the face of torture.”

“She’s all about money…” Pixal turns that over in her mind, looking for the piece she needs to unravel Stella's loyalty.

Ronin shrugs, “All mercenaries are, Stella just has the status and reputation to be bought out by the richest of the rich. With that amount of cash backing her up, You wouldn't be able to even threaten anything out of her.”

Pixal holds up her hand, stopping Ronins words as she carefully considers his words. “I don’t need to threaten her.” As if she’d had an epiphany, Pixal immediately takes off around the corner. Ronin ends up scrambling after her, Following her into Stella's interrogation room just barely before the door closes.

Stella looks relaxed and unconcerned, that same bored expression she's always wearing on her face. She’s got her chair kicked back and her feet on the table, her cuffed hands folded over her belly as she observed them come inside. She raises a brow at Ronin and opens her mouth to speak but Pixal beats her to it.

Pixal yanks out a leather wallet from her jumpsuit and grabs a pen from her from breast pocket, “I am aware you will not speak against your employer, and I am also aware he is paying you a lot of money to keep his secrets.” She sits down in front of Stella, slamming her pocket book and pen to the table, “But I’m Pixal fucking Borg.”

She opens the book and pulls out a stack of checks, signing one and sliding it across the table blank, “Are you interested in new employment?”

Heartbeats pass. Ronin is staring at the check so hard Pixals half sure his eyes are about to pop out of his head, but Stella looks as cool and collected as ever. If Pixal had to breathe she’d be holding it, praying that the gamble works. Stella carefully takes each foot off the table and sits up straight, scooting her chair forward and resting her elbows on the table. She studies the check for a long moment before her lips twitch, the scar at the corner of her mouth pulling her lips into a pleased smile.

“I don’t want your money, Pixal Borg.” She gently, strangely respectfully, tears the check in half and slides the pieces across the table towards the two. Ronin makes a sound like a wounded animal at the action.

Pixals heart plummets.

“But there is something I do want.” Stella continues before Pixal can feel the full weight of failure. Stella looks at Pixal with a firm, intense furrow to her brow. “I will tell you everything I know if you do me a favor. I don’t know what or when that will be. This is what I do know: You are the most powerful woman in Ninjago, Pixal Borg, and I want you to owe me.”

“Deal.” Pixal hold out her hand for Stella to shake without a second of hesitation. Her friends, her family, her father- everyone was relying on her, and she needed this information because right now they had nothing.

But as Stella takes her hand in a firm grip, Pixal can’t help but feel like she’s made a deal with the devil.

Sella sits back, bored expression sinking over her features once more, “His name is Broden Voss, the CEO of Voss Technologies.” She gets right down to business. Pixal recognizes the name in flashes of memory- a place card at a table during a charity event, investors threats to take their money elsewhere when her fathers quarterly review is lower than expected, a flash of red hair and a shark-like smile as a towering man shakes her hand at a high brow cocktail party, “He hired me to infiltrate Ninjago Citys Museum of History after his previous hire, Dixie Samson, failed. I was tasked with finding and retrieving a gauntlet forged by one of Voss’s ancestors, a warlord by the name of Utano whose armor had mystical powers. I was paid to do whatever possible to return this gauntlet to him, and as such I used one of the abilities in the gauntlet to send the ninja to another Realm. The only other ability I've seen... I have witnessed Voss change the gauntlet configuration with a thought. Essentially shapeshifting, though I can't be certain how far that particular gift goes.

“Voss’s plan always centered around Cyrus Borg. Ever since Voss Technology was usurped as Ninjagos main technology company by Borg Industries, he’s felt cheated and wronged. Now that he has this powerful artifact, he intends on using it to tear Ninjago apart and rebuild it with Voss tech, installing himself back in the forefront of tech manufacturing,” She pins Pixal with a pointed look, “He’s obsessed with defeating Cyrus Borg- but your father is not in any immediate danger.”

Pixal feels a bit of tension leave her shoulders, “I have time to save him?”

“Voss wants Borg to have a front row seat to the fall of his empire. He wants Cyrus alive to see the rubble of Borg Tower and after that, I don’t know. Now that he has Borg, though, his plan will be entering the final phase. He will use the power of the gauntlet to open portals throughout downtown ninjago- I know several of the locations he’s planning on placing them that I can pass along. He’s targeting centralized, high traffic areas so he can flood the streets with monsters as quickly and effectively as possible. He is aiming for the absolute maximum amount of destruction in every inch of the city.” She steeples her fingers, “Evacuate the city. Now.”

She doesn’t hesitate on this, raising her Borg radio to her mouth, “Sky, I am officially ordering a full evacuation of the city. I will explain everything later, but right now I need you and the others mobilized.” At Skylors confirmation, Pixal turns her attention back to Stella, “Monsters from where, exactly? Where do these portal lead?”

Where did you send my friends?

Stella pauses on this question, aware the answer will not be one Pixal is thrilled to hear, “The Realm of Madness.” She reveals. “What’s going to come through that portal are some of the most terrifying monsters Ninjago has ever seen, and if I’m any good at reading people- and I am the very best- I can tell you that Broden Voss will not be able to control the chaos he creates. If you can’t stop this, it could lead to more destruction than Ninjago has ever seen.”

“Well,” Pixal says tersely, “Maybe I would have a better chance stopping him if the ninja had not been sent to the Realm of madness and unable to help.”

“Yeah, my bad.”

Ronin trails Pixal as she goes back to the computers, sitting down roughly and opening up a new tab to start another bout of research. Now she had a name- Utano, a great warlord. Pixal could work with that. She pauses and glances at Ronin, curiosity picking at her, “Your sister in law, eh?”

He lets out a put upon sigh and crosses his arms, “Ex sister in law, I’ll remind you.”

“Who became a bounty hunter first?”

“...She was,” He admits grudgingly, “She’s been in the game longer than most.”

Pixal frowns, “I went through countless security feeds and crime reports- That long and she hasn’t gotten caught on camera anywhere? Not even during a trip to the grocery store?”

“Oh, she definitely has. You just don’t know where to look.” He sits down next to her, “She changes her appearance just as seamlessly as Chamille- hair dye, prosthetics, contacts… her eyes aren’t actually blue and brown, you know. She’s evaded any and all facial recognition with clever makeup and smoke-and-mirror tricks.” Pixal opens her mouth, “-And no, I am not going to tell you what to look for. Even if I wasn't a fellow mercenary following the mercenary code, Stella is not an enemy anyone wants to have.”

“Okay.” Pixal relents, “Do you know what this favor could be?”

“No clue.” He shrugs and peeks over her shoulder, “You looking up that warlord guy?”

“Girl.” Pixal corrects as she scans over the basic wikipedia page she’d pulled up. There was… little here, “No parents listed, no spouse. She had one child later in life, but there is no information on them, Not even a name. She was married to a powerful lord in her twenties, but he died a year after they wed. She rose to power through extremist political lobbying and strategic battles with her personal militia until she had conquered over half of ninjago.”

Ronin quirks a brow, “No mention of her magic armor?”

“None here. All it says is she was killed by the elemental masters of creation during her final battle.” Pixal goes back to her original search, “But that was just wikipedia, I’m sure there’s more information somewhere.”

Spoiler alert: There was not more information anywhere.

Pixal scours the internet, following dead end academic papers and documentaries- she even got desperate and checked reddit, of all places. Even after using her status to get into parts of the internet usually barred from the general public, she still came up with nothing. “There are scrolls referenced in all of these papers, but I cannot find the scrolls. They were never digitalized, and apparently no one knows where they went.” She sits back roughly, pushing herself away from the monitor so she doesn’t have to look at it anymore.

Ronin startles awake where he’d fallen asleep on the couch after he got bored, peeking up at her over the arm of it, “Maybe Stella is lying about Utano.”

It’s at that moment that the elevator door dings open and Misako comes striding out with Wu trailing slowly behind her. She’s dressed in thick pants and a button up covered in a thin layer of sand and dirt, her hair much the same in its bun sitting on top of her head, “Did I hear you say Utano?” She asks, shrugging off her satchel and tossing it aside with a cloud of dust, “I came straight from the dig site once Wu informed me of the situation. If you already know about Utano, then we’re on the right track.”

“Misako!” Pixal stands with a smile, moving to hug the woman, “It is good to see you. We know the name, but there’s not much else on the internet to go off of.” She admits.

“I know.” Misako says with a wince, “When Wu told me about the gauntlet, I had a feeling I knew what it was. The scrolls that had any record of Utano were all under the Explorers Club’s lock and key- When I called Cecil and asked about them, he confessed that several artifacts in the clubs collection went missing the day they were all transferred to the museum's custody, apparently lost in the shuffle.”

Pixal feels her expression darken, “He is saying the explorers club lost artifacts? I find that difficult to believe.”

“I looked into it on the way here. Underhill sticks out as the most suspicious- he took off to the other side of the country and bought himself a nice, expensive house on the beach, but the rest of the club members all seem to have come into some money with similar luxury purchases as well.” Misako confirms grimly. “That doesn’t matter right now. What do you know about Utano?”

Pixal relays all the information Stella had told them and what little else she’d gleaned from the internet. Misako nods thoughtfully, “Her reign over Ninjago started hundreds and hundreds of years ago, before we were even aware the sixteen realms existed- She was part of Ninjago and the Cloud Kingdom, a parent from either realm. We refer to her armor in modern times as the Allied Armor of Azure, said to call on different realms to aid its wearer, and scholars presume she received a gift from her Cloud Kingdom parent that allowed this type of enchantment. The only pieces that were meant to survive the armor's destruction were the Helmet that we passed on to the Cloud Kingdom, and the chest plate, which we studied.”

“Is there a way to neutralize its abilities?”

“If there was a way, it would be in the stolen scrolls. As I see it, there is none.” Misako says apologetically, wincing. “Even the Elemental Masters were not able to defeat her at her most powerful.”

Pixal frowns, “The elemental masters did defeat her.”

There’s a pause, “Yes… they did, but it… wasn’t a fair fight.”

“What does that mean?” Ronin pipes up, “Did they get her while she was sleeping or something?”

Misako sighs, “You said you read she had one child, yes?” Pixal nods and Misako shakes her head, “She had three. We have private scrolls written by Utano detailing her three children and how much she loved them. The Elemental Masters of the time made a decision. They needed leverage- They needed bargaining chips. Only one child survived, and Utano was defeated.”

a heartbeat passes.

Pixal swallows down her horror, “The only way they stopped her was by going after something she cared about.”

“And from what Stella is saying, it sounds like Broden Voss doesn’t care about anything-” Ronin snorts, “Except maybe killing your dad.”

“You are not helpful.” Pixal snaps immediately.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any good news.” Misako bows her head.

“Thank you for coming, Misako, but this has been a huge waste of time.” Pixal says bitterly, turning away.

Misako doesn’t flinch at the words, knowing what stress Pixal must be under. She almost doesn’t want to say what she needs to say next. She takes a step forward and opens her mouth anyway, “I didn’t come here to tell you about Utano. Wu could have passed along that message for me.” She says softly.

Pixal looks back at her with a questioning frown, “What did you come here for?” She asks.

Misako steps to the side so Wu is standing in front of Pixal now. He looks miserable and ashamed, staring down at the floor, “I came to make sure he told you.”

Pixal feels a lightning flash of alarm go through her, “Told me what?” she swallows roughly. From where he’s laying on the couch, Ronin sits up in curiosity. There’s a pregnant pause, “I do not have time for this.” She says sharply, refusing to let her voice shake. She turns back to the computers, moving away from them. The tension in the room feels different and wrong- She doesn’t want him to say anything.

“It’s about Zane.” Wu manages to whisper, still looking at the floor.

Pixal freezes in her tracks. Her core seems to tighten painfully, icy fingers wrapping around her insides and tangling her carefully sorted wiring into knots. She slowly spins on her heel to face him again, “What about him?” She asks carefully. The question is laced with grief.

He’s going to break her heart.

Misako makes a go on gesture with her head that Wu sees out of the corner of his eye. He takes another moment to build up his nerve and looks up, meeting Pixal eye for the first time since he’d walked through that door, “Three years ago-'' He begins.

“Master Wu, I don’t need a recap,” She says tightly.

“Three years ago,” He presses on, “After we caught Aspheera, I went to see her in Kryptarium. There were questions I needed answered. When I saw her, I asked why she chose to kill him when I was the one-” He swallows and pauses for a moment, “She told me he was not dead.”

Pixal stares at him, “She did not kill him?”

Wu takes a tentative step forward, “No, she merely banished him… To the Never Realm, a realm impossible to return from.”

“He is… alive?” She breathes softly, shock rendering her dumb for several long moments. Joy and hope bubbles up her chest, “Zane is alive. We can bring him home. We just need to figure out a way to get back to Ninjago- there has to be some way to make it back.”

“Pixal…” Misako’s voice is heavy with sadness.

“Why did you keep this from us, Master Wu?” She’s trying to be angry, but the happiness spreading through her fights the frown on her face, “We could have figured it out together, all of us, and brought him home!”

Wu looks at her with wet, sorrowful eyes. Pixels smile dims.

“There is a way back from the Never Realm,” He says gravely, “The fruit of the travelers tree, high in the mountains.” Her circuits tie themselves together, she can tell another shoe is about to drop, “I discovered it three years ago, when I traveled to the Never Realm to get him.”

She’s not smiling anymore. The room is silent. The glow from the computer monitors illuminates Wu’s robe in pale blue light. It’s so, so quiet.

Her voice is steady, “Why is he not home?”

“Pixal…” He begins.

“Do not patronize me!” She shouts, tears springing to her eyes, “Why tell me this? Why bring up the past and get my hopes up just to crush them again? I have already accepted that he is dead, I did not need you to yank my feelings around like-”

“He’s not dead.” Wu cuts in, and Pixal stops mid-rant, her hands loosening from the fists she’d balled them into.

“I do not understand.” She says blankly, slumping into herself. She tries to put the pieces together, to fit the tragedy into a story that makes sense in the absence of an explaination, “He… chose to stay there?”

“No,” Wu says sadly, and then proceeds to tell her about the worst moment of his life. He tells her about coming to a land unnaturally cold and barren, snow drifts and ice that suffocated the crops and froze people whole. He tells her about the handful of towns still alive who lived under constant fear of their supernaturally powerful emperor, a man who controlled every snowflake in the land. He tells her about making the trek across the mountain and stumbling upon a species of beast hunted to near extinction by the Emperor's samurai, and finding the travelers tree. He tells her about finally coming upon the palace gates, through the Emperor's throne room doors, and who he’d found sitting atop the dais.

“It was Zane, his body, but the man we know and loved was gone.” He tells her, voice thick with pain, “He was violent and angry, and passive to the struggle and pain of others. He did not respond to my voice, he did not react to reminders of who he once was, and he did not hesitate to attempt to strike me down.”

Pixal is silent, leaning against the communications console as if her legs had no strength. She says nothing, face twisted up in aching raw grief and sadness.

“Zane… I believe he was gone, truly. He would have been horrified at what he’d become… You must understand, I did what I did to respect the man I loved as my own son.”

“What did you do?” Pixals voice cracks.

“I could not kill him,” Wu closes his eyes, “I used the fruit of the travelers tree to open a portal to the Realm of Madness… where I banished the Ice Emperor, and freed the Never Realm from his grasp.”

She bows her head, hiding her face in shadows.

“I told you all of that to tell you this… the longer the Ninja haven't returned, the more I fear there is something… or someone keeping them there. They should have made it to the Mountain of madness by now. I have the utmost faith in them, but not only am I afraid of what they might find there, I am afraid of what- or who- may find them. The Ice Emperor was a formidable foe-”

“Stop talking.” Pixal interrupts him icily, voice hard as steel.

He goes silent, staring at her.

“Master Wu… for all of your age… for every ounce of wisdom you have… you are still one of the most foolish people I have ever met.” She looks up at him and her eyes burn, hot pinpricks of fire and pain and rage. “You should have dragged him home. We would have helped him- we would have helped him! We could have saved him-! And- and you better hope the ninja run into him, and do what you failed to do and bring him back to Ninjago- or else when this blows over I am dragging you to the Realm of Madness myself and we are combing every inch of that realm until we find him ourselves!”

He shrinks with shame and guilt under her ire as she advances upon him, rage making her fans kick into high gear, “You knew he was there, you knew the- the Ice Emperor was in the Realm of Madness and you knew he could have posed a serious threat to the ninja, yet you told me they would be okay! That there was nothing to worry about! And now- I cannot go after them! I have to stay here and protect Ninjago, I cannot leave these innocent people behind like I could have a few days ago when my friends first vanished-!” She chokes on a sob, swiping hot tears out of her eyes.

“Pixal, I didn't know-" He looks gutted, "… I’m so sorry-” He starts, reaching out, but she takes a step away from him and bares her teeth.

“Do not-” She snaps, jerking a hand down to keep him away from her, “-Apologize to me. Apologize to Zane when we get him back, apologize to the ninja for keeping this from them, and then never speak to me again. That’s the only thing you can do for me, Master Wu. We’ll work together now because the city needs everyone it can get, but after that... “ She shakes her head, condemnation in her eyes.

He nods, cowed, “If that is what you want… I understand.”

She takes a deep breath, centers herself, and picks up the communicator again. She needs to talk to Skylor, Her face is grim as she raises it to her lips.

“Pixal?” He hesitantly says, before she can speak, “What are we going to do about the ninja?”

“We are going to trust they can make it home,” She says, “And we are going to do our best to make sure there is still a home to come back to.”

The first thing Cyrus smells is the thick scent of designer perfume- he was born into money, raised in the lap of luxury, expensive colognes have always been a part of his life. With the blindfold wrapped around his eyes, the smell becomes stronger and sharper. He narrows the other occupant in the room to a handful of other high society socialites. If he were in the upscale, posh parfumerie in downtown Ninjago he could appreciate the sweet earthy scent of tahitian vanilla, ylang-ylang, rosa centerfoils, italian cinnamon, jasmine, osiris root, and rose oil. An expensive bottle worn only for special occasions- he might even recognize it. As a recently kidnapped prisoner trying to figure out how to untie his wrists from the railings on his wheelchair, some of the intricacies of the scent are lost on him.

“You’ll won’t get away with this.” It feels cliche the moment it comes out of his mouth, but he can’t help but break the silence. The other person in the room is just… staring at him. Cyrus can feel the satisfied, smug gaze weighing on his shoulders. He knows he’s being watched.

“Yes, I will.” The voice is deep and smooth, effortlessly confident.

He doesn’t know what to say.

Shifting sounds in front of him, then the soft click of a wooden box closing. The sharp flick of a lighter. The smell of burning tobacco and whiskey seeps into the air.

“Would you like a cigar, Cyrus?”

“I never acquired a taste for them.” He responds stiffly. He knows that voice, doesn’t he? From where?

“Oh, I’m sure you’d like these if you tried it. Two thousand dollars, retail.” He pauses to taste the smoke, probably. Cyrus can’t see him to tell, “Could I offer you a drink, then? What’s a man of your status’s drink of choice?” He humms in thought, gravely and low, and taps his fingers on a table (desk?) in front of him. It’s more for show than any actual thinking, “Louis XIII cognac? Chateau Cheval Blanc, 1947? Or maybe you go for something a bit pricier, hm? D’Amalfi Limoncello Supreme?”

“I’m not thirsty.” 

“I recommend the cognac, personally. It’s a celebration, after all.”

The hair raises on the back of Cyrus’s neck, “A celebration of what?”

“My victory, of course.” He laughs like that was a silly question, “I won.”

Swallowing thickly, Cyrus tries again to wiggle his wrists out from his bindings. “The ninja-”

“-are gone.” The man responds and Cyrus freezes. The voice was no longer across the room, but right in front of him. He’d move silently across the floor, crouching down to speak directly to Cyrus, “The ninja are gone. No one will be able to save you.”

He leans in, his breath hot on the shell of Cyrus’s ear, “I suggest you have a glass, Cyrus. It will be the last drink you ever have.” He promises.

Cyrus jerks back and slams his head forward before he can think about it. There’s a sharp crack and something warm and wet splatters on his cheek. The man swears loudly and he can hear him stumble away.

“You son of a-” He snarls, smooth confidence immediately bleeding into red hot rage.

“That- ow- Well, that hurts.” Cyrus winced, head pounding.

“I am going to enjoy destroying you!” His voice is thick with hatred.

Cyrus doesn’t know what to think. Who are you?

His wheelchair is kicked roughly and he tips over. He falls hard and he could have braced himself and been just fine if not for the edge of a coffee table sitting perfectly at concussion height.

The world turns black.

[matty-bear]

IV. A Small Predicament [N.S]

Type: Chapter four of The Influencer series

Pairing: Nick Sturniolo x Male!OC

Warnings: SFW, fluffy

Summary: While rushing to try to finish editing the latest video in time, Nick gets interrupted by Matt telling him that photos of his and Finn’s hanging out the day prior we’re blowing up on social media. What will happen when Nick asks Finn why he didn’t tell him about his large following? Will Finn be open with him or ignore the question completely?

Notes: Couldn’t have the story be all cupcakes and rainbows, could I? :3 Anywho, sorry for the late post! 😖 I’m not very proud of his chapter but I can guarantee lots of fluff in the next one <3 Happy reading!! :DD

WC: 3490

Text color guide! Blue: Finn, Purple: Nick

CH1 CH2 CH3

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　 ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊ ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　 ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊ ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　 ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊ ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　 ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊ ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

The sound of loud clattering awoke Nick from his deep slumber. He slowly lifts his head up from his pillow, his eyes squinting and his hair a mess from rolling about in his sleep as he peers around his room. A small groan escapes his lips as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes and sits up. A yawn takes over his body for a few seconds before he forces himself out of bed. He slowly stands up to ensure that he doesn’t get lightheaded if he were to hurriedly stand and immediately slips his phone off his nightstand. 12:42 PM shines brightly on his lock screen, the sudden light momentarily blinding him before he hurriedly goes to lower his brightness. 

The male proceeds to slip his phone in the pocket of his pajama pants and shuffle to the bathroom to fix himself up a little. He exits the said room about ten minutes later a lot more awake, his arms extending above his head as he stretches and makes his way to the door. He exits his bedroom and immediately walks downstairs, the sound of even more clattering ringing through his ears as he steps off the final step. 

“What the hell is going on down here? You woke me up.” Nick grumbles as he walks into the kitchen. Matt and Chris both freeze in their spot and look over at the older, nervous smiles plastered on both their lips. 

“Hey, Nick.” Matt greets as he walks closer to the said male. “We're just trying to get the stuff for the video later. Sorry that Chris woke you up.” 

“Dude, what the fuck.” Chris mutters, offended that he got thrown under the bus. “In my defense, I was gonna go wake his ass up here in a few minutes.” 

“Wait, what video? I thought we already filmed for this week.” Nick asks, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he walks to the cupboard. 

“No…” Matt replies slowly, “Today’s Friday, Nick and we have yet to film today’s video which you need to edit and upload before 5:30.” 

“Oh shit…” Nicks rubs his face stressfully after he sets the glass in his hand down on the countertop. “The hell happened? We’re usually on top of filming.”

“Yeah, past tense.” Chris says, his gaze focusing on the multitude of food products on the counter. “Not trying to be a dick but, your little hangout with Finn last night kinda screwed us over a little.” 

“Shit, my bad guys.” An apologetic frown appears on Nick’s lips as he fills his glass with water. “When are we gonna film?” 

“In ten minutes if that’s okay with you?” Matt asks, “Considering what time it is, how long it takes for us to film, and how long it takes you to edit and upload.” 

“That works perfectly fine for me.”

“Alright, word. Chris and I just need to finish getting these snacks in the car and get dressed before we head out.”

“Okay, word. I’ll go get my bag and camera.” Nick quickly retreats back upstairs to his bedroom and rushes towards his desk. He grabs his bag off the floor and hurriedly unzips the main pocket. Once he pulls the bag open, his eyes scan the contents inside before he nods to himself and looks over at his desk. 

As reaches to unplug his camera, his phone begins to vibrate in his pocket. His face immediately lights up and he digs in his pajama pants to fish his phone out and turn it on. His excited expression falls however when his eyes land on the stacks of Tiktok and Instagram notifications flooding his Lock Screen. 

“The fuck…” Nick mumbles, confusion flooding through him as he puts his phone back in his pocket. The male brushes what he saw over his head and grabs his camera. He quickly hauls his bag over his shoulder and runs out of his room once he takes a quick glance at his outfit in his full body mirror. As he hurries down the steps, he raises his free hand up to card his fingers through his hair a few times. “You two ready?” Nick asks as he steps into the kitchen. 

“Yup. Let’s go.” Matt replies as he slips his keys off the counter. Nick and Chris both follow the latter as he walks downstairs and opens the door, the three of them slightly shivering at the sudden cold air hitting them. Matt unlocks the van and tosses the keys to Chris who locks the door once everyone leaves. After tugging on the door to make sure it’s locked, the the male rushes over to the van and opens the passengers door. He slips inside with a heavy exhale leaving his lips before he shuts the door and hands the keys back to Matt. 

“Y’all wanna try a different parking lot since the sun is out or go to our usual spot?” Matt asks as he puts the key in the ignition, the car rumbling in response shortly after. 

“Just go to our usual spot. We don’t wanna waste time trying to find another area.” Nick replies as he stuffs his bag in between his legs on the floor. 

“Alright.” Matt sets his hand down on the gear shift and pulls it down to ‘reverse.’ He checks his side mirrors and back window as he backs out of their driveway. As he drives off down the street, Chris reaches for the aux and plugs his phone in. 

“What are y’all feeling today?” The male asks as he leans back in his seat and opens up Spotify.

“Play some Mac Miller or Lil Skies.” Matt replies, his gaze temporarily shifting over to Chris who nods at his response and scrolls through his playlist. He taps on his screen and ‘Jet Fuel’ by Mac Miller begins to play in the car. All three boys silently jam out to the songs on Chris’ playlist as Matt eventually arrives at the parking lot they usually film at. As the younger pulls into an empty spot away from everyone in the lot, Nick unbuckles his seatbelt and opens up his camera to turn it on and double check the battery. 

“Camera?” Nick hands the camera to Matt when the male extends his hand towards him. As the younger sets the device on the dashboard and exits the car, Nick moves over to the center seat in the back and Chris pauses the music. The latter lifts his head when Matt taps on the windshield, his eyes narrowing in confusion as the male does a small gesture with his hand. After realization hits him, Chris moves over to the center console and waits for Matt to give him a thumbs up before returning back to his original spot. 

“We good?” Nick asks when the younger gets back inside the car. 

Matt shuts the drivers door with a soft grunt and peers in the rear view mirror to look back at Nick. “Yup.” 

“Word.” Nick quickly opens up the timer on his phone and sets it for ten minutes before he sets it on the seat next to him. “Hey guys and welcome back to another Friday car video!” Nick exclaims as he looks towards the camera. “Today we are going to be doing another Anonymous Confessions with the stuff that you guys sent in through the Google Doc we posted on our story and review some foreign snacks that got sent to us. Do either of you have some snacks or confessions you wanna start the video with?” 

“I have a few confessions that I saved.” Chris starts as he pulls out his phone. “Just warning y’all now, shit gets a little weird.” 

~~~~~~

“No one bother me please while I edit this video. I need to focus or I’m not gonna upload on time.” Nick announces the moment the three step inside their house. 

“I’ll make sure Chris doesn’t bother you, don’t worry.” Matt reassures with a teasing smile as he looks back at the mentioned male. 

“Get off my ass, bro.” Chris mumbles as he lands a hard smack on Matt’s bicep. 

“Hey!” Nick exclaims. He spins around on his heels the second he arrives at the top of the stairs and glares down at the younger two. “No fighting.” Matt and Chris immediately stop their actions as Nick turns back around and hurries upstairs to his room. He nudges the door open with his shoulder and plops his bag down near his desk the moment he steps inside.

“Alright, let’s get this shit done.” Nick mumbles to himself as he sits in his chair and takes the SD card out of his camera. He opens up his laptop and waits for it to turn on before he plugs the card in. He double clicks his editing application to open it and sits back in his chair as he waits for the video to download into his files. As he waits, he anxiously eyes the time. 2:50 PM seems to intimidate the male the longer he stares at the numbers. 

A stressful sigh escapes his lips as he tears his focus away from the time to rub his hands over his face. He has less than three hours to edit the video, look it over, and upload it. 

The light ding emitting from his laptop causes him to remove his hands and move closer to his desk. His hand goes straight to his mouse and the faint clicking sounds ring rather obnoxiously in his ears as he opens up the video that just finished downloading. He opens his editing application back up and uploads the video, a loud groan escaping him when a notification that reads ‘Estimated wait time: 30 seconds’ pops up on his screen. 

“I don’t have time to wait thirty fucking seconds.” Nick grumbles as he continuously clicks on the loading bar. Surprisingly, his actions seem to speed up the loading process and the video appears on his screen in a matter of seconds. The male lets out a sigh of relief as he grabs his headphones and connects them to his laptop. 

He completely zones into editing the video for the next two and a half hours, the only audible sound being the clicks from his mouse and his occasional humming. As he goes to cut a clip, his bedroom door opens. The male doesn’t notice the person walking inside the room until they walk up to him and tap on his shoulder. 

Nick flinches at the sudden touch and hurriedly takes his headphones off, his eyes wide in panic as he turns in his chair to look at Matt who stands in front of him. “Dude what the hell! You scared the fuck out of me.” Nick scolds, a hand raising to rest on his chest. 

“My bad.” Matt apologizes as he rubs the older’s tense shoulder. 

“What do you want? I told you not to bother me while I’m editing.” Nick grumbles as he turns towards his laptop again. “Unless you don’t want the video to be uploaded on time.” 

“I just thought you wanted to know about the fact that you and Finn are going viral right now. But if you don’t wanna know, that’s fine. I’ll leave.” Nick quickly turns back around at Matt’s statement.

“Wait! Hold the fuck on!” The male exclaims when he sees Matt exit the room. The younger halts and slowly turns back around, a blank expression clear on his face. “What the fuck is happening with me and Finn?”

“Have you not checked Instagram or Tiktok today?” Matt asks as he walks back up to him. 

Nick furrows his eyebrows and sends the male a confused look. “Well, no.. I mean I saw that I was getting mentions and shit but I didn’t think anything of it.”

“Check Tiktok and I’ll fill you in after. You need to see this for yourself.” Nick sends a suspicious and worried look to Matt before he takes his phone out of his pocket. He turns the device on and unlocks it before heading straight to Tiktok. The moment he opens the app, he flinches as the first first video on his for you page plays loudly. 

The video starts out by showing a photo of Nick and Finn entering a shop with a few bags in their hands. It changes to another photo of the two laughing and smiling widely in the shop that was shown moments prior. The photo finally switches to a short video of Chris running around the triplets’ living room in panic with the caption “FINN AND NICK SEEN TOGETHER YESTERDAY??? SINCE WHEN DID THEY KNOW EACH OTHER?!?” in the middle of the screen. 

Panic immediately floods through Nick’s body as he opens up the comment section. A few comments that catches his eye are‘they look so cute together stop,’ ‘the way they’re looking at each other 😢😢’ and ‘this is a duo I’ve never expected but I’m so here for it.’ The male quickly exits the comments after he reads a few weird ones and continues scrolling through countless videos that show the same photos. After a few minutes, Nick closes out of the app and looks over at Matt who’s now sitting on his bed and looking at him. 

“I have many questions and am very worried.” Nick states as he shuts his phone off. 

“Dude I do too. But did you and Finn ever touch on the topic of popularity? Because I think the reason that this is blowing up is due to how popular he is. I’m not saying that you’re not popular but when either of us are seen with someone, shit does not blow up this much.” Matt asks, his gaze falling down to his phone as he opens up Instagram. 

“Kinda?…” Nick replies, his hand raising to rub his nape. “We didn’t talk followers but we did talk about what we do and whatnot.” 

Matt’s gaze immediately shoots back up to Nick. “What did he tell you?” 

“He said that he’s an Instagram influencer and dabbles in modeling here and there.” Matt hums in response, his head slightly nodding. 

“Did you two switch socials?” Nick shakes his head. “Well, I found his Instagram thanks to Tiktok and I’m about to send it to you.” 

The moment Matt clicks on his screen, Nick’s phone dings. The male immediately picks his phone back up, the sight of a text message from Matt causing his stomach to churn. He hesitantly unlocks his phone and opens up his message, his thumb hovering over the Instagram link for a moment before he finally clicks it. It takes a few seconds for Instagram to open and load Finn’s profile but the moment it does, Nick’s eyes quickly scan his screen. His eyes widen in shock the moment his eyes land on Finn’s following count and he slowly looks up at Matt. 

“25 million fucking followers.” Nick reads, his jaw dropping slightly. Matt nods his head and sits at the edge of the older’s bed. “That’s fucking insane.” As Matt goes to open his mouth to add to the conversation, a small ping coming from Nick’s phone stops him. He watches as the older looks back down at the device in his hand, a small smile creeping onto his lips moments after. 

“Is it Finn?” Matt asks as he gets up and walks up to the older. Nick rapidly nods his head and opens up his messages, his face falling in worry when his eyes read over the first text. 

Finn: Hey Nick? 

Before Nick replies, he looks up at Matt who’s now standing next to him. The younger sets a reassuring hand on his shoulder to encourage the older to reply, which he does with a small exhale.

Nick: What’s up?

Finn: Have you seen the stuff going around? You know… about us 

Nick: Matt just filled me in about it yeah

Finn: Oh okay

Don’t worry about it too much I’ll make a post about it here in a minute and they’ll get off our backs :D 

Nick: Alright

Also Finn? 

Finn: Yeah? 

Nick: How come you didn’t tell me you were THIS popular on social media? I’m not trying to be mean or anything I’m just curious 

Finn: Oh umm… I don’t really like telling people abt my large following right off the bat. Like especially if they don’t recognize me. Some ppl tend to act differently when they meet influencers n I’m not a fan of it, you get me? 

Nick: Yeah I completely get you

Finn: And when you didn’t recognize me I was excited because I didn’t have to worry about you putting on a front just to hang out with me😣

Nick: Finn 😕 Trust me, if you told me about your following right off the bat I would not change a single thing about the way I interact with you. You deserve to be treated like any other human being, whether you’re popular or not

Finn: I appreciate that Nick &lt;3

Nick: :D <3 Also about the whole thing that happened, I’ll make a post about it too to shut everyone up

Finn: Should we post at the same time just for shits and giggles? 

Nick: oh ABSOLUTELY. Wouldn’t it add more fuel to the fire though? You know since everyone thinks we’re seeing each other

Finn: I mean yeah but I wouldn’t mind being wrapped up in dating rumors with you

Nick's jaw drops and he covers his mouth with his hand as he feels his face flush. Noticing that he stopped texting, Matt gets behind him to try to get a peek at his screen. 

“What’d he say? What happened?” Matt giggles. Nick looks back at the male and shows him his phone. The younger holds his hand steady so he could skim over the messages. When he reads the last text, he gasps and lands a soft hit on Nick’s shoulder. 

“What the fuck do I say?” Nick panics, the blush on his cheeks deepening a few shades as he looks back at his phone. 

“Send a reaction pic or something.” Matt replies, his giggles turning into laughter as he looks as he watches the older panic even more. 

“I don’t have any Matt!”

“Look on Pinterest for some!” A small scream of panic escapes Nick's lips as he quickly closes out the Finn’s message and opens up Pinterest. He hurriedly types in ‘reaction pics’ in the search bar and scans through the hundred of reaction pictures flooding through his feed. In the middle of scrolling, he gets a text from Finn. He feels his heart skip a beat after his eyes skim over the message. 

Finn: Nick? Where'd you go 😣 Did I kill you or something? 

Nick: Maybe

Finn: Oh??

Nick: I wasn’t expecting you to say that 😭

Finn: 🤭💙

Nick: 😒 

Finn: :D 

Anywayssss can you come over today? I miss you😢 

Nick: I have a video to edit and upload today 😕 

Finn: You can come over after maybe?

Nick: Idk… I’m kinda stressed out rn

Finn: I’ll help you de-stress! We can bake cookies or watch a movie :D 

Nick: Idk Finn…

Finn: Pleaseeee 😖 we can even chill in my “badass room” 

Nick: Alright alright. I’ll text you when I upload the video 

Finn: YAY! I’ll prepare in the meantime :3 I’ll see you later! 

Nick: see you later :D

Nick lets out a sigh and plops his phone down on his desk before looking at Matt who’s moved to stand next to him. 

“What happened, lover boy?” Matt teases. 

“Matt… don’t start that shit.” Nick mutters as he sends a threatening glare to the younger. Matt chuckles and mumbles a small ‘sorry’ before he sits back on the bed. “I agreed to go over to his house after I upload the video.” 

“Really? You’re going to his?”

“That’s what I just said, yes.” Nick lets out a small ‘ow’ when Matt smacks the back of his head. 

“I don’t need your sarcasm.” 

“You asked a stupid question!”

“Whatever.” Matt rolls his eyes as he gets up off Nick's bed and walks towards his door. “I’ll leave you alone to edit then.”

“Thank you.” Nick pulls himself back to his desk as Matt exits his room and gently shuts the door behind him. The male puts his headphones back in and turns his laptop back on.

“I need to hurry the fuck up.” Nick mumbles to himself as his editing application appears on his screen again. He lets out a heavy exhale and takes a quick glance at the time. He has less than 10 minutes to touch up the video and upload it. And if he wants to hurry and go over to Finn’s, he’s gonna need to zone in and not let anything distract him.

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

Destiny & Deliverance Chapter 4

Destiny & Deliverance Masterlist ||| Dieter Bravo X OFC

SUPPORT YOUR CREATORS. REBLOGGING & COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED.

Series Rating: Explicit (18+)

Series Summary: Natalia Cohen is experiencing major life changes, beginning with leaving an emotionally abusive husband. She is learning how to navigate life on her own while dealing with high functioning anxiety, depression, and mild PTSD. Everything is looking up for her. She is a highly respected consultant for a major LA firm, has her best friend, Lauren, by her side, and is on her path to healing. Everything changes when she meets a handsome and broken stranger on a work trip. He turns out to be a well-known actor, with a heart-breaking past. They quickly develop a connection that will forever alter their lives. 

Warnings: Themes dealing with mental health, emotional trauma, alcohol use, and discussions about suicide. There will be fluff, tears, spicy language, and smut. This will be a slow burn type of story. Read at your own risk.

Chapter Quote: “This must be the ‘fucking scary’ side that I heard about.”

I awoke to my neighbor’s alarm going off, again. I didn’t want my Tuesday to start like this. I was annoyed, but it really wasn’t even that loud. A normal person would probably sleep through it. I laid there attempting to go back to sleep. It went off again twenty minutes later. Seriously, what is the point of hitting the snooze button? Just get up already and be done with it. 

I rolled over and grabbed my phone to do a quick email check. I had an email from Aubry saying she hoped my trip was going well. Nothing else. She was phishing for information. I hit reply and typed out, “It’s fantastic.” then hit send. She was going to love that. I was giving her nothing.

I sat there for a moment wondering if Dieter had social media. This is a slippery slope, I thought. Then I opened Instagram anyway and found him. It was a verified public account, so I’m not sure what I expected to find. There was a lot of promotional stuff for his movies and shows. Some pictures from his travels. Typical celebrity stuff most likely. The latest post was an advertisement for a talk show that was happening this morning. I went to the search bar and entered his name in. Tons of images came up. Pictures of him out with friends. Paparazzi images of him walking around LA. I actually felt kind of bad for the guy. He couldn’t even walk down the street without someone shoving a camera in his face. 

The alarm next door went off again ten minutes later. I huffed and threw my phone down on the bed. I decided to get up and start my day. My morning started the same as yesterday’s, minus the encounter with Dieter. Joe was waiting for me with coffee and a blueberry scone at 7AM. Megan met me outside the building when I arrived. She shared a funny story about her dog on the way up to the office. I felt like she was slowly warming up to me. 

I spent the entire day doing observations and meeting with different staff members to ask questions. My lunch break was quick. I scarfed down the chicken alfredo that Megan had ordered, then immediately got back to work. I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed with the amount of information that was coming in. I was starting to worry that maybe I wouldn’t be able to get through everything before the end of the week and I still hadn’t come across any obvious red flags. I was concerned that I had missed something. That familiar feeling of anxiety was really starting to kick in by the end of the day. I, of course, did not let it show. I was also feeling pretty exhausted. I thought about taking it easy on the workload this evening at the hotel. Maybe even try to go to bed a little earlier.  

When 5 PM hit, I was ready to get out of there. I was peopled out for the day. Talking to people could be so mentally and physically exhausting for me since I tend to be more introverted. These were always my worst days. I would much rather be locked in a room reviewing data.  

I walked out to meet Joe. He greeted me with a smile and again asked if I needed to make any stops before the hotel. I declined and slumped down into the seat. He didn’t try for any chit chat today. I think he could tell I was worn out. He just let me be. We pulled up in front of the hotel and he opened the door to let me out. He told me to have a good evening and he would be here at his usual time in the morning. I nodded my thanks and gave him a small smile. 

I slowly walked into the hotel entrance debating on if I wanted to post up downstairs again while I had dinner or go back to my room and just eat junk food. I stopped in front of the restaurant and looked in. Not a soul in sight, except for Tim the bartender. He saw me, pulled out a wine glass, and started pouring whatever it was he gave me yesterday. I walked in and smiled thanking him as I took it to my back corner booth. He followed behind me. 

“Tough day?” he asked. 

“Not tough. Just long and I still have more to do.”

“Are we having a steady flow of wine and appetizers tonight?” he asked with a sympathetic look on his face.  

“Why not.” I said as I shrugged. He laughed and walked back to put in my order. 

I started pulling out all of my stuff and got to work reviewing more documents. It was an hour and a half later and a glass and a half of wine in when a voice asking to join me snapped me out of my intense focus. It was Dieter. I knew it as soon as I heard his voice. I looked up and he gave me that big, brilliant smile that made me want to melt. I smiled back, “Of course, have a seat!” 

“I hope I’m not distracting you from your work. I can go somewhere else if I need to.”

“No! Not at all. Actually, I think I could use a distraction right now. I need a break. I told myself I was going to take it easy tonight, yet here I am.” I gestured to my stuff spread out on the table and gave an exasperated laugh. 

“Well, if you insist on a distraction…” he chuckled as he sat down in the curved booth, rather closely on my right side. I could feel the heat from his body due to his proximity. It was a miracle that I could focus on anything else. 

“So, how’s it going? Have you uncovered the big secret yet?” he asked with what seemed like genuine interest. 

I sighed heavily, “No, not at all. I have suspicions, but nothing to back it up so far. I’m hopeful I’ll find something tomorrow when I really start digging into their data and tech stuff. I’m starting to get a little worried there may be nothing. Which, if that’s the case, it is what it is. The CEO doesn’t have any definitive proof of anything going on, he just suspects. I didn’t want details on the who or why yet. I don’t want any potential bias to affect what I am doing.”

“I am sure you’ll figure it out. You seem pretty intelligent.” he said as he gently bumped his shoulder against mine. I felt hot suddenly.

“Wha…what about you? Have you heard back about the audition or whatever it was you were anxious about?” I stuttered out. 

“I haven’t. I think I should probably hear something tomorrow. I know they’ve inquired about my filming schedule, so that could be a good sign.” 

“That’s awesome. Hopefully you’ll have something to celebrate tomorrow.”

Bartender Tim came over to take Dieter’s order. He ordered a beer and asked what I was having. 

“I am partaking in endless appetizers and wine tonight. Feel free to have some of whatever I get surprised with next.” Dieter knitted his eyebrows together and started laughing at me. He looked back at bartender Tim and said, “Yeah, bring extra of whatever you're bringing her. We can split it. I’m down for a little appetizer roulette.” Bartender Tim sniggered at us and walked off. 

“Bartender Tim and I have become BFFs already. He’s making sure I’m taken care of.” I said as I raised my wine glass as if to give a toast, then finished it off. 

“How much of that have you had?” Dieter asked. 

“Why? Do I sound drunk already? This is just my second glass. Trust me, I can tolerate more.” He chuckled. 

“I don’t know about drunk, but you’re definitely amusing yourself. How long were you down here yesterday? I saw you as I was leaving.”

“A while..and you didn’t say hi? I feel insulted.” I said jokingly and lightly pushed on his shoulder. For fuck’s sake, I was flirting. I should stop drinking. It’s going to get me in trouble. 

Bartender Tim came back with Dieter’s beer, cheese sticks and jalapeno poppers, more wine, and a glass of water for me. I didn’t even ask for the water. I think he was just doing me a solid before I got sloppy. 

Dieter continued our conversation, “I actually wanted to pop in and say hi, but I was running late. As usual. A fucking disaster as you say. There just isn’t enough time in the day sometimes.”

My phone buzzed. Lauren always had impeccable timing. I tried to ignore it, but it kept buzzing. I looked at him and said sorry as I picked up my phone.

LAUREN: What are you doing? 

LAUREN: I haven’t heard from you much. You need to take a break and call me.

LAUREN: I’m bored. 

LAUREN: What do you want to do for our girl’s day when you get back? Maybe a spa day? 

LAUREN: You DO need to learn how to relax occasionally. 

I rolled my eyes at her. She always did this when she was bored. Normally I found it to be hilarious, but I didn’t have time for that right now. I hit reply. 

ME: I can’t talk right now. 

LAUREN: Why? Are you being held hostage? 

LAUREN: If it’s because of work, then yes you can. Take a break already.

ME: I’m busy. 

LAUREN: Are you ok? These are weird responses for you. 

LAUREN: Waaaaaaaait. Are you with the hottie? 

LAUREN: You better tell me if you are. You know you can’t lie to me. 

Dieter was giving me the side eye. 

“I’m sorry. It’s my best friend. She is being needy and ridiculous right now.” He gave me a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “That’s fine. No biggie.” I started typing out a response. 

ME: Ok, yes. I am. We will talk later. 

LAUREN: Hell yes! Get it GUUURL!

ME: Stop it. Bye. 

I set my phone back down on the table. “Everything ok?” he asked. 

“Yeah, she’s just bored. She gives me hell for working too much. She tends to be a bundle of energy, so she starts about five different conversations before I can get the first response in.” He laughed at my description of her. 

“I can’t fuss about her too much. She’s been amazing the last few months. Helping me with things and all the drama I’ve been dealing with.” I said without thinking. Hopefully he didn’t ask me to elaborate.  

“Drama?” he asked. I gave him a contemplative look. Ok, I guess we are going there, I thought. Without thinking, I put my right hand up to my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  

“I’ve been going through a divorce. He was an asshole and a cheater. I put up with it way longer than I should have. He really messed me up, but it’s done now. Hopefully I’ll never see him again.” I looked down at my glass of wine, expressionless and unblinking. Dieter reached over and grabbed my right hand away from my shoulder, breaking my thoughts. He sat it on the table and gave it a squeeze. I looked up at him and our eyes locked. I could feel my heart almost beating out of my chest. 

“No one deserves to be treated like that. Karma is a bitch. It’ll bite him back one day. He’ll never be happy and live a miserable existence.” 

He said it with conviction. At that moment, I felt like he was looking into my soul with his dark eyes. I could see the sadness hidden there again. It made me wonder if someone had hurt him in the past. He slowly let go of my hand.   

I let out a measured breath, “I certainly hope so. Who knows, maybe one day karma may come in the form of slashed tires and sugar in the gas tank of his fancy car,” I said casually. I was attempting humor to lighten the mood. He took the bait and started laughing at me. 

“This must be the ‘fucking scary’ side that I heard about,” he said through his laughs. 

“Welcome to the show, I’ll be here all week.”

Thankfully that did lighten the mood. We spent two and a half hours chatting, eating, and drinking. The conversation and laughter never stopped. His fun and boisterous side was more evident now than our previous encounters. He had a hilarious sense of humor and even a touch of dark humor that I could appreciate. The small touches continued. He would lean into me and lay his forehead on my shoulder when he laughed. I had seen pictures of him with his friends appearing to do the same thing, so I couldn’t tell if this is just the way he was with people or if he was being flirty. He was very hard to read. I did, however, feel very at ease with him. My anxiety was non-existent once we got past the initial awkwardness. He seemed to be more at ease as well. 

Around 10 PM we decided to call it a night since we both had an early start. I slowly stood up and started packing all my stuff that had been scooted to the other side of the table as he handed it over to me. I was still slightly tipsy.  

“So…” he started to say, then gave a long pause. I stopped what I was doing and looked down at him. “Is it possible that I might run into you down here tomorrow evening? I should be done kind of early.” He looked down at the nearly empty glass in front of him and started lightly tapping on the table with his index finger. He was clearly nervous to ask. He kept his head lowered but looked up at me through his lashes while he bit his lip. Was he trying to give me a heart attack? My mind momentarily wandered to me biting that lip. I shook my head. What the hell was my problem? I suddenly felt embarrassed, like he could read my thoughts. I finally pulled it together enough to respond.

“It’s a very good possibility. We do have to celebrate tomorrow after all.” 

He gave me a questioning look. 

“We’ll be celebrating you getting that role. I have a good feeling about it.”

He gave me a huge smile and said, “Please don’t jinx it” as he got up out of the booth. 

We walked over to the elevator and got on. 

“Which floor?” he asked as he hit the number “9”. I froze and looked at him, slightly confused. 

“What?”

“Are you on the 9th floor?”

“Yeah, why?”

The doors slid shut and I started laughing hysterically. Immediately thinking of Lauren talking about all the destiny garbage. This was getting comical. 

“What’s so funny?” he said with a very confused look on his face. 

“Nothing. It’s just that we’re on the same floor.” He kind of laughed too. The door slid open, and we both stepped off of the elevator. We stopped, awkwardly standing in the middle of the hallway. I had a gut feeling, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle the answer, but I asked anyway. 

“Which room is yours?”

“The second to the end on the left side.” 

I absolutely lost it and doubled over in laughter. “You’re the snooze guy!” I said through my laughter. He stared at me wide eyed and confused. 

I finally got it together and had to wipe tears from my eyes. It was absolutely absurd at this point. 

“Just so you know, I’ve been internally cursing you every morning because I can hear your alarm every time it goes off.”

“You can hear that?” he said in disbelief. 

“Yes, I can. I’m pretty sure our beds share a wall.”

He looked slightly embarrassed for a minute, but then started laughing too. We began walking toward our doors, both still laughing and shaking our heads. We said our goodnights and keyed into our respective suites. Our eyes lingered on each other as we walked through the doors. 

I walked into my suite and shut the door in utter disbelief. There is no way this is actually happening. I threw my stuff down on the couch in the sitting area and dug my phone out of my bag to text Lauren.

ME: You’re never going to believe this. 

LAUREN: Well, hello to you too, jerk. I’ve been waiting to hear from you.

My phone started ringing. She wasted no time calling me. I answered, acutely aware that he was right next door. I was paranoid he could hear me. I stayed on the opposite end of the suite, pacing and talking in a hushed voice. 

“Well? What’s the big news? Did you finally get laid?” Lauren said sarcastically.  

“What?! No. Shut up. I am dying right now. His room literally shares a wall with mine. He’s next door. It’s his alarm that's been waking me up the last two mornings.” 

She was quiet for what seemed like forever. Then there was a burst of laughter. 

“You absolutely cannot make this stuff up,” she said through her maniacal guffaws. 

“So, are you going to tell me what you’ve been doing all this time? I need details.”

“Not many details to be had. We’ve been downstairs at the restaurant talking. We realized our rooms were next to each other after we called it a night. We both laughed about it.” 

“That’s all I get? Really?”

“Yes.”

“You. Suck.”

“I’m sorry, I just don’t want to read into anything that’s not there. I know if I tell you, we’ll both be doing that. Honestly, I think he’s lonely and just wants someone to hang out with who isn’t fawning over who he is.”  

“Wait, so does he know that you know who he is?”

“No. I haven’t said anything.” 

“Don’t you think maybe you should?”

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t want him to think I was looking him up though.”

“Good point. Maybe it’ll come up naturally next time you see him. Assuming you do.” 

I was quiet. I wasn’t sure if I should tell her we had already discussed dinner tomorrow. 

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Oh my gosh, fine. He’s going to be done early tomorrow, so we’re going to meet for dinner again.”

“Oh. Yeah. There is totally nothing to this,” she said sarcastically.

“That’s it. I’ve got to go. I’m tired. Bye. Goodnight.” 

“Let me know how tomorrow goes!” I heard her yelling as I hung up.  

I got ready for bed. After laying there in the dark for what seemed like forever, I reached for my phone and searched his name again. There were so many pictures and videos of him out with his friends. There were also a lot of him with people he worked with and at events. Nothing recent romantically linking him to any girls though. I skimmed comments on the pictures. On several, there were people arguing about his relationship status and preferences. Poor guy, no wonder he wasn’t dating anyone. The general public and paparazzi were all up in his business.  I heard the faint sound of a TV click on, next door. It seems Dieter was having trouble sleeping too. It was nearing midnight, and I was still wide awake. Knowing that he was just on the other side of the wall was kind of driving me crazy. I could feel the magnetic pull, drawing me to him. I decided I was going to get up and take some melatonin in hopes that would knock me out. About 30 minutes later, I finally drifted off into another restless sleep. 

A/N: Things really start heating up between our dear Dieter and Talia in the next chapter. I promise, it’s coming soon. 😉

Next Chapter

[atinycafe]

LIME SORBET — special 01 [hatchan live!]

PROMPT; reader finally comes back to s. korea as she finished her training in los angeles, ready to debut as a solo artist under kq ent! exciting right? well her sunbaes seem to like that idea too.

FEAT; alpha!ateez x omega!idol!reader

IN THIS BONUS; reader goes live 4 the first time with sannie, she introduces herself to atinys

RELATIONSHIP STATUS; unmated

WRD COUNT; 1k

NOTES; this is a bonus, not a chapter!! i'm gonna have many of those, the bonuses are just random chapters that don't fit the main story's timeline. contrary to the main chapters, the bonuses can be reactions, most to least, blurbs and can be requested

TAGLIST; @marievllr-abg @cookiechristie @sugarrush-blush @hiraii-gf ; lmk if you want 2 b added 2!

atiny-34r: omg first time i arrived this early for a live?? chwewoosan: where's my baby mingi 119smallhwa: i heard that they're gonna make an announcement hoong2ho: hongjoong finally went bald ig

"Did the live start already?" a soft voice echoed from the surroundings as the girl gracefully reached down to retrieve her delectable sushis from the delivery bag.

With a contented sigh, San settled himself in front of the camera, playfully balancing chopsticks in his mouth, "I think so."

mounta46in: omg san!!! 2jeongyw: where's woooo 10-bulgoriya: whose voice was that? amatzfangirl: is there a girl with u??

"Hey, y/n could you grab the soy sauce it's right behind you on the counter."

Obliging without hesitation, she swiftly retrieved the sauce bottle and gracefully made her entrance on screen, taking a seat beside San. Clad in a modest black t-shirt and vibrant red pajama pants, her tresses cascaded elegantly over her shoulder, partially concealing her neckline and the collar adorning it.

"Hello atinys!!" she murmured in a gentle, hushed tone, leaning closer to the camera to peruse a selection of comments.

teddyjongho: who is she omg she's so cute yeohehetsangie: WHAT IS HAPPENING ddeonghwa: san acc gets bitches no way??? 1117haneul: twitter stans are gonna go crazy at this

"San do the intro for me," she finally turned towards him, delicately plucking the chopsticks from his mouth.

San's hands applauded with enthusiasm, as though beckoning for everyone's attention. "Atinys!" he exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement, "Let us welcome the latest addition to the KQent family, new idol Hatchan!"

The girl gracefully inclined her head in a gentle bow, thanking the viewers for their time, savoring a delectable piece of sashimi as she deftly picked up the other phone from the table to look at the incoming comments. Upon stumbling upon a particularly humorous one, she burst into laughter, playfully tilting her head backward and directing her mirthful gaze towards San, showing him the amusing remarks.

yunhenergizer: lmaooo this is so ghetto, budget of 200₩, slay tho captnjoong: oh okay just like that, this better b real balmainboi: no fucking way, they must be trolling a2thez: so we get an ateez comeback and a bad bitch, life is so good rn

"So basically, my formal introduction will take place alongside my KQ fellaz season just like the boys had, which is set to release tomorrow at 5 PM. But, my manager kindly granted me permission to greet you all beforehand," the girl chuckled, her eyes twinkling as she once again perused the entertaining comments. A tinge of blush graced her cheeks, a testament to the fans' delightful humor.

Curiosity piqued, San leaned closer to her, peering over her shoulder at the phone nestled between her hands. He couldn't help but notice the subtle intake of breath she shyly took at their proximity, causing a mischievous smirk to play upon his lips, hidden behind her hair.

"What's so funny?" he inquired, his voice laced with curiosity.

Gleefully, she replied, her smile widening as she reached for another succulent piece of sashimi, "Someone said that KQ's budget was two hundred won!"

Just as she was about to indulge in the delectable piece of rice, San swiftly seized her wrist, playfully taking the food and nonchalantly taking a bite as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

The girl, taken aback by the unexpected act, turned towards the camera, a mixture of surprise and amusement evident on her face. She pointed at San, a bewildered expression still lingering, and addressed the viewers, "Did you guys see what just happened? Did he just steal my food? Should I beat him up?" she asked the last question in english.

jjongapl: get him! princssminki: personally i wouldnt take that level of disrespect san0810: nooo don't hurt our baby puppyunho: ROCK HIS SHIT!!

"Atinys are telling me to beat you up."

"What?!" San exclaimed, feigning innocence. "But why? What did I do?" He turned his gaze towards the camera, employing his trademark puppy eyes and adding a slight pout to his expression, hoping to elicit sympathy from the viewers.

"You used your big alpha strength to steal food from a poor omega," she melodramatically sighed, casting a mockingly exasperated glance at San. Then, she swiftly redirected her attention back to the camera, her tone laced with playful amusement, "are you all seeing this, should we cancel him?", she inquired, her words tinged with jest as she playfully entertained the notion of holding San accountable for his mischievous deed.

woosmole: she's an omega??? noticemehwa: she's so funny hahahaahbha yosongfan: did she just say omega? gueri11a: omega????

"Oh you guys didn't notice it?" San playfully pushed her hair back, revealing a subtle glimpse of her neck, and gently placed his hand at the base of her neck. Meanwhile, she began tapping on the black collar with her meticulously manicured nails, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes, "should we bring Seonghwa oppa here for an ASMR session?"

The unconventional act of an alpha touching an omega's neck in such a manner did not go unnoticed by the keen netizens. Given the societal norms and the implied significance of such an interaction, speculations and assumptions about the two idols' relationship began circulating among the public even before the girl's career had officially commenced. The unexpected gesture fueled curiosity and led to conjectures about their relationship, setting the stage for intrigue and anticipation surrounding her journey in the industry.

"So what did they say?" San asked her as soon as she ended the call on her phone.

Both of her managers had immediately called her out when they finished with the live, expressing their dissatisfaction with the unscripted interaction. Their words carried a weight of admonishment, but she chuckled, feeling a tad defeated.

"They chewed me out a little bit, but it's all right," she confided in San, her voice tinged with a mixture of resignation and amusement, as she recounted the aftermath of their impromptu on-screen moment.

"Sorry, it's my fault," he pouted, his expression reflecting a mix of remorse and frustration. "You know how I can get touchy sometimes," he admitted, acknowledging his tendency to act on impulse and physical affection without considering the potential consequences.

"It's all good oppa," she reassured him, playfully punching his shoulder with a light touch. "You're going to get me trending even before I've officially started. I should be thanking you for all the attention," she remarked, her tone laced with a hint of playful gratitude.