#like sometimes when i look at my art i’ll start to notice bits that are so distinctly Them…

[rodolfoparras]

The art of tardiness

Pairing: Unspecified Male Character x Male reader

cw: 18+, possessiveness, anal fingering, anal sex, top male reader, bottom male character, age gap, morning sex, writing on skin, feminization (hole referred to as cunt)

Synopsis: sometimes calling him yours just isn’t enough

There were times you were sure that your boyfriend was dating two different people.

One was the young man who’d swiftly tuck his tail between his legs at the smallest comment made about his relationship. That man could admit that he lacked experience compared to his much older partner, could admit he probably wasn’t his partner’s ideal type with his scrawny frame and short height, and he knew that even if his boyfriend were to look past those things, the people around them would never do it.

Then there was the rabid dog in the shape of a young man, that barks and bites at any potential threat, such as hostile comments made about his relationship. He’d look you straight in the eye and tell you not to make comments about a relationship you know nothing off, hell he’d get in a physical altercation if you provoked him enough.

And then of course there was the desire to bite the hand that feeds him, devour his person down to the bone so he wouldn’t have to share him with the world. He or rather you were pretty good at keeping this desire at bay but sometimes you just couldn’t contain it especially early in the mornings, when he looks like a sight to behold with his lazy smile bleary eyes, thin white sheet doing nothing to cover up his naked body.

You want to keep him in bed, mark him up, make him cum over and over again til all he can remember is the feeling of your cock

Unfortunately things aren’t that easy, especially when he has to get ready for work in half an hour, but stubborn as you are, you don’t let him go, dead set on marking him up as much as possible.

At first he’s too lost in bliss to notice what you’re doing, letting you suck and nip on the sensetive skin while desperately clinging onto your body, that is til you bite down hard enough to draw blood and the man jerks in place, wide eyed and suddenly too aware of what you’re doing.

“No marks” he says, even goes as far as to scruff your neck, as if you’re nothing but a disobedient dog to him “I have work, remember?”

“Please?” and you know that you must sound rather pathetic but honestly you couldn’t care less, especially not when you notice that a couple of marks have already started to bloom on his skin.

“So goddamn possessive what am I gonna do with you huh?” He says, while keeping a vice like grip on your neck “Should I let you write your damn name on my forehead? Would that make you happy hm?” He says gaze much softer as his thumb strokes your neck.

Even though he hadn’t intend to do so, his words gave you an idea and you immediately find yourself reaching for the night stand, hand blindly rummaging through the drawer.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” He says, brow raised but it doesn’t take long before realization strikes him “Absolutely not,”

You turn to the other man , practically giving puppy eyes. This time you do feel a tad bit of embarrassment but not enough to give up on this battle.

“I can’t go out like that,”

“You won’t,” you immediately say “I’ll do it somewhere you can cover it,”

“Jesus Christ kid,” he sighs out and pinches his brows but despite his words you know that his resolve has crumbled.

You’re quick to grab the first best pen before straddling his waist, the late night escapade having left him in nothing but a thin white sheet covering the most sensitive part of him but you can still feel you cock head rubbing upon the cleft of his ass as you settle down.

“Cheeky bastard” he breathes out, fully aware of where your mind’s gone to.

You only hush him response, muttering how you have to be focused before you attempt to put the marker to his arm.

But before you can do that he grabs ahold of your egg wrist, a firm look painted on his face “promise me it’ll wash off,”

“Promise,” you say with a shit eating grin on your face.

And as you proceed to put the marker to his skin, you realize that you’re at loss of ideas on what you could write on him. It’s like you wanted to do so much when the idea first struck your head but sitting here you almost feel overwhelmed by all the options that you have.

You play it safe at first, writing out your name just below his pec, a move that has the man squirming beneath you.

“Tickles,”

“Sorry,” you say, not an ounce of sincerity in your tone as you draw another scribble on his forearm. It’s you and him- well it’s supposed to be but your artistic skills only allow you to draw two stick figures holding hands.

For a moment there are no words exchanged as you continue draw on his skin. You do a couple of doodles here and there, some ridiculous other more scandalous. You even write some words on his skin- some being your name others being lewd quotes, everything done within range where he’d be able to hide it beneath his clothes.

“This enough for you kid?” He says, when the majority of his chest is covered in little scribbles.

He probably didn’t mean anything by those words. But the ugly monster residing inside couldn’t help but take this as a challenge especially when he says that as he lays naked in your shared bed, soft smile on his face, the scribbles of your name clearly showing under the rays of sunlight protruding through the bedroom window.

Instead of responding to him you grab ahold of his wrist, black marker writing out the letter M on his skin, bold and big, just within the range of where he can pull on a shirt if he wishes to hide the word. The letters I N E are soon added in place, big bold and curling around his underarm.

The word mine now lays written on his forearm.

But you don’t stop there, eyes flicking over to his furry stomach that looks awfully bare before you take a marker to it and start writing your initials all over it. This time around the skin isn’t as forgiving, straight lines turning jagged from coarse hair and faded scar. Not that you mind and neither does the little monster residing inside.

You continue writing on him, covering as much skin as he allows but truth be told you don’t know how his clothes will be able to cover up some scribbles, not that you plan on telling him that right now.

And he doesn’t seem to care that much as his gaze carefully follows your movements, breathing growing heavier and heavier with each second that passes.

At some point you feel the need to get closer to him even though you’re practically sitting ontop of him, swiftly shuffling around til you’re slotted between his thighs, carefully drawing a line from the crevice of his knee down to the groove of his left thigh.

He continues to watch you with attentive eyes, as you add a triangle to the end of line, the marker reaching dangerously to where his balls lay hanging between his thighs and from where you sit you can smell his musk hitting your nostrils, can feel his thighs clench beneath your fingertips , can now see the way the black arrow is humorously pointing straight to the furley ring of muscles.

It’s impossible not to reach out to the spot between his legs, a curious finger swiping over his sensitive skin and pulling a gasp out of him“Hah!”

Your eyes flicker up, cock twitching at the sight of the man who already looks so wrecked before looking back to the marker in your hand, moving it back and forth til the line on his thigh grows in size, doing anything just to busy your mind because you’re supposed to draw on him not fuck him, remember that?

But it’s not long before your attention is back onto his burning heat, a glob of spit landing onto the sensitive skin before your finger circles his now wet rim.

“What are you-“

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence before you slip the tip of your finger inside, watching the way he jerks in surprise, the sudden movement jacking up the straight marker line, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care.

“Jesus Christ kid,” he breathes, voice dripping with both arousal and amusement as you continue to sink your finger inside of him.

“This alright?” You ask, and push til you’re knuckles deep before giving an experimental curl of your finger.

Another gasp escapes his mouth, hips bucking up into your touch “ hah -now you ask?” He says, but despite his words the man nods at your question.

That’s all it takes for you to work a second finger inside, this time coaxing a hiss out of him,“easy there kid going to break me,”

You can’t help but chuckle at that”Think you’re giving me too much credit pretty,” you say but decide to move your fingers at a much slower pace, watching the way his body once again relax onto the sheets as contented hums escape his lips.

You continue curling your fingers inside while drawing onto the man; circling birth marks and scars you find pretty, drawing arrows across every inch of skin while watching the way he twists and turns in the sheets with every brush of your fingertips “so fucking pretty like this drives me crazy “

At some point you stop drawing on his skin, turning all your focus to the fingers buried inside him.

You don’t even notice the way tears have started to gather at his eyes, nor the begs and please continuously escaping his mouth, too entranced with the sight of his hungry hole practically swallowing up your hand.

It’s only when he grabs ahold of your wrist that you snap back into the present moment, now noticing how you’ve left the pen to bled out on the white sheets, and how the ink on his skin has already started to smear.

The gruesome monster inside tells you that you need to find another way to mark the man.

Within moments you’re grabbing ahold of his legs, pushing his knees up to his chest til his cunt is on full display, not wasting another second to line your cockhead up with his entrance before pushing inside him.

“Ah fuck! Insatiable dog,” he barks out, not having expected you to do that but that doesn’t stop him from practically clamping onto you as you bottom out: heels digging into your ass and nails digging into your back as you start driving up into his hungry cunt.”mpf fuck just like that keep going kid“

Who’s insatiable now? You think to yourself, a strangled chuckle escaping your lips as you continue to thrust into his tight wet heat.

It doesn’t take long before you’re setting a steady pace, thrusting so erratically he’s practically choking up on the moans that are trying to escape his lips, bed frame frantically rocking against the wall every thrust of your hips.

“Ah! Fuck! Going to - hah going to kill me,” he says through choked sobs, hands madly clawing at your back as if he’s losing his footing on this world.

And as you look down at the beautiful mess he makes, you can’t help but notice the shadow of a bulge showing on his stomach, right below the spot where your initials lay.

Once again you feel the zealous monster within you take the steering wheel, hand pushing his legs past his ears, before drilling into him.

“Say it “ you grunt out, hands keeping a vice like grip on his thighs, pushing his legs so far back you’re sure you’ll split him in half if you keep it up “Come on come on say you’re mine”

At first he’s at a loss for words, barely even able to catch his breath with the way you’re erratically thrusting into him but eventually he manages to respond to you.

“Yours yours all yours fucking fuck I’m cum-“ he splutters out, hole erratically clenching down onto your cock before he cums in hot thick white streaks, across both his and yours abondmen “‘m sorry ‘m sorry” he slurs out, while he continues to shamelessly fuck himself back onto your cock.

Something about that sight is enough to triggering your own orgasm

“Fuck!” You cry out, eyes squeezing shut before youre hit with hot blinding pleasure.

The world around you blurs out, ears ringing loud as you continue to ride out your high before you eventually slump down beside the man.

“Jesus Christ,” you say, ears still ringing loud, world barely coming into focus. “That was-“ you begin but trail off once you can’t seem to find the right word for it.

A laugh rumbles through the older man’s chest, his big hand cradling the back of your neck before he says “got that right kid,”

You look up at him only to be left speechless at the sight.

See people always said that a relationship with someone so much younger than him would ruin him. You’d hear it over and over again while eavesdropping on whatever conversation he was having about this “sudden” relationship.

You never really understood what they meant until you saw him sprawled out on your bed, gaping hole stuffed full with your cum, and every inch of his skin covered in your initials.

At least they knew he was yours to ruin.

Yours

Yours.

Yours.

That little insatiable monster that can't seem to find rest rises to life again, coaxes you to slot your lips against the older man’s, tongue slipping into his mouth and licking along every nook and crevice, leaving the taste of you behind for anyone that would dare kiss him.

It takes one more kiss before he prys himself away from you, and walks over to the bathroom on shaky steps, the sight of his inked ass is the last thing you see before the door closes behind him.

You slump back into bed with a smile on your face, the taste of him still lingers on your lips, the previous string of events practically burned into your iris and for a second it all feels like a dream that is before you hear your name being shouted behind the bathroom door followed by a string of angry words “why won’t this shit wash off,”

Oh well…

[hotpinkstars]

AHHH LOVED THE AL HAITHAM FIC SMM but if you dont mind what was going through al haithams head when he realized she left??

-> the house will never be the same again pt. 2

synopsis -> after being incredibly disrespected by your husband, alhaitham, you moved to liyue. what is going through his mind when you leave?

a/n -> AHHH i'm so happy you liked it!!! and i don't mind making a pt. 2 at all sorry this has been sitting here for a while but i hope you enjoy! here is part 1.

warnings -> all hurt no comfort, reader never turns up lol

w/c -> 1.2k

it’s been about a week now, and you’re already settled into liyue. you’ve caught the eye of a bunch of passersby in the city- a sumeru vision wielder living in liyue harbor? 

thankfully, you had the traveler and a kind woman from the qixing named ganyu able to assist you with questions about the city. the first day you got there, she noticed your vision, and asked you all about it. it soon led to the two of you hitting off the start of a friendship in a nice restaurant- with ganyu telling you all of the things to do in liyue, the jobs that can be taken, and how magical the lantern rite especially is. you mentioned to her that you had a passion for the arts, and she immediately helped you look for a side job to make a little bit of mora to pay rent in your nice abode in the middle of the harbor.

“so, were your travels from sumeru alright? i’ve heard trudging through desert is not a very enjoyable experience..” ganyu questioned, a slight grin to be found on her face. “though, i have heard that the city down there is very nice. i would love to visit for myself one day, but with work and adeptal business it makes my days a little tight.”

you nod before replying. “the city is beautiful, especially at night. theres a gorgeous stage down there too, where a young woman named nilou always performs on special events. it’s always been the most majestic part of the city, or at least in my opinion.” 

ganyu lets out a noise of fascination, before giggling a little. “i would love to watch her dance. nilou is a familiar name, some people here strictly go to sumeru just to see her. i bet she’s as wonderful as everyone makes her out to be.” ganyu sighs. “i wonder if she travels? we have nice performing places here, too.”

you nod. “occasionally. it mostly has to be a big event for her to arrive, though.” you take another bite of your food. “but i bet if i asked her, she’d come out for at least a few days.”

that made ganyu smile once more, before she asked another question. “well, this may be an odd question, but do you have any romantic relationships?” 

“well, that's the reason i decided to move here,” now it is your turn to sigh, making ganyu have a confused look dancing across her face. “my partner and i got into an argument. he wouldn’t stop overworking himself, and i simply just wanted him to come to bed. but he’s so stubborn, and he took his work stress out on me. there was… certainly a lot of name calling.”

ganyus look of confusion immediately switches to an apologetic one. “ah, you made the right choice. that’s no way to treat your spouse.” 

you nod in agreement, before finishing your dish and pushing it slightly out in front of you. 

“well, i’m going to head back to my apartment now. this was very nice, we should do it again sometime!” you smile before standing and putting some money on the table. “here, this should be half. have a good night, ganyu!”

“goodnight to you too, y/n! i’ll see you soon.” 

now, back on alhaithams end..

he hasn’t been home in about a week and a half, due to his work causing his presence nearly 24/7. that pretty much means he hasn’t realized you’ve left yet. 

as he walks home, he doesn’t know how he would approach you. does he pretend the issue doesn’t exist? does he keep ignoring you? does he apologize? he thought his mind would split open.

as he walks through the door, he notices that the house is a little… emptier, from when the two of you lived together. he walked through the whole place, looking into the bathrooms to see your products gone. looking at the laundry room, met with no clothes that are yours hanging from the clothesline. and now, when he went to your bedroom…

your pillowcases have been stripped from the bed, and your pillow thrown into the closet. there were only a stack of two pillows, right in the middle of the bed. now his heart was thumping, and really hard. he looked through the dressers. the left side was barren, leaving only his side full. the thing that brought tears to the mans eyes was seeing your wedding ring on your side of the table. 

so you really left him. he stands there, shocked, unknowing of what to do. does he try to find you, or does he let you go? oh, how he regrets ever talking to you the way he did. if he just took your advice, you would be in bed, waiting for his arrival. likely bringing him into a hug, shaking all his worries and stress away as you whispered questions along about how his day was. 

the next few days felt like someone kept coming over to his desk and stabbing his back with blades like his. he felt so regretful, doing everything he can to stay composed while at the same time trying to find where you’ve gone. dehya won’t give him anything besides “somewhere close to sumeru that’s not sumeru.” that could mean you’ve gone to fontaine, liyue, or monstadt. how would he ever find you?

he’d ask the gaurds, and they all told him you went in the direction of the chasm. getting somewhere, but not close enough. he could walk all that way and come up empty handed. he doesn’t have an exact pinpoint on you yet. 

he’d ask nilou. she’d just shrug and say something along the lines of “i heard what happened, but i do not know fully where they went.” 

he walked the paths of the city, lost deep in thought. everyone thought it was a little out of character for someone such as him to look and feel as lost as he is. as much as people wondered what happened, they kept their mouths shut.

and for the people who noticed your absence, too, they’d ask different people who would likely have knowledge. but alhaitham didn’t know where to go now. he could walk the whole chasm and still not have you turn up. he could check every apartment complex in liyue harbor, and knock on every door on the outskirts. he could sail the seas to inazuma, and walk every separate island to see who may be housing you, or what commission you may have been taken in by. he could fall down the very waterfall that leads an entrance to the enchanting location called enkanomiya. he could go to fontaine, dive under the waters, walk every rocky mountain, and even visit the fortress of meropide. he could fight every monster near the city of monstadt, looking upon every rooftop for signs of your art, blown through the city of wind. but he still wouldn’t find you.

now what he doesn’t know is that you’re in liyue harbor, and nobody frets to tell him that anytime soon. for now, they’re just going to let him suffer, the same way he let you.

[piastree]

i: Behind Silverstone 2024

This is sub-part of 'the Art of Us' story from part 5

[Driver Room : Silverstone 2024]

Y/N: So, this is where you hang out before races? Oscar: Yep, my little hideout before all the madness starts. (grinning) Not much, but it does the job. Y/N: I like it… it’s kinda cozy in here. (Looks around) You always seem so calm before a race. How do you do that? Oscar: (chuckles) Trust me, it’s mostly on the outside. Inside, I’m a bit of a mess. But, I don’t know, having you here helps. Makes it feel more… normal. Y/N: I’m glad. You always know how to make me feel comfortable too. You’re just… really good at that. Oscar: Well, I try… You’re pretty easy to be around, you know. I want you to feel good being here. I know this whole F1 world can be… a lot sometimes. (Oscar noticing the bracelet, raises an eyebrow) Oscar: Is that... my name on your wrist? (grins teasingly) When did you get that? Y/N: (laughs softly) Oh, this? One of your fans handed it to me when I got out of the car earlier. I thought it was cute, so I just... put it on. (holds up her wrist, showing off the pink bracelet) I mean, look at it! It’s pink and adorable. Oscar: Does this mean I’m officially your favorite driver now? Y/N: Hmm... Lando, maybe? But it depends on how you do today. Oscar: (laughs, shaking his head) Alright, challenge accepted. I’ll try not to disappoint since I’ve got my biggest fan watching. Y/N: Oh, so now I’m your biggest fan? You’re pushing it, Piastri. Oscar: (reaches over and gently touches her hand) Thankyou. You being here is more than just a little thing. It’s everything, really. Y/N: (smiling brighter) Happy to hear that.

Read here: the art of us (on going)

[gyutopia]

world of sinners iii | sim jaeyun

⟶ 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦: your parents are the head of one of the nation’s most lucrative syndicates and your older brother is heir to the throne which leaves you free to leave this world of evil behind. you’ve been waiting for this day for twenty years of your life, you can practically taste the freedom. what will you do, however, when your parents arrange a marriage for you to bind together their empire with the lee’s to stop a full on gang war?

❥ 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: sim jaeyun x f!reader ft lee heesung

❥ 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑒: mafia!au, arranged marriage!au

❥ 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 8.4k

⟶ 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠: dark themes, mentions of drugs, mentions of violence, vulgar language, mentions of death, forced marriage, corruption, possessiveness, mentions of guns, attempted murder, talk of murder.

| masterlist | previous | next |

Three weeks have passed since your wedding to Jake, a union formed not out of love but necessity. The initial awkwardness between you two has subsided somewhat, replaced by a tentative friendship. Jake is often off at work, leaving you at home to explore the enormous house or hide away in your art studio. You’ve found a surprising new muse in Jake, and the past few weeks have seen you hardly putting down your paintbrush.

It’s a peaceful morning, and the sun filters softly through the curtains. You’re lost in the tranquility of your surroundings when Rose enters your room.

“Good morning, madam,” she says, her tone professional yet warm. “Your in-laws have requested your and Mr. Jaeyun’s presence for brunch today. Shall I help you prepare?”

A sense of dread settles in your stomach. Brunch with Jake’s family sounds taxing. Nevertheless, you comply. “Thank you, Rose.”

She nods and moves further into your room, showcasing a burgundy dress that matches Jake’s family color slung over her shoulder. “This will be perfect for today. Mr. Sim chose it for you.”

You thank her before heading to the bathroom for a refreshing shower. The warm water helps wake you up, and as you step out, you find your bed made and the dress neatly laid out. Once dressed, you admire the elegant fit before heading downstairs.

Jake is already ready, dressed in a suit with the first few buttons of his shirt undone and his hair slicked back. He looks up and smiles warmly at you, stepping closer to kiss your forehead and reach for your hand. “Good morning.”

He greets you warmly, the gesture catches you off guard. While the hostility between you has diminished, affection has not been a part of your relationship. Jake notices your confusion and offers an explanation.

“It’s just for the sake of appearances,” he says softly. “I don’t want my parents to pick up on any tension between us. It’s better if we start acting affectionate at home before we arrive.”

You nod, understanding his reasoning. Jake senses your unease and squeezes your hand gently. “Don’t worry. I know my family can be a bit much, but I’ll be right there with you.”

As you both prepare to leave, Jake explains, “They probably want to see how we’re functioning as a unit now. My father is keen on assessing how well we’re adjusting.”

You nod in understanding. “Do you think they’re happy with the arrangement?”

Jake looks thoughtful for a moment. “My father is satisfied as long as the business runs smoothly. My stepmother, on the other hand... well, she has her own opinions, as I’m sure you’ve seen.”

You chuckle lightly. “Kind of hard to miss.”

As you both get into the car, Jake starts the engine and glances at you. “How have you been feeling about everything?”

You take a deep breath. “It’s been an adjustment, like you said. But I think we’re handling it well. I’ve found a lot of peace in painting.”

Jake smiles. “I’d love to see your work sometime. I’m sure it’s incredible.”

You blush slightly, the majority of your work nowadays all contain some essence of Jake. You’re quick to brush off the compliment. “It’s nothing special. Just a hobby to pass the time.”

Jake frowns slightly, not buying your modesty. “I’m sure it’s more than just that. When we get back home, I’ll join you in the studio to take a look.”

You nod, feeling a mix of embarrassment and anticipation. “Alright. If you insist.”

The beginning of the drive to his family’s house is quiet at first, both of you lost in your thoughts. Eventually, Jake breaks the silence.

“It’s important to them that we present a strong front.” He says, glancing at you

You nod, understanding the importance of this brunch. “I’ll do my best. It’s just... a lot of pressure.”

Jake reaches over and takes your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I know. But we’re a team now, remember?”

You smile, feeling a bit more at ease. “Yeah, a team.”

The rest of the drive is filled with small talk, Jake making an effort to keep you relaxed. When you arrive, the grandeur of the house matches that of your own, with perfectly manicured lawns and vibrant flowers.

Jake parks the car and helps you out, his arm protectively around your waist as you walk inside. As you begin walking, you take a deep breath, steeling yourself for the upcoming brunch.

The foyer is grand, with a sweeping staircase and chandeliers that catch the morning light. Jake's stepmother and father are already waiting in the sitting room.

“Jaeyun, my boy,” his father greets, his tone commanding yet warm. “It’s good to see you.”

“Father,” Jake replies with a nod. “Mother.”

Yerin gives you a once over, her eyes raking over your appearance. “I see you’ve managed to dress appropriately today.”

Before you can respond, Jake’s father intervenes. “Enough, dear,” he says sternly, his tone brooking no argument. “Let’s not start with criticism.”

Yerin purses her lips but remains silent. Jake’s father turns his attention back to you and Jake, his gaze more appraising. “How have you two been?”

Jake speaks up first, his tone steady. “We’re managing well, Father. We’re taking things one step at a time.”

You nod in agreement, feeling the weight of their scrutiny. “It’s been an adjustment, but we’re finding our rhythm.”

Jake’s father nods thoughtfully. “That’s good to hear, especially in times like these.”

Yerin, not entirely satisfied with the direction of the conversation, pipes up again. “And what about your duties as a wife? Are you keeping up with everything?”

You feel a flush of embarrassment creeping up your neck, you haven’t left the house since Jake’s last meeting. You know you’ll have to pick up the slack soon but you’ve been enjoying the peace of being at home away from all the bustling business deals. “I’m doing my best, Mother. There’s a lot to learn, but I’m committed.”

Jake squeezes your hand gently, offering silent support. “She’s been doing great,” he adds. “Happy to have her by my side.”

Jake’s father seems to approve of Jake’s response. “That’s good.” He turns to face his wife and places a hand on her hip. “Why don’t you take ____ to look at the garden? Jaeyun and I will join you once Heeseung arrives. It’ll give us a chance to catch up and discuss some business matters.”

You hesitate, not wanting to be alone with Jake’s mother. Sensing your unease, Jake leans in and kisses your forehead gently. “It’s alright. Go ahead.”

You nod, feeling reassured by his gesture. “Okay.”

Yerin gestures for you to follow her and begins walking away. “Come along, dear. Let’s make sure everything is in order for brunch.”

As you walk away, you glance back at Jake one last time. He gives you a small, reassuring smile before turning to face his father.

You follow Yerin through the lavish mansion, trying to calm the nerves fluttering in your stomach. As you step into the garden, you’re greeted by the sight of meticulously maintained flower beds and elegant topiaries. The tranquility of the garden provides a stark contrast to the tension inside.

Yerin turns to you, her demeanor still hard and guarded. “The garden is a reflection of our family’s legacy. It requires constant care and attention, much like the relationships within the family.”

You nod, understanding the metaphor she’s drawing. “It’s beautiful. You must put a lot of work into it.”

Yerin’s lips curve into a small smirk. “We do. It’s a labor of love. Just like marriage.”

The two of you continue to walk, Yerin spares you a glance before asking, “Any plans for children soon? It’s important for the family to have heirs.”

Her question catches you off guard, and you feel heat creeping up your neck. Despite the growing camaraderie, your relationship with Jake has remained strictly platonic. You can't help but wonder if Jake even sees you in a sexual way. His kindness and support are undeniable, but there’s a distance between you that makes you question your sex appeal.

Yerin’s gaze is piercing, and you scramble to find a suitable answer. “We haven’t really discussed it in depth,” you say, choosing your words carefully. “There’s still so much we’re getting used to, and with Jake’s responsibilities, it hasn’t been a priority.”

Yerin’s lips press into a thin line. “Responsibilities are one thing, but ensuring the continuation of our family’s legacy is paramount. You need to prioritize that.”

You nod, trying to hide your discomfort. “Of course, mother. We understand the importance.”

She stops walking and turns to face you fully, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Marriage isn’t just about companionship. It’s about duty and preserving what generations before you have built. Don’t lose sight of that.”

You swallow hard, feeling the weight of her expectations pressing down on you. “I understand.”

Her gaze softens slightly, but her tone remains firm. “Good. It’s also crucial to show a united front. People are watching, always. They need to see that you and Jaeyun are strong together.”

As she speaks, you can’t help but think about the unspoken divide between you and Jake. How can you present a united front when you’re not even sharing the same space? The irony isn’t lost on you, and you wonder if Jake feels the same pressure.

“I know,” you reply quietly. “We’re working on it.”

Yerin gives a small nod, her expression still scrutinizing. “See that you do. The last thing we need is any sign of weakness.”

Embarrassed, you nod, “Yes, mother…”

The conversation leaves you feeling unsettled and overwhelmed. As you continue to set the table, you find yourself lost in thought. The expectations of this marriage are heavy, while Jake has proven himself to not be all that bad, his family has become a major source of stress.

As you finish setting the table, Jake and his father join you. The conversation is stilted, filled with polite but strained exchanges. Jake’s father, with a faux smile, breaks the silence.

“So, how do you two find living together?” Jaehee asks, his eyes piercing into yours.

“We’re managing well, Abeonim,” Jake replies calmly. “It’s new and different, but we’re working through it together.”

Yerin sniffs delicately, her gaze critical as she looks you over. “And how is the house? Are you finding everything to your liking?”

“It’s beautiful,” you respond politely. “I’ve enjoyed exploring and getting to know the place.”

Yerin raises an eyebrow. “And what about the prospect of children? I assume you both have discussed it?”

The question catches you off guard, you can see the evil glint in Yerin’s eyes as she waits for Jake’s response. Having already heard your side you know she expects Jake to fumble in front of his father. You glance at Jake, trying to subtly shake your head but he only squeezes your hand under the table.

“We haven’t really had time to think about that yet,” Jake answers smoothly. “We’re still getting to know each other and settling into our roles.”

Jaehee leans back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “Marriage is not just about partnership but also about legacy. It’s important to think about the future.”

You feel a knot form in your stomach at the familiarity of the words. “We understand that,” you say quietly. “We’re just taking things slow.”

The room falls silent, the weight of your words hanging in the air. Yerin’s lips thin into a disapproving line, but Jaehee nods slowly.

“I see,” he says finally. “It’s good to take your time and build a strong foundation. But don’t forget the importance of continuing the family line.”

You stiffly nod, feeling as if you might explode if you hear one more mention of your womb and the expectations of a baby, a baby you don’t think will ever exist. You can’t imagine Jake making a move to ever bed you. You wonder if he’ll find another woman just as his father did, if he’ll fall in love with her and give his father an heir that way. He may be kind to you and has shown that for now the two of you are a team but at the end of the day he’s still the son of Lee Jaehee and heir to the most powerful mafia in all of Asia, you can’t imagine him never having a child.

Jaehee’s eyes narrow slightly. "If you don’t mind me asking, why the delay? The sooner you start, the better. An heir is crucial."

You hesitate, but before you can speak, Yerin interjects, "I've heard some rumors that you two aren't even sharing a bed."

Her comment hangs in the air, heavy and accusatory. Jake’s father’s gaze sharpens. "Is this true, Jaeyun?"

You feel a lick of ice run through your veins- not only do you feel violated by the fact that Yerin seemingly has spies planted in your home, reporting back to her but you also feel angry at the fact that your own staff, staff that you have treated sincerely from the start, has been trading your secrets to your mother-in-law who clearly has a dislike for you.

Jake takes a deep breath, but you decide to address the elephant in the room. "It’s true. We haven’t consummated our marriage yet."

The silence that follows your admission is deafening. Yerin looks smug, while Jaehee's face turns red with anger.

"That is unacceptable," Jaehee says, his voice low and dangerous. "An heir is not just a formality; it's a necessity for the stability of our empire."

Jake, sensing the need to de-escalate the situation, squeezes your hand. "We understand the importance, Father. We just needed some time to adjust. We’ll handle it."

Yerin, not wanting to let go of the topic, presses further. "If it’s taking this long, perhaps a honeymoon is in order. Sometimes a change of scenery can work wonders."

You feel your patience wearing thin but manage to maintain your composure. "Thank you for the suggestion. We'll consider it."

Jaehee waves his hand dismissively. "I’ll arrange it. You two will leave by the end of the month. I expect results."

Before either of you can respond, Heeseung strolls in, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His father scowls at him. “You’re late.”

Heeseung shrugs nonchalantly, ignoring his father’s glare. “It’s called being fashionably late.”

His mother fusses over him, but he brushes her off, taking a seat and grabbing a mimosa. “He was probably with one of his whores,” his father mutters, the disdain clear in his voice after hearing his wife ask about his whereabouts.

Heeseung scoffs. “Why pretend? Everyone knows the real reason we’re here—to see how the happy couple is doing.”

His comment cuts through the fragile peace, and his father’s eyes narrow. “That’s enough Heeseung.”

Heeseung, however, isn’t done. He leans forward, a sly grin on his face. “So, Jaeyunie, how’s married life treating you? Is the pussy any good? I heard that being tied down to the same bi-”

Jake shoots him a warning look. “Finish that sentence and I’ll kill you myself.”

Heeseung chuckles. “Who’s the pussy whipped one now?”

Jaehee interrupts, his tone firm. “Enough, Heeseung. We’re here to enjoy a family meal, not to bicker.”

Heeseung shrugs, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. “Just making conversation.”

Jaehee sighs, rubbing his temples. “Jaeyun, take your wife and show her around the house, I need to have a word with your brother.” Jake stands, helping you up from your chair.

Once inside, the tension eases slightly. Jake glances at you, a small smile on his lips. “Where would you like to go?”

You think for a moment before responding. “How about your bedroom? I’d like to see what you were like growing up.”

Jake looks surprised but nods. “Uh, alright. Let’s go.”

As you walk through the house, you notice the ornate decorations and family portraits lining the walls. When you reach Jake’s old room, he opens the door and gestures for you to enter.

When you enter his childhood room, the space is surprisingly empty, devoid of personal items. No posters, no decorations—just a king-sized bed and a desk with a single picture frame.

You glance at Jake, puzzled. He sees your questioning look and explains, “I didn’t want to live with my father. I grew up with my mother until I was six and was forced to move in here. My father couldn’t deal with my anger issues though and shipped me off to a boarding school in Australia after a year, I was rarely home until Uni.”

You nod at the new information, guess that explains the thick Aussie accent you picked up on when you first met. “Anger issues?”

Jake nods, “it’s gotten better over the years, moving in with my father was just a huge adjustment. No need to worry about me ever losing my temper with you.”

You nod and walk around the room, trying to imagine Jake in this space. “It’s hard to believe this is where you called home.”

No reply comes and you walk up to the desk and examine it. You pick up the picture frame, studying the image of a pregnant woman. “Is this your mother?”

Jake nods, a soft smile on his lips, though you can see the pain in his eyes. “Yes.”

You did your fair share of research on Jake once your father had made it clear that this marriage wasn’t something you’d be escaping but you found it incredibly hard to find any information on the male. It was almost like Jake was a ghost up until his father made the announcement of him taking over.

You had Anton run multiple background checks to see if he could find anything but all he had to offer was the announcement Veridian made about Jake’s birth and how the rumors of him being the son of an affair were true.

Aside from that, the only public information about Jake is that he attended a prestigious international boarding school in Australia, graduated from Seoul National University Suma Kum Laude and that he’s now married to you. Nobody knows who his mother is or much about his childhood.

His father faced backlash from the Korean public once news of the affair was made known, you heard from your father that keeping Jake hidden was a PR move to clean up the image of Veridian. It seems that’s another thing you and Jake have in common, fathers who prioritize their businesses before their own children.

You hesitate before asking the next question. “Where is she?”

Jake’s expression hardens. “She’s dead.”

You’re ready to apologize, but Jake continues. “My stepmother hated that my father had an affair with my mom. She wanted both of us dead, but when my dad found out I’d be a boy, he hid my mother away until she gave birth. She ran away to protect us, but my father found her when I was six and had her killed to make his wife happy.”

You step closer, instinctively wanting to comfort him. You bring him into a hug, and he holds you tightly. When you pull away, you’re still close, your faces inches apart. Jake’s eyes drop to your lips, and he leans in, his breath mingling with yours.

Just as your lips are about to meet, the door opens, and a maid enters “Your father is waiting for you to continue the brunch.”

The moment is shattered and you pull back, flustered. Jake sighs and nods. “Thank you, we’ll be right there.”

He releases you gently from the hug, his gaze lingering on your face for a moment longer than usual. He clears his throat, breaking the silence. “We should get back to brunch before my father gets more impatient.”

You nod, feeling the tension from the almost kiss still hanging in the air. “Yeah, we should.”

Jake leads you out of the room, his hand resting lightly on your back as you walk down the hallway. The silence between you is palpable, each step echoing your unspoken thoughts. When you reach the top of the staircase, you hear the television in the living room, its volume turned up.

As you begin to descend the stairs, a news anchor’s voice catches your attention. “Breaking news: The chief of police has officially been declared missing. Authorities are seeking any information regarding his last known whereabouts…”

You stop in your tracks, your breath hitching. Jake notices your sudden pause and turns to look at you, concern etched on his face. “What’s wrong?”

You swallow hard, your mind racing. You remember seeing Sungchan with the chief a few weeks ago, engaged in a heated exchange. Could your brother be involved in this? Your mind also goes back to your own meeting with the chief just before the wedding, when you handed over his monthly bribe money and discussed business. If he was truly missing, this could ruin you.

Jake’s voice pulls you back to the present. “Hey, are you okay?”

You force a smile, trying to mask your anxiety. “Uh, yeah. I just…umm I recognize the chief from some old business deals.”

Jake’s eyes narrow slightly, not fully convinced but not pressing the issue. “Do you want me to make some calls? See if any of my men know something?”

You nod, grateful for his support. “Yes, please. That would help.”

Jake takes out his phone and steps aside to make a call. You take a deep breath, trying to calm your racing thoughts. When Jake returns, he gives you a reassuring nod. “I have someone looking into it now. We should go back to the garden and wrap up brunch.”

You both continue down the stairs, the weight of the news still heavy on your mind. When you reach the garden, you notice that Heeseung is no longer there. Jake’s father and stepmother are engaged in conversation, but they pause as you approach.

“Where’s Heeseung?” Jake asks, looking around.

“He had to leave,” Jaehee replies, his tone dismissive. “Something about an urgent matter.”

You exchange a glance with Jake, the timing of Heeseung’s departure striking both of you as odd. However, neither of you voice your suspicions. Instead, you take your seats, and the conversation resumes, albeit with a lingering tension.

Suddenly, Jaehee's phone rings. He glances at the screen and frowns before answering.

"Yes?"

You and Jake exchange a look, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. Jaehee's expression darkens as he listens to the caller, his jaw tightening. "What do you mean he's missing?" His voice is low but laced with agitation. "How long has it been?"

There's a pause as the person on the other end responds. Jaehee's fingers drum impatiently on the table. "And you're sure there's no trace of him? This is a disaster."

Another pause, and Jaehee's eyes narrow.

"Find out who's responsible. We can't afford any loose ends."

He ends the call abruptly and pockets his phone, his expression stormy. Jake leans forward, his concern evident. "What was that about, Father?"

Jaehee sighs, rubbing his temples. "The chief of police has been declared missing. This isn't just bad—it's potentially catastrophic."

Your heart skips a beat. Jake glances at you before turning back to his father. "Why is it such a big deal? I mean, I know he was important, but-"

Jaehee cuts him off, his tone sharp. "Jaeyun, do you have any idea how many of our business associates have ties to the chief? He was the linchpin keeping several of our deals in place. If he's really been taken, and it's by any of our enemies, we're looking at a shitshow of epic proportions. Not to forget we’re already on the FBI’s radar, we can not afford any potential leaks."

The word "shitshow" hangs heavily in the air, and you feel a chill run down your spine.

Jake's face hardens as he processes his father's words. "Who do you think did it?"

Jaehee shakes his head. "I don't know yet. But we need to prepare for the worst. If our enemies have him, they could use him to dismantle our operations piece by piece. The information he has it’s... it's invaluable."

You speak up, your voice hesitant. "Maybe he's already dead."

Jaehee's gaze snaps to you, his eyes intense. For a moment, you think he's going to reprimand you, but then he sighs deeply.

"That would be the best-case scenario. If he's dead, we can at least control the narrative, claim he was taken out by a rival or in a random act of violence. But if he's alive and talking..."

He trails off, the implication clear. Jake's hand tightens around yours under the table.

"So, what do we do?"

Jaehee's expression hardens with resolve. "If he's alive, we find him and we kill him ourselves if necessary. We can't afford to have our entire syndicate compromised. Every second he's missing increases the risk."

Yerin interjects, her tone composed. "Do you have any leads?"

Jaehee shakes his head. "Not yet. But I have people working on it. Jaeyun, I need you to reach out to our contacts, see if anyone has heard anything. We need to be proactive but discrete."

Jake nods, his face set in determination. "I’ll get on it right away."

You feel an odd surge of anxiety at the thought of Jake diving headfirst into this dangerous situation. "Is there anything I can do to help?" you ask, trying to keep your voice steady.

Jaehee looks at you thoughtfully. "Just keep your eyes and ears open. If you hear anything, no matter how trivial it may seem, let us know immediately."

You nod, your resolve hard. Jake's hand squeezes yours again, offering silent support. "It’ll be okay," he says quietly, his eyes locked onto yours.

Jaehee stands, his posture commanding. "I'll make some calls. Yerin, keep an eye on things here. And you two," he says, looking at you and Jake, "stay vigilant. We can't afford any mistakes."

With that, he leaves the table, his phone already to his ear as he steps into the house.

Yerin watches him go, her face passive. "This family has faced challenges before, and we've always come out on top. This will be no different."

Jake nods, his jaw set. "We'll do whatever it takes."

You look at him, feeling fearful. You’ve come to understand that you don’t like Jake when he’s in his leader mode. He becomes cold, calculated and ruthless.

You all finish your meal in relative silence. When the meal ends, you and Jake excuse yourselves, making your way back to the car. Jake starts the engine and glances at you. "Are you really okay?"

You take a deep breath, your thoughts racing. "I don't know. I'm worried about what this could mean for me, for Sungchan."

Jake reaches over and takes your hand, his grip firm and reassuring. "We'll figure it out. Together."

You nod, feeling a little lightheaded at the way he says the word with so much conviction. "Yeah, together."

As you drive, your mind races with thoughts about the chief, Sungchan, and the potential fallout from all this. Your phone buzzes, the screen lighting up with an unknown number. You frown and decline the call, feeling uneasy.

A few minutes later, the phone rings again with the same unknown number. Jake glances at it and then at you, his expression serious. "You should answer it."

Reluctantly, you pick up the call. "Hello?"

There's a heavy silence, then the sound of labored breathing. After a moment, a weak voice whimpers, “…S..sa.ve... me."

Before you can respond, the line cuts off. You stare at the phone, shaken. The voice was so faint and distorted, you couldn't even recognize who it was.

Jake's eyes are on you, concern etched on his face. "What was that?"

You force a shrug, trying to keep your voice steady. "Probably just a spam call."

He watches you for a moment, then nods, seemingly accepting your explanation. The car ride continues in tense silence until you reach a stoplight, and Jake takes an unexpected turn.

"Jake, where are we going?" you ask, confusion lacing your words.

He smiles, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "I have a surprise for you."

"What's the occasion?" you ask, a blush creeping up your cheeks at the gesture.

"To celebrate being partners," he says simply. He glances at you and smirks, “and a gift for surviving brunch with my family.”

You can't help but smile, feeling a flutter in your chest. "That's sweet of you."

He drives for a bit longer until you pull into the parking lot of the Museum of Modern Art. You look at him, puzzled. "A museum?"

Jake nods, a proud look on his face. "I know how much you love art. I thought we could spend some time together doing something you enjoy."

You feel a rush of gratitude and warmth. Jake has yet again gone above and beyond. You wonder how much more your heart can take before you fall for him. "Thank you, Jake. This means a lot."

You both continue through the gallery, stopping occasionally for you to explain different pieces and their historical contexts. Jake listens attentively, asking insightful questions and clearly enjoying learning about the art world from your perspective.

At one point, you come across a serene landscape painting. "This is by Claude Monet. It's one of his famous Water Lilies series."

Jake's eyes soften as he looks at the delicate brushstrokes. "It's beautiful. Peaceful."

You nod. "Monet was a master of capturing light and atmosphere. He painted these in his garden at Giverny. It's like he's inviting us into his private world."

Jake smiles. "I like that. It's like a glimpse into his soul."

You move on to a bold, geometric piece by Piet Mondrian. "This one's called 'Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow.' Mondrian was all about simplicity and balance."

Jake studies the painting, the intersecting lines and primary colors. "It's so different from the others we've seen. Almost mathematical."

"Exactly," you say. "He believed in reducing art to its purest form. It's all about finding harmony."

Jake chuckles. "You're a little art geek huh? Really passionate about this, aren't you?"

You blush slightly. "I guess I am. Art has always been a way for me to escape and express myself."

Jake's expression softens. "I'm glad you're sharing it with me. I feel like I'm getting to know you better through this."

As you continue to explore, you come across a striking sculpture by Auguste Rodin. "This is 'The Thinker.' It's one of the most famous sculptures in the world."

Jake walks around the statue, taking in its intricate details. "The detail is incredible. It's like you can feel his thoughts."

You smile. "That's what makes Rodin so amazing. He could capture human emotion and thought in such a tangible way."

Jake nods, clearly impressed. "It's like he's frozen in a moment of deep contemplation."

You spend hours wandering through the museum, discussing various artworks and sharing your thoughts and feelings about them. Jake's genuine interest and engagement make the experience even more enjoyable. You feel a growing connection between the two of you, a bond that goes beyond the superficial.

As you leave the museum, the sun is beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the city. Jake holds your hand as you walk back to the car. "Thank you for today," you say softly. "I had a great time."

Jake smiles. "So did I. I'm glad we got to spend this time together."

You drive in comfortable silence for a while, the city lights flickering outside the car windows. Eventually, Jake breaks the silence. "There's something I need to do before we head home."

You glance at him curiously. "What's that?"

"I need to stop by the packaging warehouse," Jake explains. "I need to speak with Sunghoon and Jay about how to distribute this batch. We're running low on baggie boys, and with the chief's disappearance, I’m sure the police are cracking down on drug deals."

You nod, understanding the urgency. "Alright. I'll come with you."

Jake looks at you, a mix of surprise and gratitude in his eyes. "You don't have to, but I'd appreciate the company."

The drive to the warehouse is short, and Jake parks the car in a secluded area. The building is nondescript, blending in with the industrial surroundings. Jake leads you inside, where Sunghoon and Jay are already waiting.

"Hey, boss," Sunghoon greets Jake with a nod. "We were just going over the inventory. It's getting tight."

Jake frowns, his mind clearly focused on the problem at hand. "We need to figure out a way to stretch what we have and find new suppliers. The last thing we need is a shortage right now."

Jay nods in agreement. "With the police cracking down, it's going to get harder to move product. We need to be careful."

Jake turns to you, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Any ideas?"

You hesitate for a moment, then speak up. "Maybe we could diversify our distribution methods. Use different channels to move the product and keep the police off our trail."

Sunghoon raises an eyebrow. "Not a bad idea. We could use some of our legitimate businesses as fronts."

Jake nods, a look of approval in his eyes. "That's a good start. We'll need to be smart and stay one step ahead."

Sunghoon clears his throat, looking hesitant. "I know it's bad timing, but..." He trails off, unsure of how to continue.

Jake sighs at his best friend. "Just spit it out, Sunghoon."

Sunghoon takes a deep breath. "The shipment of overseas ammunition we ordered has disappeared."

Jake is silent for a moment, then his voice is deadly calm. "How the fuck does a cargo freight carrying sixty thousand dollars worth of ammunition go missing?"

Sunghoon scrambles to explain. "It went missing a few minutes after leaving the harbor earlier today. We've been trying to find it, but so far, no luck."

Jake's anger is palpable, his fists clenching at his sides. You place a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. "Jake, you need to stay level headed."

He heeds your words, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "Keep me posted, Sunghoon. We need to find that shipment before tomorrow. It's meant for the Byun's, and Baekhyun isn't known for being a patient man."

Sunghoon and Jay nod, leaving to figure out the situation. As they walk away, you turn to Jake, noticing the tension in his shoulders. "Come on, let's go to your office. You need to relax."

Jake leads you into his office, closing the door behind him. You can see the stress etched into his features, the weight of the day's events bearing down on him. You guide him to sit behind his desk, leaning beside him against the table.

"You've had a rough day," you say softly. "Let me help you unwind."

Jake’s eyes darken as he looks at you from his seated positions “And how do you plan to do that?”

Jake knows very well that his question opens the door for something more, more room for exploring the more intimate parts of your relationship and for a second he thinks he may have jumped the gun. Though when you lift yourself from his desk, looking into his eyes with desire and need swirling in your irises, he gulps as he thinks he may not have made a mistake after all.

Jake swallows, looking into your expectant eyes as you look at him innocently, sparing a glance at his thighs; deliciously manspreading. You try to remain calm about it, taking a deep breath and going all in, tentatively bring your hands to his chest and hook one of your legs over him.

You bravely straddle Jake’s lap in a single moment, settling above his crotch as you peer at him with an unreadable expression.

Jake freezes, eyes wide as his hands naturally fall around your hips sitting on him, and he can’t help but grow weak at the innocent look in your eyes though your body is doing the contrary. He only watches as your eyes linger on his soft lips, his own hands canvasing up to grip your sides with an emotion he could only label as want, eyes filled with anticipation.

“I can fix it… like this.” You speak, hand sliding up to grab Jake’s jaw. You don’t pause to think, mind blank as you lean forward and press your mouth against Jake’s in a single second. Jake doesn’t even have time to feel surprised, in shock for an instant before he begins relishing in the familiar sensation of your lips, warm palms smoothing over your sides.

You slide closer to his body, feeling your chest push against his own as you deepen the kiss, slowly with a hint of lust that leaks into the way you began grinding your body against his, needing more. Jake gladly accepts that, opening his mouth to let his tongue roam your own.

He tongue swipes your bottom lip, loving the wet feeling and you open right up for his taking, all-consuming and head-spinning.

You sneak your hands up into his hair, tugging at the base lightly and Jake groans into your mouth. You become more impatient for friction, something to quell the arousal shooting through your veins, and so you begin moving yourself over his welcoming crotch. You feel him twitch underneath you, beginning to rock himself along with your smaller body, pushing his hips up into you.

Your mouths begin moving more harshly the more time passes, full on making out as you move more urgently against him. He catches your bottom lip between his teeth as he pulls away from you, tugging on the flesh as he breathes for much needed air, moaning as your foreheads find each other.

“Let me take care of you Jake.” You breathe hotly. “I’m yours, aren’t I?”

Jake instantly feels ignited, his cock jolting at just the feeling of you straddling him and he drags his tongue along the inside of his cheek, smirking.

The heat of Jake’s stare then turns dark as he says, “all mine.”

For some odd and unknown reason, Jake finds himself wanting to be the only one who gets to have you; maybe it’s because he’s never felt this way before, or has never felt so strongly about it. But it constantly eats at his brain, thinking of the possibility of other men that got to kiss you just like this, got to have you sit on their lap just like this before he came into the picture.

And he fucking hates it.

Though now that the proverbial line has been irreversibly crossed all Jake can feel in this moment is his sheer desire, his incessant, passionate desire for you and how it has been growing. Ever since the kiss from three weeks ago at lunch, his mind has been spiraling.

He wants to kiss you all the fucking time.

“I need to take you home, baby.”

You nod, that’s exactly what you want. “Please.” You whimper.

Jake is quick to help you to your feet and shift his pants around to hide his raging boner. He grabs you by the back of your elbow and leads you out of his office then the warehouse all together.

He walks you back to the car, his hand gently resting on your lower back. "Can’t wait to get you home," he all but moans.

As Jake starts the car and begins driving, the city lights blur past. You can feel the tension from the day's events slowly ebbing away only to be replaced by a different kind of tension.

He glances at you, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You know," he starts, his tone borderline serious, "I've been thinking a lot about us lately."

You look at him, curious. "What do you mean?"

Jake takes a deep breath, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "I mean, I want more. I want us to be more than just a team…and if we’re going to fuck, I want us to be more than people who just sleep with each other."

Your heart skips a beat. "Jake, I..."

Before you can respond, the deafening sound of gunshots pierces the air. Jake's eyes widen as he swerves the car, narrowly avoiding the bullets that shatter the rear windshield.

"Get down!" Jake yells, pushing you down as low as you can go. He maneuvers the car through the empty streets of Seoul, trying to shake off the assailants.

You can hear the gunfire getting closer, the bullets pinging off the car. You're frozen in fear, the reality of the situation paralyzing you. Jake reaches over and pulls you down even further just as a bullet crashes through the window on your side, embedding itself in the backseat.

"Hold on!" Jake shouts. He hits the gas, the car lurching forward as he attempts to outmaneuver the shooters. The assailants' car pulls up alongside yours, and you can see the muzzle flashes as they fire again. Jake swerves violently in their direction, sending the other car careening off the road and into a ditch.

Jake slams on the brakes and pulls out a gun from the console, handing you a spare. "If anyone comes near the car, shoot them," he orders, his voice firm and unyielding.

You nod, gripping the gun tightly as Jake gets out of the car. You watch him approach the other vehicle, his movements calculated and purposeful. You can see his lips moving as he questions the driver and shooter, but you can't hear anything over the pounding of your heart in your ears.

Suddenly, Jake lifts his gun and fires, the shots echoing in the night. He stands there for a moment, looking down at the bodies before turning and heading back to the car.

Your anxiety is palpable, but not because of what you just witnessed Jake do. The realization that someone tried to kill you is overwhelming. Jake come back to the car, standing in front of your door, his expression unreadable.

"Hand me the burner phone from the glove compartment," he says calmly. You do as you're told, your hands trembling slightly.

Jake dials a number and waits for a moment. When someone answers, he simply says, "Crimson dove." Then he hangs up, wipes the phone clean, tosses it to the ground and stomps on it before getting into the car and speeds away from the scene, his focus entirely on getting you both to safety.

The remainder of the drive is silent, the tension settling once again, thick as ever. Gone is the sexual desire and want. Instead, in its place is anxiety and anger.

You can't shake the feeling of unease, the fear that still lingers from the attack. When you finally pull into an opening at the top of a hill leading to a tiny home, you spot Sunghoon and Jay standing at the front of the house, their expressions grim.

"What the hell is going on?" Sunghoon demands as Jake helps you out of the car.

Jake's jaw tightens. "Someone put out a hit on us," he says, his voice cold and controlled.

Jay looks shocked. "What the hell? Are you both okay?"

"We're fine," Jake replies. "But we need to act fast. Jay, I need you to go clean up the scene. The car is in a ditch on the outskirts of town."

Jay nods. "Got it. I'll call Sunoo to come and take care of your car."

"Good. Sunghoon, stay here with me. We need to figure out what's going on. First, the missing ammunition shipment, and now this. There’s no way they aren’t connected."

Sunghoon's expression hardens. "We'll get to the bottom of it."

Jake takes a deep breath, his hand still on the small of your back, a silent reassurance. "Let's go inside," he says, guiding you toward the house.

When you step inside Jake doesn't waste any time. He begins pacing the room, his mind clearly working through the details of the attack.

"Sunghoon," he starts, "we need to double-check our security. Make sure there are no leaks. I want a full sweep of our network."

Sunghoon nods, already pulling out his phone to make the necessary calls.

Jay returns, his expression tense. "The scene is being cleared as we speak. Sunoo is on his way to take care of the car."

"Good," Jake replies. "Now, let's focus on the ammunition shipment. I want to know who had access to it and who could have known about our movements."

You watch as Jake effortlessly takes control of the situation, his leadership and anger evident. Despite the chaos, you feel a sense of security knowing he's in charge. A complete change of heart compared to this morning at brunch, God that seems like forever ago now.

Hours pass as the men work tirelessly, making calls and gathering information. You stay close to Jake, offering support where you can. The fear from earlier lingers, but the resolve to find out who targeted you burns even stronger.

As the night wears on, Jake finally turns to you, his expression softening for the first time since the attack. "Are you okay?" he asks, his voice filled with genuine concern.

You nod, managing a small smile. "I will be. As long as we're together."

Jake pulls you into a tight embrace, his arms strong and protective around you. "Together," he murmurs.

You nod against his chest, playing with the buttons on his dress shirt. You pull away when you hear footsteps approaching. It's Jay, looking serious as ever.

"Sunghoon and I are leaving now to follow up on some leads," Jay informs him, his tone brisk and professional.

Jake nods, his expression hardening again. "Good. Keep me updated on anything you find."

Jay gives a quick nod, and with a final glance at you, he turns and leaves with Sunghoon. The door closes behind them, and the house feels eerily quiet.

You follow Jake into the living room, the tension from earlier still lingering. Both of you sit on the couch, and Jake wraps his arms around you, pulling you close. You nestle into his embrace, finding comfort in his warmth.

After a moment of silence, you murmur, "Crimson dove."

Jake freezes at your words, his body tensing. You pull away slightly to look at him, curiosity and concern in your eyes. "What does it mean?"

Jake sighs, running a hand through his hair. "It's a secret code Heeseung and I came up with when we were younger. During the year I stayed with my dad, Heeseung and I were inseparable. Whenever our dad would get on my nerves and I felt my anger issues start to act up, Heeseung told me to just call out 'crimson dove,' and he'd come running to help calm me down."

He smiles bitterly, the memory clearly a mix of fondness and pain. "Heeseung used to be a good older brother to me."

You comfortingly pat his back. "Does it mean anything special?"

Jake laughs softly, shaking his head. "When I asked Heeseung why 'crimson dove,' he just shrugged and said because it sounded tough."

You laugh with him, the tension easing slightly. "Sounds like something Heeseung would say."

Jake's smile lingers for a moment before he continues. "I figured there would be some opposition once I took over and would need a safe phrase or word for when that trouble came knocking. 'Crimson dove' was the first thing that came to mind."

You look at him, your expression thoughtful. "And the safe house?"

Jake nods. "Jay found it. He decided it would be our meeting point if a 'crimson dove' situation ever happened. The three of us, now four including you, are the only ones who know about its existence. Jay and Sunghoon are my closest friends. Sunghoon was meant to keep a close eye on me while I was abroad, and Jay is the son of my father's right-hand man. He's the one who helped me find my role in this world. Jay, in a way, has become like an older brother to me."

You reach out, placing a hand on Jake's cheek. "I'm sorry Heeseung has changed."

Jake shrugs, leaning in to peck your lips. "It's not your fault."

You stare at each other in silence, the tension giving way to a different kind of intensity. The desire in his eyes mirrors your own. Slowly, you lean in and kiss Jake more passionately, your hands threading through his hair.

He responds immediately, his arms tightening around you as he deepens the kiss. The world outside fades away, leaving only the two of you in this moment. His touch is both gentle and demanding, a perfect reflection of the complex man he is.

Your hands explore the contours of his back, feeling the muscles tense under your touch. Jake's hands are just as busy, one tangled in your hair, the other tracing patterns down your spine.

As the kiss continues, you can feel the day's stress melting away, replaced by a fiery need. Jake pulls you even closer, if that’s possible, his lips never leaving yours. When you finally break apart for air, you're both breathing heavily, eyes locked in a heated gaze.

"I can't lose you," he whispers against your lips.

"You won't," you assure him, your voice equally breathless. "We're in this together, remember?"

Jake nods, his forehead resting against yours. "Together," he repeats, his voice filled with an emotion you can’t quite place.

The kiss resumes, this time even more fervent. Your body presses against his as his hands roam your back, exploring and memorizing every curve. The passion between you is undeniable, a testament to the bond you now share.

As the intensity builds, you pull back slightly, looking into his eyes. "Jake..."

He looks into your eyes, desperately searching them for any sign of discomfort.

“I want you.”

[deliciouskeys]

Cozy Corner Domaystic prompts #16: Going through immigration and #24: Identity theft.

Guys. Guys, I’ll be honest. I have no idea what possessed me. I think I found these two prompts as some of the most challenging to imagine as a domestic fic, and… my thinking got a little bit too outside the box.

This fic will have an intended audience of about 1 (me). But I want to give major major props to @olliveolly who introduced me to this game and was the one who came up with this That’s Not My Neighbor / Boys crossover AU (with a couple lovely art pieces on the theme). The “lore” of this horror game is very simple. Tell me you don’t see it:

Butchlander. That’s Not My Neighbor crossover/AU. Rated E (why). 3.3k words (why). 2nd person to allegedly reflect the feeling of first-person gameplay (why). Is this domestic fic? Welllllll. It takes place in an apartment complex so it counts, right? Lax interpretation of ‘going through immigration’ but honestly that’s what this game really reminds me of 😂 AO3 link

Another day, another interminable shift working as the concierge in the dreary lobby of this apartment complex. It was exciting at first, sure, what with getting to play the first and last line of defense against the doppelganger monsters that attempt to sneak in every single day. But you’ve just gotten too good at noticing discrepancies. Nothing gets past you anymore. You know every single feature- hell, every single freckle! -of every single resident in the building. By this point you’ve got all their phone numbers memorized, for no better reason than there is simply too much tedium to this job. You find yourself wishing you could actually watch the D.D.D. ‘decontaminate’ the lobby, as they so euphemistically put it, instead of just sitting there twiddling your thumbs behind a pulled down rollup metal shutter after summoning them. You could still make out screams without seeing the brutality, and you knew the D.D.D. employed flame throwers and other serious weapons to deal with these monsters. Sometimes you caught yourself feeling just a little bit of sympathy for the doppelgangers, even though their main goal in life appeared to be to imitate people to blend in and then feed upon human flesh, and your main goal in life was supposed to be to ensure none of them would ever get let in through the locked inner door.

John Gillman comes in through the first door and gives you a tired, nominal wave before fishing around in his pockets for his documents to gain entry. He might be your favorite resident— always polite, always in that clean-cut milkman uniform at least when you happen to see him, because no one really leaves the apartment building outside of work obligations. There’s no nightlife in New York anymore, not with everyone nervous of dark alleys or being alone on the street, especially after dark. When you came over here from London, you certainly didn’t expect to get stuck here during a worldwide apocalyptic event like this that has resulted in curfews and lockdowns. You certainly didn’t expect to get zero action and get a mindnumbing job just to make ends meet. It was probably still more interesting than your gig working as a bouncer back in London, but at least you got fresh air there, and sometimes a date to go home with after closing time. Maybe that’s why you’ve started hyperfixating and daydreaming about one of the residents— the involuntary celibacy is getting to you.

John just always looks uncannily attractive. Maybe it’s that silly uniform that’s easy to fetishize. Maybe it’s because his tired eyes also look like bedroom eyes, or the dark circles function the same way eyeliner would. Why is he always so tired anyway? You know he lives alone up there in F03-02. He never gets any visitors either. How much can a person masturbate, really? There’s a rumor around the building that Becca Saunders’ tyke might be his, but you don’t really see the resemblance, and have your doubts that this didn’t just start as a “sleeping with the milkman” joke that got out of hand. People just like to gossip about single mothers. Things like this shouldn’t be considered scandalous. It’s 1955 for god’s sake!

“Sorry, William,” John says, hurriedly shoving his ID and entry request form underneath the glass so you can take take a look. “Almost thought I left my ID at work.”

“Long day, huh?” you ask without expecting a reply, pretending to scrutinize the documents while making small talk. You know this is John. You’d know him from a mile away. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have a little bit of fun. “Looks okay, and you are on the list of people authorized to come and go today. But can you take off your cap?”

John grabs his milkman cap off his head, exposing a mop of blond hair, looking mussed after being under the hat all day. You really wish you could test him, see how far you’d be able to take things before he refused to cooperate. Take off your shirt, John. Gotta make sure it’s really you. You never know these days. But of course you don’t. All you’ll have is your fantasies about breaching every code of ethics and using your master key to gain entrance into his apartment, seducing him, ravishing him right in the middle of what must be a depressing bachelor pad. Give him much darker undereye circles by keeping him up all night. Give this apartment complex a more interesting rumor to spread about the milkman in their midst.

“You’re good to go,” you say and press the green unlock button to let him in. He gives you a wan smile and walks out of view, and you listen to his footsteps ascending the stairs.

The rest of the afternoon is uneventful, only a few people coming and going, and a couple of doppelgängers with laughably strange appearance or bad credentials being dispatched quickly. Or at least it’s uneventful until John walks in, just a little bit past curfew.

“Hey William,” he says, sounding distracted, rummaging in his pockets for his documents as a cold sweat breaks out on your forehead. This better be a doppelganger, you think to yourself. But he has both his ID and the entry request filled out correctly. He looks identical to the John that passed by here a couple of hours earlier. This can’t be.

You start dialing John’s number, not taking your eyes off the man in front of you.

John’s eyes widen with alarm when he sees that you get an answer from the other end of the line.

“Yes, hello? John here. I’m not expecting any visitors.”

You hang up pretty abruptly, staring at the John in front of you, searching his appearance for any subtle defect or inconsistency but finding none. Your finger is hovering over the alarm button.

“Oh my god. Oh my god, you think I’m someone else? It’s me, William! I swear to god it’s me! I don’t know who you let in earlier, and who’s answering the phone now, but it’s not me up there!”

And shit, you believe him. You must have fucked up. Gotten smug and sloppy. Maybe the doppelganger handed you a fake ID but you didn’t notice because you were too busy daydreaming about fucking him.

“William, please believe me, please!” John is pressing up against the glass at this point, clearly scared that you’re going to quarantine him in the lobby and sic the D.D.D. on him. They don’t tend to ask questions. You’ve never had it happen, but you’ve heard of innocent people getting snuffed out on the mere suspicion of being doppelgangers, the D.D.D. rarely admitting to such mistakes even after the fact.

“Alright, alright, I believe you. I just have to think…” you mumble. “I’ll let you in, but don’t go up to your flat. We have to figure this out.”

John nods frantically and slips into your office after you buzz him in.

“What are you going to do?” he asks, and if you weren’t scared shitless at the moment, you’d probably get a kick out of how vulnerable and scared his expression is compared to his usual tired, impassive one.

“I should call the D.D.D. and get them to go up there,” you think out loud.

“Won’t you get reprimanded?” John asks, and oh how sweet of him to worry about your job when you’ve fucked up so royally and almost gotten him killed with your negligence. Maybe already gotten some of his neighbors killed.

“I just don’t want you losing your job over this— you’re the best concierge we have,” he says and then looks down shyly, as if realizing how strange that concern is.

What is this? Are you dreaming? Maybe you’re just out of your mind with adrenaline, but John sounds like he’s got feelings for you.

“Let’s just go up there and see what’s going on,” he says, and damn he’s persuasive as fuck. You want to go and deal with the mess you made, and protect him.

“I’ll go up there and just check,” you say, hardly believing yourself as you grab the fire extinguisher from the wall as a makeshift weapon. Everyone who was scheduled to return to the building has, so you shouldn’t get any more legitimate people coming through, but you still tape up a note that you’ll be back at your post in a few minutes. “Right then. You just stay down here and wait. I don’t want you putting yourself at risk. If I’m not back in five, call the number on the post-it.”

John shakes his head and follows you up the stairs. “I’m not letting you go up there alone,” he says in that quiet irresistible voice and you start to wonder if there’s something strange going on. Why are you going on this potentially suicidal mission to deal with a doppelganger on your own? So what if you get fired? No job is worth your life, right? But you probably wouldn’t see John ever again if you lost this job and that’s clouding all your judgment right now.

Knocking on John’s apartment door is probably not a good idea, and will just give the monster inside time to prepare or hide. So you take out your master key and turn it in the lock as quietly and quickly as you can. The door swings opens with an ominous creak, revealing a dark living room with no sign of anyone there. Did he hear you coming up the stairs? You try to keep John behind you and shield him in case anything sudden happens from within the apartment, but then you feel a strong push from behind and both you and John are in the flat now.

You’re so stupid, so critically, fatally stupid. The John you let in earlier was the real one. You’ve let a doppelganger convince you that you made a mistake, and now you did let one in. You whirl around, try to hit him upside the head with the fire extinguisher you’re brandishing, but he blocks the move with little effort.

“I thought we agreed,” he says, and you realize he’s speaking not to you but past you to someone else in the room.

“Thursdays are my days,” an identical voice answers from behind you and you step back and try to make sense of what you’re seeing. Two John Gillmans, both in the same uniform, neither one looking the least bit spooked, both looking mildly irritated if anything.

“Since when,” the John who came up behind you asks of the other one. “I get to be here every other day, doesn’t matter what day of the week it is.”

“So now what are we going to do about him?” the John who was in the apartment asks, pointing to you. “Why didn’t you just leave once he called me? Are you stupid?”

Your heart may be racing, but your thinking feels as slow as molasses. They’re …. both doppelgangers?

“What have you done with the real John Gillman?” you whisper hoarsely. The twins turn to look at you and you’re creeped out by the very similar smirk that spreads across both of their faces. They’re really impeccable facsimiles of the real person, but this is an expression you’ve never seen on John.

“You’ve never met the ‘real John Gillman’,” one of them says.

There’s enough cold sweat that’s broken out on your back that it starts to trickle down as drops.

“We like you William. It would be such a shame for our friendship to end.”

You hold up the fire extinguisher in front of yourself defensively, but you’re not sure you can really do anything against two of them. You’ve never noticed before, and maybe the real John’s teeth didn’t look like this, but the two doppelgangers have sharp looking canines when they’re grinning. It’ll serve you right to get devoured in this dark flat for making so many mistakes and bad decisions in a row today.

“So you’re just going to kill me then?” you ask.

“We’d really rather not,” one of the twins says. “A murder would bring a lot of snooping law enforcement if not the D.D.D. Itself.”

“And it’s so hard to find good lodging to spend the night.”

They must be joking. “You really expect me to believe you’re not just here to eat people?”

One of the twins rolls his eyes. “Eat people! Yeah, that’s why we’re here, clearly.”

“Has anyone in this apartment building ever disappeared in all the months you’ve worked here?” the other one asks.

“How should I know?” You’re beginning to feel like this has to be some sick nightmare. You can’t possibly be having a civil conversation with a couple of cannibal monsters. This thought has a strange calming effect on you. “If I didn’t know you lot were masquerading as John Gillman, how am I to know how many other residents are real people?”

The twins turn to each other, still smiling and shrugging.

“We’ve been on a vegetarian diet for a while,” the other says and you can’t help but bark out a laugh.

“Laugh all you want,” the other one says, spreading his hands in concession. “But milk is more than enough to sustain us. We do think people are delicious, but there’s one thing we like much more than eating them.”

“And what’s that?” you ask, emboldened by the possibility that you’re just in a ridiculous, paranoid, bad dream of a worst case scenario at your job.

“We’ve been watching you William. We think you’ve been interested in us.”

“We’ve never fucked anyone from this building, and never fucked together, but there’s a first time for everything, right?”

You just stand there, fire extinguisher still raised up defensively. No question about it, this must be a nightmare that’s slowly but surely twisting itself into a sexual fantasy.

“Come on, William. Let’s make you comfortable.”

You can hardly protest as one gently pulls your makeshift weapon out of your loose grip, and the other one sweeps you off your feet with preternatural superhuman ease and carries you over to the couch in this sparsely furnished apartment.

Gentle but insistent hands undo the buttons on your trousers and then maneuver you so they can pull them off completely and free your legs.

“Humans are such fun creatures,” one of the Johns comments when he sees that despite your fear of the situation unfolding right now, you are sporting a half-hearted hard-on. It somehow only gets harder when you hear them talk about people as another species.

Both Johns are still fully dressed, situating themselves to kneel on the floor on either side of you. It’s wild. You must be dreaming. And as you watch both Johns lean forward, extending their tongues and licking your cock up and down from opposite sides, you realize that if this is a dream, you never want to wake up.

They know what they’re doing. They bring you right up to the edge of orgasm and then pull away, leaving you feeling desperate and even annoyed. You’re not annoyed for long though as they both strip down, and you see that their human-mimicking powers are perfect, down to the most minute details that would never be seen under clothes. Granted, you don’t know what John Gillman looked like naked, so maybe they’ve taken artistic license and embellished. Whatever it is, they’ve compared notes, because they still look indistinguishable to you.

“Like what you see?” one of them asks and you realize you I’ve been staring, maybe even with your mouth hanging open. You never imagined you’d hook up with a doppelganger, let alone two of them at once. But you have imagined foisting yourself on John in this very flat, and you’re about to live that daydream.

You end up doing things with the two of them beyond what you’ve ever dreamed of. You fuck one of them, and at the same time get fucked by the other one from behind, the cheap bed’s metal joints creaking and moaning from the motion of three bodies rocking against each other. You let them suck your cock and rim you to get you back in the mood for another round, trying not to think about how unsettlingly hungry they both look, and who they really are underneath the human-looking exterior. The exterior slips periodically when they’re in the throes of pleasure. You wince when they betray just how strong they really are, whenever they flip you over or change positions, as if you weigh nothing. You try not to pay attention when their eyes start glowing red when they’re particularly turned on, but it’s impossible to ignore in the darkness of the bedroom.

“William, you are fucking delicious,” one of them declares, licking his lips obscenely after swallowing down your cum, and all you can do is emit a short nervous chuckle, and think that even if they do decide to eat you at the end of all of this— either to cover their tracks, or just because they might start feeling peckish after all this is over— it will still have been worth it.

You don’t get eaten. In fact, you’ve had the time of your life, and as you get up from the bed and mumble that you have to get back to your post before your shift is over, the two Johns lie languid, naked on the bed watching you, each enjoying a post coital glass of milk (that’s all they have in the fridge— you saw when they opened it), like perfect mirror images.

“You won’t be making any unnecessary phone calls, right William?”

“We can count on you to be discreet and keep a secret, right?”

Through the combined haze of being scared for your life and then having the time of your life, there’s still one thing that bothers you, and you ask about it, against all your best self-preservation instincts.

“So what have you done with the real John Gillman?”

They turn to look at each other, not exactly conspiratorial but it still makes you uneasy.

“Oh, John Gillman never existed. We’ve been around a lot longer than you humans think. Many of us never tried to replicate and replace real humans.”

“Yeah, and a lot of good that did when some of us started! The ones who are doing it are the reason we’re being hunted now. Unoriginal hacks. And so bad at mimicking too.”

“So many embarrassing ones out there.” They both nod at each other.

You’d like to believe them. You really would. “So why choose this persona?”

“The milkman gets free milk and gets around in your society! And humans seem to like this look,” one of them says, grinning and gesturing with his hand over their naked bodies.

“But we only ever get to enjoy bored housewives.”

“And why are there two of you?” you ask hesitantly, glancing at the clock on the wall to verify that you’re not late yet.

“Oh there’s more than two of us,” one of them says and they laugh in unison in a way that sends a chill down your spine.

~~~

You think you’ve got it all worked out. You’re letting the John Gillmans stay in the apartment undisturbed, and you let them through even when it’s obvious that there’s more than one of them coming and going. You figure it’s a win-win. They promise to protect the building from any rogue doppelgangers who infiltrate and intend to harm the residents, and in return get a place to stay the night peacefully. You get to visit apartment F03-02 after your shift ends and have mind-blowing sex. They seem to enjoy the orgies as well. They know your shift hours and try to only come and go during those times. There doesn’t seem to be a problem with this arrangement.

Or at least not a problem that you’re going to make into your problem. When one of the Johns walks in, visibly smeared in blood, you do give him a hard time.

“Come on, John. Just because I’ll let you in, doesn’t mean you can just stop trying to look decent. God forbid I call in sick and someone else is here.”

John shrugs and goes through the formality of pushing his ID and entry request under the glass window.

“And get a new ID…” you tell him when you see bloody fingerprints all over the worn paper.

John shrugs, doing his usual tired act, despite how ridiculous it looks to be so bored and nonchalant when he’s smeared in blood.

“Whose blood is that, anyway?” you ask, wondering why you’re not more disturbed.

“Someone who was of no consequence and who won’t be missed,” John replies, terse and cool as a cucumber.

“I thought you said you were vegetarian?”

“I’ll take a cheat day if I run into a wifebeater,” John says, shrugging.

You buzz him in, telling him to get washed up before someone sees him, wondering if you’re being colossally naive to believe his story, and wondering if you’ve got a death wish because you’re still looking forward to going up there once your shift ends in a few hours.

(What in the world. 💀)

ETA: now with another art piece by @olliveolly

[justtwotired]

Whispers of the night - Lloyd Garmadon x F!reader

Part 1 - previous - next

Tag list: @cipheress-to-k-pop @whore-of-many-hot-men @bodieohbo @anyth1ngfor0urmoony @luvlloyd @viannasthings

Guys- can we like- talk about this fanart I added here of Lloyd?? Cause I love it so, so much! Smits such good art and the artists OC -Christal- is also so beautiful! The Artist is ‘Scarlets.Doodles’ btw. I also wanted to say that all the art I use in the beginning of the chapters is not mine, but I always find it on Pinterest and than I can’t find the original artist, if you do know, please tell me so I can give the artist credit for their work!<3

Anyway, it’s bonding time for Y/n and her little brother😍

Your POV:

The holidays where over and it was time to go back to school, fun…!

Not.

But I guess it means I could see my friends everyday so it isn’t THAT bad, I guess, we did have fun at school the first day back.

It was a Monday, which meant school ended early for me. Dad was busy at work and mom was out with my aunt, our nanny was not available on Mondays, so that meant I was on duty of getting my little brother from school and my sister from daycare.

Luckily for me, they where right next to each other. I went to get my brother first and I walked onto the school grounds, waiting around with parents for the bell to ring and for the kids to come running out.

After five minutes off waiting, the bell rang and kids started streaming out of the school. Trough the crowd, I didn’t manage to spot Ace.

After a while, I finnaly spotted his dirty blonde hair and smiled, yet it fell when I saw he was being pushed around by a few other boys seemingly a bit older than he was, making my blood boil.

“Hey!” I called out, walking towards them, they looked up and the four boys quickly scurried off. I contemplated going after them but decided on staying with my brother.

“Ace, are you alright?” I asked concerned, squatting down next to him and turning his head towards me when he avoided looking at me. “Hey, look at me,” I said softly, “are you alright?” I repeated.

He shook his head, tears in his eyes and barreled into me, hugging me tight making me hug him right back.

“Hey, hey,” I said, softly stroking his hair. “It’s alright, they where just being little pricks,” I said and he pulled away, looking at me with a pout. “Why where they mean?” I asked softly.

“They are always mean to me,” he sniffed, whipping away the tears that threatened to spill, “just because I sometimes play with girls and dolls too,” he said and my heart broke.

“They do this more often?” I asked, glancing at the direction the kids had ran and I noticed their mothers in conversation with each other while the boys fooled around, looking oh so innocent as if they hadn’t been bullying my little brother.

“Oh, kiddo, why didn’t you tell me? Or mom and dad?” I asked, wiping away the fresh tears running down his face.

He shrugged and hid his face in my shoulder, making me kiss the top of his head. “Come,” I said, picking him up, “I’ll talk to their parents,” I said and began walking over.

“You don’t have to!” He panicked and I frowned lightly at him, “it’s fine, really!” He insisted and I shook my head.

“Ace, they are bullying you, that is not okay,” I said softly, “let’s try to solve this on our own before involving the school,” I smiled and continued walking.

The mothers looked up when I arrived, looking at me with questioning glances.

“Can we help you?” One of them asked, looking rather annoyed. Great, this was going to be harder than I had initially thought.

“Those are your kids?” I asked, nodding towards the four boys. The mothers all nodded. “I’m Y/n, Ace’s sister,” I introduced, “I just noticed your kids pushing him around and calling him names,” I looked around the group of mothers.

“You- you did?” Another asked concerned, glancing over to her son with a worried glance. “Oh great god, I am so sorry, I’ll talk to Bennie about that,” she shook her head.

“Oh please, they are just having a bit of fun, boys will be boys,” the woman who had been the first to speak waved it off.

“Clarice, if they are bullying ace we cannot take it lightly,” another told her, laying a hand on her shoulder, “we as parents are responsible to teach our children to be kind and respectful to everyone,” she smiled softly at me, making me smile back.

“Are you sure they where bullying him?” The fourth mother spoke, “I mean, they could indeed just been having fun,” she shrugged, looking over at her child as he laughed with his friends, probably not able to imagine him bullying someone.

“Seeing that my brother was crying, I am pretty sure,” I said dryly and she frowned but nodded. “I hope we can all just figure this out without having to involve the school, but if it does not improve, I’m afraid I’ll have to get my parents to speak with a teacher,” I informed.

“Oh yes, of course,” Bennie’s mother nodded hastily, “we’ll talk with our children and please, if nothing improves, come to us and we will talk with the teacher together,” she smiled and kindly touched my shoulder.

“Thank you so much,” I gave her a appreciating smile, “if you’ll excuse me, I do need to get my sister from daycare,” I said and bid my goodbyes.

The first one huffed in annoyance as I left and I heard a, “can you believe that? Accusing our children of bullying!” Coming from her mouth, making me roll my eyes.

Well, teo of them took it amazing, one seemed a bit sceptical, and they other was a total bitch. But it went better than I had expected.

“See,” I looked at Ace with a smile, “that wasn’t that hard,” I kissed his hair and put him down, holding out my hand for him to take as we both headed to the daycare before taking the car back home.

That night, when my siblings laid in bed, I entered the living room where my parents where watching tv.

“Mom, dad,” I said and they looked up at me, my father pausing the movie.

“Yes, sweetie?” My mom asked, her smile dropping at my concerned face.

I had decided it was best to talk with them while Ace wasn’t there, I didn’t want to embarrass him or make him cry by thinking about what was happening.

“Did you know Ace was getting bullied?” I asked and their faces fell, and I swore I saw actual tears form in my mothers eyes.

“Our little boy is getting bullied?” My dad asked, eyes full of rage and my mom grabbed his wrist, muttering his name, trying to calm him down.

“I saw him being pushed around and being called names by four boys about two to three years older than him,” I explained, “when I asked he said it was because he hung out with girls and played with dolls,” I looked at the ground, chewing on the inside of my cheek, “he looked so upset,” I shook my head sadly, my voice cracking.

“We need to talk to the teachers,” my mom insisted, “this is not okay, god, we should have put him in a private school, a public school is just-”

“Mom!” I cut her off, “public school or no, children are just little shits sometimes,” I shook my head, “besides, I already spoke to their mothers, I think they’re going to handle it but I can’t be sure and I wanted you to know,” I explained and my mother threw her head back and sighed.

“Oh, sweetie,” she said and walked up to me, “you’re amazing, I am so proud of you,” she hugged me tightly and I chuckled hugging her back.

“I bet it was that Lucas, wasn’t it?” Dad asked, his eyes still full of rage and he looked at me as my mother let go off the hug.

“I don’t know, but I know one of them is named Bennie, or Ben or whatever,” I shrugged and my mothers brows rose.

“Really?” She asked surprised, “Bennie’s mom is such a nice woman,” she shook her head in disbelief.

“Oh, yeah she was really nice,” I quickly nodded, “she promised to talk to her son- there was this one woman who was being kind of a bitch though,” I said and my mom shot me a look.

“Language, Y/n,” she said and my dad stifled a chuckle, making me shoot him a light glare.

“Sorry,” I muttered, “anyway, her name is Clarice and I swear I want to punch her in the face,” I huffed and crossed my arms.

“Oh… her,” my mom scoffed, “yeah, she’s Lucas’ mother, she is a horrible woman with an equally horrible husband,” she shook her head. “I don’t think she will be talking to her son about this,” she said sadly.

“Then we’ll have to step to the school eventually,” I shrugged, “for now let’s just support Ace,” I glanced towards the stairs where I had just come down from after reading Ace a bedtime story.

“Im proud of you,” my mom said, and pulled me into another hug, making me chuckle and hug her back.

It was a week later, I waited for my parents and little brother to get back from the conversation they had with the school and the parents of the kids bullying Ace.

The bullying had in fact, not stopped and my father was ready to sue. Luckily my mother was reasonable and just arranged a meeting.

When they got back, Ace just went up to his room without a word and my parents walked in aswel, rather frustrated.

“It seemed the school has the same motto as Clarice,” my mother said a bit disappointed, “apparently boys will be boys and they will get over it soon enough,” she said making me scowl and roll my eyes.

“Hey, you know where that Clarice lives?” I asked, “I might pay her a visit and try get some sense into her head, maybe the teachers aswel,” I said darkly and my father met my gaze.

“Good idea” he started but my mother cut him off.

“Absolutely not!” She said and hit the back off his head. “You should not be supporting this behaviour, Elijah!” She scolded my father, “we will handle this like adults, besides, tomorrow they have that costume party in the evening, maybe we’ll get something out of that,” she said with a small smile.

My father and I shared glances, both knowing it was probably not going to happen, but we didn’t say anything.

The next evening, I held my brothers hand as he, James and I, walked into the decorated school grounds. Kids in costumes ran around, some off the parents where even dressed up, aswel as the teachers.

I spotted some kids around our age too, also in custom. I guessed they where older siblings like me.

James, Ace and I where dressed as pirates. James and I wore our costumes from two halloweens ago, we had spent ages on making them.

Ace wore a costume that I bought at a toy store, I had pimped it with accessories and sewed the costume here and there to make it more realistic. I got him a plastic sword, an eyepatch and painted a beard on his face.

He was extremely proud and quickly went to show off to his friends. I did notice there where four girls, but there where two boys aswel that seemed to be friends with him, so I wondered why it was Ace that was targeted by bullies.

I almost tripped when four kids in ninja costume came running past me. One of them wore green, the others red, black and white. I chuckled at the sight before the masks went off and my smile fell.

“What?” James asked when he noticed, giving me a frowning look.

“Those are the four kids that bully Ace,” I whispered, “little shits,” I murmured right after.

“Oh, that’s them aye?” He asked, making way to go talk to them- or well probably their mothers as they stood next to them, showing off, making me grab his arm.

“Jamie,” I said, “don’t, we don’t wat to make it worse,” I frowned and looked at Ace, who was beaming at me, making me smile back. “Ace is happy, let’s leave it like that,”

James nodded and together we headed over to Ace who introduced us to his friends who where all dressed up differently, looking cute as ever.

After abput two hours, both me and James sat on a bench, drinks in hand as we where quietly judging costumes, giggling amongst ourselves.

“There’s so many ninja outfits,” he commented, making me nod. There where indeed, even one teacher was dressed up, fully in blue.

One girl was proudly dressed as the water ninja, boasting to the four little rascals about how she was the best ninja.

They countered that by saying that the green ninja was the best and the most powerful, which just made her stick out her tongue.

I averted my gaze to three girls, who I guessed where in grade seven or so, playing with skipping ropes, doing tricks that almost made me jealous, because I could never do that when I was their age.

James made a comment about that and I shoved him, causing him to almost fall off the bench while laughing.

With a chuckle, my eyes searched for Ace and my stomach sank when I watched how he was harshly pushed and he fell to the ground, making me seath with rage.

“Hey!” I stood up and quickly made my way over, “what do you think you’re doing?!” I called and a few people looked up to see what was happening. From the corner of my eye, I saw two people also quickly making their way over.

“Bennie!” His mother called out, and the boy looked up, eyes wide, looking like a deer in headlights.

I quickly kneeled down next to Ace. “Are you hurt?” I asked worried, fussing over him, James also coming to stand next to me.

“Are you four crazy?” He interrogated the children, “he could’ve been seriously hurt!” He pointed at Ace who had thick tears streaming down his face as I kissed his forehead and hugged him tightly.

“Oh, I am so, so sorry,” Bennies mother said to me, before turning to her son and starting to scold him. “Oh, and you three to!” She turned to the other three boys, who wore the same expression as their friend.

“Gavin,” another mother kneeled down to the level of her child, “what did we talk about, we do not hurt other kids, neither with words or our hands,” she said in a serious tone.

“I wanna go home,” Ace cried and I sighed, picking him up and letting him sit on my hip.

“Lets go, it’s late anyway,” I shook my head, starting to walk off.

“Hey, hold up!” I turned around at a hand in my shoulder, facing Bennies mother. “Bennie, say sorry to Ace,” she looked at her soon with an expecting look.

“Sorry, Ace,” he said softly, and I was quite surprised to see ehe genuinely meant it.

“You too,” the other mother looked at the remaining three kids who also muttered their sorry’s. She then turned to me with a soft look. “I promise this will not happen again,” she said and that’s when the third mother arrived aswel.

“Hey, what happened?” She asked worried glancing at Ace who was still whipping away tears.

Bennie’s mother quickly explained and the woman frowned and turned to her child.

“Felix, have you apologised to Ace?” She asked and he nodded, she looked at me for confirmation and I nodded aswel. “I am so sorry, dear,” she shook her head.

I muttered something before walking of, mostly focused on getting Ace out of here. James followed after me, a hard look on his face.

James hates bullies. He himself was bullied when he was little too and he did everything to protect those who were targeted.

One time, he sucker punched some guy who was bothering a first year, stealing their backpack and everything, it was pretty amusing.

Back at home, James said goodbye to me and Ace and I headed inside, holding Ace’s hand.

My mom was in the kitchen and he quickly hugged her when he spotted her, making her look at me in question, probably wondering why we where back so early and why Ace seemed like he had cried.

I explained the story and she was lost for words for a moment before hugging her son tightly, whispering reassuring things to him before taking him upstairs to get ready for bed.

I also went upstairs, texting with James who just got home and wondered how Ace was doing.

I yelped when my window -which I had slightly opened just in case- opened, greenie stepping inside with a wide grin as he pulled off his mask.

“Hi, princess,” he greeted and I chuckled, sending James a quick goodnight text before getting off the bed.

“Hi, stinky,” I said, scrunching my nose as I smelled the sweat from only a few feet away. He pouted at me and I chuckled.

“You bully,” he said, whiling away fake tears making me jab his side. He laughed, catching my hand before I could do it again.

He pulled me forwards into a kiss and I chuckled, before my face fell slightly when he pulled away, making him frown.

“What’s wrong?” He asked concerned, cupping my face in his hands.

“Lloyd,” I said softly and he hummed in acknowledgment, “can you do something for me?”

Lloyd POV:

I stood in front of Y/n’s house, gi and mask on, a small helmet in my hands.

The front door opened and Ace came running out, followed by a chuckling Y/n who was holding his hand, being dragged towards me.

“Ready to go, little man?” I asked and he beamed at me, almost jumping up and down.

“Yes!” He said in excitement and I chuckled, kneeling down to help him put on the helmet.

“Does that fit?” I asked and he nodded, looking up at Y/n to show off, making her chuckle.

“Good luck, you two,” she smiled and I stood up again, ruffling her hair affectionately making her mumble a soft curse before quickly glancing at Ace who luckily didn’t hear it.

“I’ll see you later,” I said, making her smile and nod. “Now, let’s get you onto the bike,” I said before lifting him up and putting him on the bike before also getting on myself.

“Drive safely!” Y/n called before I drove off, Ace shrieking and laughing in excitement the whole ride.

When we got to his school, I helped him off the bike, before kneeling down and also getting the helmet off. It revealed an excited grin and I chuckled, holding out my hand for him to take.

There were already a few parents and kids in the parking lot who watched with wide eyes.

The two of us walked onto the schoolyard and many heads turned in wonder and surprise, making me grin from under the mask while Ace buzzed in excitement.

“Acey!” A girl came running up followed by a few others, she hugged him tightly, making him let go of my hand to hug her back.

only when she let go did she seem to notice me, making her eyes grow wide. “The green ninja!” She gasped and the other friends yaws dropped aswel as they watched me in awe, making me chuckle.

“Hi there,” I greeted with a small wave. I scanned the grounds quickly and then spotted a small group of four boys, watching in awe. I recognised them from the pictures in the yearbook Y/n had showed me, so I diverted my gaze and looked back at Ace.

“How do you know him?” A boy asked, looking at me, then at Ace, then me again in awe, and then back at Ace.

“He is my sisters friend,” Ace said, a bit shy now as he answered the questions his friends had for him.

“Excuse me?” I looked up at a woman who was holding a phone and a man beside her. “Can I take a picture of the lot of you?” She asked with a warm smile, one of the Ace’s friends went to hug her legs and I guessed this was her mom.

“Of course,” I said and the kids bustled around, all posing as the woman took a few pictures. My hand rested on Ace’s shoulder the whole time.

I never really did pictures and autographs, but just for this one time should be fine.

“Hey, Mr. Green ninja?” I looked up to see a man approaching, he stuck out his hand and I shook it in silence. “I am William Wright, the principal. May I ask you what gives us the honour for you to visit our school?” He asked and I shrugged.

“Oh, I just came to drop off Ace here, his sister was supposed to, but she had an emergency. We’re great friends so she asked me to do it, seeing it is in my patrol area anyway,” I said and the principle nodded.

“Say, can I take a picture for the schools instagram?” He asked, I contemplated for a bit, before just deciding to agree.

Both me and the kids all posed again as the pictures were taken. At one point, I swooped Ace of his feet and got him to sit on my neck, making him laugh and the other kids giggle.

After the pictures were taken, the kids hurried off to play elsewhere and I turned to the principal.

“Say, I’ve been talking to Ace’s sister, and I heard he has been having some problems with bullies, is that correct?” I asked and the principal looked nervous.

“Oh, well, we had a meeting about it a few days back, but, we worked out that it was just a bit of fun, nothing big,” he waved it off and my eyes narrowed.

“Hm, interesting, seeing as he came home yesterday with bruised elbows,” I said and the principals eyes widened.

“Oh that is concerning,” he nodded hastily, “we will look into it, I promise,”

“I am happy to hear that,” I said, glancing at the four boys who were still watching in awe, but didn’t dare walk up to me. “I do really hate bullying, it just disgusts me, you know?” I said, I knew they could hear me.

“Yes, yes of course,” the man nodded and chuckled, “we do really not tolerate bullies here, thank you for informing me of the situation,” he said and then quickly excused himself.

He better do something about it, otherwise I might barge into his office some time later.

I waved at Ace in the distance before leaving with a content smirk on my face.

(Are you liking the fluff? Just asking… for no reason at all)

[ryuichirou]

I saw the size difference art of the Diasomnia boys and all I can say is, damn Sebek you need a bra for those honkers. Much like the post about NRC boys’ butts, do you have any headcanons on their chest sizes?

Omg Sebek and his honkers 😭 the boy looks straight-up indecent lol I get what you mean!

With how my brain is wired, I feel like in a lot of ways it’s going to correlate with the genderswap chest sizes I also wrote some time ago (update: NOPE IT’S NOT LOL), but I’ll still go through the list! Since this is more about muscle definition, right? Right… Alright, who else got honkers…

(I also don’t have much to say about some of them, sorry in advance!)

Riddle – pretty flat. We’ve seen his Beach Wear Groovy, the boy is pretty flat… there is sooome softness if you really squint, but maybe it’s just an optical illusion??

Ace – also kind of flat, but with soooome definition. Nothing to write home about, really, even though he’d like to have a big muscular chest someday.

Deuce – he also has soooome definition, but is flatter than Ace; Ace just uses his upper muscles a bit more.

Trey – definitely the biggest one of his dorm, and even though it’s muscular, it’s also surprisingly soft and squishy.

Cater – I feel like he’s pretty plain, just a flat boy.

Leona – definitely on a bigger side; he’s also kind of soft-ish, but more toned than Trey.

Ruggie – sometimes it looks like he has negative boobs. He does have some muscles, but doesn’t eat nearly enough protein to get any type of boobs :(

Jack – big boy. Very big boy. Huge. His boobs are big and heavy, definitely even bigger than Sebek’s. There is some softness to them, but not much: Jack’s boob could kill a person…

Azul – surprisingly… he’s pretty lean, but his chest is pretty noticeable when it isn’t buried under layers of clothes. It’s not big or anything, but he works hard on his body, so it’s like a natural result of that. He has to keep the perfect balance in his exercise or diet though, because it’s pretty easy for his chest to either start losing definition or becoming a bit soft.

Floyd and Jade – biiiiiig. Not as big as Jack or even Sebek, and I absolutely overdo it whenever I draw these two lol But both of them are pretty big when it comes to the chest region; Floyd is a tiiiiny bit bigger though.

Kalim – pretty close to Ace and Deuce, but also kind of soft!

Jamil – nicely defined, muscular, a little soft, but mostly toned. A bit similar to Leona’s but a size smaller lol

Vil – now this is who takes this whole thing very seriously; just like with his ass, he makes sure that his chest looks exactly how he wants it to look: it’s not flat at all, it’s actually pretty well defined, but he also paces himself just so it doesn’t get too big. There is pretty much zero softness in it, too.

Rook – terminator. Pretty much as big as Trey, but with zero softness lol He hides his boobs just as successfully as he hides his huge butt.

Epel – flat, but with more meat than Riddle, for example. But it’s not nearly enough meat for his chest to be pronounced… ahhh maybe one day! >:(

Idia – skeleton… no boobs for this man… but it’s okay we love him this way <3

Ortho – yeah, this one is also pretty obvious lol

Lilia – FLAAAAT Flatitio Lilia Flatticelli is his full name. But to be fair, I think he had more pronounced chest when he was younger. But it was never big by all means, just a bit more defined.

Silver – yeah, you’ve seen the art, I think he’s pretty big, but not as big as Sebek… he also has some softness to him, but it’s mostly because his body is more relaxed than Sebek’s, who’s always super tense.

Sebek – HONKERS. That are also hard as rock unfortunately… I feel like Sebek could break a pencil with his boobs somehow. I’m not sure how, but he might.

Malleus – it’s pronounced, it’s very noticeable when he wears anything tight, but it’s not super big.

[pianocat939]

Ok this isn't my usual content, but like hear me out. And no, this isn't like anything character related-

Just think of it...as like a scenario to fill in ig Girlie I don't fucking know, I'm just spewing words

Tw: kidnapping, stalking, mentions of violence

Ok so imagine.

There's like this drive. We'll call it Chestnut drive.

Just a typical neighbourhood street.

And on the last house, there's a married couple.

The husband, is like some super scary, really cold guy. He hates the world except for maybe his own wife. And he's a monster too- *ahem he was a thug back in his school days* But he is a handsome fucker.

And then you got the wife. Who's really nice, and never has any problems. Honestly, she's the one usually having to hide her husband's crimes.

Enter MC, who's a single person, getting the first ever house. Which ended up being right next to theirs. Everybody else doesn't go near their house, because of the husband. And yet, MC is totally clueless and ends up watching their feral dog in their yard.

The wife notices first, and strikes up conversation. She's eager to have someone new to talk to. She bakes desserts sometimes, and constantly tries to offer them to MC.

Guess who she gushes all about MC to? That's right- her husband. At first he's like creeped out and even a little jealous. But after watching you through your living room window a few nights a week, he’s realized why she’s so intrigued.

He finds MC so cute, all alone in their house. With no one but themselves really. Maybe the occasional friend over. In a way, he starts to grow protective of them, just like how he is with his wife.

Meanwhile, the wife is just obsessed to have someone to talk to who isn’t terrified of her husband. She’s constantly giving affection she tries to pass it off as platonic when honestly it’s borderline romantic

Their conversations at dinner went from a bit mundane to just simply rambling about you. Wondering which bedroom you should take, or if they should expand theirs completely.

Soon they invite you over to their house often. Just for the occasional meal or tea. Even showcasing their feral dog. (Tiny dog may I add)

MC doesn’t notice, but soon the couple’s house has little things that they like. If they like art? A few paint tubes or high-end coloured are thrown around the house. If they like music? Wow- they suddenly got a Steinway grand piano for them to play around with.

The husband is constantly checking if MC’s ok. Making sure they dress properly for the weather before they go back to their house. In any extreme weather conditions (blizzard, hurricane, rain- a shit ton of rain) he’ll just show up to their house with groceries.

The wife seems to love giving little cheek kisses and hugs. Always finding ways to present her cooking. She likes buying the occasional clothing item for them. Just something she thought would look quite fitting on them.

It’s all too late at some point, because the husband will haul them over his shoulder if they try to run away. He’ll carry them to their now big bedroom, enough for 3 people to share.

He’ll beat up anyone that tries looking for them. He doesn’t have those muscles for nothing.

The wife is just so happy to have MC in their bedroom. Giving snuggles and lots of coos of affection.

And with a kiss goodnight from both of them, MC finds themselves sandwiched between the two. Unable to move from the husband’s arms, or push off the wife who’s laying on top of them.

MC should just consider themselves as newly-wedded to this strange but surprisingly…functional couple.

(HELP- I JUST FELL DOWN A PIT OF SELF-INDULGENCE)

(I have so many ideas for this bullshit but I also have never written anything non-fandom related on this blog before…Other than my shitposts)

(Assuming I’ll probably make more, I’ll put the tag ‘Husband Wife Trio’ lmao)

- Celina

[stormio2407]

Ello! ʕ⁠っ⁠•⁠ᴥ⁠•⁠ʔ⁠っ♥️ Im secretly a big fan of your art work and was wondering if you'll do a tutorial on how you make your art work, I love them all very much 💞

Oh, thank you. 🙇🙇 I’m so glad to hear that! And sure, I can make a tutorial real quick. :))

1.) Before I start doing any art, I do this to my canvas. Having a solid fill layer on color burn with low opacity gives a nice outline effect on your pen. As someone who sucks at putting lineweight at the right spots this is a life saver (or if you want to make your linework better, that works too.lol) All color bases and renderings stay above the lineart layer on multiply (I also use clipping mask a lot for rendering.)

2.) I give myself some time to research for poses on Pinterest. If I can’t find anything, I use Magic Poser on my iPad to make all of the poses.

This is a link for the web version.

Here is also the link to the brushes I always use for my drawings.

I’m going to use this old sketch of Ava with his hair short. For this example, I didn’t find a pose. I only referenced the hair style.

Generally I create the basic shapes for everything- the head, wings, body, etc (hair is kinda the exception to this). I don’t go too deep with adding line weight just yet.

3.) I add the base colors in this step. Sometimes I’ll stop here with my drawings, but with my personal art I continue. I tend to explore a lot of color schemes, so I like seeing how other artists approach this. I can take the longest on this cuz I get so indecisive of what I want. 😅😅

Sometimes if I don’t like my colors overall, I’ll add a solid color layer on Hue at around 30-40% opacity to harmonize every color. This layer stays above all other layers.

4.) Step 4 is a bit of a continuation from 3. Here I start adding more detail with the coloring, and putting those FX that I want. If I want to, like in this example, I also extend the drawing to show other elements, if I feel like the composition is a bit empty.

After this, I take a step back from my iPad and come back to my drawing the next day. Sometimes doing that helps me find obvious mistakes that I wouldn’t have noticed immediately.

5.) Sure enough, I saw the the mistakes on his face, so I fixed them. I prefer using the liquify over the transform tool when I need to retouch some things; it prevents the linework or coloring from looking “choppy” or torn apart with its resolution.

Once I got the final touches done, I send it off !

Don’t know if this is actually considered a tutorial but maybe seeing this process step by step can help a bit. 👏 good luck, and have fun with what you create!

[skulla-rxcks]

🧸CHAPTER ONE} I like you more than a roommate

Next chapter

Paring: roommate!Hyunjin X fem reader

Rating: mature (eventually explicit)

Genre: friends to lovers, fluff, eventual smut

Chapter Warnings/things: storms

!THIS IS PURE FICTION, NOTHING IN THIS IS REAL ITS JUST A STORY!

Your roommate Hyunjin is slowly catching feelings for you. You get more clingy to him as he helps you through your needs and issues, he loves you but doesn’t know how to show it.

A/n: I’ve been working on this for a bit and I can’t be bothered finishing majority of this chapter since I wanna get it out.

P.s: I haven’t edited this chapter and probably won’t bc I can’t be bothered, also no TWS for this chapter.

I sit back, focusing on the sound of my paint brush sweeping across the canvas, creating a beautiful image of a mermaid in a lagoon. I haven’t slept all night due to working on this painting, though I did steal this plain canvas from my roommate, he probably wouldn’t mind.

“I’m back! Dance practice was really tiring.. my shoulder hurts..” And there he is. My roommate himself, Hyunjin. I laugh slightly, moving away from my art to greet him. “Couldn’t you just take a break from dancing? Have sometime to yourself maybe, you know.. I’m always here if you feel like hanging out. it’s break after all. “

He looks at me, tilting his head to the side and scratching his neck. “I’m down for hanging out. I’m pretty sure today was our last dance session anyways" i gasp in joy after hearing that he'll finally have time to rest. "Yay! I guess we can do some art stuff then, I’ll show you what I've been doing" a warm smile forms on my face as i take his hand in mine, leading him over to the painting I’m currently working on.

“Wow.. the background blends so nicely!” He gasps, rubbing my shoulder with pride.

I feel my cheeks flush slightly, but smile.

"It’s nothing much. Just my usual style, I’m not sure if I like how the water looks or not"

Hyunjin 's hand stays on my shoulder for a few seconds longer before he parts his lips to speak again. “The water looks incredible, i would say I could do better but i can’t.”

My face heats up once again after listening to his pitiful, yet comfortable comments being thrown at me.

I walk out of our art closet, (which is basically a small closet we made into a mini art studio) and gently place my painting on the windowsill. The breeze is slightly cold, i close the window to keep warm. Shivering, I grab one of Hyunjin’s hoodies and slide it over my shirt, it’s a bit baggy but whatever. “What are you drawing?” I ask as i sit beside him again, hugging my knees to my chest due to the sudden change of the weather.

“Just someone” he mumbles. My eyes can’t help but look at how pretty he is when concentrating; hair tied back, eyebrows slightly frowned. I notice his face looking pale, i shuffle closer, lightly touching his cheek with my knuckle. “Your cold.. give me a minute.” I stand up, making my way to the kitchen and turning the kettle on. I get out two mugs, pouring in warm milk, coco, sugar and adding some marshmallows for each one. Two hot chocolates coming up!u

I waddle back into the room slowly stumbling as I hold the drinks that are filled to the brim.

“Here you go!” I giggle, handing him one of the hot chocolates, receiving a hug in response.

“Ah thanks .. I’m gonna get into bed, it’s gonna storm later. You can join me if you’d like, I know you don’t like storms.” He groans, chucking his sketchbook on the ground and pulling the covers over him. My eyes watch his movements, he sips his drink and puts it on a small table next to his bed.

I get in my own bed, admiring his features from a far.

A few hours past, he’s asleep already. I sigh, staring at the ceiling. It’s already raining and the storm is gliding over to us, *buzz.. buzz* the light starts flickering as the power goes out.

“N-no..please don’t do this to me tonight.. n-no.. no..” i clench my sheets and cry softly.

“J-Jinnieee.. w-wake up, it’s scary..”

I sob louder, shaking from the cold and my fears.

“Jinnie…” I lay down under the sheets with him

“Hm?.. Hey Shh, you’re okay. Come here.” Hyunjin moves closer to me, hugging me tightly as my tears soak through his shirt. “The storm is outside. You’re safe in here with me. It’s not gonna get us”

“B-but what if it d-“ My words are cut off as my head pushes into his chest, before I know it he’s leaving soft kisses on my head while continuing to soothe me. “I… I..” I let my eyes look at his lips for a sec then back to his eyes. My arms tighten around him as i cry myself to sleep.

© 2023 skulla_rxcks

[ushis-gushy]

PT 2 of Hear me out

If you don’t know what’s going on, go to my page and find part one! (If you want. I’m pretty sure you can get context here either way 😅)

Main points you need to know to read:

Miles has a crush on Hobie and pavitr

Gayatri and pavitr has an open relationship

Hobie and Pavitr are together

Miles is very oblivious

Theres going to be a lot of misspelt words and bad grammar in here (I’m sorry)

Let’s get started:

the spider gang + Gayatri started walking to the fair after Miles had gotten a phone call from Ganke inviting them. It wasn’t too far away. Miles was in front leading the group using the gps app to help sometime. Gwen and Gayatri were in the middle of the group talking. (fun fact: Gwen was talking to Gayatri about how stupid the boys were. Like Miles was for not noticing that both Hobie and Pavitr liked him and the same thing back to the pair of boys)

In the back of the group, Hobie and Pavitr were talking about plans to woo Mile’s heart. (Pav: oooo why don’t we draw? Hobie: we both know we can’t draw Pav: *sad pupppy Hobie: *sigh, let’s think of another plan before that twat nicks Peter Pan) When the group reached the fair they decide to split up. The girls went straight towards the rigged carnival games. Gwen said that she could always beat the system no matter what. The girls left, leaving the boys to themselves. Pavitr waved bye to his girlfriend when she left and jumped on Miles back when he couldn’t see her. Pavitr asked, “Sooooo, what do you want to do?” Miles perked up, “Well, there is the art wall I really want to go to, but there’s a small concert thing with my friends from Vision.” Hobie spoke up leaning on Pavitr who was still on Miles’s back, “When you mean friends do you mean Gan-“ Before he could finish his sentence, the small group heard someone call Miles’s over. They turned their head over to see Ganke and the rest of Miles’s friends. Mile’s eyes widened before leaving Pavitr and Hobie. Hobie saving Pavitr from falling from loosing the weight he was leaning against. ”GANKE! What’s up!” Miles gave Ganke a hug and Ganke gestured to the boys, Hobie and Pavitr (who were looking at him in jealousy), and quietly asked Miles if those are the guys Miles has been gushing about. Miles blushed (to Hobie and Pavitr’s dismay) and nodded.

Ganke smirked and answered Mile’s question, well we were heading over to the wall and then we’re going to the concert’s venue. Wanna tag along?” Miles looked back the Hobie and Pavitr, and they gave him a thumbs up. Miles brightened up and smiled turning back to Ganke he said, “Yeah! Sure let’s go!” The bigger group walked over the the wall and grabbed some spay cans and markers. Miles walked over to a conveniently big white space on the wall and started drawing sunflowers. Miles was so into his art he didn’t notice the others were getting ready to go to the concert. Ganke came up to him, stopping Hobie or Pavitr from doing so, “Miles, we’re heading out.” ”Oh! I’m sorry, but I really need to finish this!” ”We can stay back so you can finish!” Pavitr exclaimed but Miles shook his head, “No! It’ll take too long. You should go to the concert. I think you’d really like it. Hobie would too. I’ll meet up with you later.” After a long time convincing, Hobie and Pavitr walked away with the group to the concert. TIME SKIP

After the concert, everyone was having a fun time. But, Hobie and Pavitr were worried. Well Pavitr was. Hobie trusted Miles. Anyways, Miles didn’t join them at all. In fact the pair never saw him after they left him at the art wall. They ran towards the wall looking for Miles. They saw the finished art work but no Miles. They panicked a bit before they heard a familiar voice. They followed it to see Miles and some guy next to him. He looked kinda cute but not their type. The guy and Miles looked like they were having a fun conversation. Normal right? Well, they observed the random guy and his flushed cheeks while talking to miles. He rubbed the back of his head and took out his phone. Miles was oblivious to the guy’s feelings smiled his stupidly cute smile (Hobie and Pav’s words) and pulled out his phone. They exchanged numbers.

Miles had gotten his phone back from Nate (yes that is the guy’s name) when he was done putting his number in. They were talking for a bit before he felt weight on his shoulders.

Hobie draped his arm over Mile’s shoulder and said, “Hey Peter Pan! I see you finished your art.” Miles diverted his attention to Hobie. Leaning back and resting his head on Hobie’s arm(body?). He closed his eyes and hummed as to say yes to Hobie. Hobie and Pavitr glared at the guy who was sweating buckets already at the sight of this punk and pretty boy. He excused himself and ran.

Hobie (omg it autocorrected to hippie 2 times in a row) asked, “So who was that?” Miles looked up and said, “Oh! That was Nate. Sweet guy. Liked my art and it turned out we had a lot in common. Got his number.”

Hobie hummed, “I see…”

Miles took note of his crushes behavior. Before he could say anything about it, Hobie shoved his face into Mile’s neck. Miles blushed from the contact. He could feel the other man’s breath. Then Pavitr appeared in front of Mile’s face and said, “Let’s get out of here!” Miles then asked, “But what about Gwen and Gayatri?” “Pfffft” Pavitr snorted Hobie just muttered loud enough for Miles to hear, “Love, they left us already. Havin’ a sleepover” Pavitr took Mile’s hand and dragged him. “Come on!” Pavitr carried Miles as he swinged away and Hobie following behind. During the whole way over, Hobie and Pavitr were telepathically thinking the same thing (boyfriend perks ig). Confess to Miles

The group entered Mile’s home through the front door, catching his mom and dad as they were going out. His parents already met Hobie and Pavitr before so they weren’t that surprised to see them. His mom coughed, “Well boys, we’re heading out to a dinner date. Don’t get into too much trouble and DONT destroy anything.” The guys smiled as they entered the house and went straight to his room. It was full of his friend’s clothes, items, etc etc. the group just chilled out. Miles drawing Hobie and Pavitr. Hobie talking to Pavitr about his plan. Both nodding to each other before Pavitr called out to Miles. He snapped his head up to see his crushes. Pavitr pulled him over with Miles just thinking: wow he’s so strong wth? Pavitr said with excitement, “Hobes is gonna give us a private show come on and put down your sketchbook for once!” Miles smiled and he made himself comfortable of Pavitr’s lap. He listened to the spider punk as he strummed his guitar. He closed his eyes enjoying this private time with the two men. Then he begun to hear a slow song. He opened his eyes back up again. Hobie never really did slow songs unless we pester him about it for weeks on end. Miles, although confused, continued to lay of Pavitr’s lap and listened to Hobie’s song. “But I can’t help,” Pavitr joined in, “falling in love with~” Miles felt arms around his waist, it was Pavitr and they made eye contact as he and Hobie sang the last word, “you.” His eyes widened and looked from Pavitr and Hobie who were looking at Miles as if he was everything, the light in their life, their hopes and dreams. Miles blushed from the sudden attention, “G-guys! What?” Hobie put down his guitar and inched closer to Miles and pulled him into his arms. He said , “Peter Pa-, no. Miles. We really like you so much it’s mental!” Pavitr budded in while hugging the two, “We’ve liked you for awhile. It’s totally fine if you don-“ He didn’t get to finish the sentence as he was met with a kiss from Mikes. Miles broke it and gave a kiss to Hobie as well. He then looked away with his face red. “I like you guys too.” Miles then realized something and whipped around to face them saying, “Wait Pavitr! What about Gayatri? Omg did I just ruin your relationship. Is so sorry!”

They smiled and threw Miles onto the bed before they came up and went on the sides of him. Cuddling the small man in the middle. Pavitr held Mile’s waist and said, “don’t worry about it. We’re in an open relationship. We’re still dating but we can date other people. Gayatri started taking interest in some people but not enough to date them.”

They just lied there, enjoying the silence and the presence of the others. After awhile, Pavitr perked up and asked Miles for his phone. Before Miles could even give him it, Pavitr snatched it from his hand and deleted something, “Welp you don’t need that anymore!” ”Huh? What did you do?” Hobie buried himself into Mile’s neck and said, “Love, do you really think we’d let anyone else have you other than us? Pav deleted that bloke Nate’s number. He should delete that twat Ganke’s too.” ”W-WHAT! No no no no no! Why? He doesn’t like me that way.” ”You told him you loved him.” Pav said with an imaginary rain cloud over him as he pouted ”In like a platonic way! He called me mom and i sarcastically said I love him!” Silence before Miles bursted out laughing. “I can’t believe you thought I liked Ganke! You’re so jealous.” Pavitr and Hobie just looked at each other before they smothered Miles with love and kisses.

“That we are”

fin :)

(maybe there’ll be more idk let me know)

[voskhodart]

Hey, do you want to learn how to play VHS tapes in the year 202X?

I know this is my art blog, but it has come to my attention that some of you are too young to have experienced the joys of the Video Home System in its prime. Come hither so I can teach you and we can embrace the beauty of physical media together. If you have a thrift store and a TV, this process should work for you.

Step 1: Get a VCR ($4-$15)

DO NOT BUY EXPENSIVE VCR/COMBO SETS FROM THE INTERNET!

The ones you find on sites like eBay and Etsy are insanely overpriced and might not even work. Instead, find a Goodwill, Savers, or independent thrift store near you and go to the electronics section. There’s a good chance they’ll have at least one VCR. If they don’t, try a different shop. You can also check local online marketplaces, yard sales, etc.

Good things to look for:

4 (or more) Heads — Heads are the things that actually read the tape. The more heads you have, the better your picture is going to be.

Auto Tracking — Poor tracking can create a rolling picture, which is a pain to fix. An auto tracking VCR does that work for you.

Pre-2000 — After 2000, electronics started being mass produced with plastic casings and cheap parts. VCRs made after this time are a whole lot easier to break. Ideally, you want something from the late 80s to mid 90s.

Well-known brands — Sony, Toshiba, etc. Japanese manufacturers tend to have the best quality. Early Emersons are nice too.

Generally good condition — If there’s a bullet hole in the case, it’s probably best to pass on. A bit of dust isn’t an issue, but major damage isn’t a good sign. If you can, plug the machine into a power outlet in the store and see if it even turns on.

Head cleaning indicator — Not something you *need*, but I find it nice to have. You’ll want to use a head cleaning tape when the indicator starts flashing.

This is the one I’ll be using for the sake of this guide. This is an old Emerson that I picked up from Goodwill for $7.95. (Notice the five price tags they slapped on top.)

Step 2: Get Some Tapes (¢10-$1)

This is the fun part. Almost every thrift store will have some VHS tapes, usually near the books/DVDs/records. I’ve seen them as expensive as a dollar, but some stores will just give them away for free. I suggest buying a few movies you like, plus one or two shitty tapes to test out your VCR with.

You may also find 20 different copies of Titanic in every store. This is a normal occurance.

Remember to check the condition of any tape you plan on putting in your machine. If the spool looks moldy, you *can* try to clean it, but you’ll need another VCR to do so. If the tape looks wrinkled or otherwise damaged, you can still probably play it, but it will look and sound a lot rougher than you should expect. If the casing is damaged, I wouldn’t risk trying to put it in your VCR at all.

Remember: VHS tapes stopped being produced commercially in 2006. Most tapes you find aren’t going to be in the best shape, because they’re all a few decades old. (Sometimes, though, you will come across a tape with an excellent picture, good sound quality, and subtitles! The Mummy tape that I own is near perfect.)

Step 3: Connecting the VCR to Your TV

For this step, you’re going to want a coaxial cable and a set of RCA cables (the red, yellow, and white ones). If your TV doesn’t have an RCA input, you’ll also need an RCA-to-HDMI converter. If your TV also doesn’t have an HDMI input for whatever reason, you’re shit out of luck.

You’ll plug these cables into the “out” or “out to tv” connection on your VCR, then plug the other end into the back of your TV.

Note: Not all VCRs have right audio (the red one)! That’s fine. Just leave it hanging free. The left audio (white) is your mono audio, so you’ll just have that instead.

Lastly, put the channel switch on the back of your VCR on 3 or 4. I keep mine on 3. This is the number for the channel you’ll go to on your TV to actually see what the VCR is playing.

Step 4: Setting up the TV

I use a little Roku TV, which is surprisingly steady to set up for VCR input:

Settings ➡️ TV Inputs ➡️ Live TV

From here, you’ll either be prompted to scan for channels OR you’ll have to select “scan for antenna channels”. It will ask you if you want to have channels 3 and 4, to which you’ll say “yeah, I do want channels 3 and 4” and click the button that lets you have channels 3 and 4. If you don’t have an antenna, you can skip the other prompts.

I haven’t done this on any other type of TV, but the process should be pretty similar: get yourself to channels 3 and 4 through whatever means necessary.

Once you’re there, it should look like this. Sad, blank, and lonely. But not for long.

Step 5: Playing Your Tapes

This is where things can go really really well or really really wrong. If everything is hooked up, you can grab your shitty tape and insert it into the VCR.

(Make sure there isn’t anything else in there first, though. Some people don’t remove their precious Titanic copies before donating these things.)

You’ll want a tape that’s fairly clean, with no casing damage, and already rewound (black tape in the left window). To insert the tape into a front-loading VCR, slowly and firmly slide it into the slot. Once it’s most of the way in, the machine should “grab” it and pull it all the way inside. You’ll hear the machine make some noises.

(If those noises are really crunchy, that’s probably not a good thing. Troubleshoot with your favorite search engine or head over to r/VHS to see if anyone can help you.)

Once your machine is only making some clunky whirring sounds, it should be safe to press the play button. Enjoy watching your favorite films in the least pleasant format possible. Don’t forget to rewind em when you’re done.

If you have issues, the freaks over at r/VHS tend to be really helpful, but you can also find decade-old YouTube videos that might answer your questions too.

[archandshri]

9th feb '24 - [arch] characters, interactions and emotion - making a mini webcomic

Gahhhh Shri this has been an absolutely crazy couple of weeks!!!! Hope you are doing well :)) First of all, WOW! You have a lot of goals, and I’m sure you’ll get them done! I’ve worked a lot on my graphic design during the process of making Winter Wellbeing. If you wanna see a blog post dedicated just to that, I can do so! It would be cool to compare notes on the approaches we take for graphic layouts. If you wanna share your knowledge of camera skills when you build that up that would be awesome 😭😭

It’s been a tough few weeks, art wise. I have been reflecting on my process, motivations to create, the ego and all the baggage that’s lumped into the creative process for me. It turns out there’s a lot. I took some space from my illustration practise (literally for a weekend!) and began to realise how dysfunctional it is. I’ve been writing a lot about that so there may be a larger piece of writing coming about that at some point (no promises!!)

But for now, let's talk about little successes!

I’ve been playing with some characters for a while but I’d hit a bit of a block with the plot. I realised the expectation of having a finished project of high quality soon is unrealistic, and an unhealthy expectation to put on myself. I rarely give myself time to play with concepts for a long time and let the characters, plot and interactions evolve naturally. Maybe this in part came from sticking to the short university module turnaround. I noticed that that short turnaround was causing a lot of block, so I have decided to bench it as a comic for now and focus on using it as a playground - falling in love with the characters, creating stories and drawing them for fun. Maybe years down the line I’ll make them into a comic - we shall see! 

I *tried* to do hourly comics day this year and it didn’t quite work for me. I think I made 3 comics? And then got distracted with a bigger project that ended up taking a week or so to complete. Let’s have a look at it, shall we?

[you can find the full version here]

First of all, it’s based on an unfinished fanfiction I started a couple of months ago, which was mostly bad, but there was one nice scene that I liked and wanted to expand on. I started by having a look at the script I wrote and thumbnailing on the iPad. I’m away from home at the mo and usually would prefer to do most of my artwork traditionally, but because I don’t have access to a scanner, the whole process was digital this time. A lot of the pages got scrapped because the dialogue wasn’t necessary, and I’m not drawing pages that aren’t necessary.

some more development screenshots

I thought a lot about posing during the process, acting the scenes out in my mind and sometimes physically, really understanding the emotions of the characters, why they’re saying what they’re saying, their tone and how to convey that though their body language and expression (i find grian really annoying normally [affectionate] but I want this grian to step on me).

Pearl was hard with this because she’s quite erratic and unpredictable in this series, so I wanted her to switch from raw explodey anger to playful jabs at Grian. I’m hoping this comes across as somewhat insane, rather than tonally off and inconsistent. I did super enjoy drawing her and her explosive nature though, especially in comparison to Grian’s coldness.

I played with levels and monotone colour too - I’m not working with multiple colours much at the moment so I’m able to focus on things like values composition, characters and backgrounds. My skills limit the kind of stories I can tell currently, so I’m working to improve those foundations. Maybe when I’m back in the riso studio I can play with colours a little more.

Colours - despite the simple pallete it gets a bit nerdy here.I stuck to specific flat percentages for most of it - Pearl’s hair and Grians jumper are 60%, Grian’s hair and Pearl’s cloak are 20%. Then I added a 14% layer for shadows, using a ahrd blend eraser tool for highlights, making the images quite dark. I fill a layer with texture from Forystr’s riso brush for procreate, and turn it into a 40% opacity colour dodge layer. This gives it some much needed texture and makes the lighting feel low and nighttimecore. It also pushes the values to look really nice - I tend to be too scared to push them by myself.

I tried a few different colour layers to get a *vibe* but settled on a low percentage riso blue in a colour layer. All layers besides the riso blue are in a riso black, colour picked from a riso colour pallete. I learnt these tools - using percentages to get good values - from working with risograph. I really recommend having a look at these techniques and doing some monotone work. It's really improved by character designs, page layouts and compositions.

That's all from me today, though I have had MANY other thoughts over the past two weeks about creating, but perhaps we'll dive into them another time. If you (or anyone else) has any questions, hit me up with a reblog or an ask and I will get right to it. Lovely to hear from you! Hope your art is going great too :)) Arch :)

[willtheweaver]

Writerly queationaire

Thanks for the tag @paeliae-occasionally @the-golden-comet @the-letterbox-archives

Right, I’ll do my best to answer

About me

When did you first start writing?

It was when I was around 10-11ish. I have quite an imagination, and my childhood was full of inspirations (classic Disney, Studio Gibli, just to name the first two off the top of my head).

Are the genera/ themes you read different from the ones you write?

Not really. I like quite a few different genres.

Is there an author (or a fellow writer) you want to emulate, or one to whom you want to be compared?

No, or at least none to my knowledge.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)?( room, coffee shop, desk, etc?)

I write wherever I can. I also end up writing at odd hours, sometimes during the day, sometimes I could be writing in the middle of the night.

What’s your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Sometimes an idea comes into my head. When I need some more motivation, I read, watch a movie, do some art, or do some tag games. A change of scenery also helps get the juices flowing.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Not to the best of my knowledge. There may be some subconscious influence and inspiration that I don’t know about, but otherwise I forge my own path when writing.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

I don’t know what is says about me, but I’ve noticed quite a bit of ‘found family’, ‘fish out of water’, ‘complex characters’ come up.

My characters

Would you please tell me about your favorite character? (Current WIP, past WIP, never used, etc)

My current favorite would be Fen. He is such an interesting character to study and analyze.

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

Most of them to be honest. Any character beyond morally grey would not be pleasant to talk to. Speaking of which…

Which of your characters would you dislike the most in real life?

Almost all of my villains and antagonists. They can be nasty pieces of work, manipulative, whumpers, war-mongers, warped beyond all reasoning and saving, or a combination of the above.

Tell me about the process of coming up with one, all, or any of your characters.

On my…strap yourself in then.

When I start a story, I try and figure out the what. Sometimes I forgo this…my mind comes up with an interesting idea for a character through dreams (day, or sleeping), or if I’m doing art, I come up with an interesting looking character. If that’s the case, then I try to build a story around them. From there, I then come up with a cast to inhabit the story world. This task can be both easier and harder. Easier in the sense that I have already established some ground rules, and these define the world of the story and who lives in it. But then my mind sometimes comes up with a character that is too cool not to include, but it requires me doing some revisions. Then it is simply a matter of turning the foundations into something concrete.

Do you notice any themes/ traits about your characters?

Sometimes. I don’t really notice until the end, when the story is finished, and all the characteristics are set in stone.

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined/ as models/ actors that exist in real life/ as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc.)

Well, I mentioned I do artwork, so I’d imagine my characters like this:

My writing

What’s your reason for writing?

I have an idea, and I want to share it with the world. If it makes someone smile, that’s a good bonus.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

Words of encouragement and compliments.

How do you want to be thought of by those that read your work?(for example, as a literary genius, or as a writer who ‘gets’ the human condition, as a talented worldbuilder, or a role model, etc.)

As long as I’m thought of as someone who wrote a person’s favorite story, I don’t really care much about how I’m thought of. Anything else is icing on the cake, but I’ll be happy is at least one person likes what they read.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

My ability to worldbuild, intrigue readers with hints at my story’s history, and creating atmosphere and emotion.

What have you frequently been told your greatest writing strength is by others?

See above. I’ve also been told that my characters are intriguing and have backstories that make people want to give them a hug.

How do you feel about your writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question)

I consider myself to be a good writer. Defiantly not trash, certainly better than any AI. As it can be hard sometimes to write, any word that sticks is a victory.

If you were the last person on Earth, and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

I would. I need something to stay sane, and keep me entertained. My imagination would require me to keep putting some out, and who knows? Maybe extraterrestrials will find my work and like what I wrote.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

I don’t preach to the choir, so to speak. I write for my enjoyment, and are not influenced by trends. I’m also not afraid to include or discuss ‘heavy’ or ‘sensitive’ topics. Censorship and restrictions are my enemies, and I will not limit my writings, even if others disapprove . There are bound to be people out there who will find my work and love it.

Whew! That was fun.

Tagging @somethingclevermahogony @kaylinalexanderbooks @honeybewrites @tildeathiwillwrite @winglesswriter

@poethill @mysticstarlightduck @autism-purgatory @oh-no-another-idea @xenascribbles

@the-ellia-west @agirlandherquill @indecentpause and open tag

[kindofdraws]

So I needed a place to vent, and tumblr seemed to be the one.

I turned 25 last year, I’m turning 26 this one. I just moved out of my old apartment where I lived with my best friend. It’s been a bit chaotic but I’m finally settled in.

Work has been so draining I’m honestly just waiting for the eod to get high for the rest of the night. It’s been like that for months now.

I owe so much money to the bank, I hate myself. The constant threat of being fired doesn’t help with my anxiety.

I haven’t really been in the mood for drawing anything. It sucks that I’ve been so inconsistent with my art all throughout my 20’s because now I feel so behind.

Some friends want to go to the beach and of course I’m self conscious of being shirtless at 25 (Turns out body image issues don’t resolve on their own).

I’ve been mostly “skinny” my whole life. But since turning 18 (my first attempt at gaining) I’ve had some growth spurts that average to about 25 lbs (Not a lot but consider I’m 5’4). One when I started college and another during the pandemic. This gain was the most noticeable and the one that got the most comments.

The thing is that I didn’t even try or notice it myself, so someone pointing that out was very embarrassing (my parents can be very rude sometimes). It left me just teetering between skinny and chubby. So I can still call myself a twink and people will accept that.

I’m still considered thin, at least with a shirt on. But I know that being shirtless, or even wearing sleeveless shirt will start to get comments and I’m honestly not in a place where I can deal with that.

And It sucks because I see all of you gaining and being so happy. And I want that!! I’d love to be able to get the body I’ve always wanted without caring what people think. But I’m still not there yet and I don’t know what to do.

I’ve been idealized and put into this box of “twink” by my past relationships. One of my boyfriends used to tell me to stop eating so much so I wouldn’t gain weight. The other just loved that I looked so young and didn’t want me to look older (yes, he was older). And I think that caused some trauma because then whenever another relationship didn’t work, I thought it was because of my body. (Can someone think of the twinks??)

And so now that I’m feeling alone, my instinct is to try and loose weight, and get my skin better and its very frustrating, trying to keep with what I think will make people like me. Which is being thin and looking younger, two things that start to get difficult once you turn 25.

I’m terrible at writing and speaking about my feelings so excuse the word vomit. Also I’m really high on a brownie :)

I just hope things get better, and clearer. Maybe by the time I turn 30 I’ll be economically and emotionally stable enough to gain. (Thirty, flirty and thriving✨)

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

JEEEEEZ 34 emojis! THAT's 102 SENTENCES FUCK. I LOVE THIS! WHAT A CHALLENGE. let's gooooo. This will probably involve a line break and take us close to the end of the chapter.

---

He trods over to the fridge and raids it for anything easy to steal without making a mess. He misses Buck’s cooking. Well, he misses Bobby’s cooking the most. And, if he’s being honest, Abuela’s. But Buck’s is a very close third. He spots a collection of mason jars with overnight oats and fruit and snags one. Not exactly a home cooked meal, but he’s feeling ravenous. He grabs a spoon from the drawer and scarfs it down. 

He gives the empty mason jar and spoon a quick rinse, places them in the dishwasher, and hopes it’ll go unnoticed. He grabs a Gatorade out of the fridge and a few protein bars from the cupboards to take with him.Then, he takes a final look around the house. That’s when he notices it. Hanging in the living room. 

He’s not sure how he passed by it the first time. Maybe because he was so hungry and tired and hurting. But there it is.

In the same black frame on the wall where Eddie always kept Christopher’s school photos, is a new one. One he hasn’t seen before. Christopher’s hair is cut shorter. He’s wearing a short-sleeve burgundy button up. He has new glasses frames. He knows it hasn’t been that long, in the grand scheme of a person’s life, but Chris looks older. Like he has grown. Changed. His smile is a bit muted. Forced. 

“Oh, Chris,” Eddie exhales, reaching to hover a finger over the glass. 

Does he think Eddie is dead? Has he spent all this time believing that he’s an orphan? 

“I’m so sorry, son.”

Eddie can’t bring himself to look away from the picture. The only glimpse he has of Christopher as he is now. 

So Eddie does something risky. As risky as eating the oats, if he’s being honest. But just as sustaining. 

Carefully, he takes the frame off the wall. Flipping it over, he removes the back and slips the new photo out. The old one is still in there, slipped behind it. Eddie positions that one in the glass, refastens the back, and hangs the frame back on the wall. A smiley, younger Christopher sits in the place Eddie remembers him. 

Eddie holds the new photograph in his hands like it’s treasure. He traces the outline of Christopher’s face with his finger. 

“I’m going to get you back,” he promises the boy in the photo. 

Then, he slips the picture into the pocket of his sweater, walks back towards his - Buck’s - bedroom, and leaves the distorted funhouse reflection of the place he used to live. 

💧💧💧

“Fuck,” Buck hisses, rummaging through the center console of the Jeep in the parking lot after the service. 

“Language, honey,” Sophia deadpans. “Big brother might be listening.”

Buck spares a glance out the windshield to see a huddle of church ladies a few parking spaces over, chatting amongst themselves.

“Fuck,” he amends in a whisper. 

“What’s wrong?” Sophia asks.

“Notebook isn’t in here,” Buck grumbles. “Must’ve left it at the station.”

He keeps his notebooks meticulously. Not only does it help to have things to cross reference, but after months of practice, it’s started to feel like a form of meditation. 

“Hmm. You could type your diary entries in your phone,” Sophia suggests. Sometimes she is so much like Eddie it hurts. The way she can poke fun at him and sound concerned at the same time is truly a Diaz art. 

“Don’t want it digital,” Buck replies. “What if my account got hacked?”

He’s not trusting Eddie’s life, or any of the information he learns at these things, to Google Keep or Apple Notes. 

Sophia gives him a sad look.

“You know who you sound like?”

Buck sighs.

Fuck. 

The thing they have most in common, the source of their mutual love, also hurts so damn much some days. On her mind constantly, the way it is his. Maybe Christopher coming home will give them something happier to share. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Buck replies. He taps his temple. “I’ll just have to keep it all up here.”

“Steel trap,” Sophia teases. 

“Titanium, actually.”

She rolls her eyes. 

Buck drives them home. The moment they’re out of sight of the church, he pulls the tie off from around his neck and tosses it in the backseat. He itches at the skin of his throat, careful to avoid the scar tissue bite marks Eddie left behind. 

“We won’t be able to come as much soon,” Sophia exhales. “Can’t say I’ll miss it.”

“Really? I was thinking of showing up next time with a bi pride flag and showing all my tattoos.” 

“Oh, Percy hates tattoos,” Sophia chides. 

“Nah, I think he’s probably got, like, a Jesus fish one or something.”

She snorts. “Top secret information.”

“But, yeah, we’ll have to figure it out with Chris,” Buck agrees. “He’s old enough to be home alone for a few hours.”

“As long as he doesn’t tell anyone,” Sophia agrees. 

“I don’t think he’d tell your parents.” Buck frowns at the thought. “He’s… Unhappy with them, to say the least.”

“He’s still close with Adri,” Sophia whispers. 

Sophia misses her sister. Badly. Adriana isn’t talking to her more than a few words here or there. She doesn’t understand Sophia’s choices. She’s much younger than Eddie and Sophia, and the closest of the three of their parents. According to Sophia, it wasn’t always like that. She used to be the golden child. Now Adri is the only one who hasn’t disappointed them, Sophia explained once.  

“We’ll explain to him,” Buck insists. 

Sophia nods.

---

THIS WAS 930 WORDS