#maybe swings by the apartment to get the Sultry Outfit

[faith-thee-slayer]

In your opinion, what are Faith's best looks over the run of BtVS/AtS?

anon i am SO glad you asked this, because i was already thinking about making a compilation post of her best looks. it took me a while since i had to go thru every single appearance of hers so i didn't forget an outfit...

here are my favorite Faith outfits, loosely in order starting with most favorite:

the RED SHIRT. i will never cease to be floored by how well she pulled it off. very much giving HAEBILF (homoerotic angry evil bestie i'd like to fuck).

the amends outfit!! the "girlfriend visiting her gf's parents for the first time" outfit!! i love soft lighter colors on her, especially light blue. the tan jacket slays every time it makes an appearance.

this denim jacket + lace black top + choker... super underrated look i think, considering we only saw it in this scene and the scene where she tries to get angel to shoot her.

my god, this look. she showed up -> served cunt -> killed a man -> left

this is almost like a companion to her amends outfit. obsessed with how comfy and cute she looks

the tan jacket!! i hope she got a new one, this one's probably at the bottom of sunnydale... this outfit looks cute without the jacket too, just the simple red tank + blue jeans combo.

the partial turtleneck + black denim jacket combo. i feel like this is another underrated one.

she should've worn this more... yup

honorable mentions: orange tie-dye top from the graduation day dream; all black tank top + jeans she has on when buffy confronts her in sanctuary (the brown jacket she wears with it is cute too); denim jacket + dark red top from dirty girls (the scene where she's smoking with spike and she removes her jacket while stretching... YEAH); homecoming dress; sheer longsleeve top + leather pants she wears while angel has her chained up in consequences (both hair up and hair down deliver two similar but unique vibes for the look); white longsleeve and black vest from That Patrol in bad girls; blue longsleeve in empty places; and last but certainly not least, the "i was shooting for sultry, but hey" bombshell look from this year's girl.

thank you so much for this ask, this was fun!!

[muwapsturniolo]

✯𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐱 3✯

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐰𝐚𝐩𝐆𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐢 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛

IN WHICH… Matt and Chris Sturniolo are just two inexperienced losers.

𝐂𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞

WARNINGS: NSFW CONTENT AHEAD! mentions of camming, blowjobs, spit, little bit of sub!matt. that's all i think of let me know if i forgot something.

MPT1, GPT1, MPT2, GPT2,

"Can’t wait to see you again, maybe this time you won’t be as shy and you will actually look at me 💕"

Matt has been staring at those word for what seems like days, but in reality was really 30 minutes. He didn't know if he wanted to jump in excitement, or crawl into a hole and never come out.

He knew she caught a glimpse of his face in the diner, however, he didn't think she would recognize him and choose him as the winner. Part of him was hoping that she got too many submissions and would miss his, finding someone better than him.

There had to have been someone better than him. After all, he was nothing but a virgin who kept his head in books and the occasional video game. He wasn't experienced in her extracurricular activities.

So why did she pick hi-Mika.

Mika must have been with Y/n when going through the submissions and noticed Matt, thus being the reason he was picked.

Mika probably thinks he's some kind of freak for watching her best friend's streams. They were probably laughing at him right now, Mika going on to tell Y/n all about how they had to teach him how to take a picture of his dick.

He's mortified.

His phone ringing pulls him out of his thoughts, he glances over and his heart drops seeing the contact name.

Mika

Is she calling to make fun of him? To call him a perv for entering in a contest to win a date with a cam girl?

He shakily answers the call and places it on speaker, his voice cracking.

"H-hello?''

"Matt we need your help!"

We?

"With wh-So I'm at my friend's place and her camera is acting stupid! I know you are majoring in film so I was wondering if you could come over and help?"

He debates on helping, not really wanting to face Mika and the sheer embarrassment that she knows about the contest. "I-I don't know Mika I'm pre-Please Matt? I really need my camera fixed."

An all too familiar voice flows through the phone making Matt tense.

The voice was a bit higher pitched, the words whiny, but also sultry.

Y/n

He swallows harshly as he begins to sweat, he wasn't expecting to hear her voice at all. "Please Matt? I'll pay you."

Her words have an underlying tone that makes Matt all the more nervous.

"I- Ok...Yeah, I'll come help." He looks at himself in the mirror and grimaces at his outfit and hair. He had just gotten out of the shower not too long ago, his hair still partially wet and his pajamas on.

"Perfect! I'll have Mika send you the address! bye, pretty boy!"

Matt feels his face warm at the nickname, loving how it made him feel.

His phone lights up with text stating the address and his eyes widen.

They live in the same apartment building.

How did he never notice they lived in the same building? he's on the third floor and she's on the fourth, he should have noticed. How have they never run into each other?

He chooses not to dwell too much on it, and rushes out of his apartment, heading right towards the elevator.

He arrives at the door and shakily raises his hand, knocking on the wooden frame. Not even a second later it swings open, Mika standing in front of him.

He quickly notices the girl behind her, dressed in a pair of skimpy blue shorts and a matching tube top. It’s something about the brown girl in blue that does something to him.

Y/n catches him staring and smirks to herself, purposely crossing her arms so her boobs are pushed up. “Matt?” He snaps out of his trance and looks back to Mika

"S-sorry, what did you say?"

Mika rolls her eyes and pulls him inside, slamming the door in the process. "OK so I have to run and grab the food we ordered, I shouldn't be long. You two get the camera fixed." Mika quickly exits the apartment, leaving the two alone.

Y/n smirks as Matt refuses to look at her, his finger twitching as he becomes antsy. She takes a few steps until she's right in front of him, "You ok Matt? You look a bit sick."

'I-I'm fine-" He clears his throat and finally looks up, making brief eye contact before looking around the apartment. "-where's the camera?" He completely ignores her question, just wanting to fix the camera. the quicker he finishes his job, the quicker he can leave and be able to breathe properly.

She motions toward the hallway, a mischievous glint in her eye,

"my bedroom."

His mouth runs dry as she grabs his hand, guiding him to the bedroom he's seen multiple times through a screen. Y/n looks back at him and giggles, "What you've never been in a girl's bedroom before?'' Her question makes him blush, his hair falling in his face as he looks down. He quickly walks over to the bed, grabbing the camera. He looks over it, trying to see exactly what the problem is. He doesn't find anything so he averts his gaze to Y/n who's already looking at him.

"Um, what exactly is wrong with it?"

"It's not focusing and every time we take a picture, it doesn't save." Her words are whiny, a sense of urgency in her voice. He hums and looks back at the camera, turning it on and trying to see what she's talking about. He raises it up and focuses on a random doll on her nightstand. As she watches Matt get distracted by the camera, she takes the time to look him up and down.

She figures he just got out of the shower, seeing that his hair is wet and dripping onto his pink shirt. His sweatpants hang low on his waist, showing the band of his boxers.

He looks good.

“Are you going to accept the date.”

Her words make Matt fumble with the camera and drop it on the bed. She giggles and takes a step closer to him, her sweet perfume making its way through his nostrils and invading his senses.

“W-what?”

“The date Matt, are you going to accept?”

He swallows harshly, wiping his sweaty palms on his sweatpants. “I-I don’t know.”

She frowns at his answer, she was expecting him to say yes. Matt notices the look on her face and begins to panic, “n-not that I don’t want to! You’re great! I-I’m just n-nervous…”

“About what?”

“You..”

Y/n tilts her head to the side.

He’s nervous about her?

“Me? Why are you nervous about me?” She watches as he looks everywhere but at her, even going as far as taking a step back. She smiles and takes a step towards him, watching as he swallows harshly.

She delicately trails her hand over his tattooed arm, allowing her nails to gently scratch over the black ink. "Are you nervous right now?" She looks up at him, enjoying the anxious look on his face.

"Y-Y no..." He lies softly. The girl hums and cocks her head to the side, "You sure? You seem really nervous. Maybe I could help you with that." She gently pushes him down on the bed, immediately dropping to her knees. Matt quickly adjusts his glasses and looks down at her with wide eyes.

If it wasn't already, his heart was definitely pounding out of his chest. He feels his mouth run dry as she places her hands on his thighs, rubbing over his sweatpants slowly. She chuckles under her breath as she watches the tent rise in front of her, "Someone excited."

She slowly inches her hands toward the tent, pulling it away at the last minute. "You know, I really enjoyed your video Matt."

"Y-you did?" He curses as his voice cracks, the tension in the room making him shake slightly.

"Mhm, I loved the setup you had, I loved the way you pulled your sweats down and started to tease yourself slowly, building up your release. I loved the way you moaned and whimpered my name, begging your mommy, to let you cum. I didn't take you as a mommy kink person."

Matt is breathing harshly at this point, nothing but dirty thoughts that have his face turning red intruding his mind. He doesn't understand how Y/n manages to look so innocent when she's on her knees in front of him and talking about him masturbating.

" But you want to know what I really loved?"

He sucks in a sharp breath when she finally lays her hand on his tent, palming him gently.

"How big you were. You should have seen how wet I got when I saw it. I imagined how it felt in me, the way it would slip in so easily. The thoughts became so intense I ended up playing with myself." she admits without a care in the world. She was a sucker for dirty talk, the erotic words always going straight to her core as her brain managed to develop the images as if she was in a dark room with a Polaroid.

She could tell the titillating words were getting to him as well, him now sitting there nonverbal and only breathing raggedly.

"Can I see?" She asks in faux innocence, her hand still moving against his tent at an agonizingly slow pace.

He wants to say yes so bad, he would be an absolute fucking dumbass not to, but he's worried about Mika walking through the door and catching them. Y/n notices the way his eyes frantically switch between her and the door, finding it amusing that he's worried about being caught.

"Don't worry about Mika. Let me help you relax," her hands go toward the knot on his sweats, taking her time untying them before pulling them down gently.

He's wearing a pair of blue boxers that happen to sheer against his growing bulge, a dark spot sitting where his tip lays from precum. She lays her head on his thigh, beginning to palm over him once again before circling the nail of her index finger against the covered tip. Matt bites his lip in trepidation, his skin getting hot as she teases him.

He whimpers as she plants feather-like kisses on his tip through the cotton material, her tongue darting out and licking a fat strip over the tent not long after.

She's going to be the death of him, he's sure of it.

Before he knows it, her fingers are hooked into the waistband of his boxers and they are being pulled down, his cock swinging up and hitting him in his abdomen.

Just like the other night, Y/n can feel her mouth watering and an ache forming in between her legs.

It's even more appealing in person.

She wraps her hand around the base and moves closer, planting a small kiss on his tip. She looks up at Matt and maintains eye-contact as she gathers a bunch of spit in her mouth, soon opening the orifice and sticking her tongue out.

Matt flinches as the warm saliva drips onto his tip, his fingers twitching at the sensation of it running down the side of his aching cock.

She uses the spit as a natural lube and begins to move her hand up and down, making sure to work him slowly so he won't cum fast. She plans on dragging this out as long as she could.

Matt's eyes flutter shut, his teeth digging into his bottom lip harshly as he holds back a moan. This was a whole new experience for him, only having started masturbating a few months ago. He was used to his own hand, and setting his own pace, but this?

This was a feeling that he knew he would chase till the end of time.

Her hand feels completely different from his, the skin a bit softer as well as the touch. Her movements were fluid, yet staggered at the same time.

He wouldn't trade it for the world.

His eyes snap open feeling her lips suddenly engulf his tip. He lets a low groan escape his throat as her tongue swirls around the red mushroom top.

She hums, watching as the vibrations make him shiver. It's not long before she decides to take him fully in her mouth, hallowing out her cheeks. Matt lets out a choked gasp at the unfamiliar feeling.

"Oh fu-ck!" His hands have an iron grip on the pink duvet as she proceeds to bob her head up and down. He doesn't know what to focus on.

Does he focus on her mouth and hallowed out cheeks? Or does he focus on the way her tongue is gliding against the side of his dick?

He truly doesn't know considering his mind is all over the place, the only thing he can focus on being this newfound pleasure.

The lewd slurping sounds along with Matt's moans and whimpers bouncing off the walls drive Y/n even more. She keeps her eyes trained on Matt as she takes him all the way down her throat, watching him close his eyes and throw his head back. His moans go straight to her core, but she does nothing about it, her only goal as of right now is to give Matt the best head of his life.

And she's doing just that.

She speeds up her motion of bobbing, enjoying watching him crumble above her.

Matt feels like the soul is being sucked out of him, quite literally. His breathing speeds up and his knuckles remain a sickly white as his stomach begins to cave in on itself.

"Shit I'm close- Oh fuck please!" He begs, unintentionally bucking his hips further into her mouth.

She hums once again, making Matt damn near cry as the vibrations send him over the edge.

His head falls forward, his jaw dropping as his eyes close. Y/n keeps bobbing her head, moaning as she begins to taste the semi-salty liquid coating her taste buds.

Matt whimpers as she proceeds to suck him off, the overstimulation quickly becoming too much. His thighs begin to shake and he finally speaks, "s'too much!"

Y/n slowly stops bobbing her head and pulls away from him with a pop, a thin string of spit and cum attaching itself to his cock and her lips.

Matt swallows harshly and pants as he lifts his head, watching with hazy eyes as Y/n licks her lips.

"You look more relaxed now," she teases, a sly smile making its way on to her face as she manages to still look at him innocently.

Before either of them could say anything else, they hear the front door only a few feet away swing open.

"I'm back and I got Chinese food!"

Y/n quickly stands to her feet as Matt hastily grabs at his boxers and pants, the two trying to put themselves together quickly. Just as the two manage to look presentable, Mika walks into the room.

"Sorry it took me so long, they fucked up the original order and they had to remake it, but they let me keep the fucked up one so now we have double the food!" Y/n nods, trying to act completely normal.

"Matt why are you so red?" Mika asks looking at the boy who is in fact red in the face. "i-it's just hot..." He attempts to lie, hoping Mika will just drop it. Fortunately for him, the girl does in fact drop it, too hungry to care.

"Ok well lets eat. Matt you want to stay? We have more than enough food." Matt freezes at the offer.

He would like to stay, but he doesn't know if he physically could. He just got the blowjob of his life from the girl of his dreams, he doesn't know if he would be mentally able to sit and eat with her.

He would probably combust.

"yeah, Matt stay! " Y/n begs, that mischievous glint returning in her eyes.

"I-ok," he gives in easily, finding it hard to say no to the girl and her puppy dog eyes. She smiles and grabs his hand, leading him to the kitchen. They stop in front of her fridge and she swings the door open, bending over directly in front of him.

Matts eyes widen feeling her ass rub against him, "what do you want to drink?" She asks as if she's not teasing.

She's going to be the death of him.

alright, i finally gave yall pt 3😭 this was supposed to only be three parts but i feel bad for posting without @guccifrog so when pookie comes back imma give yall a pt 4💀 i hope yall enjoy

𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 🍑: @mattslolita @thenickgirl @guccifrog @luverboychris @zayyluvz @mrsmiagreer @chrisssluttywaist @78yaz @hoesformatt @freshloveforthefit @3lizaluvs @mattsturniolosgirlfriend @jetaimevous @luxy-nyx @ts-is-my-spirt-animal @iihrtsturniol0 @idontexistman @katw4shereee @madisturn @starlace111 @zivall @adoreindie @imwetforyourmom @sturnsxplr-25 @sturncakez @theyluvme-2315 @moonk1ss3d

special tags: @lovetriplets @summerssover @m0r94n @certifiednatelover @mattsturniololoverr @luvulots @nena1256

[dsmutp]

Hi again. I don’t know if you do requests but I have one for a c!quackity x !reader. Quackity hired y/n to run a casino and she did so well he gave her some……time together. Anyway. If you don’t take requests this is just an idea ok byeee (I was listening to ‘greedy’ by or3o and that idea popped into my head…ok byeee)

love that song bro, solid choice

Greedy (C!Quackity X Reader)

When Quackity had asked you to come work at his casino, you had jumped at the opportunity.

With the amount of border changes, countries rising and falling, and just plain out wars, it was hard to keep a stable source of income - much less a secure place to live. You had been hearing about Quackity's latest project through the grapevine for a while - and it seemed pretty legit - so it was needless to say that you were happy he had thought to reach out.

You were going from living paycheck to paycheck to a full salary with loads of benefits. You would get a place in Las Nevadas all to yourself, free access to any of the attractions... hell, he was even offering you dental. The only downside was the job itself.

You really didn't want to be working the stripper pole.

It wasn't the physical activity that was off-putting (you were more than capable of swinging yourself around for a couple hours - long nights on the battlefield had you in top physical condition). It was the showing off that made you hesitant at first. You weren't quite used to tight glittery outfits and sexy dance routines... and you weren't sure you would be any good, seeing how nervous you were.

Or at least you had thought.

Turns out, you were a natural.

Maybe it was because most of the patrons of the casino were people you knew (it was much easier to shake your ass in front of Sapnap and Punz than complete strangers), or maybe it was because of the drinks that people kept buying you, but a few hours into your shift, you were spinning around the pole like you owned the place.

You slid down to the floor of the stage, kneeling so that you were right in front of HBomb. He wolf whistled as you leaned forward, snatching his drink off the stage where he had set it down and pouring the rest of it down your throat. Giving him a sultry smile, you handed back the empty glass.

HBomb took it from you, setting it back down to lean on the stage again, face to face with you. "What's somebody like you doing in a place like this, huh?" He asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.

"Just trying to make ends meet." You replied, returning the joking energy. "Did you know he offered me dental for this job?"

HBomb's eyebrows lifted. "You don't say." He mused, setting a hand down slightly overtop yours and running his fingertips along your knuckles. "You wouldn't happen to be busy... at the moment, would you?"

You were about to reply when you felt eyes on you, and instead you turned, peering through the semi-darkness of the casino around you. On the other end of the stage, Quackity leaned against the wall of the casino, a cigarette dangling between his lips as he stared you down.

It was obvious that he wanted something.

Leaning back onto your heels you simpered as HBomb. "Sorry H, I'm working." You said, wrapping your hands around the pole and pulling yourself back up to your feet. "Maybe another time."

You took another turn around the pole before you slid off the stage, making your way towards Quackity. A haze of cigarette smoke hovered around his head, and he let out another puff of smoke as you came to a stop beside him, joining him in leaning against the wall.

He hummed, holding out the cigarette to you. "Want a drag?"

"Sure." You took it from him, bringing it to your lips and inhaling, letting the smoke fill your lungs. Exhaling, you handed it back to him and watched as he did the same.

"You're doing pretty well up there. Especially for your first night."

"Thanks boss." You grinned. "It's not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be."

Quackity cracked a grin as well. "You're a natural - everybody's eyes have been on you all night."

"Everyones?" You needled, taking the cigarette back from him to steal another puff.

Quackity rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."

"No shame in it." You pressed on, handing the cigarette back to him. "If it makes you feel any better, I think you're plenty sexy too."

Quackity tucked the cigarette back between his lips, sighing exasperatedly. "Do you mind if I grab you after your shift?" He asked. "I wanted to talk about those benefits."

---

Which is how you found yourself riding Quackity in one of the leather armchairs scattered around the casino after he had closed down for the night, panting as he bucked his hips up into yours.

You hadn't thought for a minute that he'd actually wanted to talk about work benefits - of course not. But this wasn't exactly what you'd pictured either.

For one, you hadn't actually thought he'd be good.

But here he was, one hand gripping your hip so hard you thought it might bruise, and the other slung over the back of the chair, holding on as he met every roll of your hips with a thrust of his own, sending little shocks of pleasure through you each time your skin met.

You reached forward to fist a hand in his hair, bringing his mouth to yours to press your lips together in a wet kiss. Quackity reciprocated eagerly, sliding his tongue into your mouth as soon as you brought your lips together.

When you broke apart, he didn't go far, nosing at the side of your neck. It wasn't too long before you felt the sting of a love bite, and you gasped out at the feeling. "Don't- people are going to think I'm a whore-"

"Good." Quackity said, leaving another mark even higher up your neck. "That's what I hired you for."

Pulling his head away from your neck, you pushed him back into the chair, leaning down to return the favor and litter little marks across his collarbones. He didn't seem to mind though, taking the opportunity to reach down behind you and grab a handful of your ass, squeezing.

You shifted, resting your arms on the back of the chair and just taking a moment to look down at the man beneath you. Quackity was completely relaxed - eyes half-lidded and fixed on the point where your skin met his, watching you bounce up and down on his cock as he thrusted up to meet you each time. He looked like a king lounging on a throne.

The sight was enough to make you come, your orgasm shuddering through you.

"Oh fuck-"

It was only a few seconds before Quackity was following you over the edge, curling forward to press his face into your shoulder. You sunk back into the chair together in a boneless heap, a slight sheen of sweat on your skin as you took a moment to just catch your breath, feeling Quackity's chest rise and fall underneath your own.

It was you who broke the moment of silence. "So, is that going to be part of my work benefits?"

Quackity carded a hand through his hair, a slow grin stretching over his face. "Well would you rather have that or dental?"

[moonchildsaurora]

Darling, Dance for Me?

✤ sniper!San x female exotic dancer!reader ✤ genre: Mafia AU // 30% fluff, 60% spice, 10% platonic flirting with Woo  ✤ t/w: mentions of guns/shooting, mentions of alcohol, mature clubbing themes, highly suggestive in the second half (but not smut), rated M  ✤ count: 2k+

a/n - this was suppose to be for Valentine’s Day but, oh well! Enjoy some spice with one pink haired Sannie, coz we all know even though he looks soft. . . .he’s just a devil in disguise. This is probs my most suggestive writing till date as well, it was fun and am looking forward to writing more spice in the future hehet 💙

✛ play these vibes: BOBBY - ‘DeViL’, Sunmi - ‘Black Pearl’, Kai - ‘Mmmh’ ✛

“Mother told me, never to dance with the devil, So I danced for him instead.”

Cherry rouge.

Not your usual go-to, but a special occasion calls for some special exceptions. And damn did you look like fine wine tonight. Giving your styled curls another spritz of hair spray, you took one last inspection in your vanity mirror.  

Work was throwing a Valentine’s event and thus you found yourself having to dig through the back of your wardrobe to find a suitable outfit for tonight. Bold burgundy lace hugged tightly around your body replacing the mellower neutral tones you’d wear on any other night. Your roommate had even shoved a pair of thigh highs and heels on you to match the garter.

And cherry lips to bring the whole look together.

“You’ll thank me later! Hell everyone in the club would, for presenting god’s gift to them!”

You had laughed at her supportive enthusiasm, waving her away with embarrassment though you greatly appreciated the pre-shift hype.

When you headed for the kitchen, you could hear the TV in the lounge and glanced to see your roommate watching the evening news. She turned to call out for you but stopped mid-way upon realising you were already out of your room.

“Damn girl…you’ll sure be breaking hearts tonight with that fit!!” she yelled-gasped, brows waggling for a cheeky added effect.

“Well that’s no good. Dancers are supposed to be Cupids of the night, maybe they should’ve given me Aphrodite instead.”

A smile tugged on your lips as you saw your roommate falling back on the sofa snickering. Grabbing the bottle of Ten to One from what you both named ‘The Life Juice’ shelf, you started to fill your rose gold hip flask with the white rum. The debonair bartender at the club would usually be more than happy to concoct you a cup of much-needed poison to get you through the night. However, on such a busy event, you might not even have time to swing by the bar – so plan B was in order.

Also, whoever thought to invent garter pouches was a genius in your eyes. The amount of times you had snuck in a sip or two up on the podium without missing a beat or being noticed had to be one of your greatest feat till date.

Except maybe for the one who bought said pouch and flask for you. Seeing the shadow of their pleased smirk whenever you donned on something from them never failed to coax the goosebumps across your skin. Perhaps that garnet embellished choker would be the icing on the cake then. You made a mental note to put that on before you headed out.

“Hey honey…”

The tone of your roommate turned a little more serious.

“On the news just then, another one of those random sniper attacks happened along Soleil Street. Shit, that’s only two streets away from the club.”

The city has gotten used to such news every now and then. All leads of the serial sniper always went cold, not that they left behind any substantial traces for the authorities to begin with.

The law wasn’t the only ruling force in the area. Everyone knew that.

So long as one didn’t attract the wrong attention, they’d be free to go about their business.

“I’m dropping you off, are you ready to go?”

“Wait! It’s alright, I don’t want to trouble you.”

Your roommate gave you a look before swiping her car keys from the counter. “What would trouble me is not knowing whether you’ve made it to work and back safely. Now c’mon, the night is awaiting that cute booty of yours!”

“Yes mum.”

How lucky were you to have an angel for a roommate?

“Give me a heads up if you intend to bring anyone home tonight yeah? I’ll be sure to vacate the apartment before any sinning begins here.”

Or not.

A euphoric buzz filled every corner of the club tonight. Whether it was due to the special occasion or not, everyone was getting drunk off the atmosphere. The bar was a never-ending fountain of liquid luck and smoke veiled corners of the venue where patrons dealt cards and wits. A sea of bodies dominated the dancefloor, curling around one another in ecstasy as the thumping bass set the rhythm for them.

The centre podium was where the real magic unfurled.

Up on there, you felt powerful. Up on there, was your domain to rule.

Long have you enticed all those who returned back to ‘The Blue Butterfly’. So close, yet so far, for most could only have the visual satisfaction. Of watching you, along with your fellow dancers weave around golden poles and offer hands to those who sat in plush velvet chairs closest to the podium. Only to sashay away the last minute.

How bees are drawn to nectar and moths to light, the people keep coming back.

Tonight the club was decked out in a more sensual feel to fit the Valentine’s vibe. Long drapes of rose silk hung around the podium and you used those to accentuate the flow and movement of your body curves. The silks caressed the bare skin not hidden underneath your outfit and you pretended to take shy peeks around the fabrics at the audience. Sending a lucky wink or flying kiss their way.

In the middle of a mid-air twirl, you saw a familiar figure heading towards your side of the podium. You slowly lowered yourself back down to the floor, using your legs to wrap around the silks as leverage. Not missing the opportunity to be playful – you mimed shooting an arrow towards the club’s top croupier.

Wooyoung instantly clutched his heart with his hand that wasn’t occupied with holding one of Mingi’s own cocktail infusion. Letting out a hearty giggle, you slid over the podium floors to the edge where Wooyoung had propped himself up on.

“Don’t you look simply irresistible?” he crooned at you.

You could’ve said the exact same for him. All fitted to a tee in Givenchy with a classic choker that demanded attention for prominent collarbones.

“Now, how may I be of service to you tonight handsome?” you spoke over the music.

The youthful charmer leaned in towards you, shaking dark wavy strands out of his eyes. Eyeing his cotton candy pink drink, you ducked your head and took a few sips from the straw before Wooyoung drew it away. It tasted vaguely like pink lemonade with hints of vodka and vanilla.

“Ah ah, this isn’t for you poppet. Besides…” he tipped your chin back up with two fingers, “…wouldn’t want to waste your appetite before your main course tonight, would we?”

That made you perk right up.

“V.I.P Room Aurora has kindly requested for you. Drinks have already been sent up and the room’s been booked for the whole night.”

Not that booking was really needed since it was your room. It was just for formality.  

Wooyoung helped you off the podium and smoothly guided you through the crowd, placing you in front of him so as to avoid being grabbed by uninvited hands from behind. You both stopped at the foot of the polished glass stairs that led up to the V.I.P guest rooms.

“Off you go now! Oh and try not to make too much of a mess for our cleaners, they really ought to get a pay rise from some of the things they’ve witnessed in those rooms.”

You would’ve kicked Wooyoung for his brazen tongue, but you did well to remind yourself that would be rather impudent on your part. Whilst you have a jovial bond with him, it still doesn’t erase his high-standing status within the inner circle. You knew better than to cross that line of respect.

“Won’t make any promises I can’t keep, Jung!”

You left him with a soft pat on his cheek and ascended towards your utopia that awaited.

Swinging the golden embossed doors open, sultry melodious tune of a saxophone greeted you. Like molten dark chocolate, it was rich and tantalizing. The crystalline blue hue of the room’s lighting was fitting for the slow jazzy blues.

A spacious circular sofa curved around a glass table in the centre, providing a perfect view of the bejewelled podium. The wide one-way windows were especially designed for privacy. You could spectate over almost the whole club below, something you quite enjoyed during your breaks. The countless types of people that you observed stepping into your world; from the timid newcomers to the seasoned hedonists and the stories they brought with them of their journey to ‘The Blue Butterfly’.

But there was no time for that tonight. Not when you see broad sculptured shoulders that your hands have meticulously memorised the planes of – right in front of you.  

Still clad in his all-black incognito leather fit, you couldn’t help but stay by the door to appreciate his form. A huge bouquet of ivory and deep red roses sat on the glass table with an open box of what you suspected were chocolates inside. A loud pop of the champagne bottle went off. You bit your lips when you saw his toned arms flex as he gripped the bottle in one hand and tipped a stream of golden bubbles into two flute glasses in the other.

As the music picked up, you decided it was time to make your presence known. Walking with confident steps over the velveteen carpet you went to wrap your arms around his cinched waist. Resting your cheek on the cool leather vest of his back, you took his scent in.

Smoke and city musk lingered around.

You figured he must’ve come straight from his assignment. What better reason to use than to spoil him extra as post-work relaxation? His hand came up to wrap around yours and you felt the dancing of lips leaving petal kisses across your knuckles.

“You stink…” you mumbled lightly against his back.

San let out a low chuckle before setting the champagne bottle down and turning around to snake both arms around you. Calloused hands from the years of gripping guns instead of supple flesh imprinted their warm touch into your skin.

“Oh? Then I’m sure you won’t mind helping me freshen up, right Princess?”

“San!” you squealed when you felt him deliberately rub sweat against your neck before attacking it with more love bites.

“You taste like sweet temptation.”

You arched your neck out of habit when you felt his tongue swipe across it. Teeth bit down lightly around the garnet choker San bought for you for Christmas.

When you felt hands travelling down west towards your garter, you gave San a light shove backwards to the sofa.

“Not so fast, Choi.”

His predatory feline eyes took its time to rake down your body, committing every inch to memory. You made a show of bending over to grab the two champagne flutes off the table, the sharp intake of breath behind you made you preen with pride. You took your seat on your throne, not at all surprised to feel how much pent-up tension San had through the tight leather.

Clink. A toast made for the love of two.

“Happy Valentine’s, darling.”

“Thank you, San. You sure know how to spoil a lady don’t you?”

“Only the one who’s sniped right through my heart.”

Oh the irony.

You smiled when he pulled you close and claimed a proper kiss, whispering a, “You sap,” against his wind-chapped lips. Tasting the fruit acidity from the golden bubbles as you both exchanged kitten licks.

San’s rouge-stained lips chased after yours when you broke off from the kiss to place your champagne flute back down on the table. Hands anchoring your hips in place as you reached to pluck a couverture chocolate-covered strawberry from the box. Turning back round to San, your lips formed a small pout noticing that his freshly dyed hair was still hidden underneath his cap.

He let you discard it behind the sofa and you could’ve sworn he purred with satisfaction when you ran your hands through his cotton candy pink strands. Hands gave your bottom a firm squeeze and San begun to run his fingers along the hem of your lace. The husky vocals from the record player drifted back, interlacing with the saxophone.

That was your cue.

“Eyes on me.”

You held San’s gaze, fire reflecting fire. The strawberry gets slipped past the seams of his lips and all the while San chews intently, his eyes never wavered. He’s got his precious pearl all to himself, just the way he loves it. And you have the city’s most lethal hitman watching your back from dawn to dusk. San was the dangerous game you played, only to win the safest love.    

“Darling, won’t you please dance for me?”

“With pleasure, Sir.”

[existslikepristin]

What A... Bummer

Desc: The fic that (sort of) started it all. Sorry for the funky formatting, as this was mostly just copy/pasted from Discord, where I ran the polls. You may also find it here if you prefer AFF: https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1462191/what-a-bummer-aka-i-m-so-sorry

Tags: TheLounge, Gfriend, Eunha, Yerin, maleOC"you", mostly butt things, angry bunny, vote story, backlog story

~~~~~

You knock on the dressing room door. Just inside is your Gfriend... as in "good friend" Eunha. Today is a very exciting day, and it's been a long time coming. She released her first solo album at midnight and she was at the first show where she would perform it live in front of a camera.

The two of you have been close... "good friends," as they say, for a while now. And you managed to convince security to let you in so you could give her a gift before she goes on stage. After all, you're proud of her accomplishment!

You hear shuffling inside the room and know she's on her way over. You really hope she likes the present!

What was the present again?

Options: 1. Champagne, baby! You got the expensive stuff! 2. A basket of healthy fruits! You're wholesome as fuck! 3. Your buddy Yerin! Can't celebrate without a good laugh! 4. (Picked:) A buttplug?! Who the fuck do you think you are?

~~~~~

You hold the box behind yourself as the door opens. Just inside is your buddy Eunha, all by herself. Not a surprise since you saw her manager downstairs earlier.

And she looks awesome. Her hair is cut short again, just to her jawline, but instead of curling in like her normal bob, it flares out at the bottom. She's got on a white shirt, cut low enough to just tease at her cleavage (even though you happen to know she's hardly got any cleavage without the pushup). Below she's wearing a super short black skirt, with a slit on one side that nearly reaches her hip bone, but her safety shorts hide the real goods. You know she has some tall black heels for this outfit since you were there when her stylist picked them out, but she's barefoot for now, nails on her fingers and toes painted all black.

She shouts happily and jumps up to wrap her arms around you as soon as she sees you. You barely manage to keep her from dragging you down to the floor, putting your arms around her too. "You came!"

"Of course I did!" you shout, "Congratulations!"

The top of her head barely reaches your chin while she's on her toes. She nuzzles her head into your neck. Her hair dresser would flip her shit, but it's okay if it's just for a second, right?

She suddenly grabs the box from your hand. The sly little idol.

"Yerin told me you were bringing me a present. I thought she might be lying, but..."

Eunha tears the wrapping off the box. You'd be a little offended, but you did the same thing to the last birthday gift she got you.

"Now... what am I supposed to do with this thing?"

Eunha holds up the butt plug. You grin, recognizing the excellence of the thing. Stainless steel, polished like a mirror, a bright red gemstone embedded into it (and yeah, you got a real gem for it), and big. Real big.

Options: 1. (Picked:) "You keep it inside you, once I help put it there." 2. "WOAH. That's not what I thought it was, I swear! Yerin tricked me!" 3. "How the fuck should I know?"

~~~~~

"What are you supposed to do with it?" you ask as you take a couple steps forward.

"You keep it inside you, once I help put it there."

Eunha puts the butt plug up to her mouth. "Like this?" She licks it and puts it in her mouth, as far as she can at least. She looks up into your eyes, looking as innocent as she can. You would almost buy the stupid act too, but you know she's got somewhere to be.

You grab her by the shoulders and spin her around. Then you drop to your knees so your face is directly next to her ass. It takes up your whole field of vision. But still, there's no time to waste. You grab the sides of her safety shorts and yank down. As expected, there's nothing underneath and you can instantly spread her glorious cheeks to be greeted by...

Oh damn, she's already got a plug in.

Eunha giggles above you. "Don't worry. I like yours better. Help me swap them and you can keep that one."

Not a bad solution.

The plug takes a little work to get out. Eunha half-moans, half-laughs as you wiggle it back and forth to get it moving. She reaches back to spread her ass cheeks to give you better access and a fantastic view.

And eventually, with a little pop, the plug comes out. It's much smaller than the one you brought, made of silicon, and much more boring.

You stand and hold it in front of Eunha. She instantly sticks her tongue out to lick off the lube.

"It's almost like you've done this before, isn't it?" you ask with a smirk.

"It's almost like you know that personally," she says over her shoulder.

You take the brand new butt plug out of her hand and get back on your knees. Eunha instinctively spreads her ass again. You can still see some of the glistening of the lube that was there for the last plug, so it's probably at least safe to put the new one in without anything extra. Then again, the new butt plug is pretty big...

1. (Picked:) Stick it in rough. This might mess up her performance, getting you a punishment later. 2. Give her a good lube up with your tongue first. You know from experience that she loves this, and you'll be well rewarded later.

~~~~~

You know, you and Eunha have been good friends for quite a while now. How bad would it really be if you messed up her performance just this once... And besides, her cute, tiny little asshole just needs a real good stretch sometimes right?

Right.

Eunha waves her ass from side to side, bent over a bit, mostly for the presentation. "I'm ready for it. What are you waiting for?"

Well, she said it! You line up the top of the plug at her lube-short hole, earning you a sultry giggle from the idol. You give it a slow twist to one side, the other side, brace your elbow, and shove like you've never shoved before.

You're not quite sure whether or not you were successful. It seems like time slowed down... You felt the tension of her ass resisting the plug up to the widest part, followed by it giving way as it tapered back down. But that only took a second or so, and Eunha didn't react. The dressing room is dead silent.

Then, Eunha falls to the floor. To her knees, then onto her hands. You're more than a little worried, so you move to her side to see her face. Her mouth is open like she's screaming, but there's still no sound, until she whispers, "What... the f-f-fuck... is wrong with you?"

Her eyes slowly turn in your direction so you give her your biggest, winning smile. But there's fire in her eyes. You're suddenly feeling like you may have made a bad choice.

There's a knock on the door and a voice comes through, "Eunha? We'll be starting your stage in five minut--"

"I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!" Eunha screams. You hear the PA muttering as they walk away.

You open your mouth to say something, but you forget what it was when you get smacked in the jaw. Eunha is still holding herself with one hand, but the other is floating menacingly next to your face, nails looking beautiful but also ready to tear you apart.

Clearly trying to compose herself, Eunha lowers her head and whispers again, "Go find Yerin... and wait for the stage... now."

It's probably best not to argue. You get up and and make your way to the door. You turn back to look at her though. She hasn't really moved, and you get a great look at her thicc ass sticking into the air with your plug poking out from between her cheeks.

You know for sure you're going to get punished later, but you think maybe you should say something?

Options: 1. Apologize. You can admit, you fucked up. You'll still get punished, but maybe she'll go easy on you? 2. (Picked:) Never mind, say nothing. You'll obviously just make it worse. 3. Just laugh. Eunha doesn't have connections to any hitmen, does she?

~~~~~

For the sake of your personal safety, you think it's probably best to just go. You slip through the door quickly so nobody can see through the door and make your way to the stage.

Yerin is pretty easy to pick out of the crowd for you, as she's wearing her usual thick sweatshirt, plain jeans, tennis shoes, hat, facemask, and glasses that make it impossible for her to be recognized in public. She's in the back of the crowd, holding a gigantic sign that says "I LOVE YOU EUNHA I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES" as a joke. You remember the first time she said that was when Eunha was fucking her with a strap on. It looks like everyone in the crowd is too busy practicing their fanchant to really notice the overtly sexual (and nonsense) sign.

"Yo slut," you casually say as you walk up next to her.

"About time you got here whore," she says back, clearly grinning mischievously behind the mask. You smirk back.

"So, did she like her gift?"

Your smirk fades, "Uuuh. You know, she will probably have to tell you that herself."

"Mmm, I will. And then I'll take it out of her, put it back in and lick all around it... ugh, I'm so wound up. Hey. If I masturbated while we watch the stage, would you keep an eye out so I don't get caught?"

Options: 1. "Of course! I've always got your back my dude." 2. (Picked:) "You want to do it yourself? But I'm right here." 3. "Woah, Yerin. Don't be so weird. Just enjoy the show like a normal person. Sheesh."

~~~~~

You give Yerin a smirk and move behind her. She points at her eyes and swings her hand in a circle, her nerdy way of telling you to keep watch. You get the feeling she'll enjoy what you have in mind.

After a couple of minutes go by, the fans scream as the stage hands walk off and the lights go dim. You and Yerin join them in the cheer, welcoming your hot little buddy into the spotlight. Yerin holds her sign high and shouts her support.

As the lights come back up, you see Eunha, cool and calm like the professional she is, with her backup dancers. You're a little surprised (and slightly disappointed) at her exceptional composure.

The first note of the song hits and the crowd instantly shuts up, ready to fanchant like hell. That's when you seize the chance to shove your hand down the back of Yerin's jeans and pop the still-lubed butt plug (the one you took out of Eunha earlier and never did get rid of) into Yerin's ass. It slides in like butt...er.

Eunha jumps into her dance and Yerin jumps up and down with the music with no regard for your hand down her pants. You feel like you might get a rash. But either way, you soldier on and reach in further, until you can touch her clit.

There's one move in Eunha's dance that draws a big gasp from the crowd, where she bends over and presents her ass. Her safety shorts hide the butt plug... for anyone who isn't paying close attention. They aren't especially good at hiding how deep the crack of her ass is, and there's just one very slightly bulged out part.

Yerin moans back at you, "Holy shit, she is so fucking hot up there," as she grinds herself down against your hand, drowning your fingers in her juices. "I just want to sit on her face, pull her legs back and pump a dildo into her helpless butt."

You smile at the thought. Maybe Yerin will be on your side if Eunha is still angry when you meet back up, considering that she also wants to destroy Eunha's asshole.

Yerin doesn't quite cum before the song is over. You take your hand out of her pants just in time not to be seen by all of the fans turning around to leave. She groans in frustration.

"Let's run to the dressing room and see if she can finish me off. I was so close!"

Options: 1. "Hey wait. She might be a little mad. I may have done something a little mean..." 2. (Picked:) "Yeah, definitely! Let's go get those shorts off her!"

~~~~~

You confidently walk through the halls next to Yerin. The whole time, Yerin bounces up and down, distracting you with the constant thought of ass. A couple times she even turns her head, sees you staring, winks, and spanks herself. You forget entirely about the confession you considered making.

Once at the dressing room, you see that the door is already open. Weird?

Yerin jumps through the door and shouts "YEAH EUNHA!"

The display of enthusiasm is met with silence. Yerin scratches her head and walks further into the room. "Maybe her mic got stuck in her hair?" she ponders.

You walk in too. You're about to comment, but there's a sudden sharp pain in the back of your neck. You attempt to put your hand up to slap at whatever bug got in here, but your hand just falls limp. So do your legs. And your vision goes dark as you vaguely feel yourself falling to the floor.

* * *

"He's waking up," you hear a garbled voice say. All you can see are blurry shapes as you open your eyes, but they come into focus very slowly.

"Don't stop!" another garbled voice shouts, making you suddenly feel a pounding in your head. Did you go too hard on some vodka?

The voices (or just one voice really) start clearing up. You hear Yerin moaning, turning slowly into a scream. And eventually your eyes confirm it.

About ten feet in front of you, Yerin's face and torso are pressed against a bed, with her butt held up against Eunha's face. Her legs are trembling wildly. Eunha's hands are gripping Yerin's hips tight, her eyes are closed, and her legs are folded underneath her. They're both entirely naked, and you have a side view of it all.

It would be a little more exciting if you weren't chained by the legs and wrists to a wooden chair.

And you look down to see that you're naked too, other than some kind of device locked very uncomfortably around your dick.

There's a thud as Eunha drops Yerin onto the bed. Yerin is apparently exhausted by the orgasm she just had, because she's not moving.

Eunha shakes her head to refluff her hair that was being pressed against her cheeks and looks at you.

"Good morning," she says blandly.

You try to respond but your tongue feels weird and doesn't move properly so you kind of just blubber.

Eunha slides off the bed and takes a few steps to stand right in front of you. A tiny drop of her cum falls from her pussy onto your knee. Damn, they must have been at this for a while.

Her entire body is bare in front of you, practically on top of you, and it's so incredibly sexy. Under normal circumstances, this is when she would sit down and ride you for hours. But she isn't sitting down, and your dick is being painfully stopped from getting hard by the contraption it's in.

"So... do you have anything to say now?"

Options: 1. Yup. Apologize. 2. (Picked:) Yeah, you enjoyed her solo debut! 3. Nope. Nothing to say. 4. Yes.. BeGONE, THOT

~~~~~

You smirk, ever so slightly unsure of yourself, or if what you're saying is a good idea. The corner of your mouth trembles as you say, "Yeah, I really liked your solo debut. You did great up there."

Eunha leans over, putting her hands on the back of the chair you're tied to. It would be a great chance to stare at her perky little titties up close if her threatening gaze wasn't holding your eyes. Her face comes in closer. You can feel her fuming hot nose breaths on your forehead. Your own breath is caught in your throat, and your lungs start to burn with how long she stares you down.

"Be glad I'm a professional. And thanks," she says, very flatly.

As she stands back up and turns away from you, and you release a huge sigh of relief.

"Yerin, over here please. I'm going to need your tongue in my ass."

With a groan, Yerin rolls off the bed and crawls to Eunha, kneeling between her and you. Eunha leans forward, putting her hands on the bed for support. If there was any question about what your punishment was before now, it was pretty clear now.

Eunha spreads her ass, her perfectly painted black nails creating a frame for the asshole you love so much. It's only a few feet away from you. You can feel your dick trying to harden but the cage just makes it... well it doesn't hurt, but it's extremely uncomfortable.

And then Yerin's head appears between you and that beautiful butt. Her hands grip onto the backs of Eunha's thighs, squeezing the flawless flesh as if she were trying to hold herself up on the edge of a cliff. You know the exact moment when Yerin's tongue meets Eunha's ass. The shorty has a very characteristic half-squeal-half-moan that comes out of her every time something wet touches it. You might have thought you could look away to stop the discomfort in your cock, but that sound brings back too many memories of your entire face being buried in those cheeks.

"Oh... Oh yes. Good girl."

You watch as Eunha slowly pushes back against Yerin's face, over and over. It lasts for hours? Days? You could never tell. Her squeals and encouragement get louder, more urgent. You can't help but let out a quiet groan of your own.

But like the rabbit she is, Eunha heard. She twists her upper body to look at you without disturbing Yerin. "What was that? Do you want to fuck this ass? Do you-- fuck..."

Her eyes screw shut as a brief shiver of pleasure runs through her body. You can see her legs quaking for a moment. She's close.

"Do you want Yerin's pretty little mouth to dip up and down on your cock to lube you up for-- fffuck!"

Again, a shiver. It's longer this time, and Eunha almost falls, her feet sliding a few inches farther apart before she catches herself. There's a loud slurping noise as Yerin moves to accomodate the change and gets a much needed breath of air.

One of Eunha's hands shoots to her inner thigh and you can barely see past Yerin's shoulder that she's squeezing herself tight. She would often remind you about how she would do that to make her orgasms more intense, so now you know exactly what (or rather, who) is coming.

Even so, she manages to gasp out nearly a full sentence, "You want my ass clenching around your cock when--" The last word melts into one long squeal and trails off from there into a silent scream. Her whole body shakes violently except where Yerin is holding her down tight.

You could swear it lasts for a whole minute. Agonizing for you and Eunha in different ways. But when she collapses face first onto the bed, her knees hitting the floor softly as Yerin guides her down, it's over. Except for the few extra twitches when Yerin gives her ass a couple of licks. You release a long breath that you didn't even realize you were holding.

Yerin climbs up to cuddle Eunha from behind, kissing her neck, shoulders, and back. The two of them giggle lightly at the gentle touches, making no move to point their beautiful, still-wet asses away from you.

"Time for your fanmeet?" Yerin asks softly after a minute or two.

Eunha sighs and pulls herself away from Yerin. "Yes, I guess we should get going."

As you expected, you're not getting any. At least not soon. You casually watch the members making their way around the room, collecting their clothes and getting dressed back up.

And notably, not untying you.

"That sure was amazing," you say, suddenly nervous, "Maybe I should help set up the chairs for the fanmeet?"

Yerin chuckles, "They're already set up, man."

"But... the audio right? You know? Do some mic checks?"

Eunha stands in front of a mirror, brushing her hair to get it back to looking presentable. "Oh that's fine. Manager's taken care of it."

You struggle to think of something else to say, or to think of what's about to happen.

"But don't worry," Eunha struts over to you and pats your knee, "SinB will be coming in after the fanmeet to let you go."

You groan. SinB rejects you any time she thinks it would be funny, which is literally every time. She probably won't even unlock the cage on your dick.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Eunha smooches your forehead like you're a pet she's leaving home for the day, and then drops a key down her shirt and into her bra. It's not hard to guess what the key is for. "And when I do, I'll have cheered up, and I'll bounce on your cock harder than you can imagine."

Yerin draws in a sharp breath somewhere behind you. She's probably planning on being around whenever that happens. You can't help but look forward to it, though it sounds like twenty-four hours of torture for you until then.

The lovely ladies zip out of the room before you can get in another word, leaving you to the inevitable humiliation SinB will have for you... in an hour or two.

THE END

[hualianff]

Birthday Boy HC

Modern AU with police chief HC who is very dedicated to his job, especially because he grew up in a “bad” area and has first-hand experience from inadequate police service in poor neighborhoods. His co-workers and friends never see him go on second dates or have one-night stands. When HC’s birthday comes up, he insists he doesn’t want a grand occasion.

However, a simple party, he will permit.

Leave it to HX’s partner, SQX, to invite all of HC’s friends and acquaintances to HC’s own penthouse for a surprise birthday party, scheduled for the evening since HC typically works very late. When the police chief arrives home, still in his black uniform pants and red dress-shirt that goes under his suit jacket, the party is on the precipice of a full swing celebration.

HC is a bit put off by how loud and crowded his home is but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Things are lonely, he will admit. And if this is a once-in-a-blue-moon thing, then HC won’t stop others from enjoying themselves and frankly, spoiling him.

At the height of the party, right when YY is about to present the birthday cake, SQX whistles for everyone’s attention.

“All right, Hua Cheng, time to sit on that chair over there,” SQX says while steering HC from behind, pushing on his shoulder. The chair is placed in the middle of the living room, in the perfect spot to watch the front door open.

The lights are gradually dimmed.

HC is too confused to protest. He cautiously sits down.

The front door pivots open. The person who walks through the door makes HC’s eye widen in surprise. They are dressed in all black: jean-booty shorts, stilettos, and a tight-fitting crop top. A sheer veil is also draped over their shoulders, falling gracefully behind them as they enter the room. They wear a headband with pointy horns and dark, red lipstick.

As the person gets closer, HC’s breath picks up.

“You didn’t-“ he whispers mindlessly, directed at SQX. His best friend’s partner merely holds their hands up in surrender, as if saying they did nothing wrong.

The scarcely-dressed person looks around demurely, aware everyone’s eyes are on them, ogling at their outfit that exposes lots of skin.

And then they set their gaze on HC, who sits frozen in the chair, hands gripping his thighs.

“Are you the birthday boy?” The stranger asks, smirking slightly. HC audibly gulps, not quite believing the sight of his childhood neighbor standing right in front of him, dressed like a demon summoned for punishment for his sins.

(It takes .05 seconds for HC to tent up in his pants.)

HC can’t bring himself to speak without stuttering like a fool. It’s clear that he’s the birthday boy—he’s sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, goddamn it. But for whatever reason, HC feels like he needs to respond to every one of this man’s signals.

So he stiffly nods, managing to maintain eye contact.

XL’s smirk widens mischievously, holding a secret promise behind those glistening lips. He prowls forward slowly, the click of his stiletto heels echoing across the marble floor.

“It looks like I’ve gotten myself into a little trouble,” he says with faux-innocence, slipping the veil off his shoulders. Instead of coming onto HC, XL slinks around him, letting the veil skim across HC’s lap, up to his chest, and over his face.

It faintly smells of peach.

“All right, Mr. Policeman,” XL addresses, pausing to stand behind HC. “What should I call you?”

HC breathes out harshly through his nose, desperately wanting to tilt his head back in order to get another glimpse at the angel- no, minx who has evoked the intensity of desire and lust long-buried under HC’s skin. It steadily rises to the surface, heating HC’s skin, making him feel too hot in a room where too many people remain to watch the show.

“Hmm, will ‘chief’ do? Or perhaps...sir?”

“Hua Cheng is just fine,” HC grits out. He gives in to looking behind his shoulder with curious eyes. XL’s face is startlingly close, amber eyes holding a sultry look that sends pleasure down HC’s spine.

Then, those eyes fixate on him, getting a really good look for the first time. Familiarity flashes across XL’s expression but he quickly wipes it away in favor of connecting their foreheads.

“Hua Cheng it is.”

The click of handcuffs binding HC’s wrists behind the back of the chair makes his heart drop to his stomach. He whips his head around to SQX and HX who stand off to the side. HX raises an amused eyebrow.

Somehow, SQX convinced HX to steal a pair from the office.

These are his own cuffs.

“Is this okay, Hua Cheng?” XL whispers genuinely in HC’s. When HC audibly hitches, he giggles.

“Yes.”

XL unties HC’s low ponytail to card his fingers through the police chief’s hair.

“Does it feel good?”

Fuck, XL is barely touching him, but the light brush of his fingers ignites a flame in HC’s heart, making him feel alive.

XL unbuttons the top three buttons of HC’s shirt.

“There. All ripe for the taking,” XL purrs. He drags the veil up and over HC’s face as he walks away. A strong bass pounds from HC’s built-in speaker SQX has managed to operate.

XL begins dancing for HC, swiveling his hips and rotating in time with the music. HC’s breath quickens up, his police attire also feeling unbearably hot. XL ditches the veil, and then he’s walking to HC, long legs crossing with every step.

HC is certain he won’t survive this.

***

It turns out to be nothing more than a sensual lap dance. There was no kissing on the lips, no groping on HC’s part, and no intimate touches because XL isn’t that kind of dancer. SQX knew this. He also knew HC wouldn’t want anything more than a bit of teasing anyways.

Luckily, SQX contacting a fellow friend who he’d modeled with once has allowed HC to see XL again. When he’s released from the cuffs, HC stands up and approaches where XL picks up his veil from the ground.

“Gege?” HC questions quietly. XL turns to look at him, a pink blush dusted on his cheeks.

“Oh, hello again, San Lang,” the other man greets, nearly the same height as HC with the stilettos on. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

It hadn’t been either of their faults. Or maybe it was both. HC traveled to another part of the country to be enrolled in the most prestigious academy in the nation. XL moved to a different big city to pursue a degree in economics. Years of separation caused them to drift apart from best friends in high school to strangers living very different lives.

“Well, it’s really nice to see you again. The circumstances are a bit... unconventional, but I’m glad it was you,” XL laughs lightly, readjusting his headband with pointy horns. HC tries not to stare at how well they suit the other man.

XL shifts a bit uncomfortably, hugging the sheer veil tighter around his body. HC feels a natural smile curl upon his lips in hopes it soothes XL’s qualms about his state of dress.

“I’m glad it was you too, gege,” HC says honestly. XL’s face lights up like the golden fairy lights he had pinned on his childhood room walls. “If it’s not too much trouble, I ask if gege can stay?”

“Oh.”

“At least for cake-” HC rushes out, praying to whatever bastard up there that XL will say yes. “It’s strawberry,” he adds, softer. XL tilts his head in astonishment.

“I thought your favorite flavor was coconut?” XL asks in surprise.

“It is. But...I asked for strawberry this year,” HC finishes lamely.

Was he being too obvious? Would XL figure him out and be repelled? Sure, it was only a cake flavor, but what are the chances XL’s favorite is still strawberry?

XL takes his phone out of the canvas bag SQX brought to him after the dance. He scrolls for a few seconds, then quickly types something out. Turning the device back in its place, XL meets HC’s gaze with a cheerful smile.

He closes all the distance between them, a certain bounce in his step.

“I believe,” XL starts. “I can keep the birthday boy company for a little while longer.”

HC smiles widely, flashing his front row of teeth–his right canine pointier than the rest.

“Brilliant.”

***

Turns out, “a little while longer” meant talking until every last person called it a night and headed out. They catch up on all the years they missed out on each others’ lives.

Four years ago, XL adopted a daughter, Ban Yue. Ban Yue was a split-second decision when XL was a year out of university, unsure of what direction his life was heading. He says it’s the best decision he’s ever made.

“She brings me so much happiness. It was like I had a Ban Yue-shaped hole and she was the missing puzzle piece,” XL says enthusiastically. He pauses to take one more sip of his baijiu. “Does that even make sense? Hahaha….”

“It does,” HC reassures from beside him. They sit on his plush, velvet couch, holding their respective drinks with practiced form. XL leans back against the cushions, sighing in relief.

“San Lang, I knew you would understand,” he murmurs.

He doesn’t elaborate.

He doesn’t need to. It’s no secret XL’s parents would’ve disapproved of him for single-parenting a random orphan with no known heritage or background. But they were already out of the picture, disowning XL right after high school graduation when he was outed by a family friend whose advances XL rejected.

“Perhaps you can meet her one day,” XL adds as an afterthought. HC matches XL’s position, reclining against the cushions, keeping his body turned towards XL, offering him HC’s full, undivided attention. It’s a simple gesture that means everything to someone like XL.

“I would love to,” HC says.

XL hums happily, then goes on to explain that he’s a telemarketer by day, which allows him to stay home with flexible work hours that fit around Ban Yue’s school schedule. (She’s in the third grade now.)

XL also mentions that he occasionally dances at night for an extra income. Nothing too intense or frequent. Just dressing up and dancing for special occasions, at parties like HC’s. XL typically has MQ or FX babysit Ban Yue during those nights.

The word family echoes in the hollow of HC’s chest.

“Gege’s been leading a very eventful and prosperous life,” HC comments with satisfaction. He leans forward to tug the maple-red coat he lent back over XL’s shoulders, ensuring the other man stayed warm.

“Nonsense, my life is just like anybody else’s,” XL says, waving his hand in a lax motion. “But I am very interested in hearing about San Lang’s life. Police chief, huh?”

“Gege…” HC mutters shyly. Against his will, his mind replays the moment XL asked if he should address HC as “sir.”

Boners don’t get boyfriends; sexy, mature conversations do, HC tells himself.

“Please, San Lang? I won’t force you to talk too much about yourself! I know we don’t...know each other as well as we used to,” XL says, a bit embarrassed. “If you want, we can just end right now and I can leave-”

“No! Not at all, I’ll tell gege anything he wants,” HC says, scooting even closer to XL so their hips bump against one another. XL sets down his empty glass, his unsure expression morphs to contentedness.

As it should always be.

“Well…” HC trails off, taken aback by how vivid XL’s amber irises gleam as they pin HC down. “Actually, there isn’t much to tell-”

“Just tell it is how it is, San Lang!” XL laughs, reaching over to playfully bat at HC’s arm.

“Okay, okay! I’m on it.”

[moth-and-raven]

CHAPTER TWELVE

I can’t sleep. And from my window, I see that Julian and Portia can’t either; the lights in the little cottage stay on long into the night. I hope they’re catching up, after a decade apart.

A piece of me wants to rejoin them. I felt so safe cocooned in the smells of Portia’s cooking and the laughter we shared. It drained away step by step as I returned to the palace. I trust both of them, but I miss them, too, even though they’re so close. It’s weird to be able to put faces to the holes in my heart.

I must’ve fallen asleep eventually, though, because I startle at the sound of a songbird greeting the dawn. We didn’t agree on an exact time to meet up again, but the earlier the better. With any luck, no one will be wasting the few days left before the Masquerade hanging around Lucio’s old rooms.

At least, no one but us.

The summer morning is cool and clear, buoying me down the garden path to the cottage. Julian emerges as soon as he sees me; Portia has to physically hold him back from running out to meet me. I laugh, seeing her strong, freckled arms wrapped around him from behind. She grimaces and releases him as I shut the door.

“Finally,” she grunts, though it can’t be later than six-thirty. “Nothing personal, but I’m already tired of hearing your name today.”

Julian pulls me into an embrace and spins around the small room, kissing my cheeks and forehead. “Good morning, my darling,” he murmurs. “What a sight you are.”

“Will you calm down, lover boy?” Portia rolls her eyes and swats at him, but I hear the smile in her voice.

He stops, raking his gaze over my face. “No,” he says softly. “I can't.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to.” She shakes her head and pulls a bundle of clothing from behind a chair. “‘Ian’ isn’t very excitable.”

“Ian?”

“Would you rather be Jules again?”

Julian looks closely at the clothes in Portia’s arms: a palace servant’s uniform, similar to her own, all cream and gold. “I need a different name?”

“Look, would you just let me have my fun?” she pouts, quickly turning it into a grin. “You’re Ian, my humble assistant for the day. That means you have to listen to me or I’ll fire you.”

“You wouldn’t fire me, would you?”

Portia eyes him up and down, as if thinking hard. “Yes I would,” she says. “You’re very fire-able.”

All three of us laugh. I can’t help but snuggle into Julian’s chest to feel the rumble of it. He nuzzles my hair, sighing contentedly as the moment passes. “I suppose I can let ‘Ian’ have the spotlight,” he tells Portia, taking the clothes from her. "At least for today."

“Good. I want to get up there soon. Did you have breakfast, Reyja?”

I don’t want to take her food, but I shake my head as she glances out the window at the sun.

“There’re some eggs on the counter, and an orange too, I think. I have some chores to do before we go, but they shouldn’t take long,” she says, moving to the door. “Ten minutes tops. Be ready by then?”

Julian nods.

Portia narrows her eyes at him, then at me. “Wait for me if you guys get done first, okay? You’ll be the least conspicuous if I’m around.”

Silence settles in the room after she leaves. I sit down on Portia’s perfumed couch; Julian starts to join me, then thinks better of it and ducks into the bathroom to change instead.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks. I can still hear him clearly.

“Not really. Too excited.”

“Nor did I."

I frown. "That's two nights in a row, isn't it? That you haven't slept?"

"Ahm… yes."

"Will you be alright?"

"This is nothing, truly. And I did sleep a bit. It'll tide me over, I promise."

I'm surprised by how fiercely I want to take care of him. I've never felt like that before. "If we get a minute, we should take a nap."

"Oh, darling, that sounds absolutely divine."

I lean on the back of the couch, resting my chin on my crossed wrists, watching the shadows he casts on the wall as he changes into his new outfit. Portia did the best she could finding clothes that would fit, but it looks like both shirt and trousers will hang loosely on him.

When he’s dressed, he reappears at the open door, doing up the last of his gilded buttons. “I was thinking about us.” He pauses, looking at me tenderly. “And I’m curious: would you have accepted my, erm, advances, from the beginning?”

“Like breaking-into-the-shop beginning?”

“Ha, had I not been so focused on tracking Asra down, I might’ve asked to stay.”

“Really?”

“I considered it.” He laughs. “You were in your element, my dear, with your spells and your blade. And in that robe too… I kept trying to think of reasons to come back, all the next day. If you hadn’t shown up at the Raven, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“Is that why you were so eager to talk that night?”

“What, when I asked you to dinner?”

That is what he did, isn’t it? A date I didn’t even realize we were on. “Yeah.”

“Circumstances being as they were, I did find myself wondering about that pendant. That you were carrying it only made me more interested.”

I touch the smooth silver moon hanging around my neck. “You still can't remember what it means?”

“No. I don’t mind, though. If all it did was bring us together, it means the world to me.”

My heart surges, swelling with affection. He grins and crosses the room, cupping my cheek as he kneels to press his lips to mine.

“I never did get to say what I pictured doing with you, did I?” he asks, more breath than sound.

He didn’t, though I can hardly regret what happened instead. I don’t have to encourage him to go on.

“Hm.” He sits down beside me. “Aside from the obvious, as I so vividly demonstrated, they're the most mundane things. Like— like taking you shopping, or doing laundry together. Is that… do you find that odd?”

I shake my head and nestle against him. It isn’t odd; it’s one of the most soothing scenes I’ve ever imagined.

“And, and settling down with you at the end of a long day,” he murmurs. “Just like this, or maybe in front of a fireplace. Anywhere, really, so long as you’re in my arms.”

I let my eyes flutter shut as I inhale the scent of his skin, his hair. “We could read together,” I suggest. “Or play cards.”

“We could, we could. Would you let me take you out to dinner again, too? Show you off?”

“If you wanted.”

“Oh, I want the whole city, the whole world, to see us and know we’re together. And we could even take Nurlan up on her offer of seeing a show, couldn’t we? I’m no stranger to the stage, you know. I used to be quite the actor. That’s where I met her, in fact.”

A slightly less peaceful thought burrows between his words, grinning slyly at me. “That could be fun,” I say. “Did you have your own dressing room and everything?”

His heavy-lidded gaze turns sultry as he follows where I lead. “All to myself.”

“Do they let audience members backstage if they really, really want to visit?”

“My darling, I wouldn’t let them keep you from me for all the gold in the Palace’s coffers.”

I hum contentedly, admiring the image in my head: I’m already in his dressing room when he comes through the door, flushed and exhilarated from a successful opening night. I stand up to greet him and draw him in for a kiss that turns rapidly from celebratory to sensual. I’m sure he can taste my intentions.

His chest moves with the sigh he heaves. “So much I want to experience with you,” he says wistfully.

“We can.”

“Do you think so?”

I peer up at him, throwing one leg over his thighs as I tuck myself into his side. “Yes.”

“Well, who am I to nay-say such confidence, hm?”

I don’t think anyone has ever described me as confident, but he’s right. I feel it. I’m tired, but excited, and hopeful, and determined to see what happens next. Maybe this will be beyond my capabilities, but I won’t face it alone.

“Oh, I could spend a lifetime kissing you,” Julian murmurs. “I want to spend a lifetime kissing you.”

“It takes two, doesn’t it? We’d be kissing each other.”

“So we would.” He grins. “Shall we start right away?”

He’s dressed and ready to go. Portia will still be a few minutes. We have time, but I won’t waste any of it by saying so.

We’re in a somewhat compromising position when she returns: sprawled along the couch, Julian laying against me with my legs wrapped around his hips, so involved in each other that I don’t even hear the door. I should’ve known better — it’s already apparent that his touch, his very presence, blurs my caution into action every time. Even the looming threats of the Plague and the Masquerade pale in the warmth he spreads.

Both of us scramble to sit up in response to Portia’s beleaguered sigh, but she just shakes her head. “Come on,” she says. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner the two of you can have some privacy. Wait, where’s your wig?”

“Oh, erm.” Julian gestures towards the bathroom.

Portia rolls her eyes. “Put it on. Everyone knows to look out for a redhead. They won’t be expecting dark hair instead.”

Julian offers his hand to help me up, dropping a final kiss to my knuckles before breaking away to collect the wig Portia found. It washes him out a little, but he doesn’t look half-bad with straight black hair falling to his chin, covering his right eye. He smiles bashfully and does his best to tuck his new bangs behind his ear, but they won’t stay. It’s for the best: he’d be even more conspicuous wearing his patch, and this way no one can see, and be tipped off by, his plagued eye.

We follow Portia through the sunlit gardens to the palace, swinging our linked arms. “We’re probably gonna have to go the back way,” she explains, tossing the words over her shoulder as she fishes for her ring of keys to unlock the same greenhouse we left through last night. “Carmeline was telling me that they’re blocking off the whole suite for the party, so no one wanders up there accidentally.”

“What’s the back way?” I ask.

“This, the servants’ passages. They run all over the building. Sorry about your neck, Ian,” she says to Julian, smiling cheekily. “You’ll have to crouch down.”

He sighs, resigned to his fate.

“Reyja can give you a massage later, right?”

I certainly could, and squeeze his hand to tell him so.

“What a reward,” he says dreamily. He’s about to lean in to kiss me again when Portia smacks his arm.

“No more of that. Not while we’re here.”

“Ah, of course.”

“And stay close. It’s easy to get lost, the way we’re going.”

I lose my bearings after the first three turns. How anyone can navigate these twisting halls with no indication of where they are in the broader scheme of the palace is beyond me, but every servant we pass seems to know exactly where they’re going. It’s for the best that they’re so focused, and so busy: no one gives Julian a second glance. Maybe his disguise was unnecessary, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

We follow Portia single-file, past living quarters and storage rooms and kitchens and closets. At one point we pass an armory, full to the brim with weapons long neglected to rust. A tiny staircase gives us pause; it’s barely wide enough for my hips, and poor Julian is nearly doubled over to avoid the low ceiling. But we manage to squeeze up the tight spiral and crowd together on the landing crowning it while Portia feels for the door handle in the dark. I call a small light to my palm to help her, but our bodies cast shadows too dark to see through.

She finds it eventually, and we stagger out of the wall into ash piled high like snowdrifts. We’re on the other side of the suite now, opposite where Portia and I explored before. My heart catches in my throat when I realize that we’ve emerged in Lucio’s bedroom itself, untouched for the last three years, stirring cinders into the air with our breath and footsteps.

It’s so quiet. Eerily quiet, like sound is being eaten before it can escape. I close my eyes against the force of the silence.

And Lucio’s spark flares into view, white-silver and red, the vaguest shape of a man, blurred at the edges. His form disappears when I open my eyes again, but his presence remains, angrier than he was a few days ago. I wonder if he knows what time of year it is. The Masquerade was held in celebration of his birthday, after all, and from what I know of him, he’s probably pretty upset that people are ignoring its origins and partying without him.

At least that gives me an emotion to latch onto.

I rest one hand on Portia’s soft shoulder, holding her back before she can venture further in.

“What?” she asks. I can hear the excitement and concern mingled in her voice.

“He’s here,” I say simply.

Julian’s pressed so close to me I feel him tremble when I close my eyes again. I do my best to ignore him, weaving Asra’s old spells into careful nets to keep Lucio from vanishing when we call to him properly. He knows we’re here too, I think, but he can’t see us. I enclose the space around us, sealing up the room. Win or lose, here we go.

“Ready?” I ask quietly.

“We don’t have much of a choice, do we?” Julian whispers back, barely keeping his nerves at bay. Despite his eagerness last night, I can tell that this isn’t his favorite thing.

“Nope,” Portia says. “So let’s do it.”

“Okay.”

I call magical bindings to my fingertips, to hold him here when he manifests. I’d rather not use them if I can help it, because I know how much it will drain me, but needs must. Air mixed with fine particles of soot fills my lungs and I hold back a cough to call out to him: “Count Lucio?”

His aura flares red, searching through his former suite for the intrusion. But when he finds us, he recoils. Waves of fear and confusion replace his hostility even as he tries to stand his ground.

“Who’s there?” he hisses, but only I can hear him. His voice is reedy, a faint echo of what a living throat can make.

I ignore the question. He’ll find out soon enough. “We’ve come to visit you.”

“Uh-huh, sure. A palace full of toadies and not a single person comes up here until now.”

Not a single—? He’s been alone all this time? Three years, a floating consciousness with nothing else to do? How desperately lonely he must be.

“What do you want?” he adds peevishly. “I’m not really entertaining right now, y’get me?”

His presence is getting stronger, the more he funnels into communicating with us. He’s still unfocused, but I can almost see him when he moves. Behind me, Julian and Portia are frozen, holding each other’s hands, letting me work.

“That’s okay,” I tell him. “We won’t take long.”

“Hmph. Where else am I gonna go?” he pouts. “They’re shutting me up in here, away from the party.”

I wonder if he’ll manifest more quickly with flattery… “Locking you out of your own party?”

“Thank you! Finally, someone who recognizes how fucking stupid that is!” His shape roils like a thundercloud, smoke filling a glass vase until he almost looks solid. “The Masquerade is my baby! I may be dead, but I’m not gone!”

“That’s right,” I say, taking a hesitant step closer. “Um, speaking of… we had some questions for you.”

“Why d’you keep saying ‘we?’ There’s only one of you.”

Oh. “I… brought some friends. One of them might look familiar. He’s the one who wants to ask you about, uh…”

Lucio cuts me off. “Lemme see! Anyone who remembers me has shit to answer for, like—”

He stops dead the moment I take Julian’s hand. Both of them gasp, seeing each other for the first time. Julian’s skin is ice-cold, colder than usual, and his palm is damp with sweat, but he swallows bravely and raises his voice.

“Hello, Lucio.”

“Jules? ” Lucio says, the word dripping with incredulity.

“Now, you know I never liked that nickname—”

“Fuck my ass, it is you!”

“Erm.”

Lucio flows like quicksilver over the ash-stained carpet to shove his ghostly face into Julian’s. His eyes are the same piercing, plagued red, but his pupils are so pale as to be invisible.

“How fucking dare you?” Lucio shrieks. He tries to push Julian’s shoulder, but passes right through him. It only makes him angrier. “You fucking hack! I dug you outta the fucking trash to bring you here and wha’d’it get me, huh?! I trusted you, I gave you everything you fucking asked for! Why couldn’t you do what you said you would, asshole? This is all your fault! ”

I pull Julian back; he stumbles against me, flinching away from Lucio’s wrath. “I- I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“No! You fucking didn’t! You didn’t do shit and now fucking look at me!”

“Lucio, I—”

“Never should've trusted you. I thought we had somethin’, y’know? Since you were there for the arm thing and all. I should've called Naz-whatever instead.”

Julian swallows hard. “Nazali — erm, Doctor Satrinava — couldn’t have risked—”

“Don’t you dare fucking lecture me, Jules!”

Julian winces as Lucio launches into another tirade. I squeeze his hand; I could let go of him and he wouldn’t have to hear any of it, since it’s only through me they can communicate. But he squeezes back and draws a steadying breath.

“Look, Lucio, as nice as it is to hear your voice again—”

“And now you’re fucking mocking me? How dare—”

“— I really only have the one question. Then I’ll get out of your hair.”

Lucio crosses his arms, looking for all the world a petulant child just told he had five minutes until bedtime. “I’m gonna make the same promise you made me,” he says. “I’ll do ‘whatever I can.’ And apparently, that means I don’t have to do jack shit.”

Julian sighs. “Did I kill you?”

“You sure as fuck didn’t fucking cure me, did’ya?”

“No, I mean… at the end?”

“Pfft. You might as well have.”

The crunch of ash fills the silence.

“... But I didn't?”

Lucio shrugs.

“I didn’t kill you?!”

“I don’t know, okay?” Lucio turns his back on us and floats across the room to the soot-stained curtains, pawing uselessly at them as he tries to open the window. He grunts in annoyance and stares at the wall instead.

Julian presses his point. “You don’t know who killed you?”

“Look, I was kinda busy at the time. Dying and shit.”

“Do you remember anything?”

He scowls. “I remember someone coming in… someone tall, and thin. And pale. But… but I don’t think it was you. They weren’t… they weren’t human …”

I could shout for joy. I won’t, but I could. Julian is innocent! I knew he had to be! If there was someone else in the room before him, Lucio might have been dead before he even got there. That’s a mystery of its own, but I can’t help the relief flooding through my veins. Whoever it was, it wasn’t him. And right now, that’s as much of a victory as I need.

But Julian’s still worried, and still deadly focused on Lucio’s nebulous form.

“Hey, uh. I got a question for you, too,” Lucio says, shaking himself out of his patchy memories. “You owe me one, anyway.”

Julian nods for him to continue.

“You still in contact with that Skylar guy?”

Julian startles. “Skylar? I haven’t seen him in years. How do you know him?”

“Duh, he was here. Cared about me more than you ever did, too.”

“I… don’t remember that.”

Lucio smirks. “I sure as fuck do. Damn, if I hadn’t been, like, dying… he could rearrange my guts any day.”

I hadn’t realized Portia could hear him too, but she stifles a snicker behind her hand. The other, I see, is still holding Julian’s. Julian himself blushes, and clears his throat.

“Erm, I’ll be sure to let him know.”

“ASAP. He’s here, y’know.”

“What? How do you know that, if you can’t—?”

Lucio preens. “My good doggies were playing with Salsa a few days ago. I heard them.”

“You heard…” Julian trails off, then turns to Portia. I can almost hear his mind racing. “Pasha, is a tall man with dark skin and green eyes staying in the palace?”

Lucio interrupts before she can answer. “Do you think I’d be asking if he was actually here here? I just know he’s somewhere in the city.”

And Julian laughs, his shoulders loosening. Whoever this Skylar is, his presence must mean a lot to him. “I bet I know exactly where.”

—————

Skylar belongs to @ollifree.

prev || next

[feistypaants-archived]

Between The Pipes [Chapter 23]

Rating: M Words: 2013 Pairing: Kristanna Summary: When a new owner takes over the Arendelle Ice Breakers, Kristoff isn’t sure about his future with the team. That is, until a PR nightmare throws the newest member of the media team, who also just so happens to be the daughter of the new owner, right into his arms. Kristoff and Anna can’t even stand the interviews they have to do together… how on earth are they going to fix this mess? Hockey!AU.

[Chapter Index]

Where To Read: [AO3]

Notes: The gala was only supposed to be one chapter but then they spent 2000 words getting into the car so. Now it’s more. Also u’ll never guess who Jelissa is a hybrid of. We love her in this house. :^)

Enjoy!

I can’t wait for you to see this dress.

I may or may not have gone all in. 

It’s… it might be too much. 

I have a backup. Just… let me know when you get here!

Kristoff shrugged his jacket back on as he moved to get out of his truck, grumbling to no one about how much he hated this outfit. It was stiffer than last year’s loose fitting shirts, and itchier, and definitely more of a hassle to get on. Why did he have to wear an undershirt and a vest and a bowtie and a jacket? Not to mention the pocket square they had so carefully folded up and the fedora he had left on the seat of his cab. This was so much work, and while the event was wonderful and worth it, he was just so uncomfortable. 

Their director had gone all out this year - being that it was approaching the new year, she wanted to embrace the roaring twenties - so she had chosen a Gatsby theme for the charity event. Luckily men’s fashion hadn’t changed too drastically, but his hair was slicked back in a way he wasn’t used to and he struggled not to run his fingers through it.

Anna had been excited. She asked if he could wear a green undershirt and pocket square, and the person who was putting together their outfits didn’t seem to have any objection - It went well with the multiple shades of tan in his suit and the buttons anyway. She said she had found something that was on theme enough but still fun, and while Kristoff wasn’t sure he knew what she meant, she had seemed thrilled by it. 

He dusted off his pants, straightened his bowtie and headed for the short stairs that led up to her second story apartment. The limo would be here in about twenty minutes, and even though Anna swore she’d be ready on time, he felt a gut need to go check on her. It only took a moment after he rapped two short knocks against her door for it to swing open and for him to get a full view of her. 

It took longer for him to process it.

She wore a dark forest green gown with so much intricate gold beading that he was afraid it would fall apart if he touched her. A simple plunging neckline only supported by two thin straps was complemented by curves and lines of decoration along the bodice that almost made it look like the sun was rising on her dress. It all narrowed down to a point on her waist, where the skirts puffed out to move airily around her hips, thin lines of more beading running all the way to the floor.

“Jesus, Anna,” he breathed, his mouth dry as she smiled at him.

Anna stepped back from the door, pressing her hands against the skirts to make them dance around her legs. He could’ve sworn he saw a peek of her creamy thigh high up in the masses of fabric.

“Do you like it?” And then she spun, and he saw the back, cut low and sitting just above the swell of her bottom, all her freckles and beautiful, soft skin teasing him with every pass. “I thought maybe it might be too much so I got a simpler one and —“

She jumped slightly when he shut the door, his eyes raking up the length of her to settle on her face, lips, dark and sultry below a more natural eyeshadow, her hair in flat waves and pinned up in something he could never have even imagined. It almost looked as if she cut it. He could tell she was holding back a smile - he knew she could see the lust he could feel burning through his veins.

He stepped forward, reaching out a needy hand to find her waist, fingers twitching as they brushed up against the rarely exposed skin. “You’re going to kill me.” And he pulled her closer, gently still, his other hand rising to cup her cheek as he lowered his head down to meet her.

Only to be stopped by her little fingers pressing against his mouth. “You can’t ruin my lipstick.” Then she grinned. “Yet.”

Kristoff laughed once at the frustration that sat heavy in his belly, groaning as his palm slid lower, thumb wrapping ever so lightly around her throat as he pushed her head back to stretch out her neck, exposing more skin for his mouth to find. He placed warm, wet kisses against her, grinning as he felt her swallow against his hand and his lips.

“I barely,” Anna sighed, her hands sliding up to grip at his lapels. “Covered the marks already there…” Her voice was quiet, as if she was saying this with regret. “Y-you can’t… not right now…” 

She wasn’t going to let him have anything, was she? He tightened his hold around her waist and lifted his head to look at her again. When he could barely see the blue of her irises, Kristoff knew she was fighting the urge as much as he was. He shook his head. There was a part of him that was secretly thrilled that she let him take her this way - that she let him leave his mark on her. In fact, that tiny piece of him wanted people to see, wanted everyone to know she was his and that he wasn’t planning on letting anyone else get a taste of her - not as long as she let him keep her, not as long as she was okay with their arrangement.

“My father and sister will be there…”

Okay, he didn’t necessarily want them to see.

“Later.”

Kristoff groaned and let go of her, sighing as he let his blunt nails drag across the skin of her back, fingers scraping carefully over the small strap as they left her throat, and the promise of an after-gala rendezvous sending a shiver down the back of his neck. “Are you ready?”

When she nodded he noticed the jewels resting around her head, twisting through her hair in a way he couldn’t even comprehend. He needed to remember to look closer when they had more time, but soon his phone was buzzing with an alert from the limousine company, telling them that their ride had arrived. “Do you have a jacket?”

“Oh!” As if it wasn’t late December, Anna scurried back to her closet, reaching into the depths and pulling out a short white fur coat, grinning wide as she wrapped it around herself. “Don’t worry, it’s fake.” 

He couldn’t help but laugh as she moved closer to him again, her heels clicking on the wood floor of her apartment as she grabbed a small gold clutch and gestured to the door, following behind him and locking up. They hardly made it to the bottom step before they heard the familiar voice of the Ice Breakers’ captain hollering. “Let’s go already!”

Anna snuck her hand around his elbow, resting it firmly in the crook of his arm before she gasped, and stepped back. “Your hat?”

“Hurry up!” 

Kristoff waved an annoyed hand at his best friend before running over to his truck, grabbing it quickly, then returning right to the side of his beautiful, beautiful date for the evening as he settled it on top of his head. “There, all set.”

“Perfect.”

He felt on his own face what he saw mirrored on hers - a gentle smile growing wider as eyes softened and shoulders dropped and fondness practically radiated off of them. He would have said screw the event if it meant he could take her right back upstairs and spend the entire evening showing her how beautiful she was. 

The only thing that brought him back was the sound of a door opening, metal clanging against pavement, and an irritated hockey player screaming “if you two don’t stop eye fucking right now, we’re going to leave you here!”

Kristoff turned quickly, glaring at Sven. “God, why did they think it was a good idea to give you a cane?”

Sven grinned and winked, climbing back into the limo before Kristoff grabbed at Anna’s hand and guided her carefully to the vehicle. It was a slight challenge to maneuver her skirt into it, but when they finally settled, she seemed startled as she looked across the way. 

“Oh, hello.” He watched her gaze jump from him, to Sven, and to the blonde sitting on the other side of the limo. “Um…”

The blonde leaned across the way and smiled, a hand outstretched. “Oh, hi! Anna, right? I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Jelissa. Sven’s fiancée.”

Kristoff watched Anna’s whole body tense with shock. “I’m sorry… what?”

Jelissa laughed as Anna shook her hand tentatively, her eyebrows lowering in frustration at both of the boys in the car. “Why am I not surprised that he wouldn’t tell a pretty girl about me?”

Anna flushed and held her hands up in defense. “No! Oh my gosh no, no —“

“Baby she doesn’t know you’re teasing.”

Kristoff watched as Sven draped an arm around her shoulders, placing a kiss against the bottom of her jaw as she laughed at him again, her curvy legs crossing at the ankle. He couldn’t deny that she was gorgeous, but the anxious touch of the woman at his side mattered more to him than anything else in the world. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his side.

“So,” Anna smiled, relaxing into him. “How long have you been together? I can’t believe Sven hasn’t told me about you! I would be furious!”

Sven rolled his eyes and tapped the floor with that stupid cane again. “Oh, this bombshell and me have been kickin it together since the ripe old age of thirteen. Don’t know how she’s put up with me so long.”

Leaning forward just slightly, Jelissa’s smile turned wicked. “It’s the ass.”

Anna snickered and nodded in agreement.

“Shush, shush. She spends most of her time -“

“Half, babe.”

“- Half-” Kristoff didn’t miss the air quotes. “-of her time in Jolly Ol’ England, and the other half traveling around the states. Being all important and stuff. So I’m denied her presence most of the year.” Sven reached over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his smile softening as he looked at her.

Kristoff felt the start of something bubbling in his stomach. He couldn’t place it.

“But she’s always here for Christmas and New Years and the All-Star break, and I spend my time off traveling with her.”

Anna’s hand had risen to rest on his chest, tucking small fingers under the collar of his jacket. He felt her sigh against his side. “That’s so lovely, wow.” 

And then Jelissa smacked at Sven’s cheek, an action Kristoff had become all too familiar with since knowing his best friend, and rolled her eyes before looking back at Anna. “And he still forgets to mention me. Isn’t that nice?”

“Baby.” He was whining now, a pout evident on his lips. “You know I love you more than anything.”

As they continued to bicker, Sven’s fiancée tapping teasingly at his nose as he begged for forgiveness, Kristoff couldn’t help but tilt his head down to look at Anna, and was only slightly surprised to see her looking back up at him.

We could be like that too, you know. 

He felt like he could hear her thoughts in his head. 

He knew.

Kristoff leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her forehead, his hand around her shoulder pulling her impossibly closer. 

He could fall in love with her so easily, if he let himself.

Anna’s arm dropped from his collar to rest around his waist, her fingers fiddling with the hem of his jacket as they all continued to carry on their conversation. He pressed his cheek against her head, grinning as Sven poked his thigh with the cane.

He knew.

And that frightened him. 

[buckybarnesappreciationsociety]

“Just The Way You Are” Part 2

Summary: Y/N never felt comfortable in her skin. Years of bullying tore a crater into her self-esteem. After landing her dream job at Stark Industries, a certain super soldier is enamored. Will she allow herself to be happy?

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Plus size reader

OFC: Bucky Barnes, Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff, Miss Lucy, Shelby

Word Count: 1,613

Warnings: A smidge of self-doubt; fluff galore!

A/N: As promised, part two of my submission to @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan full-figured writing challenge! Hope you’re pleased!

A/N (2): 😘 😘 @goodnightwife, my beta for part 2. 

Prompt: #25 “You are beautiful no matter what shape you are”

FEEDBACK APPRECIATED! 

Y/N, Nat and Wanda formed a “sisterhood.” Just 4 floors below the common room,  and had lunch on a regular basis. Her insecurities alarmed Wanda and Nat who formed a plan: Girl’s Day Out!

Tony ordered lunch. In the corner Sam, Bucky and Steve engaged in conversation. The “science bro’s” debated F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s upgrade.

Across the room, Bucky glanced at Y/N, listening to her laugh. She’d throw her head back, scrunch her nose a bit. Angels sang at the sound of her voice.

Nat and Sam smirked. Obviously Bucky was enamored with Y/N and they knew it.

Honoring Y/N, Tony suggested a 40’s and 50’s themed gathering. Y/N vehemently objected. Tony  shushed the room. “It’s mandatory.” Y/N, Bucky, Sam and Bruce groaned. Oh well, new clothes it is.

A sense of dread washed over Y/N. Did they make formal tents?

Wanda placed her hand over Y/N’s. “Before today’s over, you’ll see your true self.” Nat nodded.

Sighing, Y/N agreed. “Time to shop.” Clapping, the ladies set their sights on a monumental shopping spree courtesy of Tony Stark.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Reclining, sipping on mimosas, hors d'oeuvre, Y/N, Nat and Wanda basked in nature’s song. Trickling waterfall, lush greenery, soothing sounds wafting through the speaker.

Overwhelmed, Y/N fought tears. Years of bullying broke her spirit. Maybe the pieces were

beginning to mend.

She couldn’t stop the fear running through her mind. What to order? Crap, this is difficult.

Nat sensed her frustration suggesting, “Have a light lunch. Salad as the appetizer; grilled salmon, steamed vegetables for your entree.”

Smiling, Y/N agreed. “Delicious and healthy.”

Wanda couldn’t contain her enthusiasm. “Found a vintage dress shop not too far from here! ‘Miss Lucy’s Dress Emporium.

The front of the shop, blue and white striped awnings hung over a huge, enticing display window. Swing dresses, shoes, vintage jewelry returned customers to years gone by; the 40’s and 50’s. While Nat and Wanda gabbed to each other about choosing a dress, Y/N played  “what if.” What if her size wasn’t available? What if they had her size and she looked like a beached whale in the dress? Hands shaking, Y/N turned the door knob.

A small bell alerted the proprietor she had customers. Shuffling to the counter, an elderly woman barely five feet with brown skin, salt and pepper hair flowing beyond her shoulders, smiled at the trio. “Ain’t y’all just pretty as can be. What can Miss Lucy do for you?”

Visibly doubtful, Y/N hesitated. “Do you have full figure vintage formal wear? I’ll understand if you don’t.”

Miss Lucy placed her wrinkled hand on Y/N’s shoulder. “You ain’t the first young lady whose visited this shop, down on herself. What’s your name shuga?”

"Y / NY / L / N."

“Baby, I’m 70 years old. Done seen a lot in m’time. Growing up, people picked at’cha. Hurt ya something terrible. It ain’t what they call ya, it’s what ya answer to. You’re a diamond in the rough. Time for shaping, polishing so the world can see the real you. Now c’mon. Miss Lucy gon’ find y’all some dresses.”

Nat and Wanda weaved through a sea of pastels, pencil and swing dresses, mirroring children in a toy store.

Shelby, Miss Lucy’s niece selected a billowing, deep wine satin swing dress with a sewn-in cape. On Y/N’s feet, low heel silver slippers.

Y/N’s delicate hands rubbed the satin material, savoring each pleat. Adorning her feet, silver open toe slippers. Rounding out the ensemble, a pair of wine stud earrings with matching necklace.

Time for the reveal. Nat, Wanda and Shelby beamed as Y/N faced the floor length mirror. “Baby girl, how do ya feel, huh?”

Staring at the mirror, Y/N couldn’t believe her watery eyes. “Wow, I feel like Cinderella going to the ball.”

Nat and Wanda agreed. “You are Cinderella. Now, time to meet Prince Charming aka James Buchanan Barnes.

“See, Miss Lucy know what she talkin’ ‘bout. Let’s get y’all rung up. Be sho’ to take lots of pictures so I can see’um.”

Nat, Wanda and Y/N kissed Miss Lucy on the cheek. “You bet we will. Bye Miss Lucy and Shelby. Thank you for everything.

<><><><><><><><>

Bucky tried on his suit for the fifteenth time, changing shirts, ties and shoes. Steve had enough. “Buck, stop!! Ya driving me crazy!! Tomorrow night’ll be here before ya know it. Listen, if ya wanna make this right, tell her why you’re a chicken.” Steve clucked. Bucky threw a pillow.

“Alright. See ya later punk!”

“G’night jerk.”

Y/N stayed the night with Nat and Wanda. Tomorrow night she would debut her new attitude. Hopefully, Bucky would take notice.

<><><><><><><><>

The ballroom was abuzz with partygoers dressed in vintage attire. Women wearing swing dresses; men dressed to the nines. Sam, Steve, Bucky, and Tony explained to Thor the premise behind their outfits. Tony mingled with the guests, while waiters served expensive champagne and hors d’oeuvres.

Wanda and Nat reminded Y/N to take a deep breath, chin up and strut! All eyes were on the ladies as they entered the room arm-in-arm. Bucky turned his attention to one woman, Y/N. He’d never laid eyes on such a vision of loveliness. The way she smiled, sipped her champagne, batted those long eyelashes. Hell, James Buchanan Barnes was a goner! Only problem, telling y/n! C’mon Barnes, grow a pair!

Sam, Bruce, Nat and Wanda hit the dance floor. Viz unsure of himself, watched from the sidelines.  It was now or never for Bucky. Y/N decided to take in the warm summer night on the balcony. She loved the twinkling lights of the New York skyline. The demon of her past reared its ugly head. Dread washed over her like a tidal wave.

Breathe….breathe…..Love yourself no matter what. The road is long but the end results are worthwhile!!!

Clearing his throat, Bucky sidled next to Y/N.“Hey. Are ya okay?”

Y/N’s voice cracked, barely holding back tears.“Y-yes Bucky. I’m sorry. I’d better go.”

As she turned to leave, he reached for her hand. “Please stay. I know you may not wanna talk t’me, but m’here.”

“Can I tell you something?”

“Anything.”

She and Bucky walked over to a rooftop bench. “As a child, I endured relentless teasing. I’ve always been insecure with regards to my weight. It didn’t stop at childhood, Teen years, even in college. I’ve NEVER felt pretty. Love avoided me like the plague. Due to insecurities, I doubted any man who showed interest in me. I’m a mess.”

“If ya don’t mind me saying, you are beautiful no matter what shape you are. I don’t see weight. Y/N you’re a gorgeous dame!” Y/N blushed.

“See, look at’cha. The way those long lashes flutter like angel wings, a to die for smile, not to mention brains. You’re a total package. Any man would be lucky t’have ya as his gal.”

“Bucky, I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”

“I ain’t just sayin’ it t’make ya feel good. Uh, the day in the elevator, I really wanted t’talk to ya. Instead, I clammed up.”

“Why don’t we start over. Hello, I’m Y/N Y/L/N and you’re?”

“M’name’s James Buchanan Barnes but everyone calls me Bucky. Please to meet’cha.”

Deciding to forgo the remainder of Tony’s party, Bucky and Y/N engaged in lively conversation, raiding the rooftop fridge and liquor cabinet.

Channeling her college chorus days, Y/N belted out “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” by Ella Fitzgerald.

Stars shining bright above you

Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"

Birds singing in the sycamore trees

Dream a little dream of me

<><><><><><>

The first note from Y/N’s lips rendered Bucky mesmerized by her sultry voice.

<><><><><><>

Say nighty-night and kiss me

Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me

While I'm alone and blue as can be

Dream a little dream of me

Stars fading but I linger on dear

Still craving your kiss

I'm longing to linger till dawn dear

Just saying this

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you

Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you

But in your dreams whatever they be

Dream a little dream of me

<><><><><><>

When the singing stopped, Bucky threw caution to the wind, moving closer to Y/N until there was no space between them. Gently cupping her face, he leaned in placing a gentle kiss on her waiting lips. The kiss lasted only a seconds but felt as if it was an eternity.

Breaking apart for air, Bucky and Y/N’s foreheads touched. “Doll, m’toes curled. That was

something else.”

Clearly out of breath, Y/N agreed.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Bucky asked Y/N out on a real date. “H-how would’ya like t’go out with me sometimes? Maybe a movie or dinner?”

Blushing, Y/N accepted. “My answer is yes! I’d love to.”

“Really? Swell. Um, can I kiss’ya again?”

“James Buchanan Barnes, I thought you’d never ask.”

@star-spangled-man-with-a-plan @goodnightwife @rebelslicious @suz-123 @pegasusdragontiger  @stars8melanin @bolontiku @papi-chulo-bucky @jrubalcaba @yoyolovesbucky @crazy-little-thing-called-buck @sarahsassafras13 @saysay125 @redqueen1221 @ek823 @sebstanfanma @@theunsweetenedtruth @wxntersoldiers @httppartytattoos  @lowkeybuckyb

[lady-une]

Chapter 5

A/N: Man I really do hope those who read this actually enjoy it. Like I live for people thoughts of my work so please let me know. Even if you just drop your thoughts in an Anon ask. But anyways. Big thanks as always to my beta @tears-of-orphans. Also big thanks to @nemesyis for helping me with my word fart earlier. Enjoy.

Sarah

I woke up to my alarm going off around 9am. I felt so refreshed, whether it was because I was able to sleep in past 6am or because I had one of the best orgasms in a long time last night. Either way it didn’t matter and I was more than ready to take on this day. I threw on my shirt and grabbed my toy and some clean clothes. While I was letting the water warm up I made sure to wash my toy clean and to take the batteries out. The stylist was going to be here at 10 to go over what ideas I had and then we would head off to the salon and to go buy some clothes. I still wasn’t 100% sure what I was really going for but since I had been sporting the same hair cut for years I was ready for a change. After I was dressed I made sure to strip my bedding and throw them in the wash, there was no need to sleep on dirty sheets. With that out of the way I went and made myself a small breakfast.

 Just as I was hanging up the sheets I heard the doorbell going off. I went to answer the door and stepped in this older looking woman who looked like she was ready to take on the world one piece of clothing at a time. We introduced ourselves and I showed her to the couch and offered her a drink. As we sat drinking our coffee she asked me what I was thinking of.

 “I’m not really sure. I don’t want to do any crazy changes but I am just sick of this blah me. Does that make sense?”

“Of course it does, so I take it you just want maybe a little more edge to your current look or maybe a little sultry mystery?”

 “I just don’t want to be seen as a child. Since I’m here doing this I want to be taken serious. I want people to see me as a woman or they might just brush off my music. I don’t want people saying I can’t stand with the guys because I look like some little kpop child.”

“Say no more I have just the right idea for you. Let’s head down to the salon, shall we?”

 The salon she took me to was very edgy with some EDM music playing, I really didn’t imagine this place at all. I figured we were going to an upscale salon that would cost a fortune but to be honest I felt more comfortable here then I would have at any upscale place. I was shown to a chair and introduced to the hair stylist that would be working with me. My hair was pretty curly naturally and was pretty long and didn’t always like to listen to what I needed it to do. So today we would be doing a relaxation treatment, cutting off some of it so that it would come to my shoulder blade and adding layers. We also decided to go darker with my hair since it was pretty light from the sun I got back home.

 After a few hours of working on my hair done we were finally done and I felt so much lighter from cutting off so much hair. When I asked how much it would be I was told not to worry about it. I shrugged my shoulders and thanked them. Next we were off to some stores to buy some clothes and when she showed me the stores we would be going to I tried to back her off and suggest we find some place a little more doable for the money I had. She told me I need not worry as Jay was fronting the bill for this and I was to get everything I needed. I wanted to argue and reached for my phone but she stopped me and told me to just go with it. I still didn’t like the idea but figured he knew what was best and it’s not like the clothes I had brought with me were really appropriate to wear around the guys when we were going out. The rest of the day was going in and out of shops getting pants, shirts, jackets, dresses, and even new undergarments. I have never spent so much time or bought so many pieces of clothing as I did today. She even took me to get accessories including shoes and purses. By the time we got back to the apartment it was late and we had actually grabbed some food on the way there. She helped me unload all the bags and we sat down to eat our dinner.

 “So Sarah, are you enjoying it?”

“It?”

“Yes the new change in scenery and actually doing music?”

“Oh. Yeah I am loving it. I have always wanted to come here and music has always been a passion of mine. If it wasn’t for Jay I probably would just be back home with my dad running the club.”

“I really hope things work out here for you, I like you and I feel like you would do some amazing things here. I just hope that the industry doesn’t swallow you up. You’re a good kid and the industry can be pretty dark and tends to chew kids up and spit them out. Just fallow what the guys say and I’m sure they will take care of you.”

Our chit chat turned towards clothes and what I should wear with certain events. My phone was vibrating while we talked and I opened it to find a text from Loco saying that I should come out as they were all going to go out for drinks and to do some dancing. I couldn’t believe that they were going back out after having gone out the night before. Just before I sent another rejection I stopped myself and thought maybe this would be a good time to show them the new me. I asked my new friend what I should wear and she helped me pick out the perfect outfit. She had me in some skin tight black jeans that hugged my body showing off my curves in all their glory. The shirt she had me in wasn’t really much of a shirt as it was a see through top and she had me wearing a tank top under it. She topped it off with a jean jacket and had me wearing some heeled timberland boots. I sent a text saying I was on my way and she dropped me off on her way home.

I arrived at the club and Loco said to just go up to the bouncer and give my name as they would be waiting in the VIP section for me. I did as I was instructed and the bouncer had someone escort me to the guys. They were all laughing and taking pictures and just having fun.

 “Did I miss anything today?”

 Gray and Loco looked up at me while Jay was still lost in his phone.

 “God damn Sarah!”

“What you don’t like it Gray?”

“No I do, you look amazing! I love the new hair and the new clothes are just WOW!”

 I walked over and sat down in between Gray and Loco. Gray was all smiles while Loco looked confused.

 “What’s wrong Loco?”

“Nothing, it’s just you really are all grown up. But you will always be our Princess.”

 He acted as if he was crying and wiped away his imaginary tears from his eyes. We all laughed at his horrible acting and I grabbed onto his arm leaning my head on it.

 “Don’t worry Oppa, I will always be your little princess.”

 I tried to give him my best impression of a high school girl but I could tell he wasn’t buying as he pushed me away. I laughed and reached for the drinks on the table ready to have myself a shot. I looked up at Jay who was watching me over his phone.

 “Don’t you like it Jay?”

“As long as you like it. I was half expecting you to come back with some crazy colored hair or something.”

“No, I just wanted a little change. Like an upgrade to what I already had. I didn’t want to make any big changes.”

Jay gave me a smile and leaned over to talk to Chase who was sitting next to him. I grabbed myself a drink and shot it down quickly. I sat back and put my head on Gray’s shoulder.

 “So am I allowed to dance or do I have to stay up here with you guys?”

“No go ahead, we will all be up here if you need anything.”

 I smiled up at him and then jumped up heading towards the dance floor. This was the first time in a long time being in a club outside of the one I worked at. It was nice to be able to just be me, a normal person and not an employee.

 The DJ was playing some really good music and it was easy to move my body to the beat and just enjoy myself. A remix of Solo came on and the club went insane. It was a fun song to dance to with people singing along with it. I was closing my eyes and swinging my hips to the beat and getting low in some spots. I felt someone come up behind me and I turned around to see a rather attractive guy smiling back at me. He was tall and had a great build on him and he was dressed in some very nice clothes. I smiled back at him and let him lead the dance. He put his knee in between my legs and we began to sway to the music. His grip on me would get lower but would always come back up to my hip. I smiled at him because I knew he was trying to get a feel of my ass. I started to pull away and his face fell a bit but I only pulled away to turn my back to him and to lean back onto him as we continued our dance. His hand came back to my hip holding me close to him as he grinded his crotch into me. I couldn’t help myself and I pushed my ass back into him. He took that as a go ahead and started to let his hands roam. His hand slowly made its way across my stomach before going back to my hip and then slowly going down my thigh before making its way back up but this time on the inside of my thigh. I moved his hand back to the outside and allowed him to continue to explore.

 Jay

After Sarah left to go dance I waited a little bit before standing and going to the railing that overlooked the dance floor. I watched her work her way into the crowd and lose herself to the music. I smiled as I watched her enjoy herself. She really did look sexy as hell and it worried me a little bit to let her go but she was a big girl and was more than capable of handling herself.

 “She has some good moves.”

 I looked up to see Gray standing next to me.

 “Yeah she does. It will be interesting to see her perform.”

“Oh looks like she already has a fan.”

 Gray pointed towards a guy who was currently making a b line for her. I watched as the guy danced right up to her and then watched her turn around to smile at him. The two were dancing very seductively, she was clearly enjoying the reaction she was getting from him.

 “Oh looks like he has some wandering hands.”

 I wasn’t even watching what the guy was doing as I was so focused on Sarah’s face. Watching her close her eyes and smiling. I envied that guy, I wanted to be down there with her. I turned my attention to the guy who was trying to be sly about feeling her up. I smiled when I saw Sarah pull away, she must have caught on to. What I wasn’t expecting was her to lean back into him and continue dancing. The grip I had on the hand rail became stronger. I didn’t envy him anymore, now I just wanted to rip his hands from his body.

 “Yaa Jay I don’t like this guy, his hands are all over her.”

 Gray was right this guy kept trying to run his hands on the inside of her thigh clearly trying to cop a feel of her sex.

 “I don’t like this guy either.”

 I was just about ready to go rip him away from Sarah when I hear Gray curse and then he was gone. He was going down the stairs quickly and not caring that he was being rough with making his way to the crowd. Gray had enough of this guy and was doing something before I even had a chance. I watched as Gray made his way to Sarah and pulled her from the grabby guys hands. I saw him get up in the guy’s face but couldn’t read his lips. Sarah was trying to push him away from the guy clearly trying to deescalate the situation before Gray did something. Sarah then stood in-between the guys and put her arms around Gray’s waste and pushed him back. Gray looked down at her and smiled before putting his arms around her.

 Why can’t that be me?

 I thought as I watched the two laugh as she tried to get Gray to dance with her. She wasn’t dancing seductively instead her dancing was stupid and silly trying to make Gray laugh and she was succeeding. Gray had thrown his head back and was laughing at something she had said. I couldn’t stand there watching the two and went back to sit next to Chase.

 Sarah

 Once I had Gray laughing I grabbed his hand and laced our fingers together and lead the way back up to the rest of the gang. I knew that guy was getting handsy and I totally could have handled it on my own but before I could do anything Gray was right there getting in the guy’s face. Once we reached the spot where the guys were Gray dropped my hand and threw his arm around my shoulder as we walked over to the guys.

 “So Sarah here isn’t allowed to dance alone anymore.”

 I scoffed at him.

 “Excuse me?”

“Well look what happens when you do.”

 I rolled my eyes at him.

 “I can handle myself and would have but you got in there before I could.”

“I am not saying you can’t dance, but just dance with us or we can call one of the girls down and you can all dance together.”

“I think I will do what I want. Right now I want another drink.”

 I walked out of Gray’s arm and sat down next to Loco who was on his phone and grabbed myself another shot. I wasn’t some child and these guys needed to understand it. For the next couple of hours we spent the night talking about music and drinking. I was about 4 shots in and decided I wanted to dance again and was trying to make my way to the stairs but Jay jumped up.

  “Nope not happening.”

“But I wanna dance.”

“Then dance up here.”

“Will you dance with me?”

 I smiled up at Jay who looked like I had just asked him how to cure cancer. I grabbed one of his hands and with my free hand I put is on his shoulder.

 “It’s called dancing where we move our bodies to the music, like this.”

 Jay was still standing there and I was trying to get him to dance with me. After a few more seconds of moving I saw a switch go off in his eyes and he was finally moving his body. He pulled me closer to him and started to sing along to the song that was currently playing. I kept trying to lower my face because looking in his eyes as he sang to me was turning me on. Every time I tried to look down his hand would come to my face lifting it to look back at him. The beat started to pick up and he turned me around but kept one of my arms around his neck and he lowered his face closer to my ear while both of his hands were on my hips guiding them to the beat. Either the booze or the fact that I could feel his breath on my neck and he was whispering the lyrics in my ear I was losing control of my body and having a hard time keeping up with the beat. My breath was picking up and I had to close my eyes to keep from moaning when I felt him get even closer to me and his grip grew tighter as he pulled me flush against him. I almost lost my balance with how quickly he pulled me in but he dropped one arm while the other went around my waist. We were completely flush against each other which wasn’t helping my breathing at all or my train of thought. The booze must have finally gotten to me because I could have sworn I felt something against my ass and heard him break from the lyrics to say something under his breath.

 “What?”

 I asked and he stepped back letting me go and said he had to go to the bathroom. I was left there shocked and left wondering what he had said. I wasn’t able to think much on it as Loco called me back to the couch.

 “Sarah I think it’s time to switch you back to water.”

  I agreed and took the water bottle he had offered me. I drank about half of the water when Jay had returned finally and realized I need to go to the bathroom as well. I stood up too quickly and felt myself sway a little on my feet.

  “Hold on there.”

 Gray stood to brace me and keep me up straight.

 “I think it’s time you went home Princess.”

“Yeah but first little girls room.”

 Gray grabbed me by the arm and was helping me down the stairs while the rest of the guys called for their sober driver.

 “Can you handle this on your own?”

 I looked up at Gray and laughed pinching his cheeks.

 “Of course I can Oppa, I am a big girl and don’t need your help with going tinkle.”

 Gray laughed as he let go of my arm allowing me to escape to the bathroom. After I handled my business I went to wash my hands and splashed some water on my face trying to sober up. It didn’t help at all. I walked back out to see Gray still there waiting for me.

 “Come on lets you get you out of here. Jay is in the car waiting for you.”

 I was lead out of the club and to the car and put in the backseat with Jay. I didn’t see Jay drinking that much and he was more sober then I was.

 “Have fun tonight Sarah?”

“Oh yah tones of fun.”

 I yawned and felt my head fall to his shoulder and my eyes close. I felt him try and shake me but I couldn’t open my eyes. I was beyond tired from drinking. I opened my eyes when I felt him lift me up.

  “No don’t I can walk.”

“Stop squirming. I doubt you can actually walk since you can’t even keep your eyes open.”

 He had a point, I was trying really hard to keep my eyes open but they kept closing as if they had a mind of their own. I felt him lay me on my bed and take my shoes off along with my top shirt and socks.

 “Wait here.”

“Not going anywhere.”

 I opened up my eyes as best as I could as I saw him leave the room. I felt super uncomfortable in these pants and my bra. I laid on my bed unbuttoning my pants and pulling them off with me and then tried to sit up to take my bra off. It took me a couple of tries to stay up straight enough to actually undo it and take it off while I had my tank top off. I was starting to get super frustrated with the fact that I couldn’t do this.

  “God damn it.”

“Sarah what are you doing?”

 I looked at Jay in my doorway as I sat there in my bed well more like laid sideways on my bed.

 “Jay I can’t get this fucking thing off. It’s trying to strangle me.”

 I had gotten the damn thing unclasped but got stuck somehow with getting my arms out of it but keeping my shirt on.

 “Umm...let me help you.”

  Jay walked over setting down a pill bottle and some water on my night stand, then helped me untangle myself from the damn bra and tank top straps. Once I was untangled he helped me get the thing off while keeping my shirt on.

 “Oh my god thank you, that thing wanted to kill me.”

“Sure it did. Let’s get you in bed.”

 Jay help me lay back and pulled the blanket out from under me to cover me up. It was then I realized that I was only in my tank and panties.

  “Oh um sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Get some sleep Sarah.”

 I grabbed onto his arm and stopped him.

  “Can you stay until I fall asleep?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Please it won’t take me long.”

“I….it’s just not a good idea.”

“Please?”

 Jay sighed and told me to move over. I rolled over and made room for him as he laid on top of the covers.

 “Just until you fall asleep.”

“Yeah.”

 I rolled over so that I was facing him as he laid there with his arms behind his head looking up at the ceiling. I smiled and closed my eyes letting myself drift off to sleep.

  Jay

 I have no idea why I agreed to this. I laid there listening to her breathing as she slowly fell asleep. I knew I should get up but couldn’t make myself move, I stayed there in her bed listening to her sleep. I turned my head and smiled at her as I watched her, with her mouth parted a little bit allowing some little snores to escape her mouth. I turned back to look at the ceiling and let my eyes close.

 Just a few minutes and I will go back to my bed.

 I told myself as I laid there.

 My phone going off in the distance woke me up. I slowly opened my eyes to see Sarah’s messy hair.

 Shit.

 I tried to not move and wake her while I assessed the current situation. I wasn’t laying on my back anymore. Instead I was laying on my side and Sarah was wrapped around me with her limbs. I had her wrapped in my arms with one of her legs hitched on my hip and one of mine in between hers. I was trying to think of how to get out of this without waking her but the scent from her hair along with the none stop ringing of my phone was making it hard to think. I felt her stir in my arms as she tried to burrow deeper into my chest. I needed to get out of there quickly before she wakes up fully. I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable as she was still in nothing but her tank top and panties, clearly she isn’t a fan of blankets having kicked hers off. With the continuation of the phone going off had stirred her enough to roll away from me.

 “Hua fucking answer your phone I’m trying to sleep.”

 With my freedom, I slowly rolled away from her and off the bed. Taking each step as quietly as I could out of the room before closing the door. I went back to the kitchen where I had discarded my jacket the night before and grabbed the ever annoying phone, it was Chase.

 “Hello?”

“Jay where are you? You were supposed to be here hours ago to go over Sik’s new song.”

 I pulled the phone away from my face to see it was 10am.

 “Fuck. Ok let me change and I will be on my way.”

 I ran back to my room and changed my clothes tossing on whatever my hands touched not caring what I looked like before grabbing my wallet and keys. On my way out the door I sent Sarah a quick text.

 Jay: Sarah, if you are feeling up to it come down to the studio or just hang out at home today.

 With Loco and Gray’s song that she was on being done I wanted to go over some things with her before we got set to release the music.

  Sarah

Fuck my life.

 I rolled onto my back throwing my arm to cover my eyes in hopes that it would stop the world from spinning. My mouth felt dry and my stomach felt like it was ready to take its revenge on me. I needed a shower and some greasy food asap. I slowly as to not awaken the hangover beast inside me rolled out of my bed. I grabbed a towel and robe before heading off to the bathroom. The only noise in the apartment was being caused by me so I figured Jay had left for the day. I turned the shower on and looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was a mess and I had panda eyes from my makeup. I brought my hand up to run my fingers threw my hair and that’s when I smelt it. It was faint but still there, it was the same smell of Jay’s cologne. I brought some of my hair to my nose to smell it and then pulled my tank to my nose.

 What the actual fuck?

 I ran the events of last night threw my head as I stripped my clothes off. I remembered being at the club and then going home. I remember Jay carrying me upstairs and placing me in my bed and I remember asking him to stay.

 “Oh fuck.”

 I said out loud. Where had I gotten the courage to ask him that because sober me would never had asked that of him. Yeah I’m a big snuggler but never with a guy I actually had a crush on. I shook my head to rid my thoughts, 100% sure Jay had probably left as soon as I was asleep. I mean why on earth would he even stay? I finished washing myself and dried off before put on my robe and leaving the bathroom. I walked into my room and looked for my phone, once I found it I saw a text to Jay. Yeah I felt icky but once I got some water and food in me I would feel better so I sent him a quick reply.

 Sarah: I’m going to grab some food and then head to the studio. Do you guys want anything?

 As I waited for his response I put my phone on the charger and got dressed. Opting for some comfy clothes of leggings and an oversized shirt and jean jacket. As I was drying my hair I heard my phone go off and figured Jay had finally replied back. Once I was ready I grabbed my phone and saw that he did reply back.

 Jay: No we are good.

 I opted for something quick and not heavy on stomach to eat as I took a cab to the studio. Days like today made me miss my bike. It would be useless to get one here since I wasn’t sure how long I would actually be here and I still wasn’t use to the streets. With food in my stomach and a bottle of water I was feeling much better, not 100% but enough to function.

 I arrived at the studio and went to the usual room we all worked in. I walked in to see Gray and Chase working on some beats and Loco sitting on the couch messing with his phone.

 “Hey guys.”

 Gray and Chase gave me a head nod but went back to what they were doing. Loco patted the couch next to him signaling me to come sit with him, I plopped down on the couch with a big exhale of air.

 “Good morning sleeping beauty, how is your afternoon?”

“Blah, I’m still kind of sleepy but I’m here so there is that.”

 Loco laughed and grabbed one of the throw pillows putting it in his lap.

 “Lay down and relax. Jay is in the other room with Sik going over some stuff. You two got a pretty late start today.”

 I looked up at him with a questioning look as I laid down on the couch resting my head on the pillow.

 “Jay was late?”

“3 hours late to be exact. What did you two do when you left that made our punctual CEO late to work?”

“Nothing. We went right home and right to bed. Maybe you guys should stop dragging him out at night and actually let him get some sleep.”

 I closed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. He must have been tired after everything going on for him to be late. I tried not to think about it too much as I listened to the beat they were working on. It was slow and had a bit of sexiness mixed in with sadness, as if the beat was talking about a past lover that it missed. Even without lyrics I could picture a couple happy and in love smiling at each other but it then transformed to a man sitting on his empty bed with his head in his hands. Broken picture frames with pictures of the couple littered the bedroom floor. Gone was the smiling couple and left was a broken man filled with regrets. He lifted his head up to scan the room only to notice all of her clothes were gone from the shared dresser. Just as the beat was coming to a crescendo the man stands only to turn around and flip the mattress off the bed. I couldn’t help but let tears escape my eyes as what I was visioning in my head.

 “Hey Sarah you ok?”

 I opened my eyes to look up at Loco and gave him a smile. He responded by wiping away my tears.

 “Then what’s with the tears?”

 The beat stopped and I looked over at Gray and Chase.

 “What I’m fine. That’s a good beat, it just really got to me.”

“It’s just a beat. What came to mind when you were listening to it?”

 I rolled over to face Gray and Loco draped his arm over my stomach. I snuggled deeper into the couch enjoying the comfort that Loco gave off, it was nice to have while I explained what I had pictured while I listened to the beat.

 “Interesting. We weren’t really sure where we were going to go with it, but what you explained could fit well with the beat. The beat could change as we are still developing it but I really like where your head is going with this. Technically we could give this off to one of the guys or we could even shoot this to Hoody to see if she can come up with anything.”

 I smiled at Gray happy that I was actually contributing more to this then just my voice. If they needed lyrics I had a notebook full of them. Thoughts of using my lyrics on a song filled my head as I listened to them work on the beat more.

 It was pretty late when Jay finally came into the room. I was still laying with my head in Loco’s lap singing along to our song we had playing in the room. We were just having fun and being lazy at the same time.

 “Sorry guys. It’s pretty late and I still have stuff to work on here. Do you guys have anything to work on? I know I was supposed to go over stuff with you Sarah but we can just do that tomorrow at home since no one will be here tomorrow.”

 Chase was the only one who had stuff to work on so he staid back. Gray and Loco offered to give me a drive back to the apartment since it was late. As we were walking to the car I suggested why not just grab some food and head back to the apartment to watch a movie. The guys were more than happy to hang out and we stopped off to grab some snacks and pizza, they wanted to grab some drinks but I shot that down telling them to give their liver a break for once. Once we got back to the apartment we moved the coffee table out of the way to make room and grabbed some blankets and pillows laying them out.

 “Wow I haven’t had a night like this since I was little.”

 I smiled at Loco, I didn’t doubt that. Once we got everything all set we brought some water and pizza over to where we were sitting and put on a movie. We ate while we watched a comedy and just enjoyed our time together not having a care in the world. Once the movie was over with we cleaned up the garbage and turned the lights off to get in the mood for a good scary movie I sat in the middle of the boys and enjoyed them taking turns scaring me. I really loved horror movies and the adrenaline rush it gave you when you were scared. Around the second movie we all transitioned from sitting up to laying back against the couch using the pillows to prop us up. I tried my best to keep my eyes open but it was no use and I felt my head fall back as my eyes closed.

 Gray

I watched Sarah out of the corner of my eyes try and fight to stay awake but eventually she lost out. I sat forward and looked to Loco who had at some point laid out on his stomach and fell asleep, I called out his name but only got some snores in response. I looked at back at Sarah and knew if I let her stay that way she would be hurting in the morning. I gently lifted her head and helped her adjust to laying down with her head on the pillow and grabbed the blanket and tried to lay it over the three of us but Loco was too far away that it didn’t cover him. I tossed another one over him so that he wouldn’t get cold before I laid myself down on the ground and turned towards Sarah watching her sleep. I will admit I was the only one who was against her coming back with us only because I didn’t want her to get her hopes up of succeeding. Jay was right and she was amazing but I still worried about how things would play out once the fans heard her and eventually finding out that she isn’t Korean. Whatever happens I knew I would stay by her side and help her accomplish anything she wanted. I couldn’t really put my finger on when this happened but I found myself being drawn to her. Last night when I saw her come into the club in her new look I wanted to swoop her up in my arms and not let anyone near her. She looked gorgeous, she was still our Sarah but she had a sexy air about her. I kept my feelings in and didn’t let them out but the minute I saw her on the dance floor with that guy’s hands on her I lost all train of thought. It wasn’t my place to stop her from dancing with a guy but it would be a cold day in hell before I let any man touch her that way.

  I smiled at and brushed some hair out of her face causing her to smile and let a little moan escape her mouth. That one little moan that wasn’t meant to be sexual in anyway went straight to my dick waking it up. It’s been months since I was with anyone and even with all the girls here none of them could hold a light to her. I crossed my arms behind my head and just looked up at the ceiling trying to rid these indecent thoughts from my head. Just as I was closing my eyes I felt something land on my chest, my eyes shot open to see that Sarah had moved closer to me and had put her head on my chest using it as a pillow. The scent of her shampoo filled my nose causing me to close my eyes and a hand went below the blanket to try and adjust my ever growing dick. Now was so not the time for a hard on. I wrapped my free arm around Sarah holding her closer to me and felt her toss a leg up on me brushing my dick while she adjusted herself into a comfortable position. I held back my moan and clamped my eyes shut trying to recite the Korean Anthem in my head. With her comfortably laying in my arms I felt my dick relax and I let a sigh of relief out. I closed my eyes and thought of how much I wish I could keep her right here in my arms.

 Jay

I slowly dragged myself to my door and put in my passcode to unlock the door. Today had been a fucking long ass day. It was almost 2am and I was so happy to have tomorrow off, all I really wanted to do was just lay around the house doing nothing. I walked through my door and kicked off my shoes. All the lights were off in the apartment leaving it in darkness except for the glow coming from the TV. I saw Loco laid out on my floor under a blanket and then saw the back of Gray also laying on the floor under a blanket. I didn’t see Sarah and figured she must be in her room sleeping. Before I woke the guys up I went to her room to check in on her but when I opened her door she wasn’t there, her bed looked untouched. I walked past the empty bathroom and checked my room and that was empty as well. I made my way back to the living thinking my sleepy brain missed her on the couch but she wasn’t there. As I got closer to the guys on the floor I noticed a lump under Gray’s blanket move. I stopped in my tracks as the blanket was moved out of the way to reveal Sarah laying in Gray’s arms. I felt like I was just kicked in the gut at what I was seeing. I couldn’t move and just watched the two of them laying in each other’s arms both sleeping without a care in the world. I felt anger build up inside me. It’s my arms that she should be in not his. I walked up to the two sleeping forms and pulled the blanket away from Sarah causing Gray to wake up.

 “Hey Jay when did you get here?”

 I didn’t say anything and moved Gray’s arm away from her while gathering her in mine.

 “Dude just let her be, you’re going to wake her.”

“No. If she sleeps here she will get sick. Why would you think its ok for her to sleep like this?”

 I left Gray on the floor yawning and stretching out as I carried her to her room and laid her in her bed covering her up. I tried to be gentle but she woke for a brief moment.

 “Jay?”

“Yeah it’s me, go back to sleep it’s still really late.”

 I brushed some hair out of her face as she nuzzled her face into my hand letting out a soft purring sound. I smiled at how she reacted to me. I only ever wanted her to react this way with me and no other man. I pulled my hand away from her sleeping form and left her room closing the door before heading back to the living room. Gray was now a wake and sitting on the couch.

 “Dude what gives? You could have left her here, it’s not like she will get sick. I had a blanket over her.”

“It’s late, if you want you can crash here or whatever. I’m fucking exhausted so I’m going to bed.”

 I turned and left Gray there, I was in no mood to talk with him about this. All I wanted now was my bed since I knew Sarah was in her bed ALONE.

NEXT CHAPTER

[battle-goats]

A Day

The moment he wakes up, Tamaki knows he's going to have a day if he doesn't do something about it.

Read on Ao3

Tamaki squinted in the glaring sunlight filtering through the blinds of their bedroom window.  His alarm had gone off three hours ago, but he'd rolled over, turned it off and called in.  He'd known immediately that it was going to be a bad day if he went anywhere.

Fatgum had always been understanding of his anxiety, for which he'd be forever grateful.  But Eijirou still had to go into work.  So Eijirou had dragged himself from their bed and had gotten dressed to go in to work.  The younger man had pressed a kiss to Tamaki's brow and gone on his way to get going to work.

Tamaki crawled out of bed, but took the the blankets with him.  He padded out to the living room and kitchen to see a tray of covered breakfast waiting for him.  It had long since gone cold, but the fact that it was there made him smile. He picked up the tray and carried it to the counter so he could microwave it.  The microwave beeped and Tamaki pulled out his breakfast.

The sunlight coming in through the balcony door made watching television impossible with how much glare that was hitting the screen.  He left it on anyway, just for some background noise.  He hated how silent their apartment was, on days like this.  When he'd skipped out of work, and Eijirou was gone.  It was oppressive, and left him alone with his thoughts for too long.

“There is an ongoing incident being reported in Shinjuku.  Preliminary reports show that Red Riot has confronted a villain attempting to hold a middle school hostage.”

Tamaki ripped his eyes away from the drifting clouds outside to turn back to the news report.  Grainy cell phone footage of Eijirou confronting a villain who appeared to be manipulating metal.

“No word on the identity of the villain at this time.”

Eijirou's signature sharp toothed grin could be seen as his quirk worked to protect him from various cars that were being thrown at him.  The camera shook violently before it began to swing in what was clearly the motions of the owner running from the scene.  The video cut out.

The news anchor was back on screen, once again reading off the teleprompter, the same information that had already been given.  There was nothing new for several minutes and Tamaki waited.  This had to be the worst part.  He was a pro hero himself, and being involved with a pro hero was stressful.  Everyone knew that.  But because he wasn't there.  He wasn't standing next to Eijirou, watching his back.  That made the waiting so much worse.

“We're receiving an update.  Yes, Red Riot has apprehended the villain and is awaiting the arrival of the police.”

Tamaki let out a long breath when a cameraman zoomed in on Eijirou's hardened form, he stood over the unmoving form of the villain, his teeth bared.  The first time he'd seen Eijirou use his quirk to that extent, the wild look had stolen his breath away.  Mirio had seen the look too, and had laughed. Mirio had known right there what Tamaki didn't figure out until months later.  That he was completely gone for Eijirou.

The news report carried on, but Tamaki stopped listening.  He'd seen and heard all he wanted.  Eijirou was fine and would be coming home to him.

Tamaki awoke to Eijirou's weight settling atop his.  The couch was too small, and Eijirou was heavy. He was also, mostly naked.  His hero outfit was on the floor, and Eijirou wore only his underwear and socks.  Tamaki combed his fingers through Eijirou's hair.  The spikes loosened up until they sat flat again.

“How was your day?” Eijirou asked. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply.  Tamaki hummed.

“I saw you on the news.  You were captivating, as usual,” Tamaki said.  Eijirou smiled.

“If anyone in this room is captivating, it's you,” Eijirou said.  Tamaki ran his hands down Eijiriou's back.

“That's debatable.”

Eijirou poked him in the side, and Tamaki jolted at the motion.  Tamaki dug his fingers into a knot of muscle on Eijirou's back.

“I'm hungry, but I want to sleep too,” Eijirou said. “Let's take a nap, and then after we can order dinner.”

“Sounds like a plan, my sun,” Tamaki said.  Eijirou's smile widened.  Tamaki knew he loved being called that.  It was the only pet name Tamaki indulged in, and knowing it made Eijirou happy was always a nice benefit.  Eijirou rested back on top of Tamaki and nuzzled his neck.  He reached for one of Tamaki's hands and laced their fingers together.  

“And maybe after dinner, my Suneater can live up to his name?” Eijirou suggested.  His smile turned sultry, and Tamaki knew he'd be in for a good night.  It was a good thing they had the next day off, and entirely to themselves.