#next week i can probably be active properly again

[nekrophoria]

Oc Deep Dive Questionaire - Mel

Thanks for the tag @nocturnalazure @drawing-way-outside-the-lines and @bool-prop💙

Under the cut, cuz long.

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

He's afraid of horses. I'd say in his case it's a legitimate phobia, they freak him out like nothing else. He's also low key scared of water, especially calm lakes and water surfaces. They make him uncomfortable.

Do they have any pet peeves?

People who interrupt others or talk over others, that always bugged the hell out of him in school.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

His plushie fox, Cory, a notebook and his violin, that he keeps dragging around with him for some reason despite not playing anymore.

What do they notice first in a person?

The voice, he's got the habit to only half look at people he doesn't know well so it's the main thing he notices about em.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Depends on how you define pain tolerance. He personally feels like his tolerance is way lower than average At least it used to be. He would cry a lot as a kid whenever he got physically hurt. Way more than most other kids his age. By now he feels like he's at least fairly good at hiding when he's in pain. And his pain tolerance is quite high when it's pain he can control, like self inflicted pain.

I'd say it's a 6,5 for the most part

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Flight for the most part

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

He doesn't really have much of a family left, his mother is dead, his presumed father left when he was young, and he never met any of his extended family on either side.

The people he considers family are Serena, Roy and Roland, although those relationships are...complicated for him as well.

I don't think he values family quite as much as the average person, found family or not  doesn't make that much of a difference to him in that case.

What animal represents them best?

I'd like to say a fox, cuz it's his favourite animal and kinda tied to him story wise, however deep down I know the animal that represents him best is this fucker:

The Aye-aye.

What is a smell that they dislike?

Disinfectant. Long story short after his latest trip to the ER, smelling that stuff makes him nauseous as hell.

Have they broken any bones?

Surprisingly not. He's sprained his ankles a couple times though.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

....I've got no fucking clue to be honest.

Are they a night owl or a morning bird?

Let's just say he's more likely to be up late than to wake up at a reasonable time.

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

He generally doesn't like earthy flavors, like beets or mushrooms. He loves chocolate, especially mint.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

First reaction in his head: Fuck. Fuck. FUCK

He'd try to play his initial shock off and pretend to be happy about it, although not very convincingly.

Later he'd probably try to get away without anyone noticing.

Do they like to wear jewelry?

Technically yes. He just can't be arsed right now.

What are two emotions they feel the most?

Guilt, although he can't fully pinpoint why.

And emptiness, plain and simple.

Do they have a favorite fabric?

He likes fur, but preferably fake or on a living, breathing animal.

What kind of accent do they have?

He's got a Teesside accent. Think Jamie Bell with his accent dialed up a bit.

To be fair though his accent can also switch a bit depending on whom he's around. He's pretty good at imitating accents and tends to adapt to people subconsciously.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

More on the messy side i'd say?

Idk, you'll be the judge of that.

[cosmicloved]

okay so. i did one whole reply. and then was like 'i'm gonna be busy next week but i'll try to write'. and then i got covid. so. That Didn't Work Out!!

[shina913]

Bitter(Sweet) | JWW

Bitter(Sweet)

Pairing: Wonwoo x Fem!Reader

Rating: M 🔞; NSFW

Genre: Infidelity!AU; exes!AU; angst; smut; some fluff

Warnings: cussing; sexually suggestive language; clit play; protected sex; questionable morals; open conversation about infidelity; hurt without comfort

Word count: 4.8K words

Summary: You and Wonwoo reunite to celebrate a special evening.

A/N: If you don't like reading about cheaters - you are free to skip! Thank you, Sim @/roaminginthenights for your notes. They added more depth and nuance to the story in so many words. I appreciate you, my friend!

A/N2: Originally posted on my SVT sideblog but I've decided to merge everything on main now. I also have a version of this fic with BTS' Namjoon, if you choose to read it with that character.

You’re sitting in the airport parking lot, tapping your fingers happily to the beat of the song playing on your car radio. You glance at the time, it wouldn’t be too long; he’d be walking out of those doors soon. Until then, you continue to hum to the song.

Tonight is special. A night you didn’t think you’d ever celebrate again. Yet here you were, in a rental car, in a town you’d left years before.

Other than one particular overnight reservation, there are no other formal plans. You’d order takeout and perhaps pick up a bottle of wine or two from the corner store.

Your phone rings. You bring it up to check the caller ID and smile when you recognize the name flashing on the screen.

“Hi, honey!”

“Hi mom,” your daughter greets you on speakerphone.

“Is everything okay?”

She goes on to ask permission to do a facemask with her cousin. While she rambles on about other activities they have planned for their sleepover, you distantly hear the passenger door open. You quickly turn your head to smile at him then bring your pointer finger to your lips signaling him not to say a word.

“Mom? Helloooo? Are you listening to me?”

You scramble to get back to your call as your passenger shuts the door. “Uh–sure, honey. That all sounds great. Just make sure you get some sleep and listen to auntie, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And you know I told you that I have a late-night meeting so no phone calls but you can always text–”

“I know, mom.” She’s exasperated in a manner that only middle-schoolers who know it all would be. You exchange ‘I-love-you’s’ before she ends the call.

And now, you can properly greet your new arrival.

“Hi,” Wonwoo says.

“Hi,” you greet him with a smile. “That was Yuna.”

“So I heard,” he smiles. “Is she sleeping over at Emma’s?”

You nod. “She’s thrilled. It’s a school night and she gets to stay up late with her favorite cousin.”

He chuckles. “I don’t know if I can top organic facemasks when she comes over next week, but I’ll try.”

“I’m sure she’ll be happy with whatever you’ve got planned for her.” 

“Right. As long as she’s happy.”

You nod then let out a long sigh before telling him, “You know, at some point, we need to stop meeting like this.” That’s what you also said last time. And the time before that. You’re fully aware of it and you think that if you say it enough times, you believe it and actually stop.

“I know,” he breathes out before cupping your nape to bring your face to his, sealing his lips over yours. You don’t pull away or give any hint of protest. You melt right into him, your mouth parting to let his tongue savor you.

You miss this. You miss him.

Somehow, you find the willpower to wrench yourself away from him. “Easy there. We’re still in the parking lot.”

You can see the mischief in his eyes even through his glasses. “So? It’s not like that’s stopped us before.” His hands trail between your legs, cupping your heat.

“I know but,” you gently push his hand away. “We have a reservation and it’s late so we should probably get going.”

He sighs, relenting. “Okay.” He reaches back for the seatbelt then stops short of buckling in. “By the way, happy anniversary,” he grins.

You feel a flutter in your chest and your cheeks warm up. “Happy anniversary,” you reply.

******

Wonwoo scrolls through his phone, scanning for the email confirmation that contained the security code and instructions to unlock the rental.

“Are you sure you have it?”

You are both standing on the front porch of your Airbnb, using your phone's flashlight to help him see his phone better. He was nearly blind as a bat, especially in the dark, even with his glasses on.

“I’ve got it! Trust me.” He scrolls some more until he exclaims, and finally sees the coveted email.

He carefully punches the code on the door’s keypad until you hear it chime, confirming that you’ve gained access.

You walk through the door and into this place that is known to you. But seeing it again after so long, makes it feel unfamiliar.

The first thing you notice is that the foyer has been redone. The divider wall that used to separate the kitchen and living room has since been knocked down to give it a more ‘open’ layout. 

The furniture is all generic. Not much thought was put into picking them out. The colors also don’t provide much contrast to the equally bland walls. It all blends in but not in a good way.

“Why is everything so white?” You remark.

“It supposedly gives the illusion of a bright and open space.” Wonwoo sets your bags at the base of the staircase.

“Feels more like a hospital to me,” you reply dryly, to his amusement. He moves into the kitchen, helping himself to the contents of the cupboards.

You follow behind, wandering over to the counter, where there is a binder listing the ‘house rules.’

“No parties, no loud music,” you read random bullet points out loud. “Quiet time at 10PM. Interesting.”

His arms circle your waist from behind, and you feel him nuzzle into your neck, planting a soft kiss. “Can you stay quiet after 10PM?” He murmurs against your skin.

“Shut up,” you giggle and break out of his hold and playfully pinch him on his side. “Only if you keep your hands to yourself after 10PM,” you tease him back, making him burst into laughter.

You walk around the place some more, scanning and assessing. You’re surprised at how many more modifications have been made. Gone were the warm, earthy tones that you painted the living room and the kitchen.

What was wrong with the way things were before? The interior designer you hired found a great way to marry modern and vintage concepts!

You shake your head in mild irritation.

The upstairs bedrooms feel just as desolate with the plain white, sanitized walls. At least the new owners attempted to break the monotony with a few framed watercolor prints and scenic photographs, no doubt purchased from a big-box store.

You find yourself standing in the midst of your old master bedroom. You see hints of the old furnishings layered with the new. It certainly wasn’t how you remembered it.

“Huh.” Wonwoo says when he walks in. “Why didn’t we think of putting the bed against that side of the room before?”

You roll your eyes at him. “Because you get up to go to the bathroom more often than I do so that’s why we put it on the side that was closer to the en suite.”

His mouth drops slightly with a soft ‘ah,’ in sudden realization. “Well, I’ll have to admit, you were right. You should have ignored me and gone with your original plan.”

“I appreciate you acknowledging that, years later.” You roll your eyes and brush past him on your way out. “But as you know, marriage is about compromise,” you call past your shoulder. 

“I’m ordering the pizza!” Your voice echoes down the staircase.

Wonwoo spends a few more minutes in this room, allowing himself to reminisce before finding the strength to tear himself away and rejoin you in the kitchen.

******

You’re sitting at your old kitchen counter, eating pizza and sharing a bottle of wine that Wonwoo ended up stealing from the owner’s kitchen. When you question him as to whether the alcohol was included in your AirBnB reservation, he shrugs and promises to replace it instead.

“So, are you seeing anyone?”

You stop mid-bite, taken aback by his question. “Wow, already?”

“What? I’m just making conversation.” He says casually as he takes a sip of wine. “And I’m nosy,” he snickers.

You giggle at his admission. “Nope, not seeing anyone. I had–what I thought was a connection a month ago…but that was a false flag. I’ve decided to hang back, take a break…be alone for a bit, you know? I’m not really looking for anything serious anyway.”

His expression turns sullen. He clears his throat before saying, “I thought you had a connection with Seojun. Things looked pretty serious.”

The reminder of your fatal mistake doesn’t sting as much as it did before. And he wasn’t as angry and bitter when he brings it up.

“Seojun was…” you sigh, collecting your thoughts so as not to create unnecessary ripples in this still water. “He was good for me at the time. He was who I needed at the time. But long-term?” You scrunch your face and shook your head. “I didn’t think that far down the road.” 

He used to always ask ‘why.’ Why did you do what you did? Why did you make those choices?

You were together for five years before you married. Two years later, you had Yuna and everything seemed picture-perfect. You thought that you were doing well and that you might really have a knack for marriage and monogamy. It was a point in your relationship when you thought that nothing could ever break you.

But it turns out that anything and everything can break you.

Seojun came along and it was as if something that had long been dormant ignited within you. You thought it would be a one-off, but it wasn’t. For months you thought Wonwoo would suspect whether anything felt off. It wasn’t like you were trying to get caught but maybe some part of you wanted him to catch you. But that didn’t happen. Instead, he seemed happily blissful in his own world, seeing everything through rose-colored lenses.

You pick up your wine glass and tip the contents into your mouth, emptying it. When you set it back down on the counter, you look at him, staring at you.

“But you loved him, right?” He asks between mouthfuls of pizza.

You pause for a few long beats before responding. “Sure. In a way, yeah.” Your answer is noncommittal but the truth was, you didn’t know for sure if what you felt for Seojun was love. It certainly wasn’t the same as what you felt for Wonwoo. He was in his own category.

“I don’t get it though. Why would you want to be alone?”

You scoff and straighten in your seat, feeling the urge to be defensive. “I don’t get why you’re suddenly concerned about my choice to be alone.”

“No, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” He switches tact, sensing that your walls start to go back up. “I remember back then, you used to say that a lot…that you like being alone and that you didn’t believe in marriage or lifelong partnership. And yet–you still agreed to marry me when I asked. So no, I don’t believe that your ultimate desire or goal is to be alone.”

You pour yourself another glass. “You were different. Being with you, what we had–it made me want to prove myself wrong. That perhaps I do have the marriage gene in me and I can make it last.” You pick at a piece of pepperoni on your slice. “I’d like to believe that I did. I tried to keep things together to make things work for us.”

Wonwoo reaches for your hand and brushes his fingers over your knuckles in an attempt to console you.

“Turned out well, right?” You remark sarcastically, throwing your free hand up in defeat. “I failed. So, I conclude that I just don’t have it in me.” 

“The marriage gene?”

“Uh-huh. I’m doomed!” You laugh darkly.

You were happily resigned to that fact. Wonwoo was a beautiful anomaly. While your time may have been short-lived, it still added meaning to your generally doomed perspective on marriage and relationships.

His fingers curl around your hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. “For what it’s worth, I thought you were great at it.”

You smile wistfully and bring his hand up to your lips to kiss it. “Thank you. That’s kind of you to say.”

******

You were in the upstairs bathroom washing up when Wonwoo excused himself to retrieve a couple of things from his jacket pocket downstairs when his phone starts buzzing.

“Hello?” He answers.

“Hey, how’s it going? I’ve been trying to reach you. How was your flight?” the female voice says on the other line.

He clears his throat and hides away in what used to be his office. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, sweetheart. You know how it is at my dad’s house. The reception’s shit.”

“Why are you whispering?” She asks.

“Dad just fell asleep. You know how he’s such a light sleeper.”

“Oh, yeah. You’re right. Do you think you’ll be able to finish up whatever you need to over there? I have some miles on my card and fly out tomorrow to come over and help?”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Wonwoo tells her calmly. “Dad and I are just about done packing up some of his old things here so, he’ll be ready to move into the facility. He’s really looking forward to it.”

“Is he? That’s great.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I have to go. I’m trying to sort through a few more of his things here while he sleeps. I work faster when he doesn’t stop to admire each item and talk about what it meant to him.”

“Okay. Just call me if your flight changes. I love you!”

He hears the floorboard creak and looks up from his seat to find you leaning against the door frame, dressed in nothing but a black lace teddy. Biting his lower lip, he says, “I love you, too.”

As soon as he hangs up, he tugs at your wrist and ravishes you.

******

“You think she’d ever suspect anything between us?” You wonder out loud while you both lay naked in your former marriage bed, basking in your post-sex high.

He shakes his head adamantly. “I think ‘you and me’ is the last thing on her mind.”

You laugh at how confident he made that sound.

“I’m serious!” He says firmly. “This is not even remotely on her list of possibilities! She knows what happened between us so this is highly unlikely for her.”

You sit up against the headboard and stare at him in disbelief. “You told her about us?”

He shrugs, not seeing the problem with it. “It was all part of my therapy and healing process so…yeah. I told her everything.”

“So, does she think I’m, like, the devil incarnate or something?” You try to mask the pang of guilt in your chest by making light of it.

“Nah. She doesn’t really think about you.” Then he immediately adds, “I’m not saying that to be hurtful or dismissive. I think at the time she thought she was somebody who could, I don’t know, put me back together or something.”

Even though you’ve both said your pieces over the years and talked things over, traded apologies, and accepted them, it still felt inadequate.

“I’m sorry,” you say instinctively.

He sits up to mirror your posture and dips his head to kiss your bare shoulder. “You’ve said that already.”

“Yeah but–” He cuts you off mid-sentence with another kiss, his lips lingering over yours.

“No buts. We’re good, okay? I’m good.” He reassures you.

But you press him anyway. “Okay, I’m sorry to keep dropping the reality check here but what if she finds out?” 

He sighs, a wry smile on his lips. “If she does…” he trails off without finishing his thought. He straightens his posture, turning serious. “I guess you could say that I’m no longer scared of being labeled the bad guy. I spent a good chunk of my life trying to do the right thing and being a good person. Always doing what is morally acceptable.”

You tilt your head at him in curiosity. He’s changed a lot, but just like your old house, even though the fixtures have been replaced, walls knocked down and repainted, and furniture layout rearranged, you can still see hints of what it used to be.

He’s still the same Wonwoo you fell in love with, beneath this new cynical, detached exterior. He wasn’t always open about his emotions but in the rare cases that he would wear his heart on his sleeve, you saw and felt it.

Right now, he was baring his soul to you.

“I’m not saying that I’m proud of it. You know, the affairs. I have needs that she can’t fulfill,” he shrugs. “There’s acceptance on my part. I’m not trying to claim righteousness or hide behind morals. And that’s okay. I’m okay with that!”

You’re silent as you take in his ruminations. In a way, it saddens you that he’s adopted this perspective. You always knew him as an idealist–someone who, as he said himself, ‘always did the right thing.’ Which was why it crushed him when you confessed your infidelity.

He stares at you for a minute before breaking into a chuckle. “What?”

“What?” You echo, your eyebrows furrowing.

“Say something!” He laughs.

“I mean, what do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know! Anything. Scold me or, I don’t know…tell me that this isn’t right. ‘Your wife doesn’t deserve this! You’re a terrible husband!’” He says jokingly.

“I am the last person to judge, okay? If it doesn’t keep you up at night…” you trail off.

He nods at that.

But then you cock your eyebrow at him, picking up on what he said moments ago. “So, ‘affairs?’ You mean, there’s more?”

“I had some fling a few months ago. It was meaningless,” he add quickly, as if that contributed to anything. “And there were a couple of one-night stands but I don’t think they count.”

“Mm…” you hum vaguely.

******

Wonwoo cracks open another bottle of wine and brings it upstairs, where you both drink in bed and continue to trade stories.

“I didn’t really want to get married again. We were having a good time and she’s great,” he recounts the early days of his new relationship. “Sometimes it’s easy to confuse great sex with love.”

“Mm-hmm. Speak for yourself,” you remark.

He smirks at your comment. “But…there she was, down on one knee, asking me to marry her. And so I did. We’ve been living together anyway so, might as well, right?” He shifts and changes his tone, feeling the need to clarify that he’s not a complete asshole. “I hope you’re not taking this the wrong way but she and I are good. We’re comfortable. It’s like, we speak the same language.” 

He’s tipsy and babbling but you let him. “That’s great,” you smile softly, taking a sip of wine.

“The sex is not.” You nearly choke at his revelation. “A month after we got married–phew–” He makes a whistling sound and makes a quick, swooping gesture with his hand. “Out the door, it went.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” you say with all sincerity.

He shrugs. “It is what it is.”

“But don’t you love her?”

He purses his lips and tilts his head from side to side. “In a certain way, sure.” He mirrors your answer from earlier this evening.

You nod vaguely, letting the words hang in the air while you both fall into a comfortable silence.

After a few beats he says, “I’ll never love anyone the way I loved you. That’s a fact.”

This isn’t the first time he’s told you this. He’s declared it several times, at least once during one of your clandestine meetings.

“When we were together, I never thought we’d split up. That never occurred to me. So–what I have with her it’s…it’s an entirely different kind of love. But if or when she suddenly comes to me and asks for a divorce, I’d give it to her. I feel like that’s where this is headed anyway.” He downs the rest of his wine before setting it down on the nightstand. “I would compare it to a piece of tape. You stick it on then peel it off and try to stick it someplace else. It might take, if you tried hard enough but…it’s never quite the same.”

You lick your dried-out lips and let out a shaky breath. “God, that sounds really sad,” your voice cracks.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not sad about it so you shouldn’t be!” He maintains his lightheartedness. “I think it’s perfectly fine to have different types of love, different types of relationships. Mine happens to be unconventional.”

“Unconventional, yes. But the way you speak about it, it’s as if you’re saying that you’re totally comfortable with the fact that you’ll never truly love again. That’s what saddens me.”

“I never said that,” he says in defense. “I never said I’ll never truly love again.” Then he looks you in the eye and says matter-of-factly, “I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

The look he gives you sends an involuntary shiver down to your spine which makes its way between your legs. “Yes, but what we have is different. We’ve both gone through the worst possible thing that could happen in our relationship; which is why when you’re with me, there are no surprises. No unrealistic expectations. There’s no fear lurking around because it’s all laid out for you.”

His expression is steady and unchanged. “And I’m saying this is what works for me right now. This is what works for us–”

“Ugh, Wonwoo…” you groan, sinking back into the mattress and turning on your side, facing away from him. “That’s such a fucked up way of looking at the situation. You know how fucked up we are! We’re still reeling from how our marriage ended and…” You bury your face in your palms and groan in frustration again. “Who would have thought even after we signed those papers, that it didn’t really mean the end…Like, right that second? I wish that somebody told us that breaking up takes much longer than that.”

You feel the bed dip behind you as he scoots closer, wrapping his arm around your waist to pull you flush against him. “It’s like we said, it just takes time, baby.”

“But it’s been five years!” You whine petulantly. “I just want to be done with it! You said that after we’re divorced, we’d move on and start fresh.” You turn your body around, his face is so close to yours. “Now, we’re just in this endless cycle of grief and trauma.”

You close your eyes and you feel him press his forehead on yours in silent agreement. You don’t remember how long you hold each other like that. He quiets your whimpers with the softest kisses until you both drift off to sleep.

******

“No!” Wonwoo cries out, jolting you both awake. He sits up abruptly, with his head in his hands. His back is covered in sweat and his heart feels like it’s about to burst out of his chest.

“Hey.” You sit up and rub circles on his back consolingly. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“Yeah,” he sniffs and wipes his tears away.

You offer to get him a drink of water but he declines. He gets out of bed and paces around the room.

“Do you want to talk to me about it?”

“Uh…” he breathes before sitting back down on the edge of the bed. “Yeah. I’m…trying to remember bits and pieces.” He takes a minute to regulate his breathing while simultaneously collecting his thoughts. “We were walking down the street, coming back from a dinner party or something. And then, we needed to cross the street for whatever reason.”

You hug your knees to your chest while you listen to him.

“I was holding your hand so we could go together but you went on and darted out into the dark road. I kept calling out to you but you kept moving farther away from me. I tried so hard to run after you but it was as if my feet were sealed into the concrete.” A tear rolls down his cheek. “I felt so helpless because I wanted to get to you and–I couldn’t see you. You were gone.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. C’mere,” You open up your arms and beckon him to come back to bed.

He obliges and nuzzles into touch. “I couldn’t get to you,” he cried.

“It was just a dream, baby.” You whisper calmly into his ear, rubbing his back to console him.

He burrows his face into the crook of your neck. “It’s not the first time I had a dream about losing you. I’ve had different versions of that dream where you disappear into the dark and I can’t move my body to reach out to you. It’s like–I’m perpetually stuck or something.”

All you can do is listen. This was his trauma talking. You continue to rub his back and rock him gently.

“You know, sometimes I wonder if…if I’ll ever love anybody. Like, truly love them. Or maybe I’ve never been truly loved before. Maybe…maybe that’s what it means. I’ll never be able to have the ability to–“ 

“Hey,” you interject. You pull his face away from your shoulder and cup his cheeks. “Listen to me— I love you. In my own… twisted way. And I know that you love me. In your own way.”

He smiles ruefully, his eyes welling up with emotion.

You gaze at him, brushing his cheekbone with the pad of your thumb. “I will always love you,” you say reassuringly before bringing your lips to his.

Your gentle kisses turn hungry and you can’t help when your body responds to him instinctively. Your need for him is unrelenting.

One moment he’s telling you about a nightmare and the next, you’re wrapped up in each other’s arms, your legs on either side of his hips. It doesn’t take him long to be ready for you, especially when you’re naked and bare for him.

You undulate your hips, grinding your slick over his length. His hands gripping your waist, guiding you while you pleasure yourself with the delicious friction.

“Mm, you��re so wet for me,” he whispers, reaching between you to rub circles on your clit.

“Mm-hmm,” is all you can muster.

“You ready for me, huh?” He nips at your bottom lip.

You give him a nod and he manages to pause his ministrations to reach across the nightstand. Once he sheaths himself, he takes one swift move and slips right into your center.

Each thrust is purposeful. Your fingers grip his hair as you moan into his shoulder. He gently sinks his teeth into your tender flesh, groaning. You're both floating and it’s a special kind of high.

One look at him and you heat up to a fever pitch. You take comfort in the deep baritone of his voice, goading you, whispering his naughtiest fantasies about you when you’re apart. You feel him touch you and you know it’s what you’ve been missing. He completes you. 

You move in perfect sync as if you never separated. When you’re intimate like this, the questions and doubts fade when your bodies close in, filling every gap. Your connection is unrivaled.

He pulls back. “You close?”

Not that he needed an answer but he just loves watching you come undone. He ups the ante, cupping your ass cheeks and combining deep plunges with swivels, thrusting sharply and retracting slowly. Your head lolls back, dizzy with pleasure and at the same time awed by the heights he takes you to. Places where you can simultaneously forget and remember. Where nothing and nobody else exists except you and him and the mutual passion you share.

The sweat misting his brow glistens in the dusky light, his face beginning to strain as your release crests and finally crashes down. Instantly, you shudder, the tingling becoming too much to bear, your skin too sensitive. He is attuned to your body, because he stops his movements and applies pressure where you need it, keeping your hypersensitivity at bay, as his own climax hits him hard. His growls are suppressed, his face crimson with the rush of blood to his head. Your walls squeeze him greedily, prolonging your pleasure as he empties himself into you.

Wonwoo drops you both onto the mattress, collapsing in a heap of exhaustion. He is glued to your slick chest, where he will remain for the next ten minutes, snoozing, nuzzling, and kissing your neck. You hold him and savor the moment before you part and return to the alternate realities you both worked hard to establish.

Deep down, you know you’ve ruined him. You didn’t mean to. He was nothing but an innocent bystander in your own path of self-destruction. Perhaps, as your lifelong penance, you’d spend the rest of your days assuring him that he’s not broken and that he deserves unconditional love. 

You breathe into his shoulder as you settle, holding him as close as you possibly can. In your own quiet way, you're telling him that you're happy to remain like this.

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You’ve reached the end! Thank you so much for reading!

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[wemustgatekeepwooyoung]

House of Cards

synopsis: you and your sneaky link, Jung Wooyoung, who you met on a dating app four months ago, finally decide to make it official over a round of Crazy Eights*

pairing: (non idol)! Jung Wooyoung x fem!reader

genre: romance, fluff

word count: 2,3k

content/warnings: !!!mentions of your previous sexual activities, not you actually having sex!!! ,small tensile environment throughout your game session that lead to your confession, pet names (sweetheart, princess, baby,).

author’s note: now this, this is a sample of what I normally enjoy writing. It comes more naturally to me but who doesn’t enjoy a good smut too? I’ve got many things cooking but my exams are right on the corner so I’m kinda screwed in terms of free time, cause I got NONE. Sorry ‘Don’t be a stranger, stranger’ is taking so long, I’m still kinda skeptical about it. Anyway, I’ll try my best not to just be active but also productive . It’s not something I can guarantee though. Hope your excitement stays present till my next update? Bye bye <3

*Crazy Eights is a shedding-type card game for two to seven players and the best known American member of the Eights Group which also includes Pig and Spoons. The object of the game is to be the first player to discard all of their cards. The game is similar to Switch, Mau Mau or Whot!. -Wikipedia

“You’re good Jung Wooyoung but I’m not going to give it to you that easily”

“You always say that and then end up moaning my name dear” he teased

“Can you stick to the game?”

“Yes ma’am!” he said and drew a card from the card deck only for him to draw another and another and another… “Shit how many’s it been?“

“I’d say you’ve drawn about half deck. Why? Can’t you properly fit them in between your fingers?”

“Now who’s the one not sticking to the game?”

“Well I never implied anything, it’s you that’s all messed up and pervy” you said and poked him softly on his thigh

“Oh am I?”

“Of course you are. You can’t even hold all those cards, one keeps falling every now and then. Are you that ‘frustrated’? ” you mocked him once again.

It’s been your new favourite hobby these past four months of ‘seeing him’. You two met on Tinder once he first moved into your city. He didn’t know anyone and had no connections with people, so, that’s what led him to joining the world’s most famous dating app.

You two clicked right away. Sex was what ensured your bonding at first, a few weeks passed and you kept meeting each other. He’s probably fucked you on every surface possible and you’re living your moment. Oh and sex calls… Y’all are wild.

You’ve finally found a man that can match your sexual desires. Not too vanilla but not too harsh. Just the perfect mixture of intimacy, freedom and that specific taste of filth you go crazy for.

You’ve gotten pretty close too. You even have sleepovers after wilding out on each other, it’s not just about sex like you both had noted on your profiles when you first talked. At least not anymore.

It almost feels like…

“Ha! Finally! Lets see how you can beat that-“ he said, still struggling to hold all these cards.

“Why don’t you leave some aside? It’s okay to cheat when it’s us two right?” you proposed only to be greeted with his seriousness, a rare occurrence.

“No. No cheating, ever. I’ll manage somehow” he said and then fell yet another card. He rolled his eyes and grabbed that card with his mouth, keeping it still among his beautiful plump lips.

What a sight. You keep staring like the obsessed one you are while he’s in such a difficult position! What a menace! It’s funny how he tangles you so well in between his fingers and yet he can’t really make happen to hold those cards right. Cute.

“Mmh?” he whined and you finally let out that laugh you’ve been holding onto. You squeezed his cheek and placed a gentle slap on it, making him question your mood.

He looked at you confused as you melted while holding eye contact. You really really adore this man and his pretty seductive lips. You gave a look-over to the cards , of which you’ve already made a stack after playing them, so that he strikes his next move.

He strategically looked over his cards, trying to pick the best one for his own sake. Hm… ‘What if?’ he thought. ‘What about that one on my lips?’ he thought more precisely. How could he though, he can’t even hold that card among the others, how can he now take it from his lips and place it on top of the others to make his move? He looked up the ceiling to find a way when he thought of the perfect one.

“Take it” he mumbled and you looked at him confused as you couldn’t quite understand. He repeated his phrase but still no recognition coming from his beloved, you.

He rolled his eyes again and with a quick motion, he tried handing it over to you with a similar strategy to pecking your lips. He balanced himself on his hands as he leaned close to you, trying to give you the card he wants to play with so you’d so it for him.

Your heart skipped a beat by how spontaneous he is, a characteristic of his you find very attractive. You replied with a similar gesture, accepting the card with your own lips and playing it for him.

A cute smile filled with success and pride of his showed up and made you smile back. How could you resist the way his smile cracks his cheeks and reveals his adorable mole on his lower lip? You just really love his lips don’t you?

“It’s your turn to play sweetheart.”

“Right” you said, still under the influence of his flirty action

“Are you distracted? I thought we should pay attention!”

“No I’m paying great attention!”

“Yeah but you should pay it on the game don’t you think?” he said and earned a smack on his right shoulder that made him chuckle “You’re so cute” he commented and watched you closely as you were trying to pick your next card

“Why’d you have the need to make me question myself all the time?”

“Don’t act like you don’t like it so that you’re to have the advantage baby. We both know you do”

“I’m not going to say that I do and be defeated that easily”

“Okay, then try not to be defeated elsewhere too, I can now hold my cards. Shit’s getting serious” he reported like he was a journalist or something. Playing all sophisticated like he isn’t the biggest crackhead the world has ever seen. Also, how can one come out being sophisticated when he speaks like that?

You put on a smirk as you’re starting to enjoy his devotion. Card games have been your thing lately. You play all the time. It’s mostly you winning and him wondering why he lost when all he did during it’s duration was tease you.

“You know damn well that I’ll win this time too”

“Do you bet on it?” he asked with a grin on his face

“What do I have to lose? I said I’ll win anyway”

“And if you don’t?”

“If I don’t… Then, what’d you have me do to feel fulfilled?” you wondered

He’ll probably want to do something naughty later, something you’ve probably never tried before that’s been messing him up. He’s a very kinky guy, what else could it be?

“You’ll answer a question I’ve picked for you especially . But there’s no denying it. You’ll have to do it princess”

Fuck. Why’s anxiety being built up inside you now? Why’s your stomach bothered? He really knows how to play. Fucking Jung Wooyoung, he annoys you so much sometimes that you want to punch him in the face. But first of all, he’s too pretty to be punched and second, you have no reason to be scared. You’ll win again after all, won’t you? What’s a little test going to cost you?

“Bet” you replied and a naughty smirk popped on his face. Maybe he’s using all this as a roleplay only to ask you a stupid question in the end. But no, he won’t even have the chance to, cause you’ll win, right?

The heat’s getting real. He has gotten rid of most of his cards while you still are trying to play your last one. Your hands are starting to shake as his competitiveness is now at the highest it’s ever been in all the games you’ve played together so far.

You’re both focused but it’s clear who has the upper hand once again. You’re actually facing a big difficulty here, all this hasn’t come unnoticed to you. He’s actually good. Really good. Where did that come from? Is it that the question he has to ask is that important that it gives him motivation to go hard on you? What the heck?

And before you’d had the chance to realise it, he placed his final card on the card stack, your eyes focused on his motion not able to withstand this happening.

You were actually defeated by Jung Wooyoung, what a day! You never thought that this would happen. All your anxiety has left your body, you’re actually surprised and excited for your future matches. What can one say, you two live for all that tension that’s being crafted for the final dominator’s sake.

All he did was stare at you like he wanted to absorb all the dignity he had just earned from his victory. He clapped for himself and cheered like a little child. Furthermore you too burst into applause for him, proud of that little accomplishment of his. He deserves it.

“Good job Wooyo! How come you made such an upgrade?”

“I really wanted to ask you that question”

“Is it a bad one?”

“You might need some wine for it go down smoothly. Actually it’s me that wants the wine to finally spill that information.”

“Fuck” you hissed at yourself as he went over and grabbed two beautifully sculpted glasses for your usual ‘drunkards’ moment. “Isn’t that too much?”

“I’ll have that one” he said and swallowed it all at once, causing a little of it to spill down his chin. You gently wiped it off and pecked his lips, understanding the difference from their usual taste. “So… Can I make a prologue?”

“Go on”

“Okay… So, how do I even begin? I’m totally not made for this stuff. You see, I’d forgotten how to be a romantic”

‘Why’s he bringing that up so suddenly?’ ,you thought.

“Fuck it, here I go.” he said in very a determined tone before letting out a big sigh “Could you ever possibly fall for a guy like me?”

C’mon, pretend to be shocked Y/N! You can’t do that though, you can’t pretend, cause you are in fact, shocked.

“What kind of question is that…?”

“It’s stupid I know. I’ll ask another one, forget about it”

“No! No it’s not stupid!” you said and held his hands in yours “Of course I would.”

“So you haven’t already, I see. Cause I have”

“You have?!”

“Yes Y/N, poor me has developed feelings for you”

“Poor you?”

“The ‘poor me’ part goes for it being one sided. But I’m a lucky one, getting the opportunity to spend time with you and make such bets. It’s okay, no need to love me back”

‘Love him back’ ?!!?!? He’s actually having you so moved that you might as well make your confession. Why shouldn’t you? Hasn’t he been your comfort person all these months? Hasn’t he made you feel like you’ve got a reason to be excited and happy? Don’t you love spending time with him and getting to see all his aspects? You really do, he’s amazing and you know it. He’s your favorite person. You can’t imagine your life without him anymore and you can’t imagine his life without you.

You love comforting him and so does he. You love being there and watching him get excited over the smallest of everyday things. You love being there and watching him be sad and live through all these human emotions and listen to his struggles. You love it when he opens up to you about his feelings, so the shock you’re now experiencing has a taste of delightfulness to it. You just love him, you really do. You love Jung Wooyoung and the pretty world he has created in his head where he so desperately wants to take you with him so as to enjoy it while accompanying one another.

The tension’s still in the air and you can tell that his desperation has now become an acknowledgement of a false conclusion. And it’s finally time, time for you to give your answer, containing your explanation and confession.

“Me too”

“You too what? I’ve lost the context, sorry love”

“I have feelings for you too Wooyoung.”

“You do?!”

“Yes I do” you told him and this statement took him some seconds to be processed the way it should.

“Of course you do” he said then, proudly, bringing the Woo you know and fell for back on stage ”Won’t you scold me and call me an arrogant asshole?”

“No this time I won’t.”

“Really? Crap and it turns me on so well baby you have no idea” he admitted like his degradation kink was something you didn’t know of already.

He leaned again over the cards to kiss you, throwing them all over the place, causing you both to laugh in between kisses.

“So now what?” he asked and began to kiss down your neck

“What do you mean what?” you replied breathlessly while also trying to give out the focus that was asked of you in a case like this.

“What are we now?”

“We still need time to show us that, I think”

“You’re right. Let’s start from scratch then shall we not?” he proposed and turned you around, ready to make about his feelings again in a language you two’ve been practicing for the time period of the the past four months.

[atlasofthestaars]

[MK X READER] New Era - Chapter .007

first part | previous part | next part

NOTE:  Lots of fluff this time, hope you enjoyed! I uh, hurried to get this out before my work LMAO

Time for yet another poll this time about Kitana! These should be stopping soon, but I want to cram these all in before the Outworld Tourney arc so I can plan it out properly! 

As usual leave your thoughts, and I will be taking them into consideration up until a week after this chapter, aka when the tumblr poll ends.

About three chapters left of original content before rejoining with the main plot! I don’t think there are many other characters that people are interested in polling for after Kitana and Havik, but just know that chapter 10 is probably the last time I will accepting asks for love interests since by then I do want to cement how the characters will interact with the reader before we head off to Outworld.

FROM THE EYES OF ONE WHO GETS A LITTLE CLOSER WITH OTHERS

Turns out that movie night is what you needed.

It didn’t fix all your problems, certainly not. If only it did. You still struggle with sleeping still. You aren’t certain how you were able to fall asleep so easily in that room, but you weren’t able to fall asleep quite as nicely afterwards.

You still worry and struggle to relax, and you weren’t certain if you were going to ever find a permanent solution to that. But you were inspired by Johnny to take up more activities to help loosen up more. You began to cook more, trying to chase the perfection that was Madam Bo’s cooking from the recipes that she had taught you. 

You ended up cooking more than you often needed, and outside of meal times, you were often too embarrassed to ask Liu Kang to help eat the food. You weren’t even certain if the fire god even enjoyed eating, or ate to simply accompany you so you did not eat alone. You always wondered that, but found it to be too awkward of a question to ask. Plus, he seemed happy enough to eat your cooking.

Nevertheless, you had a surplus of food that you could not throw away, so you thought of a different solution.

“You don’t have to give me this.” Kenshi said, a look of confusion on his face as you handed him a neatly packed box of food. It was still warm and you could faintly smell the goodness that was inside. Despite his words, you held it out to him insistently to the point where he took the food into his hands, a confused look on his face. 

“No, no I insist!” You say, brushing it off. “I’ve recently taken up cooking as a hobby again, so I’ve been cooking more than I usually do.” You explained, crossing your arms so the man could not hand back the food you had given him. “I don’t want food to go to waste, so I insist, really. Plus, I figured you’d be someone who would help critique me on what I need to improve.”

“Wouldn’t Kung Lao be better for this?” Kenshi inquired, though he did not look as against the situation as he originally did. He lifted the box up slightly, trying to examine the pristine way you had wrapped and packed the food. “He’s the one who likes food the best out of all of us.”

“He enjoys any food, he’d just eat it and compliment me to see if he could get more.” You pointed out, having thought this out. “Raiden would be too nice, he’d say I tried hard on it even if it was horribly seasoned and burnt. Johnny might have been a good choice, but I also think he might take me giving him food the wrong way.”

“I see.” The swordsman said, taking another look over the packaged food another time. You felt proud of yourself for how neatly you had done it. He paused, before sending you a small smile, and you mentally pat yourself on the back. “Thank you then, I’ll make sure to give you a thorough review of it.” 

“Good, because there will be plenty more where that came from.” You said confidently as you quickly shooed him off. “Now go back to training.” You nagged him. “And let me get out of here before Johnny Cage makes fun of me for being here on my off time again.” You whispered, scanning the area for the actor. 

You quickly left, leaving Kenshi standing there with a slightly stupefied expression. He glanced down at the box, a small smile on his lips. 

When was the last time he had tasted a home cooked meal made with care?

Sneaking a peek around the area, his curiosity tempted him too hard. He pulled at the packaging you put thought into, and opened the lid. It looked like the definition of made with love. He grabbed the utensils you had given him, and took a bit of the food, too curious about it.

It tasted amazing.

“You’re free to do whatever, just don’t kick their asses too hard.” 

It was a month after your short break, and despite your visit to the Lin Kuei temple a long while ago, it was only until now that Smoke could make time to help out your group. 

You shot the gray haired man a grin as you walked down the halls with the man. He let out a chuckle at your instruction, raising an eyebrow. The man seemed confident, probably due to you hyping him up for this day. You knew he would provide just the perfect challenge.

“Let me give you the rundown.” You said as you continued to guide him. “Kung Lao, you remember him, is doing great. He does have a bit of an ego though, so feel free to knock him down a peg. Raiden, the other person from the exam, is also doing well, but don’t let his innocent looking face take you off guard. Feel free to also go a bit harder on him, he needs the push.”

“It sounds like you want me to beat up your students rather than test them.” Tomas pointed out an amused tone in his voice as he glanced over to you. He was very expressive with his eyes, which was a trait you were thankful for since he was wearing his mask today for training. 

“Isn’t that the Lin Kuei way?” You teased before sighing as you put a hand on your left rib cage. “It’s been years, and I swear Bi-Han left a permanent bruise from his intensity.” You huffed. “Anyways, for the other two, let’s see…” You paused, thinking of what to say. “Johnny has a flashy way of fighting, don’t let the look of his fighting deter you, no matter how impractical it may look, he can still land a solid punch.” You let out another scoff. “Also, don’t let his words, whether positive or negative, take you off guard, he’s a real charmer.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s an actor, he has a way with words. He might try to butter you up so you’ll go easy on him. Or try to cast you in his movies.” You informed him, remembering back to the first time Johnny had tried to get you to join his movies after the tournament. “You’ll see what I mean.”

“Duly noted.” Smoke nodded, but you had a sense that you probably made him more curious rather than cautious. You watched as he subconsciously spun the karambit he fought with on his finger, doing tricks with it absentmindedly.

“Anyways, Kenshi has some more…practical practice with fighting, so he’s also a threat to look for.” You continued, purposefully being vague with Kenshi’s past for the sake of his privacy. “He fights with a katana, so I suppose you’ll be out ranged.” You pointed out, gesturing to the much shorter dagger he wielded.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to close the gap.” The Lin Kuei man said, with a tone of confidence in his words. You smiled, remembering your old spars with him. He was always tricky to fight against, being able to easily slip in a fight to get right where he wanted. “Any other advice you have for me?”

“Nope, like I said, you’re pretty much free to do what you want.” You said with a small shrug. “They’ll learn a lot from fighting you.” 

The two of you made your way to the courtyard, where the group was gathered. They were waiting, and you could tell that it had probably only been a few minutes since the last master had been training with them.

“Gentlemen, I present with you today, a different person to spar.” You greeted as you rounded the corner with Smoke in tow. You gestured to your friend, a smile on your lips. “This is Tomas, otherwise known as Smoke. He’s from the Lin Kuei. and I chose him to help train you today.”

“Lin Kuei? Like the ones who broke my Hichuli?” Johnny asked, as he looked towards Smoke. He observed him for a moment before pointing at him. “Nice mask, by the way.” He commented before looking towards you again.

From the corner of your eye, you watched as Smoke was surprised by Johnny’s compliment.

“I remember you from the test.” Kung Lao said, walking up to take a closer look at the guest. He sized him up and down, crossing his arms as he did so. “We’re better trained now.” He declared, referring to Raiden and himself with confidence, “We can take you on without you pulling your punches.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Kung Lao.” You warned, sending him a look. “You may have been progressing very well with your training, but Tomas here is still a trained hunter, you know.” You gestured towards the gray clad man who took your praise well, but there was a hint of bashfulness you could glean from his face. 

“It is an honor to have you with us here, today.” Raiden spoke, bowing towards Smoke with utmost respect. You smiled, pleased at the respect he displayed. You could always rely on him to be modest. You watched as Kenshi also nodded in his direction. 

“Kung Lao, since you’re so confident, go ahead and step right up first.” You instructed, nodding towards Smoke who stepped forward to take the challenge. You crossed your arms and observed, feeling satisfied as you were proven right that Smoke provided just the right amount of challenge. He could do what the rest of you could not: attack from all sorts of angles with his teleportation techniques.

As Smoke finally knocked over the farmer, you strode over. You held a hand out for the man.

“Good job.” You praised both of the men. You gripped Kung Lao’s hand firmly as he grabbed yours, hoisting him up. You felt Kung Lao squeeze your hand briefly before releasing it, and you mentally noted how his hand felt with the callouses.

“You’ve improved since the exam.” Smoke added in, brushing himself off too. Even though Kung Lao had been ultimately beaten, you could see that he had still given the Lin Kuei member a run for his money at times. 

“Thank you.” Kung Lao said, seeming to have been humbled a bit more. An enthusiastic look appeared on his face as he tilted his head towards the two of you. “Soon enough I’ll be able to beat you though.” He said with confidence. “Especially when I get my hat.” He said, his tone dripping with excitement as he glanced at you before walking off to the side to rest up.

“A story for another time.” You said as Smoke sent you a curious look. “Kenshi!” You called the previous gang member up, and stepped back to observe the fight from the sidelines. You had your students rotate through, each of them fighting Smoke one on one. After the last match, you called for a break, letting them catch their breaths, especially Smoke who had been fighting all this time.

“You’re really making me work.” Smoke commented lightly as he took the water you handed him. 

“Just as you did when I helped you.” You reminded him, remembering how many Lin Kuei recruits he had made you spar on that day when you visited the temple. “Don’t think I forgot.” You teased as you brushed past him, purposely bumping into his shoulder in a playful manner. You felt his stare on you as you walked away to go talk to your students.

You approached all of them, giving tips to them, explaining what they could improve when they were called up to fight Smoke for another round. You smiled as you watched them absorb the information. Soon, you sent them all back to fight the Lin Kuei member once more.

“Alright, you’re all dismissed.” You declared as Kung Lao finished his round, you chose for him to go last this time since he went first the first round. You clapped your hands, and they nodded as they dispersed. You watched as both Kenshi and Smoke approached you, only for Johnny to distract the Lin Kuei member and whisk him away.

You’d have to make sure that the actor wasn’t roping the poor man into anything later.

“What’s up?” You inquired as the swordsman approached, but you had an inkling of an idea of what it was about, after all you’ve been hearing his food critiques for about a month now.

“The food today was great, as usual.” Kenshi informed you with a soft smile. He had certainly warmed up to you much more ever since your food gifting had begun. “I did notice though that…” And he went off on a small talk about your food, giving you helpful criticisms as usual. He was always honest, and seemed to put great thought into his reviews, which you dearly appreciated.

It felt all too familiar, and you felt nostalgia pull at your heart. While you didn’t have too many memories of Kenshi in your past life, you had enough to remember that he must have been a close confidant. Why else would you care so much about his opinions?

“I’ll be sure to do that next time.” You said, but your mind drifted off. While you had been cooking mainly Chinese cuisine, you briefly considered trying out Japanese cuisine for Kenshi. You opened your mouth to ask for his favorite food, but considered against it.

Maybe you can surprise him instead.

You think you remembered what you believed was his favorite food from the hazy memories that you had sorted through. You made a mental note to visit Madam Bo soon to try to ask for some advice for cooking it. After all, she was the best chef you knew.

You watched with a silent pride as the man walked off after giving you his short food review. You felt a presence approaching you, and you turned to see Tomas approaching with raised eyebrows. You returned his confused expression.

“You feed your students?” He asked, a tone of curiosity…and another emotion you couldn’t quite place. You let out a small laugh as you nodded.

“You overheard?” You asked, but you knew already that he must have if he was asking about it. You placed a hand on your hip. “I do, but just to Kenshi. I’ve been practicing the recipes that Madam Bo taught me, and I usually make too much and give some to him. He helps me out by critiquing them.”

“I see.” Smoke said, nodding. He paused for a moment, a look of consideration crossing his face. “All these years of knowing you, and I don’t think I’ve tried your cooking, I’m hurt.” He said, his voice taking a teasing tone at the end. You scoffed and rolled your eyes to match his playful energy.

“It’s nothing special, if you want real good food, you should try Madam Bo’s, she’s the real master.” You said, moving to cross your arms. “But now that you’ve mentioned it, you’re right. I haven’t cooked for you before.” You paused and considered something. “Maybe one day I should.”

“I’d like that.” Tomas said, his eyes crinkling at the edges as you assumed he smiled at you. You returned the smile.

“I’ll make plans for it, then.” You said, trying to think of an appropriate time to cook for him…or maybe you should invite the other Lin Kuei ninjas too. You began to calculate in your head some plans. It was only until you saw Smoke extend his pinky in front of your face that your train of thought was derailed. “A pink promise?” You inquire with a mock offended tone, “What, you don’t trust me?”

“I do, I just want an excuse to hold it over you in case you forget.” Tomas said. letting out a small laugh. You sighed dramatically as you rolled your eyes. Nevertheless, you extended your pinky and hooked it around his, playing along.

It was a little silly, but seeing the promise between you was a bit charming. A small delightful tingle was left on your skin where it had made contact with his as your pinkies unraveled from his. You wondered briefly if it was a side effect of his power, but didn’t try to question it too much, just savoring how it felt.

“I’ll hold you to your word, then.”

“The first prototype of Kung Lao’s hat is here.” 

Turning around, you saw Liu Kang approach as he carried a small box. You approached him, grabbing the box from his hands. It was lighter than you expected, and walked over to set it down on a table so you could inspect it properly.

It took longer than you were expecting to get this first prototype. Another month had passed between when you had Smoke help you and now. The days seemed to be passing quickly, and the months leading to the Outworld tournament were dwindling slowly.

You weren’t certain to be nervous about the time to train these men were quickly running out, or to be excited that soon you were going to finally visit Outworld.

“Interesting.” You remarked as you held up the razor sharp ring of metal up from out of the box. It seemed it was the main blade that was supposed to attach to the edge of the hat. For now, it was still unattached. You were careful as you traced the edge of the blade, but hissed as you accidentally cut yourself on it. “Sharper than it looks.”

“Indeed.” Liu Kang said. you saw a crease of worry appear on his face as he noticed the look of pain on your face. You set down the blade, going to go inspect your finger where it had cut you. You squinted down, seeing a bead of blood beginning to form. It was a bigger cut than you were ready for, it extended to two of the joints of your pointer finger.

Carefully, the fire god grabbed your hand. You blinked owlishly as he carefully lifted up your hand to inspect it, not knowing what to exactly say or do. He let out a small hum as he noticed the small amount of blood. As if he were touching something delicate, he wiped away the blood with his thumb.

His touch was always so gentle, so warm.

“You carry a medical kit with you, yes?” The protector of Earthrealm inquired. You nodded, not noticing how you were spaced out. You reached around to grab it out of your pocket. You handed it to him, feeling a bit touched he remembered that fact about you. 

Liu Kang took it from you, and you watched as he carefully took the supplies out of the pack. He carefully made sure to clean the blood away before he spread some petroleum jelly on your skin. You tried not to flinch at the contrast of the cold jelly and his warm skin. Then, he carefully wrapped your finger up with a band aid.

“Thank you.” You quickly said, briefly stupefied at the actions of the god. You could have cleaned and mended your cut yourself, and yet you found yourself not wanting to mention that fact to him. Maybe he just thought it was easier for him to patch your wounds for you. There was no reason to overthink things, the fire god was just as friendly to you as he is to everyone else.

Surely.

“No problem.” Liu Kang replied warmly as he packed up your medical pack and handed it back to you. You swallowed as you took it back, tucking the pack back into one of your pockets. You avoided his glowing eyes as you picked up the box.

“It’s time to deliver this to Kung Lao.” You announced, before walking briskly off. You tried not to think about why you were all of a sudden feeling tongue tied over such a small gesture. You ignored how you felt his stare linger on you for maybe a little too long as you walked off.

You were overthinking things lately, honestly.

“This looks better than I envisioned!” Kung Lao marveled as he looked over the blade you were presenting to him. You basked in the beam he sent your way, and you felt a sense of satisfaction wash over you as you were watching the man’s dream come to life before your very eyes. 

And you were the cause of it.

“I think it looks good too.” You remarked. You instinctively pulled the blade away as Kung Lao tried to touch the edge. You had been reminded of what happened earlier, and ignored how your face wanted to warm up at the memory. “Be careful, the blade is sharper than it looks.” You warn. You hesitate for a moment, before gently handing it to him.

You probably shouldn’t be as cautious as you were being. He was going to wield this razor hat one way or another. You watched with bated breath as he took it from you. Your nerves turned to pride as you watched him inspect it, flipping it over as he murmured to himself.

It felt right, watching him with the blade. Why were you so worried in the first place?

“Oh, and here’s the hat, compare it to the blade to see if you like the fit.” You remarked as you stooped down to pick it up. You heard the sound of metal falling as you lifted the hat up. You looked down, puzzled, as you knelt down to inspect it.

It was a small piece of metal. It had no marks, but it was too small to be any piece of a blade. Was this a piece of scrap metal? You chose not to question it, grabbing it as you stood up. You handed the hat to him, along with the piece of metal.

“Here’s the hat.” You started, before gesturing to the small piece of metal. “Not sure what this is for, but this was also in there too.” You said, shrugging. You watched as he gladly took the hat. There was a look of recognition that appeared on his face as he saw the piece of metal in your hand. He quickly snatched it out of your hand before tucking it away in a pocket.

Odd, but it wasn’t suspicious enough to question him. Or at least, you weren’t bothered enough to.

“Thanks!” He said. You watched as he put the blade along the edge of the hat. Carefully, he put the hat on, holding the blade to the edge with his hands. He tilted the hat down, masking the fact that he had to hold the blade and the hat together by striking a pose. “How do I look?”

A wave of nostalgia washed over you as you looked at the pose. You don’t remember when was the last time you had been hit with it this strongly. You were speechless as you looked at him. You knew he wanted to make a hat with multiple blades, but something about a simple blade hat felt right.

Maybe you should try and make him a different version of this hat, one that felt closer to the memories you had. 

A small memory of teasing and laughing with a much cockier version of Kung Lao filled your mind as you looked fondly at the man. You sucked in a breath as you nodded.

“You look great.” You complimented, and you truly meant it. “The hat really suits you, I can’t wait to see how it’ll look when it’s finished.” You watched as a grin grew on Kung Lao’s face, and you spotted a bit of pink on his cheeks. He seemed to absorb the praise well, and for a moment you almost reconsidered taking back the compliment. It was clearly letting it inflate his ego.

Then again, it made him happy, so you said nothing to rain on his parade.

“Of course I do.” Kung Lao said smugly as he took the hat off. He looked at it again, the same way you would think a father would look at their own kid. You held back a chuckle. He was really enthusiastic about this hat, wasn’t he?

“You can mess with it for a while, whether it be practicing with the blade or making notes for the blacksmith.” You informed him. “I’ll be taking it back with the box whenever you are ready to return it to get it worked on again.” 

“Got it.” He nodded. “Thanks for this, again.” You watched as the Fengjian farmhand took one last look at the hat before stowing again in the box and running off. Whether it was to test out the blade or to make design notes, you weren’t sure. 

Either way, you felt happy.

“You’ve improved a lot.” You remark as you watch Raiden run through a combination again. He was a far cry from the man you remembered from the beginning. You looked up at the stars, reflecting back to those days with a wistful look.

Time was passing by fast, and you were reminded of that as you noted how much more confident Raiden seemed in his strikes. You crossed your arms as you fixed the man with a stare, watching him take pause after he finished the combination.

“Really?” He asked, a small smile on his face. He had an almost shy look on his face as he turned to look at you. You nodded in response, and he stood there for a moment before looking away. “How so?” He asked, a curious look on his face.

“Well, for one, you’re not making as many mistakes anymore.” You pointed out, holding back a small chuckle. “Actually, do that combination again.” You said, finding it ironic that you were probably going to have to take back the praise you had just given him,

You watched him as he did the combination again, and noticed the error in his form. You couldn’t help the laugh that left your lips. The irony of it all.

“Okay, poor timing.” You remarked. You tried instructing him on how to correct him form, but watched as he kept on missing the critical error. You felt a bit bad, maybe it was because you had just been mentioning how he had been improving and now he was a bit psyched out. You walked up to him. “Here, you need to land like this.”

Gently, you grabbed his arms and moved them into the proper position. You twisted his hands to face the right way. Then, you nudged his legs apart to make sure they were spaced apart properly. You hummed as you leaned in close, inspecting his form now. 

“Just like that.” You said softly, as you removed your hands from him. You backed up, looking him up and down. You looked up to his face, raising an eyebrow as you saw him avoid eye contact, his face a bit pink. “You understand now, Raiden?”

“Um, I…” Raiden stumbled on his words, his voice a little panicked as he looked down at himself before nodding. “Yes, I get it now.” He said quickly. You tilted your head, a bit confused at his change in demeanor. 

“It’s okay if you don’t.” You reassured him, sensing he was nervous. Was he all caught up in trying to be perfect after your praise? You had a feeling that wasn’t the reason, but you couldn’t quite understand what else it would be. “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad by praising you then correcting you.” You told him, trying to make sure he felt better. “I can help correct your form again if you need me to.”

“I should be good.” The former Fengjian farmhand said, his voice still a bit antsy. He shifted out of the form before facing the dummy. He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. You nodded at him, and watched with satisfaction as he did the combination much better this time. “How was that?” He asked, a bit skeptical of his own performance.

“Excellent.” You praised, clapping your hands. “See, even if you mess up, you take critiques very well.” You pointed out with a smile. “It’s honestly impressive how quickly you can adapt sometimes now.” You continued. “I don’t think I was as quick of a learner as you are.”

“Really?” Raiden inquired, his eyebrows rising in surprise. “I can hardly imagine you not being excellent at fighting.” He commented, rubbing the back of his neck. “You just seem to be so talented at it, in all honesty. It’s admirable.”

“You flatter me too much.” You said, but still took the praise happily. You’d never admit it, but you enjoyed it whenever people praised your fighting skills. “I just have a lot of experience under my belt.” How much training you truly had, you had no idea, but he didn’t need to know that detail. “I do want you to know that I truly mean it when I say you’ve improved greatly, despite what just happened.”

“You are too kind.” Raiden said, nodding his head at your praise. “I hope to live up to your expectations for me.” 

“Oh Raiden,” You chuckled, covering your smile with your hand. You looked at the man fondly, shaking your head. “You already have.” You admitted. And it was true, he always went above and beyond for training, putting in more hours than anyone else did. He was truly dedicated to getting better.

The bashful look on his face, you had to admit, was rather amusing. You grinned. You felt bad, it was almost a bit fun to try and tease the man and see what got him flustered. Maybe you were being a bit of a bully, but you would never really admit that.

“I’ve only managed to get this far because I have such a wonderful mentor.” Raiden said, and you felt a bit warm as he turned the praise back on you. Sure, he had praised you just recently, but there was something about the way he said it that made this particular compliment feel special. The smile that decorated his face only added to it. “So, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being such a wonderful person.”

part eight

[aching-tummies]

Hunger RP-Starter

Hunger RP-Scenario Starter inspired by recent events. Been stressed to the nines lately and went to bed last night with my stomach finally feeling pure 'hunger' rather than hunger mixed with a dash of upset somewhere. It growled quite a few times for me at that point--wish I had a partner to enjoy them with. It was too late to bother hunting down something to eat--and eating at 2AM would have likely caused an upset that I didn't want to deal with. Woke up about six hours later to more hunger pangs and more growls. While the hunger pangs were intense, it felt really, really, really nice to not have any trace of upset anywhere in my guts. Felt 'clean' and 'light' if that makes any sense.

You hurry to the couch, still-steaming bowl of popcorn in-hand and a cold drink in the other. Less than an hour ago, you were at work, counting down the minutes before you could trade your work-pants for PJs and just chill out over a movie.

Finally--date night. Considering the cost of actually going out, the two of us opted for an at-home movie night. Streaming exists as well as the countless DVDs and other formats we've each collected over the years.

As you get settled, we start the movie. I've claimed the far right side of the couch, curled over on my side of the couch. Shockingly, I've turned toward the armrest rather than toward the middle of the couch. Closed-off posture. Seems a bit odd to you, but you're hoping that I'll unwind a bit as the movie gets underway and 'date night' vibes start to hit or something. Until then, you've got a warm bowl of popcorn to warm your lap in place of me.

"Babe--want some?" You ask, nudging the bowl toward me.

"Pass. Sorry--I love the way you make it and all…but I don't really wanna pick kernels outta my teeth tonight." I explain, curling up on my side of the couch and nudging the bowl back at you.

About ten minutes into the movie, you pick up on a sound and pause the movie. I curse under my breath, having hoped that this action movie would have enough explosions and fight scenes to drown out any noises made here on the couch.

"Babe? What's going on? You okay?" You ask with a frown.

"Fine--Fine!" I stammer. A loud growl from my stomach interrupts my statement--a clear cry that the tank is empty. I blush at the sound, curling defensively against the arm-rest yet again.

"So…you're…hungry? Wasn't the plan to eat dinner separately? If you'd said something, I coulda picked up something for you on the way home--I was at McD's anyway." You suggest.

"N-No…i-it's not that." I stutter, causing a frown to replace your features. If I don't come clean with an explanation soon, it'll probably ruin date night.

I palm at my belly with a sigh. "I…My stomach's been really nasty the last few weeks. Stress and whatever. Been kinda…uhm…messed up and icky the last week or so. Y'know…s-stuff not digesting properly or quickly, guts tied in knots…that kind of thing." I begin, you nod, waiting for me to continue. "I just…t-today's the first day in a week and a half where my guts feel 'normal'. No residual sludge just sitting somewhere, no awkward cramps or twinges anywhere. No sickly, sticky bloated feeling anywhere. Nah…it just…feels like it's finally cleaned house and…w-while I am hungry…I just…I don't wanna rush into putting something in it. Kinda just wanna enjoy feeling cleaned out in case it acts up again with the next meal."

My stomach snarls angrily throughout my explanation, clearly hungry.

"S-Sorry…I-I know you really like this movie. I can take a nap or something in the bedroom if you wanna watch the movie in piece." I suggest, moving to get up.

What do you do? Pull me onto your lap? Come with to the bedroom to advance 'date night' activities? You gonna respect my desire to leave my guts empty? Is the replacement entertainment for tonight gonna be my very, very vocal tummy? You decide. Send me your best responses.

[muse-matrix]

So... It's been a while since I last logged in here. Longer still since I properly did... much of anything here, outside of a few scattered posts. Part of me had been kinda dreading coming back here but looking at when my activity really dramatically dropped off, I think I understand what happened.

So, way back in february of last year, I was bouncing between a lot of things. I was running around doing a bunch of stuff to try and secure a new job, and I did manage that- A big component of my not being here was just me adjusting to having to work again, after being unemployed for almost an entire year. It was tough to get the right structure going, but I managed it. And despite starting college just a couple weeks ago, I've mostly managed that too so far, I think.

But that isn't... the main reason why. Probably. I think.

You see, what else happened in february, was that I got booted from a community I'd been a part of for years. It encompassed my involvement in a card game I loved, as well as the FF14 free company I'd been part of at the time. Someone who was, at one time, a good friend of mine misinterpreted something, and was so incensed by it, they took some things I said out of context and absolutely slandered me to the mod team of that community. (Yes, it actually is as bad as it sounds. I checked.) As a result, I was privately labeled some pretty nasty things, and shunted from their discord server without so much as a word. None of them would speak to me, none of them would even give me a chance to tell my side of things.

Obviously, that stung. A lot.

It had me pretty dejected about a lot of stuff, for a really long time. Probably why I mostly got off of here- I retreated to a different blog where there was less pressure (self-imposed) and more freedom for me to just, kinda, do whatever I wanted without fear or worry. I needed space and freedom to move myself around how I wanted for a while. And then that led to me feeling bad about not coming back here, which made me put off coming back here even longer... You see where this goes.

But at this point, it's been a year and a half. I'm pretty much over that fiasco, I haven't spoken to any of those people since, and they've evidently been content to leave it alone too, given I haven't had any mobs of angry pitchfork-wielding card game players coming after me.

And recently, Kako came back! She's RPing again and that's fun to see. I know a lot of you I've still been in contact with regardless, her included, so most of you probably are already aware of a lot of this stuff, but writing all this out is part of my process, so bear with it. The important thing is, after a lot of time and thinking about things, and seeing friends return to RPing and watching things happen from afar... God, do I want to get back into it with you all.

I very likely still won't be super active, but I'm going to at least try to be consistent. This is supposed to be my main, after all. I'll probably take the next week or so to clean up the muse list, cut a bunch of stuff, get a bit more focused and the like. Not that I'll actually stop playing any given muse- I'm wont to flip-flop between characters I enjoy, and I'm loathe to let fun interactions pass me by just because a character 'isn't on my muse list', but I ought to give myself a bit of structure, at least.

So... I'll try to be here every day, at least. Even if it's just to check in. This'll be a fresh start for me, I'd say, not that any of my old lore or whatever is getting abandoned. It's just... It's been a long time. It'll take some easing back into things for me, so I'm not even going to worry about whatever asks have been left to rot in my inbox, stuff like that.

Given it's been such a long time, some of you may... have blogs that I'm not currently following, cause I've missed them or what have you. So uh, if that's the case, please shoot me a message so I can correct that.

[silenzahra]

I'm afraid my brain is a bit fried today (I feel extremely sleepy even though I allowed myself to sleep in...), so I'm just gonna inform you about something and go have a very lazy rest of my Sunday 😅

I don't think I've ever said this publicly, so here's the big news: I'm moving! It's not gonna be an apartment for myself yet (can't afford that at all), but at least I'm moving out from a place that's been hurting my mental health for the past few months, and it's a change I'm embracing with open arms and that has really lifted my spirits since I made the decision.

It's been a slow process, but finally, this week I'll take the last big steps and hopefully by the weekend I'll be totally settled in at last. This means, though, that I have to interrupt my internet connection for about 5 days so it can properly be transferred into my new home.

So, as for next week, I'm not gonna be active on Tumblr. Perhaps I'll occasionally check my notifs from my phone, but I won't be able to properly get to all of them and leave feedback and such, simply because I feel way more confortable using my laptop to do so (and because I'll be busy moving, too).

In any case, I've left a post programmed for next Wednesday with the last of my old stories I have left to bring into this new blog (except for Anything for him but that one will need more work). Thank you so much to each and every one of you who have reblogged the fixed posts for Biggest fear, Flying together in the sunset light and Wordless love, by the way! If I haven't responded you yet, I'll do so as soon as my internet connection is back 🥰

Obviously, this will also affect my side blog. I intended to post one last translation today before the big change, but as I said, my brain is way too groggy, so I'm not gonna force myself. In any case, I hope you'll get to enjoy the seven songs I've translated so far, and again, if you've left feedback on any of them and I haven't responded yet, I'll do so as soon as possible 🥰

So with that said, I'll be leaving probably until next weekend! Of course my asks and PMs are open for anyone who'd like to reach out, but please keep in mind I'll be slow answering (same as with notifs).

In any case, I'm wishing you a wonderful week, dear friends! See you very soon! 💖

[dapastelrk]

Can I send a happy request? :0 how abt the adult trio with an s/o who FINALLY invited them over, they open the door, and are greeted by an army of kittens? At least 12? Because the s/o has a soft spot for strays and just can't leave them by themselves on the cold streets!

hello I'm back from death

happy new year everybody

i feel like i need to give an explanation why i wasn't active at all since 2021 summer, well my mental health isn't that great and I couldn't bring myself to write something even if i had tons of ideas, I would try my best to write again probably not regularly but i will try!! Also i can write for others fandoms as well!! I have some request that I would try to write till next week wish me luck

tw: gramatical mistakes, bad grammar, English is not my first language so I'm not the best at it

Hisoka

-he is surprised by your little army of kittens

-the kittens loves him when he is in a good mood and the atmosphere is calm

-when he is in a bad mood the kittens would not dare to come close to him, it's like they feel something dangerous coming from him

-he never get how someone kind like you is willing to be in an established relationship with him

-to be honest he would not really care about your kittens that much

Illumi

-the kittens loves him but he is neutral about them

-now they are Illumi's kittens and not yours, the kittens loves him more than you

-the kittens would sit on illumi's head and shoulders

- everytime he comes over , he would bring something expensive for your kittens

- deep down he loves and admire these little creatures but he would never admit it

- he will even scold you if you don't take care properly of the kittens

- when you're away from home for a long time he would volunteer to take care of the kittens

- he is willing to hire someone to take care of the kittens when you are away for too long

Chrollo

-the kittens dislikes him but he would try to make them to like him for you but he fails

- he would try to pet them but the kittens would bite or scratch his hand

-he is really surprised that you take the kittens from the streets (you are so kind) at least he isn't the only one that you take from the streets

-he will try to read more about cats and he learns interesting things about them so he start to read more about animals

[flyiingsly]

Nightmares

Square : I wasn't sleeping

Pairing : Crosshair x gn!jedi!reader

Warnings : angst, nightmares, trauma and implied PTSD, mentions of Mount Tantiss, Crosshair being touch starved, this man deserves more hugs honestly

Wordcount : 3,5k

Summary : Crosshair keep having nightmares after being rescued from Mount Tantiss. You are a former jedi who is very sensitive to other people's emotions, and you are able to feel how bad he struggles with them. One night, after another nightmare, you try to show him that he can count on you to help him overcome his trauma.

A/N : My second submission for the @clonexreaderbingo ! This is part of an Everybody lives AU in which the Batch end up peacefully living on Pabu after successfully rescuing Omega and Crosshair from Mount Tantiss, just has they deserved it :D

Disclaimer : I'm still struggling to understand English grammar properly, English is not my native language and even if I have proofread my writtings several times, there is probably still typos in it. I'm very self conscious about it and I apologize for it in advance, but I'm doing my best to do better and I'm actively working at improving my writting skills !

So if you spot a typo, feel free to point it to me so I can correct it, it will be much appreciated :)

It was a cold night on Pabu. The winter season was approaching, the days were shortening and the sun seemed to grow even more distant form the little island every day. It had been weeks since Crosshair was successfully rescued from Mount Tantiss and that the squad was finally reunited. You knew it was still hard for him to accommodate to his new life and his new environment. You could tell he was having a hard time socializing and trusting everyone around him. He was doing his best and was making efforts, but he was still often standing alone and was still a bit cold with those who tried to interact with him. It was going to take time for him to get over everything he went through, you and the Batch knew it, and you were all trying your best to make him the most comfortable and at ease as possible.

But nonetheless, at this point, he was starting to become close to his brothers and to trust them again, their bond was in the process of being restored, and you could see it was improving more and more with each day passing.

At first, you weren’t expecting him to open up much to you, as you weren’t originally part of the Batch. You have been knowing Echo for a long time now, since you were fighting along the 501st, before he was captured at the Citadel. You were a jedi, and have grown very attached to the clones during the war, so after you escape Order 66, you decided to go after Rex and Ahsoka, for you had the feeling that something had happened to them, but not in a bad way. You had the feeling that they had made it out of all of this mess. It was during your journey to find them that you met the Batch, and got reunited with Echo. You had worked with them before on a few occasions, and they took you in without hesitation. Since Crosshair wasn’t with them at that time and didn’t approve their decision to keep you, you were expecting him to not recognize you as one of the members of the squad. Furthermore, the last few times you had crossed his past, he tried to shoot at you …

But you were trying your best with him anyway, giving him all the time he’ll need to trust you, never rushing him, always being kind to him …  He was intriguing, and you took your time to get to know him. And surprisingly, as the time was passing by, that hard shell he was protecting himself under started to soften. He noticed all the efforts you made, all the patience you poured into trying to understand him, all your kindness … He wasn’t use to kindness, or to someone being so patient and open hearted with him. It felt strange at first, and even if he didn’t want to admit it, he was appreciating it sincerely. He felt at peace when you were next to him. All the attention and sympathy you gave him made him feel valuable and more human.

The two of you eventually became closer, although it was barely noticeable from the outside. He was still somewhat cold, distant and sarcastic, and you sometimes had troubles figuring out what he was thinking or feeling about you. But for the rest of the Batch, who knew him for so long, it was obvious that he ended up being really attached to you. You may be a jedi, but they were still a lot of things that you weren’t able to catch a glimpse of, even more with someone as mysterious as Crosshair.

Sleep was nowhere to be find that night, various and weird thoughts were spiraling through your mind and you weren’t able to get rid of them. You ultimately decided to do a better use of that spare time by reading some records from the previous mission that Tech had collated on his datapad then shared with you. You were the only one who was really paying attention to his ramblings about everything. You were an eager curious who loved to learn new facts as random as they can be, just like him.

You were absorbed in your reading when a strange feeling took over you.

You stopped your reading and just wait for it to go, but after a few seconds, you hear some very light footsteps passing by the door of your room. It wouldn’t have drawn your attention if it wasn’t for all the fear and anxiety that you were able to sense right now.

Something was wrong with the person crossing that corridor.

Crosshair.

You knew it was him, it was obvious. You knew he was regularly having nightmares about what happened to him on Tantiss. In fact, it happened to every member of the Batch to have nightmares from time to time. The war has left scars in everyone minds, even in yours. You’ve spent a couple of nights comforting them already, you knew how bad it was. But with Crosshair, it was worst. And although the others were able to talk to you about it, he, on the other side, was using a lot of energy to hide it and keep it to himself.

You could feel it anyway, his torments were so violent that it was overwhelming your senses every time you were near him after one of his nightmares. It felt as threatening as those Echo had after he was rescued from Skako.

Now you knew what was keeping you up and bothering your mind. You let the footsteps move away until you couldn’t hear them anymore. You hesitate for a moment, then get up of your bed. You knew he was more comfortable alone in these moments, but what you just felt was so intense that there was no way for you to not, at least, go check on him.

You put your clothes back on with a coat and a scarf and pull on your shoes. Your instinct was telling you to take a blanket as well, and within seconds, you were out of your room, the light of an electric torch guiding your steps in the dark.

As soon as you were out of the building, the cold wind hit you right in the face, freezing you on the spot and sending a violent shiver down your spine despite your heavy coat. The moon was full and its light was bright enough to allow you to shut down your torchlight.

You didn’t search for a long time before spotting him, for his strong emotions were leaving an easily identifiable trail behind him. You head toward the beach where the see was at its highest level. The light of the moon was beautifully reflecting on the waves, making them shimmer as they swirl.

“What are doing here ?” a cold voice took you aback, making you stop in your tracks. You were still a few meters away from him when he spots your presence behind him, addressing you without even turning his head to look at you.

“Well, I heard you leaving the building, so, I wanted to make sure that you were okay …”

He finally turns his upper body toward you, raising his head to look at you with a surprised expression.

“Did I wake you up ?” he asks. His voice was filled with concern. It was so unusual for him to not wear his little snarky tone that you weren’t sure how to interpret it.

“Oh, no, don’t worry ! I wasn’t sleeping anyway …” you answer briefly, not wanting to explain to him what was exactly on your mind. It wasn’t a lie anyway for you were, in fact, unable to sleep.

You looked at each other for a moment in complete silence and without moving.

“But, if you want to stay alone, I’ll understand … I just … wanted to let you know that I’m here if you need it …” you add hesitantly, waiting to be send packing any minute now, “and … I thought you’ll appreciate to have a blanket if you plan to stay here, the air is particularly cold tonight …”

He furrowed his brows, still not saying a word, and lectured you from head to toes, surprised and not really knowing how to handle the situation.

“You can stay.” He finally answers bluntly, turning back to face the see again.

You slowly move closer and sit next to him, keeping enough distance for him not to feel pressured. The silence goes on, as both your gazes were riveted on the moving water. What a coincidence, you thought, that the spot he picked up was your favorite one. It was the perfect place to stay hidden when you needed a moment on your own due to the high rocks border surrounding it.

You could feel that his anxiety level has decrease since you arrived. Even if he was still struggling, it was better than nothing.

Then your mind starts to drift toward some more joyful thoughts, fondly recalling the first time that you and the Batch arrived on Pabu.

“Didn’t you say that you bring a blanket ?” a voice suddenly pulled you out of your thoughts.

You look at Crosshair in surprise, you thought that he didn’t care about it at first.

“Of course, here.” You answer, holding it to him.

“Thanks” he mutters with a blank expression. You smile at him in response, not expecting him to smile back, before focusing on the water again.

As he unfolds the fabric, you notice that he was getting closer to you in the process. When you felt his arm brush against your back and the blanket being settled on your shoulders, your eyes widen. You automatically grab its edge to tighten it up around your body before his hand release it. It was your turn to look at him in surprise this time.

“Thanks …”

“I’ve already prevented you from sleeping and made you go out despite the weather, I just don’t want you to catch a cold because of me on top of that.” He was looking back at you too now, his piercing eyes profoundly rooted in yours. It wasn’t so often that you can meet his gaze, especially for such a long time.

His words made you understand that he knew why you weren’t able to find sleep, and why you were here. He knew how sensitive to other’s people emotions you were, and how comforting and helping your company was for his brothers when they were at their lowest. You couldn’t tell if it was his way to make you understand that he was in need of some comfort, but you decided to take the opportunity.

“You know …” you slowly start, picking your words with caution, “… if you need to talk to someone about anything, you can talk to me, I won’t judge you.”

You gave him another gentle smile, and slowly, you feel like if something was beginning to break apart inside him, as the glowing of his eyes became more intense and his jaw clenched. He suddenly looks away, lowering his eyes on the sand with a heavy sigh. You weren’t waiting for an answer, you just wanted him to hear it.

After a moment, his whole body started to shake as he buries his face into his trembling hands. But much to your surprise, after another heavy sigh, he raised his head from his hands and turned his body toward you, unexpectedly wrapping his arms around your neck and shoulders under the blanket, pulling you in a desperate and tight embrace.

Your eyes widen and you stood there in shock, processing what was just happening. You couldn’t move a finger at all, you were completely frozen to the spot by this out of character move. He immediately notices your tension and loosen his grip, realizing what he had just done.

“I’m … I’m sorry, I don’t know what was going through my mind, I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to force that on you …” He seems terrified, his voice was heavy, and you could feel guilt and shame in his tone.

But as he was trying to move away from you, you hold him back by placing your hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s ok, don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong. I know you’re having a hard time, but it’s ok, you didn’t force anything on me, I was just … Surprised, you know. Because you’re usually not the huggy-kinda person, and I know that you particularly value your personal space, so I just wasn’t expecting that and I did not know how to react, but, it’s okay, really.” Your voice was calm and reassuring, but he still was feeling really bad about it.

“I know, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happen, I got overwhelmed, that’s not my type, I should never have done that, I should’ve asked, or just don’t do anything at all …” He was so embarrassed and moved it broke you heart.

“Please,” you gently ask for his attention, “it’s not a big deal, really, I’m fine about it, right ?” you were looking at him, but his eyes were avoiding yours. “Right” he mumbles.

“Hey, come here” you whisper softly, squeezing his shoulder gently and opening your arms, the edge of the blanket tucked in your hand, to show him that he could still have that hug if he wanted it.

He raises his gaze to look at you right in the eyes, then looks at your hands with a hesitant expression on his face, then back at you, like if he needed one more sign of approval to be sure to not make a mistake again. You gave him an encouraging smile to show him that everything was definitely safe and alright, before he finally wraps his arms around you again, burying his nose in the crook of your neck.

He was so close that you were able to feel the beating of his heart. It was fast at first due to his sudden rush of anxiety, but it was slowly calming down to go back to its normal pace. You knew he was struggling with physical touch and people being too close to him, so you couldn’t have ever imagined that he was so eager for contact and so touch starved under his need for personal space and keeping distances. You gently move your hand that wasn’t holding the blanket to his head, and started to softly run your fingers through his silver hair, sending a shiver down his spine. His breath was warm and steady against your skin, and even if the struggle was still present on his mind, you knew he was more at ease than before.

The embrace was peaceful, and you really were enjoying it. You stay here in silence, again, as you hold him tight, your chin settled on his shoulder, contemplating the moving water, and offering him as much time as he needed to calm down. A few minutes later, he lets out another sigh, before starting speak in a hushed voice.

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you, it’s just that … I can’t. I can’t put words on those things to describe them, I can’t even say that out loud, my brain won’t allow me to do it. It feels like it’s too much, like if every time I want to talk about that, I suddenly forget how to talk. The words are stuck in my throat, like if they don’t want to get out … I feel restrained, like if I was having some sort of blockage … And …. I can’t even describe that feeling properly … It’s so frustrating, but I just can’t do it, not yet … They never taught us how to express our feelings on Kamino … We’re just … Not supposed to open up about all of this, we’re not meant for that, we’re just meant to follow orders without complaining, without showing how these things affect us, or it’s considered a defectiveness …”

His words were hard to swallow. He must have been suffering so much more that you could have imagine.

“It’s ok, I understand that” you whisper softly, “I know how hard it can be to put words on such hard-to-accept and frightening thoughts. I know it takes a lot of time to be able to clearly talk about these things and open up about it. But don’t worry, you have all the time you need to process and learn how to explain everything. Just know that you are safe now, even if it’s difficult to believe after everything you went through, but nobody is going to hurt you anymore, we will never let that happen again, I swear.”

You feel his grip around you tighten and his face press harder against your neck, just like if he was afraid that you could suddenly disappear.

“Thanks you” he simply breathes out.

His voice was filled with emotions, you knew that he really needed to let this out.

“Whatever you need.”

After a moment, he breaks the embrace, creating a space between you under the blanket. When you look at him, it seemed that his nervousness has returned.

“Can I … Can I ask you a favor ?”

“Of course, what is it ?” you curiously answer.

“I know it’s a lot, it’s probably awfully inappropriate, and I’ll understand if you tell me to get lost, but …” he hesitates before finishing his sentence, “can I share your bed tonight ?”

He was embarrassed to ask you and afraid of your rejection, like paralyzed, eyes riveted on the sand, waiting religiously for your answer.

You weren’t expecting that, and for a moment you thought that you had misheard his words, before quickly understanding that he was perfectly serious and sincere about it.

The last thing that you wanted was to make him feel bad or ashamed about it, or to give him the impression that you were hesitating. Honestly, you didn’t need to think about it, the answer was loud and clear in your mind.

“Of course, don’t worry. And nobody will know, if that’s what’s bothering you”

“Honestly … I don’t care about it, the only thing that matters to me right now is being with you.”

Your heart sank at his words. You were expecting him to do everything to prevent the other to know about all of it, or that everything that matters to him was to not be alone no matter with who it was, but he didn’t.

“Then I’m not going to let you down, ever.” You whisper, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

***

You stay on the beach for a little while after that, holding each other close and watching the see, before going back into the building. You made your way toward your room without a sound to not wake up anyone else, and when the door closed behind you, you both felt relieved. It was like if something long awaited but never asked for was finally happening. It was like a reunion you never knew you were both needing before.

The light of your bed lamp was warm, the room was small but cozy, like a protective cocoon. Now that he was sure that nobody could bother him anymore and that he was safe, he really started to lower his guard. You could feel it, and it warmed your heart to know that he was getting better.

You get into the bed first, placing yourself on a side as near of the wall as possible to give him more space. He crawls under the sheets without a word. You were so close to him that you could feel his heat without touching him.

“Are you ok ?” you ask, looking at him lying on his back.

His eyes left the ceiling to stare at you. He was hesitant, but after a while, he gets on his side, and you felt his hand gently settles on your back, pulling you toward him. The contact made you shiver, for his fingers were cold, and soon, his body meets yours, his warmth enfolding you. He huddles up against you, and buries his face in the crook of your neck again.

“Now I am.” he whispers against your skin.

You could tell he was smiling, and the beating of his heart was resonating steadily against your chest. Your cheeks were blushing, but you didn’t care anymore, for you were, too, feeling great right now.

“Perfect then” you whisper back, stretching your arm to reach the light switch. The room was plunged into darkness as you settle your hand on his back, pulling him even closer. Your other arm slides under his neck, allowing you hand to land on his head and your fingers to wander thoughts his hair just like before on the beach.

He lets out a sigh of relief, drowning into the comfort of your embrace, slowly allowing sleep to wash over his mind. It didn’t take you long to sink in either, and soon, you were asleep in each other’s arms, both secretly wishing that this shared night will not be the only one.

[being-addie]

How to bounce back after vacation

I just came back from a long holiday trip right now, and it's been pretty easy falling off the wagon while vacationing, I'm not gonna lie. Our first stop was extremely hot and humid and I don't do well in those conditions so I was blowing through bottles of soda and bowls of ice cream. During the road trip we took I snacked constantly. Then we went to a spot that was below freezing. I didn't take care of my hair at all so it's frizzy and dry. You can imagine how badly sticking to a routine went.

It's challenging to stay disciplined while holidaying, so I cut myself some slack. Four flights and 17 hours of driving combined in a week? Of course I wasn't going to be able to follow my routine. But now that I'm back, I've been actively working to get back on track ASAP.

Here's how to recover from a long trip and get back into the flow as efficiently as possible.

Recover: Keep a few days to just relax at home. You'll probably think it's counter-productive, but recovering from a late-night flight or a 10-hour road trip is vital if you want to do anything with full productivity. I usually take 1 day to recover, but I recommend limiting them to 2 days maximum (otherwise you're going to feel lazier)

Try to ease into it: Do not jump into your routine. Your body will not be used to a 3-hour study session or 10 kg dumbells after it's not kept up. Be gentle with yourself. Do a 1-hour study session, instead of 3. Go for a walk, rather than an intense HIIT workout.

Eat properly: If you haven't had any good, healthy food during your trip, eat some goddamn veggies. Your body will be happy. Although I ate light, like soup and chicken during my trip, eating normal, home-cooked food worked wonders for me

Nap: Catch up on sleep. Unfortunately, I drank a large coffee before my 9pm flight back home, so I got zero shuteye. I've been napping in the afternoons to get back to normal.

Clean: Unpacking always makes a huge mess, and my room can testify to that. Make sure during the process, you don't mess up the rest of your (already clean) room. Wash your clothes, and rearrange your skincare products back where they belong.

Prep: Since my classes are starting next week, I've been restocking my supplies, filling my sketchbook, and completing any extra college assignments due. Staying prepared will help you manage time better when work or school starts again. Complete any time-consuming work, like meal prep, or laundry.

Pamper yourself: Traveling doesn't suit everyone, so yesterday, I took out time to have my Everything Shower, I put on music and read while I treated my body to some much-needed TLC. My hair looks much better.

Feeling frazzled after holiday isn't unusual. We're expected to come back to work with 100% productivity. If you're not able to do that immediately, don't beat yourself up about it. Take it easy, and you'll be back in your routine after no time. xoxo

<3

[shina913]

Dandelion | KNJ

Dandelion

Pairing: Namjoon x Fem!Reader

Rating: M 🔞; NSFW

Genre: Infidelity!AU; exes!AU; angst; some fluff; smut

Warnings: cussing; sexually suggestive language; clit play; protected sex; questionable morals; open conversation about infidelity; hurt without comfort

Word count: 4.8K words

Summary: You and Namjoon reunite to celebrate a special evening.

A/N: If you don't like reading about cheaters - please feel free to skip! Thank you, Sim @roaminginthenights for your notes. They added more depth and nuance to the story in so many words. Thank you @midnightagust for looking this over as well and helping me simplify and improve some of the wording. I appreciate you both!

You’re sitting in the airport parking lot, tapping your fingers happily to the beat of the song playing on your car radio. You glance at the time, it wouldn’t be too long; he’d be walking out of those doors soon. Until then, you continue to hum to the song.

Tonight is special. A night you didn’t think you’d ever celebrate again. Yet here you were, in a rental car, in a town you’d left years before.

Other than one particular overnight reservation, there are no other formal plans. You’d order takeout and perhaps pick up a bottle of wine or two from the corner store.

Your phone rings. You bring it up to check the caller ID and smile when you recognize the name flashing on the screen.

“Hi, honey!”

“Hi mom,” your daughter greets you on speakerphone.

“Is everything okay?”

She goes on to ask permission to do a facemask with her cousin. While she rambles on about other activities they have planned for their sleepover, you distantly hear the passenger door open. You quickly turn your head to smile at him then bring your pointer finger to your lips signaling him not to say a word.

“Mom? Helloooo? Are you listening to me?”

You scramble to get back to your call as your passenger shuts the door. “Uh–sure, honey. That all sounds great. Just make sure you get some sleep and listen to auntie, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And you know I told you that I have a late-night meeting so no phone calls but you can always text–”

“I know, mom.” She’s exasperated in a manner that only middle-schoolers who know it all would be. You exchange ‘I-love-you’s’ before she ends the call.

And now, you can properly greet your new arrival.

“Hi,” Namjoon says.

“Hi,” you greet him with a smile. “That was Yuna.”

“So I heard,” he smiles. “Is she sleeping over at Emma’s?”

You nod. “She’s thrilled. It’s a school night and she gets to stay up late with her favorite cousin.”

He chuckles. “I don’t know if I can top organic facemasks when she comes over next week, but I’ll try.”

“I’m sure she’ll be happy with whatever you’ve got planned for her.” 

“Right. As long as she’s happy.”

You nod then let out a long sigh before telling him, “You know, at some point, we need to stop meeting like this.” That’s what you also said last time. And the time before that. You’re fully aware of it and you think that if you say it enough times, you’d believe it and actually stop.

“I know,” he breathes out before cupping your nape to bring your face to his, sealing his lips over yours. You don’t pull away or give any hint of protest. You melt right into him, your mouth parting to let his tongue savor you.

You miss this. You miss him.

Somehow, you find the willpower to wrench yourself away from him. “Easy there. We’re still in the parking lot.”

You can see the mischief in his eyes even through his glasses. “So? It’s not like that’s stopped us before.” His hands trail between your legs, cupping your heat.

“I know but,” you gently push his hand away. “We have a reservation and it’s late so we should probably get going.”

He sighs, relenting. “Okay.” He reaches back for the seatbelt then stops short of buckling in. “By the way, happy anniversary,” he grins.

You feel a flutter in your chest and your cheeks warm up. “Happy anniversary,” you reply.

******

Namjoon scrolls through his phone, scanning for the email confirmation that contained the security code and instructions to unlock the rental.

“Are you sure you have it?”

You are both standing on the front porch of your Airbnb, using your phone's flashlight to help him see his phone better. He was nearly blind as a bat, especially in the dark, even with his glasses on.

“I’ve got it! Trust me.” He scrolls some more until he exclaims, and finally sees the coveted email.

He carefully punches the code on the door’s keypad until you hear it chime, confirming that you’ve gained access.

You walk through the door and into this place that is known to you. But seeing it again after so long, makes it feel unfamiliar.

The first thing you notice is that the foyer has been redone. The divider wall that used to separate the kitchen and living room has since been knocked down to give it a more ‘open’ layout. 

The furniture is all generic. Not much thought was put into picking them out. The colors also don’t provide much contrast to the equally bland walls. It all blends in but not in a good way.

“Why is everything so white?” You remark.

“It supposedly gives the illusion of a bright and open space.” Namjoon sets your bags at the base of the staircase.

“Feels more like a hospital to me,” you reply dryly, to his amusement. He moves into the kitchen, helping himself to the contents of the cupboards.

You follow behind, wandering over to the counter, where there is a binder listing the ‘house rules.’

“No parties, no loud music,” you read random bullet points out loud. “Quiet time at 10PM. Interesting.”

His arms circle your waist from behind, and you feel him nuzzle into your neck, planting a soft kiss. “Can you stay quiet after 10PM?” He murmurs against your skin.

“Shut up,” you giggle and break out of his hold and playfully pinch him on his side. “Only if you keep your hands to yourself after 10PM,” you tease him back, making him burst into laughter.

You walk around the place some more, scanning and assessing. You’re surprised at how many more modifications have been made. Gone were the warm, earthy tones that you painted the living room and the kitchen.

What was wrong with the way things were before? The interior designer you hired found a great way to marry modern and vintage concepts!

You shake your head in mild irritation.

The upstairs bedrooms feel just as desolate with the plain white, sanitized walls. At least the new owners attempted to break the monotony with a few framed watercolor prints and scenic photographs, no doubt purchased from a big-box store.

You find yourself standing in the midst of your old master bedroom. You see hints of the old furnishings layered with the new. It certainly wasn’t how you remembered it.

“Huh.” Namjoon says when he walks in. “Why didn’t we think of putting the bed against that side of the room before?”

You roll your eyes at him. “Because you get up to go to the bathroom more often than I do so that’s why we put it on the side that was closer to the en suite.”

His mouth drops slightly with a soft ‘ah,’ in sudden realization. “Well, I’ll have to admit, you were right. You should have ignored me and gone with your original plan.”

“I appreciate you acknowledging that, years later.” You roll your eyes and brush past him on your way out. “But as you know, marriage is about compromise,” you call past your shoulder. 

“I’m ordering the pizza!” Your voice echoes down the staircase.

Namjoon spends a few more minutes in this room, allowing himself to reminisce before finding the strength to tear himself away and rejoin you in the kitchen.

******

You’re sitting at your old kitchen counter, eating pizza and sharing a bottle of wine that Namjoon ended up stealing from the owner’s kitchen. When you question him as to whether the alcohol was included in your AirBnB reservation, he shrugs and promises to replace it instead.

“So, are you seeing anyone?”

You stop mid-bite, taken aback by his question. “Wow, already?”

“What? I’m just making conversation.” He says casually as he takes a sip of wine. “And I’m nosy,” he snickers.

You giggle at his admission. “Nope, not seeing anyone. I had–what I thought was a connection a month ago…but that was a false flag. I’ve decided to hang back, take a break…be alone for a bit, you know? I’m not really looking for anything serious anyway.”

His expression turns sullen. He clears his throat before saying, “I thought you had a connection with Seojun. Things looked pretty serious.”

The reminder of your fatal mistake doesn’t sting as much as it did before. And he wasn’t as angry and bitter when he brings it up.

“Seojun was…” you sigh, collecting your thoughts so as not to create unnecessary ripples in this still water. “He was good for me at the time. He was who I needed at the time. But long-term?” You scrunch your face and shook your head. “I didn’t think that far down the road.” 

He used to always ask ‘why.’ Why did you do what you did? Why did you make those choices?

You were together for five years before you married. Two years later, you had Yuna and everything seemed picture-perfect. You thought that you were doing well and that you might really have a knack for marriage and monogamy. It was a point in your relationship when you thought that nothing could ever break you.

But it turns out that anything and everything can break you.

Seojun came along and it was as if something that had long been dormant ignited within you. You thought it would be a one-off, but it wasn’t. For months you thought Namjoon would suspect whether anything felt off. It wasn’t like you were trying to get caught but maybe some part of you wanted him to catch you. But that didn’t happen. Instead, he seemed happily blissful in his own world, seeing everything through rose-colored lenses.

You pick up your wine glass and tip the contents into your mouth, emptying it. When you set it back down on the counter, you look at him, staring at you.

“But you loved him, right?” He asks between mouthfuls of pizza.

You pause for a few long beats before responding. “Sure. In a way, yeah.” Your answer is noncommittal but the truth was, you didn’t know for sure if what you felt for Seojun was love. It certainly wasn’t the same as what you felt for Namjoon. He was in his own category.

“I don’t get it though. Why would you want to be alone?”

You scoff and straighten in your seat, feeling the urge to be defensive. “I don’t get why you’re suddenly concerned about my choice to be alone.”

“No, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” He switches tact, sensing that your walls start to go back up. “I remember back then, you used to say that a lot…that you like being alone and that you didn’t believe in marriage or lifelong partnership. And yet–you still agreed to marry me when I asked. So no, I don’t believe that your ultimate desire or goal is to be alone.”

You pour yourself another glass. “You were different. Being with you, what we had–it made me want to prove myself wrong. That perhaps I do have the marriage gene in me and I can make it last.” You pick at a piece of pepperoni on your slice. “I’d like to believe that I did. I tried to keep things together to make things work for us.”

Namjoon reaches for your hand and brushes his fingers over your knuckles in an attempt to console you.

“Turned out well, right?” You remark sarcastically, throwing your free hand up in defeat. “I failed. So, I conclude that I just don’t have it in me.” 

“The marriage gene?”

“Uh-huh. I’m doomed!” You laugh darkly.

You were happily resigned to that fact. Namjoon was a beautiful anomaly. While your time may have been short-lived, it still added meaning to your generally doomed perspective on marriage and relationships.

His fingers curl around your hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. “For what it’s worth, I thought you were great at it.”

You smile wistfully and bring his hand up to your lips to kiss it. “Thank you. That’s kind of you to say.”

******

You were in the upstairs bathroom washing up when Namjoon excused himself to retrieve a couple of things from his jacket pocket downstairs when his phone starts buzzing.

“Hello?” He answers.

“Hey, how’s it going? I’ve been trying to reach you. How was your flight?” the female voice says on the other line.

He clears his throat and hides away in what used to be his office. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, sweetheart. You know how it is at my dad’s house. The reception’s shit.”

“Why are you whispering?” She asks.

“Dad just fell asleep. You know how he’s such a light sleeper.”

“Oh, yeah. You’re right. Do you think you’ll be able to finish up whatever you need to over there? I have some miles on my card and fly out tomorrow to come over and help?”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Namjoon tells her calmly. “Dad and I are just about done packing up some of his old things here so, he’ll be ready to move into the facility. He’s really looking forward to it.”

“Is he? That’s great.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I have to go. I’m trying to sort through a few more of his things here while he sleeps. I work faster when he doesn’t stop to admire each item and talk about what it meant to him.”

“Okay. Just call me if your flight changes. I love you!”

He hears the floorboard creak and looks up from his seat to find you leaning against the door frame, dressed in nothing but a black lace teddy. Biting his lower lip, he says, “I love you, too.”

As soon as he hangs up, he tugs at your wrist and ravishes you.

******

“You think she’d ever suspect anything between us?” You wonder out loud while you both lay naked in your former marriage bed, basking in your post-sex high.

He shakes his head adamantly. “I think ‘you and me’ is the last thing on her mind.”

You laugh at how confident he made that sound.

“I’m serious!” He says firmly. “This is not even remotely on her list of possibilities! She knows what happened between us so this is highly unlikely for her.”

You sit up against the headboard and stare at him in disbelief. “You told her about us?”

He shrugs, not seeing the problem with it. “It was all part of my therapy and healing process so…yeah. I told her everything.”

“So, does she think I’m, like, the devil incarnate or something?” You try to mask the pang of guilt in your chest by making light of it.

“Nah. She doesn’t really think about you.” Then he immediately adds, “I’m not saying that to be hurtful or dismissive. I think at the time she thought she was somebody who could, I don’t know, put me back together or something.”

Even though you’ve both said your pieces over the years and talked things over, traded apologies, and accepted them, it still felt inadequate.

“I’m sorry,” you say instinctively.

He sits up to mirror your posture and dips his head to kiss your bare shoulder. “You’ve said that already.”

“Yeah but–” He cuts you off mid-sentence with another kiss, his lips lingering over yours.

“No buts. We’re good, okay? I’m good.” He reassures you.

But you press him anyway. “Okay, I’m sorry to keep dropping the reality check here but what if she finds out?” 

He sighs, a wry smile on his lips. “If she does…” he trails off without finishing his thought. He straightens his posture, turning serious. “I guess you could say that I’m no longer scared of being labeled the bad guy. I spent a good chunk of my life trying to do the right thing and being a good person. Always doing what is morally acceptable.”

You tilt your head at him in curiosity. He’s changed a lot, but just like your old house, even though the fixtures have been replaced, walls knocked down and repainted, and furniture layout rearranged, you can still see hints of what it used to be.

He’s still the same Namjoon you fell in love with, beneath this new cynical, detached exterior. He wasn’t always open about his emotions but in the rare cases that he would wear his heart on his sleeve, you saw and felt it.

Right now, he was baring his soul to you.

“I’m not saying that I’m proud of it. You know, the affairs. I have needs that she can’t fulfill,” he shrugs. “There’s acceptance on my part. I’m not trying to claim righteousness or hide behind morals. And that’s okay. I’m okay with that!”

You’re silent as you take in his ruminations. In a way, it saddens you that he’s adopted this perspective. You always knew him as an idealist–someone who, as he said himself, ‘always did the right thing.’ Which was why it crushed him when you confessed your infidelity.

He stares at you for a minute before breaking into a chuckle. “What?”

“What?” You echo, your eyebrows furrowing.

“Say something!” He laughs.

“I mean, what do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know! Anything. Scold me or, I don’t know…tell me that this isn’t right. ‘Your wife doesn’t deserve this! You’re a terrible husband!’” He says jokingly.

“I am the last person to judge, okay? If it doesn’t keep you up at night…” you trail off.

He nods at that.

But then you cock your eyebrow at him, picking up on what he said moments ago. “So, ‘affairs?’ You mean, there’s more?”

“I had some fling a few months ago. It was meaningless,” he add quickly, as if that contributed to anything. “And there were a couple of one-night stands but I don’t think they count.”

“Mm…” you hum vaguely.

******

Namjoon cracks open another bottle of wine and brings it upstairs, where you both drink in bed and continue to trade stories.

“I didn’t really want to get married again. We were having a good time and she’s great,” he recounts the early days of his new relationship. “Sometimes it’s easy to confuse great sex with love.”

“Mm-hmm. Speak for yourself,” you remark.

He smirks at your comment. “But…there she was, down on one knee, asking me to marry her. And so I did. We’ve been living together anyway so, might as well, right?” He shifts and changes his tone, feeling the need to clarify that he’s not a complete asshole. “I hope you’re not taking this the wrong way but she and I are good. We’re comfortable. It’s like, we speak the same language.” 

He’s tipsy and babbling but you let him. “That’s great,” you smile softly, taking a sip of wine.

“The sex is not.” You nearly choke at his revelation. “A month after we got married–phew–” He makes a whistling sound and makes a quick, swooping gesture with his hand. “Out the door, it went.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” you say with all sincerity.

He shrugs. “It is what it is.”

“But don’t you love her?”

He purses his lips and tilts his head from side to side. “In a certain way, sure.” He mirrors your answer from earlier this evening.

You nod vaguely, letting the words hang in the air while you both fall into a comfortable silence.

After a few beats he says, “I’ll never love anyone the way I loved you. That’s a fact.”

This isn’t the first time he’s told you this. He’s declared it several times, at least once during one of your clandestine meetings.

“When we were together, I never thought we’d split up. That never occurred to me. So–what I have with her it’s…it’s an entirely different kind of love. But if or when she suddenly comes to me and asks for a divorce, I’d give it to her. I feel like that’s where this is headed anyway.” He downs the rest of his wine before setting it down on the nightstand. “I would compare it to a piece of tape. You stick it on then peel it off and try to stick it someplace else. It might take, if you tried hard enough but…it’s never quite the same.”

You lick your dried-out lips and let out a shaky breath. “God, that sounds really sad,” your voice cracks.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not sad about it so you shouldn’t be!” He maintains his lightheartedness. “I think it’s perfectly fine to have different types of love, different types of relationships. Mine happens to be unconventional.”

“Unconventional, yes. But the way you speak about it, it’s as if you’re saying that you’re totally comfortable with the fact that you’ll never truly love again. That’s what saddens me.”

“I never said that,” he says in defense. “I never said I’ll never truly love again.” Then he looks you in the eye and says matter-of-factly, “I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

The look he gives you sends an involuntary shiver down to your spine which makes its way between your legs. “Yes, but what we have is different. We’ve both gone through the worst possible thing that could happen in our relationship; which is why when you’re with me, there are no surprises. No unrealistic expectations. There’s no fear lurking around because it’s all laid out for you.”

His expression is steady and unchanged. “And I’m saying this is what works for me right now. This is what works for us–”

“Ugh, Namjoon…” you groan, sinking back into the mattress and turning on your side, facing away from him. “That’s such a fucked up way of looking at the situation. You know how fucked up we are! We’re still reeling from how our marriage ended and…” You bury your face in your palms and groan in frustration again. “Who would have thought even after we signed those papers, that it didn’t really mean the end…Like, right that second? I wish that somebody told us that breaking up takes much longer than that.”

You feel the bed dip behind you as he scoots closer, wrapping his arm around your waist to pull you flush against him. “It’s like we said, it just takes time, baby.”

“But it’s been five years!” You whine petulantly. “I just want to be done with it! You said that after we’re divorced, we’d move on and start fresh.” You turn your body around, his face is so close to yours. “Now, we’re just in this endless cycle of grief and trauma.”

You close your eyes and you feel him press his forehead on yours in silent agreement. You don’t remember how long you hold each other like that. He quiets your whimpers with the softest kisses until you both drift off to sleep.

******

“No!” Namjoon cries out, jolting you both awake. He sits up abruptly, with his head in his hands. His back is covered in sweat and his heart feels like it’s about to burst out of his chest.

“Hey.” You sit up and rub circles on his back consolingly. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“Yeah,” he sniffs and wipes his tears away.

You offer to get him a drink of water but he declines. He gets out of bed and paces around the room.

“Do you want to talk to me about it?”

“Uh…” he breathes before sitting back down on the edge of the bed. “Yeah. I’m…trying to remember bits and pieces.” He takes a minute to regulate his breathing while simultaneously collecting his thoughts. “We were walking down the street, coming back from a dinner party or something. And then, we needed to cross the street for whatever reason.”

You hug your knees to your chest while you listen to him.

“I was holding your hand so we could go together but you went on and darted out into the dark road. I kept calling out to you but you kept moving farther away from me. I tried so hard to run after you but it was as if my feet were sealed into the concrete.” A tear rolls down his cheek. “I felt so helpless because I wanted to get to you and–I couldn’t see you. You were gone.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. C’mere,” You open up your arms and beckon him to come back to bed.

He obliges and nuzzles into touch. “I couldn’t get to you,” he cried.

“It was just a dream, baby.” You whisper calmly into his ear, rubbing his back to console him.

He burrows his face into the crook of your neck. “It’s not the first time I had a dream about losing you. I’ve had different versions of that dream where you disappear into the dark and I can’t move my body to reach out to you. It’s like–I’m perpetually stuck or something.”

All you can do is listen. This was his trauma talking. You continue to rub his back and rock him gently.

“You know, sometimes I wonder if…if I’ll ever love anybody. Like, truly love them. Or maybe I’ve never been truly loved before. Maybe…maybe that’s what it means. I’ll never be able to have the ability to–“ 

“Hey,” you interject. You pull his face away from your shoulder and cup his cheeks. “Listen to me— I love you. In my own… twisted way. And I know that you love me. In your own way.”

He smiles ruefully, his eyes welling up with emotion.

You gaze at him, brushing his cheekbone with the pad of your thumb. “I will always love you,” you say reassuringly before bringing your lips to his.

Your gentle kisses turn hungry and you can’t help when your body responds to him instinctively. Your need for him is unrelenting.

One moment he’s telling you about a nightmare and the next, you’re wrapped up in each other’s arms, your legs on either side of his hips. It doesn’t take him long to be ready for you, especially when you’re naked and bare for him.

You undulate your hips, grinding your slick over his length. His hands gripping your waist, guiding you while you pleasure yourself with the delicious friction.

“Mm, you’re so wet for me,” he whispers, reaching between you to rub circles on your clit.

“Mm-hmm,” is all you can muster.

“You ready for me, huh?” He nips at your bottom lip.

You give him a nod and he manages to pause his ministrations to reach across the nightstand. Once he sheaths himself, he takes one swift move and slips right into your center.

Each thrust is purposeful. Your fingers grip his hair as you moan into his shoulder. He gently sinks his teeth into your tender flesh, groaning. You're both floating and it’s a special kind of high.

One look at him and you heat up to a fever pitch. You take comfort in the deep baritone of his voice, goading you, whispering his naughtiest fantasies about you when you’re apart. You feel him touch you and you know it’s what you’ve been missing. He completes you. 

You move in perfect sync as if you never separated. When you’re intimate like this, the questions and doubts fade when your bodies close in, filling every gap. Your connection is unrivaled.

He pulls back. “You close?”

Not that he needed an answer but he just loves watching you come undone. He ups the ante, cupping your ass cheeks and combining deep plunges with swivels, thrusting sharply and retracting slowly. Your head lolls back, dizzy with pleasure and at the same time awed by the heights he takes you to. Places where you can simultaneously forget and remember. Where nothing and nobody else exists except you and him and the mutual passion you share.

The sweat misting his brow glistens in the dusky light, his face beginning to strain as your release crests and finally crashes down. Instantly, you shudder, the tingling becoming too much to bear, your skin too sensitive. He is attuned to your body, because he stops his movements and applies pressure where you need it, keeping your hypersensitivity at bay, as his own climax hits him hard. His growls are suppressed, his face crimson with the rush of blood to his head. Your walls squeeze him greedily, prolonging your pleasure as he empties himself into you.

Namjoon drops you both onto the mattress, collapsing in a heap of exhaustion. He is glued to your slick chest, where he will remain for the next ten minutes, snoozing, nuzzling, and kissing your neck. You hold him and savor the moment before you part and return to the alternate realities you both worked hard to establish.

Deep down, you know you’ve ruined him. You didn’t mean to. He was nothing but an innocent bystander in your own path of self-destruction. Perhaps, as your lifelong penance, you’d spend the rest of your days assuring him that he’s not broken and that he deserves unconditional love. 

You breathe into his shoulder as you settle, holding him as close as you possibly can. In your own quiet way, you're telling him that you're happy to remain like this.

Main Fic Masterlist

You’ve reached the end! Thank you so much for reading!

If you loved it, please comment, reblog, or send me feedback! 📩. I love hearing from readers! If you didn’t like it so much, I would still like to hear about it. Help me become a better writer! 💜

[ihopesocomic]

I'm so sorry if it's too long but I just did a reread and decided to take a look at the designs on Toyhouse and it reminded me how much I love IHS.

I love all the designs of your characters, they are so deliberate. Take the Golden Grove family for example. Their fur colours perfectly match the name of this pride - all characters from this place are golden/have fur that's a certain shade of gold. Just by looking at them you can tell that they're related. But that's not everything.

I looked at the designs of three sisters and their parents and I noticed how some of the traits of their parents can be found in their daughters. Vicious is almost a copy of her mother Watchful, while Clever looks so much like her father Wild. They all have respectively a similar coIours and face shapes. In all of that Careful, the middle child here, is a perfect combination of her parents - she has her father's muzzle shape and eyes shape but her colour palette is more like her mother's. All marks are placed with so much thought that they help to recognise a character. The funny thing about the similarities with parents is that you probably created sisters first and then their parents - so you actually had to take a look at the sisters and then create their parents. While making sure everything made sense.

I tried to find similarities with Hope, Adamant and Quiet but I find it a bit harder, maybe cause they're still young. But older Hope definitely reminds me of Clever and Careful, rather than Vicious. Maybe it's the fur on her cheeks. I noticed that Adamant has the same fur colour as her grandfather, Jasper the First and I find it cute. And of course, how could I not mention Breccia and her freckles that she gave to all of her grandchildren. I love them <3

What I mean to say is that I adore how much thought and effort you put into your story. Every time I reread I find something new to adore. I love the plot and world, but I really like how you also put effort into your designs. You manage to make all characters stand out and be easy to recognise but you also find a way to make sure that audience can tell who is related to who. Thank you so much <3

And tbh I really like the new schedule with a page for week.

Well first of all, I do love a good wall of text, so don't apologize haha

Second, I'm glad you like the new schedule. It's actually activated the speculation part of the fandom, which we also love LOL

Third, THIS MAKES ME HAPPY! I love when people go back and notice the details we included. I did work backwards from the sisters to the parents, just because we had no intention on showing the grandparents, but people asked and I thought they'd be fun to design too. And they were! (This is to go with a previous ask, but this is also part of why we did away with color-coding, just cuz Wildfire looked great as a blonde, but maybe he's from somewhere sandy, who knows.) And it was interesting distributing all the different characteristics of them. Still not satisfied with Careful, I wish I'd thought on her a biiiiiiiit longer. I just didn't think anyone would care about her LOL

Hope will look more like Clever when she gets older, so once I can properly elongate her face, it'll be more obvious. I'm slowwwwwly gonna show them aging, Storm's hair will get longer, Adamant will be more buff, stuff like that. Right now (and people will see this on next week's page) Hope actually looks pretty similar to Careful. Careful just has to pull some more... Hopelike faces first for it to be obvious haha

Overall I'm happy with the designs and it brings me much joy to have people analyze them. Character concept is one of my favorite things to do, and I like being creative while being limited at the same time. Lions are a good way to practice that. So thank you again! - Cat

[mllemaenad]

The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with It

Well – the show is on the cusp of a mid-season break, so it is absolutely time for someone to do something rash and foolhardy. This will almost certainly lead to a frustrating cliffhanger next week, because that's how pacing works. I look forward to Sam, Alice and Gwen all screwing up royally on their respective excursions.

That said, I genuinely don't believe that sticking your head in the sand is an approach that works. It's all very well to say a person should stay clear of the supernatural, but there's nothing in that that guarantees that the supernatural will go along with that plan. Something quite clearly happened to Sam at The Magnus Institute. Providing he is cautious about it, working out what that was is probably a good idea. But Sam doesn't feel cautious.

It's interesting how traditional this one was, and yet how different ��� because it's in the differences that you can see how this world works.

This is a bona fide Magnus Institute statement read by, at least insofar as how it sounds, the Archivist himself. And, like others before him, the statement giver has turned up to get the Magnus Institute to deal with his weird supernatural problem.

But the thing is – in The Magnus Archives the statements were always about the people. Oh, there were plenty of weird artefacts in them, but the storyteller themselves was always the point of the whole thing. It was the terror of the individual that The Magnus Institute actively sought, and it was following the interconnecting threads of the various recurring characters that led John to his conclusions.

But The Magnus Institute: Manchester does not care about the people. It cares about the stuff.

There is a very distinct difference between this:

Archivist Statement of Nathan Watts, regarding an encounter on Old Fishmarket Close, Edinburgh. Original statement given April 22nd 2012. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London. – The Magnus Archives: Anglerfish

And this:

Chester Statement and Research assessment for artefact CD137 - Sam What the hell? Chester Magnus Institute – Manchester. Private and confidential. Viability as subject – none Viability as agent – low Viability as catalyst – medium. Recommend referral to Catalytics for Enrichment applicability assessment. – The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with It

The statement giver is nameless, you can only infer he's probably male from an offhand remark:

Chester/Unknown Statement Giver And that brings us about up to date. They're yours now, and I never want to see them again. Don't get me wrong, it’s a blow but I’m just not the right guy to carry them. – The Magnus Protocol: Roll with It

And that's hardly definitive. The Magnus Institute is interested in him only insofar as his experience illustrates what the dice can do. And it intends to take these dice, enhance them in some way, and then use them to cause something. Their use twists fate in some sense – so you can see the logic up to a point. If you're trying to make something particular happen, you might be able to use the dice to do that.

But what the hell were they doing? Specifically, what the hell were they doing to those children?

It's been a thread, all the way through, that distance from people in The Magnus Protocol. The way the cases are gathered, without the knowledge or consent of the people to whom these things happened, the barrier between the protagonists and the stories as Chester, Norris and Augustus are the ones who actually read them ... and now this. The Magnus Institute was looking for "supernaturally active items", not people who had had supernatural experiences.

RedCanary also found an object in The Magnus Institute:

Chester/RedCanary Re: Magnus Institute Ruins By RedCanary on Saturday April 23 2022 12:17pm The photos from the spelunk seem properly gone, but I did find an old wooden thing with a bunch of similar symbols on. Some kinda empty box, not really sure what for, though. Gonna see if I can get the light right for a decent pic. Edit: No dice, I’m afraid. Must be something up with my phone camera. Really not helping the whole paranoia thing either. Anyone know anything about photographic distortion? Gonna see if I can borrow my dad’s SLR tomorrow. – The Magnus Protocol: First Shift

That didn't feel especially noteworthy at the time: The Magnus Institute always did have some weird crap in Artefact Storage. But I keep thinking about Mary Keay:

Mary Keay Often, during my studies, my mother would talk to me of the amazing arcane relics at your Institute. I’m sure you can imagine my disappointment when I finally got a look at the collection of mediocrity that you call your “Artefact Storage.” – The Magnus Archives: First Edition

Mary was ... quite a piece of work, obviously, and there's no doubt that some of the things in Artefact Storage were very dangerous indeed. But it does seem that The Magnus Institute of that universe only collected supernatural objects incidentally: usually because a statement giver happened to bring one in.

But here – well, the artefacts are the point. And RedCanary took one away. And – heh – "no dice". I wonder if that box ever held dice. I wonder if they had still come up snake eyes.

The rest of the point of the piece seems to be about the nature of choice. That's always been a question, of course:

Archivist/Annabelle Cane Of course, that’s not the real crux of the free will question that’s bothering you at the moment, is it? I think that one probably comes down to whether or not you’re choosing to continue reading this statement out loud. You didn’t mean to, did you? No, I’m sure you told Basira and Melanie that you were going to glance over it and report back; perhaps they asked you if you were going to record, and you shook your head: maybe later. That sounds like the sort of thing you’d say. But think about it, John; when’s the last time you were able to read a statement quietly to yourself without instinctively hitting record and speaking it aloud? Is it just instinct, habit? Or is it a compulsion, a string pulled by the Ceaseless Watcher or the Mother of Puppets? – The Magnus Archives: Weaver

You can say the characters are making free choices, sure. But if an evil god (for want of a better term) is leaning on you, that constrains your choices. If your access to pertinent information is limited, that constrains your choices. If you're in the presence of a hypnotic artefact, that constrains your choices.

The statement giver is clearly compelled, at least up to a point. He knows, and Gary knew before him, that rolling the dice was likely a fatal idea. But they both did it anyway. So did all the random people he presented with the dice.

But at the same time, there are hints of a gambling habit that was present before he took ownership to the dice:

Chester/Unknown Statement Giver It’s been a while since I played the tables but I’ve used enough dice to know they were too heavy… And there was something else too. From that point on I own those dice. And I know it. – The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with it

And he clearly took to the damn things in a way that Gary did not. Gary clearly rolled the dice and had both very good luck and very bad. And at a certain point he decided to make them this arsehole's problem (and as badly as that ended for him, I can see why). But our anonymous statement-giver was committed to becoming a dark agent of fate.

Chester/Unknown Statement Giver I started to enjoy that more than the luck. I was rolling for myself less and less, focusing more on being some mysterious stranger. I even began dressing for the part: I got hold of this long dark coat, a wide-brimmed hat, grew a proper goatee, the works. – The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with it

It's funny that he didn't like D&D, given how quickly he took to LARP-ing.

But there are other questions about compulsion, too. Nobody but Gary was hurt? Not true. What about the truck driver, whose life was likely ruined by this event? Were they compelled by the dice to fall asleep, or to plough into that building, even though they'd never touched the dice?

Sam clearly gets a prod toward a Magnus Institute-related case when he's muttering about giving him – but he's also pretty clearly committed, whatever he says to Celia. And he is explicitly in the middle of the world's longest and weirdest application process as he's having this conversation. Maybe Sam's being leaned on, a little, but he's not resisting it.

And then there's Teddy. It's not that anything he says is impossible, of course. It's just an odd string of luck. He gets that job just long enough to be replaced by Sam and Celia, and then it's gone again. And then he's back in Alice's orbit. Teddy's not around the OIAR any more than that truck driver was around the dice. But does he still fall under its influence?

"Gerry Keay's" behaviour in the previous episode was definitely odd, but at the time it was a little difficult to tell whether he was overdoing an act … or if he was actually like that, for some reason. I'm more inclined to think the latter, now. I'm more inclined to think something's leaning on him.

And last, but not at all least, is Sam's questionnaire. Sure, "Why?" might be the weirdest part in the generic sense, but this:

Celia Please list your earliest four negative memories associated with school or an equivalent childhood educational institution, then rate each from zero to seven with zero being neutral and seven being traumatic. – The Magnus Protocol: Rolling with it

It's an odd bit of luck, right, that Sam's paperwork lands on a question to which he is bound to have an interesting answer?

And Gwen – it sounds as though she's been sent out to visit some kind of incredibly irritating 90s television star (I want to strangle the man from the name "Prank Tank" alone). She is to deliver him a name and address, just as Sam previously received a name and address. The coincidence, however, lies most in the children.

What was playing on TV when Sam, Gerry and the unknown others were in The Magnus Institute?

[colderdrafts]

12: Taking care of official business

The Great Assembly, gender neutral reader x monster (male naga). Sfw. Previous Next

Elise drives back into town to check you in to a hospital. You and Amren protest it’s not necessary, but she cowers you both with but a look and a firm scolding you should have gone the second you got injured.

She promises to tell you everything that happened once both of you have been looked over, leaving you somewhat frustrated and impatient.

“Mrs. Hansen is still at the lodge with some law enforcement, but she will meet us at the hospital later. She wants to check in on you herself,” Elise informs you, eyes focused on the road.

You mumble an affirmative, and distract yourself by looking out the window at the passing landscape. The city soon comes into view, and while the forest had it’s charms, after last night you’re somewhat relieved to see concrete again.

It’s late in the afternoon with the sun setting over the horizon when you check in to the hospital. A very friendly human woman looks you over and cleans out your wounds properly.

It’ll probably leave a scar.

“You were very lucky,” she says, finishing wrapping a fresh bandage, “most humans don’t leave boarbeast clutches with only scratches. Give yourself some time to take it easy, and you should be ready to return to normal activities.”

You nod your thanks. “What about the others?”

The doctor smiles. “The naga you were with is still being examined – his wounds were a little more extensive, though he tried very hard not to let it on,” she rolls her eyes.

“Sounds about right,” you grin. “And Elise?”

“She got checked up yesterday, so she’s in the waiting room right now. I’m sorry, but I also think some of the authorities would like a word with all of you as well, if you’re up for it?”

You’re not, truly. You’re exhausted. But if it means that they will have an easier time finding Irwin, you can put up with their prying eyes.

You give her an affirmative, and she helps you up to lead you through the stale white halls of the hospital.

Elise is already waiting for you once the doctor lets you into the waiting room, and stands up once you enter. She lingers a bit awkwardly, as if she’s not sure what to do with herself. You walk over to her and put a hand on her non-injured shoulder, motioning for her to sit down again. She takes a breath.

“Before we say anything else - I wanted to apologize,” she starts somewhat formally, not looking at you, “for not looking properly after your partner. I was fighting the beast off, so I didn't - I should have been more observant. I’m so sorry I lost him.”

Oh.

Oh no.

You feel a tear in the corner of your eye, but put your hand on top of hers and squeeze. She looks at you.

“It’s not your fault Irwin’s gone,” you state firmly, looking her in the eye. “It’s the trafficker's. We were all fooled. You couldn’t possibly have done more than what you did.”

Elise grinds her tusks as she stares at you, and you spot a few tears pricking at the corner of her eye now. She angrily rubs them away.

“Fuck,” she grunts, “sure, go ahead and break me open like that, nature’s balls. Is this a hum thing? Getting under people's skin? I’ve known you two little hooligans for barely a week-”

You grin, grateful for the more humorous topic to latch onto. “Irwin did say he would do his utmost to charm you. Guess it worked.”

She snorts and, extremely gently, bumps your ribs with her elbow. “Yeah, yeah. It worked on you the best, though.”

You cog an eyebrow at her. “What do you mean?”

“Since he’s your partner -” she looks puzzled that you’re the one confused. “Unless he’s – not?”

“Partner as in, yes, we’re friends, yes we partnered up to go to the conference together?”

“Oh,” Elise chuckles, “we thought you were partners as in you were definitely ‘taking him to bed’ the night he passed out drunk in the lodge.”

You face flushes. “I would never-!”

She puts up her palms in defense. “I know, I know! Figure of speech, calm down. Everyone at the conference genuinely thought you two were romantically involved. But you aren’t?”

Well. You haven’t really thought about it like that. Irwin just sort of inserted himself into your life the day you started working at the company and didn't take no for an answer. New place, you're gonna need a new friend. Lucky for you, that'll be me. You're welcome!

Sure, he’s flirty and energetic and affectionately clingy with you at times, but he’s like that with everyone he loves. He would never deliberately flirt with others in front of you if he thought you were in any way involved. And he has done so, many a times. You smile at the memories of his shenanigans. Since Irwin decided you were friends, your life got a lot more exciting.

And now he’s missing, and you can’t do anything about it. It’s so weird to think about him and knowing he’s just gone, that you can’t just call him and he’ll tell you about something stupid that happened, or tell you he’s coming over while already being outside your door.

The more you think about it the worse it gets. Elise senses your distress, and gently squeezes your hand again.

“We’re friends,” you say, finally, “but we’re very good friends. I miss him.”

A silence settles on the room for a few seconds, leaving you to gather your thoughts, but it’s broken when Elise suddenly sits up straight and stares toward the open door to the hallway.

“Stop creeping around out there and join us instead, idiot,” she grunts.

A second later Amren enters the room, glaring at her, and covered in fresh bandages that, you must admit, look a lot better than whatever makeshift you managed in the forest last night.

Hey, it was dark, you were under a lot of stress and Amren is very large. No shame.

“There he is,” Elise grins at his scowling face, “back to the good ol’ Mr. Grumpy, eh?”

He ignores her, and carefully lifts away the chair next to you, and settles on his coils in its stead. “I haven’t changed. I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Uh-huh, and the fact that you deliberately chose to take the seat closest to your new friend here and not camping in the corner like you usually do?”

He huffs in annoyance. “We’re going to get interrogated by police in a few moments, meaning we would be smart to stay close, and I don’t want to sit next to you.”

Elise laughs.

Mrs. Hansen joins you not too long after, as does three police officers – two humans and a gnoll. You recognize the name on the badge of one of the human officers as Officer Rolan, the one you heard speaking on the radio on the trafficking incidents. He's a tall, stout man with brown hair cropped short. It seems he’s leading this operation.

The main conversation is you finally getting the story of what happened at the mountain while you were out and about with Amren.

As you know, Irwin is still missing, and he’s not the only one. Three people in total have been taken, all of them humans, and all of them sharing the same story as Irwin. Elise describes how they during their travels gradually came across your co-workers, and several of them had had issues with boarbeasts in general the further north they went. One deliberately went for Irwin, and Elise had to intercept and fight it off. After she dispatched the beast, Irwin was gone.

“It’s almost as if the boarbeast attacks were deliberate,” Amren chimes in when Elise finishes her side of the story. “Like it was planned to distract the mons long enough for the hum to get taken.”

“We got attacked by a boarbeasts twice,“ you add, “once where Amren scared it off without incident. And the second time - “ you trail off.

“I wasn’t there, so the trafficker had to finish it off herself,” Amren finishes, his voice giving no indication on his feeling on the matter. “A fault in the plan, I’m assuming.”

It would explain why a lone boarbeast would appear up at east.

Mrs. Hansen nods, deep in thought. Despite her flawless complexion, you can tell she’s strained – tired. Her usually upbeat demeanor is replaced by a serious and calculated look in her eye, and every so often you find her glancing at you and Amren’s bandages with a frown. You wonder how much she blames herself.

The officers surmise it’s indeed connected to the recent strings of disappearances, though the method of getting people using boarbeasts as a distraction is new. Eventually, they break you off in smaller groups to ask questions to each of you. Officer Rolan pulls you aside, and you recur the events step by step for him.

“- And together you fought off this Mira?” he asks, eyeing Amren currently sitting at the opposite end of the room talking to the gnoll officer.

“Well, it was mainly thanks to him I escaped. I just distracted her so he could – uh,” you cut yourself off. Maybe disclosing information of how he was absolutely going to mash Mira into a pulp had you not stopped him, is not the best information to give to authorities.

But Officer Rolan, of course, doesn’t let up, raising an eyebrow.

“So he could –?” he urges you on.

“It’s alright, Tiny,” comes Amren’s voice as he looks over. Apparently he overheard. “They know what I can do,” he says, calm and collected like when he’s presenting.

“Hey, focus on your own conversation, bud,” scolds the gnoll officer he’s talking to. Amren flicks his tongue at her.

You shrug at Rolan. “Well, you know then. She got away, though.”

He writes something down. “I get you’re hesitating there, but we understand your friend acted in defense of himself and you. You don’t need to hide that.”

You nod.

“I know this might be painful to talk about, but what was your relationship with Irwin?” he asks.

“We’re co-workers – but, we’re also good friends. Irwin’s been at my side for a few years now,” is your solemn reply.

He gives you a sympathetic smile and writes down something else.

“Did the coyote say or do anything else? Is there anything else you can tell us that you think might help locate her or your friend?” he continues.

You feel the bulge of Irwin’s phone in your pocket, and you’re about to voice that you have it, but something stops you.

You frown at him.

“How did you know Mira is a coyote?” you ask.

It’s very brief, but you catch it. Just a single frame of widening eyes, gone so quick you almost want to brush it off as make-believe – but it’s there, planting just a tiny seed of doubt in your mind.

Out the corner of your eye you notice Amren looking your way again.

“That's what you told us,” Officer Rolan replies easily. "Is she not one?"

You nod. “She is. But we’ve only just told you the story of what happened and her name. We haven’t made a full description of her yet.”

Officer Rolan offers a gentle smile. “You told us when we all talked just before,” he chuckles reassuringly. “You’ve had a very traumatizing night, I wouldn’t blame you if a few things in this hard discussion slipped your mind.”

Did it?

Rolan has a sympathetic expression as you think hard on your next move. You know it’s basically withholding evidence to not hand him the phone, and if it could help – but something is tugging at the back of your mind, shoving thoughts into your awareness. It’s ringing all your alarm bells at once to the point you’re almost sweating. You’re haven’t the foggiest idea where this sudden burst of mistrust is coming from. You can just tell that handing the phone over is the wrong thing to do.

So you don’t.

“In any case, that’s about it. I think I’ve told you everything," you finish.

Officer Rolan nods, still smiling gently, and writes down something else.

You feel eyes on you again, and find Mrs. Hansen now staring at you with a focused expression, but she quickly returns her attention to her shared conversation with Elise and the third officer.

“And what about you? How are you doing?” Rolan asks, bringing your attention back.

You note he puts the clipboard away. You can’t tell if this is a move to get you more comfortable telling him honestly, or if it’s genuine concern, but the fact remains you are not interested in any way in talking to him anymore.

And how are you feeling? It will take you some time to even process all this – the attacks on the company, Irwin’s disappearance and your lingering guilt, not to mention the terrifying encounter and fight last night.

“Not amazing," you reply. That should about cover it.

After some clarifying questions the authorities leave you to gather yourselves. Officer Rolan gives you his contact information in case you think of anything else, along with a promise to keep a very close eye around your home in case of suspicious activity – yet it doesn’t really alleviate any anxiety. You feel nauseous as you watch them go - telling the whole story again took a lot out of you, and you still can’t shake the nagging feeling of mistrust. Something about that conversations just rubs you the wrong way.

Mrs. Hansen turns to face the three of you once they've left. She folds her hands behind her back.

"I would like to apologize. For everything," she says. The solemn seriousness is an off-putting contrast to her usual cheery person. "I was not aware of the dangerous situation on the mountain, and how this whole trafficking business was taking advantage of our exposed position to target our hums. I'm trying to wrack my brain on how it happened, but I cannot figure it out."

She paces back and forth as she continues. "I'll take full responsibility for this. All of you will be fully reimbursed, and the company will be closed for a few weeks to ensure safety in the workplace. This will ensure you get some time off to heal as well."

You nod mutely. Mrs. Hansen picks up on your exhaustion and holds out her hand to you. You take it, and feel a tingling sensation across your palm.

"Stay safe," Mrs. Hansen tells you. You hand feels warm when she lets it go.

She says her goodbyes to Amren and Elise in the same way, and leaves the room.

"That sure was something," Elise comments, rubbing her eyes. She yawns, clacking her tusks as her mouth closes again. "Everyone alright?"

"Peachy," Amren grunts, off-handedly inspecting the bandage on his arm. He grimaces. "They gave me a tenatus shot."

"Is that a bad thing?" you ask.

"Yes," he pauses, and flicks his tongue. "I hate needles." He leans down, looking you in the eye. “And we had not told them Mira is a coyote at that point, Tiny."

Elise grunts. "Well now. Ain’t that just a pickle."

You leave the hospital along with Amren and Elise, who offers to drive both of you home, though the thought of sitting in your apartment on your own tonight is not high on your list of wants on top of everything that's happened.

Fortunately, Elise comes to your rescue.

"I have a spare room," she offers at your reluctance. "I'd understand if you wanted to hunker down in your own place for a bit, but I figured I'd offer in case you didn't want to be alone after.. yaknow."

Nothwithstanding that officer Rolan has effectively gained your mistrust, and you don't feel particularly comfortable knowing his people are going to be lurking around outside your home, Mira is also still at large, and you don't know how much she actually knows about you - if she knows where you live. You voice as much.

Elise nods in understanding. "It's settled, then. You'll stay with me for the time being."

"Good," Amren adds. "You shouldn't be alone with the coyote lurking who knows where."

Elise looks at him. "And you're joining us."

He squints at her. "Why?"

"Because you shouldn't be alone either, and I'm not gonna let you slink off into the dark abyss you always retreat to after all of this. It's not healthy to deal with shit on your own. You're coming with us."

Amren scoffs. "What good would that do any of us?"

"It'll be a nuisance for us, but good for you," she retorts, and simply grabs his wrist, and begins pulling him toward the van. He spits at the contact and tries to wriggle free, but it's very clear that with Elise's superior upper strength it's not even a contest. You stifle a giggle at the sight, and Amren shoots you a nasty glare. Seems you’re not getting rid of each other just yet. Saves you the trouble of continuing your previous conversation on the matter.

At least for now.

Inside the van again, Elise pulls out of the hospital parking lot with you and Amren crammed into the backseat.

[ghostboy-with-persona]

A video has been uploaded, watch?

[In one of the local green spaces of Amity Park, Valerie Gray was confused and angry, messing with her wristwatch, which is actuality, her control center, for her Red Huntress suit.

Danny can be seen walking up to her two grocery bags in hand. When he reaches her, he takes a deep breath and taps her shoulder.

Valerie visibly startles, turning to face Danny. Her face turns angry, "You better have a good explanation for what's going on, Ghost boy," she spits venomously.

Danny holds up his grocery bag, filled hands in a sign of surrender. "I'll get there just let's me pass you some things I bought, this will be a long conversion."

Valerie gazes at what Danny is doing with suspicion as he pulls out several sodas and two convenience store sandwiches. Danny spilts the pile of food and drinks into two equal piles and nods at Valerie to let her choose which pile she'll take. The two gazing into each other's eyes as Valerie slowly takes the pile on the left.

Danny takes the pile on the right, opening a can of soda right away. "You probably want me to start the explanation from the beginning, correct?"

At Valerie's hesitant nod, Danny continues, "It all started about two weeks after my fourteenth birthday. My parents had left the house for something. I can't remember what, and Sam, Tucker, and I thought it would be best to spend time in my parents' lab. We were incredibly dumb fourteen year olds, as one thing led to another, and the next thing I know, i've let Sam convince me to walk inside my parents, inactive at the time, portal. I think I was trying to impress her with my guts, but I'm not sure. It's very fuzzy after the next bit."

Danny takes a sip of his drink, Valerie is raptured by Danny's words before he continues with, "I put on my Hazmat suit trying to provide myself a little bit of safety, not enough for what comes next, but Sam ripped of my father's face off the suit before I walked inside the inactive portal, I had put my hand on the metal walls because the inside was dark and I didn't want to end up walking straight into the back wall. Next thing I know, my hand ends up in a dip, and I hear a soft click. By the time my brain had processed what I heard, it was too late to escape."

Danny shudders, rubbing his arm, and takes another drink. To try to give himself a little bit more time before he has to explain what happens next.

"Next thing I know, my world is nothing but pain that seemed to stretch out for an eternity... I just wanted it to stop, but I wanted my friends safe as well." Danny rubs his arms as echoes of the electricity that flowed through his veins back then causing muscle twitches and continues, "It did end... Eventually, when I got spat out of the now active portal and I unceremoniously flopped on the floor. I looked like you know..."

"The Ghostkid, Phantom, right?" Valerie asks gently as she hesitantly places a hand on Danny's shoulder and gives it a comforting squeeze.

"Yeah," Danny takes another drink, "Boy, did the three of us panic badly, thought I was just a ghost for a hot minute. It wasn't until I started really thinking about my human life that I turned back to human again and found out I was an even bigger freak than I thought I was."

Danny takes another drink, emptying the soda can, so he crushes it with his hands into a ball and throws it in the trash, not far away, and opens another. " Of course, I was in denial for a while. Thought it all was a strange dream, maybe even a nightmare. It took about a month before I accepted that the powers were real. The other form was real. it took even longer to accept the fact that I died that day, even if it didn't stick properly."

"Didn't stick? You mean you're not a ghost that can just look human?" Valerie questions

Danny shakes his head, "No, if it was just that I probably wouldn't have been in denial as long as I was. No, like this, I'm human. My heart beats, my hair and nails grow, I need to breathe, and the biggest sign is that I can use a persona."

"Persona?" Valerie asks

"A special power only humans and human-adjacent can have, It's literally impossible for a ghost to have a persona, but I'll explain them later." Danny says, "Anyway, where was I... oh, right, the Aftermath. So, by the time I accepted the fact, the Powers and Ghost form was real. My parents' portal had gotten attention from the local ghosts on the other side, and they got comfortable enough with it to try to explore the other side, which is when the first ghost attacks started happening."

Danny takes another drink of soda, "Now because it's my fault that the Portal was open in the first place, I decided to take responsibility for the consequences of my own actions." Danny says with a secretive smile, "and decided to use my new powers to protect the people of Amity Park the best I could."

At this, Danny looks at Valerie in the eyes, imploring her with his gaze to believe him. "I'm sorry about what happened to your dad. I tried to stop what happened, but I wasn't good enough. You don't exactly get an instruction book on how to control your powers after death, and Cujo just wanted his toy back from when he was alive and wouldn't take no for an answer. I tried again and again to keep him in the ghost zone, but he kept escaping. I found out later that Cujo could create his own portals, and I had no hope for keeping him contained, but I still felt absolutely terrible for the part I played in getting your dad fired."

"So that Dog isn't yours?" Valerie

"Back then, no, he wasn't. Cujo was a puppy put down by Axiom when the lab changed over from using guard dogs to the automatic defense system your father came up with. Now a days I'm definitely Cujo's person, though I finally managed to get cujo to stay in the ghost zone the majority of the time, but sometimes he does come over to play fetch with the ball he was after in the lab" Danny explains

Valerie looks at Danny and sighs, pulling the boy into a hug. "I can't believe I didn't see how much of an honest dork Phantom was before now. You tried your best. I see that now I was just blinded by wrath before I opened my eyes to the truth."

Valerie then grabs Danny hands, "Thanks for reaching out and becoming my friend even after I treated you terribly, as both Fenton and Phantom. I don't hate you anymore, but I'll need a little time to process all the information I have now before I can hear the rest of the explanation."

"Sure, take all the time you need, and you can keep the soda and food, I got it for you anyway." Danny says as Valerie turns to leave.

Valerie rolls her eyes with a smile on her face to collect her share of the soda and her sandwich, giving Danny a little wave as she leaves

Danny waves back until Valerie is no longer visible, then turns around and happily skips, "Woohoo! My chariot bond has returned to upright, and I got a rank up. This is the best day ever!"