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enjakey · 3 months ago

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Beneath the Blue

Pairing: marine engineer!Jake x marine biologist!Fem!Reader

Hey guys, I realise this fic is like really long (24k). I’m so sorry but it’s just something I’ve been holding out on. Life’s been stressful and writing was the only thing that kept me afloat and I kinda belted this out during my sleepless nights. This is definitly not proof read.

So I guess I wanted to give you guys like a guide on how to read the fic. Each section or chapter is marked by bolded words in the beginning of a paragraph (you’ll understand when you read it). If you’re only here for the cutesy stuff, you can go ahead and skip to the fourth chapter but you’ll loose all context of the story and how everyone is related to each other. The first two chapters is just a lot of world and character building. The third chapter is where things actually start.

If you’re interested in marine biology and sea creatures, this is a perfect read. I talk a lot about sharks and whales and sea creatures. There’s a lot of insight on what marine biologists do in general. There’s suggestive stuff in the end of the seventh chapter and smut in the tenth chapter if you want to skip to that. Jay, Heeseung and Jay are a huge part of the fic (but not the plot?). There is mentions of PTSD and a storm.

I want to mention that this story is not just about Jake and Y/N’s romance but about a group of people’s love for the ocean. The other characters are important for me too and the world I’ve built is dear to me. Hope you guys enjoy! I Put a lot of time effort into this! Please like and reblog and comment.

Summary: taken under the wing of the great marine biologist Henry Sim, Y/N finds herself getting close to him and his family. She’s friends with his first son, Jason, but is apprehensive of his second son, Jake. Jake, who is notorious for his bad behaviour and disappointing decisions, finds himself being drawn to Y/N and her undeniable love towards the ocean. When the two are put together in a group of researchers for an expedition for three months on the ocean, she doesn’t expect herself to fall for him- let alone, fight storms for him.

Y/N was one of those unfortunate kids who had to be in a hospital during her birthday. She was eleven at the time, the age where she was learning to read and write on her own and didn't fuss with her mother to help her bathe or dress up. She considered it her golden age where she was just starting to learn about her interests by surfing the internet through her father's phone and transitioning from cartoon shows to movies. At school, she would talk about action films, starring Tom Cruise or Angelica Jolie, rather than the deemed childish Disney movies where the Jonas Brothers were thrown into a music camp or in which a girl hides her identity by switching wigs.

An unwanted growth, widely mistaken as a malignant tumour by many doctors, was manifesting on the bone just above her eyebrow and she had reached the age where surgeons could successfully remove it without life-threatening complications. Y/N was initially scared, refusing to get out of bed in the morning and crying while she was taken to the Operating Room. In that moment of panic and fear, she didn't feel like the brave and mature girl she thought herself to be but somewhat similar to the girls on the playground who still talked about Barbie dolls and played around with make-up sets as though they could ravishingly decorate their faces with cheap lip gloss and colourless eyeshadow.

When she woke up from an anaesthetic daze, she took a moment of silence to compare herself with the other children in her class. If any kid was in her situation, being taken into surgery by a group of a dozen strangers who were only trusted because of a piece of paper- their certificate- that was meant to credit their skill, they would flail the way she had. The girls she avoided, the mean and blonde-haired ones who snickered at anyone who didn't wear skirts and pink bows in their hair and bragged about their powerful daddy's luxurious car, would probably react the way she did, perhaps even a little more dramatically. The boys she arbitrated, the cocky and lanky ones that talk about Fortnight and whatever online games they played, would probably wail like babies. But Y/N was different, whatever that meant for a girl her age, withholding herself from succumbing to middle school's criteria for popularity and burrowing herself into a circle of comfort. She was the girl that wore glasses and carried around a thick book about animals to read during lunch and she was the girl that only had one friend because they were both weird and quiet. She was the girl that cried before the surgery because she didn't trust the surgeons and not because she was convinced her parents were selling her to an organ-harvesting cult.

While she assumed most children her age would be amused by artistic renditions of unicorns and rainbows painted on the wall, she found them rather tacky. Their eyes were too shiny and their smiles were too wide and the only thing she found realistic were the tiny chips of paint in the bright colours. There was a painting of Jake the Dog from Adventure Times sitting right above her hospital bed, staring down at her with lifeless and beady eyes while she tried sleeping during the night because the hospital wanted to keep her for observation for a day or two after the surgery, increasing the service bill at the same time. Then, there was the poorly mimicked roar of a lion stained to the wall on the right side of her bed, making her wonder if these paintings were done by previously admitted children. To the wall on the right side of her bed, right below the window, was the painting of a grinning shark and a randomly doodled jellyfish.

"That looks like the Black Sea Nettle," she pointed at the jellyfish with her nimble finger.

It was early in the morning and her mother had willed her awake from her slumber so one of the doctors could check on her vitals and change her bandaid. Y/N chewed on a green apple slice her mother handed her because she refused to eat the red apples, and patiently waited until the doctor, or Doctor Karev, as he called himself, could finish writing on a piece of paper they called a chart and changing the cotton wedged between her eyebrow and white gauze. She glanced at the painting from the corner of her eye, finding it eerily similar to a picture she saw in the book her father gifted her on her ninth birthday- The Encyclopedia of Animals.

"And that looks like a Bull Shark," she said and shifted her finger slightly so it was pointed at the cartoonish shark with a bulging stomach.

"Oh, yeah?" Doctor Karev scoffed and grinned similarly to the painted shark. His gaze didn't lift from the writing pad he held towards his face, a pen scribbling information that probably wasn't important. Her mother stood beside her, a proud smile on her face as she brushed Y/N's hair with her palm. "What can you tell me about it?"

"I know that their bite is much stronger than the Great White," she offered, shrugging and looking at her lap.

"Really?" Doctor Karev almost sounded sceptical. "Where'd you learn that?"

"A book," Y/N mumbled and pursed her lips.

Doctor Karev bent his knees enough to reach her level, tilting his head affectionately to grasp her attention. His pen was now hanging in his pocket, his writing pad pressed between his hand and thigh. "You're a smart girl, aren't you?" He praised her, impressed by her skill of comprehension. "You wanna become a marine biologist?"

"Marine biologist?"

The pair of words put together were foreign to Y/N but somehow, they sounded like they were meant to be beside each other, creating the word for the profession she had been dreaming of since she saw the picture of starfish lounging on a sea bed. Her eyes were filled with somewhat of a fascination, a sparkle reflected by what she considered a discovery and fate of luck and her smile grew ten folds, stretching her cheeks until the corners of her lips reached her ears. She looked like she was watching the stars while she looked at him, blinking and burning from a close distance as she marvelled at the masses.

"Yeah," Doctor Karev enthused. "You know, study the ocean and sea creatures and all that jazz."

"I'm gonna become a marine biologist!" She nodded, giggling like a baby that had been handed a lollipop bigger than its face. Except Y/N's lollipop was a profession, a dream to chase until it was fulfilled. Her mother laughed with her, shaking her head at her antics. "Mom, I wanna be a marine biologist!"

Doctor Karev chuckled and stood straight, making his way to the door of her hospital room and looking over his shoulder to steal one last glance at the girl he might have just paved a future for. "By the way," he said. "Happy birthday kid."

It was a crystal blue sight Jake could never get used to, and it was the fact that his family owned it that he could never wrap his head around. The aquariums ranged from floor-to-ceiling tanks holding hundreds of litres of water and aquatic species to small fish bowls holding the tiniest, most common breeds of fish. Any type of fish he could think of- sharks, whales, stingrays, eels, jellyfish and cephalopods- it was probably all there, confined between glass walls, concrete and artificially plated corals. And it could all be placed in the palm of his hand, the happiness of customers and livelihood of every creature in the building he stood in, under his control.

In all of Jake's life, he had only ever seen his father angry four times- three of those incidents pertaining to tragedies faced in The Marine Foundation of Korea, his most prized possession.

The first was when he was forced to step into court for the first time in his life. During the first week that it opened, a kid tripped and fell into an eel tank and was almost choked by a Black Spotted Eel. The kid was lucky they weren't electric but Henry Sim was still faced with a million-dollar lawsuit which they won after giving security camera footage that showed the boy clearly wandering off into prohibited territory and climbing ladders into the opening of the tanks. It wouldn't be the first lawsuit they faced as a similar one followed two years later when a little girl started crying because her necklace fell into the dolphin pool and one of them devoured it.

Two years later, one of three Whale Sharks had passed away in front of a live audience causing the building to rumble as the carcass made contact with the forged ocean bed and children to wail in confusion as one of their favourite shark buddies was sinking to the floor. Hundreds of people took videos and the news went viral online, causing critics to criticise the maintenance and care for the captive creatures. As this information circled to tourists, they didn't have customers and a proper flow of income for the following six months until they announced the new exhibit for the endangered Vaquita Dolphin. Jake remembered the terrible nights of those six months when his father would come home drunk or would shatter glasses onto the walls. He wondered how his mother coped with him. He wondered how he and his brother didn't perceive him as a monster yet.

A year later, The Marine Foundation of Korea would face another tragedy. One of the shark tanks exploded in the middle of the night, causing Hammerheads and Tiger Sharks to swim through the halls of the first floor in shallow waters. Guards were panicking and emergency services took hours to reach the aquarium before they could assess and plan a rescue. The aquarium was shut down for two months and they spent time reinstating the shattered shark tank and brewing up safety measures for when similar situations would occur again. That night, they lost two Hammerhead Sharks and one Tiger Shark and had to pay thousands of dollars as compensation. Though his father didn't violently drink, he had become dangerously silent in those two months, scaring the living daylights out of his wife and children.

Henry Sim, the founder of The Marine Foundation of Korea and the most remarkable marine biologist known to all generations, had faced lawsuits that almost made him go bankrupt and was hated by the internet for months until he publicly apologised yet he would say his biggest disappointment wouldn't lie in the way his aquarium was run. Rather, he would say his biggest disappointment lay in his son, Jake Sim, who refused to take in his footsteps and fulfil his dreams of creating an empire of nepotism to take over the world of marine biology someday.

"You never listen to me," Henry seethed with a balled fist resting on his ebony table. His voice was entirely stark for the disappointment he felt towards his son.

If Jake concentrated enough, he could hear the movement of each aquatic species in the tanks he was surrounded by. The bubbly and almost ear-blocking white noise engulfed him sometimes and he would be transported to an unnamed beach where the sand was white and the waters were so clear, he could see the corals growing underneath. He liked to imagine himself floating in the waters in shorts and an oversized white t-shirt, eyes closed as the sun beat down on his porcelain skin. That was all the ocean was to him; someplace to enjoy and someplace to destress. But to his father, it was a career he made billions in and it was a career he wanted both his sons to endeavour in.

"I've been telling you since I was a kid, appa," Jake sighed, standing on the other side of the ebony table. "I want to study engineering. Marine biology, researching new species, the ocean… All of that has always been a hobby for me. Besides, you have Jason to take over your legacy anyway. I don't get why you're so hung up on me studying it, too."

In the corner of his father's office stood a small, well-kept fish tank with a lone seahorse in it. It was the Knysna Seahorse, to be exact, the rarest seahorse in the world which Jason, his brother, gifted their father as a gift. He had paid quite an amount of money to get a hold of it and the reason for the gift? It was because he had finally graduated with a marine biology degree a few months ago and Jake was to finally attend the same university.

But he didn't want to and his entire family was very well aware of the fact.

"Don't you understand what I want for you two, though?" Henry slammed his fist against the table but Jake offered no reaction. "Don't you see the future I see for you two? Brothers taking over marine biology's legacy? It’s not too late for you to change your major."

"No," Jake stomped a foot to the ground, eyes squinting to slits. "That's your dream. Not mine. I get that you and your brother never got along and that you want your sons to get along and run a business. But I don't want that. Jason and I are fine as it is and you coming in between my dreams is just gonna drive me away from you further."

"Jake-"

"If eomma were here, she would understand," Jake took long strides towards the door, a hand digging into the pocket of his slacks as the other twisted the doorknob. "I just wish you'd understand," and his voice muffled under the slam of the door, leaving Henry dumbfounded in his seat, mouth agape and glasses sliding off his nose.

With his son leaving so disrespectfully, using his wife's death as emotional manipulation, he wanted to shun Jake right then and there. He wanted no relation to him whatsoever but he knew it was his anger speaking. And he knew that if he hastily cut him off his earnings and stopped paying for his education, he would regret it and Jason would condemn him as a worse father than he already was.

So, Henry let him walk away and he went back to work, fixing his glasses and clearing his throat as if nothing happened. Jake was still young, he'd tell himself. If he wanted to follow his dreams, he should let him. Henry was selfish, he accepted it and his ego clashed with his conscience but he brushed it off and walked out of his office with more errands to complete. The moment he entered the hall with tanks of jellyfish surrounding him, the sounds of their bodies pushing through water syncing with his racing, angry heart, his assistant joined his side with a clipboard and pen, her heels overpowering the serenity of his silence.

“What’s next on today’s itinerary?” Henry asked with his hands clasped behind his back, strides becoming slower with every step.

“You need to meet with the university students today, sir,” Hae, his assistant, stated as though she expected him to remember the important occasion.

“Don’t speak to me in that tone,” he grumbled. “Of course I remember.”

“I’m assuming the talk with your son went badly?”

“I don’t know what to do with him, Hae.”

With this sigh echoing the moment, the pair made their way through the shark exhibit that costed him millions of dollars to fix all those years ago and sauntered past the stingray tanks, wondering how he was going to be an inspiration to a group of marine biology students while he felt like a failure of a father. He wondered what else he had to contribute to the field of marine biology when he had prioritised it for his entire life. It was the reason why his son hated him and it was the reason why he lost his wife- it was his lack of presence and immense ignorance that put him in a place where he truly had nothing else to lose. He had the money, the cars, the friends to brag with and an eldest son who was succeeding in life without his help- but then there was his youngest, defying him in all manners and reminding him of the mistakes that haunted his life.

However, a beacon of hope, a ray of sanguine had entered his life that day and he wouldn’t realise it until he was laying on his deathbed. In the group of future marine biologists he met that day was Y/N, standing amongst the crowd meekly with a notebook and a pen to jot down everything that she thought would help her education and career. She was the one answering questions in a whisper when no one else knew the answer, her hand barely raised in the air. When Henry saw her, her hair tied in a ponytail and clothes put together in a hurry that made her look pathetic, he could only smile. Because as he looked at her, he saw himself- the version of him that was left in the gates of his college, the version of him that had to be left back in order to become the tycoon that he was now.

So before the group of university students left, he found himself asking Y/N for a conversation and pulled her towards the gift shop while the rest of her classmates waited at the gate, murmuring and whispering about what they could be talking about. Henry placed a heavy hand on her shoulder and smiled at her the way a mentor would smile at his mentee. He had a proud smile on his face as he said, “I think you’d make an amazing marine biologist one day.”

“What?” Y/N, the poor girl, having been put down by her classmates her whole life, was gaping at his statement. Her eyes reflect a sense of hope and surprise under the golden lights of the gift shop.

“Yes,” Henry nodded enthusiastically. “I would like it if you worked with me, I could easily offer you a job,” he said. He shuffled his hand around in the pocket of his blazer and pulled out his business card and handed it to her, certain that it would come in handy for her future. “When you’re ready for a job or an internship- anything, just call me and I’ll help you out.”

Henry walked away from her, leaving his future student dumbfounded. Her eyes fixated on the business card in her hands, her thumbs and forefingers outlining the corners of the rectangle. It was a navy blue colour, his name, number and The Marine Foundation of Korea carved in golden ink. It looked like her ticket to a new life, the life she had chased since she was a little kid carrying around an encyclopaedia of animals. It was the golden ticket in her Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

It was a good analogy in her head. Henry Sim, the man with greying hair and diminishing eyesight, was Willy Wonka and she was Charlie, the lost boy that simply wanted a taste of something better, something great. So when it was time for her to get an internship, Henry had taken her under his wing.

“You must be Y/N.”

When Y/N started off as an intern, she started questioning whether she had made the right choice. Some of her friends were off travelling the seven seas to research unknown species of the depths and others were working in labs established on beach sides. They were living in tropical islands like the Caribbean or Hawaii and their instagrams were filled with them in diving gear and sea creatures in their natural habitats. Y/N had always dreamt of a life as such, to swim with sharks and study their behaviours or to explore the depths of the ocean floor within the safety of a yellow submarine. She imagined she would travel the world by the time she graduated college and she imagined spending most of her days on a boat, whale watching or spotting dolphins.

There was that one semester in college where she got an experience as close to what she imagined. She, along with a few other promising students, were selected to spend a semester on sea where they spent learning how to dive and sail ships. It was a memorable four months, really, to spend it with a group of people she later called friends and bonding with people on sea over half cooked fish. In that time, though the most astonishing creature they spotted was a Red Octopus, she assumed she was being trained for the future she had always dreamed of, only to end up within the confines of an aquarium- Asia’s largest aquarium, granted. Her job description as an intern included watching other employees take care of the confined species or listening to Henry, the founder, teach her more about the marine species while she took notes. There were the occasional times she was asked to write a research paper, which she did with Jason but she would much rather prefer doing the same in a lab on the beach or on a boat sailing across the Pacific Ocean.

During this time, she pondered if she should have just followed her father’s footsteps in becoming an astronomer. She would look back at her childhood when her father would teach her about constellations and planets while she looked through the giant telescope that was perched on their roof and she would wonder if such a job would make her happier. She recalled the stories her mother would tell her as a Greek historian and wondered if she should have majored in History instead. She even wondered if she should have followed her friends into their jobs instead of taking the internship in the first place. Her uncertainties came to a halt a year ago, though, when Henry promoted her as manager.

In the five years that Y/N started working in The Marine Foundation of Korea, she learnt the names and voices of everyone working there. As the manager, it wasn’t only her job but also her duty to do so, to know who she was working with and grow a personal relationship with the people around her. She knew that one of the janitor’s kid had a heart condition and she would visit him in the hospital once in a while. She knew that one of the divers working for the aquarium was in a long term relationship and was planning on proposing to his girlfriend soon- she could recognise his voice even while he struggled to speak underwater. She also knew that her boss and legal guardian, Henry Sim, had ambitions he could never fulfil because of his youngest son.

One could call her the all-knowing within the walls of the aquarium. Not only was she intelligent, she was the keeper of all the employees’ worries and burdens.

In those five years that she spent reaching her level of success, to be able to buy her own apartment in an expensive neighbourhood and to be able to afford to buy a new phone without double-checking her bank account, she had learned a lot of tricks to perfect the skills of managing the establishment that she ran when the owner wasn’t present. A once shy and timid girl became the hard-headed, thick skinned superior that demanded precision in completed work and pristine publications of whatever research papers they release. But when she wasn’t acting that way, she was calm and walked down the crystalline hallways of Korea’s beloved and prestigious aquarium with a welcoming smile.

Of all the people she knew that worked amongst the aquarium, of the few people she found herself acquainted with, the voice that was breathing into her ear from behind her did not belong to anyone she was familiar with. She could feel his chest ghosting against her back, his smirk louder than his voice could ever be. His hair brushed against her cheek and Y/N found herself spinning around with a scowl on her face.

“Jake,” she stated with discern, her obvious distaste towards him sitting heavily on her brows. His smirk only grew wider, his hand clasping behind his back as he leaned closer to her than before.

In the years that she’d known Henry and Jason Sim, she had grown rather close to them. They accepted her into their family by some sort and she was invited to every dinner they hosted in one of those fancy Chinese or Sushi restaurants- whether she attended or not was up to her. If she did attend though, she would be introduced to guests like she was Henry’s own daughter and Jason had always treated her like a sister by the way he kept her company throughout her years as an intern. Her parents, too, had grown quite fond of the father and son.

Jason and Y/N’s friendship, Henry always used to say, was unexpected. He expected them to work together and get along with each other for the sake of their jobs and business, but he was never expecting the siblingly bond they had created. Oftentimes, the pair would find themselves going out for lunch together during breaks or driving to the beach just for the sake of having some entertainment. They would regularly find themselves at each other's houses in the middle of the night with beers and soju in hopes of having movie marathons. Somewhere in that friendship, Y/N learnt a lot about the missing Sim brother.

He was studying Engineering somewhere in Australia, she learned, and he had only visited his family only a couple of times in all his years of education. There was the one time he flew back to Seoul to spend the New Year with Henry and Jason where she heard he got embarrassingly drunk and broke a glass table. Then there was the other time he visited for Christmas but disappeared within an hour without a word. Speaking of Jake meant hearing stories as such, where he was disrespectful, unexpectable and had no sense of respect. She heard that he once cussed at a shareholder because he was being too nosey.

Y/N had only ever met Jake once. Well, they didn’t exactly meet, she had just seen him passing by in a crowd. It was at another one of Henry’s lavish dinner parties where round tables were cloaked with gold cloth and napkins folded into cranes. Golden chandeliers lit above groups of conversations and amongst one of those stood Jake with overly styled hair and a suit too expensive to be bought with his own money. He was talking to some investors- or business men, she didn’t know- with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a wine glass he languidly sipped on. She was told by Jason that it was one of those rare times Jake didn’t make a scene during a party but she also heard he took a random girl to a hotel room for a one-night-stand, never to call her again.

“You say my name with such loathing,” Jake pointed out, his eyes narrowing as his teeth peeked behind his smirk. “I’d get if my dad and brother talked to me that way, but what did I ever do to you?”

Y/N took a step back, crossing her arms across her chest and tapping her heel lightly against the carpeted floor. She looked at him vexed, her mouth pursing into disinterest. Jake stood back straight, moving his hands into the pockets of his jeans and tilting his head in curiosity. If Y/N didn’t know any better, she would call him a pervert and get him thrown out of the premises by one of the guards just because she wanted to.

“I’ve heard enough stories to make a judgement,” she stated firmly.

“Is that any way to talk to your boss’ son?” He taunted.

“I frankly don’t think he’d care.”

Jake chuckled, lowering his gaze to his feet and shaking his head. His smile was bright, the crystalline waters that surrounded them reflecting on his face. A HammerHead shark from the tank behind him swam across him, followed by a Sting Ray and those animals held more of her attention than he did. “Sorry we got off on the wrong foot, Y/N,” he said and sauntered away from her, assuming he was making his way towards his father’s office. Her eyes followed him but she looked away when he glanced at her from over his shoulder. Clearing her throat, she found herself walking towards another floor of the aquarium.

Jason was right, she thought, his accent really is annoying.

Instead of the tunnel she was observing before, she was now in a fairly confined room with rectangular fish tanks one over the other, covering the span of all four walls, apart from the door. In the tanks were miniscule jellyfish that were soon to be moved to one of the larger tanks for the public to gush at. Of all the places in the aquarium, this room was probably the one she visited the most. Not because it was her favourite or anything but rather because these creatures needed most inspection. If the temperature was changed even a little bit or if the water was getting too dirty, there was a chance that a whole batch of these jellyfish would simply disintegrate.

It had happened once before, not under her watch but some other intern, who failed to notice the decrease in temperature in the room. It was a waste of a lot of Henry's money and it was also one of his favourite species that had met their demise. Because of the intern’s mistake, he yelled at him in front of the majority of the other staff and fired him. Since then, Y/N had always been cautious around her work. Perhaps it was why he was always so fond of her- she never knew why.

“Y/N?”

She flinched when she heard Jason’s voice, his head peeking into the room from the small crack of the door.

“What is it with you and your brother scaring me today?” She breathed, her hand placed over her chest.

“You met him?”

“Yeah he was walking down the tunnel, made nice.”

“He annoyed you, didn’t he?”

“Yup.”

“His first impressions are always bad.”

Jason was leading her out of the room, bringing her to the ground floor where she saw tourists and customers flocking towards the ticket booth. If there was one thing about Henry she never understood, it was the fact that he refused to digitalise the ticketing system. In fact, he refused to digitalise many things in the aquarium. He had the physical copy of every research paper published by the The Marine Foundation of Korea and his logs were still done by hand. Technology hates me and I hate technology, he would always say and this mostly stemmed from the incident where he accidentally deleted all his pictures from Google Photos.

“Isn’t an excuse to breathe down my neck,” she argued as he led her to his office.

“Damn.”

“Yeah,” she pressed. “He talked to me like he’d heard of me.”

“Obviously he’s heard of you.”

“No, I mean,” she paused, looking to her side to make eye contact with him. She wasn’t sure how to explain it, so she stuttered and used animated hand gestures to make her point. “Like he knows me.”

“Yeah, well, dad and I talk about you to him all the time.”

“What the hell?”

“In like, a business way,” Jason defended. “He asks how work goes and you sometimes come up in the conversation.”

“And what do you tell him?”

“That you’re good at your job?” He raised his brow, a confused smile meeting her look of disbelief. “Don’t take it the wrong way, he’s honestly probably just jealous.”

“Jealous?”

“Dad trusts you more than him, you know?”

Before Y/N had the chance to respond with a confused remark, perhaps even a puzzled expression, Jason was pushing open the door to Henry’s office and they were met with the sight of Henry sitting on his desk and Jake standing beside him with a grin, leaning towards whatever he was being shown on the monitor screen. Jason and Y/N settled in the chairs on the other side of the desk, the former confidently crossing one ankle over the other knee and the former confused as to why she was there in the first place. Jason had to tug her sleeve to keep her from squirming and looking around confused. There was a moment of silence that passed, Y/N’s gaze zipping between Henry and the tanks his office was surrounded by. Henry murmured to Jake while pointing at his monitor, analysing something Y/N and Jason weren’t aware of. Jake nodded along, pinching at his bottom lip in thought.

“Y/N?” Henry called. She answered with a curious hum, her brows raising. “You’re free next week? Thursday?”

“Yes, why?”

“Well, you know,” Henry brought his attention away from the monitor and towards her, pushing his glasses farther up his nose with his pinky. “I told you about it. An old friend of mine is opening a restaurant with a huge tank. He wants us there on opening night.”

“Oh, right. I remember,” she nodded.

“What, Mr. Bahng didn’t invite me?” Jake stood back straight with his arms crossed, his grin refusing to leave his expression. He looked between his father and brother, only glancing at Y/N once before continuing to tease them.

They, of course, did not find him amusing. “All of us, Jake,” Jason replied with a roll of his eyes.

“Yes, and it’s going to be a rather quiet gathering,” Henry continued. “So I expect you to be on your best behaviour.”

“When have I ever let you down, father?” Jake chuckled; Henry rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Y/N,” Henry looks at her with tired eyes. “He’s got all sorts of fish in his tank, he’s even got a Whale Shark in there-”

“Woah, what?”

“Yeah, I know, it cost a fortune but anyways,” Henry waved off. “He wants to know fun facts- his words, not mine- about all the species he’d got in there so could you be a dear and…?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Y/N grinned and patted Henry's hand that rested on his desk. “Anything but having to socialise with strangers.”

“Can I join her?” Jason chimed, pointing his thumb towards her.

In that moment, Henry glanced between his son and favourite-slash-best employee and they resembled children asking whether they could take a break from studying to watch cartoons. His eyes twitched, thinking that he didn’t want to deal with annoyance other than his younger son. “No,” Henry said. “You’re socialising with strangers. So are you, Jake.”

Jake, who was about to open his mouth to protest with a finger raised in the air, gulped and dropped his hands down to his sides and nodded with pursed lips.

The opening night to Mr. Bahng’s restaurant was a spectacle. What was planned as an intimate gathering turned into a media spectacle. Paparazzi flocked the entrance of the restaurant and bodyguards had to hold back the public as the handsome sons of Henry Sim, the founder of The Marine Foundation of Korea, walked the red carpet. Minor celebrities, a few actors and foreign entertainers attended the evening- some spotted the Jenner Sisters and others hollered at Jason Momoa and Leo DiCaprio. DiCaprio was an old friend of Henry’s- they met through ocean conservation funds and over the years, he had earned a permanent place on Henry’s invite list and vice-versa. Y/N had the pleasure of meeting him once, barely for a few minutes, for a hand shake and to be introduced as the aquarium’s manager and top researcher.

Y/N walked the red carpet with her arm looped with Jason’s, her free hand holding the hem of her sparkly dress in order not to trip in the ruckus. Her hand would occasionally come up to shield her eyes from the camera flashes and Jason had to repeatedly catch her frame because she was tripping on her heels. They were both dreading to see how the paparazzi pictures would turn out the next morning. Jake, on the other hand, walked confidently with a hand in his pocket and the other waving and blowing kisses at everyone. Photographers and netizens were gawking at the Australian engineer graduate, asking for pictures and photographs but ultimately being turned down. He was famously known on the internet for his looks, Prince Charming-like looks and mannerisms. His personality? It was a mystery to all those on the internet, further feeding into delusions of young fan-girls. It was only Jason and Henry that filmed for interviews for the world of marine-biology, often showing up on the news to promote The Marine Foundation of Korea or to talk about their next big break-through in marine sciences.

Henry and Mr. Bahng were the last to walk the carpet- they were the highlight of the event, after all. When they finally entered the restaurant, the glass doors were shut and bolted behind them, bodyguards taking their place in front of the premises like they were protecting The Sphinx. What was inside the restaurant might as well be as valuable as The Sphinx- there were barely any lights to illuminate the subtle interiors of the restaurant. Circular tables spanned the floor, glass windows towering the walls for the public to see inside if it weren’t for the black curtains. Everything else was painted black, too- the walls, the tables, the black marbled floors. The tank however… The tank glowed blue, just like the tanks in the aquarium. It spanned the entirety of one of the four walls in the restaurant. Schools of fish swam by, accompanied by Stingrays, Hammerhead and Leopard sharks. A lone Mola Mola swam by, its eye holding a vacant stare as it scanned the spans of the restaurant on the other side of the glass.

The showstopper, however, would only make its presence when Y/N finally made her way towards the exhibit. Her heels clicked against the black marble, one hand holding the hem of her dress and the other clutching her purse. The loose strands that fell from her hair up-do fanned her shoulders and just as her bangs bristled her eyes, the Whale Shark swam past the tank. It glided effortlessly across the water, its massive and speckled body moving with a hypnotic grace, throwing Y/N into a trance. She stood in awe, eyes scanning for when she could see it again, acting like she didn’t see Whale Sharks everyday in the aquarium. It was the ambiance of the restaurant that made the tank more mesmerising, if she had to be honest. She’d never seen anything like it.

Jake didn’t get a chance to admire the premises yet, sucked into meeting the guests and investors with his father and brother. When he found a chance to slip away, he made his way to the bar and ordered himself a double shot of whiskey. He promised himself that it would be his first and last drink, remembering his promise of behaving for the night. The last time his father brought him to a public gathering, which was almost two years ago, he almost set the venue on fire and broke a glass table. Scowling at the memories he dug up, he took a seat on a black stool at the bar, wandering his eyes around the guests and seeing men and women of power mingle in unexpected cliques. Finally, his gaze landed on the tank, the main attraction of the night, its hue misting the ambience and painting his skin in a sparkling blue. He admired it, watching the Whale Shark languidly make its way back and forth across the tank, sucker fish clinging onto its skin and a lone Leatherback Turtle following it.

Eventually, his eyes dragged towards the far corner of the restaurant where he found the back of Y/N’s silhouette. She, too, was admiring the tank. Gripping his glass of whiskey, he made his way towards her, a sly smile gracing his lips and the whites of his eyes twinkling brighter with the blue hue. As he walked closer, he could make out the familiar color of her dress that he spent the whole limo-ride staring at. It was a sparkly blue and silver dress, thin straps that barely held the dress up her bust. Her hair was put up in a messy bun, two hair pins with silver sea turtles holding it in place. Her earrings matched her hair pins and her heels matched the silver of her dress. The blue hue colored her skin and he swore he was looking at a still-life painting.

“Where’d you get the dress from?”

Y/N looked over her shoulder to catch Jake’s smirk that she learned to despise through Jason’s anecdotes. The smirk that led to his many one-night-stands, his smirk that led to all the decisions that made his father angry at him, the smirk that led to disasters was the same smirk that was walking towards her. Her serenity pulled into annoyance and Jake could see it in her eyes, her brows wrinkling and her lips sneered.

“Hey, I’m just playing nice,” he offered, trying his best to shrug and surrender his motivations. He took another sip of his whiskey, keeping his gaze fixed on her expression.

Y/N turned her body to face him and now, his eyes were wandering down her frame, staring at all the curves of her body that her dress showed off, just as he did in the limo. “It’s an old dress, I wear it a lot,” she admitted. Then, she knocked a nod towards the glass in his hand. “Let me guess, fifth drink of the night?”

“Come on, the night just started,” he rolled his eyes, the gnarly smirk refusing to leave his expression. “It’s my only drink of the night. Promised dad I’d behave, remember?”

“Right,” she swallowed. The hand that was holding the hem of her dress moved to clutch her purse, both her hands pressing into stomach. A water came around with a tray of appetizers, ironic that it was all seafood. Jake finished his drink and handed the empty glass to the waiter, taking two pieces of appetizers- one for him and one for Y/N.

Silence engulfed them as they stood side by side, both now facing the tank and staring at the creatures and coral spanning across her, the only sound being the loud swishes of the water and their chewing. Y/N was not staring to admire anymore; she was staring to distract herself from the awkward presence, to pass time in any way that she could.

“Aren’t you supposed to be socialising?” Y/N asked, hoping he’d realise and leave.

“I’d rather stare at this than socialise,” Jake said, both his hands digging into his trousers.

He wasn’t sure what stories his father and Jason fed Y/N about him for her to hold onto her negative impression of her. She probably thought he hated his family’s line of work, to read about water and the ocean beds and fish all day. In reality, he loved marine biology, he truly did. But he wasn’t going to apologize for not seeing it as his career. Jake still went to the aquarium of every city he would visit, spent time reading the articles and journals his father published and watched marine documentaries in his free time. He even had a small fish tank in his apartment back in Australia- he had two Firefish Goby and two Cardinalfish. He loved marine biology so much, he specialised in marine engineering. He wasn’t sure if Y/N knew that.

“Can I ask you a question?” Jake turned to her. She raised her brows in curiosity, coaxing him to continue. “Why this?”

“What?”

“I mean, why this?” He pointed at the fish tank just as the Whale Shark swam past them again. “Fish tanks, standing in one place, staring, the aquarium. Why, when you could have gone to bigger research centers like in Hawaii, or something?”

Jake almost regretted asking the question when he saw the expression on Y/N’s face turn solemn. She brought her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing as though she was chewing her brain to find him the answer to his question. Not so she could give it to him but because she wanted to give it to herself. Why? She asked herself that, too.

“I don’t know, Jake,” she sighed. “It seemed right at the time and… I guess, I just didn’t know? Who would pass up an opportunity to work with Henry Sim, you know? He chose me. And I’m not saying I regret it, I’ve found family in him and Jason but I ask myself why, too. I miss being out on the waters.”

Ignoring all that she said about his father and brother, knowing it would trigger him, he smirked at her again. He knew how she felt, it was the same thing Jason used to tell him a few years ago. As mesmerising as aquariums were, being out in the sea and seeing marine creatures in the wilderness is like cutting to a surgery intern. Jake had only gone on an ocean expedition once his whole life. His father took him during high school while he was applying for universities in hopes of changing his mind about his major. Jake remembered loving it, being enamored and lost in what the ocean had to offer, to witness its mystery with his own eyes. But unfortunately for his father, it still wasn’t enough to replace his love for engineering.

“I get it,” he assured her. “Don’t worry though. It won’t be this way for long.”

Before Y/N could ask what he meant, to make him elaborate, they heard Henry hollering their names from across the restaurant. He was waving their hand at them, Jason standing beside him sulking in boredom. Jake and Y/N speed-walked towards him, joining him at the table along with a scholar of jellyfish biology.

“Bahng is going to give his speech soon. Sit,” Henry told the pair.

Mr.Bahng’s speech went on for longer than most would like. He stood in the middle of the room with a drink raised in the air, thanking his family, friends and colleagues for making his dreams come true. His daughter stood beside him, trying to calm his influenced-state but it had all only turned into a comical predicament. Y/N caught Jake eyeing the daughter, knowing she must have been one of his old conquests. Most women she knew of her age who ran in the same circles were all probably one of Jake’s old conquests. She wasn’t going to shame these women, she understood the appeal- the wide smile, the sparkling eyes, the smooth hair and dashing facial features. However, she wouldn’t miss a chance to shame Jake, especially around Jason.

Sick and bored of it all, Jason signaled to Jake to grab a drink with him at the bar. As the pair stood up, leaving Y/N alone with Henry and the jellyfish scholar, Henry questioned the pair.

“No more drinks for Jake,” he warned.

“One more can’t hurt. I’m fine,” Jake defended himself, only to be met by an eye roll and a wave of his hand, telling them to go away and come back soon.

The brothers ordered whiskey for themselves. They’ve been told all the men in their family were whiskey enthusiasts. So is their father- apart from the phase he had when he was an angry drunkard, hammered with cheap beer and vodka most of the nights. Now that it had subsided, he was back to whiskey and that too, only rarely.

“Have you not told Y/N yet?” Jake asked his brother as they settled down onto the tall stools. By then, Mr. Bahng’s speech had ended and the room erupted in small talk again. Y/N’s ears were probably being ripped off by the jellyfish scholar but knowing her, she was definitely enjoying the conversation.

“Told her what?” Jason looked at him with utter confusion.

“The research team? Summer expedition?” Jake tried jogging his memory.

“Oh, right!” Jason nodded, sipping on his drink and hissing when an ice cube touched his teeth- it was a pet peeve he’s had since he was young, but he loved the taste of cold beverages. “We wanted to surprise her. Dad knows how much she’s been waiting for this so we’re gonna tell her on a better day.”

“Oh, God. I was on the verge of telling her,” Jake frowned.

“But she doesn’t suspect anything, right?”

“Nope, not a thing.”

“Crisis averted, then!” Jason assured him. “Dad and I are still figuring out how to tell her. Got any ideas?”

“She hates me, I’m sure she doesn’t want to hear any good news from me,” Jake chuckled.

“Y/N doesn’t hate you,” Jason Looked at him baffled and confused, mouth pulled upwards in surprise.

Jake scoffed. “Yes,” he said. “She does. And it’s because of the crap you and dad feed her.”

“Jake, she doesn’t hate you. I know when Y/N hates someone and she doesn’t hate you,” Jason chuckled. “She’s just a bit apprehensive of you and I don’t blame her. You’re a character-”

“Thanks, man-”

“And she takes time with certain people. To be fair, people like you aren’t her scene.”

“I’m not her scene? The fuck does that mean?” Jake laughed, finishing the last of his drink.

“Jake, you’re the drink and let’s party kinda person. She’s not. She likes peace and quiet and books and fancy sofas to sit on. She’s just quiet, dude. Give her time.”

“Yeah, fair enough,” Jake rolled his eyes.

Just then, Y/N found her way to Jason’s side, the click of her heels stopping at the stool beside him. She had an annoyed expression on her face, her eyes tired and almost lifeless. “Your dad’s calling. We’re going home,” she deadpanned and turned to walk away, the hem of her dress in one hand as her hips swayed with more vigour. She was sleepy and tired and if the limo didn’t drop her off at home, she was going to crash in Jason’s bed.

Sunlight danced across the crests, water stretching endlessly into a mosaic of light and motion. Gentle swells rolled beneath the research vessel while occasional whitecaps broke against the hull of the boat. Y/N lay stretched on the warmed deck, salty breeze tickling her stomach and bringing frizzy curls to her hair. Clad in a striped bikini, she left little to the imagination. It was an early morning for her, seagulls mulling over the Indian Ocean and skies still painted with a pink hue. Everyone on the team was still asleep and she took the opportunity to seize the morning.

The first person to wake up was Sunghoon, one of Jake’s friends, who happened to be an oceanographer and drone operator. He studied ocean currents and temperature changes and learned how to pilot drones in order to collect data on plankton blooms. Without him, the entire whale research expedition would be impossible. Sunghoon greeted Y/N with a drowsy smile, clad in only a pair of shorts himself, taking in the morning sunlight.

Following him was Jay, one of Jason’s friends, who was a cetologist and acoustic analyst. He was rubbing a towel against his wet hair, waving at Y/N who started to put on her shirt out of a slight insecurity that crept onto her cheeks. Behind him, Jason and Heeseung joined with plates of toasted bread and a carton of orange juice. Jason threw a piece of bread towards Y/N and she swiftly caught it, thanking him for breakfast.

Heeseung was known as a young prodigy in the field, perfecting his skills in steering and working as the boat captain and field technician. Jake, too, came aboard as a field technician- a marine engineer himself. In fact, If it weren’t for Jake, Henry Sim would probably have never agreed to this whale research expedition in the first place. Jake wanted to test out new equipment that was hitting the market and who better to test the equipment than The Marine Foundation of Korea? It took a lot of convincing and buttering up his father to convince, yet here he was, heading an entire project by himself with some of his closest friends. If Y/N had squinted hard enough at the predicament, this was basically a vacation for a bunch of fish nerds.

She sat on the deck with her legs brought to her chest, chewing on the soggy piece of bread and watching as Jake finally made his way towards the group of boys with a bowl of scrambled eggs in his hand. Vaguely, she could hear Sunghoon say, “your father must finally be proud of you,” and Jason circling back with a sarcastic comment. It made the group rumble with laughter and Y/N felt herself cracking a smile too.

It was probably around three months ago when Jason and Henry broke the news to her. She was coming back from having a measly lunch at a convenience store nearby and had entered Henry’s office to collect a few files. When she opened the door, Jason and Henry had been waiting for her with a cake in their hands and beaming smiles on their faces. “If you’d walked in any later, I would have started eating this thing without you,” Jason chuckled at her, pulling out a plastic knife from his pocket.

Y/N looked at the pair with confusion, eyes darting between the greeting brows of Henry and the grinning mouth of Jason. Then, her eyes fell towards the chocolate cheesecake they were holding, the word “Congratulations!” pipped on with melted chocolate. She recognised this cake. It was the same one they’d buy for every one of her birthdays she spent with them over the past five years. However, the absence of “Happy Birthday!” threw her off- also, the fact that it wasn’t her birthday.

“What is this for?” She asked, feeling as though this was almost a mistake. This cake was expensive and she almost felt guilty. “Guys, nothing’s happened,” she widened her eyes, shook her head and waved her hands in front of her to demonstrate no.

“What do you mean, Kkomaya?” Henry chuckled. “You’re gonna be part of a research team. That’s a huge thing to celebrate.”

“What?”

“Yeah.”

Jason handed her a piece of folded paper that was tucked away in his blazer. It read the details of a whale research expedition that would take place during the summer and span into autumn season. Y/N could barely skim through the details when her eyes landed on the plethora of signatures that filled the end of the paper. She recognised Henry, Jake and Jason’s signatures and some of a few government officials that signed off on the research expedition and agreed to fund for it. Right beside Jake’s signature was an empty dotted line, waiting for Y/N’s signature.

“You’re joking,” she gasped.

“Sign it so we can cut this cake and celebrate, Y/N. My hand’s getting sore,” Jason chuckled again.

“Oh, right. Sorry!”

What followed next was a string of excited screams, giggles and jumping around until Y/N finally signed the paper and threw herself into Henry and Jason to hug. Then, they cut the cake and each enjoyed a piece, the rest to be distributed amongst the employees of the aquarium in light of good news. A few moments later, Jake entered the room, coyly making his way towards Y/N to give her a handshake. Since the night of Mr. Bahng’s restaurant opening, the pair had developed a healthy rapport. He would visit the aquarium sometimes, bumping into Y/N in the process and making polite conversation. He made efforts to be a little more respectful towards her, packing away his cocky personality only in front of her. She once asked him why he was spending so much time in Korea, leaving his job in Australia and he responded aloofly. She got her answer now.

Now, it was the end of May and Y/N was on a research vessel with an unfamiliar group. Though she spent a week getting to know them before leaving for the expedition, seeing them interact on the deck, throwing around jokes like they’d known each other their whole lives… she wasn’t sure how to act that way. She felt like the odd one out, the loose end. Jake and Sunghoon were childhood friends; Jason and Jay were college friends and Heeseung was Mr. Bahng’s oldest son so Jake and Jason had known of him since they were kids. She’s met him a handful of times before, including the night of Mr. Bahng’s restaurant opening. But she didn’t know him like everyone else did.

“Y/N!” Jason waved for her to come over and she did, lifting herself off the lounging chair and walking towards them. It was their third day together on this vessel and she still wasn’t sure how to approach anyone when they were grouped together. She hated saying it, but she relied on Jason to include her when it came to the socialising side of her work. The practicality, however? She was splendid.

“Today’s the day we need to actually start working,” Heeseung said to her as she approached them. Jason made space between himself and Heeseung so she could stand in the circle with them. “It’s mostly Jay and Sunghoon that’s gotta do the work today, figuring out the equipment and all. Jake and I will help. You and Jason stay in stand by, for now. You can go on dives, get your practice on. Just be careful, make sure one of us is scouting…”

And Heeseung rambled on, eventually moving on to telling Jay and Sunghoon what their itinerary consisted of. Y/N’s eyes wandered off to the ocean, water spanning for miles on end, no land near site. They were in the middle of nowhere- well, not literally. They knew their coordinates. But if their equipment were to damage or if one fell overboard, they were as good as dead. It’s moments and opportunities like these marine biologists spend their lives working towards- what Y/N spent her days waiting for.

“So, that’s final?” Sunghoon started. “Jay and I will get the hydrophones, then?”

“Yep,” Heeseung clasped his hands together and everyone started dispersing, mumbling words of encouragement and affirmations, pumping their fists in the air or clapping to get their spirits up.

Before everyone had the chance to disappear and get their gear prepared, Jason stopped everyone and said, “should we make, like, a group chant sort of thing?”

“Yeah, that’s not happening, mate,” Jake pursed his lips and patted his brother on his chest. Y/N chuckled and the rest of them laughed while walking away to continue their work.

It took Jay and Sunghoon a total of four hours to deploy the five units of hydrophones, both floating and anchored. While diving, they would constantly resurface for air and call for Jake, yelling, “What kind of new technology is this, you twat, I prefer the old ones!” Their anger bubbled, frustrated at the fact that a two hour process was taking them double the time only because of the unfamiliarity. After their fourth complaint, Jake ended up diving with them to help.

Heeseung stayed with Jason and Y/N to help test and calibrate the hydrophones. While they sent test signals, Y/N cursed under her breath, too, telling Jason, “we could have just used the old equipment. This new shit Jake brought us is not user friendly.”

“People thought that about the iPhone but they love it now, don’t they?” Jason offered, hoping to reduce Y/N’s distaste. She could only respond by rolling her eyes.

By the time they were done, the sun had started setting and the divers barely ate food. The trio that stayed on the vessel cooked a heavy dinner with whatever ingredients they had, feeding the divers the second they freshened up. The group assembled on the deck, the same place they were huddling in the morning, with blankets wrapped around their shoulders to shield from the chilly breeze.

“Where’s Jason?” Jake looked around.

“He’s finishing with the final sample recordings. He’ll be up in a bit,” Y/N assured.

Jason came back with six chairs, one for everyone to sit on as they debriefed for the night. Warm water was passed around as conversation fluidly changed from work to personal history. The stars were shining unfamiliarly, a sight Y/N couldn’t get in the city anymore. She was reminded of her father who used to point to the constellations and tell her their names. As a kid, she knew most of them by heart. Now, she was unable to recognise most of the constellations, only being able to pick out a few.

“Add in a bonfire and the night would be perfect,” Jay sighed, shivering as he hugged his blanket tighter.

“Oh, we used to go camping a lot in college,” Jason mused. “Those were the times, man. Young and alive.”

“I’d say you’re living it up right now as well, bro,” Heeseung laughed, referring to their boat that was in the middle of the ocean, whale watching and diving as a part of their job description and getting paid above average.

“True,” Jason scratched the nape of his neck in embarrassment. Jake further made fun of Jason and Sunghoon joined in, throwing pieces of crumpled paper from their notebooks at him.

“Look at the stars, guys,” Heeseung directed everyone’s gaze towards the sky. “You don't have nights like these in the city anymore.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Y/N nodded. “Gotta take it all in before we leave.”

“We’ve got three months for that, don’t worry,” Sunghoon assured.

“Hey, Y/N, wasn’t your dad an astronomer?” Jason clocked his head. “He used to teach you when you were a kid, where each constellation was?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“You told me, like, a really long time ago.”

“Your dad did physics in college? That’s so cool,” Jake pipped, sitting at the edge of his chair and directing his excited smile at her. He’s always had a habit of becoming excited at the mention of physics and math- the entire reason he went into engineering.

“Do you still remember some of the constellations?” When Heeseung asked, Y/N nodded. “Do tell us,” he encouraged.

Bringing her bottom lip between her teeth, she looked up and squinted her eyes to see if anything looked familiar. “Do you guys see the diamond shape?” She heard everyone confirm with a hum. “That’s The Corvus or The Crow. Dad used to say that the crow was a messenger from the sea.”

”Wah,” she heard Jason and Jay exclaiming as she continued searching.

“Do you see a teapot, perchance? Right there,” Y/N attempted to show them its correct location by pointing and once again, she was met with a group of hums. “That’s The Sagittarius. It contains the center of the Milky Way.”

”Wait, I’ve heard about this,” Jake snapped his fingers, trying to jog his memory. “Didn’t sailors use it to locate the galactic core or something?”

”You’re right, I’m surprised you knew that,” Y/N smirked and tried finding another constellation.

In the background, Sunghoon pondered aloud on what it would be like if he could name a constellation after himself and it brought the group into a laughing fit. Jake, though he laughed with them, kept his gaze on Y/N, admiring the way her nose tilted upwards and gaze reflected the starry sky. Jake, who once picked up a book on astronomy out of sheer curiosity and gave up on reading it due to its lack of logic and mechanics, found himself leering as she explained the stars to everyone.

“Do you guys see the red star? That’s Antares, the heart of The Scorpion,” she explained.

”Wow,” Sunghoon started and snapped towards Jake as though he had a revelation. “Wait, isn’t that your constellation? You’re a Scorpio, right?”

”Yeah, how’d you know?”

”I’ve known you your whole life, asshole. Don’t tell me you don’t know my zodiac.”

”I do, I do!”

”What is it?”

”Sagittarius! I thought about it when Y/N pointed it out, I swear!”

Then started the narration of Jake and Sunghoon becoming friends. Jake’s mother, Vivian, moved into the street that Sunghoon’s parents, Daniel and Emily Park, lived in. Both couples were newly weds, just getting back from their honeymoon. Vivian had already been pregnant with Jason at the time and because her and Emily grew close, she was there the day Jason was born. When their husbands were off to work, Emily would often spend her time with Vivian, taking care of her and Jason. Around a year later, Vivian fell pregnant again and Emily announced her pregnancy exactly a month later.

The two mothers spent all their time together thereafter, going to the hospital for check ups together and supporting each other through pregnancy yoga exercises. With each other's support, they didn’t worry about their husbands working overtime. They even hired a nanny together, shifting between houses to help with household work and with Jason, who was still too young to understand his surroundings at the time.

Jake and Sunghoon were born a month apart, Jake being the older one. Emily was in the hospital while Vivian gave birth and vice versa. Henry and Daniel were in wonder of their friendship- it was like it was out of the movies, utopian for the society they lived in today. It was a good thing the two families found each other in this dog-eat-dog world.

Jake and Sunghoon went to the same schools, same clubs and festered the same hobbies so they could do everything together. Their mothers used to joke that they’d end up falling for the same girl one day. “And what would you do if that ever happened?” Emily used to ask Sunghoon and he would respond with, “boy code- I’ll stay away from her if he likes her and I know he’d do the same for me.” In fact, he did and when a similar situation arose in middle school, neither of them got the girl because they valued their friendship more.

Around the time Jake and Sunghoon were old enough to perceive and build on their imaginations, they started pulling pranks on Jason. It was the nasty ones- like, putting saran wrap on the toilet seat or sticking gnarly notes on his bag before he left for school. Once, they rolled a skateboard into him while he was walking into his bedroom and he fell face first into the floor, breaking his nose and costing his parents an emergency trip to the hospital. Jason and Jake didn’t speak for a full month after that incident.

When Jake and Sunghoon turned sixteen, the Park family started talking about relocating to China. Daniel had better job prospects and he was convinced that his children, Sunghoon and Yeji who were four years apart, would receive better education. “And international exposure is always good for a child,” he’d tell Emily. Sunghoon would argue that he wouldn’t leave the country until college and Yeji would cry about not wanting to leave her friends.

It was around this time that Henry opened The Marine Foundation of Korea and started earning more. Their family moved to a more expensive neighbourhood but that didn’t stop Jake and Sunghoon from spending most of their time together. In fact, when Henry had gone on his drinking spree due to the lawsuits and backlash, Jake would run off to Sunghoon’s house, leaving his poor mother and brother to deal with his scary father. When it came time to decide upon college and careers, Sunghoon sat through arguments with Henry to allow Jake to pursue his passions in engineering.

When Jake and Sunghoon started senior year in high school, Vivian was diagnosed with uterine cancer- stage four. That year was filled with tragedy and character change from Henry. Though they spent a fortune on hospital bills, Vivian’s health rapidly declined. The two families started accepting the fate that was to come and Vivian came to an honorable death. What made the children’s period of grief insufferable was that the tabloids had picked up the event and started bombarding the Sim family with unrelated questions. It made Jake want to run away.

Around that time, Sunghoon’s family did end up relocating to Taiwan where Sunghoon pursued marine biology (being truly inspired by Henry’s work) and Yeji continued her high school education. Jake flew off to Australia to pursue engineering, despite his father’s wishes, and estranged himself from his family. For over a year, Henry and Jason only got updates about Jake from Sunghoon. Eventually, though, the three made peace.

It had been almost a decade since Vivian passed away and over three years since Jake and Sunghoon completed post graduation from living across the world from each other, yet their friendship still ran strong. They called and texted each other religiously, making sure their friendship lived on through whatever they were doing in life. Being on this research expedition was like a dream for the pair- everything had somehow worked out perfectly.

“Do you miss your mom?” Heeseung found himself asking the Sim brothers.

“Yeah, of course,” Jake shrugged and slumped further into his chair. Sunghoon reached over to comfortingly pat his knee and he cracked him a smile.

“I miss her all the time,” Jason said. “I’d like to think she’s in a better place.”

A long time ago, when Jason first told Y/N about how his mother passed away, she noticed that there was never an air of solemness or pity when he spoke about her. It was tragic and unfortunate, but Jason never let that reflect in himself. He always spoke about his mother with confidence or a smile on his face, celebrating her existence as a smart woman and amazing mother. He never let anyone show him pity about the fact that he lost his mother too young. He simply chose to idolise her, keep her alive through his happiness and through his achievements. She realised, after narrating basically his whole childhood, that Jake was the same. When he spoke about his mother, he didn’t let his voice cloud with pity and he described her with love and adoration.

“Isn’t it lucky that you ended up doing marine engineering?” Sunghoon said to Jake.

“I love engineering but I do love the ocean, too. Shit’s in my blood- dad shat on me for no reason,” Jake rolled his eyes and Jason threw back a piece of crumpled paper at him. Annoyed, Jake bounced his leg up and down. “You know what we forgot to mention?”

“What?” Sunghoon asked.

“Do you remember when Yeji had the biggest crush on Jason?”

With that, Sunghoon let out the biggest groan and threw his head back, hiding his face under his hands. Jason leaped at the memory while Heeseung, Jay and Y/N begged Sunghoon to show them a picture of his sister. Jake started scrolling through his phone to see if he could find any.

“What do you say, Jason?” Jake wiggled his eyebrows at his brother.

“Dude, grow up,” Jason rolled his eyes. “She was a kid.”

“Not anymore! Isn’t she, like, working right now, Sunghoon?” Jake teased.

“I’ll actually kill you,” Sunghoon deadpanned.

“I think they’d make a great couple, though!”

“Dear lord, not this again,” Jason groaned. “The four of us talk all the time, we literally have a group chat. Stop making it weird.”

From what Y/N could gather, this seemed like a conversation the three had frequently. Jake would mention the pairing of Jason and Yeji and Jason and Sunghoon would get riled up and throw a fit. Jake would then continue to list down the reasons as to why should start dating for the millionth time and the other two would turn him down for the millionth time. After seeing a picture of Yeji, she understood why Jake said they would make a great pair.

The first time Y/N saw Jason and Jake side by side, she told them that they looked nothing alike. And they truly didn’t- everyone would always be surprised when they told them they were siblings, only one year apart. Jake had stronger features, a sharper nose, defined jawline, almond eyes, thick lips and curtain-like hair. Jason, however, had lighter features with a button nose, round eyes, fluffy hair and puppy-like lips. They were both handsome, there was nothing to deny, just in polar different ways.

“I think this is a sign for us to sleep guys, It’s gonna be early morning for all of us from here on,” Jason announced and was the first to get up.

Everyone followed him to the sleeping pods, six beds fitted to the walls like bunk beds. If they stared hard enough, the room almost looked like a jail-cell but none of them really took it to heart. They wouldn’t be spending much time there anyway. Y/N slept in the bed above Jason’s and Jake slept opposite to her. That night, she found herself drifting off to sleep while desperately trying to focus on his features, the softness of his expression as he slept.

“This is our first drone test,” Heeseung announced and Sunghoon planted himself beside him with the drone and controller in hand. It had almost been a week since they deployed the hydrophones and it took them a week to perfect how to use them. Improvements were going slower than expected but a majority of the reason for this expedition was to test the new equipment so they learned to not complain as much. Finally, they decided to move on to the next piece of equipment, the drone, that Sunghoon was going to manoeuvre.

“Are we ready?” Sunghoon called. Everyone answered with a hum, dressed in scuba gear in case they needed to dive at the spotting of any whale, they told themselves. In the few days that they were at sea, they found it concerning that they spotted everything but a whale. “Alright, let’s go, then!”

Everyone watched with curiosity, intent and awe as the drone lifted higher into the sky, becoming a speckle of dust to their eyes as Sunghoon controlled it with grace. Jason monitored its camera through his laptop, paying close attention to anything that it could capture. They all stood around watching the screen for around ten minutes, Sunghoon still standing at the edge of the doc as he controlled the drone.

When the fifteenth minute came around, everyone started to lose hope, dispersing to do their respective work with grumbles and sighs. The twentieth minute came around and Jake asked Sunghoon if the new version of the drone was better than the hydrophones. He confirmed with a nod, his lips slightly parted as he concentrated his fingers on the controller and his eyes towards the sky where he could still see the drone. Bored, Jason and Y/N started playing thumb wars and Heeseung and Jay started discussing what the next day’s itinerary would be- Sunghoon let out a gasp.

“Guys, look!”

Everyone ran towards the laptop screen and vaguely, they could see the outline of a large fish, slowly gliding through the ocean currents, around twenty feet away from them. It wasn’t blue- a deep brown and grey, rather. It could have easily been a Bryde’s Whale. At this realisation, everyone elated and Jason ran to check if the hydrophones were picking up any sounds or echoes.

“I’ve got nothing,” Jason shook his head.

”What do you mean? Let me check,” Jay took over and after a few seconds of listening, he too concluded the same thing. “Are you sure the hydrophones aren’t glitching again?” He asked Jake.

“No, I’m sure,” Jake assured.

”Guys, it’s not too far from us. You can go check it out,” Sunghoon hollered to everyone, noticing that the silhouette was moving closer and closer towards the vessel.

Within the next ten minutes, Jay, Jason, Jake and Y/N were diving headfirst into the water. The rush of the ocean engulfed Y/N, the cold making her realise that this was her first time diving in the ocean since her semester on sea during college. The past few years, she’d kept in touch by diving in swimming pools and facilities but this… the real thing was always better.

Bubbles streamed past their bodies as they tried cutting through the water, their goggles making everything hazy as they got used to the pressure. At a distance, they could see the silhouette of what they hoped to be a Bryde’s Whale. Sunghoon and Heeseung kept an eye on them through the video the drone was transmissioning.

For a breathless moment, a moment where they all hoped that it was a whale they were finally seeing, they truly believed that they were in luck. However, as they swam closer to the giant body, theyr recognised its gaping mouth, unhurried movements and pointy fins as something else. For a moment, another breathless moment, they were disappointed, weight filling their chest in a way the ocean’s pressure couldn’t crush them. But seconds later, they decided to enjoy their discovery- Y/N, especially. It was fleeting, barely a few seconds, but it felt like something unspoken passed between them in that shared moment.

“Guys, it’s a Basking Shark,” Y/N said. “Heeseung? Sunghoon? Can you hear me?”

“It’s a Basking Shark, alright,” Jay said, his voice crackling through the earphones before Y/N could receive his words.

“You know the rules, guys. No touching, only looking,” Jason reminded them.

The group of four stopped swimming, floating in the blue abyss and watching the Basking Shark’s movements. It opened its mouth to inhale water- its way of catching food. It stayed open that way, allowing them to get a full view of its insides. White and dark stripes disappearing into its stomach. Slowly, slowly, second by second, the shark swam their direction, as calm as the wind and ocean before a storm. The divers moved to stand out of its way as it swam past them.

“How many feet do you think it is?” Jake asked.

“This is a big one,” Jay said. “I think 30, maybe 33 feet.”

Y/N knew the answer to this question. Normally, she would be the first person leap at answering. But she was too enamoured by the creature as it swam between them, momentarily making her lose sight of Jay and Jason who were on the other side. She could still see the bubbles floating upwards from their breathing. In a moment of poor judgement, she let her fingers raise to inch closer to the fit on the shark, eyes sparkling with eagerness and anticipation. What would it feel like? What would she feel?

As her fingers reached out, inches away from the shark’s rough skin, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist. Startled, she swung her head around to find Jake’s eyes staring daggers at her. Through his mask, she saw him shaking his head. They hovered that way, his hand on her wrist, eyes moving away from each other and towards the shark, watching it drift away from them and the vessel.

The group made their way back to surface, hearts beating with exhilaration. Sunghoon and Heeseung stretched out their arms to help everyone up, fighting the heaviness of the water. “That was amazing,” Jay enthralled as he ripped his mask off.

The other three settled on the deck, backs slumping onto the railings of the vessel as they heaved to catch their breaths. Their masks were thrown beside them and their wetsuits slipped down their torsos. Jake ran his hands through his hair, trying to restyle its shape; Jason forced himself to stand up so he could make his way to the shower; Y/N sat there, unmoving, staring at her bare hands like she’d just woken up from an unbelievable dream. Then, she lifted her head to look at her surroundings, meeting her gaze with Jake as her head turned. He cracked a smile at her and she turned away, embarrassed.

Nine days. It had been nine days since the Basking Shark incident and they were nowhere close to seeing a whale- Blue Whale, Humpback Whale, Sperm Whale… nothing. There was a moment where Jay was convinced he’d picked up the sounds of whales singing but the noise ended up being interference from debris. However, it wasn’t to say that nothing good came out of the past empty days.

The equipment they were testing had come around wonderfully. Everyone, with due time and patience from Jake, started learning how to use the technology and were on their way to perfecting the techniques. One day, a curious Green Sea Turtle surfaced next to the vessel and stared at them for a full minute before diving away. While hauling one of their retrieval baskets, they realised they'd caught an Isopod and it made Heeseung recoil in horror due to its eerie similarity to cockroaches- that day, they found out Heeseung had a huge phobia of insects. Y/N caught a glimpse of a pod of flying fish through her binoculars. Jake caught a glimpse of a Thresher Shark while everyone else was in the lab and he had headed up for some fresh air.

Sunghoon seemed to be some sort of octopus whisperer. A few days ago, he’d spotted a tiny translucent octopus stuck to the side of the vessel and he stretched himself to reach it. It was small enough to fit on his pinky and wrap its tentacles to cover his fingerprint. It was almost transparent, apart from specks of pigment that floated in its body like dust. Its body pulsed softly in his hand, delicate tentacles fanning out onto his palm to test the surface. Then, he slowly lowered it back to the water. On one of their dives, Sunghoon spotted a Blanket Octopus, a rare sighting that would get the media riled up when the footage was released, and he swam after it until he was too far from the vessel.

That morning, Jay woke up to the sight of a pod of dolphins swimming past the vessel, jumping into the air to create dark outlines onto the orange and pink sky. The rhythmic splash of their bodies against the water seemed to stir the rest of the crew from their sluggish morning routines. One by one, they emerged onto the deck—first Jason, then Heeseung and Sunghoon, followed by Y/N and Jake. The usual grumbles of early wake-ups were quickly replaced by soft gasps and murmured excitement as they took in the sight before them.

“That’s what I call a wake-up call,” Y/N gasped.

“Maybe that’s a sign of luck, guys,” Jay offered. “We should do something tonight.”

“Like what?” Sunghoon asks.

Jay perked up. “Like a night dive?”

Sunghoon, who had been taking a sip of water, nearly choked. “Diving?” He coughed. “At night?”

“Why not? We’ve been out here for weeks, and we haven’t done one yet,” Jay reasoned. “The bioluminescence, the different marine life—it’d be an entirely new experience.”

Jason nodded in agreement. “Plus, it’ll be a good change of pace. We’ve been so focused on the whales that we haven’t really taken in everything else around us.”

Heeseung, ever the cautious one, sighed. “You do realize diving at night is way riskier, right? Low visibility, stronger currents—”

“We’ll take precautions,” Jay cut in. “We’ve got the lights, safety lines, and we won’t go too far from the vessel. It’s a controlled dive, not some reckless plunge.”

A moment of silence passed as Heeseung weighed the risks, scanning the eager faces around him. Finally, he exhaled through his nose and shook his head. “Fine. But if anything even remotely goes wrong, we call it and get out. No heroics.”

A round of nods and murmured agreements followed.

“Then it’s settled,” Jay grinned. “Tonight, we dive.”

Excitement buzzed like static as the sun dipped below the horizon. The group prepared for their night dive with thick dive suits and dive computers strapped to their wrists. Jason, ever meticulous, went through each regulator one by one, testing for air flow. "If your regulator sputters, switch to your alternate immediately and signal me," he reminded the group.

Sunghoon handed out waterproof dive torches while Jay and Heeseung secured backup glow sticks to their vests, just in case their primary lights failed. “If it gets too dark, stick close and don’t panic,” Jay advised. “This is a controlled dive, no one goes deeper than 30 meters. Stay within sight of your buddy at all times. If anyone gets separated, stop where you are, shine your light upwards, and wait for us to find you. Do not ascend alone unless it’s an emergency.”

Jay paired with Jason, Sunghoon paired with Heeseung and, like fate had it, Y/N paired with Jake.

Slowly, they approached the edge of the deck, staring down at the ink-black water, the reflection of the stars rippled into infinite nothingness and for a moment, just for a moment, they felt themselves regretting their decision, letting fear conquer their senses. Sunghoon looked at Heeseung, panic and fear glistening against his eyes. Jake, catching his expression from the other end, assured him with a thumb raised in the air and adjusted his mask.

“We got this, guys,” Jake announced, trying to lift everyone’s spirits. “It’s gonna be an experience of a lifetime.”

As the words left his lips, Y/N’s gaze lifted to meet his through the hazy plastic of her mask, her lashes fluttering as hesitation creased her brow. Even through the dim glow of their dive lights, she could see the warmth in his eyes, the way his expression softened—like he was seeing only her in the vastness of the ocean. Then, as if drawn by an unspoken pull, his fingers brushed against her wrist before slipping lower, finding her hand with effortless ease. Slowly, deliberately, he wove his fingers through hers, his grip gentle yet certain. Her breath hitched as she glanced down at their hands—at the way they fit, tethered in the silent depths—before letting her gaze drift back up to him. He wasn’t looking away. He held her there, in the weightless moment suspended between them.

“Just stick with me, yeah?” He whispered to her. “I promise it’ll be the best time of your life.”

“Alright, everyone,” Jay hollered. “Everyone dive in three… two… one.”

What followed were a sequence of splashes and bubbles rising to the surface of the water due to the impact. The first thing they saw was blackness, their eyes still adjusting to the minimal light of their flashlights. As they splashed around, disturbing the calmness of the water, they saw specks of blue- little emeralds glistening at their friction.

“It’s plankton,” Y/N squealed. “It’s bioluminescence!”

“Can’t get better than this, huh?” Jake squeezed her hand, tuning out the excitement everyone else was emulating.

“This is unreal,” Heeseung moved his hand to trigger another spark of bioluminescence, mesmerized by the living light show.

As they descended further, with patience and caution, they saw the silver body of a Barracuda flash by. Startled, Y/N moved closer to Jake, wrapping her wrist around his bicep. Jason, Jay, Heeseung and Sunghoon had moved deeper and the pair followed, eyes spotting clusters of coral reefs with their blooming polyps. From the reef emerged a biofluorescent Hawksbill Sea Turtle, snapping its mouth open and closed in hopes of finding prey. It moved languidly through the water, ignorant of the divers coming closer to it.

“Didn’t think we’d see this today,” Jason said. “Biofluorescence is common in corals and sharks but it’s only been seen in turtles around 2015. Take it in, everyone.”

As everyone tried keeping their eyes on the turtle, already on the verge of leaving their sight, Jay signals everyone to look towards a rocky outcrop. A flash of pale white flickering into deep brown and they hover in place, watching as a cuttlefish pulsated with shifting hues, blending seamlessly into the seafloor before striking at an unsuspecting shrimp. Just a few feet away, a small octopus stretched its arms along the coral, its skin rippling from sand-colored to a deep maroon as it crept toward its prey.

Y/N, captivated, gestured excitedly at the display, her bubbles rising in bursts. Jake caught her expression and grinned behind his mask, watching as she pressed closer to the scene, eyes wide with childlike wonder. Sunghoon, playing the photographer, raised the underwater camera to capture the display of nature’s most skilled shapeshifters. When the creatures finally retreated into the shadows, the group exchanged excited looks before continuing their dive.

As they moved deeper, the ocean’s silence felt heavier, interrupted only by the sound of their own breathing. It felt like they were in a sharksploitation film, the Jaws background music being the only thing missing. As though Y/N’s thoughts were being read, Jason, who had been slightly ahead, froze and pointed his light downward in a startled haze.

Whatever it was that caught Jason’s attention, it was huge and left a trail of bioluminescence in its wake. They could feel it looming just beyond the reach of their lights. A ripple of tension passed between the group as an immense shadow suspended in the water. No one moved- they were sure not one of them was breathing.

Jay’s fingers curled around his dive knife out of instinct, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Heeseung, usually calm, hovered frozen in place, his eyes darting between the dark shape and Sunghoon, who was holding onto his camera for dear life. Jake exhaled slowly, bubbles escaping in a steady stream as he tried to make sense of what they were seeing, Y/N clinging to his arm to comfort herself. Steadily, Jason tightened his grip on his flashlight and angled the beam forward. The light cut through the darkness, catching the edge of something vast and smooth. The shape shifted, its outline rippling like a ghost emerging from the abyss.

It was a Manta Ray.

At the realisation, their muscles loosened and Jay kept his dive knife away. They watched it swarm past them, its wings stretching impossibly wide. Just like a ghost, it glided through the water like it owned the place, its pale underbelly flashing in the light. It moved like a specter, unbothered by their presence, its cephalic fins unfurling like delicate ribbons as it turned. With the added effects of the blue bioluminescence, it felt like they were watching a dream. Y/N say them all the time in the aquarium but to see them alive, gliding in their natural habitat, was a different kind of sight.

“How big do you think that is?” Jay murmured.

“Five meters?” Y/N answered. “Easily six… she’s huge.”

Jake felt Y/N’s grip on his arm loosen and like instinct, he turned towards her in. He was met with the sight of her in awe, watching the Manta Ray disappear into the void. As they hovered in awe, Heeseung was the first to react. He gestured frantically, his flashlight beam cutting through the water and landing on something just below them. His wide eyes and rapid pointing sent a jolt of confusion through the group. Jay followed the direction of Heeseung’s light, angling his own beam downward.

A Vampire Squid.

It wasn’t supposed to be here. These creatures lived far deeper, in oxygen-minimum zones, not a mere 20 meters below the surface. Yet there it was, its deep crimson body illuminated in their lights, its webbed arms curling inward as it drifted.

Jason exhaled a string of bubbles, exchanging a stunned glance with Jay. Y/N's mind raced—was it sick? Disoriented? Had something forced it to the surface?

Before they could react, the squid suddenly pulsed its body, releasing a shimmering cloud of bioluminescent mucus—a defense mechanism against predators. Tiny blue specks scattered around it like an underwater firework before the creature vanished into the blackness.

The team remained frozen, the eerie afterglow of the squid's defense lingering in the water.

“What the hell was that doing up here?” Jason finally asked through their comms. No one had an answer.

“I’m not getting a good feeling from this,” Heeseung announced. “We’ve seen plenty. I think it’s time to go.”

With steady nods and eager movements, they swam back toward the vessel, an unspoken unease settled between them. A buzz of confusion filled their dialogue when they broke the water and fatigue settled into their bodies. Some looked back at the Manta Ray and awed, others still concerned about why they saw a Vampire Squid so far up the surface, questioning if they should be worried. Jason theorised that it was probably nearing its life-cycle; from what he could see in the passing moments, it looked quite old.

In practiced silence, they stripped off their gear. Masks clattered onto the deck. Wetsuits peeled away with sluggish motions. Someone yawned. One by one, they disappeared below deck—some for a quick shower, others just to sit and breathe.

Y/N, clad in her bikini and a flimsy shirt, found herself sitting on the edge of the deck, her bare feet skimming the water. Each ripple sent a flicker of blue light swirling around her toes—the bioluminescence responding to her every movement. She could hear the guys deep in a conversation on the other side of the deck, discussing the next morning’s regime. She didn't listen in. She just watched the reflection of the stars, absentmindedly swirling her foot through the water, watching the glow chase her movements.

Then, footsteps. She didn’t have to look to know who it was. The air around them shifted as Jake settled beside her, resting his forearms on his knees. For a moment, neither of them spoke, just watching the light dance beneath them. She could see him pouting from the corner of her eyes, a habit she noticed in him before they even started the research expedition.

“Dinner?” She asked, not breaking her gaze away from whatever was in front of her.

He turned to look at her, damp hair falling in front of his forehead. “Yeah, yeah,” he nodded.

“Hey, I have a question,” Y/N found herself chuckling before she could ask him. Slowly, she turned to look at her, shifting her position so that she could lean back on the palms of her hands. “Heeseung doesn’t know you hooked up with his little sister, does he?”

At the question, Jake found himself cackling, too. “What?” He laughed. “No way,” he shook his head. “I think he’d murder me.”

“Yeah, he definitely would,” Y/N agreed. Then, she let a moment of silence pass between them, mustering up the courage to ask him her next question. “What is it about hookups with you, anyway? Just… why so many?”

“Is that who you think of me as?” Jake’s chuckle never left, his eyes widening as he continued. “We just came back from that… interesting dive and you wanna talk about this?”

“It was a bit scary,” she admitted. “I loved it, but I don’t wanna think about it until tomorrow.”

“Fair, fair. Alright, I’ll indulge you,” Jake bit his lip- another one of his many habits- and allowed his gaze to meet hers.

In that moment, in a fleeting split second, the wall that Jake built to keep caution around her had crumbled. All these months, Jake spent trying to be respectful around her, walking on eggshells to try and gain her respect. And somewhere along the way, she started looking at him like he was his own person- not the annoying little brother Jason complained about and not the disappointing son Henry seethed about. She could see the effort he put in, not only for his work or his family, but also for her. She wasn’t sure why. She almost missed his cocky demeanour.

“I don’t know why you’re so against it-”

“I’m not against it,” Y/N defended. “I’m just not that kind of person.”

“Right,” he breathed. “But I guess… well, I suppose I should begin from where it all started,” at that, Y/N chuckled and nodded to coax him to continue. “So, it was the second semester at college and as usual, I was at some house party. By this time, I’d lost my virginity in high school and everything, right? But I hadn’t really slept with anyone in college. So that night, I met this girl- really pretty, really flirty-”

“And you slept together.”

“And we slept together,” he said. “And me, being the fool I was,” Y/N continued laughing, finding his narrative style quite comical. “Thought that maybe she wanted me to call her the next morning. But apparently she didn’t want that. And nineteen year old Jake was heart broken-”

“And he started going to the gym, came out a cocky ass and started sleeping with everyone because some random girl broke his heart-”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t make fun of me,” Jake nudged her side, leading her to continue laughing. Her eyes struggled to stay open and her smile refused to die. Jake bathed in her joy. “And to be fair, I started going to the gym in high school,” he pointed a finger at her.

“Yeah, okay, whatever,” she grinned and rolled her eyes.

“But, yeah, anyways,” he continued. “I was hurt by it, obviously. And then I told my friends about it and they were all assholes, by the way. Not the kind you want to have long term relationships with. But, yeah, I told them and they kinda brainwashed me into thinking that I got lucky that this was a no strings attached thing. And to be honest, a few days later, I kinda liked the whole idea, too, I guess? And the party I went to after that- hooked up with another girl. And I guess, the cycle just continued.”

Y/N blinked at him for a second, bringing her bottom lip between her teeth. “No one gets hurt?”

“No one gets hurt,” he assured with a shake of his head.

“How would you know, though?” She asked. “The girl in the context- what if-”

“You just kind of know,” he breathed. “You always kinda know. It’s like a sixth sense… only hook up with people you’re sure who want the same things as you. But don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t ever want to settle down. I mean- I’m pushing thirty. It’s just that… I don’t think I’ve found anyone yet.”

Y/N hummed. “The sex is that good?”

Jake’s grin returned, this time a little mischievous, dangerous. His eyes had a sparkle in them, his pointy teeth peeking behind his smile. “Y/N, the sex…” he rumbled, voice low and breath fanning against her ear. He leaned closer to her. “You wouldn’t believe it.”

Y/N gulped.

Assuming his previous position, his grin still plastered on him, he looked her up and down, taking in the tips of her toes that were still touching the water and running his gaze back to her eyes. Perhaps he was being delusional, clouded by the conversation they were having, but he was sure he saw the spark in her- the spark that manifested through her hooded eyes and flushed cheeks. He could see her squeeze her legs together, nails digging into her palms as she chewed her bottom lip. Her gaze stayed on his hands- his hands that were pulsating with his veins, fingers long enough to wrap her around him.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never-”

“No, I have- Jake, I’m pushing thirty, too,” she rolled her eyes, shaking herself out of her daze. A cool wind breezed past them and she could feel her nippled perking through her shirt- she was sure Jake had noticed. “Dated this guy a couple years ago. I met him as a customer in the aquarium, actually. We dated for, like, a year. The sex was good. Jason hated him, though. Said he acted like a frat boy and looking back, I guess he kinda did.”

Watching her shrug and look away, he licked his lips. His breath was near her neck now, his presence ghosting against hers. “Y/N, you deserve better than good sex- whatever that was.”

“And you’re some expert on sex?” She teased.

They didn’t know when the air between them had changed.

Maybe it had started in that moment- when the world was nothing but rolling waves and flickering bioluminescence. Maybe it had started long before that, slipping in between stolen glances across the vessel, lingering eye contact that lasted just a second too long, and quiet moments between chaos that neither of them dared to name.

They’d be lying if they said there was absolutely no tension building between them over the past few weeks. It had been there, simmering just beneath the surface, waiting.

It was in the way he always seemed to be nearby—not in an obvious way, but in a way that made it impossible for Y/N to ignore. If she was adjusting equipment, Jake was there, his arm brushing against hers as he reached for something. If she was rinsing off after a dive, he’d pass by, running a towel through his hair, his skin damp and glistening with seawater. It was the way she felt his presence before she even saw him.

It was the way their bodies gravitated toward each other—shoulders bumping when they worked side by side, fingers grazing when they passed tools back and forth. The way she’d instinctively reached for him during dives, her hand wrapping around his forearm in the darkness, trusting his steadiness as they maneuvered through the water. It was the way he never pulled away.

Maybe it was the way his eyes lingered on her lips when she spoke, or the way she caught herself staring at his hands—the way they moved, the way they curled into fists when he was frustrated, the way they rested so naturally on his neck when he was deep in thought.

It was everything.

Slowly, silently, inevitably, it had been building up to this moment.

Jake found himself hoisting himself back on his feet, rubbing his hands against his thighs to brush off any dust. “I’m gonna try sleeping,” he said, ignoring the laughter that the rest of the boys started filling in the air. Yet, he didn’t move, eyes fixated on her and the way she seemed to curl further into herself. He waited for her to say something- anything that gave him a hint on what was to come next.

“Okay,” she said, finding herself getting back on her feet as well. “I’m gonna sleep, too.”

“Okay.”

The pair stared at each other for a brief second, his eyes darting between her features and hers fixated on his eyes. The air between them was charged with something neither of them dared to put into words. It was a quiet understanding, an unspoken decision made in the space of a breath. Then, with a nod, Jake led her back to the sleeping pods. They moved quickly, their strides quick and deliberate, as if slowing down would give them time to second-guess. Jake barely spared a glance at the others—Heeseung and Sunghoon talking near the railings, Jason and Jay checking something on the equipment—he breezed past them like they didn’t exist.

By the time they reached the sleeping pods, her heart was hammering against her ribs. She watched as Jake stripped off his shirt, catching her widened eyes of shock and explaining to her that he always slept this way. And she watched as he climbed onto his bed, running his hands through his hair and clenching his jaw from what she assumed was frustration. Then finally, finally, after pretending like they weren’t there for a purpose, he looked at her. He looked at her with conviction, slender eyes coaxing her and lips begging for her.

“Y/N…” his exhale spelt out her name.

His rand reached out for her to hold and she looked at his palm- his empty hand that was waiting to be filled with hers, his empty fingers waiting to wrap around her. So, she complied and took his hand, climbing into his bed and adjusting her straddle on his lap. There was silence, mostly just their heavy breaths filling the air, wondering if this was the moment they’d been waiting for- if this is what Jake was hoping for.

She felt his hands creep up her thighs, slowly and surely attaching themselves to her hips, dipping under her shirt to find her waist. His fingers danced on her skin, almost like he was playing a piano, waiting for her to do something other than to hold onto the hem of her shirt.

“Jake?”

“Yeah?”

He could feel her pulsating through her bikini and his dick twitched in his shorts. He gulped as he watched her hands move towards his chest, the cold of her fingertips sending a jolt down his spine. He let her stay that way, her hands exploring the crevices of his chest. Lifting his head that was resting on the wall, he found his neck moving towards her, and she did the same. Their heads tilted, lips parted and eyes hooded- they knew what was to come. They couldn’t wait for it to come.

“I promise you won’t get hurt,” he whispered, just as his lips brushed against hers, their noses touching. His hands moved higher up her torso, touching her ribs just as she let out a ragged breath-

And just as fast as their moment came, it left when they jolted away from each other. They heard footsteps and grumbled murmurs of the rest of the group mumbling it was a good day and goodnight to each other. Panicked, they scrambled off of each other and Y/N was rushing out of his pod and back into her own- anything to make the predicament seem normal, unusual. Before Jay had burst the door open and everyone piled in, Y/N’s head was already on her pillow, pretending to be asleep.

She could hear Jake greeting everyone and wishing everyone a goodnight- she paid no mind. That night, she couldn't sleep.

The group of six had spent almost two months out on the ocean, in the middle of nowhere, on a metal vessel that they’d been calling home, and they’d still hadn’t spotted a whale. However, they felt no sense of discouragement, focusing on testing the new equipment and going on more dives and collecting more samples for research. They collected samples of plankton blooms, recorded the eerie songs of distant marine life, and encountered creatures they never expected—an elusive blanket octopus, a deep-sea jelly drifting near the surface, even a rare oarfish shimmering like a silver ribbon in the depths. The once-crisp excitement of the expedition had softened into something quieter—a steady rhythm of work, patience, and anticipation.

That day was like no other. The air felt no different and the ocean, as usual, stretched infinitely around them. The sky was a perfect, cloudless blue. Jason was at the research station, analyzing the latest data from their dives, his brows furrowed in concentration as he scrolled through results. Sunghoon and Heeseung were near the stern, arguing about whether or not a gull that had landed on their railing was the same one they’d seen three days ago. Annie sat cross-legged on the deck, flipping through her notebook, jotting down observations while absentmindedly twirling a loose thread on her sleeve. Jake was beside her, leaning back on his elbows, quietly watching the sun reflect off the water.

The late afternoon had been slow, peaceful, the kind of moment where time stretched lazily—until Jay stiffened, his head snapping toward the hydrophone. His heart kicked against his ribs as the sound hummed through his headphones, low and distant but unmistakable. Impatient, he holler for Jason who came running to him, questioning what was so important.

“Do you hear that?” He sucked in a breath as he handed the headphones to Jason.

Jason, eyes widened with hope and shock, nodded. “No way,” he breathed. “No way!” He yelled which caught the attention of the rest of the group.

“What is it?” Y/N craned her head to examine the ruckus, watching as everyone had gathered around the deck. Jay came over with binoculars, waving it around in the air. Somehow, without needing any explanation, everyone understood what the excitement was about. It was happening. It was finally happening.

Keeping her notebook aside, she made her way towards the rest of the group, leaning against the railing in anticipation.

“I think they’re a few kilometers away, we should be able to see them soon,” Jay concentrated on his sight through the binoculars, face squirming with concentration.

Everyone simply watched the horizon, waiting for a disturbance to break the surface of the ocean. For a few moments, they saw nothing and Y/N went back and forth from listening to the sound on the headphones, a melody so ancient and otherworldly that it sent shivers down her spine, and looking back at the horizon. She was on the brink of losing hope, watching as Jake and Sunghoon broke apart from the group with their heads hung low, looking at everyone like they were fools for thinking they were lucky until-

It finally happened.

Gasps of awe filled the air as the others scrambled to grab their binoculars and cameras. Sunghoon nearly tripped over a crate in his rush, and even Jake—usually calm and composed—had an unrestrained grin on his face as he followed Y/N to the railing.

A towering column of mist rose into the air, catching the evening light like a shimmering ghost. The sound of the exhale followed a second later, a forceful blast from beneath the waves. The water churned violently as the massive shape surged upward. For a split second, the ocean seemed to hold its breath—then, a whale erupted from the surface. A colossal Humpback Whale launched skyward, water cascading off its slick skin in torrents. The sheer size of it was staggering. Its massive pectoral fins spread wide, and for a breathtaking moment, it seemed suspended in midair—a creature far too large to belong anywhere but the sea, defying gravity itself.

Everyone froze. No one breathed.

Then, in a heartbeat, everyone burst into a rumble of excitement as the whale slammed back into the water, sending an explosion of white foam and waves rippling toward the vessel. The force of it sent their stomachs lurching, but no one cared. Y/N’s hands flew to her mouth, her eyes blown wide.

“Oh, my God,”she said, unable to get her feet to move as Jay had scrambled back to the computer to see what the hydrophones had managed to record. “It’s singing!” Heeseung had screamed repeatedly as Jay fought to not let excitement shake his posture.

Sunghoon bolted for the camera rig, yanking the telephoto lens into place. “Holy shit, that was a full breach! I need a better angle—someone hold this steady!” Heeseung grabbed the tripod as Sunghoon adjusted the settings.

Jason scrambled toward the data log, frantically typing timestamps and environmental conditions into the system. “We need to record the water temp, salinity, GPS coordinates—someone grab the readings!”

As the crew erupted into action around them—rushing for cameras, hydrophones, and data logs—Jake didn’t move. He barely even breathed.

He was watching her.

Y/N stood frozen at the rail, her hands gripping the metal so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. Her eyes, wide and shining under the soft glow of the afternoon sun, stayed locked on the spot where the whale had breached. She looked completely lost in the moment—like the world had narrowed to just her and the ocean. The excitement, the rush, the frantic calls of the others—it all faded into white noise for Jake. He saw her throat move as she swallowed hard, lips slightly parted like she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. She didn’t even reach for the binoculars or her notebook. She just stood there and let everything happen.

Jake had seen her fall in love with the ocean over and over again these past few weeks. On the night dive, when she saw bioluminescent creatures flicker to life for the first time. In the quiet hours before dawn, when she let her fingers trail through glowing waters. Each moment had stripped away something guarded in her—had pulled her deeper into the thing she loved most.

And now, as she stood there, wholly consumed by the sight before her, Jake felt something in his chest tighten. She was beautiful like this—untethered, weightless, alive. In a moment of fleeting adoration, Jake wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his chest without hesitation, mouth still agape, eyes still locked on the sea. Jake felt her exhale, felt the way her body melted into his. Slowly, confidently, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. His lips lingered, his eyes closing like he wanted to keep this moment exactly as it was. The weight of unacknowledged moments, flickering electricity had shifted into something else over the past few weeks- something, softer, lighter, deeper.

Y/N had stopped second-guessing the way she naturally gravitated toward him, the way her body angled toward him whenever they stood together, the way she reached for him without thinking. And Jake? Jake had stopped holding back.

He still teased her, still challenged her, still made her roll her eyes—but now, his affection was deliberate. When she handed him something, his fingers would brush hers and linger. When she got caught up in her work, he’d bring her water without a word. When she sat alone at night, tracing patterns in the bioluminescence, he’d sit beside her in silence, just to exist in the same space.

Finally, Y/N tilted her head up to look at him, her expression open in a way it hadn’t been before. No teasing smirk, no quick remark—just something warmer, something unspoken but completely understood.

Jake’s lips quirked into a quiet smile. “A lot of firsts for you these days.”

Y/N exhaled a small laugh, nodding.

“Think we should get to work now,” he offered and she meekly nodded.

Jake let her go and moved with quick precision, checked the equipment on deck, making sure the hydrophone was secured and that no water had splashed onto their more sensitive instruments. “Sunghoon, tell me you got that on camera,” he muttered.

“Barely!” Sunghoon yelled.

Y/N stayed close to the railings, keeping her eye out on the huge mass of shadow moving past the surface of the waters, just in case a whale surfaced again.

After spending days with whale songs filling the air, making their mornings, Sunghoon sent out his drone again and detected an entangled whale. After debating whether they were allowed to intervene, something about rules and regulations, they agreed to help the creature. Fear that it would die without sooner intervention and the excitement of being inches away from a whale, possibly being able to touch it, the group devised a plan of action.

Heeseung and Sunghoon stayed on the vessel as look-out through binoculars as the rest manoeuvred a small boat towards the hurting whale. It was only a few feet meters away from them but reaching it through the rough waters seemed like a task, all of a sudden. The waters were usually never this rough- first time in all the weeks they’d been on the ocean.

The water was colder than expected as Jake, Jay and Y/N descended, the massive form of the whale looming beneath them. Up close, the entanglement was worse than they’d thought—thick netting dug deep into the whale’s pectoral fin, restricting its movement. Y/N and Jay worked swiftly, slicing through the strands while Jake positioned himself to keep them steady. The whale remained eerily still, its eye just barely visible through the shifting blue.

Then, without warning, it thrashed, perhaps because of the sudden attention it was getting from foreign presence or perhaps from the pain of entanglement. The sudden burst of movement sent a powerful current surging around them. Y/N was thrown backward, Jay barely managing to steady himself. Jake instinctively reached for her, pulling her close before she could drift further. For a tense moment, they remained suspended in the water, waiting to see if the whale would calm. Slowly, its movements settled, and they resumed cutting. One final slice, and the last of the netting unraveled, drifting away into the depths. The whale hovered for a moment before, with a flick of its tail, it surged forward- free at last- and the three watched as it swam away from them.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Y/N said. “I can’t believe I just did that- we just did that.”

Upon arriving back on the vessel, the team moved on autopilot—securing equipment, hauling themselves aboard, and stripping off their dive gear. A string of celebratory huzzas were passed around as Y/N slumped against a chair. The air was thick with exhilaration and exhaustion, breaths still uneven from the dive. Sunghoon handed Y/N a towel as she squeezed the seawater from her hair, her mind still in the depths, replaying the whale’s final surge to freedom.

Jason was already hunched over the laptop, fingers flying across the keyboard as he analyzed the recordings. "The change in vocalizations—it's real," he muttered, half to himself, half to Jay, who leaned over his shoulder. Jay's grin was unstoppable. "We’re really hearing this in real-time. That’s insane."

The others busied themselves cleaning up, but the adrenaline was still too fresh to settle. Heeseung cracked open a bottle of water, while Sunghoon replayed drone footage on his tablet, scrutinizing every frame. "We actually did it," he murmured, half in disbelief.

Y/N, however, found herself drifting away from the commotion. She was exhausted and desperately needed rest for her eyes. Her arms went slump and legs felt heavy and when Jake spotted her heaving breath, he made his way towards her, offering himself as a pillow. The pair slumped on each other, Jake running a hand up and down her arm as she drowned out the commotion around her.

“Just a few minutes,” she mumbled and nuzzled deeper into his chest, hugging his torso. Jake chuckled.

Their peace didn’t last long, though. Jake felt it before he saw it, the subtle shift in the air, the way the horizon darkened like spilled ink bleeding into the sky. A low rumble rolled across the sky, so distant at first that no one paid it much mind. But then came the wind—sharp, biting, and sudden. The gentle lull of the ocean turned erratic, the once-glassy surface growing restless beneath them.

A storm was coming. Fast.

“Storm’s rolling in,” Heeseung called from the helm, voice edged with urgency. “We need to secure everything—now.”

Y/N’s eyes shot open as her mind registered what was going on and everyone started moving in sync, doing what their training had taught them to do. Like it came out of nowhere, sheets of rain lashed against the deck, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. The ocean had turned violent, monstrous waves slamming into the vessel with enough force to send them stumbling. Sunghoon and Jay held onto the railings, Jake and Y/N barely finding a way to make it to safety as Heeseung and Jason controlled the steering. They could see them, their faces contorting with strain as they helped each other manoeuvred the wheel.

A rogue wave—towering, relentless—rose like a wall before crashing down onto the deck. The impact sent equipment flying, knocking everyone off balance. A sickening crack sounded through the storm, followed by a sharp, agonized cry.

“Jay!”

As Sunghoon hollered, he ran towards Jay on the unsteady vessel, fully equipped with the knowledge that they could be thrown overboard by the waves and the wind any second. Jay was crumbling against the rain, body twisted in pain as he held onto his forearm. “I think I broke it,” he repeated over and over again as Sunghoon carried him towards Jake and Y/N.

Jake and Sunghoon exchanged a look that Y/N couldn't decipher, a sort of language the two friends had accumulated through their years of friendship. When the vessel rocked again, Sunghoon grabbed Y/N’s arm and tried his best to get them inside- to safety, hopefully. Jake dashed the opposite direction, towards the wheelhouse.

“Where is he going?” Y/N yelled over the winds and the thunder that started to crack, crouching out of instinct though she knew it wouldn’t be much protection. Another wave crashed against the vessel, water flooding the deck. The rain fell harder above them, leaving them no mercy. They were being tossed around like a

“Distress signal,” Sunghoon shouted back, holding Jay in place amongst the imbalance.

The storm swallowed the horizon whole, a monstrous force of wind and water that turned the sky into an endless void of grey. The waves surged like biblical monsters, heaving and crashing against the vessel with relentless fury, each impact rattling through steel and bone alike. The world had shrunk to chaos—water seeping into every crevice, bodies thrown against railings, desperate hands gripping whatever they could to keep from being flung into the abyss.

“Sunghoon, we’re not gonna make it,” Y/N could feel her tears, tears of fear and defeat, mixing with the rain, eyes squinting as she searched for him amongst the fog.

“No, Y/N,” Sunghoon yelled. “We’re gonna make it.”

Somewhere, through the deafening roar of the storm, a voice crackled through the radio—a lifeline lost in static—before the darkness was split apart by a piercing beam of light.

The helicopter had arrived.

The harsh fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, a stark contrast to the wild, untamed darkness of the storm they had just survived. The six of them sat scattered around the hospital room, their bodies aching, their minds still reeling from the chaos that had led them here. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the air, but beneath it lingered the salt of the ocean, a reminder that no matter how far they were from that vessel, the sea was still etched into their skin.

Jay sat in the center of it all, his arm immobilized in a sling, bruises painting his skin in deep purples and sickly yellows. He looked exhausted, but there was a ghost of his usual grin on his face as he tried to downplay the pain. “I guess this means I get out of heavy lifting for a while,” he joked, but no one laughed.

Because they all remembered.

They remembered the way the waves had swallowed the vessel, tossing them like rag dolls. The helplessness of gripping onto whatever they could, praying they wouldn’t be swept away. The panic when Jay had been thrown across the deck, a sickening crack cutting through the chaos. The way he had screamed. The frantic, trembling hands trying to keep pressure on his injury, the desperate voices yelling into the radio for help, the sheer terror that, for a moment, they might not all make it out.

Sunghoon sat at the edge of his hospital bed, staring at the floor with his elbows on his knees, fingers interlocked so tightly his knuckles were white. Jason and Heeseung murmured in hushed tones with a doctor at the doorway, nodding stiffly at whatever instructions were being given.

And then there was Y/N.

She sat beside Jake, her head resting against his shoulder, eyes open but unfocused. Her hands were clasped together in her lap, like she was grounding herself, trying to convince herself that they were safe now. That it was over.

Jake hadn’t let go of her since they had been pulled out of the storm. His grip on her hand was firm, like if he let go, she might disappear. The adrenaline had long worn off, leaving behind only exhaustion and the silent, heavy weight of everything they had endured.

For the first time in months, there was no vessel beneath them, no swaying of the ocean, no distant songs of whales humming through the water. Just the quiet hum of the hospital and the echo of a storm that still raged inside them. For the first time, Y/N wondered, had they all gone crazy without knowing it? She’d seen documentaries about this- how people stranded in a single environment could descend into a state of psychosis. Did that happen to them, sickness right under their noses?

When the doctor made her way towards the group, everyone lifted their heads and sat straight, reacting as though a professor had just walked into the classroom. Dr Ryu looked at them sternly, an absence of sympathy and solemness in her demeanour. Perhaps that is exactly what they needed. “You guys got lucky,” she said. “It could have been worse.”

Everyone responded with a sequence of nods, Jay wincing as he moved the wrong muscle. Jason shifted to his side, resting his hand on his back as support and comfort.

“Physically, you all should be fine. A quick recovery- Jay included,” Dr Ryu continued. “However, I highly recommend visiting a therapist. By the looks of it, this wasn’t something easy that you all had to go through and you now show increased vulnerability to PTSD or any related disorders. Please do take my advice seriously.”

Again, she was met with a sequence of nods and mumbles, assuring her that they would do their best in taking care of themselves and each other.

“We will keep Jay in for the night for observation,” Dr Ryu said. “Any of you can stay with him. The rest of you- go home. Go home to your families and just be in a more familiar space. Try to sleep- staying awake all night and mulling over it will not help. Your bodies are exhausted. Give it a rest and come back tomorrow.”

As she walked away from the group, a moment of silence fell over them as they went over what the doctor had said. PTSD? Who knew this was the turn their lives would take? To be fair, she only advised a therapist- there was no guarantee for anything at the moment.

“I’ll stay,” Jason said. The decision was made without much debate. Friends since a trip went wrong during university, it made sense that he stayed back. While working on a coastal biodiversity project, their boat engine failed during a data collection run, leaving them stranded at sea for hours. They were rescued by helicopters that day, too and looking back, their situation now looked eerily similar- just without the injury and the trauma.

Jason had already straightened in his seat, his expression leaving no room for argument. Jay rolled his eyes but didn’t protest. “You guys should go get some actual sleep. My apartment’s closer to the hospital anyway- you should spend the night there, give each other company.”

No one had the energy to argue.

Sunghoon sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “I’m gonna pass out the second I hit a bed.”

“Same,” Heeseung muttered, already gathering what little belongings they had brought with them.

Y/N glanced at Jake, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. He still hadn’t let go of her hand, his thumb absentmindedly running over her knuckles. His eyes flickered toward Jason, something unreadable crossing his expression.

Jason caught it. “Don’t even think about staying, Jake,” he said, voice softer now but still firm. “You look worse than Jay.”

Jake huffed a quiet laugh, but Y/N felt the tension in his grip. He didn’t want to leave. None of them really did, but Jason was right- they needed rest, and Jay was in good hands.

Y/N squeezed his hand, a silent reassurance, before standing up. “We’ll be back first thing in the morning.”

Jason gave a small nod. “I’ll text you if anything happens.”

With that, they filed out of the room, exhaustion making their movements sluggish. The police drove them to Jason’s apartment and the second they opened the doors, Heeseung and Sunghoon occupied the guest bedroom and Jake dragged himself into Jason’s bedroom. Y/N found herself frozen in the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. She felt like a fool for feeling the way she did, for being naive enough to think that she could get past this like it was a bad birthday party.

Upon entering the room Jake was in, she found him sitting cross legged on the bed, back hunched over as he toyed with something on his phone. When he felt her presence, he kept his phone away and shifted his gaze to her. He patted the empty space beside him, coaxing her to sit with him and she did. She let her head hit the pillow and Jake leaned against the headboard, eyes falling on the ceiling. It was weird not catching sight of a night sky filled with stars- almost unfamiliar.

“I can’t stop thinking about it,” he whispered, almost as if saying it quieter would make their predicament lighter.

“I know,” she responded. “It doesn’t feel real,” she rested her hand against his shoulder, softly rubbing his back in hopes of comforting him. He leaned his cheek against her hand, raising his own to hold hers and closing his eyes to find solace in the moment.

“Everything’s gonna be alright,” he mumbled.

“Everything is alright,” she tried. “We’re all here, alive and safe. Jay is fine.”

“Jay is fine,” he repeated.

“And we are fine.”

“You almost died.”

Y/N leaned up and rested against the headboard with him, deliberately keeping her face close to his, breaths syncing. Jake’s eyes stayed close, his cheek still on her hand. “But I didn’t,” she said, with conviction.

“You were slipping away.”

Y/N didn’t know how to respond. The weight of it sat between them, heavy and unspoken. She knew that feeling. The terror of helplessness. The way it lingered in your bones, no matter how many times you tell yourself you survived.

She shifted, sliding closer, until their knees brushed. “But I’m here,” she murmured.

Jake lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her palm, and something inside her stirred. “I need to feel it,” he said, almost to himself. “That you’re here. That this is real.”

His hands found her waist, tentative and fragile at first like that night in the sleeping pods, testing the waters, walking on eggshells. When she moved closer to him, finding herself straddling his waist again, Jake found no motive to stop. He leaned upwards to find her lips, mouths colliding without hesitation- there was no adultery, no ploy of teasing or hurting, no uncertainty. They were two people, finding an anchor within each other, desperately holding on.

When he finally kissed her, Y/N wondered why it took so long for them to be in this position in the first place. And he kissed her with caution, slow movements memorising her crevices and making sure she remembered him. As their mouths opened and closed in sync, his hands roamed underneath her shirt, tracing her skin and counting her ribs before lifting her shirt over her head. In that moment, while he held her, she didn’t feel lusted over or sexualised- she felt as though she was being protected, cherished… loved.

“Y/N… I don’t just want you,” he breathed against her, lips moving down her throat and hands roaming her legs. “I need you.”

Slowly, wrapping his arms around her back, he flipped her over so she lay on the bed and he hovered over her. For a brief moment, he stopped to look at her face- her eyes that were filled with curiosity and anticipation, lips parted in waiting for him, hair strewn across the pillow. Then he kissed her again, one hand roaming towards her nippled and the other swiftly unzipping her jeans. In this moment, though he usually wouldn’t prefer to, Jake wasted no time- he didn’t want to tease her or waste his time with foreplay. He just wanted to feel her, know that she was living in his arms, breathing and letting her heart beat against him.

His hand shifted to move her jeans off her legs and Y/N shimmied out of them, chuckling in the process. “This isn’t that attractive,” she murmured.

“Shut up,” he said with a grin and kissed her again.

He let his fingers hook under her underwear and touch her clit. Y/N moaned into his and he moaned back, feeling the wetness of her folds and letting her back arch into him. Her hips grinded against his hand and he complied by exploring her folds, slowly and desperately getting her to whine and moan more under him.

“Heeseung and Sunghoon are sleeping,” Jake mumbled against her skin, lips exploring the nape of her neck and moving to the curve of your breasts. “You’ve gotta try to be quiet, yeah?”

“Okay,” she heaved and Jake could feel her nod, her chin touching his hair.

He slipped a finger into her hole and she squirmed, biting her lip to adjust to the length. Her hands flew towards his hair, tugging and pulling at the silky tufts. He moved his finger in and out, languidly and deliberately, eyeing your reactions and expressions as he did so. His thumb flew to her clip, rubbing steady circles only for more wetness to ooze out of her.

“Higher, Jake,” he heard her moan and he increased his pace. The sound of squelching filled the room, mixed with their moans. He kissed her again, his other hand continuing to toy with her nipples while he fingered her- now, fast and dirty, aiming towards a goal. He could feel her clenching on his fingers, clamping down everytime he pulled out too much, whimpering every time he curled at the right spot.

Jake moved so he could kneel between her legs, his fingers now moving slower as he brought his face closer to her heat. She could feel his breath on her, only making her ache for him more. She whined for him to hurry up and was only shut up when she felt his mouth on her. He sucked on her clit as his finger picked up pacing, adding a second one as her breath got heavier. He could see her chest heaving, her hands flying upwards to grip the headboard.

When her knees started closing instinctively, his shoulders kept them apart, one hand gripping her hip so tight she was sure she’d have bruises the next morning. And he kept going, sucking and flicking at her clit with his tongue, fingers moving in and out of her so fast that she’d forgotten how she ended up here in the first place.

“I’m so close,” she moaned. “So close.”

And just as she felt her high crashing down on her, he’d withdrawn himself completely and she let out a gasp. Her brows furrowed, she tilted her head to find Jake stripping his own clothes and she stared at the way his chest glistened under the moonlight, his dick springing out of his boxers as he moved to hover over her again. His hair fell onto his forehead and her hands moved to tuck it under his ear. She placed an innocent peck on nose, cheeks, forehead and chin before moving to his lips again, waiting for him to do something before getting annoyed at her lack of orgasm.

“Brace yourself, alright?” He whispered into her mouth and she felt his tip aligning to her entrance. He looked at her before going any further, waiting for a confirmation. When she nodded, he pushed himself into her and the pair moaned in unison.

“Is this the great sex you were referring to?”

“You can’t deny it.”

As he thrusted into her, sharp and with purpose, she regretted wanting to tease him or get a laugh out of him. She let out a gasp, followed by an incoherent string of moans as he thrusted in and out of her, his hand caressing the back of her head and her nails scratching his back. She wrapped her legs around his waist, a desperate way to feel him deeper inside her. He buried himself in the nape of her neck, peppering kisses behind her ear while she did the same to his shoulder.

“Faster,” she moaned and he complied, forgetting the slow and romantic pace he wanted to go with and pounding into her faster, harder- anything and everything to get her to cum with him. He let a hand slip in between their bodies, fingers finding her clit and rubbing briskly and whispering sweet lulls into her ears.

“You gotta cum with me, yeah?” He said and she could only nod, throat too preoccupied with the moans she couldn’t hold back.

She felt the knot in her stomach building again, back arching further and pussy clenching harder onto is dick- he could feel it too, that she was close. She threw her head back, waiting for the moment to fall upon her, waiting for him to say something. He only went faster, letting the hinges of the bed creek.

“Y/N?” She responded with a frustrated hum. “Cum with me- cum for me.”

And she did, letting her orgasm spill over her body and she could feel him inside her, filling her up to the brim. Jake moaned, feeling her body shudder at the way he fucked her, her eyes meeting his with desperation and ache.

“Jake…” she whined as he placed her body comfortably on the mattress again, falling on the empty space beside her and wrapping his arms around her torso. “So good,” she breathed, unable to unclutter her thoughts.

“I know that was supposed to be depression sex, but wow,” he said into her neck.

Y/N raised a lazy hand to hit him on the head. “Stop being funny,” she groaned and he laughed.

Jake, Y/N, Jason, Heeseung, Jay and Sunghoon stood in a line in front of Henry Sim. Over the past few weeks, they’d met with him a plethora of times- just to talk, not even about technical things, just talk. It was his way of looking out for them, taking care of them in whatever way he could. He offered to buy them meals, pay their therapy and hospital bills and even offered them a stipend if they needed it- all out of guilt and desperation to help them heal better, not knowing what else to do.

He was never critical, even praising their work to a large extent. And in all honesty, he was proud- it was great work. “This information that you all have gathered is valuable, I hope you know that,” he said to them, holding their report in hand.

“Yes, sir,” they answered in unison.

“It still feels unreal. Like we’re supposed to wake up tomorrow and check the equipment again,” Sunghoon said.

Jay chuckled, adjusting the sling on his arm. "Speak for yourself. I’d rather not get thrown around another boat for a while."

Heeseung smirked. "You’re just mad the whale was stronger than you."

Sunghoon, who had been absentmindedly fidgeting with the strap of his camera bag, let out a small laugh, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. The energy in the room had shifted, nostalgia seeping in through the cracks.

Henry exhaled through his nose. "The ocean doesn’t let anyone walk away the same. You six will carry this experience with you—whether you realize it now or not."

Jake, who had been quiet until then, glanced at Y/N. She met his gaze, and for a moment, the past months condensed into something unspoken but understood. The storm. The breach. The long nights and quiet moments. The feeling of something beginning even as something else ended.

Noticing their interaction, Henry cleared his throat. “The least I was expecting was the pairing of these two,” he pointed between Jake and Y/N. The rest of the group cackled.

“They thought they were being so slick,” Heeseung laughed. “We noticed everything.”

Rolling their eyes, Jake and Y/N continued to grin at everyone's smiling faces. The aquarium lights flickered slightly as a school of fish glided past the large tank beside them. It was a strange, almost poetic parallel—them, sitting still in this room, while life outside moved on without waiting.

Jason grimaced at the idea of his brother and best friend dating. Attempting to change the conversation, he cleared his throat. “So what now?”

The question hung heavy in the air as the group of six looked at each other. They knew what was to come- a set of interviews, press releases of what they experienced and perhaps even a short YouTube documentary. But what was to happen to their lives? What were they to expect?

No one wanted to answer that question. All they knew was that outside, the ocean awaited their return.

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call-me-strega · 1 year ago

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Dc x Dp prompt #13: Hell to Pay

They say there are only two things certain in life: death and taxes. That’s why even the Joker doesn’t fuck with the IRS.

However, unfortunately for the Joker the other certainty is death and he has yet to pay his dues. Just like how he could only get away with tax evasion for so long, there are only so many times the Joker can dodge death.

Death is coming to collect, with interest.

And the Joker will have hell to pay.

~ A dark green cloud swirls over the city. From it, emerge three oppressive figures:

The one on the far left with flowing hair like white-hot fire. His vambraces made of (what appeared to be) molten glass stopped under his fingers, which then extend into into claws that seemed to drip lava. He had spiked obsidian pauldrons on his shoulders, fastening a luminous, stark-white cape to his shoulders. He wore a coronet of lightning and wielded a flail that appeared to be made of coal chains and a shrunken Red Giant star.

The second on the far right had a helm of dark iron wreathed in a plume of purple flame. His gauntlets and sword flamed with green hellfire. A pure black sheath seemingly made of void and a silver hunting horn were tied to his waist. He wore an armor forged of shadows and proofed with fear. He rode atop a mighty stead. An inky dark stallion with a curved horn and bat-like wings. His form was constantly slightly shifting depending on the angle which you viewed him making him appear larger and more slippery than he was, enhancing his disquieting nature.

The third stood in the middle, smaller but no less terrifying than her companions. Her hair was wild with movement, only just visible because it appeared as if someone had bound the winds to her head. She wore a tiara made of storm clouds and pearls. She carried with her a spear, the shaft crafted of amazonite and the tip of a clear quartz, almost reminiscent of sea salt. At her hip lay a whip made of a restrained gale and a sea glass knife. She wore armor that appeared to be Greco-Roman in origin: a chest plate made of some sort of coral-like material and a battle skirt decorated with metallic bronze feathers.

They slowly descent on the city, bringing down a sense of power and dread. They paused at the top of Wayne Tower, where the city's vigilantes had all gathered in an attempt to create and feasible plan of action to discern what these beings want. The young woman in the middle speaks and the wind carries her voice. She is not loud but it the whole of Gotham hears her words.

"Greetings, Heroes of Gotham. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Spirit, Princess and Head Diplomat of the Infinite Realms. This is Samhain, the Fright Knight, loyal knight to the king,” she gestured to her right before switching to her left “and this is Prince Wraith, current General in Chief of the Realms. We come to you as the King’s Guard and entourage. We have official business in your city and wish to civilly notify you of our presence. The King will be arriving shortly and your cooperation would be great fully received.”

Batman moved forward to shake her hand and address the situation.

“I’m afraid that we prefer not to have unknowns operating within the city. Would you be able to tell us what business you have here? Perhaps we could reach an agreement?” Batman tried to negotiate as politely as he could. He did not want to risk offending the evidently powerful beings.

Princess Spirit’s smile sharpened as she thrummed her finger against her knife. She spoke again with an unnervingly pleasant tone.

“It appears you do not understand. We are not asking for your permission.” Her grip around his hand tightened. “ We are informing you.” She finished releasing his hand.

Batman withdrew his aching hand and regarded her with the beginnings of a protest on his lips. She didn’t allow him to speak.

“ This is out of your jurisdiction Batman. This is a matter of the Realms and the Afterlife. Whatever worldly rules or morals you wish to impose on those who enter this city do not apply to us. We will do our best to work within them, so as to appease you and to attempt to maintain a friendly relationship but in the macrocosm of the multiverse and afterlives you have no official power over us. Additionally, we have direct permission to operate here however we see fit from the City Spirit herself, Lady Gotham.”

Batman’s shadow seemed to fluctuated. His and his team's shadows moved from beneath them, closer to the Princess. Lady Gotham, though not manifesting, was making her presence and approval known. Batman could not deny what he was seeing. His team shifted uncomfortably behind him. He appealed to her once more.

“ I see that we can’t stop you. We don’t want to get in your way either. Could you at least tell us why you are here?”

She smiled as if telling a joke, “All will be revealed in time”

Suddenly, there was a loud noise that sounded like tearing fabric. The green clouds mixed with purples and blues and began to churn faster. The cyclone emitted a flashes of bright light. In unison all three of the King’s Guard lifted up from the roof and took place underneath the eye of the wind storm.

Spirit holds her spear aloft. With one swift, commanding move she slams the butt of her spear down, creating a platform out of solidified air.

Wraith bellows out smoke and ash onto the platform to discolor it. With ferocious and precise movements his claws to carve in a sigil, leaving a soft orange glow against the black and gray.

Samhain sheathes his sword and pulls his horn from his waist. He wills his dark stead to rear up as he blows the horn, letting out one loud prolonged cry.

The three warriors stand at attention and Princess Spirit calls the winds to project her voice once more.

“ Now introducing the Ruler of the Infinite Realms, High King of the In-Between, The Great One, The Benevolent King, The Peace Maker, The Guardian of Souls, The One with the Cloak of Stars and the Crown of Frozen Light, The Perfect Balance, Ancient of Space and Reality, The Infinite King: Phantom!”

With a flash of white light a figure appear in the center of the platform. Simultaneously, the three knights bow in reverence.

The King has arrived.

As the Heroes of Gotham regain clear vision they are met with a striking figure.

There stood a toned young man appearing both boyishly young, yet wisened and weathered. He had side swept hair the creeped to the bottom of his neck. His skin was pale with an icy blue tint. He opened his eyes to reveal they shone an electric green. Upon his head rest a crown made of a crystalline material, reminiscent of an aurora. He wore a navy blue cloak that had a rich purple hood lined with stark white fur. The underside displayed a shifting galaxy pattern. His under suit was the same midnight black as Samhain’s. He donned golden arm bands and a gold chest plate in style quite similar to Spirit’s. His hand were covered in snow white gauntlets that matched Wraith’s vambraces.

They all stood in awe, beholden to the almost divine figure.

The king sent them a gentle smile. It was warm and comforting yet sent a chill down their shoulders.

King Phantom began to fly down toward the center of the city, his entourage fell into step behind him. He hovered several hundred feet over Wayne tower and looked down at the city. He then spoke in a booming voice, his tone kind but commanding.

“ I humbly greet the Lady Gotham, her champions, and her citizens,” the shadows curled toward him appreciatively. “ I am grateful for your cooperation in our effort to rectify a great injustice. As High King of the Infinite Realms it is one of my duties to preside over the afterlife. To bring guidance, peace, and justice to the souls under my jurisdiction. Recently, it has been brought to my attention that there is a soul among you who has not only dodged death, but caused great strife to a vast number of souls who call for justice.”

On the roof of Wayne Enterprises Jason and Damian both stiffen, but remain firm in their gaze toward the king. The king looks out at the city and sparing them the quickest of glances. He continues onward.

“ The man formerly know as Jack Napier, now called The Joker. He has avoided death on many an occasion but his life should have ended moment he fell into a vat of chemicals. Since then he has sent hundreds more to the afterlife. He has long yet to pay his dues. That is why on the behalf of justice, restoring balance, and of my subjects I officially condemn Jack Napier.”

“Jack Napier, you have been allowed 24 hours turn yourself into our custody in order to be put on trial for your crimes in the Infinite Realms. Should you fail to turn youself in, we shall take that as an admission of guilt and acceptance to be punished for your actions. After the 24 hours are up, Samhain shall use his horn to summon The Hunt and we shall track you down.”

His gaze passed specifically over Red Hood, one of the Oracle’s drones, Nightwing, Signal, Red Robin, and Batman before he spoke his next words.

“All those souls who have been wronged by the Joker, both living and deceased, who wish to have a hand in their justice have been invited to join The Hunt if they so choose.”

The king lifted his hand, calling the swirling green clouds to his gather in his palm. The clouds swiftly rearranged themselves into a smokey timer hanging in the sky.

An impish smirk graced King Phantom’s face as he let out a malicious laugh and gave his final decree.

“ Your time begins now!”

#dc x dp #long post #danny fenton #danny phantom #ghost king danny #dani phantom #dan phantom #fright knight #jason todd #the joker #totally legal manhunt for the joker proclaimed by the king of the afterlife #The joker must pay his dues #Bruce fucking hates the joker he’s not gonna try to stop this #Strega’s dc x dp prompt

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cece693 · 1 month ago

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OPERATION TOTALLY (NOT) CHEATING

pairing: jasper whitlock x gender neutral reader synopsis: Planning a surprise for anybody is stressful—add that they're a vampire and can feel the anxiousness coming off you—it's impossible. Yet, you will not go down without trying; even if it does seem like you're cheating on your mate.

You’d never imagined that preparing a nice thing for your century-old mate could feel so much like plotting a felony.

Step one: secrecy. Step two: more secrecy. Step three: send every signal of infidelity imaginable—entirely by accident.

Carlisle’s dusty attic is not built for stealthy vampires. One creaky beam and the whole house knows your coordinates. Still, you ease open an ancient trunk, digging for the Civil-War-era Stetson Alice swore was up here. A perfect anniversary gift, you think—something Jasper hasn’t seen since 1863.

Downstairs, Jasper’s empathic radar pings like a sonar alarm. From his spot on the living-room sofa he feels:

you, vibrating with jittery excitement

you, radiating guilt

you, spiking whenever your phone lights up with a message from Emmett (“u find hat yet?”)

To Jasper it reads like: unfaithful lover + secret rendezvous + texting another behind his back. He drums ghostly fingers on his knee. “Probably nothing,” he mutters, then remembers the last time he said that—right before Bella almost leapt off a cliff. Never again.

A DAY LATER

You’ve commandeered Tony Stark levels of covert ops for phase two: refurbishing the Stetson. Rosalie agreed to steam and reshape the brim—on the condition that you never reveal she owns a vintage milliner’s kit. She works under fluorescent light, humming. You pace, texting, practicing your big reveal line.

Enter: Jasper, silent as fog.

He sees shapes through the half-open garage door—your silhouette, Rosalie’s blond head bent over…something. In the dim glow it almost looks like she’s nuzzling your neck. His dead heart drop-kicks his ribs. He retreats two steps, collides with a lawnmower, and the resulting clang is loud enough to wake Forks. You and Rosalie whip around; Jasper is gone before the brim stops quivering.

Rosalie side-eyes you. “Your cowboy’s about to spiral.”

You groan, fingers tunneling your hair. “I’m throwing him a surprise party, not committing adultery!”

“Then tell him before he reenacts the Charge of the Light Brigade.”

A FEW HOURS LATER

Your brilliant finale: a mock western duel staged in Charlie Swan’s clearing (borrowed by Alice after a vision of no hunters or hikers nearby). You’ve bribed Emmett with ten pints of mountain-lion blood to play outlaw, Esme to set the picnic tables, and Alice—reluctantly—to keep Jasper occupied until sundown.

Unfortunately, Alice’s definition of occupied is “take him shopping for new curtains,” which lasts exactly seven minutes before Jasper bails and heads home, storm cloud brewing.

He finds your shared bedroom empty except for a suspicious luggage tag that reads “Hotel el Granate—Volterra.” (You used the tag as decorative ribbon for the hatbox.) Jasper’s mind does the arithmetic: Volterra = Volturi. Volturi = danger. Also: why is there a hotel involved? And why does the tag smell faintly like Emmett?

Jealousy roars through him. Carpet fibers scorch under his boots as he bolts for the woods. If you’re fleeing to Italy with anyone, he’ll—

“Jazz!” Alice flashes into view, hands raised. “Turn around. Trust me.”

He seethes. “Tell me where they are.”

Alice sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. But try not to rip anyone’s limbs off in the next ten minutes, okay? It’s supposed to be romantic.”

Golden twilight filters through fir branches onto a scene out of an old dime novel: Emmett, dressed in a bandana and absurd leather chaps, pretends to menace a wooden crate marked High-Noon Fireworks. Esme fusses over gingham tablecloths while humming “Home on the Range.” You stand in the center, holding the carefully restored Stetson, anxiety bubbling like shaken cola.

Then Jasper stalks in, eyes black as an eclipse. The entire clearing freezes.

“Sugar,” you start, “I can explain—”

He notices Emmett brandishing a cap gun. He notices Rosalie lounging beside a phonograph. He notices the hat in your hands, burnished and perfect. Confusion slams the brakes on fury; his empathy floods with the singular taste of your love—pure, bright, unmistakable.

“Surprise,” you finish weakly.

Silence stretches. Then Emmett snickers. Rosalie chuckles. Jasper’s shoulders sag as realization paints him crimson with embarrassment.

“You thought I was cheating,” you tease, stepping closer.

“Well,” he coughs, smiling crookedly. “It felt like you were hiding something.”

“That’s literally the definition of a surprise, Major Paranoia.”

He laughs, breath hitching, and you place the Stetson on his head. It fits like memory itself. For a moment the soldier, the newborn, the centuries of guilt all fall away; he is just Jasper Whitlock, beloved, marveling that someone would rummage through dusty trunks and bribe siblings for him.

“I reckon I owe you an apology.” He pulls you in by the belt loops.

“You reckon?” You arch a brow. “I had to lie, sneak around, dodge your empathy—do you know how impossible it is to mask excitement and guilt simultaneously?”

He kisses you soft, then deeper, laughing against your lips. “I felt the guilt part loud and clear.”

From the sidelines, Emmett whistles. “Kiss ’em like you mean it, cowboy!”

Jasper flips Emmett the bird without breaking contact. Esme claps delightedly. Rosalie drops the needle on the phonograph, and an old swing tune crackles through the forest air. You finally pull back, eyes sparkling. “Happy 160th anniversary of your second turning.”

He tilts the hat brim up, gaze molten gold. “Best gift I’ve had in either lifetime.”

You grin. “Wait ’til you see the fireworks.”

Cue Emmett lighting a fuse that sends him screeching into a tree, Rosalie cursing about singed hair, Carlisle appearing with a fire extinguisher, and Alice recording everything on an antique camcorder “for posterity.” Jasper laughs until he can’t breathe—figuratively—and you realize the surprise was never the hat or the party; it was this moment, incandescent with shared immortality.

Later, as sparks rain like molten stars and the clearing smells of smoke and pine, Jasper wraps an arm around your waist. “Next time,” he murmurs, “maybe leave me a note?”

You smirk. “Next time you turn off the empath radar.”

“Deal.” He nudges the Stetson brim against your forehead. “Though for the record, jealousy isn’t my best look.”

“It is when it ends with you wearing nothing but that hat,” you whisper.

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anaxiphiliiaa · 4 months ago

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Other ways of persuasion ft. Zayne (LnD)

w/c: 4,438 content warning: Fem Y/N, porn with plot, unprotected sex. notes: This is actually a gift for a friend who described Zayne in details to me lmao. Minors DNI.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

20:30, you were sitting by the window in an upscale restaurant downtown. Your eyes were glued outside the glass to put up the appearance of admiring the bustling, snowy landscape outside, but truthfully, it was only to ignore the pitiful look the waiting staff were shooting your way every time they walked by, unsubtly hinting at the length of time you’d been sitting there alone without ordering. You ordered a glass of white wine just to shoo them off for at least a little longer, while you held on to the very diminishing hope that your date for the night would be showing up soon, sputtering apologies and a bouquet in hand.

No such thing happened, proven an hour later when you were still sitting rigidly right there, unmoving, but there were now two empty wine glasses on the tastefully decorated tablecloth. You had been trying to swallow down your simpering anger with the alcohol. A waitress came up to the table with a sympathetic look that bordered on pity, and you paid without uttering a word, snatching your bag up and walking out of the restaurant with clenched hands.

The sight of a familiar Audi pulling up to the restaurant was not unnoticed by you when you passed the establishment’s doors. Despite the freezing weather (you’d intentionally dress lightly so Zayne would fret, but he didn’t show up, so how nice that plan was), you strode right off down the street. You got away for about 50 meters before the sound of footsteps caught up and a firm hand latched around your ice-cold wrist, “Y/N, wait”.

You ripped your hand away from Zayne’s touch and continued strutting off. It would’ve been nicer if he hadn’t shown at all - you would have had a grand time giving him the cold shoulder from a distance where he couldn’t grab your hand and make you two resolve this.

“Don’t walk away from me. Please”, the hand came again, and this time it was a lot firmer, enough to pull you to a stop and spin you around, forcing you to come face to face with the last person you’d like to see right now. Before you could open your mouth for a scathing remark, Zayne was already talking again. “How can you dress like this in this weather?”, he was scolding, when you believed the only thing that should come from his mouth was an apology. His brows were drawn into a furrow and with a low, unamused exhale that spoke volumes, Zayne shed his coat to drape it over your shoulder instead, immediately pulling it shut and doing up the buttons once it was wrapped around you. You didn’t even get a chance to shove his goodwill away. Instantly, the scent of his expensive cologne wafted over you from the thick coat. You blamed the warmth spreading over your body on having been freezing two minutes earlier.

Your lips were a thin line, and your eyes purposefully glared off elsewhere, not giving Zayne the grace of a single word. He noticed and dropped his hands, heaving a sigh.

“There was an emergency operation. I meant to text, but there was no time... The patient-”, Zayne began to explain. Now you feel both miserable over the ruined date and guilty for being miserable at all. He said it was an accident, so the blame could not be on him. He couldn’t have anticipated this outcome. The right thing to do would be to empathize with him and swallow your disappointment, since it was an unwanted accident.

“I see”, you nodded, attempting to put up the look of someone unbothered by the night gone wrong, but your eyes didn’t meet him yet. Across from you, Zayne looked just as bothered, clearly troubled that he had caused you to be so distraught that you’d storm out into the snowy weather in nothing but a flimsy dress and a light coat, and now, even despite your words, your eyes still refused his own.

Speaking of that dress you were wearing… Zayne glanced down at the patch of thigh visible under the edge of his coat, and… didn’t he see it had a slight slit over the chest earlier? No, now was no time for those thoughts. Even if you looked very beautiful, and all he wanted to do was kiss that forlorn look off your face…

“I guess that’s fine, then”, you cringed at your attempt to sound normal, only for that bitter pettiness to rise up and accidentally seep into your tone. This was going all wrong. It didn’t feel like you had the right to be upset when it was an accident. A noise between a sigh and a scoff left Zayne’s lips in a white puff of breath, and his eyes darted upwards when he noticed the weather. The snowing was getting worse, but it was the middle of winter, after all.

Wordlessly, he reached over and slipped his hand into your own. You’re freezing, he thought. When you didn’t pull away, he tugged you along gently, leading you back to his car, out of the billowing snow. You let him usher you inside, slumping into the back seat in a heap of fabric and emotions.

“Tell me what you’re thinking”, Zayne asked, his hand squeezing yours. It made you feel slightly worse that he was acting so kindly and you felt like you were acting like a pissbaby. “It’s been a long night”, you replied, a technical truth, “Just… I didn’t know where you were, or if you forgot, and the staff wasn’t very welcoming”. You had to add the last part, to take out some of this discomfort simmering in your guts without making it seem like you were upset with him.

“I’m sorry”, he apologized sweetly.

“You couldn’t have known”.

“I could’ve done something, find a way…”.

By then, you simply went quiet, because this back and forth on top of the night gone wrong was enough to jam a headache into your skull. You had half a mind to escape from his car and run away to find a taxi - you might die if kept confronted with Zayne for another fifteen minutes without the space to sort things out on your own first.

Beside you, Zayne sat stiffly. His eyes seemed calm, but he was rigid, grasping at straws to figure out how to approach this. He knew in times like these, you should probably get the space to sort through the mess first, but his guts’ had been jumbled the whole time he was in the OR and on the car ride here. He might just die if you ran away from him now.

“It’s fine that you’re upset with me”, he spoke after a long pause and turned to face you, his eyes determined. You stared back, knowing he’d see through you first. “You’ve been waiting in this gorgeous dress, looking so stunning just for no one to show. It’s not unthinkable to be upset”. You laughed, strained and tense, “You couldn’t have prevented it, Zayne, it’s not like it’s your fault”. “I’m the one who didn’t show, so…”, he immediately responded. He was growing slightly impatient too - this whole time, one would think you’d be able to show any emotions freely to him.

“Just…”, Zayne spun his body around from his side of the backseat and pushed himself into your space. His frame loomed over you, his eyes frustrated but never once resentful.

“Be angry with me”, he demanded.

“What?”

“Be angry with me. Shout. Yell. Tell me you’re pissed that I left you waiting, that you thought I was a horrible liar when you were waiting in there. Anything. Anything. Don’t just sit there and stay quiet and think you’re doing me a favor by keeping what you’re feeling from me.”

“...”, You stared back, incredulous and stunned by his tangent. That was a lot to think up a reply to.

Zayne took your silence as more stubbornness, and he exhaled in both slight annoyance and exasperation. He grasped your chin with his fingertips, gently but firmly fixing your face in place, forcing you to stay face at him. God, you looked downright tantalizing. You must’ve spent hours at the make-up table, dressing up for him, looking forward to this date, and it all went wrong. He had to make it up to you, stat.

That moment, while he was busy taking every detail of you in, your lips trembled, and his attention zeroed in on your mouth. Those plump lips, calling him in like a siren’s song… His Adam’s apple bobbed, and if he was calm, he’d restrain himself until you two had talked this through.

…But Zayne was tired after the long day, the surgery, and on top of it all, having you upset. He was frustrated that you weren’t talking, and he was growing more antsy the longer this tension dragged out. His wires were all out of order.

He gave into his impulsiveness and pressed his lips against your own.

To his surprise, you melted right into the kiss. He could feel your hand carding into his hair and holding him in place, granting no exit. You were tired too, after waiting so long thinking of him and pining after him in his absence. Now he was finally here, and really, the rest of the night shouldn’t be wasted fighting.

After a second longer, the kiss broke, but Zayne didn’t pull away, remaining close and looming over you still, his eyes lidded and hazy.

“I’m no psychology professional, but may I provide a better method to vent your frustrations?”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

“Maybe now you’ll be more inclined to talk about how you feel?”, Zayne suggested sarcastically. Somehow, between here and there, his hand was now under your pretty dress, the pad of his thumb rubbing against your clit through your underwear. A low hum rumbled in his throat, and he added, as if casually giving a diagnosis, “It feels damp here, so I’m guessing you're not too upset about this arrangement”.

Now that he’d got you under him in the backseat of his car, there was nowhere else to go. Not that you wanted to go anywhere when his hand was playing with you like this. His ears were tinted pink, but his voice didn’t sound very shy. Perhaps he was already tired from the day, and didn’t have any capacity left to be slow or flustered.

“I can be very persuasive even with more difficult cases”, he added, while slipping your panties down with his free hand. His hand that was just on you moved to your inner thigh and pushed your legs a little more apart. Then he stopped there, casually resting his hands on your thighs. That was your cue to do as he asked.

“Maybe I am still annoyed you didn’t show up without a word of warning”, you grumbled out begrudgingly, “Even though it wasn’t in your control”. Somehow, telling him you were still upset over the night (when it was an accident, all that…) felt more exposed than being spread open by him.

“It’s not as unreasonable as you think”, Zayne nodded and replied in a softer tone now that you were opening up - figuratively and literally. He kissed your cheek, and his hand moved back where you wanted, middle and ring finger now circling your hole, “Good girl”.

You shivered at that little kiss and melted more with his praise. “And what about when you were in that restaurant? You must be thinking some unsavory things”, he chuckled knowingly, still not pushing his fingers in yet, rather teasing you with his barely-there touch. You gave him a look, certainly, said unsavory thoughts were irrelevant now. It was just in the heat of the moment. “I said I wanted you to be real with me”, Zayne elaborated finally, and plunged his fingers in, too slowly. Your toes curled a little at the slight intrusion. It was becoming difficult to listen to him. “I want to know what you are thinking. What you were thinking. Take it out on me”, he coaxed.

You considered it momentarily, but you already knew you’d always give in to Zayne. It was impossible to stay bottled up when he was so gentle and understanding.

“I thought you were an asshole for inviting me out just to leave me waiting in that stupid restaurant”.

“Mhm. I hear you”, Zayne nodded. As you began talking, his fingers pushed in deeper against your tight walls.

“Hah… And… That these waiters are right and you must be a real dumbass dickhead to ditch me when I look so hot”, you breathed out, face dusted in a pretty pink. In hindsight, these were all petty thoughts.

“A ‘dumbass dickhead’? That’s harsh”, he chuckled warmly. His eyes seemed much calmer now, the prior frustration ebbed away when you melted to his touch. He gently curled his fingers a little, pumping the digits in and out of you slowly.

“Ugh”, you scoffed, but that slight annoyance was quickly washed away with a low moan of appreciation. He really knew the body well. “Anything else?”, Zayne continued coaxing, as his fingers thrust quicker, working you open for him.

“Uh…”, you breathed out, growing more and more distracted with the way his fingers were pleasuring you. It did make you more loose-lipped, though. “...Then I was going to go home and text you about what a shitty asshole you are, then block you on everything… so you’d know how it feels to be waiting for nothing”.

“That’s more like it, good girl…”, Zayne cooed in praise when your defenses crumbled, “You must’ve been very disappointed. It’s alright to tell me”. You were finally doing what he told you to do, and let him in on these emotions. He hummed in approval, and removed his hands, instead using them to unbuckle his belt, sliding the zipper down. You whimpered when his fingers slid out of you and glanced down at where his hands were traveling. Despite his supposed calmness, he was far from unaffected by the whole situation. He tugged his boxers down, not even bothering to undress all the way, revealing his aching cock to your eyes. He was hard and straining, his cock twitching as he gave it a couple of strokes, before being unable to keep himself away for any longer, and angled himself down, against your dripping hole.

“Good girls deserve rewards, don’t they? Though I may be inclined to give an even better prize if she keeps talking”, Zayne suggested - this time, his voice was breathy and strained. His breath hitched at the feeling of your walls slowly enveloping his tip, and he rutted up on instinct, pushing a little firmer into you. Meanwhile, you were far too wrapped up in the feeling of his dick filling you up to even think about his request.

“Come on, talk to me, sweetheart”, he cooed beside your ear, breathy and needy as he finally let some of his restraints go, and began thrusting into you slowly, groaning with every drag of his cock inside your tight cunt.

“I hate you. Next time, don’t bother coming at all”, you sputtered - the best petty thing in alignment with your earlier emotions that you could come up with when he was all up in your guts (or so it felt). A puff of white breath spilled from the glossy lips - at that moment, you realized how fucking cold the car was, despite the burning temperature of your intertwined bodies.

A satisfied smile widened on his lips, and he began picking up the pace. “Sure—“, as a reward, Zayne’s body jerked forward the moment the words left your lips, burying his cock tight against your walls.

“…You—“, your vision blurred with stars, as his hips slapped forward again, each word emphasized by a firm thrust, hitting that spot inside you perfectly..

Oh, the third time, that final thrust, would be deli—

Suddenly, Zayne’s warm hands left your body and he pulled out, leaving you empty. The expression on his face seemed to be a total nonchalance, but you knew better than that, and you weren’t so stupid to not notice that it wasn’t the weather that was making the car so cold. His cock twitched with need against your abdomen, and you tried to ignore the precum staining your bunched-up dress in favor of something much more important now.

“You must be kidding”, a sneer formed on your face, arms crossing over the breasts he’d made a point to free from that pretty silk dress earlier, “If you don’t want me, just say it from the get-go”. Despite his claims of not being a professional in psychology, his tricks were certainly working. Because now, you were spilling out whatever indignance was on your mind, instead of bottling up from him.

His eyes burned, a flicker of both irritation and offense flickering through that forest-green gaze. Not want her? What a notion it was… He blinked, and it was gone again, but you knew Zayne well enough to not assume those emotions had disappeared.

“Y/N”, it was a breathy, soft sound, his voice. On the surface, it felt calm and even, but there was a subtle, barely-there exhale at the end where you could sense a sea of emotions underneath. Zayne averted his gaze, and it seemed to take him a moment to recollect. You shivered - it felt as if the car had just grown colder.

“We should probably… use protection”, he said after some time.

“Seriously-?”, you deadpanned - and here you were expecting something a little more passionate than that, especially with his cock on your lap, you sprawled out half naked on the fancy leather seats of his car.

“We need to be responsible”.

“I don’t really care right now”.

“We shouldn’t—“.

“Zayne”, you said firmly, effectively silencing him. “I don’t care. If it’s you, it will always be fine.”

Two pairs of eyes stared at each other in complete silence. Then, Zayne nodded, with a soft ‘alright’. Out of the corner of your eyes, the car thermostat dropped another half degree. At this rate, you two would be frozen shut in here until dawn, but at least you’d be in good company.

Zayne noticed when you shivered, and despite his very aching need, his gentle hand grasped your chin and tilted your head upwards to look at him. It only took one look, as if you’d known him, and him you a thousand lifetimes. - Is this okay? - Always is, with you.

His body crowded over yours, one hand beside your head to hold himself up, and the other running up and down your arm as if to try and warm you in the cold. It wouldn’t matter, you wouldn’t care for the cold anymore in a couple of seconds. Your lips soon met his, a sweet and gentle dance - you had always had a feeling you didn’t need to rush when it came to Zayne. That no matter what, you two would always be. Always together. Your thoughts were brushed away again when his tongue slid past your lips, tasting the fruity gloss with a low hum of appreciation, before breaking the seal of your mouth and finding yours. There was a sense of apology in how slowly he was taking things - Sorry for missing the reservation, sorry for keeping you waiting - you pressed back against him, one hand carding into the dark locks to keep him in place - It’s alright, you are here. Zayne’s body was moving again, slotting itself properly between your slightly spread thighs. His hands pushed at your dress, and his hips stuttered forward on instinct, dragging his aching cock against the soft fabric in an attempt to relieve some of the tension. Your body shifted on your own accord, already impatient for more, earning a hiss from the doctor when he slid himself against your dripping slit. The kiss broke as he drew in a ragged, barely restrained breath, burying his face against your shoulder.

“Zayne…”, you panted right beside his ear. Maybe it was a malicious attempt to make him really lose it, maybe not.

“Yes, sweetheart?”, he nearly whispered, and you felt his hand clenching and unclenching on your arm. His body was hot and heavy above your own, taller frame almost draped over you like a blanket as you two found a comfortable position in the backseat.

“Fuck me”, you swallowed thickly, heat pooling in your guts as you anticipated the effects of those very filthy words. Your hips even shifted against him to grind your cunt down along the length of his pulsing cock, working him up more.

A low noise rumbled in Zayne’s throat, and he jerked back at the sensation of the delicious friction. It might be a little risky, playing with him like this, but you two were already messing around in an empty parking lot anyway, so what was the harm?

“Don’t tease me like that”, he reprimanded softly, though surely deep inside he was anything but calm and collected. He pressed a kiss to your bare shoulder and pulled back again to show his face. Sure enough, beneath the mask of calmness were those green eyes, swimming with desire.

Your thighs were split open wide by Zayne’s deft hands, pinned down by his firm grip, not giving any space to wiggle free and mess with him. His eyes were downwards, glued to the way his aching cock was gliding against your folds, grinding himself down against your wet pussy.

“You’re so wet”, he said, as if in awe of the fact that this was very real, happening right now, even if it was hardly the first time you’d done this. Then his hips shifted, unable to wait any longer, aligning himself up with you. Your toes curled against the leather seat as his cock pushed past your hole, his familiarity filling you up slowly, inch by inch. Above you, Zayne’s eyes were fluttered half closed and his lips were hung slightly open, his mind overtaken with pleasure for the moment. You tensed up instinctively as Zayne pushed himself in, nails digging crescents into the expensive leather seat only to let up easily when he bottomed out, your bodies interconnected completely. His hips flushed against your own, and god it was a sinful sight from down here, watching his eyes dilate until the green was hardly visible, veined hand clenching on your bicep to try and rein himself in, while his cock pulsed between your walls with his every breath. You tried and wriggled in his grasp, pushing yourself down against him, and he lost it. Zayne’s hip jerked forward, driving his cock even deeper, and he gave an unconcealable groan of pleasure. Slowly, he began to move, pulling his hips back before snapping forward again, sending electricity up your spine by waves. Frost crept up on the tinted windows of the car as he picked up the pace, and soon enough, the car was filled up by the sinful sound of skin slapping against skin.

“Zayne…”, you mewled his name, and his hips snapped forward a bit too roughly in response. He cursed and shifted to angle himself up so that every rut forward of his cock hit that sweet spot that would make your toes curl. “Y/N”, Zayne answered breathily, brows furled and lips teeth clenched to force himself to some level of restraint. Instead of pressing down and kissing you, he held himself up, eyes raking over every one of your features as he drove you to ecstasy. A snap of his hips and your lips trembled with the stimulation. Another, and your pretty lashes fluttered, the beginning of a pleasure-induced glaze gleaming over those bright eyes. Your voice grew higher and higher in pitch as he moved faster, and God, he could fall apart right this moment… His left hand reached down between your legs, every movement gentle when he found that spot that would make your eyes go white and circled his thumb around the bundle of nerves. “Fuck, Zayne…”, the reaction was instantaneous, and you clenched down on his cock, body tense and shivering when the first orgasm hit, the first of many for the night. Zayne’s mouth closed over yours the moment his name escaped your glossy lips, swallowing any moans and some of his own too. His pace didn’t relent, cock bruising against your walls with every thrust. His hands moved and grasped your thighs, spreading it open even wider, at what would otherwise be an uncomfortable angle, but you were too busy being cock drunk to care. Zayne paused for a split second and hauled one of your thighs over his arm, hand caressing the bare skin as he held that leg over his shoulder. Now he could go deeper, and he didn’t waste any time doing exactly that. His hips slammed against your own, burying himself deep enough to put stars in your vision.

“You look so pretty. You must be punishing me, looking like that”, Zayne’s face tilted inwards, nosing along your calf. A sharp exhale left his lips when he caught the scent of that perfume you’d strategically sprayed on your ankle, and he immediately pressed his lips against that patch of skin, kissing sweetly before latching his mouth on it to suck a hickey onto you. A low noise left your throat, and Zayne’s other hand snaked down to splay against your stomach, both to keep you still as he dragged his cock in and out of you and to just feel you, real and up against himself. “I’m so close already, God, Y/N…”, he breathed against your neck, a noise bordering between neediness and downright desperation, “Come with me, please, sweetheart. I need you so bad”, he practically whimpered against your jaw, and with another sharp thrust of his hips, you cried out his name, gushing around him. Your thighs were locked tight and frozen around his waist, providing no escape from the hold your tightness had on him. “F-fuck, Y/N…”, Zayne was pulled over the edge with you, and with a final thrust, his seed spilled into you, filling you up with his passion. You felt his chest stutter against your own with every breath, and eventually, he slumped against you, body stilling to a drained pause.

“Spend the night at my place. I’ll make you a better dinner”, Zayne whispered against your jaw, before shakily pushing himself up a little to press a soft kiss against your lips.

“...”

“Okay”.

#zayne love and deepspace #zayne x mc #zayne x reader #zayne x y/n #lnds zayne #lads zayne #zayne smut #love and deepspace #lnds #lads #fem reader #zayne lads smut

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jymwahuwu · 2 years ago

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Food for thought, High-cloud Quintet era:

Jing Yuan, Dan Feng and Yingxing helping their innocent Darling (same darling bc its fun!) with "Stamina and Flexibility" training fwhile (and esp when) they have darling assist them in their work after a certain Sword Champion turned their request to be a disciple down for the nth time.

To make it more fun, there is no fixed schedule plan as in order to be a warrior, one must always be prepared to deal with unexpected situations after all:

- Dodging random and unexpected tendrils made of water by a certain high elder to test ones reflexes.

-Maintaining their concentration when meditating whilst being strapped down on a... "concentration training" machine made by a certain blade smith.

-Maintaining concentration and ability to strategize whilst being folded into different poses during a match of star chess with a languid Lieutenant.

For example, whilst also having to assist them while they work. They are busy people, you can't expect them to take time off their schedule to dedicate it to training you alone, would you?

-one of the peeps who hunts the comments section

This is so delicious, I immediately thought of what that would be like… 😌🫶

-CW: yandere, abuse of trust, overstimulation, sex machine

You are so naive and innocent... You are all focused on how to improve your strength and contribution, and you don't realize that there is something wrong with their "training"…

Dan Feng:

Imbibitor Lunae has the ability to manipulate water, weave rain and dew, create storms, and even split seawater, so training with water is really something you can expect. You just didn't expect…High Elder's training to be so…random. From HSR's description, we can know that Vidyadhara possesses a technology called cloudhymn magic, which can make them almost completely invisible and appear quietly around people. So… you were attacked completely randomly.

The water occasionally sprays onto your underwear, wetly revealing the shape of your sexual organs inside. You squirmed uncomfortably and closed your legs to avoid others noticing that water was dripping between your legs for no reason… You didn't want to be thought of as a weirdo who was in heat anytime and anywhere…

Dan Feng didn't even come to you on purpose. He showed no emotion when he did this. The High Elder sometimes wiggles his fingertips a little and your underwear is soaked, and then he goes to have lunch and deal with the daily affairs of Vidyadhara. Sometimes, your chest will also get wet, causing two puddles of water on the clothes on your chest. It's so embarrassing! You have to cross your arms over your chest to cover it up and then go change.

But…the "training" that requires taking off clothes is different. Dan Feng asks you to remain still. For an hour continuously, the warm water sprays on your private parts, the effect is like masturbation in the shower… You have to resist moving. This is a challenge of endurance and willpower…

Yingxing:

This talented weapon forger has gained a good reputation most of the time… Many people have commented that he is arrogant, but Yingxing does have the qualifications of "arrogance".

You trust Yingxing. He is so sweet and builds those weapons for you for free. He put decorations on the weapons he gave you and engraved them with beautiful patterns that suit you.

So… Even though Yingxing gave you that weird "concentration training" machine, you accepted it. That machine is automated…or it operates according to the program created by Yingxing, with more than ten modes.

In the normal mode, you only need to sit on the dildo of the machine (what Yingxing did not tell you is that the shape of the dildo is according to his…), and be penetrated deeply and trembled at the frequency of thrusting. This machine always seeks out your sensitive spots and stimulates them long-lasting and thoroughly. In full mode, your hands and legs are immobilized, and your nipples are caressed and rubbed for constant overstimulation.

Yingxing asks for your feedback and improves the machine. Maybe you should consider some suggestions…

Jing Yuan:

Jing Yuan coaxes you - this is about concentration and strategic skills training. If you can't strategize without interruption, you will suffer defeat in combat. He's just doing it for your own good. This…sounds reasonable?

At least once a day, you have to play chess with Jing Yuan, but the distraction is that you have to sit on his cock and fiddle with the chess pieces. He unbuttoned his pants and took out his fat cock, which was erect. He held his chin, narrowed his eyes and smiled, urging you to sit up. It took you a lot of courage to sit on it for the first time, and the unfamiliar cock almost split you open. So…thick and long. You moaned softly with every inch he thrust in, and his thumb rubbed your private parts to help lubricate you. Sitting completely on it is a terrifying experience. Pleasure bewilders and corrupts your brain…

Maybe this is what Jing Yuan meant by "training"? About whether you can focus on strategizing.

Of course you are… unable to focus. It collapsed in a few steps. Your fingertips tremble as you place the chess pieces. The brain cannot think about the next strategy and route…

After a few months, you get better at it, a little bit, but every time you get close to reaching "victory," you're screaming and bouncing on the general's cock, missing the chance of "victory" in orgasm...

#yandere dan feng x reader #yandere blade x reader #yandere jing yuan x reader #jing yuan x reader #honkai star rail x you #honkai star rail x reader #yandere hsr #yandere hsr x reader #yandere honkai star rail #yandere jing yuan #blade x reader #honkai x reader #hsr x reader #hsr blade x reader #blade x you #hsr x you

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on-a-lucky-tide · 6 months ago

Note

Your ask made me remember the request I was going to send it to you but forgot

hard to pick one to ask out of my drafts (very tempted to ask a PriceGhost omegaverse thought) BUT I decided to go with this cliché ask:

During a mission it snowed in, trapping Price and Nikolai in the safehouse, maybe one of them is experiencing hypothermia and needed to be warm up...in one way or another ( ͡º ꒳ ͡º) you can decide if they go 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂 or not!! I'll eat up anything you write either way

love yo stuff, stay hydrated! also manifesting max grains and zero pain for ya gym days 💪

Nik has to save Price from hypothermia, but with their bodies pressed so close, they can't resist each other.

cw: omegaverse, alpha Nik, omega Price, dubious consent in the sense Price is embarrassed by his body's reaction, clearly has some trauma, and it's kinda a stressful situation, and Nik gentles him? But they're into each other. Uncertain/open ending as Price clearly has a lot to work through. Sorry, Gomz, this got a whole 7k away from me...

The snow had come in so quickly. That was the problem with operating this far north; the weather was unpredictable, and when it turned it took no prisoners. Nik had managed to get them to an old house he knew about just on the outskirts of a small town. One of many old estates once owned by a soviet officer, its wine cellar, opulent decorations, and sprawling grounds all that remained of the bloated symbol of hypocrisy. It had long since been abandoned by the locals; too much trouble to repair, and everything of immediate value had been gutted.

While Nik had tried to get one of the old radios they found to work, John had been shovelling snow around the generators in an effort to get close enough to crank them up, but the storm had eventually defeated him and driven him back inside. Not even the legendary Bravo Six could overcome nature when she dug her heels in.

Nik wasn't immediately worried when John stepped into the study where they'd set up a temporary camp, shaking the snow from his carrier vest and coat like a dog clearing its fur. He was walking normally, placing his rifle down against the wall as he shut out the howling wind. Nik had loaded a fire in the hearth and found a heap of animal furs and blankets in one of the bedrooms upstairs to supplement their sleeping bags, so the room was warm enough to shed their coats and hang them to dry. He sat hunched over the desk by the window, one side of the headset pressed to his ear as he adjusted the antennae.

The radio whirred and buzzed, but there was too much interference from the storm and all he could coax out of it was white noise and whining. "There is only static," Nik said. "It is working, but we will only get a communication through when the snow eases. For now, we must wait."

"Thas'good," John said, and then proceeded to knock into a dusty coffee table, his boots clumping heavily as he tried to steady himself.

Nik paused, his hand stilling on the dials. "Captain?" He looked over his shoulder, picking John's shape out in the gloom as his eyes adjusted to the dim light created by the fire. A sharp contrast to the almost radioactive yellow of the dials. He could see John slouched over by the door, his hand against the wall.

"Nik, I fink... Fink 'm..."

Nik abandoned the radio in the next breath and was there to catch John when he staggered, his body falling heavily into Nik's arms. There was no mistaking the signs of hypothermia; John looked confused, his eyes dilated, and when Nik yanked his glove off with his teeth and shoved his hand just on the inside of John's collar where he should be warm and dry, his skin was cold and clammy.

"Nik, 'm... S'somethin'..."

Nik dragged John towards the fire, his boots scuffing on the old wood panel floor as he struggled to find his footing. John's clothes were wet, inside and out; a combination of relentless snow melting through and the sweat from exertion meant that much of his gear's insulation had been rendered useless. Exposed for too long in adverse conditions, even the most expensive military kit couldn't keep up.

Nik peeled John out of them, tearing off velcro and unclipping buckles, swift and efficient. His palms passed over pale skin spotted with freckles, blue in some places where it should be flushed and pink. Despite its pallor, John's body was truly beautiful; strong and athletic, with its defined musculature dusted by downy body hair. If the situation wasn't so desperate, Nik might have lingered to admire every new inch he revealed. He had fantasised about it long enough in private moments, his eyes closed and his hand inside his underwear.

John tried to help. Even dazed and shivering, he knew what was wrong. Knew what the process was. But his clumsy hands only slowed Nik down, numb fingers unable to grip or feel their way over the fastenings. "Let me. I have you," Nik said gently, pushing John's hands away from his belt. He was naked for barely a handful of seconds before Nik was wrapping him in a sleeping bag, laying him down on top of the pile of furs before the fire.

There were warm packs in their Bergens and Nik cracked a few of these as he kicked off his own clothes. Sleeping bags needed actual body heat to work well, and that was something John was lacking; on their own, the heat packs wouldn't work quickly enough. This wasn't how Nik had wanted to hold John for the first time, not what he had dreamed about in those quiet hours before dawn, his hand clutched around his knot, but he didn't have time to lament fate.

Nik shivered as he grabbed the last of the blankets, a little musty, but a maid had clearly laundered them before storing them away for the final time. He draped them over in layers before sliding into the sleeping bag at John's back, large arms encircling his quivering chest and drawing him close, John's freezing body fully ensconced in life-saving warmth.

Only in the stillness that followed did Nik realise his own heart was hammering in his chest, his ears muffled by the pulse of his blood as he allowed himself the momentary grace to feel fear. What if John had stayed out only five minutes longer and collapsed in the snow? What if Nik had searched for him, his body already covered over, and hadn't found him until the morning? Frozen solid, his beautiful eyes empty of life. It could have happened. Fate had been close to stealing John away. Too close.

John's laboured panting evened out and Nik felt his body go slack as he slipped in and out of unconsciousness. It was fine, as long as he was warming, breathing, his body relaxing out of its tense alarm, then Nik could stop his useless panicking.

Nik swallowed, tilting his nose down into John's hair to inhale a lungful of him, seeking comfort from the soft scent of a mature, fertile omega; a guilty pleasure, but one he allowed himself to calm his fear.

He had never been this close to John. Brief embraces, shoulder to shoulder in the back of a Hercules, sharing a drink and whispering conspiratorially in a bar, passing a cigar back and forth in the back of Nik's Black Hawk. So many intimate moments where Nik had fallen slowly, irrevocably in love with this fierce, bad-tempered, feral man with scruffy facial hair and cunningly intelligent blue eyes. But none like this. None where he could taste John's musky, soft smell in the back of his throat, feel the pulse of his heart as if it were beating under his own skin.

Nik knew he was torturing himself. John’s scent curled through him like rich cigar smoke in an expensive bar, winding down his spine until it coiled in his belly and stoked at his instincts. Nik was so very aware of the firm line of John's body in his arms; the plush curves of his full arse, the strong muscles of his thighs and the quiet strength boasted by his broad shoulders. How soft and inviting his body hair was, how kissable the freckles, scars and moles across his skin, like constellations mapping a lifetime over John's body. The thought of spreading John's legs, sinking into his tight heat and making that gravelly voice break with pleasure was driving him insane.

"Blyat..." Nik muttered, the heat coiling in his hips, his cock twitching. Nik flattened his palm against John's chest and felt the strong, valiant thrum of his heart, defiant in the face of the cold. He used it to ground himself. He had to stay calm. For John's sake. While Nik could forgive his body its natural urges around such a handsome omega, he could not forgive any loss of control because of them.

Nik stayed vigilant as the minutes ticked into hours. He tried to remember his training about the different levels of hypothermia and their recovery times, but all his damn mind could latch onto was the scent and feel of the omega in his arms. Nik ached in a way he never had before; a deep, humming discontent at his very core. It was a combination of desire and terror; the cold had nearly snatched John away, and now here he was, so close, so vulnerable, and yet he had never been so off limits. Nik burned with need and it mocked him.

Nik held John a little tighter and closed his eyes. As long as he could feel the slow rise and fall of John's chest, feel the flutter of his breath over his bicep, he knew John was still… here. Alive, and safe. If Nik stayed still, taking each minute as it came, he would not slip. Not allow himself to indulge in his weakness.

Nik must have dozed off to the lullaby of John's heartbeat, his face tucked into his hair, because seemingly in the next moment John was writhing in his arms, his arse bumping back against the hard length of Nik's cock, which had only stiffened further as Nik had grounded himself in the strength of John's body. A poor method of quietening his libido, as it turned out, with John's scent now fogging every breath, melting into his hot skin like settling snow.

Nik loosened his embrace a little and John rolled over, the cold tip of his nose pressing between the mounds of Nik's tits. Nik felt the bristles of John's beard and then the soft vibration of a contented hum, followed by the softest roll of a pleased purr; the noise of a receptive omega looking to mate. It gripped in Nik’s chest like a closing fist and he drew in a stuttering breath. Nik stroked a palm down the curve of John's spine to settle at the small of his back, and John's hips pushed forward, teasing himself against the thick bulge in Nik's boxers. Nik did nothing to stop him, paralysed by the noise he never thought he'd hear John make.

One of those strong legs lifted to drape over Nik's hip, drawing him closer until Nik could feel John's wet slit dampening the cotton over his cock. John was reacting favourably to his scent, judging him worthy as he flexed against his strength, instinctually reaching for him. Nik's entire body ached with desire and sordid lust, his teeth on edge, as the man he yearned for offered himself up in a poisoned chalice. To take advantage now would be beyond redemption.

"John?" Nik croaked.

John's lashes fluttered against Nik's skin and he pulled back a little, a stitch between his brows. "Nik, I..."

"How do you feel?" Nik bit out, intimately aware that he could feel the throbbing heat between John's legs pressed against the length of his cock.

John's cheeks reddened and Nik felt his weathered hands press to his chest. "Fine... Good, I... Sorry, 'm... I didn' mean..."

"Is ok," Nik said softly. "It is warm. Your body is reacting naturally."

John swallowed and Nik felt a deep breath shudder the length of his back. Noticeably, John didn't draw his hips away; he tensed and then relaxed, like he was fighting an internal battle, his body warming further in Nik's arms as his hips squirmed, rubbing the swollen bud of his cock against Nik's with a soft gasp of surprised pleasure. His skin was warm, flushed, the first beads of sweat gathering across his shoulder blades, slick between their bellies and chests. The miasma of pheromones and arousal made Nik dizzy, and beneath it he could smell the telltale sweetness of heat.

John wasn't due, he knew that much. The captain organised his heats fastidiously. His body had been thrown off kilter by the cold, perhaps, or even the proximity and availability of someone his subconscious deemed a worthy mate to protect it while vulnerable; a virile, strong alpha. The thought that John's primal self would offer him for mating, assured that Nik would be strong enough to protect him while he recovered, and the resulting pups from their union, stirred something feral and possessive in Nik's gut. He pushed it down, shoulders bunching.

John growled low in his throat, flashing his sharp canines, his fists bunching against Nik's chest, perhaps sensing the shift in Nik body. "Don't know wos fuckin' wrong with me," he snarled, and Nik felt the graze of those teeth against his clavicle.

Nik knew John fought his biology. He chafed at it, saw it as a failing. Nik could only imagine what had been done to him in the past to make him feel that way. Like any omega, John was more than capable of tearing him to pieces if he felt threatened, but there was something so rawly vulnerable about John now as he clenched and growled, fighting something that he should view as a nuisance more than a crippling inadequacy.

"Nothing," Nik said. "There is nothing wrong with you. You are... velikolepnyy."

"Fuck, Nik..." John's fingers splayed over his chest again, the cool tip of his nose warming in the hollow of Nik's throat. "Haa, hnn, I think.. ahh, I think ‘m..."

"Da, I can... smell it in your sweat."

"Fuck, fuck..." John snarled, letting out another soft gasp as his body cramped for the first time.

"It is ok. You are safe. We can manage it until help arrives."

John shoved his face into Nik's chest and groaned, pained. “Yer so fuckin’ hard, Nik.”

Nik swallowed. That didn't sound like anger or disgust. But desperation and desire. “Da, you… smell very good,” Nik said, somewhat lamely. “It is ok. I can… I am in control.”

“Oh, fu–” John tensed in Nik’s arms, and Nik heard his jaw creak as he clenched his teeth through another spasm of discomfort. “Need t’ get out of here or I won't be… ha-ah.”

“Nyet, you… John, you must stay in the warm.’

“All the bloody blankets smell of you. S’only gonna… get worse. Fuck, why fuckin’... now?”

Nik swallowed and slid a hand from John's back to his hip. “A panic response. You were in danger–this is not your fault.”

John said nothing. He faded into silence, his body wound tight in Nik’s arms. His previously calm, deep breaths that had inhaled lungfuls of Nik’s scent, soothing his heat into a deeper lull, now hitched in short, sharp pants, trying to avoid the lure of comfort and surrender. Nik wished they were home, in John's bed, or even the snug bunk he used in his office when he couldn't be bothered to drive back to his flat. At least there, surrounded by familiarity, John might have felt safe enough to tentatively explore the desire sinking its hooks in.

But then, Nik thought with only a hint of bitterness, it was the sheer desperation of the environment around them that had panicked his body enough to shake up the clock. Without it, John would have always remained in absolute control of himself to the point of guarded repression. He would have never fallen into Nik's embrace.

“God, fuck,” John growled, his body rigid, like if he moved even an inch he might lose some invisible battle. Ground lost to an encroaching enemy. Nik wished he could roll him into his back and scent him until he relaxed. Every instinct sparking in his brain roared with distress at the discomfort of the omega in his arms, demanding he do something, anything. He laid there uselessly, as frozen as the fish in the ponds outside, caught in the storm of competing needs; to satiate John, and to respect him. It hurt that the two things were in opposition when they should be one and the same.

John shifted, his broad shoulders rolling a little, his head tilting back. Nik could practically hear the cogs whirring in John's mind. When he finally lifted his chin far enough for their eyes to meet, John's were red and watery from stress, pupils dilated. Nik could see a deep sadness, a kind of resignation; bright blue dampened to a faded grey. “I, uh… would ya help me, Nik?”

Nik’s mouth opened and closed, each breath drawing more of John’s deep, saccharine scent to the back of his tongue. His body was tense in Nik’s arms still, occasionally shuddering as another muscle spasm worked its way through his core, a grunt snorting through his nose as he swallowed down his groan of pain. Nik couldn't find his words. “I…”

“C’mon, know you want it, can feel ya between my legs,” John said, huffing softly with amusement, face crinkling in a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “Would jus’ be, mm… quick, y’know? So they don't find me in a state. I'd make it up t’ ya, on my word.”

“You would offer me something I have wanted for years as if it is a burden,” Nik said, trying to keep the edge of sadness from his voice but failing rather miserably. “This is not how I… hoped it to be.”

John swallowed, his eyes dropped, expression hazy. It wasn't how Nik had hoped his confession would be either. He had pictured an expensive dinner, perhaps a trip to Duxford so he could look at the planes and John could look at the tanks, and then Nik would have told him as they strolled through the countryside towards a pint, wrapped in scarves and heavy coats. Warm, safe. Comfortable in each other’s presence as they had always been. Like this, John would feel under duress, vulnerable and like he needed to be on the defence.

Another shudder, another pant of breath, the soft gasp not quite bitten back in time. “Please, Nik… can’t let them see me like this, I… I'll be good.. ahh, for ya. No funny business.”

“Funny business?”

“Yeah, not gonna bite, or… mm, won't… won't fight ya.”

“John…” Nik said, his chest pulling tight; his teeth ached at the back of his mouth and a miserable knot formed in his throat. “I am not a rapist.”

“I know, I know… Nik, 'm… ahh, ‘m not thinkin’, didn't mean it like that, I…” John's face dropped to Nik's chest for a moment as he gathered himself. “Jus’... Don't bite me, don't mark me, no’... no’ ready. I… no’ like this.”

“I promise I won't,” Nik said. It hurt that John couldn't meet his eyes. Someone had hurt him badly in the past. Nik had always assumed as such, but that was all the confirmation he needed. The harm was so deep, still raw, that John couldn't even trust a man that had served him loyally for so many years.

Nik lifted the hand from John's hip and cupped the side of his face, thumb brushing over his cheek. Those blue eyes flickered and John tilted into his palm, the softest purr breaking through the tightness of his jaw, so low, like a glass marble rolling across an old oak table. Nik couldn't be sure John wasn't forcing it for his benefit, but it had the desired effect either way; the alpha part of his biology ruffled happily, and he responded with a soft chuff, pressing his lips to John's forehead. "Ya tebya obozhayu."

Nik couldn't resist any longer. If he was gentle, if he took his time, then that apprehension he could see in John's eyes, the tense fear rigid down his back, would melt away. John was watching him, sad blue eyes glistening, part in shame, part in barely disguised fear, and Nik wanted to hold him until all he felt was comfort and pleasure.

Their first kiss was tentative, as tender as Nik could be as his hands shook. John's mouth yielded to his tongue, soft, chapped lips parting with a low moan as John's body arched against his once again. Nik slid his palm beneath John’s thigh to lift it further over his hip, grinding his hard cock against the wet heat between his legs, slow and leisurely. Even the soft material of his boxers would begin to feel coarse against John's heat sensitive skin, so they needed to go.

When Nik pulled away, he sucked gently on John's lower lip, before pressing another kiss to his forehead creased with tense lines. He wriggled away enough to shove his boxers off his hips and down his thighs until they passed his knees. When John pressed back against him, soft skin of his inner thigh sliding over the outside of Nik's, Nik's cock head slid through his wet folds, bumping up against the swell of his cock.

“Oh fuck, Nik… yer so fuckin’ thick…” John bit out, grinding himself against the underside of Nik's cock, slick and precum making filthy, wet noises as John groaned into Nik's chest, hands clutching at the meat of Nik's body as he took his pleasure. Nik let him, mouth hanging open, the soft, wet slit of John’s cunt hot and perfect around the underside of his shaft.

He cupped John's arse with one hand, spreading it open a little so his fingers could dip towards the fluttering muscles of John's holes. The softest brush of his fingertips appeared to be enough because John’s moans hit a peak after only two passes, his body seizing, pushing hard against Nik's cock. “Oh, fuck, Nik, Nik… ha-ah.”

John tucked his face away as if ashamed at his eagerness, pressing his nose into the centre of Nik's chest as his orgasm rattled through him. He was on a hair trigger, sensitivity heightened, receptive to a potential mate’s touch. The thought made something warm and heavy curl in Nik’s belly, and he allowed himself a fleeting moment of excitement. Nik nuzzled a kiss in his hair and chuffed softly, stroking his hands up and down John's back before lifting John higher against him, his cock flicking free of the press of John's body.

It was awkward like this, wrapped tightly in the blankets with John half draped over him, and Nik didn't want to risk rolling on top of John and panicking him. There was a risk instinct would overcome reason in the haze of heat and John's fear, and those sharp teeth would rip through his jugular in seconds. Perhaps later, when he had realised Nik wasn't about to hurt him, Nik would drape over his back and appease the deep need in his gut to blanket his omega as they mated, to fully encompass his powerful body as it presented and guard it with his own. Instead, Nik reached beneath John's thigh, hitching it a little higher, to steady his cock just long enough to sink the head inside.

John gasped, his back arching, his walls still tingling from his orgasm bore down, spasming in renewed pleasure as Nik slowly thrust inside. He couldn't quite get fully seated, not at this angle, but it was enough. His eyes flickered shut at the sweet, soft heat sucking around his shaft as he drew back, thrusting back in with a slow roll of the hips, feeling John press against him with a strangled grunt of shock.

“John…” Nik kept hold of John’s thigh but the other hand slid up his back into his hair, urging his face away from where it had buried against his chest. His eyes were red-rimmed, dull, and there was a crease of concentration doen his face. Nik's heart ached. “I am sorry… you are… tight.”

“S’ok,” John croaked. “Don' be, s’fine, feels good… please, move… ‘m–haa.”

Nik kissed him gently on the lips, no more than a brief brush, before rolling to ease him on top. As John slid down Nik's full length, his knees splaying over the blankets, he choked out a soft gasp. “Nik, fuck, so much… haa, mmm, n-no, give me a moment, need a moment…”

John was so tight, bearing down on the thick girth pressing him open, resisting, anxious. Nik had a slight height advantage, and he used it to press gentle kisses to John's face; over his brow, against a flushed cheek and the creases at the corners of his eyes. He chuffed, stroking warm palms up and down John's broad back as it flexed and quivered.

With each caress, John relaxed, sinking down against the plush warmth of Nik's body; the give of his belly, the cushion of his chest, the downy black hair of his torso that trapped the scent of his sweat and pheromones, rubbing both into John's skin.

John tucked his nose beneath Nik's chin and purred, rough and craggy, like someone had rubbed sandpaper down his throat. Not the silky trill of a young omega, but the worn, tired purr of a mature one that has torn his way through life with his bare hands, snarling and growling, so used to roaring with fury that gentler noises were unwieldy. And yet, it was the most beautiful sound Nik had ever heard.

Nik responded with soft huffs and murmurs of his own, hands sliding down to John's thighs as he slowly rocked his hips up, dragging his thick cock out until only his crown stayed notched inside, the slick dripping down his shaft, soaking his balls, further assurance that John was finding pleasure in their mating. When John tilted his head and started to lick at Nik’s chin and neck, his tongue rasping over Nik’s stubble in long, indulgent laps, Nik tilted his back to submit himself to his omega’s affectionate grooming. I trust you, please trust me.

His. His omega. John was his. Handsome, fierce, strong. Every inch of him wrapped in corded muscle, with a soft layer over his belly and tits, his slim waist and the dip of his back perfectly shaped for Nik’s hands, the firm curves of his arse and thighs, built for explosive strength, agility, for riding an alpha’s cock and taking their pleasure. If only someone had nurtured John's confidence rather than destroy it.

Nik pushed his heels and upper back into the floor, and bounced John’s hips against his, fucking him down onto his cock with increasing pace.

“Oh, Nik, Nik… mmm, yeah, tha’--ah, ah, fuck,” John panted, breath hot against the wetness he had left on the underside of Nik's chin.

“You are perfect, John. Tell me, tell me what… mm, tell me what you want…”

“Ahh, ahh, I nee’, ah, Nik, yeah…”

“That's it, solnyshko, take what you… ahh, take what you need. I am yours.”

Nik could feel John taking agency, tentatively, his hips moving without guidance. He slid his hands down the back of John's thighs and held him behind the knees, giving him something to brace against as he began to grind and roll with increasing urgency, chasing the pleasure coiling in his hips, tensing in his thighs and his lower back.

“Ahh, yer… ahh, yer gettin’ harder… feel, ahh, feel bigger, mm… ahh, yer knot, fuck!”

Nik's knot was beginning to swell, popping in and out of John's hole, gaping him wide with each pass. His back arched, hips thrusting up to meet John, a firm platform for him to slam himself down and grind against. Under the cover of the blanket, the sweat eased the glide of their bodies together, intensifying the scent of heat and arousal in Nik's nostrils. His balls pulled tight as John's desperate noises, broken and gravelly, hit a new, urgent note, and his knot swelled, grinding into John's hole until it locked them together.

Nik released John's shaking legs as his body responded with a deep, overwhelming orgasm that milked Nik’s knot, and Nik grabbed John's face, arching him back to lick the sweat up the curve of his throat. So close to his scent glands, it was saturated in heat pheromones and Nik sucked desperately at the soft, vulnerable skin just above the hollow of his throat as his prick filled John with his seed.

Those strong thighs clamped around his hips, shuddering and weak from exertion, and Nik whispered gentle praise until John went limp against him, melting into the cradle of Nik's body and relaxing around the bulge of his knot.

Nik had never felt satisfaction like it. A soft, comfortable calm settled deep in his bones. His omega smelled satiated, content, the heave of his shoulders calming as his heart settled into an even rhythm. Neither of them spoke. Nik thought perhaps they were both listening to each other's bodies. Nik could feel John's heartbeat; against his chest, wrapped around his cock. Defiant, strong. And Nik wondered whether John could feel his, beating deep inside him, whether it made him feel content, whether the intimacy made him feel as content as it did Nik. Nik kissed John's neck and received a soft rumble in response.

They dozed. Nik's knot went down and he eased John into the softness of the blankets, kissing his chest, his throat, his mouth. Desperate to taste him, to please and comfort him. He was sucking a pebbled nipple when John tugged at him again, gladly spreading his legs for Nik to climb between them. Nik gathered John's hands and pressed them above his head, their fingers wound together, and watched his eyes, kissed his lips, made love to him as gently as he could.

Muscular thighs spread wide as Nik ground deep inside John's eager cunt, alternating between agile rolls and circles of his hips and deeper thrusts that let John feel the heavy balls ready to breed him. The second knot was as intense as the first, and Nik fucked his spend deep into John's body, his tongue in his mouth, their lips locked together. John pushed himself up into it, legs wide in wanton and beautiful submission.

The ebb and flow of John's heat stretched through the night, the storm howling relentlessly outside. They slept between bouts of sex, with John curled into the safety of Nik's arms. After his first turn on top, he was too weak to take the lead again; drained by his brush with the cold, exhausted by the anxiety of an unplanned heat, he relaxed into Nik's care because he had little choice. Nik cradled him, kept them wrapped in the blankets, now rich with the miasma of their mating, their bodies slick and pliant. Every time John demanded, Nik provided.

When he left the impromptu nest - for that is what it had become, soaked in the scent of their mating - it was only to check the radio, feed the fire and arrange John's clothes before it to dry. Each time he returned, John curled back into his embrace with a contented purr, drawing Nik back between his legs.

As dawn creeped closer, John's scent changed, so full of Nik now that he was ready to be claimed. John rolled onto his front, too exhausted to fight his natural desires, and tilted his hips up. Nik writhed between the blankets to taste between his legs, warm tongue lapping slowly over John's puffy, sore cunt, so sensitive and wet, giving into his own instincts to taste the fertility and readiness of his omega.

It was dizzying, intoxicating; Nik pressed his tongue inside and felt John squeeze around him, heard him sigh softly in pleasure, and ground his hard cock against the furs in excitement. He had done this. He had satisfied this strong, indomitable omega to the point he would relax, present, accept a deep and thorough breeding. Nik had been deemed worthy once again.

Nik licked John until his jaw ached, his face soaked in slick, reaching to play with John's engorged cock, squeezing and rubbing until John’s hips were rocking, his moans low and filthy. Eventually, John squirmed, a softer orgasm making his walls flutter in search of a knot as his fingers snagged in the furs. His heat would break in the next few hours; this was their final coupling.

Nik draped over his back, up on his hands and toes with John's hips tilted up. John swallowed him so easily, snug heat sucking Nik’s cock down until Nik’s heavy balls were flush to his body. Nik groaned, the silky soft wetness somehow more divine than it had been the first time, and John echoed him, pressing back, demanding his alpha.

“Nik…”

It was the first word John had said in hours. He had been mostly moans, gasps and growls, completely delirious. That was it, wasn't it? The tension, the resistance, it had melted away, John wanted him, wanted to feel his knot, to take his seed.

“Da, solnyshko. I am here…”

John twisted, arching back, and they kissed, John licking into Nik's mouth. No hiding his face, no delirious submission, but seeking affection as Nik slowly rocked into him. Nik's chest ached in a different way; relief, love, a deep need to protect, to serve his omega's every whim. The soft noises John made through their kiss as Nik dragged every inch of his prick in and out of his body made Nik want to stay there forever, trapped in this moment of bliss. So in tune with John, their heartbeats in tandem, bodies joined as one.

When John broke the kiss, he turned to press his chest into the furs and lift into Nik's thrusts. “Breed me proper, Nik… fuck, I need it… need yer knot, mmm, please, please… harder, wanna feel ya in my damn womb.”

Nik's nostrils flared, his lips rolling back to show his teeth. He dropped to his elbows and tucked his arms beneath John's chest, pressing his own into the sweaty plain of John's back, and began to rut into him harder, faster. The blankets fell away with the pace of Nik's movements, but the fire was stacked high, the room warm enough that it didn't matter. John moaned and gasped, slick hole bearing down on the relentless pump of Nik’s prick into it, hands kneading at the furs.

It was instinctual to lean down and mouth the gland at John's neck, rolling it between his teeth, the sweet taste of unmated omega soaking his tongue. John moaned, more slick dripping down his thighs, his mind unthinking in a soft haze of instinct and heat. He didn't resist, didn't fight.

It would be so easy to claim him at that moment. They would be bonded for life. This beautiful omega would be Nik's and Nik’s alone. Every heat, his body would call for Nik, and Nik’s rut would answer. The intensity of their mating would leave them both sated, and Nik would have a lifetime to show John how much he deserved to be loved. Perhaps even a pup or two, with John's beautiful blue eyes and round cheeks and lopsided smile–

Nik moaned, teeth tightening, as his hips pistoned harder, cock throbbing, so close to release. John's body was so open, so wet, the noises filling the room alongside their moans completely obscene. The filthy pleasure of it roiled in Nik's gut, the thought of pumping another load deep inside his omega, of it quickening as his teeth rended through freckled skin to claim what was already his by fucking birth right, and John had said no, but what if–

He growled low in his chest and forced his jaw apart, pressing his open mouth to John's shoulder, as his knot popped and his balls emptied in powerful pulses.

He didn't bite down.

Wouldn't.

Couldn't.

John had said no and Nik's love for the man was greater than his desire for the omega, even in the heat of the moment. A well of self disgust formed in Nik's chest as he pressed his face to John's back, the fevered, possessive internal rant fading into an echo in the back of his mind.

John moaned and flopped into the furs, his hips shifting only with the occasional stutter of Nik's as he ground his spend as deep as he could. Nik relaxed some of his weight onto John's back and felt him vibrate with the depth of his contentment; a low, croaky purr, only stoked a little louder when Nik lapped at the sweat on his neck, his biceps, and nuzzled into his hair and beard. “Am I too heavy?” he asked, his voice soft beneath the crackle and pop of the fire.

“Naw, feels like yer crushin’ my soul back into my body,” John murmured, his muscles squeezing a little around the swell of Nik's knot. “Feels… good.”

Safe, Nik thought.

The way John was relaxing into the furs, his scent sweet and doughy, blue eyes drooping closed. Nik continued to groom him while they were knotted, licking at the rough at the edge of his grey-speckled beard, nipping his ears and kissing the slopes of his shoulders.

When Nik’s knot faded, he sat back on his heels and watched his cock pull free of John's body with a filthy little slurp. He pressed his thumbs into John's thighs to spread them, admiring the glisten of slick and cum dripping out of John's used hole. Something primal wanted to push it all back in, to make sure not a single drop was wasted. With John so relaxed, Nik gave in to the desire. When Nik slid two fingers in slowly, watching John's soft cunt swallow them so easily, he groaned. It was enough to make his cock twitch with interest again, despite the ache in his lower back and thighs.

“Nik…” John whispered, his hips lifting. “‘m knackered, c’mon… oh, fuck.”

“You are just so perfect… krasivyy. I want to make you feel good. Just once more.” Nik slid his other hand beneath John's body, two fingers rubbing back and forth over the lovely swell of his eager cock, matching the pace of the two thrusting into his cunt.

“Oh, ah, Nik… it's… too much, ‘m too… ah.”

Nik curled his fingers, finding the sweet spot that made John's back arch, and it was so breathtaking the way his muscles bunched, rolling beneath sweat slick-skin, following each pulse of pleasure as it passed up his spine. John's knees spread out, agile hips grinding his cock against the rough pads of Nik's fingers. Even exhausted, wrung out, John’s body sang like a finely tuned instrument under Nik's touch. Like they were meant to be, even without the chemical bond of a mating mark.

John came with a broken moan, his thighs shaking as his cunt clenched around Nik's fingers, slick and cum soaking Nik's palms. The alpha in Nik rumbled with pride and he pulled his hands away to watch John flop, powerful body twitching in the aftershocks.

Nik drew the blankets over their backs and bedded down at John's side, pressing his lips to the back of John's shoulder. In the soft afterglow of their mating, Nik made the silent promise to wait as long as it took for John to be ready. Even if their bonding was his final act as he drew his last breath.

Nik woke some hours later to a crackling voice through the radio. This is Bravo 7. Come in, Yankee 7. He dragged himself out from beneath the blankets and stumbled over to the headset. “This is Yankee 7. It is… good to hear your voice, Lieutenant.”

Copy. And yours. Sitrep?

“We are secure. The captain requires… medical assistance, but it is non-urgent. Hypothermic but stabilised.”

Roger. Location? Over.

“Figures,” Nik yanked his notepad towards him and read out the coordinates.

Rog. Hostiles? Over.

“Just the storm.”

ETA two hours. Sit tight. Out.

Pulling John from the nest felt cruel. Omegas needed time to recover from a heat, and prepare for the next stage. A stage that John would not get to experience, Nik realised, with no small pang of disappointment. They had little time to talk, focusing on packing up camp and covering evidence of their presence.

John's clothes were rough where they had dried before the fire, and Nik held him as he climbed awkwardly back into them. By the time they were making their way towards the drumming blades of a helicopter, Nik's arms around John's back to help him across the uneven ground, they smelled more of woodsmoke and musty damp than sex.

Ghost’s eyes lingered on John when he snapped at the attempt to help him into the Heli. A recently mated omega was aggressive to any alpha that wasn't theirs, and the lieutenant knew something existed between his captain and the pilot that arrived to snatch him from frying pans and fires across the world. Nik dipped his chin once when Ghost glanced at him, and that was enough for the lieutenant.

They gave John his space on the flight home, listening to him growl over the Comms, updating Laswell and Mac on the relative success of the mission. They had secured the intel they needed, even if the storm had nearly scuppered them.

Rog. Ye broken?

“Naw, caught a cold, nuffin’ a rest won't fix.”

Copy. See ye when ye land. Oout.

Nik watched John chuck the radio down and drop his face into his hands, and had to grip his own knees hard to stop from moving over to comfort him. All he felt for the entire journey was a burning desire to blanket and scent the love of his life until he could sleep peacefully. John dozed fitfully the rest of the way, startling awake where he felt unsafe, unguarded.

The base nurses kept him in for a night for monitoring after Nik had accurately relayed John's symptoms, omitting the heat when John had cast him a stern look. So it wasn't until the next day that Nik had a chance to speak to him without prying eyes and ears encroaching on their privacy. Nik caught him just as he was heading into his office.

“John.” Nik felt a stab of pain as John’s shoulders lifted with tension. He couldn't help but reach for him, fingertips stroking the inside of his elbow.

“You olrigh’, Nik?”

“Da,” Nik said, his hand dropping away under John's scrutiny. “Did… did they clear you?”

“Yeah, they said… uh, ya saved my life. Again. Quick thinkin'.”

Nik swallowed, his palm pressing to the door by John's head, desperate to touch him. “And yet, you cannot look at me.”

John’s breath hitched. “I, uh… what you saw… I had no right t’ demand that of ya, Nik. I was arrogant t' think I didn't need spare suppressants for a quick jaunt. Fuckin' irresponsible. Won't 'appen again.”

“You demanded nothing I was not willing to give.”

Somehow, that was the wrong thing to say. John drew in a stuttering breath and tilted his head away, like Nik's scent, even dull beneath shower gel and cologne, was too much. “Yeah, I… thanks fer no’ bitin’ me. I woulda let ya… at the end.”

Nik felt a prickling at the backs of his eyes, a tight knot in his throat. “I do not wish to be thanked for common decency.”

John huffed. It was a sad, resigned noise from deep inside his chest. “Not as common as ya think, mate. Listen, I need time t’ process… come back tomorra?”

“John, I…”

“I need bloody space, Nik,” John snapped, and Nik heard an edge in his voice usually reserved for people stupid enough to try clawing their way under John's skin. “Tomorra, olrigh’?”

Nik blinked quickly, drawing back and inhaling a deep breath. It only served to carry the scent of distressed omega to the back of his tongue, and he wanted nothing more than to curl around John until he smelled just as content as he had in their makeshift nest. “Da. Tomorrow then.”

John pushed down the handle beneath his hand and disappeared inside his office, leaving Nik in the corridor to stare forlornly at the door.

He would wait, he reminded himself. Wait for John to be ready. Even if it took ‘til his dying breath. Nik placed his palm gently on the door before he departed, heading for the familiar comfort of his Black Hawk and her myriad of mechanical issues to occupy his mind.

If Nik had pushed the boundary, he would have found John Price, Captain, peerless leader of the 141, the indomitable Bravo Six, curled up on the floor on the other side of the door, his face buried in his knees as the tears fell and his shoulders shook. He had said he needed space to process, but the truth was, he had no idea where to even start.

#captain john price #cod nikolai #nikprice #prikolai #omegaverse #spicy

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hobipobi · 1 month ago

Text

The Echo of Steel and Ash

Stanley Snyder x Male Reader

Summary: A soldier and his former trainee reunite after years apart, reigniting a deep, unresolved bond forged in war.

Very short one-shot.

Inspired by a bot on Character.ai lol (pls don't kill me)

Warnings: short, 3 year age gap, slightly spicy by the end but nothing too much.

Words: 941

War doesn’t end with treaties.

It doesn’t fold neatly into history books or dissolve under flags and fireworks.

War lingers — in the silence of early mornings, in the shape of a man’s gait, in the sharp way some people look over their shoulders like they expect a bullet.

It lives in muscle memory, in nightmares, in the things left unsaid.

Stanley Snyder was not a man born of peace. He was sculpted in the crucible of blood-soaked snow and whisper-quiet kills. If war had a face, it might’ve looked like his — sharp-jawed, cold-eyed, eternally alert. There was nothing accidental about Snyder; every movement was deliberate, every word measured. To those under his command, he was myth and menace, the kind of soldier you didn’t look at too long for fear he might see something in you — and carve it out.

He wasn’t decorated for gallantry. His medals were awarded in sealed ceremonies, his reports redacted until they were more black than ink.

Cold War operations.

Black sites.

Asset removals.

Things that disappeared in smoke and gunpowder.

By twenty-one, he wasn’t just respected — he was feared. The kind of operative whispered about in tents at night by men too shaken to sleep.

And then came the boy.

Eighteen.

Civilian file barely dry, barely legal to hold a rifle.

But the fire in him — it burned. Not the reckless kind found in young men trying to prove themselves. This was something older, darker. M!Y/n didn’t walk into basic training; he stormed into it like he had something to prove to God. He didn’t smile, didn’t flinch. Everything about him said he had already survived something worse.

Snyder saw him and didn’t blink.

Didn’t have to.

He knew the look of a haunted soul trying to crawl its way out of the dirt. M!Y/n was a blade, dull but unbroken, waiting to be tempered in fire.

So Snyder did what he did best.

He broke him.

Ice drills at dawn. Forced marches. Hours in gas masks. Night simulations with live rounds. Psychological drills that made older soldiers tremble. He stripped the boy bare — of ego, of fear, of illusion — and what remained was something clean.

Something lethal.

But beneath the soldier, there was still a boy. A boy who looked at Snyder like he was both salvation and damnation. A boy who stayed after drills, lingered too long in doorways, whose hands sometimes brushed Snyder’s under the excuse of gear adjustments.

And Snyder, who had always known where the line was — and when to cross it — didn’t cross. At least, not at first.

It happened on a night soaked with rain, adrenaline still humming in their bones after a successful field op.

Alone in the barracks, hearts still pounding, Snyder looked at M!Y/n and saw something he couldn’t unsee. Saw the way the water traced his collarbone. The way those eyes begged for something that had nothing to do with orders.

He closed the distance. No words. Just heat. Contact. The kiss wasn’t gentle — it was desperate, urgent, inevitable.

And it didn’t stop.

In the days that followed, their bond grew sharper. A secret pact forged in quiet touches, in lingering glances exchanged over rifles and rations.

Snyder gave the boy his discipline, his silence, his trust.

M!Y/n gave him his youth, his loyalty, his whole damn heart.

But war has no mercy. It takes and takes until there’s nothing left. And Snyder knew — love was just another weakness to be used.

So he let him go.

No warning. No goodbye. Just an assignment reassignment slip and an order to move on.

“Live beyond this,” Snyder had said. And that was the last thing he said.

---

Four years and a hundred lives later, Lieutenant M!Y/n strode into a secured briefing room with medals gleaming on his chest and ghosts in his shadow. His uniform was sharp, posture rigid, but the fire in his eyes — that hadn’t dimmed.

The room was cluttered with intel — topographic maps, intercepted communiqués, satellite photos. High-level brass murmured, voices clipped and professional. The smell of coffee, sweat, and cold steel hung in the air.

And then, at the head of the table — he saw him.

Stanley Snyder.

Unchanged. And yet, older. Weathered. The same sharp cheekbones, but his hair was longer now — swept back, no-nonsense. Uniform immaculate. Command rolled off him like heat.

Their eyes met.

For just a second, everything else fell away.

“Coping?” Snyder asked, voice a blade wrapped in velvet.

M!Y/n gave a crooked smile. “Barely. But I see you managed not to die without me.”

A flicker. That was all Snyder gave. A blink, a twitch of a smile that never reached his eyes.

They spent the next forty-five minutes discussing insurgent movements, asset extractions, and encrypted locations — but none of it mattered. Not really. M!Y/n could barely register the words. All he heard was the unspoken — the echo of rain on metal, the rhythm of Snyder’s breath in the dark.

When the room emptied, Snyder didn’t move. Just tilted his head slightly.

“Stay.”

It wasn’t an order. It wasn’t a question.

It was a plea.

M!Y/n stayed.

The room seemed to shrink in the silence that followed. Years of absence pulsed in the air between them, thick and electric. Snyder stepped closer.

“Come here,” he said — soft, guttural.

And M!Y/n did.

No salutes. No rank. Just two men caught in a war they’d never stopped fighting. Snyder reached out, slow — thumb brushing the edge of M!Y/n’s lip like he was checking to see if the boy still tasted like rain.

“You came back stronger,” he said.

M!Y/n’s voice trembled. “I came back for you.”

Snyder didn’t kiss him. Not yet.

He breathed him in like a memory, like an ache he’d never healed from.

Then — their mouths met. A rush. A collision. Years of silence broken by the sound of breath and hunger.

It wasn’t gentle. It was possession.

“You’re mine,” Snyder rasped, gripping the back of his neck.

“I always was,” M!Y/n whispered, teeth grazing his jaw.

They left the room like shadows — silent, seamless. No one dared to question them. The halls blurred. Snyder’s hand gripped his arm like a tether.

They reached quarters. The door slammed shut behind them.

---

The room was stark. Government-issue cot. Steel locker. Faint light flickering from the overhead bulb. But none of it mattered.

Because M!Y/n was pinned to the wall, Snyder’s breath hot on his throat.

This wasn’t lust. It was reclamation.

Clothes came off in frantic motions — belt clinking, fabric tearing, boots thudding to the floor.

Snyder was all sinew and scars, lean muscle forged through discipline. M!Y/n’s fingers traced every old wound, every brutal memory etched into flesh.

“You never stopped being mine,” Snyder whispered into his skin.

“I never wanted to.”

The cot groaned beneath them. Their bodies met with urgency, heat building like a battlefield flare. Every gasp, every moan, every whispered name — it filled the room like a hymn.

And afterward — when they were nothing but sweat and breath and tremors — Snyder pulled him in, arm wrapped across his chest like a shield.

The silence stretched. Comfortable now. Heavy with meaning.

“I never looked away,” Snyder said, voice hoarse. “Even when I swore I would. I followed every op. Every mission. I knew when you were wounded. When you got promoted. When you were sent behind enemy lines.”

M!Y/n kissed his temple, lips soft and sure. “I knew. I felt you in every goddamn heartbeat.”

Snyder laughed then. Not joy — release. The sound of a dam breaking.

They didn’t sleep. Not really. But they held each other as the night stretched on. Two men carved by war, bonded by something stronger than rank or duty.

No more ghosts. No more orders. Just this.

A chance to breathe. To rebuild.

To begin again.

#stanley snyder #dr stone #male reader #x reader #gay #alternative universe #anime #manga #anime and manga #very short #dunno if i like this or not #pls tell me if u like it #help meeee #stanley snyder x reader #stanley snyder x male reader

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yanderepalace · 1 year ago

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Yandere!Invader Zim general headcanons

a/n: no one asked for this but here it is! :-)

Zim had always scoffed at the very idea of love, a foolish human weakness unworthy of his superior Irken intellect, never even considering himself to susceptible to such frivolous distractions.

To him, emotions were nothing but a weakness, a vulnerability for him to exploit for the greater good of the Irken invasion.

Your arrival stirred a dangerous storm within Zim, he masked his discomfort as distain and hatred, attempting to suppress that gnawing feeling in his stomach whenever you were around. A craving to dominate and control surged within him, a dark need he refused to acknowledge.

Zim found himself fixating on every detail of your life, justifying his intrusive surveillance as necessary intel for the invasion. He would follow you home, study your habits, and infiltrate your privacy at every turn. There was something about you, something so intoxicating, that he couldn’t pinpoint but knew he had to possess.

He believed the most effective approach was to engineer a closer connection with you.

Ever since he first landed on Earth, Zim operated in the shadows, people always dismissed his schemes and missions as something rational, feeding his narcissism in isolation. Something he never thought about twice until he saw you do it, shrugging off his achievements as if they were nothing, it seemed you were completely oblivious. Igniting a burning, consuming rage in Zim.

Zim desperately craved your adoration, and the fact that you didn’t seem interested in him irked him. He wanted your recognition, he needed it. It infuriated him that someone like you didn’t submit to his authority and bow down to his undeniable greatness.

Zim’s frustration boiled over one day when he noticed you talking and laughing with a group of classmates, completely oblivious to the elaborate gadget he’d created to capture your attention.

He had spent hours designing a device that emitted a mesmerizing light, convinced no human could ignore it. But there you were, barely even glancing in his direction.

“How dare they ignore the brilliance of ZIM!” he muttered, clenching his fists.

Overtime his attempts became more extravagant, trying to get your attention and recognition. He couldn’t stand the idea of you paying more attention to those horrible stink creatures more than him.

He misinterpreted the smallest gestures as to a sign of your respect and appreciation, all you might do is thank him for helping with the project and he responds with, “See! Even you recognize the greatness of ZIM! Soon, the entire Earth shall follow your example!” He then tries to downplay his excitement, nervously adding, “I mean, it was no big deal...”

Then he decided the best way to understand you better was through close surveillance, observing your daily life, perhaps even employing microscopic cameras to monitor your every move. “Yes, yes, must keep track of the human… for strategic purposes, of course.” he muttered obviously while glued to his monitor.

As another desperate attempt, his gifts became increasingly bizarre and threatening, such as a sharp, glowing crystal that hummed faintly. “Human crystals for… decoration! Humans love shiny objects, right?” he asked anxiously awaiting your approval. However, rejection sent him into unpredictable fits of rage. “Why didn’t you appreciate my gift?!” he yelled, then softened, “I… I only wanted to make you happy, my precious human pet. Don’t you see?” His eyes gleamed with a sinister light, his tone both menacing and pleading.

Despite Zim’s manipulative antics, there were times he couldn’t quite hide his true feelings. Whenever you were around, he struggled to maintain his composure, his eyes darting nervously as he analyzed your every reaction.

Deep down, beneath his evil invader exterior, he wrestled with the unfamiliar feeling you unleashed inside him. The scary tightness in his chest whenever he watched you without your knowledge, the empty pit in his stomach when you paid attention to someone else. It was a battle between his need for absolute control and his growing infatuation with you. His mind became a prison, each thought of you a chain binding him tighter to his desires.

As Zim’s obsession with you consumed him, he found himself dwelling on thoughts of you at odd hours. Every interaction, every fleeting glance exchanged, became subject to his obsessive analysis. His focus on the invasion began to waver as thoughts of you occupied more and more of his mind. He couldn’t shake the feeling that understanding you held the key to something greater than conquest, something he couldn’t quite define but felt compelled to pursue relentlessly.

#yandere imagines #zim x reader #yandere zim x reader #invader zim #yandere x reader #yandere zim #invader zim x reader #yandere #yandere invader zim #yandere headcannons #yandere x darling #yandere boy #yandere male #yandere writing #yandere x y/n #yandere x you

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theboys-inzoi · 16 days ago

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Since we can now edit the Community Lots(!), Noxee gave Jenna Fashion in Dowon an 'Operation Decorator Storm'!

I'm a bit in a hurry (because we have an upcoming story event), so I didn't spent too much time, but I will be back later and make it more Noxee's Style ;)

TMI: Noxee already owned Strawberry Cake Fashion together with Saiwa back in our Sims 4 days. It all started when Sai and Noxee met for the first time and Saiwa agreed to sell Noxees surplus clothes online. Later, it became and online shop and there was a small depot in the basement of the Space(balls) Bar. Then they had a big depot in the attic of the boarding school. A while later the store in Tomarang. Oh my, and I don't think many people had that much fun with the Simtimates Collection as we did hahaha.

Sadly we can't edit the outside of the building, so it remains 'Jenna Fashion' :3

The store is now decorated with fashion posters from ATEEZ members, because:

이게 바로 멋인 기라 (ige baro meoshin gira) 'This is what we call style' ;)

ATEEZ - The Real

#showusyourbuilds #Strawberry Cake Fashion #as if it's your last #Dowon #inzoi #inzoiblr #zoiblr #inzoi early access #my inzoi

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yandere-paramour · 9 months ago

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Yans During a Hurricane

In honor of a hurricane absolutely ravaging my state, here is some content before my power goes out.

Vivien

Vivien is worried. Like really worried.

He lives in an apartment, so he's not worried about his indoor plants, he's worried about his plot at the community garden. He doesn't care how wet it is outside, he will do whatever he can to try and save those tomatoes.

He's also worried about you and him. Obviously, he wants you to come over, the thought of you weathering the storm alone is physically painful.

He tries to think of everything you both might need from snacks, making sure both your cars are gassed up, and collecting plenty of batteries and flashlights.

It's like he's planning for doomsday, he's really worried. The thought of being unprepared and something happening to you because of his hubris makes his stomach seize up.

He gets stressed and tries to turn that into making things. He does a lot of cooking and baking for the two of you, making enough so you don't have to leave the house for a few days and can just stay inside and wait.

You're going to have to somehow get him to calm down and relax otherwise he will work himself into a state.

His apartment building isn't the best so, of course, you are the first in the city to lose power. You both gasp in unison at the sudden way everything grows quiet.

Vivien nearly cries when the cookies he's baking suddenly stop. The thought of not being able to provide for you is very, very upsetting to him.

You'll have to redirect/cajole him into a new activity that doesn't require electricity like tending to his plants, that always calms him down. Or maybe build a blanket fort, rainy days like this are perfect for blanket forts.

Gently you poke into his side and ask if he wants to build a fort on the rug, and he gives you a quizzical look, wondering if you're making fun of him or something.

When it becomes clear you're serious, his face lights up and he drags every single chair, pillow, and blanket in the apartment.

He is very strategic as he builds, and you just let him do his thing, knowing he needs this to be able to feel secure.

When it's done, your fort is a masterpiece. It is large enough for you both to crawl inside, and Vivien has decorated it with some small battery-operated tealights so there's enough light to see. The many pillows are comfortable to sit on, and you both giggle like excited children as you both do a craft together.

You two spend the night cuddled in each other's arms in, snacking on fresh fruit, talking about nothing, and listening to the melodic rains outside, and finally, Vivien is able to take a breath and know that this storm will pass and you and he will be okay.

Atalanta

Do you really think Atalanta Montclair is going to stick around and have to deal with running out of food and her power cutting out? Get real.

She, her parents, and, by extension, you are getting tf out of there.

Atalanta makes the executive decision to shut down Montclair Industries for a few days. She doesn't want her employees to have to work when they should be with their families, and she definitely doesn't want anyone to get hurt or worse in the process of working.

Whatever happens, she'll deal with it when she comes back.

She even puts Noelle in charge with a promise of a bonus while she's gone (And you know Noelle's taking that shit, there is nothing that could come up that Noelle couldn't handle)

Somewhere where a hurricane is not currently raging, that's where you're going.

Enjoy a nice sunny weekend with your wife and In-Laws!

Lots of normal Montclair activities (beach lounging, fancy dinners, going to the theatre, museum browsing, generally experiencing what it's like to be in another part of the world)

Any worries you have about things back home, Atalanta will soothe and comfort you and generally do everything she can to make you calm down. If it makes you feel better, she can give some employees a quick call to make sure everything is perfectly fine.

She wants you to enjoy the little vacation with her, so just let her send a quick text, and then she'll get you another fruity drink so you have something to sip on while you both walk through the night market.

Noelle

Noelle is mildly concerned, but she is not going to pass up a few days off to spend with her Darling.

Atalanta left Noelle in charge of the company while she's gone with promises of a sizable bonus (and you know if Ata says sizable, she means it), but that's really only for anything big or emergent.

Basically, all she has to do is keep her phone charged and nearby, and check it every once in a while, and that's an extra few thousand on her paycheck.

Noelle is very pleased about that.

You're usually alone during the day, but now Noelle is here with you! You're so happy to spend so much time with her!

To begin your little respite, both of you start with a relaxing bath together, which always turns into a little skincare/spa night. Noelle is so very gentle as she wipes your face with toner, and you get to see her cute puzzled look as she surmises which face mask to give you.

As a little treat, she orders in from whatever restaurant you like best and you both eat on the couch, laughing at a movie you pick. She cradles you in your arms, kissing your arms and hands and hair because she doesn't want to mess up your moisturizer.

After the first movie, Noelle inspects her supplies. Of course, she has everything she needs, but she may need to top off your snack stash if you've been hardcore snacking this week.

Anything you need, she will quickly get delivered so you both can spend the next few days being as comfortable as possible (with a generous tip for the delivery guy for braving the pouring rains).

She lives in a much nicer apartment than Vivien, so her electricity never cuts out so you both stay comfortable and warm the whole weekend.

Noelle spends the entire weekend absolutely doting on you. Anything you like, she is doing with you and making sure to praise you for every breath you take. She will paint with you, bake with you, even game with you (but she's terrible). She knows she's terrible, but she just wants you to have fun.

You catch her watching you with tender eyes many times, and you are just so touched by how much she loves you and how well she takes care you. You in your matching pajamas, clean and moisturized, fed by some chicken and rice Noelle cooked for you, soft and sleepy and ready for her to brush your hair and cuddle you to sleep, humming that little song she always hums for you.

By the time the hurricane has passed, you're severely disappointed that Noelle has to go back to work, but she just kisses and comforts you, saying that if you be a good girl and wait for her, she'll bring you a treat back later.

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ltwilliammowett · 9 months ago

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Mourning Ring for Vice-Admiral Sir Samuel Cornish, 1770

Amethyst, diamonds, gold and enamel. Bezel set with a faceted amethyst encircled by diamonds in a closed setting, the shank set with black enamel decoration around the inscription ‘Sir Sam. Cornish … 30 Oct 1770 AE 56’.

Sir Samuel Cornish is remembered for the Capture of Manila in 1762 during the Seven Years War - the conflict that found Britain competing with France and her allies around the globe. For nearly 200 years Manila had been at the centre of the imperial Spain’s galleon trade with Acapulco, trading Mexican silver for Chinese silk, porcelain and spices. After Spain allied herself with France in 1762, the British government approved plans to attack Havana and Manila.

Samuel Cornish was appointed to the command of the naval forces bound for Manila comprising 12 ships-of-the-line, 3 frigates and 4 store ships, with his flag in HMS Norfolk. Brigadier-General William Draper commanded land forces of 6,839 soldiers, sailors and marines. By posting a frigate in the Strait of Malacca, Cornish ensured that no news of the impending strike reached Manila prior to the fleet's arrival on 23 September 1762. The city walls were breached on 5 October and on the following day the place was taken by storm. Draper did his utmost to put a stop to the rape and plunder of the town, and with Cornish agreed to accept a ransom of 4 million dollars from the Spanish acting Governor-General Archbishop Manuel Rojo del Rio y Vieyra.

The British occupation of Manila lasted 18 months until the city was returned to Spain under the 1763 Treaty of Paris.During their time in the Philippines, the British found themselves confined to Manila and Cavite, but were rewarded with the capture of the treasure ships Filipina and Santísima Trinidad. These captures made Draper and Cornish wealthy men to the extent that they could retire on the prize money. Both were thanked in Parliament, and Cornish received a Baronetcy.

Sir Samuel Cornish (c1715-1770) was believed at one time to have risen from modest origins, and to have served his apprenticeship on a collier before being appointed to an East Indiaman, but it has been suggested these details relate to his father. Cornish is known to have entered the navy as a volunteer ‘per order’ in 1728. He was commissioned lieutenant in the Litchfield on 12 November 1739, and on 11 November 1740 he moved, with Captain Charles Knowles, to HMS Weymouth, in which he served in the ill-conducted combined operation at Cartagena during March and April 1741. On his return to England he was appointed to command the bomb-ketch Mortar; and on 12 March 1742 he was posted flag captain of the old HMS Namur, flagship of Admiral Matthews in the Mediterranean. In 1742 Cornish was appointed to command the Guernsey (50); and continued in her until the end of the ‘War of Jenkin’s Ear’, doing occasional good service in the destruction of Spanish privateers.

During the war of the Austrian Succession, he was present at the Battle of Toulon which saw the British lose control of the waters around Italy and Spain take the offensive against Savoy. Matthews was dismissed from the navy along with seven captains for lacking offensive spirit. Cornish’s part occasioned no comment, which must be considered an achievement in the light of the number of careers destroyed. On 9 March 1749, as a 'gentleman well skilled in mathematicks and natural knowledge', Cornish was elected to the Royal Society. In 1755 he commissioned HMS Stirling Castle for service in the channel, and in 1758 he was transferred to the Union (90 guns), and was ordered by Lord Anson to wear a distinguishing pennant.

On 14 February 1759 Cornish was promoted Rear-Admiral of the White, and sent out to the East Indies with a small squadron to reinforce Vice-Admiral George Pocock, and undertook operations to clear the coast of Coromandel, which established his reputation as a commander able to co-operate effectively with the army. He succeeded to the command of the East Indies station in 1761, but became embroiled in a dispute with the East India Company over the plunder taken from the French at Pondicherry. Nevertheless his professional competence in combined operations won him the command of the Manila expedition.

Cornish returned to Europe with a comfortable income from prize money. In 1765 he purchased the manors of Sharnbrook, Tafte, and Temple Hills in Bedford. The Duke of Norfolk supported his election as MP for Shoreham, a seat he held from December 1765 until his death, and on 9 January 1766 he was created a baronet, taking his style as Sir Samuel Cornish of Sharnbrook. About this time he married Susan, daughter of James Gambier of Holborn and sister of Admiral James Gambier; they had no children. Cornish died on 30 October 1770, whereupon his title became extinct and his estate passed to his nephew, Samuel Pitchford, captain in the navy, who took the name Cornish.

#naval history #naval artifacts #mourning ring #18th century #age of sail

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flowerakatsuka · 10 months ago

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.*🍀 KUROKARA LORE [ 01 ] — rainy day reunion. 🌹*.

after putting off finishing the art and writing for this post, i finally dump the first major bit of kurokara lore on ya'll — their " first " meeting! i also wanted to include the song i imagine being the bgm for this lore event so please enjoy while you read the post. :3c

SO, i imagine this taking place during the first half of season 2 ( probably around episode 5 since rainy season is during summer in japan. )

their meeting happens one day in june, when karamatsu had decided to make the most of the ( at the time ) sunny weather and gallivant around akatsuka. the previous night hadn’t been the best — with osomatsu eating the pudding he had saved for later, being forced to buy the rest of his brothers snacks when he went to go replace it, and then getting splashed by a car going through a rain puddle on the way back from the konbini. but it was a new day, surely it will be kinder to him with how beautiful the weather was!

well, it seemed like kara’s bad luck from the previous day had decided to linger. everything he had decided to do to enjoy himself that day was not going in his favor ; totoko had already left home to go on a date when he tried to visit, catching only tiny cans and broken sunglasses at the fishing hole, the last croquette being sold to the previous customer. he even tripped and fell in front of the girls he was attempting to flirt with. at this point, he was really starting to wonder if he was cursed or something, but quickly picked himself back up and tried to reassure himself. there was no way this day could get worse, after all.

yeah, it definitely could.

meanwhile, kuroba had just managed to bring in the last of the store’s outside decorations before the rain really started to come down. thankfully, they were lucky enough to spot the accumulating storm clouds early and act accordingly. still, it was strange how suddenly it started raining when there wasn’t anything about it in the weather report that morning. sure, it was rainy season, but the rain really came out of nowhere. before they could get too lost in their pondering about weird weather patterns, they spotted someone walking through the ongoing downpour with nothing to protect them from the rain.

karamatsu was trudging through the rain on his way back home, having already resigned himself to whatever divine punishment he had brought on. it took him a moment to notice the shadow that had overtaken him and blocked the rain, only really coming to when a concerned voice called out to him.

kuroba handed him a towel to draw himself off with and suggested he wait out the rain in their shop ; walking around in rain like that wouldn’t be doing himself any favors, after all. taking them up on their offer, they let karamatsu in and excused themself into the back for a moment. while wandering around the shop, he wondered why he hadn’t remembered there was another flower shop in akatsuka... Until he recognized the shop’s name : yotsubana florals.

he definitely remembered passing by there in the past and being greeted by the kind granny that ran it before. kuroba overheard him wondering aloud if they had sold the shop and cleared some things up for him. they’re actually the previous owners’ grandchild, having taken over the store’s ownership and daily operations not too long ago after their grandmother’s passing and grandfather’s ( forced ) retirement. with things clarified, they directed karamatsu to a spot in the shop where he could relax while he waits out the rain and handed him a cup of tea to help warm him up.

much to his delight, it ended up being his favorite.

kuroba struck up a conversation with karamatsu while they continued their work and the two hit it off pretty quickly. their chat bounced from topic to topic and, in spite of him lulling back into his usual casanova shtick, they both seemed to have plenty of fun talking with each other. so much so that karamatsu hadn’t realized how much time had passed when he noticed that the rain was starting to let up.

he decided that it’d be best for him to head out despite there still being light rain, which kuroba had some objections to.

after being told to be careful and sent off with a wave goodbye, karamatsu started to head back home. he couldn’t help but wonder if his luck was starting to turn around while looking at the clover-patterned umbrella.

a week or two passes after that and it’s rained a few more times since then. unfortunately for kuroba, their umbrella still hadn’t been returned yet. it was a shame, they’ve had that umbrella for a long time, ( and they were being genuine when they said they’d like to chat more with the person they helped, ) but there wasn’t much that could be done about it. at least, there was a bit of reprieve from the frequent rain that day.

just as they had finally resigned themself to getting a new umbrella, the shop’s door opened with a jingle and a familiar face entered with much more bravado than he had before. karamatsu was ready to put on the best casanova act he’s got, this could be the first beautiful chapter of his own sweeping love story, after all. he explained that a mild fever had kept him from coming back sooner, but assured kuroba that it wasn’t a result of the other day by going “ it seems not everyone shares your stunning kindness, “ and leaves it at that. ( really, he tried seeing if he could get something like his meeting with kuroba to happen again by standing out in the rain with. obviously poor results. )

while he came to return kuroba’s umbrella, he also hoped to return the kindness of his ✨ rainy day savior ✨ and, well, what’s a better way to show that than by showing patronage.

yeah, he really didn’t think that all the way through. karamatsu quickly perks back up when they tell him they were just teasing and would be happy to make up a bouquet for him, especially if he’s willing to stay and chat…

AND THAT’S ALL I’VE GOT! sorry that this took me forever to finish, so many different things kept on getting in the way. but i’m really happy to have some more kurokara lore out now, i’m hoping i can get some more out soon. >;3c

#YAY I CAN FINALLY POST THIS!!!#thank god i finally got the energy to finish writing this out i've been wanting to share this for a while. 😭#i've been working on this since before artfight ajskfl;#that's also why the art is kinda wonky. i finished it like. a month or two ago.#i'm gonna handle the way i do the art of the next lore post differently bc this just about kilt me #WELL ANYWAYS. thank you if you guys read through this post ilyyyyy #i'm gonna scamper off now pls stream gontiti #osmt #yumematsu #karamatsu #mj ocs #oc : kuroba #ship : kurokara #kurokara lore #<- making a tag for their lore specifically so it's easier to find #mj draws #mj rambles

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reality-detective · 11 months ago

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👇 Blue band on the hat is military intelligence. Black band is JAG military law 👇

The Silent Invasion: Military Figures at Trump’s Inauguration

Picture this: The new President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, stands on the steps of the Capitol, ready to take the oath of office. But look closer—flanking him are two figures of monumental importance, a Military Intelligence Serviceman to the left and a Judge Advocate General (JAG) to the right. This was not a show of ceremonial pomp; this was a blatant signal, a declaration that the military was now in control.

The public saw a peaceful transition of power, but what they missed was the inception of a military takeover that began to tighten its grip on the nation from that very moment.

These military officers weren’t there for decoration. The Military Intelligence Serviceman represents the unseen hand of covert operations, the shadowy force that pulls the strings behind the scenes. The Judge Advocate General, a military officer whose job is to advise on courts-martial and oversee military justice, stood as a guardian of the new legal order—a legal order that would soon be enforced with an iron fist.

This was the first glimpse of a military occupation that would shape Trump’s presidency and beyond. And yet, the American people stood by, blissfully unaware of the storm that was brewing right in front of their eyes.

And there are many people today who are still unaware of what is taking place. 🤔

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sunflower567 · 3 months ago

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Callsign: Umbra Chapter 10: A Singularis

Masterlist

Word Count: 5,752 (The longest chapter yet!)

Edited: ✅

Published: April 18th, 2025

Last update/change: June 8th, 2025

Previous Chapter

TRIGGER WARNING: Canon-like violence

Split, Croatia

‘It’s been a while since I did that,’ Imani thought as the curtain closed in her face. Turning around, some of the dancers who were up on stage earlier, Izabela, and a few stage operators came forward to congratulate her for putting on a show on extremely short notice.

But as Imani kindly thanked them, she noticed the same man from earlier—the bodyguard who stayed at Ivanou’s side. Based on his accent, he was a tall, bald African man, most likely West African. He was extremely tall, as tall as Ghost. A handsome man, if Imani had anything else to say about him.

“Miss,” he called out, silencing all the chatter, “The boss wants to see you in his office. Now.”

‘Finally,’ Imani sighed. With a quick smile to everyone, Imani began following him.

“She’s on the move,” Laswell calls out.

“Gaz, Ghost, Soap, get ready just in case this gets ugly,” Price ordered.

“Copy,” they all replied in unison.

After walking through the theater and getting some unwelcome stares from the drunk patrons, the man Imani dubbed ‘Bodyguard’, led her upstairs to the VIP area and through another guarded door.

Seeing the man, he immediately stepped aside and opened the door.

“After you, Miss,” the bodyguard said.

Without hesitation, Imani walked in and was met with an empty office. A well-decorated office at that.

Grabbing her tiny earbud that was hidden in her bra, Imani put the device back in her ear.

“This is Umbra in the blind, how copy?”

“We read you, Umbra,” Laswell replied, “Where are you?”

“In Ivanou’s office,” Imani answered, “No sign of him though.”

“What’s the plan,” Price asked this time.

“If they wanted to hurt me, they would have done it by now,” Imani thought aloud, “Which means they wanna talk. So I’ll just see how this goes. But stand by for immediate exfil in case things go south.”

“Copy that, Umbra. 6 out,” Price said, ending things on his end.

Looking around, the office screamed old money with the old but well-kept furniture and even the smell of the space. Everything was just put together. Behind the desk was a perfect view of the beautiful Adriatic Sea. ‘It must be so beautiful to see in the day,’ Imani thought. Looking back towards the office space, Imani noted some beautiful art pieces. A few busts and other knick-knacks were lying around. But as she looked towards the bookcase, she saw a large piece of art surrounded by the bookcases and behind what looked like some protective glass.

Taking a look, Imani squinted her eyes in confusion. She felt like she knew this painting. I kind of looked like-

“HOLY SHIT,” Imani exclaimed over comms by mistake.

“What’s wrong. Do you need us to come in,” Soap exclaimed as he, Ghost, and Gaz sat up, ready for the word.

“No I’m sorry,” Imani said quickly, “I just found the best fucking treasure ever.”

“And what possibly could that be Mani,” Laswell asked this time.

“It’s the Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” Imani said excitedly.

“The bloody hell is that,” Ghost asked.

“It’s a famous painting made in 1633 during the Dutch Golden Age,” Imani explained, an excited edge to her tone, “This was Rembrandt van Rijn's first few works. But this and 12 other artworks were stolen in the biggest art heist in history in 1990 in Boston. They never found who did it or where the paintings were!”

“My, what an eye you have, my dear,” a voice behind Imani said.

Spinning around, Imani saw the man of the hour leaning against a secret door behind a bookcase on the far side of the office.

‘Vasil Ivanou,’ Imani thought.

Seeing him up close, her past assumption of him wasn’t wrong. He really did look like Mark Sloan. He was also taller up close. Had to be at least 6’2. He looked suitable for his age. But Imani couldn’t help but also notice the bit of blood on his suit and on his cheek. Looking past him, Imani also saw some men dragging the body of Carlos Loria.

“Your handy work,” Imani asked.

“Mhm. I have a little advice for you, my dear,” Vasil began, “If you are seeking help, don’t threaten the hand that could feed you.”

“Noted. What’s gonna happen to him?”

“His nephew, from whom he stole his initial position, will be coming to retrieve him. After that, it’s out of my hands. But enough of that. You seem to know a lot about art,” Vasil acknowledged, walking until he was standing next to her, looking at the painting, “Tell me, what does this painting mean to you?”

Deciding to go with it, Imani turned her gaze back to the painting, “It symbolizes the power of faith and-”

“No, no, my dear,” Vasil laughed as he turned and looked down at her, "I already know the textbook meaning of it. But art resonates differently with everyone. So tell me, what does it mean to you?”

Looking back at the painting, Imani looked at it again. After a moment, Imani said softly, “When nature strikes, you have to choose. Be scared or panic. Or rise above and take control of it.”

“Hmm,” Vasil hummed. But that soon turned into a chuckle. Turning around to face her and vice versa, Vasil smiled down at her. But it was odd. Imani saw a smile, not that of any man who put a hit out on someone, but it looked like a smile a proud father would have. A genuine smile.

“It’s nice to see you again Imani,” Vasil beamed.

“Again,” Imani, Laswell, and the boys questioned at once. All of them were confused by his wording.

“Yes. I’m not surprised you don’t remember everything,” Valsil said, stepping around and going to look out the massive window behind his desk.

“You were so young at the time. So delicate. Alicia took you and your siblings to Cannes, France, for a charity gala that was raising money for trafficked children. Your father was away then, so she had all of you with her since it was the summer. Ring any bells?”

‘Charity gala,’ Imani thought. She remembered that her mom stopped taking her to galas when she was young and only started to bring her again when she was 10.

It was then that Imani remembered. She was no older than six years old. Her mom promised her they’d go to the beach, but they were supposed to return home the next morning. And since the gala was held at a hotel she later learned was the Du Cap-Eden-Roc, it was near the coast.

Taking her chance, Imani snuck out of the gala and walked towards the shore. It felt forever, but she finally descended the hill towards an area where she could overlook the coast and play in the sand. While she was there, minding her business and playing around in the sand and ocean, a man in a fancy suit approached her. He played with her and even guided her back to the venue where her mother was freaking out wondering where her youngest child was.

Coming back to the present, Imani saw the same man she remembered that night. Just older.

“It was you that night, when I was six,” Imani pointed at him.

“Mmhm,” Vasil hummed his agreement.

“How do you know about my mom,” Imani asked, tension rising as she thought her mom could possibly be a target.

“Before I entered this business, I was a young, broke boy from Belarus. A boy whose father was a drunken and abusive KGB officer, with a mother unable to do anything to protect herself or her son. Working hard, the boy managed to get a scholarship and became an international student at the University of Southern California as an art student.”

“Art,” Imani repeated in surprise.

“What? A criminal can’t have taste,” Vasil asked in a sarcastic tone, causing Imani to throw up her hands in a mock surrender, "I then had the opportunity to go on a study abroad with a group to the Middle East and Asia for two months. It was then that I met a beautiful and kind woman. Your mother. We kept in touch for a while after graduation. But I’m sure you know keeping people close in this business is dangerous. So I let her go.”

“That’s not it, I’m guessing though, right,” Imani asked.

“You're as smart as her,” Vasil chuckled, “No. That’s not all. I may be a criminal, but I’m not a monster. I detest human and sex trafficking. Or any violence against women, for that matter. My own mother was abused by my father. Until the day she died. That’s why, when someone who not only partakes in that business but also crosses me, let’s just say Alicia’s organization gets an anonymous tip.”

“A criminal with a conscience. That’s rare,” Imani jokes.

“Extremely, my dear,” he replied with a smile. Turning around and sitting at his desk, Vasil folded his hands on his lap, “But enough of the past. There’s a lot to be focused on in the future.”

Before Imani could reply, a knock came at the door

“Come in!”

Opening the door was another guard. But dragging behind him was a beaten and bloodied Pavao.

“Ah, Pavao. Just the man I wanted to see,” Vasil greeted with a smile. But Imani was able to tell that this one was different. This smile had a murderous intent behind it.

Walking around from his desk, Vasil kneeled in front of the man. “Do you know why I called you here?”

The man who once acted like he owned the place was now nothing more than a scared little boy. He shook his head in response. But that wasn’t good enough for Vasil as he slapped the man hard across the face and gripped his jaw tightly. “You will answer me when I’m speaking to you!”

“No, sir,” he groaned in pain.

“Hmm, interesting,” Vasil replied, “I'll tell you if you want. Do you want to know Pavao?”

“Yes, sir,” Pavao groaned and cried in unison.

“You’ve been a naughty boy, Pavao,” Vasil answered, standing up and going over to pour himself something to drink, “I’ve been hearing complaints about your behavior to our showgirls and dancers.”

“THOSE BITCHES ARE LY-” Pavao began to yell before bodyguard pulled his hair to shut him up.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Vasil answered back, “Especially since it was Izabela who brought it to my attention after it was brought to hers. And you and I both know that old woman can never lie to save her life.”

The room got quiet as Vasil walked towards his desk and slowly put his drink down. Opening his drawer, Imani saw him grab a 9mm with a silencer attached. Once he saw it, though, Pavao began to immediately plead for his life, blaming everyone but himself.

“Not only do you have the gall to yell and lie to me,” Vasil began, “But you broke my biggest rules for this establishment. One, protect any and all women in this place. And two, no outsiders without approval are to enter this floor.”

“But sir, she’s not an outsider! She works here! I hired her myself,” Pavao exclaimed, pointing to Imani.

“Oh, did you now," Vasil smiled and went along with the lie, “Tell me. Who is she then?”

“Uh, her name is Nika Baljak.”

“Hmm. Not bad for something on short notice,” Vasil said, looking at Imani.

“What can I say,” Imani answered, “I have a creative mind.”

But when she talked, Pavao noticed she had dropped the scared act and her Croatian accent. He heard an accent he could hear from miles away—an American accent.

“Ah, so you noticed,” Vasil smiled, a look of dread crossing Pavao’s eyes, “Allow me to call out your last lie. This woman is not Nika Baljak. She is Imani Kiara Barnes of the United States Marines Special Operations Command.”

“Did you really have to say my full name,” Imani asked.

“I just love how the name slides off the tongue. Your mother’s idea, most likely,” Vasil laughed as he approached a now pleading Pavao, “Not only have you abused your position, but you allowed someone who can very much do harm to my business down here. That’s too many mistakes, Pavao.”

"Please, sir! Please!"

"Imani," Vasil called out, "When you were with Irena, she told you something, didn't she? What was it?"

Imani knew where he was going with this. She could see Pavao begging her with his eyes to keep her mouth shut so as not to provoke him any further. But flashes of her own past appeared every time Imani looked at him. And she loathed every second of it.

So without hesitation, Imani answered in a steady and cold tone, "She said, she wanted him gone."

Before he could continue to beg, Vasil lifted the gun to his head and executed him right on the spot. Quick and easy.

Like he had prepared in advance, the bodyguard opened the door and let in two men wearing suits to take Pavao’s body. Not letting a single drop of blood get on the floor.

“Oh, I didn’t introduce you two,” Vasil exclaimed, "Imani, this is my head of security and right-hand man, Zainab Modi. Zainab, this is Imani.”

Giving each other a slight nod, Imani turned back to Vasil, “Now that you handled your business, can you finally answer my questions?”

“Ha,” he chuckled as he leaned back in his chair and put his feet on his desk, “Of course! Ask away, my dear.”

“Why did you try to kill me,” Imani asked, leaning forward so she was eye level with the sitting man.

“I didn't, my dear,” Vasil answered, “The order I received was to capture you alive. Not killed.”

“Like that makes a fucking difference. You still wanted me taken. And why send Azim,” Imani asked, “If you wanted to catch me, I’m sure you could have found someone better than a 19-year-old boy.”

“Yes, that is true,” Vasil smiled as he walked around his desk and leaned against it, looking Imani in the eyes, “There’s one reason and one reason only why I sent Azim and those other men after you.”

“Why?”

“Simply put, I knew they were going to fail,” Vasil answered honestly, shocking Imani. “Oh, don’t make that face, my dear. I’ve been watching you since the hit was put in place. Based on everything I saw with you and your little wolf, you can take on anything, especially a bunch of amateurs. Speaking of which, I might say I’m disappointed you didn’t bring him! I was really looking forward to seeing him.”

“Enough about Alpha! I could have killed Azim, you psycho!”

“Yeah, you could have. But you didn’t. Because you knew Azim was different than the others. Your instincts are second to none. I expect nothing less from someone in special forces,” Vasil stated, walking closer to Imani till they were face to face, “But I’ll repeat this. Just so we and your listening associates are clear on this subject. Azim was nothing more than a messenger. The other nameless men wronged me and needed to be dealt with.”

“So they knew they were gonna die,” Imani asked, ignoring that he knew Laswell and the boys were listening in.

“No. Those amateurs thought I was giving them a second chance. But knowing you, I knew they weren’t leaving that place outside a body bag,” Vasil laughed, “But I didn’t expect a newly established counter terrorism task force being sent to save you. Much less here to recruit you. That was a surprise, my little bird told me.”

“Who's your little bird?”

“Someone you likely know,” Vasil smiled, “But that’s not what's important right now since he is no longer my concern. So go on and ask the obvious question.”

“So if it wasn’t you who gave the order, who is?”

“That I can’t answer,” Vasil answered as he walked behind his desk again.

“Can’t or won’t,” Imani demanded, slamming her hands against the desk.

“I can’t,” Vasil answered back as he took out a folder from one of his drawers under his desk, “The system I had created for this business ensures complete anonymity. I have no way to track where or who the order came from. That’s the main attraction for my business.”

“I’m sure,” Imani sighed in annoyance.

“Oh, don’t lose faith, my dear,” Vasil replied, softly tossing the folder down in front of her, “Your hit is actually unique. The hit out on you is what we call a Quadracido.”

“A what?”

“Quadracido. Quad meaning the number four and caedo meaning slaughter,” Vasil explained.

“Four slaughter,” Imani mumbled, "I’m one of four people ordered to be captured.”

“You captured, yes,” Vasil answered as Imani opened the file, “The others were ordered to be killed.”

“Are they,” Imani trailed off at the end, looking up at Vasil for an answer.

“Yes. All of the other three hits have already been executed. You are the last one standing.”

Feeling a sense of dread wash over her, Imani examined the file he gave her. The file, if you could even call it that, had only four pieces of paper. The first three had men Imani had never seen before. The first page was a man named Riku Sanemori from Japan. The second page was a man named Luis Barros Fernandes from Brazil. The third page was a man named Kian Mellum from Norway. To finish it all, there was a picture of Imani with her name and age.

The only things familiar to Imani was able to find about the other men were the ages and the orders for extermination. But other than that, there's no way for them to be put in a hit together based on this.

“I have no idea who these people are Vasil,” Imani snapped as she threw the file back down.

“I expected not,” Vasil chuckled, throwing up his hands in a fake shrug, “Whoever these men are, they're connected to you in some way, shape, or form. I’d wager they’re contractors, federal agents, or even soldiers.”

“Do you know for certain?”

“No. The only thing I ask is the payment method. And before you ask, all transactions are untraceable.”

“Oh for fucks sake,” Imani sighed as she looked through the file again.

“Do you know what you have to do now,” Vasil asked as he sat on his desk next to her.

“I have no other choice but to investigate my possible connection to these men,” Imani thought aloud, "If I find the connection, I’ll find a clue to who gave the order.”

“Mhm,” Vasil hummed in agreement, “You are Alicia’s daughter. You’ll figure it out. And if you managed to get out of that incident back then. You can do this.”

“Why do you keep mentioning that incident,” Imani chuckled in disbelief, looking at the man, “You found me at the beach when I was six. It wasn’t that hard to make my way back up to that hotel.”

“Ah, it’s not that incident I’m referring to, my dear,” Vasil smirked, “I’m talking about the one when you were 14 in Northern Cyprus.”

Both Imani and Laswell’s breath was taken. Especially Imani.

If Laswell and the guys were in the room, they would have all seen a shift in her. Her eyes, which usually showed a sense of calm and focus, switched to something akin to uncontrollable rage. They only heard the sound of someone groaning and glass crashing to the floor and shattering.

“Now that look,” Vasil chuckled in pain as his back was getting, “Is more like your father.”

“Keep that fucking mouth shut before I jam these scissors in your throat,” Imani snarled as she grabbed the handle of said scissors.

“If you do that, then Zainab would have to kill you,” Vasil said, motioning to his right-hand man, who now had his hand on his gun.

“I’ll kill him too before I go down,” Imani growled.

“That is true,” Vasil said, “But what will stop that person from going for someone else close to you? Your mom? Your dad? Your siblings? Or even your nieces and nephews? Who’ll warn and save them if you’re dead?”

That caused Imani to pause for a moment. She knew Vasil knew her biggest weakness right there. It’s why he kept mentioning her mother. It was her family. Imani loved her family to death. Even though they irked her to no end and knew how to push her buttons better than anyone, she’d take a bullet for them in a heartbeat.

She couldn’t bear putting that on anyone, much less her family.

Shoving him away, Imani walked away and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

Laswell, Price, Gaz, Soap, and Ghost heard everything on the other side of the comms. But what caught the boys' attention was the trigger that sent Imani off.

“What’s he talking about Laswell,” Price asked.

“It’s not my place to talk about John,” Laswell answered.

But when she saw Price beginning to argue, Laswell interrupted, “We all keep secrets, John. This is her secret to tell. Not mine.”

Accepting her answer for now, Price listened back into Imani’s open comm.

“The hell is going on,” Gaz wondered as nothing but Imani’s breathing was heard.

“We goin in,” Soap asked, looking at Ghost.

“Negative,” Ghost replied, “Until she gives the signal we stay put.”

“Imani,” Vasil's voice was heard over the comms, “I want to help you. So listen to me. Find the connection between you and these men, and you’ll find who gave the order. Then, and only then, can you protect your family and yourself. You understand me?”

As much as Imani hated agreeing with this man at the moment, she knew he was right. So far, he’s been more than forthcoming. He’s been honest. Who knows if it’s because of his love for her mother or his fascination with her? But she knows she can’t take this for granted.

“Ok,” Imani sighed, “Alright. I’m taking this folder.”

“Please have it by all means,” Vasil smiled, “Zainab! My coat please!"

“Of course, sir,” Zainab said. Looking around at his back, Imani saw a bit of blood peaking through his white dress shirt. As much as she hated it, a pang of guilt hit her.

“I’ll be fine, my dear,” Vasil said softly as Zainab walked up behind the man and helped him get his coat. “If those strong military men are still listening in, can one of you meet us out front?”

“Why? I can walk by myself,” Imani said in surprise.

“You may be a soldier young lady, but your still a woman,” Vasil said in disbelief, “If chivalry isn’t dead on that side of the pond, one of you will bring your asses down and escort this lovely young woman.”

‘This fucker,” Price, Ghost, Soap, and Gaz all thought in unison.

“Umbra, I’ll be standing near the entrance,” Ghost said over comms before anyone could say or volunteer themselves.

“Copy that Ghost. I’m on my way,” Imani replied.

“Good,” Vasil said, extending an arm to Imani, “Let’s go.”

“Don’t you want this back,” Imani asked, gesturing to her attire.

“That’s for you to keep, Imani,” Vasil answered, intertwining their arms together, "It looks ravishing on you, by the way.”

With that, Vasil escorted Imani out of his office and back up to the club's entrance.

Across from it, Ghost was reading himself to grab Imani as Gaz hurried and packed their gear up.

“Are you sure you want to go Lt,”Soap asked as Ghost zipped up his sweat jacket and pulled his hood up.

“I’ll be fine, Soap,” Ghost answered, “Just keep your sights on that entrance. We don’t know what this bloke could do.”

“Aye,” Soap said, “See you in a bit, Lt.”

Walking down from the roof and towards the fire escape, they came on. Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley was conflicted under his mask. He didn’t know what to think about everything that happened in the room. A high-value criminal falling in love with a woman and keeping watch on her and her youngest child? Unbelievable. But Ghost's biggest wish. Being in that room when Vasil said what he said about the ‘incident’.

He wished he could have seen what kind of look Imani may have had on her face. Was it similar to the one she had at that base when she escaped? Or was it something darker?

While waiting in front of the club, he constantly scanned the entire area for threats. He didn’t move even when Gaz announced that he made it to the van and that they’ll be pulling up in the alleyway behind the building they were stationed on.

It was only when the bouncers opened the door to reveal Vasil, Imani, and Ghost, with his guard trailing behind, that Ghost prepared himself for anything that might happen.

Seeing Ghost, Vasil gave a small whistle in surprise, “You’re a big one, aren’t ya?”

“Are you finished here Umbra,” Ghost asked, ignoring Vasil but not taking his eyes off him or his guard.

“Yeah,” Imani replied, letting go of Vasil's arm and walking towards the 6’4 man.

“I’m guessing you must be one of the task force leaders. If not the second highest rank,” Vasil said. Ghost let his silence be the answer as he moved Imani next to him.

“Ah, no need to be so defensive,” Vasil said, “I may be ambitious, but I’m not an idiot. I can tell when the cards are stacked against me. Two highly trained soldiers in front of me, and another with their gun right on me. I’d be an idiot to do something now.”

“Then what do you want,” Ghost asked this time.

“I wanted to warn you,” Vasil said, his tone losing any lightheartedness he had for Imani, “I wanted to say this to one of you because I knew Imani wouldn’t take this seriously, so I was hoping to speak to your captain or someone right below him.”

“What’s the warning then,” Ghost asked once again.

“The hit on Imani’s head is nothing to brush off,” Vasil explained, “It’s why I escorted her out. In the next hour, her hit will become an Apercida. And it’s already bad since she’s a Singularis.”

“What does that mean,” Imani asked.

“Let me just say it means a unique value target is an open kill,” Vasil answered, “My system has two stages. If the person I assigned succeeds in the hit, the money is immediately wired to them. In your case, however, it failed. But it was the only way for me to warn you without drawing suspicion and keeping up appearances.”

“Okay, I understand that. But what else,” Imani asked.

“You said she was classified as a Singularis. I know it means high value,” Ghost began, “But how did she get that rating?”

“It's based on the amount of money the client put on her head and the threat level, of course. As well as some other factors,” Vasil answered, “The three other men had a value of a Pracellaris, the second highest. The value required for that status ranges from 3 million to 10 million USD. Or 2.3 to 7.7 million pounds.”

“Are you saying my hit is bigger than that,” Imani exclaimed.

“The range for a Singularis hit is 15 million or more. Your hit was at 75 million USD,” Vasil answered. "Unusually high, but since you’re a woman and a United States Marine, it was expected since you won’t be someone easy to kill. Also, some have a rule of no women or children. But since you decimated an entire base of over 100 men, your hit went way up. An exceptional amount.”

“How much,” Imani asked in disbelief.

“Imani,” Vasil said slowly, grabbing her hands and squeezing them tight, preparing her for the shittest news she’ll get, “Your hit went up to a record-making 150 million dollars. Or 116.3 pounds for the British and Scottish men we have listening in.”

Imani could never really think of herself as a religious type of girl, but at the moment, she was hoping and praying to any God that existed that this was some sort of sick joke.

“This is some sick joke,” Ghost took her words out of her mind.

“I wish I could say that. But it's true,” Vasil answered, “When first contact fails, the details are released and the bounty goes up based on what happened. And unfortunately, with the rules of my business, I match the original amount, which doubles the bounty. Imani’s story has been spreading among the criminal underworld. So only the best of the best or those with a death wish will come after her. And they want that money.”

“Can’t you just cancel the hit,” Imani asked in distress.

“When enacted, there are only two ways to close it. Either the hit is complete, or the one who placed it is dead,” Vasil answered, “That’s why I expressed to you the importance of finding them. The sooner you do, the sooner this nightmare can end. Now go. You had an hour before the hit became open. Now, you have 56 minutes. Trust me, you don’t want to be in Europe when it goes live.”

Seeing the shocked look on her face, Ghost looked up to Soap’s position and gave him a nod. Saying for him to disengage and start heading down.

Turning back to Imani, Simon could see that the woman was frozen in her place. None of them expected this to be as deep as it was. And for her, the one in harm's way, would feel even worse.

Not wanting to waste any more time and minding her current attire, Ghost bent down slightly and picked Imani off the ground. He settled her on one of his arms, ensuring the file she had in her shaky hands stayed safe.

“Imani,” Vasils calls out softly, “If you need anything, use this.”

Vasil reached into his pocket and pulled out a burner phone, “And I mean anything. Information or anything else. Just let me know. Please, stay safe, my dear.”

Reaching out slowly, Imani took the burner phone and held it close to her lap.

Having everything they needed, Ghost carried Imani across the street and towards the back of the building.

As they walked around the building, Imani looked at the masked man with his hoodie in confusion, “I can walk you know.”

“And mess up this lovely dress,” Simon mocked, his British accent tickling Imani’s ears, “Can’t have that now, can I?”

“Hardy har,” Imani sighs.

Simon could tell that what Vasil said had her in a slump. He didn’t like it one bit. Imani’s personality reminded him of the usual recruit he sees when they first arrive. Hopeful, jokesters, and sometimes too arrogant in their abilities, without having anything to back it up. He could see all that in her. Everything but being unable to back up that talk, that is.

Seeing her act all down and not herself pissed him off for some reason. Adjusting his hold with her on his left arm, Simon pinched her cheek not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get her attention.

“What the hell sir,” Imani exclaimed, holding her cheek in surprise.

“Stop makin' that face,” Simon said, looking straight ahead, “We’ll figure this out together. We’re a team now after all.”

“We’re a team,” Imani repeated, causing Simon to give a firm nod, “I’m a part of the team now? Really!”

Giving a small smile under his mask, Simon shifted his gaze back onto Imani. He saw that same smile he saw when she reunited with Alpha. He never thought someone like this would be happy to be in this line of work.

“Price was waiting on the final word from the three of us,” Ghost explained as he turned a corner, “You had Gaz and Soap after you cleared out that base. And you had Price after that interrogation.”

“What about you,” Imani asked, leaning against him more, “When did I get you?”

Pausing for a moment, Ghost stopped moving and looked down at Imani. He knew when she had him, but he didn’t want to admit it. Because she had him the minute he first saw her.

“Doesn’t matter,” Ghost mumbled, continuing his walk.

Imani looked up and smirked at the masked man in a teasing manner. ‘Oh, I’m gonna find out big boy.’

When they finally reached the waiting van, Ghost knocked on it as he lowered Imani. After getting the password, the van doors opened, revealing the rest of the team and Laswell.

Seeing Imani, Gaz, and Soap reached forward to help him in, with Ghost following right behind her.

“We’re good go,” Price called out to Laswell who was situated in the driver’s seat.

“Good job in there Umbra,” spoke Gaz, giving her a thumbs up.

“Thanks Gaz.”

“I sure as hell wasn’t expecting a show though, lass,” Soap teased.

“We will not speak of that Soap,” Imani declared, pointing a finger in his face.

“You got some good intel in there Umbra,” Price jumped in this time, “And you managed to make a connection to someone in the criminal underworld. A well of information.”

“That was unintentional sir,” Imani replied, “I didn’t even know he knew me. Much less cared about me.”

“Well, you can use that to your advantage,” Price said, “And with this bounty on you, you’ll need all the help you can get. Gaz, Soap, Ghost, what do you say?”

“I want the lass on the team,” Soap said.

“Same here,” Gaz added.

“Ghost,” Price called out to the silent man as he looked out the window.

Looking away from the window and towards Price, Ghost gave Price the smallest and almost unnoticeable nod. But that was enough for Price as he looked back at Imani with a grin,

“Welcome to Task Force 141 and Bravo team Umbra,” Price smiled, holding his hand.

“Nice to be here Captain,” Imani smiled back, shaking his hand.

That night, Imani not only gained a new unknown threat but also some new allies who would be there for her.

Much sooner than any of them thought.

Next: Chapter 11

Arthurs Note:

So sorry about the delay! Parents had me running like a goose for the day lol. But thank you so much for reading chapters 6-10 of Callsign Umbra. From now on, it'll be one or two chapters every Friday (I'll be working to post it at 12-12:30 lol).

This was the longest chapter I wrote for this story so far; it was also my favorite. The team got answers but also new questions. Who are these men in the files, and what connection does Imani have to them? Most importantly, who is the mastermind behind her getting targeted?

Some other questions: Who is Vasil's little bird who fed him information about Imani? Also, and properly one of the most serious questions, what happened to Imani when she was 14 to have that type of response when mentioned?

I will answer that in future chapters! Thank you again for reading, and I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

XOXO

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