#or maybe that’s my wishful thinking pfft

[shibaraki]

popping in to say i read the first part of little fires + i love where it's going so far. the idea isn't smth i've rlly seen before w this fandom, so it's super intriguing to read. but also - i love how you write touya. his internal voice feels very fitting, especially for the alternate reality ver of him + as always, i really really look forward to seeing what comes next <3

AHH hello my love thank you so much for giving it a read (๑>ᴗ<๑) I’m having a lot of fun! and it’s a relief to know you think his voice fits cause I was fretting a bit about that. dabi and touya are v different yet they are still the same. I thought it important that I stay true to my image of him while still applying it to different circumstances. this ver. of touya does not know the things that dabi knows yet, and what he DOES know he has never truly accepted. so I think I may have set myself up for a lot of pain lmao!!!

I appreciate you and your support more than words can say!! ily and hope you’re having a good start to your week bb <3

[hewwio]

i had an idea but lost motivation.

[zuyoo]

linger, one-shot. ﹙ nagi & gn!reader ﹚ 비애

CONTENT WARNING — clueless nagi, (open-ended) angst, misleading actions, images used are not face claims but rather used as a reference to visualize a scenario. enjoy reading !!!! :D

SYNOPSIS — you’re in love with your best friend, nagi seishiro, who is oblivious of your feelings but treats you well more than just a friend

ZUYOO’S NOTES — noOOoO 10 images limit on tumblr mobile app ( ꒦ິ ཀ ꒦ິ ) word count is probably a little over 1000 if not more than that.. ok ily enjoy reading MWAAA

p.s. i love u, everyone who leaves feedback and/or reactions with all my life :DD it just makes me feel so motivated in writing, thank you all sm!!

it started with one message, which lead to another… then another… then more. you two instantly clicked right after being attending the same club in your university. you’ve seen him before, and thought that he looked hard to approach—since he’s always on his phone, barely talks, and is always either practicing, in class, or out of reach (in his dorm)

you two grew close after talking about similar interests, and it didn’t take too long for you to develop feelings for him. i mean… how could you not when he has treated you way better than any other man who’s walked out of you life?

he messages you on a daily basis, doesn’t hesitate to come over and take care of you when you tell him that you aren’t feeling well, treats you to meals, drives you home, tries new hobbies because you told him you like those.

nagi has the looks, the talent, the brain, the skill, the body that a girl could ask for. you’re simply lucky enough to be near his presence—and oh boy how all the girls that see you two together makes you feel it.

their glares and side glances sharp as a knife, it gave you goosebumps all over. but you eventually paid no mind to their stares, the only thing that mattered at the moment is how you’d spend your day with nagi!

it’s been three years since your first interaction with him, and you two haven’t changed a thing. take it with a grain of salt. yes, you two still teach each other the way you think, and no, he is not your anything—just a friend.

he’s such a fish to catch that you’re surprised why he’s still not seeing anyone at this point. maybe there was some point that you’ve thought about how there could be possibility that he could like you the way you like him, which is stopping him from seeing anyone else.

or maybe his actions has raised your hopes up and made you delusional. how could you know? you’ve been friends for three whole years now, yet you still can’t read him.

he left you on delivered? that’s new. well- it was bound to happen. it’s not like he’s obligated to reply or at least leave a reaction… right? right. you’re his best friend. nothing more, nothing less.

but what could he be doing? it’s a sunday. he doesn’t have practice, and the term just started. he couldn’t have had any assessments he needed to finish.

your questions were quickly answered once you’ve opened up your twitter app and found someone unfamiliar in your timeline.

“pfft—this happens all the time.” you say. “and they’re always fake.”

and how you wished you were right.

“oh.” was everything you could let out, as if that one tweet didn’t break your heart into pieces. you were glad he’s finally seeing someone—but at the same time, you had hoped that it was just a misunderstanding, that he’s actually maggy’s cousin… or something! just not her suitor. even though the signs are as clear a day.

it was petty, and this- this will hurt you, and it’ll hurt bad. so you had no other choice but to try and distance yourself away from him as much as possible, to save yourself and to respect who he’s been seeing. it was for the better… but—he was making it hard.

nagi’s completely clueless!

you didn’t know whether to laugh it out because of how oblivious he is. does he not realize what he’s doing to you?

at this point, you start to realize how none of it was your fault in the first place. you couldn’t control you feelings, and it certainly didn’t help that nagi treats you way too well.

even so, you could never blame him. it could just be in his nature, to be kind, lovable, and to be the pinnacle of a girl’s dream. and you were the one at fault because you’re taking advantage of his kindness to satisfy your curiosity regarding what it felt like being handled with genuine care, only for it to backfire—seeing that you actually fell for him big time.

still, that wasn’t your first train of thought when you met him. you genuinely wanted to be friends because he seemed like a cool guy. it just so happens that your heart begun to agitate more and more everyday when you’re with him.

or maybe it was maggy’s fau—oh my god, make up your mind, yn!!

“let’s not put the blame on everyone. whatever happened, happened. none of it matters now. i just have to get myself out of this mess… then i’ll be back to same, old me. right.” you thought to yourself.

you have been ignoring nagi for the past three days, leaving him on delivered, and practically scrambling away when you see him in the hallways—or everywhere, actually.

did you tell him why you’re doing this? no, why would you?

does he care? a lot, as a friend, most likely.

he’s been trying to reach you for the past 3 days, while you were off running everywhere but to the places you and nagi went to together, which is hard because you’ve both been to every cafe, every movie theater, every arcade, every mall your city could offer.

there was this one place you two haven’t been in yet. it was perfect for admiring the view below, or simply a place to just clear your mind.

you planned on going there after classes were over, and it made you quite excited. you were supposed to go here with nagi but… you know, things happened. nonetheless, you wanted to enjoy this, even if it meant not being able to bring nagi with you.

after class ended, you bid your farewell to your friends before getting into a cab and going to the rooftop lounge that recently just opened.

you opened the door that leads to the lounge and was surprised by what greeted you at the door.

it was nagi, with maggy. their hands intertwined as they admire the city.

ouch. seeing them like that felt like ten thousand trains running me over.

you were about to leave when you heard her call for your name. you froze on the spot, a course of thoughts ran through your brain on whether to run for it, or play a good face and not ignore her calls.

“y/n! come join us.”

you made the decision to turn around and approach them instead… she waved and smiled at you. god—how can you make such a lovely woman?!

it was too late to run anyways, you felt their eyes on you when you froze by the door, it would be far too embarrassing to just leave with them knowing that you heard maggy call for you.

“hey, i couldn’t reach you.”

nagi greeted. you briefly glanced into his eyes and gave him a smile before breaking eye contact. you could barely look into his eyes—you might burst out crying if you stare any longer.

“i was busy.”

you replied, dryly. you really were busy; busy with assessments, busy distracting yourself from your feelings, busy doing whatever it takes to forget about nagi… but if you two keep meeting like this—and if he keeps trying to talk to you, it will pose a challenge for you to fully move on.

why do you have to let it linger? you ask him in your mind as if he could read it. his constant concern for your wellbeing, his actions towards you, his daily messages checking up on whether you’ve eaten your meals yet—why does he have to let your feelings for him linger?

unknowingly, sure. but has he have not a single clue on why you’ve been distancing yourself? on why you haven’t been hanging around much?

you missed him, really. but this was the perfect distance for you both. he can keep reaching out until the day he gets sick of it; but as much as you want to respond to him, you can’t—you shouldn’t.

the following months were practically the hell. you’ve completely cut off contact with him (you ghosted him, basically) and was buried in a never-ending cycle of homework and projects, leaving no time for anything else.

when the semester ended, your friend, bachira, invited you to his party. he noticed that you were completely restless and said that you needed to loosen up a little.

it was 12 in the evening but the party has just begun—you could consider yourself a fan of staying at home in my comfy pajamas and old indie movies, rather than a party ‘til sunrise & drink ‘til you drop type of person… which lead you to excusing yourself out of the room with flashing lights and booming music to find somewhere else more peaceful to drink.

you found yourself on a huge balcony with a red cup on your hand. thank the gods that the doors muffles out the noise coming from the inside.

this was just right. and honestly what you needed. all that workload from the past few weeks has been killing you.

what you didn’t expect was for someone to break the silence you gave yourself.

“it was about time i saw you again. and out of all the places i thought i would see you in, a party was not one of them.”

nagi spoke nonchalantly. his sudden interjection jolted you out of your own thoughts. it’s been about six months since you’ve broke off contact with him. hell, you could barely remember his voice.

“oh fuc-… ah. i’m sorry- i should find another place.”

“no. stay. you owe me an explanation.”

maybe it was just you, but given where this conversation is headed… he sounded intimidating. his voice didn’t change much, perhaps it didn’t change at all, but you heard the sharpness of his words and felt the need to comply to whatever he says.

“sorry.”

“sorry doesn’t cut it, y’know?”

he lightly chuckled before mixing his drink around his own red cup that he brought.

“right… sorry. but, how are you? how’s maggy?”

“ah. it didn’t work out. she’s nice but it really isn’t working out for us.”

“oh. sorry.”

that was a surprise. you thought they’d still be all lovey-dovey with each other. maggy is a lovely girl, what could’ve gotten wrong?

“another apology and i’ll keep bothering you. you wouldn’t like that won’t you? considering how you’ve completely ghosted me for 6 months without an explanation or even a subtle hint of why you did it? right?”

“hey-!”

okay… maybe he hasn’t changed that much. he still holds his grudges. nagi broke eye contact and looked up to the moon with this… yearning look on his face—he looked so pretty, it was pathetic!!

a sigh left your lips before nervously starting to explain you side, since you felt like he really needed to know why. plus, it was a good chance to let go of that burden.

maybe a confession was nagi’s needed closure, and your way of letting go of the guilt of knowing you’ve randomly disappeared in his life without him even knowing anything.

“i like… liked. you, nagi. more than a friend should’ve.”

“what?”

his actions came to a halt. oh, he was THAT clueless

“aha—yeah… but then there came maggy. she was such a lovely person, and i know you deserved to be loved like that. i should’ve been happy for you, but i really couldn’t bring myself to. it hurts seeing my best friend whom i’ve liked for the longest time smile because of a person they’re romantically involved with, y’know?”

you weren’t able to find the strength to look at him as you explained, but it felt like a weight was lifted off of your shoulders after.

“i-”

“no, don’t say anything. i just really needed to let that out… for your sake, and mine. i also wanted to thank you. y’know—for everything. you’ve been a great best friend, nagi.”

“okay but-”

he didn’t get to say whatever he wanted to say because the door that leads to the party suddenly opened, revealing a tipsy bachira.

“y/n!! here you are~ and nagi too!!”

bachira gleefully said before dragging y/n back inside, leaving nagi alone in the balcony.

he watched your figure get lost in the crowd of people partying without end, saying:

“ah-… i liked you…too?”

© zuyoo — do not copy, plagiarize, or translate my work without my permission. i only upload my work in tumblr.

[dottie-n-stripes]

i love the seal motifs you use with dottie, makes alot of sense since spotted seals share her freckles! (leopard seals also share her ferocity...). in your interpretation of the splatoon world, do you imagine seals are still living? or do you think they went away like all the other mammals?

sorry if this ask is kinda strange, i am very obsessed with both seals and splatoon, so a chance to talk about both is very tantalizing!

OMG I WAS SO HAPPY AND EXCITED TO SEE THIS MESSAGE IM GLAD U LIKE IT 💙 i made seals dottie's fav animal for those reasons!! they suit her and they are such fun guys :'D

ok so maybe it's Controversial of me but i like having marine mammals still exist in my splatoon realm. for me personally i just think it's laughable to think animals that can survive in water for extended periods of time, air-breather or not, would go extinct when sea levels rose (so whales and pinnipeds still exist To Me). my justification is inkfish are all kind of stupid so maybe they don't realize those guys are mammals too so they maintain that they all went extinct 😆

anyway! dottie loves these guys she wishes she could ride around on a giant leopard seal like shiver does with master mega

theres this one that she feeds at the docks sometimes. she calls it 'mother phoca' (ik leopard seals don't fall into the phoca genus but it's seal related and she thinks it is funny because it sounds like a bad word. as she would. pfft)

[shmaptainwrites]

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 [𝐉𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐒𝐎𝐍]

PAIRINGS — James Wilson x fem!Reader

SUMMARY — James has a huge crush on his labmate, the only question is how long will it take him to ask her out? (Answer: it's longer than you think)

WARNINGS — cancer mentions, patient death from cancer, drugs, alcohol (don't be mistaken this fic is tooth-rotting fluff)

NOTE — Okay this fic has come up from my compulsory need to elaborate on anything Canadian so if you ever wanted to see James at McGill, this fic is most definitely for you! Also I guess it's indirectly mentioned that reader was raised in Quebec, but obviously doesn't have to be "Quebecois" for this to work

Pronounciation — Jian = Chyehn

James chewed on the inside of his cheek as he walked up to the Stewart Biological Sciences Building on McGill campus. For some reason, it was so much more intimidating now that he was actually a student. During the tour he had his mother’s reassuring hand on his back, his father’s words of comfort that he would most definitely be accepted when he applied. 

Now that he had made it, he had to prove he belonged, but it could have been worse. His friends at Harvard and the University of Toronto had told him so. He was getting the best of both worlds, a prestigious school and, hopefully, not as much pressure as the rest of them. 

Without loitering any longer, he made his way inside and looked around to find the right lecture hall. It couldn’t possibly be that hard, could it?

After his first semester James had realized he’d made a few mistakes. One was living in a French speaking part of town without knowing a lick of the language, but that one was the easiest to deal with. The others were more in the realm of the amount of sleep he was getting and underestimating how much content the professors could shove down their throats in 14 weeks. 

He was more than happy to return to New Jersey for the holiday break to rest and recuperate before going back to the winter wonderland hell that was Montreal, but this time he was confident he would be more prepared. 

And for the most part, he was. He got enough sleep, partied responsibly (except Fridays, he partied hard then), always submitted his work on time and maintained his good GPA, making up for his poor fall semester. What he didn’t expect, however, was a distraction. 

When you walked into the room James watched you curiously, he thought maybe he’d seen you somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place it. Besides, you were much more interesting than watching his sample boil for another five minutes. 

You came and took a seat next to him, taking out your safety goggles and lab notebook from your bag before shoving it under the table. 

“You’re sample’s boiling over,” you said, but James didn’t register you were talking to him at first, still looking at you in a slightly dazed manner before you physically pointed to the beaker, making his eyes go wide as he frantically turned down the heat and removed it. 

“It’s a wonder you passed the lab safely quiz,” you teased and James blushed. 

“Good thing I don’t want to be a chemist.” 

“Oh, and what do you want to be then?” you asked, preparing your own sample for boiling. 

“A doctor,” he shared with a little more confidence. 

“Any specialty in mind or just a doctor,” you said, doing air quotes over the word. 

“I’ve been shadowing some of the researchers in the Life Sciences Research Complex and I think oncology might be a good fit for me.” 

“Yeah, as long as you don’t have to boil cancer cells you should be fine,” you assured him. 

“What about you?” he rolled on the balls of his feet as he continued his experiment. “Or are you all talk?” 

“Pfft, you think I’d be here if I was all talk?” you asked. “No, I want to be a medical researcher.” 

“Maybe you should do some shadowing in the LSRC then.” 

“No thanks, I think I’ll stick to my job there.” 

“Your job?” James looked at your wish surprise. “Aren’t you like 18?” 

“Almost,” you smiled. 

“How did you manage to get a job there? They barely let undergraduates in the labs, let alone be responsible for anything.” 

“It’s nothing fancy,” you assured him. “I just do cataloguing for now, but it's a good experience.” 

“Still,” he raised his brows, “you must be like a prodigy or something.” 

“Again, no,” you shook your head. “Just someone who goes after what she wants.” 

There was a comfortable pause where you both took down your distillation set ups and began working on the filtration portion of the experiment. 

“So what’s your name, anyways?” you asked, looking over at him. “Hey, look, clamp it this way,” you demonstrated and he followed your lead, seeing how much more stable the glassware was afterwards. 

“Thanks,” he smiled. “I’m James.” 

You told him your name and continued your work again in silence.

Chemistry labs quickly became the favourite part of James’ week. 

Ever since that lab, James began to see you in all his classes. On more than a few occasions, he’d had to steal notes from his friends on account of forgetting to pay attention. It became an easy thing to tease him about, so his friends began calling him heart-eyes, because who was he kidding, he had a crush. 

“Get your head out of your ass, heart-eyes, I am not giving you my notes again,” his friend, Carlo, shoved his arm and whispered harshly as he could see him getting distracted. 

“Sorry,” James shook his head and began scribbling down what he had missed, his eyes darting back and forth from the board and back to you. 

“Why don’t you just ask her out?” Pierre asked him after class. “Don’t you talk all the time in the lab?” 

“More like I stare at her and she says stuff to make it not awkward,” he cringed at his own actions. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Every time I’m with her I can’t string together a sentence, and– Jesus Christ you should have seen my face last week! Full on red, like I can’t even be subtle about it!” 

“Yikes,” Jian grimaced. 

“It’s bad, I know,” James assured. 

“And this is why we call you heart-eyes,” Carlo patted James on the back. 

“Yeah, say it a little louder, maybe she’ll hear you,” James said sarcastically. 

“Who’ll hear you?” the group of boys heard a voice behind them and all their eyes went wide as they spun around and saw you. 

“No one!” Jian was quick to answer in the least nonchalant way possible, making the rest of the group, especially James, stare daggers at him. 

“It’s not no one,” Carlo attempted to save face. “Just… this girl back in uh New Jersey that James’ got the hots for,” he gained confidence with every word of the sentence before adorning a smug smile on his face and patting James yet again on the back. 

“You’re afraid a girl in New Jersey will hear you?” you looked curiously at James but he just stared blankly at you. “So you call him heart-eyes?” you instead turned your attention to his friends and they nodded. “That’s cute, maybe I’ll call you that too.” 

“Sure,” was all a red faced James could get out before you excused yourself to head over to work. 

Pierre was trying very hard to keep a straight face while you walked away and James slapped both Carlo and Jian upside the head. 

“What the hell was that! Could you not have been more obvious, Jian? And Carlo, a girl back in New Jersey? Now she thinks I’m pining for someone else!” 

“On the plus side, maybe she’ll think all your blushing around her is a circulation issue,” Pierre shrugged. 

“You guys are the worst,” James shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets, continuing to walk along the path to one of the libraries. 

“No, we just saved your ass,” Carlo caught up with him. “However terribly, but if we didn’t say anything you would have stared at her with your mouth open like a trout.” 

“Carlo does have a point,” Jian agreed, “At least we bought you a little time to get your act together.” 

James sighed, “You guys have too much faith in me.”

“You said that when I started to teach you French and you’ve come a long way with that,” Pierre said. 

“Yeah, sure I went from saying nothing to being able to say Je m'appelle James et je ne parle pas français.” 

“And what a handy sentence that is when you don’t speak French!” Pierre grinned and James couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head. 

“Okay, I’ll try and get my act together and ask her out…and learn more French.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Carlo patted his back. “Now let’s go get a drink and relax.” 

“Maybe after we study for our physics midterm?” James nudged his friend and Jian nodded his head in agreement. 

“Fine, I guess if we have to,” Carlo sighed. 

“Not everyone is naturally good at kinematics, Carlo. Take pity on us mere mortals who have to study,” Pierre responded, eliciting a chuckle from his buddies. 

James was quiet as he thought to himself. If he could get a B on this physics test, maybe there was hope for him getting his act together after all.

—

Summer break rolled around faster than James had expected. While Jian went back to Richmond, Pierre over to Quebec City, and Carlo to Chicago, James was left alone in Montreal, working to help pay his tuition for the next year. Being an international student was no joke. 

He would have gone back to New Jersey, but the positions he applied to in Montreal paid more so it wasn’t a hard decision to make. 

His parents would come visit him for some time in July, but for the most part he was alone. 

On late nights, he’d make his way to the McDonald’s in the neighbourhood, not knowing enough French to go anywhere else nearby. At least there, most of them spoke enough English to take his order, and if not it was really easy to point to the menu. 

“It’s already done?” he asked. 

“Give us some credit, hein. We knew you were coming, we had it ready.” 

James chuckled and handed him the money for the order, exchanging it for the bag which he took to a table and sat down. 

As he was pulling out his fries from his bag he heard the chime of the door and looked up curiously to see who was coming at this time of night. 

He stopped what he was doing when he recognized you, watching as you dug through your purse and spoke to the cashier in French. You both laughed about something James couldn’t quite catch and a little while later, after you had paid they handed you a bag and an ice cream cone when James heard you say something about ‘deux cuillères’ taking the utensils they gave you and turing straight towards James’ table, pulling out the chair across from him and sitting down. 

“I thought you lived in New Jersey,” you said. 

James was still stunned that you had noticed him and couldn’t find the words to speak. 

“Hey, heart-eyes?” you waved your hand in front of his face. “You okay?” 

“Y-Yeah,” he nodded, distracting himself by pulling out his burger from his bag. 

“So why aren’t you in Jersey?” you asked. 

“Work. I got a job here, it paid better.” 

“Hmm,” you hummed thoughtfully while eating some of your fries. “And all your friends?” 

“Back with their families, unfortunately for me,” he nodded. “W-What about you?” 

“Oh, I live here,” you shrugged. “In this neighbourhood actually.” 

“You live here?” he asked. 

“That’s what I said,” you nodded. 

“And so that’s how you know French?” 

“Every kid in Quebec learns French, it’s kind of a non-negotiable,” you shared. “I gather that’s why you’re eating here.” 

“Yeah, Pierre didn’t manage to teach me enough before he left,” he sighed and started to eat his meal. 

“I could teach you if you want. I’m taking a little break this summer so I have some spare time,” you offered. 

“Oh, I don’t want to-,” 

“James, you’re gonna have a shitty summer if you don’t say yes.”

He couldn’t argue with that, it would be nice to communicate more with the people who lived around him. 

“Okay, sure, but I’m warning you, I’m a terrible student.” 

“I used to tutor one of my siblings, trust me it can’t be worse than that,” you laughed. 

You chatted a little more, finishing your meals but not before you handed James a spoon. 

“So this is cuillère then?” he asked. “I-I overheard you talking to Jean.” 

“Yeah, your pronunciation isn’t bad either,” you nodded. “Here.” 

You pushed the ice cream cone between you and began to eat it with the spoon. James had a bit of a sweet tooth and wouldn’t be one to refuse dessert so he began to share the ice cream cone with you. 

“So, are you missing your girl in New Jersey?” you asked and James cursed internally, trying to come up with a lie to tell you. 

“Um, no not really,” he shook his head. “I don’t think we would have worked out anyways.” 

“Oh, so are your friends still calling you heart-eyes?” 

He nodded his head, thinking it was better not to say anything in case he gave himself away. 

“It’s good that you recognized you wouldn’t work out before you asked her out,” you said, “Couple guys wanted to go on dates with me this year, but just didn’t seem like the right fit. Plus, I don’t really think I’m looking for anything like that right now.”

James nodded his head again, silently eating the ice cream. 

“Ever been in love, James?” you asked. 

“That’s a really loaded question to ask someone you cornered in a McDonald’s at 11 P.M.” 

You ignored his response and continued, 

“I haven’t, it seems like such a big thing, how would you even know if it was love?” 

James looked up at the ceiling, silently asking God to not let him say something stupid, 

“I think most of the time it comes on gradually, maybe you won’t even know it at first.” 

“So you have been in love,” you confirmed and he shrugged his shoulders. 

“I…I don’t know. Maybe I have.” 

“That’s not a very straightforward answer.” 

“Then maybe I haven’t. I feel like if it was love, you’d figure it out, eventually.” 

You pursed your lips and nodded your head. 

“I hope I get to fall in love,” you smiled softly to yourself. “Seems nice.” 

“Yeah,” James agreed. “It does.” 

—

A few years later… 

“So how did it go?” Jian asked, as they sat around James’ small living room. 

“It…could have been better,” James sucked in some air through his teeth, recalling a recent memory from earlier that afternoon. 

“What the fuck James! You scared the shit out of me! I could have broken the hemocytometer, do you know how much that shit costs?!” 

“Sorry!” James quickly apologized and dropped his books down on the nearest surface to help you clean up, making you look up again at him with disdain. 

“In the BSC? Really? Now we have to resterilize and all the specimens I have in there are as good as compromised.” 

“Shit,” James muttered under his breath, he was usually so much better in the lab, but the second he was with you he became a bumbling mess. “I-I’ll take care of the BSC, I’m so sorry.” 

You sighed and removed your gloves, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

“It’s not just boiling water we’re dealing with anymore, James,” you said a little more calmly than before. “You’ve gotta be more careful, okay? I’m not losing my job over this.” 

James nodded his head and went to grab the things to sterilize the biological safety cabinet and grab the new specimen from the fridge. So much for trying to get a job at LSRC to impress you. 

“I was not built to be a researcher,” James shook his head. 

“I mean, it’s not that big of a screw up, you fixed it eventually, didn’t you?” Pierre asked.

“Yeah, but not until after a thorough amount of embarrassment.” 

“I thought girls found clumsy guys endearing,” Carlo commented. 

“Not when the girl is determined to become the leading medical researcher on the continent,” James sighed. “Maybe taking this job was a bad idea. From what I can see she hasn’t even changed her opinion on dating, she hasn’t been with anyone these past three years.” 

“Do you hear that?” Carlo removed his feet from the coffee table and placed them on the ground. “You’ve been in love with her for three years and haven’t done anything about it.” 

“Who said I was in love with her? And sure, maybe I haven’t made a move, but I learnt French!” James tried to defend himself, pointing to Pierre. 

“That’s not as good of a comeback as you think it is,” Pierre shook his head. 

“I know,” James hung his head low and sat on the couch between Pierre and Jian. “We’re gonna graduate in a year and she’s not gonna know I’m in love with her.” 

“So you are in love with her?” Jian looked over at his friend sympathetically. 

James leaned back and used the heels of his palms to cover his eyes. 

“He’s gonna have a meltdown, don’t ask him that,” Pierre shook his head. 

“God, I do love her!” he exclaimed like he was just finding it out for the first time himself. 

“What did I say,” Pierre sighed. 

“Can I make it stop?” James looked over at his friends who all shrugged. “I am so screwed.” 

“This time, I think we agree with you,” Carlo took a sip of his drink. “Good luck, man.” 

James squeezed his eyes shut, he would definitely need it. 

—

The year passed to graduation and James was still sitting on his feelings. It was much too late now to say anything. You’d already been accepted to a graduate program through your work with the LSRC and James had passed his MCAT with flying colours and was on his way to medical school at Columbia. 

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was going to miss Montreal, the city had grown on him during his time there and a part of him wished he could stay. 

His friends were also ready for the next stages in their studies, all going to different places across the continent to get their other degrees, with, of course, the promise to stay in touch. 

James didn’t know what the next little bit of his life had in store for him, but he hoped regardless of where he ended up, maybe he’d be able to make up for his missed opportunities. 

The years of medical school, once started, passed faster than James expected them to, and by the end of it, much to his own surprise, he’d also gotten married. 

You were almost all but forgotten in the back of his mind, but time continued to play its games. 

Medical school turned into a specialization in oncology, and a divorce. Then residency and a marriage. Then a second divorce. Then another marriage and more recently a position at a hospital in his hometown, on the board and a well respected oncologist and a few new friends…and a third divorce. 

“House, I’m not asking you to let them all sleep in your apartment, it’s just a dinner for one night, we’ll be out and about for the rest of the time that they’re here,” James sighed. 

“Can’t you just cancel?” House asked. “Divorce seems like a pretty good reason to get out of a reunion.” 

“See, the thing is, I’d rather not be miserable and see my friends instead, and they bought their tickets months ago. Please, House, I’ll do the dishes for a week.” 

“A month,” House said. 

“Two weeks,” James negotiated and House nodded, so they shook on it. 

“Good, now that I’ve done you a favour, you can do me one,” House smiled, but the kind of smile that was conniving, like he had something up his sleeve all along. 

“I paid you in chores for my favour, who says I owe you anything?” 

“Unless you want me to call your friends and cancel for you, you’ll do it,” House continued to walk the hospital’s hallways hobbling with his cane. 

“What is it?” James sighed, catching up with him. 

“We have a patient and he doesn’t speak very good English, but he does speak French. You went to McGill didn’t you? Must have picked up some of the love language.” 

“Unfortunately for me in this case, I did,” he nodded. 

“Perfect, come with me now,” House motioned with his head to the patient’s room and James trailed behind him. 

When he entered the room, House motioned for him to begin speaking. James hadn’t spoken a lot of French since his undergrad so he was definitely rusty, but he supposed it was better than nothing and began to explain that he would be helping with the translation.

“Erm, Bonjour, je suis Dr. Wilson, je vais aider Dr. House avec la traduction.” 

The man looked at James strangely before saying. 

“You’re an anglophone, but you speak French like you’re Quebecois.” 

“I um did my undergraduate in Montreal, I learnt how to speak there,” James responded back in French. 

“Hmm.” 

James could tell this wasn’t going to be fun. Some of the French held quite a bit of hate towards Quebec, who knew why, but his accent definitely wasn’t going to help him in this situation. 

House got James to ask some routine medical history questions and a few things about his symptoms all the while James had to filter out all the insults that were coming his way with regards to his “poor use of language” and “unintelligible accent”. 

When he could finally leave the room, James let out a string of French curses under his breath, still thinking in the other language. 

“House, why can’t you just get a proper translator?” he asked. “I’m terrible at this.” 

“Cuddy said something about making a big purchase recently and being currently unable to do so, especially since you put that you speak French in your resume. Bet you’re regretting that one now.” 

“Yeah,” James nodded his head. “Big time.” 

They began to walk towards the elevator to go to the cafeteria for lunch, when James decided to inquire more about Cuddy’s big purchase. 

“Oh, she said something about money this, medical research that,” House shook his head, “You know I stopped listening the second she wouldn’t give me what I wanted.” 

“She hired a medical researcher,” James said aloud, chewing on the words, “I wonder who she-,” 

His train of thought was cut off when he saw, near the elevator, a face he hadn’t seen since graduation day at McGill. 

Quickly, unable to think of anything else to do, he ran into the administrative area and hid crouched down behind a photocopier. 

House watched his friend curiously before walking over towards him and leaning against the copier asked him if he’d gone insane. 

“No, I just, um, remembered I needed to copy some patient files,” he lied. 

“You don’t have any with you,” House said. 

“I faxed them from my office,” he lied again. 

“I think I need to go get Foreman, clearly you’re having a neurological breakdown,” House said. 

“Can you just stop making it obvious I’m here?!” James exclaimed in a whisper. 

Unfortunately for him, as you were walking past, his harsh whisper made his location obvious, causing you to look down and see his familiar face. 

“Oh my God, heart-eyes, is that you?” you asked with a smile and James pressed his lips in a thin line and nodded. “What are you doing down there?” 

James became speechless and suddenly he was an eighteen-year-old back in his chemistry lab. 

“He’s checking to see if we need more toner,” House said, lying for his friend, but James knew that was all he would get out of him. “Well, that’s my cue to leave, you guys have fun.” 

You reached down and offered James a hand, helping him back into a standing position. 

“I haven’t seen you in so long,” you commented. “Like since we were-,” 

“22,” James filled in and you nodded. 

“Yeah,” you bit your lip before asking him how he had been. 

“Oh, you know,” he shrugged his shoulders. “I-I’m assuming you’re the medical researcher Cuddy hired?” 

“That would be correct,” you smiled. 

“Why did you choose to work here? I thought you were some big hotshot in Canada?” 

“I am a big hotshot, which is why I wanted to come to a teaching hospital. I thought maybe it would give more opportunities to teach other people what I know. It’s a win-win. I get to do what I want to and the hospital gets grant money from my research,” you explained. “It looks like you got where you wanted to be too, Mr. Oncologist.” 

“Actually it’s Dr. Oncologist,” he joked and you laughed, making his cheeks go red after hearing the sound.

“I missed having you around, James. We should catch up sometime,” you suggested. 

“Yeah sure,” he nodded. “I-I’d love that.” 

You excused yourself, needing to go introduce yourself to a class of medical students, waving goodbye to James, leaving him stuck in his tracks for a few moments before he could gather his senses again and head downstairs for lunch. 

—

“We could have rescheduled if this was too much, man,” Carlo watched James as he brought a large roast to the table for them to eat. 

“See? What did I tell you,” House rolled his eyes and James gave him a disapproving stare. 

“No, I wanted you guys to come, we’ve been planning this for months. I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of it,” he assured his friends. “Plus, we know how hard it is to nail down Pierre, I swear you are always travelling. Every time we talk you’re in a different country.” 

“That’s the life of a parasitologist,” he shrugged and helped James by beginning to cut the roast. 

“And Jian, how’s the wife and kids?” 

“They’re good,” Jian smiled. “Mei started first grade in September. Becky and I are both up for promotions at the hospital, so I can’t really complain. Although I think Carlo can.” 

“Seriously it’s not that big of a deal,” Carlo groaned, “Sure yeah, pharmaceuticals are more flashy than biophysics, but that doesn’t mean that my research wasn’t better.” 

“Well if it was better why did William get the award?” James asked and Carlo just flipped him the bird. 

“Didn’t we go to school with him?” Pierre asked. 

“We did?” James raised a brow. 

“Yeah, for a year, from Toronto, huge stoner. Hated being there and did literally no work, but still managed to get honours,” Jian explained. 

“Sounds like my kinda guy,” House commented and James rolled his eyes. 

Just as they continued to dish out dinner, House’s pager went off and he sighed, excusing himself from the table while practically threatening James to leave him some food. 

When House left, James’ friends saw their opening and began their personal line of questioning. 

“Hey, James, are you really okay?” Jian asked. 

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” James asked in return. 

“You’re getting a divorce,” Pierre said. “Seems like a pretty good reason to not be okay.” 

James shook his head, 

“Yeah sure, it’s a shitty situation,” he admitted. “Did I imagine myself at this point in my life with three failed marriages? No, definitely not. Can I do anything to change it? Also no, and right now I really wouldn’t want to change it.” 

“Can we ask what happened?” Carlo queried. 

“She cheated on me, then left me,” James said simply. 

“Forgive me,” Pierre said. “But you seemed a lot more upset when we talked over the phone last week. What changed?” 

James looked down at his plate and cut into his roast, thinking about what Pierre had said. It was true, even earlier today he was sulking about, that was until he ran into you. 

“I swear,” James started, “if you guys make a big deal about this I will murder you all,” he used his knife to point at all of them and they nodded, swearing their silence. “I’ve got heart-eyes again.” 

“You met someone new?” Jian asked and Carlo shook his head. 

“No, he re-met someone old. Tell me, did your hospital recently hire a medical researcher?” 

James nodded his head and the table was about to erupt into a loud chorus of comments when James gave them a look and they all restrained themselves. 

“James, I’m being dead serious when I say this, but you should have married her,” Pierre insisted. “I never saw you look at anyone else the way you looked at her.” 

“Probably explains the three divorces then, doesn’t it? I was still in love with her the whole time,” James sighed. “It’s going to come up eventually, seems like a pretty big indicator that I’m not good at relationships.” 

“Who knows, maybe she won’t care,” Jian offered. 

“What was it like when you saw her again?” Carlo asked, looking for any opportunity to tease his friend. 

“How do you think it was? I could barely talk, I was a nervous wreck, and blushing like crazy,” he shook his head at the thought of it. “I could literally feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. I feel like a middle school girl every time I’m near her.”

“Who knows, maybe she still thinks you have circulation issues,” Jian shrugged and the table laughed. 

“What I would give to stay here and watch this play out,” Carlo sighed and leaned back in his seat. 

“Knowing James, you’d have to be here for ten years before he made a move on her,” Pierre raised a brow and James threw a piece of potato at him. 

“If you ever do get the guts to ask her out, call us. We’ve made bets on this,” Carlo added. 

“Real comforting, guys,” James ate a bite of the roast. “I thought this was supposed to be my pity party.” 

“Not anymore,” Jian shook his head. “You’ve got heart-eyes.” 

This time around, James thought maybe he didn’t mind the nickname as much as he used to. 

—

“I would think they’d get you your own office at this point,” James commented as he entered his office, seeing you sitting at his desk, eating a pre-packed lunch. 

“Beats me,” you shrugged and continued to eat. 

“So you’ve decided that invading my office is your next best bet?” 

“Oh hush,” you waved him off with your fork. 

“Well, excuse me for wanting to come to a safe place after being verbally assaulted by House’s patient,” he sat on the opposite side of the desk and leaned back in the chair. 

“Verbally assaulted?” you asked. “By a patient who isn’t even your own?” 

“He doesn’t like the way I speak French,” James rolled his eyes. “I’m translating while they’re treating him since the department used all its money hiring you.” 

“What can I say, hotshots cost a lot of money.” 

“You know, you could do the translation, probably much better than I can,” he noted. 

“I could, but you probably need the practice more than I do, chèri,” you scrunched your nose in a cute mocking way and James could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks yet again. “You still keeping up with that posse of yours?” you asked, changing the subject. 

“Yeah, they all flew in to visit a few days ago, we’re gonna go out tonight,” he said. “Do you…maybe want to join us?” he suggested. 

“I don’t have plans, as long as they’re okay with it I’d love to come,” you smiled. 

“Oh trust me, they will definitely be okay with it.” 

—

Later that night, James was drinking deeply from his glass while he watched his friends stare blankly ahead at you. If he looked anything like they did all those times his words were caught in his throat, then he hoped to spontaneously combust right then and there. 

“Heart-eyes, I thought you said they were okay with me coming?” you leaned over and whispered to him. 

James put down his glass and nodded his head. 

“They are okay with it, right?” 

Snapping out of their daze, the three men nodded their heads and finally began professing assurances that everything was fine. 

“It’s just… you said James invited you?” Jian asked with furrowed bows. 

“Yeah,” you nodded. “He mentioned you guys were in town and getting together tonight and asked me if I wanted to join.” 

James bit down on his tongue trying not to say anything, but also gave his friends a look to shut up before they gave anything away. He knew what was running through their minds, they were wondering how the hell he’d gotten the guts to ask you to come, but there was one fundamental difference between tonight and any other time he could have possibly asked you. This wasn’t a date, therefore, there was no pressure. 

“Maybe you could tell them what you’ve been up to since they last saw you?” James suggested. 

“Oh, um, well, I got my master’s degree and doctorate at McGill, both for research in cancer biology-,” 

“Cancer biology?” Pierre interrupted. “I don’t remember you mentioning you were interested in that.” 

“I-I wasn’t initially,” you admitted. “Just after spending more time in the LSRC and a few other irrelevant things I decided it was the best fit for me to focus on.” 

“You and heart-eyes make a pretty good pair then,” Carlo raised his eyebrows suggestively and took a sip of his drink. 

“I guess we do,” you chuckled. “As long as he leaves the research to me. We all know what he’s like in the lab.” 

“I resent that,” James protested only before saying, “but I do deserve it.” 

“It’s a miracle he hasn’t had a medical malpractice suit,” Pierre added. 

You asked the boys about where their various careers had taken them and how they were each doing. The conversation stayed pretty normal until the topic changed to relationships, starting with Jian’s wife and family back in Vancouver and Pierre’s husband who was currently in Australia doing research on some massive insect. 

“What about you Carlo?” you asked. “Anyone special in your life?” 

“Nah,” he waved his hand. 

“What about the mom of the kid who pet sits for you?” Jian asked. 

“That kid charges me per animal, per size. If I were to date his mom he’d probably charge me for dating her too, and I don’t think I can afford his price,” he shook his head and the table laughed. 

“James, you’ve been quiet,” you said. “Nothing to share?” 

James nervously took a sip of his drink and looked over at his friends for help. 

“James hasn’t had the best luck in love,” Pierre settled on. 

“Oh, haven’t found anybody, that’s not a big deal,” you assured him. “I haven’t either.” 

“Well,” Carlo said in a high-pitched voice. “It’s not exactly that he hasn’t found anybody.” 

“So there’s someone-?” 

“I’m divorced,” James blurted. “Three times. Or soon to be three anyway.” 

“Oh,” you paused and tried to think of the right thing to say, but for the moment settled on nothing while Pierre changed the subject. 

After the visit was over, James offered to walk you to your car and you accepted. The walk started off in silence, but you decided to break it. 

“You know, I hope you find the right person eventually,” you said. “It’s unfortunate things didn’t work out three times.” 

“Yeah,” James nodded in agreement. “I-um, do you ever think about that conversation we had, in the McDonald’s by my apartment?” 

“Sometimes I do,” you admitted. 

“Looking back on that, I wonder if we ever really loved each other. If we did this probably wouldn’t have happened. We would have fixed things, worked on ourselves instead of just…giving up.” 

“So I guess you still haven’t fallen in love yet?” you asked, but he stayed silent. “Whoever it is, I’m sure things will find a way to work out for you.”

“The moment may have passed on that,” he said with his hands shoved in his pockets and looking down at the ground. 

“You never know, James. Sometimes life has a funny way of surprising you.” 

—

James watched as his colleagues and a few of the students from the university left the lecture hall while he continued to sit in his seat, watching you walk up towards him. 

“Don’t you have patients or something?” you asked. “You’re at all of my lectures.” 

“Doesn’t it seem appropriate for an oncologist to attend a cancer biology lecture?” he asked as you sat down next to him. 

“I suppose so,” you sighed. “Doesn’t explain why you weren’t taking notes though.” 

James looked down at his empty hands and cursed a little internally. 

“It’s okay,” you assured him. “I don’t mind the staring, it reminds me of school.” 

“You noticed?” he asked. 

“You weren’t very subtle,” you chuckled. 

“Yeah, not one of my strong suits,” he blushed, embarrassed. 

“Do you wanna go grab lunch before your break is over?” you asked and James nodded, standing up and offering you a hand to get out of your seat. 

You went to the cafeteria, running into his friend House who managed to get his food paid for by James, yet again, before leaving to go back up to his office and work on another differential diagnosis with his employees. 

“Did all the guys get back home safe after their trip?” you asked, digging into your food. 

“Carlo and Jian are back home, Pierre went to go be with Ollie in Australia.”

“It must be hard not living near them.” 

James sighed and nodded his head. “It’s a balance. When they’re being annoying, it’s great that they don’t live here and when they’re not, it sucks.” 

“Spoken like a true friend,” you chuckled. 

“What about you? Do you still keep in touch with people from school? During any of your degrees?” 

“Not really,” you shook your head. “After my undergrad I became so laser focused on my school I didn’t pay attention to relationships that much outside of my family. Starting to regret it a bit now.” 

“Kind of hard to have a good conversation with cancer cells,” James said sarcastically and you shook your head. “Do you like it in New Jersey so far?” 

“Not as much as back home,” you admitted, “but it is nice to have a friend here.”

“Yeah, Jersey is…an acquired taste,” he settled on, making you laugh, but your laughter was cut off by the sound of his pager, and he looked down to see what the message was before quickly standing up. “Sorry, I have to-,” 

“Don’t worry,” you assured him. “I’ll pack up your food and bring it to your office.” 

“Thanks,” he nodded and you waved goodbye as he ran off out of the cafeteria and to the oncology floor to go help one of his patients. 

—

James didn’t find himself walking around the campus often, but when he did it was usually because he had to clear his head. With everything that was going on in his life, in addition to the circumstances of this case, he was taking it harder than normal. 

He had left his coat in his office as the hot New Jersey sun was already beating down, his hands shoved in his pockets and his eyes following his feet as he took his steps forward. 

He didn’t notice you sitting on a bench as he was passing by. Curious as to his state, you stood up and went to meet up with him. 

“Hey James, are you okay?” 

Your voice pulled him out of his thoughts almost instantly. He stopped to look up at you, seeing the concern reflecting in your eyes. 

He took his hands out of his pockets and motioned for you to walk with him. 

“I lost a patient today,” he explained. “He was 11.” 

“Oh, James, I’m so sorry,” you said softly. 

“In med school you learn pretty quickly if you don’t find a way to deal with what you face every day the result is never good,” he said and you noticed him chewing on the inside of his cheek, “but it was just too sunny outside. How could it be sunny on a day like this?” 

You didn’t say anything initially, only intertwining your hand with his and giving it a light squeeze which he returned. 

“You know, I think it’s probably okay, every once in a while, to let yourself mourn your patients. Just like everyone else. You have a uniquely difficult job, James, and no one would hold it against you if you need a minute to adjust.” 

James stopped walking and you followed his lead, only to have him let go of your hand and pull you into a tight hug. You easily wrapped your arms around his neck while his arms were around your waist. 

“You’re a good doctor, James,” you mumbled. “I know, even if you don’t quite believe it right now, you did everything you could to help that young boy and make him more comfortable.” 

You could feel him nod his head, clearly not trusting himself to say anything at the moment. 

Neither of you wanted to let go, but you knew that you both had work to get back to. James had other patients he was responsible for and you had some work to do in one of the hospital labs. 

So silently, hand in hand, you accompanied each other back to the hospital, grateful for each other’s company. 

—

“I swear, if I stay there any longer I’m going to go mad,” James whispered to you under his breath as you walked along the halls of the hospital with him to help him run some tests for a few patients. 

“What was it this time?” you asked, huddling in closer, waiting for him to spill the beans on why living with his best friend was becoming unbearable. 

“He keeps pranking me,” he began to explain and you could see how frustrated he was just by his hand movements. “Last night he thought of the genius idea to put my hand in warm water while I was sleeping and-,” James stopped himself, realizing he’d divulged too much, just as your eyes went wide. 

“Oh my God you didn’t wet the bed did you?” you asked in a chuckle and James quickly covered your mouth saying, 

“Shh! The whole hospital doesn’t need to hear you!” 

You couldn’t hold in your laugh, muffled by James’ hand over your mouth and his cheeks were a bright cherry red. 

Eventually you pulled his hand away and said, 

“You definitely need to get out of there. That’s criminal.” 

“Exactly what I’m saying,” James agreed. 

“Hey, why don’t you come over to my place tonight?” you suggested. “We can watch a movie or something together.” 

“That sounds like exactly what I need right now,” he nodded his head. “What time?” 

“Come over at eight, it’ll give me some time to get snacks and get ready.” 

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” he held out his hand and you took it shaking it firmly. 

Later that evening while James was getting ready, House watched him curiously. 

“I still don’t believe that you blowdry your hair,” he said loudly over the sound of the appliance. 

“Believe it or not, I do,” James responded. 

“It just seems so pointless, your hair is messy anyways,” he crossed his arms and James gave him a look. 

“My hair looks fine, yours on the other hand could use a trim and about a billion other things,” James retorted.

“So, is this a date?” House asked, changing the topic. 

“No, it’s not a date,” James shook his head. “It’s an opportunity for me to get away from your insanity.” 

“Are you sure it’s not a date?” he asked. 

“What makes you think it's a date?” he finally gave in and turned around to face his friend, turning off the blow dryer. 

“Well if you asked her if you could come over, probably not a date, but if she offered…” he shrugged his shoulders. 

James shook his head, he didn’t want to allow himself to believe it was true, because if it was, he’d probably overthink things and make a fool of himself. 

“It’s not a date,” he reiterated and House stopped pressing, seeing as his friend would not be reasoned with. 

James finished fixing his hair and grabbed his keys and a coat before stepping out of the door. 

It didn’t take him long to drive to your house and when he knocked at the door he heard shuffling inside before the lock clicked and you opened it. 

“Hey! You got the dress code memo,” you joked, pointing to his McGill sweater and then back at yours. 

“I thought you might like a blast from the past,” he smiled and you invited him inside. 

As he entered he noticed the array of pillows on the couch, blankets draped over arm chairs, and books piled on every surface possible. To top it off, the house was currently only lit by lamps allowing a warm orange hue to fall over the space. It made James’ shoulders relax and he could even feel his nervous heart rate slow. 

“Do you like it?” you asked. “I am by no means an interior decorator, but I tried to make it feel cozy so it’s nice to come back to after long days at work.” 

“I do like it,” James nodded. “A lot. It feels like a home.” 

“Perfect, that’s exactly what I was going for,” you smiled. “You’re the first guest I’ve had here, you know?” 

“Really? No fancy dinner parties with the hospital board?” 

“No, not yet,” you chuckled. “Unfortunately, this guy in the oncology department keeps taking up all my time.”

You grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the couch. 

“But don’t worry, I don’t mind.” 

After he took off his coat, you both sat down next to each other, James extending his hand along the back of the couch and you naturally sat right up next to him, leaning forward to grab the remote and turn on the movie. 

“What did you pick?” James asked. 

“Just some random horror movie,” you said. “I heard it’s really cheesy.” 

“We’ll see about that,” James raised his brows and grabbed the popcorn from the table, putting it in between you both. 

You pressed play once you were both settled and tossed the remote to the side of the couch, curling your legs up and waiting in anticipation for the movie to begin.

It didn’t take long for the horror plot to begin, jumping right into the satanic murders and supernatural deaths. Just as you had predicted, it was cheesy, but that didn’t stop you from being startled whenever something popped up unexpectedly on the screen. 

Both of you were lulled into a false sense of security during what seemed like a quiet part of the movie, then, all of a sudden, the killer jumped into the frame with a loud change in the soundtrack, causing you to shriek and move towards James, also feeling him jump slightly from being startled. 

You both looked up at each other and laughed at the ridiculousness of your collective fright. 

“You’re supposed to be the calm one,” you elbowed him. 

“I know it just-Jesus!” James found himself inadvertently closing his eyes and wrapping his arm around you as if it would give him some protection from what was on the screen. 

You laughed again and leaned closer into his side, patting his leg to assure him it was safe to open his eyes again. 

“You must enjoy torturing me, that’s the only explanation for this,” James looked over at you and you shook your head. 

“Come on, heart-eyes, you think that lowly of me?” 

James couldn’t stop the smile that creeped past his lips, “No, of course not.” 

“Good, that means I still have the upper hand,” you moved your head to look back at the TV, but not before James tickled you in retaliation for your words. 

It took a moment, but you eventually surrendered and moved your focus back to the movie, still feeling a little warm from your laughter. 

You grabbed some of the other candies and snacks from the table, holding a gummy bear up for James to try and he did without so much as a second thought. 

“Still have a sweet tooth I see,” you offered him a different candy which he ate again and nodded. 

“You don’t want to know how many cavities I’ve had.” 

“Here,” you handed him a wrapped treat. “This one’s special from home.” 

“Maple candies,” he smiled. “They don’t make ‘em like they do in Montreal.” 

“They were your favourite, right?” you asked. 

James looked over at you again curiously, “You remembered that?” 

“Of course I did,” you shrugged. “Oh wait, look,” you pointed to the TV before grimacing and covering your eyes, but still peeking through your fingers. “Ew!” 

James just smiled at you, finding it harder and harder to resist the urge to kiss you, the thought bringing a warm sensation to his stomach. 

He settled instead on doing what he’d been doing forever: staring at you with heart-eyes. 

—

James tried to fight a yawn as he grabbed one of the many books on the shelves in his office, taking it to his couch and sitting down next to you. 

“You don’t have to do this, James,” you told him. “You probably have to be back tomorrow morning, you should go home and rest.” 

“No, no, it’s fine,” he insisted. “You look in here for that article I was telling you about and I’ll start proofreading.” 

There were many papers and files strewn around the couch, you couldn’t remember when you first came in, but James never seemed to mind when you worked in his office instead of your own. 

“Are you sure?” you asked. “I feel like I brought a tornado in here.” 

James looked up from your paper and nodded his head. 

“Now hush and let me read.” 

“Sorry, sorry,” you chuckled, opening the medical journal he had handed you, flipping through the contents until you found the article title he had mentioned. 

James had a pen in his hand, scribbling down annotations on the side, correcting a few typos and grammatical errors. 

For the most part, he was able to follow along, but at one point, the words became so incoherent he tapped you to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. 

“What does this say here?” he asked. “I-I don’t know if my eyes just stopped working, but what does stirring in sugar and eggs have to do with this trial treatment?” 

“Oh my God,” you grabbed the paper and looked at it closer. “I must have accidentally copied some of my mom’s cookie recipe on here before changing documents. What in the world is going on with me?” 

Maybe it was the exhaustion settling in or some other things James couldn’t quite pinpoint, but he felt himself letting out a chuckle that grew a little longer, and longer until it was a full blown laugh. 

It was an honest mistake, and arguably not that funny, but you’d be hard pressed to convince him of that in that moment, and instead, seeing the silliness of the situation, you joined in.

Eventually, when the laughter died down, you and James both leaning far back against the couch, he turned to you and apologized. 

“I’m sorry, I should probably read this when I have a bit more sanity.” 

“Don’t be,” you patted his leg. “I can always use a good laugh.” 

With your heads still turned to face each other, you suggested to pause the work and resume it another time, to which James agreed. 

You both continued to sit there in silence, looking over at each other and James caught a glimmer of something in your eyes and had to blink a few times to make sure it was still there. It was a soft look, a little dazed, like you were happily daydreaming about something far off. It took him a moment to realize it, since he had been the one giving that look, he’d never really had a chance to see it for himself. 

You had heart-eyes. 

And more importantly, you had them while you were looking at James. 

With a sudden boost of courage, fuelled by lowered inhibitions, he started by asking, 

“Have I ever told you why my friends call me heart-eyes?” 

You tilted your head a little, following his lead and sitting up straight. 

“Wasn’t it because of that girl you had a crush on that was from here?” 

James opened his mouth and then shut it, shaking his head. 

“There was never a girl from Jersey,” he admitted. 

“Why would they say it was a girl from Jersey if there was…” as you said the sentence you slowed down, the realization dawning on you. 

“All the staring makes a bit more sense now?” he asked. 

You blinked a few times, “I just thought you were really awkward,” you said. 

“I was, but if the staring didn’t give it away the blushing really should have done it,” he chuckled. 

“I thought you had a circulation issue!” you exclaimed and James burst out laughing, of course you did. “God, James, why didn’t you say anything?” 

James shook his head, “I could barely string out a coherent sentence when I was around you. Makes it a little hard to say anything.” 

“Makes me wish I had said something,” you said, feeling your own cheeks heat up at the admission. 

“Y-You would’ve said something?” 

Now it was James’ turn to be surprised. 

“I think most of the time it comes on gradually, maybe you won’t even know it at first. That’s what you said to me, but that eventually, if it was love, I’d know it.” 

You reached out and held James’ hands in your own. 

“I should have said something. I could have said something. We could have had so much more-,” 

“James,” you whispered, interrupting him and he stopped. “Shut up and kiss me.” 

James wasn’t going to waste another second, removing his hands from your to instead gently hold your face, bringing you closer to him so he could finally do what he had been dreaming about since he was 18 years old. 

The dim light of his desk lamp, the papers crumpled beneath and around you, the way you moved closer and slid into his lap, his hands now on your hips and your fingers snaking through his hair, it all melted into one and if you let yourselves imagine, just a bit, the lamp became a light in the library; the papers became unfinished homework assignments and lab write-ups, and you hadn’t missed a second of the time you could have spent together. 

Your kisses soon turned slow and repetitive and neither of you wanted to pull away, living in the moment like it was your last. 

“When…did you realize…you loved me?” you asked between kisses, moving away from his mouth, instead letting your lips find their way across his jaw and up to his temple. 

“Our last year of school,” he paused your kisses so he could kiss you properly again. “Carlo said something and-,” he shook his head and sighed. “I realized I was going to leave without you ever knowing how I felt and even though eventually I thought maybe I’d stopped loving you and started to love other people…I just kept trying to fill that space that only you fit in.” 

“First year of my master’s for me,” you rested your forehead against his. “Suddenly you weren’t there anymore and I really wished that wasn’t the case.” 

He tilted his head up to meet you in another kiss that was far too easy to melt into. Neither of you had any complaints and you knew you’d never get tired looking into his heart-eyes.

@cuntyvicodin

[etoiile]

"BE BRAVE"

starring chigiri hyoma!

synopsis: after being your roommate for a little over half a year, chigiri can say without a doubt that he's never met someone like you. you're sweet, funny, and just a great friend. but what happens when he wants to be more than that?

warning(s): not proofread but im p sure i didnt grammar correctly, mild swearing, gender neutral reader

notes: i want him your honor

"im back.." you mumbled, kicking off your shoes and practically throwing yourself onto the couch.

"well, dont you sound energetic." he joked as he turned off his phone and sat down next to you. "rough day?"

"ugh you cant even begin to imagine." you grumbled. "shit day. start talking. distract me."

"hmm..." he thought. "my day was pretty uneventful. i got let out early and just caught up on some stuff."

"who were you texting earlier? got any tea?" you questioned sleepily with a yawn. gossip sessions with chigiri were your absolute favorite. whenever he texted someone, there was usually some sort of news. plus, he gossiped like a girl and you were here for it. (sorry but chi is just so freaking canonically girlypop)

"nah. i wish, though. just talking to my older sister about some... stuff." he trailed off, racking his brain for a new subject.

"you hungry?" he asked, motioning towards the kitchen.

"yeah. will you carry me?" you asked tiredly, giving him your best puppy dog eyes. you were too tired to move on your own.

chigiri rolled his eyes at you, but still let you climb onto his back regardless.

as he carried you to the kitchen, he couldn't help the way his heart would leap out of his chest every time you left out a sleepy groan or would shift a little in his hold before nuzzling into his back. he couldn't help but imagine being here with you, in this apartment, though not as roommates or even friends, but lovers. he couldn't help how he could never be mad at you, despite what he'd say. he couldn't help how every time you did literally anything, he could feel himself falling deeper in love with you.

"well, think about it this way, chi." his sister had texted. "you've got two choices before you. confess or dont. correct?"

"yeah"

"WRONG. there's only one choice. by doing nothing, youre doing nothing but self torture. you'll always be thinking about how much you want to hold her but cant, and you'll have to watch her go on dates and even get ready for them. obvi, thats no fun. imo, just go for it, honestly. gotta be brave, yk?"

at the time, chigiri said something along the lines of, "maybe i will, maybe i wont. we'll see." before turning off his phone to greet you.

now, as he thinks about his feelings, he's never been more sure. he's never felt this way about anybody else before. its not like his past relationship where it was thrilling and exciting but exhausting. the way he feels with you is different. you feel safe. warm. comforting. you feel like a warm, sunny breeze after a cold rain. you feel like home. you feel like warmth. you feel like love.

he gently set you down at the kitchen counter before heading to the fridge.

"we dont have much food because SOMEBODY forgot to buy groceries." he teased. "we have fruit, eggs, bread, tobiko roe, rice, and instant ramen."

"yeah, yeah. anyways.." you then started batting your lashes at him like a maniac. "would you mind making me some ramen, my dear, sweet chichi?"

chigiri's heart leapt at the use of the word "my." he could feel his cheeks start to heat up and he quickly turned around.

"yeah, yeah, as you command." he rolled his eyes (for the 349348th time) and got to work.

"dont forget the eggs!"

"just be brave," his sister had said.

pfft. "just be brave?" give him a break! it just wasn't that simple. he couldn't risk the friendship most beloved to him. he just couldn't!

he watched as the seasoning gently bubbled with the noodles as he gently stirred the pot with a pair of wooden chopsticks, humming along to a tune he'd heard on your playlist absentmindedly.

"CHIGIRI?!" you suddenly yelped, clearly taken aback.

"what? is something wrong?" he asked calmly but concerned, praying that you weren't hurt as he set down the chopsticks and ran to you.

his cheeks were met by your palms as you squished his face together. "you're humming "cruel summer" by taylor swift! ive done it! youre a swiftie!" you let go as you squealed and leaped for joy, jumping about.

"chigiri's a swiftie! chichi is a swiftie!"

he chuckled as he watched your antics when suddenly, you crashed into him as you jumped.

you looked up from his chest and were met with his gorgeous pink orbs. it stunned you for a moment. they were so captivating, like they were gently chorusing a beautiful melody. you felt yourself sinking into them when suddenly, you realized the position you were in.

there was maybe an inch or two separating your lips from his. flustered, you quickly drew back, though you didnt exactly want to.

"sorry! um, my bad. i was just thinking! about how your eyes? uh... about how taylor swift has... uh... actually, what am i saying I WAS ACTUALLY-" you stammered as you tried to find an excuse for lingering much too long in his arms. staring into his beautiful eyes. on his chest. his muscular, toned, delicious... STOP.

suddenly, chigiri felt something. it wasn't embarrassment, it wasn't anxiety, it was... bravery.

gently gliding over to your flustered and still stammering figure, chigiri took your hands and looked you in the eye, freezing you.

"y/n, youre my one of my best friends." he said, his melodic voice gently wafting through the air. he then gently leaned down to your ear and in a low whisper, said:

"the thing is though, i dont want you like a best friend."

you were left frozen.

"a lyric from "dress." not bad, am i right?" he asked with a sly grin.

as the great taylor swift said, (in "its time to go") when the words of a sister come back in whisper, he realized that his sister was, as much as he hated to admit it, right. all he needed was to be brave.

𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐈𝐈𝐋𝐄 ©𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 please do not copy or repost my work on any other site. interactions appreciated! 🤍

[aka-indulgence]

AGGRESSIVE ENCOURAGEMENT

Thank you @vixenrose-64 for commissioning! This was a joy to write, I love nice UF!Papyrus hehehe

AO3 link here

(UF!Sans x Reader, UF!Papyrus & Reader Gender non-specific, no content warnings)

You’ve liked Sans. No scratch that, not like- you love him. (It’s so weird to admit it to yourself…)

You thought you were ready to tell him that, but seeing him sitting on that bar stool has glued your feet to the ground and you’re starting to worry that you’ll chicken out…

Thankfully, a hero in a flowing crimson cape has come to shove save you.

———————

Cars whizz by you, the sun was just starting to set. It was still warm out- yet, your fingers were cold to the touch, your stomach tied in knots. And weirder still, you were sweating down your forehead. You check your phone for the thousandth time, opening the message that has been plighting you for the last few minutes.

You: Hey Sans, you up for Grillby’s today?

Sans: 👟

Sans: what time?

You: Maybe in

You: 15 mins? Im on my way

Sans: ok

He responded as usual; curt and nonchalant, it was what you were used to. He was more expressive face to face, you knew he wasn’t purposefully trying to sound disinterested but- you wish you could read his tone right now. You bite your lip and look up to see him already at the bar, nursing a drink. Maybe you should’ve messaged him when you were sure you’re ready, it’s just- Sans doesn’t usually show up on time, let alone early. You thought you were ready when you sent him that text, but when you saw Sans’ back through the window… your confidence drained.

Even from behind your heart flutters… you’re down baaad, and it excites the butterflies already in your stomach.

Come on (Y/n), walk in. It’s that easy.

…

I can’t walk in.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“eeeEEEEK!”

You almost jump clear out of your shoes when you suddenly find a presence beside you. You turn around to see an angry red eyelight staring at you from above from within intimidating dark sockets. Papyrus stood there, gloved hands crossed in front of him, judging you with that withering gaze, jagged scowl set deeper than usual. He wore a sleek leather jacket and a shirt, accented by his trademark red scarf.

He looked grumpy, but… didn’t he always?

“Oh my god Papyrus,” you sigh, dragging a hand down your face, “don’t scare me, I thought you were Sans for a second…”

You thought he’d teleported to you when he saw you. You could feel the heat in your cheeks fade away as you calmed down.

“OH REALLY?” he inquired, “WHAT’S THE MATTER, DISAPPOINTED?”

You blinked. “Disa… whuh? Why would I be?”

“THAT I’M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND?”

You spoke too soon. The heat returned to your cheeks- you knew exactly what he meant but- how did he know?

You decide to feign ignorance.

“Pfft, what’re you talking about, Paps? I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“SANS.” Papyrus replies lightning fast, stopping you in your facade. You really don’t have a reply to that.

He smirks. He’s caught you and he knows it.

“N… I… I’’m not dating him,” is what you decided on, denying by not telling the whole truth. Papyrus, however, squints his sockets in a way that reminds you of a teacher pressing you about a slip up you’re trying to cover up.

You crack, just a little. “A-at least… not yet…?”

“HM.” Papyrus smirks. “I KNEW IT. YOU’RE TRYING TO CONFESS TO HIM RIGHT NOW, AREN’T YOU?”

You make a sound akin to a mouse about to cry, hiding your face in your shirt. Usually Papyrus gets impatient when you don’t answer him fast enough, but from his smug expression you think he’s savoring the fact that you’re turning into a boiling tea kettle at his observation.

“How’d… why do you know?” You ask, actually desperate to find the answer. Papyrus merely scoffs.

“OH YOU POOR THING,” He says patronizingly, “YOU COULDN’T BE ANY MORE OBVIOUS. DID YOU THINK YOU HID IT WELL? I CAN SEE YOU TURN INTO A TOMATO WHENEVER YOU’RE AROUND MY BROTHER.”

You feel the strength leaving your knees. You wanted to sink into the ground and hope Papyrus forgets about all this. But Papyrus has no time for your mortification.

“SO. WHY ARE YOU STANDING HERE THEN?”

You suppose there’s no point pretending anymore.

“I don’t know Pap… I’m just… scared. He doesn’t seem the type to jump into committed relationships, but it’s not just that. I just… don’t know how he’ll respond? I don’t want to ruin things with him if he doesn’t see me like that. What if I weird him out? I…”

You pictured that handsome shark grin and sigh heavily. “He’s… hot, ok?? He’s smooth, he’s a flirt, and… he could just get any hot bod in this town by blinking. I just wonder if he’s out of my league, I don’t know if he’d want to… settle with… me..?”

You startle when Papyrus leans down to your eye level- almost bending at a perfect 90 degree angle, squinting at you. His jagged teeth were pointed downwards, and you could feel the scrutiny. He looks more mad…? You can’t tell honestly- knowing Papyrus he might just be thinking deeply. You feel anxiety whispering, telling you that Papyrus is going to confirm your fears-

“THAT’S THE MOST ASININE THING I’VE EVER HEARD FROM YOU, HUMAN.”

“Um… huh?”

Papyrus shakes his head. “YOU’RE SMART, HUMAN, BUT… YOU’VE GOT IT ALL WRONG.”

Before you could manage a timid “what,”, Papyrus rounds on you.

“YOU REALLY THINK SANS IS OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE?”

Flummoxed, you glance left and right. “Y… yes…?

“WRONG!” You jump, “YOU ARE OUT OF SANS’ LEAGUE. NEXT THING YOU’LL SAY IS THAT YOU DON’T KNOW IF SANS LIKES YOU.”

“... He does?”

It’s as if those two words exploded something in Papyrus’ skull, because his jaw drops.

“DOES HE- HMPH! AND I THOUGHT SANS WAS THE COMEDIAN.” Papyrus frowns, as if he’s offended you’d ask such a thing. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THAT BONEHEAD TALKS ABOUT YOU? YOUR NAME RINGS IN MY SKULL WHEN SANS TALKS!”

He shakes his head. “‘DOES HE LIKE ME’... TCH. HE’S ALWAYS A SHOWOFF AROUND YOU. TRYING TO MAKE YOU LIKE HIM MORE SOMEHOW. I CAN’T BELIEVE THE BOTH OF YOU COULD BE SO DENSE- HE DOESN’T KNOW YOU LIKE HIM.”

You let out a sigh of relief. You were going to cry if he did.

“IT’S INFURIATING HOW MUCH HE SHOWS OFF WITH YOU. I’LL GIVE YOU THIS WARNING NOW, HUMAN, HE’S TRYING TO RUSE YOU INTO THINKING HE’S HOT STUFF.” He leans towards you, whispering “He’s A Fucking Nerd.”

Your mouth opens. Papyrus doesn’t curse.

“But… isn’t that how Sans is like? He flirts and tries to get in bed with you?”

Papyrus shakes his head.

“HE’S… EUGH. IN LOVE.” Papyrus makes a face of comical disdain, “I KNOW WHAT SANS IS LIKE WHEN HE’S ONLY FLIRTING FOR A GOOD TIME. WITH YOU… HE DOESN’T FLIRT WITH YOU. IT’S MORE LIKE HE’S… PROPOSING.”

“I- propose?!”

Papyrus pretends he didn’t hear you. “IF YOU AREN’T AFRAID OF THE ICKY REAL SANS STUFF… He Might Even Get Mushy With You… GO FOR IT. I THINK YOU TWO WOULD BE A SICKENINGLY SWEET COUPLE, ENOUGH TO ROT MY BONES, BLARGH. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE WEDDING, TELL ME, I’VE ALREADY GOT A WHOLE ALBUM OF IDEAS FOR IT.”

You can’t help but laugh. You couldn’t tell if Papyrus is disgusted or delighted by you and Sans becoming an item- could be both. He’s entirely certain that you were made for each other and against your earlier doubts, you could feel your confidence returning.

“LOOK AT THAT,” Papyrus points aggressively towards Sans. “YOU’RE EVEN MAKING HIM WAIT, I- EVERYONE WAITS ON SANS, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. ARE YOU STILL WORRIED HE MIGHT NOT LIKE YOU WHEN HE’S EARLY FOR YOU?”

You giggle nervously. “I guess… it is hard to believe that.”

“RIGHT!”

“I shouldn’t keep him waiting, should I?”

Papyrus’ face lights up as you turn towards the fireman’s pub, a renewed fire burning in your eyes. You almost take a step forward when you stop in your tracks.

“Wait a… Papyrus, why are you here?”

“NYEH HEH…” Papyrus snickers, “SANS WENT IN A HURRY EARLIER. TOLD ME YOU INVITED HIM TO MEET UP. SMILING FROM NON EXISTENT EAR TO NONEXISTENT EAR! HE DESCRIBED THAT YOU GAVE HIM A SUDDEN INVITE FOR THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, AND I CONCLUDED THAT YOU MUST BE TRYING TO CONFESS, SO HERE I AM.”

You stare at him.

“I’M HERE TO WATCH.”

This. Was the worst thing ever.

“HEY, I ALREADY KNOW HOW YOU FEEL, SO YOU NEEDN’T WORRY ABOUT MY REACTION, NYEHEHEH! YOU’LL BE TOO FOCUSED ON SANS TO SEE ME PEEKING IN ANYWAY. YOU’RE GOING TO DO GREAT.”

He gives you an affectionate (albeit rough) pat on the shoulders. “BREAK A LEG, FUTURE IN-LAW.”

He winks.

You felt like you wanted to combust right there. Your only response was a “Hhhhhh,” as you sped-walked towards Grillby’s, eyeing the skeleton at the bar.

You’re doing this. And it’s going to go WELL!

[an0nymousmessenger]

For I'll Keep Every Promise

Synopsis: He wakes up. Word Count: 2.4k tags. fluff, angst, happy ending Sequel to 'A Thousand Wishes Unheard' note: I was going to post this later but I think you guys need it. Ao3 Link

Darkness. That was all he could see. He felt nothing– as if he was floating in a neverending void.

He was dead.

He had to be. He remembers the bitter taste of blood coating his mouth– the way he struggled and choked on the very thing that ran through his skin. He recalls the loud ringing in his ear, growing ever louder as his vision faded out.

Well, he supposed he tried his best. Really. He gave it his all.

It just wasn’t enough.

What remained of his heart ached. He supposed he wasn’t able to fulfill his promise to you. He hopes you won’t blame him…he had held on till the very end.

Death wasn’t so bad. Before he went he was able to see his students, laughing and smiling, he even got to hold you close before he had left. Not to mention he even saw his friends again, and he had gotten to say goodbye. 

He had no regrets.

Well…he supposes there is still one that lodges itself in the back of his mind.

It was you.

He had never gotten the chance to…

“Satoru,”

He turned his head to look at you, who was savoring your lollipop as you leaned back on the balcony.

Lemon flavored. The very sour kind.

He had a snide suspicion that it was to keep him away from stealing it…

“Satoruu~” you repeated, drawing his attention again.

“Hm?”

You flash him a smile, the kind of smile that lets him know that you are about to either stir up trouble or say something random.

It was the latter.

“What do you want to do when you're older?”

He snorts, “What kind of question is that? Of course– a sorcerer.” He wanted to add ‘what else?’ but decided it was obvious enough. Adding the last part would also ruin his good mood. His path has already been pre-designed and pre-routed for him. He has no other choice.

“No, what I mean is if all this didn’t exist.”

“Aw~ are you saying you would rather not have met me?” He sings out in a fake-pained voice, knowing that it was not what you meant.

You roll your eyes, having been used to his antics for a few years now, “Perhaps,” you say with a playful smile, “Who knows? Maybe I’ll be better off.”

“Nah, I doubt it.”

You sigh before turning to face him. You widen your eyes when you notice he is already looking at you, but quickly move on, but Satoru doesn’t let the red creeping up on the tip of your ears go unnoticed. “I’m saying if you didn’t have cursed energy and stuff…like normal people, you know?”

He wanted to laugh and point out that it sounded like you were indicating that people like you and him were the odd ones, but he decided to let it slide.

“I dunno, maybe I’ll start a singing career, something like that.”

“Pfft, so what? That you’ll get even more admirers and fans?”

“Exactly! What? Don’t you agree? My face is pleasant to look at.”

Scoffing, you say, “One of these days I’ll make sure to crush that ego of yours.”

He rolls his eyes before looking back out at the school grounds, watching the sun slowly set behind the forest of trees. Although he had said the first thing that came from the top of his mind, he supposed singing wouldn’t be that far reached. 

After all, he excelled at everything. 

"How about you?" he asks. "Do you have something in mind already?" 

Observing the setting sun, you reply, "Mhm, yeah. Something like that." 

"Really?" He sounds surprised, not realizing how seriously you were considering it. "What is it?" 

Hesitating, you eventually respond, "It's... nothing." 

His interest is immediately piqued. 

"Come on! What's your idea? Share it with me!" He playfully pesters you with a grin. 

"No!" 

"You can't tease me like that! I told you mine, didn't I?" He whines a bit more before eventually coaxing it out of you.

It was when he saw you sigh, watching as the tension left your shoulders that he knew he won.

“Fine, I’ll tell you then. But you can’t tell anyone else– okay?”

He makes a gesture of zipping his mouth and throwing the zipper away, his curiosity increasing. It always does when it comes to you.

“I want to be…” you wait a bit, as if for dramatic effect, “...an author.”

You turn to look at him after a moment’s silence before breaking out in laughter.

“Haha- what’s up with your face? Surprised?”

Indeed he was a bit surprised. An author? He had no clue. When it comes to you it seemed as if he's only ever scratched the surface. It made him want to know more, want to ask more.

He never does.

"An author," he echoes thoughtfully.

"Yeah."

He wanted to ask why, but you had already started talking.

“An author. I guess it’s because I want to write stories, I grew up reading them you know? Made me feel safe.”

A hint of melancholy graces your smile as your thoughts drift elsewhere; it's a different kind of smile than the one before–a sadder smile.

"Who knows? I'm sure being a sorcerer has provided ample material for incredible stories. I'll be entirely unique. Maybe I'll even include tales about overcoming curses and how people like us save the day."

"Why not add in a ridiculously handsome guy who defeats all the curses with seamless ease too? Make sure 'remarkably attractive' is emphasized."

Laughing, you playfully smack his arm. "Okay, Satoru. I'll consider it."

He couldn’t help but break out into an amused smile. What an odd dream, he thought. Though he supposed he wasn’t against it.

Satoru Gojo excelled at everything, yet nothing he achieved seemed to measure up to you.

He felt his mind start to drift and fade away, threatening to join the other souls in their lost journey home. Wait…he called out. He didn’t want to go just yet. He wanted more time, more time to replay his memories, to live in them just for a second longer.

“Satoru,”

He could hear your voice, calling him in that familiar and recognizable way that was only special to you.

“Satoru.”

He wished he could’ve told you how much he loved hearing you say his name, it rolls off your tongue so nicely. He was never one to care about names, it never mattered to someone like him. 

All he needed was Gojo – a name denoting his status, lineage, and power. His first name barely held any weight compared to his clan's. No one needed to know who Satoru was, no one ever did…so he couldn’t have cared less for his name- and yet you somehow made him love his name– only when you say it does it sound special– like it’s his name like he is someone.

Someone other than the honored one. Someone other than the strongest.

“Satoru!”

There were a lot of things he never got to tell you, another thing to add to his regrets. If only he had been brave enough…if only he had picked up his courage and told you everything.

“Satoru- please!”

He paused. Ah- what is that feeling? He could feel something wet fall onto his face. Was it raining? How could that be? How could he feel if he was dead?

And yet that warmth around his face only made him more confused. He could feel as if someone was holding them, cupping his face carefully as if he could break.

"Please wake up… Satoru, I beg you…"

His eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the sudden brightness.

The first thing he saw when his vision came back into focus was your face. Your crying face looking down at him with your hands cupping his face.

Then he looked around, realizing that the battlefield on which he had been sliced in half was gone. He was in a room, a hospital room.

He looked down and saw the rest of his body, no longer split into two. Had Shoko done this?

“Satoru!”

He returned his gaze to you. You were smiling, smiling, and crying.

Questions, so many questions flooded through him at that moment, but he decided that he could ask those later. Right now was more important, right now felt like it was all happening inside a dream.

“Hey…crybaby, seems like you you missed me?” He teased with a small grin.

You gave him a look through your tear-soaked face as if you couldn’t even believe what he was saying.

“Y-You! You bastard! You annoying– infuriating- stupid dumbass!”

“Aw, come on…” he drags, “You don’t mean those…do you hm?” Although the tone in his voice is light– playful even as if he hadn’t just returned from death, as if all he wanted right now was to live this moment to the fullest, he was dearly wishing this– whatever this was– to last a little longer.

He slowly brings his trembling arm to hold onto yours, he wanted to hold on to you tight, as if everything he was seeing was about to break, to fall apart for him to realize it was all a dream.

He waited for you to disappear, to return to the part of his imagination that was playing tricks on him.

Instead, you move sideways to hug him, crying onto his shoulders.

"No...no, I don't," you managed through choked sobs.

He hummed softly, "I guess I kept my promise after all, huh?"

You nod into his shoulder, still holding him tightly.

You and him fall into a comfortable silence, he lets you cry on his shoulders just as how you let him hold onto you. 

Several minutes passed before you pulled away, sniffling and attempting to compose yourself while wiping away tears with your sleeve.

Satoru wanted to reach out and wipe them for you, but his newly healed injuries did not allow him to, moving his hand had already been hard.

It went on like that for a while; you sniffling and crying as Satoru stared at you quietly, taking everything about you in as if this was the last time he was going to see you, just the same way he did on that night underneath the torii gate, using his eyes to try to imprint every detail, everything, every aspect of you into his memory.

That night felt like a lifetime away.

He was the first to break the silence, “Where are the others?”

By now you had calmed down, and were able to answer in a coherent way, “Recovering…everyone is- they’re fine.”

Fine. Not good, but fine.

He’ll take it for now.

“We managed to win and…” you give him a look, “you know…the students declared their victory for you,” You say with a smile.

His students. They managed to do it, just as he thought they could. He sighed contently.

You then spend the next half hour going over exactly what had happened after he had passed out, how Kashimo had come out right after him, and how eventually the rest of the students joined in.

In the end, they had managed to pull through, but it wasn’t over. Sukuna had been dealt with, Megumi’s condition was unknown, and Kenjaku was nowhere to be found.

Shoko had indeed been the one to heal him. Immediately after the battle they were able to recover his body and managed to heal him back together just in time.

“We- we almost- I didn’t know if we made it in time or not…” You say, choking up again. He could see the tears you were desperately trying to hold back, to look brave in front of him, trying to break through.

“Hey, I’m right here, aren’t I?” He beckons you to come closer.

He eventually holds you in his arms, drawing slow circles on your back, as he knows it calms you, “Shhh, I’m right here, okay? I’m not going anywhere else.”

You mutter, “Better not,” which causes him to laugh.

He wanted to let this moment drag on forever, just you in his arms, just you and him.

“This…this is real– right?” He says quietly, and in such a small voice he doubted you had heard him.

You raise your head to look at him, the soft kind of smile he’s always known playing on your face, “Yes, Satoru. This is real, as real as it can be.”

He can feel himself start to tear up, because if he had to be honest- he was scared too, he was terrified, but he had no choice. He had to play his role, his role as the strongest.

But now he could just be Satoru, just him holding onto you, keeping you close. 

“Then I’m glad.”

Bonus:

“Gojo Sensei!” Yuji, the always energetic kid exclaimed as he ran into the room, followed by You, Maki, Yuta, Nobara, Panda, Inanumaki, Shoko, and everyone else.

They all had recovered for the most part and seemed to be relatively okay. They all wore relieved expressions as they entered the room to see that their Sensei was alright.

Yuji was the first to arrive at his Sensei’s bedside.

“Hey, kid!” Gojo Sensei waved. He had recovered enough to prop himself up and do basic movements, which to Shoko had been a miracle itself.

Yuji then began launching himself into the things that had happened while Gojo had been recovering, and Gojo returned the energy. Everyone got their turn, talking until visiting times were over and they had to be ushered out.

You were the last to leave. Just before you turned the doorknob Satoru called after you, “Hey- wait.”

You turn around, waiting for what he wants to say.

“When- uh when this is all over and when you have some free time, let me take you out, yeah?”

You barely ever heard Satoru Gojo stumble over his words, and when he did you know it was because he was nervous, and everyone knows Satoru Gojo is never nervous, yet that always seemed to be the exception when it comes to you.

You found it cute, the way he would try to seem aloof as the back of his neck became a beautiful shade of bright red.

“Yeah, but let’s save that for when you recover.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll be up and ready by next week,” he says as if it were a fact, his blue eyes seemed to shine even brighter.

You sigh, even after coming back on the brink of death he still acts like a child, but you smile nonetheless, “Next week it is then.”

[lovelywritinglady]

Gun Practice

Toji Fushiguro x GN!Reader

Toji teaches you how to shoot his gun and it leads to something interesting.

Fluff, mentions of gun use, sexual themes, mentions of his gambling addiction. lowkey a crack fic, established relationship.

"Alrighty sweetheart hold the pistol like this and make sure you have two hands on it." Toji whispered in your ear as his body was pressed firmly against yours and his head rested on your left shoulder.

"Two hands? Toji you don't use two hands when you shoot." You joked moving your neck to the left side to kiss his cheek that was slightly rough from the light stubble that was beginning to grow back.

"That's because I'm a professional, love. I know what I'm doing and you don't simple as that." Toji joked. This caused you to roll your eyes fixing your aim, ready to shoot the target that toji had placed on a tree on the outskirts of the city. "Alright, if you miss that's okay, but I've got a feeling you're gonna surprise me." He said confidently

You said nothing focusing on your aim while keeping two hands on the pistol. Taking a deep breath you fired the wepon until it was empty. A smile fell wide of your face as you see how well you fired Toji's gun. You looked at your boyfriend to see him staring back at you with a wide smile too that beamed with pride.

"Damn baby, I thought you would do well but color me impressed," Toji said placing his hands on his hips.

"Pfft, I told you before we got here that I was going to impress you with my skills." You said in a confident manner putting down the gun.

"Well you were right and I think because you did so well. I might as well treat you sweetheart." Toji spoke walking towards you wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you against his body. You then put your arms around his neck and pulled him to your lips kissing him softly. His lips molded against yours as he began dancing his tounge around yours. The kissed got heated as he picked you up holding you in the air as one of his hands supported you and the other made it way to your hair grabbing it softly and pushing you head closer so that your lips would clash harder. You moaned at these abrupt actions biting his lip causing him to grunt. He finally broke the kiss causing you to whine in annoyance. "Don't worry darlin', I promise to treat you well tonight. I've got a lot of money from my latest job so I'm gonna treat you to a nice dinner tonight. How does that sound?" He asked while still holding you with your legs wraped around his waist.

"Well damn, maybe I should show you my natural born talents more often." You joked pecking his nose and taking your left hand to trace the scar on his lip that you adore. "Thank you." You whispered to him as he smiled lloking lovenly into yoru e/c eyes.

"Heh maybe you should but I still need money for those horse races you know." He joked putting you down and kissing your lips softly before picking up his gun and putting it in the back of his pants.

"I wish you wouldn't gamble so much." You sighed taking his hand as you began to walk to your car nearby.

"Yeah I know I've really cut back but its hard." he sighed looking up while he was still walking with you hand in hand.

"Why is that?" You asked mostly confused as to why he would cut back.

This caused Toji to stop and turn twords you with a look on his face that you couldn't recognize. He placed his hands on your face, rubbing you're cheeks softly.

"Because for you I want to make this work. And in order to do do that, I need to stop or at least water down the things that could tear us apart. Toji spoke nervously.

"Toji, I appreciate the effort you're putting in and I love you so much for that." You responded leaning into his touch.

"Love you too, Y/N. Now, where do you wanna go sweetheart?" Toji aksed waeing his signature smirk.

"There is this new resturant downtown that I've been eyeing." You told him as you began walking to your car once more.

"As you wish sweetheart." Toji replied as we walked hand in hand ready for our date that would hopefully result in resuming our activities from earlier.

Thank you so much for reading!

Please feel free to like, comment, request, and reblog!

Click HERE to see what I’ll write for

•I do NOT own any characters except y/n•

-L.W.L

[slavghoul]

Hey Slav, first of all, I hope you’re doing good!

I just wanted to add something to the music topic.

I don’t understand this weird and kind of parasocial interest in TFs past.

as you’d said he surely wouldn’t be happy about this whole passiflora incident and when ever I see some “new” pictures of him pop up from when he was a literal teenager I feel so bad.

I know he’s a grown man and doesn’t need to be defended, but I just wish people would stop digging around to find the oldest and most irrelevant things about him and post it on instagram etc.

I'm guilty of such parasocial interest so it would be hypocritical of me to say I agree, but I agree with the fact it's weird 😭 If that makes sense? I'm painfully aware we're very selective with our ethics. If I started a fanpage about my neighbour they'd place a restraining order against me, but if it involves a celeb it's all fine and dandy for me to clickety clack on the keyboard all day theorizing 'how Tobias feels' about X, Y, or Z. I mean, I've literally just done that in the previous post. It's so normalized we don't even think about it. Post after and post and tweet after tweet that's all we're doing. There's an odd element of, I don't know, transactionality at play here.. the artist relies on the fan for validation and financial success, and in turn the fan derives enjoyment and a sense of connection. But then the line between appreciation and entitlement blurs, cause having invested all this time, money and, above all, emotional effort, the fan begins to feel a sense of ownership over the artist. And you may think "Pfft maybe that's the case for you, I'm not doing that" but we're all doing this subconsciously me thinks, we feel entitled to celebrity lives because we make them who they are. In turn, they must learn to live with it cause that's the Faustian bargain they had made, sad as it is.

I don't even know where I am going with this answer. I have no conclusion and no punchline. Tomorrow we'll wake up and do it all over again.

[biniminisblog]

wish you were mine | yang jeongin drabble

pairing: yang jeongin x fem!reader ft. brother!seungmin

genre: angst, forbidden love, brother’s bestfriend

word count: 0.6k

a/n: i know i said i wasn’t gonna post for a while but i just came back from school after hours of dance practice and inspiration suddenly kicked in. ig my mind works better when i feel like dying lmao. its also probably why its angsty lol. as always reblogs/replies and feedback are very much appreciated, thank you! and stream social path ‼️

you’re crying. you’re crying and it's all his fault. you were only supposed to be seungmin’s younger sister, even so, jeongin knows that falling in love with you was inevitable. however, he also knows that it’s forbidden. which is why he just stands there, watching you cry as he continues to lie to you. he lies that he’s not in love with you. he lies that he’s never thought of you everyday. he lies that you’re just seungmin’s younger sister to him. everything he’s said are lies yet he can’t seem to stop it.

“please jeongin just give me a chance! i promise i can give you the love you deserve.” he knows you can. in fact, you have already given him more than what he deserves while also simultaneously stealing his heart in the process. the very same heart that is now burning with anguish because of you—no, because of him. he could never blame you of his stupid actions, you were too perfect in his eyes.

he’s the one who messed up. he led you on for months, flirting and teasing each other, only for him to claim he never had feelings for you.

“oh, my sister? she can be a pain the ass sometimes but i love her. why? you like her or something?”

“what? pfft no of course not!”

“good because she’s off limits, wouldn’t want my best friend dating my own sister. gross.” he recalls his and your brother’s conversation, and although it was intended to be a lighthearted joke, jeongin knows seungmin was being serious. just a reminder that he could never be with you.

“i’m sorry yn.” his apology seems to have calmed you down a bit. you’ve probably realised that maybe he wasn’t worth it after all and although it hurts, he won’t deny it. he knows you deserve someone better than him anyway. someone who can say what they truly feel without hesitation. you nod slowly, and just as he thinks you’re about to walk away, you suddenly lunge forward and attack him with a hug. it startles him, making him stumble a bit but he regains his balance. you’re hugging him, and in that moment, hope begins to bloom in his chest. jeongin thinks that maybe, just maybe, he can ignore the fact that you’re his best friend’s sister, and you both can finally do what you’ve always wanted.

“let’s stay like this, even just for tonight, please. then i promise i won’t bother you again.” you whisper, and just like that, all hope is crushed within a split second. of course you wouldn’t fight for him, that would be selfish of him to think. even he didn’t put up a fight, he just gave up the moment seungmin told him so.

despite this, he nods at your request, finding it hard for him to say no. it was hard enough to reject you, he doesn’t want you to get hurt any more than he’s given you. with that, jeongin wraps his arms around your waist, and you snuggle closer to him, wrapping your arms around his neck. at this close proximity, he can smell the perfume he was sure was his. he knows it’s his because you would steal it even though you try to deny every time he asks. he smiles endearingly at your fond memories together. jeongin was going to miss your beautiful smile and looks that were only reserved for him. he hoped that in another universe, you guys would be together without any care in the world, just happy to be in each other’s arms.

jeongin wishes you weren’t seungmin’s sister. he wishes you were just a random person who he happened to stumble upon and fall in love at first sight. but life is unfair like that and all he can do is suck it up and try to move on, even though he knows he never truly will. still, just for tonight, jeongin would pretend you were his and he was yours.

[atiny-piratequeen]

𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑊𝑎𝑦 𝐻𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝐶𝘩.𝟹 (𝟸/𝟸)

𓆩⟡𓆪Summary: Wooyoung is a culinary student and he and two of his best friends have been brought along to Namhae to learn and study the farmers out in the countryside and disconnect a bit. Reluctant at first, he just wishes he could’ve been back in the city and close to his long-time crush Yeosang. Things change when he lays his eyes on the dimpled country boy staying with them that show them around and teach them more about Namhae’s way of life, all with a spine-tingling Satoori.

Maybe things aren’t so bad out here in the sticks, after all.

𓆩⟡𓆪Pairing: WooSan + Endgame WooSanSang

𓆩⟡𓆪Genres/Aus: Non-Idolverse, Fluff, Romance, Humor, Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Fish Out Of Water Tropes, Au, Mutual Pining, Country Boy San, Culinary Student Wooyoung, Poly Endgame

𓆩⟡𓆪Tws: Swearing, Miscommunications, Jealousy, Mentions of Homophobia, Light Instances of Unwanted Advances (from non mcs)

𓆩⟡𓆪Sws: Wet Dreams, Threesomes, Blowjobs, Handjobs, Risky Sex, Biting, Scenting, Hair Pulling, Praise Kink, Creampie, Cock Sharing, Dirty Talk, Bareback Sex, Riding, Doggystyle, Cum Swallowing

𓆩⟡𓆪Rating: Explicit/Mature (18+)

𓆩⟡𓆪WC: 16+k

𓆩⟡𓆪A/n: This is the final part of  @schone-lie’s commission! Thank you so much my dear! We're not gonna talk about how long it took me to post this, please remember to like AND reblog if you enjoyed, and have a great timezone!

𓆩⟡𓆪AO3| Taglist Form (Please make sure your urls are updated and able to actually be tagged) | Commission Sheet𓆩⟡𓆪

𓆩⟡𓆪Network Ping- @kwritersworld | @kdiarynet | @k-vanity | @cultofdionysusnet𓆩⟡𓆪

𓆩⟡𓆪©atiny-piratequeen. do not repost, translate, or use my works𓆩⟡𓆪

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

     3pm

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“So…”

San blushed, looking over as Wooyoung emerged from working on their costumes. He could tell from the way Wooyoung’s sentence trailed off, he probably wanted to attempt having that aforementioned talk. 

“So…” San parakeeted back, cheeks darkening at the way Wooyoung arched a single brow at him. 

“‘So fucking pretty for us?’ I don’t think I’ve seen you with such a feral look in your eyes before.”

San let out an inhuman squeak and looked away after an unintelligible jumble fell from his mouth. 

“Is that how we’re really going to lead this conversation off?”

Wooyoung’s eyebrow inched higher and San covered his face. 

“I just…I think he’s neat.”

“...pfft.”

“WOOYOUNG!”

“I’m sorry! It was cute!”

San covered his face, absolutely flustered while Wooyoung snickered behind his hand, though he couldn’t deny the flutter in his chest as he teased his boyfriend. 

“He’s…really nice to be around. In this quiet, kind of mysterious way. I’ve never met anyone like him before. So…I get it. I get why you like-or, rather, why you love him. At least, I see a bit of it. I think he’s walking a bit cautiously around me because we’re together.”  He mused. Wooyoung hummed and nodded, his cheeks rose tinted. 

“I see.”

“Yeah.”

The two stood in a flustered silence. 

So they both liked him. Cool. 

Now what?

Neither seemed to have the answer, if the long stretch of silence was anything to go by. Just because they liked him didn’t mean the three of them would run off into the sunset. Yeosang didn’t feel romantically for either of them. 

Right?

Clearly the long stretch of silence had become unbearable, and San was the first to break it, clearing his throat. 

“How about we go check out the pop up shop near Yeji’s book store? We passed it yesterday and it looked like it had some cute things inside.” 

Wooyoung perked, smiling as he turned on his heel, disappearing down the hall shouting about wearing ‘couple’s outfits.’

San let out a small exhale and headed down the hall, a small smile tugging at his lips.

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

          x

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“With this limited edition plushie, you’ll be entered in a raffle for-”

“If you buy all of the albums, you have a higher chance at getting your bias and-”

“Wait, let’s open them here and then we can trade-”

The duo walked through the pop up shop, the idle chatter and murmur of the room melting into the background as they admired their surroundings. 

It ended up being for some boy group, and while San wasn’t sure who they were, he did appreciate the artistry that went into the popup. Apparently they had a comeback of some sort approaching and some of the pieces on display beyond the glass cases had been hand made by the leader of the group. 

San stopped in front of a posted with all of the men on it, looking up. Wooyoung kept his arm looped in his, putting his chin on San’s shoulder and looking up with him. 

“Do you know them?” San inquired. Wooyoung made a sound of confirmation behind him, hugging him to his chest. The move made San glance back shyly, though he didn’t try to shift out of his grip. 

“I actually designed our halloween fits after one of their comebacks.” He murmured, head cocked to the side. San’s lips parted as he looked up, seeing some of them wearing crop tops and leather pants, while others were decked out in pants that hugged every curve of their lower regions. 

“Is that so?” he inquired. He could feel the way Wooyoung’s lips curved up in delight at the cautious edge in his tone. 

“Wooyoung, I don’t know if I can pull off somethin’ all fancy like that-”

Wooyoung looked at him like he’d grown a second head, narrowing his eyes for a moment to see if San was playing. When he saw that he wasn’t-as evidenced by the tiny, innocent blink he was met with-Wooyoung let out a small exhale through his nose. 

“Boy, what the hell-” He shook his head and grabbed San’s shoulders, tugging him over to a mirror. 

“You are the most attractive person to ever walk out of Namhae, look at you.” He cupped San’s jaw as he stood beside him, turning the older man’s face until he made eye contact with his own reflection. 

“You can easily pass as an idol yourself. You can sing, you have a soothing smile, and you’re literally my happy vitamin.” He smiled and kissed his cheek before pulling him away, lacing their hands together as they exited the pop up. 

San wasn’t sure if his feet were actually carrying him, or if he was floating at this point. He wanted to know where Wooyoung learned to be so…smooth with his words. 

As they left the pop up, they watched a pair of young women leave the book store, giggling amongst themselves about the ‘hot man’ being back again. The two exchanged a look before glancing through the window. 

There, with an apron tied around his waist, was Yeosang, his hair a fluffed lion’s mane around his head and his eyes holding a distinctly soft look in them as he sat down in a half circle, reading something from a picture book to a small group of kids, all while Yunho sat at his side, occasionally ducking his head down to let a child pet him. 

Before they realized, the two of them slowed to a stop, staring through the window at Yeosang. 

“He has a nice smile, doesn’t he?” San murmured, the chill of the autumn air making him press a bit closer to Wooyoung. He let out a soft laugh, nodding. 

“He always used to do that when he wasn’t training. Smiled in this soft, air headed way that made his cheeks bulge like…a cute little hamster.” he laughed to himself and San felt his own smile falling a bit. 

Again, his mouth worked a bit faster than his brain. 

“When did that change?”

Wooyoung looked at him, pursing his lips for a moment before he looked at the ground. 

“Before I left for Namhae. He didn’t tell me if anything had gone awry at home. I offered for him to come with me to Namhae, but he declined and ever since I’ve gotten back there’s been this…air around him.” He sighed. San rubbed his back and kissed his temple. 

“Well, let’s give him something to smile about. The Halloween party is a good place to start, yeah? It’s not my place to pry into his life, especially since he’s only known me for only but so long, but I can certainly get someone to crack a smile. That’s the first step to healin’, right? A good smile and a laugh?” He inquired. Wooyoung smiled and stole a kiss from his lips, grabbing his arm and guiding him down the block. 

“My boyfriend’s got the biggest, sexiest brain, I swear~”

San rolled his eyes playfully and let Wooyoung drag him down the block so they could grab ingredients for dinner. 

Neither noticed Yeosang glance up from the circle of kids he was sitting in, his brow furrowing as he watched their backs disappear down the block. 

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

     October 31st

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“Holy shit, your hair.”

Yeosang blushed and paused, his hair bleached and dyed to be platinum blonde. San let him in and looked at him, lips parted. 

“It’s so…fluffy.” 

His own hair was back to black, with a pattern shaved into the back of his fresh undercut that looked like moon phases.

Yeosang shifted from foot to foot slightly as he slipped into a pair of house slippers. San was looking at him like he’d seen people look at Yunho’s head. 

‘Does he want…to pet me?’

Before Yeosang could say anything, Wooyoung appeared behind San, his hair a brilliant shade red as he let out a loud, fox-like yip that startled San and made him jump nearly a foot in the air. 

“Hehehe! Happy Halloween, boys! Oh wow, that color looks even better on you than I had in my head.” Wooyoung paused, looking at Yeosang with eyes full of admiration. 

Yeosang found himself bowing his head without a second thought, humming as Wooyoung stepped in front of him, running his hands through his hair and grinning. 

“You used the conditioner I recommended.”

“I don’t know if you know, but you tend to be a diva if I don’t go along with your schemes.”

Wooyoung gasped and paused, his fingers tangled in Yeosang’s locks as he looked him in the eye. 

“How dare you, I am not scheming, I am simply…plotting for us to look the sexiest in the entire place.” 

Yeosang sent him a deadpan look. 

“Not only are ‘scheming’ and ‘plotting’ synonyms, I doubt I’m going to look better than anyone else at a party that literally has fashion models at it.” Yeosang muttered flatly. 

San spoke next. 

“Why not? You’re really handsome.”

Yeosang blushed. He blushed. 

“I-”

“Which one of you wants to start first?” He interrupted the car crash happening in Yeosang’s mind with a bright smile, gesturing to the impromptu dressing room he’d turned his living room into. 

San smiled, seemingly wanting to spare Yeosang of more fussing as soon as he walked in, and made his way to the living room, his footsteps nearly silent. 

“I’ll go first. What do we need to start with-”

“Go change into this and wash your face with the products I put on our bathroom sink. Yeosangie, go on and sit down and I’ll brush your hair so I can figure out how to style it.” 

Yeosang’s feet moved on their own and he found himself seated on the couch, scrolling on his phone as Wooyoung carefully brushed his hair, muttering to himself about styling. 

“Your hair has gotten so long…” Wooyoung muttered, catching a tangle while he mused and tugging Yeosang’s hair. Yeosang let out a sound akin to a growl, inhaling sharply. 

Wooyoung froze. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry!”

Yeosang felt his head get engulfed in warmth as Wooyoung hugged him from behind. The familiar scent of his cologne filled Yeosang’s senses and he nearly closed his eyes to sink into the feeling, even if it was laced with a new, interesting scent. 

Must be San’s.

They…complimented each other well. 

Yeosang’s musing was cut off by Wooyoung placing a kiss to his head in apology. Yeosang inhaled sharply for the briefest of moments, fingers twitching slightly. 

“I’m back.”

Wooyoung took his time looking up, though when he did and Yeosang followed suit, both of them were at a loss for words. 

“Crop top.” Yeosang muttered without thinking. Sure enough, San had on a black cop top, his lean abdomen in full view. His pants clung to every curve and muscle of his legs and-

And…?

And he’s been staring at his best friend’s boyfriend for way too long. 

“God, I’m a genius.”  Wooyoung nodded, standing and walking over, admiring him openly, grinning from ear to ear. Yeosang watched them, glancing between the two. 

“Isn’t the crop top going to be cold? Are you going to be okay? Don’t catch a cold.” 

Smooth, Yeosang. Surely, that’s what they’re concerned about. Especially after Wooyoung worked so hard on this and-

“Are you worried about me?” San sent him a charming smile and sat in the dining room table across the room. 

“I promise I won’t get sick.”

“If he does, help me take care of him, yeah? He’s pouty when he’s sick.” 

“I am not.”

“You’re pouting right now. Sit down, babe.”

San playfully rolled his eyes and sat down, letting Wooyoung get started with his makeup. Yeosang turned half way on the couch, watching as Wooyoung began applying makeup to San. 

Watching Wooyoung work was an…experience. 

He focused, whether it was cooking or fashion, he always narrowed his gaze in this…intense manner that made Yeosang pay close attention. 

He was…so handsome. 

“We’re going with a black and pink look for you, Sannie. Tilt your head up, baby.” Wooyoung spoke under his breath, his fingers diligently working. 

“Keep your eyes closed, I’m doing your lids.” 

Yeosang walked over, his feet carrying him without a second thought. He stood beside Wooyoung, watching as he added a shimmery pink to the smoky eye he was doing for San. 

“He looks like an idol…” Yeosang spoke before realizing what he was saying and went beet red when San opened his eyes half way, sending him a slight smoldering look as he locked eyes with him. 

Yeosang froze. 

“Thank you-”

“Close your eyes so help me god if you mess up my hard work-” Wooyoung hissed, lightly nudging his leg with his knee. San chuckled and closed his eyes again, relaxing back in the chair. 

Yeosang tried to keep himself still while he watched, but he found his gaze wandering. 

San’s face, the curve of his jaw, and the upturn of his lips as he tried to hold back a laugh when Wooyoung began putting lipstick on him, his hands idly coming to rest on Wooyoung’s hips as he stood between his legs.

Yeosang’s attention shifted over to Wooyoung, watching the subtle way he shifted from foot to foot, his eyes scanning San’s face. A gentle smile came to his own the more he worked and got closer to completing, muttering small praises under his breath and thank yous for San sitting still for him.

He didn’t have any makeup on himself, but Yeosang couldn’t tear his eyes away from him, his leg bouncing ever so slightly as he watched Wooyoung stand to his full height. 

“Okay, we’re done here. We’ll wait for the ears and tail till the end when I do everyone’s hair. Yeosang, you’re next darling, go wash your face, your facial care products are to the left. Your skin is a bit too sensitive to use the one San and I use. There’s a light yellow towel in there, too, you can use that to dry your face.”

Yeosang smiled and nodded, trudging down the hall. Wooyoung watched him leave, smiling before he turned to San, admiring him with his finger tapping to his own lips. 

“God, you really do look irresistible. I’m gonna have to beat folks off of you with a stick.” 

San arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow and chuckled, tilting his head to the side. 

“Everyone?” 

Wooyoung blushed, glancing behind him, where he still heard running water from the half bathroom down the hallway. 

“You little pervert- what if he hears you?”

“Makes it a bit easier for us to get to seeing if it’ll work, no?” 

Wooyoung stared at him, baffled at how bold the country boy was. San didn’t break his gaze, brows going up as he waited for Wooyoung to contest his train of thought. 

“Behave yourself, you can’t just go hey, my boyfriend and I kind of like you.”

San slow blinked at him, arms crossed over his chest. 

“I wouldn’t say that.” Wooyoung nodded, seemingly in the process of relaxing. 

“-I would say we definitely like you.” 

“CHOI SAN.”

“I’m done-hm?” Yeosang looked back and forth between the two men, blinking as they stopped immediately, looking at him. 

“Everything okay?” He inquired. They smiled in an instant, sparkling and charming as they nodded nearly in unison. 

“Yep”/”Uh-huh.”

Yeosang narrowed his eyes slightly. He couldn’t prove it, but they were definitely scheming. At least his gut told him they were. 

“Nevermind that! Sangie, you’re in the seat next!” 

Yeosang moved and sat down where San was before, looking up at Wooyoung as he came closer, leaning down into his space. 

San wasn’t too far off, leaning on the kitchen counter beside them, watching in the same manner Yeosang had done previously. Yeosang glanced at him, meeting his gaze for a moment. 

San sent him a boy next door smile, eyes turning into crescents. Yeosang felt something in his chest flutter for a moment before his chin was grabbed and turned, his eyes widening for a moment as Wooyoung made him look up. 

His lips parted, he didn’t say a word, just keeping his eyes fixated on Wooyoung’s. 

He’s so close. Really, just a gentle brush and they’d be kissing-

“Close your eyes, Sangie.” 

Yeosang’s hands shook in his lap as he closed his eyes, letting Wooyoung get to work on him. San didn’t miss the way Wooyoung’s eyes longingly drifted down to Yeosang’s lips before he bit his own, getting to work on his best friend’s makeup. 

“San will be pink…you’re green…and I’ll be red.” He whispered, the faint scent of something sweet still lingering on his breath. Yeosang tried not to laugh or move as one of the brushes ran over his skin gently, though he perked when he felt Wooyoung touch his thigh. 

“Can you spread your legs for me?”

Keep your mind out of the gutter, Yeosang.

Its makeup, Yeosang.

He doesn’t mean it like that, Yeosang.

Yeosang parted his legs, willing himself to keep his eyes closed as Wooyoung came closer, his warmth once again flooding Yeosang’s senses. 

“Like that, good. Keep your head up.” Wooyoung murmured under his breath, his fingers brushing along Yeosang’s neck for a brief moment as he adjusted the angle of his head, not wanting to smudge the foundation on his face. 

Wooyoung, despite his calm breaths, was just as dizzy as Yeosang was. He didn’t do Yeosang’s makeup often-he often went natural whenever they went out with friends or together- so he hadn’t had too many instances of him being in this very position. 

Now that he was here, he was worried he’d fucked up. 

He was too close. Yeosang could probably hear his heart, hear the erratic and frantic beating nearly tumbling out of his chest. Or worse yet, the occasional way his breath caught as he and Yeosang’s thighs brushed against each other. 

“Okay, can you open your eyes?”

Yeosang did as he was told and San leaned close, nodding enthusiastically. 

“Holy fuck that looks amazing.” 

Yeosang’s makeup was less intense compared to San’s, though his eyes stood out boldly thanks to the green and gold smoky eye Wooyoung had given him. 

“I like that you left his birthmark out.” San mused, smiling sweetly. Yeosang felt his cheeks darken as he looked over at Wooyoung. Wouldn’t one want to cover a blemish like that when doing makeup?

“Yeah, it’s cute and accents his face. I’m not gonna cover it.” He huffed, adamant. Yeosang picked at his sweatpants, shyly glancing away as he smiled despite himself. 

Wooyoung, satisfied, moved away from him and down the hall to finally wash his own face and get started on his own makeup. 

“Have you been to a party like this before?” San caught his attention and Yeosang shook his head, rubbing his neck gently. 

“I’m…not the extroverted one out of the two of us. Wooyoung usually starts the conversations, makes the friends, and I get…invited along, and if we get along well, then we become friends.” He admitted, rubbing his arm. San looked at him and walked around the counter, grabbing something from the fridge behind Yeosang. 

“There’s nothing wrong with that. With you being more reserved. It…makes it really nice from the outside in when you smile at them, consider them a friend, go out and about with them. At least, that’s how I feel.” San hummed, washing something in the sink. Yeosang looked over his shoulder, hearing something getting slid across the counter. 

A bowl of fruit. 

“We asked you to come early…I don’t know if you’ve eaten. Here.” 

Yeosang looked down at the bowl and reached, smiling softly. 

If…if…anyone had to be the one to have Wooyoung…Yeosang was glad it was San. 

He bit down on a strawberry, mind wandering while San tossed a chunk of pineapple in his mouth. The two stood in silence for a bit, until the sound of boots coming down the hall drew their attention. 

If there was a thought in either of their heads, it was gone. Packed up and rolling a suitcase down the block, gone. 

“Can someone tie me up?”

In the time spent away, Wooyoung had put on a button-up shirt on, tucked into a pair of tight dress pants that hugged his ass. 

He wasn’t wearing underwear, was he? There wasn’t a single outline for anything underneath as he turned his back to them, the strings to the corset dangling down. San glanced at Yeosang and shied. 

“I uh, I don’t really know how to tie one of those up.” 

It wasn’t a complete lie. San had never tied a corset before. It probably wasn’t the hardest to learn. He would’ve offered if it wasn’t for him catching the way Yeosang’s eyes had clearly trailed down to Wooyoung’s ass. 

He was helping, surely. 

“I h-have hand tremors.” Yeosang tossed the ball back, the tips of his ears red. Wooyoung glanced between the two of them and rolled his eyes. 

“If neither of you want to tie it, I’ll just call Yeonjun to-”

“No, I- I got it.”

San glanced over at Yeosang as he spoke up, clearing his throat and moving over to Wooyoung, standing on a few centimeters taller than the man. Wooyoung looked at him, meeting his gaze with a small, almost flirty smile before he turned and left his back to him. He realized his shirt was see through and Yeosang’s eyes landed on the dark letters at the base of his neck.

‘I am never alone, and I will never be.’ 

Yeosang’s gaze softened as he looked at the dark lines, his fingers moving without him thinking, tracing. He’d been there when Wooyoung had it done. Held his hand and rubbed his knuckles every time he squeezed from the pain. 

“We’re gonna be late, Sangie. Unless you wanted to stay in instead?” Wooyoung quietly reminded him. Yeosang startled and cleared his throat, slightly shaking hands grabbing the string of Wooyoung’s corset vest, tying it carefully. 

“You’ll have to give it a good tug at the end, okay? I don’t need it coming unlaced in the middle of the party. 

Yeosang didn’t want that either, didn’t like the idea of him being stared at too intensely by a bunch of people who didn’t know him. 

Wooyoung was so much more than his looks. 

Yeosang huffed, annoyed at the idea as soon as it popped up, and pulled, tightening the strings with a sharp tug. Wooyoung let out a sound of surprise and stumbled ever so slightly, backing into him. 

“Eh-”

“Sorry-”

Don’t think about his ass against you, Yeosang. Don’t think about it, don’t focus on it, leave those thoughts alone-

“I’m glad you’re so well-built or my clumsy ass would’ve knocked us both over.” Wooyoung joked, still pressed up against him. Yeosang swallowed shakily and blushed, glancing down to see no space between them. 

He should probably move before he gets hard. 

“It was my fault for pulling so suddenly. S-sorry.” 

He took a half step back, glancing over and blushing as San stared at them, still leaning on the island counter, feline eyes calm and half lidded as he combed them up and down Yeosang’s form. 

Yeosang, then Wooyoung. 

The dog trainer could only describe it as ‘that one look in romantic dramas where one person is eyeing their partner from the bed and clearly is thinking of dragging them back into it to show them euphoria’. 

Or maybe Yeosang is already entirely too flustered and he’s seeing things. There’s no way Wooyoung’s boyfriend would look at him like that. He didn’t even know why the idea of him doing so made a pleasant shiver run down his spine. 

He’s losing it, that’s the only reasonable response. 

“Okay~ both of you sit still while I get the ears on you and we’re all set!” 

Yeosang shyly moved away, watching as Wooyoung carefully pulled out the three sets of ears and tails he’d made to go with their outfits. 

Deep orange with black tipped fox ears for himself, blonde with soft pastel blue accents for Yeosang’s cat fit, and dark, midnight black rabbit ears with hot pink accents for San. 

They all looked…quite stunning. 

“Is there anything you can’t do?” San mused, looking at himself in his phone’s camera, eyes up in surprise at the end result of Wooyoung’s handiwork. Wooyoung grinned from ear to ear, hands on his hips. 

“Probably not. I am pretty damn great.” 

Yeosang rolled his eyes and playfully nudged him. 

“Let’s just go before his head gets any bigger.” 

The three of them pour out into the night, piling into Wooyoung’s car and heading deep into the heart of the city, the light conversation and impromptu karaoke in the vehicle helping settle Yeosang’s erratic heartbeat. 

They met up with their friends outside of the venue, with Yeji, Chan, and Changbin dressed up as Miruko, Hawks, and Dabi, from BNHA, respectively. Yeji perked as soon as she laid eyes on San, pointing energetically. 

“Hello my fellow bunny friend, join the club!” She grinned, looping arms with Soobin and pulling him in. He blushed, his hands obscured by large rabbit paw shaped gloves as he shyly waved. 

“Oh? So you and Yeonjun ended up doing One Piece after all?” Wooyoung piped up beside San and Soobin nodded, his ears bouncing with the movement. 

“He’s Zoro…I don’t know why he wouldn’t let me be Luffy. Or Ace. Or literally anyone who didn’t require me to wear a dress. I had to fight for my life to convince him I would not survive the night with a dress on and to let me just gender bend it and wear pants.” 

San blinked and looked over, finding Yeonjun pouting not too far off, his hair a deep green color and three swords strapped to his hips. 

“Because you look cute as shit as Carrot. Also I only gave up because I will literally use these swords if someone tries playing grab ass with you.” He grumbled. Soobin pursed his lips, crossing his arms. 

“All of the dress shops stop at a medium anyway and I don’t know if you remember this or not, but I am very tall and dresses intended for feminine bodies that are about three sizes too small would only lead to my ass and balls being out.” 

“And then I’d go to jail for stabbing someone.”/”And then you’d go to jail for stabbing someone.” both of them chimed at the same time. San and Yeosang blinked while Wooyoung snorted beside them. 

“Some things never change. They finish each other’s sentences.” He chuckled before turning towards the entrance of the venue Jiyong had rented out for them. 

When they got inside, they found the group of guests a lot smaller than expected. San even recognized a few of them as some of the workers who would occasionally drop by Namhae to bring gifts to the little ones or have lunch dates with Chaerin and Jiyong. 

It looked less like a high stakes social gathering where everyone was at each other’s throats, trying to become the ‘next big thing’, and more like a larger-than-average Halloween themed house party. 

Unfortunately for Yeosang, he tended to be a wallflower at parties his friends didn’t throw, so he found himself trailing after Wooyoung and San instead, smiling politely and greeting others when he was greeted first. 

Everyone here looked…stunning. 

He hadn’t noticed he’d been falling behind his friend group until his attention snapped into focus, feeling a warm arm lace under his, squeezing in reassurance. 

When he looked to his left, Wooyoung smiled at him, nose scrunching ever so slightly. 

“Hey, you alright?” 

Yeosang flushed, looking over and seeing San had walked over to Jiyong and Chaerin, chatting to them as they stood dressed like Morticia and Gomez Addams. Beside them were Jongho, Eric, and Gahyeon, dressed as Sora, Riku, and Kairi, respectively. 

In a way, it comforted Yeosang, to see the little ones looking around with their wide, doey-eyed smiling faces, running around between the adults-all of which they assumed were close friends of the two throwing the party. 

That, and Wooyoung’s warmth at his side, grinning at him from ear to ear as he guided him through the crowd, greeting people and introducing his introverted friend as he went. 

Yeosang could see a few wandering eyes as they passed, some that combed over Wooyoung’s frame in appreciation a bit too long. 

Without thinking, he tensed his arm, pulling Wooyoung closer to him, until not even a silk thread could squeeze between their bodies. 

If Wooyoung noticed the way his body began to wind itself tight, he politely didn’t tease him, simply stepping with him as he guided Yeosang back to their friends, the fur of his tail occasionally brushing against Yeoang’s pants, tickling through the material. 

“Hyung! Oh-”

The two looked down, finding Eric staring up at them with big eyes. He looked left, then right, then left again. 

“Puppy.” He pointed at Wooyoung and the man grinned, nodding. 

“Mhm. And you look so cool, Eric!” 

Eric nodded, still looking back and forth between the two of them.

“Hyung?” 

“Yes, Eric?” 

“Did you break up with Sannie-Hyung?” 

The sound that left both Wooyoung and Yeosang was truly beyond human comprehension. The two stared at him, slack jawed and flabbergasted. Eric snorted himself at their responses, rocking to and fro on his heels, his temporary silver dye making his hair stand out more than ever. 

“Wha- Eric??? No?” Wooyoung recovered, eyes as wide as saucers. Eric hummed and nodded, looking over at Yeosang. 

“So you gots two boyfriends like Yeji-Noona? That’s cool! Can I pet your puppy again, Hyung?” 

Wooyoung went beet red, Yeosang blinked in surprise, stammering as Eric looked around, seemingly for Yunho. When he realized the mastiff was nowhere to be found, he pouted and turned on his heels. 

“Aw…no Yuyu…that's too bad he would've been a cool Arcanine!” He toddled off, seemingly bouncing back from the heartbreak of Yunho’s absence fairly quickly, if the way he took off towards Changbin and Yeiji as they sipped on brightly colored drinks made to look like lab experiments.

“WOAH YOU LOOK SO COOL-”

The two men stood in silence for a moment before looking at one another. 

Both were cherry red. 

Yeosang didn't make any flustered denials to the child.

Wooyoung didn't correct him, either.

Both men seemed to realize this, if the way they shifted from foot before opening their mouth in unison was anything to go by. 

“I-”

“Do you-”

They stopped instantly, peering at one another before Wooyoung coughed and shied more.

“I'm gonna head to the bathroom.” 

And there he went, his tail swaying with every step as he maneuvered through people. Yeosang rubbed his neck and shied, clearing his throat and looking around.  

Chan, Changbin, and Yeji were entertaining the children a ways away from him. 

Soobin and Yeonjun appeared to be in a deep conversation about modeling prospects. 

And San was….

“Seriously, you look really good. Are you sure you don't want to buy us a drink and chat more?”

San looked flustered, glancing between a group of three women who clearly were not afraid of the interest in their eyes. 

“No thank you, I have a partner already.”

“And~? She left you all alone at this party looking like that? Clearly she doesn't know the catch she's got in front of her.”

San smiled politely, though there was the telltale pull in his eyebrow that Yeosang could read clear with the rest of his body language. 

Confusion. Perplexion. Damn near panic.

He found his feet carrying him without a thought, the bodies in the room mere blurs as he took step after step, eyes fixed on San.

“I think I should go-”

“Aw, but we're having fun teasing you~ Surely one night won't be the worst thing, right?”

“There you are, darling. I've been looking for you.”

San perked, turning his head and finding Yeosang standing just past the crescent the three women had mad around San. They all blinked in surprise, but Yeosang stared past him, eyes locked onto San’s.

“I went to get us a drink but it looks like you wandered off while I was being indecisive. Can we choose together?” He extended his hand to him, waiting.

San moved instantly, lacing their fingers together and clearing his throat. 

“Sorry about that, Sangie. Let's go.” He let Yeosang take his hand, pressing flush against him and quickly ejecting himself from the area. 

Yeosang didn’t let his hand go instantly, instead giving him a reassuring squeeze and pulling him to the table that had various juices and sodas laid out for people to take on their own. 

San looked at their hands, gently squeezing back as he followed the outline of Yeosang’s tone arm all the way up past his shoulder and to the back of his head. 

He was tense. 

“Thank you…I have a hard time being rude to people and I’ve never…had that happen to me before…” He rubbed his arm. The folks back in Namhae didn’t look on him too fondly after he’d been outed to the entire village. San wasn’t going to go into it right now, though. Yeosang probably wasn’t interested in his life like that anyway-

“It’s not rude. They made you uncomfortable.” His tone was on the more even side, his jaw set firmly before he sighed a bit harsher through his nose and looked at San. 

“....do you want that drink now? Are you sure you’re okay?” He inquired. San blushed slightly, nodding before he glanced down between them. 

They were still holding hands. 

Yeosang realized where his line of sight had gone and quickly let go, clearing his throat and turning towards the table. 

“Banana Milk….ramune, sikye, citron tea, cola,McCol-”

“Tea…I’d like the citron tea, please.” San politely pointed and smiled in thanks when Yeosang handed him over the prepackaged tea that had been sitting in a tub of ice along with the other drinks. 

“Ah, I found you. I knew making those ears neon colors would come in handy.”

The two turned and found Wooyoung standing victoriously with his hands on his hips, smiling from ear to ear at them. San-and Yeosang’s-shoulders both relaxed as the man sauntered over, draping himself over both of their shoulders and glancing at the table. 

“Anything good?”

“There’s Cola, but it’s not your favorite brand.” Yeosang muttered, broadening his stance so Wooyoung wouldn’t fall. The man pouted a bit before shrugging and grabbing a can. 

“It’ll work. Are you two having fun?” He inquired. Yeosang pursed his lips and San shifted from foot to foot. 

“Some women were saying some really uncomfortable and flirtatious things to me a second ago but Yeosang got me the hell out of there. Thank you again, I really appreciate it.” San sent Yeosang a grateful look and the man cleared his throat, flustered. 

“I-”

“Who was it?” 

Both heads snapped over to Wooyoung, an air of annoyance and rage dripping off of him. They glanced at one another before shaking their heads in unison. 

“Wooyoung, my baby, it’s okay. Really, it’s over.” San rubbed his shoulder encouragingly. 

Yeosang shook his head. 

“It was shameless but I got him out of there. Don’t let it ruin your night.” He told him softly, the tightness in his jaw loosening the moment he saw how pissed Wooyoung had gotten. 

The man narrowed his eyes before straightening his back. 

“There’s music playing. Let’s go dancing. See if anyone wants to try some shit now that I’m here.”

Yeosang’s smile faltered. Oh…it made sense, that Wooyoung would make it know that San was his and his alone. He hated his brain, though, unable to shake the disappointment of being left here to dry while the two danced-

Oh, oh that’s Wooyoung’s hand in his. 

Oh, there they go, both of them getting dragged to the dancefloor with Wooyoung leading the charge, marching to the beat of his own drum. 

Yeosang stumbled for but a moment before he caught his balance, following Wooyoung. San recovered quickly, too, smiling so brightly, his eyes disappeared into joyful crescents, his dimples deep and pronounced. 

“The music is good, cmon boys. Can’t have anyone else getting bold with my two favorite boys, right?” Wooyoung grinned, moving with the music as if it were a song he’d heard time and time again. San and Yeosang looked flustered, but the former recovered first, dancing with Wooyoung amongst the small crowd of party goers that had gathered on the dancefloor at the center of the hall. 

Wooyoung noticed Yeosang hadn’t budged a minute into his mini dance session and made a point to twirl over to him, his tail spinning along with him before he settled with his hands around his best friend’s shoulders, sending him an inviting smile. 

“C’mon Sangie. I know you can dance. You’re one of the best I know.” He swayed with him, hips moving in a near hypnotic fashion. 

Yeosang wondered if this was going to be the end of him. Right here, in the middle of a dancefloor on Halloween. In front of his best friend and his best friend’s boyfriend. 

Yeosang looked over Wooyoung’s shoulder at San, but just like all of the previous times he’d found himself unconsciously doing so, he was only met with San’s gentle, inviting features. 

A gentle smile, a step closer, his hands on Wooyoung’s hips, dancing intimately, yet respectfully (they did have three little ones scurrying around…somewhere). 

He never seemed to hold any…uncomfortable or self conscious air around Yeosang, even during times like these. 

So…Yeosang finally put some of his apprehension aside, and just…went with the music. 

His fingers brushed against San’s as he held Wooyoung’s waist, eyes locking with him while they danced, moving to the rhythm. A brilliant smile stretched across Wooyoung’s face as he continued to dance, alternating between facing Yeosang and facing San.

“Mmm, the three of them are getting along well.” Chaerin muttered over her glass of sparkling cider, watching the way Wooyoung brought both her son and the soft spoken dog trainer they had met the other day out of their respective shells. 

“Looks like it. Hope it goes well.” Jiyong chimed in, watching as his daughter learned some Kpop dance with the help of Yeonjun and Yeji. 

The party lasted longer than expected, with no incidents past the initial trio of women trying to romance San. San and co stayed behind long after the party-goers had left, making sure the place was tidy and carrying the little ones out to Chaerin’s car.

Yeosang yawned, taking a look at his watch and grunting at the ‘12:50am’ staring back at him. He was impressed they stayed up so late, but wondered if him staying out for so long was wise in it’s own right. 

He’d had a pretty consistent sleep schedule and by this time usually, he would have been asleep. The way he nodded off was a dead giveaway for Wooyoung, and he gently nudged San. 

“Sangie is all tired.” He whispered, smiling as Yeosang let out another yawn. 

“Should head home…”Yeosang rubbed his eye and Wooyoung laughed gently.

“How about you come back to our place, I help you with the makeup, and you crash there? It’s kind of late and you look like you’re going to fall asleep standing.” Wooyoung teased him. Yeosang opened his mouth like he was going to refute the statement but inevitably he nodded, simply following them to Wooyoung’s car after waving goodbye to everyone else. 

The ride back to Wooyoung and San’s home was quiet, the silence padded out only with the sounds of the vehicle in motion and Yeosang snoring in the back seat. 

Wooyoung held San’s hand as he drove, thumb brushing along his knuckles. Neither filled the silence with conversation, only each other’s presence, while occasionally smiling to one another or laughing softly when Yeosang’s snores got a bit louder than usual. 

By time they’d arrived home, Yeosang was in a deep sleep, and not even San bending to pick him up bridal style roused him. Wooyoung looked at them, head tilted. 

“A buff bunny and a buff cat, mm?” 

“Fanasize later, I don’t want him to catch a cold.” San lightly scolded, hustling over to the door. Wooyoung moved ahead, passing him to unlock the door. 

“Take him to the guest room. I’ll be there in a second, I just need to get some things.” 

San nodded, carrying Yeosang down the hall to the aforementioned room. He stood in the center of the room holding him, however, when he realized the small conundrum he was in. 

Was he to…just put him in bed? It was inappropriate to change him, right? 

“Oh sweetheart, you look flustered.” 

San looked over his shoulder at Wooyoung as the man pulled back the covers. 

“I'll leave some clothes aside for him and he can change into them if he wakes up in the middle of the night.” he calmly instructed, removing Yeosang’s shoes as San passed with him.

“You really are overworking yourself, mmm?” He tutted, watching as his friend didn't rouse in the slightest with all the movements and jostling of San carrying him. 

Once he was in bed, Wooyoung pulled the blankets up his chest, taking out some of the makeup wipes he’d brought with him and meticulously taking off the makeup he’d applied to Yeosang. 

He hovered over him, hands steady and breath fanning over his face as he made sure every bit was gone. San leaned against the doorframe, quietly watching the two with his arms crossed. 

“Sleep well, you little hardass. I can’t have you collapsing from exhaustion, y’know.” Wooyoung murmured, reaching to grab the small rag he’d brought in along with the wipes. It was in a small bowl of warm water and once he wrang it out, he returned to Yeosang’s face, gently washing it with the warm rag. 

Yeosang cracked his eyes open part ways through the pampering, half lidded and unfocused with sleep as Wooyoung hovered over him, cupping his cheek. 

He looked up, meeting Wooyoung’s gaze. 

“Hey sleepy head. You up?” The younger man whispered. Yeosang made a noise akin to a grunt in the back of his throat and closed his eyes, pressing his cheek into his hand, nuzzling. Wooyoung exhaled softly, kissing his forehead and guiding his head back to the center of the pillow. 

“Right, of course. Good night, darling.” he muttered, standing and taking the items out, leaving with San as the two spoke in hushed tones. 

Yeosang slept on, until he felt the call of nature tugging at him an hour later. His brows furrowed and he sat up, rubbing his eye and looking around the room. 

He found the pile of clothes sitting at the foot of the bed and blushed, realizing someone carried him in. 

Wooyoung was strong, but he was almost certain it would have been San, if anyone. 

Yeosang’s heart squeezed, a flutter of something making him shiver at the thought of San carrying him. 

Has he finally lost it? What’s gotten into him?

Shaking his head, Yeosang grabbed the clothes, changing and making his way down the hall towards the bathroom. He knew Wooyoung’s home like the back of his hand. Guest room was furthest from the stairs while the bathroom was across the hall from the Master bedr-

“N-nn wait, slow down-”

Yeosang blinked, hand pausing on the door handle of the bathroom, looking at the closed door to his best friend’s room. It took all of two seconds for him to realize what was happening beyond, and he felt his heart nearly tumble roll down his chest. 

He should probably go, he was sure this wasn’t appropriate for him to be watching-

“Pretty baby. Did it feel good? Having Yeosangie come to your rescue? Holding your hand? It felt nice having both of your hands on me. Wah~ Sannie, are you paying attention?”

Yeosang’s eyes grew. He turned and stared at the door, as if the longer he did, he could see inside. It was Wooyoung, clear as day. 

What on Earth….?

“H-hot…nn it was hot I liked it-Ah! Fuck, right there please!”

Yeosang thought it was silly, all the media he’d consumed in his life mentioning pinching in order to make sure one was not dreaming, but he suddenly understood the sentiment as he heard San’s moans increase in volume before suddenly they were muffled. 

Beyond the door, Wooyoung covered his mouth, eyes narrowed in delight at the way San trembled below him, his rabbit ears still situated on his ears, albeit a bit haphazardly. He couldn’t settle on where his gaze would stay, switching between watching his flustered face, and watching the way his cock slid in and out of the country man. He practically purred at the way San clenched, desperate to keep him from slipping out of him. 

Wooyoung rolled his hips, speeding up as he growled sweet nothings and filth into dimly let room. 

“You look so pretty like this, darling. All splayed out, taking cock like the cute little rabbit I made you into. I wanna share this sight with Yeosang, y’know.”

“Please, Wooyoung. I c-can’t take it-”

“You can, baby. I know it. Look at how excited you are, gripping me tighter every time I thrust in. Do you think Yeosangie would take his time with you? Or would he claim you, make sure those chicks from the party know exactly who you belong to?” he shuddered, having to adjust himself before his desire got ahead of him and he ended up accidentally pulling out. 

Wooyoung moved his hand away from San’s mouth, running his fingers down San’s throat, admiring the little bites he had placed all over the tanned canvas. 

“You’re so pretty, baby. You wear my love bites well. I wonder how many Yeosangie would leave on you if we told him how we felt. He does have such pretty canines~”

San clenched, back arching as he held onto Wooyoung’s wrist, grinding down to meet Wooyoung half way with each thrust. 

Outside, Yeosang stared at the door slack jawed, his heart beating nearly out of his chest as he heard the two have sex, his name being dropped quite liberally between the two of them as they got closer and closer to their collective climax. 

He startled into focus and quietly made his way downstairs to the guest bathroom, eyes wide as the situation rolled around in his mind. 

His best friend, and the man he’d been in love with for years had been having sex with his boyfriend, and both of them had tossed his name around in the bedroom. 

Yeosang stood over the sink after he washed his hands, staring at his reflection for a moment before he peeked out of the bathroom, straining his ears to see if the men were still going at it. 

Both of them were quite energetic…were they the types who preferred to go for multiple rounds? 

Yeosang blushed and shook his head, trying to knock the inappropriate thoughts out of his head. 

He quietly made his way back upstairs, casting a sidelong glance at the master bedroom as he passed. 

He could hear muffled talking, thought it wasn’t nearly as loud and clear as it had been before. Perhaps they’d settled down. The dog trainer found himself staring at the door for much longer than he’d intended to, fidgeting for a moment before he quickly made his way back down to the guest room, the small part in his brain that was afraid of the door spontaneously opening while he was there carrying his feet much faster than they had been going before. 

Inside the room, however, Wooyoung lay with his arms draped around San, exchanging slow, languid kisses and tired smiles. 

“You alright? Do you need any water or anything? You were a lot more vocal tonight than usual when you’re bottoming~” he teased. San hid his face in the crook of Wooyoung’s neck, his face hot with embarrassment. 

“‘M fine.” 

Wooyoung grinned and pressed a kiss to his head, closing his eyes and nuzzling him. His brain was full of domestic and warm thoughts of what he’d make tomorrow morning, something to see his two favorite men smile.

Before he could settle on breakfast, he felt the tug of sleep dragging him under. Somewhere, in his tired haze, he could have sworn he heard the faint creak of a door opening and closing. 

Must have been more tired than he thought. Probably nothing. 

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

     November 1st

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“Yeosangie~ Darling~”

Yeosang’s eyes opened in an instant, with him startling for a brief moment when he realized he wasn’t in his home. It took him a few moments still for everything to flood back into his mind, clicking into place. 

The party, the women hitting on San, his hand in his, their hands on Wooyoung-

Wooyoung growling his name into the air as he and San made love and the pleased purrs he’d gotten in response. 

Yeosang blushed, felt his blood rushing even through his sleep addled brain, when suddenly the door opened and a blur of furr entered. 

A pair of cocoa brown eyes stared at him and he looked up in surprise as Yunho sat at the end of the guest bed. 

“How did you-”

“I woke up really early and figured your baby missed you so I got up before sunrise and went to your house to bring Yuyu here. I took him for a walk and cleaned up already, so don’t worry! I’m making breakfast for everyone so take your time and rest more if you need to do so. You were dead asleep when San brought you in so sleep more if you need to, baby.” Wooyoung stood in the doorway, speaking to him in what can only be considered a ‘sweetheart’s voice’. 

Yeosang blushed slightly and nodded, watching as Wooyoung turned and walked away after that, leaving the door cracked so Yunho could come and go as he pleased. 

Yunho glanced at his master, tail wagging as he subtly scooched closer, lowering his head for pets. He got them as Yeosang continued to gather his bearings. 

Once he did and begun to make his way down to the kitchen, he was met with San at the stove, stirring something with his bare back to him. Yeosang felt ridiculous at the way his eyes instantly locked onto the telltale bites he could see at the sides of his neck. 

“You’re so pretty, baby. You wear my love bites well. I wonder how many Yeosangie would leave on you if we told him how we felt. He does have such pretty canines~”

Yeosang found himself unconsciously licking at his canines, blushing once he realized what he was doing moments later. His eyes drifted down to San’s ass, a pair of nefarious sweatpants hiding the true shape of it from view, unlike the outfit from yesterday Wooyoung had put him in. 

“G-good morning, San.” 

San perked and turned around, sending him a dazzling smile, though Yeosang could see a clear dusting of pink across his cheekbones as he cleared his throat. 

“Good morning. How did you sleep? Are my clothes comfy? We’re around the same size so I wanted to grab something comfortable.”

Yeosang looked down at his own attire, nodding once. So it was San’s clothes they’d given him. 

“It’s comfortable. Thank you.” He muttered, looking back at the ex farm hand. San smiled at him and turned back around to the stove, seemingly fine with Yeosang seeing him half nude like he was. 

Then again, they were moaning for him last night, it was seeming less and less likely for them to actually mind him seeing them in any state of undress. 

“Ah, both of my babies are here, perfect. One of you come taste my cake.” 

Wooyoung cut into a small, flan-shaped cake, and the two watched as warm chocolate oozed out of it, much to his delight. San put a hand on his hip, sending him a gentle, good natured, yet exasperated look. 

“We’re supposed to have dessert after we eat.” 

Yeosang walked over despite the pout on Wooyoung’s face. The move seemed to make him perk in delight. He smiled at his friend, moving to hand him the dessert fork. 

Yeosang grabbed his wrist, instead.

He wanted to blame his actions on sleep. On the grogginess of his mind with all the emotions swirling around him. 

The man could unpack that later. For now, he leaned in, lips closing along the prongs of the fork and almost agonizingly slow, pulling the slice of cake off of it, a dribble of chocolate running down his bottom of his lip. 

Wooyoung, for his credit, stayed still, looking into Yeosang’s eyes with a smile on his face. 

“How is it you make a mess even when I’m holding the fork?” He teased, moving his hand up to wipe the chocolate off with his thumb. 

Deciding to press a bit more, Yeosang flicked his tongue out, licking him in the process and licking off the chocolate as soon as Wooyoung’s hand got close enough. 

“You know I’m a messy eater.” 

Wooyoung looked slightly taken aback, blinking owlishly, his hand stuttering uselessly midair before he brought it down, shyly searching Yeosang’s face. 

Without a doubt, his mind went somewhere southward. 

“Alright, messy eating or no, no one needs to go spoiling their appetite by eating chocolate before the actual bulk of breakfast.” San scolded, turning the stove off and pointing his cooking chopsticks over to the duo. 

“We already fed Yunho, you two go sit down and no more chocolate until you eat breakfast.” He lectured, going into the cabinet to get bowls. Wooyoung glances at Yeosang, curiously searching his face and body language before he put the lava cake on a heated plate in the center of the table, moving to help San with distributing breakfast. 

Yeosang sat down, pulling his hair back into a low ponytail so his bangs were out of his face, watching the two move about subtly. 

Whereas San had plenty of skin to show this morning, Wooyoung was in an overgrown t shirt and pj pants, his neck also littered with bites and marks, along with the faint lines of nail marks Yeosang could see thanks to the ill fitted shirt whenever it shifted to show more of his back and shoulders. 

Yeosang found himself picking up on everything now that he was actually looking for it. Wooyoung had always been the touchy feely type of man, but Yeosang found San also touching him a lot as they got everything situated on the table. 

A brush against his arm as he leaned over to set a cup of tea down, a graze across his shoulders in passing, his hand touching his back as he rested it there to ask how much of what he wanted for side dishes. 

The two of them touched him as much as they touched each other and he found his mind wandering easily. 

“Okay, everyone eat up and enjoy~” Wooyoung encouraged, eagerly digging in. San and Yeosang followed suit, with the three of them eating in comfortable silence. 

Yeosang only wished his mind would be as quiet as his mouth. 

Instead, it kept bringing him back to what he’d heard. What he’d seen. It made him think back to past behaviors, have the two of then honesty been seeing him in this light, or had it been some kind of…one off roleplay?

“Your brows are furrowing, Sangie. You alright?” Wooyoung voice called his mind into focus and he looked up. He’d been sitting with his chopsticks hovering near his mouth, zoned out. He blinked. Once, twice, before clearing his throat. 

“Sorry, I have a lot on my mind.” he apologized and both of their expressions soured. 

“Is there anything we can help with?” San offered. Wooyoung pursed his lips, leaning on the table to eye him closely. 

“I saw your eye bags when I washed your face last night. You’re not sleeping well, do you want us to make you dinner so you don’t have to stay up cooking after training? Or deliver it to you for lunch?” He spoke a mile a minute while San nodded from beside him, rubbing his thigh and staring at Yeosang. 

….fuck it, right? 

“I would like that, actually.” 

The two of them blinked, seemingly not expecting him actually to take the offer. It took only a moment before they nodded, chattering quickly to themselves. 

“San, darling, I think I can come up with a nutritional meal plan for the next three weeks and we can alternate lunches and dinners and work around our schedules at the kitchen to make this work.” Wooyoung murmured, tapping his chin. San nodded, smiling as he looked over at Yeosang. 

“Just let me know what your favorite foods are, and I’ll do my best, okay? I still have plenty of garlic that's ready for use, I just hope you don’t get tired of it in the dishes…” He trailed off, tapping his chin. Yeosang spoke softly. 

“I don’t think that will be a problem.” He gently offered. The two of them looked at each other before grinning. 

“Great!” 

-

Yeosang would be the first to admit he was often too aloof for his own good when it came to anything not regarding his trainees. 

However, when he focused, his mind and eyes were as sharp as they came. 

When San and Wooyoung would stop by to see him training, eyes fixed on his every move, perking as he gave orders to both dog and human trainees, he noticed. 

When they stopped by the bookstore on his days in and would occasionally peer at him while pretending they were engrossed in a book they hadn’t turned the page of in five minutes, he noticed. 

When Wooyoung would plop down halfway in his lap after bringing over dinner and San would put his arm over the back of the couch, fingers gently touching the nape of Yeosang’s neck every time he stretched his arm, he noticed. 

The way their eyes followed him on days their friend group had time off to work out in the gym Chan, Changbin, and Soobin worked in, he noticed. 

And here, with Wooyoung’s arms crossed as he stared Lee down, eyes narrowed as an unamused look settled on his face, hostility rolling off of him in quiet waves while San stood at his side, lips pursed, displeasure on his face, Yeosang noticed. Lee didn’t back down, narrowing his own gaze right back at him.

“I don’t know why it is you two always pop up when I’m trying to talk to him, but it’s getting on my nerves, if I can be brutally honest. Who even are you two? His friends? That’s kind of toxic. Can’t you see I’m trying to talk to him privately?” Lee glared and San slightly put his body between Wooyoung and the man, seeing Wooyoung perk in agitation. 

“We’re sorry-”

“No, the fuck we are not.”

San cleared his throat. “-but we’re just trying to keep Yeosang on schedule.” 

Lee looked at him incredulously. 

“By cock blocking him? Unless the two of you are his boyfriends, why are you so up his ass huh? Not a dog in sight and yet here you are every other day, pining after him like a bunch of school girls. Don’t you feel embarrassed?”

Even San took offense this time, his brows twitching and his lips pursing. 

Wooyoung grit his teeth, pushing past him and opening his mouth to tear into Lee when a loud, resounding bark startled the three of them (and the pomeranian in Lee’s arms). 

Their attention turned to the left, finding Yeosang’s quiet, yet angered gaze fixed in their direction with Yunho standing on giard, eyes fixed on them and tail straight up, alert. Wooyoung looked away first. Lee puffed his chest up and huffed. 

“Oh good, you’re here. These guys picked a fight with me and-”

“Everyone is dismissed today. Lee, I will be speaking to you before our next class, so be there early. San, Wooyoung, come.” Yeosang jutted his chin towards the door and turned on his heel, not waiting for any response from any of the men. Lee blinked in surprise, seemingly baffled that he was getting scolded while Wooyoung and San sent him a sidelong glare before falling in line behind Yeosang. 

They walked all the way to Yeosang’s house, in a tense silence that made the men feel more and more like they were kids in trouble. 

San squeezed Wooyoung’s hand, watching Yeosang’s back as he walked ahead with Yunho right at his side. Wooyoung glared at the sidewalk, face flush with embarrassed. 

They didnt pick a fight…mostly. They simply…stopped him from bullshitting. That’s all. 

….maybe it was a bit fight-picky. 

But also fuck him, he was trying to slink up and steal Yeosang. 

Wooyoung’s head tumble rolled in agitation. Yeosang wasn’t his, but he was his best friend and at the very least he would be damned if he let some sleazy asshole slink in and-

“Wooyoung. San.” 

Both of them perked, looking up as Yeosang opened the door to his home. They came inside, avoiding his gaze and toeing their shoes off. 

Wooyoung took a deep breath once the front door was closed and locked up.

“I wasn’t picking a fight with him, I just don’t fucking like him.” 

San rubbed his arm. He didn’t seem to have any explanation for his side. Yeosang stared at the two of them for a long while, crossing his arms. 

“Why don’t you like him?” 

“Because! He’s fucking weird.” 

His eyes narrowed at his friend and his boyfriend, face betraying none of the thoughts in his head. 

“And?”

“And he’s always flirting with you and that’s so inappropriate and fuck him, Yeosang.” Wooyoung hissed. San rubbed his back. 

“Maybe we should calm down a bit-”

“I don’t very much think either of you would appreciate me fucking him.”

The silence that stretched between the three of them was palpable. Yunho looked up at the men before making a gruff noise in the back of his throat and disappearing deeper into the home, seemingly sensing this was not a conversation his presence was needed for. 

San went beet red and Wooyoung nearly choked. Yeosang looked from either man and then dropped his arms. 

None of this really had a ‘smooth’ way of transitioning into conversation wise, did it?

“You both are sexually attracted to me, right? And Lee’s constant flirting bothers you?” 

He didn’t think their eyes could grow any wider. If it weren’t for the severity of the situation, he might have broken face and laughed at the expressions on their faces. 

“We…Yeosang-” San tried to recover first but ended up stumbling, his eyes darting all across Yeosang’s face, seemingly searching for disgust or anger in the man’s expression. 

On the contrary, Yeosang’s face was a perfect poker-worthy one as he looked at them both. Wooyoung shifted from foot to foot, stammering before he tightened his jaw. 

Well, if it’s all going to go down in flames, it might as well have some fireworks, right?

“I have been in love with you for years. If this is how it comes out, I’d like you to get that one part right, please. I am not just sexually attracted to you. I have been in love with you for as long as I can actually remember, thank you very much.” 

Yeosang’s expression finally shifted, brows going up in surprise before he looked to San. 

“I…s’pose you could say I’ve gotten sweet for ya, too. It’s not just a physical thing, I swear it-”

Yeosang moved to stand in front of them both, looking for any signs of deception, but of course, there was none. Just the understandably panicked expressions of the two men in front of him. 

“Is it going to be a problem, Yeosang?” Wooyoung quietly asked, his voice much softer than his normal tone was. Yeosang shook his head and let out a shaky laugh. 

“No, it makes it easier for me, actually.” 

Wooyoung blinked and felt the cogs in his mind grind to a stop when Yeosang cupped his face. His eyes grew once more and his lips parted as he looked up at him. 

“Is it okay? Can I finally kiss you instead of wishing I could?” He spoke softly himself and Wooyoung found himself nodding numbly, closing his eyes when Yeosang leaned in. 

He was grateful for both Yeosang and San, in all honestly. Had they not have been there, he was sure his knees would have given out and he would have folded the moment he felt lips against his own. 

Yeosang put an arm around his waist, pulling him closer, subconsciously keeping him from backing away and falling. When they broke the kiss, Wooyoung touched his lips, stunned into silence. Yeosang glanced beside them at the deer-in-headlights expression on San. 

“Come on. We might as well lay all of our emotions on the table tonight so we’re not misunderstanding, right?” 

San moved without needing to be told twice, leaning in and initiating the kiss with Yeosang, cupping the back of his neck with a callused hand, kneading and squeezing. Yeosang softly groaned, his free hand finding its way to San’s hip, now touching both of them, keeping the three of them tethered. 

When the kiss broke, Yeosang hummed and smiled softly, as if a weight had been lifted. 

“Well, that was a lot easier than expected.” he laughed, clearly the nerves he hadn’t been showing them before pouring out with his giggles. 

“C’mon. We can eat the leftovers from dinner yesterday and talk.” he offered, moving into the home and leaving the couple stunned. Wooyoung glanced at San and the country man looked just as dumbfounded as he did. 

They quickly recovered, darting deeper into the home and following behind Yeosang. 

“S-so….this is….sudden….?” Wooyoung tried to sift around and figure out what had brought this on. Yeosang dipped into the fridge, passing them all a bottle of package tea before leaning on the counter in his kitchen. 

“Halloween.”

They looked back at him in confusion. 

“H…alloween?” San parroted. 

“You two were having sex and talking about me.”

This time, Yeosang did laugh at the comical way both of them tensed, eyes wide as they stared at him. Wooyoung was the one to stutter through the response first. 

“Y-You were awake-”

“I had to go to the bathroom and I overheard you both. And it made me think back. All the touches, gazes, the way you kiss my cheeks and my face, Wooyoung. The way you didn’t tell Eric he was wrong you with having ‘two boyfriends like Yeji’, the hostility towards Yeji…I started noticing, paying attention better. You both want me.” 

They simply stared back, cheeks beet red, flushed and flustered. Yeosang could feel himself blushing too, his hands shaking more than his usual tremors could be blamed for. But, he had to continue. He had to proceed. 

“So…I’ll ask you upfront with no uncertainty, no miscommunication, do you two of you want me to be your boyfriend?”

“Holy fucking shit is this real-”/”Absoutely, yes.” 

Wooyoung and San responded instantly. Yeosang blushed and cleared his throat, smiling softly despite the blush creeping all the way to his ears. 

“It’s real, Wooyoung. That’s not a response, d-darling.” the term of endearment left his lips with a flustered stammer, though that didn’t seem to turn Wooyoung off. He smiled softly, seeming to recover much faster than the other two. 

“A response? I’d love to call you both my boyfriend, darling. Is that better?” He inquired. Yeosang rolled his eyes, blushing slightly. 

“Whatever, just help me with warming the things up so we can have dinner.” 

The two of them moved instantly, and Yeosang realized fairly quickly, they were a dangerous duo. 

Suddenly he was treated to kisses to his jaw as Wooyoung passed, San’s calloused hands on his hips and his chest to his back when he turned to the counter to slice some fresh fruit for dessert, hands combing through his fluffy blonde locks, roaming over his arms and the chuckles that came after the goosebumps. 

They were going to be the end of him. He was sure of it. 

Even when he sat down to enjoy tv and unwind with….his new boyfriends (he was going to have to get used to that), he found that Wooyoung was a lot more devious when he wasn’t holding back. 

He had plopped down with Yeosang in the middle. He grabbed his hand, squeezing and holding it, tracing his fingers over his knuckles, running his thumb along the outline of the veins. San sat on the other side of him, head on his shoulder, seemingly already relaxed and acclimated to the new dynamic, his body tucked under the blanket that had been on the couch. 

Wooyoung’s hand found its way to his thigh eventually, kneading him like a cat as he pressed kisses along the right side of his neck, smiling at every little groan and gasp that had left his lips when he did. 

“You’re n-not watching the tv-”

“I’m not.” Wooyoung affirmed, squeezing his thigh even more, purring at him. Yeosang looked at him, heart thrumming in his chest. Wooyoung met his gaze and smiled softly. 

“Want me to stop?” 

Yeosang glanced down, his excitement had manifested itself clear as day.  

“...we should probably move to a more comfortable room.” was the response. San perked from beside them and sat up, the drowsiness that was in his body suddenly gone. 

Yeosang stood first, hissing at the telltale throbbing between his legs, and took the first step towards his room. 

Wooyoung and San were right behind him, and from the occasional bump into furniture and the sound of kissing, he could tell they had already started behind him. He opened the door to his room, turning and hooking his fingers into the waistband of their pants, pushing them both to the bed. 

“You two are insatiable.” He muttered, though he didn’t seem to mind when San turned, running a hand up the underside of his shirt, feeling his abs up before kissing him. 

“Can you really blame me when Wooyoung is our boyfriend? You’ll understand soon enough.” he chuckled against his lips before coaxing him into a deeper kiss. Yeosang groaned softly, pressing back and kissing him enthusiastically, though he choked when he felt the cool air of the room touch his dick. 

His eyes dropped down towards the bed, flustered as Wooyoung grabbed him, stroking him slowly while pressing kisses up the length. 

“Just give me a moment. Poor baby~ Must’ve been cold, mm?” He inquired, alternating between stroking fast and slow, a victorious smile stretching across his face. 

San knelt down beside him, kissing and nibbling at his abdomen. 

“H-How long…mmm…how long have you two wanted to do this with me?” Yeosang inquired. Wooyoung looked up at him, responding only by sinking down on his cock, holding his gaze. Yeosang growled, fingers twitching as Wooyoung slowly bobbed his head. 

San glanced beside him and then tutted. 

“Good luck focusing. He’s really greedy, y’know.” He moved around behind Yeosang, taking his hands and pinning them lightly behind his back, pressing against him. Yeosang didn’t tense, in face he leaned back in his grip, using the other man as a crutch while they both watched Wooyoung bob his head, working his way lower and lower.

“W-Wooyoung-” Yeosang moaned, thighs flexing as the man sunk lower, kneading and fondling his thighs before reaching to cup the back of them. It was to ground himself as he pulled himself forward, bobbing his head faster to take him deeper down his throat. 

“Can I touch you more, too?” San murmured into his ear, his free hand running over Yeosang’s arm. He nodded, shuddering as the lewd noises coming from between his legs from Wooyoung increased in volume. 

Wooyoung was making quite the mess, spittle running down his chin as he worked to take Yeosang further down his throat, eyelids fluttering closed despite his occasional gags. San ran his hand down Yeosang’s chest, fingers brushing over his nipples and smiling when he heard the sharp inhale come from him. 

“Here? Does it feel good?” He whispered, lips trailing over the shell of his ear, circling his nipple teasingly before lightly pinching, his dimples appearing when he drew a shuddering “fuck, yes” from the older man. 

“Can you promise to keep your hands here so I can use both of mine on you?” San coaxed, his cock undeniably hard against Yeosang’s ass as he flexed his fingers along his wrists. Yeosang nodded, deciding to let the two of them explore his body however they liked. 

San gently removed his hand from his wrists, turning his head to the side to kiss him languidly, pressing his bare chest to Yeosang’s back. 

Yeosang grabbed his own forearms as he kept his arms behind him, his body swaying as Wooyoung pulled his thighs, making him thrust and hit the back of his throat. San fondled his pectorals, lightly raking blunt nails down his chest, pulling soft, raspy groans out of him. 

“S-slow down, Wooyoung. You'll c-choke.” He stuttered, knees wobbling as Wooyoung looked up at him in defiance. He moved his hands from Yeosang’s thighs and cupped his balls with one, grabbing the base with the other as he pumped him in time with the bobs of his heaf, his eyes dark and focused. 

San looked over his shoulder, eyes half lidded as he continued teasing Yeosang’s nipples and chest. 

“There's no stopping him when he has that look in his eye.” San let out a faux sigh, though Yeosang was in no condition to respond to him, his breathing increasing in frequency until he was panting, grabbing his arms so tightly it left indents in his arms. 

“W-Wooyoung!”

Wooyoung eagerly swallowed every drop of cum, a pleased spark of chaos in his eye as he pulled up with a slow, lewd ‘pop’.

“I've been wanting to do that for years, my love.”

Yeosang opened his mouth to say something, but it fell short when San's callused hand reached around, stroking his messy cock as he spoke to Wooyoung, his satoori dripping into his speech. 

“You’re still hard. Have you been pent up, Yeosang-ah? Mmm? When was the last time you got to let it out?” He inquired, nibbling and kissing the soft spot behind his ear. Yeosang’s knees buckled and he slipped from his grip, thankfully landing on the bed. 

Wooyoung sat up and pulled him closer, kissing him and sharing the taste of his release with him. Yeosang growled and kissed him feverishly, pushing him back and crawling on top of him. 

Wooyoung purred and smiled devilishly at him, licking at his lips. 

“Turn around for us, Yeosangie.” 

Yeosang held his gaze for a long, heated moment, and nodded, turning around. He soon found out why when Wooyoung made himself comfortable, hugging him from behind as San knelt down to nuzzle Yeosang’s cock, looking up at him. 

“Can I have it?” 

God, these two are going to make him fall apart, aren’t they? This is how he was going to die.

Yeosang nodded, watching the smile that stretched over San’s face as he sat back on his haunches. 

“Do you have lube?” 

He blinked. His face went beet red and Wooyoung made a small noise behind him, clearly pouting. 

“I will go to the store right fucking now” 

“I-its in the drawer behind San.” 

San moved in a flash, opening the drawer and shying when he saw a few…interesting toys in the drawer, as well. 

“So you have toys, you just haven’t been using them?” 

“I-I’ve been busy!”

Wooyoung reached down and stroked him, pouting against his ear. 

“My poor baby….Our poor baby. We can fix it baby. Don’t worry, your pretty cock won’t be pent up by time we’re done with you.” 

Yeosang’s heart thrummed in excitement as San came back, biting his lip. 

“He’s kind of…big, isn’t he?” He mused, eyeing Yeosang’s cock. It throbbed in response, and he inhaled sharply. Wooyoung didn’t seem perturbed, squeezing his cock and thumbing the head, smearing spittle and precum over it shamelessly. 

“Hung like a horse, yes. If you’re worried, I can go first. You can have my mouth.” 

“Wooyoung, oh my god-”

Wooyoung grinned victoriously at the shy outburst, Yeosang’s lisp more pronounced. The two of them traded places and Wooyung got himself situated, putting a pillow under his own hips and perking his ass up high, going nearly cross eyed as San stood in front of him, his cock in his face. Wooyoung grabbed and stroked his cock, teasing his head with his tongue as San reached over him to pour the lube directly over his rim. 

Yeosang watched the two of them, eyes fixated on Wooyoung’s hole as San pushed two fingers into him, purring praises above him as Wooyoung clenched around them. 

“C’mon baby, make sure to loosen up for our Yeosangie. Be a good boy for him, yeah?” San purred, his hands steady as one worked him open and the other spread his cheek so Yeosang could see every lewd detail. 

Wooyoung’s muffled moans went straight to his cock, the lube running down past his rim and down his balls as San gradually sped his fingers up, scissoring him open. 

“Come closer, Sangie. Touch him, he loves having someone touch and caress him.” He purred, though he jolted and swore under his breath when Wooyoung swallowed hard around his cock. 

Yeosang obeyed, coming closer and running his hands over Wooyoung’s thighs, up to the globes of his cheeks, and then moving down past his spine. 

He gripped one of his shoulders, kneading the muscle there firmly as his cock sat flush against his ass. 

“Good boy. Are you almost there? Is Sannie’s stretching you so good, isn’t he?” He purred, leaning in to kiss San, chasing his lips. Wooyoung whimpered below them, rolling his hips back to try and grind his ass on Yeosang. 

When Wooyoung kissed him, Yeosang felt like it was a battle for who was controlling the kiss. One pushes, the other pushes back, it had years of repressed emotions in it, unleashed in a not so silent clash between the two. 

When he and San kissed, the trainer felt the tentative feeling behind it, the cautious, yet eager exploration, feeling out the new man while leaving himself open for Yeosang to do the same. 

Yeosang felt like a pervert for thinking it, but the two of them made him want to ruin them. 

That would…probably be a conversation for a different night. Tonight had been more adventurous than Yeosang ever expected his sexual encounters to go already. 

“H-Hurry, fuck, please hurry.” Wooyoung complained, popping his mouth off and whimpering. Yeosang broke the kiss with San and moved to slick himself up properly, looking down at him with an affectionate, quiet gaze. 

Wooyoung looked back at him, giving his hips a shake. 

“I love you.” 

Yeosang held his waist with one hand, purring in gratitude at San for holding Wooyoung’s cheeks spread. 

“I love you too.” 

Finally sinking into Wooyoung nearly made him fall apart in an instant. The smaller man moaned loudly, clenching the blanket tight in his fist before he shuddered, back arched tight like a bow. 

“You okay baby?” San whispered, gently kneading and massaging his cheeks. Wooyoung nodded and tried to move his hips desperately. 

“Move, move, move please I need it.” 

Yeosang slowly rolled his hips, grinding deep into him. San smiled when he heard the way Wooyoung sighed in delight, kneading his thighs and moaning for Yeosang.

The dog trainer reaffirmed his grip on his hips and set a deep, rhythmic pace, watching the way Wooyoung clung to San for dear life. 

“R-right there nn like that, please, please-” He moaned looking up when San cupped his face, tilting his face up. 

“Go on, tell me how good he feels. You’ve been waiting so long for him, tell us.” He encouraged, licking at his lips. Wooyoung shuddered, eyes fluttering as Yeosang began grinding faster, perking in interest. 

“Cmon, Woo. Tell me. You had so much to say to San on Halloween. Let me hear it.” He reached between his legs stroking him as he kissed over his tattoo. 

“Fuck! N-Nnn feels…fuck he feels so good I’ve wanted it for so long. S-Sannie he’s so good, y-you and him make me feel so fucking good I’m going to go nnn-mmm~!” Wooyoung’s babbling was cut short by a feverish kiss, San’s hand threaded in his hair, tugging his head back as he kissed him. 

Yeosang watched the two of them, not realizing he’d left finger-sized indents on his hips as he sped up, rocking the bed as he thrusted faster into him. 

“Good. T-that’s good baby, I hear you. I’m sorry for making you wait. Hold onto Sannie. Let him ground you.” He spread his knees apart, hooking his hands around Wooyoung’s thighs, pulling him back to meet his powerful thrusts. Wooyoung cried out and shuddered, mouth falling open, eyes unfocused as Yeosang’s cock pressed even deeper.

“Yes! Yes, please, please nn hold me S-San fuck, ah!” Wooyoung clung to him, burying his face in the crook of his neck. San smiled, looking over at Yeosang, holding his gaze. 

“D-don’t think I’m leaving you out. You mm…can have my mouth, o-okay? I’m not as good as-fuck, don’t clench like that-mmmm…fuck, I’m not as good as Wooyoung but I can t-tryyyy oh fuck-” Yeosang grit his teeth, brows furrowed as Wooyoung moved his hips back and forth, fucking himself on Yeosang’s cock, eager to milk another orgasm out of him. 

“You don’t have to be Wooyoung. You just have to be you. You’re my boyfriend, too.” San let Wooyoung lean on him and scooted forward, pinning him between the two of them before kissing Yeosang, this time with a more claiming urgency in them. 

“Your mouth feels good as it is. Just…mm like you are~” he smiled. 

Yeosang shuddered, though he stilled when Wooyoung tugged at his hand, shakily muttering a ‘w-wait-’ under his breath. He paused instantly, panting like a wild animal before he looked at Wooyoung in confusion. 

“D-Did I hurt you?” He inquired. Wooyoung shook his head. 

“Mmm, no baby, I just want to ride you.” 

Yeosang felt his heart skip. He moved around to lie down, holding Wooyoung steady as he came over to straddle him, knees at either side of his hips. He purred, running his hands over Yeosang’s body. 

“Much better. Now you and I can both share Sannie’s cock. He’s been such a good kitten for us, right?” He grinned. Yeosang panted and pressed into him, groaning and letting his head fall back, licking his lips. 

“I mm…seem to remember him being a rabbit.”

Wooyoung sat fully, grinding his hips in a circle.

“He certainly fucks like one, isn’t that right, Sannie?” He purred, grinding and bouncing on his cock after getting his bearings. San scooted closer, standing beside them and yelping when the two childhood friends yanked him closer, each with a hand on his thigh. 

Yeosang leaned in first, gently rubbing his cheek along the heated length of San’s dick, nuzzling before he slowly looked up at him, eyes dark with newly unlocked want. San swallowed thickly, biting his lip when Yeosang took an experimental lick. He held his gaze and continued his licks, eventually turning into kisses that lasted longer, and longer, until he wrapped his lips around the crown of his cock. 

San shuddered, seeing Wooyoung grin wildly, his hands splayed across Yeosang’s abs, riding him at his own pace. The bed creaked and shook, though it held firm while Yeosang closed his eyes, slowly bobbing his head. He took his time, realizing he wouldn’t be able to slide San fully down his throat quite yet. San didn’t rush him, instead drawling sweet nothings to the two of them, his and finding a place on the back of Yeosang’s head. 

Not pushing, just grounding himself. 

Wooyoung purred and bent down, his chest flush against Yeosang’s, as he licked around the seal of his lips, looking up at San before leaving messy tongue kisses to the length of San’s cock Yeosang couldn’t fit, his ass still slapping against Yeosang’s thighs to the beat of some unheard song. 

The two city boys alternated between Yeosang blowing San and Wooyoung doing so, then both of them sharing a sloppy kiss with the head of San’s cock between their lips. 

All of it was…nearly desperate, uncoordinated, yet the most electrifying situation any of them had been through. 

The climax was, by all intents and purposes, messy. 

Both Wooyoung and Yeosang panted, their faces covered in San’s cum. Wooyoung sat firmly, having milked Yeosang’s second orgasm out, a pleased shudder running up and down his spine before he made a mess of Yeosang’s abdomen, a few pearls of cum even landing on his chest. 

The three took a bit longer than they were each used to to focus back on reality. When they did, Wooyoung let out a tired laugh, smiling from ear to ear. 

“There we mm…go. Holy shit if I knew that was going to go so well, I would have asked you to be our boyfriend sooner.” He chuckled. Yeosang ran a hand through his hair and laughed tiredly. 

“I…I don’t think it would have quite gone the same without all of the lead up but sure.” 

San blushed and leaned down to gently move Yeosang’s bangs out of his face, kissing at his birthmark. 

“T-Thank you. I’m sorry I made such a mess of you two. I-I’m sorry, where is the bathroom, I should clean ya up and-”

Yeosang pulled him into a kiss, shutting him up with a quiet, deep claim. When he finally broke the kiss, he purred, smiling softly. 

“Let’s take it easy. One step then the other. We can clean up with a shower, change the sheets, and we’ll be okay.” he smiled and looked over at Wooyoung, smiling at the adoring look in his eyes as he quietly ran his hands over Yeosang’s abdomen. 

“Yeah, let’s do that and hurry back. I want Yeosang in the middle tonight.” He suggested, slowly raising his hips and groaning at the mess that spilled from him. Yeosang went beet red and picked him up, arms flexing. 

“Y-You should have stayed there, y-you’re gonna make a mess!” 

“You can always put it back inside of me~”

“Shut the f-”

The two bickered as Yeosang rushed him down the hall, a chuckling San following right behind them. 

It took a while to make sure everyone-namely Wooyoung-was clean and it was made no easier in part because of the roaming hands-again, Wooyoung- but once the trio had returned and changed the sheets, they climbed back inside, situating themselves with Yeosang in the middle, his arm around Wooyoung and San’s leg tossed around his waist. 

It was…comfortable, warm. And in a weird way, the three of them slotted together like puzzle pieces. Yeosang felt gentle nibbles to his neck and glanced over at San, surprised that he found him tiredly biting and kissing him. 

“San?” 

“Mm…didn’t leave enough…mm…marks….”He trailed off, clearly nodding off. Yeosang smiled and closed his eyes, lifting his neck up. Wooyoung seemed to get the message, too, and both of them began to gently kiss and nibble at his neck.

The door opened a crack on its own, and moments later, there was the sound of audible hiffles. Yeosang glanced up and found a pair of familiar eyes staring at him. He laughed tiredly. 

“Yes, Yunho. Coast is clear. Sleep.”

The three shared tired chuckles as the bear of a dog climbed up, situating himself at the foot of the bed. 

After one last round of gentle kisses, the three fell into a comfortable night’s rest, the first one of many. 

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

   November 26th

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“Happy birthday!”

Wooyoung smiled at the center of the table, his cheeks hurting from how much he had been smiling. San finished lighting the candles on the cake before him. Yeosang shifted from foot, anxiety reading clear on his face. 

The cake before them was something he and San had come together to make without Wooyoung’s help. Both of them were worried, but Yeosang more than him. 

He wasn’t…the greatest cook and he certainly couldn’t touch Wooyoung’s cooking. 

Eric, Gahyeon, and Jongho peeked up from the other side of the table, wiggling in their seats as Wooyoung blew his candles out. 

The was met with a series of clapping and cheers. Chaerin came over cut the cake, taking her time and handing Wooyoung the first slice of his chocolate hazelnut cake. 

They waited in anticipation while he nibbled. 

Then his eyes lit up, sparkling.

“It’s so good!” 

The two let out a relieved sigh, exchanging kisses and a smile. 

“We did it! It’s not horrible!” 

Wooyoung smiled and beckoned them closer, kissing each of them, grateful for their effort. They were surrounded by their friends and a few coworkers, and the moment the cake was cut, the music began to play, a light, whimsical atmosphere falling over the dining room. 

Two hours later, when the festivities died down, Jongho made his way over to Wooyoung, face covered in chocolate as he looked up, holding his dragon plushie close. 

“Hyung? Did you make a wish on your candle?” he inquired softly. Wooyoung blinked, having been in the middle of condensing his presents into as few boxes and bags as possible. He blushed and rubbed his head. 

“Yeah.” 

Jongho rocked back and forth on his heels.

“What did you wish for?” He inquired. 

Wooyoung looked over his shoulder, finding San petting Yunho, ruffling his fur before he stood up straight and grinned at Yeosang, kissing him before motioning to something for Yeosang to help him with in the kitchen. Wooyoung exhaled softly and stood, his hands on his hips. 

“For my love to find it’s way home. I think I got what I wished for long before I blew out those candles, though.” He ruffled Jongho’s hair and walked away, smiling from ear to ear.

┍━━━━━»•» 🌺 «•«━┑

T a g l i s t

┕━»•» 🌺 «•«━━━━━┙

@kimnamshiks @atiny-dazzlinglight @angel0taiyo @jacksons-goddess-gaia @gettin-a-lil-hanse @smallfrye @daniblogs164 @yunhofingers @eversionic @itsatinyworld @unatempesta-dipensieri @lonely10vely @yunhosblackgf @not-majestic-bluenicorn @moonmin-miya @snowstaytiny @delphinium3000 @just-a-starfruit @skmoonchild @allthestarsrcloser @im-what-iam @stayatinyfics @kirisimpma @chaos-ground-writing @stormiestories @billboard-singer @asyamonet22 @perfectlysane24 @drunk-on-hwa @shingisimp @xuxibelle @twistedsiren @dreamyinception-world @justatiredhuman @horizonmoonfics @shymexican @stardragongalaxy @sunny-yourbuddy @eribear23 @seomisaho @spooo00oky @babyhailey819 @eribear23

[ichorai]

dinner & diatribes ; adrian chase. (m)

track eleven of WASTELAND, BABY!

pairing ; adrian chase x gn!reader

synopsis ; the two of you only brought the worst out of each other, but you just couldn’t stay away.

words ; 1.8k

themes ; comedy, mild smut (?)

warnings / includes ; arguing, lots of swearing, they fuck against a desk but it's not too graphic and pretty glossed over, reader punches adrian and breaks his nose, chris is the embodiment of e_e

main masterlist.

“I had him!” you snarled, striding up to Adrian until the two of you were practically nose-to-nose. He had ripped his mask off earlier, seeing no point in keeping it on when everybody on the team was already very well aware of his not-so-secret secret identity. “He was the only shot we had at getting information and you just fucking—Argh! You ruined everything, you dumb fucking piece of motherfucking—!”

Raising his hands in a condescendingly placating manner, Adrian retorted, “Woah! Watch it, potty mouth!”

Frustration crawled through your skin and wove beneath your muscles, nestling within your bones. “God, I hate you. This was my mission. You had no right interfering—!”

“Well, excuse me, first of all, this was our mission. Second, I’m sorry for saving your ass!” he interrupted. “If it hadn’t been for me, you would be out there, bleeding out of multiple gunshot wounds, thinking to yourself, ‘Oh, I wish Vigilante was here to come rescue me! He’s so handsome and I wish I could have sex with him just one more time and tell him how sorry I am for being a dick and ignoring him and pretending like it had never fucking happened!’”

You clenched your jaw, eye twitching. Sure, the two of you had slept together once—it was the heat of the moment and the adrenaline after a bloody fight, really—sodden clothes were hastily torn away or pulled to the side, bleeding lips were roughly slanted against each other, and he had fucked you on top of Chris’ messy desk with wild abandon. So fucking what?

“I was more than capable of handling the situation on my own.”

“Oh, were you, really?” Adrian rolled his eyes. “Don’t kid yourself. Honestly, sometimes it feels like you wouldn’t even care if you died—!”

With a growl rumbling within your throat, you wound your arm back, clenched your hand into a tight fist, and struck Adrian squarely in the face. A bilious crack echoed throughout the dingy room. He reared backwards, clutching his most-likely broken nose, groaning loudly. 

You were well aware of the fact that the rest of the team was awkwardly watching the two of you hash it out. Tentative, Adebayo started saying, “Guys, I think we—”

“No!” you cut her off. “Fuck you, Adrian.”

With that, you stormed out of the room, ripping off the rest of your tactical gear along the way and cold fury wrapping its dark hands around your neck. 

“Fuck,” Adrian said, all stuffy from his bleeding nose. “That made me so hard.”

Chris smacked him on the back of his head, which made him squawk with pain.

“I don’t know, man,” said Chris, sticking his tongue out the corner of his mouth as he concentrated on scribbling a dove of peace on another one of his weapons that Harcourt hadn’t bothered emblazing, despite his repeated insistence. “Maybe you should apologize to Y/N. They seemed really pissed.”

Blowing a raspberry, Adrian waved his most best friend’s advice away. “Pfft—no, if anything, they should be the one apologizing to me. Did you see how my nose was all bloody and crooked?”

Chris momentarily turned his attention away from the crude drawing of the dove of peace (which, unsurprisingly, looked like a ghost), and scowled at the spectacled, borderline psychotic man-child across from him. “Jeez, stop overreacting. Harcourt set your nose back right after, don’t be such a baby.”

“But it hurt!” Adrian whined. “You know that a person’s sense of smell is probably, like, the most important sense out of all the senses?”

“I don’t think that’s true.” 

“Uh huh—scented candle businesses would go bankrupt if none of us could smell!”

Narrowing his eyes, Chris replied, “Yeah, but how the fuck would that make it the most important—ugh, you know what? Just go apologize to them. We have another mission tomorrow morning and I don’t want their panties in a twist because of you.”

Adrian chortled. “Heh, wouldn’t be the first time I twisted their pa—” At Chris’ sharp glare, he immediately cut himself short. “Fine! I’ll go, I’ll go. If I die, please play an episode of Friends at my funeral—specifically the episode where they hire Danny Devito as a stripper. I really liked that episode. I liked it a lot. You got that?”

“Yeah, Danny Devito, stripper, funeral, got it!” retorted Chris, clearly not listening anymore as he waved Adrian away.

Squaring his shoulders, Adrian marched away from his trusted friend and headed to the room down the hall, pushing the door open and peeking his head through. He saw you buried behind a pile of paperwork on your desk, muttering incoherently beneath your breath. 

When you noticed him come in, he pursed his lips and waved awkwardly, shutting the door behind him.

“Hey,” he called out from the other side of the room, a bit too loudly. You winced at his volume, and he moved closer before parroting himself, this time much quieter. “Hey.” 

“Hey,” came your tentative, stiff reply. “What do you want?”

The man in front of your desk cleared his throat, rocking himself back onto his heels as he swung his arms awkwardly. “I, uh, just wanted to apologize.”

“Oh, yeah?” You crossed your arms, cocking one of your eyebrows expectantly. “Go on, then.”

“I’m…” Adrian doubled over groaning, stomping his feet like a petulant child, before righting himself and huffing in an overexaggerated manner. “Ugh, I hate this. Fuck—I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have said those things to you. It was unprofessional.”

Humming, the beginnings of a smirk began to play with the corner of your lips. “Great, thanks. You can go now.”

Adrian stayed rooted to the spot, staring at you blankly. 

“What?” you asked him.

He scowled, gesturing to his slightly-crooked nose.

Rolling your eyes to the ceiling, you sighed. “Fine. I’m sorry for punching you. Happy?”

“Yeah, pfft, whatever—doesn’t even hurt,” he bluffed, leaning his weight onto your desk in an effort to appear nonchalant. 

You scoffed. “With how you were groaning, you made it sound like I nearly killed you.”

“You’ve got a strong punch, okay?” he heatedly rebutted, before haughtily sticking his sore chin up in the air. After another second of tense silence, he glanced at you from the corner of his eyes, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his fucked-up nose. He coughed into his fist, before muttering, “Honestly, though… it was really fucking hot.”

The dull wooden edge of your desk dug into your lower back as Adrian leaned over you, mouth rough on yours, glasses knocked askew amidst his vigor. One of his hands were buried in your roots at the back of your head, anchoring you close to him, and the other pinned your thighs apart so he could slot between them. Your hands were tightly curled up in the gap between his sweltering skin and his suit’s dark armor, yanking him to bridge the gap between you. His nose brushed your cheekbone every time he surged forward to kiss you—and it sent a mild jolt of pain spidering down his spine, but he didn’t seem to mind it too much, rather preoccupied with other sensations.

Clothes were hastily pulled to the side, sweat beaded both of your foreheads, and strained gasps fell through your lips as he began to move against you.

Neither punching Adrian nor fucking him afterwards were on your agenda for today, but you certainly weren’t complaining. And judging by how loudly he was moaning into the brutal kiss, he wasn’t going to complain, either.

With one final roll of his hips into yours, he bucked forward with a strangled, choking noise as his climax washed over him just when you were pushed off the edge as well, sinking his teeth into the flesh of your shoulder, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

“God, you’re loud,” you panted, snaking your hands to his hair to gently pull him away from the crevice of your neck. 

He stared at you with full-blown pupils, delighting in the fact that you were quivering against him ever so slightly. “And you’re so fucking hot.”

“Alright, buddy, we’re done here,” you said, patting his chest, before pushing away and straightening out your wrinkled clothes. “This is the last time this is ever happening, by the way.”

Adrian scoffed, righting his glasses up his nose. “Uh huh, yeah right. Admit it, you just can’t resist me. I’m like the peanut butter to your jelly! The… the chocolate to your pizza!”

Nose wrinkling, you shook your head incredulously. “What? Who the fuck eats chocolate with pizza?”

“Uh, duh, I do,” he replied, as if it were obvious. “It’s amazing—you should really try it. I don’t know, maybe you could come over to my place one day and have some. Nothing beats the perfect ratio of greasy-crispy Hawaiian pizza and Nutella straight from the jar.”

Kiss-swollen lips parting, you leaned against your desk out of interest once again. Adrian was fidgeting with his hands awkwardly and began looking everywhere but you, like he hadn’t just fucked you silly literally a minute ago.

“Are you asking me out?”

“No!” he said. “Maybe.”

You regarded him with a strange look.

“Ugh, yes, fine, I’m asking you out. Well, technically in—I’m asking you into my house. Preferably into my bed—”

“Alright!” you interrupted, holding your hands out. “Fine. Only this one time. But just because you’ve come in me twice by now doesn’t mean you can go on falling in love with me, okay?”

Brightening, Adrian sidled closer to you, the green of his eyes glimmering beneath the flickering lights hanging over your desk. “Don’t worry, that won’t be a problem. If anything, you should watch out for falling in love with me. I’m quite the catch, you know?”

It was hard to suppress the growing grin forming over your lips. “You’ve got the Barbie Girl song as your ringtone.”

“Yeah, and? It’s a good song—super catchy. It’s practically a chick magnet,” he defended, beaming like an idiot. 

You rolled your eyes, patting his chest twice, before striding away from both him and your desk, off to go to the bathroom to clean up the sticky mess between your thighs. Adrian watched you go, before repeatedly punching the air with excitement and breaking out into a dance—not to music, but to the buzz of the office’s artificial lights, and the lethargic whir of the semi-broken air conditioner. 

 From outside, he could hear Chris greet you, and he momentarily paused in his little victory jig.

“Oh, hi, Y/N! Hah, your hair’s all messed up, why do you look like you just had your brains fucked—oh. Oh. God damn it, you guys better not have done it on my desk again!”

[ruhorih4ra]

Hey there! This is just another LuciferxGn!Mc hahaha, pure bliss and comfort I think. Lucy being pampered and those kind of things.

As always you may find grammar mistakes and inconsistencies (⁠┛⁠✧⁠Д⁠✧⁠)⁠)⁠┛⁠彡⁠┻⁠━⁠┻

The Lovers 💙

“Oh! He's handsome!” you muttered while looking at your phone. “Hmmm, she's pretty too...” you sighed. “You know, Lucifer, I find quite unfair that most demons are beautiful. I mean, how do you expect us not to fall into temptation?”

Lucifer stopped his work for a moment, putting down his pen and stretching his back. “I don’t expect that of you, Mc.” he said, sounding a little bit too suggestive, he smiled and you smiled back not without a questioning look. “Your Asmo is showing, my dear.” He got up, walking towards you. “Please, who do you think he learned from?” you laughed, but the sound was muffled by Lucifer giving you gentle, innocent pecks all over your face. “You taught him this?!” you asked between giggles. “Maybe he didn't understand you!”

Lucifer chuckled before kissing your lips, it was slow and sweet and soon turned passionate. You could feel his hot breath colliding with yours and the faint taste of coffee made you smile. He broke the kiss, leaving you waiting with your eyes closed and your mouth slightly open. “Lucy?” slowly he laid on top of you, giving you brief kisses along your neck. “Why are you looking at other demons, hm? Aren't you satisfied with me?” his voice was hoarse, and the exhaustion from countless hours of work was clear.

“Don't be jealous, love. I was just checking on my new classmates, we'll work together.” “I'm not jealous.” “If you say so...hey! N-no! Pfft-hahaha!! Sto-oh-op!!” Lucifer was tickling you, he didn’t stop stealing you kisses while his hands traced a path through your body. “Ple-heheasse, I'm sorry!!” he stopped once he was pleased, lying calmly over you. “I love you.” you said, looking directly into his eyes and Lucifer held you tight, before whispering. “So do I, love of my life.”

And that's why he wasn't jealous. He’s just not that type of demon, that insecurity was not like him. It was annoying that you and Satan could go to cat coffees and spend so much time together, it was irresponsible of you to stay up all night reading with him, he's concerned about your well-being, that's all.

He wasn't jealous, not even when you came into his office, looking breathtaking, only to inform him that Asmodeus and you were ready to go to a party. Asmo, whose hand always stays in your arms more time than it should.

He didn't care that his work was too much, so much that it was taking him away from you. He wasn't looking forward to spending some time napping with you, without a care in the world. He was happy to be the big brother, Belphie can still be the little brother.

He didn't want to take you on a date, his hands didn’t burn with the desire of hold yours. Solomon took your hands, because you are his apprentice and it was an important part of the spell he was teaching you. He's not jealous or angry (he doesn't want to kill the wise sorcerer, not at all).

He doesn't have time to be distracted by that game you and Leviathan always play and talk about, he's fine with you laughing with his brothers and not with him. He's okay with providing shelter and security, that’s how things are supposed to be.

How many times does he have to say it? He's not jealous, he just... desperately wish to have more time and less responsibilities, to be able to spend as much time with you as everyone does.

Able to hold your hand and laugh in the corridors of RAD. He's not jealous by any means, even though this is the third time you hang out with that demons you called beautiful.

“Lucifer?! Devildom calling Lucifer?! Do you hear us??”

“I'm jealous.” Lucifer said, looking right at your eyes. “I'm so jealous that I can hear myself calling Lotan.” he heard you laugh, you made a sound not as refined as usual. “That was a good one, love.” you took his hand and intertwined your fingers with his, happily humming a melody he recognized.

“I love that record, it brings me so much joy.” He looked at you as if you had said the most ridiculous thing. “My records are cursed, Mc.” “Well, I know that the composer gave his soul so that his deaf daughter could hear his melody at least once.” Lucifer's eyes widened, looking at you. “And then, you refused the offer and cured the girl's deafness anyway.” “I'll talk to Diavolo about the privacy of my life.” “Please, Lucifer! We were doing our favorite thing in the world!” The black-haired demon frowned. “We were talking about you!” you said happily but Lucifer's frown remained.

“You were talking with Diavolo?” you raised an eyebrow, incredulous. “You’re kidding, right?” but Lucifer continued to look at you reproachfully until you rolled your eyes.

“You know what? I'm also very jealous.” you said, earning a confused look from the conflicted demon next to you. “I don't need your pity, my love.” He uttered, slightly amused. “What are you jealous of? The stack of unfinished reports on my desk?”

“Yes, they get all of your attention without even trying.” you stopped, moving in front of Lucifer and taking his head in your hands you added. “I wish I could be part of your work, so you would care more about me...” you sounded hurt, heartbroken. “All I think about is you...” “And yet all you do is work.” Lucifer had seen this conversation many times before, he knew how it would end and he didn't like it at all but he is the avatar of pride and there is a script to follow. “We should end our relationship.” your face showed complete surprise and disbelief.

“What!? Excuse me?! W-why?! No you idiot, workaholic dumbass.” Lucifer was more than surprised by your little outburst and somewhat offended, you noticed it but it only made you angrier. “Oh! Are you mad?! Well, how do you think I feel? I ask you for more of your time and you try to break up with me!?” “I didn't!” the thought finally sank in. He wouldn't kiss you anymore, or hold your hands, or hear you laugh. Not with him, not for him. He wouldn't even have those little moments. “I just said that we should... I didn’t say I want to.” you stood there, looking at him desperately. “Then why...” you sighed, closing your eyes and asking your father-in-law for patience. “I’ll tell you what, we'll go to the house of lamentation and...” you whispered your plans in his ear, and each word seemed to have a bigger impact on the demon, who gradually turned redder.

“How does that sound?” Lucifer cleared his throat, fixing the neck of his suit. “I would love to”.

After sharing a bath and giving him a massage, you laid down with him on top of you, caressing his scalp with your fingers as the faint sound of classical music filled the room. “Are you feeling better, my gorgeous, perfect and immaculate lord?” you whispered, closely watching Lucifer's relaxed gaze, he showed you a soft smile and let out a brief sound of joy, he tried to say something but failed miserably.

“What did you say, my dear magnificent lord?” Lucifer cleared his throat. “I said you're ridiculous, Mc.” both of you laughed. He took your hand and kissed it, still with his eyes closed he kept kissing the lenght of your arm until he heard you laugh. “I'm terribly sorry.” “I know.” “No, you don't.” He leaned over you, looking directly into your eyes, he kissed the inner palm of your hands, slowly closing his eyes again. “I didn't think of this before, when I suggested that we should...” he sighed, defeated. “I didn't think how deeply entangled you are in my soul.”

He surprised you, adjusting your body so he could spoon you. “I want to read a book with you.” “Of course!” “We'll go to dance.” “Agreed.” “We will watch that TV show and you will always wait for me to watch the next episode.” you couldn't help but laugh. “Deal.”

You fell into a comfortable silence, both you and Lucifer were ready to call it a night. “We can do whatever you want, or we can do nothing. As long as you are with me everything is perfect.” you fell asleep, lulled by Lucifer's warm and heart beat. He, on the other hand, could feel your words engraved in his soul.

“As long as you're with me everything is perfect.” he whispered before falling asleep, a soft smile on his face.

💙

The Lovers by Arctic Monkeys has the vibes I was trying to accomplish.

Also, I'm sure there are lots of mistakes but I didn't want to reread, please not again. (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

Thanks for reading! (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

[lavender-storm]

I need you here

summary | Theo drunkenly confesses, but it's hard to believe him.

pairing | Theo Nott x fem!reader

warning | drunk Theo, probably grammar mistakes

word count | 1k

a/n: Please let me know what you think, I hope you enjoy! Have a lovely day xx

I just wanted to let you know, that this is a side blog, so unfortunately I can't reply to your comments, but I see them all! I appreciate it so much, you have no idea how happy your comments make me! ♥️

He's wasted. That's why he's saying these things, no other reason. If he were sober, he wouldn't dare to say words like this, especially not to Y/N. So this is only happening because he's so drunk, he can't even sit by himself. But Y/N doesn't try to shut him up. How could she? The words coming from his lips caress her whole skin like a soft feather, the loopy smile on his face warms her heart. She'd be lying if she said she's not enjoying whatever is happening.

I love being next to you. I'm so happy you're here, I was waiting for you the whole night! Seeing you is the best part of my days. He says.

But these are all words, all lies, all just drunk flirtations. He doesn't know what he's saying, maybe he doesn't even know who he is talking to. Yet, her heart hopes that deep down he means every single thing he utters.

"How can someone be so pretty? Seriously, it's not fair. It's like you want everyone to fall in love with ya," he mumbles, swaying his hand in the air.

"What are you even talkin' about? No one's in love with me Theo."

"Pfft lies. Big ass lies. I know I am. And like fivety- fifty other people," she laughs at him and he pokes her side mumbling an I'm serious. Of course she knows he's not, and she's pretty sure that he said the same sentences to Adelane earlier. But you can't blame her for playing into it for a few minutes, believing that Theodore could actually love her. With a roll of her eyes she guides his head on her shoulder, and gently puts her hand into his hair, trying to quiet him. She feels giddy inside, like the first time she kissed a boy when she was younger, the only exception is that this feeling is better, much, much better.

Truth be told, even if he doesn't mean what he says, it would be fine with her. Because up until Theo, she didn't know how great it feels to love somebody unconditionally. Everyday she has something to look forward to, his voice, his laugh, his mere presence can make her swoon. Some say having a crush is hard, but to her, liking Theo is the best feeling and the easiest thing in the world. Just quietly doing homework, or sitting in front of the fireplace is enough. If he only knew that she's ready to give her heart to him. The boy hums quietly, burying his face into her neck.

"And you also smell so nice, you are seriously unreal. Pretty sure an angel," a shiver runs through her body when he lays a soft kiss behind her ear. And then another one on her jaw line. And another one her neck. Oh Merlin this was a bad idea. She clears her throat and pushes him away.

"I think you should go to sleep," before you do something you'll regret and hate me for the rest of your life. "Come on." She helps him up and he immediately laces their fingers together, too tired to fight with her.

She leads him through the crowd of dancing people, and he squeezes her hand, making sure he won't lose her. He likes holding her hand, he realises. They fit together so well, her skin is so soft and warm, it's really nice. He wishes he could hold onto her for the rest of his life. The music and the people fading into the background as the only thing he is able to concentrate on is her. He can't control what's coming out of his mouth anymore, but seeing the way Y/N looked at him, how her eyes sparkled because of his words, he didn't care that he lost control. If he could, he would say these things non stop to her, write it down on notes, write it on the sky, scream it at the top of his lungs so everyone can know how much she means to him. If only he weren't so scared when he's sober.

"Let's get you to bed, alright?" She says as they finally reach his room. She's gentle with him like he is fragile, and he could feel his heart melt into a puddle in his chest. He sits down on the edge of the bed, Y/N standing between his legs. He has a lazy smile on his face and his eyes twinkle in the darkness. "What?"

"Please stay."

"Theo, I can't. I- You wouldn't want that if you weren't…" She looks away from his pleading eyes, knowing that she will cave in if he keeps looking at her like that. Why does he have to be so handsome?

"I do. I always want that," a small frown appears on his face. He doesn't want her to think that. To believe that he wouldn't want her here if he were sober. "I always want you to be around. I love being with you. I really do" his voice barely even a whisper, as he rests his head against her stomach. Y/N runs her fingers through his hair and he closes his eyes, getting lost in her touch.

"It doesn't seem like it though," she whispers and his heart cracks open with each shaky breath she takes. He never meant to hurt her. He never wanted to make her feel like she wasn't important to him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so so sorry. Please stay," his eyes are watering as he tilts his head back to look at her. "I promise I want you to. I swear. Please. I need you here."

She wants to believe him. Maybe what they already have is good, it's enough, but maybe having more would be better. So she does believe him for now. Y/N gestures for him to move and she lays down beside him. He immediately wraps his arm around her, and pulls her into his chest. It's nice, so nice, to lay with her here, to feel the warmth of her body, to hear her soft breathing, to know she is right here with him.

"I know I could do better but I swear, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'll prove it. I'm goin' to prove it," he whispers into her hair before drifting off to sleep.

[otomefiend]

Victor & William Rex

Story Event: Villains want to bother little 'Robin'

Epilogue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3 Premium

Pardon me, I completely forgot to post this. 😅 The grand conclusion to their antics. Those two ❤️🖤

~~~

The night with Victor and William was so enjoyable,

I was sad to see it end.

These two men read my desires like an open book.

~~~

Victor: "Haha, what a lovely expression, Kate. Can you tell me what you want right at this very moment?"

William: "Kate -- tell us what you want."

Kate: "Victor, William. Would you stay with me just a little longer --"

Victor • William: "Of course!" • "With pleasure."

~~~

They invited me to Leadenhall Market at night.

Due to the late hour, it was so quiet that the usual hustle and bustle of the place seemed like a lie.

(...... The shops are closed. It's already this late)

William: "Heh, you're so cute with your thoughts written all over your face."

Kate: "What, oh... I'm sorry. After all, you were kind enough to bring me here."

William: "Even if the shops are closed, there are other ways to have fun."

When he looked at Victor, the latter seemed to understand his intentions and smiled in return.

Victor: "On this street, most shops display their recommended products in their windows."

Victor: "So we can still do some window-shopping in the middle of the night."

Then Victor took my right arm, William took my left arm, and we started walking.

William: "Kate. Those shoes would look beautiful on you."

Victor: "William has great taste. Let's come back later and buy whatever catches our eyes."

Victor: "That bag over there looks amazing. The vivid colour would suit you well, Kate!"

(.... it's so much fun. I had no idea I could enjoy myself to this extent)

Kate: "Ah..."

William: "Did something draw your attention?"

Kate: "Um, ...that ...dress on display over there is really nice."

Victor: "How marvellous! It's so lovely you'd turn heads all over England if you wore it."

William: "Looks like it comes in two colours, red and black..."

Kate: "Which one do you prefer...?"

William: "It's best if you choose the one you like, but if it were me, I would say..."

Victor • William: "I'd go for black!" • "Most certainly red."

Victor • William: "........."

Kate: "Pfft...hahaha. Looks like there's no agreement."

Victor: "Then we shall buy both, the red and the black one."

Victor: "-- You can wear them on our respective dates, one with William and one with me."

He winked and smiled mischievously.

Victor: "Ah, you've become a naughty girl for toying with two men, haven't you Kate?"

William: "Heh.... maybe we taught you some things we shouldn't have."

Victor: "Good, naughty girls are welcomed."

Kate: "Ugh.... please, don't make fun of me."

Victor • William: "Hahaha!"

The two men looked more defenceless than usual, laughing in the middle of the night and clearly having a great time...

(... am I okay to think it's just my privilege to have two such people by my side?)

I couldn't help but feel that selfish desire to monopolize.

William: "What about you, Kate? Is it time for the good little Robin to go to sleep?"

Kate: "... You know what I want to do, don't you?"

Victor: "Still, we'd like to hear it from you."

(... Seriously, you two are so troublesome)

Kate: "Please, stay with me as long as I'm awake..."

William: "Mhm, as you wish."

William: "Victor, I think you mentioned before that there's a pancake place around here that's only open at night."

Victor: "That's right, it's behind that alley. We can have a late-night feast, how splendid!"

(...... it's fun)

(So ​​much so that I will certainly dream about those two when I fall asleep tonight)

Even the night breeze felt more pleasant than usual by their side.

~~~

It was a quiet night after the day upon which Kate became the Queen.

Chubby man: "Haa... I need to hurry."

A man carrying a large bag hurried down a narrow alleyway.

At that moment, the sound of someone whistling a tune could be heard, followed by the fluttering of a jet-black coat...

Two long shadows blocked the man's path.

William: "Good evening. Hmm, are you setting off on a journey judging by the heavy load you carry?"

Chubby man: "...... and you are?"

Victor: "Introductions can be such a hassle. By the way, it's a shame that your last night's plans at Oxford didn't pan out."

Chubby man: "...... you're the ones who killed the guys?"

William and Victor smiled in confirmation.

The man grabbed a bundle of notes from his bag with his fingers covered in gold rings,

Then held it out towards the two men.

Chubby man: "You're that group of assassins hired by Her Majesty, aren't you?"

Chubby man: "I'll make you a better offer! Not a bad deal, right? Yes? Yes?"

William: "Too bad. I don't remember being hired by anyone, nor do we plan to be hired in the future."

Victor: "Indeed, we condemn others of our own volition."

Chubby man: "Huh...? W-What condemnation... you're just a bunch of murderers!

William: "Hmm? Murderers... us?"

William: "You're right. Evil is evil, sin is sin, punishment is punishment."

William: "It can never be reversed; it should never be."

William: "For this reason we -- conquer evil with evil."

William: "`Cut you throat with this knife. Right now`."

Red droplets sprayed everywhere.

Looking unexpectedly beautiful whilst painting the blackness of the night.

Victor: "Mmm, your curse truly is dazzling. I fall in love with it every time I see it."

William: "I'm honoured by your compliments."

Victor: "By the by, William. Would you like to relay the details onto Kate?"

William: "No...? I'd rather not."

William: "Waking up the peacefully sleeping Kate is definitely not amongst my favourite pastimes."

Victor: "Haha. Yes, I suppose not."

Victor: "Maybe just let her hear your lullaby."

Victor: "As for the conclusion to the evening... I'm also in favour of keeping it a secret."

William: "And why is that?"

Victor: "...I want us to remain the kind queen and the gentle aide in Kate's eyes."

William: "Heh, you're a wicked man."

Victor: "That's my line, Will."

William: "Mhm, let's go back to the castle. Our lovely Kate is waiting for us there."

The two accomplices smiled at each other as their cloaks flapped in the wind.

Only the two of them knew that the blood had been spilt that night...