#pat & sigh >> 002

[esccpism]

[…] love is my religion—I could die for that.

it’s valentine’s day. ceo!ambessa gifts you flowers.

abstract: ambessa wants you. more: she wants you to chase. the problem is the time it takes—you’re a tough nut to crack, and the woman has never been good at waiting.

cw: ceo!ambessa x assistant!reader, groping, kissing, shy ambessa for .002 secs but don’t tell anyone, sub/dom themes, corporal punishment (r!reader), voyuerism, ambessa has you masturbate in front of her, older woman x younger woman, reader is fat/plus sized

wc: 3.9k

fic inspired by this artwork by @/RoseYSD13 on twitter. heart skipped like 12 full beats. header inspired by the lovely @hcneymooners.

the year marches onwards.

if you catch the day early enough, time seems to pause and suspend; a breath you could almost hold in your hand.

it’s four in the morning—and so ambessa changes in her office today. and you stand, staring forward, only stealing glances when her back is turned.

she gets ready for as long as two hours, at times, when it’s early enough and the preliminary steps of her routine haven't already been run through at her home. such days are rare. she’s perfect in every other instance, she’s perfect even now. skin and scars, tight and flexible, choking up the room with her overpowering perfume. 

you don’t know why she allows you to guard her incompletion. but then again, you’re fresh, and new. you aren’t worth much to her at all.

“haven’t i taught you manners, child?”

your eyes snap back to position. she hasn’t turned even a modicum, but of course it’s a gamble worth taking—her muscles practically ripple like water. the sun simmers against her skin. it’s asking the impossible to not watch them stretch and contract as she bends. 

you allowed yourself it and nothing else, avoiding the dip low in her back where safety ends and the curve of her ass begins. 

“come,” she beckons, “and help me out of this suit.”

you bob your head, and no hair spills out of your tight bun this time. 

dress shoes click and reverberate in the wide and endless room, traveling ages before bouncing off the walls. she says nothing and so neither do you. the time passes, you can tell only by the morning waking outside. unbuttoning the corset becomes your primary objective and you do it with steadfast attention, ignoring her stomach tensing each time your fingers brush the vulnerable skin. ignoring her stomach entirely. ignoring the fact she is wearing no bra underneath and how her full breasts swell towards you beseechingly. 

when you finish unraveling the intricate set of satin ribbons and pull the heavy fabric away from her torso, she lets you fold it neatly and place it atop her desk before pressing in, correcting your posture for you. 

a hand tickles your stomach, finger under your chin, raising your line of sight until it meets with hers. 

”don’t steal glances. i won’t remind you again.” 

you nod as best as you can. your post might be fucked—though you don’t have a moment to let the grief wrack through you. “take wholly, or not at all. i won’t have any nibbling around me.” 

gripping now, ambessa carries your chin and levels it so you are staring directly at her bare body. 

“tell me. what are you feeling?”

“satisfaction, ma’am. i am honored to learn from you, and happy i was able to be of service to you.”

she sighs, and tuts. ”i told them to get rid of that stupid training video. i don’t want a robot tending to me. do you understand me?”

you nod. no hesitation, because she hates the scent, smells it like a dog smells fear. 

“once more.” she relaxes your face and steps to your right, curls around you like a lioness circling its prey. “what are you feeling?”

”curiosity.” your eyes flicker to follow her, then keep straight ahead.

“around?”

“around you, ma’am.”

“good girl.” she stops her orbit directly in front of you, and drags her seat over. leans back, body open, legs spread. “satiate it.”

you pat your hands briefly on your dress pants—she interjects with a wily smile, “don’t be afraid, dear.” and you bite back an i’m not before it snaps from you, sharp as a knife.

you sink forward, distantly aware of your hanging cleavage. growing far more aware from how unabashedly she stares at it. you trail your nails down from her ear lobe, across her neck, watch her shiver at the pressure on her throat. you dip then, and politely squeeze her tit in your hand.

she scoffs, and then laughs, a tinkling, rich, barberry sound. 

“callow,” she says. “you search like you are reading off my monthly estimates. have you no hunger?”

“i have hunger,” you retaliate, eyes alight. you pinch, and her brows flicker, arching into the pain near imperceptibly. 

“but my job does not demand my hunger, ma’am. it only requires that i compartmentalize.” quite literally. you retract your hand and fold it behind you. ”allow me to return to my work.”

she leans her head back, face unreadable as she takes you in. seconds pass, and then the cloud passes as well. she waves you off, sounding bored. “very well. i’ll call you should i need you again.”

⚘

she tends to need you often.

it would seem actually, that she couldn’t do anything by herself were you to be zapped away tomorrow.

she enjoys when you pull the chair out for her, and requests it each time she returns to her desk. says heartily that it makes her feel regal. the cafe on the ground floor has a daily special that she orders three of, at three separate times in the afternoon, sending you on a fourth trip with a lofty tip for the barista should she have enjoyed all three instances. the lines are unbearably long, since the coffee tends towards being delicious. you make the fourth trip often.

her write ups, the real work: which loan repayment negotiations are still underway—there are many—and which partnering fell through—there are many. getting cussed out over the phone on her behalf. day trips across the city and long nights bent over blue light and ass-early mornings, awake even before the sun.

it’s…a demanding job, at its worst. 

work breaks are terse at their best, and your coworkers are a restless bunch. they ask you questions, hoping the pressure will, at what is perhaps the 20,001st attempt, eventually give way. 

ruler with an iron fist. does she even have emotions pulsing in there? you must’ve seen it, seen her slip. it’s psychopathic, how she’s so good at smiling. a wolf trying to hide its teeth. 

here, these people, they don’t nurture expression. self wilts and dies here. that’s what got you at her side in the first place. you were always so loud, anyway, always too much. your mother told you to swallow yourself before the earth tears open its mouth and does it for you.

so you swallow, and you keep your teeth together, and you don’t say a word.

they’re right. you have seen it. ambessa’s smile befalls you often, and her touch is kind, when it grazes the small of your back. 

she takes like a tyrant. she desires unceasingly. this you know. 

you leave an afternoon with her mangled or otherwise changed, fundamentally at the parts. she so easily finds the fleshy soft of your belly, where it gives way with no resistance, and wraps a jaw around it. settles down to the marrow. your training was this, over and over, every mundane afternoon. eaten and spat back out. you’d be lucky to leave the night with any part of you still intact. 

it was meant to make you human—this you couldn’t understand. i don’t want a robot tending to me, she’d instructed.

tell me. what do you feel?

what your coworkers don’t acknowledge is that absolute deference weakens in the face of idiosyncrasies. it's far more effective to strip a thing naked and leave it trembling out in the cold—completely numb the senses. a tyrant cannot rule a person. your brain must be empty so that they might squirm inside. 

ambessa does not squirm. 

she digs. afternoons change and shift, not yet stretching towards the light, but stretching nonetheless.

you pick inside yourself and place it down before ambessa—at her bequest: your runaway mother, how you hadn’t cried at your brother’s funeral, your bite-sized calico, your tamagotchi collection—and she watches every item splayed like a buffet with a fever that warms, that singes—you nearly snatch yourself back from the simmering air, afraid to lose yourself in her belly. to the licking flame of her tongue. 

her hand extends across the table. it crosses the sheets of daily agendas and your laptop and the stack of reports, crosses seas towards you. she lands softly on your chin, and travels to cradle your cheek.

“are you happy here?” she unloads.

“of course, ma’am.”

her frown makes a hearth of her face. “give me the honest answer.”

“here at this position, or here with your fingers taking my face?”

“either,” she says, lowly. “both,” she corrects. 

you ease a foot on the gas pedal. you aren’t sure what’s gotten into you, but it drums in your thighs like a second heartbeat. ”then, if i said i wasn't?”

she’s silent, and then her hand slips off. the heat follows her, and your body creaks forward before your brain catches up. chasing. 

“then i would release you.” she folds her hands. “and i wouldn’t allow anyone else to have you.”

“i would no longer be yours, ma’am.”

“i may have no use for a pet with reservations, that does not mean i could stand someone else having what i can’t.”

“then must i repeat myself, too?”

the air quivers. the admission breaks inside your chest. her smile curls tight inside you and doesn’t let go. 

“indulge me.”

“i’m happy here,” you indulge her. you really say—i’m happy it’s you. you press it into the gaping, leaking space between you, right next to your stewn out innards and idiosyncrasies. right to where her fingers fold on the table. “you’ve got a hand like a fireplace. i don’t mind when you touch, or when you take. above everything it’s the warmth i feel first.”

⚘

the pet names begin shortly thereafter. 

only in private, but strong contenders each time—

would you fetch me another coffee, pet?

ah, my pretty dove. you’ve cleaned up sharply today.

come closer, little one. sit. there’s space for you, and i want you near me. 

each cuts accordingly, chips at you in intentional ways. she’s relentless and unmerciful. she drags you around and does so easily; you bend for her like a lily. under her strong hands she directs you how to stand during meetings, at what angle to arch when pouring her drinks, at what angle to bow at each of her contemporaries as they enter.

she’s sat with her legs splayed, gaze sharp as she pushes in between your shoulder blades. a shudder slides down through the tendon until your knees threaten collapse. 

”head low, and shoulders squared, little lamb. even in civility don’t forget whose you are.” 

you couldn’t, not with the dents her fingers press into the tumbling skin of your back. it’ll surely leave marks. it’s only fair.

⚘

ambessa smiles when you enter—she always had, but these are toothier as of late, more disarming. you are startled by them each time. 

you offer her one back that probably more closely resembles a wince, and then duck your head and the indignant flush that rises.

⚘

”i’ve brought coffee,” she announces with gusto, swishing in one morning. the pinks and lilacs outside grace the silhouette of her broad shoulders as she swoops down to place one of two in front of you. “tell me if it’s to your liking, so i may have someone replace it if not.”

your mouth unhinges, staring up at her dumbly. “ma’am—coffee runs are my job.”

“and an overly drab one. i didn’t know the lines were so long.”

she waits expectantly, and with a start you reach for the cup, hesitating, slowly tipping it back. it tingles on your tongue—spice and caramel. she watches it slide down your throat with rapt interest, eyes finding yours immediately when you settle the cup back down. 

“it’s—good. it’s delicious.”

her grin spreads like wildfire. ”i’ll have them preserve it on the menu. it will be our daily order.”

“ma’am,” you try helplessly, but she pushes forward, leaning her weight on the desk.

she towers, casting a harsh shadow as the sun erects behind her. she might be glowing, or maybe it’s your eyes crossing as she tips over, far too close. ambessa dabs at the corner of your lip, carefully moving around your makeup and the mauve paint to your mouth. 

“you’ve a stain, pet.”

her carefulness promptly exits her body through parted lips as she pushes, slipping her thumb into your mouth.

your body jumps. ambessa’s eyes lid as she regards you. “clean it off,” she says.

no hesitation. your tongue snakes out and wraps around the thick digit, suctioning softly. her large hand swallows the line of drool that escapes. 

she pops it out, stained now with worse than mere coffee. 

“you were saying?”

heart thundering in your throat, you slowly shake your head, swallowing around a newly dried mouth. “‘wasn’t. ma’am.”

she smiles. reaches sideways for your tissue box, and draws away.

⚘

in a turn of events, ambessa has you over her lap—fifteen strokes for standing too closely behind an attendee.

she says it’s because he’s a propagandist, how do you think it looks having my attendant whine herself against my biggest proponent? but her voice had clipped sharply and she'd demanded you untuck your chin from your chest and lower your skirt and recount exactly how it had happened.

her hand collides with the bare flesh of your ass, and it ripples, sharp singing through you at the point of contact. you gasp out, a strangled thing. she shushes you quietly, soothing the bruising spot. 

”how did he feel against your cunt? hm?”

her finger slips, just grazing just grazing the damp folds through the thick pulp of your thighs. you whimper softly, pushing back against her touch.

”like nothing at all,” you pant, “ma’am.”

“i was under the impression you were happy here.” it’s sudden as a thunder clap, her hand lands again, and your body locks with divine will so as not to rock forward on the muscle of her thigh. 

your voice breaks around a hiccup. you wish you hadn’t in you to be embarrassed, but all there is is ambessa. she overtakes and overloads. even the cold walnut desk smells of her. “yes ma’am. i am very happy here.“

“then display it to me better.”

you nod, tearily, frantically. your face buried in your folded arms makes it hard for your yes’m to make itself intelligible. ambessa doesn’t mind. isn’t finished.

“anything you need you must receive from me. understand? your robust pain, your inane pleasures. only through me.”

her hand presses against your back, testing your state, and your breathing jumps and shudders under her fingers. she coos softly, gracing them up your back and carding her fingers through your hair, massaging at the scalp.

“i’m going to sit you up, sweet girl. let me see your face.”

you’re all over her thigh when she lifts you. you gape, she gazes. swipes at your slick and licks it into her mouth.

“would you like me to handle it?”

“no, ma’am, i’m terribly sorry—i’m not sure what came over me—“

”if you wish to handle it yourself,” she interrupts, and swings her arm out before her, gesturing at a low seated sofa and pile of pillows, “sit right there where i can see you.”

her legs rest eagled, arms bent over her knees, eyes ravenous as she watches you pound your fingers into yourself. your moans jump out stilted and quiet. it’s not enough, it’s nowhere near enough. you need her inside you. you know she could stretch you out so good.

it’s chasing you, it’s chasing you, and your body rolls into your stuttering fingers, your heel reaching pathetically for your clit. 

“such a good girl,” ambessa murmurs.

and the moan bubbles out of you like a wail, body climbing towards heaven as your orgasm ascends on you. white hot crashing waves you ride yourself through, hips jumping and twitching until you collapse back into yourself. pleasure tingling in you like an aftertaste.

she strides over immediately, presses a kiss to the top of your head. leaves and return, cleans you off with a warm, wet hand towel and dresses you with fresh clothing, helping your hands through the sleeves, slow and deliberate. she says nothing the whole while. so you say nothing in return. 

when she’s finished and she’s satisfied, she sits you in front of a hearty meal.

it’s still hot and you don’t know when she had called for it—but you’re drained and you're grateful, and you take her kindness without complaint.

ambessa sits across from you, watches you eat. satisfaction smoothes her face out. 

“are you happy here, little one?”

you glance up from your fork of chicken. she cradles you with her eyes.

it’s a given that you won’t report tonight. too many HR violations to count and technically it’d be your job to file and forward them all. you’ll have to reach for the CCTV footage as well, aware contemporaries come with varying intentions. you know the footage will not be bad at all. it was merely a brush, a push, a passing by—and you know it will not matter. just as it had not tonight.

despite it all stillness resides in you. just the way you like it.

“yes, ma’am. i’m happy.”

⚘

your work continues as usual. her hands remain gentle. you remember them on your body like the frozen earth remembers spring. 

⚘

“i’d like your opinion,” her voice sings through the air, and you rise from your chair to indulge her. “which of these three do you believe suits me better?”

you hum, crossing your arms over your chest. it delights her, and mirth dances in her eyes.

“mahogany, as always. brings out your eyes.”

she lets the other two fold over her arm. ”well. aren’t you a sweet talker.”

”i’ll adjust my speech with you if you enjoy it, ma’am.“

“watch yourself,” she points. after a moment you allow yourself a little grin, one she drinks in and guzzles, exhaling sharp. berating on hold, too busy grinning back.

⚘

she wants you, and she leaves it scattered all over the place. makes it so obvious as to practically scream it from every rooftop.

she stares, she appears around your desk, hovers, frets when you are dressed too light for the weather—frets. the iron fisted tyrant. too warm to let you numb to the cold.

ambessa continues to change in front of you again and again, now with your added commentary. she welcomes your input, lets you see every curve of her breast and dip in her stomach—eyes follow you like incandescent light, curiosity, or more so daring your gaze to dip, to explore. to devour like a rabid tongue. 

shouting from the rooftops without hearing herself echoed back isn’t something she’d ever commit to long, anyway. 

ambessa grows increasingly frustrated with your fastidiousness and pushes and presses inwards. suffocates, encircles. as she does.

“i wasn’t trained for massages,” you tell her in vain. it verges on complaint, and she waves it off.

“you weren’t trained for many things, yet you hold up excellently.”

it’s high praise, she knows what she’s doing. your cheeks bruise, anyway.

“if you wish to be paid for it, i can arrange that.“

“no payment.” you say. “…ma’am. it stains it.”

“ah.” her head tips back, catches your gaze, a small smile at her mouth at the fluster in your face. “i see.”

with sleeves rolled to your elbows, your hands work her shoulders. dips into her sharp clavicle, unwinds and unravels the string of muscle and the plate of bone.

“lower, dove.” she crumbles under your touch, and your chest pangs where her silvery, pillowy coils tickle your stomach, as she sags into you. “deeper. you’ve the arms for it. i won’t break.“

she’s broken already. fragments of her spill supple into your hands, drenching your fingertips, caking under your nails. she melts like candle wax and swallows the flame. 

it’s a simple revelation, and nothing that you hadn’t known. she’s beautiful. nips the breath right out of your lungs. you know she’d gleam if you told her—and so you do, rehearsing her lines in your head the microsecond before she acts them each out, a tensing, a shifting, a pleasant hum, rising in pitch. pride, preening like a bird. a charmed grin about her. 

like water in a river. she’s predictable these days, but you’ll keep that one for yourself. 

⚘

february marches onwards.

a quirk of her’s you’ve noticed: she decorates for every holiday without fail, even the ones she does not formally celebrate. 

you would wonder what sub-intelligent lick your coworkers have to offer about it if you were given the chance to think at all.

you sign out of your laptop that night and step through the sliding doors the next morning, bright and early and instantaneously the bursts of red and gold slap you right in the face, just as if you’d stumbled into the sun. 

every floor is like this, until you reach hers—and she’s waiting for you, the most flabbergasting yet—and swathed in her arms is a bouquet of red carnations and roses.

your stunned gaze picks out a single golden rose among the bloodbath. it’s an unimportant detail. but her face waits right above it, and you don’t know yet what to do with that.

“thank you for the hard work,” she starts, extending the garden towards you. “you’ve been a good employee.”

you stare. ambessa hates hesitation, you know this, but your head and your heart pull pitilessly in opposite directions with you inbetween, tearing like a piece of paper down the middle. 

with steeled hands you relieve it from her, and have to hoist it against your body—you aren’t as strong as she is. 

“why?”

“take it as an investment. you strengthen me, my vision. my life’s work. i hope to rely on you for a long time.”

you search for a tell on her face, but she gives you nothing. exasperation enters your voice as a last ditch effort. 

“a note on my desk would have sufficed.”

“do you know me to merely ’suffice’?” ambessa crosses her arms, shoulders rising towards the ceilings, like you’re the one being difficult. “read between the lines, dear.”

“i am. it’s why i’m asking why.”

she exhales. raises her chin. “and i’ve told you. personal afflictions.” she gestures towards it, arms waving vaguely before folding back under her chest. “i wasn’t—sure what color you might like.”

her arms unfold as if relenting, relinquishing—bearing her chest open. she leans back to regard you, hands supporting her weight behind her. the words are quiet and cut thin through the air. 

“are you dissatisfied?”

“no. never, ma’am. never with you.”

you stare at her, then down at the flowers you can barely peek over, then back at her, across her face, her neck beginning to resemble the bouquet the wider the silence expands—and—and—

you extend your hand to her arm, reaching blindly until you land, and her bicep tenses once under your touch. 

“just hungry.” your eyes flicker to her lips. 

she sinks into you like a feeding wolf. you aren’t sure where the flowers crash to, you don’t care. her mouth is as the rest of her—tender and all consuming. you offer yourself to her as a sacrifice, whimpering as you crumple in her arms. her skin smells overwhelming under your hands, her face cradled by your shaking fingers—of creamy vanilla, of baby powder and fresh sheets, enchanting, clothes drenched in amber accord. powerful and near unbearable and expanding like a balloon in your throat.

the urgency rises like a migraine, the need to gasp for air. gently, you shove it back down. not now, you whisper to your weeping heart. more important matters at hand.

©esccpism

RAHHHHHH thank you so much for reading. she’s perfect. i want her to bend me like a plastic fork.

[taeyegu]

confession is not flashy — 002. just for a month

previous // next

word count — 909

warning(s) — none... except a painfully whipped chan <3

lunch time at the hospital was always busy. today's lunch crew consists of the interns along with dr. moon from neuro and dr. hong from gs.

dr. moon took a small glance over at y/n who was currently pacing back and forth talking to someone on the phone. he then turned his attention to chan, "dr. jeon told me you actually met up with him for shadowing today--how was that?"

"it was fine…" chan sighed, "but y/n was with dr. kim today. i should have just followed them."

"you know dr. kim thinks you're really fond of pediatrics with how often you 'try' to shadow him." dr hong chuckled.

"he's only doing it so he can keep an eye on his girl." vernon said through a mouthful of rice. "we clowned him earlier today about it and i guess it was enough for him to finally follow his schedule with dr. jeon."

"oh? my girl?" dr. moon smirked, "when did this couple become a thing?"

"w-we're not a couple yet… unless y/n has said something about me…?" chan said in a hopeful tone. the whole table softly laughed at the youngest's antics surrounding his very obvious feelings. "a-anyways! sure, so what if i like y/n? it's not like it's that obvious!"

"it is very obvious." vernon deadpanned. seungkwan nodded along,

"you're always buying y/n lunch and never us…" seungkwan listed.

"that one time when you tried to arm wrestle dr. choi after y/n mentioned how strong he was and then dr. choi almost dislocated your shoulder…" dr. hong added.

"i also remember during the previous hospital dinner party, dr. kim and y/n were talking about their interest in eating chicken breast for protein and then you proceeded to eat an obscene amount of chicken that night and threw up…"

"okay!" the youngest exclaimed, "i admit, i am a little obvious…"

"i think all of the departments know about your little crush." dr. moon comforted chan, "we're all supporting you so don't worry!"

after finishing the phone call, y/n walks back to the lunch table and sits down with a sigh, "sorry that took so long everyone, did i miss anything?"

"is something the matter y/n?" seungkwan asked, "you look really tired after that phone call."

"it was just my mom again--she won't stop bothering me about the wedding!" y/n rubbed her fingers against her temples, feeling an oncoming headache at the thought of thinking back to the conversation.

"what happened?" dr. hong asked, "if you don't mind telling us."

"yeah it's not a big deal. seungkwan, vernon, and chan already know a little." y/n sighed once again, "my cousin is getting married and her wedding is like a month away. my mom has been pestering me nonstop to bring a date." y/n crossed her arms across her chest to display her annoyance, "i know she's worried about me with how busy school and rotations at the hospital have been, but i feel like a relationship right now wouldn't be the best for me."

"why does your mom want you to have a date so bad?" dr. moon questioned.

"i know she's just worried about me," y/n said, "but i also think it's because most, if not all of my cousins are in committed relationships right now. my mom thinks that i'm too focused on my career. she wants me to find a significant other before it's too late."

"that sucks y/n," dr. hong gave her a small pat on the back, "i'm sorry you have to deal with that right now."

"what does y/n have to deal with right now?" dr. kwon interjected as he placed his lunch tray down at the table.

"y/n has a family wedding to attend and her mom keeps pressuring her to bring a date." seungkwan summarizes to dr. kwon.

"why can't y/n just bring a fake date?" dr. kwon states like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"a fake date? what do you mean a fake date?" y/n perks up.

"it's exactly like it sounds." dr. kwon says, "find someone to be your fake date for the night so that you can get your mom to stop pressuring you--there's a bunch of websites where you can just pay someone to do this for you."

"on this salary… i don't think i can afford that option." y/n says dejectedly.

"or you can just ask one of your friends to be your fake date for free!" dr. moon exclaims.

"i've never really thought of that… that's actually a really good idea dr. kwon." y/n turns to look at her three best guy friends, "seungkwan? vernon? would you guys be able to?"

"sorry y/n, seungkwan and i bought concert tickets for aespa that night… we've been planning it for awhile." vernon says.

"o-oh y/n i can be your fake date--if there's no one else!" chan stutters.

"that's perfect y/n!" seungkwan exclaims, "you and chan would be great together!"

"would you really chan? i'd owe you my life!" y/n beams at him.

"haha, no worries y/n!" chan smiles, "i'm down to be your fake boyfriend for the wedding…"

"then it's settled!" dr. moon laughs, "congrats to the new couple at the hospital! love is definitely in the air!"

"very funny dr. moon!" y/n chuckles, "it's just for a month!"

[squoxle]

✏ TNAIT 002: No Money, No Problem l.at fanfic

✰ pairing: nerdy!bandboy!anton x cheerleader!fem!reader | ✰ wc: 2.5k | ✰ cw: profanity, sexual themes, lgbt comments | ✰ plot: you find the perfect guy to help you bring up your grades, but he's so shy you wonder if you'll make any progress. too bad you couldn't get his cute little friend instead... [Series Masterlist]

“Dude! What the hell was that?” Chanyoung spat.

“What? Oh you mean making your wet dreams come true? In that case, you’re welcome,” Dongmin chuckled.

“Wet dreams? You’re the one who fantasizes about screwing the whole cheer squad, not me.”

“Stop acting like such a prude. You know you want it too. I saw your little buddy standing up for attention.”

“It was cold as fuck out there.”

“Right…those thoughts were pretty hot though, huh?”

“Shut up…”

“Look you just better make sure you pull your dorky ass together and text that girl before tomorrow. Unless…you’re too chicken,” Dongmin said as he began clucking like a chicken.

“God, you’re such a fucking child,” Chanyoung rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone.

Dongmin looked over his shoulder to watch him text you. “Dear my beloved personified fantasy,” he began. “I’d love to meet you tomorrow at 12 o’clock sharp to help you raise your grades while you raise that skirt,” he chuckled.

“Seriously dude, back the fuck up. I can’t concentrate,” Chanyoung sighed.

hey i wanted to text u before it got too late

i'll be at the library around 8am tomorrow morning

Sent 9:43pm

Chanyoung carefully re-read the messages, double-checking for any missing details.

"Ponytail" Typing...

"Shit!" he spat.

"What? What happened? Did you accidentally send her that video of you whacking off?" Dongmin teased.

"No...she's typing."

"Already?"

it's fine

i'll be up by that time anyway

should i...bring anything?

Sent 9:45pm

"Fuck! What do I say?"

"Gimme," Dongmin grinned as he snatched the phone from Chanyoung's hand.

yeah that sounds great

and nah ur good

just make sure u bring ur laptop...and maybe a notebook

Sent 9:46pm

Read 9:46pm

"Ponytail" Typing...

kk

gnite <3

Sent 9:46

gn

"Ha!" Dongmin exclaimed before giving Chanyoung back his phone. "Too easy," he huffed. "Now, all you gotta do is shave your balls and get ready for tomorrow," he smiled, patting Chanyoung on the shoulder.

"Shave my what?!"

"Your nuts, bro. So you can get that brain while you use yours," he chuckled.

"You know if anyone else heard the way you talk to me they'd think you were gay."

"I'm just being real with you."

"Yeah...really gay."

"Whatever," Dongmin laughed as he wrapped an arm around Chanyoung's shoulder.

"You sure lucked up, huh?" Abigail chimed as you told her about your little rendevous with Chanyoung. "I've seen him before, but I always kinda thought he was...y'know," she paused to flick her wrist, a motion you very well knew the meaning of.

"No, no. At least, I don't think so. He's just kinda shy."

"Shy? Or more into guys," she chuckled.

"Hey, knock it off. You're the one who told me to get my own guy."

"Actually, you wanted that. If I recall it correctly you said it would be weird for us to use the same guy."

"Oh...right," you blew air into your cheeks as you thought back to that moment earlier.

"Well, just let me know how everything goes for you. And remember, there's a sweet little Aussie boy named Jake who'd be more than glad to help you out," she smiled. "But beware. He's a subby little switch," she chuckled. "Cute and sexy."

"Hopefully, everything goes well tomorrow and I won't need your puppy," you chuckled as Abigail pulled up to your house.

"Fingers crossed that even if he is gay, he's at least useful."

"He's not gay."

"You don't know that for sure," she tilted her head.

"Neither do you," you tilted your head, mocking her.

"Hmm, fair enough. But you owe me lunch if he is," she smiled as you unbuckled your seatbelt.

"You're really sure about this," you laughed.

"Uhh...duh."

"Okay well I gotta go inside now before my dad eats me alive," you said as you climbed out of the car.

"Good luck, girlie," she waved as you jogged to the front door, waving back at her.

The next morning, you stopped by the ATM to withdraw 50 bucks before meeting with Chanyoung. "This should be enough for today," you thought to yourself.

"Debit Declined, Transaction Failed," the automated voice chimed as you inserted your card. "What the hell?" you spat before attempting to insert your card again only to see the same message pop up 3 more times.

"Did dad freeze my debit card?" you asked as your mom answered the phone.

"Yes, he did it when you came home late last night."

"I literally just came home from a game."

"I know, but you know how he feels about that."

"Yeah...it's fine."

"What did you need the money for?"

"Nothing, I changed my mind," you lied.

"You sure, honey? I can send the money to you a different way. Just let me know how much you need."

"No, Mom. It's alright. Really. Thanks though."

"Okay, well let me know if you change your mind again."

"M'kay. I will."

"Bye," she said before hanging up.

You needed that money right now more than anything else. However, given the current circumstances, that wasn't an option.

"Hey," you waved shyly as you sat down at a table across from Chanyoung.

"Hey," he said, so softly that you almost didn't even hear him. "So, umm...what did you want to start working on first," he asked in that same sheepish tone.

"Umm, well maybe math. It's an introductory algebra course, but I'm kinda struggling to grasp it y'know."

"Can you show me what you've been working on?"

"Sure," you stood up to move your chair closer to him. "Sorry," you apologized as he jerked slightly. "Fuck, I hope I'm not being too aggressive," you thought to yourself.

"It-it's okay," he smiled softly before scrolling through your modules. "Dongmin and his stupid big mouth," Chanyoung thought to himself.

"So, what do you think we should do first?" you asked, breaking the silence.

"Umm...maybe we could look through one of the quizzes and review the content. It'll be the easiest way to learn."

As brilliant as that idea sounded, you didn't have the time to actually learn the material.

"I'm not trying to sound ungrateful or anything, but is there any way I can get you to do the majority of the work...I just don't really have time to learn this with cheer practice and everything," you cringed at your own words, realizing just how pathetic you sounded.

"Oh, uhh--"

"I'll pay you," you blurted just as you remembered that you couldn't exactly finance this little escapade. "Well...actually--"

"It's fine. You don't have to do anything unless you want to. Let's just look at this as a friendly favor," he shrugged as his lips formed into a shy smirk.

"Huh, really?"

"Yeah," he nodded, turning back to the laptop. "You can watch me work the problems out. Maybe it'll help you learn the material," he said as you leaned over, unconsciously bracing yourself on his thigh.

You listened as he explained the process of solving each equation and watched him scribble notes in your journal. For a moment, you got lost in his eyes. You watched them glaze across the screen through his glasses.

Maybe it was his shyness, or maybe it was something else, but your heart always fluttered when he came around. That was the real reason you stumbled on your words whenever you spoke to him.

It was something about the way he bit his bottom lip when he was focused that made you want to kiss him...

"Ugh!" he groaned as you lost your balance. Your hand fell right into his manhood and you could see it all over his face.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry," you pleaded, grabbing onto his shoulder as he hunched over in pain.

"I-it's alright...I know you didn't do it on purpose," he said, grinding his teeth together.

"Umm, do you want me to get something?"

He exhaled deeply before replying, "No, I just have to wait it out."

"I'm really sorry," you apologized again as he continued to take deep breaths, squeezing his eyes shut. You reached over to close your laptop. "We can finish this later," you said as he seemed to calm down.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. You've already done more than I would've."

"So..tell me something about yourself. Since we're gonna be hanging out a lot more often, we might as well take the time to get to know each other," you said as the two of you sat outside together.

"There isn't really much to know," he shrugged.

"What about past relationships?" this question was triggered by a sense of curiosity and the fact that Abigail was so sure he was gay.

"Well, I've never really dated anyone before," he said, looking off.

"Anyone...well did you at least have a crush?"

"Hmm...there was this one girl I liked, but she only ever saw me as a friend."

"Have you always been into music?"

"Huh? How'd you know I was into music?"

"Shit," you swore to yourself. You didn't hear this from him..

"Oh, well umm I remember seeing you in the orchestra during the first week of school," you were able to save your ass this time, but you had to be more careful. You knew more than you were letting on.

"Oh yeah. Well, actually my parents encouraged me to start playing the cello, but I grew to like it on my own. Heh, I remember one time when I stayed up all night to learn this one piece. It was really important because that would be my first solo performance in high school," you watched as he smiled thinking back to that moment.

"Well I'm sure you did amazing," you smiled.

"Ehh...that would've been the expected outcome," he chuckled to himself. "But I thought it was a brilliant idea to be Romeo before my performance and ended up forgetting half of my solo. You can imagine how that went."

"Not really..."

"Well, it's like I said earlier. She saw me as a friend. So my head was all over the place after that. I should've just waited until after the show to tell her. I was gonna do it anyway."

"Hmm...maybe," you sighed, wondering if he still had feelings for her or had moved on by now.

"Alright, enough about me. It's my turn to ask you some questions."

"Okay, hit me," you laughed at his boldness.

"How many relationships have you been in?"

"Zero. Next question."

"Zero?! How?"

"My parents are pretty strict so I wasn't allowed to date. To them, my grades are the most important thing. But there was one guy I liked. He was a little older than me, but he hated the fact that we had to sneak around all the time," you sighed thinking back to the first real boyfriend you could've had.

"Oh, well I can understand that," he said looking over to you as if he was trying to read your body language, hoping it would expose another part of you.

"So what else did you want to ask me?"

"What made you come up to me? Aside from needing help."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've come to every game and that was the first time we ever spoke to each other. I'm just wondering if there was something that stood out," his shaggy brown hair was perfectly draped across his face, slightly peeking over his round glasses.

"Uhh...well you were a familiar face. I figured you had to be a genius if you were in the orchestra. Y'know musically inclined people are said to be more intelligent," you smiled even though you knew very well that you chose him randomly and could barely remember him on your own.

"Heh, that's what my dad always tells me," he smiled with an expression so pure and sweet you could only sit there in silence.

You felt bad realizing that your only intention of talking to him in the first place was to use him to improve your grades. Plus this little heartfelt conversation started for two reasons--1) you had to buy time to come up with another form of payment and 2) you were not buying Abigail lunch.

If you didn't need him, you honestly wouldn't have looked twice in his direction. Yes, you found him attractive, but that was it. You didn't care about his interests...

"Spill the tea! Is he gay or not?" Abigail squealed as you met up with her in the campus cafe.

"Woah, what happened to 'hey, how did the studying go?'" you laughed.

"Tell me about that after this. I'm starving and I wanna know if I'm gonna be paying or not."

"Well he told me about a girl he liked back in highschool so I think that should answer your question."

"Dammit," she swore before reaching in her bag. " Text me what you want. I'm gonna go order out stuff and I'll be right back, 'kay?"

You nodded as she walked away. You watched her blonde ponytail sway with her movements as she went up to the register. You had completely forgotten about the whole frozen card thing, so you were even happier that she would be paying today.

"Alright, now tell me. Did you suck him off or what?"

"Ugh! No way. I was gonna pay him instead, but my dad froze my cards so I'm just pretending to be his friend so he can keep helping me," this was mostly true except for the fact that you were kinda falling for him.

"Well, you can either keep doing that or at least try to get some pleasure out of it. As cute as my little Jakey is, I just need him for my grades," she smiled, flipping her ponytail. "Do you really think I care about his nerdy life?"

"I know right," You laughed.

"You just need to give that boy your homework and walk away. He's not your study-buddy he's your dorky little fuck-toy and that's it. Don't let him bore you to death with his lame-ass life stories. That is not what you signed up for girl.”

“Honestly. After he fixes my grades I’ll probably never talk to him again.”

“Yeah, until next semester,” Abigail laughed. “I’m not trying to sound like the stereotypical blonde, but I’m too pretty to use my brain. Especially when I have a body like this,” she poked her tongue out as she playfully shook her tits.

“Oh my god! You can’t do that in public,” you hid your face behind your hand.

“Oh baby trust me, there’s a whole LOT you can do in public. It’s only illegal if you get caught,” she winked. “Thanks,” she smiled as the waiter came to the table with your food.

Abby wasn't entirely wrong. You could get away with a lot in public, but someone else is always present. Another witness. Another loose end. Or maybe...a ticking time bomb. Eager to get their way at the expense of your dirty little secret.

Living a double-life has its consequences.

You were so wrapped up in your conversation with Abigail you failed to notice Dongmin who was busy cleaning a table not too far from you. How were you supposed to know he worked here part-time? Like you said earlier, you hardly even knew of their existence before the other night.

Thanks for reading the second episode of my series. [Series Masterlist]

Click this link to go to my main masterlist and stay tuned for the next episodes.

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[madelynraemunson]

CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT 𓆩♡𓆪

(Book 1 of the Hellfire Gentlemen's Club)

(strip club owner!eddie x fem!exotic dancer!hargrove! reader)

𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐔 18+ MINORS DNI

006: The Eddie Special

Rent is paid, food is on the table, and Max finally has a YMCA membership! All because of you. But just when you think you've got your two lives under control, Robin and Vicky show up to Hellfire for date night — and see you dancing center stage.

* = somewhat smut

** = smut

↳ chapters: 001, 002*, 003** , 004**, 005 , 006 , 007* , 008**, 009, 010, 011, 012* , 013**, 014**, 015, 016**, 017, 018, 019, 020*

word count: 5.2k words

warnings — eddie being an asshole again but also very sweet, mutual pining, angst, yearning, profanities, power imbalance, double standards, smoking, alcohol, sexual harassment, health issues/disparities, trauma, pedophilia, incest, name-calling

“A compromise would surely help the situation.”

♡

“Hey, stranger.”

Robin flashes you a “good morning” smile as you’re washing the dishes. Scooting to the side, you continue to scrub as she leans against the sink with her back, munching away at her breakfast sandwich that Vicky had prepped for her the night before.

“Morning,” you grin in return.

“Funny,” she says. “We live under the same roof now but our friendship still feels long distance.”

“Sorry… ” you frown. “Work’s just been a lot.”

So is living a double life. To shake off the guilt that constantly gnawed at you, you dry your hands and proceed to make yourself some coffee. When you scan the fridge, the only creamer you can get your hands on is...

Hazelnut. Just your luck.

There’s a tinge in your chest as you dunk it into your mug. You stir aggressively. Robin notices how tense you are and walks over to you.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, my guy,” she says as she pats you on the back. “Healthcare is tough. I dated a travel nurse once and that poor woman had back problems for days.”

“Such a physically and emotionally taxing job,” Vicky adds as she emerges from their room. “I don’t know how you do it, Hargrove.”

“Good morning, baby.”

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

Smooch.

You chuckle to yourself as you sip your Eddie-coded coffee.

“Yeah. I don't know how I do it either…”

The wooden stairs creek and crack as a pair of Vans stomp against them. Max is awake. This morning is an exciting one. After many, many overtime shifts at Hellfire, you've accumulated enough tip money to pay for Max's membership for 12 months. On top of that, rent had already been paid so you had a hefty cushion leftover for leisurely expenses.

You can hardly contain yourself. Seeing the surprised look on your sister's face is sure to be the highlight of your morning.

Max stares at you in shock when she sees you in the kitchen.

“Whoa,” she says. “She’s awake.”

You only ever see Max in passing when she comes home from the skate park. And that's right when you leave for work. From what she tells you she hasn't made many friends, but her main priorities right now are her hobbies and preparing herself for college classes in the Fall. Sometimes Max will tag along with Robin and Vicky to run errands, but you can tell she misses spending time with, and seeing, her sister.

“Shocker, right?” you sigh. “Thought I'd catch you before you head out.”

With your hands behind your back, you stride over to Max to give her her well-earned gift.

“What’s this?” she wonders.

“Your ticket to the Y,” you explain. “A band and a quarter, should last you a year.”

"Whoa!" Vicky exclaims.

"Holy shit! Look at that!" Robin cheers.

Max's eyes widen as she takes the money from you. “ $1200?! What bank did you have to rob to get $1200?”

“No bank,” you shake your head as Max counts all of the Benjamins. “Just the pockets of old, retired folk.”

You grin from ear to ear as you watch Max get bombarded with hugs that she is reluctant to accept, but does regardless. Vicky and Robin hoot and holler and squeal and cheer, reaffirming to Max that she deserves it the most.

“You’re really giving the elderly a run for their money,” Max says as the celebration comes to an end.

You watch in amusement as Vicky and Robin take turns counting Max's money.

“Yeah well it’s the least they can do for me,” you sigh. “My body feels like it’s aged 10 years.”

Max excuses herself from your roommates and throws herself onto you this time. You do your best not to cry. You've really missed her hugs.

“Thank you,” she says. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Seeing how happy your sister is makes all your struggles worth it. Anything for Maxine.

———— 🔥 ————

“I don’t know who you think I am, but I don’t really give a damn right now.”

The past couple of weeks at Hellfire have been nothing short of awkward.

Eddie only really comes to you when he needs something, which — now that you've taken off those rose-tinted glasses — pretty much fits the bill of who he is as a person.

But he still lingers. For example, when you and Chrissy go on breaks together, there is always something for Eddie to do in close proximity. Table needs wiping? Eddie is there. Aisle needs sweeping? Mike, go help in the back. When you're dancing on customers, Eddie comes out from doing paperwork in his den to greet the regulars. And whenever you would turn to look at what Eddie’s doing, his gaze is already fixed on you and what you’re doing.

Like cat and mouse. But of course, he does it with all his dancers. Right?

A part of you wants to confront Eddie and his behavior, but before you even can he's out the back door to go on a "smoke break" with Argyle after closing, which usually is a short jump to him leaving. So you try to act unbothered by it by staying just a while longer with Henry… just in case he does come back.

But Henry puts you to work when you stay. He typically has you make sure all doors are locked, all chairs are stacked, and that any stray garbage is thrown away. You two play music while you work alongside one another, talking shit about customers and about how every day is starting to look the same.

You’re aware of how you openly contradict yourself, saying the days all bleed into one another and how you miss your bed. Yet you’re still at Hellfire. Way past closing time. Henry for sure has caught on to your odd behavior, but he doesn’t seem to mind because he enjoys your company.

It’s like clockwork now, this ritual-slash-routine.

Today is different for some reason.

"Hey!" Eddie calls out. “Shy Girl!”

You’re alone eating in an isolated part of VECNA’S LAIR when Boss Man makes his way over to you.

You’re frozen in your spot as he approaches you…willingly. Although you could care a lot less about his presence, the gesture still causes you to sit up a little straighter and blot-dry any remnants of your food with your napkin.

Eddie sets down new laminated prints of his menu in front of you. Plop.

"New item on the menu,” he gloats, very amused with himself. “Waffle fries. What do you think?"

Annoyed, you huff.

"Sure."

Two weeks of barely uttering a sentence to one another. Two weeks of avoiding eye contact and possibly one ‘excuse me’. Two weeks of being a background character in Eddie’s life and his icy shoulder making sure you knew it.

Now you’re more than an extra today. Because today Eddie decides you’re something of value, and that just for today your input actually matters. It's pathetic. It all makes Steve and Nancy look like best friends.

Your eyes travel to his firm hands. His silver rings. You hate to admit that you miss how they felt against your skin, especially since your skin seemingly isn't the only one he grazes. I do this with all my dancers. Your hands ball into fists. How can someone be so okay with using someone the way Eddie did with you?

"So we'll do regular waffle fries and the crinkle cuts will be our sweet potato fries from now on,” he explains.

“Mhm.”

“And eventually,” Eddie booms dramatically. “We’ll introduce the concept of different types of fries. Cajun fries, cheese fries, chili cheese fries. Then we'll introduce new cuts like curly fries... wedges..."

Not a word from you.

"Then we’ll do animal style fries like how you Californians do it at In-N-Out. I’ll call it ‘The Eddie Special’. It’ll be amazing!”

"You call the shots, Eddie."

Like he always does.

Eddie finally gets the message. You watch as his shoulders droop as he surrenders.

"Are you okay?" he dares to ask perplexedly.

"Never better!" you exclaim.

You grab your finished meal and dart past him, not even bothering to pardon yourself when your shoulders brush his slightly. You hear Eddie exhale, super displeased as the taps he makes on the table with his fingers render themselves fast and impatient.

“You don’t wanna stay and chat?” your superior demands sharply.

“I have to clock back in,” you answer coldly. “Sorry.”

“K then,” Eddie quietly mutters, returning the energy.

You try to look busy, so you pull out your phone and pretend to check something. Luckily, a text message from Robin pops up for you to reply to.

ROBIN BUCKLEY ☀️🤍

Date night with Vicky tonight. Breakfast/lunch/dinner waiting for you in the fridge when you get home 😁

You smile.

You da bestest 🩷 thank u

Buzz.

ROBIN BUCKLEY ☀️🤍 loved “You da bestest 🩷 thank u”

“Hey, Hargrove?” Eddie calls out to you.

His voice sounds a lot softer and apologetic. With the optimism that your tactic worked, you spin around to face Eddie with eager eyes. Maybe today is the day things go back to normal again.

“Hm?”

“No going on your phone when you’re clocked in, k?”

A blow to the chest. Bitter and agitated, you shove your phone into the back pocket of your booty shorts. Yes sir, you mutter to yourself mentally.

After thanking you, Eddie struts to the kitchen, using his own phone to pull up Dio on Spotify. He and Argyle like to head-bang and fuck around in the kitchen when they’re together. Messing around is only okay if Eddie does it, you assume.

To make matters worse, Eddie then proceeds to use his stupid phone to send someone a text. You scoff at the irony. Fucking prick.

Another trigger of yours? Power imbalance and double standards.

Attempting to be drama-free, you ironically make your way over to Steve and Jonathan, who are posted up at POTIONS.

“Hey Shy Girl,” Jonathan nods.

"Hey Johnny," you greet him.

You turn to the literal love of your life.

“Sup, Steve.”

"Hey, Hargrove," Steve nods. "How'd you do on tips last night?"

"Stellar," you answer. "Fucking love Fridays."

You and Steve are still casually hooking up. But just as you predicted, things aren’t quite the same. The problem this week is that Steve is struggling to finish, and you start to feel discouraged and insecure when he softens up inside of you.

Steve always used to finish. Now when you look up at him his gaze is fixed on something else, his strokes are less enthusiastic, and he mistaked one of your kinks for someone else’s once. But you pretend not to notice. A part of you even feels like you deserve it.

Steve is struggling with the eye contact today. You kick at the floor, trying to find a way to make your presence relevant in this corner of Hellfire. Knowing very well what you’re doing, Steve holds up a French fry from his red picnic tray as a supportive gesture.

"Would you like some?"

You beam at him and open your mouth so he can feed you. Steve obliges.

“Thanks boo,” you say to him as you chew.

He blushes. “Welcome.”

“You guys are cute,” Jonathan smiles as he wipes his hands with a hand towel. “I gotta run to the restroom, you mind watching the bar for a bit, Hargrove?”

“Not at all,” you oblige. “I’ll be here. Eating Steve’s fries.”

“Great,” Jonathan says, excusing himself. Then he halts. “Oh! If you open the register, Eddie has something for you underneath. Code is 0-1-1.”

Eddie has something…for you?

You turn to Steve and he just shrugs. As if it weren’t already obvious, you and Eddie weren’t exactly on friendly terms. What could that man possibly have for you?

It’s a termination notice, you can feel it. Bracing yourself for the absolute worst, you punch the code in.

0 - 1 - 1.

CHA-CHING! The register pops open. You lift the till that housed the cash and coins to unveil a pile of cash joined together by a small paper clip. There is a tiny note that was written onto a ripped piece of paper.

You pick it up. This couldn’t be for you, you think. But the sloppy handwriting with a partially bleeding pen says otherwise.

‘Hargrove: $600 — YMCA MONEY’

----- ❤️‍🩹 -----

“She the devil, she a bad lil bitch, she a rebel.”

Tonight you’re doing private dances with customers and also doing tip rail. But you wish you were just doing tip rail 'cause tonight’s clients were ballsy.

One patron said you look like his daughter. But it’s okay because ‘she’s married and out of the house’. Another said you look like one of his students. But it's totally okay because he teaches at the community college, therefore almost every pupil there is ‘at least 18’. It still doesn’t make it any better. All you could think about is your 18 year old baby sister — someone’s daughter and someone’s someone — someone who will also be walking the halls of Hawkins Community College later this month.

This customer, however, takes the cake. After guiding his hand away multiple times during the lap dance, he always manages to find the straps of your bra again. Upon strike three, you lose all patience.

“Yo, can you not do that?” you hiss, your inner Cali dude coming out to play. “I moved your hand away many times.”

The man is almost appalled. “It’s a strip club, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I strip on my terms.”

"I paid for your services," he spat. "So I'm sure I get to do what I want, hoe."

“Don’t call me that!”

“I'll call you what I want,” the customer insists. “It’s what you are anyways if you’re in this job right?”

He takes out another dollar and tucks it into one of your cups. You could only stare in shock. The audacity of this guy.

“Here,” he says degradingly. “Looks like you really need it. Now let me see those tits. Please.”

Anger consumes you. Whatever amount of the Neutral Wolf you had left in you has now melted away. The Big Bad Wolf is taking over now. You give the man a shove, hoisting yourself off his disgusting body.

"What the FUCK is your deal, bruh?" you bark, a piece of Billy coming out of you more than you intended. "You want a piece of me that badly, don't you?"

Your words cause a scene in the surrounding area. Not even phased by it, the patron decides to push you further.

“Easy, easy,” he rolls his eyes. “If it’s that much of an issue I’ll just take my money back.”

He yanks the dollar back from out of your bra. His knuckles just grazed your tits.

“What kinda strip club is this anyways? Theme is janky as fuck. The STRIPPERS don’t even strip. They’re RUDE, and they’re butt ugly. The owner should be ashamed. Oh and by the looks of it, you don’t have much tits to work with after all.”

“Pull up your shirt,” you quip. “I think I found ‘em.”

This poor man. He didn't know you're a Hargrove.

And soon you’re throwing shit. His money. Your shoes. Every curse word in the dictionary, both traditional and urban with the exception of a few. You’re seeing all red now, and you’re pretty sure if no one stopped you, you’d have ripped the guy’s head off.

“If I don’t have tits, why you trying to get at me?” you roar. “You like little boys or something, bitch?!”

“HENRY!” Eddie shouts.

You turn in the direction of Eddie’s voice. He had been watching. Through your furious, free-falling tears, you can see in his dark eyes, closed fists, and flared nostrils that he is angry as well.

“On it, boss!” Henry shouts as he scampers on over. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, asshole?”

The friendly bouncer swoops you off to the side and asserts himself between you both. Lucky for the guy, no dislocated limbs were in the cards today. All it took was another person with a penis to get this fool to back down. He tries to reason with Henry but it’s far too late. Henry’s already pushing him towards the door.

“I’ll be coming BACK to have my way with you,” the beast growls and spits. “Fucking SKANK!”

“I HOPE THE FUCK YOU DO, MOTHERFUCKER!” you challenge him. "I'll be right here waiting!”

A calloused hand lands on your lower back. Thinking it’s another customer, you turn aggressively, fist winded up. As quickly as you lunge, a large palm catches it mid-air.

It’s Eddie.

Worry washes over your boss’s face when you two lock eyes for the first time. After what seemed like an eternity. He looks at you with the utmost concern. You almost see a tear glistening in his eye. A portion of his hair falls over his face in attempts to conceal it.

"Are you okay?" Eddie asks again, genuinely.

You nod, gulping.

You aren't okay, that's the thing. Not when Eddie looks like that. And not when he's looking at you, like that. Suddenly, Hellfire melts away and you're back in his van, fighting back every urge to fall into him and his musky, pine aroma infused with nicotine, weed, and beer. Just like home. Eddie feels like home.

Papers beat rock. Slowly, Eddie lowers your fist with the palm he had draped over you. The pulsing music and blinding strobe lights trickle back into your system.

"It's okay if you aren't..." Eddie starts. “You know... alright.”

"Eddie," you stop him. "Please. I'm alright."

“That was a lot.”

“But it's nothing new to me.”

He studies you. Doesn’t speak for a while.

“It's true!” you insist, attempting to diffuse Eddie's concern. “It kinda reminded me of the frat parties in San Diego I used to go to. You know what I’m saying?”

You try to laugh. But Eddie doesn’t. Henry and some dancers come to check up on you, especially Chrissy, to ask if you're okay. They even try to start a petition to jump the guy. You repeat the very thing you've been saying since it happened — yes, you are okay — and thank them for their concern. Then it's back to you and Eddie the moment they all disperse.

"Want a break?" he offers.

You shake your head. Dancing it off would help more, actually. And besides, if his offer is just another attempt to get you alone in his car and fire you up only to extinguish it all again in one sitting, you'll pass.

"Wanna go on stage now then? Get a break from individual dances?"

You smile and nod. "I'd love that."

The night can only get better from here. Eddie offers you his hand and helps to hoist you onto the stage. The DJ announces your name, and you’re back in business, putting on your million dollar smile and batting your seductive, little lashes.

Your song comes on and you start to shake your ass. Lost in the trance of the song, you become one with the pole, climbing it and gliding along it, twirling from it, and hovering with it, twerking and spreading your legs whenever you saw fit. The audience revels in it.

It all feels so good. Yes you are being provocative, everybody and your brother's worst nightmare -- but you're the one in control. No one can ever take your body autonomy away from you. Never again. Not anymore.

You do a death drop to the floor and quickly ease into your splits. The crowd goes wild as you roll your hips to the song, allowing yourself to get showered by the dollar bills that were raining down on you like a storm.

To thank everyone for their overwhelming support, you spin yourself around to face the crowd. But your heart nearly stops.

“Oh my god,” you gasp aloud.

Nothing could ever prepare you for what... or who rather... you see in front of you.

“Oh…my god,” Robin repeats, face sheet-white like a ghost.

Vicky is right beside her with the same shock on her face. Of course, your roommates have acknowledged this place before, so it wouldn't be a surprise that they eventually made this place their date night.

Your mind short-fuses and all you can do is crawl away backwards. Luckily, no one in the crowd seems to suspect how thrown off you just became. Your body quickly calls on another dancer as your mind races. And soon Emmy is taking your spot at the tip rail.

You look over at Eddie, who was in the corner leaning against the wall, but now he is standing upright and confused. Throwing on your cloak, you thank everyone for coming out and run out to the back alley.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," you mutter to yourself, as your heels click against the cold floor. Your cover is blown. What do you do now? "That's what you get for working local, Hargrove."

You find an area in the alley to rest and hit your dab pen ferociously. As you pace back and forth, you start to develop your exit plan. Nothing new, you develop these plans all the time.

Eventually Robin and Vicky find you. Clumsily spilling out the back door comes Thing 1 and Thing 2, assessing your body language and emotional well-being before finding the right words to say. It’s uncomfortable for everybody.

“Well this is quite the nursing home,” Robin remarks.

“Babe!”

“What?!” Robin exclaims. “I’m trying to lighten the mood.”

“Yeah but that can kinda come off as witty and sarcastic.”

“Well I don’t mean for it to.”

“Just because you don’t mean for it to, doesn’t mean it won’t come across that way.”

“Well knowing Hargrove I would hope she knows it’s not meant to come across that way.”

“GUYS!” your overstimulated self shouts.

All is quiet on midwestern front. Vicky and Robin switch between looking at you and back down at the ground while you resume your stress-filled nic break.

Finally, you speak after exhaling.

“So how’s everyone’s niiight?”

Robin gets straight to the point. “Why didn’t you tell us you work here?”

“I was protecting Max.”

“From what?” Robin wonders. “Ass and boobies? Extensions and falsies and freakishly high, high heels?”

“Doesn’t sound like nightmare fuel to us,” Vicky shrugs.

“It is when you consider the women Billy’s brought home.”

“What does Billy have to do with any of this?” asks Vicky.

“A lot, actually,” you answer.

You shove your pen back into your cloak pocket.

“Look,” you say. “I really needed the money. And I needed it fast. With my server and dancing background, I figured being a stripper was the best way to make it. And I was right. It’s quick money, but it’s sure as hell not easy. It’s draining for the most part, but—”

You stomp at the ground in frustration.

“My sister is fed and she can go to the Y and go to school and she’s away from Billy anditsallthatI’veeverwantedokay? That’s why I did it.”

“Okay, but I don’t see the point in coming up with this elaborate story that you work nights at a nursing home,” Vicky squints in thought. “Come on Hargrove, we are the least judgmental house in the boonies. I mean look at us.”

“Art Hoe Lesbians in a red state,” Robin points out. “I’m sure exotic dancer is a very mild offense.”

They did have a point. And it's not like Max is the type to slut-shame either. But you wanted Max to live as normal of a life as possible. Having a stripper sister also didn’t seem like the best conversation starter in Hawkins.

"I guess I'm just used to living a lie," you admit exhaustedly. "And running away... I also know Max would be worried sick for me."

"You only live lies if you tell 'em," Robin points out. "But as long as you're here with us, you're free to be your true and authentic self."

"Your job right now is to provide," Vicky adds. "And you're doing a wonderful job."

You beam. "Yeah?"

They both nod, yes. Sometimes you forgot what a support system is like. It always used to be everyone for themselves.

"Thanks guys."

"You're welcome," Vicky grins. "For now we'll keep our lips locked. We did not see anything."

"But you are going to have to tell Max eventually," Robin scorns.

"I know," you sigh. "I appreciate the stall."

The three of you hug. That's another thing you've been needing these past few weeks. A warm, authentic hug.

"Nice ass by the way," Robin compliments you.

"And tits," Vicky adds.

"Thanks."

———- ❤️ ———-

“I’ll kindly take you up on that Eddie Special, please,” you mumble.

Eddie had last-called everyone 15 minutes ago, but deep down you hope he had enough room in his heart for you. It’s been a dumpster fire of a shift.

Sure enough Eddie caves, judging by the way he starts up the fryer again after having shut it down right before you got to him.

He grins warmly. “Coming right up.”

As the fryer starts to bubble, Eddie loads in the last of the crinkle cuts. He waits close by with crossed arms.

Eddie’s first to break the silence.

“You seemed to know those customers,” he comments, referring to Vicky and Robin. “Judging by how fast you ran from them. In pumps too.”

“They’re my roommates,” you reply. “My best friend and her partner. They didn’t know I work here.”

He raises the eyebrow at ‘best friend’. “Even they didn’t know you work here?”

“I don’t know what they’d do with this information,” you utter defensively. “I guess it’s just hard for me to trust people.”

“Is it really, Miss Flight Risk?”

He’s referring to moving in with a girl you met online. You shoot him a look. The “I-didn’t-really-have-any-other-choice” look. He quickly digresses.

“I’m kidding,” he surrenders. “Okay? I understand that there are some things you gotta keep secret.” Eddie wriggles the basket full of fries around in the fryer. “…Even from your loved ones.”

Something tells you he speaks from experience. You shrug it off, ensuring he’d elaborate if he wanted to eventually.

Meanwhile you just decide to hit him with some small talk.

"How’s Chef Lucas been doing back here?"

"Fine and dandy," Eddie breathes. "For the most part. He burnt some things a couple of days ago, but that's part of being an apprentice, right?"

"Totally,” you nod. “Mistakes are bound to happen."

"Ohhh yeah," Eddie mutters, almost to himself. "Lots and lots…of mistakes."

"Trial and error, if you will,” you pitch in.

"Yup,” he draws on. “Seeing what works and what doesn’t. Testing the waters..."

Your eyes meet again. Briefly at least.

Eddie struggles to hold his gaze and instead resorts to clumsily playing around with a cloth nearby while whistling a tune. You can feel it getting awkward again so you find a way to keep the conversation going.

“Thank you for being there,” you attempt. “And helping out with my sister’s membership. You didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to,” Eddie insists. His back is towards you so you can't read his expression. “You’ve been working very hard.”

“That’s why you don’t have to,” you say as-a-matter-of-factly. “It’s already paid off.”

Eddie chuckles. “Okay, then use it to buy yourself something nice. You deserve it.”

A hoot sounds from the opposite end of the hall. It’s Henry making his way over with some keys.

“Alright Babyboy, I’m out,” he announces. “I can lock up if you’d like? Not like I have anything to do.”

“I can take it from here,” Eddie insists. “Sweet dreams, Mr. Creel.”

Henry makes his way over, narrowing his eyes.

“Thought you normally go see Wayne after this.”

“I do,” Eddie replies. “But he had company earlier and I’m sure he already put himself to bed by now. I’ll stop by for breakfast.”

Henry’s eyes shift between you and Eddie. There’s a small smirk but he tries to conceal it. You’re staying late again, huh?

“Your words not mine,” Henry says. “Goodnight you two.”

You both bid Henry goodbye and he sees himself out. Eddie proceeds his periodic check-ins with your taters.

"You've uh, been appointing Henry a lot," you point out.

"Hell yeah, like clockwork," Eddie shrugs. "This industry is predator central. Just hate when dickheads think they can disrespect my girls. I don’t play that way.”

My girls.

“Not his first time doing shit like that,” Eddie adds, referring to the customer. “I regret giving him another chance. I should just get Henry or Jim to print a picture of his face and plaster it all over the walls. DON'T LET THIS ASSHOLE IN.”

You laugh. Eddie laughs at your laugh and then goes to melt the cheese for your dish.

“Yeah,” you say. “You give a man another chance and all he does disappoint you.”

Eddie sighs and nods timidly. “Yeah… Men ain’t shit huh?”

It falls silent for a bit. Eddie slowly stirs the melted cheese concoction he had going on in his pot while eyeing the time. You fiddle around with your cloak out of habit. Eddie speaks first again.

“You know what Shy Girl, I’m gonna do it,” he says. “Gonna broadcast his face and I’ll have you sign off on it.”

“Really?” you say.

“Of course,” Eddie shrugs. “You know how I am. I don’t play when it comes to you.”

The rasp in his voice sounds like melted butter. For a fraction of a second, you start to wonder what you were even mad about earlier.

You really missed talking and bantering with Eddie. Aside from whatever the hell was going on between you both, his companionship was not something you felt was fake.

Eddie begins mixing some sauces, and when he's done he hands you what you assume is your tips that you forgot to collect. You know, when you bolted off the stage.

"Already tipped everyone else out," he explains. "Rest is yours to keep."

You thank him and count all your bills. Now you have $600 of reallocated YMCA money and tips from tonight to pay off your bills and splurge.

You haven't had this much money since your waitressing job. You are forever grateful.

“Is there...anything I owe you Eddie?” you question. “Like at all? You’ve done a lot for me lately.”

“Ehhh you’re in the clear, I guess,” Eddie sheepishly smirks. “Lucky for you I’m a sucker for flattery.”

The fries are now cooked to a golden crisp and Eddie adds the components needed for The Eddie Special. He spends a decent amount of time to perfect the presentation before sitting down in front of you. In true Eddie fashion, he takes a bite of his own creation.

"HOT," he comments, trying to blow on the fry that's already in his mouth. "Hot, hot, hot. Fresh out the fryer."

Judging by his face, however, he approves. You can’t help but giggle over and over again. He gestures for you to try some.

It’s love at first bite.

"Mhm," you coo. "Thank you, Eddie."

"You're welcome," Eddie says. He grabs a washcloth to clean up the area. “Now… when you’re finished, how about I treat you to a real dinner?”

-------

author’s note: school has been taking over my life but i’m so glad i got to crank out this chapter for you guys 🖤 i’m excited to see how y’all are gonna react to shy girl’s orientation dinner…. 👀

tag list: @changemunson , @the-fairy-anon , @ali-r3n , @corrodedcoffincumslut , @bebe07011 , @mmunson86 , @eddiesguitarskills , @chelebelletx , @imonhereforareasonsadly , @eddies-trailer-babe @hideoutside , @motherfckerrr , @jxpsi , @munson-magic , @lindseyj23 , @sidthedollface2 , @manda-panda-monium , @elvendria , @micheledawn1975 , @hereforshmut , @siriuslysmoking , @nymphetkoo , @m-chmcl-rmnc , @holabeans00

[imnameimswrld]

002 ━━ 𝐀 𝐍𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 ,,

warnings: language.

Turning down the Panic At The Disco that had been blasting in the car for the past half hour, everyone gathers their things before getting ready to step out into the fresh Miami air.

A few cameramen catch my eye through the windshield, and I know the second my door opens, the pictures for today's Formula One news are gonna get shot. Better make sure I look dapper. Haley's copper hair blows over her shoulder from outside where she awaits with two bodyguards at her sides, their size making her seem a whole lot smaller than what she really is.

"We all suited up gang ?" I look around in the car, handing the keys to my aunt who sits beside me so she could drop them in her bag once we're all out.

Everyone nods, Mattie's being a little more vigorous than the rest, his little hands having a death grip on the collar of his Ferrari t-shirt. Celina and Renée where the same, and of course I'm sporting my wicked blue jeans and SF polo shirt, a pair of RayBan sunglasses pushed up into my hair. Although I would've loved to wear my trusty Airfoces, Mattie refused to wear his slip on Van's unless I was wearing mine too – and I'm sorry, but no member of my party will be rocking up to the paddocks in flip-flops.

The doors all open as we step out, and a little smirk pulls at my lips when I notice Haley deliver a firm stare at one of the cameras that drift a little too close to the money maker. Chuckling softly, I pat her shoulder in greeting, before I round all my people up and we start the walk towards the entrance. The sun is absolutely unforgiving and my eyes can barely stay open until I've pulled my shades down, and I'm silently thanking my aunt for forcing Mattie and I to lather ourselves in SPF-50.

"Where's Micah ?" my manager keeps her voice low from her stride beside me, and at the sound of the name an immediate scoff gets released from the other side of me.

I briefly turn to share a look with Renée, and I can just tell she's fighting back a crazy hard eye roll.

I sigh softly before looking back forward, instantly noticing the throng of reporters hovering around the scan-in station.

"Not now Hals."

I don't need my name headlining the news tomorrow, and I sure as hell don't want to be making Bonnie's job harder than it already is. All I do is breath, and with that one exhale does a line of false rumors and accusations follow. The life of a Formule 1 driver is, unfortunately, not just about the car we drive.

I can tell this isn't a topic to be dropped, just by the stern look I'm getting in Haley's eyes, but for now she steps back from it, allowing a comfortable air to settle around us instead of the suffocating one that always seems to hang whenever Micah is mentioned.

Trust I'll be dumping the walking negativity soon.

"Ant !"

My gaze cuts to the voice ahead, gaze immediately settling into a set of soft,  pleading brown eyes. The reporters continue to shamelessly shove their mics in Oscar's face, and I suppress a chuckle as I excuse myself from my group for a moment.

"Hey Ozzie, hello." I hook an arm around the fellow Australian driver, placing a hand on his shoulder to deliver a reassuring squeeze. I can almost feel his relief seep out at my presence.

"Antonio ! Can you-"

I shake my head with a polite smile, not even daring to let them finish whatever question of the day it is. "I'm really sorry guys, but we actually have a meeting in about 10 minutes,"

I start pulling Oscar backwards away and towards the safety of my group, waving a hand to the reporters. "Thank you for coming, I hope you enjoy today's race !"

Once we're in the clear, the shorter blonde let's out a sigh of relief, and I pat his shoulder with a light laugh. "Thanks mate."

I toss him a playful wink. He greets my group and ends up waking along with us through scan-in. We talk more about what today could bring for us as driver's, but mostly complaining at how godawful hot it's going go be in the car today. Along the way Carlos and Lando end up joining, and we all agree to make a stop at the cafeteria for a snack.

"Oh mate," Lando swallows a sip of his Coke, twisting in his seat across from me with a curious glance in his eyes. "Where's Micah ? Feel like I haven't seen him in what, couple weeks ?"

The delightful cold of the air conditioning goes from a relieving blanket over me to an uncomfortable shiver down my spine.

Carlos hums from beside me. "Yeah, he was at Silverstone, but that was like, three weeks ago ? Tutto okay ?"

My fingers twitch around the dripping cold of ice coffee in my hands. Maybe I should just get it out so it would quit bothering me for the rest of the day. Besides, it would be nice to make the glower Haley is piercing into the side of head right now disappear.

Sighing softly, I look up to my aunt. I don't say anything, allowing just my eyes to speak for me. Fortunately, she understands immediately, and the little boy beside her doesn't. Which is why he's very quick to comply when she offers to buy him an ice-cream and go take a walk to say hi to the other drivers. He's just like me in the sense that he loves the attention he'll receive from everyone; the whole grid adores Mattie.

He's practically Danny Ric's son.

Bumping my fist to his and sending my aunt a grateful nod, I wait for the glass door to swing shut behind them, before leaning back in my chair, my hands settling on my jean-clad thighs.

"Don't expect a long explanation, because I'm really not looking for a therapy session right now," I sternly inform, stressing it with my tone, especially to my manager. That earns me a narrowed glare.

"I haven't heard from Micah since Silverstone."

Two reactions occur in that moment; my two fellow drivers gape with wide eyes at me, and the two remaining women around the table sit stoically, a brewing anger behind their gazes.

"But you've called, texted ?"

I scoff as I meet the Brit's enlarged eyes. "Of course I have Lando, and a fuck ton of times at that."

"So what, your novio just disappears for two weeks without a single word ? Esto es una mierda."

I hum once in response to Carlos, pursing my lips as I trace the little droplets with my fingers on my glass.

"It's not like it's the first time."

Two heads turn in the direction of the low voice, but Renée is sure to keep her bearing gaze on me. Renée and I rarely have serious fights, we just mesh that well. However rare though, things always start to heat up whenever my fuck-up of a relationship gets brought up. I know it's because she only cares for my well-being, which is why I can't ever find it in me to be annoyed with her reaction and attitude towards him. It's not like he deserves any better anyway.

"Mate, I would never butt into your relationship, I have no place whatsoever," Lando's eyes are full of sincere, and maybe just a twinge of fire. "But you're my friend, and a bloody great one at that. I just want you to he happy mate, that's all."

Who's heart wouldn't melt at the way those greens are looking at me right now ?

"Thanks Lan, I really appreciate that."

Contrasting the sweet moment, a shocking slap lands on the back of my shoulder, and I jolt at the sudden action. My eyes dart towards the Spaniard, who has a crooked smile on his face.

"I'm not one for the sappy stuff but, you know I'm here for you 'mano."

I huff out a laugh, nodding. "Si, gracias 'mano."

" Frederic wants his drivers in the paddock by 10, we should go."

They honey-toned voice speaks for the first time since, and my gaze cuts towards the brunette beside me. She already has her eyes ready to meet mine, and they are speaking a thousand words that her lips don't. She has been egging me on to drop Micah for a very long time, and I know it's about time I listen, but it's just about finding the right moment. For starters, he needs to fucking answer my calls.

"Right." I nod, following her lead as she stands, and it's only once we all do, do I notice a quiet gaze settled on me.

My fellow aussie. He hasn't said a single word since the topic of Micah came up, and it has me strangely confused. There's something very uneasy swirling around his eyes, and it's telling me just one thing.

There's something he knows about my boyfriend, that I don't.

[fantasylesblorbos]

002.

the outlaw runs her hand along willow’s side, walking towards the store. she pulls her hat low, making sure to cover her eyes before turning her head and sneaking a glance behind her, watching the woman retreat with a skip in her step. she watches lily turn the corner, before turning her head back to willow. “she was truly an interestin’ one, wasn’t she, willow?” willow turns her head to look at her owner, nudging her with her snout, at which the outlaw scrunches her nose, “i can’t believe you let ‘er pet you, you traitor, here i thought i was the only one.” the outlaw says, swatting her hand at willow’s muzzle. the horse snorts, continuing on her way to the store, to which the outlaw rolls her eyes, “god have mercy on me.”

she ties willow to a horse post, slinging her rifle and packing it into her saddle, rifling through the saddle bags to find her wallet. once victorious, she pats willow’s side, before walking into the store, poncho swishing in the wind.

inside, cupboard and shelves are full with dry goods, produce, fresh meat, as well as multiple kinds of ointments and even ammunition. ‘it seems this place has everything i could need.’ the outlaw thinks, looking around left and right, before her eyes land on seller, and older man with a big, scraggly black beard with white streaks in it.

“welcome, welcome, here at tusker saint denis we have everything your heart desires. what is it you need?” he asks, voice gruff, leaning his elbows on the counter and his head on his hand. the outlaw raises her eyebrow, before answering, voice lower than usual, “supplies. food for me an’ a horse for five days, you got that?” the man nods, gesturing with his hand toward the shelves, “help yourself.”

the outlaw grunts, starting to pick up basic items, canned food, fresh vegetables for willow, some chocolate, as well as some tea and the necessary ammo for her guns. she puts them all on the counter and the man begins ringing her up, putting the items in a bag.

“you owe me about 156 dollars and fifty cents.”

“very well.” the outlaw nods, pulling out the necessary cash and handing it over, grabbing the bag and leaving wordlessly.

“pleasure doing business with you!” the man calls after her, to which she nods and raises her hand to him in acknowledgment.

the outlaw walks over to willow, placing the newly bought items in the saddlebag, before taking hold of the reins and slipping them over willow’s head, pulling herself up onto the horse’s back. “alright, girl, let’s go.” she pats the side of her neck before urging her forward, spurs gently digging into the horse’s side.

and so the two of them trot through the streets of saint denis once again, headed to the renowned tailor near the centre of the town. the outlaw had seen plenty of people with too much money walking out of the shop, and she had come back everyday the past week to scope out the best time for a pickpocketing mission. today, however, there were hardly people around in the square, especially with the scorching sun beating down anyone in it’s path. she wipes away the sweat forming just under her hat, before sighing and taking hold of willow’s reins, walking over to where the young woman had told her to meet her. ‘wouldn’t hurt to try, at least to see what she has planned. if more people are involved, i can get some good intel on the nobility around here. yeah, that would work.’ the outlaw has a small smile on her face, seemingly satisfied with her cunning plan, but she makes sure to get rid of it as soon as she turned a corner and saw the tree lily was talking about.

lily leans against the trunk of the tree, pulling her summer hat off of her head before she places it on her lap, shutting her eyes closed as she takes a deep sigh after numerous stages of stressful arrangements.

there was saucer for five bagels that is perfectly cut in half. it has a fresh chunk of lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and ham on her left. the second saucer is sitting right next to a pink heart shaped cake that is filled with chocolate chipped cookies, two cabernet glass standing in between her fingertips to make sure it doesn’t break while lily takes a rest. a platter sits on her right with grapes, strawberries, and sliced bananas mixed altogether in the board. as soon as lily arrived, she didn’t hesitate to pull out the picnic blanket from the basket and make sure it doesn’t blow away while it’s sitting neatly on top of the grass. after that, lily spent a few more minutes making sure that it looks appealing as soon as it’s her turn to arrive, only if she has fully decided to come.

the sun was shining beautifully through the leaves, and it was framing lily in all the perfect ways, face, collarbone and hands illuminated. the outlaw leaned herself against the wall of a nearby building, making sure to stay hidden from view, pulling out her journal and quickly drawing a picture in crayons of what she was seeing. ‘she truly is pretty…’ she thought, admiring the finished product on the page, before catching herself and shaking her head, snapping the journal shut and placing it back in her satchel with a blush coating her cheeks. ‘no, no, no. we ain’t doin’ that, not now. focus, bailey.’ the outlaw steeled herself, gaze going back to sharp, jaw set as she pulls willow by the reins, slowly walking towards the young woman. “c’mon girl.”

the outlaw stops just before the square, watching lily, not saying anything.

lily doesn’t know how long she has been sleeping underneath the cool shade, but as soon as she felt herself completely dropping off, her head jerked up and eyes blinking; squinting even, before lowering her head back down. she lets out a soft whine and arched her back to stretch her muscles as she starts to regain her consciousness, not noticing the cowgirl standing almost right in front of her. “hmm.” lily mumbled softly, placing both of her hands on the top of her hat before staying still.

the outlaw chuckled, watching the young woman doze, before taking out a match and lighting a cigarette, putting it in her mouth and taking a long drag. she takes the cigarette between her fingers, thumbs resting under her belt, before clearing her throat pointedly, making it just a bit louder, so that the young woman could hear her.

lily won’t lie, that action made her whole body jolt in fear. she wanted to chuck whatever she can immediately grab within her reach, but as soon as she noticed that it is the same cowgirl from earlier, she held onto her chest and sighed loudly. “you got me there!” lily confessed breathlessly. “i didn’t know you had that kind of playful personality... come take a sit.” lily added as she takes a subtle hop to the side, scooting to give the red haired woman some space to rest within the blanket. “didn’t know you were one to fall asleep that easily.” the woman sits down on the blanket, next to lily, being careful not to sit on her own poncho. she’s got one leg laid out flat while the other is raised, resting her hand that is holding her cigarette upon it. the cowboy hat on top of her head is just a bit further up than lily last remembers, allowing her to see the outlaw’s eyes once again as she is looking at her.

lily giggles at the thought right before she immediately clears her throat. “um, did you get everything you need from the store?” the outlaw nods, taking another drag from her cigarette, “i did. bastard scammed me, but what can i do?” she looks around at the arrangement, before asking, “this looks mighty nice, is anyone else joinin’ us?”

lily’s eyes meets the red haired woman’s gaze, but it didn’t have any glimmer in its pupils. she truly has two different shades of color residing in her eyes and she smiles. yes, she smiles, but there is so much to ponder about what it truly conveys. lily didn’t have enough time to figure the truth out as the other looked away.

“what?” lily exclaimed after hearing the woman’s response. “that’s horrible! did you do anything about it?” she says as her eyebrows furrowed, cheeks puffed up and arms crossed in frustration. the outlaw shook her head, “nothin’ i could do, unfortunately. bastard’s just tryin’ to feed his family.”

her gaze meets lily’s and the corners of her lips tug slightly upward, the motion foreign on her face. the moment is just as quick to leave as it started, she looks away onto the street once more. she fiddles with her bandana, turning it this way and that, trying to calm her nerves. the outlaw knows, realistically, lily can’t hear or see her rapidly beating heart, but you cannot be too sure. ‘don’t make a goddamn fool of yourself this fast, hyde.’

“this is the party, you and i.” lily playfully nudges her arm and smiles. “how many women do you date in a single table, pretty girl?”

willow moves closer to the duo, settling herself down onto the grass next to lily, legs tucked under her. the woman flushes at lily’s comment, pulling her bandana up for a moment to hide her face, eyebrows furrowed, “you truly are somethin’ else. here i thought this would be a proper party an’ it’s just a picnic between me an’ you.” the woman turns to lily, an eyebrow raised, “is this the first time you’ve tried this, or…? that lie rolled off your tongue so quick.”

“lie?” lily’s eyes blinks in confusion, but she honestly felt her heart dropped at how quick the red haired can catch up to her. “why would i lie to you?” she lets out a chuckle to ease the tension, but the woman scoffs, making her feel more uneasy. lily decides to hand the red haired woman her cabernet to take off her mind of her own question, smiling softly as she clings to the neck of her own. “anyway, here’s how you’ll do this,” she says as she takes a scoop out of the heart shaped cake with her glass, its beautiful white ruffle of whipped cream with sliced strawberries and blueberries on top were whisked away as she takes a bite. “giddy up and dig in!”

the outlaw raises an eyebrow at the young woman, before sighing and doing as she is told, taking hold of the glass and digging it gently into the cake. the outlaw hums, holding the glass up to her face and turning it this way and that, before saying, “well, wouldn’t ya look at that… how’d you come up with this?” she turns her head once more to watch the young woman, taking a bite herself from the cake. “‘s that somethin’ fancy folk like you like doin’?”

“that lie rolled off your tongue so quick.” lily says this with a mischievous smile on her face, patiently waiting for the red haired’s reaction before taking another bite, starting to feel some ease despite the tension. “perhaps? we brew teas, we gossip about the recent news in the city and spend the rest of the day oogling, but no.” an amused smile passes over the outlaw’s lips, before taking one last, long drag of her cigarette and snuffing it out, throwing it away. “fiesty one, aren’t you?” she lets the smoke out as she speaks, taking another bite of the cake. “teas, gossip. high end life with no worries, besides what to wear the next day.” the outlaw nods, “sounds fancy enough to me.”

“i don’t do this often and no, i don’t consider myself fancy. my family just moved here, after all.” lily confesses as she tucks her hair behind her ear before looking at the distance. “i just... thought it would be nice to make a picnic on this specific day and hoped for the best on what comes next. i haven’t roam around saint denis by my own yet.” she lies. the outlaw plays with the buckle of her belt, before saying, “well. i guess i can count myself lucky to have ran into you.” her gaze moves away from lily, looking back out into the street. “an’ yes, no major city will be safe for a dashin’ woman like you. damn bastards’ll be on you like hawks.”

“woah! easy there, gorgeous.” lily giggled before pulling out a pouch of tissue from the basket, wiping the smear off of the woman’s knuckle with a paper and purposely wiping a crumb beside the red haired’s lips with the pad of her thumb, feeling accomplished. “continue talking to me that way and i might end up falling for you.” lily wiggles her eyebrows before popping a grape in her mouth. the outlaw gestures with her hand towards the young woman, “now, if you don’t mind me askin’, which family do you belong to? i ain’t been around here a long while, but i’ve heard some whispers here an’ there.”

“if you put it that way, you truly make us sound so fancy.” lily hums. “my father is a mechanical and my mother is a veterinarian, i have seven sisters who are diligently working their butts off while i’m just.... well, you know, i’m here in a date with a pretty woman who barely tells me about herself.”

the woman raises an eyebrow, looking at lily in disbelief, before chuckling and shaking her head, saying, “you truly are somethin’ else… is anythin’ you said so far even true?” the outlaw grabs a strawberry from the top of the cake, popping it into her mouth and chewing thoroughly, before bashfully adding, “‘sides the… date part, i guess…” and looking away from the young woman next to her, towards willow. she nods, though, looking at lily from the corner of her eye, “i understand, though, wantin’ to remain unknown, anonymous.”

“stick around,” lily spoke softly as she reached her slender fingers out to grab a chocolate chip cookie, snapping it in half before smiling shyly, offering the other side to the red haired. “i crumble easily like this cookie—i’m sure it wouldn’t take you too long to find out! i’m friendly, i’m kind, and lovely, i suppose. are you looking for those specific traits in a woman, by any chance?” the outlaw turned to regard lily fully, watching her intently, eyes flitting from her eyes to her outstretched hand, before reaching out herself and gently taking the other half of the cookie.

“i s’pose there ain’t much harm in gettin’ to know you,” she starts, mumbling through her words, raising her head to look into lily’s eyes fully, “though i must warn you, i ain’t a safe person to be around, an’ i ain’t know where the road’s takin’ me next.” the outlaw pulls off her hat, gently placing it next to her on the picnic blanket, “there’s no tellin’ when i’ll be shot an’ left for dead, so don’t get too attached now, hm?” she bites into the cookie, letting the taste linger on her tongue, before continuing, “there ain’t much i’m lookin’ for, just company, i guess…”

“ooh!” lily hums. “a fighter, spontaneous, and—” lily’s eyebrows furrowed in genuine sadness. “don’t be silly!” she says as she playfully smacked the woman’s arm. her hand immediately transformed into a fist, thinking that she might’ve been too comfortable with the cowgirl that made her look back the other with worry. “don’t.... don’t say that, i know you’ll live for another day! maybe teach more fellas out there how to ride a horse like you do when the time has come; giving them canned peaches for their working their asses too hard to be cool like you.”

the outlaw gives lily a sad smile in return, “it’s merely the truth for an outlaw like me, sheriffs don’t much like kind like us no more, an’ money is always a good motivator for any man with a gun.” she hums, looking at the half eaten cake, before shaking her head and furrowing her eyebrows, “this life is all i’ve known, i ain’t made to be helpin’ people. though,” the outlaw looks at lily once more, sad smile on her face again, “it sure as hell would be nice, to have a comfortable life.”

nothing but the soft breeze whirling at the moment in a sunny afternoon keeps the two ladies in company. “do you... do you have a family, sweetheart?” lily asks once more. “or any place to come home to?”

“no,” she says, shaking her head, “parents have been dead an’ buried a long time now, nasty business about 15 years ago, been on my own since then.” the outlaw picks up her hat, placing it onto her head, before speaking once more, “the roads are my home, always.”

“i see, then...” lily coos and whined in genuine devastation. “being an outlaw is no joke, i understand that... i understand how important that mask of yours is now; even though it is truly such a shame.” lily continues to mumble as she placed her elbows on her lap, her chin tucked on top of her palm as she heaves a deep sigh. “how could an angel like you deserve to endure all this burden on your own...” the outlaw knocks her knuckles against lily’s knee affectionately, offering her a small smile, “it’s alright, now, nothin’ for you to worry that pretty head of yours. i’ll be fine, i always have been. an’ i ain’t no angel now, you might be, sure, but not me.” she chuckles humorlessly.

lily’s eyebrows raised in relief the moment she received a light bump on her knee. she looked down to see what it was and hoped for the best, only to find out that it was truly the red haired woman who did it. not the basket or the plates sliding down to the crease of her leg in the picnic cloth, it is the woman who is now smiling towards her, indeed. “are you getting all soft on me now, gorgeous?” lily giggles as she sits back with such poise, now watching the red haired busy herself as she waits for lily’s response. she retracts her hand, fiddling with her fingers in her lap, before asking, “how old are you, if i may ask, lily? an’ why did you invite me here? was it just random? were you gonna have a picnic anyway?”

lily carefully took the woman’s hand and intertwined it with hers as she scoots closer to the cowgirl’s frame, her gaze directed back into the distance as she smiles. “the wind whispered to my bedroom window today and told me that i should go for a walk, told me i needed it. i wouldn’t followed her earlier, but life truly works wonders. maybe the wind knew that you needed it, too.”

[ianhale]

TASK 002

Ian sighs, sitting down at the kitchen table while his mother cooks. He is going over the monthly bills and paperwork for the handful of rental properties they own, balancing the accounts and checking for emails with requests and updates from their tenants. He sighs with a soft frown, reading one update with concern.

“Sweetheart… What is it? What is wrong?” His mother comes over and smooths a crease from his forehead. “You have that look, again.”

“Nothing, M``ama, nothing… Or at least nothing too serious, it’s just. One of our tenants wants to know if I plan to hike up prices, now that I am publicly outing myself as a Del Bosque. And I… I can not do that to others. I refuse to charge more than we do, we charge enough to cover the fees and pay our own bills, what more could we possibly really need, you know?” He sighs and leans against her and she kisses his forehead and pats his shoulder.

“Agreed, besides, I am the land lady, you, my sweet boy, just run the books. I will reply to it and send everyone an email adressing it all, okay?” She reassures him, and Ian nods, kissing her cheek and stretching. “Now, we eat, Go put all of that nonsense back in the office and I better not see it out here again, understood?”

“Ma’am, yes ma’am.” Ian grins cheekily, and packs it all up and puts it away. He sits back down right as his mom sets down his plate. “Y’know… Sometimes i think about what i used to hear in school. Whispers about the Du Bois having plans and wanting to change things. How it would be better. That my donor doesn’t do anything useful and that the whole family needs to fall back to earth a bit… I don’t completely agree, per se, but… I get it. I do. They have so much power and influence but they are so inconsistent on how and when they use that influence at all, let alone for good…” he picks at his food, taking a bite and humming as the flavors dance, sweet and spicy on his tongue, the taste of home.

M``ama Hale chuckles and smiles. “As good as you remember?” she eats her own food. “And well… Yes. The Du Bois and many of the people who are upset with the Del Bosques and even the Shibata have a point to their anger, sweetheart. I can only hope you getting involved goes well, or at least doesnt get you hurt.” She says with a pointed look.

“I know, I know… I will be safe, as much as I can be. I promise. I will do anything if it means keeping you safe, and happy. You have always done that for me, let me return the favor.” Ian smiles softly. “And, it is! It’s been so long since you made this.” he grins a little wider.

“Well, its been a long week and I figured you deserved a treat, I know this was one of your favorites.” she smiles and they finish eating dinner.

Ian clears their plates, and brings out little servings of sweet custard from the fridge. “Here is your dessert.” Ian smiles, setting hers in front of her. “I.. I have a plan, I think. Against Rafael and the Del Bosque family.”

She looks up to meet his eyes. “Tell me everything love.”

And so he does.

He details all of his next moves and his hopes and plans for Coronado and how he wants the best for the people, all of them. How he doesnt really want to totally destroy the Del Bosque family but how he will do whatever he needs to to protects and provide. How the people deserve stability and an equal say in what happens in their home.

When he is finally done, his mother is in front of him, and cups his face. She presses a soft kiss to his forehead. “I am so proud of you. You have grown so fierce, so strong…” she gives him a hug, and then holds his hands, standing back. “I am so proud to be your mother. You have always been so caring and generous… I know you will do right by our people.” she smiles at him softly. “That said… What do you think we should expect? Do you have any idea who did it?”

Ian shakes his head. “No, m`ama, not a clue. As for what to expect… I don’t know. It’s hard.” he sighs. “But… I do know the family is now floundering, and its time for it to sink or swim.”

[askthehospitalghost]

A note is delivered to you by the cats. Inside of the envelope, sealed with red wax and the Sinostra insignia, you find the following:

“Dear Mx. Irina Warashi:

I am reaching out today to inform you that you may be eligible to be part of a class action lawsuit against the Academy. You may look the case filing up by the following:

CASE ID: 0020250217-002

Darkwick Year One Class of 2024/2025 vs. Darkwick Academy, Chancellor Cornelius [REDACTED]; Darkwick General Hospital, Dr. Nicholas [REDACTED] and Anomalous Studies Institute and O5 Council members [REDACTED]

Filed in: Tokyo Anomalous District: Tokyo Bay.

As a first year student, you may have been coerced into submitting to a battery of unethical and experimental anomalous vaccines without your informed consent. To be a party in the Class, please fill out and return the following information in the addressed envelope included with this letter.

Regards,”

Also included in the letter is a form to fill out, as well as an envelope addressed to “Ritsu Shinjo, Paralegal, Sinostra Dormitory, 4th fl., Darkwick Academy, Tokyo, Japan. AATN: Class Action”

“Name:

Year:

House:

Were you subjected to vaccinations for the following:

* Zom-B

* Yojimia

* Laughteritis

* Violet Foot

* Dream warts

* Angry hepatitis

* Undead Tetanus

* Lexol’s Syndrome

* Moon Pox

* Nervousness

Did you receive a letter of informed consent prior to your injections? Y/N.”

Patting the cat lightly on its head and accepting the letter, she smiled the moment she saw who it was from. It was always a pleasure to hear from him...but couldn't he text her? Even so, a letter had a sort of charm to it.

Opening it though, her eyes widened when she realized it was something serious. A lawsuit? Oh dear, hopefully it wasn't going to affect any of Mortkranken's operations.

Holding the paper rigid in the air and allowing it to float there while she searched her pockets for a pen, she hastily filled out the form and responded back with a note of her own.

"Name: Irina Warashi

Year: First Year

House: Mortkranken

Mr.Shinjo, thank you for sending me this. I was not subject to any of these vaccinations, as I cannot contract them in my current condition. I have also fully concented to any experimentation and use of samples provided to the Anomalous Studies Institute. While I do not know what they are doing with my samples, I do not mind. I suppose if I did though, I don't believe I would be able to stand in the court of law. As far as I am aware, the idea that the dead cannot testify still holds true, yes? I would still be happy to help, however, if there is anything I can do. Unless it is testifying against my own house or housemates, I'm sure you understand that I cannot do that. I would be happy to meet up if you have any questions, especially about research conditions from an anomaly's perspective.

All good things, and all my blessings,

Irina Warashi"

She sealed the letter back up and sent it back with the cat, sighing shakily as she hoped for the best. The last thing she wanted was to have to choose between her found family, and her friends.

@ritsu-shinjo

[haeminlgc]

RANKING KING EP. 002: WINTER DATE IDEAS

"From last place to first, I'm Yoo Haemin and you're watching... Ranking King. Insert catchy introduction jingle right here... not that I have one just yet but if this channel keeps on going I'd like to put one in. It would make it feel more professional, no?" Haemin grinned bashfully at the camera and gave a small wave with both of his hands. He was definitely going to ask the editing to do their best post production magic to make him look fun and cute. Maybe put some unaired clip montage in there.

"How has everyone been? I hope you've all been taking care of your health since the weather has turned cold and winter has finally arrived. I love the look of this season, what with all the lights and snow but out of sheer practicality it's one of the worst seasons. I mean, wearing three layers just to not freeze when walking outside is excessive and bulky. The amount of times I end up looking like that character from the company that makes tyres... hardly flattering." He shook his head with a sigh. "But I digress! Today's topic that I'm ranking is... winter date ideas! Yay~!"

Haemin applauded lightly before setting up the five pictures that depicted 5 different activites one could do with a significant other (or just a good friend). "The activities that we have are shopping date, cooking together date, movie night in, cafe date, and ice skating date! Oh, all of these sound really lovely and romantic actually and totally my style." He turned to smile cutely at the camera, sending it a quick wink followed by a little 'shh' finger-on-the-lips.

"Those of you who have been following me for a while might know that I love watching films so it's not surprising that I'll be ranking that as my number one. Movie nights are as fun or as romantic as you make them! Very versatile." Smoothly he moved the night in picture into first place and gave it a loving little pat. "Next up I think I'd like to put... ice skating! It's such a winter thing to do and definitely something for those who want to have an active date. Plus afterwards you can warm up with a nice meal or a cup of hot chocolate to really achieve that winter feeling." He gave a satisfied nod to his reasoning as he continued to move the pictures to suit his opinion until he reached the final lineup.

"So! Here are my final rankings: movie night in, ice skating date, cooking together, cafe date, and in last place... shopping together! Of course, you can combine these in many different ways for a whole day experience. I hope those of you lucky enough to have found someone you like feel inspired to show them some appreciation in this cold and dark winter season~!"

"That's all for today. As always, like, subscribe, and remember to comment if there's a topic you want me to rank in a future video. See you next week! Bye bye, ta-ta, always yours, Minmin~!"

[skyeknight-oneshots]

Httyd AU alternatives #002

"Welcome to Dragon Training!" Gobber intoned.

Astrid took a breath before stepping inside with the others. "No turning back."

"Okay," Jim took a deep breath, gripping his axe before following Astrid's lead along with the others. "you got this... Don't screw it up, Jim..." he mumbled, psyching himself up.

Another recruit stepped beside him, "Hey, look what the wind blew in." Dimitri grinned, as he winked at Jim which earned him a raised brow, "Must be something to have to deal with dragons for the first time on your birthday. Don't worry, I'll watch out for you."

"Aww, really?" Jim batted his eyelashes at him, "Then maybe you can do something for me now?"

Dimitri grinned, encouraged by reception of his advances, "Just say the word."

"Don't be a distraction." With that, Jim punched him at the gut before moving on.

"Well done, Dimitri," Jack snickered, passing by and patting him on the back, "A for effort."

Dimitri grunted, "Yeah... Probably should've known it wouldn't be that easy." he said, "Still, he said I distract him. That's gotta mean something."

"Yeah, that you're a distraction." Jack laughed.

Tuffnut cheered from the other side, "Yeah! Let's get some burns!"

"Pfft, duh. Otherwise, what's the point?" Ruffnut snorted, "Maybe a mauling or two at my shoulders, a bit on my lower back would be good too."

Astrid shrugging, humming in agreement. "Yeah, it's only fun when you can get a scar to show for it."

"Are we betting on who's getting hurt the most today?" Everyone flinched, and turned towards a voice they didn't expect to hear today. "Here's a hint, it's probably going to be me." Hiccup sighed, rolling his eyes.

Snotlout huffed, "Oh, great." he sneered, "Who invited him?"

"Must want to share his experience. I mean, he did take out the 'Night Fury' after all." Tuffnut snickered.

Jack rolled his eyes, bonking both of them with his staff. "Lay off guys; we're technically all on the same side." he walked over to Hiccup and gave him a thumbs up. "Hey, best of luck today. Oh, I like your axe."

"Ah," Hiccup lets out a little high pitch laugh before getting some words out. "Um, yeah! You're welcome!"

Jim face palmed before going over hurriedly.

Jack blinked at that response, "Huh?"

"He means you're welcome to see him use it today." Jim explained, before grabbing Hiccup by the shoulder and dragging him along. "The word you're actually looking for is 'thanks', by the way."

Hiccup groaned, his face all red. "I know."

"Then fucking use the right words at the right time if you know."

[seungstarss]

⸻ ❝ 𝐀𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 ❞ ˎˊ˗ CHAPTER 002

wc: 1.8k +

「 11:00 PM : ❛❛ WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT❜❜ 」

"Personally, I think it would be more logical to head to the instruction center first," Yn gestured to Heeseung's side. "It would be the best to figure out what the heck is going on, right?"

Ryujin and Yeiji nodded in agreement, locking their arms with Yn's, turning their back on the other group, whose members dwindled at a swift pace.

The three of them treaded to the back of the crowd, trying their best not to stand out. In a situation like this, it was best not to stick out. It was wise to stay hidden and avoid being the subject of any kind of argument. No one wanted a target pinned on themselves. It was easy to stab people in the back in an environment with such divided opinions.

"Yn! You're here too?!" A voice cried in disbelief. A boy with pale messy hair let out an enormous sigh of relief before calming down from his previously anxious state.

Wide-eyed, Yn immediately went to comfort the boy, who seemly stood stiffly, eyes darting around as he felt out of place. "Taehyun! I didn't expect to see you here too! It's so odd how most people are from the same university, huh?"

"Yeah, I received an invitation after school, and these men, they—"

"We'll get moving now," Heeseung demanded before patting Jay on the shoulder. "Don't get hurt, you poor things."

"Fuck you." Jay cursed. "If you guys get hurt, don't come running back to us."

Heeseung's group traveled towards the tunnel on the right, whispering among themselves as they mocked the other group for their "stupidity."

"Oh, we better follow along." Yn rushed, nudging Taehyun towards the moving crowd. "Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce you! This is Ryujin, and this is Yeji, my dearest friends."

The two girls gave Taehyun a gentle smile and introduced themselves quickly. Perhaps this had loosened some more nerves in the boy. He genuinely seemed more comfortable as the colour in his face returned.

—

The pathway was decorated with torches with no need for any artificial light. Even the slightest sound echoed through the tunnel, causing everyone to become self-conscious. Unlike the previous area where everyone had gathered, the walls reflected their old and unstable inner workings as pieces of bricks crumbled, creating gaping cavities in the walls. The group walked in silence, but everyone's eyes wandered in different directions, observing their surroundings.

Yn's thoughts wandered as she followed closely behind Ryujin, Yeji, and Taehyun. She was at the back, the very back. The darkness seemed to divulge into different shapes, forming creatures unsightly to the eyes. Yn pressed her lips in a thin line as her breathing quickened. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? What was in the shadows? Her palms grew sweaty as the pathway began to swirl. Yn kept her eyes glued onto the ground, keeping her footing steady, not wanting to become a burden to the group. The dirt ground grew blurry, and for an instant, she saw a group of spiders rush past her sneakers. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach as the grotesque feeling of the spiders crawling against her shoe sucked all the colour out of her face. Before she could scream, someone beat her to it.

"W-what the Fuck! What the fuck is that?!" A screech came from the front of the group. The girl stood frozen to the ground with her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes grew large in horror, and her lips quivered, failing to speak another word. The entire group looked in the direction the girl had her eyes glued on and looked back at her with confusion.

"There's nothing there dumbass, stop scaring us." A boy with a red beanie grunted.

"There's nothing there, don't worry, let's keep moving. The instruction center seems close." Heeseung cooed, comforting the girl who was now shaking.

Yn's breathing got heavier, darting her eyes around her surroundings. Did she actually see something? What had her so scared?

"Hey Yn, you okay? You're looking a bit pale." Ryujin asked in a hushed tone, trying not to disturb the rest of the group.

Yn attempted to smile, trying her best to reassure her friend. "O-oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just saw some spiders, that's all."

"Oh ew what? I know you hate spiders! That must've been horrifying."

"Yeah, it was — Horrifying."

—

"We're here, but the door's locked," Heeseung spoke in a calm, low tone, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's glass though. We could probably break through."

"You can use this Heeseung." Jay's girlfriend offered him the wooden bat she was carrying in her bag.

"Thanks, Jiyoon, but it's professor to you." He spoke, examining the bat with extreme focus. "Does this belong to Jay?"

Jiyoon fumbled with her fingers shyly, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Y-yeah, I stole it from his bag before we left. I thought it would be useful to at least have one weapon."

Heeseung smirked, patting the girl on the head. "Good work."

Taehyun gagged at the sight, pointing his finger at the pair in disgust. "Um, does professor Lee flirt with everyone?" He whispered accusingly to the three of them.

"I don't think he's flirting with her," Yeji spoke as she furrowed her eyebrows. "It seems like he's undermining her. Looking down on her, as if she was a young child."

"It does seem like he's mocking her." Ryujin agreed, shaking her head in confusion. "Yn he's not cute...he seems more twisted than cute."

"Yn, you find him cute?" Taehyun questioned as if your tastes were insane.

"Well, I mean," A dusky blush rose to her cheeks. "He's pretty good looking you know, but whatever, it's not yet time for crush talk."

"True, we should assist them." Taehyun nodded, Shuffling through his bag to find anything to help break the glass.

Heeseung swung at the glass with force, breaking the barriers easily. The sound echoed through the tunnel, bouncing off the walls and shards of glass flew, causing the entire group to stumble back. "It's easier than I thought." He smirked, rubbing the sweat off his forehead. He moved over to the side of the door, gesturing for everyone to enter. "Go on, don't be drags and get moving." The entire group began to make their way one by one into the dark control center as Heeseung waited by the door, gripping onto his arm.

As Yeji, Taehyun, and Ryujin entered, Yn stopped in her tracks, catching a glance of the blood dripping from Heeseung's arm. "Professor, are you alright?" She asked in a worried tone.

"Ah, Yn, I didn't know you were here too. I'm fine, don't worry about it. It's just a scratch."

"Don't Mercutio me," Yn sighed anxiously, grabbing the small first-aid set she picked up at the entrance of the blue-tiled area. "Let me help you wrap that up."

Heeseung chucked at the girl as he willingly stretched his arm for Yn to sanitize the wound. "Did you just make a Shakespeare joke?"

"Shut up. I'm trying to focus right now." Yn blushed as she wrapped the bandage around his forearm tightly. She noticed his gaze fixed on her as she ripped the bandage, breaking it off from the roll.

Heeseung chuckled, thanking her with a gentle smile. "You've got quite the knack for things like this, huh?"

"N-no, I just-"

"Hey sir, there's um nothing but this in here." A boy with a navy baseball cap shouted. "You might wanna see this."

The two of them glanced at each other before walking side by side into the control center that was now swarming with confused students. Yn stood back, encouraging Heeseung to move to the front, as he looked back at her, waiting for her to catch up. "Go on professor, I'll stay back here with my friends."

Heeseung nodded before leaving her with Yeji and Ryujin, who both looked rather distraught. "What's up?" Yn questioned in a low tone while nudging the two girls who were clearly out of it.

"Do you think we're going to die?" Yeji murmured, biting her nails anxiously.

"I D-don't know," Ryujin answered, lips quivering as she gripped tighter on her bag.

"What the hell is going on?" Yn shook both of them, curious about the whole situation. "What do you mean 'are we gonna die?'"

Yeji trembled before lifting her arm slowly, motioning towards the middle of the crowd. The group stood frozen as they all stared at the single sentence written in a large font on the glass board.

"Just try to survive."

Yn's eyes grew large as the memory of the lady standing still and pointing towards the distance while shrieking re-entered her mind. Did she actually see something? What if there's something we don't know about? What if something kills us? What if someone kills us?

"W-what the fuck is that?!" A student yelled, pointing behind Yn. Her mind raced, processing the situation. Why couldn't she move? What the fuck was behind her?

Ryujin aggressively nudged Yn to turn around as her face fell pale, eyes full of fear.

A few meters behind her was a woman's face, her smile too wide, overstretched as they reached her eyes. Her hair was long, messy, and fell below her—

Where the fuck was her body

Her head was attached to spider legs, long and furry tarantula legs, massive enough to squash a person with a single step. The thing smiled at them, skittering closer to the group. It was outside the glass they had broken through to enter the center, right outside. It stood, pulsing, smiling, and gnawing at what seemed to be a human arm, while tilting her head left and right, profusely getting faster. This wasn't the type of creature from the dead with rotting skin or a sea creature with tentacles. Instead, it weaved in aspects of people's worst fears — It was a monster manifested from one's phobias.

Before the crowd could process the whole situation, the blasphemous creature clawed its way towards the glass, completely breaking past it. Horrid screams and blood splatters filled Yn's vision as some people were impaled with glass shards. The sound of the skewered flesh made her sick — but she had a significantly more threatening problem. She froze stiffly as she came face to face with the creature. It towered over her and its legs were long enough to envelop the entire group with one swing. Its smile was condescending, and the stench made her heave. She wanted to puke; she wanted the scream, yell, cry — but nothing came out.

Maybe she should've gone with Jay.

Maybe she should've equipped herself with protective gear first.

Maybe then she wouldn't be in this situation — Inches away from death.

What will you do?

1) turn around and attempt to run (but there's a dead-end)

2) shove someone in front of you

MASTERLIST

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@berriniki @luvrjn @fiantomartell @shoftiiel @sthinqsz @acciomylove @abdiitcryy @ielaa @baekswoons @sunshinehanjisung @candidupped @missmadwoman @ja4hyvn @liliansun @abdiitcryy @yougeans @cococrtel @icywhatim @e3teungie @countlessmoons @yangrden @luv3iza @heesplanet @httpheeseung @todorokiskitten @nar-nia @rosiexq @jungwxnies @softforqiankun @yurazuyori @rein-deer-stuffs @primorange @bulbajay @uanel @baekhyunstruly @niafics @babygay-stay

[arhvste]

002 SAKUSA KIYOOMI X SHUT UP AND DRIVE SERIES

++ MSBY GARAGE

❝ get you where you wanna go, if you know what i mean, got a ride that’s smoother than a limousine ❞

dt — @omisluvr i hope you like this, i had a lot of fun writing about you and your husband <3

warnings — nsfw : oral [recieving]

“what the fuck were you even thinking when you said yes to him anyway?”

sakusa pinched the bridge of his nose as he stood in the doorway of his high rise apartment. you were looking up at him, eyes glossy and hair drenched. your skin soaked not just from the rain, but from the fresh, hot tears that had run down your face as your hands scrunched the hem of your soaking sweater, the material quickly growing uncomfortable to wear.

the outside hitter sighed before stepping out the way to let you in.

“stay there.” his deep voice rang through your ears as he left to grab you a fresh towel to use.

you stood there, glancing around the sleek apartment as the city lights from down below leaked softly through the windows emitting a soft glow around the room. moments later, you heard footsteps approach as your eyes flickered over to the hallway.

sakusa strode over to you, handsome features highlighted and sharpened under the dim lights. sticking his hand out, he dropped the plush white towel into your awaiting arms as a plastic bag. you looked up at him confused regarding the bag, but before you could ask, he cut straight in.

“strip.”

“excuse me?” you choked out as you stared at the man in disbelief.

“you’re excused.” he muttered bluntly as you wiped your face with the warm towel. “you’re all wet. strip here and go shower and then we’ll talk.” he finished as he turned to leave you standing, dripping wet on the doormat of the entrance.

sakusa walked down the hall towards the bathroom and began to run the hot water and ensure the vents were working for you. having him out of sight, you sniffled and began to peel the wet clothing off your body and toss it into the plastic bag you’d dropped onto the floor. after stripping bare, you wrapped the inviting towel around your cold body and padded towards the bathroom. sakusa had left the light on and had already heated the water for you to prevent any time wasted.

you dropped the plastic bag on top of the white wicker laundry basket and stepped into the wet room style shower. the cool tiles beneath your feet caused shivers to run through your body as you turned the tap on for hot water to flow out.

as a fresh wave of hot water flooded down you, so did a fresh set of hot tears. you did your best to hold back the sobs you’d been keeping in, but it was all too much now.

‘better get it out now before talking.’ you thought as you let the tears flow freely down your face.

luckily, sakusa kept an array of various shower products so you knew you wouldn't have to come out the shower smelling like a six foot plus man who’d had a shower at the gym. after knowing sakusa for so many years, you knew he was picky about his products and you were eternally grateful for his favoured and toned-down scent of ‘ocean waves’.

lathering the soap across every inch of your now warming skin, your sobs slowed down and your breathing less jagged. your chest still hurt, but whether that was your crying causing chest ache or your now-ex causing heart break, you didn’t care anymore. you saw the end of your already deteriorating relationship approaching from a mile away anyway. if anything, you were partially thankful it had come crashing down, ending the anticipation that kept you on edge everyday. you just didn’t think it would actually hurt.

rinsing the soap off and feeling a bit better, you stepped away from the shower head as the water came to a halt. grabbing the fresh towel sakusa had left waiting for you on the radiator, you dried yourself as much as you could before wrapping the towel tightly around your body and stepping out the steaming room.

wandering through the dim hallway, you peeped into sakusa’s room as he scrolled through his phone, slouched on the king sized bed adorned with a firm, but certainly luxury mattress.

you knocked gently as his eyes snapped up at you. his expression still agitated looked, but softening at the sight of you.

“i don't have any spare clothes.” you murmured quietly, stepping into his clean and immaculately kept room.

he hummed before getting off the bed and rummaging through his own drawers. you stood there glancing around all of his medals and trophies won from years of playing in highschool and now pro. you had been present when he had won multiple of these awards. you happened to be one of the lucky few allowed close to sakusa. yes, you had known each other from a young age, but sakusa was ruthless in the sense of cutting people off; you had been someone exempt from that treatment though.

after a few moments, sakusa grunted with a pair of sweats in his hand as he looked down at your damp form.

you were taken aback slightly because despite sakusa slowly becoming more comfortable with personal boundaries, particularly in the recent years, you still grew slightly shocked everytime he willingly loaned you something of his own.

“thanks.” you whispered as you took the dry clothes and headed over to his en suite bathroom.

locking the door behind you, you quickly threw the sweats on and inhaled the natural scent that had rubbed off onto the clothes. sakusa smelt expensive in your opinion. yes, it was his natural scent, but anyone could tell he was a man of serious selfcare just from the scent of his clothes alone.

satisfied with your dry attire, you hung the towel on the radiator before switching off the light and stepping back into sakusa’s bedroom.

the sweats were definitely too big for you, but he had done his best to find one of his older sets in hopes of them perhaps fitting you a little more and for the sake of his own comfort knowing you weren’t wearing any clothes he’d regularly wear and fear catching too many external germs onto. you smiled weakly at him upon catching eye contact as he sighed and patted beside him on the bed.

staying close friends with the germaphobe had definitely benefited you as you had only grown closer to the pro-volleyballer over the years, allowing the two of you to naturally grow physically closer too. there’s not a lot of people in the world sakusa would’ve allowed for them to shower, wear his clothes and especially not sit on his bed, but once again, you were exempt from that, you always were; and he knew why.

“so,” he began, cutting through the thick tension lingering. “what happened exactly.”

always so straight to the point. maybe running to sakusa immediately wasn't the best choice.

“he cheated.” you spoke dryly as sakusa’s frown grew deeper.

“explain.” he pressed as you felt your chest increasingly tighten.

“i showed up to his house and-” your eyes watered as tears began to spill out. opening your mouth to continue, you struggled as no noise came out. scrunching your eyes up in frustration, you sobbed once more but stopped as you felt a warm hand take in your own.

you looked up through blurred vision as sakusa had a firm, but sincere look on his face. tightening his grip slightly on your hand, you shakily breathed out before continuing.

“the door was unlocked, i went in and i saw.”

“saw what?”

“her. the girl he told me not to worry about. the one he promised me was nothing more than a friend.”

sakusa scoffed as you sighed warily, tears dripping down your chin.

“they were um- you know-”

“-having sex. yes, i get the idea.” sakusa quipped as your heart dropped.

“um, yeah. i just left and well, here i am.” you laughed bitterly, face wet once more and vision blurred.

“what a fucking loser.” sakusa spat out bitterly as you hung your head low.

“i don't even know why you said yes to him. what the hell does he even have going for him? tell me what exactly it is that he brings to the table, i’ve been dying to know.”

you looked up as sakusa’s hand held yours tightly.

sakusa looked almost as hurt as you did. you quickly put that idea to bed and assumed it was natural protectiveness. he was your best friend after all. you just didn’t know just how badly he had wanted more than that though.

“he was just- he was just there i guess. someone for me to date. maybe i was just lonely, i don’t know. i, fuck- i dont know omi! i dont fucking know anymore!” you sobbed as sakusa’s eyes softened.

“well. what are you gonna do now?” he spoke sharply, eyes fixated on you.

“nothing i guess. i’ll get over it, i knew it was bound to end anyway.”

“and running to me was your first option?”

“are you really that surprised? i just didn’t know who else to go to.”

sakusa sighed before standing up and urging you to stand up with him.

“where are we going?” you asked, begrudgingly standing up beside his toned form.

“to take you out. i’m not having you soak my sheets with tears caused by a loser.”

“but i’m not dressed for that!” “we’re staying in the car for the most part.” he confirmed, notioning for you to follow him back to the front door where his car keys were left.

you sighed but followed suit as sakusa grabbed one of his own sweaters to put on. looking back at you, sakusa noticed your down expression as his own heart tugged slightly. he could only hope you’d perk up by the time he’d taken you to where he intended. he almost felt bad. almost.

you huffed but followed sakusa out the apartment behind him and waited as he locked the door swiftly behind him. trailing sadly behind him towards the elevator, sakusa watched as your miserable state wallowed in sadness behind him.

waiting for you to get over the damage caused seemed pointless in his opinion. ever the efficient one, sakusa knew exactly how he wanted to go about getting you over your ex faster. he could only hope you’d cooperate with him.

the ride in the elevator with the occasional sniffle from you occupying the majority of the silence. at last, the elevator had reached below ground level and into the underground parking lot for residents to use.

you followed the man out the elevator and stayed close to him and the two of you headed over to sakusa’s reserved parking space. you heart picked up slightly upon locking your eyes onto sakusa’s car.

a matte black aston martin DB11 was parked perfectly into its designated space. the tinted windows showed you back your own reflection as you were met with the sight of your downcast face. brushing stray strands of hair out of your face, you sighed and waited for sakusa to unlock the car for you to get in.

to you, getting into the pro players car was no big deal, you were simply getting into a friends car for a casual outing. to anyone else, this would’ve been a huge deal though. nobody was allowed in sakusa kiyoomi’s car. he denied requests to drop off and pick up others and even teammates. the only exceptions from this rule were yourself and komori. nobody else.

sakusa unlocked the car and you clicked the door open on the passenger side. immediately, your nose was met with the heavy scent of air freshener and leather. the clean and polished interior never failed to impress you every time you rode with sakusa.

the outside hitter climbed into his own seat before shutting his door and waiting for you to shut your own. the leather of the seat cool under your sweats. shivers ran up your spin and the cold temperature car started up at the press of a button.

“strap in.” sakusa glanced over at you before fastening his own seatbelt and looking into the mirror to back the car up safely.

“hold still for a sec.” sakusa muttered as you felt his hand land on your shoulder as he looked back. his body close to yours, sakusa swiftly swung the car out his space as your breath hitched. why the hell did he have to get so close?

“you could’ve held the back of my seat.” you looked over at him as he revved the engine ready to speed out the exit.

“yeah you’re right, i could’ve. i just didn’t want to.” and with that, sakusa hit the acceleration and the car sped out the clear exit at high speed.

your head was thrown back and your heart fluttered at his words but you kept quiet as you tried to calm your nerves. sakusa however, looked like he was out to kill. you were just thankful the roads were clear in the late night.

his jaw tense and eyes sharp, sakusa made no mistakes as he swerved in and out of lanes so cleanly, leaving other drivers with no reason to complain.

“where are we even going?” you spoke up meekly as the man beside you pulled up at a red light. clicking his tongue in annoyance of the hold up, sakusa tilted his head to face you, his wavy mop of hair flopping back as his salient eyes met your own, throwing your heart off course.

“you’ll see.” was all he said as the light flashed amber. head snapping back to the front, sakusa revved his engine once more, hands both tightly gripped the finely stitched leather of the wheel. prominent veins running down the back of his hand, sakusa flexed his fingers before gripping the wheel once more and slamming back down on the accelerator throwing your head back into the headrest for the second time of the night.

if looks could kill, you were certain any driver in your best friends field of vision would’ve been dead at least two times over. you had no idea why he was so angry, but you’d be lying if you said you didn't find him at least slightly attractive. you just couldn't bring yourself to fully admit it though. you were fresh out of an awful break up and the heartache was still there even if sakusa was capable of effortlessly throwing you into a fit of excitement.  

you gazed out the window as the car sped along the highway as pulled off the main roads and into the more separated streets. you paid no attention to where it was you were going until a wave of familiarity washed over you. your stomach tightened and your eyes flashed in fear as you quickly turned to see sakusa as focused as before, pulling into a parking space resided along the street of houses next to it.

“what the fuck kiyoomi! why are we here”

“where else would i take you?”

“oh i don't know, 7-11 maybe?!” you huffed as sakusa scrunched his face in disgust.

“that’s not going to help you get over him. this will.”

sakusa nodded towards the houses outside. more specifically, your ex's house.

“i can’t do this, i don’t need this.”

“you can and you want to don’t you?

you stared at him in disbelief as you shook your head.

“not like this, not now.”

“look at me.” sakusa demanded as his hand reached up to cup the side of your face, pulling your gaze directly onto his face.

“he’s a fucking loser. you’ve cried over him enough already and i just can’t sympathise with you anymore, show him that he fucked up.”

you opened your mouth to speak but no words came out. once again, shaking your head, you pulled away from sakusa’s grip as he stared at you confused.

“how? how can i just confront him in this state? you don't understand omi! it still hurts, and i can’t just-”

“-it hurt me too. this whole time it hurt.” sakusa cut in swiftly.

“ever since you said yes to him, i couldn’t understand why it hurt until recently. maybe i should’ve been happy for you. i just couldn’t though. i don’t like him, i never did and you know what? he didn’t deserve you, but i think i do.” he confessed, expression sincere and voice clear and sharp.

“kiyoomi i-”

“-don’t answer me now. it’s not fair of me to just throw something like that at you, i’m sorry but i’m also really not. i’ve been waiting to say this. just please, don’t let yourself fall off over someone like him okay?” he turned away, one hand still firmly gripping the wheel as his other hand reached to start the engine again to drive you both back. your hand intercepted though, stopping him from starting the ignition.  

“you’re right, i’m sorry. i promise i won’t so, let me prove it to you.” sakusa turned to face you and raised an eyebrow at your sudden change of attitude.

“i don’t want to cry anymore. not over him, not when i knew it was approaching sooner or later.” you admitted looking up at him. eyes glinting under the dim lights the streetlights provided through the tinted windows.

“then don’t let him make you cry anymore.” sakusa breathed out, voice taking on a soft tone.

“i’m relying on you to keep me in check then.” you whispered slowly leaning into him and letting him meet you halfway.

“well, don’t you worry your pretty little head about that.” his final words muttered out as his slender fingers ran under your jawline as he tilted his head up to meet his own. eyes fluttering shut, sakusa mentally thanked whoever the fuck was looking out for him, because he’d been waiting for this moment for longer than he’d ever care to admit.

pressing his lips onto your own, sakusa’s heart ran laps as you gasped at the feeling his hands gripping your jaw tighter. humming in satisfaction, he deepened the quickly escalating kiss as he pulled you closer and closer to him. god, he just couldn't have you close enough to him.

sliding his hand down to your thighs, sakusa felt the way you had them tightly pressed together as the slow and languid kiss quickly heated with each whine he drew from your lips. growing greedy to hear more, sakusa dominated the kiss completely, teeth scraping along your bottom lip ever so gently, drawing a sharp gasp from your throat. with your lips slightly parted, sakusa slipped his tongue into your mouth groaning at your responsiveness to his actions.

pulling away, he left you gasping but gave you no time to catch your breath as his lips strayed from your own and you felt his hot breath teasing the warm skin of your neck. not wasting another moment, sakusa let his canines dance along your sensitive skin, teasing you and leaving you unaware of his every next move. finally, letting his teeth drag along your collarbone for so long, sakusa kissed, sucked and bit everywhere he had access too. he needed to mark you as his. it would give him enough mental confirmation that you were finally his and you seemed to have no obligation to this in the slightest.

“omi, i can’t-” you whined, frustration building up as the clothes you were wearing now became more and more of a bother.

“i got you princex.” sakusa grunted, shifting his body away ever so slightly.

“please!” you groaned, glaring at the now smirking man.

“whatever happened to ‘i can’t do this’?” he mocked relishing in the control he had over you.

“i didn’t think you meant this!” you whined as sakusa pulled himself off of you momentarily. looking down at your hot and bothered state he felt a wave of pride hit. he did that to you.

“backseat.” he demanded notioning behind him.

“what?” you breathed out.

“you heard. backseat.” you grumbled but obliged regardless, climbing into the backseats of the luxury car. sakusa followed suit and hovered over your aching body as you rested your head against the doors tinted window, waiting for sakusa to do something, anything.

“so obedient.” he sighed trailing his fingers along the waistband of the already loose sweats, hands slowly slipping under the material, tugging them off painfully slow, much to your impatience.

your breathing stuttered as the man pressed a soft trail of kisses along your now exposed thighs, the temperature of the car only increasing as the air got thicker and thicker.

“please.” you whispered as his kisses met the ache between your legs.

eyes lustfully looking up at you, sakusa smiled against the skin of your inner thigh, breath hitting dangerously close to where you needed his attention the most.

“since you asked so nicely.” he praised, fingers hooking under the thin waistband of your soaked through panties. pulling them down, his eyes flickered up to meet your own. a look of sincerity glinted in his eyes as you nodded at him, permitting him to grant what you both wanted, what you both needed. you wanted this as much as he did and he’d be a fool to pass up an opportunity like this. the opportunity to show you what you could’ve had from the start, none of that mattered now though. you could his now, he’d make up for all the time lost, starting with now.

gasping at the sudden feeling of his tongue dipping into your slit, sakusa’s confidence only built up knowing you were comfortable with this. the warmth of his tongue causing you squeeze your eyes shut as shivers ran up and down your spine. fully trusting himself now, sakusa worked his mouth on your clit, hungrily chasing the desperate pleads ands gasps he’d quickly grown attached to. he needed to draw more of these out of you and he’d do just that.

toying with your clit with his tongue, sakusa groaned at the feeling of your hands quickly grabbing the base of his hair, tugging him closer and closer in desperate attempts to get him to go deeper. he made it his aim to get you just as hooked onto the feeling of intimacy as he was and you seemed to be following suit perfectly.

“k-kiyoomi!” you gasped, tugging harder at the dark strands tightly gripped between your fingers. his eyes flashed up at you, an almost unreadable expression shown as he pulled away momentarily. “you’re so beautiful you know,” he sighed before moving his mouth back down to your twitching core “so fucking beautiful.” he praised as he glanced up to memorize each pleasured expression that twisted across your face. he felt so proud knowing he was the one doing this to you, only he could make your eyes roll back the way he did, only he could draw out those pretty sounds that escaped your lips. he knew he was the only one capable because he knew he was always the better choice for you, he was better than your ex in every single way and he was just relieved he was finally getting the chance to prove it to yourself.

completely encasing your core between his lips once more, he swallowed everything you gave him so selfishly, refusing to let anything go to waste and spill onto the seats, it’s not like he could let anything go to waste anyway, not when you tasted this fucking good and certainly not when you were in his clean car.

“o-omi, more!” you chanted as sakusa grunted as you felt the knot inside of you progressively tighten. firm fingers gripping your hips, sakusa curled his tongue inside of you making sure to lap up everything he got out of you. you whined and chanted sakusa’s name like a mantra as he continued to worship your body with his mouth.

“please, please, please!” you recited desperately over and over again as you felt yourself closer to the edge.

“so good for me.” sakusa praised pulling away and loosening his grip on you, your arousal coating his chin. keeping one hand firmly gripped onto your waist, he moved his other hand down for his fingers to pinch and toy with the bud as his tongue quickly dipped back into your tight pussy as you felt your high quickly chase up on you.

“f-fuck!” you cried out as you felt your back arch as the ecstasy crashed down on you. his actions didn’t stop though, as his thumb continued to circle your clit with slow but firm movements only further forcing your mind to go blank. mindless babbles dribbled out your mouth as you slowly came down from your peak, sakusa continued to let every drop of arousal spill into his mouth before he pulled away panting.

face flushed, but satisfied, he caught his own breath and waited for you to fully come back to your senses. your own breathing once again jagged, you looked up at him shyly as you leaned forward to rest your head against his.

“s-shit, i didn’t think it would go this far.” sakusa admitted, grabbing a tissue from the side compartment to wipe his face. a look of disgust flashed momentarily on his face when he saw the mess on the tissue, but silently praising himself for keeping his car free from any spills onto the plush leather seats.

you laughed breathily before fluttering your eyes shut.

“i knew coming to see you was a good idea.”

“you didn’t know this was going to happen, fuck, i didn’t even know this was going to happen. i only brought you here to confront him.” the dark haired male sighed before pulling away from you.

the two of you stayed like that for a few moments, a comfortable silence lingering in the compressed air of the car. you hadn’t verbally confirmed it yet, but sakusa knew from this moment onwards you were finally his. a blissful feeling bubbled up inside of him as he processed what had just happened.

suddenly, a loud tap on the window caused the two of you to jolt in shock as you instinctively gripped the hem of the disregarded sweats in attempts to cover your exposed body. leaning over to the front drivers seat, sakusa peered at the window and was met with the furious face of your ex. scoffing, he slid into the driver's seat and let the window roll down to come face to face with the man you called your boyfriend several hours prior to what had just happened.

“what the fuck are you doing here?” you ex spat in anger as sakusa glared back equally as bitter.

“enjoying myself.” sakusa boredly stated as your ex’s face twisted into an expression of horror upon noticing you climbing back over to the front passenger seat with your clothes now back on, but appearance definitely disheveled.

“with that bitch?” the man outside of the car hissed as sakusa blocked his view.

“first of all, that so-called bitch? mine now, should’ve been from the start actually and secondly, get your disgusting presence away from my car, i’ve already had it deep cleaned this week and thanks to you, it’s gonna have to go back to be cleaned thoroughly again.”

your ex scoffed before backing up slightly.

“whatever, get the fuck out of my parking space though, and you,” he started past sakusa and directly into your eyes. “this makes you just as bad as me now so get off your high-horse.”

“actually,” you spoke up, hand resting on sakusa’s forearm to calm his peaking rage. “it doesn’t. kiyoomi was just a friend throughout the entirety of our relationship, he should’ve been the one to have been more than that though. it was never you.” you spoke briskly and cooly as sakusa smirked beside you.

before your ex could even open his mouth, sakusa let the windows slam but up before pressing the ignition.

“let’s just get out of here, you’re tired and it’s been a long day for you.” he offered a small smile as you nodded. outside, your ex was still yelling and begging for answers as the two of you took no notice. firing the engine back up, sakusa didn’t bother looking back before slamming onto the acceleration and speeding the two of you back through the streets and onto the main highway to take you back to his apartment where the two of you had things to talk about.

there was a lot lingering in the both of your minds, but you were certain the two of you were finally on the same page.

sakusa was upset you were hurt, but it didn’t matter now. you were his and over time, he’d help build you back up again, hand in hand, he wanted to put the time and effort into you that he had been wanting to do from the very start.

there weren’t a lot of people sakusa kiyoomi allowed close to him, would go out of his way for, would even care about for that matter, but as always, each and every time, you were exempt from that.

++ TAGLIST! @crescenttooru @miss-angel-ash @sarahvvictoria @babierin @omisluvr @s0utien @toobsessedsstuff @omibaby @kenkodzu @sugabeaniee @lovesunas @slutawara @bunny-on-crack @shouyouorange @memorableminds @whootwhoot @yikes-buddy @sweetsamus

[maelstrom-of-emotions]

Mission: The Flu Shot

Pairings:

001. SasuNaru | Sasuke x Naruto[Kiddie Crush]

002. ItaDei | Itachi x Deidara [Teenage Attraction]

003. FugaMiko|Fugaku x Mikoto [Married; Alive]

004. MinaKushi | Minato x Kushina [Married; Alive]

006. Minato & Fugaku | [Platonic Friendship with the Classic Uchiha Protectiveness ]

Summary:

Getting Sasuke to do something generally wasn't an issue for Itachi. Simply because his kid brother practically worshipped the ground he walked on and would do anything to please his older brother.

Well, almost anything.

Apparently, getting a flu shot was on the exception list that Itachi hadn't even known existed. So, with no choice, Itachi has to use a not-so-secret weapon: Naruto Uzumaki.

______

[❝I don't hold grudges. I just remember important facts, that's all.❞]

_______________

"No."

It was just one word. Just two syllables spoken with the famous (or infamous, depending on who you asked) Uchiha glare. Usually, Itachi enjoyed and even encouraged Sasuke's defiant side. Seeing the staring contests between his kid brother and his father was amusing. However, being the target of said glare wasn't as funny, and he could wholeheartedly sympathize with his father. 

"Come on, Sasuke," Itachi said, pleadingly. He picked his brother up and set him on the doctor's bed for the fifth time. "It will be so quick you won't even notice it. Just one shot and then you're done. What do you say?"

"No."

"For me?"

"Hell No!"

Itachi did not sigh. He merely let out a sound that could be mistaken as a sigh. Uchiha's did not sigh. Then again, Itachi thought, glancing at his pouting brother, Uchiha's don't refuse to get their flu shots either. 

"He's still being stubborn?" The doctor asked, looking sympathetic. 

No shit, dumbass. 

"No, he still refuses to get it," Itachi replied wearily. He had tried everything! He had reasoned, bribed, threatened, and even begged—as much as an Uchiha would. 

"Don't worry about it. A lot of kids refuse to get their shots," the doctor reassured, giving Itachi a pat on the shoulder. "Sasuke is actually a level up with that, generally kids cry as soon as they step in."

"That's helpful," Itachi said, dryly. 

"Sorry," the doctor replied, sheepishly. "Do you have an old family technique or something you can use to convince him?" "An old family technique," Itachi repeated blankly. 

"Yeah! Sometimes, a kid needs to be convinced by something or someone specific, something they can't resist. Like, I had one kid take a shot because her Mum said that Tibbles—that's their cat by the way—could sleep in her bed if she took the shot. It was pretty funny, actually."

"As entertaining as that story was," Itachi started, dryly. "I don't understand what this has to do with 'an old family technique' that you mentioned."

"Ah! Well, I asked the girl's Mum why she chose that particular method, and apparently, she had to be told the same thing when she was younger to get the flu shot. It was like a hereditary weakness of some sort."

Hereditary weakness, huh?

Sasuke had a couple of weaknesses: his stuffed dinosaur, tomatoes, blue blankets, and a lot more. Unfortunately, those weaknesses wouldn't be strong enough to exploit. He needed something stronger. 

He thought back to his own childhood days. How his mother used to convince him to do things he didn't want to. She had a secret weapon that was used only in the direst situations: Deidara. 

His smiling best friend (and current boyfriend, though Deidara didn't know it yet), had been—and still was—his biggest weakness. He figured it was hereditary, seeing how soft and protective Fugaku was over his (self-proclaimed) best friend: Minato. 

It was a last-ditch attempt. Something that should be used only when there was no other way out. Only as a last resort. Should he really use such a powerful weapon? 

Itachi glanced at his stubborn seven-year-old brother who was sitting with his arms crossed and glaring at the wall.

No, this wasn't really a dire situation. He could find another way to convince Sasuke to get the flu shot. No need to bring out the big guns. Really, he just needed to think and—

A beeping sound broke Itachi out of his thoughts. He glanced down at his smartwatch which was displaying 2:45 in glaring numbers. Telling him that he only had a half-an-hour to get ready for his hangout with Deidara. 

A fucking half an hour! 

It wasn't just a dire situation anymore. It was a fucking crisis. 

"You know," Itachi started casually. "If Naruto found out that you got this shot, he'll be very impressed."

Sasuke took the bait, eyes wide at the mention of his precious friend. "He will?"

"Oh, yes," Itachi said, solemnly. "In fact, he'll probably praise you, hug you and offer to kiss it better."

"Really Ni-san," Sasuke said, beaming. "You think so?"

"Hn," Itachi nodded, trying his best to hide his smirk. 

Sasuke thought about it for a second. Imagining those gemstone eyes looking at him in awe, those warm hugs, those soft kisses...and all for him!

The seven-year-old glared at the bemused doctor. "Well, what the hell are you waiting for? An invitation?" He shot his arm out, smacking the poor man in the chest. "Hurry the hell up, I don't have all day!"

Itachi watched the scene in amusement and satisfaction. He wasn't called the Uchiha prodigy for anything, after all. He made a mental note to use this as blackmail material when Sasuke grew older. He deserved it for making Itachi panic and almost forget his date—erm, hangout—with Deidara. 

Speaking of which. He would need to cut his hair care routine short if he wanted to make it on time to meet the feisty blond. He wondered how many hair products he could use without messing up his hair. Perhaps, Mother would have a better idea?

Eh, he would think about it later. First, he needed to decide what flowers to bring. Would roses be a bit too much?

_______________

[❝I like your approach. Now, let's see your departure.❞]

[sankta-starkova]

SUMMER NIGHTS

002 : THE WEIRDO ON MAPLE STREET

summary: bea henderson falls into a strange world that will change her life, probably for the worst, as well as falling for someone from her past she knows she can't have

wordcount: 1.8k

Bea was still sitting in the living room, reading a comic still waiting for Dustin as the rain poured outside. Dustin got home at about 10 o'clock that night and he saw Bea still waiting for him on the sofa.

She instantly rushed up to him, engulfing her little brother in a hug. She had been worried about him, especially with what had happened with Will.

"You're not dead," she whispered and he pulled away, noticing how Bea was now wet from the rain.

He seemed distracted and almost worried about something but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Sit, tell me what happened," she said and he sat down on the sofa, watching as Bea collapsed next to him.

"We found a girl in the woods," Dustin said after he thought about whether it was a good idea to tell her or not.

Bea scoffed and stared blankly at her brother, not understanding what he meant. She thought they were looking for Will, not any random runaways.

"We found her where Will went missing, so Mike took her home. She's in his basement and then she tried to get dressed," he rambled on, reenacting the girl trying to take her clothes off.

"Now she's sleeping in Mikes basement," he explained and Bea sighed, wondering what mess the boys had gotten themselves into this time. The siblings talked for a while before Bea promised not to tell anyone and Dustin had explained his entire story to her of what happened the night before.

***

The next day at school, Jonathan was putting up flyers for Will on the poster board and Bea walked towards him, passing Nancy and Steve with some other people as they mocked him.

The two stood together and Bea sighed when Nancy walked over. She was just boringly apologising about Will being missing and obviously Jonathan believed her, because she's pretty. Bea scoffed and looked to see Carol and Tommy shooting nasty glares their direction.

"Everyones thinking about you," Nancy said in a sympathetic tone. Bea wasn't having any of it as she leaned against the wall.

"Yeah, but we all know what they are thinking," she said and Nancy looked at her confused.

The school bell went and Nancy walked off, saying she had a chemistry test. Bea watched as they walked away before she turned back to Jonathan, hitting her head against the wall lightly.

"I hope you're okay," Bea said in a mocking tone as she brushed a piece of hair behind her ear like Nancy just did.

He shook his head, trying not go get involved in any drama. He didn't want to be the target again.

"Be careful Jonathan," she said with a sigh, patting him on the shoulder before rushing off to Chemistry.

When Bea got there she took her seat next to Steve reluctantly, focusing on the front of the room.

"Pst, Bear," he said and she turned to look at him, an annoyed look on her face as he called her the nickname she still hated.

"You and Weirdo still besties?" He asked and Bea rolled her eyes as she looked at Steve.

"You still planning on screwing Nancy tonight?" She retaliated and Steve smiled.

It wasn't his normal King Steve smirk, it was a genuine smile which confused Bea. It was like when they used to be friends.

"Still being sarcastic Hilarious Henderson," he said and Bea stifled a laugh, biting her lip slightly to make herself stay quiet.

"Still trying to prove your popularity Horny Harrington," she said and Steve smiled again, about to say something when their teacher walked in, handing out the tests.

After school she stood by the bike rack and saw Lucas and Dustin bike towards her. She pulled her plain black bike out and cycled towards the boys,

"We need you. Its about the girl!" Dustin said and Bea sighed, cycling after the boys quickly as they all hurried off to Mikes House. He hadn't come to school today and the boys knew something was up with Eleven.

When they got into the house Mike opened the door, letting them inside. He stood there hesitantly, eyes narrowed at Bea.

He took them to the bedroom where the girl was sitting. She was wearing Nancy's clothes and her head was shaved, she looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Eleven, she knows about Will," Mike said and everyone tensed up, he picked up a picture of the four boys at the science fair and pointed at Will.

"She pointed at him, she knew he was missing. You really think its a coincidence they we found her on Mirkwood, the same place where Will disappeared," Mike asked. Dustin nodded his head in agreement.

Bea didn't know what to do with all of this information about this new girl, all she knew is that Eleven needed help.

"And she said bad people were after her, I think they are the same people who took Will," Mike suggested and Bea nodded her head, wondering if it could be true.

"Then why isn't she telling us what happened?' Lucas asked, his tone angry, and the three boys plus Bea turned to look at Eleven.

He was clesrly frustrated that he wasn't helping them to find Will when he was clearly in danger.

"Do you know where he is?" Lucas asked, a harsh tone in his voice. "Do you know where Will is!" Lucas demanded loudly and Eleven looked really scared. "This is mental we have to take her to your mum,"

Eleven looked like she was going to cry and Bea started to make her way over to her, ignoring the boys bickering.

"What kind of danger?" Dustin asked and Mike went silent, pointing a finger gun at Dustins head and then to Lucas, who just slapped it away. Lucas pushed past the boys, about to leave.

He opened the door but it slammed shut, all of the figurines on Mikes table shaking.

When Lucas opened it again the same thing happened, the door magically slammed closed and this time locked. Everyone turned to Eleven who now had blood dripping from her nose as she stood up.

"No," she said and everyone looked at one another in confusion. Bea ignored them, going to sit next to Eleven.

"Hey Sweetie. I'm Bea, you okay?" Bea asked as she stood next to Eleven. She nodded her head and Bea smiled "What's your name?"

"El," she said in a quiet voice and Bea gently wrapped her arms around El's shoulders.

"Let's get you cleaned up alright," she said before ushering El towards the bathroom across the hall.

When they got in Bea locked the door and grabbed a spare handkerchief her mum always told her to carry. She ran it under the water before washing the blood away from El's face.

"There, all better," Bea said as she turned El round so she was looking in the mirror. A small smile appeared on El's face as she looked at Bea through the mirror.

"I have to go home, you alright staying with the boys?" Bea asked and El nodded her head as she walked her back to the room.

"Dont let her go haywire," Bea whispered into Dustins ear before walking out the door and back home.

***

It was late again, about 9 o'clock - well not late really but it was getting dark and Dustin was only 12 years old. She saw him bike in and opened the door, allowing him to come in.

"So, how's El?" Bea asked as Dustin sat down at the table, taking a bite from the grilled cheese sandwich on the table.

Bea hit his hand before snatching the plate away. "Mine," she said before taking a sip from her drink.

"El's fine, she has superpowers and stuff but other than that not much happened," he said and he was about to go somewhere when he remembered something.

"But she did this weird thing where she flipped out D&D board over and placed Will's figurine on it. But then she didn't say anything, it was pretty weird actually." He explained and Vea nodded her head, taking another bite of her food.

"So Will is on the other side of the board?" Bea asked and Dustin shrugged his shoulders before getting up and rummaging through the fridge.

"I thought you ate at the Wheelers," Bea stated as she took another bite of her grilled cheese.

Dustin pulled out a container of pasta and Bea chuckled to herself.

"Eat it, I'll make myself a different lunch in the morning," she said and a huge grin appeared on Dustins face as he sat at the table, basically devouring the pasta. Bea just laughed at her little brother as she ate.

"You want a drink too, I bought more Coke at the shops," she said and he smiled at her, getting up and prettily skipping to the fridge, dodging Mews on the way.

Once the food was done Dustin went to bed, said he had some thinking to do but Bea just laughed and said he was brooding. She also decided to go to her room.

As Bea lay on her bed she thought about the events of the recent days, if this was how Hawkins was, did she really want to become a police officer? It had been her dream since she was little, her dad was a police officer and she was pretty close with him before he got divorced from their mum when she was a little younger than Dustin - maybe 10 or 11.

As she was lost in her train of thought Jonathan snuck in through her window, basically giving her a heart attack.

"Shit! Jonathan Byers," she said as he stood on the corner of her room, his camera around his neck.

He laughed, "Lanugage Beatrice," Jonathon said as he hopped onto the bed next to her, making a loud noise.

"You do realise you could have come through the front door," Bea said and Jonathan brushed it off, this was the happiest she'd seen him for a long time and she really loved this side of him.

"What do you want?" She asked, he never just randomly came into her room if he didn't need something. Whether it was his parents fighting before they got divorced or people bullying him at school she didn't care, as long as he was ok.

"I just want to sit," he said and Bea nodded her head, allowing Jonathan to sit right next to her, their arms brushing together and her head against the headboard. Bea reached over Jonathan, her stomach pressed against him as she turned the radio on.

When she sat back up his face was bright red but she couldn't fully comprehend why.

Instead Bea just sat listening to the music, well until The Clash came on. Jonathon tensed up as Should I Stay or Should I Go came on as Bea knew how much it meant to him and Will. Bea saw the tears starting to well up in his eyes and she placed her hand on top of his in a friendly way as she turned to look at him.

The music seemed to go quiet, like water was filling up her ears. Her and Jonathan simultaneously leaned into one another until she could feel his breath against her lips.

She pulled away quickly before they could kiss and she turned away.

"I think you should go," Bea said quietly and Jonathan nodded his head in agreement, climbing back out of the window.

When he was gone Bea lay her head on the pillows, panicking about what she nearly just done.

No.

She didn't like him like that and he was grieving over his brother. But she did remember how she felt about someone a long time ago, and she still might but that man is not Jonathan.

Masterlist 003

Taglist:

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[a-aexotic]

away in london. | marauders

pair: gn!reader x the marauders away in london chapter 002: remus's pet cat.

warnings: mention of cat allergies, jealousy, sirius being dramatic asf word count: 1k summary: when remus loses his cat, he guilt-trips asks y/n for help.

a/n: i love the concept of remus having a soft spot/an attachment for a cat so here's a fic :,) tags: @nothinghcppens @eunoniaa @isolemnlyswearpevensie @thatslovelymoony @amourtentiaa @vsawyer1989 @maybanksslut

YOU AWOKE WITH A LOUD KNOCK ON HER BEDROOM DOOR. you groaned and sat up, gently rubbing their eyelids. you checked their phone.

9:28 am

they had the audacity to wake you up on a weekend at 9 am. now you were really pissed. the knocking stopped finally and the person sighed. you were already awake, you might as well ask why they'd waken them up this early.

you got up your comfortable bed, a slight groan coming out of your mouth. you went to the door and opened it, revealing a disheveled remus next to her door, seated on the ground.

"why are you waking me up at 9 am-"

"you're worried about me waking you up at 9 am when carrot hasn't come home yet?" remus spoke in an urgent tone. "he's gone! carrot's gone missing!" carrot, if you couldn't tell, was remus' stray cat. about two weeks ago, remus found the cat in the balcony.

he took it inside, completely forgetting peter's allergy, causing the poor boy to flare up. james had to take him to the hospital. remus then took it outside, and it proceeded to leave and come back every night for two weeks - except last night. "have you ever maybe thought that carrot might have a family-"

"we're his family, y/n! we can't just leave him! what if- what if he's gotten eaten by something? or lost his way home!" remus cried as he got up, facing you. you nodded and rubbed his shoulders comfortably. "what are we going to do?"

" remus, sweetheart, i'm not doing anything. you and your boyfriend are! sirius? sirius wake up, your man's gone mad!" y/n shouted as remus shook his head.

"no, no! shut up, sirius doesn't know i'm planning on keeping carrot. i said i'm only taking care of it until it leaves forever." remus said as you furrowed your eyebrows.

"okay . . . what do yo-"

"remember when i helped you cheat on that test a few weeks ago?" remus spoke as you glared at him. of course he'd use that as an excuse for you to help him find this cat, that wasn't even his!

"remus-"

"that was a favor, and i'm asking you repay that favor y/n." remus smirked as you rolled your eyes and sighed.

"fine." you closed the door and rubbed your eyes. remus smiled and patted your shoulder.

"okay, now go brush your teeth, your breath doesn't smell good." remus said as he walked away, as you gasped in offense.

"yeah dickhead, it's because you woke me up early and i haven't brushed my teeth yet!" you shouted as he walked away with a smug smile on his face.

YOU FROWNED AS YOU AND REMUS WALKED AROUND LONDON, YOUR FEET ACHING. he had said that you guys would have to check all the local shelters and look in allies trying to find the cat. this had been the fifth shelter you'd checked today, and still no luck. "remus, i'm tired."

"i don't care, we need to find carrot." remus said in a reassuring tone, but you could tell he was also losing hope.

you sighed and took his hands in yours. "listen, remmy. i'm sure carrot is safe, but it's getting late." you paused, turning him to face you. "how about . . . we adopt a new one?"

remus looked at you like you just the most offensive thing ever. "what?! no! i am not replacing carrot! he is my child, your nephew! how dare you!?" he had tears in his eyes, and you looked at him with knitted eyebrows. "he my child, y/n-"

"hold on, lily's calling." you spoke as he groaned. you answered, "hey lils."

"um, is remus with you?" you hummed in reply. "are you looking for the orange cat? the one that almost killed pete?"

"yeah, how'd you know?" you replied. remus gazed at you with an annoyed expression.

"well tell remmy that he's returned, and he won't stop meowing and scratching in the balcony." lily sighed. "come back soon, siri is about to commit murder."

you laughed. "okay, we'll be home soon."

"what'd she say?" remus questioned, putting his hand on his hip.

"hm nothing, she just wanted to tell you that carrot's back." you had a happy smile on your face as you watched remus' face light up with pure joy.

"really? then what are we doing, let's go home!" he grabbed your hand, jogging to the nearest road so you guys can catch a cab to home.

REMUS RAN TO THE BALCONY, OPENING THE DOOR. he grabbed carrot, and hugged the cat very tightly. sirius watched in envy and jealousy, as you and lily watched sirius in amusement.

"you jealous, siri?" lily spoke as sirius flipped her off as he groaned. "so dramatic, and for what?" you started laughing loudly as lily joined you.

"aw, looks like remus has replaced you . . . with a cat named carrot." you choked out between laughs. you and lily started to laugh so loudly and hard, that tears were in your eyes as sirius got up to remus.

you couldn't hear what they're saying but you could see the irritation in remus' expression and the cat looked to be enjoying it.

"we should tell pete to get allergy pills because remus isn't getting rid of carrot anytime soon," you spoke as lily nodded.

"i'll text him right now."

[pepperf]

wip meme: t100 002 *chinhands*

lol. Oh jeez, okay... oh! This is my The 100 canon universe soulmate AU. I wrote a lot of this one, and I was pretty pleased with it, which is why it’s still on my WIP list. A long snippet, just because.

---

He's still not totally convinced that Lincoln isn't planning to carry Octavia off, but he finally agrees to release him because Octavia insists that it's her risk to take, that she doesn't care, that she trusts this Grounder she barely even knows—and, honestly, a part of him wishes that Lincoln would carry her off and save him a whole heap of trouble. Not being responsible for his sister: what a concept.

But Lincoln stays. He doesn't run back to the Grounders, and he doesn't massacre them all single-handedly. He might be scoping them out, but honestly, Bellamy doesn't have much illusion about the strength and complexity of their fortifications. If Lincoln was watching them from the trees, he probably knows everything that's worth knowing by now. Which means he's staying for Octavia.

So Bellamy is trying to bond with him, god help them both.

"She's my... I don't know what you call it." Then Lincoln says something that sounds like gibberish to Bellamy's untrained ears. Soulmate marks started appearing during the first years on the Ark, so there's no shared origin word.

"Say it again?"

Lincoln sounds it out slowly. "Tom... bom... houmon. Tombom, like heart." He pats his chest, where Octavia's name hides under his shirt. "Houmon, like... people united with promises?"

"Spouse," Bellamy translates. Lincoln speaks fluent English, but on Earth it's a warrior's tongue; some words don't get used as often.

Lincoln nods. "Spouse, yes. Tombom-houmon."

"Tombom-houmon." It's a pleasant word. Bouncy. "We say soulmate."

"Soulmate." Lincoln turns the word over, thoughtfully. "It's easier to say," he concedes, eventually. Bellamy's lips twitch. "Have you met yours?"

He doesn't know what makes him pause. Lincoln should probably be the last person he'd trust with his secrets. But there's something about this quiet, thoughtful Grounder—no, this quiet, thoughtful man, he corrects himself—that he instinctively trusts. And if this is Octavia's soulmate, he needs to start somewhere.

"Octavia doesn't know," he begins, heart tripping nervously. "I always told her I didn't get a name. On the Ark, it was—I didn't think it would be fair."

Lincoln just looks at him.

"I know I've got to tell her the truth, but I just... I need time, okay? You can't tell her."

Lincoln considers this. "You will tell her?"

Bellamy sighs. "Soon," he finds himself promising.

Lincoln nods. "Then I'll keep your secret."

Bellamy stares the other man in the eyes. Lincoln looks back steadily, but honestly, he doesn't even need to do that: somehow, Bellamy already trusts him with this. He nods his thanks.

Then he lets his control slip, allowing his eyes drift where they always seem to want to go: to wherever Clarke is located. At the moment she's just across the camp from them, in their direct eye-line, going through the stores with Monty to head off any further incidents with hallucinogenic flora. But he always knows where she is, can always find her in a crowd, unerringly. Like his body just knows.

When he turns back to Lincoln, he doesn't need to say anything. "I see," says Lincoln. And Bellamy is pretty sure that he does see, too—that meeting his soulmate wasn't some defining romantic moment in Bellamy's life, that he can't just walk up to her and stake a claim or whatever, that it's hard and complicated, with precious little likelihood of a happy ending. That whatever happens, it's going to bring him trouble.

It's such a fucking relief to tell someone at last. He rests his elbows on his knees and lets his head slump between his shoulders for a moment, just breathing.

"You're well matched."

Bellamy's head snaps up so fast he's going to hurt himself. "What?"

Lincoln just looks at him. "You and Clarke. Don't you think?"

"Uh, no."

Lincoln—who is rapidly on his way to being the second biggest pain in Bellamy's ass—raises his eyebrows. "You're both strong. Wily. Mistrustful. Ruthless."

Bellamy winces, but Lincoln is saying these things as though they're compliments.

"You don't hesitate to do what must be done to protect your people."

"I hesitate," objects Bellamy, not particularly appreciating this assessment.

Lincoln ponders it, and then tips his head. "And yet, in the end, you'll still do it. You were both born to lead your people."

Bellamy scoffs slightly at this. "I was born about as far as you can get from leadership. I took it down here because I had to, to protect my sister."

Lincoln nods, as if he understands. "I see. And if not for her, you would willingly have followed someone else."

"Well..."

"That one, perhaps." He points out Miller. "Or her." Fox. "Or him." Jasper.

Bellamy's entire soul revolts at the idea, and it shows on his face, apparently, because Lincoln looks smug. "Not just anyone," he mutters. His eyes light on Clarke again.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter," says Lincoln. "Whatever traits you do or don't share, she's your soulmate. You fit together. You are made for each other."

He blinks at Lincoln in shock. "What? No we're not."

"That's what this means," says Lincoln, gesturing to where his soulmark rests. "Do your people not understand this?"

"No, we—we do," he croaks. "But that's—Clarke and I aren't—it's not like that with us."

"Yes it is," says Lincoln, inexorably. "It is like that for all soulmates, whether or not they wish to acknowledge it."

He ducks his head and stares at the floor.

"You don't really think you can ignore it, do you?"

But Bellamy doesn't answer, because he's in the middle of an unwelcome epiphany. "Fuuuuuuuck," he mutters, dropping his face into his hands. Lincoln chooses now to fall silent, leaving Bellamy with his churning thoughts. It's not just the way he's drawn to Clarke—he's given up pretending that feeling doesn't exist. It's the sudden realisation that he wants this—he wants her. He doesn't want to fight this attraction, this sense of connection with her. He wants it to be real, for him to be part of her life. He wants to know that this isn't some fluke or the result of necessity, that it's not going to end as soon as the rest of the Ark comes down. He wants... he wants everything.

So now here he is, trying to go to pieces quietly because he's in the middle of camp, in the middle of the day, and he doesn't need a fucking audience for this.

"Ah," says Lincoln, catching on.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck."

Lincoln pats his shoulder awkwardly. He seems to have been knocked off balance at last, and Bellamy would find some satisfaction in that, under any other circumstances.

They sit quietly, and Bellamy tries to get himself under control, and not be so obviously in crisis.

"How?" says Lincoln, at last. Bellamy glances at him, and the other man gestures helplessly. "How did you not know?" He sounds baffled.

"It's less than three weeks since we first met," says Bellamy. "And most of that time we've been busy trying not to die."

Lincoln winces, and looks away. "Sorry," he says.

Bellamy huffs a quiet laugh, staring down at his boots again. All this bloodshed, and Lincoln is sorry that it messed with his love life? Abruptly, he remembers Roma, and loses any inclination to find any of this amusing. "Yeah, well."

When he looks up, Lincoln is staring across the camp at Clarke. She's laughing with Monty, and Jasper has come over to join them, and Lincoln looks... conflicted. He's making connections, Bellamy realises. They're becoming people in his eyes. He was already protecting Octavia, but now there's Octavia's brother, and Octavia's brother's soulmate, and all their friends...

In a way, he can understand Lincoln's position. Now he's getting to know Lincoln, the Grounders don't feel so distant and unknowable, so threatening. Well, okay, still pretty threatening, he thinks, remembering how fucking built the guy sitting next to him is, how hard he was to take down. But he also remembers Lincoln's face when he looked at Octavia, and as hard as he fights it, how much he hates that this strange and terrifyingly competent Grounder is his baby sister's soulmate (why couldn't it have been Atom? He could control Atom), he still—with the greatest reluctance—understands how he felt in that moment.

He looks across the camp at Clarke, just as she rolls her eyes and smacks Jasper with the back of her hand, sending him packing with a sharp word. Jasper and Monty exchange their dumb handshake thing, and Clarke turns back to the table, hiding a fond smile. And Bellamy feels his heart clench.

He's so fucked.