#selena butterfly

[selenabutterfl-y]

They are so in love

[duaa-lipaaa]

Dua Lipa on the beauty papers ❤️

[ppulverse]

time's a thief that keeps on stealing!! i just keep on chasing that feeling!!

[dollyyun]

𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬' 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐲 | 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟔.𝟑

SYNOPSIS: Just when you think that everything has fallen back into place as it was before, a twist of fate leads you to be thrown into a shocking revelation, one that results in the breach of trust once more, and this time, the damage is completely irreversible. Being broken beyond repair, you agreed to embark on a new journey for the sake of your sanity, burying the bittersweet yet painful memories in the wreckage of your mind. But perhaps there is another twist from fate that you won't be expecting in the midst of your new blissful journey.

PAIRING: non!idols enha hyung line x fem!reader

GENRE: 18+ (mdni), college au, semi-adulthood, reverse harem, dark themes.

WORD COUNT: 23.5k

WARNINGS: mild smuts, explicit themes, profanities, heavy angst, violence, blood, manipulation, corruption, toxicity, mentions of sex tapes, lots of crying, slut-shaming, cyber bullying, depression, mentions of suicide, mentions of death.

PLAYLIST: supernatural - Ariana Grande, breathin - Ariana Grande, Close To You - Gracie Abrams, I Hate It Here - Taylor Swift, Lose You To Love Me - Selena Gomez, Softcore - The Neighbourhood, 3 Strikes - Terror Jr, You Broke Me First - Tate McRae, Beautiful Mistakes - Maroon 5 ft. Megan Thee Stallion, Lovesick Girls - BLACKPINK

PREV (PART 6.2) | NEXT (PART 7.1) ✘ SERIES MASTERLIST ✘

-smut warnings under cut-

smut warnings: unprotected sex (no!), mention of double penetration, fingering, mention of blowjob, implied threesomes,

The faint sound of water running and the coldness from the air conditioner kissing your foot rouses you from the deep slumber, sending shivers through your body as it aches tremendously with every single movement you make, and just like that, the event that transpired before you lost consciousness instantly replays itself in your mind.

You force your heavy eyelids to pry open, only to squint at the luminance casting a gentle glow that allows you to see the unfamiliar suite you have been sleeping in. The bedding beneath your nude body doesn’t feel as drenched as you recall, to which your cheeks warm with the shade of faint pink at the uncountable times you’ve squirted, but it does seem that they’ve moved you to a different suite for you to sleep comfortably.

Even if their thoughtful consideration does make your heart flutter, it doesn’t expunge your disappointment at having awakened without any of them in bed with you. Determined to search for them, you move your aching limb slowly as you lift the fleecy duvet from your body, only for you to gasp softly upon seeing fresh hickeys across the expanse of your chest.

You barely manage to wrap this sight around your head when the door suddenly swings open, eliciting a squeal from you as you quickly shield your nudity with the duvet, your widened eyes staring at Jake, whose charming countenance has amusement written all over.

“Don’t act all shy on me now, sweetheart.” Jake muses, a simper smile spreading across his face as he strides towards you. Your eyes roam around him with the butterflies in their wake, admiring how gorgeous he looks in a man bun again while donning a simple tank top that displays his prominent muscles. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Besides, you weren’t this shy last night.”

“It’s different.” You retort, still clinging to the duvet as you slowly force your body to rise, but you cave in to your exhaustion once more as you fall back on the mattress, while the sight of you pouting and giving him your doe eyes greatly amuses him. “I’m sore, Jaeyun, and it’s all of your faults.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here.” Jake says with a mirthful chuckle, bending down to slide his arms underneath your body after you hesitantly expose your nudity to him before he carries you with ease and brings you to the bathroom, where the door has been left open ever since.

“Where are the others?” Just as you ask him, your eyes trail over to a shirtless Jay, who has been filling the massive bathtub. Your eyes manage to feast upon his glory as he faces you before noticing the look in your eyes that brings a smirk to his lips.

“Slept well, baby?” You nod your head meekly, shying away as Jay’s eyes feel invasive in the way they roam around your nudity, with Jake stopping in front of him. Goosebumps arise on your skin as Jay caresses your calf. “Damn, baby. You look good with our marks on your body.” He says huskily, leaning down to press a sensual kiss on your leg.

“She does, doesn’t she?” Jake looks down at you with a suggestive smirk, sending your heart to leap as you recognise the familiar desire glinting in his eyes. “You don’t mind us joining you in the bathtub, sweetheart?”

“No.” Even if you did mind, it isn’t like you have a choice, considering his tone indicates no room for objections as he carefully settles you in the water-filled bathtub. As your body fully dips, the perfect temperature of the water draws out a pleasurable sigh from you as the warmness seems to alleviate the soreness in every part of your body.

“Just no funny business. I can’t handle another round.” You tell them and look away as they get rid of their shorts, your cheeks flushing pink. You attempt to scoot further just as they dip themselves into the bathtub, but Jay grabs a hold of your legs and pulls you to him while the abrupt movement causes the water to ripple violently as it splashes.

“Yeah, you can, because you’re just that perfect for us.” Jay coos as you feel his hands spreading your legs wide and positioning them over his thighs, while your breath hitches at the thick sensation of Jake’s girth pressing against your lower back as he settles behind you, his hands seizing your hips to press himself into you.

“I thought we were just going to take a bath.” You gasp at the intrusion of Jay’s fingers wiggling their way into your sopping cunt while Jake’s fingers stimulate your clit, arousing the bundle of nerves to go aflame.

“We are, but you look so fucking good, angel.” Jay murmurs as he leans down to capture your nipple with his ravenous mouth, eliciting a moan from you at the sensitivity and causing you to arch your back with your lidded eyes swirling with a haze of lust.

“Feels good, love?” Jake asks lowly, his husky voice only seems to amplify your raging arousal in your core, while his gentle ministration on your clit is a skillful precision that has your eyes rolling to the back, working in an addictive tandem with Jay’s fingers into your cunt.

“So good.” You moan out softly, your head going dizzy at how gentle they are with you as they take their time in pleasuring you, causing you to grip Jake’s thigh next to you while your other hand goes winding in Jay’s slightly dampened hair as he continues to give equal attention to your nipples and kiss around your mounts.

“M-More, please.” Just as you plead, Jake seizes your jaw to turn your head sideways and captures your lips in a passionate kiss that has your toes curling, while Jay traces his tongue across your skin and finds its way to dominate his licks and kisses on your neck.

Jake greedily swallows your moan and holds down your twitching body as soon as you feel Jay’s fingers curling and hitting the familiar g-spot. “That’s your spot, yeah?” Jay rasps against your moist skin, his fingers relentlessly thrusting into you while you struggle to rock your hips, wanting to feel him deeply.

“Come on, sweet angel.” Jake is just as relentless as Jay, his fingers rubbing your clit with a sense of urgency while the overall stimulation hurls you at the precipice of your impending climax.

Switching roles, Jay turns your head to smash his lips into yours, silencing your moans and kissing you sloppily, while Jake reaches up to roll and pinch your perky nipple with his fingers. The water around you ripples violently as it splashes onto the tiles from their hands with their biceps muscles flexing.

With one precise yet hard thrust from Jay’s fingers alongside Jake pinching your clit, you break the kiss as you lean your head back on to Jake’s broad shoulder with a loud moan leaving your lips, feeling your pulsating cunt release the familiar fluid as you squirt.

“Damn, baby, you squirt so easily. I fucking love that.” Jay groans, pumping his fingers into your gushing cunt while his lips ghost your panting lips. “Think you can handle our cocks like last night?”

“No, please, no.” You whimper, shaking your head languidly in protest, but you can’t deny the persisting arousal in your core as Jake rubs your sensitive clit again.

“Yes, sweetheart. You can handle us.” Jake nips at the shell of your earlobe, his voice lacing with unmistakable affection. “Because that’s how perfect you are for us.”

As soon as you feel the swollen head of Jay’s cock gliding across your slits, there is no doubt that you will be in here with them for an hour or so.

Embarrassment floods across your cheeks while you avoid having to make eye contact with the bustling professional crew members in your vicinity as you slowly make your way to the top, recalling Jay’s words earlier to meet them there, but your sore legs impede you from walking as normally as you can. Thankfully, these crew members seem to disregard you, as they are immersive in their jobs.

“Princess.” Sunghoon’s deep voice next to your ear startles you, nearly sending you to tumble forward if it weren’t for his hands steadying your body. Butterflies swarm around at the sensation of his lips kissing your bare shoulder as you are adorned in your previous short sundress. “Is my pretty princess having a hard time walking?”

“Sunghoon.” You murmur, your rosy cheeks feel warmer, and you feel conscious of your eyes looking at the two of you being blatantly intimate out in the open with his arms caging your waist and his lips peppering kisses on your exposed skin. “Not here, please.”

Obliging, Sunghoon takes you by surprise as he manoeuvres you in a bridal style, prompting you to latch your arms around his neck instinctively and flushing red at the eyes of the crew members on you as Sunghoon, with the most nonchalant demeanour, proceeds to make his way towards the flight of stairs with you in his arms.

“Where are the other guests? Or is it just us?” You inquire after the realisation of your prior observation and even notice that the other three yachts are not anywhere in sight as soon as you reach the top, where Jay, Heeseung, and Jake are lounging on the couches.

“They’ve gone back to the marina while you were still asleep earlier. So it’s only us, princess.” Sunghoon says, casting you a smirk as he heads over to his best friends. “Don’t worry about your friends. They were more than fine when I told them about you staying here a little longer with us.”

Reaching them, diffidence washes over you at their full attention, causing you to look away from them with your rosy cheeks warming as you remain shy away from them, and it is even flabbergasting when Sunghoon decides to settle you down on Heeseung’s lap.

Before you can even move, Heeseung’s arms cage around your waist, preventing you from any form of escape. Your heart pounds harder against your chest as Heeseung plants a sensual kiss on your exposed nape, while his bulge beneath your buttocks feels prominent with each passing moment. Your eyes follow Sunghoon’s figure as he walks over to Jake and settles across from him, just next to the couch that you are on.

“Pretty girl.” Heeseung lulls captivate your attention on him, his lips ghosting your skin across your shoulder while you remain transfixed, your eyes meeting Jay’s from across you, whose lips curve into a smirk as he is completely laid-back on the couch, watching you with a burning cigarette stick in between his fingers.

“Seungie.” You whisper, your pulse drumming in your ear as you feel his fingers tracing circles on your inner thigh, dangerously close to your core, and his lips planting a wet kiss on your shoulder. 

Heeseung hums against your shoulder, sending vibrations through you. “Hungry, my beloved? We have plenty of food to feed you.” With one arm remaining locked around your waist, he uses the other to reach out for a fork and stab it into a grilled sausage before giving it to you. “Eat as much as you want, pretty.”

“What about you?” You direct your question to all of them, feeling self-conscious of their eyes staring at you before you try your utmost to ignore them and proceed to indulge your grumbling hunger.

“We’ve eaten while you were busy getting ready.” Jay says after puffing out the grey as it wafts in the air. “If you want more, we can ask the kitchen crew to cook some more.”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to be greedy.” You reassure him with a small smile, your eyes darting down on the table at the nearly full platters of a variety of food that have your mouth salivating. After the energy that was lost last night, this is very much needed for you.

The next few minutes or so, the four of them engage in a collective conversation about something that you don’t bother to be curious about, especially since you are too preoccupied stuffing yourself with the delectable food, and almost half of the platters are now empty.

Throughout the whole time, Heeseung occasionally gives you affectionate kisses on your shoulder in the middle of their occurring conversation with his fingers caressing your inner thigh, which feels oddly comforting. Eventually, you lax and allow yourself to lean back into him, earning yourself a kiss on the cheek from him.

For a moment, you silently bask in this newfound sense of tranquilly of being surrounded by these four dangerous men with distinctive dark allures, unfurling a discreet yet soft smile on your lips and feeling the love you have for them in your beating yet fluttery heart.

But then, a certain recollection shatters the tranquilly, bringing a frown to your lips. Though you no longer feel resentful towards them, a part of you nudges you to exercise prudence, wanting to know if they still keep them.

“Can I ask you something?” You speak up, your tone drawing their attention to you as they desist from their conversation. You bite down your lip unintentionally, causing their eyes to darken at the sight, but they abstain themselves upon seeing your face conveying a certain sombre.

“What’s wrong, princess?” Sunghoon decides to put an end to your resounding silence, prompting you to look up to see the encouragement on their faces as well as Heeseung’s comforting caress on your thigh.

“Tell us.” Heeseung’s breath tickles you as he whispers in your ear. “What is bothering our sweet angel? Hmm?”

“It’s about the pictures and videos you took of me at the church.” You blurt out before you can even stop yourself to reevaluate your decision. Your eyes remain fixated on the table, uncertain of what expressions they display in their demeanour, but you can feel Heeseung’s arms around you tighten. “Please, I want you to delete them─”

“They’ve been deleted.” Heeseung interjects, his mellow voice a soothing balm to your frayed nerves, and yet you can discern something so guileful that belies his benign disposition, but Heeseung allays your qualm as he presses a deep, affectionate kiss on your cheek. “You don’t have to worry about them anymore, pretty girl.”

“Yeah, they’ve already been deleted since you left the palace that night.” Jake adds, wanting to ease your perturbing state of mind upon seeing your expression, before he quickly shoots knowing glares at Jay and Sunghoon. “Isn’t that right, guys?”

“Oh, totally.” Jay places his empty glass on the table, his emphatic eyes meeting yours that convey such assurance amidst the palpable adoration he always has for you. “We didn’t want you to be mad at us any longer, so we did what you wanted.”

“Sunghoon?” Heeseung clears his throat, drawing all of your attention to the silent male who seems to be brooding. Your eyes follow the taut movement of his chiselled jaw clenching while his eyes remain fixated on the breathtaking horizon.

“Dude.” Jake calls for his best friend in a low murmur as he raises his eyebrow at the latter, and you notice that there seems to be unspoken conversation exchanging between them by the look in their eyes.

Sunghoon draws in a sharp inhalation before turning to the side to direct his attention to you, but seeing your expectant eyes that hold such innocence causes his tainted heart to clench while his jaw tightens for another measure.

Still, Sunghoon musters the most sincere smile he can, hoping that he’s not grimacing in the slightest to give away suspicion. “Yes, princess. You can rest assured that they’ve been deleted. Now you don’t have to worry about your pretty head, yeah?”

“Thank you.” You breathe out the remnants of tension, giving them a soft smile that oddly gives them a sense of guilt while their demeanour remains neutral. You turn your head to press a soft kiss at the corner of Heeseung’s lips, to which he smirks lightly at your rare display of affection in front of the guys.

“So did you manage to find your phone that went, apparently, mysteriously missing last night?” Jake shifts the air of conversation to another topic, his question directed at Sunghoon as the latter downs his glass of tequila.

“Yeah, I did. It was placed back where it was originally.” Sunghoon fishes out his phone from his pocket, scoffing in disbelief as he recalls. “It was more than obvious that it went missing on purpose. Whoever took it must’ve thought that I wouldn’t notice or something. Fucking stupid.”

“Probably it was Kang, who obviously had his other rebellion to fuck things further.” Jay’s eyes go ablaze with an unmistakable anger, sending shivers down your spine. But confusion swirls in your head, because the only Kangs on campus you know are you and Kang Taehyun.

“Right. Speaking of, pretty love?” Jake’s tone shifts into a familiar affection as he calls out to you, causing your heart to swell as you meet his adoring eyes. “Thanks to Sunoo and Riki’s assistance, we’ve finally discovered the identity of your anonymous texter.”

“We were right about putting him as our first suspect after the remark he made.” Sunghoon’s tone is dripping with venom, causing you to feel the instinctive need to recoil, but as if sensing your disquietude, Heeseung presses his lips on the back of your shoulder with a familiar reverence. “There is no doubt that he was one of the responsible ones behind the incident.”

“Who is he?” You ask, your heart thrumming in anticipation with dread crawling on your skin. Somehow,  you fear hearing their answer.

They exchange meaningful glances before Jay decides to reveal, “Kang Taehyun.”

It is as though needles are piercing into your bleeding heart while you remain frigid, your eyes widening in the slight fractions. You refuse to believe that the guy who had been nothing but amiable to you based on your past encounter with him is your anonymous texter, but the sombre casting shadows across their countenance counter otherwise.

“But why?” You begin to voice out your muddling thoughts, a frown tugging at your lips. “Why would he want to squander his time to pull off something like that? And what are his motives? I thought he was nice.”

“Yes, we’ve been wondering the same, but unfortunately, he didn’t attend the party last night, so we found another alternative.” Sunghoon says before looking at Jay with a smirk that denotes purpose, which strikes a curiosity in you. “Bring him up here.”

“Him? Who?” You ask with your eyes, following Jay until he descends the stairs, your eagerness eliciting endearing chuckles from them. You huff lightly, your eyes narrowing at them. “It isn’t funny. I genuinely want to find out why Taehyun did what he did and if he really was the one behind the incident.”

“We do too, but we couldn’t get him, so we got his best friend instead.” Jake wears a mirthful grin, yet his eyes gleam with depravity that sends an unpleasant shiver through you. But wait, his best friend?

On cue, the sound of steps ascending to the rooftop shifts your attention towards the source, and alas, Jay returns with a certain someone that has your heart nearly falling to the pit of your stomach while your eyes widen in bewilderment. 

Surely, he can’t be Taehyun’s accomplice, even if they are best friends. Just like Taehyun, he has been nothing but nice and kind towards you, with an air of amiability that often radiates from him.

As you examine the state he is in, a grimace etches on your face, feeling bad for him. He looks like he has been through hell ─ there is a cut on his bottom lip, a faint bruise at the corner of his right eye, and his lidded eyes keep fluttering, almost as though he is half asleep. You shudder at the thought of their violence, and you have an inkling that they decided to show mercy on him instead.

Without any ounce of mercy, Jay forces him down to his knees before standing behind him, and that is when you finally notice the metal baseball bat that Jay has been clutching from the moment they arrived.

“Sorry for the damage on your face.” Jake does not sound the slightest remorseful, cruelty shines through his smirk as his dark eyes penetrate into him. “But you do realise that it is natural for us to assume that you’re Taehyun’s accomplice.”

“No hard feelings, Choi.” Sunghoon says, leaning back leisurely as he brings his half-filled glass of Bourbon to his smirking lips. “I’m sure you’ll understand why we’re doing this. Besides, things have always been similarly done this way.”

“Let’s get straight to the point.” Heeseung’s flinty voice cuts through the crisp air, nearly causing you to cower, but you can barely move when his arms tighten around your waist like steel. “What are Kang Taehyun’s motives, Choi Beomgyu?"

Beomgyu spits the blood out of his mouth, breathing raggedly while his eyes flicker at you, but you look away from him, unable to see the state he is in, even if he is Taehyun’s accomplice. “I fucking told you that I didn’t know anything.”

“You’re lying.” Jake tuts, his head tilting to one side while his smirk widens. “Choose your next words carefully, or your own house leader will show you no mercy.”

“Come on, Choi. We don’t have all day.” Sunghoon heaves a sigh as he rises from the couch to make his way to you, only to caress your cheek lovingly. “Don’t keep us waiting. We still have the remaining time to spend on our girl.”

“Your girl?” Beomgyu nearly growls out, earning inquisitive eyebrow raises from the four leaders.

Sunghoon taunts him with a smirk on his lips before seizing your chin to force you to look at Beomgyu in the eyes. Your breath hitches at the predatory glint in his eyes fleetingly before something entirely different, almost like a facade, casts over his features.

“Yes. Our girl.” Sunghoon finds great delight in flaunting you to Beomgyu. “Your best friend should’ve known better than to fuck around with our sweet angel, and now you will be the one to face the consequence instead since your best friend didn’t show up.”

“It was almost as if he knew that we were already onto him.” Jay swings the baseball bat mindlessly, and yet you can see how he seems to be handling it in a professional way. “So what’s it going to be, Choi? Are you going to tell us the truth, or do I have to beat the truth out of you?”

“I’m telling you guys the truth! I don’t know what his motives are or why he did it!” Beomgyu finally snaps, veins protruding in his neck, while there is a genuine plea of desperation in his conveyance to prove his innocence. “I didn’t even know that he had been texting Y/N through anonymity! It isn’t my fault for not having the slightest clue that he had been a freak!”

“Are you guys buying any of this?” Sunghoon inquires, looking at his best friends. “No? I’m the only one, then?”

“Yeah, I don’t believe him either. Well, there goes your chance, Choi.” Jay smirks as he raises his metal baseball bat with the intention of swinging it to his back, but you can’t stand for such violence, even if they are in the wrong.

And so, against your better judgement, you stop Jay. “Don’t!” Your preventative exclamation earns you disbelieving stares from the four of them, whereas Beomgyu looks at you as though you are his guardian angel, but you ignore his gaze. “Just please, don’t hurt him.”

“Oh, but we do, pretty.” Heeseung whispers darkly in your ear, his arms tightening around you with each passing second. “I know you don’t like seeing violence, so either you’re going to look away or I’ll close your eyes for you.”

“There is no need for violence because I believe him.” You assert yourself strongly, despite your unwavering resolve. As you return your gaze to Beomgyu, you can see the stark sincerity in the way his eyes glisten. “He’s telling the truth. He doesn’t know anything about Taehyun’s doing.”

Heeseung refrains from displaying his frustration towards you. “Beloved─”

“You trust me, right?” You turn your head to meet Heeseung’s steely eyes, and he softens at the firm resolution hardening in your eyes. “Then trust me on this. Beomgyu is innocent. Besides, when we get back, you guys can confront Taehyun instead. He’s the bad guy, not Beomgyu.”

“Thank you, Y/N.” Beomgyu speaks to you softly, but Heeseung only seems to get angrier in the way his hold on you feels dangerously possessive. Beomgyu offers you a faint smile, but you quickly look away from him, uncertain why your turmoil persists even after your declaration of his innocence. “You were always the nicer one.”

Jay clenches his jaw, as does his clutch on the baseball bat. “That’s it. We’ll throw him out into the ocean and feed him to the sharks.”

“Jay!” You exclaim in disbelief, but Jay simply ignores you as he looks at his best friends for expectant agreement.

“Heeseung, I thought you were my close friend.” Beomgyu begins to speak up, his tone is filled with bitterness, while his glaring eyes glisten with betrayal that you know too well. “Out of all people, you should’ve been the one to believe in my innocence. You know that I would never do anything to betray you.”

Heeseung tightens his jaw, feeling a foreign emotion hitting him in the gut. Although Beomgyu is not exactly his best friend, Heeseung regards the male as his only close friend whom he trusts other than the three of his best friends. Heeseung has always felt a profound sense of camaraderie since the day when Beomgyu was a new student enrolled in the second semester and the latter needed help in understanding one of the modules, which he was more than glad to provide him.

A tinge of guilt in his chest ─ that’s what has been churning unpleasantly in him, and fuck, he has never felt such sentiment. Heeseung heaves a sigh, caving into the sentiment, which throws the others off guard with his change of heart. “Like what Y/N said. Beomgyu’s innocent. We can confront Taehyun once we head back.”

Knowing that neither of them can do anything to persuade Heeseung whenever he has made up his mind, they acquiesce, but that doesn’t mean that they completely trust Beomgyu. No, they’re doing this because of you. Their faith and devotion to you are parallel to the newfound trust they have in you.

“Get one of the crew members to attend to him.” Heeseung orders, to which Jay grabs Beomgyu’s arm to assist him in getting back on his feet while Jake makes his way towards them.

“Consider yourself lucky that Y/N is able to see through you, or else you would’ve met your demise along with your best friend.” Jake speaks venomously to Beomgyu, who has his head lowered as both Jake and Jay assist him, leaving you alone with Sunghoon and Heeseung.

Just like that, the sizzling tension dissipates, replaced by something that feels rather titillating, especially in the way Heeseung begins to trail wet kisses across your shoulder while Sunghoon cradles the back of your head to tilt it up for him to kiss you squarely on the lips.

With Heeseung’s fingers tracing dangerously close to your core, your stomach feels taut in anticipation, causing you to mewl into the messy yet heated kiss against Sunghoon’s lips.

“We can’t, not here.” You gasp as soon as Sunghoon pulls away from your lips, feeling Heeseung’s fingers slithering underneath your underwear to rub your clit tantalisingly. “Someone might come up and see us.”

“Then we’ll be giving them a show as we reenact last night’s event.” Sunghoon smirks down at you, seeing as you struggle to refrain moans from escaping as you arch in Heeseung’s magic touch. “I know you love the idea of someone else watching you get fucked by us. Nasty girl, aren’t you?”

“N-No!” You cover your mouth with your palm after an accidental moan manages to escape you at the sensation of the padding of his fingers rubbing your clit with skilful precision, but Sunghoon grabs your wrist to prevent you from covering the sweet sound, rendering you helpless between these two men.

“Pretty girl is so fucking wet.” Heeseung scoffs out a smirk, his fingers moving at an unrelenting pace, before he abruptly comes to a stop, eliciting a whine from you. He seizes your jaw, turns your head for access, and captures your lips in a searing kiss.

“You’re going to take our cocks again, pretty girl.” Heeseung rasps against your lips, smirking as you whine softly into the kiss. “Damn right, we’re going to fuck you right here and now.”

“Scream all you want. We’re not done with you until you satisfy us.” Sunghoon stands in front of you as he slowly unzips his pants, smirking down at you. “Now be a good girl and open that sweet mouth of yours, princess.”

The once-bleak atmosphere that permeated every part of the palace has been enlivened by your arrival three days ago upon your agreement to return to the palace that you have missed roaming around uninhibitedly, but it seems that it has missed you too, because your mere yet jaunty presence often brings life to this magnificent yet lonely palace.

Eventually, the five of you have returned to a familiar normalcy, falling into the normal routine of either of them barging into your room to wake you up and taking turns to sleep with you despite having their own rooms to seek slumber, amongst other routines of which involved getting immensely physical, but other than that, everything else is normal.

Though your best friends remain sceptical of the leaders, they seem to be slowly accepting that the leaders have now become a major part of your life. The guys, on the other hand, are not exactly fond of your best friends either, but they refuse to restrain you even when their possessiveness adamantly desires to keep you all to themselves. Well, what matters most to them is that, as long as there are no guys in your vicinity unnecessarily,.

They can’t imagine how many pairs of eyes they would need to gauge out for daring to look your way, especially when you are dolled up all gorgeously in a simple purple crop top and a white pleated skirt that reaches way above your thighs, displaying your legs they find extremely alluring while you are busily applying mascara in the vanity mirror.

Apparently, there is a massive funfair that is organised by your own university, and it is not only open to its students but to the public as well. Initially, you had no plans on going and would like to spend the night with the guys, but upon the relentless persuasion from your best friend through calls and texts, you eventually acquiesced.

“So? What do you think?” You ask chirpily, redirecting your focus on them as you do a little twirl, allowing your skirt to flare while the sight of you in your own little world amuses them. You look over at each of them for their responses.

Heeseung is standing by the doorway, leaning sideways against the frame with his arms folded across his chest. Jay, who has been a pleasant help in choosing your outfit, is seated by the window sill with a cigarette stick rolled between his fingers. Sunghoon and Jake are lounging on your bed, their hands mindlessly playing with your plushies in their lap.

Warmth weaves across your cheeks as their eyes are filled with unmistakable adoration yet arousing lust. Right, it feels odd to you that they seem more than comfortable being openly and blatantly intimate with you in front of each other, despite the occasional passing jealousy that doesn’t go unnoticed by you. Nevertheless, you can’t deny the fact that you love having their undivided attention.

“Our girl looks beautiful, just as she always does.” Jake shoots you a boyish grin, putting aside your plushie to clasp his hands together and lean his head on the back of his palm.

“Jake’s right. I’m glad I chose the outfit for you.” Jay says, his dark eyes raking all over you while a smirk plays on his lips. “But you’d look even better without them, baby.”

“You’ve read my mind.” Sunghoon exchanges chuckles and smirks with Jay, causing you to roll your eyes at them before tying a mini side braid on your hair to enhance your overall look. “Roll your eyes again, and I’ll give them something else to roll from, princess.” You huff lightly in response.

“Pretty girl, are you sure you want to go?” Heeseung inquires for another time, and his worry is evident in the mellowness in his voice. “We won’t be coming to the fair, you know?”

“What? Why?” You jut your lips into a pout and look over to him. “But I dressed up prettily for you.”

“You are always pretty, my beloved.” Heeseung ambles towards you, his lips unfurling a small smile before it falters. “But we have some unfinished business to settle with Taehyun.”

“Apparently, he went back to his hometown, but Jungwon told us that he’s back. So it’ll make our job easier since we know where his apartment is.” Sunghoon informs, his eyes softening at your crestfallen countenance. “You’ll be okay, princess.”

“Yeah, and if there is spare time left after we finish with our business, we’ll come to the fun fair and be sure to find you.” Jake reassures you with his boyish grin again, sending flutters to your heart. 

“Okay.” You reciprocate with a soft smile before it turns sheepish, your eyes fleetingly dart at the four familiar yet distinct masks laid out on your vanity table. “Now, can we please take a picture before I go?”

You have been meaning to snap an individual picture with them and post them on Instagram story as it has been more than awhile since you last posted something. Plus, you are not ashamed to admit that you have developed something that is borderline obsession or perhaps even kink whenever you fantasise about them wearing their mask as they send you into a state of ecstasy.

“Princess, must we do this?” Sunghoon groans, obviously reluctant but nevertheless, he complies with your wish, making his way towards the vanity table to grab his designated mask. He looks at it for a good minute before casting you a suggestive smirk. “You know, we should definitely try fucking with our masks on.” He drawls attractively, moving closer to you with a seductive purpose while butterflies swarm in your tummy.

But you refuse to ruin your makeup and clothes, and so you shoot him a scowl before pushing him in the chest gently away from you. “Not a chance.”

It isn’t long before Heeseung, who insists on going first, adorns the white mask as he sits on the chair before pulling you down on his lap, eliciting a startled squeal from you as you instinctively hook your arm around his neck, enjoying the closeness a little more than you intended. His arm slithers its way around your waist while he faces the vanity mirror, watching as you proceed to snap a picture of the two of you with a dimpled smile.

Giggling as something so delightful bubbles in your chest, you slowly get off his lap before looking away from your phone to meet their eyes as you adorn a sweet smile on your glossed lips. “My next mask man, please.”

The luminescences deriving from the resplendent fairground lightings, which encompass the stupendous funfair, illumine towards the starless empyrean above the multitude of people that are bustling across the various forms of entertainment while their ebulliences in the glow of their demeanour enliven the atmosphere, including yours.

Your eyes sparkle with merriment while your laughter is accompanied by squeals as soon as your bumper car collides into Wonyoung and Yunjin’s, causing your body to jolt forward due to the impact, whereas the other girls are too preoccupied to either chase or elude from each other in your background. Music reverberates throughout the bumper section, intensifying the adrenaline rush in your body as you attempt to make a drift.

It isn’t long before you and your friends avidly rove across the throng of people in a harmonious hilarity with not a single scowl in sight. You recognise some faces from the same university you are at, and whenever you pass by, you offer them a small friendly smile, but in return, they reciprocate with a distinct yet patent odium in the way they stare at you, which genuinely confuses you.

Nevertheless, you refuse to allow anything or anyone to ruin this night of jollity, or maybe even your mind, which has been in a state of disquietude ever since you stepped foot into this festivity, but throughout the remainder of your time here, your golden demeanour doesn’t betray your inner turmoil.

A part of you fears the possibility that the guys’ impersonators might orchestrate another of their attacks on you at any moment of time, but you find it absurd that they would dare to bestow terror in the eyes of the public. 

A nudge to your shoulder from your best friend pulls you out of your perturbation, prompting you to look at Wonyoung as she grabs your hand to eagerly advance forward as it is now your turn to ride the famous astroglide slide.

The other girls have apparently gone their separate ways, some headed for the restroom while others decided to take a snack break, leaving you with Wonyoung to entertain yourselves, but all of you have collectively agreed to meet at the ferris wheel later.

Exchanging nods with Cheshire smiles plastered on your faces, both you and Wonyoung finally cascade down the bumpy slides while the mats below you provide smooth friction for easy gliding. Just like that, whatever causes your state of mind to worry is incessantly dispelled by the adrenaline that rushes through you once more. Shrill laughter and squeals emanate from the two of you as the speed increases, causing the chilly wind to smack you in the face.

Eventually, you reach the bottom, nearly tumbling forward if you hadn’t controlled your stability. Wonyoung’s delightful giggles mingle with yours, even after the two of you have departed from the astroglide.

“I would ride the slide again if the queue wasn’t long.” You tell her as soon as the two of you have simmered down from the adrenaline. Your eyes follow the queue of people with a pout on your lips.

“Well, we could try other rides! We haven’t tried the pirate ship yet!” Wonyoung voices out her suggestions, her bubbly tone bringing a smile to your lips.

“It’s fine. I’m feeling a little beat.” You politely decline as the fluctuation of your vitality beckons you to find some place to rest and dehydrate yourself. “Besides, we agreed to meet the others at the Ferris wheel.”

Not too long later, you stumble upon Karina and Yunjin, who apparently went on the slingshot ride before heading to buy some water, to which Yunjin generously offers you a bottle. The four of you decide to settle at the wooden bench adjacent to the photo booth sections, where there are long lines of people queueing.

Mentally disassociating yourself from your best friends, your eyes trail across the couples entering and exiting the photobooths, and you swear something painful tugs at the strings of your heart. Although they have yet to ask you to become their girlfriend despite their obvious adoration and affection for you, you yearn to do normal fun couple stuff like the others.

You still feel a tad sullen that they probably won’t be coming to the funfair due to their pursuit of hunting down your anonymous texter, who turned out to be the one you didn’t expect most, since neither of them has yet to reply to your texts a few hours ago. Odd.

“We should get going.” Yunjin announces as she checks her phone, a frown slowly tugging at her pink lips. “Chaewon just texted me that they’re on their way to find us? And they have something urgent to tell us.”

The four of you stand in the middle of the bustling crowd, exchanging confused yet curious glances. Before any of you can speak up, a bunch of guys whom you vaguely recognise from your university in the senior batch brazenly push their way into your group, earning eyebrow raises from you and your friends.

“There she is! Our favourite Catholic girl! The new star!” The four of them break into a collective intimidation of howls, drawing attention from the other guys in your vicinity, whom you also recognise as your fellow Crescents, and encouraging them to join in the derision that is obviously directed to you, as evident in the vice of lechery they gaze at you with.

“More like a Catholic slut!” The one in a snapback cap sneers at you, causing you to flinch at his hostile degradation. “Yeah, you are one, aren’t you? Dirty, naughty angel, that’s what you are.”

“Don’t insult her, or else she’ll get turned on.” His friend smacks him in the shoulder playfully, chortling with the others around you as though his remark is extremely hilarious.

This time, you feel as though something hard smacks you in the face as you stagger back while your heart is pumping harder with each passing second. Your skin is crawling with dread due to the predatory yet derogatory eyes that latch on your figure, while your ears are burning at the sound of their piercing laughter.

Please don’t tell me what I think it is…..

“Excuse me?” Wonyoung is spurred into taking action by her instinct to protect you, stepping forward with an air of icy intimidation. “I don’t know who you think you are, but if you cherish your sacks enough, you better get down on your knees and apologise to my best friend.”

“Why should we apologise when we only stated the truth?” The one in blond highlights retorts, his lips curling into a condescending sneer.

“What truth?” Yunjin’s figure is imposing as she glowers at the guys, her eyes going ablaze with the same simmering anger as Wonyoung and Karina’s.

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell us that you girls haven’t watched your best friend’s amazing performance? No?” His tone drips with mockery that feels as though acid is thrown at you. “We’re lucky enough to be able to stream those videos online for free.”

“Hey, Y/N? Do you think that if I fuck you good, will you call me your God too?” The shortest member of the group asks with a gleeful grin. “Awww, come on, pretty girl. You love cocks, don’t you?”

“You fucking asshole!” Karina nearly lunges forward, her sharp, acrylic nails extending to claw him, but Wonyoung and Yunjin immediately hold her back from each side. “Release me! Let me at him!”

Amidst the rapid rise of chaos, you remain deadly silent, unable to hear anything other than the sound of your loud, pumping heart in your ear while your figure goes transfixed. It feels like the jeering crowd is closing on you, suffocating you as your breathing gets progressively uneven while your chest painfully tightens, and you want nothing more than to hide yourself from the world.

“What do you say, Y/N? Wanna get baptised again?” They continue to taunt you despite your best friends’ oozing ire dominating your vicinity. “I’m sure your pussy has room for more after getting fucked loose by the leaders.”

“Flash us those tits, slut!” You hear the crowd in your vicinity, mainly the ones from your university, begin to throw crude remarks at you, shooting like bullets with wanton howls and indecorous whistles.

It is as if something inside you snaps, and before you know it, you pivot on your heels and dash forward, pushing your way through the crowd haphazardly without any regard of their glare at your discourtesy while your best friends promptly chase after you right after they shoot withering glares at the crowd.

“Y/N! Wait up!” Karina’s voice fades into oblivion as you can only focus on the sound of your ragged breathing and your thrumming pulse in your ear, and maybe the sound of your heart that is slowly shattering into pieces too.

A part of you adamantly refuses to believe that the ones you hold dearly in your heart would pull such deplorable stunts. Maybe those four guys that taunted you back there were bluffing. Maybe they purposefully decided to humiliate you in public for reasons beyond your comprehension. 

No, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, and Sunghoon would never─

“Y/N! We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Winter, Chaewon, and the other girls immediately obstruct your path. The look on their faces only seems to intensify your inner turmoil, while there is a suspension in the air. “Oh, thank God all of you are here.” Their comment is also directed at your best friends from behind you.

“What’s going on?” You ask, and your voice surprisingly manages to come out strong while your tenacity for maintaining equanimity is teetering.

“It’s not good, Y/N.” Winter is carefully treading with her words, her eyes flashing with prudence. “Even if you had consented for those pictures and videos to be posted online─”

“Oh my god.” Karina’s loud gasp interjects the suspension that only seems to transition into a foreboding tension, drawing your attention to her and seeing the horrifying contortion on her countenance as she looks down at her phone screen.

“Wait, Y/N, you shouldn’t─” Just before Chaewon can stop you, you move towards Karina and snatch the phone from her hand.

As soon as your eyes latch onto the phone screen with such obscenity being displayed starkly, your surroundings fade into insignificance while time seems to be holding still, and only the sound of your heart shattering into pieces is all you can hear.

“Y/N!” You hear muffled shouts from your friends as soon as your buckling legs have finally given up on you, causing you to fall to the asphalt ground on your knees while Karina's phone slips from your weak grasp.

“I need you to breathe, Y/N!” Wonyoung cups your cheeks as she kneels down in front of you, but your blurry eyes deprive you of focus while only the constricting pain in your chest is palpable, causing you to feel unbearably suffocated.

“I want─” Your hyperventilation affects your ability to articulate your feelings. You clutch onto Wonyoung’s shirt as you finally manage to breathe out, meeting her concerned eyes with shaky pupils. “I want to go back, please.” You whisper brokenly.

As you recall seeing the awfully familiar username, you were gravely mistaken for thinking that they wouldn’t, because they did. You thought that they wouldn’t ever hurt you in a way that sent you into physical affliction, but it turns out there was another way for them to hurt you after all.

In the quiet confines of your room ─ your old, homey room, which has now become a sanctuary ─ the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through your window casts a dim illumination on you amidst the darkness as you lie in bed with the fleecy duvet enveloping your dejected figure. 

Countless crumpled tissues are scattered across your bed, which you used to clear and wipe your mucus after bawling your eyes out, and the worst part is that you don’t know how many times you have broken down for the past two days ever since the appalling revelation that still renders you revolted.

“Y/N, please, open the door. We’re worried about you.” You hear Yunjin’s voice pleading out to you as she knocks on your door, which you have locked as you refuse to see any of them, only wanting to wallow in despair in your sanctuary, where no one can hurt you nor hidden cameras can film you.

You merely ignore your best friend, your hollow eyes staring into oblivion, while your mind begins to drift to the late victim who went through the same betrayal as you. Jinae. You recall when anonymous, or rather, Taehyun, divulged to you the details of her death and before that.

Similar to what Jinae had gone through, the four of them posted explicit pictures and clips of you when you were at the church on their Instagram stories, and they even inserted their captions on their stories, such as ‘our good obedient whore ‘worshipping cocks like the hungry Catholic slut she is’.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, they uploaded individual sex tapes, which they apparently had cameras hidden in their rooms, on their Devil’s Knights social media accounts across Twitter as well as their official website, allowing users from across the campus and beyond to have access to free porn.

A muscle pulses in your jaw, hating yourself for not being prudent enough to see this coming when you should have known better and realised it sooner when Heeseung first knew of your intrusion into his office ─ because he had implemented a hidden camera somewhere inside.

Your eyes begin to sting. No, you are the one who is now going through the same betrayal as the girl whose only sin was loving the four leaders, which led her to her death by their very hands. Now you are left wondering if they do have plans to kill you next.

The incessant buzzing from the nightstand draws your attention to your phone, to which your stomach churns again while your heart goes into palpitation as you hesitantly reach out for your phone and grab it with a trembling hand before forcing your reluctant body to rise from the bed.

Your mind is beseeching you to put your phone away for the sake of your sanity, or whatever is left, which is teetering dangerously at the precipice, but against your better judgement, you decide to indulge your niggling curiosity.

Just as you expected, your phone is bombarded with notifications from Instagram, Twitter, and even messages. It has been this way ever since the funfair night. Your DMs are always flooded with different users, many of whom you recognise from your fellow Crescents, sending you either revolting insults or crude messages that feel vulgarly invasive. 

The perpetual cyber harassment has been causing such mental distress on you that even in your staggering sleep, you can hear their voices in your head haunting you with their dehumanising words, even as you are reading them now. Each word embeds in your disoriented mind, and somehow, each of them manages to stab you in the gut with the knife twisting deeper and deeper. But what stands out amongst them are the recurrent messages that most seem to share a correlative sentiment.

‘Kill yourself, you greedy slut.’

Alas, rivulets begin to descend on you, your body racking with the onslaught of devastation. A loud sob comes from your throat as you throw your phone elsewhere, unable to read the remaining messages any longer that only seem to carve the wound deeper in your bleeding heart.

And the worst of it all? Neither of the four of them has ever bothered to reach out to you after what they have done. Not even a single call. 

The betrayal and heartbreak are palpable as they manifest in the uneven rise and fall on your heaving chest, while the volume of your cries seems to have reached outside, as evident in the hurried knocks on your door from your best friends as they call for you, but you are too consumed by the pain ─ pain that feels profound and unlike any other.

“Y/N! Please! Let us in!” The desperate plea of Wonyoung’s voice only makes you bawl your eyes out as you clutch your pounding head with your hands, tears dripping and dampening the bedding for another time.

You don’t even know how to show your face to the world, especially to your parents, if news has already reached them. There is no doubt that those intimate videos and your stark display of vulnerability have reached the public from beyond the university, spreading like wildfire.

The damage they did is beyond repair ─ it’s completely irreversible. It is crystal clear to you that they had intended to destroy you from the inside out since the moment they began to approach you, but you were blissfully ignorant as you allowed yourself to fall deeper for their dark allures, desperate for even the scraps of their affection.

The worst of it all is that you were more than ready to spend a lifetime with them, even if people were against you. You even bare your heart and soul to them, for them to take and consume you, even if it means that you might lose yourself in the process.

You sob harder, clutching your aching heart with your fingers fisting the material of your top. You hate them for not reaching out to you despite the damage they have done. You hate those cruel users who have ruined your mental state.

Most of all, you hate yourself while a part of you vehemently agrees to the dehumanising insults that have been engraved in you. Perhaps they were right ─ you are nothing but a greedy slut who has no dignity left and is utterly worthless unless you spread your legs for more.

Maybe you should kill yourself.

Before you know it, you barge into the bathroom, your teary eyes blazing with resentment as they search for anything solid enough to break the mirror. You are stuck in a stupor ─ your mind is in a tempestuous streak of their words tormenting you, and your heart is bleeding from the unabating heartbreak, but you are conscious enough to desire for your misery to end.

“Y/N! Don’t do anything stupid!” Wonyoung’s voice can still be heard from the outside, but her words don’t deter you, not when you finally find the solution to break the mirror with a ceramic cup that you often use to gargle your mouth after brushing your teeth.

With a strangled cry, the ceramic cup hurls towards the mirror before it shatters completely from the impact while the sound reaches the ears of your best friends, causing more panic for them.

“Hurry!” Karina says, watching with impatient eyes as Yunjin fumbles with the keys to your door before the latter finally unlocks it and pushes the door open, wasting no time to follow the source of your cries that lead them to the bathroom.

The three of them gasp in horror at the sight of you on your knees as you grip a shard of glass from the pieces of the broken mirror that lay scattered across the toilet tiles while blood begins to seep out of your palm due to the pressure you apply.

You can barely feel the pain in your bleeding palm, let alone the arrival of your best friends, as you are set to end your misery with a single slit, and so you raise the sharp-edged glass to your neck, your eyes completely hollow.

“Y/N!” With full force, Yunjin grabs you by the arm just before the glass can even touch your skin. Having been pulled out of your stupor, you begin to thrash and struggle in their grasp, screaming and wailing in incoherency while Wonyoung tries her utmost to get the mirror away from your bleeding hand, holding back a sob of her own. They all do.

“Let go of me! You don’t understand anything!” You sob out, finally relenting as your body feels the exertion from everything. With your loosened grasp, Wonyoung snatches the blood-stained glass away from your hand and tosses it aside. “You don’t even know how I feel! All of them were right! I should just kill myself─”

“Stop it! You’re not going to kill yourself!” Wonyoung snaps, her teary eyes match yours as they trickle down her cheeks. “You think that killing yourself will solve your problems?!”

You remain unmoving, falling weak against Yunjin as she supports you from behind with Karina. You sob out, fluttering your eyes closed. “At least it’ll free me from my misery.”

“What about us? We’re your best friends, Y/N.” The tone in Karina’s voice makes your heart clench, because you have never heard her so heartbroken except when she broke up with her ex three years ago. “What about your parents? If you can’t think of us, then think of them.”

“They don’t care. Why would they, after knowing how their Catholic daughter turned out to be a huge disappointment and a greedy slut?” Your sobs begin to quieten while your body slowly starts to feel the throbbing pain in your seeping, wounded palm.

“Please, Y/N, we can’t lose you.” Yunjin cries softly behind you, joining the other two as they collectively break into tears, wanting you to share your pain with them so it’ll burden you less. “Your life is precious, Y/N. You still have a lot more to explore. You promised that you would travel abroad with me one day.”

“Your life is precious to me, beloved.” Heeseung’s words serve as a haunting playback in your mind, eliciting more forlorn sobs from you while the tears on your cheeks are unrelenting.

“I’m tired, but I’m scared to go to sleep.” You sound languid, sleep is beckoning you as your eyelids feel heavier. “Because they’ll haunt me again…” Alas, you have fallen into the realm of sleep. The three exchange glances with an unspoken understanding.

Within the same night when they nearly lost you, Wonyoung and Karina are wrapped in cold silence, the latter driving them to their destination, whereas Yunjin is overseeing you back at the dorm, taking such prudence as they don’t want to risk anything.

It isn’t long before they are being greeted at the familiar sight of the grand palace, the golden gate slowly opening for their further pursuit, but frankly, out of the two of them, Wonyoung’s ire is overpowering, even in the way she storms over to the familiar seven faces in the opened garage while Karina quickly trails behind her.

Jungwon, who has shared an intimate history with her, immediately hinders her from aggravating the sombre situation further as he blocks her way, his lips adorning a nervous yet crooked smile. “Hey, babe─”

But Wonyoung, having been possessed by the feminine rage, easily pushes Jungwon aside, her icy glaring eyes set on the four figures whose demeanours are infuriatingly cryptic, before storming towards them with the intention to give a good punch or two.

“Wonyoung, wait─” Just as Karina is about to stop her, she watches in complete shock when the latter delivers a punch to Sunghoon’s cheek, while the male doesn’t seem to be affected despite his head being turned sideways from the impact.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?!” Wonyoung is about to lunge for Jake next, but Riki and Sunoo immediately restrain her by the arms. “Preying on my best friend for the sake of your twisted tradition is one thing, but to post your sickening sex tapes that you filmed without her consent at all?!” She is stark raving mad, thrashing and struggling valiantly in their captivity. “Haven’t you had enough after destroying Jinae the same way you do now to Y/N?!”

“Calm down.” Sunoo’s remark earns him a withering glare from the raging woman.

“Don’t tell me to calm down when my best friend almost tried to kill herself because of the constant cyberbullying, and whose fault was that?” Wonyoung’s tone is dripping with venom, and her eyes are maintaining icy contact with the four leaders. “Yours! I fucking knew that the moment all of you suddenly approached Y/N, you had ulterior motives!”

Although their demeanour remains cryptic, Karina can see it in the way they flinch lightly when Wonyoung mentions you, and for a fleeting moment, equal worry flares in their irises.

“I don’t know what your endgame is or if you’re planning to haunt her even till the end, just like you did to Jinae, but thanks a lot.” Karina speaks up, her tone mirrors Wonyoung’s with a tinge of sarcasm. “You guys got what you wanted, and that is to break Y/N, right? Then congratufuckinglations! You guys are officially the fucking worse.”

“Y/N wouldn’t come out to eat for days.” Wonyoung says so spitefully before finally breaking herself free from Riki and Sunoo’s grasp. “Whatever your next moves are, we’re not going to let you go near Y/N. You’ll have to kill me to get to her.”

“That’s fine with us.” Jay shrugs his shoulders; the nonchalance on his display doesn’t betray the feelings that lie beneath the facade. “You ladies have always loved to underestimate us, so maybe it’s time we show you no mercy, yeah?”

“Jay, don’t.” Jungwon steps forward, feeling a natural protective instinct to shield Wonyoung from Jay’s path of destruction. “Just tell them the truth.”

“What truth is there even to tell us?” Wonyoung eyes Jungwon with exasperation, while the latter looks at her with softened eyes. “We’ve already seen enough─ Y/N have seen and known enough to realise that your amazing leaders uploaded those unconsented pictures and videos by their own hands!”

“Yeah, we’ve known enough.” Karina grabs Wonyoung by the hand, her eyes glaring at each of them for another time. “We’re here only to tell you to stay away from Y/N. She doesn’t need any of you to break her even more.”

With that, Karina and Wonyoung depart from the garage as they make their way back to the car, while Jungwon stares at them from afar before heaving a sigh as he turns to look at the four leaders. “You should’ve told them the truth.”

“What difference would it make?” Jake scoffs, his jaw tightening. “You’ve already seen the look in their eyes. Besides, no one ever believes us, just like three years ago.”

“Well, we believe you.” Riki offers them some form of support, and a rare smile plays on his lips. “You have us.”

“Seven against the world?” Sunghoon chuckles as he shakes his head while rubbing his sore cheek. “We’re so fucked.”

“Heeseung?” Sunoo, who has been observant enough to notice Heeseung’s eerie silence, “What do you want to do now?”

Despite the nonchalantness of his demeanour, storms are raging silently in Heeseung’s dark eyes. “Do what we do best at; continue the hunt.”

Never have you ever felt utterly defeated to wake up to the next sunrise, as it only means another day of misery, and you were right, because your phone is once again bombarded with notifications from those who wish to see you in unending agony.

At first, you wallow in utter despair, still refusing to get out of your room and to eat something despite being coaxed by your best friends, but soon, it is coupled with fury that courses through your vein, spurring you into taking action, which has your best friends beseeching you to reevaluate your resolution.

Hence, you are presently in the car with them, waiting for the familiar, opulent gates to open for you. The temperature in the car doesn’t bother you in the slightest, despite the coldness increasing tenfold due to the torrential rain pouring down outside. You sit in silence while the suspension hangs in the air.

“Maybe we should head back. We’v been waiting for quite some time.” Karina breaks the ice; hesitancy flows in her tone. “Plus, I don’t think they’re at the palace.”

Before any of you can say anything, your eyes capture blinding lights in the rearview mirror while the sound of motorcycles revving stridently startles the girls except you, because the moment their vehicles are nearing from behind, you take your girls by surprise when you exit from the car in haste, ignoring their calling.

Not even a minute passes by when you have become wholly drenched from head to toe, but your resolution remains unwavering as you storm with purpose towards the four bikers, whose body languages you are unable to construe while the dark visors completely obscure their countenance, but you can feel their gazes burning straight into you.

Your mind is in a perpetual tumult with a cacophony of thoughts and emotions, each vying for dominance, that overwhelms you. Your eyes are blurring with each blink, uncertain whether it’s the effect of the unrelenting downpour that wets your lashes or the tears that are accumulating in your waterline.

They dismount their bikes just as you close the distance, and you follow the path of your ire to the first person near you — the one who is wearing a necklace with your purity ring resting on his chest.

“Y/N─” Heeseung is cut off by the impact of the shove of your hands into his chest, but he swiftly regains stability.

“Is this really your endgame?! To humiliate me and expose my vulnerability to everyone?!” Like a thunderstorm, you erupt into a torrent of outbursts, pushing Heeseung in the chest again, but he is unaffected by your strength as he remains rooted to the ground. “Because of what you all did, I couldn’t sleep at night without their words haunting me! I couldn’t even look at my phone without receiving another message telling me to kill myself. Why? Because I’m a greedy fucking slut for the four of you!”

The other three attempt to step forward to stop you, but Heeseung subtly makes a hand gesture at them, prompting them to stay where they are and allowing you to continue as you throw weak punches to his solid chest while uncontrollable sobs leave your lips.

“That day, I told you to delete them, and you lied to me! You all lied to me!” You nearly go hysterical as you don’t relent from hitting him. “I even told you in the first place! But you refused, all because I broke your rule! You shouldn’t have even thought of filming and snapping pictures of me back at the church just because you were pissed off at me!” You cry out in defeat, your body heaving with sobs. “You should’ve just killed me instead.”

“Don’t fucking say that!” Sunghoon nearly growls out, catching you off guard when he steps forward to hold you by the shoulders. His voice sounds deeper due to the helmet. “We know we fucked up, but you shouldn’t even think that we would do anything to hurt you like that!”

Seething with anger, you shove his hands away from your shoulders as you push him. “But you did! You did hurt me in the most agonising way, which I never would have thought you would do to me! Just like you did to Jinae!”

You clench your fist with your injured hand, applying pressure to the wound that is slowly reopening. “Like a fool I was, I chose to ignore the fact that all of you weren’t sincere with me when you first approached me. I chose to ignore the fact that you were only preying on me as part of your tradition and allowed you to fuck me up all over.” A palpable heartbreak punctuates your declaration as you continue to cry out. “And like a fool I was, I bared my soul to you and gave you my heart, only for you to break me when I'd fallen hopelessly in love with you.”

“You’re in love with us?” You can hear Jake’s muffled voice, but you ignore him and remain focused on pouring out your pent-up emotions.

“For you, I was willing to do anything you asked me to, and I’d give up everything if it meant to be close to you and stay by your side, but your intentions are now clear to me that I meant nothing to you because I was only meant to satisfy you as your slut and for you to break me apart if I ever crossed you!” With your clenched fist, you deliver one last hit to Heeseung, now torn apart from the inside as you break into hysterical sobs. “How could you do this to me?! I did nothing but love you and want to be loved by you.”

“Y/N, stop.” Heeseung grabs you firmly by the wrist, holding you closer to his chest and looking down at your bandaged hand. “You’re injured. You’ll reopen your wound if you don’t stop.”

“Don’t touch me!” You quickly yank your hand away from him, his touch feels familiarly scorching on your skin. “Don’t hold me like that! Don’t─” A sharp sob leaves your lips, your eyes glistening with unmistakable heartbreak that punches them in the gut. “Don’t act like you care when you don’t give a damn about me! Not after what you did! And for that, I hate you!”

“You don’t mean that.” Jay’s voice cuts through the air stridently, followed by a rumble of thunder in the dreary skies.

“I do. I hate you.” You say spitefully, glaring at them with a teary gaze as you latch your arms around your now-shivering form. “Consider this the last time you’ll ever see my face, and consider my love for you dead, not that you cared in the first place.”

“Don’t leave─ Fuck, baby─” Jay sounds torn, almost as if he is the one hurting instead of you. “We’ll make things right, just don’t leave us.”

“Y/N!” You hear Wonyoung calling out for you from behind, but your attention remains fixed on them.

For a moment, the desperation emanating from him as well as the other three stirs something in the sensible part of you. Even if you can’t see the clear contortion of their countenances, you can feel their gaze burning into you with a passion for longing. But what they did is beyond justifiable ─ their stark betrayal is unforgivable, no matter the love that still beats for them in your bleeding heart right now.

“You can’t make things right. The damage is irreversible, and for that, I won’t forgive you.” Your voice trembles, slowly getting overwhelmed by the tumult of emotions whirling in you. “Congratulations, though. You’ve succeeded in your twisted tradition of preying on an innocent girl once again.”

By the time you have delivered the last of your words that pierce into their hearts, Wonyoung appears next to you, holding an umbrella that shelters you from downpour any longer, her comforting arm around your shoulder before you finally turn around and head back into the car, leaving the four of them under the pouring rain with your words embedded in their minds.

They did not upload those pictures and videos. Apparently, they have been hacked and even tried to log into their social media accounts, but it seems that their credentials have been unauthorizedly changed by their foes, who clearly possess the abilities and competencies in the cyber field.

But it doesn’t mean that they are free of guilt, especially when they acknowledge that they lied to you about having them deleted, and they had every intention to do so until Sunghoon’s phone went missing on that yacht party, after which they concluded that it must’ve been one of those fuckers who managed to transfer those pictures and videos of you into their possession.

Still, they know well enough that they are partially responsible for this. Your words are a haunting playback in their minds since you left them in the cold yesterday, causing their inner turmoil to increase tenfold while a foreign emotion sends an unpleasant sensation through them. Guilt.

For as long as they can remember, they don’t feel guilt, and they have never either. Even after the passing of their first prey, Jinae, they didn’t feel the slightest remorse and instead felt resentment towards those who didn’t believe in them and the truth only they held in their grasp.

Guilt is not something that they feel naturally on instinct, but then you came. You managed to ignite something in them despite the unyielding darkness, and now they have been hit with immense guilt while their corrupted mind is in a dangerous tumult.

Thus, they have collectively agreed to put a permanent end to this prolonged hunt and eradicate their foes, who were responsible for orchestrating the destruction that has already been wide-spread beyond their radar.

Hence, Sunoo and Riki, who are quite literally the cyberpunks, have been working tirelessly for them and leaving no stone unturned as they demolish every firewall and destroy data after data, including deleting those uploads. Jungwon, whose specialty is obviously not in the hacking field, can only offer his presence as his two best friends’ moral support while he hangs around in the background with either snacks or drinks in his hands.

“Are you guys sure that they’re in there?” Jake inquires to Sunoo and Riki as he has them on speaker mode, allowing his best friends to hear their conversation as well. Presently, they remain seated in Jay’s Maserati that is pulled over by the curb, awaiting their next move on Jake’s command.

“Are you doubting our skills now? After everything we’ve done for you?” Jake simply rolls his eyes at Sunoo’s melodramatic antics before he briefly casts a glance at the window to examine the establishment for another time. “Anyway, hacking into their security system was a piece of cake.”

“They’re in there, but better be quick.” Riki interjects, his voice sounding gravelly deep. “It looks like they’re about to leave soon. Oh, an advice; enter from the backdoor instead.”

Once the call ends, the four leaders waste no time exiting the car, recalling Riki’s advice as they make their way around the establishment, where the backdoor is. Each of them wields different weapons yet bears the same amount of lethality ─ brass knuckles, metal baseball bats, and a melee knife. Tonight, their foes won’t be able to leave unscathed.

Just as they nearly arrive, the backdoor swings open, followed by chatter and laughter before they are greeted by the sight of familiar faces who turn out to be their foes. But the thing is, neither of their foes look entirely surprised. Taehyun, Soobin, and Hyunjin.

“So, you’ve finally caught me, huh?” Taehyun taunts them with a pleasant smile, his hands sliding inside his pockets. “I must say, I felt satisfied for outsmarting you, which was why you couldn’t find me anywhere. As our leaders who should be better than us, you’ve disappointed me.”

Jay steps forward, a smirk playing on his lips while his menacing aura is infused with the foreboding atmosphere. “As your house leader, I have a gift for you, and that is meeting your demise tonight.”

“But before we get down to business, we want to know why.” Sunghoon demands, struggling to maintain his composure and gripping the brass knuckle adorning his fingers. “You guys took the knight’s oath on the day you were accepted into the fraternity. You knew what would happen if you went against the rules, and we don't take betrayal lightly.”

“Oath means nothing to us for as long as you reign supreme in our fraternity.” No one is as staggered as Heeseung upon hearing a familiar voice approaching from behind Taehyun, his eyes trailing to his once-close friend, whose demeanour is uncharacteristically callous.

“I fucking knew it.” Jake grits his teeth, seething with anger as his eyes harden. “Fuck. I knew you were on it, but our girl’s good heart chose to believe that you weren’t─”

“Your girl?” He intervenes, releasing a cold, derisive chuckle as he leisurely advances forward while keeping a safe distance between them. “It’s quite bold of you when you know that you’ve already lost your girl after what you’ve done.”

“You mean, after what you and your little rebellion did!” Jake retaliates, clutching his brass knuckle. “We didn’t do shit! You had your loyal dogs do your dirty work!”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that you guys took those pictures and videos at the holy church. I only contributed to implementing those hidden cameras in your rooms and the places you guys fucked her.”

“You? So you were the true mastermind instead of Taehyun, isn’t that, right?” Heeseung’s tone sounds lethally soft, his lips unfurling a smirk while his eyes remain in unwavering eye contact with him. “Choi Beomgyu.”

Beomgyu breaks into a cold smile, his eyes holding an unmistakable hatred for him. “I would’ve applauded you for solving the pieces, but you solved them too late. Just like how it’s too late for you to reverse everything with Y/N. Oh, and by the way, I’ve got to give credits to y’all for giving free porn content.”

The tension in the foreboding air is thickening with each passing second as they await each other’s next move. Beomgyu continues to smile, taunting Heeseung with each step forward while his eyes gleam with wicked delight. “But I would’ve fucked her better than you did.”

The trigger in Heeseung’s head is pulled, spurring him into retaliation, deftly aiming his melee knife towards Beomgyu, possessing such an almost-inhuman agility that even takes his best friends by surprise before they manoeuvre towards their foes expeditiously. Alas, violence is set ablaze under the starry night, the once-comradeship amongst them has effaced, but they share the same resolve ─ no one shall leave unscathed.

The four leaders move with harmonious precision in countering attacks from their opponents, wielding their weapons and putting them to good use as they manage to spill their blood, but their opponents are filled with equal ferocity as well, refusing to relent.

“I trusted you.” Heeseung tightens his jaw, breathing harshly while he clutches the melee knife handle that stains with Beomgyu’s blood as he manages to cut him in the arm with one swift slice. “I thought you were my close friend. All those years we’ve spent, and it took just one girl for you to pull a dick move?”

Beomgyu spits the blood out of his mouth as he slowly rises from the ground, his eyes flaring with such intense hatred that Heeseung swears the latter looks awfully similar to a certain dead- person in this light. “I’ve never regarded you as my friend, not after you’ve killed my sister!” 

Heeseung feels his stomach starting to churn unpleasantly as he slowly puts the pieces together in his mind, filled with a cacophony of thoughts and theories, his hand lowering the knife. “Your sister?”

Beomgyu scoffs in disbelief, wiping the blood that trails down from his nostril. “Oh, come on, now. You can’t be that stupid and slow to realise it by now. I’ve already given you the clue.”

For the first time, Heeseung feels staggered, his eyes widening in disbelief as he scrutinises Beomgyu’s features. It is no wonder why he looks familiar from when Beomgyu first approached him after his late enrollment in the university, especially in the way he smiles.

“No, you can’t be….” Heeseung's transfixed figure captures Jake’s attention, spurring the latter to quickly knock Taehyun out cold as he lands on the hard ground with a loud thud while Jay and Sunghoon exchange meaningful nods before they render their opponents wholly unconscious, uncaring whether they’re breathing or not.

“What the fuck is going on, and why is he not dead yet?” Sunghoon asks annoyedly, stepping forward with his bloodied knuckles preparing to strike, but Heeseung holds him back, earning Heeseung a bewildered look from Sunghoon. “Heeseung, what the fuck?”

Beomgyu chuckles, drawing their attention to him. “Oh, you wouldn’t want to kill me, especially when I’ve waited long enough to reveal who I really am.”

“All I know and care about is that you are going to be a dead man tonight.” Jay nearly growls out as he swings the baseball bat expertly. “I'm going to enjoy crushing your bones.”

“Wait, I want to hear what he has to say before we end him.” Jake tells Jay before shifting his attention to Beomgyu, sighing impatiently. “Well? Who are you, then, oh mysterious one?”

Something dark cast a shadow over Beomgyu’s countenance, his eyes blazing with a patent ire, triggered by Jake’s mere derision. “Everything is a joke to you guys, right? Just like how you enjoyed killing my sister, her death was a joke to you.”

Jay shoots him a scornful glare, his patience running thin. “Who the fuck is your sister?” 

“Jinae.” The name leaving from Heeseung’s lips hits the three of them like whiplash, and when they look at him, his eyes are burning through Beomgyu’s glaring ones. “His sister. Choi Jinae.”

“Ah, crazy pants.” Sunghoon smirks, not a single trace of sympathy on his face, despite feeling a tinge of surprise at the revelation. “Your sister was a real pain in the ass, by the way. Thank fuck, she’s dead.”

“Take that back, you fucker!” Seeing absolute red, Beomgyu charges towards Sunghoon with malice coursing through his vein, but like a bolt of lightning, Jake embodies a shield and promptly seizes Beomgyu by the collar shirt before bringing down his brass-knuckled fist into the side of his face, the impact sending him plummeting to the ground with blood spluttering from his mouth and nostril.

“What difference would it make if I took back my words?” Sunghoon asks with a sardonic smile, revelling in the brutality displayed by his best friend as the latter delivers another punch to Beomgyu’s face. “Because it definitely won’t bring back your sister from the dead.”

Seeing how evidently weakened and languid Beomgyu is with his head flinging forward, the corner of Jake’s lips curves into a smirk as he scoffs out a chuckle before grabbing Beomgyu by the hair and pulling it to the back roughly to force him to look at them despite struggling to keep his eyes open. “Quick question: why did you choose to reveal that you’re her brother now?”

“It’s all part of the plan. The plan that you’ve ruined.” Beomgyu’s voice sounds hoarse, and his breathing is ragged. “I had intended to reveal myself after delivering your precious Y/N’s pretty head in a box. Oh, what a shame that you’ve all rescued her that night before I could have a taste of her─”

Filled by an immense rage coursing through his veins, Jay swings the bat and aims it at Beomgyu’s stomach, resulting in the latter coughing out more blood with his body hunched over, but with Jake’s tight grip on his hair, he is being forced to look back up.

“Keep Y/N out of this!” Jay roars out, intending to swing again, but Heeseung stops him as the latter desires to get the truth and answers from Beomgyu.

“We’re giving you two options. The first option is that you tell us the truth and basically everything we want, and the second option is, well,” A smirk touches Heeseung’s lips, his imposing figure towering over Beomgyu’s, bending down slightly only to cut his cheek in a swift slice with his knife, eliciting a pained growl from the latter. “You know what will happen. But we might reconsider letting you live if you choose to comply with us.”

“Don’t be dumb and choose your option wisely, Choi.” Sunghoon crosses his arms over his chest, mirroring Heeseung’s devilish smirk as he stands next to him. “Let’s start off with Y/N. Why did you target her? And for what purpose did you have with your diabolic plan, which you’ve failed at?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I had to find each of your weaknesses, and Y/N turned out to be your ultimate weakness, even if she meant to be your prey just as my sister once was.” Beomgyu says spitefully, blood spitting from his mouth while seething anger glares in his eyes. “Oh, but Y/N has everything to do with this. Unlike my poor sister, Y/N has had the privilege to earn your affection without having to try hard to gain your attention, which I didn’t understand because why were you treating Y/N better than you treated my sister?”

“Let’s just say, Y/N is not crazy pants like Jinae.” Sunghoon says, still taunting Beomgyu with his smirk, before the latter continues.

“Then I realised that you guys are disgustingly obsessed with Y/N, which also explains why you didn’t kill her off like you did to my sister. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and executed the plan to kill Y/N, since after all, she’s your sweet angel.” Beomgyu sneers at him, like a dog baring its canine teeth. “If I can’t kill you, then I’ll kill the girl you seem to care about most.”

“Disgustingly obsessed, you say? Maybe we are, but I’d say that the description fits your sister perfectly just the same.” Jake lets out a sardonic chuckle as he tightens his grip on Beomgyu’s hair to yank his head to the back and lean down with a menacing glare while his lips curl into a disdainful sneer. “I hated your sister. Bitch was always there wherever I went, and she couldn’t get the fucking hint that I wasn’t into her.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Beomgyu asks roughly, his voice completely hoarse after coughing out blood another time. “Before you guys killed her, she sent me a message, telling me about how all of you were obsessed with her but then tossed her aside after you were done fucking around with her, and because of what you did, my sister was devastated. She did nothing but only wanted to be loved. You sick, heartless fucks.”

“So I was right. Your sister was indeed batshit crazy, which is why we call her crazy pants.” Sunghoon scoffs out a chuckle. “I really gotta commend your freak of a sister, though. She managed to fool everyone, including you, into thinking that she died because we killed her.”

“That’s because you guys did!” Beomgyu growls out in sheer anger, regaining a moment of vitality. “The evidence was there! Your handprints were the evidence!”

“It seems that you don’t know the truth about what really happened three years ago and who your sister really was.” Heeseung says, his voice sounds gravelly deep, which matches the shadow cast on his countenance. “We didn’t kill her. She killed herself.”

The fury in Beomgyu’s eyes slowly diminishes, confusion blends in with the fire. “You’re lying. She wouldn’t do that to herself, and she most definitely wouldn’t kill herself on our birthday.”

“Our birthday?” Jay raises his eyebrow inquisitively.

Beomgyu clenches his jaw. “We’re fraternal twins.”

“Believe what you want, but the truth is, your psychotic sister was a cunning bitch who had a diabolical plan that obviously involved her planned death, and her plan succeeded when everyone believed that we were the ones who killed her, considering that she was found dead in the palace.” Sunghoon divulges, his tone indicating the gravity of the recollection, to which Beomgyu begins to feel conflicted.

“We don’t have anything concrete to prove our innocence, but we do have a certain group of people who can attest to our innocence since we were with them on the day Jinae decided to kill herself.” Heeseung unfurls a cynical smirk at the corner of his lips.

“Even if you didn’t kill her, what you did is still a contributing factor, which made sense why she killed herself.” Beomgyu says with conviction, his tone dripping with venom. “Because you fuckers uploaded those sex tapes you recorded of her.”

“If she hadn’t pissed us off in the first place, then we wouldn’t have done what we did.” Jay shrugs his shoulders, appearing nonchalant. “Besides, it was her idea in the first place to be recorded, and she even consented herself.” 

“Oh, she pissed us off, alright.” Jake chuckles lightly, without any mirth. “She was obsessed with me, mostly, and she couldn’t get the fucking clue that I wasn’t into her, but I thought to myself, why not fuck around with her and let my best friends have their fun with her as well?”

“You really are a bunch of sick fucks!” Beomgyu attempts to lunge forward while remaining on his knees, but tumbles forward instead. Unbeknownst to them, tears begin to fill his waterline. “My sister told me about how much she loved all of you. She often called me to tell me about her day with you all excitedly before you decided to toss her aside.” Beomgyu clenches his fist. “All she ever wanted was to be loved by you.”

“Yes, she indeed pissed us off by beating the shit out of any girl who got close to us and threatening to kill us, even held Jake at a knife point, forcing us to love her the same.” Heeseung bends down to tilt Beomgyu’s chin up with the edge of his knife, penetrating his eyes into the latter’s. “Love can never be forced upon you, but unfortunately, your sister couldn’t understand that.”

“You could’ve tried to learn to love her.” Beomgyu spits out, his body trembling with tumultuous emotions that threaten to consume him. “What does Y/N have that my sister didn’t? What made you love Y/N when you couldn’t love Jinae?”

“It’s simple, really, because Choi Jinae was not and never will be Y/N Kang.” Heeseung answers neutrally, but his eyes flicker with palpable sadness and yearning for you before they are eclipsed by the familiar callousness. “Great news. We’ll be sparing your life.”

“Wait, we won’t?” Jay blurts out in disbelief. “But he betrayed─”

“I know what he did.” Heeseung cuts him off calmly, trailing his eyes back to Beomgyu. “Instead, I want you to confess the entire truth to Y/N without leaving out any details. Tell her that you were the mastermind all along. If you fail to comply, you and your little rebellion will be facing a sequence of agonising pain that leads you to your death.”

“Even if I did confess the truth to her, it wouldn’t change the fact that guys did record those contents without her consent, which is why she’s hating you right now, am I right?” Beomgyu adorns a lopsided grin, displaying his glee despite the patent wrath emanating from them. “At least my plan B of ruining your relationship with her worked. She’s far from your reach now─”

Having had enough, Heeseung socks Beomgyu in the face with his knee, rendering him unconscious as his limp body falls to the ground with a thud.

“Did you record everything?” Heeseung turns to look at Sunghoon, who fishes out his phone from his pocket with the screen displaying the ongoing voice recording before he presses the stop button. “Good. Send it to Riki.”

“What about them?” Jake asks, his eyes scanning the mess with four unconscious bodies scattered around and definitely not unscathed. “After what they did to our girl, I still feel that they deserve to die.”

“Leave them to rot or whatever, I don’t care.” Heeseung mutters under his breath, running his fingers through his tousled locks. All the while, he has been battling an internal battle that wages between his mind and heart. One yearns to return to you, while the other refuses, as it knows you need space. 

“Agreed.” Jay heaves a sigh, his hand sliding into his pocket to retrieve the e-cigarette before inhaling the flavour aerosol and puffing it out, watching the grey wafts in the air. “Tonight has been a long one.”

Days passed by like a blur since your confrontation, but the weight on your shoulders remains a burden that, coupled with the unabating turmoil in you, deprives you of the much-needed solace you have been seeking.

You genuinely thought that after your confrontation, you would feel a little lighter and perhaps the cyberbullying that centred around you would wane, but you were gravely mistaken when your phone would sporadically buzz with incessant notifications that mostly contained demeaning words.

As a result, your mental health is deteriorating with each passing minute, as it also affects your appetite. Even when one of your best friends tries to feed you, you can’t help but puke up after two spoons. Sleep is no different either, as whenever you try to close your eyes, all you can see are those words with different malign voices speaking to you as though to haunt you.

Heck, you don’t even feel safe in your once-sanctuary that used to be filled with comfort and security, because in every space in your room, you feel as though someone ought to get you, completely paranoid. Of course, you are. Some of those words included them desiring to eradicate you, simply because you have earned a newfound reputation as the Catholic worthless slut of Crestview Meadows.

Your best friends have offered consolation and advice, including to deactivate or delete your socials permanently, but you don’t have the heart to do that, especially when those socials contain memories. Although you rarely post your own pictures, you often capture precious moments with your friends, family, and even yourself and post those moments on social media. You wish to look back at those moments if there is ever a time you miss them, giving you nostalgia. After all, you are a sentimental person.

“Y/N! Are you done packing the last of your boxes?" You hear Karina calling for you from the living room, pulling you out of your thoughts once more. “We actually should get going if we don't want to get stuck in a traffic jam at peak hours.”

“In a minute!” You reply to her, surprising yourself with the volume of your voice since you barely make any sound unless your best friends ask you questions or attempt to strike up a conversation while you remain holed up in your room.

You look down at your bandaged hand, curling and uncurling your fingers to test out the tolerance of your pain now before you bend down to grab the brown box by the handles with ease. As you look around your room, which is now bare of any ornaments and familiar embellishments that used to offer you a minuscule sense of comfort, you feel the strings in your heart tugging painfully.

It is indeed a bittersweet feeling to permanently leave your room that is filled with memories, be they the bad or the good ones, and you don’t take any of them for granted, knowing that each memory, in some way, has moulded you into the person you are now who is never ready to face the outside world just yet.

It turns out that all seniors residing in the dormitory have to comply with the mandatory clearing and moving out of their allotted dorms by tomorrow, since, after all, all of you seniors are the graduating batch, and your graduation will commence in just a few days. 

All of the other seniors, including your best friends, are evidently excited for graduation day to arrive after gruelling years of academic torment, and some have already planned a celebratory party, but you feel entirely numb despite knowing that you survived and did exceptionally well throughout your years here. Mainly, you are not ready to receive your degree once you enter the stage with judgmental eyes on you.

“Y/N, what is taking you so long─” Karina enters your room and stops mid-sentence upon seeing a tear trickling down your cheek. “Are you okay?” She asks gently.

“I’m just going to miss this room.” You tell her in a splintered whisper before sighing softly. “I know, I’m being dramatic about this.”

“No, babe, your feelings are completely valid.” Karina places her hand on your shoulder to give it a comforting squeeze. She offers you a gentle smile, her eyes mirroring the reminiscing sentiment in yours. “I’m gonna miss my room too. I’m going to miss our dorm. We really did make a lot of great memories, well, minus the bad ones, of course.”

You take another glance around before drawing in a sharp breath, your firm eyes meeting hers as you give her a head nod. “Let’s go. The longer I’m here, the more I have the urge to burst into tears. I’m tired of crying.”

“And I’m tired of carrying the boxes down into my car.” Karina shoots you a playful scowl as you find yourself lifting a small smile. “You’re lucky that you’re my passenger princess.”

Princess.

It’s a mere endearment that is common everywhere, especially in books and televisions, but it is enough to send you a wave of emotions, and it is an endearment you wish to hear again from him. You swallow down the emotional lump in your throat thickly that is threatening to implode.

“Wonyoung and Yunjin?” You inquire to Karina, now standing outside of the apartment door while the latter is busily adjusting to covering your head with the hoodie that you are adorned in, as you requested her assistance since you refuse for anyone to catch a glimpse of your face.

“Their chauffeur arrived earlier. Don’t be too sad. You’ll be seeing them again soon, you know that, right?” Karina gives you a knowing look as you proceed to advance forward in the direction of the elevator.

You reciprocate with a small smile that doesn’t reach your eyes, recalling your conversation with, particularly, Yunjin two days ago. “I know.”

Sleep didn’t beckon you throughout the two-hour journey, or perhaps it did, but you were too preoccupied by the incessant unpleasant churn in your tummy. Your nerves have been in an unabating jitter ever since Karina drove through your hometown, even as you now arrive outside of the place you grew up in.

Your breath hitches as you spot your father descending the porch steps, ambling in the direction of where Karina pulled over directly in front of your humble abode. His face shows no signs of exhaustion or tensity, but still, the wariness in you remains niggling in the back of your mind.

You haven’t been contacting your father or even replying to his messages ever since the day you bumped into him after confronting your mother about her infidelity and moral compass. It isn’t that you hate him, no, you have always been known as Daddy’s girl since you were an infant, but rather that you don’t know how to face him without bearing the guilt on behalf of your mother.

As for your mother, neither of you bothered to reach out and make some sort of amendment or even forgiveness.You are sensible enough to realise that you should not have said those words that hurt your mother, but you were too caught up in your retaliation, wanting to hurt her just as she hurt you after condemning you. 

“Come on, I’ll help you out with your father.” Karina pulls you out of your thoughts with a shake on the shoulder before the two of you exit the car.

Mustering courage, you turn to face your approaching father with a half-crooked smile, your eyes searching for his. “Hi, Dad.” You greet him softly, feeling the gravitational pull towards him just as he invitingly opens his arms before you crash into him. Your arms latch around him as you seek the familiar comfort in your father’s warm embrace.

“My one and only baby girl is finally back.” Your father attempts to lighten the sombre mood with his mirth, his chuckles sounding rich in your ears while you remain in his embrace, not wanting to pull away or else tears will burst out.

“I’ve missed you so much, Dad.” You mumble, your throat hurting from the inhibiting emotions. “I’m sorry for not calling or texting you.”

A soft smile unfurls on his lips before he plants a kiss on your crown. “It’s okay. I’ve missed you too, sweetheart.” He pulls away from the hug with his hands on your shoulders and examines you, noticing your disheartened spirit even when your demeanour is neutral. “Come. Let’s not make your friend wait anymore. Karina, right? I remember you.”

“It’s good to see you again, Mister Kang.” Karina, who has been watching the endearing moment between you and your father silently, greets him with the same pleasantry as they exchange for more short, polite talks before the three of you proceed to carry out the boxes from the trunk and bring the boxes inside.

It isn’t long until Karina finally departs from your home, leaving you to deal with your quandary, as not moments ago, you stumbled upon your mother in the kitchen, but of course you fled from her before she could even say anything. You have no idea whether or not your father knows about your mother’s infidelity, but if he does, then he is doing a great job at putting up a front.

Deciding to distract yourself, you open one of the boxes, only to be met with familiar plushies, which Jake and Sunghoon won for you at the palace’s arcade. Your heart aches as you slowly reach out for one, tears filling your waterline before you can even control your emotions, and alas, you break, hugging the plushie close to your chest while the memories torment you in an agonising playback in your mind.

Despite the resentment burning in your heart, you can’t deny the palpable longing for them, throwing you into a whirlpool of conflicting emotions that threaten to drown you. You choke back a sob as soon as you hear someone knocking on your ajar door.

“Y/N, honey? Are you okay?” Your mother’s voice causes you to halt your emotional breakdown as you quickly wipe away your tears when the door slowly pushes open. You remain seated by the edge of the bed, looking away from her and becoming mute. “Honey, talk to me─”

“I don’t want to talk to you, let alone look at your face. So please, get out of my room.” You cut her off weakly, your voice a silent plea. “I’m tired, and I can’t deal with arguing with you again.”

“Your mother means well, Y/N.” This time, your father manages to draw your attention to him as he ambles towards you and stands next to your mother. The look on his face tells you everything you need to know that your father already knows about your mother. “Do forgive your mother.”

“And you have?” You blurt out disbelief. “I don’t understand. How are you okay with this after knowing what she did?” You can see it in your mother’s eyes; the way you convey your resentment hurts her.

“Because I allowed her to meet them.” He tells you calmly, the stark honesty in his eyes only seems to stagger you further, to which he sees and releases a soft sigh before settling down next to you. “I know it’s hard for you to understand why, but they loved your mother the same way I do. I couldn’t refuse them when they reached out to me and asked me for my permission to meet her, because after all, they had been my good friends since university.”

“But they’re not good people.” You retort vehemently. “If you knew what they did and how they treated their sons─”

“I know, honey, but I couldn’t forget their good deeds, no matter how much they’ve changed since they entered fatherhood. One of them even helped me secure my employment in law enforcement.” Your father sighs. “No matter what, forgiveness and letting go are easier than holding such resentment.”

His words hit you so hard that you can even feel them deep in your heart because of how fitting they are to your current predicament. Forgiveness is one thing, but letting go of them? And just like that, you return to the reeling of your torrential emotions as you look down, not bothered in the slightest, even when your mother sits next to you.

Your parents exchange worried glances upon noticing your deadly silence before your mother musters the courage to speak, hesitantly placing her hand on your back. “I know what I did is still morally wrong, and I’m so sorry for condemning you─”

A forlorn sob leaves your lips, startling them with your sudden outburst as tears cascade down your cheeks. You slowly lift your head to look at your mother through the tears, wanting her comfort despite feeling resentment towards her.

“Baby girl, what’s wrong?” Your father’s gentleness, which reminds you of Heeseung, only seems to hurl you to the edge as sobs rack through your body.

Your mother can’t stand to see the sight of you bawling out tears, especially when she recognises the agony of heartbreak written across your features. “Oh, honey, come here.” Following her motherly instinct, she pulls you into her embrace, which you can’t refuse, not when you have dearly missed being comforted by your mother.

“I loved them, Mom.” You manage to utter in between sobs as you cling desperately onto her, her arms enveloping your trembling body. “I really did, but after what they’ve done─ I can't forgive them.”

Instead of prying and demanding an elaboration from you, your parents choose to offer you more comfort, with your father now enveloping you and your mother nestling closely with each other. They allow you to release the uncontrollable, prolonging waterworks, and their presence provides you with some form of moral support.

You have lost track of time since the moment you decided to break down in front of your parents, but maybe long enough for the rays of the sunset now filtering through your window. Your sobs have finally quietened as you bask in the oddly comforting silence, remaining in their embrace.

Sniffling, you lift your head to look at them with swollen eyes and streaks of tears staining your cheeks. “Mom, Dad, there is something I have to tell you, and it is something that requires your blessing, which I hope you’ll allow me.” And so, you begin to reveal what you and Yunjin have discussed to your parents as they listen with an open mind.

You can feel judgmental eyes latching onto your figure, unnerving you as most of the seniors occupying the seats across the wide-stretch field are highly responsible for tearing you down through the cyberharassment, which thankfully has dwindled, but there are still a few bad apples that are relentless.

Still, you can’t allow any of them to prevent you from feeling the same triumphant joy of successfully surviving four years of university as you now receive your degree on stage alongside a special reward for making it onto the director’s list due to your outstanding performance. Plus, your moral support is here ─ your parents, Wonyoung, Karina, Yunjin, the other girls, and just the few ones whose loyalty lies with you and still sticks by your side till the end.

The air is teeming with jubilation, with your peers around you rejoicing with their loved ones as the graduation ceremony is officially over. You can’t help the chuckle leaving your lips as your friends’ enthusiasm is infectious. You're now huddling with them in a group hug. You even join in with your friends and peers to throw your graduation hat in the air at the same time.

“Girls! Look at the camera here!” Your father waves to the bunch of you for attention, with your mother standing next to him, both adorning proud smiles on their faces. Erupting into fits of giggles as you all huddle, you begin to pose for the camera before your father snaps a picture of you and your friends.

“I’m so going to miss you.” Winter engulfs you in a tight hug before you eventually engage in a hugging session with the rest of your friends, all teary-eyed as you exchange words of farewell and well wishes.

Yet, in the midst of it all, your eyes sweep across the seniors in your line of sight, searching for specific individuals. You saw them earlier, and God did they look sinfully handsome even in their graduation gowns while their hair was styled impeccably, which accentuated their features.

Of course, you immediately looked away from them and used your father’s figure to shield yourself from them despite his genuine confusion at your behaviour, and thankfully, they seemed to be too occupied with the other knights to even notice you.

Your heart begins to ache, recalling their faces in your mind as you know that this will be the last time you’ll ever see them, before getting pulled away from your pensive thoughts as your father calls for you, wanting you to pose for the camera with the small bouquet of flowers and your degree in your grasp.

Minutes have stretched into hours, and instead of heading back home with your parents, you find yourself in the passenger seat while Karina drives you to the unknown destination with Wonyoung and Yunjin settled in the backseat, uncertain of where they decide to bring you, but nevertheless, the duration of the ride doesn’t last for an hour.

“Why are they not coming with us?” You inquire to Wonyoung with a frown before casting a look over your shoulder at Karina and Yunjin as they remain in the car before the two of you proceed to enter the café establishment.

“Because they’ve already heard the truth, just as I have.” Wonyoung shoots you a small smile upon seeing the confusion in your eyes. “There are two people who wanted to meet you.”

Just as Wonyoung says, you have reached the table with two vaguely familiar faces. The two of them greet you with smiles of recognition, and like a switch in your brain, you finally recognise them. Julie and Belle, who were close friends of Jinae back then.

“It’s been a long time, Y/N. You look beautiful since the last time we saw you.” Belle offers you a dashing smile as soon as you and Wonyoung take your seats across from them.

Your cheeks flush pink. “You remember me?”

“Of course. Besides, your face is hard to forget.” Julie tells you, mirroring Belle’s smile, but a peculiar emotion flickers in her gaze before her smile falters. “The real reason we wanted to meet you is to give you some form of clarity, because we’ve heard of what happened to you.”

Your eyes go crestfallen while a sad chuckle leaves your lips. “You probably saw those videos, and for that, I’m sorry, just as I’m sorry for the loss of your friend. Jinae.”

“Don’t apologise. You’re a victim just as Jinae once was.” Julie says firmly. “But to tell you the truth, Jinae wasn’t exactly innocent either.”

“What do you mean?” You frown at this, and soon anger simmers within you as you feel compelled to defend the Jinae. “She very much was, especially after getting those sex tapes of her uploaded on social media. So I know how she felt, and what’s worse is the fact that they killed her after humiliating her.” 

“That’s the thing, Y/N, they didn’t kill her.” Belle says quietly, her eyes turning crestfallen. “Yes, the leaders did upload those sex tapes back then, but they didn’t kill her. She committed suicide.”

“Wait, what?” Your eyes widen in sheer disbelief before they dart at Wonyoung, who, in return, nods her head sullenly. You redirect your attention to Julie and Belle, confusion swirling in your eyes. “I don’t understand. I thought they killed her. Someone also told me that there was evidence that they were the ones responsible for her death.”

“We have no reason to lie, Y/N. I don’t know who told you about the evidence, but the same evidence was part of Jinae’s twisted plan.” Julie heaves a sigh as she runs her fingers through her hair. “Listen, Jinae was really a good friend to us, but she got progressively worse after the whole obsession with the leaders. She would go batshit crazy whenever any girl approached the leaders, because that's how obsessive she was. We tried stopping her from assaulting those poor girls, but she adamantly refused. She wanted the leaders all to herself.”

“Maybe I’m being a heartless bitch, but I’m glad Jinae isn’t here to witness you being intimately close to the leaders, who know what would’ve happened to you, knowing Jinae’s nature.” Belle shudders at the thought. Her kind eyes meet yours, seeing apparent bafflement in your contortion, to which she offers you a small smile. “I know it’s hard to believe, especially when what you’ve gone through is similar to Jinae in some way, having your vulnerability uploaded on social platforms for the world to see, and because of that, Jinae committed suicide.”

“Jinae told us all of her plans, including her planned death, which was in retaliation against the leaders. Hence, she managed to make everyone believe that the leaders killed her.” Julie adds, and a small, wistful smile appears on her lips. “We tried stopping her, but she didn’t want to live any longer due to the humiliation, not before seeking revenge against the leaders for what they did.”

“We even reached out to the leaders themselves on the day Jinae committed, despite the fact that we felt resentment towards them. We wanted to warn them about Jinae’s plans, and if there were even some humanity left in them, we hoped that they would work with us in stopping Jinae, but it was too late by then.” Belle continues to divulge, reminiscing about the past, which only daunts her further, as evident in the shadow cast over her delicate features. “Hence, me, Julie, and our other two best friends were the concrete evidence that can attest to the leaders’ innocence.”

“Did you two ever inform the law enforcement officers about the truth?” Wonyoung decides to ask as she sees how stunned you are, her hand reaching out to rub your back soothingly.

“Oh, yes, we did, but we didn’t have concrete evidence on our hands because Jinae only verbally told us about her plan, so it was futile.” Julie rubs her face, visible lines of exhaustion are evident. “Besides, they found the leaders’ handprints all over the knives, of which Jinae was the one to use them on herself.”

“Despite how diabolical she was, she crafted her plans well. I guess her revenge worked, seeing that everyone believed that the leaders were her murderers.” Belle pauses herself, her eyes carefully studying the expression on your face. “It’s a lot to take in, I know. But I hope that you won’t pursue the path Jinae did. You should firmly trust that there are better days ahead, and all of this will pass soon.”

“Thank you.” You can only utter your gratitude while soaking their words into your brain, unable to articulate your feelings that are influenced by the tumultuous emotions within you.

Julie and Belle decide to dispel the gloomy atmosphere with another topic, to which Wonyoung goes with the flow, whereas your mind drifts off elsewhere as you try your utmost to keep up with the conversation.

Sure, a part of you feels relieved to hear that the leaders didn’t kill her, but that doesn’t mean they were entirely innocent and change the fact that your vulnerability has been exposed to the world, which was the same tactic that they pulled with Jinae. 

And so, with a heavy heart and a resolute mind, you expunge any lingering hesitation as you await the day for your departure to arrive.

A familiar normalcy returns to your humble abode, or perhaps just a semblance of it since you still feel awkward around your mother despite the fact that you have forgiven her for the sake of your sanity. Other than that, your father has been spending more time with you as he was granted annual leaves for the past few days, but even you know that the reason behind this is because you’ll be leaving tomorrow.

Just last night, you had a talk with your parents and cried in their arms, apologising profusely to them for the firm decision you made, but as saddened as they were, your parents understood and wanted you to be happy, even if you decided to seek happiness elsewhere beyond their reach.

“Y/N, honey!” You can hear your mother calling for you from the living room, her voice manages to reach your room, where you left the door wide open.

“I’m still packing, Mom!” You tell her exasperatedly, expecting that she is going to nag at you again for packing your clothes and other necessities into your luggage the day before.

Placing your hands at your hips, you look around at the mess you have made, your lips pursing. Clothes, shoes, and other necessities are strewn across the floor while your luggage is positioned in the middle of the room, having been opened with only two medium zip-lock bags, which you stuffed your clothes inside so your luggage will have more space for you to put other things.

Honestly, you don’t have to pack a lot of things, especially clothes, since, according to Yunjin, you’ll be going shopping with her for famous designer clothes by using her card. You were appalled by this, because no matter how immensely wealthy she is, you hate for her to spend her money on you. Of course, Yunjin simply dismissed your refusal and adamantly wanted to shower you with her wealth.

“Hey, kiddo.” You shift your attention to your father, who is standing by the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and leaning against the frame. His eyes are dancing with amusement, yet there is a glinting curiosity. “Your mother called for you.”

“Tell her I’ll be quick.” You wave your father off, bending down to pick up your sweaters with the intention of stuffing them into a zip-lock bag.

“I doubt that you’ll be able to pack that quickly, baby girl.” Your father muses, his eyes following you, as you prance around with your hands full. “Besides, you have visitors.”

You halt your steps, slowly turning around to look at him with genuine confusion. “Who? Are they people I recognise?”

“I don’t know, but those boys look around your age.” Your father informs you, causing you to go frigid at the possibility of them being the ones that you don’t wish to see. “The blond one got along well with your mother, though. But honey, is there something you’re not telling me?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Dad, nor am I interested.” You huff, ambling towards him. “But I think I know who they are.”

With your father trailing behind you as you descend the stairs, you are greeted by the sight of three familiar faces in the living room with your mother, conversing amiably politely with her, and they even managed to make her laugh. But pure confusion is on your face.

“Y/N!” Sunoo beams with a smile as soon as you enter the living room, prompting Riki and Jungwon to shift their attention to you.

“Y/N, you didn’t tell me about these friends of yours before.” Your mother says, smiling lightly and completely oblivious to the way you tense up. “They’re here for you.”

“Your lovely mother is correct.” Sunoo tells you, a knowing glint in his eyes as he examines you while the smile on his lips persists. “How have you been doing?”

“Just peachy.” You clip with a tight smile while your icy glare burns into them. “Let’s talk outside. Mom, Dad, I’ll be back.”

You don’t wait for any of their responses as you walk briskly past them, reaching the main door and pushing it open. You hear their footsteps approaching from behind you as you guide them to the front porch.

“You know, your house is actually pretty cool. It feels homeier than mine.” Sunoo, as always the chatty one out of the trio, invites himself to take a seat on the creamed wooden swinging bench, whereas Riki takes a seat on the porch step and Jungwon is next to you. “You look a lot like your mother, but your father is quite intimidating.”

“Just cut to the chase. What do you want?” You lean your lower back against the balustrades in a self-defensive stance with your arms folded below your chest, while the scowl on your face shows a distinct hostility towards them being closely associated with the leaders. “Are you here to torment me with your goading just like the others? At least you have the audacity to do it in my face.”

“Woah, relax. Don’t get your pants twisted.” Sunoo puts his hands up in a mocking surrender, earning a head shake from Riki at his usual antics. “I thought we were friends, darling. So why the hostility towards us?”

“What Sunoo meant to say instead is that there is something important you should know.” Jungwon intervenes as he casts a brief glare at his best friend before looking at you, his eyes hold such solemnity that it compels you to listen. “They didn’t upload those pictures and videos.”

A scoff leaves your lips before you can stop it. “Do you really expect me to believe that? When they themselves uploaded those contents to their own social accounts?”

“Yes, because it wasn’t their fault. Their accounts were hacked.” Jungwon bites back, his feline-like eyes glaring intimidatingly into your icy ones. “They’ve been framed and backstabbed by their trusted knights. They would never have hurt you in any way.”

“He’s right, Y/N.” Any traces of whimsicality are erased from Sunoo’s countenance; his tone sounds as sombre as Jungwon’s. “Hell, I don’t know anything about love, or maybe they’re just obsessed with you, but I know for a fact that you mean a lot to them.”

You unfold your arms and allow them to fall to the sides, your fist clenching as you try your utmost to control the tumultuous emotions that have roused from the bay while tears prickle in your glaring eyes. “I don’t believe you. Even if they weren’t the ones who uploaded them, it doesn’t change the fact that they lied to me when I already told them that I wanted those to be deleted in the first place. So whatever you have to say to me, I’m not listening anymore.”

You pivot on your heels and brush coldly past Jungwon with the intention to head inside your house, but Riki’s tall, imposing figure startles you as he blocks your way, his callous eyes penetrating into yours while he takes intimidating steps towards you, causing you to back away from him.

Before you can make your next move, Riki halts his steps to retrieve his phone from his pocket and swipes on the screen busily with a monotonous countenance before looking back at you. “Listen.” He commands lowly, giving you his phone, which you hesitantly grab from him.

You swallow harshly, feeling defeated as you make your way to the bench, while Sunoo pats on the empty seat next to him delightfully, causing you to roll your eyes at him. As soon as you are seated, you look at Riki’s phone with a curious frown before pressing on the play button and listening to whatever has been recorded.

Let’s just say it takes you longer than intended to listen to the entire recording, especially when you need some interval for their words to absorb into your pounding head before continuing to listen with the strings in your heart tugging in such a way.

But the revelation that shocks you the most as it sends you a jarring sensation is the true mastermind for the mayhem since the night you were captured by the ones you never would have expected.

Another slash on your wounded heart while tears prickle in your eyes, hearing his voice that is filled with such profound hatred. Pushing his betrayal aside, you begin to put the right pieces together as soon as the recording ends, prompting you to return the phone to Riki.

“I can’t believe that Beomgyu would do this.” You speak up after a couple beats of silence, blinking away the tears in your eyes and releasing a shaky breath.

“We couldn’t believe it either after we discovered that he also turned out to be your anonymous texter, but he used another of Taehyun’s devices, which was why we initially thought that Taehyun was the one instead of Beomgyu.” Sunoo says, and a scornful scowl etches on his face.

As you recall the past interaction you had with anonymous, who is Beomgyu, it finally makes sense why he seemingly appeared as the good guy with the pure intention of wanting to lead you astray from the leaders when, in actuality, it was all part of his plan to influence and poison you with ill-thoughts so you would develop such mistrust towards them while he was waiting for the perfect time to strike.

What’s even more revolting is the fact that he and his rebellion had hidden cameras implemented perfectly in their rooms and other parts of the palace, which was why he had the upper hand because he was always watching your every move.

But then, as another thought comes to your mind, your eyes turn crestfallen. “Why didn’t they come and reveal the truth to me instead?” You ask while the tremor in your voice is a palpable pain.

“Because they knew that you needed space, even if the distance was killing them.” Jungwon answers sombrely, standing from across you as he leans back against the balustrade. “Besides, if they had come to you instead, would you have even listened to what they had to say?”

You look away from Jungwon’s knowing gaze, only to meet Riki’s sharp ones. “After what happened to you, your feelings are valid, and I agree that they shouldn’t have lied to you.” Riki, once again, takes you by surprise as he finally speaks more than one word to you. His eyes soften just slightly upon seeing the heartache shine in yours. “But please don’t hate them any longer.”

You look down at your curled fists on your lap, silence engulfing you while your mind is once again in a tumult with a cacophony of thoughts, and your beating heart has a palpable yearning despite the wounds it bears. But you have long since made up your mind.

Mustering courage, you return your gaze to their attentive ones. “Tonight’s my last night in Seoul.” As soon as those words leave your mouth, the three of them look equally bewildered, their eyes widening at the slightest fraction.

“What do you mean?” Sunoo scoffs out in disbelief. “Listen, I know that they’ve hurt you, but you don’t have to─”

“It’s not just about them, Sunoo.” You cut him off sternly, distracting yourself from the palpable heartache in your chest as you try your utmost to be strong-willed. “Being back with my parents is great, and I love them, but I can’t stay here any longer. I need a new change of scenery and to find new happiness somewhere else that doesn’t require me to depend on anyone. I want this. This is for me.”

“Y/N…” Jungwon sighs, but you intervene, your now-teary eyes conveying a silent plea that has his eyes softened.

“I’m begging you. Please don’t tell them.” You look at each of them while they exchange wary glances. “I know I don’t mean anything to you, but please don’t ruin this for me by telling them.”

“Just tell us one thing.” Sunoo’s stern eyes capture yours in unwavering contact. “Are you moving far from here? Or will you be anywhere in Sokor?”

“Yes and no.” You answer steadily. “I won’t tell you where exactly I’m going, but it is where I’ve always dreamed of travelling to.”

“Alright. We won’t tell them. You have my word.” Riki reassures you, giving you a small smile before his eyes trail to his best friends, hardening with resolve. “We won’t tell them, right?”

“Yes, yes. Don’t need to look at us like that.” Sunoo rolls his eyes at him, whereas Jungwon gives a reluctant nod. “By the way, before we go, we have a surprise gift for you.”

“And since you’re leaving, call it our farewell gift.” Jungwon casts you a grin, causing you to feel wary as you see a gleam of devilry in his eyes.

Soon enough, the three of them guide you to Jungwon’s car as you trail behind them like a clueless duck, wondering what sort of gift, or maybe a prank, since they are also known for being pranksters.

“Wait here.” Riki murmurs to you just as you stop behind the car.

You watch with curious eyes as the three of them head over to the right side of the car before Sunoo opens the door wide, only for Jungwon and Riki to work in tandem as they reach out for something, or rather, someone.

Your stomach begins to churn unpleasantly while your heart rate is going rapid at the sight of a familiar face as he is being held captive by Jungwon and Riki at each side. Your eyes widen at how his once-charming face is ruined by the ugly bruises and even scars. His eyes, which once held such warmth and kindness, are now filled with malevolence as he struggles in their hold, despite how evidently weak he is.

“I’ll fucking punch you if you don’t stop struggling.” Jungwon coldly snarls at him, his demeanour is so callous that it sends you shivers.

“On your knees.” Riki uses his foot to push the back of his knee, resulting in the latter falling to his knees from the impact, while Jungwon moves over to your side in case he decides to attack you unexpectedly. “Now apologise to her.” Riki says in a low rumble.

“You guys really are just a bunch of loyal dogs to your leaders, aren’t you?” He retaliates with a nasty snarl, his glaring eyes burning into theirs, and yet he doesn’t seem to be able to meet yours. “You follow your leaders blindly, even if they tell you to kill yourself.”

“And here I thought I yap too much.” Sunoo groans loudly, closing in the gap as he stands next to him, now being surrounded by the four of you. Sunoo’s fox-like eyes are glaring icily into his, with no traces of mirth on his face. “Look at her and fucking apologise. You owe her that much.”

“That’s okay if he doesn’t want to apologise. I don’t expect much from someone like him anyway.” Your voice draws his attention, and as his eyes finally meet yours, a muscle pulses in your jaw as you see no remorse in his eyes. “But I just want to know one thing. Do you feel satisfied now that you’ve ruined my reputation and my dignity, Choi Beomgyu?”

You feel your skin crawling with dread as you notice the way his eyes darken with a palpable desire, completely enamoured by you, while a sickening smile of delight smears across his bruised lips.

“You’re still beautiful as ever, Y/N.” Beomgyu says softly, his deceptive tone only intensifies the unpleasantness churning in your tummy. But then something so dark and sinister cast a shadow across his face. “But you would’ve looked even more beautiful bathed in your own blood.”

“Why this bastard─” You prevent Jungwon from delivering any punches to Beomgyu as you raise your hand, while your eyes hold no sympathy for the latter.

“You know, I would’ve felt sympathetic for your loss if it weren’t for the fact that you’re just as detrimental as your sister.” You say coldly, and you can see it in his blazing eyes that your remark provokes him. ”Even if you had apologised to me, I wouldn’t forgive you. You aren’t worthy of my forgiveness.”

Beomgyu scoffs, his lips curving into a devilish smirk, and it is as though he is wearing an entirely different mask as he leers at you. “I don’t need forgiveness, especially from someone like you.” His tone drips with venom, conveying his contempt for you. “You’re nothing but a worthless Catholic slut who spreads her legs for anyone who gives you the slightest bit of affection. It’s really pathetic how desperate you are─”

The three of them never see this coming, because one moment you are staring down at Beomgyu with an air of eerie calmness, and the next, you land a hard punch to his face, sending his head flung to the side from the impact while the rest go flinching.

You remain composed despite your knuckles aching. “You might want to say that to your dead sister too. But the only difference between me and her is that I didn’t get batshit crazy if they didn’t give me attention.” A smirk touches your lips while your eyes glint with an unfamiliar cruelty. “So, who really is the desperate one now?”

“You fucking bitch!” Like a rabid dog, Beomgyu lets out a loud snarl, nearly lunging for you if it weren’t for Sunoo and Riki holding him down from each side. “Just wait, Y/N Kang! I’ll finish where I left off, and I will succeed in killing you!”

“Not on our watch, you won’t.” Jungwon smirks before landing a punch to Beomgyu’s face, and this time, knocking him out cold as he falls to the ground with a thud.

“Don’t worry. He won’t be able to touch you, let alone find you.” Riki reassures you after seeing a flicker of concern in your eyes. The small smile on his lips alleviates your perturbation as he pats your shoulder. “Wherever you go, we wish you the best in your future endeavours.”

“Thank you, Riki.” You take him by surprise when you give him a friendly side hug, to which he briefly reciprocates before you shift your attention to a pouty Sunoo and Jungwon.

“So, this really is a goodbye, huh?” Sunoo says, his tone sounding foreignly sincere, as does his softened gaze. “It was nice knowing you, Y/N.”

“It won’t hurt for you to come back to Seoul for next year’s Devil’s Night hosted by us since we’re going to be the official leaders soon.” Jungwon smirks, his dimple becoming prominent on his cheek.

“No thanks. This year’s Devil Night was already traumatising enough.” You politely decline, earning you whines from them, even Riki. “Guys, I’m sure by then you’re going to forget about me, just as they’re going to.” You say shakily, swallowing a painful lump in your throat at the thought.

“Are you kidding? No way. You’re unforgettable, darling.” Sunoo sends you a flirtatious wink with a boyish grin on his lips, causing you to roll your eyes at him. “But seriously, Y/N, I don’t think they would ever forget about you.”

You don’t respond, uncertain of what to say. After giving each of them friendly hugs, including Riki, who bashfully claims that your hug feels comforting as he looks away from your eyes, you watch as they enter the car with an unconscious Beomgyu in the trunk before they speed off from your neighbourhood street.

The day you have been waiting for has finally dawned, and a new adventure awaits you in just a few hours. The entirety of Incheon International Airport is bustling with both citizens and foreigners as soon as you arrive alongside Yunjin, your parents, Wonyoung, Karina, and a few of your inner circle. Despite how early it is for them, they wish to send you and Yunjin off and bid their last farewells.

Families and friends in your vicinity are bidding heartfelt farewell to their loved ones, including yours. Although no tears are shed this time, an air of melancholy that accompanies the bittersweet feeling is palpable as it brings heartaches, or perhaps the wisdom behind this is not only because you are leaving your family and friends, but because you will be leaving the four men who have ever made you feel special and loved in this lifetime, even if it’s the intoxicating kind of love.

Once again, your heart and mind are in dissonance, causing you to feel a weight on your shoulders as your steps begin to slow down before you look over your shoulder to see your parents and friends waving at both you and Yunjin with big smiles on their faces, but you can’t seem to lift a smile of your own.

Naturally, your eyes begin to sweep across the bustling crowd for specific individuals, to which your rationality is berating you for hopelessly searching for the ones who turned your life upside down and led you astray from the path you had already created for yourself at the start of university, the ones who have changed you, and as a result, you have willingly allowed a transformative change in you for the worst.

But you can’t deny the fact that they added colour to your life, and in a way, the change in you is a blessing as well. Perhaps it was the consequences of allowing them to influence you with their intoxicating ways, but you feel as though there are two contrasting sides to you: light and darkness. The light is a beacon to guide you to the right path and inspire you to act virtuously, while the darkness is an abyss where ignorance, depravity, and other qualities that often tempt you to become the worst version of yourself lie. It is a perfect balance.

“Y/N?” Yunjin’s voice draws your attention as you force yourself to tear your gaze off the surroundings while disappointment seeps through you before you silently berate yourself for it, because after all, they had no idea that you would be leaving for good.

“Are you okay? Do you have second thoughts about this?” Yunjin asks gently, her kind eyes balming your frayed nerves, but it can’t be said the same for the tremendous ache in your heart that still bears the wound caused by them, yet it yearns for them.

Your eyes harden with resolution as you shake your head, clutching the telescopic handle before you pull your luggage to advance forward, now falling in the same steps as her. “No, I don’t. I was just looking at my parents and our friends for the last time.” You answer in a neutral tone, reassuring Yunjin with a small smile.

What are you doing? And more importantly, why are you even thinking of them to the point where it almost has you in a moment of reconsideration? You wanted this, and you were adamant about it. You didn’t want to be in this environment any longer, knowing that they could easily reach out to you again. 

So for the sake of your sanity, you gladly embark on a new journey as you and Yunjin now enter the departure hall to get to the right terminal, anticipating what future awaits you in your new life at the place you have dreamed of living ever since. 

As you finally settle in your allotted seat, which is next to the window, your eyes follow the movements of the raindrops cascading down in droplets on the window. You lean your back comfortably in your seat while the commotion from the other passengers alighting and settling in their seats fades out in the background as you mentally dissociate yourself from reality for some inner peace.

But soon enough, the semblance of tranquillity immediately shatters when their faces appear in your mind once more, and this time, your eyes spring up with uninhibited tears before they trickle down your cheeks as you grieve in complete silence.

Perhaps it’s a positive grievance that you are no longer tethered to them and have no reason to look back now. You are finally free ─ free from heartbreak, free from your past, free from them.

Tears continue their descent on you as you bury the bittersweet painful memories in the depths of your mind, or at best, erase them from your memory after you have the mental capacity to do so.

As the plane finally takes off, you bid a silent goodbye to them. A wistful smile touches your lips faintly as you shed the last of your tears in silence.

Goodbye. All of you were the most wonderful experiences I’ve ever had in this lifetime. 

However, little do you know that fate has something twisted in store for you once more.

TAGLIST: @aishigrey @kgneptun @b3tt7boop @smg-valeria @lhspeachie @enhaverse713586 @strxwbloody @firstclassjaylee @jwnghyuns @deobitifull @loumin908 @sousydive @pinkkami @skzenhalove @caravm @shinrjj @loljaeyunz @star4rin @yorukoshii @nshmrarki @lol6sposts @lilyuwon @enha-crumbs @slut4hee @capri-cuntz @kaykay11sworld @firesunflames @notevenheretbh1 @parksunghoonsgf @luvkpopp @superbbananananana @eastleighsblog @in-somnias-world @nyxtwixx @theresawtf @fuxktaekook @readbyjjk @yunhoswrldddd @fuxktaekook @bobaikeu @minjaexvz @heelariously @hoonsdrnkdzd @iveivory @pinkielina @criminaluvr @punchbug9-blog

[micallum]

is that the face of a guy who get a third gold medal????????? yes. is that the face of someone who dominated everyone (we forget butterfly)????? yes. are these the abs of a winner? yes

You know it, those are the pecs of a champion 🙌

[placeinthemiddleofnowhere]

No one else but you

Pairing: Captain John Price x Reader

Summary: You and Price broke up months ago after a bad fight and you're still reeling from it. You're utterly heartbroken, but with the less that great wisdom of your friends, you decided to try and jump into another relationship to solve the hurt - one that was bad from the beginning. Will Price showing back up in your life get you out of it? Or will you be left with no one at all.

(No use of y/n or mention of gender/race)

Warning: Angst with a happy ending, fluff, cheating boyfriend (not price), Smut (no mention of reader genitals), soft dom!Price, nickname Daddy used, pinning down, dirty talk, praise

-💘-

Realistically you knew that you’d see John Price again one day, you just hated that it had to be that day. That day that you were on a date with your new boyfriend. The day after you’d just made things official. Pretty much right after you'd just gotten on at said boyfriend for distracting himself with his phone the whole time. Now you were the one that was distracted.

You and Reid hadn’t been dating long, just barely a month and half. You’d asked the night before about where he saw things going and then somewhere along the way in that conversation he asked if you brought it up because you wanted him to be your boyfriend. Then you supposed that’s why you did ask, and said yes, and he’d agreed to it. 

Of course you’d felt kind of happy about it at the time, but now - after locking eyes with your ex, who offered you a crinkly eyed smile before turning to the barista - you felt like there was a pit in your stomach. It was as if your belly was made of lead. Had you made the right decision?

“Hello, are you listening to me?” Reid laughed, waving his hand in front of your face. “Weekend plans. Next weekend. Selena’s cabin. Need a yes or a no. She’s messaging me about it and you were the one that just ranted to me about how I wasn’t paying attention to you.”

“Hmm? Sorry, what?” you asked, resuming eye contact with your boyfriend. “Where’s the cabin again? Who’s Selena?”

It was so unfair, you thought to yourself. Why was Price here now? You’d figured after being deployed he’d be away for a long time, but slowly you came to realise that it had been ages since you’d seen him. 3 months in fact. 

And now he was there in the cafe, standing in line for a tea you presumed, looking as handsome as ever. His beard had been allowed to grow, he’d probably not had time to trim it, it was longer and even in length. His eyes looked weary and his hair was messy, probably from running his hands through it too much, you thought, and you bit your lip as you noticed he was wearing that shirt you liked. The worn green linen button up, with a pristine white T-shirt underneath of course. 

“Do you know that man or something?”

You jumped when Reid pulled you out of your daze yet again, and suddenly all the bluebirds and butterflies were out of your field of vision. You’re opened up to the reality of the coffee shop, all the whirring and buzzing machines and emphatic chatter of all the tables around you. It was as if a spell had been broken. 

You gulped awkwardly and shrugged, rubbing the back of your neck.

“Sorry, yeah…that’s my ex,” you explain with a sigh.

Even then, even while you were with someone else, you still hurt over the way things had been left. That should’ve been a bad sign, one that meant you weren’t supposed to be moving on so soon, but whenever you talked to anyone about it they just said you needed to move on and ‘shag it out your system’ - whatever that meant. John didn’t feel like the kind of man that anyone could just forget about, even when it was you that broke things off in the first place.

“Wait, the soldier guy? The one that you said beat a guy up outside that bar?” Reid marvelled, fastening his eyes to Price’s place in the queue. 

“Yeah, him,” you murmured, forgetting that you’d told him about that. 

“He doesn’t look like I thought he would,” Reid snorted, watching him wait for his drink. “He’s like an old guy, looks pretty harmless to me.”

You held back the protest that had come to the tip of your tongue like a hot pepper. It wouldn’t do to tell your new man that he’d get flattened by the captain if he got on his bad side - that would be asking for an argument. Instead you bit your lip and watched as Price made his way toward you both, takeaway cup in hand. You were begging whatever deity might be watching over that he wouldn’t linger long. 

Though by the looks of things, he’d had a hard time trying to forget about you too. There was something in his eyes, something like relief, that made you feel he was glad to have bumped into you. 

He eventually came to a stop next to your table, standing close to your side. You could smell the piney aroma of his aftershave as it rolled off of him - sprayed on to help cover the lingering scent of cigar smoke. It combined with the smell of bitter coffee and sweet cakes and left you dazedly staring at him. 

“Hello, there,” he said simply

You gulped, instantly feeling your mouth go dry. What were you supposed to say back? Hello, how are you? No, you had so many other things rushing through your mind you didn’t think to respond with something normal. 

Did you think about me while you were away? Did you miss me? Did you finally realise you were wrong to hurt that man so badly just because he’d pushed up against me and called me names when he thought he was supposed to get served at the bar before me? Do you think things could’ve been different afterwards? Could we have talked more and worked it out? I missed you so much, please take me away from here. 

“Um…hi,” you said sheepishly, offering him a small smile. “How’ve you been? Did you just get back from deployment?”

“Yeah, just got back on wednesday there. You know how it is when I’m away. Spend the whole time worrying about everyone till we’re back home safe, don’t I?”

He’d tilted his head at you meaningfully, letting you know that he wasn’t just talking about his men. So, you thought, you struggled just as much as me.

“What about you, how’ve you been? And who’s your friend?” he asked, turning his attention toward Reid.

Price narrowed his gaze on your boyfriend and offered his hand, shoulders rolling as he did so. You didn’t miss the way he’d said friend. Apparently Reid didn’t either. Reid took Price’s hand all too willingly and firmly shook it, making eye contact so direct you wondered if he was trying to shoot lasers out of his eyes. 

“Yeah, good,” you responded, watching as their handshake carried on a little too long. “This is Reid.”

“The boyfriend,” Reid added, finally snatching his hand back.

Price raised his brows and glanced at you. You could swear that you’d noticed his jaw tick, but nevertheless he smiled and patted your shoulder, his hand warm on you, even through your thick jumper.

“John Price - the ex,” he said to Reid, before turning back to you.“Good to know you’ve had someone looking after ya.”

his lips were quirking as if he’d had to force the words out.

“He uh- has been yes,” you said appeasingly, side-eyeing Reid as he frowned at you. “Someone’s got to!”

You’d laughed awkwardly, tittering away while hoping the interaction would end. Though there was no chance of Price going that easy. He stayed and nodded his head slowly, his eyes narrowing on you as he seemed to lose himself in his thoughts. Was he thinking of all the times that he’d been the one to look after you? 

“Did you get yourself a tea then?” you asked, trying to end the awkward silence and - hopefully - send him on his way, you could ask him to go drink it in peace. 

He looked down at it as if he’d forgotten the scalding cup in his hand and back at you, raising the cup just slightly. 

“Know me well, love, don’t you?”

Your body all but seized as he resurrected one of his old pet names. You used to preen when he called you love. Now you were choking on your spit - actually genuinely choking.

You wheezed and gasped, quickly taking a drink of your latte to try and ease collapse of your windpipe. It might have settled if not for the fact that he started rubbing your back. That only made the problem worse. You struggled to take in the closeness of him, the warmth, how firm his hand was as he settled it over your spine. 

You brushed past him and got up, offering both him and Reid an apologetic smile. 

“Don’t know what’s…come over me,” you gasped, trying to find enough air to talk. “I’m just going to go to the toilet quickly!”

And before another word could be said, you rushed off to try and find some peace, desperately trying to avoid all the hustling bustling people around you. This was not good. 

-💘-

While you were away, Reid and Price both stared each other down. Left to their own devices they could both drop any pretence they’d kept up while you were around, not that Reid was making much of an effort to try and appear friendly. Though now he was openly glaring at Price, letting him know that he wasn’t welcome. Trying valiantly to scare him away. 

Price, meanwhile, was casting a wary eye over this new boyfriend, looking him up and down and not missing the woman’s name on his phone screen. He wasn’t the type of man to deny that men and women could be friends, but something about the way Reid had been messaging whoever it was so intently, rubbed him the wrong way. He looked from the screen and back to Reid, causing the other man to scowl. 

“What was that?” Reid all but growled. 

“What was what?” Price asked, raising a brow. 

“Calling them love and rubbing their back like that! You said it yourself - you’re the ex. Act like it and back off!”

“Ex or not, I want you to know something. I might not be in the picture right now, but I’ll tell you this - you hurt them…and I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”

Reid frowned, about to laugh off his threat when Price gave his rival the same look that he’d used in interrogations- the one that showed that he wasn’t above getting dirty if the situation called for it. It was then that Reid recalled what you’d told him about the fight, about how Price had almost permanently maimed the guy, he had remembered you saying that the man had had his jaw wired shut just to recover from what Price had done to him. 

Reid didn’t visibly back down, but he didn’t retort back either. He pursed his lips instead and watched as you bounced back to the table in the background, relieved that you’d recovered sooner rather than later.

-💘-

“Everything ok?” you chirped, sitting back down in your chair. 

“Yeah, course,” Price smiled, his eyes turning to those familiar crescent moons that you adored. “What about you? Survived, have you?”

You played with your hands and laughed awkwardly, remembering to swallow before you choked again. 

“Yeah, still kicking somehow.”

“Well that’s good to hear. Listen, its been lovely to see you, but I’ll let you two get back to it, I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome. Just so you know though, if you ever need anything,” Price said, his blue eyes melting into honey, “just give me a ring.”

With that, he winked at you and left, not waiting for your response.

You huffed out a breath, only just realising that it had felt like your lungs had been fit to burst pretty much that entire time and looked over at Reid. He looked like he was going to combust. All the light that had been on his face earlier in the day had died and he looked sulkily down at his phone, angrily tapping a message into it. 

“Oh my god, Reid, I’m so sorry about that,” you sighed, closing your eyes as you finally realised what had just happened. “He can be really intense, and I didn’t realise he was going to come barging up to us like that! Anyway,why don’t we get things back on track, what were you saying about going away to a cabin?”

It was Reid’s turn again to blank you now. He continued to type a message to whoever he was talking to and left you in silence, listening to his thumb angrily jamming down on the glass. You tried again and he still didn’t respond, and soon it began to feel like every tap on the screen was a hammer in the nail of your coffin. 

-💘-

You had thought you’d resolved that argument that night. 

You had spent the whole rest of the outing shuttered out from any conversation with him, only to spend hours when you’d gotten home locked in a bitter fight. He’d said you could’ve backed him up a bit more and made him look less like a fool, and you’d agreed and tried to tell him that you were so overwhelmed you weren’t sure how to react, though you knew you could’ve tried to have handled it better. You just weren’t sure what you would’ve been able to do differently. 

There had been some back and fourth for a while, but eventually it was settled when you’d said you’d block him and delete him off of everything and that was the end of that. Or so you had so naively believed. 

You’d gone along to the cabin on the Friday of the following weekend and soon it was revealed to you that that hadn’t been the end of things at all. 

Everything had started off fine, it had been nice even. You’d all gotten camping chairs and had sat round a big fire drinking and getting to know all of Reid’s friends and were enjoying yourself immensely. However as the night wore on and Reid had gotten drunker and drunker - Price had eventually come up. That’s when everything did a complete 180. 

Someone, for some godforsaken reason, had brought up awkward ex stories and Reid jumped at the chance to tell everyone about the coffee shop encounter. He spared no detail in making Price sound like a disgusting lecherous old man, and laughed as he told everyone about how he’d been threatened. A detail he’d forgotten to tell you when you’d had your discussion.

“You didn’t tell me about that,” you’d protested weakly, putting your hand on his thigh. “You should’ve said something. That’s not right that he threatened you.”

He shook his leg from your grip and laughed bitterly, taking another swig of his vodka. Suddenly the taste of the spirit was acrid in your throat and the smoke from the fire was stifling you. The evening was going downhill fast.

You turned around and took a glance at his friends, they were all laughing about it, apparently finding it hilarious that an old man had threatened Reid. Everyone was in hysterics apart from one of the girls, the girl who’s cabin it was. She didn’t appear to be hearing any new information, she was just smiling like a cheshire cat and opening another cocktail can. 

“Didn’t take it seriously then, did I?” Reid shrugged, looking around at all the laughing faces with glee. “What’s he gonna do? Knock me over with his walking stick? That guy was like a hundred years old.”

You wanted to say that it was funny he didn’t say that to Price’s face, but immediately thought better of it. Instead you just tried to laugh it off and hope the subject changed, but ultimately it didn’t. Instead you became the group target when one of his friends had sniggered and asked if Reid wasn’t too young for you. Must be hard keeping up with someone your own age instead of someone that falls asleep when you get on top, and apparently it was the funniest jokes in the world to everyone but you. 

For the whole rest of the trip his friends had kept bringing up your supposed penchant for gross old men and had kept the joke going. They brought up pictures of old actors and asked if you’d ‘smash them’ and when one of the men from a neighbouring cabin had walked by, of course an older man walking his even older doddering greyhound, they’d told Reid to hold you back before you ran off with him.

It wasn’t fair, you’d thought. Price wasn’t actually that much older than you. Sure, there was a little bit of an age gap, the lines on his face were a little deeper than other people his age and there was a bit of grey creeping into his hair, but he spent most of his time fighting and commanding big groups of soldiers. It would age anyone quickly!

However, as if that wasn’t humiliating enough, Selena (Cabin owner and supposedly happily committed friend of Reid’s) had come up to Reid on the second night while you were supposed to go away to get something to drink. Somehow, between you going away and hastily coming back to ask what he wanted instead of the drink you were out of, she’d wandered onto his lap. You stood by the patio door, no longer noticing the chill in the air and instead honed in on the fact that she was stroking a hand through his hair and murmuring to him softly and sickly sweet. 

“I like your hair like this,” she’d said, her voice sultry and low. “Why’d you never style it like this when we were together.”

“Oh yeah?” Reid responded, gripping her hand in his. “I guess I hadn’t figured out how to do it yet.”

You bit your lip, not feeling like you could say anything yet, knowing that you’d only be made to look like a jealous hypocrite if you protested at an ex getting a little too close. They hadn’t actually done anything yet, you told yourself, they were just sitting together on the old deck chair. He looked like he was about to take her hand off of his head. She was barely even touching him to start with really!

Until she was.

She leaned in and sloppily kissed him, her drunken body swaying as she fought to keep her balance on top of his wobbly legs. Bile rose in your throat as you watched them together and suddenly the entire weight of the weekend was upon you. The jeering of his friends, Reid refusing to stop them making fun of you and telling you to grow up, and finally watching them both locked in a kiss that Reid was in no way trying to get away from. 

You blubbered out a pathetic cry and ran to your room, grabbing your things in a blind panic and barely checking that you had everything, only really worrying about your car keys. You ensured that you had them clasped tightly in your hands, stabbing yourself with the rigid metal, and rushed to your car. You hastily threw your bag into the back and slammed the door loudly. You’d gone to open the drivers door when Reid came bounding up behind you, shouting after you and having the audacity to look angry.

You watched him rush over in a panic, and leapt into the car seat, making extra sure to lock the door as you got in. You’d done it just in time too. Just as the click of the lock had sounded, Reid angrily pounded on the window and screamed at you, telling you not to overreact and get out the car. 

“I’m not overreacting, I’m going home!”

“You can’t drive, you’ve been drinking,” he growled.

“I’ve been drinking lime sodas,” you screamed back, turning the engine over as you angrily jerked the keys. “And I saw you kiss her back! If you think I’m gonna let that go then you’re dead wrong! This is over.”

“Oh, come on! I didn’t do that, you’re making things up. Just come out the car and talk to me for a minute!”

You glared at him and put your foot on the clutch, revving the car as you waited for him to get out of your way. He stood resolute and threw his arms in the sky, looking ready to rip you out of the car with his bare hands.

“If your stupid army man came over and did the same you’d probably kiss him back too!”

That did it. 

You reversed the car in a flash and turned round, uncaring if you bashed into anything. As long as you didn’t run over Reid (as much as you kind of wanted to), you were happy to do anything just to get out of the drive. You turned the car successfully, even managing to leave dent free and barrelled your way down the road. Wiping furiously at your tears so that you could see your way down the unlit country roads.

-💘-

When you finally got back to your town, you weren’t able to go home right away. You didn’t have the strength to drive on. You’d been hounded with text messages and calls and the sounds of vibrations and sight of angry words had put you too on edge. You couldn’t go on.

Instead, you’d stopped in the Tesco Extra car park and rammed on your break, sitting in a relatively abandoned section near the back. You hastily turned off your phone and threw it in the back seat before draping your arms over the steering wheel, then crying into them like something out of a cheesy movie. 

It wasn’t fair. 

You’d just wanted to have a nice weekend away and instead you’d spent the entire time being the butt of a dumb joke and had been cheated on to boot. It felt like nothing in your life could go right.

Every one of your friends had encouraged you to get with Reid, had told you things would be much better with someone that would actually be home and not off in some random country video calling you from miles away; and at that moment you wanted to facetime each and everyone one of them and show them exactly where that advice had gotten you.

Look at my big ugly crying face and feel awful, you stupid idiots!

Even when you were mid breakdown in your car you still knew that that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t their faults he was a cheat. Instead you just kept weeping quietly to yourself and letting the hot tears roll down your face like acid, stinging at your irritated skin. It felt good to get it all out and soon you were running out of anything to cry with anyway.Your big snuffly sobs were turning into quiet breaths and eventually no sound left you as you stared ahead into nothing, the neon shop lights blurring in the corners of your eyes.

Your calm didn’t last for long though. A knock came at your window and you jumped out of your skin, bolting upright and looking at the glass with panic. At first you thought Reid had somehow found a way to follow you home, but it turned out to be worse than you’d first assumed. It wasn’t your now ex, it was the ex before him - Price. 

You took a moment to catch your breath and furiously rubbed at your eyes, hoping that he hadn’t noticed what you’d been doing all hunched over in the dark. However, your motions had completely betrayed you and before you could think to roll down your window, he was coming over to the passenger side of the car and tapping on the glass again and motioning to the lock.

He wanted to get in. For crying out loud, what was this day?

You groaned, but knew there was no use denying him and weakly pulled up the lock, wincing as he wrenched open the old door and shut it with a bang. 

“What happened? Are you ok?” He asked, gripping your arm with a reassuring squeeze. “Are you hurt?”

He looked ready to follow through with his supposed murder threat when he’d asked the last question. You swallowed thickly and scanned his face, noticing that he looked less tired than when you’d last seen him, he was more focused as he glared.

He had shaved the mutton chops back into his beard, but he was still wearing the old green shirt that you loved, it looked like it had been washed many times since you’d seen it. It was fraying even more than it had been. 

“No, I’m ok,” you finally responded, your voice going croaky. “I just- I just had a bad weekend is all. I’d rather not talk about it. I’ll be fine once I get myself home and then I can sort myself out from there.”

“You’re in no state to get yourself home, not like this,” Price admonished, easily sliding his palm against your face. It felt cool to the touch, it soothed your burning cheek. “Did you come here to get something? Do you want me to go in for you while you wait here? Then we can figure out how to get you home.”

He made sure you were making eye contact, he was speaking in that low familiar tone he used to use with you. The one that used to send your heart sparkling like a firework fuse ready to blow. You could already feel the beginnings of a sparkler fire, there was something fizzling away and making your heartbeat flutter and skip. 

“No! No, I didn’t come to get anything, I just needed to stop for a minute. You don’t have to do any of that, honestly I’d feel awful for you if you had to go trailing after me,” you laughed, trying to brush off how heartbroken you were. “Please John, don’t put yourself out all for-”

“Nonsense. Wait here and I’ll be back in a second.”

“John!” you protested, watching as he slid out of the car.

“I mean it,” he said sternly, giving you a serious look. “You move from this spot and I’ll be cross, love. Sit tight.”

There was no arguing with him. It was as if he’d tapped into some deep seeded programming and reactivated it as if he’d never left. Ill be cross love. The last thing you wanted to do was disappoint him.

You relaxed back in your chair and watched curiously, still rubbing your eyes of the drying salt, tracking Price as he ran over a little ways to his car and brought a bag out of it. He surveyed the car park, visibility peering around, watching for any cars that might cross his path and came back to you before very long. Efficient as always.

He drew to a stop in front of the driver's side and opened the door, beckoning you out. You frowned and crossed your arms, ready to put up a fight at him wanting to drive your car. For one thing, he hated driving it and would always come off the clutch too hard - a problem you weren’t even sure why you were worrying about at a time like that - and for another you weren’t sure you were in the right state to let him be your caretaker at that moment. You were so vulnerable and you didn’t want to hurt yourself further by being around the one man that held the key to making or breaking you. 

“Are you really going to fight me on this?” He asked, tilting his head down at you.

His forehead creased and he stared at you intently, willing you out with whatever mind powers he seemed to possess. That’s how it felt like with him sometimes. He had such a knack for getting what he wanted out of you, and to be truthful it was often better that way. He knew best. 

Apart from when he started that fight. 

You shivered and shook the thought from your mind, taking one last look at his unbudging frame. It was useless arguing with him. He was right anyway. You were in no state to get yourself home, you were bleary eyed and weak, you’d probably end up running a red light and ramming into another car knowing your luck. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, you thought darkly, you could only take so much more. 

However, you soon gave in. You went to unbuckle your seatbelt and finally realised in all your upset you hadn’t even done it up in the first place, so you awkwardly drew your hand back, looking up to see Price’s ‘I told you you weren’t fit to drive’ look. Your face flushed then and it felt like you’d touched the sun. 

You recovered eventually, then sighed and stood out from the seat, winding your way round to the passenger side and settling in. He joined you in the car after that, sitting in your driver's seat and rattling the car with his extra weight. From there he settled his shopping bag on his lap and pulled out a can of coke from its box and handed it to you.

From the small peak you’d gotten he had clearly meant for the juice to be a mixer for whatever crappy whiskey he’d gotten for himself, but there was little chance of him giving you any of that while you were in the state you were in. He had a rule about you drinking when you were upset. He was already shoving the bag in the back of the car by the time you’d even amusedly thought about asking about it. 

“There. You sit there a moment and drink that and I’ll get you home.”

“You don’t have to give me your shopping, John. You’re going out of your way enough as it is. You’re already leaving your car behind!” You said, motioning to his old Honda. “How will you get home after? You’re putting yourself out too much!”

“It’s just a can of juice, love. I reckon I’ll be good for it,” he snorted, finally starting up the car again. “And don’t you worry about me. Just focus on calming down and feeling better.”

It was comical watching him get used to your car again, almost enough to make you forget about the hell you’d driven away from. Price swore under his breath and grumbled as he worked his foot against the ‘stupid overly high clutch’ and ‘stiff bloody gearshift’, but he managed to get it out of the car park. Soon you were leaving the blurry red and blue lights of the shop in the distance. 

You said nothing for the duration of the drive. Instead you sat obediently and drank your coke, barely thinking of anything at all as the familiar sights of the city passed you by. The McDonald’s drive through, the old ratty furniture and charity shops that littered the streets before your own, and of course the pet store you always liked to visit. The one that Price always used to suck a breath in at (he always worried you’d come home with something one day). 

Meanwhile the coke bubbles fizzed and washed over your tongue, tickling at your dry throat. Admittedly it did help you to feel a little better as time went on. That with the added distraction of watching Price focusing intently on not stalling your car almost let you forget all about the shitty couple of days you’d just endured. 

Finally you rolled to a stop in a parking spot just a few steps away from your doorway and the rumbling growls of your car died. The fuzz of the silence burned at your ears and eventually it was too much, you clicked your tongue and turned to Price awkwardly offering him a half smile. You were about to brush him off with a thank you, but you were beaten to breaking the quiet streak before you could even open your mouth. 

“Are you going to tell me what he did?” He asked, glancing at you from the corner of his eye. 

You pursed your lips and played with the empty can in your hands, causing the aluminium to squeal as you squeezed it. You didn’t want to get into it all with him. You weren’t convinced you could make it through the story without crying again, and the last thing you needed was to go blubbering into his arms when you were trying to maintain some distance. Afterall, you reasoned that it was hardly his job to pick you up from an Ill advised rebound relationship. Plus he was the very reason you’d jumped into it in the first place. 

“Who said Reid did anything?” You murmured, digging your nails into the white logo of the can. 

“Captain’s intuition,” Price murmured, turning fully to you now. “You can tell me, You know. I don’t want you holding yourself up in that flat and crying alone for the rest of the night. It’d play on mind and neither of us would get any rest.”

“Don’t do that,” you moaned.

“Don’t do what?”

“Make me feel guilty for wanting to sort myself out.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel guilty, I want you to feel better. And I know you won’t help yourself if I leave you alone right now.”

“I’m not a child,” you huffed, feeling your heart beginning to ache all over. “I can look after myself.”

Your chest was feeling heavy and all of a sudden you were overcome by dread. It felt like he was trying to reprise his old role again, but that’s not something he could just step right into. He couldn’t just pick up where he’d left off, you reasoned, there was hurt there and so many things left unsaid. If things went wrong he could leave you even more broken than you’d ever been before. You pictured yourself shattered like a china cup that had been dropped too many times. 

“You can look after yourself, can you?” Price asked, raising his brows. “Tell me right now that you’ll go and get yourself to bed and not end up worrying all night and having a panic attack at work tomorrow, and I’ll go. Tell me how you’re going to look after yourself and I’ll leave you to it, go on.” 

You withered under his gaze and folded your arms in on yourself, trying to apply pressure over your shaking torso. He was right of course. You’d envisioned in your head even before the car had stopped, shutting the door, shutting out the world and feeling the weight of it all avalanche over you. He knew you too well to think you’d take any other course of action, right down to the fact that you weren’t going to take any time off work. Which would ultimately lead to you crying in the bathroom like a schoolgirl. 

“John,” you whispered, “you can’t- we can’t-“

“This isn’t about us. It’s about you, and you needing someone to be there for you. Plain and simple. I’m not trying to invade my way into your life, I just don’t want you to spend all night torturing yourself over whatever happened…just let me help you. That’s all I’m asking… It’s all I want.”

He spoke so calmly and so softly you couldn't help but melt against his will. He was making too much sense. You didn’t really have the energy to argue either, so you just nodded and got out of the car, trying desperately not to start crying again. The thought of Price still caring so much about you was pulling you under into another tidal wave of upset, and you were fighting against the rough surf just to try and make it to your door.

Price led the way, bulleting up the steps just the way he always used to. He still had your keys,so he unlocked the door and held it open while he put his hand on the small of your back, gently ushering you through. You could feel the thin glue that was holding you together being peeled away. His reassuring smile and his steady presence were making it harder and harder to hold your face as it was. 

You could feel your lips go wobbly and your eyes welling up again and before you knew it you were throwing yourself into his arms and sobbing into them, rattling against him with your accompanying shaky hiccups. You weren’t even sure what you were crying about now. 

Sure, you were still upset about the weekend you’d just endured, but now you were also thinking about Price and all that you’d lost when you told him you didn’t want to see him anymore. You’d told him that that fight had ruined what you’d built, and had destroyed your trust and now more than ever you knew that that wasn’t true. 

It felt like John was the only person you could trust. He knew exactly what you needed and seemed to be there for you at all the right times, he looked after you and loved you and would do anything just to make you happy. He had been adamant at the time that he was justified for that fight, had worried you that it would happen again and you’d be put through the terrifying ordeal once more, but now you wondered if that had changed. If he’d realised what he’d done wrong, just as you had. 

You shouldn’t have walked away. He shouldn’t have stood his ground. 

You sniffled and tightened your grip on him, threading your fingers through his shirt and nuzzled into his neck. His scratchy beard tickled at your scalp, and his arms wound themselves securely around you and held you firmly against his warm body. Even through your stuffy nose, the intermingling scent of pine and cigars and cheap laundry detergent smelled like heaven in that moment and it calmed you. You’d been able to stop crying for a moment, and found yourself wiping your hands over your eyes and face yet again.

“There you go, love,” he murmured. “That’s better, isn’t it? You don’t have to fight your problems alone, you know. I’ve always said that to you, haven’t I? You don’t have to try to be so strong all the time.”

You scoffed at that, swallowing a thick lump in your throat. 

“Don’t feel very strong right now,” you sniffed.

“Not strong? Course you are. You always try to push through everything till I come along and stop you, eh? C’mon, why don’t we get you sitting down and get you a glass of water.”

You smiled at his comment and nodded, drifting into the comfort of being looked after by someone that knew you so well. 

Price took you over to the Sofa and fluffed up one of the pillows for you to sit against, not forgetting to unfold your favourite fluffy blanket in the process. He even wrapped it around you like a soft cloud, insulating you from the world. 

He then disappeared into your kitchen for a moment, rummaging around and running the tap in a couple of short bursts before returning with a full glass of water and another glass with what you presumed was jack daniels and coke. That one wasn’t going to be for you, but distantly you did wish that it was. Drinking your problems away and escaping reality sounded like a rather pleasant prospect. 

“Any chance you’d like to have the water?” you asked, smiling behind the blanket. 

He chuckled and set the water down on the coffee table next to you, keeping the jack and coke on hand for himself while he sat down across from you. Even though he was only on the opposite end of the couch he felt too far away.  

“Can’t have that. You’re not allowed to drink when you’re upset,” he said with a wink. “Against the rules.”

“Didn’t realise I still had to abide by those rules,” you retorted.

His eyes twitched a little, you could see something in his face change when you said that. You regretted it instantly. 

“No ones holding you to em’, but they’re still what’s best for you, are they not?” he shrugged, looking at you expectantly. 

Price had always been very good to you, and part of that was ensuring that you looked after yourself. So somewhere along the way in your relationship, when you’d been exploring each other’s kinkier sides, Price had set you some rules. Rules you had to follow on pain of a spanking. Sometimes it was a bother, but you’d come to realise that you’d never been healthier than when you’d been with him. You’d drank lots of water and made sure to go outside and go on walks when you could, and had refrained from falling back on alcohol when something was amiss. Just to think of a few rules.

He was correct in saying that they were what’s best. It was just difficult when he wasn’t around to enforce them. 

“You’re usually right,” you said with an appeasing smile. “Doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t love to forget this whole weekend over a bottle of wine and a big box of cake though.”

He laughed at that, all traces of consternation wiped from his face as he must have pictured you with your go to coping mechanisms before you met him. You laughed too when you remembered the night he’d barged in on you eating and drinking your sorrows after a rough day at work. He’d had the joy of hauling you to bed afterward while you babbled on about how people had been so mean to you and how you wanted to set fire to the whole place and never go back there again. 

“Well in lieu of wine and cake, you have water or I can go make you a tea. Would you like that?”

“No, its fine, the water’s good,” you said dismissively, finally picking up the cool glass with your dewy palms. “I just wish I could forget this whole weekend. It’s been a disaster.”

“Oh yeah? You ready to talk about it?”

You breathed in a sharp breath and tilted your head to the side.

Fuck it, you thought. 

“Reid aired our dirty laundry in front of all of his friends and then proceeded to cheat on me,” you said, raising your water glass in toast before taking a swig. “That was after everyone made fun of me the whole time too.”

Price let out a short little laugh. He was incredulous. 

“Cheated on you?”

“His ex kissed him and he uh- didn’t exactly try to get away from her,” you shrugged, voice breaking 

“What a fuckin’ fool,” He growled. “He kissed his ex right in front of you?”

“He didn’t know I was there, I don’t think so anyway. I was supposed to be away getting drinks, but I came back to ask him what he wanted because they were out of beer and- well…yeah.”

“Doesn’t make it any better. What kind of an idiot would cheat on you?”

You felt your cheeks warm and shrugged again. Price had his faults, but he’d never hurt you like that. He was too old fashioned. A one person at a time kind of man. 

“I guess it wasn’t really an amazing relationship to begin with anyway,” you sighed, reflecting over the month you’d had. 

“No?”

“When I asked him where he saw things going, he said ‘I dunno. You want me to be your boyfriend or something?’ and then that was how we made things official,” you recounted, finally realising that maybe what had happened was for the best. 

Price groaned and put a hand over his face. It reminded you of the time that you’d announced to him that you were going to buy a flying squirrel after you’d seen a cute video of one - something you often took to claiming with an array of different animals - and he’d worried you might be serious. He’d taken his hand off his face at the time and said ‘darlin with the amount of stuff I’ve had flying at me over the years, I’m not sure my heart could take being assaulted by an airborne rodent in the night.’

“You must be drawn to muppets or something,” Price mused. “You deserve a lot better than that.”

“I was with you last, wasn’t I?”

“Exactly,” He smirked. “Point proven.”

You smiled back at him and shook your head - Price and Reid weren’t comparable. Price cared for you too much, that’s why he ended up in that fight in the first place and that’s why he couldn’t comprehend that he was wrong for escalating things after you’d been shoved. Reid didn’t really care for you that much at all. It wasn’t like you’d made a massive effort for Reid either, but at the very least you hadn’t gone and let Price lick half your face off. 

“You let me down at the end there, I’ll give you that…but before all that, you were the best thing that I’ve ever had in my life…Even when I wasn’t with you and you were in all those far off countries, and I used to whine and moan about you being away a lot, it was better than when I was actually alone, better than anything with anyone else too.”

“Love,” Price breathed, not knowing what to say.

You stared at him then and felt your heart burst. The floodwaters opened then, you coudln’t help yourself as you saw the sad sheen of his glistening eyes. 

“These past few months I think I’ve really come to see what a stupid mistake I made. I shouldn’t have told you things were over before you left. I should’ve just stuck it out till you got back and we could’ve talked about it all properly. I was just scared and angry and I didn’t know what else to do. Now I know though…now I know what I should’ve done. Just tragically too late, huh?”

You whispered your confession, too afraid to look at him anymore as you said it, instead casting your eyes down to your blanket while you played with the soft material between your fingers. You huffed out a breath afterwards and looked up at Price, noticing the way his jaw clenched and his hand tightened on his glass. His knuckles were almost bone white.

Had you said too much? Were you going to chase him away? Who knows if he’d moved on and was really just trying to be there and be a friend for you. 

For a split second you worried that you’d gone too far with your venting, but Price didn’t leave you hanging for long. He leaned forward and put a hand on your thigh just as you were about to apologise and held eye contact with you, keeping a firm hold of you and your attention. 

“Darlin’...do you really mean all that?”

Your eyes would’ve welled up again if you had anything left to cry. 

“Yes,” you breathed. “I’m sorry, but yes. It’s been all that I’ve thought about since I saw you last week.”

“Sorry? What’re you sorry for?” he said, laughing gently, searching your face.

“It’s not fair to tell you something like that. I’m basically ambushing you with all my feelings right now and you’ve been nice enough to drive me home and look after me, when all you were trying to do was get some shopping in and now you’re here listening to me blubber about my stupid feelings, when I haven’t asked you how you feel and how you’ve been doing and you probably don’t even want me by this point, because look at me and big tear streaked face, and-”

Price cut you off mid ramble, moving in closer to you and taking your face in his hands. They were rough and familiar and they were warm, and they held you steady just as you felt like you were going to come apart again. You breathed, but it didn’t feel like your lungs were able to hold onto the air. They were fighting for space with your booming heartbeat. 

“Angel…you really- do you think,” he had to pause for a moment, his voice crackling. “Do you think maybe it’s not too late to talk more about it? Not now, course, but… you think you’d want to give us another chance?”

You pursed your lips and looked down. Angel. His favourite nickname for you, the special one he reserved only for you. You looked back up to his wide blue eyes and nodded. It seemed like you were glittering in the reflection of them.

“Yes…One day,” you smiled. 

Price smiled back, his moustache turning up with his lips. 

“One day,” he repeated, voice full of wonder. 

Neither of you said anything for a second. You both just stared, tension mounting as the air felt so thick that you could craft shapes with it. It felt like neither or you was sure of your next move, but suddenly you got a burst of courage and you decided to take a leap of faith.

You kissed him. You leaned forward just slightly and took his mouth in yours, pecking at first until he kissed back and eventually your world was bursts of stars and hints of jack and coke. The taste of him landed deliciously on your tongue. Your heart pounded harder than ever at that point, but it was ok, because you could feel his beating erratically just the same.  

You moaned.

“Please, daddy...”

You let the words loose before you could even think about it. What is it they say about old habits…?

“Shit, hold on, I-” you sputtered, breaking away from Price completely. 

“Language!” he chuckled, his laugh low and earthy.

You paused and looked at him measuredly, trying to parse out what had just happened. In the wake of all the familiarity, you’d resorted to your old name for him. Apparently he wasn’t against its resurrection, he’d found it amusing in fact. You pressed your tongue to the roof of your mouth, searching for the right words, but you weren’t entirely decided between apologising or asking if he liked it.

“Don’t look so worried, Angel,” he soothed, rubbing his thumb over your cheek. “You can still call me that if you like. Or are you apologising for kissing me?”

“But…well…isn’t it a bit unfair for you..y’know, since we haven’t really completely resolved things yet? I can’t just go around kissing you out of the blue and calling you daddy and we haven’t even talked about-”

“Would you stop rambling on about what’s fair and right,” Price admonished, rolling his eyes, “I don’t care about what you’ve been doing all these months, I don’t care about doing things by whatever rules people normally go by. All this time, all I’ve wanted is you, and now you’re here in front of me telling me you want to give things another go…I’ll take as much as you’ll give me. So tell me…do you want to kiss me? Will that make you happy? It would make me happy.”

You took a breath and nodded.

“Words, Angel,” he admonished. 

“Y-yes,” you stuttered, feeling like your head had been sparked with a jump lead. 

“Very good,” he praised, whispering lowly into your ear. 

You shivered as you felt the words zip down your spine. You hummed with the praise and felt your body warm up considerably, feeling entirely too hot all of a sudden.

Price soon gathered you in his arms like clay and moulded you into his lap, untangling you from your blanket nest and switching places so that he was propped against the arm and you were leaning snugly against him. With you both comfortably in place, he put one hand on your hip while he held the back of your neck with the other, and gently placed a couple of kisses on your neck, sending your spine alight with tingles. 

“And would you like to call me daddy again?” he asked again, still murmuring deep and low. 

You swore then that he’d disturbed a horde of butterflies that you didn’t know had been dormant all that time inside your tummy. Your heart was fluttering along with them.

“Um, yeah, I mean- yes. Yes.”

“Yes, what?” he urged, kissing your neck. “You know how to answer properly. I know you do.”

Were you in a fantasy of your own making? Had you died and gone to heaven?

“Y-yes, daddy,” you whimpered, nuzzling your head into his chest. 

“Oh…” he breathed, voice all growly and needy. “That’s my sweet Angel. So good for me.”

You could’ve died then and there. You couldn’t imagine ever feeling happier. You didn’t care if it was a fever dream, coma hallucination or a psychedelic induced fugue state. All you wanted was to be with Price again, and with him reassuring you and praising you and holding you in his arms like that, why would you try to fight it? 

You unburrowed yourself from his chest and scanned over his face, admiring his crinkly eyed smile and scruffy face for a moment before kissing him again, wrapping your arms around him snug just in case it really was all a dream. You wouldn’t let it fade away. You were going to hold on tightly. You’d continue to kiss his fluffy bearded face and welcome every sensation as it rooted you in your dreamlike reality.

You intertwined yourself with him and moaned, returning his kisses with fervent need and roamed your hands around his back, eventually bringing a hand up so that you could thread your fingers through his wiry dark hair. The bristle of it jolted through you and you smiled against his lips.

“That feel good, hm?” he growled, “I can feel you bucking your hips against me, love.”

You felt your cheeks burn like hot coals and refused to meet his eyes, instead settling your chin on his shoulder. You hadn’t realised you’d been doing it, but now that he’d mentioned it you finally registered the sway of your body gliding over his and noticed the growing hardness underneath you. 

Fuck.

“That does feel good,” you whimpered, not embarrassed enough to stop yourself. “Feels so good, daddy.”

“Mhmm? Feels good for me too. I love feeling your body on mine,” he hummed, kissing the side of your neck. “You’re so gorgeous, you know that? So so perfect.”

You whined and nuzzled against his neck, drawing out a low groan from him as your nose connected with his tender flesh. You slowly returned the favour, kissing him just as he’d been kissing you and showing him exactly how it felt to have your body set alight with prickling heat. You smiled as he continued to moan with you, but it didn’t last long.

He snatched the upper hand back, and propelled you both forward, forcing you to lie back on the couch, on top of your blanket, while he took his place on top of you. He ground his hips into yours and had you eking out the most salacious moans, filling the room with the sound of your pleasure. 

“I love it when you moan for me like that, I’ve missed that sound so much,” Price rumbled, “do you want more? Would you like that?”

“Mm, yes,” you keened. “More, daddy. I want to feel you.”

“Wanna feel me, hm? Ok, Angel. Lets get these clothes off shall we?”

You moaned just at the suggestion and eagerly complied, sitting up a little and helping him to remove your top and trousers until you were naked below him. You were about to ensure that he matched you in kind, but the only thing he’d allowed you to remove was his shirt, hastily popping the buttons off like you were unwrapping a present. He’d put his hand over yours at his trousers and given you a wicked grin, a glint appearing in his azure eyes. 

“Uh uh, don’t you worry about that,” he smiled, bringing your hand up to his lips so that he could kiss it. “We’re focusing on you right now.”

“But I wanna make you feel good too,” you whined, tilting your head.

“I know you do,” he laughed, gently pushing you back down so that you were flush to the couch. “Just trust me, this will make me feel very good. Just let me treat you like you deserve.”

He didn’t allow you any more time for backchat. You whimpered as he fastened his mouth around one of your nipples and you writhed at the sensation, moaning low in your throat when he trailed his hand down your body, past the swell of your belly and drifted down below. You were bucking your hips against him slowly again, creating friction between you and his hand. 

He alternated between nipples for a moment, swirling and flicking his tongue while he lazily rubbed his palm against you, not in a rush to try and urge you to a finish. He savoured you and sent your body sparking and prickling like a freshly lit firecracker. Your breathing was getting heavier and your stomach was tightening and coiling and it only grew more and more erratic as he started to move down your body, kissing his way down to the opening between your thighs. 

“So good for me lying there. So obedient. You always do what daddy tells you, don’t you?” he growled, planting a kiss just below your belly. 

“Mm, yes,” you breathed, struggling to think of any words

“Yes what?” Price asked, nipping the meat of your thigh and drawing out a yelp.

“Yes, daddy!” 

He was using his tongue on you now, swirling it around and tasting you, savouring your pleasure. You swallowed the lump in your throat and clutched at the couch cushion next to you, scrunching the thick material in your hand, clutching it for support. It didn’t take long until he fell into a steady rhythm, using his mouth and hands on you and sending you into a spiral.

Your mind was barely present anymore, you were only good to use a couple words and no more. Everything else was just moans while your head felt like it was turning to mush. You breathed deeply and heavily and thrust your hips against Price, feeling the coil in your belly tighten all the more, feeling the stars in your eyes turn from constellations and into tiny galaxies and universes. 

“I- um- Daddy, I-”

“Are you gonna cum for me, love?” Price rasped.

“Yes!”

“Go on then. Cum for me. Show me how good I make you feel, Angel.”

You groaned and the swelling feeling in your head boiled to breaking point. You shuttered your eyes closed tightly and squeezed the couch cushion tightly, moaning out as your orgasm washed over you. The wave of pleasure rushed over your body and after a big rush of pleasure, it lapped slowly over you, gently receding until you were left a shaking twitching mess underneath your lovers body. 

“Oh my god,” you breathed, blinking away the fuzziness form your eyes. “Holy…Moly.”

Price looked up at you from between your thighs and barked out a laugh, clutching his head in his hand while the other gripped your shaking thigh. Once he recovered from your outburst, he shook his head and clambered up your body, coming to a rest against next to you, and drawing you into his arms. 

He was rock hard against you, but there was very little you could do about it in the state you were in. You just bustled yourself into him and lay your head against the warm expanse of his chest and sighed happily, basking in the aftershocks of your happy ending he rubbed your arms. 

“You’re not gonna let me return the favour, are you?” You’d mumbled eventually, rutting up against him for emphasis. 

“Got plenty time for that, Angel,” he said gently redirecting you off of his throbbing centre. “Just wanted to make you feel good. You’ve had such a rough day, you deserved something to take your mind off it all.”

He placed a kiss on top of your head then and drew you closer, wrapping his arm tighter around you. You sighed and ran your fingers along it, feeling the little dark hairs tickle at your finger tips. You came to a stop at his palm and lightly traced over his lifeline, it was illuminated by the soft glow of your lamp. 

“How come you were out shopping so late?” You asked sleepily, letting your hand drop and rest at Price’s side. 

He shrugged at first, rocking your body with the movement.

“Sat around feelin’ a bit useless today,” he said eventually, sighing deeply. “Didn’t have anything lined up for myself, so eventually I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. I went all the way out to the hills and was out for hours, didn’t get back until after dark and then i realised I didn’t have anything to eat. How come?”

“I dunno…i guess its just a little funny that you ended up in that car park just when I needed you to be there. Like fate or something,” you murmured. 

He chuckled at that and kissed your head again. The sound washed over you like spring rain.

“You know I don’t normally subscribe to rubbish like that, but on this occasion…it feels like there’s something to that theory.”

“Yeah? Feel’s like a good thing to be saddled with me again, does it?” you smirked, trying to cover up how worried you were about being a burden.

No matter how good he’d made you feel only moments before you couldn’t help the rush of paranoia from kicking in. The feeling that Price was going to realise that you were too much to be with, that you needed him more than he needed you. It had begun to feel like the past few months were a great demonstration of that. He’d survived a warzone and gotten through deployment while you holed yourself up for over a month from grief and then jumped into a failed relationship in the making just to try and get over him. 

“Listen to me, love, before you get any big ideas about this being some kind of hardship for me again…This past week that I’ve been back has been miserable. Deployment was bad, but I had a bit of distraction over there at least. When I got back here, and realised what life was really like without you? That was hell. You give me purpose, Angel. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now, than cuddled up with you on the couch. There’s no one else I’d rather be with, no one in the whole world.”

He swallowed harshly and continued on. 

“When I thought I’d lost you forever I was so angry with myself, I realised right away when I got on that plane that I should’ve just admitted that you were right. You were right, and I shouldn’t of hurt that man like that. I lost control of myself and I was too stubborn to hear that he wasn’t really a threat. I wanted to call you and tell you that, but I figured you’d been hurt enough and the last thing you needed was me playing with your feelings and trying to work things out while I was away. I reckoned that if I came back and you were open to give things a go again I’d make sure to fix things, but if you wanted to keep me out your life then…well I’d have wished you the best. Whatever happens between us, now or in the future, I want you know that I only ever want what’s best for you, because I…”

He trailed off, peering toward the lamp and letting his eyes blur into its amber glow. You stared up at him from your place on his chest and smiled, watching the way his lips tried to form to finish his sentence. He was pensive, he wasn’t sure whether to say them or not. 

“Because you love me?” you smiled, swivelling so that you faced him fully. 

You finally had a little strength flood back into your body, so you hoisted yourself up and lay on your tummy, folding your arms over his chest and resting your chin on top of them. He tilted his head at you and smiled, affirming your words with a tight nod.

“I’ll always love you,” he sighed, “No matter what. Just wasn’t sure if it was entirely appropriate to say that to you just yet.”

“John, you just threw me around and made me cum while I called you daddy - appropriate ran out the door and flew to the moon like a half hour ago,” you giggled. 

He laughed with you and shook his head, clearly in as much disbelief as you were that this was really happening. You were back in each others arms, just where you were always meant to be. You sighed and he ran his hand over your head, stroking his fingers through your hair and sending your head into a fuzzy daze with the feeling of his gentle touch. 

“You make a good point,” he agreed. “Always have struggled with moving at a normal pace, haven’t we?”

“Yeah, I think that was pretty apparent from the moment we met,” you agreed.

“I’ll never forget the look on Gaz’s face that night he opened that door,” he mused, getting that stupid smile on his face that he always got at the memory of the time you’d met - and immediately fucked. 

“I hate when you bring that up,” you groaned, giving his arm a playful slap. “He was so pleased he’d introduced us before he walked in on us!”

“Well, serves him right for not knocking,” he winked, “it's rude to barge in on a superior officer.”

“Ugh! You’re lucky I love you too, or I’d be getting up and locking that bedroom door,” you groaned. “I hate the superior officer line!”

He smiled at that, his face brightening instantly. You’d said it back. His eyes were perfect crescents. You loved when they did that, sparkling outwardly to you through shuttered lids. He was like a cuddly koala bear. 

“You know what?” he said suddenly, his voice low and soft.

“What?” you asked, frowning as his tone shifted.

“You’re going to let me take you for dinner tomorrow,” he announced.

“I am?” you smirked, relaxing instantly. 

“Yes you are. We’re going to go to dinner and talk everything through and we’re going to set everything right again. Then after that we’re going to put all this nonsense behind us, yeah?”

You giggled lightly at his commanding tone, but you didn’t disagree, you nodded. You fastened your arms around him and cuddled into him close, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as you settled into his perfectly warm body. Your eyes started to flutter as you did, growing heavy as you became more and more aware of how drained you actually were.

“I think I like the sound of that,” you sighed, closing your eyes completely.

Price squeezed your shoulder and gathered you close, rubbing his cheek against the top of your head. His beard scratched at your scalp again. 

“Good,” he yawned. “That sounds good to me too…”

-💘-

1 week later

You were sorting out some grand emergency at work and Price was in your flat alone. He’d had a shower and gotten himself half dressed, too eager to get something to eat to put a shirt on. So he stood in your little kitchen in front of the window, bathing in the spring sunlight, eating a bowl of cereal to himself as his damp hair dried from his strategic position. 

Just like he’d said, you had fixed things at dinner the night after you’d reconciled - and from there on it was almost like things had completely gone back to normal. Almost. When you’d turned your phone on the next day, you were greeted with a torrid of horrible messages and some hundred missed calls from Reid. However, with Price there, you didn’t really let any of it bother you. 

Not much anyway.

He held you through your upset and after a quiet minute of figuring out what to do, you messaged Reid a short, matter of fact text. You told him that you were in fact serious about your decision, you reminded him that - no - you weren’t drunk when you’d left, you weren’t ‘being crazy’ and would even be generous enough to put his things he’d left at yours into a box for him to collect, should he decide to be grown up enough to come over and get them.

You’d gotten a million more missed calls after that and a flurry of messages, but after hearing Price’s words of encouragement, you ignored them all. After a few days they stopped coming, and a few days after that you assumed that that was it. That he was out of your life for good. Thank god.

However, Reid had decided he wasn’t going to go completely quietly. Well, he was forced into not going quietly. After being egged on by his friends, he was put in a tricky position and realised that he wasn’t going to be able to back down. At their insistence he was going to turn up to your place unannounced and confront you when you were least expecting it - give you a piece of his mind while you were unprepared and unable to defend your ‘completely mental overreaction’.

At least that was how it was supposed to go.

Though, when he’d pounded on the door and had someone other than you answer, his smile dropped. His face was practically tripping him when he realised who it was that answered.

“Can I help you?” Price asked, crunching on a spoonful of cereal, completely unbothered. 

“Can you…help me?” Reid repeated, incredulous.

“Certainly can,” Price grinned, leaning against the doorframe. “That’s why I offered.”

“What the fuck are you doing here? Where’s that hypocrite that’s clearly cheated on me?”

Reid was furious. He couldn’t believe that he was made to feel like such an asshole for kissing someone else when you’d been with the geriatric behind his back the whole time. He was fuming

“Hypocrite? I believe you two were broken up after that little stunt you pulled, mate,” Price corrected, putting his cereal bowl down on the entry table. “Why don’t you just settle down and stay here while I get your little box of shit. Then you can be on your way.”

“You think I’m just going to go while you’re making me look like a mug? You went and swooped in on someone that’s taken and think you can just walk around naked like you own the place now because they slutted themselves out to you?”

“Careful, son,” Price growled. “Better choose your words more carefully.”

“Or what? You’re gonna kill me?” Reid laughed. “You don’t intimidate me, old man. You’d lose your job over something like that. Guy like you would go to prison for a long time.”

Price chuckled to himself and nodded his head, quirking his lips into an upside down smile. It didn’t meet his eyes though. They didn’t turn to crescents, they just stayed slitted ever so slightly, glaring at the absolute maggot before him. 

Price would’ve loved to have taught that shit eating little cunt a lesson. Though he knew already that any kind of physical violence would have you both on the rocks again, and after he’d just gotten you back he wasn’t ready to jeopardise things. However that wasn’t to say that he wasn’t prepared for Reid’s visit, oh no. He had more weapons at his disposal than the average man - he knew plenty of people in lots of places, both high and low, powerful and shady. 

“Little old fella like me couldn’t do damage like that,” Price sighed, putting his hand over his heart like he was weary. “I have other things I can do though. Don’t even need to bother laying a hand on a little weasel like you.”

“Oh yeah like what?” Reid laughed, hoisting himself up to the last step and getting into Price’s face. “You gonna get some army buddy of yours to rough me up or something, pay me a visit and scare me? If that happens I’ll record the whole thing.I’ll get you done for it! All my friends know about you, they’d back me up that you were behind it all.”

Price shook his head and sent a quick message off on his phone, quickly taking it out of his pocket and burying it back in again in a flash. After that, he proceeded to pick his cereal back up and ate another spoonful, scrunching up his face when he realised it had mostly lost its crunch. Well, he made a face at that and the fact that Reid was still there and giving him that stupid challenging little look.

“Sounds like I’d get into a lot of bother for that,” Price agreed, swirling his spoon around his bowl. “I’d just hate for you to have recordings…mind you, I don’t think I’ll have to worry too much about those. You’ll be too busy trying to unfuck your life to bother about me.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Reid frowned.

Reid threw him a gesture as if to ask what the hell, and Price shrugged, taking one last bite of his less than tasty cereal. He resolved to himself that he’d pour another bowl and get himself to the shops. He’d hate for you to be running low - it was important to him that you ate afterall. All a part of making sure you were looked after and cared for.

“I said - what’s that supposed to mean!” Reid gritted out, poking a finger into Price’s chest.

Price growled and shot him a warning glare, sending the younger man flying back with just the change in demeanour alone. Reid looked stupid then, holding his palm out like he was going to try and karate chop Price.

“Why don’t you run home and go check your credit score and bank accounts, hm?”

“What? What are you talking about?” Reid laughed, taking his phone out of his pocket. “Are you actually trying to pretend like you can do something like-”

Reid trailed off and frowned down at his device, hurriedly tapping the screen as his brows knitted tighter together.

“Ugh, what an absolute dinosaur I am,” Price grunted, shaking his head at himself. “You can check all these things on your phone nowadays. Plonker. Anyway, like I said - have fun trying to work all that out.”

Price went to shut the door, but grunted when Reid stuck his foot in it before he could close it fully. He glared when he almost spilled his cereal on himself, the milk had splashed up against the sides and a little had dribbled onto his foot. Other than that he was mostly uncovered. Reid was safe from having the rest splashed all over him.

“I’m going to the Police about this! You hear me? I’m going to report this and you’ll be in so much fucking trouble!” Reid vowed, wrenching the door back open. “Fix this right now! Fix it now, or I’ll do it. I’ll go to the police.”

“Go to the police then. But what’re you gonna tell them exactly? ‘Oh, my ex’s boyfriend has frozen all of my money and tanked my credit score! Do something, Mr. Officer!’ Sounds a bit fucking looney, doesn’t it?”

Reid looked at him with wide eyes, withdrawing his foot from the doorway as Price laughed at him, frowning as the realisation fully sunk in. He could report the crime, but he had no idea how Price had even managed to do it in the first place. Something like that would require the help of dodgy people, the likes of which Reid couldn’t even comprehend. 

And if he could do all that to Reid’s finances…after, presumably, sending a single text…then what else would Price be capable of?

Reid backed away fully and looked at Price and down at his phone, then back to Price and back down at his phone, locked in a state of disbelief. What the fuck had just happened. His heart dropped and his mouth got dry. It was like he’d forgotten how to breathe.

“Watch that last step, son. I’d hate for you to hurt yourself,” Price called, grabbing the door so that he could finally shut it. “If you know what’s good for you you should stay away from here and never send another pig headed message again. Never know - It might help your little money situation. Might not help, mind you, but it certainly couldn’t hurt, could it? Good bye, now.”

And with that Price closed the door and retreated back inside, leaving Reid to stand stupidly on the grass out front while he struggled to comprehend what had just happened. 

There, Price thought, things are just as they should be now. He smirked to himself as washed up his cereal bowl, replaying what had just happened in his head. Thank you Nik. Guess I owe you a beer, mate. 

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Irresistible {7} || CL16

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x fem!reader, Max Verstappen x fem!reader Summary: After everything, you get a happy healthy ending. Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, angst, smut, fluff. WC: 4.5k F1 Masterlist || One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six || Seven

Your Playlist:

Big Girls Don’t Cry - Fergie

Pretend - Secondhand Serenade

No Right To Love You - Rhys Lewis

You Broke Me First - Tate McRae

Lose You To Love Me - Selena Gomez

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

Wicked Game - Violet Orlandi 

Charles’ Playlist:

Your Call - Secondhand Serenade

The Loneliest - Mäneskin

Roses And Butterflies - Making April

Amnesia - 5sos

Miserable At Best - Mayday Parade

Love Is Gone - Slander

The Man Who Can’t Be Moved - The Script

Charles was spiralling with every mile that grew between where he was and where you were. The only updates he had from you were in the form of photos on Instagram and his concentration went into waiting for your next post instead of the preparation for the final free practice of the day. He had sent you enough unanswered messages to know you were ignoring him and it hurt more than he dared let on.

“She’s not home yet,” he said as he caught up to Max in the paddock. It was half a question and half a statement, but he needed some sort of confirmation.

“I know.” Of course Max knew. You kept in touch with him, sending him sporadic messages when you stopped to take in the beautiful countryside on the quiet roads. It should have been a four hour drive but you were content to make it last the day so you didn’t have to think about what you had left behind. 

Max looked like he was going to say something else but he closed his lips as an arm curled around Charles’ waist. Whatever information he was going to offer was replaced with a simple, “I’ll see you later.”

Charles turned to Charlotte and his eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “I thought you left.”

“Because we had one little fight?”

“I would hardly call it little.”

“Whatever,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Anyway, now that Y/N’s gone things will be so much easier between us. We can get back to how we used to be. We are good for each other, Charles.”

Charles briefly entertained the idea of pushing her away but then he remembered how lonely it was sleeping by himself. It was completely stupid to even think the relationship could go back to how it was but he was selfish, if he couldn’t have you then settling for her was going to be the next best thing. 

“How about we talk after practice?” His voice was full of defeat and Charlotte knew she had already won as she kissed his cheek and let him go.

“I’ll wait in your garage.”

He faked a smile and headed after Max.

The air was stale when you stepped into the apartment, not bothering to turn on the lights as you dragged yourself down the hall and into your room. Charles’ bedroom door was still half open, the bed unmade and clothes spilling out of his drawers, sending a pang of hurt to your chest before you pulled it shut. You collapsed face first on your bed and just managed to send a message to Max letting him know you arrived safely before you let your emotional exhaustion take you under. You didn't bother to text Charles, he was probably busy anyway.

Dawn came with all the same enthusiasm that you woke with. The skyline was a watery grey and even the birds failed to raise any sort of trill with their woeful calls down on the mariner. Dew clung in the air and on your cheeks as you opened the balcony door and chased away the stale air from being closed up for weeks since the last visit. 

Your memory here before the lockdown began didn’t hold a lot of details but you did remember the aroma of coffee drifting up from the cafe below the building. Unfortunately there was only the tang of salt and storm on the air as you inhaled deeply before making the call that was long overdue. 

As expected your father answered straight away, the confusion clear in his voice as he realised that his little night owl was up at dawn. “Hey kiddo, is everything okay?”

“Can we have a donut day?”

You could already hear him moving around the house and he must have covered the microphone as he said a muffled goodbye to a sleepy Pascale. “On my way.”

Donut day was created the day you got your first period. As a panicking solo dad he had rushed to the supermarket for supplies, but he left with mostly donuts and other treats. Thankfully Betty was better prepared and soon arrived with everything you needed, along with calm instructions on how to use them. After that, any day that was absolutely terrible was called a donut day. You and your father would sit on the couch and scoff down a box of donuts until the comfort food worked its magic. 

You paced the living room until the doorbell rang and practically tore it off the hinges in your haste. You really hadn’t noticed just how lacklustre months of video calls were until you threw your arms around your dad and buried your face in his shirt. Video calls couldn’t capture the smell of his aftershave or the feel of his beard when he kissed your forehead like you were still a little kid. 

“I missed you too, pumpkin.” He pulled back to look at your face and his brows pinched together. “Rough night?”

You snorted a laugh but it cracked in your chest and your head fell down. “The last time you asked me that was in Monaco too.”

“I remember. Is this about a boy?”

You nodded and took a seat on the couch while he pensively watched from where he stood. “Will you sit down? You’re making me nervous.”

He huffed and went to the kitchen instead, grabbing a plate and emptying a bag of pastries onto it. “This is the closest to donuts I could find, sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s not about the donuts.” You picked at a pain au chocolat while he took a seat and grabbed a pain au raisin. “I…”

You didn’t know where to begin or what to say, you just knew you had to get the truth off your chest so you could try to move on. Maybe by admitting the mistake you made, it might somehow ease the guilt you were carrying.

“A boy, right?”

“Yeah,” you murmured. “The same one actually.”

His eyebrows shot up his forehead.“From when we visited?”

“The very same.” You swallowed but the pastry seemed to coat your throat and you nearly choked before you abandoned it. “It was Charles.”

“Oh,” he said with a nod before it seemed to connect and his eyes widened. “Oh…well…shit..”

“I should have said something sooner but I didn’t want to make things awkward for you and Pascale but I…I really fucked up, dad.”

You could practically see his thoughts crossing his face as he remembered how you had called him the first day, asking to stay anywhere else. A heavy sigh fell and he seemed to deflate into the couch cushions. “I thought you were with Max?”

Your eyes narrowed but you didn’t deny it. “How do you know that?”

“Charlotte posted a picture of you and him the other night.”

“That bitch is a-”

“Uh-uh, no,” he tutted. “Correct me if I am wrong but I am going to assume you and Charles have been more than just friends…” 

Your silence was damning. 

“I don’t think you have the moral high ground to go around calling her a bitch then. I raised you better than that. Does Max know about Charles?”

“Max knows everything,” you admitted quietly, still feeling the sting of the reprimand. “He’s good for me.”

“Okay, so then what’s the problem?”

“I just really thought it was a chance - with Charles. We made plans, a future, I could see it.” Now all you saw was the note on the table and how he chased after Charlotte. “It was stupid and naive and I feel so embarrassed.”

“Love makes everyone stupid at some point.” Your father sighed again before wrapping his arm around you. “So Max huh? You know he’s got a bit of a reputation. Bit of a hot head.”

You wiped away the tears that had been building and scoffed. “Don’t believe everything you see in the media. They portray Charles as this wholesome boy next door and Max as an angry man child. Both are wrong.”

You grabbed the pastry and ate it, this time able to stomach the idea of food, before grabbing another. It wasn’t as sweet as a donut but the sugar from the chocolate was starting to hit your blood and perk you up.

“I can’t live here anymore. Not Monaco,” you corrected when you saw his eyes widen. “Just here, with Charles. I need somewhere away from him.”

You didn’t know the exact reason why your mother left but you thought maybe she felt like this, maybe it was healthier to leave than to stay. 

“The house isn’t finished but the kitchen and your bathroom are done, so it’s livable. You’ll need some moving boxes. A lot by the looks,” your father said as he stood up and looked around the room to see your belongings strewn across the place. “I’ll be back soon.”

“You’re not going to give me a lecture?” you asked as he made his way to the door.

He scanned your features that reminded him so much of your mother. “You look like you’ve learned your lesson to me. Do you need one?”

You shook your head meekly and he nodded to himself. “I’ll be back with some boxes soon.”

“Hello, handsome,” you greeted Max as soon as the video connected. He had just returned to his hotel after qualifying and securing the 5th starting place on the grid. “I’ve found a new hobby, painting.”

His smile brightened at your mood that had dramatically lifted in the past 24 hours and you showed him around your new bedroom. Paint bottles lined a sheet-covered table and dirty brushes sat in a murky jar of water, but you panned across the wall to show him the artwork you had made.

“What is it?” he asked with a forehead crumpled in confusion. He tilted his head trying to see from a different angle but he still couldn’t process the splatterings - it reminded him of a Rorschach test, one he was doing badly at. 

“I didn’t say I was good,” you clarified with a laugh as you also tried to interpret the design that was no longer just on the walls. It was a good thing the carpet hadn’t been laid yet. You had tried to push the hair out of your face and smeared paint across your cheek and it had ended up everywhere by the time you were finished. “It is a mess just like me.”

“You're not a mess, schat,” Max said as he sat at the end of his bed and fell back to watch the tour of the rest of the house. “Are you okay there on your own?”

“It’s certainly quieter than the paddock, that will take a bit of getting used to, but I don’t mind it too much.” You did miss the other friends you had made at Ferrari, but felt it was best to give everyone in red a wide berth for a while. You had seen how poorly Charles qualified and knew he wasn’t at his best partly because of you. You still hadn’t been able to answer his calls or texts.

“Well, you could come back, if you want, you’ll always be welcome at Red Bull.”

“If you miss me, you can just say that,” you teased and he sat up.

He combed a hand through his damp hair and you bit your lip remembering how it felt to be the one doing that. “I do miss you,” he admitted seriously. “That’s why I’m coming back first thing Monday morning - I owe you breakfast.”

“You know there are no cafes open?”

Max smirked and the sight made your heart skip a beat. “Who said anything about a cafe?”

You wanted to know what his plans were but there was a knock at his door and Daniel’s voice reached you through the phone. Max was tempted to let Daniel continue pounding on the door but you both knew he wouldn’t leave quietly and Max groaned at that truth. “Go answer that, I’ll call you in the morning.” 

Max dragged his feet as he padded across the room. “I would rather talk to you.”

“Me too.”

“Finish the phone sex already, you pervs,” Daniel shouted through the door before Max ripped it open.

“Oh, oh, yes, Max, don’t stop,” you called out, turning Max’s ears pink as he rushed to turn the phone around and show Daniel the screen and just how fully clothed you were. “Sorry to disappoint you, Danny, no phone sex - this time.”

It was only when Daniel bent over laughing that you saw he wasn’t alone. Charles was out in the hallway with Carlos and Lando, his eyes falling to the carpet when you noticed him.

“We’re getting dinner, you wanna come?” Daniel asked, and thankfully the phone rotated back to Max who looked a little torn at the offer.

“He does,” you answered for him before he could decline just to talk with you a little while longer.

“I’ll call you in the morning, schat.”

“Okay, have fun.”

Charles found nothing to celebrate when the race ended so he made his way home before the rest of the crew even realised it. He thought his weekend couldn’t get any worse after he DNF’d. The only silver lining was that despite his better qualifying, Max had also failed to finish the race. But he still won where it really mattered when it came to you.

Charles pulled into the apartment complex and saw a new sleek black Mercedes AMG parked in one of his many reserved spaces and hope fluttered in his chest. He grabbed his suitcase and darted up the stairwell to his apartment, nearly snapping the key in his haste to unlock the door. That hope turned to ash when he found it eerily silent and every inch of the place perfectly tidy. It was unlived. 

The artwork you had purchased still hung on the walls and the shaggy rug he had made love to you on still covered the floor, but the spirit of it all was gone. The colours of the paintings were drained and the temperature controlled air was no longer comfortable. He didn’t even need to go to your room and check, he knew you were gone.

He knew you were gone the moment he saw you on the video call to Max. He had gone with his mother to her new house enough times to know what it looked like, even if it appeared that a rainbow vomited all over the walls. The truth just hadn’t really settled in until he stepped across the threshold and into the house that was once a home.

You had tidied the place as if you were cleaning a crime scene and needed to scrub away all evidence of being there except you couldn’t get it all. You still remained in the pantry cupboards where everything was labelled in your handwriting. You still remained in the linen closet where you folded the sheets and the towels into perfect rectangles. You still remained in the scented candles that sat on the centrepiece of the table.

Charles’ eyes stung as they lingered on the table where the keys to the apartment and the Mercedes sat, right next to his credit card and the picture you kept in your wallet.

Kicking the door closed, he abandoned his suitcase and rushed down the hall. His heart hammered knowing what he would find but he had to check as he pushed open your bedroom door. No, it wasn’t your bedroom anymore, it was a guest room. 

The feminine floral duvet his mother had chosen was gone, replaced with a plain white coverlet, and the windows were latched slightly open so whatever scent of yours he may have been able to save had already been cast away to the breeze. 

“Fuck!” he screamed as he punched his fist into the mattress. “Fuuuuucckk!!!”

Max must have left before Pierre had finished partying after his shock win. It wasn’t even morning really as the sun was still cresting over the hills, and it was far earlier than you were expecting him. You thought perhaps you were dreaming when you woke to a knock and opened the door to find Max on your front steps. 

“Oh my god, are you okay?” you asked as you pulled him inside and inspected the bags under his eyes. 

“I’m better now,” he said as he wrapped his arms around you and buried his face in your hair. “I told you I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” you murmured into his chest before pulling away so you could look into his eyes. “You need to sleep.”

“I’ll be fine, I have plans first.”

“Your plans can wait.” You took his hand and led him through the house to your room that overlooked the mariner. Your blankets were still warm as you nestled under the covers and patted the empty space beside you. “You’re not going to be comfortable in jeans.”

“Five minutes and you’re already trying to get me naked,” he teased as he pulled his shirt over his head before he unbuttoned his jeans.

“I never said naked,” you pointed out. The air froze in your lungs as he pushed them down his muscular thighs and you swallowed at the sight before.

“I’m not wearing boxers.”

“No, you certainly are not.” Your tongue rolled across your lips as you drank in every inch of him, the idea of sleep quickly departing your mind. Almost everything departed your mind, except want. “I think I am overdressed.”

“You make a habit of that.”

“I do, don’t I. Maybe you should come help me fix that.”

Max didn’t need to be told twice, he had been waiting for this moment since he had the memory of how your body felt against his. He pulled the covers back and knelt between your legs, his hands roaming up your body and under the baggy shirt of a band he didn’t know. The morning air was cool on your skin as you lifted your arms and he discarded the shirt over the side of the bed. 

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmured as he traced his lips over your racing pulse. A fiery trail of goosebumps remained where his kiss had been and he made his way to your lips before stealing the very breath from your lungs.

Your own hands went roaming, feeling his muscles tense beneath your touch until you reached his proud erection. He shuddered above you and moaned into your mouth before he pulled back. “I need you,” you begged, unabashedly. “Please, Max.”

His hands reached for your panties and the lace tickled as he dragged them down your legs. Even with your begging, he didn’t immediately bury himself in you. He took his time, settling back between your legs. He gently massaged your inner thighs with his strong hands, his thumbs dancing teasingly close to your core until a strangled whine escaped you.

“Relax, schat,” he said softly. “I’ll take care of you.”

He shifted onto his stomach and dipped his head to your core. You lost the ability to think as he gripped your hips and tugged you right onto his open mouth. A wordless cry filled the room and it took a second to understand it was coming from you as you lost yourself in the pleasure Max was giving you. You knew Max had an internal drive to succeed at everything he did and this was no different. He was determined to taste you completely and drive you into oblivion with his tongue and his fingers before he thoroughly fucked you. 

Max looked wild and untamed as you came undone around his fingers and he savoured the taste of you on his tongue as he rose above you. His eyes were dark and his lips swollen, his chin was damp and his smile satisfied. 

“Hi,” he chuckled with amusement. “Feeling alright?”

“Mhmm,” you hummed, because correlating a conscious thought into words seemed impossible as your body still trembled with aftershocks.

“Would you like a break?”

You reached between your bodies and wrapped your hand around his cock, guiding him closer to your entrance. “No, I want you, Max.”

“Completely sober, right?” he confirmed as the head pressed to your wet core.

“Not quite,” you teased, his brows pinching together at the words, “I’m drunk on you.”

The relief in his eyes was palpable and you cradled his face in your palm as you wrapped your legs around his hips. Your bodies united torturously slowly and your eyes fluttered at the fullness when every delicious inch was seated inside, your lips parting with a heady sigh.

“Open your eyes, schat.”

You obeyed in an instant, watching him watch you before his eyes drifted down your bodies. His lip was pinched between his teeth and he groaned at the sight of your pussy taking him so well, something he made sure to tell you.

“Fuck,” you choked as his words made your cunt clench in response, each thrust burying him deep in your cunt until stars dotted your vision and you were tipped over the edge into another orgasm. “Fuuuckk…”

Six months later. “Babe, have you seen my shoes?” Your voice carried throughout the large penthouse apartment you had moved into with Max when the season ended. 

“Here, with your dress,” he called out from the living room. 

You followed his voice and found the luggage being neatly stacked by the door. He pointed to the two garment bags hanging from the coat rack and at the bottom of the longer one were your heels, next to his polished dress shoes.

“I packed your coat too,” Max said, kissing your temple as he passed to get the car keys.

With the COVID restrictions being lifted Pascale hadn’t wanted to wait a minute longer for the wedding, so winter nuptials in February was the go. At least they were taking place in Sicily so it would be a little warmer, but of course Max would think to pack a coat for when the temperatures dropped at night. He was always thoughtful like that.

“Did you want a coffee?” you asked as you turned on the machine and put your travel mug under it. It was only a three hour flight on Max’s private jet, but you hadn’t slept well with the knowledge you would see Charles for the first time since Christmas. 

Cordial is how you would describe that relationship. The familiarity and intimacy was gone, replaced with standoffish politeness. You were both trying to find where the line could be drawn on a platonic friendship that had the history of more and it was slow going. You didn’t want anything you said or did around him to be misconstrued. 

Max made you happy, and just as importantly, Max was healthy for you. You did sometimes wonder if he tried harder to be better because he had witnessed toxic relationships growing up. He knew how that toxicity could poison and break someone so there was a conscious effort in the way he spoke and acted to everyone around him. Even Charles. 

That was why he had offered his plane for everyone to use, including Charles and Charlotte. For better or for worse, Charles was going to be a part of your family in less than 24 hours and Max respected that. Like he said, he didn’t care about your past and your future was one with him.

“Schatje,” Max called, one hand on your waist, the other reaching past you to the overflowing mug in the coffee machine. “Everything alright?”

You came back to the present with a few blinks and turned in his arms, surprising him with a deep kiss as you fisted his shirt and pulled him closer. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He pulled back to see your face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you said with a shake of your head but he saw right through it. “Everything you’ve done for me…a simple ‘I love you’ just doesn’t seem enough. I can never say it enough.”

Max’s hands cradled your jaw and he dipped his head to indulge in a slow but thorough kiss that had your stomach clenching with a fresh wave of desire. When he pulled back this time he smiled as he found the clear want and need for him written on your face. “It’s enough for me.”

He turned the machine off and poured the ruined coffee down the sink. “I’ll get you a proper coffee on the way to the airport. We should get going, can’t have the best woman be late for the rehearsal.”

“I think dad settled on the term groomsmaid,” you corrected with a laugh. You had nearly cried when he asked you to be his best man, before accepting the honour. It was fitting considering the bridesmaids were Pascale’s sons. “It’s not too late if you want to be a flower girl?”

He grinned and his eyes flicked to the door where the dress you had paraded for him last night hung. “I’m quite happy to sit back and watch.”

“If I recall, you didn’t sit still for long. I hope you have more self restraint for the ceremony.”

 “For the ceremony, yes. But as soon as we hit the hotel room you’re mine and that dress will be on the floor, I promise you.”

You bit your lip at the promise, knowing he would keep it just like every other one he had made. 

“We should probably go before I do something that makes us very late,” Max groaned, stepping away from your tempting body. 

“Ugh, fine.”

The ceremony was more than just a wedding and it represented the joining of the Leclerc’s and the Y/LN’s, something that had surprised you and also made you grateful for having waterproof mascara. You didn’t dare look at Charles when the celebrant spoke about the union of the two families, but Arthur grinned and Enzo winked, your father narrowed his eyes and you laughed.

The celebrant, thankfully, didn’t understand.

The cashmere coat Max had packed hung over the bag of your chair as night fell and you danced with him under the open stars. The only light came from the fairy lights strung around the stone pillars that had survived centuries on the island. His arms kept you warm as you swayed to the music and you spoke quietly to each other in a world of your own.

“Hey, can I, uh, can I cut in?” Charles asked hesitantly.

You took a deep breath as you debated the question, your eyes glancing around and quickly finding Charlotte at a table with Arthur and his girlfriend. You looked at Max to see if it was okay. He just smiled and kissed your cheek, whispering, “I’ll get us a drink.”

Charles waited until Max had made it off the dance floor before offering his hand, the other coming to rest on your waist. The first step was tentative, like he wasn’t sure you were actually going to follow his lead. “You look happy,” he said after a few more steps.

“I am.”

He nodded to himself, looking at Charlotte. “Good. That’s good.”

He looked miserable. “I hope you find real happiness one day.” You were being honest.

“I had it.” And he was being honest too. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I ever really apologised, not properly.”

“It’s fine, if it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have met Max.”

“It was meant to be us, though, right?” His eyes were begging you to agree with him but you had spent sleepless nights poring over the very same question.

“I think our paths crossed to make sure our parents met,” you admitted, smiling at the newlyweds as they danced too. You had never seen your dad happier.

“You really believe that?”

The song came to an end and you found Max returning from the bar with two drinks in his hand. “I have to,” you said as you slipped out of Charles’ arms. You swallowed the lump in your throat and took a step away from him.

“Why?” He took a step closer, only stopping when you took another step back and held up your hand. “Why?”

You took a calming breath and steadied your voice. “Because the alternative would only break my heart again.”

[janesgms]

< How you act when you're in love >

5H/7H house ruler in scorpio/8H house/8°/20° degrees: can, at its worst, make someone very obsessive, possessive, explosive, jealous and even an stalker when they're in love with someone ☠️ help. at its best, can make someone very passionate, intense, powerful, protective and sensual when in love, the type to go to the moon and back just for their lover. it's giving very ride or die vibes. The same definition can apply to venus aspecting pluto. Songs:

Him and I - G-eazy & Halsey

Woo - Rihanna

The whole Reputation album - Taylor Swift

The Weeknd songs

Paparazzi - Lady Gaga

Collide - Justine Skye

Middle of The Night - Elley Duhé

Babydoll - Ari Abdul

Animals - Maroon 5

Crazy in Love - Beyoncé

The whole Ultraviolence album - Lana Del Rey

Unforgettable - French Montana

Heaven - Julia Michaels

The whole Badlands album - Halsey

Killbill - SZA

L.E.S - Donald Glover

5H/7H house ruler in cancer/4H house/4°/16°/28° degrees:: can, at its worst, make someone extremely manipulative, moody, vengeful and irrational when in love with someone. at its best, can make someone very caring, loving, protective, nostalgic and nurturing when in love, they really like to spoil their partner emotionally. The same definition can apply to venus aspecting moon. Songs:

The Heart Wants What It Wants - Selena Gomez

Highschool Sweethearts - Melanie Martinez

Reminder - The Weeknd

Paparazzi - Lady Gaga

Part Of Me - Katy Perry

Te Amo - Rihanna

Alejandro - Lady Gaga

Sweather Weather - Arctic Monkeys

I wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys

Cinnamon Girl - Lana Del Rey

deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo

Outside - Calvin Harris

Earned It - The Weeknd

The whole Born To Die album - Lana Del Rey (including the paradise songs 😘)

Ocean Eyes - Billie Eilish

5H/7H house ruler in pisces/12H house/12°/24° degrees: can, at its worst, make someone delusional, blind, influencial, escapist, and moody when in love. at its best, can make someone sensitive, empathetic, dreamy, empathetic, creative, profound, feeling unexplainable feelings, and VERY romantic when in love, they're probably the types to write poetry and imagine a fairytale with their loved one. The same definition can apply to venus aspecting neptune. Songs:

Love you like a love song - Selena Gomez

Love Story - Taylor Swift

Bad Romance - Lady Gaga (a song deditaced for their terrible taste in men, specially, but in women too 💞)

Training Wheels - Melanie Martinez

I'm yours - Isabel LaRosa

Renegade - Aaryah Shaah

The bridge of What a Life - Jhene Aiko

Why'd You Only Call Me Whem You're High - Arctic Monkeys

#icanteven - The NBHD

Happiness Is A Butterfly - Lana Del Rey

I Love You - 2ne1

Loonatic - LOONA

America - XYLØ

High Enough - K.Flay

The whole soundtrack of Euphoria - Labyrnth

Psyechedelic Addict - Anuka

As someone with these 3 placements (scorpio/pisces/4th/8th houses), I really liked doing this post since it's something very personal to me! 💕 Also, one thing I notice is that all these placements usually listen to a lot of music, more than the usual, when in love.

Mini tutorial in case you don't know how to see your rulers. Look at the signs in your 5th and 7th houses, then look at where the planets who rule these signs are in your natal. For ex: I have a 5th house in sagittarius, so I need to look at my jupiter, sagittarius ruler, who is in scorpio in the 4th house. For this, I indicate for you to look at the modern rulership, but in case you don't identify with the characteristics, look at the traditional ruler.

[faggy--butch]

I think people underestimate the effect of being fat on gender. Like tips and tools for passing for any gender often just don't consider fat people. Gendered norms don't consider fat people. Fat people are so often degendered and viewed as worth less because of it. This also affects trans people's ability to enact their gender or pass. I often see skinny trans people talking about their experiences and stuff and it's like a whole other world of experiencing gender and I don't think this is talked enough about as a significant intersection of identity (because of fatphobia and the rhetoric of weight being a choice). Like there will be the occasional mention of don't listen to passing tips that say to slim down or whatever but rarely a full nuanced discussion of how gender as a whole works differently for fat bodies

Thank you for putting into words the exact feelings I've had for a long time.The way my fat body shapes my gender is something that I can't ignore. I remember growing up in the early and mid 2000s where the titular "girl" were people like Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, thin and cute and and completely unachievable for me.

I remember having meltdowns at the store when I saw those little pink rhinestone shirts where the curves were preset. I remember going to hot topic and seeing the clothing that wouldn't even fit one whole boob if I tried to put them on.

It was devastating. Learning I was non binary eased this a lot, making me realize I didn't have to try so hard to pass as a cis girl anymore but Even still, trying to live as a man wasn't any easier, men have the same devastating weight standards.

With the talk of Gym bros having eating disorders and everything. They have same kind of toxic gender expectation, except now It's that you have to be big and strong. You can almost get away with it if you're "Strong" fat, but having visible breasts or a hanging tummy or soft face will degender you just the same. Fat people are not allowed to have a gender until we "lose an acceptable about of weight."

We're almost On standby mode, saying things like "when I lose weight I'll finally be happy, when I can fit into those clothes I'll finally be loved and accepted. When i lose weight I'll finally be the real me"

which is reinforced by media and those around you. We have to over perform gender to be even a little bit included, and then that might not even work if you're in a larger fat body. And god if this isn't 12000% reinforced when It comes to transgender expectations.

I mean you see it when people post about how sad and fat they were pretransition, and then become beautiful thin butterflies post transition. You can see it in how tgirl tummy tuesday is only ever thin or slightly fat girls. You can see it in the expectation of trans men to be either big and strong or thin waifish twinks, the only representation we get is conventionally attractive trans people Trans people get all the cruel gender expectations that cis people get, but doubled or tripled, and the fat people are left in the dust until we can lose enough weight to be included. I'm probably going to talk about this more because I have so much to say about it.

[cyberstrangerballoon]

8TH SYNASTRY CULTURE 🫀

When people read about the 8th house, the first thing that comes to mind is sex. And sorry to dampen your excitement, but that's not all this house is about.

The 8th house is a place of depth, taboos, traumas, death and fears. Is the house of transformation, of the occult, of what is not accepted by society.

Is deep bonding, deep sharing, and deep transformation. It is a person's most intimate and darkest place.

So when a planet falls in this house, you feel like your privacy has been violated. It's like if you let a stranger read your diary, let them go through your stuff and turn your life upside down.

It messes with your head, you no longer have control of your actions. You're blindfolded, and holding his hand in the dark.

You find yourself in Russian roulette. You trust that person with your eyes closed. And normally you don't trust anyone.

The person on the planet attracts like nobody else. It has a magnetic force that makes you want to be close to it. You feel naked next to this person.

Your morals are on the floor, you're doing things you never imagined yourself doing. He excites you, and intrigues you. But can we judge you? Who are we?

I was once the person of the house and the planet. Usually they are different situations, but in this case they are the same. You both have darkness inside you, secrets and fetishes that you don't tell anyone. You attract each other because deep down you know that if you stick together, you will turn darkness into light.

If any personal planet falls here, sun, moon or venus. You light up this house, all the pain, suffering and fear disappears when you are together. You complete each other.

And when you're far away, you can't stop thinking about each other. It's like the memories are tattooed on your minds. It's suffocating, and dangerous.

If poorly aspected, it can cause intense jealousy, and sometimes physical aggression. All that love can turn toxic if you're not careful. So if you're in one, leave now.

Do I really have to talk about the sex? We all know it's amazing.

Sex can be an out-of-body experience. It's so amazing that it feels like you've been to heaven and back.

If you're away from each other, masturbation can sometimes be even better lol, trust me I've been there. IT'S GREAT!!!

Now, the songs that I think describe the 8th house synastry.

[selenabutterfl-y]

Even the king and queen need a break!

[dramioneblog]

Songs that remind me of Dramione part 2:

Daylight-Taylor Swift

Shameless-Camila Cabello

Sign Of the Times-Harry Styles

Love and War-Fleurie

PILLOWTALK-ZAYN

I Wanna Be Yours-Arctic Monkeys

War Of Hearts-Ruelle

Skyfall-Adele

Happiness is a butterfly-Lana Del Rey

Don't Blame Me-Taylor Swift

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT-Elley Duhe

1 step forward,3 steps back-Olivia Rodrigo

Call Out My Name-The Weeknd

Bathroom-Montell Fish

Mirrors-Justin Timberlake

Two Birds-Regina Spektor

The Heart Wants What It Wants-Selena Gomez

[mischivana]

Hiiiiiii love your post they're really nice 👍

Would you want to do 44 with Piper x fem reader? Reader thought they weren't capable of love with never getting a crush on a boy but absolute gay panic when meeting Piper

But also internalize homophobia and fear of love as a whole.

I Love You and It Terrifies Me

Piper x Fem!Reader

Pronouns: She/her

Summary: You’ve always felt like you were incapable of love because you were never able to form a crush on any guys at school. But when yu return to camp that year, there’s a girl that makes you question everything.

TW: Gay panic, internalize homophobia, fear of love

Genre: Angst/Fluff

A/N: Im so sorry that this took forever, Ive been really busy with a lot of things recently. There are absolutely some spelling errors in here, and i sincerely apologize for that. also Beckendorf and Selina are alive because I say so >:)

Masterlist

All my life I’ve been told that I would find the perfect boy for me. My mother would always play dolls with me and in every game, the girl would always love the guy. Whenever I would hang out with my friends, our conversations would always divert to what boys we liked in our class. While my friends would giggle and fawn over the boys, I would sit and wonder why I couldn’t understand. And its not like I didn’t try. Every time I tried to convince myself of having a crush, I just couldn’t do it. But maybe I was just incapable of love. Im supposed to love a boy so if I cant, then I must be incapable. And that’s where I left it. For years.

When I got to camp, I thought maybe things would be different. maybe here would be the place where I couldn’t he boy that I loved. But it still never happened. But I was a kid of Hephaestus. Maybe that was why I couldn’t love. My dad had a hard time loving so maybe I did too. Thanks dad. But then I learned about my brother Beckendorf and his girlfriend Selena. So if it wasn’t my genes, then maybe it was just me. Maybe Iw as incapable of love. And maybe I just needed to be okay with that.

That was until Annabeth returned from the Dam with three new kids. Jason, the son of zeus. Leo, a new brother of mine. then Piper, a daughter of Aphrodite. I don't know what happened when I saw her but, something happened. She was so pretty, so beautiful. I sat next to her at the campfire to try and get to know her and she was great. she was funny and confident and pretty, she was really pretty. but she was dating Jason, which honestly I didn't blame her. he was conventionally attractive after all.

I left the campfire that night not noticing how I was blushing. how my heart fluttered and my stomach filled with butterflies/ maybe it was the adrenaline of making a new friend, someone I felt I really connected with. As time passed, me and Piper spent more and more time together. I considered her my best friend and I'm sure she felt the same. the only thing that set me off, I hadn't felt this way about anyone before, not even my closest friends before Piper. What was this feeling?

The truth hit me when the three left for their quest. When I was saying goodbye to Piper I gave her the biggest hug of my life.

"Please be safe Pipes, I don't want you coming home in shambles" I said worried as I continued to feel her around me.

"I'll try, I can't make any promises" she said playfully as she squeezed me back. I watched them leave and couldn't hide the worry on my face. My brother, Beckendorf, came to my side and rested his hand on my shoulder.

"I know that look, she'll be fine" his deep grumbly voice said to me. I looked at him with a puzzled look. "what look?" I asked him curiously.

He smiled back down at me and laughed before turning me and walking me back to the pavilion. "That look of when someone you love dearly is going off and you don't know if they'll be okay, but you just have to trust them. I know that look-" "He's worn it too many times" he was cutoff by his girlfriend Selina. They were the best relationship in camp. I pondered what he meant.

"Of course I care about Piper, she's my best friend" He looked at me like I was clueless. I kinda was cause I had no idea what he was talking about. I couldn't love Piper as more than a friend right? I was supposed to feel that for boys. Selina took me by the shoulders and walked me with her.

"let a love expert explain sweetie. You and my sister have a very special connection. You care about her, more than anything right?" I nodded at her as she sat us down on a bench. "why do you think that is?" "cause she's my closest friend?" she looked at me again and took a breath, mumbling something along the lines of "this is going to be harder than I thought" before clearing her throat and continuing.

"So y'know how me and your brother are dating?" I nodded again. "well, before that I felt a certain way for him and he did for me. I would always look forward to seeing him, I loved talking to him, he was my closest friend. Every time I though of him my heart felt fluttery and my stomach filled with butterflies. thats when I realized I loved him" I sat there and listened to her. It took me a moment and I realized, thats exactly how I felt for piper. Did I love Piper? could I even love another girl?

"But she's a girl...and I'm a girl...is that- is that allowed?" She looked at me shocked and gave me a reassuring smile. "Oh sweetie, it's more than okay. Why would you think not?" she asked me sincerely "my mom always told me that I could only date a boy... girls liked boys and boys liked girls" I said confused. She spoke up again, "well thats weather closed minded thinking isn't it?" I looked at the ground and pondered for a moment. Did I really love Piper?

After awhile I returned back to my cabin to think about it myself, at least thats how I framed it. I was actually really panicking. What did this even mean? What would my mom say? Is this why I never liked any boys from my school? How does Piper feel? Do I even like her or am I just kidding myself? This went on for almost two days.

I was sitting on my bed still pondering it when I heard the door open. It was my brother and Nico, Hades son. I knew Nico had a boyfriend but he was also from the 1920s so maybe thats why it was okay. Nico sat down on my bed and brought me into a conversation about it. Asking me how I felt for Piper and telling me what this all meant. It was all so scary, everything I've ever been taught by my mom about love was being rewritten before my eyes. By the end of it, I realized. I was in love with my best friend, and she was dating a guy.

When they returned I was the first one to run from the crowd and envelop her in a tight hug. She hugged me back and I looked at her. she was tried, exhausted, she had a few scars but she was still her.

"Oh my gods Im so happy you're safe you had no idea how worried I was about you" I said frantically once we stopped hugging "I'm happy you worry about me" she said with a small laugh.

A few days after they had returned, everyone had discussed everything. I eventually found out that Jason and Piper had broken up after they found out their whole relationship as basically built off a lie. I helped her a lot through this. I helped her find out who she was again and assured her that I would be there no matter who she decided to be with.

"Y'know Im really happy to hear that" Piper said to me as she continued to hold my hand on the bench. "Oh? and why's that?" I said with a small laugh. "Because I realized more about my feelings on that quest other than me and Jason being fake" she said kind of cautiously. I looked at her questioningly. I knew I loved her, but there wasn't a way that she loved me back the same way. But she grabbed my hand that was in hers and brought to her lips, giving my knuckled a soft kiss. I looked at her and knew. "Piper, I don't know what love means, it...it honestly kind of terrifies me.." I said looking from her to the ground with a soft blush across my face to match hers. She brought my gaze back to hers and pressed her forehead to mine "Ill be here when you figure it out" she said to m softly. In that moment, everything Id been told didn't matter. I loved her, and there wasn't a question to that.

A/n: Hi I know this isn't that good, honestly I didn't know how to fish it so this is the best your getting. In any case, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit

[tomatoswup]

el chico del apartamento 512⋆ ˚｡⋆୨💌୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

summary: that new boy-next-door Vash from 512 sure is cute! Maybe you should write him a letter~

title translation: the boy from apartment 512

warnings/tags: shy/anxious reader, the usual nerve-wrecking feelings that come with a crush, tesla jumpscare, kabedon! by vash, i edited this at 4am might have mistakes, cute~, Modern!AU

A/N: I....don't know if i wrote this right...but this song had me delusional..... :D,,, I really wanted to write a cute boy-next-door kinda oneshot with Vash and boom, here yall go :P enjoy! I recommend listening to Selena's "El Chico Del Apartamento 512" since this fic was a direct inspir. from the song~

pairing: vash x reader

Life in your apartment complex was, in your own words, quite boring.

Bland scenery, the shouts and complains of neighbors and the ridiculous "problems" that shouldn't even be called problems you had to deal with.

Oh cmon, can't you park in your own fucking parking space?!

But there was a certain someone that made the hell of a place a bit more better. Your new neighbor from apartment 512. You first met him by accident when you dropped the groceries you were hauling up to your apartment one day, to which he helped you and struck up conversation.

From there, fate couldn't help but let the meetings between the both of you continue as the two of you talked more and more. Often times, he'd find you reading at one of the various apartment complex picnic tables, joining you in your times of relaxation.

"You okay?" You asked one day as the both of you sat at the table, sharing a bowl of fruits you had cut up to enjoy the afternoon with. He turned his attention towards you, orange sunglasses resting on his head and mouth full of watermelon causing his cheeks to puff out like a chipmunk "Mfph?"

You had a good ol' laugh as the poor man tried to chew as quick as he could to respond, but truly just ended up almost choking on the poor watermelon. You had to smack him on the back in the end so all the juice left his lungs.

Life, work, and flowers that the both of you liked, sometimes the two of you conversated for hours on end. And sometimes, you two just liked each others quiet company.

You admired that.

But you also admired something else.

ooo girl he was cute.

You couldn't resist the butterflies in the pits of your stomach whenever the two of you took your walks together, coming home from work late nights. The closeness of your shoulders and his made you a bit more delusional than you had wanted to be.

Or maybe you did?

GOD MAKE UP YOUR MIND!

Vash, that was his name, was your boy-next-door crush. To be honest, you never expected to find yourself attracted to someone like him. But man, did he have your heart running its laps.

Every.

Single.

Time.

The glances he would sneak at you from afar felt like honey for your little ol' fragile heart. And no, you never forgot those frequent very frequent times where you would find him knocking at your door. Opening it, there he was, the cute tall spiky haired blonde awkwardly standing there with a flower pot, little flowers already growing inside.

Shifting his weight from his feet left to right, he would use the excuse of "I bought a bit too much for my balcony!" to keep giving them to you.

It was adorable! You never failed to blush every time and whenever he accidentally touched your hand when he handed them to you. You didn't notice his own red cheeks though.

You had a small collection of these plants in your home now that you made sure to water every morning. And as a thankful gesture, you often invited him over for dinner at your place.

That was....flirting right?

Jesus fucking christ you really had no rizz..

You often found yourself lying in bed some nights, not knowing how to address those bubbly feelings of yours towards the dorky man.

How would you tell him either way? How about a date?

Oh no no no, you didn't have the balls to tell it to his face... Did you?

You contemplated for a second.

Nope, definitely not.

If he said no, you would have to think about finding a different apartment at this point.

oh my goddd this was embarrassing..

But cmon now that cute mole on his face? How could you resist those funny faces of his? You groaned loudly into the air as you slapped your hands on your eyes in exasperation.

'What if I write him a letter?' You froze in your mini moment of despair before shooting up from your laid down position. "Okay, okay, maybe this can work." You gasped out, stumbling and slipping off your bed, looking around the room trying to find a pen and paper.

Pen..Pen..Digging out a pen from your bag, you held it up into the air as if it were a holy grail.

Settling with a nice purple colored one and a page from a notebook that you carefully tore out, you wrote your "confession" letter on that messy wooden desk of yours.

That'll do that job! please

By the next morning, you had the letter sealed and ready to be given to him, but damn were you on the verge of wanting to throw up because of how nervous you were.

You even added a cute dried flower on the letter to make it look pretty maybe he could ignore the little tear marks of yours on the note

Okay, go to his door, knock, give him the letter, then run.

PERFECT! Completely foul proof plan!

Wash, rinse, repeat.

You put on one of the more nicer outfits from your closet, and paced around your room a bit before finally leaving the apartment. Letter clenched in your hands, you walked only a few steps from your door until you saw the numbers 512 glaring down at you.

Ummm…

You felt sweatier than usual as you frantically brushed down your hair before straightening your posture. It took you only 2 minutes of self-reassurance before you knocked.

knock, knock, knock

Pulling your hand back, you stood there holding the letter into your chest.

...

...

No response. That's fine! That's totally okay!

You took a moment to breathe in and out before knocking again. Finally hearing movement from the other side of the door, you took a step back, bracing yourself from seeing his face as the door swung open.

"How can I help you?" A feminine voice rung out.

Opening the door was a blonde girl somewhat a bit older than you. Her long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes making you do a double take as your mouth gaped open at the pretty girl. But that surprise was taken over by your heart dropping at the sight. She was wearing a white sweat jacket

His jacket..

HE HAD A GIRLFRIEND!?

'ABORT! ABORT MISSION!' Your subconscious yelled at you as you stumbled to find words to reply to the girl "I-um, well uh-"

The burning feeling in your chest started to hurt as you felt the desire to just drop dead right on the spot. There was no way you just... Oh my god..

Before you could respond, the girl's expression widened into somewhat recognition. "Oh! You're the neighbor from next door! Were you looking for my brother?"

Eh?

"...Y-Yes?" You tilted your head in a somewhat cheeky sweaty smile you were dying on the inside before she turned from you and looked back into the apartment.

"HEY VASH!" She yelled, holding the door open with her back as she crossed her arms, and from the depths of the blue-wallpapered apartment nice choice! you heard his voice.

"WHAT!?" There were sounds of blankets or something moving coming from where he was inside.

Her eyes flickered back to you before giving you a playful wink "I think our neighbor from 511 is knocking at the door! Are they the-!"

"WAIT WAIT WAIT DON'T OPEN IT WAIT!!" His sudden screech emitted before the sudden mess of things falling to the ground and objects breaking echoed through the apartment.

Was he okay?

"GYAH!" You heard Vash yelp before he tripped into your sight right around a corner, shirt half messily on him as he attempted to slip his arm through the hole of the shirt. The scattered scars on his body prominent to your eyes as he struggled for a second.

Wow look at that bod-

You quickly averted your sight, feeling the heat crawling up your neck and into your cheeks as he picked himself off the ground as fast as he could with only one hand. You noted that he didn't have the time to put his prosthetic on in that sudden rush of his.

"T-thanks Tesla!" He breathed out, smoothing down his shirt as Tesla left her spot by the door, leaving it ajar as she gave you a small wave before leaving into the apartment and what you presumed back into her bedroom.

"Sorry about my older sister, she's just visiting for the week..." Vash cleared his throat before leaning his arm his only arm at the moment on the door frame, humorously deepening his voice "So, how can I help a beautiful person on this most wonderous night?"

You giggled at his try to hide whatever happened, the tense muscles in your shoulders softening as you silently held out the letter you had.

"Hm?" His eyebrow rose as he relaxed himself, slowly grabbing the red envelope out of your hand. Turning it around, he scanned the writing on the top.

To Vash

And attached to it, was a red geranium, one of the flowers he had gifted you. He couldn't help but give the envelope a blushed smile before looking back up to ask you what it was.

But there was no one?

"E-Eh?" He stuttered as he quickly stepped outside, only seeing a flash of your body running through your door as you shut it quick behind you.

Did... Did you just run back to your apartment?

Vash let out a pout as his shoulders slouched down, barefoot on the concrete floor of the apartment complex corridor.

"I missed the chance to say it.. Damn it.."

Meanwhile, you had shut the door and slowly slid down it, covering your mouth with your hand in amazement.

YOU DID IT!

YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! YES!

OH FUCK YOU DID IT.

ohhhh shit.

"what did I just do.." You groaned, pushing your knees up to bury your face into.

For the next couple of days, you tried your best to avoid Vash as much as you could. Taking all the early shifts at work, racing into your apartment whenever you saw him sitting at the picnic table with a bowl of strawberries.

Maybe he didn't feel the same way, how could you show your face to him? You were scared..What he would say?

Disgusting?

I'm interested in someone else?

That night was one that had you up late, running through all the things he could say about your letter, bad or good.

But one day. you had been forced to take the late night shift again and found yourself walking down one of the many apartment complex hallways alone. You actually kinda missed your lil nightly talks with him…

"Hey!"

Hm?

Turning your head to the left, you spotted the pretty blonde man, racing down the path in slippers, sweatpants and a long sleeve, no glasses of his in sight.

"V-VASH!?" You squawked out, the man closing in as in a panic, you closed your eyes. Feeling your back hit the hard wall behind you, you were only able to throw a hand out to put a cushion to whatever was happening.

What?

Slowly peeping your eyes open, your vision was covered by the sight of his chest. His large frame practically covering your body and both arms of his caging the sides of your head, most likely to prevent you from meekly escaping.

"I finally.." He let out a deep breath as the hot sensation of it lightly hit your face "..caught you." His gaze only focused on you as you noticed the grip you had on his firm shoulder. Ah... He was trying to talk to you again..

Did the letter not make anything awkward?

"Vash?" Your breath hitched, the intense stare of his eyes just on you making that stomach of yours develop butterflies once again.

"You never gave me the chance to give you an answer.." He muttered before chuckling "Didn't think it'd take me this long to finally see you."

Moving your gaze away and to the side, you tried to escape his eyes in attempt to calm yourself down "I thought I made things awkward...Ha." You gave him a small pained grin, the urge to cry out of humiliation was making the lump in your throat push upwards.

One more word out of you and you'll accidentally let it out, tears and all.

Vash looked down at you with a curious expression before the look of adoration riddled his face "Aw cmon now, look at me. You'll never make things awkward between the both of us..." Hand off the wall, he softly put two fingers under your chin, moving it so you looked back into those endless bright blue eyes of his.

"Ya know, you actually beat me to it first."

"I-I did?"

He gave you a cheeky smile "Definitely, I was gonna come over but.." The corners of his mouth moved downwards "I didn't get to see you anymore. Even after work, I made sure to wait a bit to spot ya. Guess today's my lucky day."

oh fuck, you felt so bad.

he…was actually looking for you.

shit.

"I-" You choked out, silencing Vash as you felt your eyes start to blur with the tears. You couldn't hold it in anymore. All those embarrassing moments and thoughts.

"I was scared about what you were gonna say... I thought you weren't going to like me anymore after that letter…” You tried to regulate your breathing as your furiously wiped the tears out of your eyes “Stupid right?”

Using both hands, Vash slowly took your hands away from your face, before swiping his thumb against the apples of your cheeks "Well, whatever you thought that was gonna do, did quite the opposite.."

Face to face, just centimeters away from each other.

"I like you even more.." His thumb brushing the bottom of your lips as you observed him, eyes still red from crying. But the red of Vash’s own cheeks got brighter and brighter.

"May I?"

And with no words spoken, you nodded and he caved, leaning in. You felt like melting as he wrapped his arms around your sides, those pink lips of his deeping into your own as the taste of mint seeped into your mouth.

The sweet taste of his was one you imagined at night, and have never thought to ever taste until now.

Now that you tasted him, it felt so intoxicating. Every touch of his tongue in your mouth, the grip he had on your waist.

Okay slow it down a little cowboy~

Pulling away for air, the both of you just stared at each-other, eyes wide and quiet.

Until laughter came about, Vash had started giggling and you tried your best to stifle your own until you couldn’t. And the two of you continued laughing as Vash kept you close in his embrace.

"I was wonderingg~" Vash whistled out after getting those cute giggles out of his system "Are you doing anything this Saturday?"

You tilted your head to the right, giving him a shy smile "Not necessarily, I was just gonna order some pizza and stay home alone.."

"Maybee..I can keep you company?" He jokingly puppy-eyed before you gave him peck on the lips just one more time

"Always~"

A sharp gasp was suddenly emitted from your right side, causing you to almost yelp in shock at the sudden disturbance as Vash whipped his head to the direction. And there stood your upstairs neighbor, an elderly hispanic lady and her husband with a little cart full of folded laundry.

"Mire! El chico del apartmento 512 se junto con el rentero de 511. Ay que bonito~" She cooed as her husband nodded in agreement.

You returned a blushed smile, feeling Vash's hand slip into your own.

Oh how sweet!

translation: Look! The boy from apartment 512 got together with the renter from 511. How pretty~

[not-magdi]

hi, one where the reader is a singer, and she composes a song for Gavi ( yellow-coldplay) and he reacts to it, thanks<3

Our Song

I know how to add the song now !

your_username

Liked by pablogavi, selenagomez, spotify and 893.634 others

your_username Ok sooo, I did something there ... 💛

tagged: pablogavi

selenagomez: I would like to add that she stole MY tone studio for that.

⎜your_username: I'm sorry but yours has comfier chairs than mine 🥺

pablogavi: 💛💛

nightsread: HAHAH not Y/N stealing Selenas studio

lemonhoneypie: I swear if these two don't sit at the same table at the Grammys again I'm gonna cry

⎜liked by your_username

y/nandpablostan: She tagged Pablo, you think she wrote the song for him?

⎜dreamy-cupcake: OMG that would be sooo cute !!

view more comments

After three months of hard work and many nights at the tone studio, your new single, 'Yellow', is finally done. 

Usually, you wouldn't need that much time for one song, but this one has a special place in your heart. It's about your boyfriend, Pablo. You have been together for two years now, and your love for him has only grown.  

Pablo does anything for you. Nothing is too complicated or too expensive for him. As long as you're happy, he's happy.

You wanted to give something back to him, something that shows your love and appreciation for him. Finding the perfect present or gesture was difficult. You searched for weeks until you stumbled over an old picture of you two. 

The story behind it inspired you to write something that came deep from your heart. 

-----------------------

Currently you are sitting in your studio waiting for Pablo to come by. He had training today, but you wanted to let him hear it first, before publishing it. 

 You always ask him to listen to your songs before everybody else. So he didn't think about it that much when he knocked on your studio door. 

"Amor, I'm here!"  

Standing up from your seat, you rush to the door to open it, immediately falling into his arms. 

"HELLO, I'm so glad you're here. Come in, come in, come in!"

Laughing at your excitement, he let you drag himself into your studio. After you sat him down in one of the chairs, you felt his hands grabbing your waist, pulling you into him.  

"What got you so excited, cariño?"

You blushed at his question, hiding your face in his neck. You were nervous about his reaction. You shouldn't be. That boy loves you with his whole heart, but you still feel butterflies in your stomach. 

"Nothing, just excited to show you my song."

"Well then, let me hear it." 

Taking a deep breath, you loosen yourself out of Pablo's embrace and go to your equipment. You look back at him before you press play, and the sound of guitars fills the room. 

-Look at the stars,

Look how they shine for you,

And everything you do

Yeah, they were all yellow

...

------------------------

Flashback 

You and Pablo confessed your feelings for each other at Pablo's 17th Birthday party. After everybody left, and it was only the two of you, you sneaked out and climbed on top of his parents' garage.  

The garage had a flat roof, so you could lay there and watch the stars at night. It was something special between you two, climbing up here and watching the stars together.  

You first found him there after a fight with his parents, hugging his knees and sobbing into them. You stayed with him and comforted him until it was dark and the stars lightened up the sky.  

So, of course, after his party, you were sneaking up there after his parents went to bed. Cuddled up under a big blanket. 

"I want to give you my last birthday present."

"Oh, you still have a gift? You already gave me so much." 

"I know, but I wanted to give you something special between us. Close your eyes."

Taking a deep breath, you look at his features in the moonlight and how his lashes touch his rosy cheeks. You grab his cheek with a feather-light touch and brush your lips against his.  

You thought he would turn away immediately, but he grabbed your cheeks and deepened the kiss after a few seconds.  

Having to stop because your lungs started to burn from the lack of air, you look at each other with bright red cheeks and pure love and adoration in your eyes. 

Giggling shyly, you cuddle yourself deeper into him, hiding your face in his neck.

"I really, really like you Pabs. Like so much." You whisper into his neck. 

"You have no idea how happy I am right now! I really like you too!" You feel his arms tightening around you and his lips kissing your head.  

Unbeknownst to you, his parents were watching the whole scene in awe. His Mum, taking a photo of you two with her old Polaroid camera, snuggled together, watching the stars.

The next morning, you found the picture on Pablo's bedside table. And since that day, it's always with you.  

Flashback end  

The song comes to an end the whole time you haven't dared to look at him, scared of his reaction. 

Now, you slowly turn around, seeing your boy sitting there completely frozen, mouth agape, tears streaming down his face. 

"Oh, Amor, don't cry. You're making me cry too."

Rushing out of your seat, you crash into his arms, holding each other tight. You dry his tears by kissing them away, each and every one of them. 

Sniffing, Pablo looks down at you, kissing your lips as passionately as he can. 

"I love you so much, Amor. I hope it lasts forever."

"I know it will" 

-And you know, you know I love you so 

You know I love you so 

...

[lousypotatoes]

♪Playlist♪

i got bored, and i decided to make a playlist for this series <33 im gonna be doing that for all my fanfics for now on

Singin' In The Rain - Cliff Edwards 

"I'm singin' in the rain

Just singin' in the rain 

What a glorious feeling

I'm happy again~"

I Did Something Bad - Taylor Swift 

"I never trust a narcissist, but they love me 

So I play 'em like a violin

And I make it look oh so easy~"

When A Man Loves A Woman - Percy Sledge 

"Well, this man loves a woman 

I gave you everything I had 

Trying to hold onto your high-class love

Baby, ooh, please don't treat me bad~"

Dangerous Woman - Arianna Grande

"I wanna savor, save it for later

The taste of  flavor, 'cause I'm a taker

'Cause I'm a giver, it's only nature 

I live for danger~"

Ain't Misbehavin' - Fats Waller

"I know for certain

The one I love

I'm through with flirtin'

It's just you I'm thinkin' of~"

you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish 

"Count my cards, watch them fall

Blood on the marble wall

I like the way they all

Scream~"

All Alone - Al Jolson

"All alone, I'm so all alone

There is no else but you

All alone by the telephone

Waiting for a ring, a ting-a-ling~"

Killing Butterflies - Lou Bliss 

"Shiver like a leaf

Once you take a piece 

With your big old teeth

You will never sleep, no~"

Everybody Loves My Baby - Jack Palmer

"It's my sweetie, can't you guess?

Wild about her, I'll confess

Does she love me?

Oh yes~!"

Looking At Me - Sabrina Carpenter

"I could make it nice and easy

I'ma take the lead

They ain't even looking at you, baby

They're looking at me~"

Always - Irving Berlin

"I'll be loving you always 

With a love that's true always.

When things you've planned

Need a helping hand,

I will understand always.

All Around Me - Flyleaf

"Take my hand, I give it you

Now you own me, all I am

You said you would never leave me

I believe you, I believe~"

I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me - Jimmy McHugh

"Your eyes are so blue 

Your kisses too

I never knew what they could do

I can't believe you're in love with me~"

Need A Favor - Jelly Roll

"Hangin' in there just barely

Throwin' up prayers like Hail Marys

If You're still there, Lord spare me

Oh, my God, oh, my God, Hail Mary~"

I Wanna Be Loved By You - Bert Kalmar

"I wanna be kissed by you, just you,

Nobody else but you,

I wanna be kissed by you, alone~!"

A Sky Full Of Stars - Coldplay

"'Cause you're a sky, you're a sky full of stars 

Such a heavenly view

You're such a heavenly view

Yeah, yeah, yeah, ooh~"

The Song Is Ended - Irving Berlin

"The song is ended

But the melody lingers on

You and the songs are gone 

But the melody lingers~"

Dusk Till Dawn - ZAYN, Sia

"I'll hold you when things go wrong

I'll be with you from dusk till dawn

I'll be with you from dusk till dawn

Baby, I'm right here~"

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

"I had all and then most of you 

Some and now none of you

Take me back to the night we met~"

Crazy = Genius - Panic! At The Disco

"Other boys you may have dated

Serrated your heart with a slice 

But the cut of your love never hurts 

Baby, it's a sweet butter knife~"

Don't Stop The Music - Rihanna

"Do you know what you started? I just came here to party

But now we're rockin' on the dancefloor, actin' naughty

Your hands around my waist, just let the music play

We're hand in hand, chest to chest, and now we're face to face~"

Control - Halsey

"And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me"

I can't help this awful energy 

God damn right, you should be scared of me

Who is in control~?

Good For You - Selena Gomez, A$AP Rocky

"Gonna wear that dress you like, skin-tight

Do my hair up real, real nice

And syncopate my skin to your heart beating~"

You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile - Donald Craig

"Your clothes may be Beau Brummely 

They stand out a mile 

But brother

You're never fully dressed

Without a smile~!

Sway - Micheal Bublé

"Like a flower bending in the breeze

Bend with me, sway with ease

When we dance you have a way with me 

Stay with me, sway with me~"

Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday

"Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck 

For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck

For the sun to rot, for the tree to drop

Here is a strange and bitter crop~"

Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra

"All I worship and adore

In other words, please be true

In other words, in other words

I love...you~"