#serene series

[ghostofthemost141]

Serene

Chapter 2

Ch.1. Ch.2. Ch.3. Ch.4. Ch.5. Ch.6. Ch.7.

Pairing: Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish x F!Reader

Word Count: 2,200

About: You're on vacation to the beach and you think you're about to die when you're caught in a riptide until an unlikely hero comes to your rescue. Precisely a Scottish man that bores a tail.

!Warnings!: Hint to Assault but nothing graphic

Italics means Third Person POV

Everyone figured that with your most recent incident, you would avoid the ocean at all costs. Or hell even be scared to touch water in general. But imagine everyone’s faces when you told them you were going out for a nightwalk to said beach that you nearly drowned in. Gem and Pixie were the most surprised and even feared for your mental wellbeing when you told them that as you were getting your coat on. 

“Dove, are you okay?” Gem asked me. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I ask, feeling very confused. 

“You nearly died and now you’re going to go take a walk at the beach you nearly died at?” Pixie frantically asked, getting close to me. 

“We figured you would be afraid of water at this point.” Gem added. 

“Nope. I am perfectly fine.” I say, trying to reassure them but they weren’t buying it. 

“Why do you want to go?” Gem asked me. 

Little did they know that you were off to go search for your savior from the other day. There has to be a reason for all of this. Why would Johnny show himself to you? It was tearing you up on the inside and you had to know before you would leave your vacation home and be a five hour drive away from the beach. Not that a five hour drive drive would bother you, but it was a burning question you needed to know now. 

“I think I lost my sunglasses in the sand. I want to go look for them.” You lied, feeling said sunglasses in my pocket but I was trying not to make it obvious. 

Both Gem and Pixie looked at each other with concern and back to me, as if I was delusional. 

“I’ll be back.” I mumbled, hurrying out the front door and slamming it behind me. 

You felt irritated now, seeing how your friends were reacting to your action. You know it was out of concern, considering your recent near death experience, but you would at least think your best friends would be supportive. This was the first time they showed some kind of concern since your incident and well frankly, you expected more out of both of them. But no matter. There was only one person you wanted to see. You started your car, put it in reverse, and drove out of the parking lot of y’alls condo, heading straight for the beach. Ever since that day, about a week ago, Johnny’s bright blue eyes have basically haunted your dreams. Everytime you close your eyes, you would see Johnny’s face, beaming a kind smile at you in the water. And you couldn’t forget about that tail of his. That dark, blue scaly tail. You wanted to run your hands over it, just make sure that it was in fact real. Just seeing it that day didn’t make you believe it. You had to feel it, touch it with your hands. Just the thought of you doing that had your foot pressing down on the pedal, nearly causing you to break the speed limit. Your heart raced as you parked your car near where Johnny resurrected you at. You didn’t even think you would see him and yet here you are, determined to make it happen. You stepped out of your car. You anticipated it to be dark outside, considering there are no street lights on a beach, so you brought your strobe light, making sure it was turtle safe for the many turtles you had already seen during your stay here. You started your venter down the sand, lighting your way and making sure you were treading lightly to avoid stepping on any creatures. You took notice of a familiar bolder that was there on that fateful day. That bolder is the reason nobody saw Johnny. Nobody but you. You passed the boulder immediately, taking notice of something shiny in the sand. It was small but reflected a blue hue when your flashlight reflected it. You bent down and grabbed it. It was a scale. And you knew who it belonged to. Who else would have scales with a dark blue color? 

“Are you there?” I called out, scanning the water and near me. 

Nothing. And yet you kept rubbing your thumb over the scale, hoping what you saw that day was real. That Johnny was real and not a near death hallucination. 

“I don’t want any trouble, I promise, I just..” 

You paused. You didn’t really know why you were here. What was the point of you coming here? You should’ve just let it go and went on with your life. But you couldn’t. No. You just couldn’t. 

“I want to see that you are real. I won’t tell, I promise. Please, Johnny.” 

You call out to him, hoping to hear a recurring splashing in the water or a flop into the sand but nothing. Nothing happened. It was then that you felt stupid, standing out here on the beach in the pitch dark, flashing your stroble light around looking for something that doesn’t even exist. 

“Whatever.” I mumbled, feeling the stupidity settle in. 

You turned and started walking back to your car. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid-

“What in the bloody Jesus are you doin’ out ‘ere?” 

You whipped around, shining your light towards where you heard the voice. And there he was. In all of his handsome glory. Propped up on the boulder was Johnny. You felt stunned, frozen in place seeing Johnny there, confirming that he was indeed real. 

“I uh..” I stuttered, feeling the shock slowly wear off, “I wanted to thank you. For saving my life.” 

“I mean I wasn’t gonna let ya drown.” Johnny smirked, sitting upright on top of the boulder, his tail resting gracefully over the side. 

“I-I know..I just couldn’t believe you were real. That you are real.” I say, catching glances at his tail. 

“You’re the first person to know about meh.” 

“Why’s that?” I ask, stepping closer to him, as if his eyes were hypnotizing me to do that. 

“Just intuition is all.” Johnny said, eyeing me. 

I smiled back, trying not to make it awkward with my noticeable staring but I frankly couldn’t help it. 

“How long have you been around here for?” I asked, sitting down next to him. 

“A long time, lass.” 

“Have you always been a mermaid?” I ask, immediately feeling bad as I felt I was being invasive, “s-sorry.” 

Johnny wasn’t offended nor annoyed by your questions. He has never had someone ask of him and get to know him like this. He also felt something he hasn’t felt in a long time from another human. Trust. 

“It’s alright, but no. I was once human.” Johnny admitted, looking at me with those bright blue eyes of his. . 

He took the opportunity to admire you. It was as if everything about you was perfect, your flowy hair, your beautiful colored eyes, your shiny skin, even with the spotlight pointed towards y’all, he could tell how beautiful you are. It made his heart race. 

“You were turned into a mermaid?” I asked, with so much curiosity. 

“Yea’. I was a kid and I was in the water and ended up drowning.” Johnny started. 

“Oh.” I said. 

“But I was saved, just like I saved you, by another mermaid. He was my age. Since then we have traveled far and wide over the world, settling here for the last couple of years.” 

“Are you and the boy still friends?” I ask, hearing the existence of yet another mermaid. 

“Bloody hell yes. We do just about everythin’ together. He would be pissed off if he knew what I was doing right now.” Johnny jokes, but I instantly felt bad. 

“Oh, should I go then?” 

“No, lass. I was only kiddin’. I don’t care what that bloody idiot thinks.” Johnny jokes once again, this time making you laugh. 

You were completely smitten with Johnny, even though this was only your second time seeing him. He was handsome, and very fit for a mermaid. 

“I don’t mean to be ‘like that’, but if you’re a mermaid then how do you stay so fit?” 

“Oh I see.” Johnny smirked upon hearing my question. 

Johnny raised his outside arm up and flexed his muscles, making a deep blush form on your face. 

“You like that, Dove?” Johnny half joked, flexing some more. 

“Stop that.” I shoved him jokingly to make him stop. 

Johnny just laughed in response, knowing damn well he did it to make me flustered. 

“Are you always this flirty with every woman you meet?” 

“Nah, just ones that are actually nice to me.” Johnny commented softly. 

“People were mean to you?” I ask, returning the same tone. 

Johnny held his head down. 

“Oh I’m sorry I didn’t mean-” 

“No, no it’s alright, lass.” Johnny reassured you with a beaming smile. 

He knew you didn’t mean anything bad about your question. You were just curious, which is something he wasn’t used to. 

“You see, if I need to come up to the surface, I can turn into a human. I just have to be out of the water for a certain amount of time. And well, I have met some gals, not now a while ago, and of course they want me to come back to their house and..they take me shirt off and see..” Johnny paused, looking down. 

I knew what he was referring to. His gills on his sides. I could connect that even though he turns human, his gills don’t go away. 

“They get disgusted, not even scared, and run away, all while cussin’ me out. For something I can’t control. I try and stop them ya know? But they keep pushin’ and pushin’ me and then they see me gills and that’s the end of that.” Johnny added. 

“That’s their fault, Johnny. Not yours. They pushed your boundaries, even when you told them no. Besides, even if you told them no because of your gills, they should’ve listened to you when you told them no.” I sternly said, only to get my point across. 

Johnny felt his heart racing hearing you say those words to him. You were indeed the first human he has ever met to actually be this nice and kind to you. In the back of his head, he felt you had to be nice to him due to the fact that he did save your life but he knew this was out of genuineness. 

“Thank you, Dove. You’re the first person I have ever told that.” Johnny confessed. 

“I’ll keep it in me heart.” I said with my best Scottish accent, making Johnny laugh. 

Johnny knew he could trust you, he just could feel it in his heart that he could trust you. 

“I best be going.” Johnny said. 

“Oh, leaving already?” 

“Yeah before my lad gets concerned on where I’m at.” Johnny said, “do you live around here?” 

“No, I live about five  hours West.” 

“Towards Louisiana?” 

“Yep. We are vacationing here and are leaving tomorrow.” You answer. 

Johnny pursed his lips for a second before turning back to you. 

“In New Orleens?” 

“You got it.” I nod. 

Johnny chuckled, leaning in close to you. 

“I’ll just have to come up there then. When are you bound to be back?” 

“Hopefully by tomorrow night.” 

Johnny stared at you, sending chills down your spine and you couldn’t help but feel your heart start racing. Johnny then leaned in and connected his lips onto your temple. His lips remained there for a full three seconds before pulling away with a ‘smooch’ noise. You didn’t understand why he did that, but you liked it. 

“I’ll see ya den, Dove.” Johnny said as he lifted himself up with his arms and launched himself off the boulder, and into the water, making a splash of water land on you. 

“AH! You dick!” You cursed jokingly, hearing the Scot’s laugh. 

“Sorry, bonnie.” 

“You’re fine.” I laughed, seeing Johnny’s head bobbing out of the water. 

I didn’t want him to leave but I knew he had to. His blue eyes pierced into mine, feeling my heart race rapidly. 

“When do you want me to meet you?” Johnny asked. 

“As soon as possible.” You wink at him. 

“Meet me there in two days, same time as tonight.” 

You made note of that in your mind. 

“I’ll see you then, Johnny.” 

“See you then, Dove.” 

And with that Johnny dove under the water, his big tail rising up and splashing back into the water and he was gone. You were left alone with the sound of the calm waves crashing into the sand and boulder that was next to you. You were enhanced by Johnny and for a very good reason. Not only was he a mythical creature that your eight year old self would have been gleaming for, but he was also very charming, handsome and kind. Kinder than most men you have met in your lifetime. You left the beach and started your drive back to your condo, already super excited to see Johnny again back in your hometown. 

TO BE CONTINUED..

[convex-solos]

mors tua vita mea

[httpsserene]

kinktober '23 table of contents

welcome to serene's f1 kinktober special! i do not know how many posts i will be doing for this event, but, reblog and save this masterlist for any updates concerning my f1 kinktober.

posts will be tagged with: # httpss :// kinktober 23

view playlist? ↴

upload 1 : charles leclerc / max verstappen x reader | corruption kink

innocent and virgin !reader has never touched herself before. she knows how to, in theory, but whenever she tries, she chickens out. her tried and true way of receiving pleasure is failing her. she thinks that maybe it's time to allow her relationship with her two respectful and experienced boyfriends, to reach the next step. and she'll find that they're very willing to teach her a few things.

upload 2 : carlos sainz jr x reader | were/wolf shifter & predator/prey

for all people believe that werewolves are dangerous creatures, your wolf is pretty tame, even with some of his...quirks. this halloween you let him be the big bad wolf to your little red riding hood, while you give out candy to trick-or-treaters. what he doesn't know, is that you have your own trick-or treat planned for him after this– you're his treat tonight, but he's going to have to chase you first.

upload 3 : oscar piastri x reader | car sex & squirting

your boyfriend has to make an appearance at some sponsor event. he's gone ahead and bought you an alluring outfit, but he failed to mention how seductive he looks in the new fitted suit his team got him. you two won't be staying long, but you increase the pace by riling him up, mostly unintentionally. so it's your fault that he makes you ruin his loaned mclaren.

upload 4 : daniel ricciardo / max verstappen x reader | overstimulation

you can't remember the last time you've gotten to spend more than three days at a time with both of your boyfriends. you understand how demanding their job is but, you just can't remember the last time they really exhausted you...pleasurably. and then winter break comes around, and they have all the time they need to make you lose your mind.

upload 5 : lewis hamilton x reader | tender sex & cockwarming

your husband comes home to his monaco apartment after achieving p2 in spain. from the texts you sent him before he boarded his flight, he expected you to be awake when he arrived. however, you’ve fallen asleep–but that’s not a problem. he’ll sneak into bed right next to you and catch a few extra hours of sleep. you’ll commemorate the podium come morning.

upload 6 : george russell x reader | vampire & hickeys/biting

george has created a serious problem. you two have been dating for over three years, and he fed from you the first time about three months ago. the problem lies within the fact that he conditioned you to orgasm every time he used you as his glorified high-class wine bottle. on second thought, that’s a pretty good problem to have; his thirst is sated, and yours is as well.

upload 7 : pierre gasly x reader | witchcraft

witch!reader and potions master!pierre run a shop to fulfill anyone’s magical needs. it’s nearing valentine’s day, and the shop is bombarded with desperate humans looking for love charms & potions, even though there’s no magic spell strong enough to replicate true love. oddly, news travels from a few villages over that there’s a potions master who managed to make a real love potion. pierre has to get his hands on it—for the bit, obviously. there’s no way it will work.

upload 8 : lando norris x reader | pussy worship

if lando achieved a podium at silverstone, you promised you’d give him anything he wants. he thinks about it the whole race weekend, and when the two of you are celebrating his second-place finish, he tells you that he wants to take care of you. you’re disbelieving–he takes care of you every waking hour. lando, on the other hand, said that with his chest. and he’ll prove it to you.

upload 9 : charles leclerc x reader | orgasm delay/denial

the 2023 season has had a despicable effect on charles’ self-worth. it pains you to see how he attributes ferrari’s failure to deliver to himself. you can’t stand to see him berate himself for things that are out of his control. when the emilia-romagna grand prix is understandably canceled, you start forming a plan. if charles doesn’t believe he’s as good as you say he is, you’ll make him internalize it–using any means necessary.

upload 10 : yuki tsunoda x reader | ab-riding/frottage

your mental state is suffering–you’re not sure if you can handle alphatauri posting another thirst trap of your boyfriend to disguise their inability to build a car that doesn’t break within the first ten laps. but, when yuki posts his own half-naked picture on main? he’s asking for it, at this point. clearly, he’s been spending too much time with pierre.

© httpsserene 2023

[alienssstufff]

get u an earth-shattering grudge on a man that lasts several timelines

[cringechy]

repost my old art

[vbemporium]

𝑅𝑒𝒾𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒢𝓁𝑜𝓇𝓎 - 𝒩𝑒𝑜 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒮𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝒾𝓉𝓎

Art by Tiffany Marsou IG | DeviantArt Follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/the_darkemporium

[neo--queen--serenity]

I understand the choice to change the original use of the word “fag” to “drudge,” for obvious slur reasons. But, by doing that, you’re ensuring that viewers won’t know that fagging was an actual practice that’s been around for centuries in Great Britain.

It clearly wasn’t a humane or ethical system, and it’s deeply frowned upon in present day. But it was a huge part of British public/boarding school culture, and “fag” and “fagging” were the words exclusively used for this practice.

There’s even a possibility that the modern gay slur “faggot” was derived from this practice, since fagging frequently involved physical and sexual abuse between students. However, tellingly, fagging became less popular in some schools when homosexuality was more actively criminalized.

All that is to say that—though I get the reasoning—you’re still erasing a plot-relevant part of history by glossing over this very bad, very true thing that existed in England (and in some English colonies!) up through the 20th century. The truth is ugly, but it’s better context for the story you’re telling, and quite honestly makes Ciel’s situation at Weston make a lot more sense.

[sigyndottir]

Sorry Marvel, but the Loki Series is NOT my canon!

He deserved better!

[i-know-the-endss]

“sydney healing era” this and “sydney deserves a happy ending” that

i need sydney clarke to go batshit crazy. i need her to rage. i need her to let herself grieve and be angry and destroy everything in her path - until she ultimately finds peace.

[madadrawing]

It’s taken me this long to draw pokemon mystery dungeon fanart but by god I FINALLY did it…

I painted Espurr from Super!!! She was my favorite npc in that game and if I could give her a Harmony scarf I would…

[bluehoodiewoozi]

Dreamers

Lee Seokmin (DK) x fem!reader

Genre: mostly fluff, with a hint of anxiety

Word Count: 10.9k

Wanings: food mentions. adult language. a few parts may come off as suggestive, but not really. y/n is an environmentalist but not vegan.

[Series: Serenity Street 17] Sleepwalking is a nasty issue. You find yourself in the correct building but wrong apartment, sharing a room with a ridiculously cute boy who seems to find it amusing.

Note: This one goes out to all of my ambitious girlies! Keep working towards your dreams!

The moment you stepped onto the evening bus you regretted the decision. 

With a bright smile, Sunny greeted you, rushing to move her bags into her lap so you could take the seat next to her, all while never once taking her eyes off you. Her brows rose in a questioning manner. You cursed under your breath as your neighbour’s usual warm smile morphed into a look of disbelief when you sank into the seat next to her.

With a sigh, you raised a hand to silence her. “I know.”

But she didn’t take the hint. “When was the last time you slept? Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Why do you keep asking questions you already know the answer to?” you whined and hugged your bag close to your chest. “I’m sure you heard me showering at 3 am.”

“The bags under your eyes aren’t supposed to make it look like you have a black eye,” she told you as if she hadn’t heard you at all, still eyeing you in worry. “How much did you sleep? You look worse than Jeonghan when he thought I was mad at him.”

“Does it matter?” You huffed. “At least I’m getting some rest.” 

“I think it only counts as rest if you actually get 8 hours of sleep every once in a while,” she countered with a snicker, “which, by the looks of it,” she gave you a once-over, followed by a disappointed a sigh, “you haven’t had in years.”

“I sleep just fine. I’m healthy, I am productive,” you defended and tightened your hold on your bag. “Sleep is for the weak anyway.”

Sunny rolled her eyes. “Sometimes I wonder how you’re friends with me but not Jihoon. Your mentality is almost identical.”

“Listen, somebody has to do the work. And unlike some, I’d actually like my work to amount to something bigger than an average paycheck that barely covers my bills. I have ambitions. I want to make the world a better place.”

“Honey, at this rate you’re not gonna live long enough to see your ambitions come to life,” she grumbled under her breath and linked your arms. “It’s okay to rest every once in a while. Take a week off from work and actually just do something fun for a change.”

You grimaced. “I’d rather not. Messes with my groove.”

Sunny had no words left to say. She stared at you with a wide mouth for a moment before sputtering, “How– How are we friends?”

“Fate brought us together so you could nag me at all possible hours,” you joked, looking out the window now to avoid missing your stop. “But seriously, I don’t need to rest. I love my job and my colleagues and I’m making a change.”

“You should at least go to sleep early tonight.”

“Can’t. I have a big report due next week and I don’t want to miss my deadlines.”

Her gaze hardened immediately as she cursed, “Why, you little–”

“Hey!”

“I’m just worried about you,” she mumbled through a pout just as your bus arrived at your shared destination. With a begrudging sigh, she unlinked your arms and gave you an encouraging pat on the shoulder as the two of you stood up and walked over to the door “Well, I guess it’s your life. But I swear–” she pointed at your face, eyes squinted in a glare; she interrupted herself mid-sentence, “no, I vow that if you collapse under the stress, I’ll personally go and hand in a letter of resignation in your name.”

You scoffed at her empty promises, smiled, and stepped off the bus. You had no doubt you would be just fine and she was overreacting over nothing. She couldn’t wrap her mind around your work ethic and goals – she was built of an entirely different wood.

Then again, you couldn’t deny you often felt a little jealous of her. The nagging feeling hit once again when you looked up to find Jeonghan standing at the gate of your building, his smile widening the closer Sunny and you got to him. You envied that she had found – through trials and tribulations, you’d admit – a perfect man to brighten her days while you had no time to even contemplate romance.

“How was your day, my beautiful lady?” Jeonghan greeted your neighbour with a sweet kiss on her forehead before taking her bag and leading her inside with a hand on her back. He didn’t forget to offer you a welcoming smile and a friendly “good evening” as well, both of which you returned.

“Are you going to the 5th floor tonight?” you asked them as the three of you trudged up the stairs and they made no effort to walk to her apartment. 

Sunny nodded. “It’s movie night and he has the bigger TV.”

Jeonghan let out a loud ‘ha!’ and grinned at her victoriously. “So you admit it. My TV’s better than yours!”

“That’s–” She sighed deeply. “That is not the point right now–”

“How is it not?”

Unable to continue watching their lovers’ quarrel, you hummed and waved them goodbye before promptly unlocking your apartment, walking in, and quickly locking it again as if their bickering or cheesy nicknames could otherwise follow after you. 

You had far more important things to do, after all. 

With a tired sigh, you warmed up some of last night’s leftovers and opened your laptop. The familiar Times New Roman font on your screen prompted a soft groan, but still you squared your shoulders and got to work. 

If you were quick, you’d get this done way before the deadline. Maybe you could even go to work in the morning with a nearly finished report! You smiled at the thought. 

But life doesn’t always go as expected. 

You thought you were old enough to know this fact already. After all, when had life ever followed your expectations? It seemed to enjoy throwing curve balls right at your head.

You woke up with a splitting headache at 7 am, an hour before your usual alarm. It was strange – you concluded so as you stared at the time on your phone through a squint. With a soft huff, you let the phone drop back onto the mattress and your head onto the pillows.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” you then heard a voice.

Your eyes snapped open. There was someone in your room. 

The voice sounded apologetic as it continued in a whisper, “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to make any noise. Sorry. Let me just get my shirt and–”

You sat up abruptly to stare at the intruder – a handsome familiar-looking man shuffled around the walk-in closet. Worst of all – he was shirtless. You dreaded to think of what had happened the night before.

“Who– Who are you?” you stuttered out, instinctively lifting the blanket higher against your torso despite the fact that you were fully clothed. “Why are you in my apart–” 

Then it hit you. The worst of the worst realities. 

“Holy shit, this isn’t my apartment!” you screamed and jumped out of bed to apologise profusely. “I’m so so sorry! I had no idea! I don’t how–”

“Hey, hey!” The man – now wearing a crispy white button-up shirt – walked out of the closet hurriedly, a worried smile on his face as he rushed to comfort you with a gentle hand on your back, leading you to sit back on the bed. “It’s okay.” He let out a laugh. “I was going to let you sleep for a while more. It’s okay.”

You had no clue how he could be so calm about this. What the hell happened last night?!

You stuttered. You sputtered. You gasped for air like a fish out of the water. You were on the verge of a panic attack at 7 am in the morning and he was smiling, all while patting and rubbing your back like it was the most natural thing. 

“Why am I here?” you eventually managed to breathe out. You hated to admit that his calm and friendly nature was helping you adjust to the situation.

He raised a brow, his soothing movements stopping. “I was hoping you could answer that.” 

When you made no move to do so and only offered him a puzzled look, he shrugged. “I woke up to someone trying to unlock my door at 2 am. Almost cried, actually, but then I heard a knock and Mingyu telling me to open the door, so I did and you…” He gestured widely to his room. “Well, you came in and went straight to bed as if it was your own home. I didn’t know what to do but Mingyu and I figured you needed to rest.”

You stared at him with a dropped jaw. “You didn’t think to call the police?”

“Well,” he grimaced, “I was going to but you really looked like you needed to sleep.” He gave you a worried look, inspecting your face. “You still do, actually. Do you sleep at all, like, outside of my bed?”

“I sleep plenty,” you scoffed and got out of the bed, wiping your face with your sleeves as if to rid it of any evidence that might suggest otherwise. With an awkward look, you bowed and began heading out. “Well, thank you for… your hospitality. I’ll get going. I’m sorry for bothering you. This won’t happen again.”

Before he could say another word, you slammed the door shut behind you and began heading… where were you heading?

You looked around the hallway. It was still your building. You could recognise these hallways even in your sleep. A quick glance informed you that you had just stepped out of apartment 1D – the apartment directly below yours.

You groaned as the realisation sank in that you could never visit the first floor without feeling awkward again. With a sigh, you headed up the stairs to your own apartment.

“Isn’t that Seokmin’s apartment?” Sunny pointed out when you told her of your horrible adventure on the bus home from work later that day. She frowned a little as she tried to recall exactly who lived there. 

“Whoever it was, at least it wasn’t Jihoon.” You shuttered to even think about it.

Sunny grimaced. “Yeah, I’d be bailing you both out of jail right about now.” She then shrugged. “Yeah, I think that’s Seokmin’s apartment. He really just let you stay the night there?”

“Apparently?” You wanted to laugh at the insanity of the situation. “I have no recollection of what happened or how I ended up there. The last thing I remember is working on my report in my kitchen and then waking up in a shirtless man’s apartment.”

“Shirt–” She almost broke her neck at the speed she turned her head to look at you with wide eyes. “He was shirtless when you woke up?!”

“He was getting dressed for work–”

“Well, is he hot?!”

You had never wanted to throw someone out of a moving vehicle so much before. “Is this what you’re focusing on right now? I’m going through a crisis here!”

“Yeah but–”

“You literally have a boyfriend!”

“Yeah, but–” She paused mid-excuse and nodded her head in acknowledgement. “Right. You have a point there.”

“How did I possibly end up in his apartment at night without remembering it?” you contemplated, leaning your head back against the seat. “I can’t think of a single explanation.”

“It is weird,” Sunny hummed in agreement as the bus rolled to your stop. The two of you got off. 

“Where’s Jeonghan?” you wondered in surprise upon not seeing him all the way up to the second floor.

Sunny shrugged, still deep in thought about your predicament. “I don’t know. Probably causing trouble with Junhui again. Possibly getting on Joshua’s or Hyesoo’s nerves. Maybe he stole someone’s mail or took the hinges off someone’s door. Not my problem.”

You could only stare at her in absolute wonder. “He’s your boyfriend.”

“He’s his own person.” She then clapped her hands together in revelation, stopping in her steps in the middle of the hallway. “Didn’t you say you used to sleep-walk as a kid? I swear you mentioned it over coffee once.”

You nodded. “Yeah, but it hasn’t happened in a literal decade.”

“Who’s to say it didn’t happen again last night?” she suggested with a shrug. “By the way, do you wanna come over for coffee and cake? Jeonghan bought one on sale because the expiration date is today, but it’s sort of giant.”

After contemplating for a moment (more of a debate really, won by the grumbling of your stomach), you agreed and followed her into her apartment. 

As the two of you walked into the kitchen, she continued, “All I’m saying is that there’s a lot going on in your life right now and maybe it all worked together – the stress, the lack of sleep, you get the gist – and now you’re sleepwalking again.”

“I sincerely doubt it.”

“You should see a doctor about that,” Jeonghan suggested. You jumped in your spot before finding him sitting at the dining table, fully focused on assembling a lego set. He continued without a care in the world, “Sleepwalking can be a serious issue.”

Your eyes narrowed. “Why are you here?”

He finally glanced up to offer you an amused look and a chuckle. “I’m her boyfriend. Where else would I be?”

“I invited her over for coffee and cake,” Sunny informed him with a kiss on his cheek. “Play nice.”

“Yes, princess,” he spoke in reply before turning back to you. “But I would really go to the doctor if I was you. If it’s bad enough that you wake up in someone else’s apartment, it’s bad enough to warrant a doctor’s visit.”

You felt yourself pale, your blood running both ice cold and lava hot. “How– Why do you know that?”

“It’s the talk of the town,” he joked before waving his joke off. “Just kidding. I met Seokmin on my way to the store earlier and he told me. He seemed worried about you.”

“So it is Seokmin!” Sunny cheered victoriously. “I knew it! I told you!”

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Good job.”

“Thanks.”

You sat down at the table and slumped in the chair. “But if I’m sleepwalking, why did I go to his apartment?”

“Isn’t it right below yours?” Jeonghan pointed out like it was obvious. “Asleep you probably thought you were going to your own apartment. You just mixed up the floors.”

“So,” you sighed and rubbed the bridge of your nose before meeting his eyes and maintaining eye contact, “what you’re suggesting is that I fell asleep–”

“Yes.”

“–in my apartment–”

“Mhm.”

“–then left my apartment for some reason–”

“That much seems obvious.”

“–and then went to Seokmin’s apartment–”

“For some reason, yes.”

“–one level below my own?”

Eyes widening, he hummed at the slight error in the logic. “You do have a point. Why would you leave your own apartment to go to your apartment?”

“My head hurts just listening to this,” Sunny informed the two of you while serving the cake. As a slice fell over on a plate she quickly assigned to Jeonghan, she suddenly suggested, “What if you thought you were going on a walk and then returned home?”

Jeonghan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he began recounting, “So, what you think happened is that she fell asleep–”

“I’m going to kick the both of you out if you start again,” his girlfriend declared all of a sudden, pointing a knife in his direction. “I’m serious.”

“It is a reasonable guess though,” you decided as Sunny placed a plate of cake in front of you. “I do love going on walks when I’m stressed.”

“Then–”

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. You watched in mild amusement as Sunny and Jeonghan silently argued over who should open the door and if they should open the door at all. Eventually, to your surprise, Jeonghan relented and got up with a slight groan. The moment he was out of the kitchen, Sunny stole his seat across from you.

“I think the worst part is that I don’t know how to face him again, like ever,” you started the conversation again while taking a bite of the cake. “It was so awkward.”

“Speaking of awkward,” Jeonghan announced and led the newest guest into the apartment. The now familiar feeling of both ice and lava in your veins made a new appearance as you recognised the visitor. Your spoon dropped back on the table.

Seokmin offered you a friendly smile and a wave. “Ah, so that’s where you are. I tried your door but no one answered so I wondered if I had the wrong place.”

“You–” That was the only syllable you managed to voice. Your brain was scattered, filled with pictures of the awkward morning as well as a single fluttering butterfly carrying an obnoxious sign that said ‘he cares’. You gulped. 

Thankfully, Sunny stepped in. She smiled brightly and ushered Seokmin to take a seat while she found an extra plate. 

“I wasn’t going to come and bother anyone–” he tried to reject the offer of cake, but failed to. He was too friendly for his own good – just like the rumours around the building often said. He sat in the seat Sunny had preoccupied just seconds ago, right across from you, and smiled at her. “Well, if you insist.”

“What can I do?” Jeonghan sighed and theatrically looked away as he started his monologue. “Everyone loves my girlfriend so much. How can I possibly keep her–”

“Stop being melodramatic and come eat, idiot,” Sunny laughed and took the seat next to you. “So, Seokmin, what brings you to my friend over here?”

Seokmin opened his mouth to reply before turning to you and softly asking, “Is it okay to talk about it here?”

Sunny chuckled. “About her waking up in your apartment? Go ahead. I think everyone in the building knows already.”

“Oh.” He offered you an awkward-looking smile. “Well, sorry about that. I only mentioned it to Mingyu and Jeonghan but I guess– Nevermind. I just wanted to tell you to not worry about it.” His smile brightened, genuine and full of warmth all of a sudden. “We all have rough days – and rough nights – and I’m just glad you got some rest.”

“I have one question,” Jeonghan raised his arm before asking, “where did you sleep?”

“Me?” Seokmin shrugged. “The sofa. There was a woman in my bed.”

You somehow felt both worse and better than before. At least you knew he didn’t hold a grudge – after all, he seeked you out just to tell you it had been fine – but at the same time: you made this poor man sleep on the sofa instead of his objectively comfortable bed.

“I’m so sorry–”

“I said it’s fine,” he laughed and reached out to pat your hand. “I really don’t mind. You looked like you were sleeping very well. But–” he tilted his head in thought, a slight frown appearing, “–is it possible you were sleepwalking? You didn’t react at all last night, to anything. You just… brushed past us like we weren’t even there. I don’t know if you even had your eyes open.”

Sunny all but slammed her spoon on the table to give you a haughty look. “Yep. Told you. You were sleepwalking.”

You frowned. “I guess it’s possible.”

“Should I…” Seokmin scrunched up his nose in thought. “Should I maybe keep a look out in case this happens again?”

Immediately you shook your head. “No. No need. It was a one-time thing. A fluke. It was nothing. Won’t happen again.” In your attempts to not look at him, you happened to eye the clock. Your jaw dropped. “Oh. I should go home. I have–”

“–a report due in a week and deadlines to meet,” Sunny finished for you with a laugh. “I know, I know. Go.”

Jeonghan spoke up as well, “Take the plate and another slice of cake before you go. I want to know you eat at least a little between your work.”

You did as you were told and made your escape without another word, not even a goodbye to Seokmin. 

You had no time to feel guilty or consider that your heart fluttered a little at the thought of him coming to find you. Once again, you buried your feelings into lines of Times New Roman in your report.

“Oh, you come here too?” you heard his voice just two days later at the grocery store. 

It was a little surprising to find him there: the store was a good mile further from the one closest to your building. Like a startled owl, you stared and blinked at him in the cereal aisle. 

As you opened your mouth to respond, he chuckled and looked away at the cereals. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to talk to me. I just needed to get some Fruit Loops and figured I might as well say hi.” He placed the cereal in question into his basket and offered you one more friendly smile and a playful wave. “So, hi!”

“Hi,” you managed to drag out as you lifted your hand in a wave. 

With a chuckle, he turned and headed away to the next aisle. You thought you were free from him for the day. 

But alas: you found him again when you went to get eggs. He seemed to be contemplating between two brands. You tried your best to go unnoticed as you searched for your favourite local free range brand. To you dismay, he stood right in front of the eggs you seeked. 

“Excuse me,” you started and tapped his shoulder when he didn’t seem to notice.

He smiled upon recognising you. “Yeah?”

“Could you move? I want those eggs.”

“The expensive ones?” He raised an eyebrow and handed you a carton. “They’re almost triple the price of the store brand.”

“But they’re free range and locally sourced. You should try them,” you explained with the slightest bit of enthusiasm before placing eggs into your cart and walking away in the direction you thought him least likely to follow. 

You truly thought you were free of him when you went to the checkout, but once again, as if tasked by god himself to be wherever you went, Seokmin was in front of you in queue, meticulously placing his items on the counter. As he turned to put away his basket, his eyes found yours and a bright smile appeared on his face. “Oh, it’s you again!”

“It’s me again,” you replied with an awkward laugh. 

“Are you leaving too?” he wondered while fishing his bag for his wallet. When you nodded, his eyes lit up. “Do you need a ride home?”

Your eyes widened. “A ride?” 

Why was he offering you a ride home? Why was he so friendly with you at all? You had broken into his apartment – in the eyes of the legal system anyway – and he was smiling at you like you were a beloved friend. 

“Of course. We should stick together, no? We’re neighbours, after all– Hold on,” he interrupted himself to respond to the cashier, “Yes, by card please.Thank you.”

“You might have to wait a moment then,” you finally relented when he turned to you once again, eyes resembling a puppy. His smile widened at your words and he nodded. 

The ride home was short and awkward. You greatly feared he would try to retaliate for the emotional damage you might’ve caused by sleeping in his apartment. To your relief, he did not such thing and only continued cheerfully chattering.

“–but I feel like a dog would be too much work, you know? I love dogs but I don’t have that kind of time.” He offered you a glance. “Do you have any pets?”

You scrunched up your face in thought as the car rolled to a stop in the parking lot of the building. “I have a cactus.”

“... Does it have a name?”

Eager to not disappoint, you blurted out the first name that came to mind: “Bertha.” You shut your eyes in shame.

But as the two of you got out of his small red car, he laughed. “Bertha? Sounds lovely. Is she high-maintenance?”

“Very.”

“Yeah?”

You decided you liked his laughter and the bright smile that came with. “Easier than a dog though.”

He laughed louder at that and handed you your grocery bags. “I bet. Maybe I should get a cactus too.”

“I highly recommend,” you chuckled, finding his laughter contagious. “It’s very fulfilling to watch it do absolutely nothing all-year-round.”

When the two of you got into the hallway, he paused in front of the staircase. As you were about to ask him about it, he asked, “Do you need help with your bags?”

“No, I’m–”

“They look heavy.” He frowned before holding up a single finger, jogging over to his door, dropping his singular bag in front of it, and running back to you. Before you could formally protest, he grabbed the bags from your hands and began the journey up the stairs. When you froze in your spot, he turned to ask, “Well, aren’t you coming? Or were you going to sleep at mine again?”

Your face burned at the teasing comment. You decided following after him was the lesser evil. 

“There we go,” he cheered when the two of you reached your door. He rubbed his hands against his thighs a few times, awkwardly like a schoolboy, before smiling and waving goodbye. “I guess this is goodbye for the day. It was nice talking to you.”

You didn’t manage to even thank him before he was already halfway down the stairs. Maybe you made him as nervous as you made him. As you went to sleep that night, you replayed the interaction over and over again in your head, failing to hide a smile at the memory.

The valley of the mattress had a hold over you. You had never been so comfortable waking up – well, with the exception of maybe once or twice. 

The pillows were the perfect temperature, the blanket hugged you just right, the big teddy bear you hugged to your chest smelled fresh out of the washing machine– 

“Since when do I have a teddy bear?” you grumbled in confusion and pried your eyes open. You felt all blood rush away from your face as you looked at the bear – light brown with a baby blue bow, its eyes shining up at you. 

You had never even seen this bear before.

Cursing under your breath, you glanced around the room. You were back in your very own personal hell full of flowing beige curtains, white unfamiliar sheets, and teddy bears: the hell known as Seokmin’s apartment.

The realisation brought tears of frustration to your eyes, but you were too stubborn to let them loose. It was barely 8 am but you were already on the verge of crying – what a joke.

Wiping your eyes, you all but slammed the bear down on the bed (you’ll never admit you did feel a little bad about it seconds later and gave it a little pat on the head) and stood up. You stumbled out of the bedroom and towards the front door. 

As you reached for the doorknob – the final obstacle on your journey out of hell –, you heard his voice, sweet as honey like always, “Oh, you’re not going to stay for breakfast?”

You froze.

“I made extra waffles and all,” he added, sounding a little dejected. You didn’t have the heart to tell him no, so you sighed softly and turned around to give him a tight-lipped not-quite-genuine smile. His own grin brightened at the sight. “Is that a yes? You’ll stay?”

“Only for the waffles,” you lied and took a seat at his table. 

He laughed and placed a plate of fresh food in front of you before taking the seat across from you. “Not because you don’t want me to feel bad?”

“No,” you grabbed a fork and began filling it with food, “I just don’t like food waste.”

“Oh, right! Minghao said you work for an environmental company. That sounds cool.”

“Yeah?” You swallowed your food. “What about you? What do you do for work?”

He cleared his throat as though the question had caught him by surprise and he was too shy to say. After a moment of silence, he bashfully admitted, “I’m a music teacher at primary school.”

You blinked in surprise. “A music teacher?”

“Well, I wanted to be a singer– a musical actor, actually,” he explained, his voice fluctuating in volume and his ears bright red, “but I’m a little too shy to audition. So I just stuck with teaching others to sing.”

“That’s so cool though,” you told him with a smile. “Are you good at singing?”

His ears seemed to turn an even deeper red. “My friends think so but I don’t know. I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

“Then why not audition? You only live once.”

He seemed thoughtful all of a sudden, watching your increasingly awkward self. You were just about ready to apologise for your possibly intrusive question when he softly asked, “Why not rest and live a little? You only live once, right?” 

The question felt awfully pointed and you didn’t fail to let him know with a glare. 

“I’m serious,” he declared, his lips pouting a little as if he was actually upset at your lack of self-care. “Whenever I see you, you’re always rushing somewhere. The only person you seem to be friends with is Sunny, and maybe Jeonghan by association.”

You opened your mouth to defend yourself. “I’m also friends with Minghao–”

“He barely even leaves his apartment. He doesn’t count.”

“He counts!”

“Do I count?”

“Of course you–” Your eyes widened as did his smile. 

“We’re friends now!” he declared while pointing an accusatory finger at you, his voice raising in excitement. You began to protest but he was having none of it. “No take-backs! We’re friends – you just said so!”

“I didn’t actually–”

“Nope. No. We’re friends.” He narrowed his eyes at you, his smile never fading. “Or do you just sleep in random guys’ beds?”

You wanted to protest, you really did, but there’s only so much you can say to defend yourself against such accusations. Besides, his bright smile at your defeated nod could’ve won awards.

Accidentally waking in his apartment didn’t end. No. In fact, it somehow got worse.

Once every week quickly turned into once every few days. You were tempted to start keeping track of how often you woke up in your own bed but one could assume the numbers wouldn’t be too impressive. 

You grew accustomed to the smell of his detergent and the smell of breakfast in the mornings. Was this what it might’ve been like to be in a relationship? 

“How come you’ve never dated anyone?” he wondered once over breakfast.

You shrugged. “I don’t have the time.”

“Too busy saving the world?” he teased like he often did. Over time you stopped finding it annoying (perhaps because he sounded almost genuinely proud of you every time he said it). 

“I assume you don’t get a lot of dates either,” you bit right back between bites of pancakes.

He seemed to be taken aback by your observation. “What makes you think that?”

“You sleep with a teddy bear, Seokmin,” you deadpanned. 

He pouted. “Fluffy is a premium sleep companion.”

You laughed. “Is he?”

“You steal him every other night!” he accused with a chuckle. “I’m sure you know how great he is by now.”

“He’s truly a– What did you say? A premium sleep companion?”

“That’s what the label said when I got him.”

“Maybe I should invest in a bear too,” you wondered thoughtfully between bites. 

Seokmin raised an eyebrow. “Then why don’t you?”

“No ti–”

“If you make the ‘no time’ excuse again, I will scream,” he said with in utmost seriousness. You promptly shut up: Seokmin’s lung capacity was well-known by everyone in the building.

After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat. “You know, if it’s physical contact that you need to sleep– Nevermind. How are the pancakes?”

Whether it was to save your or his dignity, you chose to ignore his first comment and answered only the last question, “Their colour is nicer than usual. I like the golden colour.”

“I guess the free range eggs really do make a difference,” Seokmin mused with a chuckle. When you offered him a surprised look, he hummed in confusion. “What?”

“You bought free range eggs? Didn’t you say they were too expensive last time?”

He shrugged. “I figured I might as well try to make some more ethical choices while shopping. Besides, you recommended them–”

Your eyes welled up a little. “You bought more expensive eggs because I recommended them?”

“And because I care for animals,” he added in a little too fast. 

You laughed and nodded. “For the animals, right. Me too.”

“Do you ever rest from your work?” he wondered after a moment. “What do you do outside of it?”

“I… don’t know. I read. I like to clean.”

“But what about going to festivals? Swimming? Cycling? Dancing?” He grew more and more desperate as you rejected every hobby he offered. “No wonder you’re so tired all of the time! You’re a workaholic.”

You snorted. “Sunny did say I’m similar to Jihoon.”

“I didn’t think it was this bad.”

“I think he’s worse though.”

“Oh, definitely, but he doesn’t go to sleep in his neighbours’ beds,” Seokmin pointed out with a look of worry. As he watched you for an exactly uncomfortable amount of time, his eyes eventually lit up again. “I have an idea. What are you doing tomorrow evening?”

“Working–”

“I swear if I hear that word one more time, I will scream.”

You, once again, promptly shut up. 

“Great,” he beamed and clapped his hands together, “I’ll text you to details later.”

“You’re not even going to tell me what we’re doing?”

You sighed in disappointment as he smiled brightly and shook his head ‘no’. 

A knock on your door notified you of his arrival. Despite being sure it wasn’t meant to be a date and knowing that Seokmin had seen you in far worse condition, you still took a deep breath and gave yourself a quick once-over at the mirror.

When you opened the door, he smiled at you brightly. “I see you’ve dressed up too.”

“I would hardly call this dressed up,” you told him rather sheepishly, suddenly even more aware of you appearance. “You look very dapper as well.”

“Yep, and do you want to know why?” 

“Why?”

His smile widened so much you worried for his cheeks. “Because you and I are going to the theatre.”

“The theatre?” You paled at the mention and looked down at your outfit. “I feel like I’m underdressed then.”

“You look fine,” he laughed and grabbed your hand. “Let’s go or we’ll be late. And trust me,” he widened his eyes for dramatic effect, “you don’t want to be late.”

You gave in begrudgingly and locked the door as fast as you could while he practically bounced at your side in excitement. 

“What are we going to watch then?” you finally remembered to ask when you entered the theatre less than 15 minutes later. “I swear, if you dragged me here to watch an opera–”

“It’s a musical, actually,” he admitted bashfully. “I love musicals and I don’t know much about other theatre performances so I thought– But if you don’t like musicals, that’s–”

“I don’t mind musicals,” you told him with a little laugh and pat on his shoulder. “But I have to admit, it has been ages since my last time at the theatre, and I haven’t seen a musical in a few years at least.”

“That’s fine. I’ll guide you through it.” And as if the last shy bone had left his body, he grabbed your hand and led you to your seats, all the while widely smiling at you and giving your hand periodical squeezes of encouragement. 

His hand never left yours for the duration of the musical, not even for intermission, not even when he ordered cake from the theatre café to hold you over until after the show. His hand remained warm in yours, fingers squeezing a little tighter every once in a while, his thumb running over the back of your hand. 

It was so warm, so comforting. Just his presence alone was enough to make you dizzy with the feeling of safety and happiness. His touch? You were floating on cloud 9 with zero regard for what was going on below – or on the stage, for that matter.

Frankly, you could barely remember to watch the musical because you were so busy marvelling at the feel of his hand in yours. 

“That was so good,” he excitedly told you as the two of you returned to your apartment. “The music was phenomenal.”

“The actors were very good.” And that was the only contribution you could make to the conversation because you definitely hadn’t paid any attention to the plot and your knowledge of music was simply not there.

But thankfully, that seemed to be far more than enough. His eyes gleamed as he sat onto your sofa and gestured widely while speaking, “Right? The leading woman was just– Incredible, fantastic. Her range! I’m a little jealous, actually.”

You took the seat next to him. To your surprise, his hand found yours once again, wasting no time in interlocking your fingers. And just like that, paying attention to anything else became difficult. 

Were you really developing a crush on him? Just like that? You refused. You were too busy to be pining after a man. 

But when slid closer to your side and looked at you like you were the most wonderful person to ever exist, you suddenly didn’t care about the lack of time. Screw it. You’d make time if it meant you got to see his star-filled eyes again. 

“... Sorry, what?” you coughed out when he paused and looked at you expectantly.

He laughed. “You’re so cute. I asked if you wanted to go see another musical with me someday.”

“I’d love to,” you blurted out without thinking. 

Yeah. Screw deadlines. 

“Okay, perfect!” His smile brightened up the entire room as he rested his head on your shoulder. “Because I heard they’re doing Excalibur next season and I desperately need a friend to go watch it with me. I saw the premise and heard a preview of one of the songs and they’re holding auditions next month and I am already obsessed–”

Your brain was barely functioning at all, and yet you could recall one single memory from the depths of it. A dream he had shared. “Then why don’t you audition?”

He sat up abruptly, looking at you as if you were insane. “I couldn’t possibly–”

“Why not?” you asked. “I heard you singing the other day. You’re really good. I think you could get any part pretty easily.”

His ears turned more red with every word you said. “You flatter me…”

“I’m serious, Seokmin!”

“I’m not that good. And I have zero acting experience, aside from a few courses I did in college. Why would they ever pick me?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” you countered and he scoffed.

“I can think of a few–”

“You never know if you don’t try,” you told him and raised your hand to brush a stray hair off his forehead. “I’m rooting for you.”

As your words faded into the night and your eyes met, you wondered if he could feel the sparks flying and bursting all around you as well. Did he also feel that overwhelming adoration for you? 

He sighed after a while, a bashful smile on his face. “You must be tired. It’s been a long night. Go to sleep.”

“I really should,” you yawned as if on cue. You shared a laugh at the timing.

He squeezed your hand one last time. “Well, good night then. I expect I’ll find you at my apartment in the morning–”

“Or you could stay here and we don’t have to worry about that,” you blurted without thinking. Your face flashed hot right after. 

Had there been any alcohol in that cake he bought for you? Why were you feeling so bold all of a sudden? 

“I–” He seemed speechless.

“I don’t know why I said that,” you rushed out and avoided his eyes. “I think I’m just really tired and work has been stressful and maybe my brain is just broke–”

He placed his hand behind your neck and led your head to rest against his chest as he rubbed comforting circles on your back. You could hear his body rumble with laughter as he held you. “I’d love to stay over. Besides,” he pushed you away just enough to look you in the eyes again, “I think it’s only fair that I get to sleep over this once, because you sleep over at my place a lot.”

You frowned and pouted. “It’s not like I mean to–”

“A lot,” he repeated with wide eyes and a teasing smile before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “But it’s okay. I don’t mind.”

When you recounted the half-embarrassing and yet half-lovestruck happenings of the previous night to Sunny on the way back from work, she stared at you in bafflement.

“You actually asked him to sleep over?” she gasped, hand over her heart as if she was a peasant woman of the 16th century hearing the most scandalous gossip. “You little vixen!”

“Nothing happened,” you insistently told her as the two of you stepped off the bus.

She huffed. “That’s honestly so boring. I mean, have you seen that man? What I wouldn’t give to–”

“I am once again reminding you that you already have a boyfriend.”

“You don’t know what we’re into in the bedroom,” she countered with a smirk.

You only now realised how much Jeonghan was rubbing off on her. She was becoming a second him, slowly but surely. Couple of the year.

“I’m taking away your friend privileges, Sunny,” you told her at that and rushed ahead to avoid hearing any more weirdly Jeonghan-like jokes from her. 

She laughed at that before running after you. “Okay, okay, no more dirty jokes.”

“Thank god,” you sighed towards the sky.

“So, did any sleepwalking occur?” she then asked before humming in thought. “Well, I imagine if it had, I would’ve heard about it by now. It would’ve been quite a sight to see Seokmin running after an asleep you towards his apartment at 2 am.”

“I didn’t sleepwalk.” 

And frankly, if you had, Seokmin must have done a very good job of getting you back to your own bed because you woke up exactly how and where you fell asleep – wrapped in his arms, head resting in the crook of his neck. 

Sunny suddenly stopped in spot. Her eyes wide, her lips parted. She pointed an accusatory finger at you, “Wait, does that mean you two are dating now?”

You weren’t sure you had the answer. And you wouldn’t have time to find the answer for a while.

“Good morning!” you heard Seokmin’s voice before you even opened your eyes.

Unlike the previous few times, disappointment filled you as realisation hit. You groaned and turned over to bury your face in his numerous pillows, hoping you could suffocate yourself out of a mildly infuriating nightmare.

Seokmin clicked his tongue. “Not quite the greeting I was expecting, especially considering I was greeted with a hug the last time we shared a bed.”

“Shut it.”

“Oh, you’re mean today.”

“Did I fall asleep mid-work again?” you sighed and slowly sat up to glare at nothing in particular. Seokmin went to great lengths to avoid whatever direction to directed your deadly look to. “God, I bet I didn’t even make it to the second graph– I’m not gonna have time to go to the office for work today.”

He stared at you curiously. “So, work from home? I mean, if you have the possibility.”

“Yeah, but then I’ll get distracted and then I still won’t end up doing anything,” you whined before falling back into the pillows. You wanted to cry just at the thought of that stupid report waiting on your idle laptop. 

“Why are you so stressed about this report anyway? I don’t think you were ever this upset over any other reports.”

“If this project report goes through, and we pull off this project – which I still have to plan, oh my god, I am so far behind–”

Seokmin laughed at your frantic movements and moved over to place his hands on your shoulders and keep you still. “Hey, hey, don’t get distracted. If the project goes through…?”

You took a deep breath. “If the project goes well, I will get a promotion. Less hours, better pay.” You sighed. “Then maybe I’ll be able to get a dog like I’ve always wanted.”

“That sounds wonderful! We should celebrate with breakfast,” he suggested with a wiggle of his eyebrows. 

But as tempting as it sounded, you simply didn’t have any time to chat. You had work to do. And so, you stood up, fixed your hair, gave Seokmin an affectionate yet half-hearted pat on the back and headed for the door. 

You couldn’t wait to spend your day in complete lonely misery. At work you at least had friends to talk between sections. All you had in your apartment was Bertha and instant coffee.

And it was as if Seokmin knew it just from the way you spoke to him that morning. 

When the clock struck twelve, you heard a timid knock on your door. Confused at the noise and a little disoriented from the five pages of words you had written, you stood up and went to the door. 

Your heart grew three sizes when you saw him standing there, looking so awfully huggable in his large white hoodie and grey sweatpants, glasses on his nose accompanied by a kind smile. You were so surprised to find him there that you failed to consider why he came. 

He had to nudge you with the plastic bag he was holding for you to even notice it.

“Sorry,” you stammered and stepped aside to let him in, “I’m just a little-”

“Stress? Overworked? Confused because you’ve been staring at a 15-inch screen for the past three hours?” he suggested and brought the bag to the kitchen. “That’s okay. Don’t even mind me.” He smiled as he nodded towards your laptop. “Go on. Work waits. The sooner you get to it, the sooner it’ll be done.”

Disoriented as you were, you didn’t dare argue and slowly walked back to your previous seat at the coffee table, all the while watching him cautiously. 

As your fingers landed on the keyboard, he began lifting things out of the bag. You watched in awe as he stacked snacks and vegetables onto the counter. 

Feeling your eyes on him, he lifted his head to glare at you. “Work.”

“Work,” you repeated on instinct and turned back to your laptop. He laughed a little at your robotic tone. 

Some 20 minutes later, you felt a presence next to you. When you turned to face it, Seokmin was holding an fruit slice up at your lips. 

“Eat,” he told you softly. You did as told.

“What are you doing?” you asked between confused laughter and chewing. Your eyes landed on the bowl of fruits he had placed in front of you. 

He shrugged. “Taking care of you. You seemed so upset this morning… I thought it would be nice to spend my free day helping you.”

Your eyes widened. “It’s your free day? And you’re here? You should be resting!”

“Watching you is all the rest I need,” he winked playfully before lifting another fruit to your lips. “Now, eat up. This is lunch. I’ll make something better for dinner.”

“You don’t have to–” 

He took this chance to shove a piece of apple into your mouth, effectively interrupting your speech. “I will, and I don’t care what you say.”

He glanced around the apartment as you began to eat the fruits on your own. “When was the last time you opened a window?”

You watched curiously as he stood up (with a groan because his bones simply weren’t as nimble as they used to be) and headed over to the windows, opening a few to air out the room. As he did so, he told you, “They say that good airflow and fresh air help the thought process. We air out the classrooms between every lesson so the next students won’t get too tired.”

“I don’t think I’ve opened any windows in here since I first moved in,” you confessed before turning back to your laptop. Before you could your train of thought again, a soft fabric was placed on your shoulders. You looked up to find him smiling at you brightly. “So you won’t get cold.”

“What about you then?”

He shrugged and winked. “I’ll just consider this my daily walk in the park.” He then looked around the apartment again, as if looking for something to do. You couldn’t help but find it endearing. 

“Maybe… you could… make me a cup of tea?” you suggested.

He lit up at the idea. “Coming right up!”

Before heading to the kitchen, he leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead. It seemed almost like a reflex – like he didn’t even need to think about doing it. 

Relishing in the leftover warmth of his lips and the feel of his hoodie on your skin, your work took a backseat for a while. Instead of thinking about your project of a lifetime, your brain was drowning in one singular question. You glanced towards the kitchen to watch him, a smile appearing on your face as you did. 

“Seokmin?” you called out softly after a moment. 

He hummed in response immediately, eyes lifting from the cup he was preparing so he could offer you an encouraging smile. 

You took a deep breath. “What are we?”

He paused. “What do you mean?”

“You and I. What are we to each other?” you wondered, unable to look away from him. There was something you badly wanted to hear him say and yet feared at the same time. “What are you to me?”

The corners of his lips twitched. “I… I’ll be whatever you’d like me to be.”

“Whatever? A friend?”

“If that’s what you wish,” he breathed out, a little shakier than before.

“What about a lover?”

He smiled. “If you so wish.”

“Then… what do you want me to be?” you asked him quietly, a part of you praying your words would go missing in the incoming wind before they reached him. 

“I just…” He bit his lip in contemplation, ears turning red, and avoided your eyes.

“What do you want me to be to you, Seokmin?” you repeated your question, a little bolder this time, hope sparking in your heart.

He looked up again, into your eyes. “Mine.” You let out a breath – of relief or fear, you weren’t sure – but he didn’t hesitate when he repeated, “I want you to be mine.”

You felt guilty for the words you’d utter next. “But we don’t have the time for that…”

“That’s okay,” he assured you with a kind smile. “We’ll take it slow.”

“Slow? How slow do we take it?”

“As slow as you need. I’m not leaving.”

“I signed up for the auditions,” he told you over breakfast a few days later. “Jihoon’s helping me prepare.”

You were still neck-deep in your project, struggling to meet the deadlines and coordinate your team. This seemed to lead the asleep you to Seokmin’s apartment more often than not. It was almost like you woke up in his bed every morning now. 

But even in your despair, you couldn’t help but be excited for Seokmin.

Your eyes lit up and a squeal came out as you grabbed his hand over the table. “Really? You did?!”

He used his free hand to rub the back of his neck bashfully. “Well, you said I should give it a try, right? Who knows,” he shrugged, trying his best to seem nonchalant or even fake a little bit of confidence, “maybe they’ll give me a part.”

“I’m sure they will,” you insisted, squeezing his hand. “Your voice is amazing and you’re so handsome – the ladies are going to swoon when they see you on the stage.”

He laughed. “Will you be one of those ladies?”

“I’ll be in the front row,” you solemnly promised. “At every show. You’ll get sick of seeing me.”

“I could never,” he assured you.

Seokmin’s audition would take place two weeks later. You made sure the mark the day with a big red circle on your calendar – on all three of them, in fact. And now it was time.

Between your seemingly endless stream of project complications and Seokmin’s daytime job and audition preparations, you barely saw him. If it weren’t for your persistent sleepwalking problem, you wouldn’t have seen him at all. And so, the curse had became a blessing. 

“You’ll do great,” you assured him minutes after waking up in his bed. You made sure to give him the warmest hug before letting him leave the room. “I believe in you. And so does Jihoon, apparently.”

Seokmin pouted. “Did he say that or are you lying to make me feel better?”

“We talked yesterday,” you told him, appalled that he’d even accuse you of such atrocities. “He said he has complete faith that you’ll do well.”

“I don’t believe you but–”

“Do you want to fight me? Already?” You raised a brow and he shook his head immediately. “Exactly. Just accept the compliment. And don’t forget to call me when you finish, okay?”

“Of course,” he promised.

He kept that promise. Just as he stepped out of the theatre, his shaky hands picked up the phone and chose your number. 

You answered the call with prep in your voice. It had been a good day so far and you were expecting to hear his no-doubt joyous retellings of the audition.

What you weren’t expecting was: “Can you come get me? I think I might cry.”

“Why, why?” Despite your words, you didn’t hesitate to slam your laptop closed and grab your jacket. “Are you okay? Were they mean?”

“They weren’t mean,” he mumbled on the other side of the line, “but I don’t think I did well.”

“I’m sure you did wonderful,” you spoke while rushing down the street. Thankfully, the theatre was barely a five-minute walk from your office – half that at your current pace. “You’re just putting yourself down over nothing.”

Seokmin whined. “You’re seriously overestimating me.”

“Don’t be silly.”

“No, I’m serious. You overestimate me.”

As you crossed the street, you noticed a familiar figure dragging his feet along the pavement, head low and shoulders slumped. “Now why would I do that?”

“Because you like me a little more than you should,” he suggested while kicking a pebble. You could already hear his voice even without the phone. “I’m sure the directors think I’m a joke or something. God, I am so–”

“Don’t you dare say another bad word about yourself,” you scolded him with a gentle slap against the back of his head. 

He stared at you in bewilderment – both from the fact that you might as well have appeared from thin air and the fact that you just did that. 

But you were unrelenting in your affection for him. “Lee Seokmin, listen to me: you did absolutely great. You did your best. And even if you don’t get a part this time, they’ll value the fact that you now have experience with auditions. Take it in stride.”

Tears gathered in his eyes. Before long, he pulled you into his embrace, holding you impossibly tight. “You’re just saying that… Thank you.”

“That’s what I’m here for, silly,” you laughed and hugged him back just as tightly. “I think we should celebrate this occasion.”

“Even if I screwed up and don’t get the part?”

You scoffed. “Absolutely! A little cake can make everything better, no?”

He sighed. “I don’t think I can eat right now. I might throw up from the nerves.”

“Drink then?”

He contemplated and then straightened up. “I could go for some bubble tea…”

“There we go!” you cheered and gently pinched his cheeks, prompting a small giggle. “My treat because you did so well today and I’m so proud of you.”

This time it was you who grabbed his hand without any hesitation, more than happy to reassuringly squeeze it as you walked and talked. 

“When will you get the answer?” you wondered.

He sucked in a breath. “In about a week, they said. Or maybe never–”

“Seokmin,” you scolded.

“In a week,” he corrected himself with some enthusiasm. “I’ll get answers in a week. And then I might actually cry.”

“And I’ll be there when you cry tears of joy, darling.”

“Tears of joy?” He raised a brow and smiled in disbelief. “You seriously put too much faith in me.”

You nudged his side. “As if you haven’t been equally supportive about my promotion.”

“Oh, right,” Seokmin gasped, “won’t your promotion interview be in a week too?”

You would’ve preferred he didn’t remind you. Then again, you guessed it was only fair. 

“Will you come over to hold me when I cry too?”

“Tears of joy?” he teased and leaned over to kiss your temple. “I’ll be just a call away.”

The week somehow passed at both the pace of a snail and the pace of Junhui on a sugar rush. 

After finding you in his bed every single morning, Seokmin resorted to just sleeping over at your place, tightly cuddling you to keep you in place. He now had a whole drawer dedicated to his things in your bedroom. 

The day started okay. You were awoken not by a loud alarm like you had expected, but by Seokmin gently singing you awake. 

For a moment, you thought you had died and gone straight to heaven – maybe working so hard to save the environment had paid off after all, you thought. But no, it was just your reality. 

What a beautiful reality. You couldn’t help but smile as you cuddled into his chest.

“If you keep clinging onto me like that, I won’t be able to make my famous waffles for a lucky breakfast,” he whispered but made no attempt to push you away. 

The delicious breakfast was followed by an encouraging hug on the way out of the building, him to the school and you to the office. You wore a smile the entire time.

Up until you made it to your desk. Then the reality began sinking in. 

This was the day that could make or break your career. The day you had worked so hard for that you neglected your private life for so many years.

As the clock on the wall slowly ticked forward, your hands began to shake. Your throat was dry. Your head was fuzzy, full of nothing but anxiety. If someone had asked you about anything, you would’ve only been able to stare at them with a mouth wide open.

20 minutes until your scheduled interview. You were starting to feel sick. 

When another colleague came to give you a supportive pat on the back, you excused yourself and grabbed your phone to rush outside to the balcony. You sat on a chair and willed yourself to take deep breaths as you tapped on his number.

You wanted to slap yourself when you realised that you hadn’t even bothered to check if he was on break yet.

But he answered on the first ring. “Hey, what’s up? Did you have the interview alread–”

“Seokmin, I can’t do this,” you whimpered into the microphone. “I can’t do this. They’re gonna realise I’m an idiot and they’ll fire me and–”

“Woah, woah, what happened to your positive can-do attitude?” he wondered. “You’ll be fine.”

“No–”

“(Y/n),” he said your voice so firmly that your breath got caught in your throat. “(Y/n), you will be fine. You’ve worked there for so many years, you’ve achieved so many things. If they wanted to fire you, they would’ve done that by now.”

You took a shaky breath. “What if it’s an elaborate prank?”

“Why would– Baby, listen to me. You’ve worked hard. You put everything you had into that project – I was there, I saw it. You and your ideas are invaluable to your company. They’re going to ask you a few questions as a formality and they’re going to give that promotion and then you and I are going to go to a celebratory dinner and it’ll all be over.”

“And I can get a dog?” you whispered, a small smile tugging at your lips.

“You can get two dogs if you want, baby,” he laughed. “You deserve it. Don’t underestimate yourself. I believe in you and I’m sure your co-workers do as well.”

“How do you always know the right words to say?”

He laughed once again. “Baby, I’m a teacher. I’m literally trained to comfort people. I’m just glad I’m able to comfort you as well.”

“Thank you.”

“No need,” he responded, “just go and ace that interview. Okay?”

“And then you’ll come and wipe my happy tears?”

“You already know the answer to that question. But I expect the same treatment when I get my audition results.”

“Will do.”

“Go and get them, tiger.”

You weren’t sure what it was, but something about the conversation seemed to have lifted the weight off your shoulders. When you walked back to the office, the upcoming interview no longer felt as taunting. 

As the clock hit 2 pm, you squared your shoulders, took a deep breath and headed to your manager’s office.

When the day ended, you found Seokmin standing in front of the office building, a blinding smile on his face. 

“Well?” he asked expectantly, though the look in his eyes said that he had every faith that you would only give him good news. You were glad to prove him right. 

Your coy smile was replaced with joyous laughter as you ran to hug him and called out, “I got the job!”

“You got it? You got it!” he cheered with you, jumping up and down with you in his arms, not far from spinning you around in the air. “I knew you would! What did I tell you? Silly you,” he let you out of his hold to place his hands on your cheeks and pull your face closer to his own, “you thought you wouldn’t get the promotion. Look at you now. I’m so proud of you.”

You breathed out in relief. The smile seemed to never stop tugging on your cheeks. “I’m so relieved I could cry.”

“Then who will dry my happy tears?” he teased with a bright smile.

You tilted your head in confusion. “Wait–”

“I got the part,” he whispered, his smile only growing wider, eyes sparkling. “I’m going to become a musical actor, officially.”

“Oh my god!” you practically squealed and now it was your turn to hug him and jump. He was glad to join you, laughing in glee. “I knew you could do it! I knew it!”

As joy got the best of you – and who could blame you: this was the happiest day of your life so far –, you grabbed his face and pulled him closer to you to press your lips against his own. He melted into the gesture, arms wrapping around you tighter as if to will the moment to last forever. 

When you pulled back, just enough so that your noses touched, he laughed in disbelief. “I thought we were supposed to take it slow?”

“Screw taking it slow,” you whispered and kissed him again. “Might as well make it a triple celebration.”

“I like the sound of that.”

BONUS !

While practically leaning out of their open window to watch you and Seokmin kiss under the streetlights on your way home, Jeonghan and Sunny argued.

“I told you they would get together,” Sunny declared, her eyebrows raised as if to dare her boyfriend to prove her wrong. 

Jeonghan scoffed. “Please. They’re just kissing. It could be casual.”

“Just say you don’t want to owe me 20 bucks.”

“I don’t owe you 20 bucks! We have no confirmation!”

“Jeonghan, listen here–”

“No, no, you listen–”

“Both of you listen here!” Chan bellowed from the window above them. “If you don’t stop arguing right now, I will report you both to Jihoon’s parents! Some of us are trying to sleep!” Silence followed. “And pay her the 20 bucks, Jeonghan. They’re clearly together.”

Jeonghan grumbled and glared upwards before fishing a 20 out of his pocket and handing it to his smiling girlfriend.

[bardicious]

Thinking about Charles, again, and his telepathy. Charles avoiding possibly killing Shaw, not because it makes sense, but because he's afraid of death and feeling other people die.

Charles having no sympathy for Shaw because while Charles may forgive many transgressions, he can see into Shaw and know that Sebastian has no remorse, and enjoyed every torture he'd enacted upon Erik and the world.

Charles, trying to reason with Erik, but not knowing how because of the helmet. Charles being able to know and hear the minds of the ships' crews, sensing their fear, ignorance, but the kindness that they're capable of, as much as Erik is capable of. (Erik's response to those ship crews is ultimately fear of what they CAN do later on. He has the means to stop them, so it's not much of a self defense tactic to just blow them up. To Charles Erik is like those men on the boat) Charles does not articulate his thoughts well, and says about the worst thing he could say. One of the things that makes Erik doubt Charles' reasoning.

Charles, a decade later, attempting to avoid the deaths of other people, drugging himself so he doesn't have to feel everyone else's pain. Logan traveling to the past, showing Charles' that his way isn't the only way, might not be the right way at all. Charles' telling himself to accept his own pain, and his younger self realizing that he can handle more than he thought he could.

Charles working together with his X-Men and Erik to defeat and kill Apocalypse.

[seren1tyhaze]

Grenade

PAIRING: toxic!mark x afab reader (ft hyuck)

WORD COUNT: 3.1K

SUMMARY: he's the worst person for you but you keep coming back to him, night after night, desperately hoping that he will love you back after more time spent in your arms

THANK YOU: sorry to @strwbrysunday who I definitely broke with this :) ilyyyyyy

WARNINGS: explicit smut, weed smoking, profanity, emotional manipulation, heavy angst, mark is not a very nice guy in this (sorry)

PLAYLIST: Grenade by Bruno Mars, Love on the Floor by NCT 127, Faster by NCT 127, 2 Baddies by NCT 127

This was very much inspired by a Love on the Floor fancam, particularly minute 3:20. Enjoy.

Tell the devil I say hey when you get back to where you're from

--

It’s raining softly and big droplets are falling off the awning of his front step as you furiously send another text to this asshole who better not have fallen asleep in the five minutes it took you to drive over. You look up to the leaking sky just as a particularly large droplet hits your forehead, dripping down your eyebrow and into your eye. He told you not to knock, as he always did, because he thinks Johnny looked at you a little too long that one time he answered the door before Mark could run down the stairs. You might not be his but that didn’t mean someone else could have you.

The door suddenly swings open and he’s standing there, baggy black sweatpants hanging low and a crisp white tee hanging perfectly on his broad shoulders. He has a smug smile on his face as he leans against the door jam, sleeve riding up on his arm to show his nearly completed half sleeve of dark ink. His shirt peaks up too, showing skin on his hip and the Supreme logo at the band of his boxers. 

“I’m getting soaked out here, bitch,” you mumble as you push past him harshly, stepping out of your shoes and hanging your jacket on the hook you always use. There’s something weirdly domestic about draping it over Mark’s leather jacket he wears when he takes his motorcycle to work. 

He rolls his eyes at you and ruffles the longer black strands of hair in his eyes before turning without another look at you to walk up the stairs. He takes two at a time and you get the first (but not last of tonight) look at the reason you’re here - his deliciously thick ass.

He flops down on his bed and is scrolling through his phone, head propped up against his headboard and one leg up on his thin comforter. His shirt is hiked up on his waist and his tight ab muscles are on display as he draws lazy circles over his stomach with his other hand.

Turning away from him, you drop your hands to your waist, pulling your oversized hoodie over your head, leaving you standing in your leggings and cotton bralette. You move some stuff on his desk to put your bag down, taking a swig from your water bottle before approaching the bed slowly. The door is cracked open, another habit you’ve noticed from him in the times you’ve visited the house. He liked to have an audience, if only to just hear Jaehyun comment how good you look naked later or witness the awkward moment when you locked eyes with a nervous Jeno as he used their shared bathroom in the hallway while Mark pounds into you in doggy style.

If someone had told you six months ago that you would be desperately driving over to spend the night with the rude but incredibly hot cashier at your local gas station, you would have laughed in their face. You first met when he had helped you with the finicky air pump for your tires one afternoon after work, bending down to unscrew the caps and giving you an unreal view of his tight pants. The band of his boxers rose up high on his slim waist and his round ass cheeks were prominent under the denim, straining at the plush muscle. You had felt your cheeks heat in the moment, a loud gulp building in your throat as you forced yourself to look elsewhere.

He had let you take the gum you were buying for free and grabbed your phone when you reached under the plexiglass, adding himself as “M” and handing it back with a devious smirk.

Later that night you were moaning his name loudly in the backseat of your car after he asked you to pick him up from a bar downtown. You knew you were done for when he shoved his slender fingers, covered in your own arousal, into your mouth, swirling them around and almost making you gag as he brushed the roof of your mouth with the pads of his fingertips. Yeah, this guy was going to be a really big problem.

Everything was on Mark’s terms, especially when it came to getting off. Edging was his middle name and he rarely let you have multiple orgasms in one night. He was rough, dragging you down to your knees by the back of your neck, kneading your skin harshly as he pushed his cock deeper into your mouth.

He especially tortured you when it came to touching your favorite part of his body. He knew you were obsessed with his full and perky ass, feeling your eyes on him every time he walked away from you. Sometimes he would even walk backwards with a huge grin on his face and a shake of his head.

On the rare occasion he would be relentlessly railing into you in missionary, you would feel your hands instinctively come up to grope him and he would pin your arms down, harshly grunting out, “Only good girls get rewarded with cake.”

Tonight is nothing different, he’s actively ignoring you with just a hand on your thigh, dangerously close to the crotch of the thin athletic fabric clinging to your legs. He’s tracing what feels to be an infinity symbol and you can feel goosebumps start to prick up on your arms. You chalk it up to being shirtless in the cool, stale air of his bedroom rather than any sort of physical (emotional? fuck.) response to his touch.

You take a long drag from your dab pen before tossing it on the table next to the bed, feeling him shift as he finally sets his phone down.

Without any words he leans over, mouthing at your bare shoulder before stretching his arm out to steal a hit from your pen and letting it carelessly drop to the floor. You sigh and push your hand aggressively into his sweats, finding him half hard and a damp spot on the front of the material covering his cock. So he was horny. Of course he was.

He continues to kiss down your neck, dragging his teeth against the thin strap of your bra, moving it out of the way to kiss underneath. You moan lightly at this, pushing your voice to make a little more noise than it naturally did for effect, refusing to let him have the satisfaction of hearing the sounds he actually produced from his touches. 

He doesn’t kiss you on the lips much anymore, despite having made out with you for hours at a time when you had first started hooking up. Granted, there isn’t much of an opportunity for you to lock lips with him as his fingers are usually shoved in your mouth as his other hand slaps your exposed pussy or his full palm covering the lower half of your face, restricting your breathing.

A few minutes later he’s between your legs, mercilessly flicking his tongue against your embarrassingly wet folds, gripping your thighs tightly while you rut against his face, desperate for more friction.

You don’t know if it’s the rain or the fact that he definitely bought the same body wash you have in your shower and you can smell it radiating off him, but you want to kiss him so bad even as he’s going to town on your clit, almost as if he’s trying to overstimulate you before you’ve even had a chance to feel him inside you. You rip him up by his hair and drag his face to meet yours and he’s crawling eagerly over you, crowding you as he slips a knee between your spread legs. 

“Yes?” he half groans, half sings in a low timbre, dark eyes darting between yours wildly, looking for an explanation to why you stopped him from eating you out. 

“Stop edging me,” you state bluntly, sliding a hand down to cover his ass cheek, squeezing gently at first as you instinctively arch your back slightly and bring your lips closer to him. 

“Aw, that’s cute, you think you deserve a kiss,” he replies back in a cruel tone, almost laughing at your desperation. 

“I don’t think so, sweetheart,” he adds, firmly removing your hand from his bare skin and trapping it between your chests where you’re sure he can feel your heart beating fast under your breast.

Despite everything and because of everything, you find yourself irrevocably in love with him. You hate every fibre of his being but would do anything to have him hold you in his arms tenderly like the couples you see wrapped in a back hug on the subway. You would pay any amount of money to have him circle his thumbs over the hem of your t-shirt, digging his chin into your shoulder while reading your book over your shoulder and murmuring parts of sentences out loud.

He knows this, he’s not stupid. He sees the way you look at him after you come all over his hand or mouth or cock. He sees the way you look at him when you think he’s not paying attention, eyes dragging across his features before settling on his big brown eyes. He watches as your eyes drift to fantasies of the two of you together on the off chance you share a meal or drink in his kitchen. You instinctively clear his cereal bowl and take the crumpled napkin directly from his hand, letting your hand drag up his bicep as you walk to the trash can.

Because of this, he will leave you on read for days at a time, knowing you are losing your mind and only checks your Instagram story from a burner account because he knows you check that shit religiously. He knows that hearing you moan out his name and clench around his achingly hard cock once he finally hits you up will make it all worth it.

He doesn’t want a relationship, he never has, and truly believes he never will. The scars on his knees and the way his eyes glaze over when he’s super high tell so much more than he could ever say out loud. Commitment was never in the cards for him and he knew from the first time he saw you that you would fall for him easily. It’s why he had quickly put his number in your phone and called you later that night for a ride he didn’t actually need. He had trapped you from that very first moment and spent each day since then manipulating you into falling more and more in love with him.

It was cruel and your friends that knew your dirty secret chastised you about it frequently, but something about his dark hair, lean muscles and dark ink covering large swaths of his body kept you coming back for more. The way he never says your name during sex, despite you moaning every variation of his, combined with his terrible after care are all the biggest red flags you’ve ever seen, but you can’t stop.

You’ve seen glimpses of the softer side of him, the human side of him. His voice would pitch up when he got excited about an expensive car parked in the street or when his favorite Spongebob episode queued up next on his small laptop monitor you were sharing. One time a small kitten was hidden under the hood of a car in the parking lot of the gas station in the dead of winter and while he never admitted it, you know he took it home that night to help it warm up before letting Jaemin pick it up a few days later to take to his apartment with his growing cat family.

Then there’s the moments of confusion that help feed your delusional fantasies that the two of you could actually work. He will occasionally show up at your work, shamelessly flirting with the front office lady, moving her pen cup around her desk and twirling the cord of her desk phone around his long and slender finger while leaning down to speak in a loud whisper. 

Once he showed up wearing a white tank top you swear you recognized as Johnny’s and his leather jacket had slipped off his shoulders and everyone was ogling him as they walked by. You marched to the front and barked his name to get him to follow you back to your cubicle where he leant seductively against your desk, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

“What’s wrong? Jealous, sweetheart?” he purrs under his breath as you sat down on your uncomfortable desk chair with an eye roll. You shuffle a couple papers and bang them aggressively against your desk before holding your hand out for the binder clip he was fiddling with, clamping it repeatedly on his fingertip.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” came Hyuck’s voice loudly from the next cubicle over, causing Mark to cackle, feign a look of fear and clutch his chest dramatically.

“Donghyuck,” you hiss, eyes darting to your boss’s open office door, her eyes peering inquisitively at the loud laughter.

“This is a place of work, where you know, people with jobs work,” Hyuck continues, tapping loudly on his keyboard on a blank document that you know isn’t actually a work assignment.

“Mark, you should go,” you say quietly, feeling embarrassed at how your cheeks are heating at the interaction. You can feel Hyuck’s gaze on your back and don’t need to turn around to know how disappointed he is.

You move to stand before a hand is on your shoulder, pushing you gently back into your chair. Mark places his other hand on the arm of your chair, caging you in as he brushes his knee against yours to step between them. He dips down, pushing your long hair from the side of your face and brushes his lips gently right at the corner of your eye, moving his lips to your ears to speak softly to you.

“You know he wants to fuck the shit out of you, right?” he teases, letting his teeth graze against the shell of your ear, eliciting a quiet whimper from your lips.

“I bet he wouldn’t even satisfy you though, my little whore likes to be bruised up when the night is over,” he continues, hand moving achingly slow to your lap and toying with the hem of your short dress. At this moment you desperately wish you had worn pants today but your heart is pounding so hard you can barely focus.

You gulp loudly, wanting to scold him for making a scene in your office, but your mouth is bone dry. Hyuck clears his throat loudly from behind you, the typing on his computer having stopped completely and you know he is sitting wide-eyed staring at the two of you.

“Maybe a nice boy like that is what you really want though,” he finished, hand getting dangerously close to your soaked underwear before he’s suddenly leaning back against your cubicle again and you’re left with laboured breathing and a red face.

“See ya, Hyuckie,” he sings before turning on his heel, tossing his leather jacket over his shoulder, putting an extra bounce in his steps knowing everyone’s eyes (and especially yours) are watching his ass jiggle with each movement.

“I fucking hate that guy,” Hyuck mutters under his breath as you turn to give him a look, shaking your head with a deadpan look on your face. Hyuck’s face is flushed and when he stands to move to the copy machine, you swear you can see him half-hard in his pants.

“Yeah, you and me both,” you mutter under your breath as you return to your computer, seeing a message in the corner of your screen from your noisiest coworker, asking if Mark is single. You fire off that he’s not available, and definitely not to date them before pushing away from your desk angrily and practically stomping to the coffee machine in the back of the office. 

You loudly manoeuvre the machine, inserting your favorite roast and preparing your cup with sugar and a little creamer. Your core is still throbbing and you try to think of anything that will distract you from the filthy thoughts flying through your mind, images of Mark pushing you up against the shelves of the supply closet with rolls of paper towels crashing down around you as he pounds into you.

You’re pulled back to the present as he suddenly slides into you without warning, not having heard him pull away from you at the edge of the bed to slide on a condom or remove his clothes.

He towers over you for a moment before dropping to his elbows in a smooth motion, arching his back to thrust up into you, gripping the small of your back to lift your ass off the bed, his hips colliding with yours with each thrust.

You feel your eyes roll back at the feeling of him pounding into your g spot and can’t help the incoherent ramblings that tumble from your now chapped lips. You drop your tongue down to wet them, accidentally making eye contact with him as you do. The look in his eyes shifts briefly as you feel yourself clench around his cock, rolling your hips as a particularly whiny moan erupts in your throat.

Before you can move again, he dips down, capturing your lips in his, causing your breath to catch in your chest in surprise. You barely have a chance to close your eyes and notice his eyes are wide open as he kisses you, a blank look held there, without an ounce of intimacy or lust.

You pull your eyes shut at this severe red flag as you angle your head to deepen the kiss, reaching up to brush your fingertips against the buzzed hair at the back of his head. He lets your tongue push into his mouth and warmly caress his while he grips your ass, leaving handprints. You know this moment won’t last and you know it will be weeks before his lips even brush yours again so you try to burn the feeling into your memory.

The push and pull, the struggle for power and the upper hand - it’s something you dread but equally something you crave. You’ve found something dangerous and evil in Mark Lee and you’re playing with fire every moment you open your legs and heart to him. But you can’t stop yourself and he knows that you would do anything for him at this point. He has you right where he wants you and you willingly let him take every shred of dignity you once had. You’re a desperate, horny, moth drawn to the flame.

That is, if the flame drove a souped up two seater and had a bubble butt.

--

[httpsserene]

ꜱɪɴɢɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱʜᴏᴡᴇʀ w/ ʟɴ4

📖ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: lando’s usually well spent sunday off with his girlfriend is different this time around. you put off your everything shower and wash-day causing some edits to the usual routine. how the night ends, however, is 100% lando’s fault. 📖ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: fluff/borderline?crack(if u think im funny). one or two mentions of sex, not explicit at all. not edited to beta-read. 📖ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 2k words 📖ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: lando norris x black!fem!reader 📖ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: oneshot 📖ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅᴛʀᴀᴄᴋ: singing in the shower ~ becky g

ᴘʀᴇꜰᴀᴄᴇ: preface: hello! it’s late night or early morning for me, i guess, when i’m posting this. i was going to say this is my first rpf ever, but that’s a bold-faced lie ☠️but! it is my first f1 work! i hope you enjoy it! i’d love to have some f1 mutuals out here, if anyone wants <3. also requests are open, just come talk to me and ramble about anything, or any idea you have the f1 boys, i’d love to have some great anons and asks to fulfill. hope you enjoy it :)

it’s a rare sunday where you and lando are both home together. usually you two would take advantage of this and make the most out of it. you’d lay in bed late into the morning with an excessively cuddly boyfriend, cook a nice and healthy brunch together you cook, lando handles the soundtrack and vibes because he loses all coordination in the kitchen, play a co-op video game that you guys have been working your way through for a month, go out on a nice little dinner date, and have great sex before knocking out.

HOWEVER, this week you have kinda forgotten that you need to do your hair. originally you had an appointment that tuesday to get a silk press done with your usual hairstylist, but she canceled on you. once you got that “hey girly...” text you’d known there was no hope of rescheduling, for that week at least. so, you decided to do your own hair sometime later in the week, but your boyfriend was home for the first time after a triple-header, and was a terrible lovely distraction. you also had to work, unfortunately, you had to clean the flat, you had to eat, and you had to breathe—so understandably, you’ve ended up pushing your wash-day/hair-day and everything-shower to the last minute.

you apologized several times to lando during breakfast for your forgetfulness and wasting valuable “boyfriend-girlfriend time” as lando coined. but lando is lando—a sweetheart at his core—so he refused to accept your apologies with an “don’t apologize for something so minor, love,” and even offered to help you tackle the fight you end up almost losing every time…. vs. your hair. 

you kindly denied his assistance knowing damn well that if he was in the shower with you, your hair wouldn’t be done until late that night due to a different type of lando-distraction. you suggested that lando streamed while you were doing your shower and hair, and that you could still go out for dinner that evening. lando was pretty receptive to the idea, especially after he made sure that you were 100% okay with him not helping you do your hair (he usually does, you’ve got him trained pretty good; all he needs is the license at this point), and the fact that it’s been like 3 months since he last streamed.

lando posts that he’s streaming starting at noon, and after a brief make out against the sink post-dishwashing that leaves your lips swollen and head foggy, he goes to take a shower and start setting up his stream equipment. cursing lando’s smug-ass face as he walks away, you let him know that you're stepping out to the beauty supply store to get a few items before you start your little routine and that you might not see him before his stream starts. he does a 180, and rushes back to you from down the hallway to give you one more mind boggling kiss and with a smile says, “text me when you get there and when you’re back. i’ll have my phone on dnd but your messages are set to pass through it, so if you don’t want to be seen on stream today you don’t have to worry about it.” internally, you’re pretty sure your heart just imploded at the mindfulness this boy has—that your boyfriend has. somehow, it still surprises you how mature lando is for how silly he acts most of the time.

“you’re too sweet to me, lan.” you respond with a shy smile, “i probably won’t interrupt you today—i’ll let your delulu fans have custody, and deal with you!” lando throws his head back and does his usual demonic laugh, “hey! my fans are not that delusional, but i am afraid that you’re losing the custody battle!” he kisses you on the cheek, and with that you separate until later that day.

or so you thought. you knew lando’s super sweet behavior was too sus without him being his usual gremlin-self at least once.

when you get back from the beauty supply store (which should’ve been a fifteen-minute trip at most, turned into a near hour after the usual shenanigans you find yourself involved in buying things you don’t need), lando’s already started his stream. you text him letting him know you’re about to hop into the shower, and start heading to en-suite bathroom.

when you open the door, the mirror is slightly covered with remaining steam from lando’s shower, and you can see his clothes hanging half-inside the hamper. which is an improvement from being left on the floor—choose your battles, ladies. but as you move further into the bathroom, setting down your everything-shower supplies, changing into your silk robe and bonnet—you pick up on a lingering scent that should not be present.

your ninety-four fucking dollar scalp revival shampoo.

you’ve had that shampoo since you were seventeen, using it only when extremely necessary. you didn’t even pay for it, it was something your mom bought you as a pretty thoughtful and useful gift after you complained about your scalp suddenly getting super sensitive. it lasted through your senior year of grade school, all of university, and goddamn-it, two boyfriends!!! you let out a bit of an hysterical giggle (seek mental help, babe) and walk to the shower to grab the jar. the problem is: you know there was only probably one more usage left.

turning the cap off, your worst fears are confirmed...it’s…empty. with an anguished cry, you fall to your knees on the tiled floor—it’s like your childhood pet died. you gently set the jar down on the floor, and stare dazedly at the ceiling. what makes it worse is: you know that lando probably didn’t even use it properly. he most likely didn’t even let it sit for the mandatory 15 minutes that all girls do as an excuse to waste more time in the shower, he prob- he probably rinsed it out right after he massaged it in; that thought right there almost had you crying. oh, and what makes it even worse-r , what was a one-use sized amount for you was like, three for lando, so if he used it sparingly, you would’ve at least gotten to cherish it for the last time.

and with that, you rise from the floor, like some sort of re-animated monster—and with a twitching eye, start stomping to lando’s stream room. before you barge in, you remember what you're wearing: a black silk robe, matching bonnet, glasses, and your cute orange shark slides (lando bought them for you, he has a matching pair). you do the mental math of caring about this being on the internet for the rest of your life, but eventually the opportunity of terrorizing lando wins out over whatever a digital footprint is.

the door swings open, and with your shout of, “lando norris!” the pinging of his chat becomes rapid. lando looks wide-eyed at the camera and whispers, “oh fuck.” he half spins in his chair to look at you in the doorway, and is met with a flying shark slide to the neck. “oW! what did i do??” he cries out.

“you used the last of my ONE-HUNDRED DOLLAR shampoo, YOU THIEVING GREMLIN!!!” the chat notifications start cutting each other off with how fast they’re being sent.

“i didn’t use your shampoo??” he says with a bewildered look, clutching the shark slide to his chest. you seethe, “the fucking WOODEN JAR, that you didn’t even have the AUDACITY throw away, and left in the shower?!”

lando pauses, and makes an ‘a-ha’ sort of face goes, “oh, i thought that was conditioner.” you scream again and this time you don’t miss your mark. the remaining shark slide bonks him right on the forehead. “oW, again?!”

“I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE GOOD REACTION TIME??!”

“yEAH?! WELL, i didn’t expect  MY GIRLFRIEND to ASSAULT ME with the shark slides that I bought HER!!”

“yEAH?! WELL, i didn’t expect MY BOYFRIEND to waste MY hair products!!”

lando cackles but surrenders, he reaches for you in the doorway and pulls you in between his legs with his hands gripping your hips. 

he pouts, “i’m sorry. i can buy you another batch, if you’d like. if you need it for your shower right now, i can pause the stream and run and go get for you, or get it delivered?” you sigh, looking at his wide blue eyes. you let him stew for a minute, trying to find it in you to remain mad. his thumbs start petting you gently while you think, and he leans his head forward to rest on your tummy.

you sigh again, hand coming up to play with the hairs at the nape of his neck, and cave, “nah..don’t even worry about it. i don’t even need to use it today, i just wanted to remind you to keep your nosy-ass away from my hair products.” he nods against your abdomen, you start to pull away, and he does the same. you lean down and give him a brief peck on the cheek, and turn to exit the room. 

“oh!” you exclaim now in the doorway, one hand on the doorknob, “i love you, even though you steal all my shit.”

lando giggles, cheeks turning a light pink, “i love you, princess,” the simp dripping out of every pore in his body. you point at him, “this is actually a mutually beneficial situation! now, for date night you can take me to the store to buy hair products,” lando’s smile drops, “don’t worry we can get some for you too, curly boy!” lando doesn’t even try to fight it once he sees the borderline manic grin on your face, just begging him to test you one more time. he accepts his face, “yes, love. i can’t wait for tonight, princess.”

he turns back to his stream when the door closes all the way and shakes his head. he claps his hands once, ready to get back into it, but you burst in again,

“and when i get out of that damn shower in an hour—you’re sure as hell gonna help blow dry and flat iron this shit! it’s silk press season, lando norris, we cannot be caught slacking!” you slam the door shut, and leave.

lando just blinks at the camera, mouth slightly open like that one pikachu meme. he briefly reads the chat, trying to recover, and looks at all of the chatters pick on him like he just got called to the dean’s office. some messages start to roll in about him having to end the stream.

he waits to hear the bedroom door shut, and a few more seconds for the shower to start running before he pseudo-whispers into the mic, “don’t worry, chat! she may have said an hour, but we actually have more like three. it’s her ‘everything-shower’, no-way she’ll finish that quickly. she needs an hour just to sing and dance in there before she starts actually doing anything.”

he starts to open a lobby in cod, sending invites to a few of the boys online and his phone starts vibrating on the desk. the chat starts to go wild again, recognizing its the ringtone he set for your messages. his face drops again when he opens your text thread, “oh my god, chat. she heard me, i forgot she pulls up the stream for background noise. i’m screwed.”

yninstagram • 2hrs ago

liked by landonorris, ybfsinstagram, and 123,978 others

yninstagram hairstylist did his thing for silk press season 👅

tagged landonorris

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landonorris can’t even see our faces but you can’t tell we’re both pretty

➥yninstagram pretty gyal takeover

➥user bro 😭 i can’t even call this sassy

➥user he’s just keeping it real with y’all

landonorris i’ll always take care of you like a princess

➥landonorris and one day very soon, forever treat you like a queen

➥ynistagram lan ☹️🥺

➥user proposal hint?!!!

➥user it’s a 4ever thing y’all wouldn’t understand 🥱

➥user i do 🙄 y/n comes home one day every two years and takes care of our eight children

➥user bitch—LMFAOOO

user not her gatekeeping the stylist 😤 not very girl’s girl of her

➥yninstagram he’s booked out for the foreseeable future sorry babe

➥user oh uh. that’s completely understandable. he doesn’t take walk in’s ? 😃

landonorris • 3hrs ago

liked by yninstagram, maxfewtrell, and 2,321,768 others

landonorris you attract what you fear? word, oh no a pretty gyal who lets me do her hair😱 oohhhhh how scaryyy

tagged yninstagram

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yninstagram damn 🥵 she’s pretty fit

yninstagram heard her boyfriend’s finer

➥landonorris shouldn’t listen to gossip, her bf can’t match her beauty by far

➥user now THATS SOME RIZZ i didn’t know he had it in him

carlossainzjr y/nnita keep brainwashing him i’m getting good teasing material

➥ynistagram sí señor, el gusto es mio

➥carlossainzjr aye,lando her spanish is better than yours🤣

➥landonorris my tractor is better than yours, mmm yeah that’s what i thought

➥user DAMN LANDO CHILL

➥yninstagram he will be issuing a formal apology at the paddock next sunday señor sainz

➥user i just KNOW she got him at shark slide-point

© httpsserene 2023

[hydranomago]

Love isn't always a dagger, sometimes

Love is a Pie

This whole scene had so much going on, but mostly it's about care and love

Mobius decking Brad in the face, and when Loki gently asks him about it (with the intention to help Mobius air his feelings); Mobius says it's not about him, and it's the truth.

We can feel Mobius' sincerity about liking his life here — sure he's scared of what he might find, but he's cherishing the things he found in this one: his work, his friends, LOKI

So what did get under Mobius skin?

Answer: Brad insulting his friends

The fact that Mobius doesn't even really care being called "nothing" (later on in the McD scene he cheerfully reiterates the term while eating); but he would hit anyone who insults the people he cares for the most

That Loki senses this, and instead of working his way out of the tenseness; sits Mobius down, eats pie (which he probably doesn't even like going by his pinched face and scraping fork but pretends it tastes good anyway), and listens

Heck Loki even made fun of his past just to prove to Mobius that losing one's cool is okay (and what a traumatic past Loki dug up)

It works

Mobius is comforted, there is an obvious deepening of their relationship, and (here's the kicker) when Mobius entered the McD's he orders an APPLE PIE

Stressed out that Loki and Sylvie may fight, about what Brad is keeping from them, and the fate of the multiverse; but holding it all together with cheerfulness to keep everyone's spirits up

The comfort food he reaches for is PIE

He seeks the care he needs in PIE

And who was the one he shared pie with right before this scene?

Platonic or romantic or one-sided, it's undeniable that they do love each other

[camiinoa]

Persona 5 Royal x Sailor Moon 🌙🪞🐭💕

From 2020 when I truly fell into the Persona rabbit hole. Originally wanted to do all of the Phantom Thieves w/ people suggesting which character to draw next but that didn’t happen. ; _ ;