#someone take the tropical shirts away from him

[tkachukitup]

the screenshots are trash, but matthew was 100% wearing brady's shirt from the breakaway challenge in that club the other night

(credit to @fannyyann for sharing the video)

[roosterforme]

Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw Part 9 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley never felt like this before in his life. As soon as he spent a few minutes in your presence, he needed to keep coming back for more. Your touch and your voice were already making this homecoming something he was hoping to repeat, and he decided to keep pressing his luck.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, language, Bradley getting handsy

Length: 4100 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female teacher!Reader

Check out my masterlist for more! Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw masterlist

Bradley promised he would pick you up in an hour. That gave you essentially no time to get yourself ready to go out. At least you didn't have those typical first date jitters, because you and he had already taken the time to slowly get to know each other over the past few months. All of the emails from him that you'd archived into their own folder in your inbox felt precious now that he was home. Now that he surprised you at work. Knowing what he felt like and seeing the way he moved in person seemed to be the only missing pieces, and now everything fit perfectly in your mind when it came to Bradley Bradshaw. 

While you weren't nervous about getting to know someone new, you were a little antsy about trying to make yourself look as nice as you could in an hour. After you'd worked all day. For your first date with a man you already couldn't get enough of. He reminded you that he wanted to take you to the beach, as if you could forget the splendid details he'd divulged over the phone a month ago.

He told you he was going to wear jeans, nothing fancy, but when you looked in your closet, everything seemed tragically terrible. You could practically feel time ticking away as you yanked a simple sundress from its hanger and pulled it on over your cute underwear set. Not that he was going to see that tonight, but it made you feel good regardless. It also made your skin feel flushed as you thought about the photo you'd sent him where you'd gone topless under your bedding, and you squeaked when you heard knocking on your door. 

When you pulled it open, he was there, like a dream. Earlier in your classroom, when he interacted with your students, it felt like you had imagined the whole thing. But nothing felt as real as the warmth in his voice when he softly said, "Hey, Gorgeous," as he filled your doorway with his broad shoulders.

"Hi, Handsome," you replied, even as he leaned in closer until your lips were met with a kiss as sweet as the ones he treated you to earlier. He seemed to be taking your desire to be kissed as soon as he saw you to heart. Either that or he just couldn't help himself, and you were more than okay with either scenario. 

Your fingers ghosted along the buttons of the loud tropical print shirt he was wearing. The fabric was soft as he deepened the kiss enough to let you feel his rough mustache against your skin before pulling away. All of the teasing kisses from a few hours ago made you want to pull him inside toward your couch, but he was already reaching for your hand.

He looked a little tired, and once again you got butterflies knowing he wanted to spend his first evening home from a very long deployment with you. As he smiled and wrapped his big hand around yours, he asked, "You ready for me to show you why deleting that dating app was the best decision you'll make all year?"

Your lips parted in soft surprise at his confidence and his little smirk. Granted, so far, he had no reason to behave otherwise. You let him guide you outside, and you locked your door as you said, "I thought getting my students to send mail to a deployed Naval aviator was my best decision?"

He hummed softly. "Seems as though you can do no wrong."

It was like floating on a cloud, having his attention and gaze fixed on you. How in the world this man wasn't already locked down was mystifying. As his rough thumb trailed back and forth across your knuckles, the butterflies started up again in a big way. It was actually happening. The first date that you'd been daydreaming about on repeat was here. He was following through with it, and now you were expected to act normal.

When he unlocked the door and helped you climb up into his insanely cool truck, he said, "It looks like you can't stop smiling, which is great, because it's a beautiful smile."

You laughed softly and covered your eyes before groaning softly. "I'm just still kind of in shock." You peeked at him from between your fingers. "When I woke up this morning, I was convinced something terrible had happened to you... or that you ghosted me."

Bradley looked truly concerned as he coaxed your hands away from your face and said, "Baby, you thought I ghosted you?"

You gave him a little shrug and said, "The thought crossed my mind. I know you said sometimes they shut off communication from the aircraft carrier when-"

He silenced you with his lips on yours, cupping your cheek with his big hand before breaking away to say, "I've been thinking about you since I unfolded the first letter you sent. And I've been thinking about today since you gave me your personal email address. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm definitely not going to ghost you, Gorgeous." Just as you felt embarrassed for having admitted that much to him, he kissed you again and said, "I want to get you Thai food and take you to the beach. It only took me thirty-seven minutes to get here in traffic, and it should be even shorter now. Since we're going to be doing this drive with frequency, I want to learn the best times for it."

You made a soft sound as his thumb continued to stroke your cheek, and you nodded as you said, "Let's do it."

-----------------------------

Bradley laced his fingers with yours as he drove down along the coast back to Coronado. The time it took to get to your place was really no big deal to him, but he didn't want it to seem insurmountable to you. Traffic in San Diego could be a nightmare at times, especially in the evening, and he didn't want you to think he wasn't more than willing to do this. Especially after you thought he may have ghosted you. And especially since he was planning on asking you to be his girlfriend. 

You and your students got him through his deployment in a way nothing else ever quite had before. Your letters and emails were informative, funny and thoughtful, and you had this addictively subtle way of always letting him know he was on your mind. After months with Vanessa, all he got was a bad attitude, a partner who clearly wasn't invested, and an email about a water bottle. 

You were singing along to a song he happened to love when he chuckled to himself as he changed lanes. "What's so funny?" you asked, giving his hand a little squeeze. "My singing voice isn't that bad."

"Your singing voice isn't even slightly bad," he replied easily, glancing at your face in profile as you smiled. "I was just thinking about my ex-girlfriend."

"Oh," you said as your smile vanished, and your hold on his hand loosened. 

"Shit," he grunted. "Not like that," he promised, tugging on you gently while trying to focus on the road. "You and I had exchanged more emails halfway through my deployment than Vanessa and I did in seven months. And I'm hoping you'll keep emailing with me on occasion, even though we can text and talk on the phone right now, too. I associate my inbox with you now."

"Vanessa?" you asked, avoiding the rest of his statement. "Isn't that the name of Jayden's dog?"

Bradley nodded. "It sure is," he replied with a laugh. "One of the reasons I always liked his notes the best."

You were looking out your window now as the pretty coastline started to give way to a view of North Island across the bay. "I'll keep emailing you. How could I not? Texts and phone calls would be a bonus."

"I told you, you're going to get sick of me soon, Gorgeous. That's how many of my texts and phone calls you're about to be on the receiving end of." Bradley kissed your fingers as he turned to cross the bridge that led to Coronado, and he murmured, "Start thinking about what you want to eat for dinner. We're almost there."

He would erase all doubts about him from your mind. Your hand already felt like it belonged in his as you and he walked into the takeout restaurant while you listed off some of your Thai favorites. The two of you seemed to translate well from interacting through screens to physically being together, and the fact that he already wanted to put a label on this was a bit surprising to him. But there was still a lot he wanted to ask you about and tell you first, which was proving difficult when you looked up at him with bright eyes as a beautiful smile. He practically blurted out the world girlfriend as you told him you couldn't decide what you wanted to eat.

"What are you getting?" you asked. "I'm torn between Pad Thai, Yellow Curry and Tom Yum Goong."

"Let's get all three," he replied before kissing you. 

When he pulled away, your eyes were still closed as you asked, "All three? I can only finish one."

"Yeah, we can share them," he whispered, kissing you softly again. "My appetite is huge." When the person who was working at the counter had to clear their throat to keep Bradley from pulling you closer to his body like he had earlier in your classroom, he begrudgingly ordered not three, but four entrees while you laughed. 

"You weren't kidding," you mused as he paid for dinner.

"Listen," he told you as he put his credit card away. "There are three things I'm never going to joke about. Food is the first one. My mom always made me clean my plate, and I never outgrew that. If I'm willing to eat two servings of dinner from an aircraft carrier mess hall, then I'm probably going to eat at least that much if it's food that actually tastes good. And second, if I say there's a spider and that I need you to come quick, there is absolutely a spider that I need you to take care of for me." You laughed and bit your lip as he said, "And third, I'm never going to joke about how attracted I am to everything about you."

Bradley tried his best not to cause a scene in the small restaurant, but when you ran your fingers along the scars on his face and up into his hair, his hands found their way to your hips, and your body was snug against his. He didn't say another word, and you didn't either. Neither of you moved any closer for a kiss. You just brushed your fingers gently through his hair, occasionally tugging a little bit, and he thought he could lose his mind this way. With you smiling softly at him, silently and unknowingly showing him that your touch was uniquely something he'd been craving for so long.

"I'll take care of the spiders for you. Don't worry," you told him as you grinned.

"Baby, that's like dirty talk," he replied, his words making him think of that one photo you sent to him of you in bed. You dipped your head, trying to hide from him as you laughed, and he leaned in to kiss your jaw just as his name was called. "You ready for dinner?" he mumbled, knowing he was about five minutes away from his stomach growling loudly even though standing here with you was one of the nicest feelings in his recent memory.

"Let's get you fed," you told him, patting his firm stomach and accidentally snagging one of his belt loops with your finger. He had to bite the inside of his cheek against the growing need he felt for you as you reached out to grab the bag of food, and he followed you back out to his Bronco like a lost puppy.

----------------------------

After some debate about where you wanted to sit since the wind was starting to pick up, you chose a blanket on the sand over the back of his Bronco. You honestly weren't sure Bradley could even fit back there comfortably with you. He was so tall and broad, and his legs were so long, you'd practically have to be on top of him so he'd have room. Your mind wandered to the idea of him spilling off of his couch while you snuggled with him, and you could feel the warmth rising in your face as he helped you down onto the sandy asphalt of the parking lot.

With your hand in his, Bradley led you around to the back door where he pulled out a picnic blanket and a cooler. The wind picked up and you shivered a bit, wondering if he would let you curl up against his warm chest and his tropical shirt. 

"I brought this just in case," he told you, turning to reach back inside and grab a well worn, gray sweatshirt that said TOP GUN across the front. He held it up, and you nodded, and then Bradley pulled it over your head for you, his fingers skimming down your sides as you pushed your arms through the sleeves.

"Thanks," you murmured as the oversized garment kind of swallowed you up. It was so soft over your sundress, you couldn't imagine ever wanting to take it off. And the look Bradley was giving you as you stood before him in it warmed you up as much as the shirt itself.

"I like the way that looks," he said, voice a little raspy as the wind pushed at his wavy hair.

"Bradley."

He shook his head, brown eyes fixed on you. "And I like the way that sounds."

You didn't need to eat anything. You could be sustained on making out in the backseat. You thought about telling him as much when he groaned softly, handed you the beach blanket and picked up everything else. "If we don't get settled, we'll miss the sunset, and the food will be cold."

He pressed one hot and heavy kiss to your lips before nudging the door shut with his hip, and you scampered after his long-legged gait to catch up with him. When he asked you to pick a spot for the blanket, you spread it out near some tall dune grass, away from some of the other couples who seemed to have been lured out by the promise of a pretty sunset. And just as you predicted, Bradley sprawled himself out and took up most of the space, leaving you sitting right at his side.

You helped him open up the containers of food and the disposable utensils, and then you watched him reach into the cooler and hold up a bottle of Prosecco and a bottle of a local craft beer. You pointed to the Prosecco, and he opened it for you as you said, "I know you told me you don't have much family, but you mentioned your mom? And how she always made you clean your plate?" You couldn't help but be curious, especially since you'd already told him a bit about your own family through email.

"Yeah," he replied evenly as you took a sip of Prosecco right from the bottle when he didn't hand you a cup. It was sweet and cold, but you almost choked on it when he said, "She died years ago. So did my old man. He was in the Navy, too."

"Bradley," you gasped, sloshing some of the wine onto your fingers as you tried not to drop the bottle. "I'm so sorry." He just shrugged and waved you off, but you ended up with your arms around his neck and the cold bottle pressed to his back as you whispered, "Is that why you didn't really have anyone writing to you other than me and my class?"

His big hand found your lower back through the sweatshirt. "Baby, the only other person who ever writes to me is my best friend, and even that is pretty sporadic."

You pulled away a little bit to meet his eyes as you asked, "What about Vanessa? The human, not the dog."

Bradley laughed and said, "The dog would make a better pen pal than the human. Probably be nicer to me, too."

You were completely taken aback. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He kissed your cheek before getting you settled at his side again, and you watched him scoop some noodles onto his fork. "Means she's not like you. And I'm going to try my best to prove that I'm not like your ex boyfriend who didn't like it when you talked about your job. Shouldn't be hard since I already think your kids are so cool, and I probably read at about a fourth grade level."

"Bradley," you balked as you laughed that he remembered what you told him about your ex, but he was already holding the food out to you.

"Try this and tell me what you think." You took the fork from his hand, tasted the dinner and moaned in appreciation. "It's pretty great, right?"

"Oh my goodness," you told him, digging the fork into the container for more. "It's even better than the place by my school."

You tried the curry next as the sun just about hit the horizon, and Bradley casually said, "We can do this all the time. Or I can surprise you with dinner after work."

"It's not a surprise if you tell me that," you told him before taking another sip of the wine.

"You don't like surprises," he said with a smile, and you realized for the second time tonight that he probably remembered everything you ever told him. The butterflies were back in full force as you and he chatted while you shared the meal. It wasn't like a first date at all. It was like some highly romantic reunion where he kissed you with a bit more frequency as the food containers ended up empty and the sky turned purple.

He was so warm as you snuggled up against his chest with your head on his shoulder. As the first few stars appeared in the clear sky, his big hand came to rest on your thigh, his fingers dipping inside the hem of your dress as the breeze made you cuddle even closer to him. "Was your last mission dangerous?" you asked, remembering how apprehensive he looked and sounded over the FaceTime call.

When he didn't respond right away, you thought perhaps he didn't hear you, but he squeezed your thigh and cleared his throat. "All of them are, Gorgeous."

Your heart clenched. You had him here with you after months of wishing and dreaming. You didn't want to seem pushy by asking, but you couldn't help yourself. "I never thought about what it would be like to... be with someone who deploys for work. Not until we started talking. But now I think about it a lot." His soft grunt next to your ear had you quickly asking, "Is that what it would be like? Always worrying if you're okay? Always wondering if you miss me as much as I miss you?"

He took your breath away as he kissed you, parting your lips with his and tasting your tongue. His lips were sweet from the wine, and his nose bumped yours as his big hand slid around to the back of your thigh. All you could do was hold onto him as he treated you to kiss after toe-curling kiss. You shamelessly moaned his name when he finally let you take a breath, but then he was right back on you. Your fingernails scraped softly along his faded scars before digging into his hair, and he broke the kiss and held you to him.

"You would never have to worry about the last bit. I would make sure of that. But yeah, Baby, the rest of it would kind of suck."

The only thing you could say was, "Bradley," as his eyes searched your face in the darkening evening light.

"I would have been miserable," he whispered. "If you never sent that first package, I would have had nothing to look forward to each day and nothing I was excited to come back to San Diego for." His voice was impossibly deep and alluring as he said, "I thought about that a lot. What if you never sent it? Or what if someone else got it instead of me? What if I didn't somehow manage to earn your attention? I don't like thinking about that. And I don't like the idea of you worrying about me even though, at the same time, it feels really fucking good knowing that you would."

You were melting. You were going to turn into a puddle for this man. This lonely man who had an ex who hadn't been nice to him and never emailed him enough. This man who cleared his calendar today to bring you flowers and visit your kids as soon as he got off of the aircraft carrier. You wanted to say so much as you pushed gently on his shoulders, and Bradley slowly leaned back until he was laying flat with you on top of him.

"Gorgeous," he crooned in the moonlight with the sound of the ocean behind you and his big hands on your thighs. 

You pushed his hair back from his forehead and whispered, "You just got back today, and you gave all of your time to me."

His cheek was warm and rough with some stubble as your lips found his scars. You kissed them just like you told him you wanted to as he said, "It was just me being selfish. I wanted to be around you so badly. I'm already dying for more. Please go out with me again tomorrow?"

It took you all of a split second to agree. And maybe you were being selfish too, but you weren't prepared for the way your heart was racing in time with the butterflies. And how warm his big hands were as they inched up your legs while you tasted his tongue. And how much you knew you were going to want him to stay when it was time to say goodnight.

---------------------------

Your hands were all over his face and shoulders and in his hair, and Bradley was nothing short of delighted by this. Your lips drifted from his mouth down to his chin, and he had to try very hard to focus as they grazed his Adam's apple. He had your apartment keys in his hand, with which he was also squeezing your hip though his sweatshirt. It felt serendipitous that he was the one who got your letters, especially since he went from halfway in love with you to most of the way there after one day in your presence.

"Baby, you need to go inside," he warned, but something in his tone of voice just had you clinging tighter to him. "I need you to go inside."

You broke free from where your lips ended up on the side of his neck, and you whined. "I know, Bradley."

"God," he rasped, releasing you completely and taking a step back. "Say it one more time."

You unlocked your door, turned to look at him over your shoulder, and your kiss-swollen lips curled into one of those simply gorgeous smiles that earned you your nickname. "Bradley."

It sounded so fucking good. "I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered. "Lock the door behind you."

You did as you were told with one more little smile just for him, and then he was left standing there alone, trying to catch his breath while he got his phone out and worked on taking date number two from daydream to reality.

-------------------------------

Why is he like this? They are going to get even more handsy on their second date, and I can't handle it. And he can't even go more than a day without seeing her? He needs to be locked away. Thanks for reading! And thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 10

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[pseudowho]

Infiltration, Chapter Eight: Unchained

Nanami Kento and the reader must pretend to be married to infiltrate a deadly Curse-user cult and take it down from the inside.

*SMUT/NSFW/18+*

THE FINAL CHAPTER!!

A slow-burn fic with fluff/comfort, angst, smut and heroics from our favourite salaryman.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Kento broke into a jagged run, as an almighty roar burst from the writhing mass above him, the many faces within it screaming in shrill tandem. Kento stumbled, slipping in the rot, cutting his palms open on shards of bone and gristle on his way to you, still hanging, chained, against the wall.

Kento's hands clamped instantly to your face, crying out in disgust and panic as he smeared it with blood and rancid muck. His hands roamed you desperately, from chains, to face, to sliced belly, to waist, to chains, uttering frantic breaking moans-- "no no no, darling please, wake up, I can't do this, I can't do this, please, please". Your pale, lax face shot through him like shards of ice and he sobbed, pressing open-mouthed kisses to your mouth, trying to push life from his own body to yours.

His shredded palms settled on your chains, and Kento roared in frustration as he felt his Cursed-energy output dwindle to nothing the moment he touched them. Kento spun, dropping to his knees and scouring the floor for anything he could use. His hands were scattered, stinging, and landed on a discarded, gouged long-bone; a femur, mostly intact. The biblical darkness crept closer above him, hungry, eager, tentacles and limbs slapping down the walls of this vast deep well towards you.

Brandishing the femur as a weapon, imbuing it with every shred of power he had, Kento stepped into the hit and slashed the wall above your chains in a devastating blow. A spray of damp brick and rubble had the wall buckling, and as the chain's tethers were released, your body slumped downwards. Kento caught you, shielding you from the falling debris, cradling you in his arms as he, you and the chains slapped to the slick icy floor.

Clutching your body to his, Kento begged you to live, begged the empty chamber around him for help-- "I can't-- I can't help you-- don't go yet please don't go yet, we can make it, you can make it...fuck, please!" His trembling hand crept to your belly, glugging blood in lazy, weakening pulses, and Kento's eyes drifted closed.

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"I can get her to Shoko, Nanami-san. It won't be a problem...I know you hate working late. I'm sorry."

"This isn't work. This is...something more. I needed to be here. She needed--" Kento's voice cut off as Ijichi continued to bow his head in apology before him. Kento felt the first heavy splatters of warm summer rain, the sky pregnant with humid downpour. Kento looked to you-- bloody, eyes fixed in mute horror, wrapped in his suit jacket in the passenger seat of his car.

Kento tipped his face back towards the sky, eyes closed, Ijichi unable to see how his face twisted in helpless agony, rage, disgust. He felt the heavy spatters of raindrops on his cheeks, his glasses. He did not know for how long he stood, still. His beige suit had turned tan, his navy shirt sodden, stuck to him, black and warm in this tropical storm.

He wished to be wiped clean. He wished you could sleep and forget. He wished to be baptised and ordained in the arms of someone more powerful than him. He wished, he wished, he wished.

Kento blew it all away, smooth and restrained as he felt trickles run down him, from his shoulders to his belly. He looked back down to Ijichi, his glasses removed and pocketed now, his gaze passive, authoritative.

"She's uninjured. No need to make any more work for Shoko. I'll get her home and...and safe." Ijichi's face contorted in apology again-- not vague apology; sincere apology, grief for the unlived life he had to administrate.

Ducking under the un-trickling veil once more, Kento reached his car, hesitating for just a moment on the door handle before stepping in, sodden against his leather seats. With barely a sideways glance to you, he reached over, the backs of his fingers ghosting over your bare arm. With a grunt, Kento rumbled the engine to life, setting the heaters to maximum.

Kento twisted in his seat, unbelted, and gently grasped your hands. As if dead, in rigor mortis, your limbs refused movement, tight against yourself as Kento tried to urge your hands towards the air vents. He huffed lightly as you trembled, trying to draw your hands back.

"I can't bring her back," Kento strained, his voice tight with regret, "but I can keep you warm. Please. Darling."

Your arms relaxed, melting under Kento's warmth and urgency, and you allowed him to press your hands to the leather-sweet whoosh of warm air. You trembled, nauseous and numb. You stayed this way as Kento reached around you, threading the belt and buckling you in before fixing his own. The car rolled to a start. You had little to no memory of the journey home.

Kento had carried you to your door, seeming so small in his arms, in his suit jacket. Placing you down with utmost delicacy, Kento gripped your upper arms as if afraid you'd fall, before cautiously letting go. He eyed your lock, and surveyed you; no keys, he surmised. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an army knife, multi-functional, well-used, Scandinavian branded. Within seconds, the lock of your door was jimmied open and you were ushered inside.

You had vague memories of being lovingly cleaned with a bowl of warm water, a gentle soft cloth meticulously cleaning blood from your fingernails. Of being verbally dressed, Kento's voice smooth and encouraging outside your bedroom door as your shaking hands pulled pyjamas on. Of being fed, hot soup brought in steady mouthfuls to your lips. Of being tucked into bed, hair stroked out of your free-flowing tears. Of his steadfast presence in the armchair beside your bed as you drifted into an uneasy sleep.

You awoke, your home empty, the apologies for which seemingly drifting like dust-motes in the air around you. Kento had cooked, cleaned, left fresh clothes out for you.

In your shame, and your grief, you saw yourself as a burden. Kento gave you space, always wondering if it was too much or too little.

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There was a pause between heartbeats as panic ebbed away. Kento felt a wave of warmth sweep through him, ushering him, as soft as a wave, to a state above his own body, outside himself, as weightless as a breath. The wave swept back out to sea, taking Kento's warmth with it; he gave it, its strength amplified through his willingness, trickling out through fingertips.

With a gasp and a thump, Kento's heart started again, and you twisted, coughing in his arms, gripping his biceps with cold fingers. Kento choked, gasping and coughing, and you climbed up his lap, your eyes feverish with pain and confusion. Kento swayed, drained.

"You're back-- you're...you're back," he stuttered in disbelief, shaky hands lifting your top and stroking reverently across your intact belly, before rising up to cup your face, his eyes brimming with relief, adoration, joy. You shook, wet cold seeping into your bones, still feeling the handle of death's door in your grasp.

"Kento...what did-- what did you--" Your voice trailed off, disbelieving as you knelt, wet-steel-chafing chains clanking on your wrists. With matching soft smiles, you leaned towards each other, foreheads pressed, clinging in the dark.

As you opened your mouth to speak again, you felt an instinctual sting run down your spine as something powerful, something old stabbed out of the gloom behind you. You grasped Kento, rolling him sideways with you, and felt the air split beside your cheek as a foul black tendril shot like a lance, missing you by a hair's breadth and piercing, instead, into the brickwork on the opposite side of the well.

Kento lay on his side, stunned-- he hadn't felt anything approach. He and you had almost been impaled. His near-fatal exhaustion left him reeling, scraping the barrel, his Cursed-energy depleted by the first and only successful Reverse-cursed technique of his life. He couldn't feel the toes on his broken leg now, and, concerningly, the burning pain had reduced to dull, hot throbs.

As blood whooshed through his ears, sound crept back in and he heard you-- "...up! Kento, get up, we've got to go, we've got to get ou--" Kento felt you stand and draw his arm over your shoulders, and you lifted him with the vigour he had sacrificed to bring you to life.

You roared with exertion as you half-dragged, half-carried Kento partway across the chamber, until he seemed to find his own again, and stumbled with you, his pale face clenched with determination. Ugly crunches shook the ground behind you. Diamond-tipped black tendrils stabbed through the dark, missing you both, rending the ground as the eldritch horror above you roared, hungry, hungry, hungry.

Reaching the rungs of the ladder clinging to the well, you gazed up, stomach sinking as you realised the corrupted goddess blocked your ascension to safety, even if you did both make it up the ladder unscathed. In mute devastation, you gaped. Kento pressed his palms to the wall, pressing his ear flat to it, knocking experimentally with grazed knuckles.

As Kento stepped backwards, drawing back a fist to bring the wall down, seeking a break in the foundations, the fast approaching black tendrils retreated upwards with a snap and a screech-- you both heard shouts above, and the Goddess bellowed, jagged and shrieking, in pain, under attack.

"Nanami! Nanami?" Kento stepped forward, eyes skyward at the sound of Ino's voice. The Goddess reeled backwards, uncovering the surface of the well, and a rumble sounded above, debris falling as she slammed into the walls of the Shrine. Hope sprang up in both of your throats, wordlessly clutching hands as the sounds of battle sprang down the well.

"Nue!" A great masked owl swooped down towards you, landing with a skid, bones crunching beneath its great talons. Upon its back, Megumi leaned forwards, reaching a hand out to you. You faltered as Kento pushed you forwards, and you dug your heels in.

"No, Megumi. Kento first. He's injured." Kento spun to you, clench-jawed and fuming before you pushed him to Megumi. Before Kento could argue, Megumi pulled him towards Nue, and Kento stumbled, clambering upon great red feathers before urging you up into his lap, his thick forearms bound around your waist. With a gut-lurching jolt, the ground leapt away beneath you, and you and Kento felt the frigid slap of snow against your cheeks above the rim of the well.

Landing upon the ground, stepping off, your vision filled with the dreadful horror of the corrupted Goddess. You gasped, recognising the naked human form at its core, buckling under the weight of the twisting bodies and tendrils bursting from its back, vast, almost filling the huge hollow chamber. The woman who had spat venom at you, beaten you to within an inch of your life, on only your second night in the village--

"Emi," you breathed. The pale form of the woman was as a corpse, animated and possessed, as the poisoned Goddess poured out of her, the vessel too small for her containment. Kento was momentarily paralyzed beside you, stunned and reliving his final fight with Haibara Yuu, against a Cursed local deity; boyish terror stripped him bare, no longer a man, no longer a young adult, just a child, a boy, left to fight alone in the dark--

"I'll go," Kento forced, desperate to make amends, bile churning in his belly. You spun to him, to argue, and he interrupted, "I'll go. This needs to end, we need to finish her--"

You stared at Kento in disbelief. You stared into the chaos around you, at brutal short battles being waged between the sorcerers of Tokyo and the remaining few cult members. You stared at Ino, Megumi, Yuuji, Maki, Nobara...all fighting desperately, to keep the eldritch Goddess at bay, fighting a losing battle. You ran your hands in anguish through puzzle pieces, desperate, desperate--

"...but they're dead," you spat, as Kento gripped your shoulders, breathing heavily in his agony, frowning, questioning.

"I...what?" Kento was drowsy, drunk with threatened collapse. His eyes blurred as you nodded frantically to him, cupping his face in your palms.

"The people...the people they fed to the Goddess, they're dead, but that Cursed-energy...is too much to be her own. If they're dead, their Cursed-energy should have died with them."

You watched as the information trickled into Kento, his slim brown eyes flickering as his mathematical brain whirred, remembering Father Tatsu, remembering the brothers' techniques...

"...well no, he...the Father he...stole the peoples' Cursed-energy first and imbued the Goddess with it, to...to make her strong."

With a dull thud of realisation, Kento understood. Ino hit the floor with a sickening crash beside him, scrabbling upright again, his bloody nose oozing out through his balaclava. The Goddess shrieked, black arms flailing, now some eerie creature of the deep, and wildly overpowering the team sent to destroy it.

"Fuck," Ino spat, lurching sideways, staggered, "how is it so fucking strong?"

"The Father who originally transferred all the Cursed energy is still alive," Kento barked, "Father Shinzu. It's the only way, if the original Cursed energy owners are dead." With a hopeful pang, Kento realised the same applied to Father Tatsu, who would be rendered all but harmless with the death of his brother.

"So, kill the transfer-guy, Goddess goes back to being a pussycat, yeah?" Ino nodded, joining the ranks of sorcerers now backing away from the writhing Goddess, "Oh! Almost forgot..."

Reaching behind his back, Ino pulled something harnessed from under his sweatshirt. Kento could have cried to see his spotted blunt-blade, heavy and trustworthy in his hands again. Kento felt he had nothing left to give, but was suddenly safer with his beloved weapon to fight alongside. Kento squeezed Ino's shoulder, and Ino almost melted at the strength of silent thanks passed through him by his mentor.

Reaching out for your hand, Kento impeached you with eyes and words; "come with me," he pressed, leaning down, nose to nose, "we finish this together, or not at all." Hands grazing his jaw, pressing your lips and forehead slowly to his, you nodded.

"Together," you whispered. Kento gripped you by the waist, bound together, as much for him as for you.

"Ino," Kento rumbled, "you hold her off. We'll kill the Father. This will all be over." Ino grinned, saluting, and turned to take charge of the motley crew of sorcerers.

Looking keenly at Kento, you saw the slow blink of his eyes, the slight slump of his shoulders, how his grip wasn't as true on his blade as usual.

"Yuuji," you called, and the boy turned to you with wide eager eyes, "Nanamin's hurt. Come with us." Kento frowned at you again, cross at having been identified as weakened. Yuuji looked at his father-figure, concerned, afraid. With a pause and brief hesitation in the swirling snow, Kento nodded once. Yuuji bounced to attention, the three of you hushing out through the snowstorm, beginning to make your way down the hill back to the Fathers' quarters in search of Father Shinzu.

Visibility was next to nil in this sea of white. The scarlet torii gate split through the storm, but it looked...warped, irregular, as if shattered by something, or someone--

Kento lifted you by the waist, throwing you into a snowdrift with a roar as an almighty crunch split the ground between you, a devastating seam running up the path towards the Shrine. Kento's ears rang, and when the sound faded, all he could hear was his own agonal gasping, so desperately exhausted.

Dust settled over the black crack in the earth; Father Tatsu stood, snarling in pain, twisted over, wrenching his fist from the earth.

"Enough of your interfering, Tsuda," he bellowed, convulsing like a wounded bear, "you and your slut can go hang." Kento snarled back, seeing red as gut-churning rage filled his belly at Father Tatsu's slur. Yuuji circled to the side, head low and ready to pounce. You were gone, lost somewhere in the snow drift.

Kento twizzled his blade once in his grip, before rocking forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he panned for scraps of Cursed energy, and found gold. He brought his blade down on the junction of Father Tatsu's neck and shoulder, and the old man crumpled to one knee, crying out in pain, his body woefully unable to contain his stolen power.

"You're dying," Kento hissed, teeth bared in fire and fury, "and you're taking us all down with you." Father Tatsu laughed, one hand on the blade, shaking, his teeth gory with the blood of his bitten tongue. He spat a thick glob of blood and phlegm into Kento's eyes, and Kento's head snapped involuntarily back. Father Tatsu took his chance, kicking Kento's injured leg out from beneath him.

Yuuji bullrushed Father Tatsu, all vigour and inexperience, and was hit with a gut-bursting blow to his belly. As Yuuji fell to his knees, retching and vomiting, Father Tatsu stood over him hands clasped together in one great fist, Cursed-energy belching out of him, to strike a deadly blow to the back of Yuuji's head.

A warning jangle rang behind Father Tatsu, and his head turned imperceptibly, too slow to stop you wrapping your arms round his neck, throttling him with the restraining chains still clamped to your wrists. The thin old skin of Father Tatsu's throat tore beneath the icy chains, their power dulling his Cursed-energy for a few crucial seconds.

"Now, Kento-- NOW!" you screamed, clinging to Father Tatsu as he bucked, strangled. Kento forced himself upwards, and the downy flakes seemed to slow around him, as he entered a state somewhere between rage and serenity. With a crack and flash of black and red, Kento brought his blade down on his own forced gradient.

Father Tatsu died instantly, split from neck to groin in an attack which sent you flying back in the snow. Skidding to a halt, you would remember Kento this way for the rest of your life; black long coat flapping in the wind, snowflakes melting into his bloodsoaked hair, heaving with white-knuckled rage against the monochromatic landscape.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

You would not allow Yuuji to kill the comatose old man, surrounded by his own weeping wife and begging nurses.

Shackled to life with cruel intention, brain dead after his efforts to combine Emi with the Goddess, Father Shinzu's bedroom was incongruously crowded by medical equipment. Sounds of life were replaced by regular, irritating bleeps, the mechanical hiss-whirr of a ventilator, the steady march of his own enforced heartbeat.

"I'm sorry," you choked, sincere and nauseous, walking forward with conviction, your fingers settling over pumps, and machines, and devices, the pretence of life, "it has to be this way. He has to die."

Father Shinzu's wife darted forwards as you began to turn off equipment. Her tearstained, twisted face broke your heart as you ended Father Shinzu's life support. Yuuji flung out an arm, holding her back, pale as he watched you work.

Father Shinzu's heart beat for only a few moments after the beeps of the equipment ceased...and the room soon rang with the reedy bleep of his heart flat lining, as his wife screamed at you to stop, furious helplessness in her eyes. Yuuji let go of her, turning with his face in his hands as Kento entered the room.

You stood, eyes closed and silently weeping. The overwhelming pulses of Cursed energy from the Shrine died with Father Shinzu. A few ear-splitting screeches from the top of the snowy hill...and, the unmistakeable silence of the grave.

"You bitch," Father Shinzu's wife screeched, lurching to her feet, rushing at you, and you had the barest moment to see a metallic glint in her hand, "you ungrateful bitch!"

A field of black in your vision- a dull thud, a gasp of air leaving lungs.

"Nanamin-- NANAMIN!"

Your hands shook, head shaking in silent disbelief as Kento dropped to his knees in front of you, and he stared, stunned, at the knife in his chest. He turned to look up at you, apologetic, questioning, confused.

You caught him before he slumped sideways to the floor, struggling to heave his bulk into your lap, sobbing and crying out for him as his breaths grew wet. Sound closed in on you as you begged Kento, hearing Yuuji beg the medical staff in the room for help, corralling them, grabbing them.

As you stared around for help, wild-eyed and sobbing, you felt a large, warm hand come up to cup your cheek. Kento coughed, lips stained with blood, as he gazed up at you with such a tender smile that you wracked with tears, clutching him to you.

"...love you...always knew-- I always knew--" You shook your head as Kento nodded, smoothing his thumb down your nose, across your cheeks, committing you to memory.

"You owe me a date," you wept, pressing your lips to his forehead, "you can't-- you owe me a date--" Kento chuckled, wet and weak...and silenced. You shook him. His body was loose on your lap, a soft smile fixed on his lips, his eyes drifting closed, the run of his blood over your lap stopping.

"Kento-- no-- KENTO!"

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

It was a crisp, bright day. Ijichi grieved its passing as he grieved the passing of friends, colleagues, strangers-- administrating, administrating, administrating.

Yaga Masamichi sat opposite Ijichi, a swirl of steam rising from the coffee pot between them. He flipped slowly through folders, an uninterpretable grunt voiced after each one.

"Too many dead," he stated, blunt and low. Ijichi hummed, solemn.

"Imbuing a fertility goddess with Cursed energy..." Ijichi sighed, "...and for what? A dead cult. Dead sorcerers. A dead goddess." Ijichi sighed again, deeper this time, "And so much paperwork."

"So much overtime," Yaga hummed. He stopped, reminded, "speaking of overtime, Ijichi...how is Nanami?"

Ijichi looked up, smiling.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

"...stab wound penetrating the left lung, one very broken leg, some cracked ribs from the CPR, abrasions...you're lucky the medical staff there helped you, Nanami."

Nanami grumbled, still aching and scarred, despite Shoko's efforts to heal him after Father Shinzu's doctors and nurses had intervened.

Shoko almost giggled, taking a long, slow draw on her cigarette, "I wouldn't have helped you if you'd just murdered my patient in front of me."

"The murder was all mine, actually," you piped up, batting away Kento's sore hands, buttoning up his shirt for him as he pressed his nose and lips to your hair, "but this guy, just can't stop himself from being a hero--"

"--darling, I was just doing my job--"

"-- swooping in at the last minute to save me--"

"--really now, you think I'd just let you--"

"--and he still owes me a date."

Kento laughed despite himself, fixing you with a stern look; "Darling...read the room."

You pursed your lips in mirth, cupping Kento's face in your hands, staring into each others' eyes, seeing only each other and the promise of a better life. Shoko smiled fondly at you both, tapping at her cigarette thoughtfully.

"I'd say you two deserve a holiday. A real one."

Kento leaned down, his lips ghosting over yours, basking in your warmth; "Where should we go, my love?"

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Infiltration is finiiiiiiiished! 🎇 ❤️ 🍾

Thank you so much to all my readers; those who have been, those who are, and those yet to come.

You've all made this so much fun.

Yours, faithfully,

Haitch xxx

[hornyfor-redacted-onmain]

Secret Secret Chapter 2

OT8 Straykids x reader, ABO AU

Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 3

He recovered a lot quicker than you did. "Uh, hi! You must be the new translator ... it’s, uh, nice to meet you."

You blinked, unable to take your eyes off his face. Now in broad daylight, you could see that the dark hair you had previously thought black was actually a dark brown, and his smile, although forced, revealed dimples you wouldn’t have been able to see under the mask.

When you introduced yourself, your voice sounded off even to yourself. You coughed, hoping the other two would just think you had something in your throat.

"Right. I'm Bangchan- I mean, my stage name is Bangchan. But you can call me Chan! Or Chris, or Channie, or uh ... whatever you want."

"What do I call you?"

"Hmm, you can call me Alpha."

It seemed that he remembered your past interaction at the same moment you did, because he physically winced. It took every inch of your willpower and having to physically bite down on your tongue to keep yourself from mentioning it.

Jeonhui took a seat next to the manager. "Well, I suppose we should get started."

You pulled your chair out harshly, the metal legs grinding against the tiles with a high-pitched squeak. Chan sat down across from you, but neither one of you looked at the other.

What followed was the most uncomfortable 20 minutes of your life.

The manager, Soojin, talked to you about upcoming activities and the responsibilities you’d be in charge of. Promotional activities, concerts, statements, along with any help that of the other staff members would need with translations. It was a lot of work, but it was doable.

The only thing that stopped you from agreeing immediately-

You lifted your head, meeting Chan’s gaze for the first time since the meeting started. He looked embarrassed at having been caught staring, his eyes flickering to the windows behind you, neck and cheeks slightly flushed. His scent was faint, and it made you want to lean in closer.

You swallowed, forcing yourself to look away.

Soojin took your silence as your answer. "If the schedule doesn’t work, we can put one of the other translators in your place. Youd be in charge of two to three groups at a time, but you’d be working with someone else as well. Our former translators have more experience with the other groups, which is why we would prefer not to move them around, but if it’s too much work-"

"I’ll do it," You cut him off.

You knew their offer had nothing to do with you being an omega. As far as they were aware, you were just a beta. You could take the opportunity, work with another group you’ve never met, never slept with, and have no issues or drama to deal with. But even if it was a logical choice, there was a part of you that hated the thought of running away.

"Are you sure?" Chans eyes were burning a hole in the side of your head.

You met his gaze head on. And you raised your eyebrow. "Will that be a problem?"

His eyes darted down to your lips, then your neck, and they hovered over your clothed body. The smell of tropical fruit got stronger for a split second. You were close enough to smell the hint of arousal in his scent.

Lips pressed against your neck, sucking softly at the skin. You pulled away with a whine.

"No marks, please. I have work."

There was a hand on your stomach, and it pushed your shirt up. His lips disappeared from your still wet neck, reappearing against the tops of your now exposed breasts.

"I assume you mean no marks where they can be seen?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm." He pressed a kiss to your skin, tongue darting out to glide from the tops of your breast towards your nipples. He teasingly pulled against them as he passed, moving to press another kiss just to the side. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," You said, voice breathless.

Chan swallowed roughly. "No. No problem."

He looked away, and with the confirmation from both parties, Soojin and Jeonhui began to set up your workload. While Jeonhui would still be in charge of you at the company, you would report and answer to Soojin for as long as you were working with Stray Kids. You didn’t know how long that would be, but you were determined not to let your special circumstances get in the way of proving yourself.

If you were going to show that omegas could keep up with betas, you couldn’t back out just because it would be hard.

"Well, that seems to be everything for now. I'll have the work sent to you this afternoon so you can get started early tomorrow morning."

The two heads stood up, and began to leave the office room, but Jeonhui paused at the doorway as if suddenly remembering you existed.

"I have to get back to my work now, but if you have any questions, feel free to stop by my office. I suggest getting to know the rest of the Stray Kids staff and members, since you’ll be working closely with them for a while."

And with that she left the two of you in the room alone. The door closed shut behind her with a loud 'click'. There was a moment of silence, before you darted up, trying to make your way to the door as quickly as you could without running.

"Wait!" You paused with your hand on the handle. You didn’t look behind you, but you heard him push his chair back and stand up. "Look, I know this isn’t an idea situation. But I think we should talk about this."

"What’s there to talk about? We slept together, we didn’t know we both worked for the same company, it’s an embarrassing situation, but it was a one-time thing."

He was silent for a moment, and you were tempted to peek at him, to see what expression he was making. His scent didn’t give anything away, which meant he was still next to the table.

When Chan spoke next, his voice was quiet. "What about ... your status?"

"Status? I’m single," You drawled, hand gripping the handle tighter.

"Thats not what I meant."

"Wasn’t it?"

"I’m just trying- Look, can you at least look at me? Please, I’m not trying to get you in trouble or anything."

You spun around, eyes narrowed. "Trouble for what? You know what I am, and if you really wanted to avoid causing any problems, then you should keep your mouth shut and never bring this up again."

"You're pretending to be a beta," he accused, taking a step forward. "You could get fired if they figure it out, or worse, they could sue you for lying on official documents."

"Don’t worry, I have a good lawyer," You shot back.

Chan took a step forward, and you held your breath as his scent wafted toward you. "How did you even do it? How long can you keep it up before they realize? You're wearing, what? A synthetic scent on you?"

"Synthetic scents have a distinct smell,” You said, looking at the windows. "Pheromone based perfumes don’t."

"Pher- You're wearing someone else’s scent? How do you even get that? Actually, forget it, I don’t want to know."

"You really don’t."

"Is this worth it? Faking your presentation to get a job? Risking the chance of getting blacklisted from the entire industry?! What are you going to do when you have a heat!?" Chan exclaimed.

You rushed forward, smacking a hand over his mouth. "Hey! Are you trying to tell the whole world? Keep your voice down." He blinked but didn’t move. "My life and my sub gender are none of your business. You and I both know those stupid company policies are bullshit, and I have every right to work here. I know the risks, I know the dangers, and I decided to do this despite them because it’s my dream. So don’t try and hit me with this fake sympathy of yours, because I’m not going to suddenly realize what a mistake I’ve made a give up. So do us both a favor, and just drop it, okay?"

You both stood there for a moment, the sudden silence deafening. Chan reached up slowly, hand lightly gripping your wrist and pulling your hand away from his mouth. "The rooms are soundproof."

"Huh?"

"The room? It’s soundproof. I wasn’t trying to reveal anything about you to the world, nobody would have heard it."

You gave him a deadpan stare. "Seriously? Is that all you took-"

"And you're right," Chan interrupted. "Those rules are borderline illegal with how discriminatory they are."

You narrowed your eyes. "You're agreeing with me."

He tilted his head in confusion. "Did you expect me not to?"

"A minute ago, you were telling me that I was stupid."

"I never said you were stupid," Chan said, squeezing your wrist gently. Then he let you go completely, taking a step back to put space between the both of you. "Just this ... situation."

"And I told you, I know the risks."

Chan’s jaw clenched. "Do you?"

"I wasn’t joking when I said I had a good lawyer," You reassured him.

"It’s not the legal problems that worry me. There are worse things that can happen than just losing your job," Chan said softly, crossing his arms.

You blinked once, then twice, before it dawned on you. "Oh."

"This industry ... it’s a blessing and a curse. Believe me. But there’s a dark side to it. Even though you don’t hear about it, or see it, you know it’s still happening. And there’s nothing we as artists can do about it."

You swallowed. "Thats not legal."

He gave you a 'no shit' look, and you winced, looking away. The sky outside had begun to darken, storm clouds rolling in over the city, and the growing realization was beginning to make your stomach turn.

"Look, it’s not something you have to worry about. Okay? I won’t let them find out about you. I'll protect you."

You found yourself snorting at that. "I can protect myself just fine, Chan."

"I ... I don’t doubt that."

Silence settled over the two of you again, and you awkwardly hugged your middle, rubbing your arms to warm them from the growing chill.

Rain drops began to splatter against the windows.

"So, what now?"

Chan looked away from the windows and met your eyes again, giving you a shy grin. "You do your job. I do mine. We pretend as if today is the first time we ever met."

"And about ..." You gestured to yourself.

"I can keep a secret," he reassured you.

"Okay."

"Just-" Chan hesitated, biting his lip for a second before he regained his composure. "Just promise me you'll be safe."

"I will," You promised.

"And if you need help, come find me." There was a fire in his eyes, a determination to do right, but there was also a lingering worry in the way his lips pressed together.

You nodded your head. "I will."

-0-0-

You took Jeonhui’s suggestion, heading down to the first place she had shown you that morning. There were a handful of offices in the building for staff that dealt with management or advertisement, but the translators themselves only had two rooms, sharing the rest of the floor with the stylists.

You had already met the other translators briefly, but if you would be working directly with Stray Kids, you would be meeting with their personal staff members a lot more than with other translators.

You figured you’d start with the stylists, since you knew where to find them.

The first person you ran into looked like they were in a hurry, carrying a box full of scraps, so you didn’t bother them. Instead, you walked over to a young woman with blonde hair. She was holding up a long-sleeved mesh shirt in one hand, a bright purple fuzzy crop top with the other.

As you walked over to her, she layered the crop top over the mesh shirt, and you saw a vision begin to take place, the combination looking surprisingly good together.

“Who’s that for?” You wondered.

The girl looked up in surprise, giving you a wide-eyed look. “Uh, Lia. For their upcoming comeback.”

You nodded in understanding. “ITZY, right?”

“Yeah.” The girl trailed off with her response, eyes furrowed. “Sorry, who are you?”

“Oh, right. Sorry. I’m the new translator.”

She perked up. “Ah, I heard about you! You’re the one they’re assigning to Stray Kids, right? I heard they were going on tour soon, and they needed a personal translator. Something about having issues on the TWICE tour.”

“Yeah, they had a couple scheduling issues in America, almost didn’t get a replacement on time. They didn’t want a repeat of it happening again, so they decided to hire translators to work directly for them, that way they wouldn’t have to rely on finding one in each city.”

The girl smiled. “Well, in that case, welcome to the JYP family. I don’t think we’ll be seeing much of each other though.”

You nodded your head. “I was actually hoping to meet some of the stylists for Stray Kids? I wanted to get to know some of the staff.”

“Oh, I think Maya’s here today. She had to do some re-measurements for Changbin.”

“Don’t even get me started,” Another young woman said as she walked in behind you. Following behind her was a dark-haired man wearing an oversized hoodie, carrying three shirts in his arms. “I mean, two sizes in a month. I can’t keep making adjustments the day before your performances, Changbin!”

“Speak of the devil,” The blonde-haired girl muttered.

She mouthed ‘good luck’ to you and turned away, practically running off into the corner. The newcomer, who you assumed was Maya, had reached one of the many cluttered desks in the room to grab a pen and a piece of paper, angrily writing down numbers. The dark-haired man paused next to her with a pout.

“Sorry noona.”

“Don’t ‘sorry noona’ me. Just do me a favor and take it easy this week, okay? You keep building more muscle and your shirt will rip on stage. Or worse, your pants!”

“Okay, I understand.”

Maya turned back around, grabbing the shirts from Changbin’s arms, and moved to place them onto a pile of clothes stacked haphazardly on a spare chair. She paused as she put them down, eyes meeting your own.

“Um, hi?”

“Hi,” You said, lifting up a hand to wave awkwardly to her. “Maya, right?”

She slowly straightened up, eyeing you up and down. “Who’s asking?”

You introduced yourself to her, giving her a small bow. “I’m the new translator.”

“Right, nice to meet you. Do you need something?”

Her harsh tone threw you off. She had long dark hair that fell in soft curls over her shoulders, her eyes a piercing green that complemented her dark green sweater perfectly, and if it wasn’t for the ugly scowl she wore, you would have considered her beautiful.

You weren’t sure how to deal with this situation. You figured if you told her the truth, that you just wanted to introduce yourself to all of the staff members, she’d probably find it unimpressive. You felt like you had already gotten off on the wrong foot.

You couldn’t find your words, mouth opening and closing twice as you struggled to come up with an excuse that wouldn’t make you look like a total idiot in front of this beautiful woman, and you were thankful for your scent blockers for hiding your distress.

Changbin came to your rescue without even realizing. “You’re the new translator? Hi!”

He distracted Maya enough that you came to your senses, immediately turning to the rapper instead. “Yeah, that’s me. I was told to introduce myself to staff and members, it’s nice to meet you.”

Introducing yourself to a stylist was apparently weird, but introducing yourself to a member of the team you would be working for? Totally logical.

They didn’t need to know that you had no idea one of the members would be here.

Changbin gave you a nod of acknowledgment, but Maya just shrugged. “Right, okay. Nice to meet you, you can go now.”

It was dismissive, and it rubbed you the wrong way. But you weren’t looking for a confrontation, not after your earlier one with Chan, so you reluctantly bowed to the two beta’s and took your leave. The blonde-haired girl gave you a sympathetic look as you passed her.

You made it to the elevator, deciding that maybe you should just give up on introductions and go home at this point, when a voice called out from down the hall.

“Hey, hold the door!”

It was Changbin, and he was running to catch up to you. You threw your hands in between the closing doors at the last second, stopping them from closing and allowing the rapper to make it onto the elevator. He shuffled in with a little huff of laughter, moving to stand next to you. The doors closed properly, and the elevator began to move down, but you noticed he made no moves to press any floor numbers.

“I’m sorry about Maya. She isn’t usually like that, I just left her in a bad mood,” He said, clearing his throat. “I hope you don’t hold it against her.”

You shook your head. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind, really, it’s just been a long day.”

“Have you met any of the other members yet?” He asked you.

The elevator reached the lobby, and the doors opened, but you didn’t move. You thought about Chan, who you had left in the meeting room upstairs less than half an hour ago, and wondered what he was up to now. Had he disappeared off to the studio? Had he gone back home?

Did the thought of you affect him as much as it still affected you?

You took a deep breath, your nose assaulted with the smokey scent of burning wood. It reminded you of summer camp, making smores by the campfire, telling scary stories in the dark, and awkward first kisses with your schoolyard crushes. It was comforting, somehow.

The elevator doors began to move, and you reached out once again to keep them from closing. “Yeah, I met your leader earlier.”

“Nobody else?”

“Haven’t had the chance yet, no.”

The elevator closed on your hand again.

“Hmmm. You should stop by the practice rooms tomorrow. You can meet the other members, and I can introduce you to our makeup noona’s afterwards,” he offered.

You blinked in surprise. “That … that sounds like a great idea, actually. Thank you.”

He smiled at you, and it was cheeky and genius at the same time. “Happy to help.”

The elevator doors hit your hand once more, and you finally moved to leave the elevator. Changbin reached over to press one of the floor numbers, and as the elevator doors finally started to close, he winked at you.

You shook your head in amusement. You said goodbye to the man working the front desk, the same one from the day you had shown up for your interview, but he only glanced at you as you passed.

-0-0-

“No fucking way.”

“Yes way.”

Sooyoung shook her head in amazement. “You fucked your boss. Oh my god, you fucked your boss!”

“He’s not really my boss,” You said with a laugh. “He’s more like my client.”

“Still! I mean, you know what his dick looks like.”

You winced. “Actually, I don’t?”

“Ah, too preoccupied with other stuff, huh? You naughty girl.” Sooyoung gave you an exaggerated wink, and you laughed so hard you snorted.

“Oh my god, shut up. I meant that I didn’t actually see anything because I was blindfolded.”

“What?! Oh my god you kinky bitch, I should have known!” Sooyoung exclaimed.

“It wasn’t my idea!”

“Oh my god, your boss is the kinky bitch?!”

“Sooyoung!”

She cackled, and it was contagious, making you join her immediately. The two of you had just finished dinner, a quick meal that Sooyoung had made, and were now sitting on the couch talking over a bottle of wine. You had let her complain about the PE teacher and her harsh comments for about an hour before you finally decided to let her in on your new development, knowing just how much she loved a good drama.

She was reacting just as expected.

“Wait, why were you blindfolded?”

“Well, I know now it was so I wouldn’t recognize him as an idol, but in the moment I kind of just thought maybe he was shy, or insecure, or something,” You explained.

“It definitely seems obvious to me that he was a celebrity of some kind, but I guess you were a lot more distracted with … other things,” Sooyoung said, wiggling her eyebrows at you.

You didn’t have the energy to argue. Especially because she was right.

“Tell me if it’s too tight,” He whispered, a soft cloth brushing against your eyelids.

His scent was heavy, your mind hazy from the arousal. When he finished tying off the blindfold, he leaned against your back, his mouth pressing a soft kiss to the juncture of your neck. You tilted your head to the side, an ache to feel his teeth pressing against the skin running through you and causing slick to drip down your thighs.

You let out a whine.

“Easy baby girl. I got you.”

His warmth disappeared, and you opened your eyes. The blindfold made it so that you could make out the shadows of the dark room, a vague shape of a person as they removed their clothes. You reached down to grab the hem of your own shirt.

“No, don’t,” He said, voice thick. “Let me.”

“So that’s it then? You’re just going to … pretend it never happened?” Sooyoung wondered.

You shook your head to clear your thoughts. “Yeah, I guess.”

Sooyoung downed the rest of her wine in one gulp. “You don’t sound very happy.”

“It’s not like I have a choice. This isn’t just some random one night stand I can call back when I need an itch scratched. We’re going to be working together,” You said, swirling your own wine around your cup.

“Ah, forbidden love. How tragic,” Sooyoung mused.

You rolled your eyes. “It’s not a forbidden love. It’s not even love.”

“Hmm, you sure about that.”

You stuck your tongue out at her.

“What about the rest of your day? Anything interesting happen?”

The two of you continued to talk about your day until you grew tired, deciding to retire to bed early. You got ready for bed, making sure your alarm was set for work the next morning, brushing your teeth, and getting changed into your pajamas. You paused as you grabbed your t-shirt from on top of your dresser, a familiar scent reaching you. You lifted your shirt up to smell it, but the scent was faint.

You leaned down and spotted a stray piece of fabric hidden under your dresser. You pulled it out, revealing a tank top shirt that was much larger than any other you would wear, the smell of it making your chest ache in recognition.

Chan had left his shirt.

You remembered him leaving shortly after you two had finished. He had received a phone call, and whatever was said made him rush to get dressed. He had told you it was a ‘work emergency’.

You remembered him leaving with his sweater on, but you imagined that he had been unable to find his shirt where it had gotten thrown, and probably decided to just leave it.

You closed your eyes with a sigh, and your grip on the shirt tightened. The urge to breathe in his scent was strong, and it took everything in you to open up your bottom dresser drawer, the one where you held old or ripped clothes, and throw the shirt in.

You slammed the drawer shut.

[ritcchamadayo]

Please, Part 3 of Punk Jade, you're giving me more of a reason to simp for this man-

I will honestly GLADLY turn into a Jade-fic blog i am so far gone when it comes to this man... Sorry for the wait guys! Uni had me in a chokehold (again) but LETS GET BACK TO SIMPING

A Look Into The Past (Pt. 3)

Jade Leech x Reader ;

On a rare day off, Jade found himself pondering Professor Crewel's fashion tips when it came to styling his piercings but couldn't decide for himself. Who else to ask for opinions other than you?

(we're back again folks!! again thank you so much for the love on this fic!! I'll be considering posting this on Ao3 as a full series after this one XD THANK YOU!!!)

Reader is a Sophomore in this fic, just like the twins!

Read Part 1 Here! Read Part 2 Here!

"U-Um, so that's what you called me out for?" "Yes, exactly."

When Jade had contacted you saying that there was a "disaster", you certainly didn't expect the disaster to be the eel-mer's own wardrobe. You were surprised at the amount of clothes he had, but a few of them are quite... distasteful, to say the least.

When Jade wore his ear piercings to school the other time, he was stopped by none other but Professor Crewel and was given an earful about how to dress and act when wearing such flashy accessories. Granted, they were at school so it can't be helped, but Crewel made sure to make Jade remember his fashion tips for days off like today.

"Did Floyd get you this?" You hold up a purple shirt with a drawing of an eel, and big blocky text saying "Mentally Eel". You grimaced at how tacky the shirt was. "Ah, yes he did. Floyd has the habit of collecting anything eel-related in the surface world, you see."

You had to stifle a laugh at the thought. "Ah, that's where he got those eel keychains."

You rummaged through Jade's wardrobe (with permission, of course) and pulled out most of his clothes, gently putting them down and organizing them by type. There were a few normal button-up shirts, a pair of pajamas, Jade's hiking clothes and equipment, and let's not forget the winter clothes he wore on his trip to Harveston. (You wonder why he wore shorts AND leggings with his hiking wear, but you're not gonna question it.)

"What did Crewel say about them anyway? And uh, why me out of all people? I'm pretty sure someone like Vil or Cater could give you much better insight?" You ask. Jade tilts his head, pondering for a second. "Why, I suppose it's because you were the first person to pop up in my mind. I couldn't hope to bother our seniors, after all. Besides, your sense of fashion is quite good."

Bullshit reasoning. Or so you say, but you feel your ears heat up from the thought of Jade thinking of you. "Oh. I-I see." Jade wasn't lying when he said you had a good sense of fashion though, your choice of outfits on days off were always endearing to him. You were wearing a blouse paired with black overalls today, which looked both comfortable and fashionable at the same time.

"What did Crewel say?" "Hm... He said that a relaxed, mature look would suit for a lesser amount of accessories, to put it simply. Either that, or something simpler to accentuate the accessories if we were to wear more amounts."

Perhaps it's time for a little fashion show, then?

You quickly look around and pull out a few pieces of clothing- A pair of white pants and bright blue and yellow short sleeved shirt, giving off a bit of a tropical vibe. Jade took the clothes gratefully, putting them on the bed for him to change into.

"Oh? Are you perhaps going to watch me change, or~?" "I-I'M NOT! I'M LOOKING AWAY!!!" Your face shone red, quickly turning around to look at the door instead. Jade chuckled quietly, unbuttoning his shirt and taking them off. You can clearly hear the sound of him unzipping his pants as well, making you wipe your sweat off your forehead. (there's the urge to peek, but you better not.)

"Alright, I've finished changing. What do you think?"

You nervously turn around, and closely examined Jade in your chosen clothes. "It looks pretty good! I think a bit of a messier look would look nice with lots of accessories on your ears, like if you unbuttoned a few from the top of your shirt."

Jade complies, messing up his hair slightly and unbuttoning his shirt to reveal his collarbone, and you feel yourself regretting your words.

"I quite agree. The colors of the shirt pop with the addition of the white pants, and the silvers of the metal can be clearly seen."

"A-Ah, yeah!" (remember to look respectfully, dear) "Can you lean down for a sec?" Jade kneels down to your level sitting on the floor, and you take out a few of his accessories from the little wooden box he kept neatly inside his wardrobe. You picked up a few unused piercings and tried mixing and matching them on his ears, laughing when Jade comments your fussing over his ears tickles quite a bit.

"But it's not really your style, honestly... A flashy look like this kinda fits Floyd more." You comment, but deep down you think it wasn't a bad change of pace to see Jade in something other than buttoned-up shirts and suits. Turning back to the clothes pile, you pick out another set of clothes- this time, it was a comfy white turtleneck with black dress pants. You also found a brown trench coat in the depths of his wardrobe, which Jade said his parents' acquaintances gifted him for his birthday and he didn't know how to style it.

You looked back to the door once again as he changes out of the clothes, putting the new set on quickly and gracefully. "Oh, this definitely feels much more my style."

You turned around to see for yourself, and your eyes shone excitedly seeing him in the new getup. "Oh! Definitely!!" You cheered, giggling while at it. "You surprisingly suit the more mature-but-comfortable look, Jade." The eel-mer chuckles, sitting back down on the floor. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. What about the accessory choices, then?"

"Hmm... Crewel said that less is better in this getup, so just a little..." Picking up a few ring shaped ones, you carefully put a few piercings on Jade's ears- a simple look, consisting of the double helix on top of his ears and a couple of silver studs along his lobes.

"There! Well it isn't exactly a little either, but..."

Jade looked at the mirror in his room, a satisfied smile on his face. A smile that is neither shady, plotting, or emotionless- a genuinely happy smile. "My my, I was correct in assuming you had good taste in fashion. I'm rather confident in this look, actually. It's comfortable enough for me to move in, and yet still maintaining the fashionable aura from the coat."

You had a grin on your face, proud of your handiwork. "All thanks to you being a good model! And for having a variety of clothes I can choose from, haha."

You had quickly put the rest of his clothes back into his wardrobe after making a few other suggestions, and dusted yourself off as you stood up. "I should probably get going now, I wouldn't want to invade for too long." You say, stretching your arms and getting ready to get back to your dorm. You open the door, stepping out from his neat room.

"Ah, before that." Jade called out, following you outside. He quickly (and rather smoothly) took your hand in his, closing and locking up his room. "Since we're already in decent clothes, what do you say I take you on a small trip around Sage's Island? Perhaps we can stop by and grab some food. My treat of course, after you've oh-so graciously helped me."

Your cheeks heat up, and you feel your gaze lowering to stare at the floor instead of the man in front of you.

"...Is this your way of asking me out?" "Perhaps. Do you accept?"

You couldn't bring yourself to decline his offer. (Your empty stomach also couldn't.)

"S-sure then. I'd love to, Jade."

"Splendid. It's a date, then."

[taizi]

since your on a roll maybe a prompt with little sanji and little luffy. Mostly it be nice to see how fast the little monkey wants the blonde boy who can cook to be his friend. 5 year old luffy would see kid sanji and go, " want to be friends?"

x

The Orbit docks at Dawn Island. 

It’s a little farther out of the way than they usually sail, but there were very well-paying guests on board at what would have been the end of the cruise who wanted to be taken all the way to their home of Goa Kingdom. 

Captain Chas strikes up a conversation with the harbormaster, one seasoned sailor to another, and the harbormaster divulges that it might do him well to stay in port. The people of High Town love an excuse to spend their money on a good day, and with an upcoming visit from a Celestial Dragon, they’re even more inclined than usual to flaunt their wealth. Once word gets around that there is a luxury cruise ship at the wharf that offers fine dining and a cocktail lounge, they’ll show up in droves. 

“Make yourself scarce for dinner service,” the head chef warned Sanji very clearly. “These people will take offense as easy as breathing, and I don’t want to lose my best kitchen boy because some middle-aged noblewoman didn’t like the way his uniform was pressed.”

So once all the food was prepped and ready for service, and the staff was taking their last break of the evening before the rush, Sanji was shooed away by the grown-ups and told to entertain himself for the night. He goes easily enough, stopping by the bunkroom to change out of his white service uniform and into secondhand trousers and canvas shirt and boots. 

He doesn’t always get the chance to explore when The Orbit is at port, and he was warned to stay clear of High Town—but Sanji isn’t even looking toward the kingdom walls. He heads in the opposite direction, running down the pier toward the beautiful beach that stretches out of sight around the natural bend of the island. 

The waters are so clear. There are tropical flowers blooming along the coastline that add something fragrant to the sea-salt in the air. A gull cries overhead and Sanji imagines, just for a moment, what it would be like to find All Blue. 

Then he collides with someone hard enough that he goes sprawling backwards.

“Ow!” someone whines from right in front of Sanji. He lifts his head in time to look right into big brown eyes, all watery with hurt, as the little boy he ran into says petulantly, “You made me drop my fish!”

Bewildered, Sanji looks down. Sure enough, there are a handful of huge, colorful fish flopping weakly in the sand between them. They look too big to have fit in the kid’s scrawny arms in the first place.

“Sorry,” he says, for lack of a better thing to say. “The sand will come off easy when you scale them.”

The boy blinks. He rubs the rest of his crocodile tears away, smearing grubby fingers across a pencil-mark scar that curves beneath one of his eyes like a smile.

“Scale them?” he asks curiously. “They already have those.”

“No, you know, de-scale,” Sanji explains. “When you get the skin and scales off to cook them?”

He feels a little too big for his skin under the other child’s undivided inattention. Attention is usually a bad thing. Sanji has always been safer when no one knew he was there. He’s just barely gotten used to his kitchen supervisor hovering at his shoulder, reaching in to guide his hands away from a mistake. 

This boy is smaller than Sanji, though. Most of the people who want to hurt him are bigger. That makes it easier to talk to him.

“We just roast them on the fire and spit out all the yucky stuff!” the boy declares. 

Sanji thinks that’s the worst thing he’s ever heard. “What about the bones?” he says, not sure he’s ready for the answer.

“They’re crunchy but not big enough to choke on or anything.” 

Standing up abruptly, Sanji picks up two of the fish. They’re heavy, someone’s very lucky catch. The younger boy scrambles up, too, face contorted into a scowl and mouth opening around what is probably a very loud protest, but Sanji beats him to it. 

“Let me cook these for you properly,” he says firmly. “I’ll show you what fish is supposed to taste like.”

He watches wonder take over the boy’s face. He’s expressive, bouncing from one feeling to the next like he wouldn’t know the first thing about sitting still—not like the way Sanji’s brothers’ faces would always clutch onto anger or derision or mean-spirited glee for days, the way his father’s face was always chiseled into a displeased frown. 

This kid has cycled through half a dozen emotions in half as many minutes, and now he’s already moving onto something new. He smiles brightly, sand in his hair and tear tracks on his face and a gap in his smile from a missing tooth. 

“You’re a cook?”

Sanji nods, because that’s what he’s always wanted to be in his heart—but something in him that still shies away  from lying, even after weeks of pretending to be a displaced orphan to the kind people who took him in on The Orbit, makes him add, “Almost. I’m still learning. My name is Sanji.” 

“Sanji! I’m Luffy!” 

Luffy’s hands come up and catch on Sanji’s sleeve, sticky and stubborn, already tugging him in the direction Luffy wants him to go. Sanji has no idea, in that moment, that those hands are never, ever going to let him go. 

(If he did have any idea, he might have prayed again for the first time since mama died, just to say thank you.)

“Come meet my brothers,” Luffy demands, equal parts spoiled and sunny in a way that manages to just be charming. “But just remember, I found you first!” 

[kenjakusbrainstem]

Strangers on a Train (Geto Suguru x Reader)

Contains: cnc, groping, 'strangers', public sex, fingering, forced flashing, 'cheating', cum eating, size difference, reader being manhandled.

I'm not quite sure what made me write this other than my attempt at writing consensual non consent. The idea of someone (specifically Geto) wanting to go along with reader's fantasy of groping in public is just so hot to me. Wrote most of this in one sitting, the end was a bit of a mess though, hopefully its enjoyable! Hopefully the end is obvious enough that you can tell it was Geto the whole time. As always, reblog/comment if you enjoy! I love you all!

For a Saturday morning, the metro was a lot busier than you had anticipated. You weren't expecting too much of a crowd, but as you stepped into your usual car you were almost overwhelmed by the amount of people.

You hoped the ride would have had some bench space, as you weren't dressed for standing in a crowd. Today's plans involved a beach date with your loving boyfriend, Suguru Geto. Unfortunately you had to take a 30 minute train ride to get to the beach you were meeting him at. Your clothes little more than a cover up for the swimsuit you wore instead of underwear, and the main cover you wore being the fishnet stockings covering your legs.

Moving against the crowd a bit you planted yourself near the back exit of the train car. There weren't any seats available so you found yourself standing. Not quite against the wall, as a large man with a hat, glasses, and a bored look on his face leaned against the wall looking at the phone in his hands.

You payed the stranger no mind. There was only one stop between you and your fun beach date, maybe a seat would clear up by then.

As the train lurched forward you reached a hand up to grab the rail above your head for balance. You felt your phone vibrate against your skin. Pulling it out of the waistband of your short skirt you saw a new message from your boyfriend.

Waiting for you ♡ it read. You smiled to yourself, he was always thinking of you. Lowering your hand from the bar to text back, you weren't ready when the train jostled a little. Nothing to be alarmed about, but enough to push you into the tall man in front of you.

Your face crushing into his chest, arms reaching for support and grasping his biceps.

"I'm so sorry," you whispered, not wanting to draw any attention to yourself. You felt your face flush with embarrassment.

Before you could straighten yourself, you felt a large hand on your hip steadying you. The grip was tight, unexpected. You were too nervous to look up at him so you brought a hand to rest on top of his before pushing it away. The fingers drug down your leg across the fishnet material before returning to his own side.

Nervously you placed your phone back into the waistband and smoothed out your short skirt. His large hand had made you more anxious about your clothing choice. You weren't small in any sense of the word, but the way his hand had engulfed your hip made you blush from more than just embarrassment.

As you stood, you tried to pay more attention to your surroundings and less to the body in front of you. Glancing around you noted that the car was full mostly of people that looked like they were on their way to work. A sea of mostly men in suits.

You suddenly felt another brush against your thigh, making you almost jump out of your skin. Quickly looking down you saw the man's knee bent and gently pressing in between your plush thighs. You pressed your thighs closer together, but as you did he removed his knee. He continued to stand there as if nothing had happened.

You noted his clothing, the board shorts and tropical print shirt a contrast to those around you. Not unlike yourself. However upon looking up to note his facial features, you noticed a black face mask. The rest of his face was mostly obscured by a hat, his long black hair pulled up under it.

It was probably an accident anyway, you were both just standing on a moving train. Still the feeling of his skin rubbing against your partly clothed thighs gave you a feeling in your guts you didn't want to label.

You moved to step back a little, to create some more space between the two of you. Unfortunately you happened to step on the back of someones foot.

"Watch it!" a voice harshly whispered before elbowing you in the back. The jab you weren't expecting causing you to once again fall into the large stranger's chest.

This time, both of his hands came to rest on your hips, pressing your body tightly against his own.

Trying to keep your sound of shock in, you bit your lip as you wiggled against his grip.

He held you tighter against his noticeably sturdy body. You could feel his musculature through the thin shirt he wore.

Suddenly you felt him lifting you off of the ground and switching your spots. He sat you down as swiftly as he'd lifted you. The strength it must have taken to move you so quickly and gently had you too stunned to speak.

"Now that you're against something solid maybe you'll be less clumsy," the man's quiet voice whispered in your ear. His hands gripped your hips tighter before falling away. One coming up to the rail above your head, he leaned slightly into your space as he stood.

You looked down and leaned back, pressing into the wall trying to disappear. This whole situation was embarrassing! It was also very shameful for you, as the feeling of being manhandled in such a way lit a fire in your guts that was reserved for you darling Suguru.

Crossing your arms across your stomach in an attempt to hide yourself further, you silently willed the train to travel faster.

After a few moments of nothing strange happening you relaxed a bit. Checking your phone again you saw that you only had about twenty minutes left on this ride.

While you were looking at your phone, you didn't notice the arm above you coming to rest against the wall above your shoulder. What you did notice, however, was his other hand. It pressed lightly into your hip and slowly slid up to rest against the side of your breast.

You froze, looking up and noticing how caged in you were. You met his eyes for the first time and the heat in them made your blood run cold.

Without breaking eye contact, the stranger's hand squeezed your breast through your shirt. The thin material of your button up and swimsuit top leaving little in the way of protection against his hands kneading your soft flesh.

Leaning into you more, the hand undid a few more of the buttons on your shirt before slipping inside and cupping the skin directly. You gasped, shaking your head at the stranger.

"Please don't do this," you whispered, begging to keep your decency.

The hand inside your shirt yanked at the swimsuit top, exposing your breasts to him. He was so close to you that you doubted anyone else could see, but the thought still made your guts burn with a hot mix of shame and desire.

"Shhh," is the only response he gives you before twisting one of your nipples between his fingertips. The sensitive nub hardening at the attention.

You bit down on your lip trying hard to keep quiet and not draw attention to yourself. It felt so good and you hated it, one hand coming up to hold the arm near your face and the other coming to your lips.

His knee again nudged your legs open, this time you let him. Your plush legs parting without resistance. The sensation of his knee sliding up your thighs made you squirm. Not too much though, as you were exposed and the only thing keeping you from flashing the train was his large frame.

The hand fondling you breast squeezed harder before moving to play with the neglected nipple. A moan threatened to escape your lips but you swallowed it down like a bitter pill. Like the realization that you were enjoying being groped by a stranger.

The knee in between your thighs finally pressed against your pussy, and you knew it was unlikely he wouldn't notice how wet you were. The thrill of being caught and being forced into this situation was uncomfortably arousing.

The train lurched again, slowing to a stop. The man stepped even closer to you, shielding you even more from potential view and preventing you from escaping even if you wanted to.

Only one more stop til you met with your sweet boyfriend.

You buried your face into the chest now directly in front of you, shamefully hiding your exposed form. As you felt the train fully stop and heard the doors open, you felt the knee against your pussy grind up into you. You forced a cough from your throat in an attempt to cover up the moan escaping your lips.

The pressure the man was putting on your pussy had you clenching around nothing, barely daring to grind your hips down. The hand on your chest squeezed again before moving away, leaving you to feel you nipples rub up against his shirt. Your over sensitive body shivering at the contact.

His large hand lifted to pat your head, pressing your face into his pecks. The gentleness unexpected. You heard a muffled voice but couldn't quite make it out.

"Oh she's okay, trains make her feel ill. I'm just trying to comfort her," the smooth voice of the man trapping you against the wall said. You nodded against his chest, an affirmation to anyone watching. You knew you didn't want to meet anyone's eyes right now.

You'd assumed the person inquiring about you had left or turned away because the hand on your head slid down to your ass. Despite wearing a skirt, fishnets, and swimsuit bottoms, the grip his hand had on your ass was definitely enough to bruise. He forced you down on his knee. You could feel the bottoms you wore wetting his skin.

You pushed at the man's chest weakly, not strong enough to remove him, but more like an attempt at showing him you didn't want this.

The hand on your ass moved, making you think for a moment that this was all over as his knee also slid out from between your legs. You sighed, attempting to move back but you were just pushed more into the wall.

Instead of looking up to meat the eyes of the man groping you, you glanced around again. No one was looking in your direction, but plenty of people were around you.

Your moment of reprieve was short lived as his hands switched places. The hand by your shoulder dropping to your hip while the other moved up next to your head against the wall. The angle and position change, though slight, now cornered you even more.

The hand on your hip slid down, rubbing circles into your fishnet-clad thighs. His fingers traced the hem of your skirt before slipping up under the thin material and moving toward your soaked pussy.

Your hand again shot up to cover your mouth as the thick fingers slipped your bottoms to the side and slid in through the holes in your fishnets to caress your folds gently. His finger circling your clit gently before pinching at the sensitive bud.

Choking on a moan, you again coughed, burying you head in his chest and clutching the bicep near your head. You were glad you'd braced yourself as you felt his finger slip down and stroke at your tight hole. Swirling around your juices a little before it began pressing into you, it was an easy fit considering how wet you were.

With how easy the first on slid in, he quickly added another alongside it and you felt yourself stretch on the thick digits. He wasn't thrusting much, but crooking his fingers to rub against the spongy spot inside of you. You felt your legs quiver, the pleasure too much. You bit hard into the meat of your palm to keep the noises inside.

"Such a slut, going to squirt on a stranger's hand are you?" he whispered into your ear before resting his chin on top of your head. The height difference and his ability to fully engulf you while still having his fingers buried inside of you turned you on even more than his words.

The train hit another bump, forcing his fingers deeper into your pussy. You felt tears prick your eyes at the overwhelming feeling. Being stretched open in front of a crowd by a sexy stranger. And he was right, you were close to climax already. It's as if he knew exactly where to touch you.

You felt his thumb swirl around your clit as the two other fingers sharply thrust up into your pussy. The added pleasure made your legs almost give out, you were thankful for his large frame hiding your trembling body.

You could feel your pussy clenching around his fingers. So close to climax.

The thought of your sweet Suguru waiting for you entered your mind, at the same time his thumb pressed harshly into your clit as his fingers sped up.

Turning your head, you bit into the stranger's arm to keep quiet. You felt more than heard him groan. You were too distracted by the cum gushing into his hand as you finally finished to care. The hot wet feeling of orgasm flooding your whole body as you squeezed his hand between your legs.

He rubbed a few more circles around your sensitive clit before his hand slid out from your bottoms. He was careful not to get any on your skirt, and you were thankful for that. Bringing his hand up between the two of you he pressed his soaked fingers against your lips. You opened your mouth without much resistance and quickly sucked your own release from his fingers.

You felt dizzy, but took your hands off of him to button your shirt back up. He didn't interrupt you at all. Now fully covered, you leaned away from him and against the wall, sighing as you noticed the train slowing again.

That was simultaneously the longest and fastest thirty minutes of your life.

Adjusting your skirt and making sure you were no longer exposed you stepped away from the stranger as the train fully stopped. You felt him turn behind you, following. But you paid him no mind.

Stepping outside the train car and walking a few steps away you stood, waiting.

An arm wrapped itself around your shoulder, before you could look up you felt a kiss pressed into the crown of your head followed by a hat being placed on you.

Turning to look you saw your sweet boyfriend, Suguru Geto, reading glasses perched on his nose and a black face mask dangling from his ear. You leaned into his large, sturdy frame. Face rubbing against the thin material of his tropical print shirt.

"Hopefully the ride was to your liking, sweetheart. We have a long day at the beach ahead of us!" he winked at you before whisking you off the platform and out into the sun.

[stayatiny]

Little Dolly Chapter 10~ Yandere!Seonghwa

Pairing(s) – Killer/Yandere Seonghwa x Virgin! Reader

Series warnings – Violence, Daddy kink, mentions of murder, TW- beating, swearing, blood, smut and lose of virginity (later on), yandere behaviors, Stockholm syndrome (seriously this is darker than my other fics. If this makes you uncomfortable, please do not read.)

Chapter Warning(s) –things that regularly goes with Mafia, smut, daddy kink, creampie, please let me know If I missed anything.

Tagged Lovelies - @mirror-juliet @aikyubi @babybunnyalien @mingkisbitch @chonsayeosang @jodidan @cheline @hapapino-cake @ateezsadist @t4elor @soft-teddybear @beomnoi @chronosavrus @thenamesdarcy @teezers99 @whatudowhennooneseesyou @thefandomlife-221b Please let me know if you would like to be tagged ^^

“Let’s get married,” I say looking over at Seonghwa. His eyes bugged.

“What do you mean? We are planning a wedding; it won’t be much longer until then.” I dried my hands on the kitchen towel then sitting next to him on the couch. He still couldn’t get around very much but a lot better now.

“I don’t want to wait anymore. After you getting shot and then me getting taken, it just made me want to marry you sooner. I don’t think that I can be away from you if something were to happen to you. So, let’s get married.” Seonghwa kissed me hard wrapping his hands into my hair.

“Let’s get dressed.”

~A week later

“You know Hwa. Your mom’s going to find out that we ran off and eloped right,” I say holding my passport close to my chest. I see the smirk on his face as he parks his car next to the airport hangar. He has a private jet ready for us.

“True she will but I do believe that I owe it to you after everything in the past year.” Oh yeah, I guess it has been about a year or so now. I don’t know, time’s hard to keep up with now a days. He gets out then stretches. I get out then walk over to his side of the car. He wraps his arm around my waist pulling me close. He kisses the tip of my nose.

“Fuck you’re beautiful,” he said. I smirk, kissing him grabbing the collar of the crisp white shirt he was wearing. Seonghwa pushed up the shirt touching the skin of my hip. We hear another car pull up breaking us apart. It was Mr. Kang.

“You’re late.” He pulls out his luggage and smiles.

“I’m not late you’re just early.” I chuckled as Hwa rolled his eyes at the man. I greeted him and bowed.

“I’m glad you’re alright, Y/N. Seonghwa was worried about you that night.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kang.” By now the pilot and a stewardess have shown up to get the plane ready to go. The pilot and Mr. Kang took our bags while we got on the plane and got settled. Seonghwa hasn’t told me where we were going but at this point it’s probably better not to ask. After all that had happened, he was right we needed the time away from the city. Although that last time that we were away from the city, I was taken by him and then he shot me a couple of times. I know that I’m fucked in the head about actually caring for him and maybe even loving him. I know that in the end things will more than likely end badly for us. But having someone that genuinely cares for my well being and mental state is nice to have. I know that everyone has their special someone…and I think I found mine.

“Where are we going or is that a secret?” He smiled before taking a drink from the stewardess.

“I was thinking somewhere tropical for our honeymoon.” He smirks. I pouted stomping my feet a little. He instantly frowned. He grabbed my hand, jerking me over to him.

“You little brat. Keep that up and I won’t let you up from the bed for the rest of the week,” he says as a breathy whisper. I feel a shiver run down my spine as the space between my legs became hot. I whined looking to him for some relief. He hushed me kissing my temple.

“Aw is my little slut horny for me?” I whined louder feeling my cheeks heat up. He drags me into his lap with one arm. Damn it, he’s strong. Almost immediately he bites and licks my neck like it was the last time he would taste me. I clutch his shirt in my hands as his hands grope my ass.

“Pull out these off I need you. Now,” he growls. I pull off my underwear. In hindsight I shouldn’t have to begin with. I hear his zipper and the shuffling of clothes. I climb back on his lap kissing him hard. He pushes my skirt up to my hips. Seonghwa finally slips inside me. I feel breathless and so full. I let out a breathy whine.

“Hush baby girl. I know it’s so much for you to handle.” He rubs my clit with his thumb while his other hand tugged on my hair at the base of my neck.

“Ahh daddy stop teasing me.” He chuckled. He bucks his hips upwards almost making me cum.

“What’s wrong baby? Can’t handle my fat cock?” I kiss him as he throws me down on the couch we’re sitting on, now currently fucking on. Seonghwa pins my legs at the knee. He pounds into me. I cover my mouth to keep from anyone hearing me. I’m not sure if it works at this point. I whine through my hands as he repeatedly hits my g-spot with the head of his cock. He lets my legs wrap around his waist then leaning forward on his arms caging me between them.

“Fuck you’re so tight. Cum for me,” he moaned. I let out a soft moan burying my face into his shoulder. I feel his cum flood my pussy as he panted for air. Seonghwa kisses me again before pulling out. He grabs a wet towel from the restroom, cleaning me up.

“Get dressed we’ll be taking off soon.”

~~~~~~<3~~~~~~

We made it to the villa when I realized we were on some private island in the tropics that his parents bought him for our engagement. I pulled back the drapes looking out at the ocean. The water was a bright blue, and the air was warm compared to the winter in Korea. I smile feeling Seonghwa hug my waist.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I nod, happily as I turn to kiss Seonghwa. He kisses me back, holding my cheeks.

“Come on let’s get some rest before dinner. I wasn’t expecting us to arrive so early in the day. I need you rested before tonight,” he says, finishing off with a smirk and a wink. Damn this man. I laid down on the bed while waiting for Seonghwa to join me. He climbed in behind me letting snuggle into him. We had the doors open, listening to the waves. Seonghwa was softly singing in my ear like a lullaby.

“You know that me going to sleep won’t be such a good idea.” He scoffs before turning me to face him.

“True you slept almost the whole way here, but we can always talk if you don’t want to sleep.” I tucked his hair behind his ear before caressing his cheek with my thumb like he’s done to me so many times.

“Why did you choose me? Besides you saying that I need to me taken care off.” His small smile that he had faded away.

“I chose you because I knew that you were different. There was something about you that I wanted to have for myself. Looking back at it I shouldn’t have stalked you or kidnapped you. I used my power to get what I wanted instead of being an adult and for me being a little bitch, I’m sorry.” I didn’t expect a real answer nor an apology from him.

“Seonghwa, I didn’t know you felt that way. Maybe in a different life, things would’ve started differently between us. But…stuff happens for a reason, right?” I gave him a little nod before laying my head on his chest. I didn’t know that I would love someone as much as I love Seonghwa. Despite everything, I wouldn’t change anything in the world for this.

I placed the last curl into my hair when Seonghwa walked in to fix his tie.

“Don’t you look all fancy,” I say looking at him. I unplugged the curling iron and set it to the side to cool.

“I always look fancy. I just haven’t been able to dress nicely with healing from getting shot.” I fixed the back of his collar.

“I know but it’s still odd for me not seeing you in sweatpants and a t-shirt.” He turns to face me, his hand touching my cheek before loosely draping around the base of my neck. I wanted to squeal but I kept it in.

“Let’s get to dinner before I change my mind.” We headed down to the beach where a candle-lit dinner underneath a canopy was waiting for us. He planned this out to a tee.

“Seonghwa, when we get back can my parents come to visit us?” He set down his silverware before answering. I know it must have thrown him off.

“I don’t see a problem with it but why do you ask now?” I shrug.

“I’m not sure why I asked so suddenly but it does seem kind of weird to be married without having my parents and siblings here to meet you.”

“I guess you do have a point about that since you have met my parents and brother. When we get back, I’ll make the arrangements for them to come here. I just hope they don’t get too curious about how I make my money.”

“They usually don’t care about that kind of thing or at least they didn’t when my brother and sister got married to their significant others. They would be more interested about how you are as a person.” He took a few bites of his steak before Mr. Kang approached our table. He sighed before looking at the man.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but the Bang syndicate has made their move. Your father is overlooking the counter measures over the dock incident.” I swear Seonghwa was smiling, almost laughing.

“I hope that Christopher has more sense than to mess with our money, but it seems that he doesn’t or has a death wish. Keep me informed no matter the time please.” Mr. Kang nodded and walked away.

“Christopher Bang, isn’t he the one that kidnapped me?” His head darted toward me. He caressed my cheek, lovingly.

“Don’t worry my little doll he won’t hurt you again,” he says before kissing my forehead. His words comforted me knowing he would protect me. We continued to eat and talk.

“Come on let’s walk around the beach.” He stood up and stretched out his hand for mine. I joined him as he led me to the water. I take a deep breath of the salty and crisp air of the waves. I let go of Seonghwa’s hand going into the water. I pull my floor length dress to my waist letting the water to up to my knees. I laugh kicking water toward him. He smiles before splashing me. He took off his shoes and joined me. He wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Why are you still holding the dress?” He tries to take the skirt of the dress out of my hands.

“I don’t want it to get wet, Seonghwa.” He popped my ass lightly. I yelped, jumping forward into his arms. “I’ll just buy you a new dress.” He finally wrestles the skirt from me letting it hit the water. I huffed as he laughed. Seonghwa buries his face into my shoulder. My heart pounding loudly in my chest. We listen to the waves as they crash against our legs. I didn’t want to move but it was time to go back to the house before the waves went to high. He held my hand tightly as we walked up the path. Life for us was now perfect. I want things to stay this way.

[lcs-library]

Ignore that this is a day late ok?🫶

Safeshiptember Day 13: Beach

Taglist: @dango-daydreams

Sakuya wiped a layer of sweat off of his brow as he entered the kitchen, shouting another order. Omi gave him a thumbs-up, starting work on the dish immediately.

Today marked Mankai’s now-annual tradition of helping out at a small beach cafe run by one of Omi’s friends. Of course, not everyone could make it given the time constraints, meaning the company would have to rely on some of the ensemble cast, as well as outside help from some of the members’ partners and friends.

Lu decided to spend her limited break time lounging on the place’s deck, staring off into the glittering sea, soaking in the salty air as she turned over a small keychain, inspecting it, taking in every detail of the gaudy flower charm, hoping it would be good enough for her plan. Sneaking away long enough to buy it was already a challenge, let alone picking it out from the mess of other items in the store.

“Lu! You’ve gotta come in soon!” Omi called from the door, wielding a spatula in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other. The poor man really deserved a break, but, knowing him, it was unlikely he’d take the opportunity.

“Coming!” She replied, adjusting her uniform as she entered the sweltering kitchen, making the midday heat feel like a tundra.

As she entered, Sakuya burst in the kitchen’s door, taking a few dishes to immediately rush back out again.

Lu couldn’t help cracking a smile at the sight, even if only for a brief moment. He was too hardworking for his own good, which in turn, served as her motivation as she set out to help serve a few customers.

Right as she did, Sakuya returned to the kitchen, giving her a wink in passing, before clocking out for the day, even if he would have liked the extra time with Lu.

Even then, it didn’t matter. He had a mission.

Along the boardwalk laid about a million little stores, each specializing in some of the worst food you’ve ever had, trinkets, and all sorts of nonsense. He and Lu had visited earlier that morning to take a gander at what they had in store, the two not surprised when they were met with shops made specifically to waste their money. And yet, Sakuya felt it would still be nice for her to have a keepsake to remember their time here, regardless of if they would return or not.

He pulled down on the hem of his shirt, stretching it out a bit as he walked, glancing back to get a glimpse of the cafe, stealing a look at Lu taking orders with a clearly forced smile. He giggled to himself, turning to find the shop he had his eyes on.

He entered, straightening himself up as he looked around the tacky gift shop. Sure, everything was overpriced, and, yes, he knew that Lu wasn’t necessarily the trinket-collecting type, but he was sure he would be able to find something suitable for even someone like her and her “if it doesn’t serve a purpose, dump it” attitude.

Sakuya browsed the shelves, inspecting every item carefully, from jewelry to postcards to something he wasn’t even sure how to describe, nothing seemed like something she would like, much less keep.

That was, until something caught his eye.

On a large rack sat a lone keychain, with the store having sold out of the rest of them. It was simple, a tropical flower, in a sweet purple color, Lu’s favorite. It must have been fate.

Sakuya quickly swept it off of the display, taking it to the register.

“A paopu flower? Nice choice! Do you know the story behind them?” The cashier asked, bagging the small trinket.

“There’s a story?” Sakuya replied, eyes wide.

“Yep. They say that if you share the petals, your destinies become intertwined. Sucks that they stopped growing around here, though.”

“Agreed! It would’ve been cool to do it! Thank you!”

“Of course!”

With that, Sakuya left the shop, somehow even more pep in his step than usual.

~

Lu sighed as she peeled off her uniform, revealing a loose floral tank top. The sun was setting, the day was done, and she was exhausted.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a vibration from her phone.

“Meet me on the big cliff by the cafe! I’ve got something to show you<3,” read a DM from Sakuya.

Which one was that?, she wondered, only to find a shock of pinkish-red the moment she looked up, and not from the sunset. That must have been it.

After retrieving her things and a short hike, she was met with a bright smile and a sweet voice.

“Hi!” Sakuya greeted, beckoning her closer.

“Heya. What did you need?’

“I have something for you.”

“Oh?”

If this was what she thought it was…

Sakuya reached inside his pocket, holding something in his clenched fist. When he opened it to reveal his gift, Lu had to stifle a giggle. He looked a little hurt, cowering back slightly.

“Do you not like it?”

“No, no! I love it, it’s just that…”

She reached inside her bag to reveal an identical keychain, though only in a shade of pink.

Now it was Sakuya’s turn to laugh.

“There’s no way!”

“Yeah, I’m honestly shocked. Do you still want it?”

“Of course. Do you still want mine?”

“Yep.”

The two exchanged gifts, dopey grins on their faces as their hands barely brushed across each other. Lu immediately put hers on the string of her tote bag, Sakuya clipping his to a loop on his shorts.

“So I’m assuming the cashier told you that weird petal-destiny thing too?” Lu asked playfully.

“They did! I managed to get the last one, too, so they must have done that at least, what, twenty times?”

“Maybe. Maybe more.”

They laughed at the nearly nonsensical scenario, Sakuya’s hand reaching out to take Lu’s as if on instinct.

The two locked eyes for merely a moment before turning to the scenery before them, drinking it in. Lu sighed. They would see this sky every day, and had for all their lives, but there was always something about viewing it together. Maybe it was the human nature of finding beauty in sunsets, maybe it was their company.

Or maybe, just maybe, it was the desire to buy into superstition. The belief that they’d be able to spend the rest of their lives together, that even if or when they part, they would find each other again through the power of destiny and fate.

Whatever it was, it was cut just a little too short by Sakyo’s yell from below for the two to get moving, for the company was leaving.

They sighed, managed a giggle, then set down the small hill to meet up with the others, each making sure to remember to keep the flowers on themselves, just in case.

[deducingcircumference]

@mirrorfalls the ask went to the other blog, so moving it here via screenshot!

I've already answered 5, so let's give 8 a try:

Jumping universes to find living version of dead love

Pairing: ShinRan

Rating: T

Warnings and tags: major character death (multiple times over), hurt very little comfort, someone was snarky about me labeling the other one pining but I'll go ahead and label this one pining anyway

= = = = =

Follow you into the dark

They find Shinichi’s body in an alley behind Tropical Land. No foul play, says the medical examiner. Looks like he had a heart attack. That roller coaster case must have stressful, poor kid.

Ran stares out the window on the ride home. She doesn’t cry. The tears won’t come. How ironic.

She keeps staring, listlessly, throughout the funeral and the wake, noting with distant, muted rage that Shinichi’s parents have returned for this last rite. This is their fault, she can’t help thinking. If they had been here…

If they had been here, Shinichi

wouldn’t—

Agasa-hakase invites her some time later — a week? a month? She doesn’t know. She goes out of politeness. The grandfatherly inventor she has known her entire life sits her down, sets out tea and cookies, and asks her how she’s been. Ran’s answers are rote, mechanical. Her hands are trembling, she remembers dimly that her hair is unbrushed, and she forgets to even touch the cookies.

“…in another universe.”

His words rouse Ran from her stupor. “Professor? Did you say there’s a universe where Shinichi’s alive?”

“Er. The multiverse theory is only conjecture at this point, but—”

“Can you take me there?”

“The energy needed to breach the barrier between universes, even hypothetically—“

“Please?”

The professor looks like he’s going to object, but then he takes another look at her face, and deflates. “Don’t get your expectations up,” he warns.

She flies out of her seat to throw her arms around him, hope burning like a an ember — like a brand — in her weeks-numb body. “Oh, Professor Agasa! Thank you!”

(“You look better,” Sonoko confesses at school the next day, when Ran meets her with her face washed and hair combed, for the first time since the funeral.

“I’ll keep on getting better,” Ran says, determined. She has to if she’s going to find Shinichi.

Sonoko squeals and hugs her. “‘Atta girl!”)

A week later, the professor calls. Ran runs the whole two kilometers to his house, her carefully-contained hope threatening to burst from its cage. She nearly chokes on all its soft feathers in the end, flying up the walk and into Agasa’s house. “Professor!”

His hair has flyaways and there are stains on his white lab coat, but his eyes are shining with excitement, and he’s holding a small metal backpack that glows purple from the inside. “Ran-kun! Good to see you!”

“You did it!”

Professor Agasa grins at her and waves the backpack. “This is the Multiverse Traverser 3000. Put it on, press the button, and you’ll be in a parallel universe. Er, I’m pretty sure. Unfortunately, you can’t control which one you end up in. It’ll be random. And—” his voice grows solemn. “Shinichi might not even be there.”

Even might not is better than not here. “Can I try it?”

The inventor hesitates, then he hands it over. He shows her a second button. “This one will bring you home, wherever you are."

-

The first universe doesn’t even have a Tokyo, instead a massive crater where she stands. There is scrubby grass growing under her feet, trees in the distance, and the sound of birdsong, but no people.

Ran presses the button again.

She is in Tokyo again, in Beika Park as she left it. There’s the woman walking her dog, just as she was before, the calisthenics people practicing on the well-maintained grass nearby. Ran’s stomach drops like a stone. She’s back. In this world where Shinichi…

Bright green catches her eye in the distance, so familiar that it hurts. She whips around. There he is, up the gravel path, in his green hoodie and yellow shirt, his blue jeans, looking away from her at something even further up the path. Tall as she remembers, slender, cowlick unruly on his dark head. Alive, like he is in her dreams.

Shinichi — this world’s Shinichi — makes a face of annoyance. Ran begins to laugh. She knows that face well.

Everything is all right. She’s found him, and everything is all right. She starts to run to him, crying through her laughter. “Shinichi!”

“Shinichi!” her own voice echoes from far away.

He blinks, almost turns, but then Ran sees herself, in the blue jacket she hadn’t worn since that day in Tropical Land, barrel toward him and aim a powerful kick at his head. Shinichi dodges, like he always does, no longer paying attention to strangers calling his name.

Ran stutters to a halt.

She’d forgotten.

This world already has a Ran.

Shinichi eventually comes down the path with the other Ran, a shit-eating grin on his face as he chatters. She catches the word “Holmes.” This universe’s Ran rolls her eyes.

Ran is shaking. She wants it back. She wants it so badly it pains her stomach, her liver, her lungs.

Just as they’re passing her, Shinichi looks around.

Before their eyes meet, Ran presses the button.

-

She’s a ghost, a phantom sliding between worlds, between Shinichis and Rans and Sonokos and Kogoros and Eris. In most worlds where there’s a Tokyo and a Beika, Shinichi is still alive, and so is she — Ran. She watches herself and Shinichi move through their everyday lives, laughing, fighting, playing.

She watches carefully, and realizes — she in love. Almost every version of her in every universe.

He gets caught up in a dangerous case in some, working to unravel the secrets of a multinational crime syndicate. Sometimes he’s on the run, and Ran, the ghost, pulls strings to keep him safe. In one universe he’s seven again. That one’s bizarre.

There are universes where Shinichi falls in love with other people — people named things like Hattori Heiji and Miyano Shiho and Kuroba Kaito. But in most of them, it’s Ran.

It turns out that it’s possible to be jealous of yourself.

Time marches on. Time marches on. The world she was born to seems stranger with every visit. Sonoko begs her to stay around, where do you keep disappearing to?, but Ran keeps telling her she’ll be back. And she will, after she finds Shinichi.

Ran watches the multitudes of Shinichis and Rans confess to each other and graduate from high school and go to university. Some break up. Most get married. Some get married and then divorced. Shinichi dies — again — in some. Those are the hardest. Ran dies in some.

She approaches Shinichi in one of those worlds. Because she is still Ran, after all, and the same.

He’s kneeling at her own headstone, bent over and unseeing, fist clenched around the golden band around his third finger. He looks up as she approaches, before she even has a chance to say excuse me.

“Ran?” he breathes. “How?” Then his eyes sharpen, and he seems to collapse in on himself. He mumbles, “No — you’re not. Sorry.”

He gets up unsteadily, not looking at her, and walks away.

What am I looking for? Ran asks herself, as her heart breaks.

-

The Shinichis and Rans grow old. Their children leave home, have their own children and careers. Sometimes she steps in to help in the smallest of ways, but never long enough to be recognized, even fleetingly. She grows old, too.

She thinks of home, of that long-ago universe she was born in where it all started, and fingers the second button on Professor Agasa’s invention. He’s gone now, in that universe, the last person to understand.

There’s no Ran in the universe she’s in now, either. She’d been a victim of a traffic accident here, her daughter growing up without a mother. Maybe she can settle down in this universe, close enough to watch them, Shinichi and his daughter.

She’s unable to keep her distance. The weight of this Shinichi’s grief for Ran — for his Ran — is still enough to drown her.

She moves on.

-

Another Beika, in another winter. Ran’s hands are gnarled now, her hair short and silver, her steps slow. The snow is blank and silent on the ground. In this world they were both gone before even elementary school, victims of a deranged preschool teacher, their gravestones in the local cemetery. It is an empty space for her, this world, a world that has hardly known Mouri Ran.

And a world that has hardly known Kudou Shinichi.

When she was young, she cried angry, passionate tears. Now they merely seep from beneath her eyelids, devoid of force. She is so tired.

She senses someone sitting down next to her.

“Don’t mind me,” she murmurs. “I’m just an old woman thinking about the past.”

“Ran,” says the newcomer.

She opens her eyes.

And it’s him. She knows him at once. As white-haired and wrinkled as her, smiling. He’s holding a Multiverse Traverser 3000. She knows it at once, even though it’s in the form of a heavy book glowing purple from the inside. “You died,” he says simply. “Protecting me at Tropical Land. I’ve been looking for you.”

“I’ve found you,” Ran says in wonder. She takes the hand that he’s wrapped around hers, smiling so hard her face will break. “I’ve found you.”

The tears finally come.

[lunamadrigal]

Did someone say part three to the Road Trip drabble? 👀

‐------------------

🗺📍Map Quest // Road Trip (part three)

The stale hot smell of pizza replaced whatever earlier stench had been festering inside our VW bus. Even the breeze that whipped through the rolled down windows hadn’t managed to carry the scent of meat lover’s pizza outside. Two large pies were hardly enough for the five of us after Ignacio and Auri destroyed half each, downing a bizarre mixture of every flavor of soda the fountain drink dispenser had available with it. The sight of them chugging the ‘diabetes in a cup’, as Angelina called it, made my teeth hurt and judging from their blue tinted lips I half expect them to regret that decision shortly.

“It looks like you made out with a Smurf dude.” Ignacio blurted out with a devilish grin while mid-scroll on his phone.

“Have you seen your own lips Ignacio?!”

“Oh, not just mine duderino.” Nacio raised an eyebrow in my direction with his snarky remark.

“Why me? I didn’t even say anything?”

Javi snorted between laughs in the passenger seat and turned barely enough to face us. “I’m calling you Smurf-iego from now on.” 

Ehh.. That one should bother me but the Smurfs are kinda cute… Right? Right. They’re adorable. Who doesn’t love a Smurf. Well I guess they’re singing is a little annoying but other than that, cute. Doubt worked its way into my mind, thinking it over though.

“Mi sol..”, Auri’s breath nipped at my neck where he whispered, “.. some of the uhhh–” His finger tapped his own lips lightly as a smile crept up and fought the blue stain for attention.

OF COURSE. There weren’t two sets of Smurf lips sitting in the back of the bus. Nope. There were three. At least there wasn’t 200 grams of sugar floating down my bloodstream to earn it.

“So.. Is blue my color?” I wiggled my nose at him, teasing him back.

“BOYS. HONEYMOON.” It sounded like a playful threat but best not push Ignacio so I leaned myself back again, not taking my eyes off of Auri who added one of his famous eyerolls at the comment.

“SHUT UP AND LOOK!” The bus came to a sudden sharp stop, so sharp that it was only luck that we hadn’t gotten whiplash from Angelina’s driving skills.

“LOOOOOOK!” Her dainty fists gripped the wheels tighter, shaking it with excitement. Good thing she was inside the bus or she probably would have floated off into space, seeing stars.

A pristine white stretch of road signaled the start of the resort with every type of tropical plant even Isabela would be envious of. The palma de cera were unmatched in height, towering along the sidewalk and casting their own shadow puppets onto the stone, offering visitors below a quick relief from the sun.

“Names?” A serious voice interrupted from the driver’s side window as we all stared out ahead at the resort.

“It’s quite something but if you want in I’ll still need those names.” The woman nudged her glasses back up her nose before fixing a strand of her amber hair, looking as if she has had her fair dose of unruly teens for the day.

“It’s under Madrigal.” No nonsense Javi blankly stated while handing Angelina the reservation print out.

“And you all are —” The woman paused, studying us and while her expression remained stoic her eyes gave away something. “— unaccompanied?”

Maybe she was just showing concern? But surely having a group of teens isn’t that out of the ordinary, right?

“Listen —” Ignacio jumped to his feet, ducking inside the small space in the bus and pushed his way up to lean out the window at her. Oh here we go. Fasten your seat belts. I cringed half expecting some hilarious remark from Ignacio but he fell silent. “Uh– R-E-E-M..” He read her name tag in the most unsure tone possible by his standards.

“What??” Auri shot up, squeezing over the seat’s headrest to peek at what flustered Ignacio. “No dude, it’s R-E-A-M, see..” He pointed at the white and gold trimmed tag on her buttonup shirt.

“Looks like R-E-M, ya know like rem sleep…” Javi added matter-of-factly from his passenger seat.

“Nahhhh bro! It's pronounced Reem.”

“Rem.”

“Reammmmmm…”

“EXCUSE ME!” The woman hollered, holding back a smile. “It’s Reme. For Remedios.”

The bus was silent aside from the soft music coming from Angelina’s playlist in the background. Nobody dared argue with her.

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “Just call me CJ.” She breathed out.

“THAT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO REEM.” Ignacio laughed, narrowing his eyes at the tag yet still pronouncing it wrongly his way.

“Reme.” The correction came swift like a dagger but the woman’s smile hadn’t faltered. “Head on in. Drive down to the circle, parking is in the back…” She motioned down the road before leaning in and crossing her arms over the open window.

“Oh, and kids—” A smirk played on her lips, suddenly erasing her earlier serious demeanor. Maybe she saw something in us before?

“In case you need a guide…” In one smooth motion she slid a small flyer from her waist. Where the hell had she been keeping that? Were there more? I scooched in closer to try and catch a glimpse of her outfit.

A wink was all she gave us to finish that sentence. And something told me by the sparkle in Ignacio’s eye that we’d definitely be taking her up on that offer. Sketch adventure and all.

-----------------

I found the idea of teens being lil turds and not figuring out how to pronounce Reme's name very funny in my head 😅

Reme belongs to @clichejoe

Triplets belong to @artsynellyyy @cheesy-cryptid

[fairlyabookie]

Handmade Gift

Author's note: Day 21 of Promptober. Enjoy!

“Cat food for Lucius, a couple of vials for Professor Crewel, climbing equipment for Coach Vargas, and … tropical shirts for Headmaster Crowley?” 

[Reader] reviews the list once more, a cocked eyebrow at the last item in the list. Did the Headmaster had a change in his taste of fashion? It’s not my business to know. They could imagine a long-winded explanation from the Headmaster if they ever ask him about it. Exhaustion already setting in, [Reader] rubs their temples for a moment. The teacher assistant puts away the shopping list, commiting those items to memory in a few seconds. Ahead of them, Sam’s Mystery Shop awaits for incoming guests, brimming with necessities and goods stocked by no one other than the jazz musician himself, Sam. 

“Welcome, little demon! How may I help you with your shopping today? Shopping the usual?” 

Subconsciously, the assistant smiles upon the store owner’s greeting. 

“Yes, cat food, some glass vials, climbing equipment, and..” 

They give pause, already blanking out on the last item. 

“Did Crowley request a strange item again?” 

“He certainly did..” 

[Reader] retrieves the shopping list, peering over the last item. 

“Tropical shirts.” 

“Crowley is a strange one, indeed.” 

[Reader] nearly winces, as if expecting the Headmaster to promptly barge into the building as he usually does almost every class. No such thing happened - perhaps a sense of paranoia the poor assistant had developed. 

“Don’t worry, [Reader]. Crowley won’t come in here. I made sure to have him arrive the old fashioned way rather than crashing and scaring everyone as he would do during classes.” 

Such reassuring words from Sam relieves some tension from [Reader]’s shoulders. He retrieves the items from his inventory: a couple bags of cat food, a set of vials, climbing equipment, and a week’s worth of tropical shirts. [Reader] takes a mental note of the net worth and takes out their purse. 

“Oh, you don’t have to pay, [Reader]. It’s in the house.” 

“Oi, don’t keep a tab on me now.” 

Both [Reader] and Sam exchange lighthearted laughter. 

“I insist on paying out of pocket, Sam. Please,” 

[Reader] issues out an amount enough to pay for the items. 

“Ah, ah.” 

A sly smile from Sam signals his shadowy companion to quickly snatch the currency back in [Reader]’s wallet. 

“I humbly insist, dear [Reader], that you don’t need to pay for these items. Instead, the only deed I ask of you is this humble favor from me.” 

[Reader] perks an eyebrow to both Sam and his trickster shadow. 

“Some quality time with me and something I’ve made from my heart and soul. Do you mind, dear [Reader]?” 

“As long as I do my half in the transaction.” 

[Reader] consents. 

“But, of course, my little demon.” 

As if on cue, Sam’s shadow whisks into the back as Sam wraps the ‘purchased’ items in a bag. 

“Oh, do make a note to not tell your colleagues about our time together.” 

The faculty member spares a wink to the teacher assistant. Special treatment now? 

“Of course.” 

[Reader] consents once more who almost lets out a snicker. With the staff being so close to each other, rumors about each others’ happenings was about to happen. A clumsy attempt to cover up any evidence of the staff’s treatment towards their only teacher assistant.. 

Sam’s shadow emerges from the back, handling a cup of warm tea. His corporal counterpart closes the shop and begins to set the atmosphere for a respite. 

‘Sam will be back in 15 minutes. Please come back later and thank you for your patience!’ 

[Reader] thanks the shadow for the tea and watches Sam conjure his piano, warming the instrument with a few scales. 

“Please enjoy your tea, dear demon. The recipe has ben passed down by my ancestors, something that my grandmama whenever someone in our family needed to slow down and unwind.” 

With this, Sam begins to play, a jazzy piece with the piano being the sole voice, a piece pleasant to the ear with accidentals and nuances pertaining to the black and white keys of the instrument. [Reader] listens on, sipping from their tea. 

Flavors burst in [Reader]’s mouth; notes of mango, papaya, coconut, and passionfruit mixing to a prominent taste. 

“It tastes magical..” 

They sigh, tension leaving their shoulders from just a sip. 

“Isn’t it?” 

Sam chuckles, his piano playing turning to more lively pieces. His shadow, on the other hand, begins a little dance of joy. 

“Thank you, Sam. Please let me pay you back,” 

In the back of their mind, [Reader] felt they didn’t deserve this; their cheeks heating up in embarrassment from this overwhelming kindness. 

“No, no, no, [Reader]. Please, no need to fret. All I want is for you to relax and unwind,” 

Sam’s shadow, albeit light to the touch and more or less a magical being associated to its Master, bore sentiments of its own, placing a comforting hand on [Reader]’s shoulder. 

“Please take my gift as my gratitude towards your service for us all. You’ve done incredible work contributing as our faculty member and please, take this time to rest. You sorely need it.” 

A soft smile befalls on the shopkeep’s lips, his fingers proceeding with another spell of music on the piano. [Reader] spares another glance to the concoction on their hands and the wrapped groceries in front of them, perhaps processing what had been said to them, what they had endured in a day, and what they’ve been doing to counter their stressors. 

Perhaps I do need this. 

They sigh, partaking another sip of the wonderful concoction of tea. 

“Thank you, Sam.” 

With this, the transaction was complete, the groceries for the staff in exchange for homemade tea.

[sanyu-thewitch05]

The Academia Life

White Uniforms

Princely behaviors

Side effects

The Little Things

Hoarding

Runaway Vacation

A/N: Hii! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I had serious writer's block for this AU.

The tension in the atmosphere is so thick that not even Malleus's dragon fire could melt it. Although it's unknown to Yuu, Chris and Malleus hadn't gotten along since the overblot incident. Chris viewed Malleus as a snake ready to lead Yuu into temptation and trouble. Malleus viewed Chris as an overgrown Sebek who's keeping his friend away from him. It is safe to say that the two preferred not to be near each other.

"Malleus, be nice," Yuu says, petting a dove.

"Yeah, you should be nicer to him. He seems like a really cool guy," Che'nya says, appearing behind Yuu, scaring her. "Oh, sorry. I forgot people aren't used to that."

"Fine. As you wish, Yuu," Malleus grumbles, waving to Chris.

"Where're your bodyguards?" Chris asks, confused as to why Sebek isn't near Malleus.

"They let me leave to be with you here. Wait…they're not here. They're not here!" Malleus exclaims, a smile breaking through his stoic demeanor. "Do you know what this means? I can do everything I've ever wanted to do. I can cut my food! I can sleep without people watching or checking in on me!"

Malleus smiling as big and brightly is something Yuu had never seen before. She takes out her ghost camera and snaps a picture of Malleus. The picture of Malleus comes out, and then Yuu notices something sweet. The princes surrounding Malleus joined in on the photo and gave their best smiles behind Malleus. Yuu puts the picture in her shirt pocket and walks to Malleus.

"Come on! Let's go to town!" Malleus exclaims, grabbing Yuu's hand and teleporting away. "Let's go into this pizza shop!"

"Ok! Ok! Calm down! We got time!" Yuu replies, giggling. "Malleus, what do you want to get, anyway?"

"Whatever you're getting."

Malleus opens the pizza box, takes out a slice, and looks at his piece in confusion.

"How do I eat this?" Malleus asks, looking at Yuu eating her food."Don't you need to have silverware to eat this?"

"Oh, my Great Seven, no! You don't eat pizza with silverware. You take the slice and bite it," Yuu answers, biting into her slice as an example.

"Like this?" Malleus responds, eating the pizza as Yuu did.

"Yeah, you got it! How do you not know how to eat pizza?"

"Sebek and Lilia would never allow me to eat so-called junk food, so I enviously watched as everyone else ate it without me. Deuce told me how good it tastes, and I wanted to try it ever since."

"Jeez, what else? Do they pick out your outfits too?"

"Some days."

"Why don't we hit the cake shop?"

"Only if we get the sweetest slice."

Yuu and Malleus run off further into town and live their sweetest food fantasies.

"Mmmmm, that Chocolately Death Surprise was the best! We have to bring back the rest!" Malleus moans, flopping down on the beach sand.

"And the strawberry-vanilla froyo! To die for!" Yuu replies, finishing off her gelato.

"I wish this could last forever. It was nice to have a day without someone yelling or doing everything for me."

"Why can't it last a little longer? You're a prince who could do advanced magic. Why not run away for a while, then come back?"

"But my Sebek and my family would miss me. I couldn't do that to them."

"Think of it this way. You're not running away. You're just taking a vacation without telling anyone. But me."

"I'm down for that."

Malleus consulted with Yuu on where to go, and he chose the tropical island of Trinitopeca. An island known for its sunny beaches, sweet treats and drinks, and colorful coasts. Malleus picks up a bag of clothes for a week and prepares to venture to the island.

"I wish I could bring you with me, Yuu," Malleus says, hugging Yuu.

"I know, but someone has to tell them you're not in danger," Yuu replies, hugging Malleus back. "It's about to be sundown. You should get going. Bye."

"Bye."

The sight of Malleus disappearing into sparkles evoked feelings of when they first encountered each other outside Ramshackle. It made Yuu feel like the magic was flowing through her. It made her feel like she was sky-high and drunk on happiness. It made her chest burst with warmth to be friends with someone like Malleus, to be friends with everyone in this world.

"I should get going myself. They're all waiting for me," Yuu says, looking at the sunset. ~~~~ "Yuu, where's Malleus? I want to know what he thinks of our cooperative efforts!" Sebek yells, rushing to her.

"Malleus isn't here. He left," Yuu answers, making everyone still.

"Do you know where he went?" Sebek questions, terror painting his face.

"He went to on vacation," Yuu replies, watching Lilia and Silver's faces become terrified.

"WAKA-SAAMMMAAA!!!!" Sebek screams, running out of Diasomnia followed by Lilia and Silver.

Taglist: @nai17 @saire00 @youdrinksoupandeatwater @hipsterteller @animeketsu-yander @r-0-tt-3-n-m-1-lk @naughtybodypillow @nightmare7644 @animepikagirl @curatornil @leabbmao @kairiko @kousaka-ayumu @meepizumi @lizzileth @depressed-bitchy-demon @plaguelingvesper @mythicbiotch @enrydice @mimisworl @recklesssketches @ann0nz

[queenofbaws]

Hi~! How are you? I hope everything is fine!♡

I'm here asking for something with Conrad and Fliss because I miss them so much! Thank you!!

at-least-but-not-exactly-six sentence sat(or)sunday!!!

---

Jules and Alex thought they were sooooo slick, didn’t they? They’d seriously singled him out to go get the rest of the beer, when Brad had been sitting right there, and they expected him to, what, not take that to heart? He wasn’t an idiot, he knew what an order as pointed as that meant - ‘I’m sick of your shit, Connie,’ was what JJ had actually meant; ‘Dude, please, just...stop talking for two minutes’ was what Alex had actually meant. He was annoying them. Bugging them. Getting on their last nerves.

Good.

He’d agreed to this little boating vacay for one reason and one reason alone: To hassle the boyfriend and count how many different shades of red his precious sister’s face could turn in the process. At his last count? Five.

He snickered as he headed below deck, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the darker interior of the boat. It wasn’t pitch-black or anything, but it still took him the better part of a minute to find the damn beer, stubbing his toe something wicked in the process. “Motherf - ”

“So which was it?” asked a voice from behind him, his stubbed toe forgotten as he all but jumped right out of his skin. “Did you decide you needed to get away from them, or were you kicked out of the fun and games?”

Once he was absolutely positive he wasn’t making the Home Alone face, Conrad glanced over his shoulder to find Fliss sitting at the table cool as could be, her head resting against the wall and her long (long, long) legs stretched out along the rest of the booth-seat. There was no way she hadn’t seen him jam his whole-ass foot into the cabinet where they’d stowed the beer - no way in hell.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t pretend she hadn’t.

“A little of column A, a little of column B, you know how it goes,” he said, acting like the whole ordeal was really putting him out. “Your sister invites you on a tropical vacation and you think to yourself, ‘Ah, clearly she’s going to want to spend some quality sibling bonding time together!’ Then you actually get there and find out she prefers, y’know, getting proposed to. And not listening to your super engaging stories.”

“Tale as old as time.” Fliss stretched her arms up over her head for a moment, rolling her shoulders for good measure, and then slid out from behind the table. “I mean, you do see the silver lining there, don’t you?”

“Silver lining, silver lining...” he joked, tapping his chin before pointing downwards. “I mean, more beer, for sure. That’s always a plus. Mmm...I don’t have to watch her and Alex get all schmoopy about ‘being in love’ or whatever...” He’d hooked a couple air-quotes with his fingers as he’d said it, but slowly let his hands drop as Fliss walked up to him, closing the distance between them until she was close enough to smooth down the collar of his shirt.

Had he said before that he’d come on this trip to bug Jules? Yeah, yeah that had been mission objective number one for sure, but man oh man if his priorities weren’t starting to shift.

“Those are both true,” Fliss said, not exactly nodding and not exactly smirking, but her tone somehow suggesting both. “Neither were the silver lining I was thinking of.”

“No, huh?” And shit, if they handed out Oscars for acting cool, calm, and collected, he was ready to pick his up at any time. For someone who’d just absolutely wrecked his own foot barely a minute ago, he thought he was doing pretty good in terms of sounding aloof and mysterious and acting like he wasn’t keenly fucking aware of the warmth of Fliss’s palms against his chest and she worked at the first button still fastened there. “Well, captain, I’m...very, very open to suggestions, so I’d love to hear any feedback you have.”

That time her mouth did twitch up into a sly little smile, her eyes sliding from the collar of his shirt up to his. “I was just thinking,” she began, also acting cool, calm, and collected, but actually pulling it off like the consummate professional she was. “Them telling you to get lost does sort of mean we can continue that conversation we were having earlier, doesn’t it?”

“They didn’t tell me to - ” Thankfully, he wasn’t enough of a dumbass to let that one fly over his head. “Oh,” he said, the picture of eloquence. “Oh. Ohoho. I guess that is what it means, isn’t it?”

And because of who he was as a person, he went to say something else, to add another witty quip as punctuation...but Fliss was already kissing him by then, her hands balled up in his shirt and her lips soft against his.

[jimbleswrites]

Pantheon 2022

Chapter 12: Ceasefires & Secrets

Leblanc jerked up, hacking up seawater. His watery eyes blurred his vision as he threw up onto the ground beneath him. The last thing he remembered was attacking the prisoner, holding them both into the sea as the copter crashed.

“You know, I was a little worried about you there.” He heard a voice, “But you’re nothing if not a fighter.”

Leblanc wiped his mouth off, eyes finally clearing as he saw Paladin standing there. He tried to stand, only to topple over. He looked over to see his metal arm missing completely, with rough metal stripped near the base of his shoulder.

“Easy now, your arm fell off during the struggle.” Paladin pointed a ways away, where his arm was mangled, bent completely out of shape.

“You destroyed it.” Leblanc muttered, still trying to stand on wobbly legs. “You just wanted to see me struggle before you killed me.”

“Look, you clearly have some beef with…” Paladin paused, choosing his words carefully. “Me and others like me. But that was damaged as we fell. I’m not a psychopath.”

Leblanc finally made it to a standing position, leaning on a tree for support. “People like you.” he spit as he talked. “I know about superhumans, and they are psychopaths. Whatever you plan on doing with me, I don’t plan on going quietly.”

“Buddy, I saved us.” Paladin gestured around. Leblanc took stock of where they were. A small island, really more of a sandbar, with nothing but water as far as he could see. The tree Leblanc was leaning on was only one of two, tropical coconut trees that broke the otherwise blue seascape. “We almost died because you wanted to hold us both in a crashing helicopter. I managed to get us somewhere safe.”

Leblanc stared at the area. “You have some sort of teleportation abilities.”

Paladin seemed surprised to hear that. “How do you know?”

“This is a tropical zone, not the Mediterranean sea. It would also explain how you manage to travel so quickly with no records.” Leblanc finally stood straight, a bit dizzy but feeling better. He took a step towards Paladin, roughly grabbing his shirt. “You will teleport us back or else.”

“Look, I brought us out here to talk.” Paladin explained, even as he was being threatened. “I wanted to clear the air between us.”

“The air is clear,” Leblanc snapped, “Your kind are too dangerous to be allowed to wander around with no punishments.” Leblanc lost his footing, still weak from the fall, and Paladin quickly caught him.

“Sit down man, I didn’t set all this up just to kill you or whatever.” Paladin gently sat him down on the sand, sitting next to him. “I’ve already called your people to pick you up, and I just wanted to talk before they came.”

Leblanc scoffed. “Why? Why bother lying to me?”

Paladin held out his hand, holding Leblanc’s satellite phone. Leblanc snatched it back, quickly scrolling through to the call menu. He typed in a number, just to see a recently called marker next to it. He called anyway, listening as the phone rang.

“Yes, commander?” A familiar voice stammered over the phone. The call was choppy with lots of background noise, but Leblanc could hear Dr. Prunty well enough.

“I need a pickup, i’m-” Leblanc started before being cut off.

“Yes, Atlantic Ocean sandbar, you already sent the coordinates from your phone. We are on our way, but I mentioned it would be some time before we could gas up a plane.” Dr. Prunty sounded annoyed.

“I see. ETA?”

“Approximately 20 minutes, sir. We’re doing a final check and then we are good for take-off.”

“Very good. Over and out.” Leblanc ended the call, turning back to Paladin. “You… called them?”

“Sure, just told them to head to your location and pick up. I didn’t mention me, obviously.” Paladin sighed. “Look, I’m not a crazy menace. But I also recognize that someone like me has a lot of power and that can be dangerous. I was hoping to reach a midpoint.”

“So you do want something?” Leblanc questioned.

“Yeah, my friends, the reporters you tracked me to, they don’t know anything. I’d hope you would leave them alone. My line of work is known only to me and others like me. Normal people won’t know anything.”

“And I just take your word on this? That’s it?”

Paladin nodded. “Yeah, if you think I did anything, just ask me.” He pointed to the phone.

“Ask you?” Leblanc looked in the contacts to see a phone number labeled ‘Paladin’ had been added. Leblanc pushed the call button, thinking it would be fake, but Paladin’s phone rang out, a cheery little electronic tune, and he picked it up.

“Howdy there.” Paladin’s voice echoed through the phone as he responded. Leblanc felt dumbstruck, this person was either incredibly stupid or incredibly honest. Paladin looked up to the sky, listening intently. “Your ride is coming in. Maybe 10 minutes. I should head out.” He stood up, brushing sand off his pants.

“Wait.” Leblanc stood up as well. “What’s your angle? Why do all this?”

Paladin smiled. “Because we’re on the same side. I don’t expect you to trust me overnight, but someone has to take the first step.” Paladin then began to walk into the ocean, sinking into its depths. Leblanc watched as he took a few steps further, then dove down into the ocean, out of sight. No air bubbles came up, and he was gone. Leblanc then began to hear motors of the approaching aircraft. He decided to keep this little exchange to himself for now, unsure if he wanted to believe his story.

It had been a few weeks since the whole ordeal with Leblanc and the UN. I managed to escape and hopefully convince Leblanc to back down a little bit. At least, he never came back for Dan & Pat, which I was thankful for. It was now Christmas day, with snow sprinkling over New York as I walked the streets. Benedict still hadn’t called in for his favor, so I was patrolling and training in the meantime. I tucked my arms into my jacket as I went to my usual bodega for a snack. The shop was warm, with smells of deli meat from the little counter in the back. I squeezed through the shelves, picking up a couple sodas as I went up for a sandwich.

The lady at the grill turned around. “Merry Christmas, what can I get cha?” She smacked her gum loudly as she pulled out a pad to write.

“Yea, let me get chicken cutlet with american, brown gravy, and throw some fries on there.” I rattled off my normal order.

“Oh shit, Robby? I didn’t recognize you with the scarf covering your face.” She began chopping and preparing, yelling over the noise. “You got nothing better to do on christmas then bother me for a sandwich?”

I shrugged. “I could ask the same of you, Roxanne. Not closing for the holiday?”

“Listen man, somebody has to keep making money so that cat has a home.” She continued to rush around as she spoke. “Now quit avoiding the question.”

I looked over to see the cat napping on a pallet of energy drinks. I gently petted the cat as I answered. “My work has me on call. No time off. Gotta be ready.”

“So they got you wandering the fuckin streets in case they need ya? Rough deal, kid.” Roxanne wrapped the sandwich in paper, then put it on the counter in front of me.

“It’s not all bad, I get to see you and Cutlet here.” Cutlet purred as I moved my hand to get my wallet.

“Seeing an old lady and her cat shouldn’t be a holiday highlight, but I'm flattered.” Roxanne punched numbers into the register.

I pulled out my wallet, only to have my phone ring. I put cash on the counter, and fished my phone out. I noticed it was Leblanc’s number, and felt some dread.

I answered the phone. “Hey Leblanc, Merry Christmas.”

“There’s another one of you at Saint Alex’s Church in Queens. She’s scouting the graveyard. I need intel.” Leblanc hissed on the other side.

“Hold on, Saint Alex’s? That’s like a block away. Is she doing anything?” I put a 20 dollar bill on the counter, quickly stuffing things into my bag.

“No, I need you to investigate and let me know.”

I waved goodbye to Roxanne, sling my bag over my shoulder as I walked out. “Any other details before I walk in?”

“She hasn’t done anything yet, but I know you’re nearby and I don’t have other agents. Call me back once you know more.” The call ended, and I sighed. I guess I should have seen this coming when I gave him my number, but I wished he had been a bit nicer. I finally found my way to the church, slowly walking around the back towards the small graveyard. I wasn’t sure who to expect, but the mane of silver hair was a dead giveaway. I froze in place, realizing this was Thora. I felt anxiety filling me, with fight or flight reflexes screaming to make a move. Then Thora bent down, placing something on a grave. A single rose. I realized she was grieving, or at least paying respects.

Something inside me moved me to talk. But before I could, she started. “You should have attacked when you had the advantage.” she stated, before rushing me down. She materialized a hammer, aiming directly for my chest. I summoned a shield quickly, barely protecting me as she continued to swing.

“Hey, I didn't come here to fight!” I tried to explain as she continued her onslaught. I summoned a second shield, purely focusing on defense as she screamed.

“You all are the same! Lies and deceit, until I lower my guard and you get your shot.” She was swinging faster and faster, pushing my back into the church wall.

“I mean it, I just wanted to talk!” I grunted, literal back against the wall.

“LIAR!” She landed a huge blow, pushing me directly through the church wall. I landed next to the pulpit, debris laying around me. She walked in the newly-broken wall, snow floating in behind her. I noticed she had tears in her eyes, fighting them back as she approached.

I decided to try something else. I reached into my bag, pulling out my sandwich and drinks. “It’s christmas, we can’t have a truce for one day?” I put them on the floor next to me, a strange peace offering.

She stood above me, towering over me as she spoke. “You… you really just want to talk?” She seemed more confused than anything.

“Yeah, I didn’t come here to fight you. And you were paying respects on that grave so I wanted to say something, but then…” I gestured to the hole in the wall.

Thora paused. She leaned down, picking up 1 half of the sandwich and a cola. She walked over to a pew in the front and sat, eyeballing me the whole time. “You eat first, prove it's not poisoned.” She commanded.

I was surprised that was something she even thought people would do. I sat upright, moving to the stairs of the front stage. The sandwich had been squashed a little during the tussle, but It was still warm. I took a bite, then a drink. This seemed to work for Thora, who then tore into the sandwich. It was like watching a wolf after its kill. Paper scraps flew off as she ate. There was silence as we both ate, an awkward peace after the battle.

“So, can I ask who you came to pay respects to?” I hesitantly asked. I wasn’t sure if this would provoke her, but she answered calmly.

“A causality of war. An old friend. Someone I once knew.” She continued to eat, talking with a full mouth.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“That would be a first for your kind.” She stared me down, malice in her eyes.

“Look, whatever the previous champions did, I’m not them.” I tried to argue.

“But you’re still a cog in their machine. That woman buried there was there for me when your kind turned their back to me. She helped me with the little she had, and her reward was being killed in a battle between two champions.” She paused to take a drink. “You’ll do the same, even if you claim otherwise.”

I had a pause, unsure of how to respond. “Back when you kidnapped Dan & Pat, you could have killed me. But you didn’t. Someone told you not to kill.”

“A decision I wouldn’t have chosen.” Thora chipped in.

“But you listened to them. If you hate gods and champions so much, why not?”

Thora sat there, not responding. She squeezed her drink in her hands. Something was up, but I couldn’t figure it out if she wouldn't say.

“I can’t force you to talk. But I want you to know that, if you want, you can trust me. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” I tried to reason with her.

Thora stood up. “You’re naive and stupid. This system you’re in will force you to do things you don’t want to.” She walked back to the hole in the wall. “Thank you for the food. Next time we meet, I’ll kill you.” She stated this as matter-of-fact, then walked off into the city, leaving me in an empty church with my thoughts.

[jellimac-sims-stories]

Simfluencer

Jellimac

---

Chapter 4 Sergio spends some time greeting people he knows around the room. A few of the people he talks to take the time to pose with us for the photographers at the event. Sergio pulls me close to his side every time. I only recognize one or two people until we stop to talk to Octavia Moon and Thorne Bailey. They seem to know Sergio very well. I used to be a big fan of Thorne’s but that social media scandal really made it clear that he was just all good looks. He doesn’t have the greatest reputation. I wonder why Sergio is friends with him?

“¡Por fin! Finally someone fun arrives,” Throne says loudly as we get closer to him. 

They are outside near the faux pond area so a lot of people hear him and turn to see what the commotion is all about. I’m sure everyone was already looking at them considering Throne was wearing the sparkliest gold and black suit I'd ever seen. Octavia isn’t as loudly dressed but she looks just as amazing in her one-shoulder two-toned purple dress; the color looks amazing against her dark skin. 

As Sergio walks us over to Thorne and Octavie, I finally see Jonah across the outdoor patio with Sergio’s wife Adriana talking with a group of people. This is the first time I'm seeing Adriana in person. She’s really pretty. Intimidatingly pretty. Her chestnut hair is in a half-up, half-down style that cascades over her shoulder in perfect beach waves. She’s wearing a draped white, strappy-backed dress with a slit down the front that makes her tan pop and shows off her tattoos. Jonah looks equally amazing next to her in white trousers and a dark tropical printed shirt. I could see why they go to these types of events together. They look like a power couple. 

It's clear evenIt's clear even from all the way across the patio that Adriana’s reaction to Thorne’s greeting of her husband is embarrassment and disapproval; everyone can see her shaking her head and turning away from where Throne and Sergio are now talking to each other. 

Sergio's response to Thorne is just as loud and disruptive as Thorne’s greeting, “¡Qué honda, cabrón! ¿Te has metido en algún problema esta noche?” 

Well, that's a surprise. I didn’t realize that Sergio speaks Spanish. I heard him speaking Italian at the winery but I assumed that was because he’s a businessman and he was there to do business. Even more surprising is the kiss between Octavia and Sergio when they greet each other. Octavia throws her arms around Sergio’s neck and kisses him square on the mouth. It didn’t seem to phase him in the slightest. Throne doesn’t even bat an eye and goes to give Sergio a bro hug once he and Octavia separate. I guess they all know each other really well.

Thorne and Sergio speak to each other a bit more in Spanish before Sergio finally introduces me, “Thorne. Octavia. This is Eden. She’s a new up-and-coming artist in the city. I’ve been showing her around. Exposing her to all of the people that really matter. If you know what I mean. Eden, you must know these two?”

“Que tentadora,” Throne says in his thick Spanish accent, giving me an appreciative look, “Where have you been hiding this one? How come you haven’t invited her to your club?”

“His club in Windenburg? I’ve been there,” I chime in.

“Not that club, mamacita,” Thorne says and strokes my arm seductively with the back of his hand.

“It’s not for her,” Sergio replies curtly. Thorne frowns at Sergio’s blunt response, “Says who? I don’t remember you being so selective in the past.”

“Stop teasing the girl Thorne. It's Sergio’s club. He gets to make the rules. If he doesn’t want her he doesn’t want her,” Octavia says clearly exasperated. Something about what they are talking about makes Sergio frown. I was about to ask what club they were talking about but Octavia is speaking again, “This party is so boring. If you can even call it a party. It's practically awake. It was fun for maybe five minutes. Now it's just dull.” 

“Boring? Dull? Watch this,” Sergio replies, a wicked smile on his face. He pulls me close to him once again, this time his hand roughly groping my ass and kisses me. I can hear and feel the intense quickening of the flashes of the cameras of the event photographers around us. Suddenly, he spins me around, dips me, and continues to kiss me passionately. When he finally lets me up for air I shover him hard, snatch the drink out of Octavia’s hand, and throw it in his face. I can hear Thorne and Octavia both laughing behind me. Some friends they are. As for me, I’m absolutely fuming, “Who the fuck do you think you are? Just because you buy me an expensive outfit doesn’t mean that you own me.”

Sergio wipes the remnants of the drink from his scowling face. He stalks towards me verbally berating me forcing me to back away from him, “You worthless piece of backwater trash! How dare you reject me? Do you think you can post that cock tease shit and not expect anything to happen? You’ve just made the stupidest mistake of your life, you little slut.”

My eyes go wide as I see his hand rise to strike me. I try to think of any of the self-defense I know but I am frozen in place. I can’t believe he’s about to hit me in plain sight of everyone and all the cameras at the social event of the year...

Um, what?! Wanna know if Sergio is about to commit social suicide right now? Read the full story out now on my AO3.