#the experienced mind can see yuri in everything...

[hellyeahpancakes]

Theyre so happy

My girlfriend who fucks up my entire thermoregulation every single time we hang out

PLUS icewing fullbody as an addendum to my last post

Wow ❤️

[refinedpet]

Heck it, I'll make a proper pinned

Salutations! Hello! My name is Ashley, your likely not so local, lesbian, early twenties, beautiful trans girlthing with undiagnosed mental problems.

I usually post about Trans stuff, as helping other transfems in any way I can is important to me.

I also post about whatever else is on my mind, I don't really have much of a filter. Usually expect stuff about Video Games.

I also don't hesitate to reblog horny stuff, and I'm a kinky bitch so that filter doesn't exist. Usually not anything with nudity, but no promises. This Blog is 18+ Only.

My old pinned was my award winning post

It makes a great vibe check and did a phenomenal job scaring away chasers. Watch if if you're not a coward

Stuffs I like!!!!:

I play alot of video games, some of my favorite series are Xenoblade Chronicles (This is the quickest way to my heart), Dragon Quest, Pikmin, Fire Emblem (Unfortunate), Kirby, Splatoon, Shin Megami Tensei, Megaman

I love the NeiR series! Fantasy Life and Gnosia are some of my all time favorites.

I've been lifelong way too Pokémon obsessed

I play a wide variety of stuff, and it'd be difficult to name everything. I play a bit of everything but I'm mostly a single player girly and I adore JRPG's.

I used to be more of an anime fan, but don't actively watch new stuff alot. I've seen a ton of anime and read alot of manga.

Stuff like JoJo's Bizzare Adventure, Chainsaw Man, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, The Pet Girl of Sakuraso, Yuru Yuri, Sailor Moon and many more are very important to me.

As said I'm well experienced in anime, and love getting to talk about it with people.

I'm likely to do the occasional horny post, but usually don't reblog or post nudity. Still this Blog is 18+

I'm a kinky bitch, and have spent alot of time in online lewd role play communities. As a result I'm desensitized to alot of it and very casual about things.

I've been called a succubus alot, and have a history of awakening new kinks in people.

If I ever make a NSFW sideblog I'll give more specifics there. But I'm always down to talk with girls (18+) about stuff!

Alright, wrap it up already:

Now, here's a collection of thoughts and things I couldn't be bothered to fit in naturally anywhere.

The tag I use for my original posts is #Ashley.txt if you want to see just them and not the mass of stuff I reblog. For older ones I used #skyla.ramble if you wanna see those. Yes Skyla is not my name anymore, no I'm not changing the tag.

I use #stoned kitten for my high posts

As stated before my name is Ashley! I prefer Ashey as a nickname over Ash. And I encourage people to spell it however they like best. Having some people say Ashy or Ashie is cute! You can call me Ash, but don't call me that exclusively.

I'm a She/Her - It/It's Girly. Those are the ones I fuck with. Referring to me with It/It's is the way to my heart, but I like being called both.

I'm an attention whore

I love Chappell Roan

I meow and bite, don't worry about it

Mutuals are always so incredibly welcome and encouraged to send me a DM or ask for my Discord (that's where I prefer talking)

I love all transfems. No matter what arbitrary reason you have that makes you think you're not enough or worthy of it. All trans people have a space in this community. You are so incredibly important 💖

Okay, I've gone on for more than long enough. I'll add to this if I ever need to

Have some pictures of me to finish off because I'm hot as hell

[sophiamarieispinkbunny-chan]

More in depth analysis about the Spy x Family Manga Cover Chairs and Bonus Artworks (Or me just overthinking Endo’s decisions in everything and as always long post, please bear with me)

So I wanted to talk about something that I noticed about the various designer chairs that is featured on all manga covers.

Endo did say that he thought about how each chair matches the personality of the character, regarding it’s style, design or the color.

But I like to talk about something different about the chairs-it’s size or the seating capacity and how it reflects the characters relationship with others or their views about relationships. Also, I’m going to share something significant about the comedic bonus arts that also feature the chairs.

This focus mainly about Loid, Yor and Anya‘s Chair (including Fiona’s Chair) and the bonus illustrations that came with it.

Volume 1-Loid’s Chair: Le Corbusier LC2

There are two versions of this chair in the manga/anime, the love seat and the one seater. Loid is seated in the one seater chair in this cover, it means no one can sit there with him that reflects how reluctant he was in letting other people in his life. He wasn’t open for relationships (You can notice that those who are like him, intelligence assets; Franky, Fiona, Handler all sit in one seating capacity chair).

The bonus artwork was Anya sitting on the chair copying his pose. She’s the most fitting person to be in this seat because she can see through Loid’s mind, she basically knows who he really is and she likes him for that. Anya was fond of spies and she was excited about being part of his mission.

Volume 2-Anya’s Chair: Marshmallow Sofa

Anya’s chair has a large seating capacity and she was sitting at the middle, waiting for the empty spots on her both sides to be occupied. This depicts Anya’s anticipation for forming relationship with other people, about her wanting parents, a family, to be there for her.

The bonus artwork was drunk Yor lying face flat on Anya’s chair. This artwork, for me, reflects Yor’s unwavering affection for Anya and Anya’s appreciation of Yor. Even drunk, she’s determined to protect her, as if she was her real daughter as seen during the castle chapter. She is fond of Anya.

Volume 3-Yor’s Chair: La Chaise (Featuring Fiona’s Heart Cone Chair)

This is the chair I wanted to talk about and I have to use Fiona’s Chair for this analysis for Endo said that Fiona is designed to be Yor’s contrast and we can clearly see it in their chairs.

The seating capacity of Yor and Fiona’s chair greatly differ. Yor’s chair was big, Endo pointed how it didn’t even fit the cover, and even though Fiona’s chair is big too, she’s the only person who could sit in it. Other people can fit Yor’s chair but not with Fiona. I analyze this as Yor being open to genuine relationships and selfless while Fiona being closed off and selfish.

We know Yor’s motivation for being an assassin was for Yuri, for the sake of other people, and what is Fiona’s motivation? Clearly it was mainly for Twilight to marry her, love her and it was evidently show with all that stuff hiding behind her chair. I’m sure she experienced a lot of traumatic stuff that led to her being a spy but I don’t see other praise worthy and selfless motivations from her that was aside Twilight’s affection. Don’t get me wrong, she’s an interesting character and she isn't a bad person but I’m not really a fan of her personality just like I don’t like Yuri’s obsession with her sister.

In Yor however, she has nothing under or behind her chair. Just that blood that wasn’t even behind or below her chair. She wasn’t faking anything about her personality. It’s true that she accepted her marriage to preserve her assassin job but she genuinely wanted to marry Loid because he was the one who acknowledged her selflessness and that was enough for her to completely entrust her life to him. She welcomed Loid and Anya to her life because her longing for a companion to share her life with is as big as the size of her chair.

The bonus art in Volume 3 was Loid sitting on her chair. Despite the comedic set up of these illustrations, I think the people who tend to sit on the chair on the bonus arts were the ones who gets the person on the cover the most.

That is why Anya is in Loid’s (Because she can read his mind) Why Yor is in Anya's (Because Yor lost her parents at a young age too and she knows how to care for Anya because she did that to Yuri) and why Loid is in Yor’s chair (Because Loid understood her self sacrifice because he too, is the same as her) Also why Anya and Bond are in the bonus of Volume 4 because the two of them get each other, being both experimented on.

I also have some analysis about Volume 5-12 and the bonus artworks as well, but I might post them in another time since I haven't seen the translated bonus artworks in Becky and Emile and Ewen's Volumes.

But let me know if this analysis makes sense to you.

[adilynnyuri]

Hello - first of all I want you to thank for your answer you gave to the person who wants to revise her fathers death. It gave me so much hope as you found the words I needed. 🫶 ❤️‍🩹 Every day I come back to your words in my mind��

I am working on it because I miss my mum who is my soulmate - best friend and mother. So I am working on revision and manifesting a timeline where we are both together in happiness and relaxation❣️ You said in this post I read that for that I have to „build the belief“ that my mum is healthy and alive. This is what I am working on. But how can I deal with the 4D which tells me in so much circumstances that she isn’t here. I always tell myself that’s a different timeline but as my actual circumstances are really tough I guess I need more input if someone more experienced to bester dealing with it. What would you suggest? and is it necessary to revise the health situation or it’s better to focus on that she is now healthy and alive? And would you recommend to focus on this single change or is it possible to change some other things in this new timeline which makes our life more relaxed so that she can enjoy it more in this new timeline? What do you think?

Hiii lovee! 🤍

💝 I am SO SO GLAD that you found my posts helpful! I am way more GRATEFUL TO HAVE CUTIES LIKE Y'ALL!

Ok let's come to the topic!

⭐ I totally understand your situation. You cannot see "physical results" And it's pissing you off OR making you think that you are not doing much. But let me tell you!

🌀Physical reality which you are seeing with your eyes right now is just the reflection of your consistent dominant thoughts.

Like,

🍂What you would think if one day it was announced that the world is going to destroy?

"Omg I am going to die??? My favorite people are going to die?? I wanted to do sm thing-"

+ people around you will always remind you that the world is ACTUALLY gonna destroy and you are actually gonna BELIEVE IT BECAUSE YOU LET THAT THOUGHT COME AND FUCK YOUR MIND.

🍂Instead, if you just repeatedly reprogram your mind saying that

⭐ "Whatever it is, everything/everyone always works out in my favour"

If you ask me what would happen. Simply what you said to yourself repeatedly and made that "assumption" As a dominant thought will replicate in your reality.

AND LOVE! I AM ALWAYS THERE TO GUIDE YOU BUT I AM NOT THE ONE WHO DECIDES WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.

That's the specialty of YOU. YOU ARE THE CREATOR OF YOUR OWN REALITY. SO YOU CAN DO/CHOOSE WHATEVER YOU WANTED!

🔮My success in revising death :

🌟 I literally manifested my uncle back who died 5-6 years ago. He was my favorite uncle and he died so soon which of course made me feel like shit. But yk what?

If it makes me feel like shit = it ain't true (my motto)

🌟 Now my uncle is literally talking with me whenever I want and YES IN MY REALITY HE IS ALIVE! BECAUSE I CHOSE THE REALITY IN WHICH HE'S ALIVE AND I AM HAPPY NOT IN THE REALITY IN WHICH HE WAS DEAD AND I WAS SAD + PEOPLE AROUND ME KEPT REMINDING ME THAT HE'S DEAD.

🌟 who cares? You should be strong like a rock. Stable asf. Get your desires by being stubborn. Simple.

With lots of love,

ADILYNN YURI🤍🌷

[stargazer-sims]

Journal Entry #45 (part five)

previous // next // story index

__________

Yuri

Victor’s room was on the fourth floor.

It was atypically quiet up there for that hour of the day. I’d expected it to be busier since it was the time when many of the patients would be having their dinner brought to them, and when others would be receiving visits from family or friends. I’ve been a patient in this wing of the fourth floor of Matsumori Valley Medical Center more than once myself, and I remember how much activity I could hear all around me in the late afternoon. 

The nurse, whose name I learned was Yuna, walked with me from the elevator, past the nurses’ station, and finally to a room about halfway down the long corridor. Just outside the door, she turned to me and offered me a kind smile. 

“I’ll be here until seven o’clock if you need anything,” she said. “The night shift will be coming on after that, and whoever happens to be your husband’s primary care nurse tonight will be able to help you if there’s anything you need.”

“Thank you,” I said. “How long can I stay?”

I knew visiting hours usually ended at eight o’clock, but I think I was hoping Yuna might say I could stay with Victor until morning. 

I shouldn’t have been surprised when she replied, “Until eight.”

“Okay.”

“You can come back tomorrow at seven thirty, if you like. You can feed him his breakfast," Yuna said.

I smiled slightly at that, sure that if Victor actually needed me to feed him, the irony of it would not be lost on him. “If I’m not allowed to spend the night, I’ll definitely be back here at seven-thirty,” I said. “Victor has a healthy relationship with food, though. I don’t think he’ll need my help with breakfast.”

“Is he left-handed or right-handed?” Yuna asked.

The question seemed like a non-sequitur, and it caught me off-guard. “Victor is left-handed, but why would you need to know that?”

“To help me explain," she responded. "He may need more than a little help. His left arm is more seriously injured than his right, and I expect Dr. Sato explained to you that he’s experiencing some vision loss. His coordination might be affected by his head injury, too.”

“Oh.”

“We’ll see how he is in the morning,” she said.

“Will you be here tomorrow?” I asked.

“I will,” she confirmed. “Why don’t you go in and sit with him now? I think he’ll be glad to have you here.”

I nodded, and thanked Yuna again. I watched her stride away in the direction of the nurses’ station before I turned back to the door of Victor’s room. 

I paused on the threshold, part of me desperate to see him and another part terrified of what I’d find once I stepped inside. I don’t know if I’d been in too much shock to pay attention to everything Dr. Sato had told me, or if she’d presented it in such a clinical way that it didn’t sink in. All I know is, hearing Yuna describe Victor’s injuries in such a practical context as his potential inability to feed himself absolutely shook me. I wasn’t at all prepared for that.

I was forced to admit to myself that not only was I scared, but I was also feeling guilty and disappointed in myself. Despite Mr. Tanaka's earlier assertion this wasn't my fault, I could not convince myself of that. The thoughts that continuously circled in my mind were that I should've thought harder about my priorites and that I could’ve handled things better today.  Maybe none of this would have happened and my Victor wouldn’t be facing an uncertain future if I had done things differently.

Gathering together the shreds of my courage, I took the deepest breath I could manage and then entered the room. It was darker in Victor’s room than in the previous areas of the hospital I’d been in. I couldn’t even see Victor at first because the bed curtain was pulled partway around the bed. All I could make out were his blanket-covered legs, one foot twitching restlessly like it often does when he’s overtired or anxious. 

At least he’s awake, I thought. His foot never does that when he’s sleeping.

When I moved past the edge of the curtain, I gasped involuntarily at the sight that confronted me. Victor was lying there utterly motionless. Both his forearms were bandaged, and his neck was immobilized. The area around his left eye and down his left cheek was mottled with purplish bruises. 

He was only covered from the waist down, and he wasn’t wearing a hospital gown or a shirt or anything. For all I knew, he might’ve been completely naked beneath the thin blanket. It seemed so undignified, and seeing him like that bothered me almost as much as looking at his injuries did.

I wanted to touch him, but I didn’t know where I could put my hands without hurting him. Trying not to startle him, I said his name quietly. 

It took him a few seconds to open his eyes, and when he did, they were fixed straight up at the ceiling for several more seconds. I understood that he couldn’t move his head or neck, so I didn’t expect him to turn toward me, but I think I did imagine he’d shift his gaze my way. Then I began to worry that maybe he wasn’t looking at me because he couldn’t. 

I felt a lump starting to form in my throat, and I fought with everything I had to keep from crying. The last thing Victor needed was for me to break down. He hates it when I cry. He says it makes him feel helpless, although he always tries his best to console me anyway. But this wasn’t the time for him to feel obligated to do anything for me. I needed to be as strong as I could for both of us, as difficult as I knew that was going to be.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

After what felt like an eternity, Victor glanced in my direction. “Yuri…?” he said, as if he wasn’t quite sure it was me. His voice sounded so weak and small, so devoid of its usual energy that I barely recognized it as his.

“I’m here, my treasure. I’m right here.” My own voice was trembling. Hesitantly, I traced across his shoulder with my fingertips, deciding that seemed like the safest place to touch. “I’m sorry I took so long.”

“It’s dark,” he mumbled.

“The light is off so it doesn’t hurt your eyes,” I said.

“Oh. Where are we?”

“You don’t know where we are?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “This isn’t my bed. Where’s my white blanket?”

“We’re in the hospital,” I told him. 

I could see in his face that he was struggling to process that information, but something must’ve finally clicked into place because he said. “I fell.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Why’s it so dark?”

“The lights are off,” I reminded him. ”I don’t think we should turn them on.”

“I don’t want it like that. I can’t see.” There was an undercurrent of fear in his tone. “Yuri, I… I don’t like it being dark like this. Please.”

His rising panic was pushing my own fear and anxiety toward the surface, and I had to take deep breaths to steady myself. I kept petting his shoulder, wanting to maintain contact in the hope of reassuring him somehow. “There’s a doctor coming to look at your eyes. If he says it’s okay, then we can turn the lights on.”

He let out a little whimpering sound. “But… I can’t see!”

“The doctor will help you,” I said.

“I just wanna see you.” Tears were starting to form at the edges of his eyes, and he squeezed his eyelids shut momentarily. “Everything’s blurry and weird. Why’s it like that?”

“You bumped your head,” I said. That was painting it with the broadest strokes possible, I knew, but I wanted him to be able to understand without having to concentrate too much.

“My head hurts,” he said. “Everything hurts. I want… I want it to stop hurting.”

“I’ll ask Dr. Sato if she can give you something to make it stop hurting. She should be here before too long.”

“When?”

“I’m not sure exactly. Soon.”

“Soon. Okay," he acquiesced. “Can you hold… hold m-my hand?” 

“I don’t know if I should,” I said.

“Please, Yuri? I’m scared.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, wondering how many times I was going to say that, and how many times would feel like enough. 

He made a vague movement with his right hand, the one closest to me, and I lifted it off the bed as carefully as I could. What if it was broken? Would I be doing more damage to it? His fingers were swollen, and even in the dimness they looked more pinkish than normal. “Am I hurting you?”

“I don’t know.”

If his hand was already causing him pain, I supposed that was a fair response. “You let me know if you want me to stop touching you.”

“Never stop,” he said. “I don’t care if it hurts. I just need to… to feel your hand.”

“Okay. I won’t let go.”

He was silent for a while, lying with his eyes closed, and I guessed perhaps the effort of talking had exhausted him. But then, his eyelids fluttered open again and his face assumed the expression of someone who’d just remembered something important. “Yuri,” he said. “They took my rings.”

“Your rings?”

“My rings. The... the ones you gave me.”

His wedding ring and promise ring. How could I have failed to notice that? I glanced down and saw my own rings on the fingers that cradled his swollen hand. “Do you remember who took them? The paramedics, or someone here?”

“I don’t know. I was crying. I don't know why I'm always crying."

"You're allowed to cry as much as you need to."

"I don't want to, but I can't help it."

"I know," I said.

"I didn’t want them to take them," he said. "My rings. I said… I promised I’d n-never take them off. I promised…”  His tears finally spilled over, and began to run down the sides of his face. “I’m sorry."

“It’s all right,” I assured him. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Can you find them?" he pleaded. "I need you to put them on me. Please. They're n-not supposed to be off."

I reached out with my free hand to caress his face, wiping away some of the dampness with my fingers. “I’m sure your rings are safe. I’ll find them for you, and when your hands feel better I’ll put them on you again. I don’t think they’d fit you right now.”

“I promised I’d never take them off,” he repeated miserably. 

“I know, love. It’s all right. It’s not your fault.”

“Yes, it is,” he said. “I didn’t… I wasn’t mad at you this morning, but I shouldn’t have… The event. I… I should’ve told Sakura… But it’s my best one, and…” He trailed off and raised his other hand to rub at his eyes, and then almost immediately cried out in pain. He was so confused, it likely hadn’t occurred to him that touching his bruised face with his possibly fractured arm would be painful. Instead of drying his tears, it only made him cry harder. “I’m never doing it again.”

“Never doing what again?” 

“Snowboarding,” he said.

“Don’t say that. You might be off the mountain for a while, but you’ll do it again.”

“No…” he said, and it came out as a moan. “Everyone… I disappointed everyone. I wanted you to be proud even if… even if you weren’t there. I love you, and I just… I… I’m sorry.  Everything’s messed up, and it’s my fault.”

I’ll confess, in that moment I had no idea what to do.  My heart was aching and I felt utterly helpless. I wanted to be able to say something, do something to make everything right, but I didn’t know how. All I could do was attempt to comfort him as best I could. 

“Victor, it’s not your fault,” I said softly. I stroked his hair gently, in the way I know he likes. “I love you, and I am proud of you. You never have to do anything special to make me proud. Being you is enough.”

“Is it?”

“Of course it is. It always has been. I don’t need a hero or a champion.” I lowered my head and whispered, “I just need you. Always you. Only you.”

“Don’t leave me,” he said. “Please… I’m scared.”

“I’m right here. I’m not going to leave you.”

“What if I can’t…” he began.

“Can’t what?”

“What if… what if I can’t take care of you any more?”

“I don’t want you to worry about that,” I said.  

“Your voice… I can tell. You’re in pain.”

“A little,” I conceded. In reality, it was more than a little and I’m positive he knew that, but he didn’t need to hear me say it. “I’ll be fine. Right now, we need to focus on you.”

“But, I have to. Your mom… she’s n-not here, and nobody else knows how to do what you need.” His fingers stirred weakly in my hand. “Meds and food and… y’know. Belly rubs.”

I laughed. Of all the things he was concerned about, the one that found its way into the conversation had to be that, and it was such a Victor thing to say. It wasn’t really funny, but I think I’d reached a breaking point and had to release my emotional energy in some way. I reasoned that laughing was better than the alternative.

“You do give amazing belly rubs,” I said. “I’ll be looking forward to those when everything’s back to normal.”

“Normal,” he echoed.

"When your hands are better and you can see again."

“Am I gonna be normal? 'Cause nothing feels normal. Everything hurts, and I don't even know where I am, and it's too dark, and...”

"You're in the hospital, remember? It's dark to protect your eyes."

"I wanna be normal, Yuri."

“I think you will be,” I said. 

“I have to. I need to see and know where I am, and… and I need my hands to do stuff. I just wanna take care of you ‘cause I love you, and I promised.”

“I love you too,” I said. “You’ll be able to take care of me again, but for now all you need to do is rest and let me take care of you.”

[digitalhello]

hello everyoneee ♥ i'm here with the person behind doors of 8a apartment, song yuri; the definition of a gifted child who's gone through the good old fashioned burnout. i have her short dossier here and her pinterest board for vibes here if you want to check it out. under read more you can find out more about her bio in form of bulletpoints!

27th of october, making her double scorpio + capricorn for my astrology loving friends, born and raised in seoul!

both of her parents are accountants and both of them are the definition of tiger parents. as far as her memory goes and as busy as her parents were with their jobs, they've also always emphasized studying, reading and learning and she was already attending cram school when she was four — to which her mother said was already too late. she didn't have barbies or bratz dolls growing up, and instead, newest book about physics or chemistry would be placed on her table as a present.

and soon enough everyone learned that she's actually quite talented when it came to numbers. the go-to for teachers if no one else understands the equations, been in math clubs throughout her school years, even won a national competition once (though it didn't matter to her mom because yuri was still always second on the students' grades list in high school lol!!), with many diplomas collecting dust in cardboard boxes back in her childhood bedroom.

her life was genuinely boring compared to her peers': while many were experiencing first loves, karaoke bars and exploring their youths, yuri was literally just... studying lol! it was a bit overwhelming but the knowledge of how many hours your parents put into your education and the guilt of "i cant let them down" every time her spirits waned kind of """"helped""" her push through. thankfully she was never made to pick up an instrument because her breakdown would've come a lot sooner... additionally while she wasn't the #1 pick of students in terms of popularity (her being taller than some of her male classmates didn't really help), she was generally liked; she'd help tutor other students and help them out! she never had that stuck up aura around her due to her grades

never really complains about anything because every time she tries to she's hit with the "i don't have time right now sweetie" so she just. bottles everything up... which is still a coping mechanism to this day whoops

it all pays off though and miss girl gets a ticket to a dept of astrophysics at snu :) her parents couldn't be prouder and obviously it's thanks to their care and dedication that yuri is given this special once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and really they made so many sacrifices in the past years... they put in their blood, sweat and tears into her... someone pat them on the back quickly!!!

(never mind the fact yuri doesn't actually remember when was the last time she ate a homemade meal of her mother's... or father's)

to stop yapping about her past tl;dr: the continuous flow of expectations and pressure makes yuri crumble in her second year of studies. she tries to push through, but with the amount of classes she's skipping on purpose... she eventually... drops out >_< and is promptly... cut off. because how dare she repay her parents like this after everything!!! hasn't spoken to her mom in years though her dad does reach out to check if she's alive from time to time

she couch surfs for about six months while working part time jobs until a close friend tells her about gyeogang's apts and helps her out with rent when she moves in in late 2022.

has been working as a florist at a local flowershop since 2023 and the job is, in spite of its actual nature that can be hectic and sometimes clocking in over 12 hrs a day, quite calming to her!!! after everything she enjoys having her hands occupied like that and seeing what her hands actually make when it comes to bouquets.

personality wise yuri is quite timid, sometimes too much for her own good. she tries to avoid conflicts and arguments, empathetic to others' opinions and feelings, on the introverted side. will help out however she can. quite warm when you befriend her, the type of friend for life & the type of friend you can reach out to after years of no contact without that feelings of awkwardness lingering in air. holds petty grudges however and will also completely ignore you if you asked her re: her uni situation...

some other tidbits: — has a six month old orange tabby named minnie. she thought it's a girl for longest time so the name just stuck.... and yes she's a victim to orange cat shenanigans — her apt is filled with cat safe plants!!! ask her abt recommendations or cuttings and she's your gal — has a deep fear of tinder — cycles wherever she can!!! she has a little green bike with one of those baskets on the front — got all of her piercings on a whim — has a faceless youtube vlog she hasn't posted on in like nine months — says how she needs to cook more but always forgets to buy eggs so she lives off of delivery — the type to leave anonymous noise complains notes on community board instead of directly confronting lol...

i prefer brainstorming for plotting, or taking up other people's wanted plots as my brain is pea sized when it comes to offering ideas on the spot so i will be sliding into dms instead!!!

[lady-charinette]

(for this: https://www.tumblr.com/lady-charinette/723936178046418944/ask-game-based-on-this-poll-you-can-send-me-asks)

twiyor forced to fight? 👀 hope you’re having a good day!!! 🫶💖💞💝💗

OH that one slaps! I love me a good angsty fight between two loving spouses! ^_^ Aw, I hope you're having an awesome day too Sadie!! :D

----

“Yor…” Loid’s voice quivered, taking a step back.

Before him stood his wife, his for-Operation-Strix fake married wife, and she had stiletto daggers in her hands and a dark, unfamiliar expression on her face.

No, Twilight knew that expression well, had seen it in the faces of many men, both young and old, in the faces of the experienced fighters in the frontlines.

He had seen it when witnessing his sergeant’s eyes following the trickle of blood as it escaped their enemy’s mouth.

He sees it when he looks in the mirror too.

“Finish him, Thorn Princess. You know what’s on the line.” Shopkeeper’s low, deceptively calm voice sounded from the cover of shadows. It seemed to be all around them like a phantom.

Twilight’s fist clenched, the leather of his gloves groaning in protest. “Yor! Please listen to me, we can find a way to escape. We don’t have to fight!”

A voice Twilight didn’t want to acknowledge as his own quietly whispered in the corner of his mind: ‘I don’t want to fight you.’

Yor’s mouth turned into a thin line, raising the blade close to her face. “Loid, please. Run.”

It took a second.

No, half a second.

Even he could barely keep up.

A ringing.

White noise.

One swing of the blade.

A burn.

No, a cut.

With reflexes honed from grueling training, Twilight used the wall as leverage to jump over Yor’s next attack, but she seemed to anticipate his moves.

Turning faster than his trained eye could keep up, Yor turned her torso and threw one dagger up in the air.

It nicked his suit, a hair’s breath away from drawing more blood from him.

Twilight noticed too late the dagger missed him on purpose.

The actual hit knocked the air out of his lungs.

Yor’s heel dug into his stomach, the force slamming him straight into the opposite wall with a sickening thud.

Thorn Princess wasted no time to gain her footing and dash towards Twilight. The spy was no crumpled heap on the ground where she had thrown him.

A presence much darker and subtle barely tickled her senses.

Behind her.

Yor turned on her heel, muscles tensing to land a right hook at her opponent before her fist got caught in a much larger hand.

Twilight’s form was almost completely hidden by the shadows, the overhead lamp swinging softly to move her husband in and out of the light.

Much like her emotions that night.

Yor was used to sensing killing intent from her enemies towards her, the assassin within her was confused why she didn’t sense any from her husband, despite him appearing like an apparition of death itself ready to claim her soul.

Was this the last thing his enemies saw before Twilight the spy ended their lives? Thorn Princess didn’t envy them.

Twilight’s expression softened immediately, his grip tight but not painful on Yor’s hand. “Yor, we have to end this fight.”

The steel of her weapon caught the light once it hit them and Twilight swung his head back to dodge the upward thrust aimed at his throat.

Twilight put as much distance between them as possible, knowing it would be an easy feat for his wife to close that distance. He needed time.

“Yor, please, I can contact Franky, I’ll make sure Garden can’t hurt you or Anya! You won’t be forced to live like this any-“

“-You don’t understand!” the blade caught his eyes as Yor’s fist tightened around it further, but she made no other move to point it at him. Her eyes seemed to burn holes right through his skull. “I fed and clothed Yuri with this job! It’s the only thing I can do that I’m good at, Loid! My abilities…they, I can’t work like this at City Hall!” images of mocking faces entered Yor’s mind, memories of people ridiculing her for her lack of skills in everything but killing. “These hands…they can’t do anything else but kill…”

Thorn Princess wasn’t one to be caught off guard, but she was. Her body was too quick for her mind to catch up with.

The sharp point of her blade was turned up before she registered Loid crossed the room towards her.

The blade dug uncomfortably into his forearm, soaking the material of his suit in his blood, but Twilight ignored the burning pain in favor of holding Yor’s hands in his. His gaze finally caught hers and held it. “You’re wrong, Yor. These hands…they dress and bathe Anya every day. They make our dinner and buy the food we eat. They clean Bond after he comes home from playing at the doggy park the whole day. They gently carry Anya to bed when she accidentally falls asleep in the living room watching Spy Wars past her bedtime.” Twilight slowly rubbed his thumbs across Yor’s knuckles, feeling the bumps and callouses from fighting, but sensing their restrained power.

Yor was holding back.

Twilight smiled. “…They stroked my hair while I was having dreams about losing my mother in the war. They welcome me home and take my coat after a long day at the hospital. They patched me up after I got roughed up from a secret mission…I never knew these hands to be anything but kind to us, Yor. Maybe inanimate objects didn’t get that same treatment but…these are your hands, Yor! The hands that you love and protect with and kill. All these years, you’ve worked this job for the same reason I work mine: to protect the people that are dear to you.”

Droplets of liquid slid down over their joined hands and Twilight lifted one hand carefully to wipe away the tears falling down Yor’s cheeks. “These hands aren’t just good for killing, Yor. Just like you aren’t only good for killing. Just like I’m not only good for killing either.”

Yor’s- Thorn Princesses’ defenses slowly crumbled, the edge vanished from her eyes like mist in the wind and finally, Loid could gaze at his wife’s face without the looming threat of death hanging over both of their heads.

“Hey.” Loid leaned his head down to touch his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, nuzzling into her.

The sharp clang of metal hitting the solid ground echoed in the barren room as Yor dropped her dagger to curl her hand around Loid’s, pushing her forehead up against him in return. Yor’s watery “Hey.” made Loid wipe the remainder of her tears away and blink back the onslaught of his own.

Nuzzling into each other, assassin and spy allowed themselves this brief reprieve before Yor’s words washed over them both like a shower of ice shards.

“They have Anya.”

Taking a deep breath, Loid slowly straightened his back with his eyes still closed.

Opening them again, Yor knew it wasn’t her dear husband who stood before her.

It was Westalis’s greatest spy and Ostania’s greatest nightmare staring vowing a slow death to any who stood in his way.

And then Twilight spoke, words that caused Thorn Princess to pick up her weapons again. “My communication lines were suddenly cut, I suspect Garden isn’t the only one playing a hand in kidnapping Anya.”

The glare of the mighty Thorn Princess could topple the bravest men and send them begging on their knees. “If I may, I think I’ll have to take more lives today, including that of your colleagues.”

While Thorn Princess fixed her gloves, Twilight ripped a part of his suit to still the bleeding on his forearm. “Casualties are unavoidable on both sides, you have my full permission, Yor.”

Despite the use of her name, it was Thorn Princess’ gaze that glared daggers at the prospect of killing her husband’s fellow spies.

Together, both spy and assassin rushed to save their daughter from both Garden and WISE.

Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it :3  

[dayseternal-blog]

"side effects" by cheating death is full of rpe scenes and all these scenes are so graphic and UNNECESSARY. The author has written this fiction so disgusting that it is as if r*pe is something to be enjoyed and as if the victim should feel guilty for it. It is a sick fiction written by a sick mind that sees r*pe as a pleasurable thing. The person who wrote this fiction and the people who love it have a sick mentality. As a woman, how can you like and recommend such a disgusting piece of fiction?

Yes, it’s one of the darkest, kinkiest, most horrifying plots I’ve yet read! It’s really imaginative and shocking with everything Naruto and Hinata have to endure, so as a fellow writer, I’ve always been impressed with Cheating Death’s daring and quite audacious plot. I would recommend "Side Effects" and Cheating Death's other work to anyone who enjoys dark NaruHina fics.

To answer your question, fanfiction has always been a safe way for people to process and recover from trauma, explore kinks, or reflect on other experiences without having to physically go through it or talk to anyone about it. Their private thoughts, hurts, or curiosities stay private while getting a creative and safe outlet through familiar comfort characters. AND there isn’t one correct way to process!

For example, I’ve written about absent, distant fathers quite a bit due to my own childhood circumstances. I’ve shown Hinata’s, Hiashi’s, Naruto’s, and Boruto’s perspectives. And then other writers have shown completely different perspectives using the same characters in a way that I don’t agree with at all but works for other readers. Some writers condemn the absent father and write the most punishing story possible, while others write forgiving fics or completely ignore canon and write the fluffiest thing ever. Each style gives the writer and readers some kind of catharsis, and I respect that despite my difference of opinion.

Another example is smut. A writer can be fulfilled with a vanilla sex life or may be asexual irl, but on paper they write really raunchy stuff without any intention of ever actually experiencing what they write. They in fact KNOW that if they went through it in real life, they would definitely not enjoy it. A writer may be in a happy hetero relationship but then write only explicit yuri or yaoi fics. And the reasons can be varied, from as simple as “fun” to as complex or evolving as identity exploration, and that has no impact on their happiness with their partner.

Specifically concerning sexual assault, many assault victims use fanfiction to process, and yes, many read and write stories that portray the assault graphically, even enjoyably, even as the victim’s fault. Some need a punishing story; others need a fantasy escape. Every writer and reader behind the screen has their own circumstances, way of acknowledging their past, and way of figuring out how to approach future sexual relations.

On a personal note, I wrote my first fic (Honeymoon at the Hot Springs) after I had almost miscarried, hated my body in so many different ways, was suffering from some type of post-partum/anxiety, and refused to let my husband touch me for months. I felt so uncomfortable in my own body. In a lot of ways, Honeymoon helped me ease myself back into physical intimacy mentally without anyone touching or even looking at me. Can you start to see how a fic about assault can give a victim a way to feel agency over their own body and pleasure again? By writing or reading about sexual assault in different ways, they confront their trauma and regain their sense of control over themselves. If you're also a victim, and this seems sick to you, then your way of processing is obviously different from theirs, and that is fine.

Tbh for Side Effects, I reread only the naruhina scenes and I skip the the bus, bar, massage, and the last drugged scene and probably other scenes too. What’s necessary to give the writer catharsis isn't always necessary for me, the reader. But the naruhina smut is crazy and off the charts explicit, it’s absolutely wild, so of course I have to recommend the fic for all the horny and/or dark readers in this fandom.

Have you heard of YKINMKATO (kink tomato)? "Your Kink Is Not My Kink And That’s Okay." It’s an old fanfiction terminology that keeps reading on the vast and unpredictable internet enjoyable for everyone. And let me tell you, I’ve come across a few appalling NaruHina fics that make Side Effects seem almost innocent! Cannibal Naruto, piss/public humiliation kinks, murder kinks!!!! I can assure you that the writers are having fun frightening and messing with their curiosity-killed-the-cat readers lol.

Anyway, I hope I explained my reasoning well enough for you. Side Effects was definitely not the fic for you, so you know now to approach dubcon, noncon, and dark stories with caution!! ⚠️

Also, it seems that you don't.......know what I write and what I read....are you new to my blog? I read and recommend fics of ALL KINDS, yes. All kinds. From soulmate aus to harem aus, from comedy to adultery fics. People have likened my #naruhina fanfic recs tag to a library and me as a librarian, which is really cute and funny to me. Please browse my rec lists to find fics that you DO and CAN enjoy.

[polycharismas]

obligatory sappy post. hello. i remember last year i started the sappy post with going about how i lost someone important but. that bitch really doesnt compare to who i lost this year. its im pretty sure the first time i have ever experienced what a real actual loss is. im sure that sounds extremely depressing but one thing i know he would have wanted from me was to move on in the best way that i could and unfortunately for me that best way may or may just lie in bitches i met on tumblr dot com so. thanks for that ig. at least i can confidently say i am absolutely sincere with everything im saying and will say next, contrary to the way i actually felt back in 2022. for all my other mutuals, thanks. sincerely thanks for being with me during my highs and my many many lows. happy new years for all of you. and as for the 5 people that made this year and the next to come worth living. uhm. some stuff for all of you below ig

for my actual real sister. im not sure about how often you read my posts but i hope you read this somehow. every year spent with you by my side made every single one of my struggles something so so so much more bearable. no words will ever be able to fully describe the extent of happiness every second spent with you brings me. im so glad to have you by my side this entire year and im pretty sure for the rest of my life. lets keep bullying sanji this year. thank you so much for everything.

for lyria. there are very little people that have been able to change me and the way i think to the extent you did. i'll forever be glad i was able to bring such a change in the way you were to the way you are now, and i want you to know you also brought a lot of positive in change in me, i know things ended up being complicated between us but that still wont change the fact you are one of the people i appreciate the most in my life. lets yuri it up once again this year. thank you so much for everything.

for nazu. despite how ? hard it ends up being for us to talk it always Always ends up being one super fun experience, i trust you to like. extreme degrees Thanks for seeing all my struggles fire emoji. i think you know a Lot about me at this point and thats. really really cool. im glad to know i can count on you for most things. i cant count the amount of times being with you ended up with me laughing until my ribs actually hurt. lets be the best ifunny users again this year. thank you so much for everything.

for apollo. never in my life would i have guessed the amount of shit that would go down with the mere action of following you slash. positive? negative? well mostly the first one for me though. theres a lot of insight i have gotten about myself that wouldnt have been possible with anyone else but you. you are so funny without trying at all also. everything is just so much more livelier and fun with you around. i'll do my best to study your brain this year. thank you so much for everything.

and lastly but not because of less importance, just because im scared of having to express. everything. for kie. theres nothing that could express the like. wide range of emotions i feel towards you. i know i end up Not expressing it as much as i would like because im genuinely scared sometimes but just know without you these last 3 months would have been genuinely the worst in my entire life. im still too scared to be actually sincere about some of my most. complicated feelings. but i'll always be completely certain you mean absolutely everything. i'll try my best to show that to the extent you truly deserve because you deserve way more than what i have given you up to this point. i love you. more than anyone else in the world. and i wouldnt mind dedicating my entire life to cherishing everything you are. lets Idk be more toxic this year THATS HORRIBLE OKAY. thank you so much for everything.

idk how to end this. just. thanks for being there. all of you. happy new years.

[poppyknitt]

You are literally what that anti post was talking about. "You can only ship these things to cope!" And you're going to be the arbiter?

Ok first of all i dont even remember rbing that because it was 4 or 5 am for me and my cat had just woken me up. Second of all:

let me be clear. i don’t send hate mail, i don’t harass. i don’t like it when people ship horrible things publicly in ways that imply they are good because children — i was one of them — can see those ships and assume the abuse they’re experiencing is normal. It’s not the intent but that’s a genuine thing that happens because kids and teens are fucking stupid. But: I don’t tell individuals what to do with their time or harass or bully or anything.

As an adult with sexual trauma from both irl and the internet, i find it uncomfortable and bad to share things that cause harm irl in a positive light. Why? It makes vulnerably-minded people think they’re normal and healthy relationships and topics and thoughts etc. The only time it should be accepted is in the eyes of an unreliable narrator because that’s the POINT of unreliable narration — to mislead the reader/viewer.

Sure, these people shouldn’t consume dark topics if they’re vulnerable to suggestion, but it’s the fact that showing things like abuse and incest and pedophillia positively without acknowledging what they are can cause massive damage to other people that’s bad at all. You don’t like it when people throw horrible insults, right? You don’t like it when people cause psychological damage to others, right? What is normalizing toxicity in the minds of others if not psychological damage?

I don’t care if you proship.

I don’t care if you post it.

Just be clear that this is not something that should be done irl/you support irl.

Sure, these people shouldn’t consume dark topics if they’re vulnerable to suggestion, but it’s the fact that showing things like abuse and incest and pedophillia positively without acknowledging what they are can cause massive damage to other people that’s bad at all. You don’t like it when people throw horrible insults, right? You don’t like it when people cause psychological damage to others, right? What is normalizing toxicity in the minds of others if not psychological damage?

In a day and age where no one has any media literacy, we have to be careful when we post things until this gets fixed.

If you can’t be bothered to put a trigger warning and/or disclaimer about your darker work, you’re an ass. Doesn’t matter what kind of “darker” it is.

I have this stance about folks who don’t trigger warning their abuse fics and their toxic yuri/yaoi fics or whatever. (not fully sure if thats considered proship)

I have this stance about folks who don’t disclaimer their videos for flashing lights or violence.

Just because you can do something that can cause pain to yourself or others doesn’t mean you get to do it without warning others in your presence.

Please don’t send hate mail without the full story. I’m sure you’re well-intentioned and kind, but this was not a kind way to go about it. I did not reblog that post with bad intent, I am open to discussing this topic and learning more as I grew up incredibly sheltered from shipping in its broadest forms and don’t do it myself because of my own repulsions. If you have criticisms and information for me, please send them with respect and I will respond back with respect. Otherwise? Zip it.

No one deserves to be sent vitriol over something you don’t know jack about when it comes to their side of things.

Please be kinder to people.

also look into the jaws effect. very interesting stuff.

[darkenforcer]

his legs have since found their way on top of the desk, crossed as he flips through a stack of documents-- invoices, employee records... it's probably illegal to snoop, but he's hardly retaining the information, anyway, just desperately attempting to distract himself from... everything (and failing).

knock! knock!

he perks at the noise, a curious brow raised. 'special guest'? sounds promising... (a challenger to tussle with in the ring, maybe? wouldn't mind that). but with how his day's been going, he's expecting a meeting or something equally as mind-numbing.

...well, he's wrong on both accounts (a fight, though? not yet off the table).

he can't pinpoint it, his reaction to seeing the other man after all this time. it's a wave of nerves, irritation, and -- admittedly -- warmth-- an amalgamation of both his mind and dar's impulses, he assumes, indistinguishably intertwined.

his own voice breaks through the standstill, and yuri frowns. "i was considerin' it. still am," comes his retort, though an unaffected front isn't easy when there's more to account for than expressions alone. a hoodie would do this guy wonders.

a soft, rumbling growl steals his attention, "...repede?" even if he does look fed-up, his companion's a sight for sore eyes. the dog grumbles again -- scolds, more like -- then trudges off to the corner, giving them ample space to hash things out without him.

fine. he props his chin in one hand, gesturing pointedly with the other, "why're ya even here? 'fraid i'd burn the place down without ya? i'd say to have more faith in your staff, but they clearly fell for whatever shite ya fed 'em. 'n what'd they mean by 'special guest'? they aren't expectin' anything outta me-- you now, are they?"

man, his mouth just keeps on running, doesn't it?

"forget it. if you're here to relieve me, the club's all yours. i'll even do ya a favor 'n stick close by so ya won't have to travel far once it's over," he crosses his arms, the uneasy restlessness from earlier prickling beneath his skin again. he tries again, as close to a level-headed suggestion as he can manage, "no reason to force... this, is all i'm sayin'. i won't blame ya if ya'd prefer the space, either."

this isn't how he wanted their reunion to go; it's too invasive, experiencing the other man's impulses throughout. what he wants is his body back before anything too personal comes to light, for either of them.

"out of everyone it could have been..." dar found himself uttering between breaths, his pace having quickened into a near sprint. the clattering of claws followed close beside him, repede offering a short bark towards dar'khol's muttering.

"don't tell me it could be worse, this is worse!" his response came effortlessly, as if the dog had spoken plainly to him; or as if assisted by his missing echo. dar could only spare his companion a quick glance, hit by the realization he could even interpret that bark as anything -- let alone a sentence!

"tsk. maybe this wouldn't be so bad if we weren't living through radio silence, but... --"

the warrior cuts himself short, a widened stare meeting a rather judgemental eye. even were he not trapped in his friends body, he was sure he'd be able to understand that look. he'd let his unfinished complaint drop with an uncomfortable grunt. ( you and boo would get along well, wouldn't you... )

eventually, their rushed trip would slow itself to a halt, the lights of skullrender coming into view. part of him wished to feel relieved upon seeing that same red glow, to hear that dulled thump of music... yet knowing why he was here, what he would see. there may as well be a rock weighed against his chest as he approaches the door.

with a short inhale he sees himself in, waiting for the initial stop and check from staff before he's given free entry.

"hey, is your boss in?" time to play this charade.

"i've got something i need to take up with him. you see," a glance is given down to repede, a smile curling his lips as a hint to play along, "i was given an invite a while back for a match with him, but i haven't been able to make an appearance until now. i've felt awful about keeping him waiting on something he's been so excited for!"

the employee being delivered dar'khol's lie stared him down with a squint; a hesitant curiosity that seemed to skirt aside the moment the warriors excitement was mentioned. he's excitable, and he knows just how rowdy he can be when that excitement is left unchecked. may as well use his own reputation to his advantage, right?

' y-yes. he is in! if he's been waiting that would explain why he's seemed so out of it, haha! right this way, i'm sure he'll be ecstatic over your arrival. '

... yeah, ecstatic.

before that, he finds himself scoffing at -- his own simplicity? were he to have actually given yuri such an invite he would... absolutely be antsy and rowdier than need be waiting. he knew himself better than anyone, but why does thinking that over have him wanting to sigh as if it were the most obvious thing? of course, he wished to say.

' boss! ' the employee calls, giving the office door a few knocks, ' a special guest has arrived for you! '

"you don't have to go saying it like that..." dar was speaking before his thoughts could fully catch up, but his voice was low enough the staff member didn't seem to mind. what he wanted, however, was the moment he was allowed to slip inside with repede in tow. the door behind them could not be shut fast enough.

the pause in between was, perhaps, longer than intended.

"i'll be honest," he finally began, "i was half expecting you to have taken off."

[imnobodyuknow]

Ladies and gentlemen...

Or your papas, whichever suits the occasion.  😉

It only took forever, but here it is: “big reveal” number 59!

***Doki Doki Literature Club Spoilers Ahead!!!***

So, this drawing is a bit on the abstract side -- a simple scene with a deeper meaning than meets the eye (especially if you happen to be familiar with the game it’s made after).  What kind of scene, you ask?  Just a happy hypothetical scenario in which the cast of Doki Doki Literature Club get to meet their maker!

Uh, no, not that one.  I’m talking about Dan Salvato, the game’s creator!  If we assume they all know who he is (which I realize implies that they all became self-aware somehow -- y’know, minor details), I imagined they’d be all too happy to meet him in the flesh!

Well, heh...  All but one.

So, while I don’t actually know Dan Salvato or what he’d do if he could interact with his brainchildren this way, I couldn’t help but smile at the idea of him showing up in their world to share some love with them.  (I know that’s what I’d do, anyway.  😊)  As you can see, three of them are enjoying his company, and Natsuki has even been moved to tears.

This might seem a little out of character for her unless you consider these two words: Better dad.  Need I say more?

Monika, on the other hand, isn’t quite so thrilled to see him.

Oh, and the protagonist is there, too, of course.  Let’s just pretend we’re looking at this scene from his point of view.  😏

Why the stark contrast in their reactions?  As you know if you’re familiar with the game’s story, these girls each have their own burden to bear, all of which are a lot heavier than you might think just by looking at them.  Monika’s burden, however, was of a somewhat different nature than the others -- she became aware of the game’s existence and her role in it, decided to use it to her advantage, and it blew up in her face.  She ended up coming to terms with it, but not without lashing out a bit at the player first, and it wouldn’t surprise me if she felt the same way toward the game’s creator.

With that in mind, I can imagine the other three girls forgiving good ol’ Dan for what he put them through (again, assuming they understand the whole situation now), but in Monika’s case, I doubt she’d be willing to forgive him quite so easily, if at all.  You may have noticed Sayori inviting her into their group hug:

She’s essentially saying with her face, “Come on, Monika, just let it go!”  Monika’s response would likely be something like, “He puts me through an existential crisis, a lack of purpose, and a painful rejection, and you expect me to forgive him just like that?”

Or maybe something simpler like, “It’s not that easy.”

One other thing I want to point out is how Dan is looking straight at her, ready to let her into the group whenever she’s prepared to.  He’s giving her the look of a loving father, in other words.  😊

And now, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to take a look at this scenario from a Christian point of view (’cause that’s what I do 😉).

Suppose, hypothetically, your life had an author (either the God of the Bible or a different one, whichever you prefer) and you had a chance to meet them (either in a vision, a dream, after death, or something else -- again, whichever you prefer).  Knowing that they were responsible for everything that happened to you -- good and bad -- what would you say to them, if anything?  Would you be like Monika in this drawing, showing them bitterness (or flat-out hatred) for all the suffering you and your loved ones have had to go through in your life?  Would you be like Yuri, Natsuki, and Sayori, showing them gratitude for the good things you and your loved ones have experienced in your life, as well as the gift of life itself?  Or would you feel a mixture of the two and try to decide which attitude would be most appropriate?  Even as a die-hard Christian, I wouldn’t blame anyone for having trouble deciding what kind of tone they would take.

Anyway, while you’re pondering that question, here are the images I used for the characters.  For Natsuki and Yuri’s profiles, I used these:

For the characters’ facial expressions, I used these:

(I combined two different sprites for that one)

For Sayori’s arm, I used Monika’s main menu sprite:

For Dan Salvato, I used a photo of him from the DDLC wiki:

Drawing that hairstyle was a challenge, but a fun one.  I’m a little disappointed with how ugly the color of his shorts turned out.  Sorry about that, Mr. Salvato!  😓

And finally, the setting is based on the residential area from the game:

I just have to say, I long for the day when I can draw something with that level of detail.  That’s just nuts!  😳

Anyway, I hope this drawing sparked some deep, deep thoughts for you, or that it was enjoyable at the very least.  And if it turns out there is an Ultimate Being who crafted the world, life, and you...cut ‘em some slack.  You wouldn’t want to have their job, after all.  😐

[glowingbadger]

Well, I just read those three first time HCs…now I need to know about Felix, Claude, and Yuri.

good boys good boys good boys they're all actually kind of shitty gremlins but we love them

Felix, Claude, Yuri x Reader's first time

NSFW 18+

Felix:

- he's an interesting case. Felix has only had a couple previous sexual encounters- more or less just to scratch an itch -and he found them fairly mediocre. It only occurs to him once he's with you that this, the drive to give someone else pleasure, the drive to watch the one he loves fall to pieces in his arms, is what he's been missing. So when you tell him that he's your first, it takes everything in his power to restrain himself so he's not too rough with you. His passion makes him an intense lover, when he anxiously tells you, "You need to tell me if it hurts, alright?" it's a testament to how much he cares about you.

- Felix actually quite likes being your first. He has immense lingering insecurity about being a 'place-holder' for someone else. The idea that he may be compared to someone else even by his lover really prods at his anxieties. That's not to say that a more experienced partner couldn't soothe these worries, but he's relieved that with you, he'll never have to concern himself with who else you may be thinking of when he holds you.

- The only tricky thing with Felix is that he doesn't always know the right questions to ask. It's not because he doesn't care or want to know about your comforts and preferences- it's that he just assumes that if you had anything to say to him about it, you would come out and say it. He doesn't see the point in him interrogating you about these things when you could just tell him yourself. For a first timer, that might be a bit awkward- but if Felix likes you well enough to take you to bed, it's likely this is something you know how to navigate with him by now.

Claude:

- I actually did a little scenario for this recently right -here- if you wanna check that out! I definitely think Claude would be a wonderful first.

- Claude doesn't have strong thoughts about the base fact that it's your first time- he's an open minded sort, so he figures no one's past is his business unless you choose to share it. Knowing he's your first though, he'll slow his pace a bit and take plenty of time to check in with you as things progress. With each article of your clothing lost and each new sensation he introduces to you, he'll throw in a quick "This good, darling?" He's so natural about it, which can certainly help put you at ease without causing any undue pressure to continue.

- He's wonderfully reassuring about how you make him feel. He'll be honest of course, directing you if you're uncertain about something, but once you touch him just right, or learn exactly what he likes when you take him in your mouth for instance, he's not shy at all about his enjoyment, "Mmmh, that's right darling, don't stop... you're so good, Y/N. You feel incredible..." Knowing that your inexperience isn't a detriment for him, that you're still more than capable of satisfying him is comforting for certain.

- I've mentioned this a few times before, but Claude is great for experimentation. He's open minded, and has a fair bit of experience himself. If you bring up something you want, you can bet he's good to try it at least once- especially since satisfying you is so enjoyable for him. Given he's so observant, he's even likely to pick up on subtle aspects of your responses and start to realize what sort of things you're likely to enjoy in the future. If you moan louder when he bucks his hips a little more harshly, if you squeeze around him more during certain types of dirty talk, or you cum harder from oral- any of these little quirks, he'll notice and utilize to the fullest.

Yuri:

- CORRUPTION. KINK. TIME. Yuri will tease you relentlessly about being a virgin when he gets his hands on you. There's a dangerous glint in his eye as he murmurs how, "You were just made for me, weren't you? Maybe no one else was good enough for you- is that it? That's what I think," his touch glides down your body, but intentionally avoids your most sensitive parts, "No one else deserves to have you, Y/N. Don't you worry, dearest, by the time I'm done, you'll be glad that I'm the only one who's ever been inside of you."

- He will go as slow as you need, but he'll be shameless about how much enjoys your reactions, knowing that he's pleasuring you far beyond anything you've ever experienced. Yuri especially loves hearing you tell him what you like, that he's making you feel incredible. In an odd way, his desire to savor the process of "corrupting you" means that he's more than happy to take his time with foreplay, introducing you to as many new sensations as possible, fascinated by every adorable reaction, every new expression, every way you can cry out his name.

- Yuri will absolutely make sure you're blissfully dazed with pleasure, and nice and 'prepared' for him by the time he decides to make you his fully. But rest assured, he'll find a way to make this last moment shamelessly lewd as well. With feather light touches, he urges you to look up at him and says, "Ask for it nicely, won't you? Come on, you can do it, say 'please give me your cock, Yuri'." The depravity of someone who seems so 'innocent' to him talking this way has him absolutely throbbing hard.

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Light Novel Review — I'm in Love with the Villainess

A stunningly profound, entertaining, and queer title that eclipses other isekai and Yuri series

There are few titles the general public seems to be as excited about as Inori and Hanagata's I'm in Love with the Villainess, as it has been sitting at or near the top of Amazon's LGBT Manga list for months and Twitter is consistently abuzz with the latest news on this isekai Yuri series. I was somewhat more skeptical, as I have had relatively poor experiences with isekai and fantasy Yuri. Still, my excitement went through the room, and I eagerly boarded the "hype train" upon the cover reveal for the third volume. Yuri families, where two women raise children together, are one of my greatest desires and something I rarely see portrayed in the genre. However, I still had mostly low expectations for the series going into the first volume. I looked forward to some light meandering comedy and typical boring trope-filled isekai shenanigans. However, I'm in Love with the Villainess more than exceeded my expectations. No, even this statement is far too moderate to describe how utterly stunned and blown away I was by Inori's creation. I'm in Love with the Villainess is completely shattering and easily one of the greatest light novels I have ever read. Thus, I have no choice to award a perfect 10/10 score, my first ever for a light novel.

After waking up in the world of her favorite otome game, Revolution, protagonist Rae is ecstatic to be faced to face with Claire Francois, the game's villainous rival. However, Rae never played Revolution for the thrill of romancing any of the three attractive young princes. She was always in love with Claire. She attends the academy and studies magic in the fantasy world alongside Claire, the princes, and various other supporting characters. Using her skills from the modern world and her encyclopedic knowledge of Revolution, Rae manipulates the situation to be close to Claire, becoming her maid, and garnering status and money along the way. As an inevitable conflict looms closer, Rea begins to enact plans to protect herself and Claire, many of which are not fully understood or explained until the finale fantastically reveals the reasons for her actions. There is a natural and steady pace to the narrative that awards readers’  predictions and attention to detail.

I'm in Love with the Villainess has some excellent supporting characters, all of whom have unique personalities, histories, and abilities, some of which are revealed by Rae's exposition and others naturally throughout the novel. However, the stars of the show are the central couple, Rae and Claire. Claire is an elite aristocrat and extremely bratty. She often sneers at commoners and makes her disdain of Rae very clear from early on. On paper, she sounds like the perfect villain and someone all readers would despise. However, Rae's utter devotion and infatuation with Claire is so sincere that we cannot help but be pulled in and adore Claire and all her tantrums. Rae is a delight herself, continually flirting and poking fun at Claire, which gets her verbally berated, much to her masochistic pleasure. However, she is also exceptionally cunning and intelligent, and some of the light novel's greatest joys are listening to her analyze a situation or watching one of her plans fall into place.

“Ah, I’m… Well, it doesn’t matter. I mean, it’s irrelevant to cuteness—because, Miss Claire, you are cute.” “Huh?!” She pulled away. It was perfect—such a pure reaction. “Miss Claire, you hate me, right?” “Of course!” “That’s fine. Please keep teasing me. I love it.”

The beginning of the book does not immediately clue one into its brilliance. Sure, Claire and Rea get some great one-liners as they bully each other, and the scenarios are authentic and fun, but it is nothing shattering. I was feeling pretty relaxed and having a lot of fun with the characters, their relationship, and the various slice-of-life style scenarios they encountered until one section, I remember the exact page, 81, as it stopped me dead in my tracks. I was flabbergasted and briefly frozen before shooting up out of bed, shouting expletives as I ran to my office to immediately record what I had just experienced. It all begins with the line, "Hey, Rae. Are you what they call gay?" What followed was one of the most thoughtful, condensed, informative, and nuanced discussions of gay and queer identity (both terms used in this scene) I have ever seen in Yuri. Everything from representation in media, the perceptions of and prejudices against gay people, and the role gender plays in romance for bisexual and gay people are analyzed. Its commentary is succinct yet so respectful and forthright that it could have only come from genuine experience, thus selling the book and its characters so much more.

"Queer people were still overwhelmingly closeted in this world, which was rife with prejudice and nurtured little understanding. As I noted, the queer people depicted in the story were either the sex fiends Claire imagined or the free-loving sort Lene had in mind. Diversity and acceptance were a long way off.”

Thus, Inori's writing's beauty exposed itself, and the book opened itself up to a delightful cycle. The narrative masterfully integrates isekai slice-of-life hijinks, like running a cross-dressing café or battling a giant slime with nuanced and challenging moments that dissect complicated topics. The latter mainly consists of a growing rift between the aristocracy and common people, mirroring real-world wealth gap issues, but the novel also touch on matters such as unequal prison sentencing and segregation. Every scene helped further the complexity of the characters and their relationships or else built onto the world of Revolution. Speaking of which, I'm in Love with the Villainess has some of the best worldbuilding ever seen in a light novel.

Initially, brief exposition establishes much of the world, which is adequate if not exciting. I will mark up to a casualty of the light novel's serialized nature, as it must present readers its setting immediately. However, Inori does not stop here. Through the narrative, new elements are established, such as a magic system and the kingdom's politics. Rea notes and describes how the world, while clearly based on medieval Europe, has many modern Japanese attributes, as Japanese game developers created it. Her pointing out the intersection of the two is fascinating. Furthermore, A great deal of time is spent establishing characters and organizations all have their own wants, agendas, and methods, many of which are not even directly involved with the story. Instead, they act as a background and help further contextualize others. For example, the Church publicly appears to lean towards supporting the commoners in their efforts for equality but has its own agenda of superseding the nobility. While they play little role in Rea and Claire’s adventure, they are one of numerous factors contributing to the unrest of the lower class. All these additions are interesting, and it never feels like the story or characters suffer for their inclusion, quite the opposite.

“The Bauer Kingdom had started a step behind other countries when it came to magical research. They dominated the surrounding countries in military strength, and this had made them complacent, leading them to underestimate the value of new magic technology until the best researchers had all been enticed to other countries. Even after the king came up with his magic-focused meritocratic policy, Bauer lagged behind.”

I can only make complaints by scraping the very bottom of the barrel. Hanagata's beautiful art is too infrequent to add much to the light novel, and many scenes crying for illustrations are left to the readers' imagination. However, Inori so wonderful writes the story that one hardly cares and can easily picture every moment with delight. Besides, the manga adaption will nullify this issue. Where I cannot complain at all is the spectacular translation by Jenn Yamazaki and Nibedita Sen, one of Seven Seas best (which is high praise considering the competition). Sure, I was slightly disappointed at first to see the adaptation left off honorifics, but the more I thought about the setting, the more sense it made. I am sure people much smarter than I gave the issue much more consideration, and I am happy with their decisions.

I'm in Love with the Villainess left me reeling with how pleasurable and powerful it was. The story and characters are such a joy, and I cannot wait to see Rea and Claire bully each other again in the next volume. Astounding worldbuilding and powerful, thought-provoking politics surround their antics and the high stakes plot. Every moment of their journey will enthrall readers as they squeal with glee at its hilarious set pieces or are shocked by its commentary of society's most significant challenges. Inori has created one of the most delightful, heartfelt, complex, profound, and genuinely queer light novel series ever. If you only read one thing I recommend this year, let it be I'm in Love with the Villainess.

Ratings: Story — 9 Characters — 10 Art — 5 LGBTQ — 10 Sexual Content — 2 Final — 10

Review copy provided by Seven Seas Entertainment

Purchase I’m in Love with the Villainess in digitally (9/23) and in print (11/10) today: https://amzn.to/32NEyG1

Supports creators by purchasing official releases.

[phantom-witch]

Phantom's Finished: Doki Doki Literature Club!+

DISCLAIMER: This is specifically about the Side Stories new to the console release, as that is basically its own game and I am unable to play the base game. Furthermore, it was through my partner @shioripresents so I didn't have to play the base game due to triggers! No Meta/Psychedelic horror triggers but there IS...

TW: Suicide Mention, Self-Hate, Panic Attacks, Anxiety and Depression (brief mention of derealisation but I don't go into it)

A year ago, I would have never imagined playing this game! I had a very bad experience when I was 13 and this game was EVERYWHERE online. As to be honest, I was myself Suicidal at the time (and still struggle with Suicidal thoughts today)

And to be quite honest, I am not too keen on the base game still. I respect the reason others love it, but it triggers my derealisation and suicidal ideation quite easily. So low and behold when I met my to be girlfriend, Shiori! And wow she loved this game and I always had respect for it but wasn't ready for it to be discussed loads. Overtime, we've grown closer and closer the past 9 months (especially the 6 months we've been together) and I felt I wanted something to get closer to my partner and understand her better...

And I can happily say I do.

These side stories are some of the best writing of mental health I've seen since Celeste that it makes me wish this was what the game always was! I genuinely think of this totally differently to the original games' main story, to the point I feel they made this out of respect to those hurt by the popularity of the og game. My only gripe is that you HAVE to play the base game to get these, which my partner luckily already had unlocked

But back to the game in question! This game goes through chapters focused around 2 of the main 4 characters that ties into a theme linked with their mental health. This felt really needed and I love the characterisation of Sayori, Monika, Yuri and Natuski which was really needed. The smile on my face or even the amount of times it was too relatable hit extremely hard! Huge recommendation to experiencing this side story if you can

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT:

This will be going into detail about each characters individually and showing spoiler art from the side stories!

Due to this, there will be a lot more mentions of the TW mentioned at the top so please keep that in mind, look after yourself first! Okay? Okay!

Sayori!

Sayori is the one I easily connected with the most, who is given such a lovely adorable personality that rubs off on everyone around her! When she first meets Monika during the clubs early days, she really helps with everything in the club and shows such enthusiasm and initiative. However, my favourite element of her is the "bad side" of her as she describes...

Sayori has depression, and also has to deal with Suicidal thoughts quite a lot. She hides this as she's afraid of how she will be treated by others and uses poems to represent these thoughts as she otherwise can't

For example:

Monika is the one to discover this (how she handles it I will get to with her section) and Sayori completely breaks in such a realistic way... and is finally able to just talk about her thoughts. How she feels like a burden worrying people, wanting to help others over helping herself, but... also dealing with thoughts she can't control, making her feel she doesn't deserve to be alive. That she should take herself away from the world, and that she would be better off gone...

I know this too well, as I've dealt with Suicidal thoughts myself, I still do. The position Sayori is was where I was a few years ago and I'm still early on to my recovery. I'm okay being honest about that here as to review the mental health I need to talk about my own 💙 Which Sayori's representation hits very close to home in a very realistic way, to the point that she portrays herself as happy and bubbly! Monika supports her so well here and gives Sayori what she needs and we see Sayori be the most vulnerable, completely empty expression and struggling with her mind. I was in tears at this scene because I felt like I finally understood something about myself!

But that's not all! She learns and grows so much in trying to support Yuri and then Natsuki later on. With Yuri, Sayori supports her a lot and we see Sayori really trying her best to help Yuri feel included and really sweetly comforts her and shows how kind and thoughtful Sayori is. With Natsuki she has to learn the opposite! Where she needs to give people space and once she realises, does everything she can to make it right and understand. It's really sweet how determined she is whilst also showing she isn't "better" after the first chapter as she still puts people before her. Even in a chapter not focused on her, she helps Natsuki understand Yuri by talking about how she struggles with her own head...

I love Sayori, she is my favourite and I really appreciate how she represents those with depression and suicidal thoughts well

Yuri!

Moving forward, I won't be as in depth as I have a lot to say on my personal experiences linked to Sayori, so I'll be more concise! Yuri is a very reserved yet passionate character who clearly struggles a lot around other people. She is shown to feel she's being selfish when she really isn't. She struggles interpreting other's feeling and is what I would call extremely Autistic coded! She has a massive breakdown over-worrying about bothering Sayori about her books only for Sayori to comfort her and for Yuri to explain how used to being considered "the weird one" which hit me close to home too. I only recently found the people that cared for what I loved!

There's also how she and Natsuki needs to connect, and Monika tries to help but Yuri feels like she keeps saying the wrong thing...

Monika supports her to help speak in her own way, as Yuri learns how to express herself differently due to her struggles with communication. It's really good as it doesn't have Yuri "fix" herself with how she struggles and instead find alternatives to manage better, which I really like!

I would get into the obvious "Self-Love" chapter, but that requires me to talk a lot about Natsuki, so I'll mention that in her section! Yuri is a really sweet personality that's also completely different from the og game and I find that for the better, as I think her writing was super problematic. She deserves the world and I loved her characterisation

Natsuki!

Going into this, I didn't expect to care at all for Natsuki! She always came off as bitchy or a very... certain anime trope beginning with L in the og game.

Here they surprised me as Natsuki is misjudged by Monika and how she overtime has to set boundaries whilst communicating them healthily with Monica, Sayori and then Yuri. I feel Sayori was important for her to begin learning how to communicate this as Sayori always wishes the best for her friends. But, we see how consistently made fun of Natsuki has been made fun of for her love of Manga

This leads me with what I left out in Yuri's section, the final standard side story "Self-Love". This shows the aftermath of Yuri trying to communicate better, and how Natsuki has been coming to terms with her previous friend group being extremely toxic for her as they don't understand or respect her needs. I heavily felt this story due to how I've been in this situation with friends/friend groups too many times. (if anyone of those people ever read this, no hate, just from my personal perspective and experience) Yuri and Natsuki chill together each lunch and grow closer, as we learn more about Natsuki's group and how Yuri dislikes how they treat her. At first Natsuki dislikes the comment but then realises how bad this group is for her. It scares her, going into how it's "just apart of my life" and how "its hard to just lose that". Eventually, Natsuki decides to cut them off, bringing cupcakes for Yuri as she feels it's the only thing she can do to prove her worth. After Yuri says she doesn't want all of them, Natsuki breaks down after admitting she split up with her group. It's a full on panic attack which I went through too in a similar situation. Yuri realises and all worry shuts off just so she can help Natsuki stabilise herself.

She makes it clear to Natsuki that she doesn't need to serve a purpose to prove her worth to others, and anyone that made you think that doesn't deserve you around. I had to breathe as I was reading this whilst I reflected on some things here, as this was a powerful moment that meant a lot to me, now more than ever. Natsuki was a lot more complexed than I thought firsthand, and represented panic attacks and lack of self worth so well

Monika!

Monika is weird for me, as she is similar to Yuri where she is nothing like the og game, except to an even more extreme. Monika is a lot more human and actually... a character?? See it's so weird to talk about her as I can't help but be baffled by how different it is to have this Monika!

That being said, I really like Monika here! She is super focused on making the club the best it can be, which she learns more about as she meets everyone. Sayori helps her learn about how this club can be help for those to understand their own emotions after supporting Sayori's depression. She fully understands and supports Sayori's needs after discovering a poem clearly hinting towards what Sayori goes through, and comforts her and tells her how much meaning to this world she has without worrying or treating her differently. This in turn also helps Monika grow out of her perfectionism to express her own feelings more over the course of the side stories. Then Natsuki helps her learn past her own biases and be a more considerate and understanding person, even pushing herself to learn the piano. Yuri helps Monika to learn she can't fix everything and has to learn to either step back or approach things differently to support everyone better!

She really cares about making a club for others to feel a place to belong in, and grows so much through the game as it recontextualises the one thing I liked about the og game: "Your Reality" This song, whilst originally meta, was so beautifully contextualised to mean more about one's own heart and using writing and expression to learn more about yourself through the good and the bad times.

"The ink flows down into the dark colours Just move your hand, write the way into your heart"

This side story was everything to me as I was able to spend time with my girlfriend... Thank you Shiori

[just-come-baek]

Merry Crisis

Pairing: hockeyplayer!jungkook x pickpocket!reader

Themes: smut | fluff | sports!au | christmas!au | yyy... action?

Word count: 12k

Summary:  During a casual meeting with friends at a local ice rink, a handsome boy bumps into me. Though it was just a small accident, a series of extraordinary adventures follow, helping me realize I should really change some of my life choices.

Warnings: tooth-rooting fluff | jungkook is the goodest boy | jungkook, hoseok, and jimin are hot hockey players | ice rink injuries | violence | pickpocketing | alcohol consumption | improper babysitting | namjoon, jin, and taehyung are of different age | questionable choices | teasing | graphic scene descriptions | police questioning | vanilla smut | thigh riding | unprotected sex | jungkook says like one (1) dirty line

A/N if you get uncomfortable during this story, just stop reading. it gets weird later on. Also, sorry for posting it so late, it’s still Christmas somewhere!

4 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

“What the hell are we doing here?” Kibum asked for the tenth time as he nearly slipped, even though his hands were glued to the railing. “None of us can skate for fuck’s sake,” he remarked, not being careful enough to watch his tongue, letting children hear his foul language. “We should’ve gone drinking mulled vine instead of this nonsense.”

“Speak for yourself. I am a decent skater,” I argued, though it was maybe my third time on the ice rink. The surface was slippery, yet I was brave enough to try my luck without sticking to the railing at all times.

Whoosh!

Kibum and I turned our heads around to see a few men racing on the rink like lunatics going probably at least two thousand miles per hour. They were skating so fast we barely could get a blurry image of their backs – fucking show-offs.

“Can you believe it? Fucking road hogs wanting to kill us all,” Kibum complained, searching for an exit with his eyes, desperate to get the hell away from the ice rink. “I’ve seen enough TV to know how this ends. Someone is going to leave this paddock with a blade in their neck,” he added, and I cursed in disgust, trying to erase the vivid picture my mind conjured.

“You really can ruin everything, can’t you?”

“Isn’t why you brought me here in the first place?” Kibum challenged, readjusting his woolen scarf around his neck in a fabulous diva manner. “Come on, go get Yeri. I’ll wait on the bench,” he ordered, clumsily escaping that icy trap.

“I think your cousin wouldn’t appreciate me going over there,” I stated, spotting her on the other side of the rink, flirting with a cute guy. “Now, that would be so cruel,” I added, leaning over the railing, staring at Kibum ineptly wobbling to the bench.

“What?” Kibum barked in an over-protecting manner, looking for the unworthy punk wasting Yeri’s time. “Just bring her here, please. I’m gonna treat you to lunch.”

“You should’ve said that earlier. I’m on it,” I said, content with how much I stalled the conversation to get a free meal from Kibum for completing such an easy task.

Having pushed myself off the railing, I made my way towards Yeri. She was basically at the opposite end of the ice rink, so I was forced to skate around lovely-dovey couples in the rhythm of overhyped Christmas songs.

Halfway there, the DJ ordered changing directions, so with a loud groan, I obediently turned around. Unfortunately, one of the speeding men didn’t halt quick enough and smashed right into me, ungracefully knocking me into the ice.

Crash!

It was a painful fall for both of us. If it wasn’t for the beanie with a big fluffy faux ball at the top of it, I’d most likely end up in hospital with a third-degree concussion and possible skull fraction.

Though I was in a mild shock, I could feel a nearing headache and blood dripping down my chin after his forehead collided against my nose. With his knee sharply boring into my thigh, I whined, trying to push him off of me.

At this point, I didn’t care about his injuries. He was the one who bumped into me in the first place; he deserved all the pain he was experiencing. Hopefully, it was similar to mine. According to Newton’s third law of motion, he ought to feel the same amount of pain, and if he sensed it any less, I was about to become livid about the lie I had been told at school.

“Get off of me!” I yelled, once again trying to shove him to the side. Huffing in defeat, I accepted my death by freezing my ass off due to a motionless pile of muscles lying on top of me. “Dude, move,” I tried again, and the man winced, sliding to the side.

“I’m so, so sorry,” he whispered, whimpering in ache. “Are you okay?”

“Been better,” I remarked, trying to sit up. However, as soon as I was in a sitting position, I started to feel dizzy – the surroundings just kept spinning in front of my eyes.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” Two men and Yeri scared in unison as they made their way towards us. “It was quite a fall,” one of them added, making me roll my eyes. His friend literally smashed me off the ice like a bulldozer – I wouldn’t call it a fall.

“She’s bleeding,” Yeri mentioned, looking for a bag of single-use handkerchiefs to give me one to aid my problem.

“How many fingers do you see?” the other man leaned over, showing me his palm, and I swatted his hand away with an angry hiss. “You’ve hit her bad, Jungkook. Good luck apologizing to her,” he commented, making it really difficult for me not to kick him in the shin with the blade.

“Is this a joke to you?” Yeri challenged the man, not particularly enjoying his comment. Attagirl! “You better make yourself useful and carry them off the rink,” she ordered sternly, her voice laced with concern.

“Hold on, beautiful,” the shorter one said before he bent to pick me up and wrap his arms around my shoulders to carefully escort me out of the ice rink. Slowly, we staggered to the benches where the man helped me sit down. “I’m Jimin, and you are?”

“In a tremendous amount of pain,” I replied, massaging my head, trying to ease the throbbing. I was about to get a headache of a century, and they kept asking me these stupid questions.

“I’m fine, Hoseok, put me down,” the man, who had smashed into me, complained as his friends dropped him at the bench beside me. “I’ve been through worse,” he groaned, and I gritted my teeth, trying to stop my instinct to cause another scene.

Thankfully, I’ve got Kibum, who would channel his inner Karen to argue for me.

“You stupid fucks, look what you’ve done!” Kibum yelled, hitting Jungkook in the back of his head, making everyone gasp in shock. “What were you thinking, skating this fast? You’re lucky she didn’t end up with a blade stuck in her throat, or else, I’d have to murder you!”

“Guys, stop shouting,” I whispered, barely withstanding the pain. “Can we please go somewhere quiet?”

On cue, Kibum and Yeri went to get my stuff. At the same time, Jungkook’s friends walked away from us to get their belongings, leaving me alone with the villain himself.

“I’m really sorry,” Jungkook apologized once again, being considerate enough to volume down his words. “Come on. Let me help you,” he stood up, offering his hand to escort me out of the tent. Unwillingly, I grabbed his palm, allowing him to save me from random shouts of joy and repetitive Christmas hits.

Once outside, I felt a little bit better, but it was still far from perfect.

“How are you feeling? Should I take you to a hospital?” Jungkook inquired as he looked into my eyes, trying to detect any lie.

“Nah, I’m good. I think I’ll just walk it off,” I shook my head, trying to stand up to demonstrate my current state. Unfortunately, I was still a little bit shaken after the fall, almost collapsing onto the ground. “On a second thought, I’m gonna sit here for a while,” I added, sheepishly, experiencing an unfamiliar feeling of helplessness.

In silence, Jungkook and I started at each other, unsure what to do or say next. We were just two strangers who participated in an accident. Our friends were nowhere to be found, giving zero fucks about the uncomfortable moment between us.

“Should we exchange numbers?” Jungkook suddenly asked, making me crease my eyebrow in confusion. What did he need my phone number for? “When there’s a car accident, both parties exchange contact info to work out a settlement,” Jungkook explained, and I sighed, trying to digest what he just said. Apparently, he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. “Please, don’t sue me,” he added with a light-hearted giggle to his tone as he sat down on the bench.

“I didn’t plan on doing that, but since you’ve mentioned it, I’ll think about it,” I teased, reaching into my coat’s pocket to get my phone. “Give me your number, I’ll ring you,” I muttered, carefully typing Jungkook’s digits into my device. After a few seconds, Jungkook’s phone vibrated, flashing my number.

“Under what name did you save me?” Jungkook asked in curiosity, looking over my shoulder, cackling when he read totally suing this guy on the screen. “Well… at least you didn’t save me under do not pick up the phone, so that’s a relief,” he added, laughing at his joke.

Though I was a little bit curious how Jungkook saved my number, ultimately, I decided not to entertain this impulse. After all, the chances of him actually calling me were slim, if not none.

“What’s your name?” Jungkook asked, but before I managed to give him a proper reply, Kibum shouted it loud and clear from afar. “Duly noted,” he added with a tiny grin.

Along with Yeri and Jungkook’s friends, he made his way toward us, having the guys carry all our stuff like indebted servants.

“You’ll never guess,” Kibum stated, plopping on the bench beside me. At this point, I wasn’t in the mood for charades, so I just rolled my eyes, failing to accordingly react to Kibum’s attempted suspense.

Thankfully, Yuri chimed in, revealing the big plan. “We’ve talked to the guys, and they proposed to treat all of us to dinner. The race was their idea, so they figured it’s one way to make it up to you for you know what,” Yuri explained, and I sighed.

Hooray!

That’s exactly what I needed, to spend more time with the asshole that slammed into me with the force of a hundred horses.

Perfectly splendid.

“Sure, that sounds amazing,” I replied through gritted teeth, staring at that cheap bastard Kibum. He owed me dinner, so he used his sly manipulation to guilt-trip these naïve boys into treating all of us for a meal.

“See? I told you guys she doesn’t hold grudges against people who provide her with food,” Kibum answered, not surprising me all that much. I was accustomed to his ways. Jungkook, Hoseok, and Jimin, on the other hand, were about to get exploited to Kibum’s heart’s content.

But hey, free food, there’s no way I’d say no to that.

Fifteen minutes later, we were walking down the alley, looking for a restaurant or a diner that was able to provide a table for six. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side.

It was a long stroll. All establishments were either packed with people, or they simply weren’t capable of catering for such a large group like ours.

We didn’t give up, though. In pairs, we walked further, our stomachs growling louder and louder. Hoseok and Jimin were leading the way, chatting about some hockey game somewhat this week. Right behind, Kibum was giving a lecture on relationships to Yeri, being the highly unnecessary third parent to her. And lastly, there was Jungkook and me, awkwardly trailing behind all of them, talking about nothing in particular, unable to find a ground topic for a proper conversation.

At some point, a man in an expensive black coat bumped into me, smashing his shoulder against mine. It was quite a powerful collision on the sidewalk, resulting in me falling right into Jungkook’s arms.

“Hey, watch where the hell you’re going,” I yelled, massaging my limb to ease the soreness, while the man didn’t seem to pay any attention to my angry shout.

“Hey, you should really apologize,” Jungkook hollered at the man, standing up for me. Unfortunately, the man didn’t reflect his misbehavior even after Jungkook stepped in. He barely turned his head around to check what that was about, dismissing it a few seconds later.

“Let it go; he’s not worth it,” I wrapped my hand around Jungkook’s shoulder, stopping him from confronting the rude asshat. “Karma is gonna get him,” I added with a smirk upon my face as I imagined how much cash he had in his wallet – which, in fact, was at the bottom of my pocket right now.

It ought to teach him a lesson.

“It’s your unlucky day,” Jungkook admitted, feeling sorry for my misfortune.

“Well… it’s not that bad,” I assured Jungkook with a happy beam, realizing my mistake the second the words left my mouth. Fantastic, I was just enthusiastic about the cash I found lying all over the ground. However, now, Jungkook must’ve thought I was into him.

Dear Lord, save me from this misunderstanding.

Before Jungkook managed to question my ambiguous comment, Jimin and Hoseok shouted. Apparently, they found a restaurant with a large enough table to fit us all.

At last!

Once inside, we quickly sat down, ready to skim through the menus. Honestly, we were all hungry way past the I-need-my-food-tasty stage, so we decided to order two giant pizzas and six pints of Christmas Ale beer.

“I think we should play a game before our food arrives,” Jimin proposed as he looked at the people by the table, not appreciating the awkwardness. Within Jimin were two wolves – one was a social butterfly, and the other was a people pleaser. Sitting in an uncomfortable silence irked him immensely. “How about a little integration, anybody?”

“You have to excuse him,” Hoseok interjected, trying to calm the angry crowd of grownups. “Jimin’s going to be a counselor on a hockey camp during the winter break, and sometimes, he forgets he’s not talking with middle-school pupils.”

“You’re never too old for some good old bonding,” Jimin fought his case, really keen on getting to know us better. “Especially over some beer,” he added when the waitress walked up to our table with our beverages.

Though none of us wanted to participate in Jimin’s fun activities, we eventually gave in, realizing his persistence was even more energy-draining than the bonding games themselves.

The rules were simple, you had to name three finds you love and three things you hate. Jimin went first, and it was actually quite funny to see the contrast between him and Kibum, who was the second to speak up.

“I love Mexican food, horror movies, and money,” I confessed when it was my turn, having no regrets. After all, we would never meet again. “I hate banana milk, wireless earphones, and doing laundry,” I added, completing the horrid task, making everyone at the table grow silent. Cocking my brow upward, I asked, “what?”

“Nothing,” Hoseok replied, still trying to comprehend the situation. “It’s just unbelievable.”

With each syllable that rolled off Hoseok’s tongue, I knew less and less. What the hell was going on? Could somebody explain to me what the fuss was all about?

“Basically, Jungkook loves all the things you hate,” Jimin finally explained, making Kibum cackle in entertainment.

“Ooh-la-la, the plot thickens,” Kibum snickered, laughing loudly, kicking his head backward.

“Ignore him. He’s just being a drama queen for no reason,” I interjected, ignoring Kibum’s ridiculous reaction.

“Guys, look, the food is ready,” Yeri said in excitement upon seeing our waitress walking toward us with delicious pizza in her hands. “I am so hungry,” she added, rubbing her hands together, licking her lips with appetite.

Thankfully, the rest of the evening went smoothly. After the beer and the food, the conversation sailed without any disturbance, everybody chiming in once in a while. A friendly atmosphere surrounded us, but we all felt it was the first and final meeting. Our groups had completely different vibes, and though we had somewhat fun, there was no point in forcing this friendship any further.

In an amicable mood, we parted ways.

Having dropped Yeri at her dorm, Kibum and I took an Uber to our shared apartment.

“I am dying,” I complained, stretching my arms as soon as I walked through the threshold of our comfy place. Having hung the coat, I fished out the stolen wallet. “I deserved a long bath,” I added, plopping down onto the couch, looking through the content of my newest possession.

“You really have to stop doing that. You’re gonna get caught one time,” Kibum mentioned as he sat down beside me, tearing the wallet out of my hands, browsing through the loyalty cards, looking for a bargain. “When did you even steal it? I was by your side the whole time,” Kibum wondered as he found a coupon for a free coffee amongst the plastic cards.

“You know what they say,” I started, counting the cash in my hands – almost two hundred bucks, not bad. “The first million is the hardest and is meant to be stolen,” I finished my thought, putting the cash into my purse.

“First of all, nobody has ever said that,” Kibum argued, groaning. It wasn’t the first time we had this conversation; at this point, we had this pep talk rehearsed to perfection. “You’re pushing your luck here. One day you’ll pick the wrong pocket.”

“What do you want me to say? I can’t stop now,” sighing, I replied. Maybe in the future, once I land a stable job with an adequate wage, I’ll quit. In this economy, it may be quite challenging, but that’s the goal. Right now, I was as poor as a church mouse, barely getting by each month on my level of living.

“I’m gonna be so pissed if the police catch you,” Kibum complained, giving up on his daily lecture. Trying to convince me was a vicious circle. Kibum felt as if he was trapped in some lame remake of Groundhog Day, only failing at knocking some common sense into his friend’s stubborn head.

“Take it easy. They won’t,” I mused with a light-hearted smile. “If you’re forgotten, you’re like super old. You’ll get bald if you keep worrying so much.”

“That’s a low blow,” Kibum mentioned, frowning in annoyance. Ever since he reached the dreadful thirty mark, it was his biggest insecurity. “Alright then,” he carried on, ready to attack me with just as strong jab. “What about Jungkook?”

“What about him?”

“You’ve had a moment.”

“What moment?” I inquired, pretending to be way clueless than I really was. “If, by moment, you mean that he basically nailed me into the ice, then yes.”

“You should’ve given him your phone number,” Kibum commented casually, and I turned my head around, avoiding his gaze. “Oh my, you actually gave it, I knew it,” he realized, looking right through me. “Finally, you need some. Later on, maybe he’ll talk you out of your bad habits,” Kibum carried on, blabbering nonsense.

“Don’t you think you’re getting way ahead of yourself?” I questioned, folding my arms over my chest. “I guess Jungkook’s a good guy, but he ain’t gonna call me.”

“You never know,” Kibum reasoned, and I sighed, walking away to the bathroom to run myself a relaxing bath, which was all that I needed.

 3 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS

It was a terrible day.

First of all, I was still a bit sore after the ice rink accident. Then, I tried strolling along the bustling alleys, picking a few pockets. Unfortunately, people didn’t carry that much cash.

Having stolen three wallets, I only collected fifty bucks.

That was pathetic.

Sighing, I decided to call it a day.

Kibum would be so proud of me, I thought as I made my way to a random coffee shop, wanting to accidentally lose one of the wallets. That way, the rightful owner would have a chance of actually finding it if he decided to trace back his steps.

On my walk of shame back home, my phone randomly stopped playing music. Instantly, I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to fish it out of my pocket, knowing there was an incoming call waiting to be answered.

Normally, I’d either ignore it because I knew it was a spam call or just ignore it because I preferred texts to calls. Whoever opted to dial must’ve been devil’s spawn. No doubt.

Totally suing this guy.

Hmm… what does he want? I wondered as my thumb hovered over the answer icon on the screen. I wasn’t serious about suing him; it was just me teasing the poor guy. I didn’t actually mean it, and I thought it was obvious.

Before I managed to make up my mind about picking up the phone, Jungkook must’ve given up and hung up. Unfortunately, right when I was about to put it back in my pocket, I received another incoming call.

Totally suing this guy.

“Hello?” I asked, picking up the phone. Hopefully, he would check up on me and end the conversation. It was weird and uncomfortable, so it better be the last time.

“Hi, it’s Jungkook,” he said, sounding somewhat shy and timid. “From the ice rink, how are you feeling?” Jungkook inquired, and I sighed, getting mentally prepared for my reply.

“I’m better,” I answered shortly, not giving him any details on my condition. It was just a few bruises; I wasn’t dying. “Your knee left a bruise, but in a few days, I’m gonna feel all good,” I added, remembering the large mark on my thigh. It looked like a big ass hickey, but that’s the comment I was about to keep to myself.

“I’m really, really sorry,” he spoke through a tumult on his side of the call. He must’ve been in a crowded place, like a locker room packed with fellow hockey players or something. A second later, I heard a noise of shutting the doors close, assuming Jungkook must’ve left the room, wanting to continue this talk without any further disturbance.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” I reassured that he cared so him. It was adorable much about my condition, but it was starting to feel a little bit excessive. A regular amount of repentance would be understandable, but he was quite over the top.

“Actually, it’s not why I’m calling,” Jungkook admitted, taking me aback. Why else would he call then? “It was just an excuse,” he added, and I genuinely started to wonder what was going on inside his head. He didn’t want to ask me out, did he?

Nah, it didn’t make any sense.

Get a grip, woman.

“Oh, why are you calling me then?” I challenged him as I couldn’t wait any longer for the big reveal. “What is so important that couldn’t be a simple text?”

“Well…,” Jungkook started, and I smiled, hearing in his tone that he was beaming. “To be completely honest, I really suck at texting. One time, I texted back my friend after a few months, so yeah, I’d rather call,” he explained, and though that’s not my preferred way of communicating, I found it adorable.

“Nobody’s perfect.”

“So, I was wondering if you’d like to hang out,” Jungkook asked, and I became speechless.

“Really? Why?” I questioned as I couldn’t find any reason why Jungkook would like to meet up with me. Yesterday, I had been grumpy as fuck – it was hard to believe he wanted to see my face ever again.

“What do you mean why?”

“I wasn’t particularly nice to you yesterday,” I admitted, looking down at my feet.

“You were just angry, it happens,” Jungkook claimed, once again surprising me – he wasn’t just good-looking. Besides his gorgeous looks, he, most importantly, was a kind, soft-spoken person with a heart of gold.

“Yeah, but still, I was an asshole.”

“No, it must’ve been that spur-of-the-moment kind of attitude,” Jungkook brushed it off without my thought, and I sighed in relief. Thankfully, he didn’t think I was a complete bitch. “I would be pissed too if someone tackled me down at a public ice rink.”

“Could we please stop talk about it?” I proposed, willing to put it all behind us.

“Sorry,” Jungkook apologized sheepishly, and I giggled, shaking my head, unable to process how adorable he was. “So, back to the topic, I was wondering if you’d like to come to that charity hockey game tomorrow,” he trailed off, a little bit insecure about my answer. “And after that, we could grab some coffee. I mean, if you don’t have any plans, I’d really like to meet up,” Jungkook added, sounding like a ball of a blabbering mess.

“Hmm… tomorrow, I am busy in the morning and early afternoon. What time does the game begin?” I questioned, buying myself more time to think over Jungkook’s proposition. He was a good guy, and I’d love to hang out, but I still had doubts.

“At three o’clock!” Jungkook exclaimed in excitement, probably hoping I was available to attend this charity event. “We’re raising money for a winter camp for kids from St. Paul’s orphanage. That’s the one Jimin’s gonna volunteer at.”

Now, there was no way I could say no.

“I should be free by then,” I answered, hoping I wouldn’t regret my decision later on.

“Fantastic, see you tomorrow,” Jungkook exclaimed happily, and I giggled at his enthusiasm.

“Ayo, Jeon, what are you giggling at?” Someone in the background hollered, teasing Jungkook. Though I thought it was cute and playful, Jungkook must’ve felt so embarrassed that he hung up before I managed to say my farewell.

 2 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS 

According to Jungkook’s instructions, the charity game out to start around 3 in the afternoon. A bit too early if you ask me, but who am I to judge the authorities who organized it? Nonetheless, I put on a nice outfit (effortless though chic) and made my way to the university’s stadium, ready to sit through the entirety of the game, already suspecting it wouldn’t appeal to my preferences. It was far too brutal to be enjoyable.

I had no interest in hockey, nor even knew the basics; however, Jungkook wanted me out of all people to support him. Normally, I’d skip, but there was just something about him that made it really difficult to say no to him. There I was – on university grounds during the holiday break, heading to the sports department where I had never stepped my foot willingly.

It was a charity event our university annually hosted. To be completely honest, it was the first time I heard of it. Moreover, there was a high chance I wasn’t the only one. Right in front of the entrance, there was no queue – I was the only one, and it was suspicious as fuck.

Unless I had first-hand info about the beginning of the game, I would just turn around and leave. However, Jungkook had specifically said 3 p.m., so I walked up to the entrance, seeing a man distributing tickets. He must’ve been one of the volunteering students. Admirable.

With a deep sigh, I pushed the doors open and entered the building. “One ticket, please,” I spoke, pulling out my wallet to pay for the entry fee. It was all for charity, so I gladly paid up the round sum. These kids really deserved a treat, and I’d love to contribute.

“You’re the first one to arrive; you must be a hardcore fan of our hockey team,” the friendly man said, and I just giggled at this obvious misconception.

Me? A fan? A hardcore one at that? Wow.  

“I wouldn’t say that. I’m here to support a friend,” I answered, denying the accusations with a casual response. “Where should I go?”

“Right this way, the first doors on the left,” the man answered with a happy beam. “Seats are not assigned, so be free to sit anywhere you like,” he added, and I bowed, thanking him for the directions. Though I was near graduation, I had no idea how to move around the building.

Having pushed the heavy doors open, I made my way to the bleachers.

A few players were skating across the ice rink, while the area for spectators was empty. As if that wasn’t awkward enough, all the players looked at me, whistling like a bunch of starved wolves. What the hell was that all about?

Ooh! Ooh! 

“Wow, Jungkook, this girl really came,” one of the boys, probably Hoseok, shouted loud enough for me to hear. What? Did Jungkook talk about me with his teammates? What for? Or did they listen to us chat on the phone the other day? Even so, what’s with the reaction?

At first, I wanted to turn around and run away. I didn’t like the way they looked at me. It resembled a combination of concern for their younger teammate and playful support for whatever was about to stem between us. Ridiculous!

Then, I considered sitting in the last row, ignoring their curious glances. I’d probably pull a book out of my bag and devote myself to the plot for the duration of the game.

Unfortunately, none of my ideas seemed to be possible – especially not when one of the players with number 1 written on the sports uniform skated toward the railing. It must’ve been Jungkook. I mean… who else would that be?

Once he took off his helmet, I realized that my suspicion was right. It was indeed Jungkook with his messy, sweaty hair and a goofy smile upon his face. He was waving at me, enticing me closer to the ice rink.

“You really came,” Jungkook whispered when I walked up to him. “I really doubted you did,” he added, and I rolled my eyes at him. 

“If I didn’t, you would keep calling me,” I answered playfully, still unable to comprehend how, on earth, he preferred calling to texting. It was ridiculous; he couldn’t be that bad at replying as he had claimed. “And also, why am I here this soon? Where is everybody? Care to explain?” I asked, my tone slightly laced with anger. 

“Did I really say 3 o’clock?” Jungkook inquired innocently, staring at the big clock on the scoreboard. “My bad, I fucked it up, sorry,” Jungkook apologized, but I suspected his words weren’t entirely genuine. Apparently, he wanted me to come this soon, and I had to figure out why.

“Also, care to explain why your teammates stare at me like that,” I questioned, cocking my eyebrow, looking past Jungkook’s shoulder. The hockey team really seemed to be invested in what was going on between Jungkook and me, and I didn’t like the way they were gawking at me as if I had two heads growing out on my shoulders.

“Oh, I might’ve got caught talking to you yesterday,” he mentioned as if I didn’t already suspect that. “Apparently, I looked like an embodiment of teenage crush, and they keep teasing me about it. I am sorry if they creep you out,” Jungkook explained, and I beamed, thinking it was actually pretty cute.

“They’re your friends; that’s what friends do.”

“Hey, Jeon, quit flirting and get your ass on the rink. We’ve all gotta warm-up,” the coach hollered, urging Jungkook to return to his teammates. Though it was just an out of the season game, their coach didn’t want to lose anyway.

“Good luck, Jeon,” I whispered, shooing him away from me, really trying to give him a chance for a proper warm-up before the match. “Don’t let anyone tackle you down. It’s not that pleasant,” I added with an encouraging smile.

“I got it,” Jungkook spoke, sending me a cute wink.

Just as I asked him to, Jungkook skated away, only to come back around ten seconds later.

“By the way, you’ve got any plans after the game?” Jungkook asked, waiting for my answer with utter impatience. “I thought maybe we could grab something to eat.”

“Well… that depends,” I replied, and Jungkook cocked up his eyebrow.

“Depends on what?”

“Ask me again after you win the game,” I teased, giving him some extra motivation to try his best on the rink. “Go, they’re waiting.”

And with that, Jungkook finally got his head in the game.

The coach shouts tips and occasionally scolds players that aren’t on their best performance. In the meantime, people fill up the seats on the bleachers, excited to see the match and open their wallets for the laudable cause.

By the time the match finally begins, I am bored out of my mind. I gave hockey a fair shot, but it didn’t raise my interest in the tiniest bit. It just wasn’t my thing.

Thankfully, I had a newly purchased book in my bag to pass the time. It was just a Christmas themed erotica with a half-naked Santa with a six-pack on the cover. It wasn’t anything promising, but the holidays were around the corner, so maybe it’d put me in the right mood.

Though I didn’t have high hopes for the novel, it felt disappointing. The plot was cliché, and the pace was too rushed, but nonetheless, I’d still choose it over a hockey game. Contact sports weren’t really my thing, especially when it was giving me PTSD.

From time to time, my eyes would locate Jungkook on the rink. He was really out there, showing off his talents, making people gawk in admiration. He was one of the best players in his team, scoring goal after goal. Or whatever they score in hockey.

It was an even match, but ultimately, our team won by two points.

“On children’s behalf, I’d like to thank everybody for coming,” a woman in smart clothing spoke through the microphone. It must’ve been the orphanage director showing her gratitude for all the money they had managed through the ticket sale. “My heart really melts when I see how many people decided to help our children, especially in this difficult time of the year,” she recited, putting the microphone away from her mouth before a grateful tear rolled down her cheek. “Thank you so much!”

Shortly after, she handed the microphone to Jungkook’s coach.

“Hi, everybody, I’m coach Min,” he introduced himself, and the spectators clapped their hands in gratitude for leading the team towards victory. “I’d like to thank everybody for donating the money. I hope the kids will enjoy their winter break,” he added, looking at the crowd, proud of so many people gathered to support the cause. “However, if you’d like to contribute, even more, my team will wait outside with boxes. With this extra money, we would like to buy Christmas gifts for these amazing kids. I wish you all – Merry Christmas.”

Another round of applause echoed among the walls before people slowly started to head towards the exit. Taking my time, I followed the crowd, looking for Jungkook. It was difficult; people were feeling generous today.

“Over here,” I heard somebody call my name, so I turned around, recognized Jimin. He was standing a few meters away with a heavy box stuffed with cash. “Would you like to make some children happy?” Jimin asked, placing the box right under my nose, wanting me to contribute some more. “What do you say?”

Although I had already paid the entry fee, I still wanted to give more. All the goodness I had witnessed at the stadium pulled my heartstrings; it was impossible to say no now. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop.

With a genuine smile, I pulled out my wallet. I had plenty of cash in it. Everything I had stolen during this week. It was about four hundred bucks. Without a slimmer of doubt, the team would spend it wisely. Better than I ever could.

“Are you sure? It’s a lot of money,” Jimin asked, wondering if I was in the right state of mind donating so much.

“Yes, I am sure,” I confirmed, giving all of the money away. The feeling was deliberating, and it was really nice. “Oh my God, Jimin! What are you doing?” I asked in panic when Jimin put the box on the ground and picked me up, spinning around.

“Ahem,” someone cleared their throat before continuing, “am I interrupting something?” A familiar voice asked, making Jimin drop me down. Thankfully, I didn’t stumble. Somehow I found my balance before I hit my face against the pavement.

“Oh, Jungkook,” Jimin whispered, smiling awkwardly, almost as if we were caught cheating. “It’s not what it looks like,” he started, and I rolled my eyes. Literally, it was the worst phrasing he could choose, especially given the reputation this line holds. “I was just showing my gratitude after her generous donation.”

“Let’s just go,” I interjected before Jimin managed to embarrass me even more. With a smile upon my face, I grabbed Jungkook’s box and handed it over to Jimin. “Take care of that, okay?” I said, grabbing Jungkook’s hand, pulling him away from the campus ground.

Since it was quite chilly outside, Jungkook and I decided to grab drinks at the campus café. Having taken seats by the window in the back, we looked through menus to choose something delicious for our little informal date.

“Order anything you like; it’s my treat,” Jungkook mentioned before he proceeded to look through the menu. “You were my lucky charm today.”

“Well… of course, it’s your treat. I gave all my money away to charity,” I spoke, looking through the tea section for something I haven’t had before. “I’d like vanilla cinnamon tea,” I read out loud the position off the menu that really caught my attention.

“On it,” he added before he walked up to the counter to order. In a minute, he was back at the table, sitting comfortably at the other side of the table. “So… you and Jimin, huh?”

“Speaking of which, what kind of jealousy scene was that?” I inquired, teasing him for completely misunderstanding this situation.

“Sorry for that,” Jungkook apologized sheepishly, looking away. “It’s just it was so unexpected. I mean… you don’t know Jimin that well, and acting like that was quite strange,” Jungkook explained, and I nodded, trying to understand his reaction.

“Jimin’s cute. Is he single?” I asked, and Jungkook frowned upon my question, visibly upset with my wording. “What I meant is that I have a friend. I have a feeling they would click, you know,” I clarified, giggling when I saw relief wash through Jungkook.

“In that case, he’s very single,” Jungkook gladly answered, smiling brightly like an idiot. “After the last girl he was seeing dumped him a few months ago, he didn’t date. Maybe it’s about time he gets back to it,” he added, and I nodded, scribbling down my friend’s number on a piece of paper, sliding it over to Jungkook, believing he would pass it to Jimin.

“So… what are your plans for Christmas Eve?” I asked when the barista brought our order to the table. Apparently, Jungkook is quite a sweet-tooth. Beside my tea, he ordered a large cup of hot cocoa with roasted marshmallows on top along with four beautifully decorated cupcakes. I got cavities just by looking at it.

“I’m going Christmas shopping,” Jungkook answered, licking off some whipped cream off the pink cupcake. “I gotta buy gifts for the kids,” he added, and I smiled at the boy in front of me. Although I knew him only for two days, he kept surprising me.

In a good way, of course.

“Do you have any idea what I can get them?” Jungkook inquired, stuffing his mouth with the cupcake, enjoying his sweet treat. “There’s like thirty-five of them. I am clueless.”

“I don’t know… board games? Art supplies? Lego blocks? I’m sure you’ll figure this out,” I replied, suspecting I wasn’t much of a help.

“You could always come and join me,” Jungkook proposed, reaching for another cupcake. “I could use some help,” he added, pushing the tray with sugary treats towards me.

“I’d love to, but I will be at work, sorry,” I answered truthfully, now kind of regretting replying to that ad on Craigslist. “I’m babysitting tomorrow. Parents of three go on some business trip, and I have to watch them until their grandparents take over,” I explained, and Jungkook nodded, sipping his hot cocoa.

“Any plans after that?”

“I’ll just come back home and watch some Christmas movies on Netflix. This year, I don’t have time to go to my hometown. I gotta go to work as soon as Christmas is over,” I explained with a deep sigh. Although I wasn’t exceptionally family-oriented, it still felt a little bit odd to spend Christmas alone. “What about you?”

“My parents finally saved up enough money for the second honeymoon they always wanted to go, so there’s no real celebration this year,” Jungkook mentioned, showing real support for his parents. If that’s what they really wanted, he didn’t want to be a burden. “I’m really happy for them. Raising me and my brother wasn’t easy, so that’s the least we can do.”

“That’s really sweet of you,” I commented, wondering about Jungkook, his family, and their customs. “We could hang out tomorrow evening if you want to,” I proposed, and Jungkook beamed in utter joy, almost as if he waited for my offer.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Jungkook admitted, grinning like a child. “Come on, have some cupcake. I bought them for us.”

“I’m fine with my tea,” I replied, raising the cup to my mouth, taking a tiny sip. “I’m full just by looking at you eat,” I added, encouraging Jungkook to devour the rest of the goodies.

As if I didn’t know already, Jungkook proved to me one more time how charming he was. Though we had different opinions on some topics, we also had a lot in common.

This date was really informative. For example, I had no idea that Jungkook only plays in the hockey team for the scholarship. His true passion is photography and directing, and it’s actually his major. Moreover, he shared how much he likes to sings in the shower, for which he often gets teased by fellow teammates.

Maybe our first meeting was a tragedy, but the more time I spent with him, I began to realize that it was actually worth it to take this fall.

CHRISTMAS EVE

“My parents should arrive around seven,” the mother of three boys announced when she finally found a second to talk to me. “Jin is ten, Namjoon is eight, and Taehyung is five,” she added when the boys ran across the corridor, chasing one another.

“They’re adorable,” I commented, though I didn’t really mean it. I had no idea how the kids would behave when their parents would walk out the door.

“My sweet little angels,” she said with a deep sigh, feeling a bit sad that she had to leave her children alone on Christmas day. Unfortunately, whatever they had to tend to at work was way more important than spending holidays with their children. “How much money do I owe you?” She asked, being unaware of the amount her husband put on the advertisement.

“Five hundred,” I answered, and she nodded her head, giving me the correct amount.

Thankfully, the kids weren’t all that troublesome.

After their parents left for the airport, the children were a loud mess playing some console games. As long as they didn’t want me to participate in their fun activities, I didn’t mind the noise. I’d just simply wait for the grandparents to arrive.

Just two more hours; I can handle that.

“Can I have some candy?” Taehyung asked cutely, holding a bag of jelly beans in his hands. Usually, I’d say no. Kids tend to be hyperactive on the sugar rush. I didn’t want to have to deal with it, but then, I was quite impressed that he even bothered to ask for permission.

“Of course, sweetie, it’s Christmas,” I replied, tearing the packaging for him.

After the boys got bored, they wanted to play some board games with me. I wasn’t particularly interested in interacting with them but ultimately decided to join in. It’s been a while since I destroyed someone at Monopoly, so I might as well do it now.

Just one more hour; it’s almost over.

The boys had a particularly short attention span. The average game of Monopoly should take at least two hours – Jin, Namjoon, and Taehyung returned to their previous shenanigans, running around and screaming at one another maybe twenty minutes into the game.

Just when I was about to yell at them to keep quiet, I heard my phone ring. Under these circumstances, it was a blessing. At this point, I’d diligently answer all the questions the spam caller wanted to ask me. I was desperate for some interaction with an adult.

Having locked myself inside the bathroom, I answered the call, enjoying a little bit of peace and quiet. “Hello?” I asked, waiting for Jungkook to brighten my day.

“Hi, there,” he spoke cheerfully, “all gifts are bought and wrapped,” he added, proud of his today’s achievements. “What time do you finish up?”

“In an hour or maybe earlier,” I answered, looking at the wristwatch.

“Do you want me to pick you up? We could take a walk, and then just go with the flow,” Jungkook proposed, and I immediately said yes as I couldn’t wait for him to show up and rescue me from these children.

“I’d actually love that. I’ll text you the address,” I spoke, biting my bottom lip in excitement. One more hour and I’d walk away with five hundred bucks in my wallet.

When the clock struck seven o’clock, the grandparents were nowhere to be seen. They were running late, and I was growing impatient. Jungkook would be here any minute, and I wanted to leave. I tried calling their parents but to no avail. They must’ve already boarded the plane.

This situation was helpless – they were just little boys, I couldn’t leave them alone.

Thirty minutes later, I heard the bell. In a hurry, I opened the doors, wishing to see the grandparents on the other side. Unfortunately, much to my dismay, it was just Jungkook.

“Shall we go now?” Jungkook asked, eyeing me from head to toe, biting his lip. “Wow, you look amazing,” he added, and I stared down at my outfit consisting of a cute tight purple turtleneck, a short black skirt, and a pair of warm tights.

“I can’t go yet. Their grandparents aren’t here, and I don’t have a way of calling them,” I explained, and Jungkook sighed, taking off his shoes, willing to help me babysit.

“What is he doing here,” Jin asked, as he folded his arms around his chest, judging me for inviting someone to their household.

“He’s my friend who was supposed to pick me up after I’m done here, and since your grandparents are getting late, he’s staying, so be nice to him.”

“Whatever,” he grumped before running to the living room, joining his brothers on the couch.

We tried watching a movie. However, once again, the boys couldn't focus enough to last to the end of it. Then, I realized I royally fucked up by giving them sugar earlier. They wanted to play hide and seek, and I agreed with a tired sigh.

Unwillingly, I turned around to face the wall. I closed my eyes and began counting, giving them more than enough time to find the perfect hiding spot.

“Three, two, one,” I hollered, making sure they heard me.

The apartment was suspiciously silent and pretty dark. I could definitely feel that weird vibe often present in horror movies. First of all, I checked all the hiding spots in the living room. Then, when I was about to enter the corridor, I felt a presence behind me. Before I managed to react, a hand snaked around my body, covering my mouth, muffling my unexpected screams.

In a second, the person turned me around. I should’ve figured it out it was Jungkook. With a goofy smile, he mentioned me to remain quiet.

“What are you doing? This is not how you play this game,” I whispered, giving him a lecture, but Jungkook only laughed at my reaction.

“Look, they’re finally quiet. You should take your time finding the kids,” Jungkook suggested, and I hummed in agreement. He was right – I should cherish the silence. He was a genius. “Shh…,” he added, pressing his forefinger against his perfect lips.

Maybe the atmosphere wasn’t perfect, but I just couldn’t help myself. We were standing there in the dark, completely still. I couldn’t fight this temptation.

Acting out of my urge, I took a step forward and gave him a chaste kiss. It was a delicate brush of my lips against his, but it was just perfect. And apparently, I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed this innocent form of affection.

The moment I pulled away, Jungkook grinned, placing his hands on my hips. Staring down at me, he yanked me against his firm body, leaning forward for another kiss. Tenderly, his mouth moved, feeling my lips.

Within seconds, the kiss became even more passionate. Smiling, Jungkook began to nibble on the sensitive skin of my lips, and I hummed in pleasure. With my arms wrapped around his neck, I opened my mouth slightly, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

“Fuck,” Jungkook loudly cursed as he bit my bottom lip, making me shriek in pain. At first, I thought he was just getting turned on, but then I realized what happened. It was Taehyung. He was standing right beside Jungkook, smiling as if he did something inappropriate. “He bit me!” Jungkook exclaimed, massaging his thigh, trying to ease the pain.

“He bit you?” I asked, being confused as ever. “Is that true, Taehyung?” I questioned the boy, but instead of answering me, he ran away to another room, chuckling like a maniac. Now, that was odd. “What is going on?”

The grandparents were supposed to arrive over an hour ago; I was losing my patience here.

“This kid bit me,” Jungkook carried on, unable to comprehend this entire situation. Well… he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t wrap his head around this. What the fuck was wrong with them? “What is this?” Jungkook asked as he felt something on this thigh. “Ew, it’s his tooth!”

That was enough.

It was about time I set up some rules.

“Let’s find them, meet me in the living room in five minutes,” I ordered before we split up to search more ground. The boys were getting out of hand, and they had to be stopped. For the love of God, Taehyung bit Jungkook!

“Have you found them?” Jungkook hollered, and I shook my head.

They vanished.

“I know it’s very irresponsible, but how about ditching this place?” I offered, even though I already knew the answer. They were just kids; we couldn’t just walk out, leaving them alone.

“It’s tempting, but we shouldn’t do that,” Jungkook spoke, regretting making the adult decision. “Isn’t that Namjoon?” He asked, and I turned to look where he was pointing at.

“Wait there, young man!” I yelled, storming out of the room, following Namjoon. The second I turned to the left, Namjoon was nowhere to be seen. It was weird; he must’ve run into one of the rooms. Unfortunately, before I managed to make up my mind, which room I should check first, someone pushed me onto the ground. It made me fall on my knees, painfully bruising them. “What the fuck?” I looked behind my shoulder, seeing Jin bolt off to the living room.

“Are you okay?” Jungkook asked in concern as he approached me, helping me stand up. “What is wrong with them?”

“I have no idea. The boys seemed fine earlier,” I spoke, seeing Taehyung run towards us. In a matter of seconds, he jumped at Jungkook, wrapping his hands around his neck, dangling off his back. “Hold still,” I ordered, but Jungkook was in panic, afraid of earning another wound.

I wanted to peel the kid off Jungkook’s back, but there was something wrong with Taehyung. Though he was a good boy, right now, there was something inhuman about him. He behaved like a wild animal with rabies, and it crept me out as fuck.

Jungkook smashed his back against the wall, hoping Taehyung would loosen the grip around his neck. At this moment, Jungkook felt as if the little boy was strangling him.

Unfortunately, the impact didn’t do much help.

Then I saw it. There must’ve been something really wrong with them. Taehyung’s eyes were all black with a few black veins around them, making him look extra creepy.

“Fuck this shit, let’s go,” I yanked Jungkook’s arm, wanting to get the hell away from this apartment. There was something wrong with them, and it wasn’t a part of my job to find out what. I was about to babysit them until seven o’clock and leave.

It wasn’t a part of the deal.

“We can’t leave,” Jungkook argued, but I didn’t want to listen.

“We’ll call the police,” I spoke, desperately trying to convince Jungkook to escape this trap. “They’ll send someone here to check up on them,” I added, running to the living room to get my bag. “Let’s go before I drag you out of here.” Maybe my words sounded like a threat, but it successfully made Jungkook move.

“It’s locked,” Jungkook said when he tried to pull the doors open. Though I didn’t lock it after Jungkook’s entrance, the doors wouldn’t budge now. “Do you have a key?”

Trapped inside the apartment, we looked at each other. None of us knew what to do next.

Then, the lights went out.

As if we weren’t already crept out.

“What is the plan?” Jungkook inquired, searching for my hand to hold onto something.

“Stay calm,” I answered, not realizing that quoting the office wasn’t the best idea at the moment. “You try everything to open the doors. Kungfu the shit out of them if you have to,” I ordered, and Jungkook hummed in understanding. “I’ll distract the kids.”

It wasn’t the wisest decision to make, but somebody had to do it. I wasn’t exceptionally proud of myself, but what could a bunch of weird kids do to me?

“Be careful,” Jungkook whispered before I turned on the torch on my phone, looking for the kids around the apartment.

They had to be hiding in one of the rooms. Having taken a confident sigh, I pushed one of the doors open, stepping into Namjoon’s bedroom. The space was spotless, and it was hard to believe it was one of the children’s rooms.

“Game over, Namjoon,” I spoke, urging him to show himself. “You won,” I added, as I kneeled on the carpet to check if he was hiding under the bed. He wasn’t there. “It’s not funny,” I exclaimed, marching towards the closet, anxious about opening it.

It had to be done, though.

Abruptly, I opened the closet, hoping I’d be the first to react if it was indeed Namjoon’s hiding spot. Unfortunately, I wasn’t. Before I managed to prepare myself, Namjoon pushed me, making me painfully fall on my back.

“You little fucker,” I yelled, groaning in pain, earning probably another big ass bruise. “You’re gonna regret that,” I added, unable to control my anger any longer. I was getting easy on them, but it was enough. Now, I’d punch them in the face if I had to.

Namjoon was staring down at me with these creepy black eyes of a demon. His eyes studied my movement, almost as if he was a predator, waiting for the best moment to strike its prey. Then he screeched, jumping right at me in an attempt to bite me.

This time around, however, my reflexes were quicker. Before Namjoon landed on top of me, I rolled to the side, kicking him in his stomach, sending him flying across the room. I couldn’t believe I just did that, but when Namjoon stood up as if nothing happened, I understood I had to go all the way if I wanted to make it out alive.

Quickly, I jumped to my feet, determined to Bruce Lee kick the devil’s spawn into another dimension with my close-to-none self-defense skills. Women in stress could pick up cars, and I had to beat up an eight-year-old.

I could handle it.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Bouncing on my legs like on the ready mode in a fighting game, I stared at my opponent. Namjoon was the first to attack, and I just jumped at the side, not wanting to get bitten. Unfortunately, Namjoon still managed to scratch my arm, drawing blood.

“You’re dead,” I threatened when I saw that he tore the sleeve of my favorite turtleneck. With anger in my eyes, I approached him, throwing punches left and right. My fists collided against Namjoon’s jaw, but no matter how much force I used, it didn’t seem to have any impact on him. He didn’t feel any pain, and it pissed me off.

With a hiss, Namjoon jumped at me, wrapping his hands and arms around my torso. His mouth was dangerously close to my throat, so in a state of complete panic, I started to spin around, trying to shake him off of me.

Now, Namjoon’s room was a complete mess – especially when I walked into a mirror, smashing it into a thousand pieces. Namjoon and I were rolling in the broken glass, earning plenty of tiny cuts across our bodies.

“That’s enough,” I warned him as I spat blood on the carpet. “Say hello to Satan for me, will you?” I added before I pushed him out of the window without any regrets. Namjoon kept screaming, but when his tiny body smashed against the pavement, the peculiar screeching finally stopped. “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker,” I whispered, unable to control myself.

I just killed a kid, and the first thing that came to my mind was quoting Die Hard.

It wasn’t the time for celebration. There were still two children running around the apartment.

Looking around Namjoon’s room, I found a baseball bat. That’ll do, I thought to myself as I stared at my new-found weapon.

“Jungkook!” I shouted.

Once I was in the corridor, I saw the doors. They were open, but Jungkook was out of sight. Did he seriously ditch me here alone? No, it wasn’t possible. Jungkook would never do that.

The boys must’ve done something to him.

One by one, I checked all the rooms, but I found nothing. It almost felt as if I was alone in this creepy apartment.

“Cut the crap, boys,” I hollered, ready to smack anybody in the face with my baseball bat. I was done playing games. I just wanted to go home and wrap myself in blankets in front of a television. “Come out! I don’t have the whole day,” I added, looking around.

I was on high alert. Adrenaline and other hormones were running through my veins, enhancing my senses. Then I heard it – the sound was coming from the staircase. Quickly, I ran out of the apartment, checking the reason behind this commotion.

It was a yellow ball. Somebody must’ve thrown it. Leaning over the railing, I looked up, trying to spot the villain behind this prank. Then I heard giggles. It must’ve been Taehyung.

“Get down here, right now,” I ordered, but the boy didn’t listen. “You’re going to be so dead when I get up there,” I warned, skipping two steps at a time, climbing the stairs.

On the top of the stairs, Taehyung was sitting comfortably, playing with a yo-yo. His face was stretched into a creepy smile, and in all honesty, it gave me chills.

“Get down here,” I repeated myself, but Taehyung didn’t even budge. “Where is Jungkook? What did you do to him?” I asked and received no answer.

Angrily, I walked upstairs, swinging my baseball bat around. Taehyung tried to mess with me with his yo-yo, but I managed to catch the toy and pull it out of his hands.

Like a maniac, I swung the bat, repeatedly hitting Taehyung’s head until it turned into a pulp. Wiping the blood off my face with the back of my hand, I turned around, studying the area. There was one more child out there, and I couldn’t lose my focus just yet.

“Where are you, Jin?” I shouted, waiting for a sign from the boy.

“Here,” Jin whispered, as he emerged from the shadows, pushing me off the stairs.

It was a painful fall, but thankfully, I didn’t break my neck. I felt a pulsating sensation in my left ankle, but besides that, I was fine.

Groaning in pain, I watched Jin slowly descend the stairs. His weird-ass demon eyes were drilling holes in my face, his lips turning into a devilish sneer. Step by step, he made his way downstairs, enjoying the way I tried to crawl away from him. The anticipation was draining me of energy; he was going to murder me, and I could just watch him do it.

“Help!” I shouted though I doubted anyone could hear me. “Somebody call the police!” I carried on but to no avail.

Jin was maybe thirty centimeters away from me, savoring my misery. Slowly, he tilted his head to the side, showing me his teeth, ready to tear me apart.

I had maybe a minute of life left, and I was going to spend it looking into my killer’s eyes.

That was sick.

When Jin was about to jump at me, I heard a noise coming from the apartment.

The scene unfolded in front of my eyes so soon, I couldn’t properly react to it. Right before Jin took a final leap towards me, Jungkook emerged out of the apartment with a fireplace poker, piercing it through Jin’s neck.

Jin’s blood, like a fountain, squirted on me. With my eyes closed, I waited for this moment to end. A few seconds later, I could hear Jin’s dead body collapse to the side.

“Are you okay?” I asked Jungkook, who dropped onto the floor beside me in shock.

“I just killed a kid,” Jungkook whispered, still unable to process what just happened. “When you walked away to look for the kids, I heard a noise in the kitchen. It was Jin, and when I entered, he began throwing shit at me. That motherfucker cut my face,” he added, showing me his fresh wound on his beautiful cheek. “Then, he stabbed my side with the knife and locked me in the closet,” he added, squeezing his side, trying to numb the pain.

“Let’s get the hell away from here,” I spoke, trying to stand up. It was difficult with all my wounds, but I couldn’t stand being inside this building.

CHRISTMAS DAY

We just killed three children.

At first, we had no clue what to do next, but then, I listened to my voice of reason – Jungkook. No matter how bad it looked, we had to go to the police.

Hand in hand, we slowly walked to the nearest police station. People were turning their heads when we were passing by them. I couldn’t blame them. I looked like Carrie with better clothing, while Jungkook seemed to have survived a zombie apocalypse.

When we entered the police station, everybody stared at us. Wobbling, we approached the front desk. “We killed three children,” I admitted, realizing how bad it sounded without the context.

The policeman was shocked. He didn’t witness this kind of thing regularly.

A few minutes later, we were escorted to a questioning room, where we could describe everything in great detail. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to buy our story, thinking we were trying to pull some kind of a prank.

Taking all precautions, they called in an ambulance. We were seriously injured, and we needed some medical care. Though the doctor did a great job, I’d kill to get some better painkillers.

Once our wounds were dressed, the police locked us in custody. We had to wait until a pair of policemen checked the apartment and secure the evidence.

“Merry Christmas, Jungkook,” I whispered as I looked at my wristwatch, realizing it was already past one o’clock. “I know we had different plans, but out of all people, I am glad I was stuck there with you. You saved my life,” I carried on, looking at Jungkook fondly.

“We killed three children,” he replied, still shaken after what had happened. Perhaps, he didn’t need me now, but I really wanted to hug him and tell him that everything’s gonna be alright. Too bad that we were locked in two different cells.

“In self-defense,” I added since Jungkook often seemed to forget that part.

After ten minutes of painful silence, one of the guards walked up to the custody, unlocking our cells. What else did they want to know? We already said everything we knew.

“You’re free to go,” the guard announced, surprising us immensely. “It was an elaborate prank, but don’t ever do that again, or else, we’re going to seriously put you in jail,” he warned, urging us to leave.

“I don’t understand,” I wondered out loud, unable to process what was going on. “I thought you sent your men to check out the crime scene.”

“We did, and the apartment you wanted us to check out was empty. We talked with the landlord, and he said this flat has been vacant for the last year,” the guard explained, making me and Jungkook gasp in shock.

What the fuck was going on?

In complete silence, with our heads hanging low, we exited the police station.

“What now?”

“Let’s just go home and watch Die Hard,” Jungkook whispered, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened inside the apartment. We almost died in there. However, when the police checked it, it was like we had never been there.

My apartment was closer, so we both headed there. Our moves were robotic, our heads were empty. At this point, we just wanted to sit down and keep our minds busy, so we wouldn’t try to analyze what happened back there.

It wasn’t a figment of our imagination. Our wounds were concrete evidence that we were telling the truth. Unfortunately, the police didn’t want to believe us. However, as the saying goes – no body, no crime.

In light of the law, we were innocent.

As soon as we entered my apartment, we sat down on the floor, resting our back against the sofa. Mindlessly, I grabbed the remote and turned Die Hard on Netflix.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I whispered as I interlaced my fingers with Jungkook’s, resting my head on his shoulder. “Or we can just pretend it never happened. Let’s just say we watched a really weird movie or went to a hardcore escape room,” I added, studying Jungkook’s arm tattoos, getting lost in his skin art.

“I’ve known you a few days,” Jungkook started, staring into my eyes. “But I’ve experienced more stress than in my entire life altogether,” he added with a sigh, placing a delicate peck against my neck.

“Actually, my life is pretty boring,” I admitted, though I knew where Jungkook’s words were coming from. I wouldn’t believe myself, either. “It took a 180 on that ice rink,” I reasoned, trying to find a connection.

“You’re beautiful,” Jungkook confessed genuinely, staring at my face with his big sparkly eyes. He was bullshitting me, but I didn’t have enough energy to argue with him. How could I be beautiful? My hair was all sticky due to all the blood which the doctor hadn’t washed off. My skin was covered with cuts and bruises. Even my clothes were ripped. I was certain Jungkook didn’t mean it, but I wasn’t going to admit that.

“You’re beautiful, too,” I beamed, teasing him. “Even after what we’ve been through today, you’re absolutely breathtaking,” I added, and Jungkook looked away, trying to hide his red cheeks. Carefully, I cupped his face, pressing another delicate kiss against his lips.

Just like feathers, our lips moved against each other. No rush, no hastiness, just pure delight.

Though we were both sore and exhausted, we took our time. Maybe it was past three o’clock now, but we didn’t care. I could stay up all night, kissing him like that.

Slowly, Jungkook’s hands found purchase on my hips, carefully pulling me closer on top of his thighs. Gently, I began rubbing my sex against his muscular legs, trying not to make him hiss. His beautiful thighs had already suffered enough damage when Taehyung had bitten him – I didn’t want to inflict any more pain.

“I wish I could fuck you the way I want to,” Jungkook confessed, taking me aback with his filthy words. He was a good soft boy with a heart of gold; how could he talk dirty to me like that? It was out of his calm and collected character, but I absolutely loved it.

“Don’t worry, I think I’m gonna stick around at least until you’re fully recovered,” I answered with a teasing tone as I reached down to his zipper, freeing his semi-hard cock. “Do you have any plans for New Year’s Eve? Or Valentine’s Day?” I questioned, but Jungkook was too busy to answer right away, ripping my tights apart.

“Actually, I do,” Jungkook mentioned with a lopsided smirk upon his face. “I’m gonna be sitting here between your thighs, buried deep inside your pussy. How do you like that?” He asked mischievously, biting my bottom lip before I managed to reply.

“I hope you’re not all talk,” I answered, staring down at his dick. Carefully, I pulled it out of his pants, giving it a few strokes before I raised my hips, slowly sinking down on his length. “Mmm…” I purred, feeling a pleasant stretch.

“I should’ve prepped you,” Jungkook whispered as he felt my walls slowly adjust to his girth.

“Nah, it’s all fine,” I spoke, getting all comfortable on his dick. “There’s always a next time.”

With a languid, stable pace, I rocked my hips back and forth, riding him. Going this slow allowed me to properly feel every inch of him. It was intimate, and I enjoyed it much more than any mindless pounding, which didn’t always get me off. With Jungkook under me, I was in complete control. He was obedient and responsive to my movements, really making it look easy to push me over the edge.

“I’m coming,” I moaned, feeling the approaching orgasm. Jungkook, instead of messing with my tempo, grabbed my hips, helping me maintain my current pace. “Fuck, Jungkook,” I hissed when he gently pushed his cock deeper inside of me, being seconds away from his own release.

“Come around my cock,” Jungkook ordered, and I obeyed his order, falling into a million pieces on top of him, screaming his name. Thankfully, Jungkook’s hands held me in place. Otherwise, I’d once again collapse onto the floor. “Argh,” Jungkook grunted, shooting his load inside of me. “I want to go again,” he added as soon as he calmed down after the powerful orgasm.

“I think it’ll have to wait,” I answered, though I’d love to go another round. “We can try in the morning. Right now, I need a shower,” I added, and Jungkook nodded his head, resting it between my boobs, too lazy to let me go.

He was still balls deep inside of me, and his cum was slowly oozing out of my pussy, but none of us wanted to move. It felt as pleasant as it was nasty, but we didn’t mind.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Jungkook asked innocently, batting his eyelashes in an attempt to woo me. “That would save lots of water,” he added, and I didn’t want to argue with his reasoning.

“Why the hell not? Let’s go before I change my mind,” I spoke, giving him a hand, helping him stand up. “But,” I added, sternly staring at the boy beside me. “Until we’re fully recovered, it’s just a shower.”

“Sure thing.”