#this is a bit in jest obviously but also... not | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fairy-writes · 7 months ago

Note

Hi!! I saw that you write for Arcane and had a really cute idea for Vander. I don’t really see a lot of fics where you get to see Vander’s reactions to the reader either playing with the kids or comforting them, so I thought a fic centered around that might be cute? (I think also having a bit of slow burn would be sweet, like both Vander and the reader like each other but don’t do anything about it until getting a little push from the kids because they ship).

ONE LITTLE PUSH

Reblogs and Comments are greatly appreciated!!

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Fandom(s): Arcane: League of Legends

Pairing(s): Vander x Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Genre(s)/Tag(s): Gender Neutral!Reader, Bit of a Slowburn, Fluff, Getting Together, Reader is Smaller than Vander (but who isn’t?), Sibling Bickering

Notes: VANDER MY FAVORITE

(No, but seriously, contrary to popular belief, he’s my 1st favorite over Viktor)

JUST IN TIME (kind of) FOR SEASON TWO, LETS GOOOOO

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Vander wasn’t quite sure why you stuck around for so long.

In fact, he wasn’t sure why you stuck around in the first place.

But… As Vander watches you with the kids. His kids. He begins to understand why.

You were kind, unyieldingly so. Even as Mylo grew to start picking on Powder, even as they fought, you were kind and patient and offered them the unending gentle love they all so craved.

The love he couldn’t afford to give them because who could be gentle in the Undercity? Especially in the depths of the Lanes?

You could.

Vander was in the middle of pouring a drink when Powder tumbled into The Last Drop. She was covered in bruises and dust from something. Or someone. She barely met his gaze as she clambered to her feet and all but sprinted into the back where they all slept. Vander looked through the multitude of customers and spotted you.

You had obviously seen Powder go bolting, worry twisting your face as you glanced toward the bar and met his stare. You arched an eyebrow, and he shrugged. You rolled your eyes and sighed before smiling in jest and getting up from where you had been tinkering with the jukebox.

Vander finally manages to get away from his chatty clients and makes his way back into the back room nearly fifteen minutes later.

Only to pause by the door.

“—ylo hates me! He does, I swear!” Powder cries, and you hush her gently, dabbing what looks to be some of the antiseptic you have lying around on her cuts and bruises. Disinfectant was hard to come by, especially in the Lanes, but you were seemingly magic in the sense that you always knew who to talk to to get some. It seems you had worked your magic yet again.

“Did Mylo say that he hates you?” You ask gently, whispering a quiet “sorry” under your breath as she flinched with the sting of the antiseptic.

Powder pauses, thinking what had to be her earlier conversation over,

“Well… No…” She mumbles, and you hum,

“Can I give you my honest opinion?” You ask, and she stills, looking up at you with wide eyes before nodding.

“Aren’t you always honest with us?” She asks. You chuckle at that.

“I suppose I am. But I don’t think Mylo hates you. Does he find you a bit annoying? Maybe. But every big brother thinks that about their younger siblings. I know mine did.” You say, and Powder mulls your words over and over and over in her mind.

She always did overthink things.

“I didn't know you had a big brother.” She says eventually, and you let out a loud laugh at that.

“You are a silly girl for focusing on that. But yes, I came from a big family. And guess what? I was the baby of the family. Just. Like. You.” You say, emphasizing your words with a pinch to her side. Powder squeals with laughter and wriggles away to escape your dastardly tickling.

Vander hangs his head with a huff and a smile before turning to head back to the bar counter. He can hear your conversation continue as Powder escapes your grasp.

“Now, where did you get all these bruises from?”

“Um… Vi taught me parkour from Topside down…”

“Powder! You’re like seven!”

“Seven and a half! And she said I was ready!”

Ever since you began to stick around, you had become something of a parent figure to the four little children Vander had come into care for.

To Vi and Powder especially.

So when Mylo burst into The Last Drop with the words of a fistfight on his tongue, you were the first one out the door.

Vander was close behind.

Mylo led you and Vander deep into the Undercity. In fact, it was so far into the Undercity that Vander was worried they were getting into some dark territory.

Like… Really dark territory.

But soon enough, the sounds of a fight were heard, and soon after, you were deep in the throng of a multi-person fistfight. Everyone paused for a second when they saw you and then stopped altogether when they spotted Vander not far behind.

You began to pull people off and shoved them out of the way. You did this again and again, ducking under a few stray punches until you managed to unearth Vi.

She wasn’t looking too hot.

Her face was bruised and swollen, and the fifteen-year-old spat out a wad of blood as she bared her bloody teeth and prepared to fight again.

At least until she saw you.

It was as if the tension had been released from her shoulders.

She all but slumped into your grasp, and you stumbled back a step with the sudden weight. Vander yanked the last person away from you both and scooped up his adoptive daughter. She leaned her head into the crook of his neck and was obviously fighting back tears.

Mylo was hunched over, hands on his knees, and wheezed from all the sprinting.

“Vi? Violet, can you hear me?” You said as soon as you all returned to The Last Drop, and Vander set her down on the couch. Powder and Claggor had been found a block away, fighting off more thugs from whoever sent them after the literal children.

He would've pummeled them to a pulp if Vander hadn’t hung up his gauntlets years before.

Vi’s head lolled from side to side, and you shone a pocket flashlight into her eyes, watching as her pupils dilated and contracted. You were experienced at this, taking care of people, even more so than he thought.

Were you a doctor deep in your past?

As Vander thought about it, he realized he didn’t know practically anything about you. Your past, your likes, dislikes, he knew you were good with machines and medicine and that you came from a big family. But that was it.

And that hurt his heart.

You ended up ushering everyone out of the room while you worked on caring for Vi. Vander closed the bar early and was in the middle of putting chairs on tables when you emerged. Powder, Mylo, and Claggor dropped what they were doing. They scampered to your side, a chorus of “How’s Vi?” erupting from the kids. You offered them a tired smile and patted their heads.

“She’ll be okay. She’s resting right now. You can go in and see her if you’re quiet.”

And then it was the two of you.

Vander set the final chair on top of the table and meandered his way over where you were sitting at the bar, head in your hands.

You looked tired.

“Is she really okay?” He asked, and you grunted, rubbing at your temples.

“She has a broken nose, fractured left arm, some bruised ribs, and a concussion. Which, all things considered, she’s very lucky. It could’ve been a lot worse.” You say, and he sighs,

“Did she say why she got into the fight?” He replied, and you shrug,

“She was protecting Powder. Then, more people started showing up until it was an all-out brawl. That’s when we stepped in.” You say, and his shoulders sag.

Vi was going to be okay.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said it. But thank you. For everything you’ve done. Taking care of them and all that.” He says, and you just hum.

“You guys gave me a home after everything. I’m just repaying my debt. Well… that and I love those kids.” You say, and he arches an eyebrow,

“After everything?” He inquires, and you glance up sharply as if not realizing what you had said.

Eventually, your gaze casts downward, and you run a hand over your head and through your hair.

“I was a doctor in Piltover before the rebellion. I was caught trying to help the Undercity before they were officially citizens and cast out.” You say, and his arched eyebrow raises even higher.

“A doctor? Were you any good?” You bark out a dry laugh at that,

“One of the best!” Your voice cracks as you speak, and he feels his heart splinter into pieces.

Vander should’ve known that Claggor and Mylo were up to something when they came in with sneaky grins on their faces.

The Last Drop was all but desolate. It was the wee hours of the morning before the people of the Undercity awoke to begin their day. But the door was unlocked, and the kids were allowed to run in and out as they pleased.

Which they had been doing a lot in the last hour or so.

“Vander!” Mylor clamored for his adopted father’s attention, waving an excited hand as he scampered up to the counter. Claggor hung behind, ever the stoic young man. But there was mischief in their eyes and curling the corners of their mouths.

Vander slung the rag he used to wipe the counters down over his shoulder and leaned on the bar counter.

“What did you do now?” He teased, and Mylo all but squawked.

“When have I ever done anything?!” Vander just stared,

“Do you really want me to answer that?” He asked, and Claggor snickered at Mylo’s deflated expression. Mylo quickly spun on a heel and jabbed a finger at his adopted brother,

“Not a word outta you, Claggor!” He snapped before spinning back as something dawned on him.

“You gotta come with us!” He demanded, and Vander glanced between the two of them.

“Why?” He asked, and Mylo let out an exaggerated groan.

“No questions! Just come on!” He grabbed Vander’s hand and tried tugging him around the counter and toward the front door.

Vander relented, locking the door behind him as he followed the two boys.

Only to realize very quickly what was actually going on.

His first tip-off was hearing Powder and Vi’s voices, yours mixed in as you asked where you were going, why they were taking you, and what they were doing.

Vi answered no questions. Powder just chirped excitedly. “You’ll see! You’ll see!”

The six of you met in the middle of the street, Powder dragging you by your hand as you followed behind patiently. You glanced up from listening to Powder, and your gazes met. Vander felt his heart skip a beat as he took in your appearance. There wasn’t anything particularly new, but you looked like you had cleaned up some. Your hair was pinned neatly back, and your clothes looked ironed.

You looked… Really nice.

“Vander? What’s going on?” You asked, and Vi nudged you with her good arm. Her fractured left one was still healing carefully under your care.

“We’re setting you two up.” She teased, and you stared dumbly.

“Setting us up how?” You asked, and now it was Powder’s turn to blurt out an answer,

“On a date!”

Before the two of you could react, all four kids all but disappeared around the corner in a cloud of dust. Leaving you facing Vander and utterly alone.

It was safe to say he was panicking just a little bit.

“Vander? Do you have any idea what they meant?” You asked gently, and he scrubbed a hand down his face.

“My guess is they want us to go on a date.” He said, fully prepared to hear rejection. Because who would want to go on a date with him? A middle-aged man with a stained past. His lungs twisted as he heard you take a step closer.

A smaller hand slipped into his, and he looked down from where he had been staring at Topside.

Your eyes were lit up, not with disgust at the proposition he was proposing.

But they were filled with hope for the future this relationship would bring.

#vander x reader #vander x you #arcane x reader #arcane x you #arcane x y/n #arcane league of legends #arcane: league of legends #arcane vander x reader #fairy writes

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seelestia · 3 months ago

Text

✧ a healer's touch.

although more than capable of healing himself, mydeimos finds no harm in seeking out medical help for convenience — and when he does, it's almost always and only from you. { 1.2k words }

#STARRING. mydei & healer!reader (gn).

#GENRE. slice of life, fluff, established friendship with feelings.

#NOTES. set pre-3.1, mentions of a minor injury & treating it (pls forgive inaccuracies!), one brief instance of close proximity, mentions of phainon as a tool of banter which leads to jealous mydei, reader is a bit of a gremlin & a tease.

#THOUGHTS. my first try writing for amphoreus charas and it's mydei !!! :-) bcs the concept of him w/ a healer!reader is so hdhshfhs. this was also supposed to be shorter but i got carried away. pls enjoy reading this short drabble! 𖹭

✶ masterlist.

Befitting of the Kremnoan pride he bears, it comes off as no surprise that MYDEI’s gaze is closely accompanied by smoldering heat that can scald those who dare to catch a mere glimpse.

But as he stands before you now with a hand over his wounded flesh, whatever flame that persistently lingers ablaze within his sunset eyes seems to have faded into something else... something more akin to avoidance.

Avoiding your gaze, more specifically.

At this point, the entrance to your small clinic might as well be considered a close friend of Mydei’s thanks to the many times he has paid this place a visit. For as often as his feet have stepped here though, it still gets annoyingly difficult to take even a single step inside when you're looking at him like that.

“This is the third time this week,” you let out a deep sigh. You aren't a fool. Obviously, the smooth cut of his injury and the prior ruckus you heard outside point to one thing: another argument-turned match between him and Phainon over... anything, really.

The disappointment in your voice doesn't bother to conceal itself and its presence alone is enough to cause the mighty warrior to flinch slightly. He doesn't question why the thought of disappointing you stings almost as much as his wounds do.

The pen in your hand has been put down, scribbled footnotes about patients are set aside, and your mind forsakes your papers in favor of addressing the looming presence at your door. Looming in appearance but not so much in attitude with the way he still refuses to look you in the eye.

"...I know,” Mydei grumbles. No resistance and no hostility, only acknowledgement towards this particular lecture of yours that he has heard several times before.

“I might have to start using webs as gauzes in the future,” you shake your head. “You and Phainon are going to be the reason I'll run low on medical supplies one of these days.”

This time, he frowns—a fearsome sight, if it weren't for how familiar you are with it in less than fearsome settings—not at you but at the issue proposed by your statement. Mydei glances around to scan your workspace and although it lasts briefly, his conclusion seems firm as he finally looks you in the eyes.

“...I'll bring it up with Aglaea next time,” he crosses his arms against his chest. Carefully, of course. Even with immortality running through his veins and his gradual numbness to the prickly touch of pain, he still can't risk getting a sharp glare from you for being inconsiderate towards his “bodily misery”.

There are times you think that Mydei can be considerate in his own way, though. Just like right now. “Oh, I jest,” you can't help the way your eyes soften around the edges. “I still have leftover supplies from the last time you did that. I'd rather not trouble her again.”

“Well then,” you quickly usher him to the empty chair near your desk before any sort of protest can escape from his mouth. “Allow me to take a look?”

He clicks his tongue—either at your act of rushing him or refusing his offer or both of them—but doesn't protest. Taking a step forward is already enough to indicate his agreement. One, two, three, four. . . exactly four steps from the doorway to reach the empty chair, a rhythm that Mydei doesn't even realize he's gotten used to.

You don't waste time getting to work as soon as he takes a seat. Following your routine, your eyes meticulously examine the wound on his skin to assess its qualities. The silence doesn't have the opportunity to stretch long as you pipe up with a particularly, frequently asked question.

“So, who won this time?” you hum as your hands deftly grab a few items off your shelf, moving on to cleaning his wound.

“Ha, as if you even need to ask,” Mydei proclaims haughtily. It's never not amusing to witness his inherent boldness resurface... after getting nagged, that is.

“Let me guess. Phainon won?” you deduce, but it's less of a deduction and more of an attempt to get on Mydei's nerves. The offended look he gives you afterwards is the exact reward you wish for.

“Don't try to be funny—” he shoots you a scowl, then hisses when you dab a damp washcloth to the area around his wound.

“Worth a try,” you smile amusedly before offering him a small apology. There is a tinge of guilt in your conscience for not giving him a heads-up about it. Cries of pain are never a melody to a healer's ears, after all. You direct your focus back to cleaning his injury, your movements more gentle: “Thankfully, your wound this time isn't as deep as your usual ones. The bleeding is also lessening faster than normal which I assume to be your ability at work,” you observe out loud.

“...Just say it's a curse,” he sighs. “No need to sugarcoat it, healer.”

“Different interpretations,” you counter.

“Whatever,” he relents, an indifference that is betrayed by his flushing cheeks. Hm, is it the heat? You're very sure all the windows in your clinic are ajar, though.

“Let me take one more look,” you scooch a little closer to inspect his injury again. The sudden shift in proximity effectively throws Mydei's senses into overdrive. He can quite literally smell the fragrance that sticks to your clothes with you this close. It only lasts for a few moments, however, and it's when you pull away that he realizes he's been holding his breath.

“Hey, you look like you're burning up,” you frown as you give him his space back. “A wound accompanied by a fever could indicate—”

“I'm fine,” his response is hastier than he would've preferred. Not enough to preserve the pieces of dignity he feels he has lost just now, but he can pick them up just fine.

“Alright then, would you like a kiss after?”

(Now, he really has to pick those pieces back up with his own bare hands.)

“I— what?”

Mydei looks at you as if you've lost your mind, as if the black tide has materialized out of nowhere to help you accomplish that.

“After I wrap up your wound,” you explain, trying your utmost best not to keel over from laughter right then and there. You know what you're doing. “Children ask me for them all the time. Says it helps with their recovery.”

Mydei can't even choose which aspect of this absolute incredulity he should address first: the logic (or lack thereof) in the sentence itself or the sheer audacity you have to ask him that. Amidst his loss for a response he deems proper, the only thing he can manage to utter is this: “Never suggest something so preposterous ever again.”

You ignore the horror in his voice in favor of fueling the flames a little more. “Not even to Phainon?” you ask, just a tiny bit goading.

“Especially him,” he snarls, “unless you want me to hurl him at death's door myself.”

“Duly noted.”

Ironically, Mydeimos thinks you are going to be the death of him someday. If that's even possible.

─ ⊹ ⊱ ・・・・・・☆・・・・・・・⊰ ⊹ ─

— THANK YOU FOR READING! another reminder: please do not repost, plagiarize, translate, use for AI-related purposes or claim as your own.

#hsr x reader #mydei x reader #honkai star rail x reader #mydei x you #hsr headcanons #hsr imagines #hsr fluff #seelestial.inks

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queenimmadolla · 1 year ago

Note

Could you write about the first time Penny or any of the babies reach for Eddie 🥺🥺 like the first time they really obviously want him or are excited to see him?

𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲. 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐢𝐭! :) 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭/𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐢 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞! 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐲𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞

Eddie was exhausted.

Drained. Worn out. Expended. Zonked. Depleted, just plain tired.

He was young, not even 23 years old, and today in particular, he felt like was in his late 60s. On a normal schedule, he was fine. Could roll with life and work, but his schedule was no longer a normal one. Not since you’d first found out you were pregnant.

A baby, while precious, was an impending expense.

Eddie had started picking up more shifts at the garage, longer ones. Going in early, staying late.

It was relatively amusing work, he was good at fixing cars up. Had started at the shop just changing oil and now he worked on the actual bodies, though he preferred engines more than anything; a common problem for most who brought their cars in, and an annoyance for his co-workers, so he always had plenty to do.

The short time you and Eddie were allotted, pending Penny’s arrival, was spent squirreling money away. You’d have to go on maternity leave, and the desk job as a Lawyer’s receptionist you’d picked up after high school still paid you well on that leave, you’d just still be missing out on a portion of your normal salary since you’d only be getting about 60 to 70% of your check.

Regardless of the tighter than even normal budget (the two of you were also saving up to move to a bigger place, the trailer Wayne graciously let you play house in was still a one bedroom and eventually, Penny would need her own room or the two of you would have to move out to the livingroom), the first few months after Penny’s birth had been relatively smooth. She didn’t use up a whole lot of formula then, mostly breastfed or bottle fed with your supply unless the family was out and about, and there was no place for you to feed her (even then, you preferred going back to the van to nurse her solo—Eddie would get anxiety over that after an episode of a true crime documentary show) so she’d need formula.

Now that you were back at work, standard Monday through Fridays, you couldn’t feed her like you used to, and she relied equally on your milk supply and formula so that was a hit to the budget.

You and Eddie had worried a bit over childcare, whether you’d have to stay home or not to take care of her since daycares were so expensive. Luckily, Wayne’s girlfriend—another occupant of Forest Hills—had taken a liking to Penny. Her son had recently left the nest, gone off to college, and she craved the presence of a child, someone to need her. Uncle Wayne hadn’t been enough (nor had he been amused when Eddie jested as much), and she got on well with Penny, so she’d offered to watch her while the two of you worked like the absolute angel she was.

The Saint refused to take any payment and even thanked the two of you for trusting her with Penny, baffling Eddie since that meant Maude would have to take care of Penny and Wayne, who worked nights and was with her the rest of the time. Wayne, again, hadn’t appreciated the joke.

Childcare aside, Penny was growing. And she was growing fast. Eddie had emotional and monetary whiplash with the speed of which she was outgrowing all of her clothes and going through diapers. And things like baby jumpers and playpens and strollers and car seats were expensive. The regular bills hadn’t stopped either, so while you’d gone back to work and the two of you could stay on top of everything together—Eddie didn't want to just be getting by anymore. It was fine when it had been the two of you, now he had a baby. A little human entirely dependent on him.

And you. She depended on you too, it’s just—maybe it was a machismo thing, Eddie didn’t fuck around with toxic masculinity, couldn’t give a shit, but he desperately wanted to provide for the two of you. Show you that you hadn’t made a mistake dating him, marrying him, having his Oopsie baby. And he didn’t want Penny growing up to worry about finances like he had.

So, naturally, he put a shit ton of pressure on himself. He’d continued working as much as he had when you were on maternity leave—and he’d crashed.

You were there, though. Had talked to him, comforted him, held him through his breakdown. It was one hell of a conversation, and he’d still been stubborn about it despite the fact that he’d made himself sick from burn out, you got through to him. You were a family. Eddie wasn’t to shoulder any responsibility on his own. It was to be shared between the two of you. Your family would be just fine without Eddie working himself into an early grave.

You even did the math on paper (and you were bad at math so it amused him to watch you successfully prove your point after he’d had to help you with some fractions and decimals) to reassure him.

With his worries put to ease, you’d convinced him to take the day off. It wasn’t technically even a day off, he’d just been going in on his days off for overtime, so he was just staying home. He still could have taken Penny over to Maude’s—Eddie didn’t want to. No point when he could have his little ball of curls and rolls (which were starting to go away as she stretched out, breaking his heart) alllllllll to himself, even if she was being fussy.

Maybe Penny was picking up on the vibes he’d been putting out, absorbing his stress because she hadn’t gone down to bed last night without a fight. She’d woken up this morning upset, had been irritated the rest of it, and had given Eddie just as hard of a time putting her down for her afternoon nap, as she had last night.

Yeah. Eddie was fucking wiped out. It was still better than being at work, he certainly got to relax more, even with his furious baby screaming, so he’d never complain.

Then, Penny started screeching from her crib and Eddie let out a groan, hands dragging down his face. Sue him, he could complain a little.

Oh, c’mon! She hadn’t even been asleep for half an hour!

And there was no building up to the screeching, it was like she popped those big eyes open and just decided to start wailing.

With a sigh, Eddie got up from the couch and rushed to the kitchen to prepare a bottle for her. She’d fought it before her nap when he offered it to her, so she had to be hungry now. With the bottle in hand, the perfect Penny-approved temperature (she was picky), he burst into his bedroom, and her sobbing intensified, mouth wide and face almost turning a different color even as he approached her.

Her curls were curlier than normal and almost as wet as her face—she was a sleep sweater so they often matted down to her head when she snoozed. Eddie just knew she was gonna hate the sink bath he’d have to give her later if she was still in this mood by then.

Penny was sitting up—had recently learned to do that on her own—a constant stream of tears dribbling down both cheeks and she stared up at him, her little eyebrows furrowed in anguish.

“Alright, alright. I’ve got what you want, no need to hurt anyone, bitty one.” Eddie leaned down, offering the bottle to quelle her distress. She’d recently learned to hold her own bottles, too.

Penny’s crying died down for just a few seconds, before her breathing picked back up, breaths stuttering and she let out another shriek as fat tears continued to leak out of her eyes at an even faster rate. She smacked the bottle right out of Eddie’s hand, he hadn’t been expecting it so his grip had been loose and craned her head even farther back to stare up at him, pleading, and Eddie had no idea what for.

Was she still tired?

Did she need to be changed? She certainly didn’t smell like it but maybe she had peed.

Eddie reached down into the crib to grab the bottle and her wails died down again before picking up the moment he’d pulled back and walked to his dresser to place it on.

“You’re gonna have to help me out here, baby, what do you want? Huh? What does my girl need?”

Eddie was about to get her out of the crib when Penny did something she hadn’t done before. In between her sobs, with her big, beautiful eyes squinting through her tears, her little arms reached up towards him. The movement made her unstable and she wobbled on her bottom, arms still up, before she fell over onto her side and wailed harder.

Penny didn’t stay down for even a couple of seconds, pushing herself back up into sitting position and reaching up for Eddie again as she bawled and Eddie snapped out of his shock (every milestone she accomplished sent him into one) and reached down, hands grasping her soft sides and hoisting her up his chest.

Penny immediately smothered her face against his neck, Eddie could feel the wetness from her tears and drool smearing around the skin there and he rocked her gently, one hand supporting her bottom, and the other cradling her sweaty little head.

She still cried but as he gently shushed her, Penny’s wailing lowered in volume, “Shhhh, it’s okay, baby. You just wanted daddy, huh? Just need some cuddles to make you feel better?” He pressed kiss after kiss to her head and, much to his relief, the wailing died down completely. Penny’s breathing was evening out, still a little rapid and hitching, but she was calming down.

“Daddy’s here. Daddy’s got you.” Eddie walked away from the crib, back to the living room, picking up her bottle and her diaper bag on the way, “Daddy’s sorry he’s an idiot and didn’t realize you just wanted him. My little bitty pretty one was crying her eyes out and I have the audacity to try to feed you instead of cuddle you. Ugh. Feel free to bite me when you have teeth, sweet pea.”

By the time he was settling on the couch again, he was sure Penny was on the road to recovery, which made this next part worse. He winced as he slowly pulled her away from him. Penny immediately began to protest, breathing picking up as she started grunting while her arms reached for him and the moment Eddie placed her flat on the changing mat, she started wailing again, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open wide to let the world know her daddy had hurt her feelings, again, “I know, I know, daddy’s also so sorry he has to change your diaper so you don’t get a rash on your little toosh.”

Eddie was quick with it, just as distressed as she was with their lack of contact. Once she had a clean diaper, her extra onesie (and he’d have to remember to put a new one from the dresser into the diaper bag) on, and the soiled diaper was wrapped up and set aside, he hastily picked her up, clutching her to his chest and she curled eagerly into him.

He held her like that until she calmed again, then he got up to toss the dirty diaper and warm up her bottle again.

With her—apparently—number one and urgent need satisfied, Eddie spread himself out on the couch with Penny in the crook of his arm, her chunky cheek pressed against his chest. This time when he offered her the bottle, she eagerly pulled it towards her and guzzled it down.

Eddie admired her while she drank her milk, his finger stroking over her cheeks to rid them of her tears as she stared up at him through long, wet eyelashes. Had he not been present for her fits, nor had he just wiped away the evidence of her suffering, Eddie wouldn’t have known she was upset at all. There was no resentment clouding those warm, brown eyes. No anger and Eddie’s chest tightened as he recalled just how forgiving babies were. So, innocent and just full of love.

“You happy now, pretty one?” Eddie cooed, and at his tone, Penny smiled around the rubber nipple in her mouth, letting out her own coo in response. She didn’t stop suckling, but she removed one hand from her bottle to shakily reach up towards Eddie. Her movement was a little unstable, and Eddie watched with pure reverence until her tiny hand was against his jaw, soft palm gently smacking it.

Then, not so gently smacking it.

“Owwwuhh!” Eddie whined.

#pennyverse #dad!eddie munson #dad!eddie munson x reader #dad!eddie munson x mom!reader #eddie munson angst #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #dilf!eddie munson #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x black!reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #girl dad!eddie munson #Eddie munson fluff #Eddie munson blurb #eddie munson drabble

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calypsocolada · 1 year ago

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how the jjk boys react to being jealous...ft. itadori, megumi, gojo, nanami, & takuma

authors note: MERRY CHRISTMAS

cw: slightly suggestive, angst, healthy jealousy

wc: 3.6k

Itadori doesn’t really get jealous much but when he does he’s pouty. He’s late for a date one night and when he opens the door to your favorite restaurant he spots you in the corner. You’re smiling and laughing at something the waiter had said. Itadori felt a pang of jealousy in his chest. He was just about the only one who could make you laugh like that and he didn’t like some random guy trying to take his place. Your eyes meet Itadori and they light up. The waiter looks back, a bit flustered when he spots the sour faced Itadori.

“I’ll get those drinks in for ya.” He says and walks away rather fast. Itadori leans over the table and kisses your cheek as he slides into the booth across from you.

“Sorry I was late,” he starts as you smile.

“Everything okay?” You ask, your infinite kindness speaking. He nods his head.

“Christmas traffic.” He shrugs as you nod your head in understanding.

He obviously didn’t want to say but he was out getting you a present. He didn’t fancy himself good with gift giving but he had an idea late last night and was hunting around for the item all morning. He finally found it then realized he was gonna be late.

“I’m glad I got all that crap done early.” You said as he reached for your hand, pulling your knuckles to his lips to press a kiss. The waiter comes back and sets the drinks down on the table and Itadori can’t hide the look on his face when the waiter smiles down at you. He pouts a bit when you smile back. He knows you’re being polite and he also knows he’s being pouty. He can’t help it. You’re a lot of things Itadori likes. You’re kind and caring, funny and smart. He likes the way you think and your attention to detail. He’s lost a lot of people he loves and lately the way he thinks about them has changed. He’s become over protective but he can’t help it. He can’t lose anyone else.

“Yuji?” Your voice breaks through to him, he was lost in thought. He blinks, clearing his throat. He tells the waiter his order and watches as the man shoots another one last flirty look at you before leaving. You hadn’t even given the waiter the attention he wanted. Instead you were reaching across the table for Itadori’s hands. “You sure you’re okay?” You ask and he gives your hand a gentle squeeze.

“I think the waiter has a crush.” He says and you start to laugh.

“Yeah I noticed that. I’m glad you got here when you did.” You say and he calms. He knows you’re not the type who would cheat, that's not really where his jealousy was stemming from. It was just the fact that he liked being the one to make you happy and didn’t trust strangers. He gives you a soft smile and you cock your head slightly. “Wait…” you trail off and when he looks at you you have a smirk on your lips. “Are you jealous, Yuji?” You ask and Itadori shakes his head.

“I- Of course not! I just- I noticed he was a little smiley that’s all.” He stutters out as you raise a brow, slowly nodding your head.

“Uh huh.” You jest, hiding a giggle behind your hand.

“Okay fine. Yes a little,” he relents as you nod along with his words.

“That’s cute.” You say and he gets up, sliding into your booth. It was all very smooth.

“No I’m not,” he says, pink cheeked as he presses a kiss to your lips.

Megumi is very protective, and gets jealous pretty easily. He doesn’t open up to many people and so when you cracked him wide open with your kindness and patience he didn’t know what to do. He also didn’t know what to do when you became good friends with Todo. That freaked him right out. You two were polar opposites but he’d see you across campus with that giant idiot drinking tea or laughing together. That made him sick to his stomach with jealousy. Nobara and Itadori are sick of hearing about it. They’ve told him time and time again to just ask you out but he couldn’t. He couldn’t just ask you out, it had to be special. He had to know you felt the same, he didn’t want to embarrass you or make things awkward.

So instead he got stuck in a cycle. Of hanging out with you and blushing and crushing and being crushed when he’d see you giggling with Todo the next day.

After about three weeks of this cycle Megumi couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t think of you being with someone else. He wanted you so bad it was messing him up inside and out. He saw you across the courtyard one day and suddenly his feet were taking him to you. Todo was first to look up. He gave him a sharp look. Todo didn’t like him very well for stupid reasons Megumi didn’t care to think about anymore. You turned once you saw Todo’s face. Your face lit up, a smile overtaking your lips.

“Fushiguro,” You crooned, “Want to join us?” You asked. Megumi cleared his throat.

“Can we talk?” He asked and your brows raised slightly as you nodded your head. You excused yourself and jogged to catch up with Megumi who had wandered off a few feet away.

“Is everything okay?” You asked as you caught up with him. He had his head down, his hands stuffed inside his pocket, he looked almost nervous.

“Uh yeah, everything’s fine.” He mumbled quickly. He couldn’t look at you, he was so damn nervous. “I just- I was wondering,” he cleared his throat again. “Are you and Todo- uh, together?” For a moment you stared at him, processing his words.

“Together?” You echoed and he finally met your eyes. He was blushing, cheeks rosy red. And that’s when it all clicked together for you. The red cheeks, the hopeful look. You sucked in a breath. “Oh, Fushiguro.” You said and then couldn’t help but let a small laugh escape your lips. He looked tortured. “Are you jealous?” You asked and his eyes widened.

“What- of course not! I was just- I was asking.” He said all in one breath. You smiled up at him, his hair was a mess from him nervously running his hands through it. You reach up and run your fingers through it to smooth it out. He froze under your touch, like a deer in headlights.

“Todo and I are friends. In fact he’s like a brother.” You said but your words did nothing to ease his thumping heart. He was still nervous and the fact there was no romantic connection between you and Todo meant something that made his hands shake slightly.

“Oh, okay- that’s yeah- that’s good.” He stuttered. You smiled at his words.

“That’s good, huh?” You asked with a sly smile. He swallowed as he nodded his head. “Why’s that, Fushiguro?” Seeing him like this was a treat. Megumi was always very put together. Very stoic and calm. But right now you were making a mess of him in this courtyard.

“I just- well,” He scratched at the back of his head. “Todo’s not right for you. That’s why. I was just looking out for you.”

“Looking out for me, huh,” You smirked, you reached for his hands, he was trembling slightly. “That’s awful kind of you.” You say as your warm fingers meet his cold ones. “And what would be right for me?”

“Hmm?” He barely mumbled out, eyes locked to your hands on his.

“You said Todo’s not right for me, so what would be right?” You ask, thumb tracing circles in his palm. You were being very distracting on purpose. You liked Megumi and Todo had recently been coaching you on how to possibly get Megumi to confess. Most of his pointers were very direct so you took a few and decided to be sly.

“You need someone smart,” he starts out, it makes you laugh.

“Todo’s very smart.” You say and Megumi makes a face that makes you giggle. “Alright, so someone smart.”

“Uh huh, and patient,” he adds. You nod. “Someone who’s not a meathead.”

“You sound a bit judgmental, Fushiguro.” You jest, your teasing must’ve calmed the situation down because Megumi looked less nervous. His fingers interlock with yours, shocking you slightly.

“I am judgmental, I want the best for you.” He says and your heart skips a much needed beat. It was your turn to be nervous this time. “Todo’s not the best.“

“Then who is?” You ask and he looks at you with those pretty eyes.

“I am.” He says and something shifts in the air when he steps closer.

“Fushiguro,” you start, as his hand slides against your cheek, fingers brushing your hair behind your ear.

“Don’t you agree?” He asks huskily.

Gojo is the worst. He’s more jealous than any man you’ve ever known. A waiter will bring your food and smile, Gojo a moment later will say, “Your boyfriend is so nice.” Always stuff like that.

So one day you decide to play into it. Gojo has always been a little jealous of you and Nanami’s friendship. You two met in school, you couldn’t stand Gojo back then, you hung out with Nanami and Haibara.

You got early to a Jujutsu High meeting and instead of saving a seat for Gojo you sat beside Nanami. Gojo got there late and when you turned his eyes met yours and you just gave him a sly wink. After the meeting you hugged Nanami goodbye and walked over to your boyfriend. You could tell he was annoyed, you gave him a smile and a quick kiss on the cheek.

“That meeting ran long.”

“It sure did,” He pouted, following you out to the parking lot. “It would've gone faster if you had saved me a seat.”

“How would that make it go faster, Satoru?” He grabs you by the wrist, pulling you out of the hall and into a dark back room.

“We could’ve slipped away,” he whispers against your neck before pressing a kiss there. “Instead you chose to sit next to stuffy.” He trails kisses up your neck to your lips and presses his body against yours, pinning you to the door.

“That’s not nice.” You say slightly out of breath.

“That’s why I said it,” he mumbles against your lips.

Nanami sat straightening himself at his desk. He took in a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. The deadline was creeping closer and closer and god dammit he couldn’t get ahead of this thing. He’d been working on this damn project for hours now. He reached up and loosened his tie, nearly taking it off. There's a soft knock on the door and you peek your head in.

“Sir, can I interrupt?” You asked and he looked up, he could feel his stress depleting just at the sight of you.

“Yes, of course.” He waves you in. You shoulder softly inside, a tray in your hands. You give him a soft smile as you set it down on his desk.

“I brought you your favorite sandwich, Sir, and some hot tea.” You say and Nanami can’t help but give you the smallest of smiles.

“You are an angel.” he says, pushing his keyboard out of the way. You go to slip out of his office. “Wait.” He asks, you stop turning back to him. He cuts his sandwich in half. “Have you eaten?” He asks as you glance at the sandwich then back to him, shaking your head. “Sit with me,” He offers. You walk across the room and sit opposite of him. He slides half a sandwich over to you and you smile at him.

“Thank you sir.” You say.

“Please, you can call me Nanami.” He says he's told you this a few times but he is your boss after all. You nodded your head, soft apologizing as you bit into your sandwich.

“Nanami,” There was another knock at the door. Nanami’s boss walked inside as you straightened. “How’s the project going?” He asked, his eagle eyes skimming along the curves of your body before looking at Nanami. Nanami saw the whole thing, saw the clammy uncomfortable look on your face. Nanami didn’t know this but the higher up boss was quite the ass, he constantly hit on you, never remembered your name and also never looked you in the eyes, he was always too busy checking you out.

“It’s going.” Nanami answered shortly. The boss walked a few steps in, cocking his head to the side.

“Take a break there, sweetheart?” He asked you as you went red, instantly embarrassed.

“Y/n, her name is Y/n. And I asked her to since she’s working overtime with me.” Nanami says coolly. The boss raises his brows, looking between the pair.

“Well don’t work her too hard there, Nanami.” He says, winking to you before exiting the room. You turn back but your appetite has gone slightly.

“Does he talk like that to you often?” He asks as you look down at your hands.

“It’s okay,” You say.

“It’s really not.” He says softly. You look up and meet his kind eyes. Usually when you went to HR about things like that you were ignored. You need the money and you liked working here, especially working for Nanami. He had a trusting deposition about him. You swallowed dryly.

“Yes, he talks like that to me all the time. It’s-- it’s not a big deal, I can put up with it.”

“I’ll take care of it.” He says simply, taking a sip of his tea.

“You’ll take care of it?” You ask as he gives you a nod.

“You don’t have to put up with anything, you're not some pretty thing for him to ogle.” He says and meets your eyes. You wonder if Nanami thought you were pretty before your mind realized how silly you were being. You cleared your throat.

“Thank you very much, Sir-- Nanami.” You said.

Nanami did take care of things. In fact you never saw that ignorant boss ever again. You also accidentally ran into him outside of work a few days after the big boss was fired. You waved at him, from across the bar. You didn’t know if it was inappropriate to share a drink outside of work but Nanami waved you over.

“I didn’t want to interrupt,” You said. “I just wanted to thank you for taking my side.”

“You're not interrupting.” He says, his voice warm like cinnamon whiskey in your stomach, something fluttering at the way he looks down at you. “I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner.”

“You couldn’t have.” You say. “All that matters is he’s gone.” You say and he nods his head, raising a glass to that. You and Nanami spend the entire night talking and when it’s time for the last call he buys you one last drink and you two leave. He walks you back to your house and drapes his jacket over your shoulders, you two talk the entire way there. You get to your door and unlock it, holding it open. “Want to come in, warm up a bit? I could make some coffee?” You ask. Nanami leans on the door, he looks behind you like he is contemplating the pros and cons of coming into your house past midnight. You think for a second he’ll turn you down but then he pushes off the doorframe and nods his head. He brushes past you as you shut the door behind him. You fix him coffee and stay up talking with him until the sun starts to rise. You laugh when he gasps at his watch.

“Fuck,” He groans. “I have to work in forty-five minutes.” He pushes up from the table.

“Oh, shit, I’m so sorry.” You apologize, springing up from the table. “I can give you a ride.”

“You stay home, take the day off.” He says, reaching for his jacket.

“I can’t do that to you.” You say, reaching for your own coat but he catches you by the wrist, the contact shooting through your body.

“I want you to.” He says softly, your eyes locking. You can’t help it, you spent the night trying not to stare at his lips, trying to be very professional but dammit you weren’t perfect. Your eyes dipped to his lips as you cleared your throat.

“Maybe you should take the day off too.” You say and Nanami looks down at you with those searching eyes. You're standing right by the front door, the hallway never felt smaller between the two of you.

“And do what?” He asked, his voice husky. Your throat went dry.

“Well, you're already here so maybe have some breakfast.” You say, taking a half step closer to him.

“Thought you said you couldn’t cook?” He asked teasingly, taking a step closer to you.

“Eggs and bacon are fairly easy.” You whisper and reach across the small space to straighten his tie. His eyes follow your hands.

“It's hard to mess them up.” He whispers back, hands slowly sliding onto your waist, fingers dipping into your hips. You try very hard to hide your smirk.

“I could use some help,” You say, letting your fingers slide off his tie and around the back of his neck.

“Thank god I’m here then.” He says and dips his head down, you tilt your head and your lips meet.

You rushed forwards, shouldering through hospital doors. You race around the corner and scan the door numbers, searching for thirteen. You spot it at the end of the hall and pick up speed, tears pricking at the sides of your eyes as your hand meets the cold steel of the door handle. You wrench it open, you see Nanami first, he stands, hands in his pockets. You brush right past him and see Takuma. He’s sat up in the bed, awake, despite what the doctors told you on the phone. He has bandages across his torso and two cuts on his face. Fresh tears spring to your eyes as you rush to the bed and he opens his arms for you to fall into.

“I’m sorry,” He mumbles against the top of your head. He knows he scared you, that's why he’s apologizing. You knew nothing about the Jujutsu world, only bits that Takuma had told you, which is few and far between and also just really out of reach to understand. The only thing you did know was that Takuma came from most of his missions badly roughed up. You hated his job, it scared you shitless everytime he was gone and your phone would ring. You knew a lot of those sorcerers didn’t make it home after missions.

You sniffed, as Takuma wiped the tears from your face gently. This happens every time.

“I’m alright, I’m right here.” He spoke softly to you. A sort of mantra that calms you down. You pushed up slightly and pressed a kiss to his lips, your finger tracing a new scar down the side of his face. You turned to Nanami.

“Can we have a moment?” You asked and the blond man nodded his head, leaving the room.

“Honey,”

“Ino, I told you. I told you how much I hated this job of yours.” You start. “Do you know how fucking scared I was driving over here?” You were crying again, Takuma pulled you back into his chest.

“I know,” He sounded so guilty, so apologetic. “I told Nanami to let me call you, so you wouldn’t worry.” He said, kissing the top of your head.

“I hate this. That no good mentor of yours is gonna get you killed.” You grumbled.

“I thought you liked Nanami?” He asked as you pushed up slightly to be able to look at him. “Thought maybe you liked him even more than me.” You scoffed at that but when he didn’t laugh you realized he was a bit jealous.

“Ino, I am your girlfriend, we live together, I’m currently crying on top of you. I love you, not your stuffy mentor.”

“He’s not stuffy.” He says as you press a kiss to his lips.

“He’s not you either.” You say and Takuma can’t help but smile at that. “Is that why you’ve been working so much? Because you think I like Nanami more?”

“Maybe…” Takuma mumbles. Your hand slides against his jaw, running through his hair, fingers playing with the ends.

“That’s really cute, Ino.” You say as he throws an arm around your waist, tossing the blanket over you two. You kick off your shoes as he presses another kiss to the top of your head.

“Sorry, we're spending Christmas night in the hospital.” He says as he grabs the remote, clicking through channels.

“We spent your birthday and thanksgiving here too, it’s like our little tradition.” You say, knowing how macabre that sounded. He shuffled down a bit and pecked a kiss to your lips.

“I’ll get better, baby, I promise.” He promises as you turn to face him in the bed.

“I know you will. I have no doubt about that.” You say with a sure smile.

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jojomiwbvb6 · 1 year ago

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The Shower Scene, Pt. 4

Taglist: @emzandthevoid @mentallynot-here @bloodymug @sprokat @princesspeach-00 @ghoulsquad @missduffsblog @yeehaw-my-guys @lma1986 @artificialbreezy

Author's Note: I apologize for taking so long to do this chapter! I have had a bit of writer's block and I have been busy doing a lot lately. This will be the finale to this series, I really hope you enjoy! Feel free to give me more ideas! I was thinking of writing some Sasuke or Itachi fics as well.

Warnings: 18+, MDNI, NSFW. Extremely long and descriptive smut, unprotected p-in-v (be safe about it, or use condoms please), overstimulation, degradation, praise, oral (female receiving), punishment, spanking, swearing, squirting, casual alcohol consumption

PSA: this is very obviously a work of fiction, and should in no way be taken seriously or literally. this piece of fiction uses real people in fictional and fantastical mindsets--and it is in no way a representation of the real person or who they are as a whole. Thank you for coming to our ted talk.

Atlanta.

The humid wind hits your face, the city never motionless around you. You inhale the air, closing your eyes and letting your body relax. Your nerves are completely jumbled and overstimulated as your mind mulls over the past week so far.

The pictures of yourself flash through your head. Noah's words flooding your mind. You can't escape the anxiety it brought you, and the excitement of your actions.

You stared at your feet, black vans reflected against tan concrete as you stood against the bus. Twiddling your thumbs and exhaling heavily, you turn to Davis as he approaches you.

"Hey, kid! Some of the guys were just thinking of exploring the botanical gardens and the zoo and maybe going for some grub, wanna come?" He smiles at you, raising an eyebrow for an inviting answer.

"Shit, bro, I'm down." You agree and smile back. It was the first day off in over a week and you were grateful for it. You were looking forward to moments with Noah, but you also needed to get out and do something else for once.

As you and Davis caught up with the group, consisting of both you two, Ruffilo, Noah, Matt, and Jolly (the rest went off to do other things), you could hear their jesting and cackles even from a ways back.

"Morning guys!" You say, smiling and out of breath.

"Hey (Y/N)!" You were greeted by multiple of them.

Noah turned, walking backwards. "Hey, (Y/N)," he smirks lazily, waving his hand, drawing his eyes over you subtly and licking his lips.

You huff, catching his eyes and offering a suggestive smile. "Hi, Noah." He smiles back at you, and then turns back around to continue walking. You admire his long, toned frame as he took smooth strides forward.

All of you thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing and wondrous vibes of the gardens and the culture of the city. Having been walking and exploring for over 2 hours, you all decide to pause your activities for a bit of lunch.

"What should we eat? I'm starving, man," Ruffilo comments.

"Hmm. Haven't had Chipotle in a while," Davis replies.

"How about sushi?" Matt adds.

You're silent. Honestly, you're so hungry, you don't even care what you guys eat. Anything sounds good.

Noah steps up beside you. "Sushi sounds fuckin' fantastic," he agrees.

When the others aren't paying any attention, Noah leans into your ear quickly and quietly, "I'm hungry for something else, though."

You almost gasp when he leans away, giving a quick caress to your ass while the others are walking away. He casually smirks at you, continuing to walk in the direction of the Japanese sushi bar on the corner.

Your face felt hot, and you were fighting the frustrated blush that crept up your face. You were nearly hyperventilating and you couldn't help it. You took a deep breath of the next gust of Georgia wind that caressed your face, composing yourself and catching back up with the group.

"Fuck, this hits the spot dude." Matt comments, and you're nodding along with the rest of the guys.

"Hell yeah."

You're all sitting at the table, a whole boat of sushi in front of you and then some. Ruffilo is sipping on sake while all of you make small chit chat.

"Hey! Ruffilo! Let me try some of that," you say.

"Ever had sake?" Ruffilo says.

"No," you state, taking the small white cup from his hands.

"What!" You hear half of the table exclaim, with pleas of interest in you trying the drink.

You slowly take a sip. Instantly the taste of the Japanese alcohol hits your tongue and you're writhing. "Yuck! Oh! That's revolting!"

Cracks of laughter erupt from the table. Soon, you are laughing as well.

"That's enough of that," you joke.

After lunch, you all go shopping and walk around downtown. After several hours of being out and having free time the whole day, it was time to return to the hotel that was booked for the night. In the morning, you would quickly pack up and shuffle back onto the bus for Orlando, Florida.

Walking away from the bus with a suitcase in hand and backpack over your shoulder, you step into the hotel. You stop at the front desk to get your keycard from the receptionist.

"Room for (Y/L/N), please."

"Ahh," she pauses, typing on her keyboard. "We don't have a room here, I'm afraid..."

You frown. "All of these rooms should have been pre-booked," you state. Your mind frantically searches for a solution. You begin to list the several names of the other crew members and band members, but most were already in their rooms. You thought of one more name.

Oh, you thought. He didn't!

"There may be another name," you try. "Sebastian?"

The receptionist, looking mildly annoyed now, huffs and types in the name. You ignore her annoyance, watching patiently. A look of resolve crosses the receptionist's face. You feel hopeful.

He did.

"Hmm," she says. "It appears one more keycard is available for this room. Just sign this document and you may have your keycard."

You fill out the appropriate paperwork, signing on the line. The receptionist pulls the paper back to her and slides the keycard across the counter. You exchange your thanks.

"Room 207, 3rd floor." The woman tells you and turns away.

You don't waste anymore time. As you walk down the hall to the elevator, the smirk on your face grows 10 miles wide, confidence enveloping you.

You knew exactly why he'd done it, and frankly, you weren't about to protest. Your heart slams into your chest with every sound of your heels and the roll of the suitcase wheels on the carpet.

You take a deep breath as you step onto the elevator.

207.

The silver numbers glint as you stand parked in front of the door. He was inside there already, waiting for you to come in. You exhale shakily as you grip the door handle, and you hesitate.

Closing your eyes, you begin to smirk. This is what you've been fiending after for several weeks. Taking another deep breath, you slide the keycard into the door.

The lock clicks and you twist the handle, allowing yourself into the room.

You analyze your surroundings. One lamp is on in the dimly lit room. A small walkway leading into a rather spacious double bed. There was a desk to the left, and a mini kitchen straight ahead. The bathroom immediately to the left. Without paying further attention, you walk to a bed and set your bag down on it.

You didn't seem to notice Noah, maybe he'd left the room for something. You shrug, bending over to open up your suitcase and lay it out.

Without you noticing, Noah slips out of the bathroom and leans against the wall, examining the rear view you're giving him.

"Well, well, already bending over? Princess, I haven't even taken off your clothes yet," Noah chuckles darkly.

You swear you jump 10 feet into the air, yelping loudly. If he hadn't scared you, his words would've gone straight to your core. "Noah Sebastian, for crying out loud!" You laugh and smack his shoulder. "Don't do that!" You both share a chuckle.

You can feel Noah decreasing the distance between you two and your laughter begins to fade. Noah's eyes flutter over you, landing on your eyes, your mouth, your breasts, feeling overwhelmed pleasantly.

You found yourself licking your lips. You begin to turn away.

Faster than the flick of a wrist, Noah's hand shoots up, gripping your jaw and squeezing your cheeks together. You are both silent, the tension shooting higher than ever.

You go to grab his hand and you are immediately caught by his other hand. He grips your wrist tightly, but not painfully. Noah's eyes change into dangerous slits and a playfully evil smirk takes over his features.

"The way that you have been torturing me has been driving me insane," Noah whispers into your ear. You want to collapse on the spot.

He begins walking you slowly backwards.

"You've been such a fucking brat, too, getting me hot for you at the worst times..." His hot breath fans your face, your own breath quickening in pace.

"The only thing I can think about is how I'm going to having you praying to me when I'm done ravaging you." You feel your hips hit the desk behind you.

"Noah..." you whisper.

He pulls at your face until you're eye to eye with him. He chuckled darkly.

"That's my fucking name," he growls into your ear. "And you're never going to forget it."

His hands leave your face and your wrist. Gripping your hips, he lifts you onto the desk and shoves you on it. He pulls you against his own hips, and his left hand rises to tangle in your hair.

Noah's cologne invades your senses, addicted to the scent. He tugs at the strands, inflicting a raspy moan from you. "How beautiful," Noah mumbles, helping himself to your inviting lips.

You both kiss as if life were going to end. His fingers flex against your clothed hips, pulling at your shirt and caressing you. Your tongues slipped against each other, nipping and suckling at each other's lips.

You wrapped your legs around Noah's hips, pulling him closer. Noah pulls away from your lips. Smirking, he pulls up your shirt with ease and tossed it away somewhere on the floor behind you.

"Such pretty, pretty tits..." he drawls, giant hands cupping them and he flicks a nipple. You gasp. Noah moves up your body, leaning over to envelope a taut nipple into his warm mouth. He flicks at it with the tip of his tongue and you moan quietly.

He pops off of you and smirks wickedly, and feigns a look of concern. "Is that just too much pleasure for you? Should I stop?"

"N-no! No, please, don't stop," You almost choke.

Noah stands. His bulge is prominent against his sweatpants and you almost drool. It seems so big and you can't focus on anything but the need you feel. Your core is hot and you squirm.

"Such a needy fucking slut." He pulls your body forward, running a hand oh-so-low but not enough.

You mewl as his fingers creep to your covered pussy and slowly tease the bud.

"Mmm.." you groan and Noah chuckles.

"Like that, babygirl?"

You nod.

"Too bad." Noah stops and you whine. "Enough of that. Strip,"

"Yes, sir."

Noah chuckles. "Such good manners for me. So desperate."

By now, you're a puddle of pleasure and you want it to swallow you whole. Noah sits on the edge of the bed as you peel your pants off your shaking legs. You remove your panties, tossing them aside.

"So pretty," he comments. "Come here and lay across my lap."

You obey, positioning yourself across his lap.

"Before we begin, is this something you're okay with me doing to you?"

"Absolutely," you confirm. "I can take it."

Noah hums in understanding. "Such arrogance. You will learn."

His hands begin to touch and caress the flesh of your behind, shaking the cheeks and watching them jiggle with satisfaction. He rubs in slow circles. His hand leaves your ass, forming a cup-shape, and crack.

The first spank stings, and you gasp out. His hand returns to rub the welt.

"Here's how this is going to go. You will get five spanks for our first time. This is your punishment for being such a slut," he rubs slowly. "If you fail to complete the spanking, I'll fuck your mouth. I won't stop if you choke or gag."

You whimper and nod your head.

"I'm glad you understand. If you succeed, princess, I'll have a taste of you for myself."

You mewl, squirming in his lap. "Now, now," he warned you. "Count for me." You nod frantically, wanting so desperately to please him. Although, you wouldn't complain if you failed the test.

The first two spanks were easy. His hand fell on tandem and you dutifully stated each number with each gasp and whimper he pulled from you. You really didn't think you could fail, how could you? Sure, it stung a little, but you could handle it.

As "three" fell from your lips, the usual soothing rub came to ease the sting.

"Everything okay, princess?"

"Yes, sir."

"May I proceed?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good girl," he whispered, making you squirm. He chuckled darkly. He pulled apart your cheeks, and leaned down. "Mmm, princess... so wet for me. Oh, I bet you're just aching. Let me help you..."

Noah dipped his fingers in between your legs. His fingers slid between the wet folds and you jolt. His other hand keeps you still and you're left victim to his merciless tease. He softly rubs into your wet heat and you're left mewling against his leg, head hanging.

Noah rubs the tip of his middle finger into your clit. "How's that?"

You nod frantically, unable to speak against his onslaught. At your response, he removes his fingers from your heat and resumes the next spank. The fourth spank is rougher and harder than the last.

"F-four!" You cry out, struggling to hold the composure that remained. "P-please, Noah, I--"

"Hush," he demanded. He caressed the welt, the red marks on your ass much to his liking. "One more for me, princess. You can do it."

Without any warning, Noah's fingers slip once again against your heat. Only this time, he doesn't relent. He teases and pinches your clit and you squirm, earning a dark chuckle from him.

Noah slides his fingers up to your entrance and sinks one finger inside of you and you moan.

"Noahhh, this isn't fair!"

"Be quiet, and don't you dare cum, or you lose," he threatens, and you obey with whimper after whimper as he pumps his finger in and out of you.

He adds another finger, and begins assaulting your clit with the other hand. You're an absolute mess against his lap, his fingers scissoring inside you and rutting against your g-spot. Bliss and pleasure overwhelms you, getting close to the brink as Noah's fingers continue to pump into you, faster and harder.

Your whimpers begin to form into cries, pleading for him to let you cum. Your eyes begin to roll back and you're trying to push back onto his fingers to get more from him.

"You like that baby?" He whispers in your ear. "Gonna cum?"

You nod, mouth agape. Noah smirks and removes his fingers entirely. You groan in frustration, and, as sly as he is, catches you off guard with the fifth and final spank.

Your brain almost can't comprehend the pleasure your body feels, the sting sending you into shock and you almost forget your task.

"F-f-five..." you stutter.

His large, long hands caress both cheeks of your ass and a kiss is planted onto the red welt on the swell of it.

"You're such a good, good girl, princess. I'm impressed. Good job," Noah praises you. "Lay down on your back for me."

You slowly get up and crawl onto the hotel bed mattress and lie down on the cushiony pillows.

"Spread your pretty legs, don't be shy."

You let your legs fall apart, spread against the sheets. Noah sucks in a breath and hums in satisfaction. He crawls up the bed to you, pulling his shirt off and tossing it aside as you had. Your eyes feast on the tattoos covering his body.

"God, princess, you're so fucking wet," you moan at his words and he dives in. Noah's tongue licks a wet stripe up your core from your entrance to your clit. You cry out, hands immediately finding his hair. Noah hums and you quiver, the vibrations stimulating you.

He licks into your folds with fervor, as if he hadn't eaten all day. His tongue dances and pokes at your entrance, pleasure spiking and you're squirming against his mouth. Noah laps at your clit, boldly taking the bud into his mouth and sucking at it. He then takes it into his mouth, swirling the sensitive area against his tongue, dancing in circles.

"Noah!!" you cry.

You arch your back, eyes rolling back as you grip his hair and pull, and he groans. Noah adjusts his position, shoving your legs up and he dives deeper into your pussy. He shoves his tongue up into it, swirling it and shaking his head like a rabid dog. You're practically crying out, thrusting against his face and leaving it a wet mess.

Offering you his fingers again, he dives against your clit once more, nipping at it and sucking it; this time, he aids his mouth with his fingers. Thrusting two digits in, his long fingers find your g-spot again. He mercilessly pokes at it, unrelenting with his tongue and fingertips. You're moaning and a mess and it's almost too much.

Your eyes see nothing but stars in the back of your head and you're moaning loudly. You cum and rut onto his mouth. "Fuck, fuck," you gasp.

Noah pops off of your pussy. "Tastes... so good..." he gasps. "I want more."

"I want you so bad, Noah," you whine. "I want you to fuck me."

"What a dirty mouth," he comments, stinking a finger in your mouth as he caresses your jaw. You wrap your lips around his finger and lock eyes with him. You suck and lock eyes with him. He smiles, and removes his finger.

Noah removes his pants and slides his boxers down his slim legs. The only thing you can do is lay there, mouth agape at the beautiful artwork before you. You bite your lip, you just can't wait.

He comes back to you, and you gasp in surprise when he forces your legs against your chest. Noah captures his lips in yours and lines his cock up with your entrance. He wastes no time in sinking in slowly. Due to your wetness, he slides in easily and sinks in as far as he's able. You're both gasping and long moans escape from your mouths and the intense heat between each other's legs.

He begins to move slowly, enjoying the teasing ways your walls grip his cock, threatening to take him deep.

"Fuck, baby... your pussy is just so fucking wet..." he mumbles. A low groan erupts from him, eliciting a moan from you.

His pace begins to quicken and he ruts in deeper. He just can't help himself when you give him the go-ahead by moaning louder.

Pretty soon, the room is filled with explicit sounds from the two of you. The sound of skin slapping fills the room and you're moaning. You're both mumbling the dirtiest phrases to each other, getting each other hotter and higher.

"Fuck" is the only word you chant as he thrusts into you like his life depends on it. He's fucking you hard and unforgiving.

"This pussy is mine," Noah growls into your ear, and you moan.

"Noah!!" You cry as his pace picks up, desperate and greedy. Skin slaps skin, near stinging, relentless. You can't help it when you cum, creating such a sinful sight for Noah as your wetness coats your legs and his cock.

He growls. "Fuck, I'm not done with you yet!" He pulls out and turns you over into doggy, pushing your stomach down and pulling your ass into the air.

He enters you again, finding his rhythm. Pulling you back against his hips in every thrust.

"Take me, take me, take me," you cry out.

Noah groans, picking up his pace. He twists his fingers into the strands of your hair, pulling your head back. He pounds into you, and at this angle the pleasure is overstimulating as his cock hits your spot over and over. He pulls you further back, forcing you to rise to your hands, the pace unforgiving and tears fall down your cheeks.

"Noah!" You cry once more.

Juices run down your legs as you cum one more time, but Noah doesn't seem to be done. You're worn out and fucked into bliss, drooling against the pillow. You can't think and your voice is hoarse.

He groans loudly, letting you know he's almost ready. You push back on his cock and he growls. Wrapping a hand around your throat and squeezing gently, he begins fucking in quick ruts. "Fuck, princess, (Y/N)!"

He pulls out of you, his cock glistening and pulsing as his cum shoots out in pearls against your stomach. You moan, but Noah isn't done.

His hand goes to your clit and he smirks. You cry out at the fast quick pace he uses on you, his fingers insert inside of you to smash against your g-spot in one final assault.

"Cum, (Y/N), one more for me," he insists. He doesn't stop, and quickens his pace.

"Noah, please!" You beg, too overstimulated and sensitive.

He doesn't listen, yet urges you towards an orgasm that feels like a tsunami coming for you.

It happens before you can stop yourself, your cum coming out in such a powerful wave that you squirt a little, making such a mess.

This absolutely pleases Noah and he smiles. "Perfect." He kisses your cheek. "You are wonderful." He praises.

You both lay there, panting and laughing, praising one another.

"Shower?"

"I think so."

#noah sebastian #bad omens #bad omens cult #noah sebastian x reader #noah sebastian smut #jolly karlsson #nicholas ruffilo #nick folio #noah smut #the Shower Scene Noah

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sleepingdeath-light · 1 year ago

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mel medarda smut hcs ; 18+

requested by ; nobody / self indulgent

fandom(s) ; arcane

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; mel medarda

outline ; “smut hcs for mel”

warning(s) ; sexually explicit content, submissive-leaning switch!mel medarda, body worship, praise kink, dirty talk, lingerie kink, overstimulation, oral sex (mel receiving), cock/strap warming

minors and ageless blogs will be blocked

despite what her role as a councillor in piltover and her authoratative presence may have you believe, mel is actually a switch with a strong lean towards submission — naturally, it takes a while for her to trust someone enough to submit to them and her usual default is either dominating them or acting as their equal in the bedroom, but once you’ve gained her complete trust you’ll get to see a much more relaxed and comfortable version of mel that even other members of the council aren’t privy to

mel is someone who prefers affection and love making over rough play and mindless fucking, who loves being doted on and spoiled in the bedroom as opposed to being teased and denied, and as a result of this preference she finds herself particularly enjoying the act of body worship — she’s happy to reciprocate in kind, of course, and isn’t even remotely opposed to prolonged foreplay with you when she’s taking on the role of your domme, but for her there’s just something special about being able to come home after a long day of work and be spoiled rotten by her beloved

she’ll wait for her release for as long as it takes for you to go through your usual motions: skilfully massaging the aches and pains from her body, peppering kisses along her skin that go from cheeky and chaste to passionate and promising the closer you get to her dripping cunt, helping her undress bit by bit until she’s able to lounge completely bare before you, whispering hushed words of affection against her skin as you go, and barely touching her where she longs for you the most until you’ve worshipped every millimetre of her worn body — she’s a patient woman so feel free to take all the time you need to do this, she’s hardly going to complain when she has your undivided attention and the unspoken promise of much more to come (unless it’s completely in jest)

as implied in the previous point, mel does also have something of a praise kink — for her it’s more about giving than receiving and she’s very open about letting you know how good of a job you’re doing and how attractive she finds you, but if you decide to sprinkle in some bits of praise here and there while you make love to her then she’s certainly not going to fault you for it

she excels at dirty talk and, as keenly observant as she is, mel is always quick to adapt her approach and tone to ensure that she’s able to have the greatest effect on you she possibly can in the bedroom (or even outside of it if she feels like being a tease) — e.g. if you’re very obviously undressing her with your eyes at a public event then she’s going to pull you aside and tease you for being so obvious and impatient, or if you have a degradation kink then she’s going to lean more into that than her usual teasing and praise when she’s dominating you in bed

she has an extensive collection of beautiful lingerie both imported from overseas and bought from within piltover’s own borders, each set is wholly unique in its design and material and yet each and every piece manages to flatter her figure in its own way — there are only a few pieces that she wears regularly, but if you asked she’d be more than happy to show off her full collection for you

or even to purchase some sets for you to wear yourself if you’re also someone who enjoys the look and feel of lingerie

overstimulation is another thing that mel enjoys partaking in both as the giving and the receiving party — as a giver she does it because she likes how fucked-out and pussy drunk you get when you’re too far gone to think of anything but how good it feels to have her pleasuring you, and as a receiver she mainly enjoys it because it’s nice to not have to think about everything and everyone for once in her life (she loves her job as a member of the council, don’t get her wrong, but diplomacy can be a bit of a headache so having the freedom to be thoughtless, dumb, messy, and drunk on pleasure is a welcome change for her)

while she has no problem reciprocating the act or simply giving it with no intention of getting anything in return, mel does have a strong preference for receiving oral sex and is much more vocal than usual when you go down on her — her favourite position to receive this act in is for her to be laying on her back with you knelt or laying between her thighs, but she can also see the merit in riding your face or having you go down on her while she’s working in her home office

when it comes to specific positions, missionary and spooning (and, when she’s in the mood for something a bit rougher, the mating press) are her usual defaults — but she can also enjoy riding you and bottoming for doggy style on occasion, just so long as she can still indulge in her favourites

cock/strap-warming is something else that she likes to indulge in during the quiet days or long nights when she’s catching up on work for the council or for her personal projects — she’s not particularly fussy about whether that means her sitting on your lap while you wrap your arms around her to hold her close as she works, or having you straddling her waist with her strap-on buried inside of you as she finishes her work and occasionally turns her head to kiss your neck/cheek/jaw, as long as she’s able to keep you close and get all of the work done that she needs to

after all is said and done mel loves nothing more than being able to curl up against your side and engage in some soft pillow talk with you until you both finally fall asleep — conversations flowing seamlessly from genuine praise and check-ins to cheeky flirtation to discussions about whatever project has fallen into her lap or under her jurisdiction this time, all interspersed with soft affectionate actions like tracing patterns onto each other’s skin or pecking each other on the lips or anything else along those such lines

#sleepingdeath #gender neutral reader #minors dni #minors will be blocked #ageless blogs dni #ageless blogs will be blocked #smut #smut hcs #arcane smut #arcane x reader #mel medarda x reader #mel medarda smut

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tj-dragonblade · 4 months ago

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[Fluffbruary Fic] Marriage of Inconvenience

Fandom: The Sandman Pairing: Dreamling Rated: G Word Count: 2414 Tags: Fluffbruary, Fluffbruary 2025, Selkie AU, small town meet cute, meet weird maybe, cafe owner Hob, Selkie Dream, more examination of the rules of selkie lore than I ever intended

Notes: 'Coat' and 'Accept' right next to each other immediately suggested this idea and then it evolved a bit along the way, as these things always do. Help, I only wanted a cute fluffy one-shot and now I have a whole 'nother universe to play in.

Summary: Hob is delighted to see the pretty stranger coming back to his cafe, but he has no idea how his life is about to change

On AO3

"Wait! Please!"

Hob turns at the call to see the beautiful dark-haired guy he'd noticed in the cafe earlier that day jogging down the road toward him, hand raised, clearly waving at him. He pauses in locking up the cafe's front door, silently thanking whoever's in charge of his luck today.

"Can I help you?" he asks, once the guy's close enough they can speak without yelling. He's got his friendliest smile on, willing to hear out whatever this guy has to say. He's just as pretty as Hob remembers, and he's not at all mad about seeing him back again.

"I left. I left something. Property. One of my belongings, when I was here earlier." Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Pretty draws himself up, catching his breath. "I had hoped. To reach you before closing, to see if it is still here."

"Of course, no problem." Hob un-flips the bolt that he hadn't yet pulled the key out of and unlocks the rest, pushes the door open and steps inside.

"Thank you." The guy follows him in, eyes darting to the table where he and his group had sat this afternoon. "My sibling assured me they had my coat when we left, but they did not."

Hob perks up. "Black coat, fur trim?"

"Yes." The guy turns his gaze on Hob, intense and hopeful and oh, but those are some devastatingly blue eyes. "You have seen it?"

"Yeah!" Hob smiles, delighted he can help this pretty stranger after all. "Another customer brought it up to the counter, said it'd been left. I put it up in our lost property in case the owner came back—and here you are! Let me grab it for you."

"No, wait—it would be better if—"

But Hob has already ducked through the door marked 'Employees Only', misses the note of alarm in the guy's voice. He opens the cupboard where lost property is stored and carefully pulls the lovely black coat with its silky fur trim off the hangar he'd put it on earlier, drapes it neatly over his arm and heads back to the front of the cafe. "Here we are!" he says merrily, holding out the coat to his guest.

The guy looks almost disappointed as he takes it with careful hands. "Thank you," he sighs, with relief that somehow also sounds like resignation, and Hob can't help frowning a little.

"Is everything okay? It's not ripped, is it? Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, if it got torn in our care I'll gladly pay to have it mended—"

"It is not. Damaged," the guy interrupts firmly. "It is in excellent condition and was clearly cared for while in your possession. For which I thank you. My husband."

What.

"S-sorry? Your what?" Surely Hob did not hear him correctly.

"My husband," the guy repeats, quite clearly. "I lost my coat. You have returned it to me. You are now my husband."

Hob bursts out laughing. "Right, okay, you're a selkie, then?" He's grown up in this quaint little coastal town, he's heard all the stories; obviously this guy is having him on, a little jest. Surely.

"Yes." The guy's answer, though, is completely serious.

It occurs to Hob he may inadvertently have gotten drawn into this poor fellow's break from reality. Either that or he is an extremely deadpan comedian with a terrible sense for when the joke's gone far enough.

"Selkies aren't real, mate," Hob says carefully, not unkindly, confident in the obvious truth of the words no matter what tales his gran used to tell.

With a sigh, the guy puts on the coat that Hob had returned to him and abruptly, instead of a beautiful pale-skinned dark-haired man, there is a pitch-black seal with shockingly blue eyes on the floor in the middle of Hob's cafe. He starts backwards, not believing what he is very definitely seeing.

The seal shimmies, twists, and then the pretty stranger is standing before him again, swirling the coat back off his shoulders.

"Holy fuck." Hob steps, stumbles backward, sits heavily on one of the stools at the counter. "Okay. Okay, give me. Just a tic." He blinks, stares at the guy, his brain replaying the transformation he'd undeniably witnessed. "You're. Really a selkie. Okay."

"Yes. And now, you are my husband."

"But that's ridiculous! There's no way anyone can possibly think my giving you back your coat constitutes a legally binding marriage!"

"Not on land, perhaps. It is a long-standing tradition among my people."

"But…why? I mean. Surely you don't want to be married to me, to be married to any stranger simply because they were kind enough to return what's yours? How is that any better than being bound to someone who steals your skin?"

"Nevertheless. It is the tradition."

"It's not my tradition!" Hob is feeling more than a little panicked here. Certainly the guy is very pretty; certainly Hob had been of half a mind to ask for his number if the opportunity presented itself but marriage is a very far cry beyond any of that.

What the hell. Seriously.

"Generally. It is considered. Far preferable, to be married to the human who would freely return your skin than the one who would steal it and lock it away." The guy has primly perched himself two stools down the row, leaving a single stool between them.

Considerate, Hob supposes, not to crowd him while he's having his worldview rearranged. Points in Mr. Selkie's favor.

"That makes sense, I get that," Hob says at last, "but why does it have to be marriage at all? Is it strictly tradition, or is there some kind of magical binding going on when humans get hold of your coat?"

"It is. Both, to some degree. You touched my coat, held it, with intent toward me. That leaves a signature, a link between us. In losing something so integral to my existence, I incur a debt to the one who would willingly return it to me. Even without the traditional label of 'marriage', I am now bonded to you in some degree.

"I'm sorry, but that sounds like a shite arrangement for you."

"Yes. It could be."

"So…do I get any say in the matter? Can I release you from the obligation or something? Or. Or is there maybe. Some other way to honor the 'debt' than marrying me?"

"The marriage—the bond—it occurred when you offered my coat and I accepted it back. It is the traditional way. It is already done. I apologize for being so objectionable a spouse."

"Objectionable—I don't know you!" Hob can't keep his voice from rising, feeling just a little hysterical by this point. "And you don't know me! Fuck sake, you—I don't even know your name! And you're just gonna move into my little cottage on the beach with me so we can live happily ever after?!"

"Ideally, yes." He blinks. "My name is Dream."

That's. Okay. What. Hob shakes his head, equilibrium lost. "Has this ever worked out for any selkie you know?!"

"In the old stories? Sometimes. I am the only modern selkie I know who has been foolish enough to be tricked into leaving my coat behind." There is bitterness in his voice now and god help him, Hob's starting to feel a bit of sympathy for the guy.

"Seems a very cruel prank for a sibling to play," he offers. "And you're extremely calm about this whole oops-forced-marriage thing. Tradition be damned for just a second; does it not upset you even a little?"

The selkie—whose name is Dream, apparently—looks at him with those soulful blue eyes, contemplating. "Truthfully, I welcome the promise of escaping my parents' household. Even in so outdated and risk-prone a way as this. They would at least recognize the validity of such a claim—" He straightens abruptly, eyes widening. "…oh. Oh. Perhaps. My sibling. It is perhaps not a prank, after all."

Hob cannot for the life of him keep up with this conversation. "Wait. Wait. Escaping your parents? How old are you?" He looks a young thirty-something, certainly, but what the hell does Hob know about actual selkie physiology, really?

"Well past the age of majority, in my culture and yours. My parents are very traditional in most respects. Their children remain part of their household short of marrying out. My sibling, who found their way to a marriage some time ago, appears to have orchestrated one for me, as I have no prospects at home."

"So, what, your sibling lied about your coat and left it here so you'd get stuck with whoever picked it up?"

"I am beginning to think so, yes."

"Bit daft a way to go about it?"

"Ours is…a complicated relationship."

Hob casts a disbelieving glance at Dream; he can't help it. "What if you'd wound up bound to some creep?"

"I have no guarantee that you are not, as you say, a creep."

"What? No! I'm not, I promise! And again, why would you accept being married when that's the case?!"

"The bond exists regardless, whatever sort of person you may be." Dream shakes his head, black hair fluffing with the motion and despite everything, Hob is still deeply struck by how pretty he is.

"You are dead serious about all of this, aren't you," Hob says, resignation creeping into his tone.

"It is tradition." Dream gazes at him, assessing. "But I would choose to trust the circumstances of my sibling's meddling, in any case." He blinks at Hob, a slow, considering look. "If my husband will have me."

"Hob. My name is Hob Gadling. Short for Robert." Hob can hardly believe he's even thinking about agreeing to this madness, and yet. Here he is. "Sooo, what happens to you if I reject this marriage? You go home in disgrace? You wander the human world abandoned and alone? You die because I broke the bond?"

"The bond will not break simply for being rejected." Dream looks away. "If you spurn me, I will leave, but I will always feel the draw back to you. I would face ridicule and disdain, should I return home, for allowing my coat out of my possession and failing to honor the bond formed by its return. I am already deemed a misfit; such disgrace would only confirm it for those who care to pass judgment."

"Like your parents."

"Yes." He looks resigned to the misery.

Hob's heart thumps, decision made. And okay, yes, maybe he is being a little bit stupid about this, a little too-much-too-fast like usual, but he can't just send Dream away to all that. "Can I perhaps offer a compromise, then."

Dream tilts his head, attention on Hob, listening.

"How about. We go on a date. Can we try a date first?"

"A date."

"Yeah. Y'know. Two interested people meet up, have a meal, do an activity. Learn more about each other, see if they click?"

"I am. Familiar with the concept, yes."

Oh, but that dry snark is so attractive to Hob. He forces his brain to stay on subject. "I'll even—my cottage has a guest room; you can stay there unless you'd rather book a room down the street. I'm willing to get to know you and see how it goes, okay?"

Dream blinks at him, primly flabbergasted, and Hob is delighted to have finally gotten the upper hand in this conversation. Heaven help him, he's starting to like this weird selkie man already.

"Look. You've got circumstances you want to escape. You accidentally got bound to me. Doesn’t have to be a traditional marriage if it's not agreeable to us both. Been thinking about taking on a housemate, anyway. You'll suit. Don't need you to keep house for me or any of that rubbish from the stories; I'm a full grown man who's been looking after himself for years. We'll share chores. You can explore your options for a life on land. Find a job, or something, if you like."

"And what of the bond already between us?"

Hob shrugs. "We can leave romantic possibilities open, if you want to. Like I said—let's try a date. Let's learn a bit about each other. We'll learn plenty living under the same roof already, I'd wager. If romance doesn't feel right, we'll focus on building a friendship. But either way, I'm not going to leave you homeless and rejected and abandoned on land. Let's start from as reasonable a place as the situation allows and see what happens." He offers a smile, warm and sincere. "What do you say?"

Dream is still watching him, intent and contemplative; after a moment, he inclines his head with gracious old-school formality. "I. Will. Accept your compromise, Hob Gadling."

Oh, his full name in that voice, that is dangerous. Hob is still very much interested in dating the guy; he's pretty, he is thus far not a complete arse, and weird as this conversation is it's given Hob a little glimpse of who Dream is as a person and he'd like to learn more.

Which he will have ample opportunity to do, it seems.

"Wonderful!" Hob beams. "I was heading to the shops after locking up here; you're welcome to join me."

"I shall," Dream decides, with the tiniest hint of a smile, and that's it—Hob is officially smitten.

God, but Jo is gonna roast his arse to kingdom come when she finds out about all of this.

Grocery shopping seems entirely too mundane a task to contemplate after the last several minutes but his refrigerator at home is not going to magically restock itself, is it.

He doesn't think selkies have that kind of magic, either.

He isn't going to ask.

He tries very hard to ignore the little voice in his head telling him he's being incredibly stupid. It's not like he doesn't know. Marriage, then cohabitation, then getting better acquainted? That's very much coming at the whole thing backwards.

That other little voice in his head, though, the one that tends to speak for his gut instincts? That one says he's made the right call, backwards or not, as he strolls down the street toward town center with his new selkie husband-slash-housemate trailing beside him and sees the contented little smile still wreathing those rosebud lips.

He hasn't gotten where he is in life by listening to the first voice over the second.

He's not about to start now.

= Started: 2/8/25 Drafted: 2/11/25 Posted: 2/12/25

This is where I stipulate that I don't know how official-traditional the whole 'giving a selkie back their coat means you're married' thing is. I've run across it a few times but usually in like. Tumblr posts and amateur fiction more than compendiums of mythical creatures or collections of folklore and the like. Regardless, it suits my purposes here.

#TJs Fics #Fluffbruary 2025 #TJs Fluffbruary #Sandman #Dreamling #wip: sdhsv

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skyward-floored · 7 months ago

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Whumptober Day 31 - making amends

Cries wails screams sobs I’m finally done I’m gonna cry

This isn’t the best but it’s DONE and that’s all that matters, babey. Thanks to everybody who’s stuck around and read these, I appreciate you all so so much <3 if you want the long version of the thanks go to ao3 lol.

Thank you guys again 💖

Ao3 link

Warnings: brief injury and blood.

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Hyrule had punched Wild in the face.

Time hadn’t seen it happen himself, busy washing clothes with a few of the others, but when the yelling had started and they’d rushed back to camp with their swords drawn, it was blatantly obvious what had happened. Blood was streaming from Wild’s nose, and he and Hyrule both looked furious as Warriors forcibly dragged the two of them apart.

Twilight quickly snagged Wild when he tried to leap forward again, and Sky grabbed Hyrule, the other heroes in camp in varying stages of getting up or in the process of intervening, faces alarmed.

Time frowned, staring at the evidence of the brawl in front of him. More than one punch had obviously been thrown, seeing as Hyrule had a split lip and a shiny eye, Wild with scraped knuckles and a scratched chin that was mostly concealed by the blood running down his face, hair messier than usual. Both of them were further dirty and scuffed and giving each other death glares, and Time lowered his sword as he strode forward.

“And what is going on here?” He demanded, and both boys startled, then resumed their glaring.

“They were arguing about something, I didn’t hear it all,” Warriors admitted when neither of them spoke, crossing his arms.

“It was nothing,” Wild hissed under his breath, and Time raised an eyebrow as more blood dripped from his nose.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Time said flatly, and Wild glared at the ground, Hyrule glaring out at the forest. “What on Farore’s green earth were you two fighting about that was so serious you decided hitting each other was the best course of action?”

Instead of replying, Hyrule finally managed to squirm out of Sky’s grip and bolt into the woods.

“Traveler!” Legend shouted from his place near Time, then growled to himself. “...aaaaand nope he’s gone.”

Wild took their distracted states to also make a break for it, and Time sighed as he disappeared in the opposite direction from Hyrule, both heroes gone in moments.

“Did really nobody hear what started it?” he asked wearily, rubbing a hand over his brow.

“I heard Wild say something about Zelda,” Four spoke up, looking uneasy. “But not much else. I was reading.”

“It seemed like one moment they were just arguing and then the next they were rolling around on the ground at each other’s throats,” Warriors sighed, tapping his fingers on his arm as he spoke. “I apologize. I didn’t realize it had gotten so bad.”

“Well, I’m going after Wild,” Twilight said with a frown, already turning in the direction the champion had gone. “These woods are dangerous, I don’t want him running off alone even if he is mad.”

“I’ll go find our traveler,” Time added, and Legend shrugged, turning back the way they’d come.

“Have fun. I don’t want to untangle that mess. I’ll go get the laundry.”

Time went one way and Twilight went the other, and everyone else mostly went back to what they were doing (with the exception of Legend, who nearly tripped in his haste to get back to the river when he realized their clothes were trying to wash away).

Time followed the faint trail Hyrule had left, the signs of someone passing this way a bit more obvious than they’d normally be. Hyrule really must have been mad if he hadn’t taken the time to be as cautious. Time frowned to himself as he walked, purposely taking his time. He figured he’d give Hyrule some time to cool down, but in the meantime he wondered what it was that had set the two of them off so much.

Wild and Hyrule usually got on like a house on fire, and when they argued, it was usually just in jest. Four had said Zelda had come up, but how had that gotten them to the point of blows? Had that really been the only issue?

Time sighed and shook his head. He wouldn’t know until he found the traveler.

Assuming he’s willing to talk.

A few more minutes of walking went by before Time heard a noise, and he followed it, listening intently. He stepped over a small stream, and found Hyule pacing in an angry little circle around the clearing he’d come upon. His face was red and his eye had further swollen, a little bit of blood still staining his lip, but his cheeks also looked damp from something besides blood. Time stepped forward and Hyrule leveled a glare on him, which turned to a confused look as he realized which hero it was.

Time nodded a greeting, but didn’t do anything else, merely stayed where he was while Hyrule blinked at him. His surprise quickly slipped away, and Hyrule huffed, turning away from him.

“Come to drag me back to camp?” he asked, voice strangely level.

“No, Twilight merely mentioned these woods are dangerous, and it would be unwise to be alone,” Time replied, and Hyrule blinked again, then waved him off, his sour expression easing a bit.

“I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Perhaps, but it’s nice to have backup. Especially if you can’t see very well,” Time said, and Hyrule raised an eyebrow.

“I could say the same of you,” he said as he crossed his arms. “Can you see very well? You may keep the lid closed but I’ve seen you flicker your eye before.”

His tone was sharp, and Time frowned. “We’re not here to talk about me,” Time said firmly, and Hyrule turned away again. Time sighed, and made an effort to soften his voice when he spoke again. “Hyrule, what happened?”

The traveler looked down at the leaf litter, bits of moss and grasses sticking up from between the leaves. He nudged at a fern that was still uncurling, then sighed and kicked at the ground.

“Wild doesn’t get it,” he bit out, not looking at Time. “Doesn’t get our situations were different. He thinks— he thinks Zelda is just—”

Hyrule let out a growl of frustration, raising a hand to wipe at his cheek.

“He doesn’t get it!” Hyrule continued as his hands tightened into fists. “I know she’s not weak, but she’s just a young lady! She can’t fight, and if she tried and she was hurt I’d— I’d never forgive myself, and Wild— why does he— rrrgh!”

Hyrule harshly kicked a rock off into the woods, then sat down on a log with a hard thump.

He went silent, and Time cautiously joined his side, sitting beside him on the log when he made no move to stop him. They didn’t speak for several moments, and Time looked up at the trees, most green, some yellow, a handful already turning to orange and red. A bright blue bird flew past, calling a short song into the air, and its mate answered off in the distance.

Hyrule sighed, and his shoulders abruptly slumped.

“I don’t know why I hit him,” Hyrule whispered. “We’ve... it was a stupid argument. Things have just been so tense since Twi...”

He shook his head and stared at the ground, and Time slowly breathed out.

It was true. Their entire group had been on edge since Twilight’s brush with death, and apparently the tension was still as strong as ever despite his recovery. Enough to make two heroes that normally got on better than most of them to exchange blows.

Over Zelda of all things.

“I would bet that the champion feels similarly,” Time said quietly, Hyrule still staring at the ground. “You may have hit him, but it’s quite obvious he hit you back, and I doubt he meant to go so far either.”

“Maybe. We were really going at it,” Hyrule mumbled, wiping more blood off his chin. “I don’t know what came over me. He was being stupid, and I just couldn’t... ugh.”

Hyrule slumped further over, and kicked at the leaves with his boot.

“Do you think he hates me?” he said, so quietly Time barely heard it.

Time sighed, then made sure Hyrule was looking when he shook his head “No. Our champion has been hit by a lot worse than a punch. I doubt he’ll hate you for a broken nose,” Time reassured, and Hyrule’s eyes went wide.

“Did I really break his nose?!”

“It... looked that way,” Time admitted, and guilt rushed across Hyrule’s swelling face. “We have plenty of potions, traveler, I’m sure there’s no permanent harm done.”

Hyrule looked away from him and nodded, though he still looked guilty. He suddenly sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, a strange mixture of emotions on his face.

“I hate this. I hate the shadow,” he whispered. “If it wasn’t for him— I hate that Twilight almost died. If my spell hadn’t worked— it almost didn’t— he...”

His voice died, and Hyrule swallowed as Time’s stomach lurched unpleasantly.

He’d been trying not to dwell on that night, but memories suddenly flooded his brain without his permission. Hyrule pushing and pushing and passing out from sheer exhaustion, Twilight pale as the moon outside as he clung weakly to life, Time staying up to watch the both of them as he weighed his ocarina in his hand, his eye fixed on Twilight’s chest, heart skipping a beat every time his breath hitched.

It had been days now, but the anxiety was still there, and Time hadn’t realized just how much it had been affecting everyone else.

“Traveler, you did admirably,” Time said in a quiet voice, setting a hand on his arm. “Despite everything you managed to heal him, which was more than any of the rest of us could do. You saved Twilight’s life. And you have my eternal thanks for that.”

Hyrule’s face turned red for a reason besides injury, and he looked away as Time squeezed his shoulder.

“But Twilight isn’t the issue at the moment,” Time continued, setting aside his turbulent thoughts. “You and Wild are. Your arguing is none of my business, but coming to blows is a real issue.”

“He deserved it,” Hyrule said viciously, then wilted, sighing. “I know. I should... probably apologize.”

“That seems wise,” Time agreed with a smile, and offered a hand to Hyrule. “Shall we head back?”

Hyrule hesitated, and Time saw something flash in his gaze. “Maybe not... just yet,” he mumbled, and Time nodded.

“That sounds fine. We should probably give him time to cool off further anyway. Our champion has quite the temper."

"He's not the only one, Hyrule admitted with a tiny smile.

Time and Hyrule spent a good hour just sitting there, listening to the woods and the tiny creek, not really talking much at all. Hyrule didn’t heal himself or take the potion Time offered, but Time didn’t press it. If he couldn’t convince him to heal himself now, he was sure Legend or the captain could. Maybe even Wild, once they made up.

Which Time was confident would happen.

They'd better.

Right as the sun began to sink behind the tree trunks, Hyrule raised his head and stood, exhaling slowly. Time stood up as well, and they wordlessly headed back to camp, Hyrule staying quiet.

The walk seemed much shorter on the way back, and it wasn’t long before they broke through the trees of the clearing where they’d set up, six gazes flickering their way, a seventh staring at the ground. The silence stretched, and Wind quickly resumed the conversation he’d paused when Time and Hyrule had appeared, which made everyone get back to what they’d been doing as well.

Time couldn’t help studying Wild as everyone pretended things were normal, and he sighed.

Wild’s nose had obviously been taken care of, the blood cleaned from his face, but his chin had a bandage on it, and his nose looked a little red. He was crouched by the fire, ignoring Hyrule, and stirring some kind of soup that Time had smelled long before they’d arrived. Twilight was sitting beside him, cutting off slices of warm bread, and Time gently clapped Hyrule on the shoulder before he went to go sit down.

Hyrule’s jaw worked for a moment as he stood in the middle of camp, and then he slowly walked over to Wild and Twilight, his hands fidgeting at his sides.

“Do you... need any help?” he asked, and though Wild didn’t react, Twilight looked up, smiling at him.

“Here, you can finish slicing this,” he offered, handing Hyrule the bread and the knife. “You’ll probably get the pieces more even than me anyway.”

Hyrule hesitantly took them, and Twilight scooted over, making room for Hyrule between him and Wild. Hyrule to his credit didn’t hesitate, sitting down without another word, though he left plenty of room between him and the champion.

Time watched them from his place beside Warriors, and the captain watched the two of them intently, obviously ready to get up at the slightest show of aggression. But Wild and Hyrule, despite only being a foot apart, were very effectively pretending the other wasn’t there, Wild sprinkling salt in his soup, Hyrule methodically slicing bread.

Time watched Wild cook, the champion firmly keeping his head turned away from Hyrule, and he raised an eyebrow as he realized what kind of soup he was making. Hyrule’s gaze flickered to the pot as Wild tossed in some herbs, and he blinked, obviously realizing what Time just had.

Wild had made Hyrule’s favorite.

Hyrule swallowed, and he set the bread down onto a cloth, finished slicing it up.

“I’m sorry,” he said, so quietly Time barely made it out. Wild paused in his stirring, his hood effectively hiding his expression from the angle Time was sitting, and Wind’s laugh at something Sky said felt out of place.

Wild slowly leaned over, taking something out of his pouch, and he carefully ladled hot soup into the bowl he’d grabbed.

Then he offered it to Hyrule.

Hyrule blinked, Twilight stilled beside him, and Time and Warriors watched in silence as he stared at the steam rising slowly from the bowl.

“Me too,” Wild whispered, his expression somehow miserable and awkward and exhausted all at the same time.

Hyrule gave him a wobbly smile and accepted the bowl, and though neither of them said anything further, it was like a fog had lifted off of their group. The mood instantly seemed to get lighter, and Warriors gave Time a relieved look.

Time returned it, and watched with a smile as Wild scooted closer to Hyrule, and the two began passing out food to everyone. They began quietly talking, and Time's smile grew as Hyrule blushed, and Wild grinned at something, tapping his nose.

Time stood up and got his own bowl, and watched the two of them carrying on like nothing had happened at all. Hyrule shot him a small smile as he walked over, and Time sat down beside Twilight, returning it as he casually slung an arm around his descendant.

Twilight leaned against him a little, and Time took a sip of soup, the warmth it sent to his stomach nothing compared to the warmth all around him.

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu hyrule #lu time #lu Wild #lu twilight #whumptober #whumptober 2024 #no.31 #making amends #fic #writing from the floor #WAIIIIIIIILS I’M DONE I FINISHED IT #the pure sweet relief that has descended upon me #now I can go as au crazy as I like *deranged laughter*#this fic could be better I think but I really really was just done with it lol #hopefully it’s a nice enough ending to this disastrous month sdbdjddbdhdh

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scarefox · 1 month ago

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Yall, Willy is intentionally the way that he is. He totally gets that Babe isn't interested but he's still challenging him and Charlie. He wants to fuck them up. With or without actually fucking Babe. Probably without, since Babe srsly does not want to and he will not want to (Pavel teased that already himself). So stop being mad at Babe before he even did something?? That's bit unfair.

Also, some people are mad about Babe "threatening" Charlie to cheat. Why are you taking this serious? He obviously was just teasing him. Was it nice? No. But he just wanted to rile Charlie up a bit. Couples do that sometimes in jest. It's just bit insensitive, especially since it hit Charlies insecurities. Which Babe probably doesn't realise (yet).

Babe didn't even bother to mention Willys bullshit to Charlie. Because Willy is so not important to Babe and just an annoyance atm he just wants to get rid of and beat in matches.

#pit babe the series #my opinin #lowkey annoying that some automatically jump to conclusion when nothing even happened yet #even if Babe is attracted to Willy (which is not cheating) he's still declining him atm #charlie x babe #willy & babe

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desolationavenue · 4 months ago

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you better lock your phone - c.bg

♡ fem!beomgyu x fem!reader

♡ synopsis: liking your roommate has its pitfalls, especially when they are doing everything in their power to make you question their perception of you.

♡ warnings: 18+ so mdni. every member is a girl, if its not your cup of tea then do not read, kinda toxic!gyu (sigh), gyu uses she/they pronouns, slight angst, reader referred to with the pronoun 'they' but is also called 'good girl' and 'princess', degradation, fingering, overstimulation, squirting, dacryphilia, gyu is a tease, slight impact play, + probably forgetting some srry!

♡ wc: 10.1k

♡ a/n: first fic on this acc after how many years of creating it? yea yikes. anyways thank you to my an's for the love and support around and outside of writing this fic. special thanks are in order for my beloved for proofreading/editing this passion project! love you all 3000. but always justice for junie ;/ - cassiopeia

“Bitch!? Are you out of your mind?!” words that may have held weight in a more serious tone bounced right off of shaggy layers, serving as a helmet for the brunette ‘bitch’ in question. You know that reacting this way was all but discouraging her impulsive antics; yet here you were, doubled over in laughter and disbelief in front of your roommate as she recounts her current conundrum, a scene the living room of your shared apartment was especially familiar with.

You start to catch your breath when you don't hear a response from them, worried for a split-second that you might have finally pissed them off. However, upon meeting her gaze, all you saw was your beloved roommate trying not to bust out laughing at their own nonsense. Give or take five seconds she’ll bounce back with something mind-numbing that will have you crying tears or deadpanning and turning in for the night.

“But the gag is, out of everything I said, thinking he’d finally shut the fuck up or leave me the fuck alone, he… he,” You eyed your roommate expectantly as she started to feign hyperventilating, “he… he said he thought I was straight!!” You entertain her with a gasp, the prospect obviously being too much to bear. I mean, real shit—it was kind of preposterous to make that assumption of the person sitting in front of you on the shared loveseat. As if to prove her point to someone who wasn’t in the know (aka not you), she stands and gestures to herself. You feel your heart thump with giddiness at the extra nature of her display.

“Tell me, right now… that I, Choi Beomgyu, look like a cishet, that I do—you’re laughing and I’m serious, you cunt!” She says through stifled laughter herself. She, who wears a cropped, baggy heather gray zip-up, distressed jeans sat just below the taper of her waist, chipped black polish adorning her filed fingernails, black smoky liner accentuating her soulful brown eyes, and a stupid ass cap she’s wearing backwards. Not-so-subtly checking out your roommate aside, she has a point but…

“I mean…” Beomgyu starts to look at you incredulously, “Here this bitch goes,” they huff as they walk away in jest. “I’m just saying! It's rude to make assumptions no matter how scathing, right?” you say half-heartedly. “I think it's rude that I must deal with narcissistic men seeking to fulfill their emo girlfriend fantasies,” okay, she’s actually getting a bit agitated now. Beomgyu had a talent for talking herself into a frenzy.

“I’m so tired of getting hit on by guys who never got past 2020’s alt TikTok. Why can't people just be ignorant in the way I need them to be?”

You pause to think, admittedly unsure of how to read Beomgyu at the moment. Your roommate never really vented about their frustrations in the romantic realm and given your current mental state you couldn’t help but draw blanks on how to address something that has clearly been weighing on them for a bit. Deciding to opt for something lighthearted, you pout a bit as you half-console your, now whining, friend. “Aww Beomgyu-ssi, don’t worry about them,” You draw in closer when she doesn’t shift from having her head in her hands, opting to snake your arms around her waist and look upwards at her. “I, however, can be real ignorant for you if you’d like,” you lay it on real thick, batting eyelashes, back rubs and all. You both took turns teasing each other and feigning disgust on the daily, so when Beomgyu didn’t immediately give you the latter reaction you justifiably froze. Instead, your roommate stiffened under your touch, giving you a mixed look of surprise and… something you couldn’t quite put your finger on at the given moment.

Though ever so consistent, they bounce back within a couple of seconds with a cough, laughing their initial reaction off with a “Yeah, like you’d be able to handle me for real, sweetcheeks,” she pinches your cheek emphatically, earning an annoyed whine before she walks off. You’re glad she couldn’t see the way your face heated up from the irritating pet name. “Anyways, that tired me out. Tldr; being hot and sexy sucks when you only wanna be perceived by a certain someone and not by men! Goodnight~!” Gyu lets the door slam behind them.

There is something really wrong with them.

Do not get the wrong idea! Living with Beomgyu has its perks, she aligned with your level of cleanliness, she brought in surprise takeout on the occasion, and in general pulled her weight where you didn’t. Was she excruciating at times? Yes, but not for the reasons the people who knew them would think. They liked to tease, bicker, and instigate for sure but it was all normally in good fun and lighthearted—that wasn’t where the problem lied.

No, the problem with living with Choi Beomgyu was doing so under the subtext of liking them past what was considered platonic. All previously mentioned Beomgyu-trademarked tendencies were fine on their own; however, combine the teasing, the flirting with a hopeless and blossoming crush, and the result is you banging your head repeatedly against your bedroom wall, as Kaia, bless her heart, tries to squeeze her hand in between the hard surface and the wall.

Since that seemingly adverse reaction to your teasing, the vibes in the apartment have been slightly off. It feels as though for the past few days, you are barely seeing Beomgyu, if at all. It would be a flat out lie to say it wasn’t affecting you negatively in any way. It really eats at you that you potentially did something to make Gyu uncomfortable, something that they didn’t feel they could even have a conversation with you about. You were also agonizing at the prospect of giving your feelings for them away so recklessly.

“Jesus, ____!! Let’s regroup please…” Soobin chimed in from where she sat comfortably on your rug, leaving her blue-haired underclassman to keep you from concussing yourself. You met Soobin and Kaia through Beomgyu a year back and have often studied together as a group since then. Now they were here to keep you from tweaking the fuck out about your fully realized crush on her.

“This is really so humbling, you know.”

“I can tell!” Soobin scoffs, a grin eating away at her faux annoyance. “Thanks as always for being such a comforting presence, Soobin.” You glare at her, but here’s little to no heat behind it. “Anyways,” the youngest attempts to actually recenter the focus of conversation, “I really don’t see what is so wrong about just having an honest conversation about your feelings with her?” Kaia looks over at you warily, like you’re a ticking time bomb.

Your head burns. It’s not like you haven’t thought of straight-up telling Beomgyu your feelings before. Time and time again, even months ago you thought of telling them how you felt, but your excuse at the time was that it was too early in your lease to potentially fuck up the living situation should she reject you. But now you both had a mere month and change to renew your lease, and the timeline you set for yourself is rapidly drawing to a close. Before you could get an inch worth of an excuse out, Soobin gives her two cents.

“I think this has been drawn out for far too long in my humble opinion.” Soobin rolls her eyes before meeting your glaring ones, “Like it’s actually becoming painful to watch…” You cross your arms, choosing to not interrupt this time. “You? Sure, I can see hopelessly-in-love idiot being in character… but Buh-Buh-Beomgyu!?”

You want to slap Soobin upside her big-ass head, but you take a moment to actually use your brain rather than immediately act upon your impulses. Character development!

“What do you mean ‘but Beomgyu’?”

Soobin pales as the realization dawns on her, meanwhile Kaia is shaking her on some, “Unnie! you talk too much, oh my god.”

This can’t mean what you think it means… There’s no way, right?

“Shit, whatever… Can y’all get some other friends to confide in? I really don’t know how I got in this…” flustered, she goes back to looking at the new array of skins for her LoL champions.

“____,” freshly dyed blue strands swayed as Kaia faced you once more. It takes her a few paces from where Soobin sat and she was now shaking you, much softer than she did the blonde.

“Listen. I know you’re worried about how your feelings for Beomgyu-unnie will affect your relationship going forward… but I’m positive that should you just have a candid conversation with them, it can’t get weird—at least not weirder than this. They’ll get over whatever this is that they’re on real quick, trust me.”

You can’t help but overthink the whole situation, things seemed to have devolved so quickly it was overwhelming. You were tripping over your words in all the various hypothetical routes that your brain concocted. It was just too much, you wanted to pull your hair out.

“Shit…” you averted your eyes from Kaia as you felt them start to burn; hot with a sudden onslaught of tears.

“Oh, shit,” you could faintly hear Soobin’s voice over the sound of your sniffles. You try to wipe the tears as they come out, to no avail as they start to stream down your puffy cheeks. When Kaia pulls you into a soft hug you let out your first sob, gripping onto her sweater for dear life. You almost don’t register the distant slam of a door if it isn’t for Soobin, “God, that fucking idiot…” she hisses as she lightly caresses your hiccupping shoulders.

That night, sleep comes the easiest it has in a while. You thank the much overdue crying session had sandwiched between Soobin and Kaia for effectively exhausting you.

You feel as if the next morning you wake up a pound lighter, tension leaving your body. The rest heals not all, but some wounds, and you hope a good breakfast will save you for the time being.

Before walking out your room completely, you listen for any movement coming from any other place in the apartment. Yes, Kaia did say to just talk to Beomgyu, but you had no desire to do so at nine in the morning.

After confirming the coast was indeed clear, you walked leisurely to the kitchen to figure out fixing up something to eat. Fortunately, not much thinking needed to be done because a mere five paces out of the bedroom you were greeted with a sweet smell and a paper bag sitting in front of the microwave.

You look around you, triple checking that there’s no one else in the apartment before scurrying over to the source of the wafting scent.

“Oh?” you peer into the bag to see your typical order from the diner you and Beomgyu frequent, a to-go box of waffles topped with whipped cream and fruit. The top was slightly ajar so that the heat wouldn’t melt the whipped cream as quickly, something that you would typically do yourself when ordering to bring back home.

You feel your heart swell at the gesture, especially upon reading the note inside. On the post-it note there was a scrawled “roomie ♡”, solidifying the fact that Beomgyu indeed did leave the sweet treat for you.

“They must’ve just left,” you mumble to yourself as you read the timestamp for the pick-up order. Looking back down at your phone, you remembered that your roommate would be at work for the better part of the day. How convenient. You sigh as you take the treat to the living room, settling down on the coffee table. You think to yourself, ‘at least this gives me time to think about what I’m going to say…’ Wasting no more time, you scarf down your breakfast all while hoping that Beomgyu would stop avoiding you like the plague after this peace offering.

Usually, Beomgyu would come home on Sundays before 10:00 p.m. following her closing shift at the record store. So, when it’s approaching 12:00 a.m. and your roommate is nowhere to be seen, alarm bells start to ring. You first texted them closer to 10:15 when you didn’t get the normal “omw back!! ><” message from them to check in. When you texted them again to only get crickets as a response, your gut felt heavy with dread.

You call them several times, only to be sent straight to voicemail several times. You check the life360, just for user bamgyuuu to be greyed out on the map. You call Soobin and Kaia, both of whom apologetically remarked that they couldn’t reach them either. It is pretty safe to say you were freaking the fuck out. You had half a mind to call the authorities once your bleary eyes registered the time on your display: a bit past three in the morning. You resolved to stay swaddled up in a weighted blanket by the front door for now, body running cold as ever while you tried to keep your eyes pried open. Gaze trained on the chained door, you hope and wait anxiously for it to jostle, accompanied by a turn of the doorknob. You feel your body give into the throws of fatigue after hours of fighting it, bitten up nails relaxing their grip on the plush fabric wrapped around you.

When you finally come to, it is with an abrupt start. Your eyes snap open to the sound of the door straining against the security chain all but softly. Off sheer adrenaline, you jump up to your feet to see who the 6 am intruder was.

You let out a relieved sigh as you looked through the peephole of the door. Though turned around, you could see right away that it was your roommate who had just finally returned home. You quickly adjust your skewed tank top and shorts in a flawed attempt to look less discombobulated from Beomgyu’s unexpected absence.

Upon opening the door, you’re hit with a sight that leaves you breathless. Beomgyu stood, leaning their forearm against the doorframe, other hand running through their mussed layers. The sight should have put any normal person off immediately; cargos sitting below their navel, revealing the plaid of their boxers, belt unbuckled, converse beaten and dirtied up, sweat dripping down their jaw and onto their chest, clad in a Calvin Klein bra. Okay, um… maybe you can’t be too mad at them for dropping off the face of the earth so suddenly.

But the purpled skin and red markings trailing up their neck brought you back to earth quicker than a bucket of ice and the dubsmash application circa 2015. What the fuck? Now out of your freaked-out haze, you are hit with the wicked concoction of alcohol, b.o., and a sickeningly sweet perfume Gyu has never worn.

“Hey,” they mumble, voice hoarser than a motherfucker. Something nasty stirs inside you as they push past you and sway into the living room, and no, it's not sexy at all. You feel your head start to get hot as you worry your lip between your teeth, chest slowly heaving as you slam the door shut. Whoops, the neighbors will have to cope temporarily.

You start to stomp after them and when you find them in the kitchen, they are looking at you incredulously. The nerve.

“What’s got you in such a mood?” they chuckle, but you fail to siphon any humor from it.

“You’re joking right?” You pose the question to them but their expression is unwavering. You scoff, “Where the fuck have you been, first of all… Second of all, why didn’t you have half a mind to let anybody know of your whereabouts?? I called Soobin! I called Kaia… N-no one knew where you were… I-I almost called the cops before you showed up, and you know how I feel about the police!” Your eyes couldn’t help but dart back and forth between the various hickeys and scratches she made no effort to hide either, it all made you even more irrationally angry. Maybe rationally angry after the next phrase leaves Beomgyu’s mouth.

“Since when do you care about my ‘whereabouts’, huh? You do realize we are both capable adults, right? I’m not a kid and you’re not my mom.”

Huh? You truly couldn’t believe your ears right now, mouth opening, closing then opening to finally speak again.

“What are you even saying to me right now Beomgyu? Why the fuck do you think I made you get on the stupid life360? For you to go on airplane mode when you are god-knows-where at 2 a.m.?”

“Hah, the fuck ever. Did you ever stop to think maybe I was, I don’t know, having fun? Trying to forget about all the excess noise in my life right now? Like God, I didn’t ask you to worry yourself sick for no damn reason… Don’t make this my problem.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, fingernails biting the cheeks of your palms. Was this the same roommate that you could always joke so lightheartedly with, the one that brought you your favorite takeout to cheer you up because she overheard you sobbing? Was this the same Choi Beomgyu your heart ached for? It felt as though you were a bell, head ringing incessantly as the dangling clapper tolled from temple to temple. Beomgyu was the bell-ringer, and it seemed as if her goal was to make your head toll so fervently, that the people down the street could hear the commotion clear as day. She didn’t have to try much harder to be successful, if that’s the case.

“I really can’t grasp the bullshit you’ve been on lately, but you know what? I'm glad having a random bitch suck you into next Tuesday and leaving you looking a goddamn mess is fulfilling for you Beomgyu.”

They scoff at the venom lacing your words before meeting your eyes again with raised brows, “Sure, y’know what I think? Maybe if you let someone suck you into next Tuesday, you wouldn’t be all clenched up on my dick right now.”

“Hah, oh right. Thanks for sharing your rich insight Choi Beomgyu, maybe I’ll have to consider taking your advice since it has you so chipper. It’s refreshing to see you show so much consideration for the people closest to you. Because fuck it if someone who actually cares about you wants to know that you’re safe, right?”

You can’t even see anything through the rage and hot tears, vision blurred as you storm past Beomgyu. Without much thought or consideration, you grab a decently sizable bag and start ransacking your dresser, hands trembling as you drag out enough clothes to last you a week and then some. Clothes and essentials thrown haphazardly into the bag, you run through the apartment to get your shoes on, not sparing a glance at your roommate who stood unmoved from their spot in the kitchen with a lip worried between their teeth. You stride through the front door without a word, the weighted blanket left as a reminder of the night’s toils. You hiccup as you make your way down the stairs of the walk-up, quivering fingers scrolling to the ‘favorite-d�� contacts section before finding just the person you need. You hit the dial and wait eagerly hoping there will be an answer despite the time of day. You hold your breath, surely by the third ring there won’t be an answer. You jump when the ringing ceases suddenly.

“Taeri?”

“That’s so shitty dude, I’m sorry that happened.” You’ve spent the last 20 or so minutes since you’ve arrived in your co-worker’s apartment recounting through sniffles what had you at her doorstep in the first place. All the while, Kang Taeri managed to look the most apologetic you’ve seen her, I mean, it was kind of hard to show any ounce empathy in the workplace when a 30-something was screaming at you for using the wrong ratio of almond milk to non-dairy creamer in their caffeinated beverage, but I digress.

“This is the same roommate who you’ve been telling me about on our gym runs, yeah? The one you have a crush on?”

You just nod, wiping your irritated eyes before picking at your nails again.

“Well, in my opinion,” She sighs before pushing her bangs out of her face, “You had the right to be upset, I mean, god forbid something did happen to them, you would’ve had no way of knowing? I can’t really put myself in their shoes seeing as I can’t understand the thought process there…”

“I just—” You cut yourself off to take a deep breath inwards, “I wish I didn’t blow up at them the way I did but, Tae, I couldn’t help it… I mean they have the bodily autonomy and right to sleep and fuck around with whoever they want obviously but I just…It really felt like a punch to the gut.” You meet Taeri’s round eyes that seemingly encourage you to go on before fiddling with your hair and continuing.

“It's like, y’know I came off a little strong earlier in the week and I get that, I feel really bad about it even because it clearly made her uncomfortable… I guess just seeing her like that made me more angry because—I don’t even know… Jealousy is a real disease.” You rub at your face in frustration, regretful of the way your emotions came over you earlier.

“Well, listen… It’s done now, and I can understand why you feel the way you do, even if it blew up more than intended, I’ll have to talk to Junie briefly but I’m sure she’d agree that you can stay as long as you need to—oh good morning Unnie!” Your head snaps quickly behind you, spotting Taeri’s roommate, ginger hair in a messy braid, eyes holding a tender expression behind her specs. You manage a timid wave and a “sorry for the noise”.

Junie just waves your apology off as she draws closer, she offers the glass of water in her other hand to you, which you timidly accept.

“No need, I was up already anyways.” She hesitates, but continues, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but I’m sorry you had to experience that… Beomgyu responding like that was so unnecessary.” You feel your face warm up a bit as the girl is getting heated on your behalf. “But, yea I won’t—um, Taeri is right, you can stay as long as you need, I don’t mind at all!” Junie rubs your knee soothingly, erasing any leftover doubt in your mind.

“Thank you guys, really. I'm sorry aga—ow!” You're interrupted by Taeri smacking your shoulder, mumbling for you to stop with the incessant apologies and Junie giggling with a “Yah yah yah, easy Taeri!”

You roll your eyes with a slight grin, “you know what? I'm not sorry actually!” Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

For the past few days you’ve been at the TaeJun residence, balancing conflicting emotions and work shifts (with Taeri’s support), while avoiding interactions with Soobin and Kaia about the fallout days prior. You’d be lying if you said that you were feeling too much better about the situation but the combined efforts of Junie and Taeri, your mood hasn’t been completely sullied.

Currently you were stepping inside the apartment, returning with some groceries. Junie insisted that you didn’t need to “repay” them back for their extended hospitality, whereas Taeri wasn’t necessarily going to turn down free groceries. You shuck your shoes off by the door before bringing the two reusable bags of food into the kitchen. In your periphery you could identify Junie in front of the sink, scrubbing away at some dishes humming a tune she had stuck in her head for the past couple of days. After letting the totes rest on the counter, Junie seemed to fully register your presence and with a quick look over her shoulder and a smile that could make the straightest girl’s cheeks warm.

“Hi lovely” the soft lilt in her tone sends goosebumps up your arms, flustering you so that you fumble the bag of tangerines you were currently attempting to store in the fridge. It's hard to not be moved by Junie’s effortless charms, and you know that's not an original experience by any means. In the few times you’ve hung out with Junie, most of which were at functions, many were pulled by the magnetizing force of the girl. She didn’t make blatant moves to specifically pull anyone either, there was just this inexplicable pull that Choi Junie had on everyone that saw her regardless of gender.

That being said, she was far from oblivious to the effects of her effortless charms, and it’s definitely evident seeing as she’s giggling at your expense at the moment. You look away from the source of the laughter as you place the fruit in the fridge. Hopefully she wouldn’t make a comment on your reddening ears. You side-step avoiding eye contact as you search for other perishables that need to go in the fridge. You pick up the sound of the tap going off and almost jump out of your skin when you see Junie standing next to you, now reaching in the other tote filled with groceries.

“What?” she stifles another giggle at your bewildered look, “It’s the least I could do! It's really sweet of you to go out of your own pocket to buy groceries, even after I offered to pay.” Junie’s lips curl downwards in a pout, plush lips pink with faux disdain. “I don’t appreciate you blocking me though, you know, in case you were wondering.”

You grin a bit at the sight, “Well I know you well enough to know that you were gonna send me the money even if I objected—sooooo, I’m afraid you're banned from my Apple Pay for the time being.”

After putting away the mango nectar you notice that there is a general silence from the left of you. Not necessarily a comfortable one either. Junie is still, a box of cashews held firmly in her palms, but she’s not paying any mind to them. Instead, she’s staring into space, lower lip protruding as she furrows her brow in contemplation. Being nothing but anxious, you briefly worry you’ve said or done something wrong: Overstaying your welcome? Blocking her kind gesture via Apple cash? Bought her least favorite type of nuts?

“Umm,” You snap your head to the girl and find Junie’s eyes nervously meeting yours. This is a bit uncharacteristic from what you know of her, but you don’t interrupt to question her.

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way… but I-uh, think you’re cute.” She lets out a nervous chuckle before pushing her hair out of her face.

“I know you have your heart set on someone else—I would never dream of getting in the way of that—but I think you deserve to know that other people think, that I think you’re a catch.” She reaches out to grasp your wrist gently between her two palms. “What I’m working up towards saying is I’d love to take you out, whatever to make you feel at ease.”

Flustered was a word that could be used to describe your manner at that moment, but it solely scratched the surface of conflicting and confounding emotions stirring within the cauldron called your brain. It’s true, you needed a pick-me-up to further aid you in forgetting the mess you left behind in your apartment, and yes Choi Junie was a sight for sore eyes! But, you wondered what would Beomgyu th–

“I’ll take you up on that offer.” It was as if your mouth ran instinctually upon the thought of your roommate. Fuck that, who cares what she thinks about who you go out with? They made it clear that they didn't care for your opinion on their escapades, so why should you care about their opinion on yours?

That sentiment was easy enough to adopt you suppose, but yet again you were hit with a whiplash effect of emotions as the nerves of going out with a gorgeous girl hit you all at once. You haven't really dated much since you started liking Beomgyu, so in a sense you felt like a fish out of water. And on top of that, Choi Junie was asking you out? The current reality makes your stomach hurt.

“Oh?” She blinks at you in disbelief before relaxing slightly with a chuckle. “Honestly, I wasn't expecting that but uh… Awesome! But now you’re looking at me like I’m gonna bite you,” she quirks her brow in concern, “What's the matter, love?”

There was something about Junie’s aura that just made you not want to lie to her and instead tell not just the truth, but the whole truth. As embarrassing as it was, she had you subconsciously doing just that.

“I haven’t haven't been on a date or with someone in the almost 2 years since I've liked Gyu… so I’m…” Your words gradually got quieter and quieter until no further words or sounds were audible. Junie just lets out that melodic giggle of hers as she steps into your space a bit more and rests her forearms atop your shoulders. You feel your stomach flip at the gesture and the look she has in her eyes.

“Oh babe, you don’t need to be nervous with me. I promise I’ll show you a good time.” She gave you a smooth wink, raising a hand to trail a finger under your jaw before pulling away entirely with a low chuckle. If you shivered that was your business and your business alone.

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.” The gulp you just took in was borderline comical and you can tell It amuses the girl before you.

“Lovely. Let's do… tomorrow, after your shift?” You simply nod, as you could barely formulate coherent sentences at the present moment.

After putting the rest of the groceries away, you scurried off to Taeri’s room to search for an outfit from your duffel that was date-worthy. After pillaging through the rather small selection of your best contenders you groaned, resigned at the fact that none were quite fit for a night out. You could maybe ask Taeri to borrow something from her wardrobe, but the idea loses intrigue almost as soon as it is thought as her pieces weren’t quite what you had in mind. Your mind was set on a specific skirt and strappy top, which of course was sitting pretty in your dresser back home.

You know logically Junie is not some stranger, but you still wanted to make a good impression visually (and maybe you wanted to feel hot too)! You wanted to pull your hair out. Having no date-appropriate clothing combos on you meant that you had to go back home. Now, you had to go back to the apartment at some point, but you made a mental point of cutting contact with Beomgyu for as long as humanly possible. Mentally having to gear yourself up to face the demilitarized zone of your walkup apartment was not something you would have ever envisioned for your time as Beomgyu’s roommate but we move, I guess.

“FUCK.” You scream into the spare pillow Junie let you borrow for your stay here and hope it doesn’t alarm anyone inside or outside of the TaeJun residence.

“I guess it would be nice to be reacquainted with my heated blanket for a night…” You groan, the statement was pretty noncommittal in its delivery, but here’s to silver linings? You call Taeri, quickly letting her know of your (possibly temporary) departure from their apartment.

“Okay, but if I need to show up with my metal bat just hit my line again.” She says casually through a stifled yawn, her dose of free caffeine from the café was most definitely wearing off at this time. It was about 4:00 pm and due to the lovely construct of daylight savings, it was well on its way to being pitch black outside.

“I should probably head out before it gets any darker…” You sigh as you finally put an end to your stalling. You fold up your week-and-change worth of clothes and your toiletries back into your duffel, before zipping up your cold weather coat. You promptly make your way downstairs to give Junie a red-faced hug and murmur a bashful thank you leaving her smirking and waving at your swift departure. Women who know their effect on people uuuuughhhhhgh.

The ride back home unfortunately is very brief, so with as many side streets as you can afford to go down with the amount of gas left in your tank, you’re back at your address in an unfortunate 15 minutes. Walking up, you try to formulate possible first things to say to Beomgyu. From apologetic to vindictive, you ran through numerous permutations of conversation starters, greetings if you will. All the pre-planning stays outside the door you enter through though, as after sliding your shoes off you are immediately greeted by a bewildered Beomgyu, rushing down the stairs to find the source of the familiar noise of the creaky front door slam.

The aforementioned girl looks around frantically only to meet your gaze with eyes wider than saucers. The brown porcelain like irises bore into your own with warmth you wanted to be hesitant to receive. She runs up to you with an unrestrained relief before quickly reeling it in from just a few feet away. Something flutters inside you—and it’s almost gnarly how nearly all the neuroses escape you past the point of seeing your darling roommate desperate, almost, distressed in your absence. That's something to unpack in solitude. You avert your eyes from her persistent ones, a wave of shame envelopes you. Was your unannounced departure partnered with going completely off the grid for over a week a bit excessive? The state of your walking will to live had you questioning just that.

A throat clearing brings you out of your solemn reverie, and back to the present moment, where you finally take in the clearly fatigued state of Choi Beomgyu. Eyelids puffy and dark, nose rubbed red and raw, hair mussed beyond a night’s rest. Their skin looks paler than the snow threatening to render the streets to complete slush. God. A heated coil tightens around your spine on the verge of completely singing it hot with the shame of your previous actions.

“Welcome home,” they force a tight lipped smile that pulls the coil impossibly tighter. You decide a staring contest with the floor is your best bet to not start bawling in front of your roommate.

“Thanks,” you whisper with a nod, starting to walk past them. You could tell that something was hanging on the tip of their tongue, but you really needed a minute to decompress and shed the layers of shame and clothes from your body. You walk briskly up to your room to do just that and preemptively dry your eyes. You manage a shower and order in some tikka masala without running into Beomgyu, you don't manage to dream without running into Beomgyu, but you do manage to leave early for work without running into Beomgyu.

Your shift is remarkable unremarkable until, Taeri’s arrival jolts you awake with the reminder that you literally have a date with her hot roommate later. You blink at the realization dawning on you and dazedly wave to Taeri as she clocks in.

She chuckles, “What’s got you in such a state?” She pauses before fixing her expression in concern, “Did something happen after you got in?” You immediately assure her of the opposite. “No! I mean, They were home but we didn’t really speak much at all… sorry I forgot to text you. I’m just feeling really conflicted.” She raises an inquisitive brow as she dons her apron as you fix up to continue.

“I–well… I may have set up a date with your roommate for later today.”

“Oh?! And how do you feel about that?”

“And I think I’m feeling guilty about going completely no contact with Beomgyu because I literally almost sobbed my eyes out looking at them yesterday and the thought of going on a date with someone that’s not her like out of spite is fucking with me–”

Taeri brings a cup of tap water from the sink to your lips to stop the stream of words from flowing momentarily. You take a few sips before it starts to flow yet again.

“...and I know she’ll show me a good time but I'm still feeling so bad.”

Taeri nods, processing the absolute word soup that just came pouring out of you,.

“Well, I think it’s totally reasonable that you’re feeling conflicted, seeing as your feelings would probably take a lot more than one week to just vanish.” You nod, chewing nervously at your lips.

“But, that being said…I think you really, like,—desperately need to unwind. And if Beomgyu’s not gonna be the one to help you do that then…just maybe one night out with Junie can help with that.” You nod solemnly. “But, that’s just me though!” She says with her hands up as she walks away to fulfill a pickup order.

On your collective break, Taeri reminds you that, maybe, taking your phone off airplane mode would be good! The onslaught of delayed notifications startles both of you, and it’s made clear quickly that Taeri was not aware of the extent of you cutting yourself off from the outside world. She shakes you really hard because “That's the type of shit that gets people on the first 48.” Fair. Deserved, honestly.

Taeri’s scolding only resolidifies what is now fact in your mind that maybe the extent of your actions to avoid anything surrounding Beomgyu and y’all’s apartment was a bit excessive. On the drive home, you make sure to return the SooKaia residence’s missed calls with much an apology—enduring the extent of Soobin's berating because again, “You pretty much died!” in their eyes. After apologies were exchanged on behalf of the blonde by Kaia, you manage to start chatting about life since the initial incident at your apartment and how you somehow landed a date with Junie—and the call goes quiet. Soobin is the first of the roommates to speak after what was effectively a bombshell dropping on them.

“Does Beomgyu know?”

The dreaded question that had your ears ringing seemed to echo in the sedan as you pulled into the driveway.

“Does Beomgyu need to know?” You say with a bit more venom than desired.

“No… I suppose not…”

“Good, Soobin. because I’m tired of thinking of Beomgyu in a romantic context if nothing realistically is going to come from it.” You sigh as you turn the key and stop the ignition. “I’m sorry, I’m just-”

“No, it’s okay, really. I shouldn’t have asked.” Soobin quickly assures you. Kaia chimes in. “Well, we are both glad you aren’t dead in a ditch and are very much alive operating heavy machinery.” Everyone laughs as the atmosphere lifts. Classic Kaia moment.

“Well again, I’m really sorry for scaring you guys and I will update you about this date situation as it unfolds.”

The two of them express their well wishes before the line goes silent and you head upstairs into the apartment.

You immediately run up to the bathroom to wash the toils of the work day and the numerous doubts for the date planned for later off and down the drain before scurrying to pick out your outfit for the said date. After rifling through your mess of a closet, you found yourself in a bell-sleeved corset top and a tight mini skirt. Not the most comfortable, but not many outfits for a queer club tend to look the part. But hey, when you apply the last bit of brown lip liner and clear gloss, the whole look just might be your best one yet! If you put on a matching set under the whole ensemble that was your business and your business alone. Looking at the time, you had a comfortable 15 minutes to spare before you should start heading to the bus stop. You pack your purse with the essentials and head downstairs towards the kitchen. It would probably be a good idea to eat before ingesting an embarrassing amount of liquor.

But before you could even get to the cupboards to sift through the pantry, the sight of Beomgyu restocking the pantry stops you in your tracks. Clearly your presence was also a shock because upon laying eyes on you, a case of yakult tumbles straight from their grip and onto their head.

“Fuck!” They yell and you instinctively rush over in your wedges to inspect the possible head injury

“Oh my god?! Are you okay? shit do you need an ice pack? Let me–” A bout of wholehearted laughter racks through Beomgyu, making you ease up.

“I’m fine, it was just a 6 pack, I’ll live.” Her eyes open to observe the close proximity of the two of you and her expression becomes unreadable as she takes in your whole look. You feel a lick of shame branding you hot to the touch, as your body is the target of her scrutiny.

“Where are you going dressed like that?” She half-laughs and it sends a faint shudder through you.

“On a date.” you say as nonchalantly as possible, bending over to pick up the case of yakult like you couldn't feel the rising intent behind her words. You feel her eyes on you as you slowly get up and it makes you uneasy. Where the fuck was this coming from? Her jaw fixes. “Oh.”

You look around awkwardly as you fiddled with the 6-pack. What the fuck is with the energy in the room right now. Does she care or something? Time was kinda of the essence so now you really needed to know. However, If SooKaia’s real ominous questions were anything other than delusion fodder, you really might just melt into a puddle unceremoniously. An undignified way to go but screw it, this isn’t going to go anywhere without direct communication.

“Okay hey so, what’s with that response?” You laugh with a quirked brow but really you are words away from getting sick all over your dolled up figure. She doesn’t seem too amused in return though, giving you another once-over while adjusting a concerningly firm grip on the counter behind them.

“You never dress like this. Like ever.” You double take at their hoarse tone and blatant disregard of your question.

“Come again? What’s the problem exactly?” You quip back incredulously. They meet your eyes and this time the fire in them puts yours to shame and you feel your palms start to sweat under their gaze.

“The problem?” They scoff, “The problem is that it’s seconds from driving me batshit insane.” They step closer, and you instinctively back up. “You disappear for a week with no word, come back, and now you’re dressed up to leave again for some random like shit is sweet?” The slight rise in their tone seemed to infuriate you more than intimidate you as you fire back at them.

“I beg your fucking pardon? I can dress however I want for whoever I damn please. I don’t know if you know this, but I am not a kid. How I carry myself should not concern you.” The last thing you had planned on your to-do list was a screaming match with your roommate but when life gives you lemons, right?

“Well it does!”

“Why does it, Beomgyu?!”

“Because I want to be the one that you dress up for?”

Your heart stops. The kitchen is silent for a few beats. You muster up a response in a shaky, uncertain voice. “What are you saying to me right now?”

Beomgyu is pacing now, rubbing their face in what reads as frustration and groans.

“Fuck, I guess I’m doing this now.”

Your heart felt like it was fucking palpitating as she pivoted towards you and walked within arm’s reach. When she grabbed your hand you jumped a bit, but the shift of visible anxiety in their visage made everything still momentarily.

“Wh–”

“I really…” They pick at the skin on their lip with their canines before taking a deep breath.

“I am really fucking devastatingly in love with you.” Her voice is thick with pent-up emotion. They continue before you even have a second to process their confession. “I-I know I’ve been a dick and just in general have had a real backwards way of showing it but I am, okay? I have been for ages, I didn’t want to fuck up what we had going on here already and I couldnt stand the idea of making you uncomfortable or not having you in my—”

“Can I kiss you?”

They blink as their spiraling is cut short. Tears cresting the smoky liner along your bottom lid, you cradle their cheek after they give you a relieved, “Please” in response.

Your lips meet in a desperate press of slightly chapped clashing with sticky, sweet gloss. Your mind is suddenly flooded and actively reels with all the wants and desires you’ve had filed away for so long, previously deemed as improbable, now coming alive against you. When Beomgyu's hands grip your waist, your body involuntarily jolts. You can barely register their lips turning upwards into a slight smirk against yours before they grip you even harder. You gasp, breaking away to hide your warming cheeks in the crook of their neck. Their chuckle racks through you something dangerous, it’s simultaneously the most devastating and most dreamy sound to grace your ears. They hook a finger under your chin with an endeared expression.

“Sensitive, princess?”

Yeah. You might just have to melt into that aforementioned puddle.“I-” They raise an expectant brow, obviously humored by your dwindling composure. “I’m not super—um… experienced so. I don’t really know what I’m doing…”

“Oh?” Gyu backs up slightly, keeping you in their grasp. Their expression relaxed “We can take it slow—I mean! If you wanted to do this at all, that is. Your call.” Now it was your turn to be endeared.

“Gyu, don’t doubt for a second that I like you too. Fuck, want you even.”

Their eyes seem to glitter for a second. “You…do?” You nod. She grins, a sliver of confidence resurfacing. “You want me?”

“I have wanted you for the longest.”

“Fuck,” a heated sigh leaves your lips at the contact of her tongue meeting your neck, “you don’t beat around the bush, do you?” Beomgyu just smirks against you, the sight of which sends a shiver down your back.

“You love it, don’t front baby.” You did. That much was true, if the way your thighs were subconsciously rubbing against each other was anything to go by.

“Wanted to have you like this for me for so long,” she punctuates the end of her sentence with a harsh nip to the juncture of your neck, ripping a gasp from your bitten lips.

“R-Really?” you can’t help but lean deeper into Gyu’s hold as their touches increase in fervor.

“Mhmm,” They hum against your collarbone, before releasing the skin there with a pop. “Let me make it up to you, pretty?” They look up at you, eyes hooded and pupils blown. Desperation sits, burning hot on their swollen lips.

“Only if you want.”

You know Beomgyu is only asking out of necessity for verbal consent because the pleased look on her face let you know loud and clear that your body had already made its needs evident.

“Yes,” you mumble.

“What’s that baby?” She leans up to your ear as she poses the question, lightly toying with the lettuce hem of your top. She’s teasing you,. Something you should’ve expected to carry over into the bedroom given Gyu’s typical behavior. But instead of eliciting a reaction of pure annoyance, a hot rush of need runs under your skin as you whine. Beomgyu’s gaze is trained on your every move, eyes rapt as they wait for you to respond.

“Make it up to me, Beomgyu,” you keen, finally meeting their gaze again. She groans at the needy sound and swiftly shifts you off her lap, pinning you flat on her duvet.

“See,” they muse, “That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?” Their hands venture up your sides with a grin that makes you want to kiss them silly. “No…”

You huff lightly when she chuckles at your indignant response, “you’re so irritating, god…”

“Hmmm?”

Your breath stops when her fingers begin to pull your shirt upwards, relaxing slightly when she lets the hem rest just below your tits.

“I think you like it when the girls who fuck you are a little irritating though, hmm?” Gyu says that so matter-of-factly, you had nothing to quip back with. The verbal acknowledgment of what was going to happen next was making your core clench with anticipation.

“Thought so!” they chime. You roll your eyes before pulling them back to eye level and into a heated kiss. Beomgyu hums against your lips, sliding their hand under your rucked up shirt to lay on your breast. When they break away momentarily, you don’t realize you’re frowning until they let out an all-too-fond giggle, “Can I take your top off baby?”

The moment is so sweet you can’t help but smile at your new lover, nodding your head before giving them a quick “yes.”

They plant a few quick kisses across your face, making you giggle. Soon enough, they returned to leaving more languid ones along the sensitive column of your neck, your thighs instinctively closing around their waist. They grasp the fabric stretched around your tits and with a quickness, it’s pulled over your head and thrown off their bed.

“Shit,” she breathes out heavily upon seeing the lace cupping your tits.

“Can’t believe I almost let some random see this,” her hands trace the intricate pattern before letting them softly caress the underside of your chest.

You let out a pleased sigh, leaning further into Beomgyu’s palms. “Glad it was you instead,” you gasp at the feeling of her pinching your nipples through the fabric. Meeting Gyu’s eyes, you can see them fail at holding back a smile through the lip they were biting.

“I’m sure baby, you’re making the prettiest sounds for me and I haven’t even done anything yet.” You can feel the heat behind Beomgyu’s gaze, that combined with the teasing pace they were setting made you dizzy.

“Gyu,” you whine as she’s still fondling your tits, “Please… don’t you want to see if I'm matching?” Your roommate raises her brow at your provocation, but it seems to have the desired effect as she goes to trail her hands lower to your skirt.

You unwrap your legs from their waist as they start to unzip your skirt. Upon removing it, they groan, smoothing their palms around your hips. You were, in fact, matching.

“God, you are gonna be the death of me,” they chuckle, stunned to be actually seeing your body in such an intimate setting. Eyes trailing down the curves of your torso, Beomgyu gasps softly as their eyes take in the faintly darker patch of fabric peeking out between your thighs. She curses before spreading your thighs apart, jaw slack amid seeing the drenched lace atop your core.

You try to shy away from their eyes and grasp, but in response they just pull you closer and their assertion makes you fall weak in their hands.

“Please let me finger you, pretty,” the slur of their words is dizzying but you give them the green light, bucking slightly into their calloused hands. Shucking off their sweater, you feel your mouth water at the sight of their arms, lightly toned muscles stretching over their head. You resolve to get your lips all over them once Gyu was through with you. The thought was cut deliciously short as they pin your hips firmly onto the mattress with one hand and graze your clothed pussy with the other.

“Shit, you’re soaked baby” her words have you keening. You grab for her teasing hand and place it flat against your core, looking into her eyes as you grind against the heel of her palm. The friction from the movement has your eyes rolling back into your skull, until a sharp hit to your outer thigh halts your movements with a small yelp.

“So naughty, baby” she tsks and you avoid her heated gaze, only for her to grab your chin to forcibly meet her eyes once more.

“Uh-uh, you’re going to look at me while I’m fucking you, pretty.”

Your breath leaves you momentarily as Beomgyu’s deft fingers effortlessly pull your panties to the side and returns in the form of an airy moan as she slides her middle finger against your fluttering hole. You fight to keep your eyes from flitting shut at the satisfying slide, locking your pleading eyes with hers.

“That’s it baby,” she coos before pressing a finger into you, “Good girls get what they want.”

Your head falls back as their finger sinks up to the last knuckle, Beomgyu’s fingers were slightly thicker than your own and the difference in size had you clenching around her. She chuckled lowly at your scrunched up face, “Relax baby.”

You look down to glare at her, but there’s no real heat behind it, expression immediately softening upon the sensation of Gyu curling their finger ever so slightly against your gummy walls. “Shit,” she breathes in sharply as you gush around her from the slight stimulation, “There we go, sweet girl. Can you take another now?”

You nod, not trusting the integrity of your voice at the moment. Gyu just gives you a soft grin before pressing their lips against yours, humming against you.

You exhale softly, lips breaking apart as Beomgyu slides a second finger into you. A pleased hum escapes you as Gyu returns their affections to your splotchy neck, your fingers reflexively tangling in their hair.

Beomgyu started to withdraw their fingers from inside of you, stopping at the first knuckle, before swiftly thrusting them back in. Your eyes snap open as a choked moan forces its way from your slick lips.

Her pace is unrelenting, each thrust sending a tremor through your body and a jolt of pleasure deep within.

“Oh fuck!” a loud moan rips from your chest as her pace only builds, the lewd sounds coming from your pussy making your head spin. “Gyu! Nnnh—”

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” You let out a mewl as their fingers slip out of you, taking a beat to rub up your folds. Your hips cant upwards when you feel a firm tap to your clit, and you look up through teary eyes to see Beomgyu gazing at you with an expectant expression. “I asked you a question, pretty.”

She rubs your clit in slow circles, relishing in the way you writhe against her in a mix of pleasure and embarrassment. When you answer, it’s through another pathetic whine, but anything to get her to stop teasing you.

“F-feels good, Gyu, fuuuuck…” You don’t realize your hands subconsciously try to encourage her movements until you feel a lack of stimuli from your aching clit. You let out a tortured sob as your thighs clench together in frustration, hands thrown up to cover your face as your chest shakes.

“What did I say baby?” She pauses to crawl over you slowly, as if she was on the prowl. Her eyes are so dark, a shudder rattles through you. Your eyes follow the languid movement of her tongue, licking her lips before flicking upwards to see the arch of her brows. She’s waiting for you to respond again. The back and forth with Beomgyu was agonizing, yes, but it turned you on far more than you were willing to admit. Not that you needed to verbally, anyways.

You open your mouth hiccupping through the fucked-out tears streaming down your flushed cheeks, “Good g-girls get what they want…” She coos at your response, and it's downright humiliating. God, you hated how it made you needier. “That’s right! My smart baby understands that so well,” Their expression drops seconds later.

“So why are they acting like a stupid little slut?”

Something hot flutters in your gut at the new name bestowed upon you. More tears roll down your face, “I’ll be good, I promise…please don’t stop,” you choke out.

Beomgyu’s face is unreadable for a split second, but they quickly snap out of it and let out a soft groan at your plight, snaking a hand to cradle your dampened cheek. Their thumb soothes your reddened flesh before pressing it onto your bottom lip.

“Fuck,” they stammer as you suck their finger into your mouth with zero hesitation or thought behind it. “Will you? Because I’m starting to realize that maybe you never needed me to fuck you like a good girl.” Your eyes flutter open as her hand makes its eager return to your dripping folds. “Shit, still so wet… You like me talking down to you like this, huh baby?” You have no time to answer before you’re cut off by a sudden stretch, three fingers now sliding inside you with reckless abandon. Your lips release their thumb with a ‘pop’ sound as your jaw slacks.

“Y-yes—Gyu! thank you, thank you, thank you,” you damn near wail as she finally gives you what you’ve been needing—to be absolutely ruined.

“Mmhm, that’s it. Take it.” Her, now free, hand trails from its previous spot on your jaw down to your throat before softly wrapping their fingers around the splotchy flesh. “Let this pretty pussy take what it needs, baby.” Gyu groans as the slide in and out of you gets sloppier. They lean down to take an exposed nipple into their mouth, relishing in the way you arch and squirm against them. You clench particularly hard around them after they curl their fingers just right, it has your thighs trembling. Gyu stares in awe.

“Shit, pussy’s squeezing me now, look at that,” she says softly as if you could shatter at any second. “Are you gonna cum for me? Hmm? Gonna show me how good this pussy feels, baby?” You can barely nod through the overwhelming stimulation.

“Gyuuu, gonna c-cum!”

“Cum then, doll.”

The wave of your climax crests and crashes, releasing in a gush, hot and sticky around Gyu’s fingers paired with a pent-up whine. Gyu stares in awe as she soothes her free hand along the outside of your thigh. “Baby,” they coo, “You made such a mess!” They giggle, and then pause for a second. Before you can react, they withdraw their fingers from inside of you. Your back seizes, eyes wide when you feel said fingers return, sliding back and forth across your clit, unrelenting.

“Gyu! I can’t—”

“You can do that again for me, yeah?” Their eyes were rapt, fixed on your quivering thighs and glistening cunt. The feeling overwhelms you again with a ferocity unmatched. Their fingers curl languidly in against the spot that does you in once more. “Fuck, I’m—!” Your hands scramble for purchase before gripping their sweaty forearms. “C’mon princess. Make a mess of my sheets.”

You whimper, trying and failing to withhold the scream that inevitably forces its way from between your lips as your climax splashes your thighs, Beomgyu’s fingers, and pants. “Atta girl, oh my god. You’re amazing,” Gyu soothes you, kissing you through your pleasure-induced tears and rubbing your quivering thighs.

You catch your breath and with eyes closed you mutter, “I’m cooked bro.” Beomgyu all-out guffaws beside you before scattering kisses across your tired visage once more. “I would reciprocate but I…” you make a noncommittal hand gesture that has Beomgyu chuckling again.

“It’s fine, another time.” You hum with a nod. It's comfortably silent for a while. You nearly drift to sleep before you hear Beomgyu speak again,

“You know, I wanted to take you on a date before fucking you dumb. I’m hoping you’ll still let me take you out?”

You peer at them through your left eye incredulously before busting out into laughter.

“Choi Beomgyu, I’m fucking tired of you!”

“Okay, well—!” The two of you laugh in a tangle of limbs and fabric and exchanged kisses for a solid while. It's something you could definitely get used to. So what if there was something really wrong with them? Maybe there was something wrong with you too.

thinking of making this a series eek...lmk ur thoughts!! all of them.

ao3 <- check me out ^^

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bcacstuff · 1 month ago

Note

Hi BC, it looks like Google updated the Street View near his house (May 2024) — I am sure you saw it a long time ago, but I hadn't noticed it until this week. Did you see that he customized his entrance with the Sassenach logo and thistle too?! He’s also growing some bushes along the side of his house that weren’t there before, no doubt to hide a bit more..

To be honest, I've known this already since December 2023, when someone sent me some pics from it. (which I wont post as they were sent to me in private).

This is Google Streetview

I actually had some fun about it cause when people (finally) found out about his house, as he posted so much from it, I already predicted he would customize his fence... (in jest obviously)

I had more fun with the aerial view of the house.... and his car on the drive way!^^

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baffledandbewildered · 4 months ago

Text

“I have a hypothetical,” Evi4 says.

The statement is a bit… random, but Betty doesn’t mind that. Evi is a little random, sometimes - she loves it about him.

“Sure? What’s up?”

Evi frowns, looks up at where Nara and Aster are talking. “I don’t want to…” He grabs Betty’s hand and drags her a little behind the Jest house, far enough away that the conversation is almost indistinguishable.

Evi4 isn’t usually this… serious. Betty knows they can be serious if needed, if necessary, she knows that better than most, but… it’s still weird. Discomforting.

Betty doesn’t say anything, just gives them time to gather their words, and eventually they start speaking.

“If you were in a situation where - you have to kill either me or Void,” Evi says haltingly. “Who would you choose? Killing Void would - obviously have a lot of consequences.”

Betty can’t help but laugh. “What? Evi - we’ve literally - we’ve killed Void? Why would I choose his life over yours?”

“Killing Void would be dangerous though.”

“I don’t care. I’m not killing you.”

“That’s the wrong decision,” Evi mutters.

They - she can’t help but feel they’re having completely different conversations here.

“It’s - it’s not, Evi I love you why would I - no. I wouldn’t do that.”

“You should.”

“No.”

“Ugh. You’re so weirddd Betty.”

“I don’t think I am for not wanting to kill my fiance…” she says, but doesn’t want to argue the point further.

The two of them go back to Nara and Aster and rejoin the conversation like nothing has happened, but the thought still weighs on Betty’s mind. She’s not sure what just happened, and it’s… odd.

But it’s easy to forget, with the chaos of this day - Twirps is a VIP, five of Pathogen are online - Twirps wants to fight all of them, because of course, and while everyone’s trying to prepare she and Evi notice most of the team in the Red Light District.

Evi’s been casting hungry glances in that direction for a little while, creeping closer and closer - they’re going to get spotted, so Betty runs over, trying her best to keep out of sight herself, and splashes invis on them.

“Good luck!” she whispers. “Please don’t get killed.”

“I won’t!” Evi says and Betty watches the faint trail of particles disappear into the cave.

I’m gonna try steal something Evi messages her, and Betty holds back a giggle - she’s not going to move far away from the cave just in case something goes wrong, so she really doesn’t want to be overheard - she’s not the best with potions, and as such is currently also invisible - not the most innocent look, even if she’s not actually doing anything.

Of course, the invis still hasn’t faded when she gets another message on her communicator.

okay so I might have been spotted

Oh gods. Betty types back: okay I’ll go talk to them, try to distract them, please try to leave

DONT DO THAT OH MY GODDDD

Evi4 is so - protective. It’s endearing, but also - this situation - it’s uncomfortably familiar to their messages on the day they killed Void, when Evi was spawntrapped, Evi refusing to tell her what was going on because he knew that Betty would gladly get herself killed if it meant Evi was okay -

So Betty’s not listening to him now, and instead she runs into the cave, waving at Cog and Void and Arch. She’s… still invisible, which is awkward, and she’s pretty sure they know exactly what she’s doing but no one tries to jump Evi even when he starts rifling through one of Pathogen’s shulkers, Cog even gives her a very brief tour, and before she knows it she and Evi are both running back to main spawn, giggling.

“Success!” Evi says, showing her what they managed to steal.

“Yay it was worth it then,” Betty says. “Oh my god that was terrifying but hey I can - I can de-escalate situations!”

“You’re awful at de-escalating situations - that was so stupid Betty oh my god -”

Betty laughs. “Maybe. I don’t care though.”

“You should.”

“The important thing to me is that you’re alive. I doubt they would have killed me anyway.”

“Ugh. You’re so stupid sometimes BettyIsBaffled oh my god we should get divorced -”

“Now wait a second!” Betty says, and within seconds they’re off-topic again.

The next day finds her giving Evi nearly an entire stack of anvils - she’d joked, yesterday, about it being an appropriate apology for Betty getting Evi spawnkilled all those weeks ago for the minecarts, and - well. The guilt of that weighs heavy on her still, and though she knows the comment wasn’t serious she still wants to -

She renames them, too. For Evi <3.

It’s not much of an apology, not much of a gift, but Evi squeals in delight the moment she realises what she’s been given, then presses a brief kiss to Betty’s cheek, hugging her tightly.

On a whim, Betty asks Evi to kill her with the mace - she ends up dying twice, the second time more accidental than not, but it’s fun - and she can’t bring herself to mourn the lost levels when each time she returns Evi gives the heart back with a kiss.

They spend the rest of the day doing… very little. At one point, Evi brings up ‘the hypothetical’ from yesterday - they argue it again, only briefly, and Evi stops talking entirely for a long moment when Betty says fondly - “You’re so self sacrificing.”

She’s not wrong, but she’d never thought of it like that before - Evi is, so, painfully self-sacrificing - not for many people, maybe, but he is. She loves that about him.

They’re sitting on top of the arena, looking out over spawn when Evi brings it up again.

“I’m curious about the - thing you said earlier,” they say slowly.

“Huh?”

“The - self-sacrificing comment. Can you explain that?”

“Oh! Yeah, yeah I - I can explain -”

But - of course - it’s that moment when Seri appears and once again the thread of conversation is lost. But they have fun! Seri and Evi are… an interesting duo, Aster joins them at one point, the top of the Arena maybe gets broken a little but they manage to fix it… then Evi decides they wanna try and kill Katamari.

If it was anyone else, Betty would be hesitant. But she knows how well Evi fights and well. Katamari. So she gives Evi her axe and a good luck kiss and waits for chaos to unfold.

evi4 whispers to you: they won’t stay still this is so annoying i don’t know whether to call this off

You whisper to evi4: you could try jump off the mangroves?

You whisper to evi4: but it’s up to you if you think it’s too dangerous its not worth it

You whisper to evi4: just stay alive

And Evi… does. He manages to hit Mari with the mace, but they escape, then Void shows up and the pair of them fight for a bit then Evi runs and gods Betty feels like she could cry from relief - she’s so happy for him. Both for the fights - they were awesome - but also for leaving when he realised he couldn’t win, not fighting till the end - she and Evi have spoken about this before, how pride isn’t worth it sometimes, not if it gets you killed -

She’s so happy.

For a while after, they just… hang out at spawn. Void shows them the strip club, Evi digs holes in his walls, Betty tries her best not to fall asleep - turns out dying twice to a mace in ten minutes leaves you incredibly tired, or maybe it’s just her poor sleep schedule - still, it’s a fun day, honestly.

The next afternoon, Evi asks Betty to join her at Animal Crossing Village - she’s working on getting backup gear, she says, and Betty’s down an axe from yesterday’s shenanigans so for a little while the two of them trade with villagers, talking about anything and everything.

It’s - strangely domestic. Making gear alongside someone else… it’s nice. She’s done this with Nara, the day after she and Evi killed Void, a few other times after that, but before that… a long time ago. Maybe the day after the Gameshow, when she and Sunset were…

It’s nice to have company. It’s fun - especially when the two of them get distracted going through their shulkers - “Why do I have 14 stacks of iron blocks in here?” - or Evi traps her in a corner, only to get flustered when Betty flirts back and mine the blocks under him, falling into the basement with an embarrassed yelp - at one point Evi asks her to spawn an iron golem so he can mace practise, then digs through the rusted corpse to hand her the poppy at its heart and Betty holds it so tightly she’s afraid the fragile stem will break.

Neither of them are particularly good at staying on task but it’s just. Good. It’s nice not to be alone.

At some point, they end up talking about dying - “You’ve killed me more than anyone else has, I think,” Betty muses, pulling up her statistics. “Uhh. Sin, Cog, Blue/arrow-cannon, creeper, Pollocks, Void, you, you again with the carts, Void again, Nara, then you again twice yesterday - I’m missing a death, what am I missing -”

There are four of her deaths now at Evi’s hands (do the minecarts count -?) and that’s - it’s a nice thought. She likes that she gets to choose. She likes… it’s a promise, isn’t it? Dying for someone, choosing to let them kill you... I trust you with my life, with my heart.

“Imagine being able to remember your deaths…” Evi says wonderingly.

“Not all of them,” Betty says absentmindedly, still trying to work out what she’s forgetting, then she pauses. “Oh -”

The last she heard, Evi had died 170 times… and it’s been a little while since then.

But Evi just giggles and bats lightly at her arm, quickly moving the conversation on to something else. Betty still feels guilty.

It’s evening when they decide to go back to spawn - Evi shows her the hidden respawn point he’s made on the way, and when she realises she hugs him tightly - she’s been asking for so long for Evi to be more careful of where he respawns. Maybe he’s feeling the same way she is - things are happening, now, dangerous things, the end of the season is in sight, they all need to be a bit more careful - or maybe he just wants to have a safe space to recover after a death. It doesn’t matter. She’s happy regardless.

They end up going to Sniffer Island. Betty lets herself fall dramatically onto the grass under one of the trees, and after a moment’s hesitation Evi sits down next to her. There are so many flowers here - Betty had thought she’d never want to see a sniffer again after the nightmare she’d had kidnapping Snorb, but this is nice. Peaceful.

“Oh!” she says, turning a little so she can see Evi. “I never - did I ever explain the - self-sacrifice comment? You asked, but -”

“No…”

“Do you want me to?”

“Yes!”

Betty pauses, then sits up, anxiously flexing her hands a little. She stares out at the ocean, trying to put her thoughts into words - this is important, she thinks.

“When - after we killed Void, that time. You got spawnkilled. And I was - I was messaging you saying if they - if they’d be willing to let you go, if I let them kill me, I’d be fine with that. You wouldn’t let me. You yelled at me. Even before - you wanted to take the blame for killing Void - you told me to lie, claim it was an accident, that you found us talking. Or when you were trapped in the obsidian box - or even the other day, when you were trying to steal from Pathogen in the Red Light District - you’re so worried about my life, without thinking of your own - and I appreciate it, I do, I - gods, I love you so much but - you don’t have to -”

She stops herself from saying anything more - she’s probably said enough. She darts a look at Evi - they’re not looking at her, and she can’t read their expression. Eventually, they turn to face her, but still won’t meet her eyes.

“I just -” they start, then pause. “I just think it’s better for me to die rather than… you having to deal with any consequences. Like I hate dying, obviously, but it’s just - the better decision there.”

“What? Evi -”

He stares hard at the grass. “I think - me dying has less of an effect over you dying. I have people who can give me heart mats while it actually costs you. I’m already viewed as a weak player. If I die it’s not going to change people’s perspectives of me.”

“I don’t care about - well okay yeah I do but that’s not - that’s not worth it. That’s not - and Evi, I have allies now, you know that, you know there are - you know better than anyone -”

Now he meets her eyes. “When people kill you it means more than if people kill me,” he says quietly.

Betty feels her hearts skip a beat - this is so wrong but she doesn’t know what to say to fix it, doesn’t -

“I’m glad you didn’t die when I got spawnkilled ‘cause I think it would’ve made our connections even worse and maybe more people target us,” Evi continues hurriedly. “I don’t think people view you as weak - even if Cog thinks you’re a coward or something. You are -” She laughs a little. “- still known to trap people very well.”

Betty laughs weakly too - not that well, and Evi knows that, but she appreciates the - confidence in her abilities.

“I just think people are more willing to give my gear and stuff back,” Evi says. “That’s not something… that you or anyone else - except maybe Seri - have.”

“That’s not - an issue, though - I can grind more gear, I don’t care - that’s not worth your life Evi,” Betty says - oh, she’s crying now, of course - she’s not even sure why. She’s not sure what to say - somewhere along the line she’s missed this, and it is important that they talk about it but she doesn’t know what to say.

Evi laughs - it’s a little bitter, and that’s so wrong because Evi4 isn’t…

“I’m sure if you asked anyone on the server who they’d rather lose a heart it’d be me,” they say.

Well that’s wrong - Betty goes to interrupt but they shake their head and she stops.

“Okay, okay yeah maybe there are some people who - want you dead but still,” Evi continues. “Pollocks would obviously care but - I think it’s just something he’s accepted as part of being teamed with me.”

“Evi…”

“I just. I really do think it’s better for me to die than you having to face consequences.”

“But - Evi - you dying is a consequence for me,” Betty says, then wipes the tears from her eyes with shaking hands. “That’s consequences. That’s consequences I - I don’t -”

She can’t bring herself to say anymore - she doesn’t know what to say. She doesn’t know how to fix this - she hates the fact Evi thinks so little of himself, that no one respects him the way Betty and Poll do, that Evi believes that -

They’re both silent for a little while.

Eventually, Evi looks at her again. He twists his hands together anxiously, pulling at a loose thread on his dress. “I can try to be less self-sacrificial with you but I want you to know I care a lot about you and think me dying instead of you is better.”

Betty takes a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. Yeah. I - I understand - and you - you understand what - what I mean, right? When I say -”

He nods rapidly.

“Yeah. Okay - and you’ll try. You’ll try - that’s all I can ask.” She smiles at them - she’s still crying, she probably looks a state but Evi smiles back shyly and she can’t bring herself to care. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Yay!” Evi4 says - he’s trying to act like nothing has happened but it’s so obvious that he’s just as - emotional as Betty is - it’s - gods, she loves him.

“Let’s make a heart!” Evi says, jumping to her feet then holding out a hand to pull Betty upright too. She doesn’t let go, either, even as the two of them dig a hole in the surface of the island and place froglights in a heart shape - it makes it a little difficult to build, but Betty appreciates it - it feels like a promise, like Evi’s saying: I’m not going to leave.

Likewise, Betty thinks to herself.

And then they’re standing next to the heart and Evi pauses, turns to face her. It’s dark now, but the moonlight makes their crown shine - they’ve never looked more like royalty, and Betty’s never been the type to care too much about titles but she’d gladly worship them.

Evi takes a deep breath. “I can try to be less self-sacrificial,” Evi repeats, hurried, tripping over the words a little. “I’ve spent most of my time on this server without anyone to rely on properly so I’m sorry if I show my love in odd ways like a piece of diorite or making sure you don’t die even if it costs me a lot.” They stop, take another measured breath. “I hope I’m able to communicate how much I love you even if it’s in something not very typical but I care about you a lot.”

And yep, Betty’s crying again, but she doesn’t move, lets Evi continue speaking.

“I’m very happy we’re allies - I don’t care about a lot of people on this server even if I trust them but I think you’re the only other person besides Pollocks I’d go to the ends of the earth for - you’ve done so much for me I love you a lot.”

“I - gods, Evi4, I love you too - I love you so much, I don’t think - I don’t think I’ll ever really be able to say it enough - gods -” She wipes her eyes on her sleeve, giggling weakly, then tugs at his shoulders until he bends down far enough she can kiss him. “I love you, okay?” she whispers against his lips. “I love you.”

She definitely could never say it enough - it’s - sometimes, when she’s alone, she remembers what she and Evi4 used to be - chasing them away from her herobrine summoner, explosions in her maze - they weren’t even friends at the start, and now -

They both yelp as the nose of a sniffer pushes its way between them, and then they’re giggling, Evi trying to shove the creature away but there’s such fondness in their eyes, and just for a little while Betty allows herself to believe that everything is going to be okay.

#divorcesteal

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