#yes I also took in consideration engineering

[lustspren]

D.A | Con te partirò ft Hanni

length: 12.8k words✦

Hanni & Male Reader. 

Diamond Eyes AU.

genres: sub! Hanni, blowjob, oral sex, hard sex, breeding, daddy kink, creampie, fluffy, anal, car sex, love making ✧ 

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Did you need to rent a Ferrari? Absolutely not. Would it be worth it? Absolutely yes.

So many months of hard work streaming 8 hours a day had to somehow be worth it. You could afford it, and you were going to do it. The only bad thing about that decision was the time it took you to choose a car at the dealership. About half an hour wandering between cars until your capricious ass decided to choose the most expensive but also the most practical. A Ferrari Purosangue, the brand's newest, expensive and most innovative model. Choosing it in red would have been the most normal thing, but you chose it in all black, even the interior.

With the car already chosen, you received instructions regarding its functions and handling, upon completing it and having all the paperwork already done, you went directly to drive through the streets of Milano, your hometown. You linked your Spotify account to the car stereos through the digital panel behind the steering wheel and blasted Kanye West's Carnival at the highest possible volume without bursting your eardrums, which helped make you feel like a god as you drove past the Palazzo Reale di Milano.

After about 20 minutes you had already made lap after lap through the city center, just enjoying the beautiful roar of the twelve-cylinder engine and your music. But just as you turned the corner after a traffic light, you received a message from the real reason you had flown to Italy from Korea in the first place.

She then sent you a full body photo of herself. You had to alternate looking between the road and your phone screen. She looked so stupidly beautiful that she made you question all your past decisions to know if you really deserved her. You came to the conclusion that you were simply an overly lucky bastard. To respond to her you had to wait until another traffic light.

After finishing talking to Hanni, you put the phone between your legs and took a new street in search of something to eat. Your stomach was growling; since you landed in Milano that morning you hadn't had the chance to even have a full meal, you had only been eating sweets that you brought with you from Korea. You were crazy to get your teeth into something, and since you were in Italy, you couldn't find a better option than going to your favorite Pizzeria in the entire city: la Zia Esterina Sorbillo on Via Agnello.

After having eaten a delicious salami and cotto pizza, you just waited in the car, parked in a square covered by the shadow of a building to your right, which you didn't mind too much considering everything the car offered in terms of comfort. It had already been an hour since Hanni had entered the event, but it wasn't until two hours later when you received the message you were waiting for.

With the green light already granted, you made the respective call before you forgot—again—, you pressed the touch button on the steering wheel to start the engine and headed to the Fonderia Carlo Macchi, the place where the Gucci event was taking place. It would be approximately 15 minutes of travel from where you were, you would have to make a good selection of music if you wanted to enjoy the journey. You started with Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2 by ASAP Rocky, Who Dat Boy by Tyler the Creator, 5% TINT by Travis Scott and Justify My Thug by JAY-Z.

When you entered the Via Enrico Cosenz you had to considerably reduce the volume of the last seconds of the last song. The entire street was filled with people and camera flashes, as well as luxury cars and police guarding the perimeter around the warehouse. As soon as you approached, an officer blocked your path with a wave of his hand, you rolled down the window and he stood next to you.

"Buon pomeriggio, signore. Dove sei diretto?" he asked. You knew he did it routinely and that he kept doing it considering there were more cars behind you.

"Sono qui per ritirare uno degli ambasciatori dell'evento," you responded, one hand on the steering wheel.

"Nome?"

"Hanni Pham. Se hai bisogno di un'autorizzazione, posso ottenerla per te."

"Sì, grazie," you called Hanni's manager and handed the phone to the officer, seconds later, he returned it to you, "Avanti, buon pomeriggio."

"Grazie mille! Anche per voi," you smiled at the officer, rolled up the window again and drove until you parked next to the curb.

Parked there, you took out your phone and told Hanni that you were out. While you were waiting, you watched as the camera flashes took over the entire street. The photographers and the crowd of people were in constant movement, celebrity after celebrity being photographed as they entered their respective cars; you should have expected it, but you were still shocked to see Salma Hayek so close while she was leaving the event. You also saw Kirsten Dunst, and as a lover of Sam Raimi's Spider Man movies you couldn't help but fanboy a little.

From one moment to the next you noticed how the crowd of people began to concentrate much more towards the gate that led to the warehouse; You noticed that the flashes also multiplied. You sharpened your eyes to be able to distinguish any notable figure among the mass of photographers moving outside, until you finally saw her. Much more radiant and charming than could be seen in any photograph.

As always she saw everyone with a warm smile and she greeted all of her fans with contagious joy; she came over to sign a few autographs here and there, with camera flashes and dozens of phones pointed directly at her. You couldn't take your eyes off her for a single second; her walk was mesmerizing, from how her hips swayed from side to side to how she exuded pure class and elegance. She was fine as fuck, and she knew it perfectly.

A little more than a minute passed when the crowd finally dispersed and she could have a clear view of the road. It was then that she saw your car and had to put her hand over her mouth to cover her shock, but no matter how much she tried to hide it, you could see it in her eyes, and you were more than happy to surprise her.

She approached the passenger door, opened it, and greeted a few more fans before entering the car, where no one could see what was happening inside thanks to the tinted windows, not even from the front.

"Oh my god hiiii!" she squealed in pure happiness, lunging at you for a tight hug.

"Hello, Phampy," you smiled, reciprocating the hug and then separating, putting your hands on the wheel. You drove onto the road again, "How was everything?"

"Everything was wonderful! The organization and treatment were incredible, and I met many nice people!"

Every word she said was like music to your ears; she had one of the most beautiful Australian accents you had ever heard, and it was one of the reasons she drove you crazy.

You reached the roundabout and made a U-turn to return along the street you had arrived on.

"I also had to take a lot of photos and make videos, but it was all very nice. And my goodness! What is this car?" She laughed in amazement, examining her surroundings.

She ran her hand across the leather dashboards and touched the carbon fiber of the roof. You noticed her wanting to touch things on the touch screen she had right in front of her but she restrained herself.

"I couldn't come pick you up in a piece of tin, could I?" you saw her out of the corner of your eye, "Hanni Pham only deserves the best of the best."

"Oh yeah? That's why I have you too, right?"

She leaned towards you and grabbed you by your face to plant her lips on your cheek. You were sure that her lipstick must have been left marked on your skin.

Just when you were going to talk to her you received a call from her manager. You left one hand on the wheel and answered as you rounded the curve at the Piazza Giovani Bausan roundabout. You put the call on speaker so Hanni could hear too.

"Yeah?" you asked.

"You better take her directly to the hotel, she still has a pending appointment tonight," the manager told you from the other end of the line, the severity in her voice telling you that it was best to obey.

"You say it as if I were going to take her to Greece. Well, I don't lack the desire to do so."

"Don't even dream of it. Just take her to the hotel, please. I'll send you the location."

"Yeah yeah, chill. You know you can trust me."

"I only tolerate you because Hanni likes you. Bye," she finally hung up.

Hanni laughed at that. Seconds later you received the location of the hotel. It was the Palazzo Parigi Hotel, possibly one of the most exclusive in Milano. You weren't surprised.

"How lovely," you joked, putting the phone back in your pocket.

"I would tell you that she is just joking, but you do make her life a little miserable."

"She'll have to get used to me. Straight to the hotel then?"

"Uhm, we don't have a choice, I guess..." she said, and then she thought for a few seconds looking out the window, then looked at you again, "Daddy... Do you think this outfit suits my body?"

You knew her and that tone well enough to know where she was going with that question.

"Well, of course. That skirt highlights your hips very well... and that top makes your tits look very pretty."

You turned right and entered Via Valtellina, driving straight towards the city center. Low by SZA started playing on your Spotify, you raised the volume a little with the button on the side of the steering wheel. Hanni became thoughtful again, she looked at the road for a few seconds and then at you.

"And... Do you think it also makes me look more fuckable?"

"Where are you going with that question, Phampy?"

She remained silent. She waited until you stopped at a traffic light so you could see her, then she slowly hiked her skirt up until it was all wrinkled at the top. Her perfect, pale pair of fleshy thighs were exposed to you, as well as her red lace panties, which you noticed were also Gucci. You were automatically turned on, but the light turned green and you had to turn your eyes to the road.

"I don’t know… you tell me."

Her hand went to your crotch, slowly squeezing and massaging the bulge in your pants. You noticed her gaze fixed on you, but you couldn't turn around in any way unless you wanted to cause an accident.

"Fuck Hanni..." you muttered, pursing your lips.

"Mmm..." she let out a subtle moan, "You're already hard daddy."

She pulled up the bottom hem of your sweater, unbuttoned your jeans and lowered your zipper to reach into your boxers and pull out your cock, which was already completely hard.

“Baby, we are in th-” you tried to protest.

"Hush. Eyes on the road."

She had seen you turn up the volume on the stereo a few minutes ago, and she used the visual information she remembered to reach her free hand over to the wheel and turn up the volume as well. A few seconds passed and the song changed to The Color Violet by Tony Lanez. You had no choice but to continue driving through the streets of downtown Milano, taking as many roads as possible to divert you from the original destination while she slowly jerked you off.

Seconds passed. Hanni kept moving her hand up and down your cock, which was throbbing between her fingers. Her movements were slow and perfect, the months of experience you had together allowed her to know how you liked to be touched. You felt a drop of precum leak from your tip; she noticed this, and took a moment to kick off her heels, climb on her knees onto the seat and bend over towards you, leaving her butt raised toward the passenger window and her face right above your cock. Then, grabbing it by the base she took it into her mouth, her glossy lips wrapping around your shaft.

Luckily for you, just at that moment you stopped at a traffic light, which allowed you to look to the right and see Hanni's thick ass raised and adorned by the g-string she was wearing, both buttocks on full display so you could grope them and squeeze them. All the while, she moved her head up and down slowly, taking in a little more than half of your cock with each pump in a sensual, slippery blowjob.

A few seconds passed and the traffic light turned green. You were forced to look forward again, but that didn't stop you from grabbing Hanni's panties and pushing them to the side to rub your fingers on both her plump pussy and her butthole. She responded with a deep moan around your shaft. You gave one of her ass cheeks a dry spank before taking your middle and ring fingers to your mouth to fill them with saliva and take them inside her pussy. Hanni moaned louder around your cock again and increased the pace of the blowjob, taking you out of her mouth at times to fill your shaft with kisses and licks.

The song changed, now playing Bermuda Triangle by Zico, Crush and Dean, the bass from the stereos making the seats vibrate. You took your fingers deep into Hanni's pussy, and there you began pumping rapidly in and out. She matched the pace of your wrist and moved her neck accordingly, now she was giving you a sloppy, frantic blowjob.

“Fuck,” she pulled you out of her mouth with a sharp intake of breath.

She jerked you off quickly. Your cock now completely soaked with her thick, hot saliva. When she raised her head you noticed that a string of saliva was hanging from her lower lip.

“I need you to fuck me right now daddy, I can't hold it,” she begged, placing kisses on your jaw and chin.

"I'll look for an alley to stop in."

"No," she quickly said, "You just keep driving and leave it to me."

She sat back down in her seat and raised her hips to pull her panties down her legs. When she took them off, she took them in one hand and wrapped them around the base of your cock, a detail that was enough to make you gasp. Then she maneuvered herself over to your seat and climbed on top of you, planting her feet on either side of the seat and taking advantage of her short stature so she could completely impale herself on your cock.

"Oh my god Hanni," you moaned, slowing the car down on pure instinct as she slowly went up and down on your cock.

"I really needed to feel your cock filling me again daddy... mmmh," she moaned into your neck, wrapping her arms around  and clinging to it.

You thanked God that the suspension of that car was that good, it made driving in that state much easier. Still, you had to do an incredible concentration job to focus on the road with Hanni's heavenly moans in your ear distracting you.

Hanni subtly stroked the hair at the nape of your neck, tangling her fingers between your strands and giving them subtle tugs as she filled the entire side of your face with wet kisses. She started bouncing on your cock. Frantic and strong jumps that, no matter how difficult it seemed, could be heard even with the music playing at full volume in there. Ironically and completely randomly, at that moment Be Quiet and Drive by Deftones started playing.

"I fucking missed you so much daddy... oh god!" She moaned in your ear, clinging even tighter to your neck.

There came a time when pleasure inevitably made you drive worse. You made strange gear changes, and also strange steering wheel movements. Anyone who saw the car from the outside would be alarmed thinking you were having a seizure or some weird shit, but the reality was you just had a Gucci ambassador jumping like crazy on your dick.

"You missed daddy huh? Then fucking cum on that cock," you growled, fingers tightening on the steering wheel. You entered la Corso Sempione, a wide and uncrowded street at that time. Perfect to let yourself go a little.

"Yes daddy, yes! I'll cum for you like a good girl!" she whimpered, pressing more kisses to your neck.

You roared the engine a couple of times and accelerated up the street, that made Hanni cling harder to your shoulders and crash into your pelvis much harder—apparently the speed sensation managed to give her some kind of stimulus. If she kept giving you those jumps she would probably take your breath away for a few seconds, but it didn't take long for her to explode in a tide of spasms and screams. She slumped down, lowering her knees and squeezing her thighs on either side of your hips. She ground back and forth as she rode out her orgasm, and then began to move sensually up and down.

"Fuck, I can't take it anymore," you gasped, "The hotel will have to wait a little longer."

You took a curve to the right and hit the accelerator straight ahead, desperately looking for an alley in which to stop. It was not an easy task, Milano lacked this type of space since it was full of short buildings stuck side by side, but finally you found the perfect place: the back alley of an old warehouse, to the right of which was the left fence of el Cimitero Monumentale—you were outside of it, so you weren't desecrating anything. There were a couple of cars there, but at that time no one would be out since it was still working hours. You went to the end of it, stopping when a small gate cut off the path.

You turned off the engine and could finally focus on her. You wrapped both of your arms around her perfect body and pressed her against your torso to kiss her. She moaned against your lips and cupped her hands on either side of your face to get deeper into the kiss; your tongues met and swirled around each other again and again. You moved your hands to her ass and then gave one of her butt cheeks a harder spank. She squealed and bit your bottom lip.

"Fuck me hard, daddy," she begged in a sensual, pleasure-laden voice, "Fuck me and give me all your load."

"I wouldn't want to stain that outfit in any way..." you peppered her chin and neck with kisses.

"Then make sure no drop goes to waste... put it all inside me."

"Are you sure?"

"I've been taking contraceptives for months, there won't be any problems..."

"Let's go outside then."

You opened the car door and made her get off your cock so she could get off first. You noticed the nervousness in her eyes as she looked toward the beginning of the alley, so you found it necessary to comfort her.

"Honey, I know this city like the back of my hand, no one will come here," you said, getting out of the car as well.

Those simple words seemed to make her nervousness disappear, as she immediately lunged at you with both arms around your neck and kissed you again. You wrapped your arms around her naked waist and lifted her into the air; she wrapped her legs around your torso and you took a few steps forward, positioning yourself on the side of the hood of the car and sitting her on the edge of it.

She let go of your torso and spread her legs wide, leaning back and leaning on her forearms to give you a look that you always interpreted as 'destroy me'. You pulled your pants and boxers down to your ankles, and with her panties still wrapped around the base of your cock, you sank back into her wet, warm pussy.

Hanni let out a loud moan that you silenced halfway by putting a hand over her mouth—no one would be out at that time, but you still had to be careful. She let her head hang back, and you grabbed her legs by the back of her knees to start moving your hips back and forth. You made sure she received every inch of throbbing cock with every thrust, jiggling the flesh of her thighs and her buttocks.

She was an obedient girl, so just one time of covering her mouth was enough for her to silence her moans on her own. She did it in several ways, but the most common was to put an arm around her head and press her mouth against the inside of her elbow. You thrust fast and hard, letting out grunts of pleasure as you felt the quivering flesh of her thighs between your fingers.

Hanni's eyes rolled back as you heard her let out loud squeals of pleasure. Out of the corner of your eye you saw how her toes curled. You brought her legs together and then pressed them towards her body, hammering her pussy so hard it echoed throughout the alley. You tried your best to keep your mouth shut as well, but her pussy felt so good and so wet that you couldn't help but let moans escape from your mouth.

She couldn't scream it for obvious reasons, but if she could she would have screamed at you that she was going to cum around your cock again. It wasn't necessary, you could tell by how her eyes glazed over and then she laid her back flat on the car hood. Seconds later she exploded once again, and she had to add her other arm to make sure that her intense screams of pleasure did not escape in any way.

Her pussy clenched around your cock and suffocated it, a sensation that was deadly to you and your senses. You spread her legs and now held on to her waist—which was possibly one of your favorite parts of her body— to fuck her with all your might and enter the final stretch.

Her body shook back and forth violently. She raised herself up on her elbows again and looked at you with those deep, lustful eyes again. You grabbed her by the gold necklace she was wearing and pulled her towards you to grab her neck with both hands. You pressed down with your fingers and cut off her breathing. It only took a few more thrusts for you to explode inside her.

The pleasure unconsciously made you press harder on her neck. You grunted giving her slow but aggressive thrusts, shooting stream after stream of cum into her silky pussy. She grabbed your wrists and gave one of them several pats that brought you out of your trance. You let go of her neck, noticing that you were squeezing too hard.

"Fuck... I'm sorry baby..." you gasped, still pumping until you finished draining inside her.

"You gave me the fuck I just needed today… don't apologize daddy," she managed to smile at you, even with heavy breathing.

"And what would have happened if I wasn't here? Would you have fucked some other Italian guy?" you raised an eyebrow.

"A few minutes ago I begged you to fill me to the core with your cum...," she leaned forward to give you a small kiss, "And here you are, balls deep inside me after shooting a thick, hot load straight into my womb. That makes me completely yours."

"Completely mine huh? I love the way that sounds coming out of your mouth," you cupped her face with your hands and gave her multiple short kisses on the lips.

"Yeah, and if that wasn't enough, you fucked me in a Gucci outfit, on top of a Ferrari, and in Milan. So consider yourself the luckiest guy in the world," she patted your chest a couple of times.

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world since I kissed you for the first time, Phampy," you continued to shower her face with kisses as she giggled.

"Damn, what a rizz huh?" she joked.

"Shut up dude," you laughed back.

"Hey, how much did this thing cost you? I feel like if I dent it I'll get a million dollar lawsuit."

"Two thousand euros a day, and if I want to buy it it's four hundred thousand euros. I’ll save money for it."

"Yep, I better get out of here asap," she nodded and gently pushed you back.

Your cock came out of her pussy, from which not a single drop of your cum came out. You took her into your arms and helped her off the hood. Once on the floor you removed her panties from around your cock and held them out to her.

"Nah, keep them as a souvenir," she gave you a kiss on the cheek, pulled down her skirt as if nothing had happened and got back into the car.

"Well damn, sure thing," you nodded, watching as she climbed into the passenger seat.

You pulled up your boxers and pants and got into the car again. You put Hanni's panties in the storage compartment between seats, earning a laugh from her. You left the alley, and after making sure there were no snitches around, you headed towards the hotel. After about 10 minutes you were already around the corner.

"Hey, there won't be any fans here now right?" you asked, the car stopped before turning.

"I'm sure not. But there will be later," she leaned to the right in the seat to try to make sure there was no one, "I think only my bodyguard will be there."

"I hope you're right."

Just as she said, the street in front of the hotel was completely clear. Only her bodyguard, who you recognized instantly, was there waiting patiently. When he saw you approaching with the car he approached the sidewalk, but first you made a small U-turn so that Hanni's door faced it.

"See you inside daddy," she gave you a peck on the cheek and got out of the car. The bodyguard closed the door back, and then escorted her inside.

You parked the car diagonally across the entrance, in an area marked out just for that purpose. You turned off the engine, grabbed your things and got out. You walked around the car and went to the trunk to get your backpack out. With nothing else to do out there, you crossed the street to enter the hotel lobby, which alone looked like a beautiful and elegant royal palace, made almost entirely of perfectly polished marble. Hanni wasn't there, you assumed she had gone straight to her room.

After having gone through a small security check by one of the workers, you approached the reception and began the entire procedure to get a room. Using Hanni's room never crossed your mind, it was a controlled environment that Gucci had given her and that her manager probably also used, so you were never going to have privacy. You had to get a deluxe room, which wasn't cheap at all and gave you another little pain in your wallet.

Once everything was done, you were given the key to your room. You took the elevator and went directly to your floor to look for your door. Inside the room you were greeted by a short hallway, with a small counter on the left where was a small plate with cookies and biscuits, an espresso coffee maker and a bottle of San Benedetto sparkling water. To the right was an electric door that led to the bathroom, which had a double sink and a large mirror, in front of which were first the shower cubicle and then the bathtub.

Past that hallway was finally the bedroom. The king size bed was to your right, with two nightstands on either side and a wide stool at the bottom edge. In front you had the large window, whose light was blocked by white curtains that could be folded even more to cover the window completely. To the left was a glass table with two chairs on each side and a pot with beautiful white orchids on top of it. Finally, next to you as you exit the hallway, a smaller circular table with a tray full of fresh fruits, plates with napkins and cutlery, two covered drinking glasses and a note from the hotel staff giving anyone who entered the room a welcome.

The first thing you did was drop your backpack on the bed and lie face up on it to close your eyes for a moment. After your small minute of rest, you took out your phone and told Hanni that you could come now. Not even ten minutes had passed when you heard the knock on your door. You got up and hurried to open it.

"Damn, you're fast aren't you?" you asked with an amused expression.

"Being away from you hurts my little chicken heart, don't you understand?" She stood in front of you to give you a kiss. She then walked in front of you towards the bedroom.

"You got a scolding from her, didn't you?" you sat on the stool in front of the bed to look at her.

"A small one, yeah," she sighed, "But I honestly don't care, I feel exhausted."

Having said that, she began to undress, first taking off her heels, then her skirt, her top, and finally her necklace, which she left on the table next to the orchids. The only thing she needed to take off was her black bra, and once she did she dove face down onto the bed, her feet dangling next to you.

"Go take a shower then, sweetheart," you said, climbing into bed with her, only to lie down with your face right against her ass.

You made yourself comfortable there, hugging her hips as if her buttocks were your pillow—they weren't too far from that, they were soft like cotton.

"Mmm only if you come with me," she giggled, subtly shaking her butt under your cheek.

"I should be ashamed of how easily controlled I am by this piece of meat, but it's okay, come on."

You gave her a kiss on the buttock and stood up to go directly to the bathroom. She came in behind you, and helped you undress between adorable little kisses on your lips and chin. Once you were both naked, she tied her hair in a high bun, and you entered the shower cubicle, whose space was not too big and forced you to be slightly close together the entire time—it didn't bother you at all.

You and she took a completely normal bath without lewdness. It was a purely romantic and fun experience for the two of you, where kisses and caresses were not lacking. It was the perfect example that many times intimacy was not just about sex, and you enjoyed those moments as much as the sexual ones, they made you feel that there really was something there and that not everything revolved around carnal pleasures.

Once bathed and dried you went back to the bedroom. Hanni took off the towel, untied her hair, and threw herself back onto the bed.

"Your manager said you still had a pending appointment tonight, how much time do we have right now?" you asked, taking off the towel to continue drying your hair.

"Mmm… we have three hours, then I'll be there for about two more, and after that I'll be completely yours," she told you as she crawled under the covers and settled herself towards the center of the bed.

"Aight," you nodded, leaving the towel on the floor to go turn on the air conditioning, "Anything in particular you want to do?"

"I want you to take me out to eat and drink, can you?" She asked you, covered up to her neck with the blanket.

She looked so adorable and cute that you couldn't help but grab your phone to take a photo of her.

"Hey!" she laughed, giving you the perfect smile you needed for the shot.

"Of course I can, baby," you nodded, "I know the perfect place, in fact."

"I almost forgot that you were born here. Let's see, would you say something to me in Italian?"

"Tesoro, ho bisogno di dormire perché sono seriamente esausto," you told her, going to close the curtains. The room was now left in subtle darkness.

"That was so fucking sexy, oh my god," she breathed in, surprised, "But what did you say, I know tesoro is a cute thing."

The way she said that word made you smile.

"I said I'm exhausted and I need to sleep, honey," you climbed onto the bed and got under the blankets with her.

"Well, that's timely, because so am I," she sighed, turning her back on you so you could hug her from behind.

She raised her head, and you put your arm under her so she was resting on it. Then she pressed her back and her ass against you, and you wrapped your free arm around her in a warm hug that felt like lounging at a campfire in a Dark Souls game. You buried your face between her shoulder and the back of her neck, breathing in the delicious red fruit aroma of her skin.

"Hey, how do you say I love you in Italian?" she asked in a small, soothing voice.

"Ti amo," you responded with your eyes closed.

"Then ti amo, honey… uh, how do you say a lot?"

"Ti amo tanto," you said with a giggle, and opened your eyes to place kisses on her neck and cheek.

"Yeah, ti amo tanto baby," she laughed too, and turned her head so you could kiss her lips multiple times.

"Go to sleep now, dude, you have things to do later," you gave her a couple more kisses and returned to your initial position on her back.

"Yes daddy!" She responded obediently and clung to the arm you had around her body to sleep.

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As was usual every time she and you slept together, you woke up first. You gave her a kiss on her temple and carefully got out of bed to go put on some clean boxers, brush your teeth, and return to her. You climbed onto the bed and crawled carefully.

"Honey, wake up, it's a matter of time before the harpy calls you," you said softly, shaking her shoulder lightly.

"Mmmm..." she shifted on the bed and opened only one eye to see you, "What time is it?" she asked with a frown.

"6PM."

As soon as you told the time she sat up and started rubbing her eyes, then she got out of bed and checked her phone.

"Damn, I need to hurry. They're already waiting for me in the lobby."

"Already? There's still an hour left."

"Yeah, but you know how things are," she moved around the room looking for something, "Damn, I left my luggage in the other room. There's a landline phone here too, right?"

"Uh huh, next to the bathroom."

She ran into the hallway, and then you heard her talk to her room service to bring her luggage, which arrived just before five minutes. With her clothes already in your room, she put on clean underwear and went into the bathroom for a few minutes. When she came out, she started to get dressed. All while you were checking your phone without bothering to put on anything other than your boxers.

"So, how do I look?" she told you, coming out of the bathroom for maybe the 6th time in half an hour.

You looked away from your phone and examined her from head to toe. This time she had put on a black cardigan with gold buttons, some flared jeans and a couple of elements from her previous outfit: the red heels and the gold necklace. She gave you a couple of flirtatious spins and blew you a kiss.

"As beautiful and spectacular as always," you winked and smiled at her.

"I'll be back. Wait for me right here, okay?" She approached you, placed her hand on your chest and gave you a kiss on the lips.

"I don't feel like going anywhere else without you, honey. Go," you nodded toward the exit hallway.

"I love you! See you later!" She grabbed her handbag and with the phone in hand she disappeared down the hallway.

"I love you too!"

You heard the door open and then close again, a sign that you would be alone for the next two or maybe three hours. You had slept less than three hours in twenty-four hours due to all the hustle and bustle of the trip and the trip itself, so you took advantage of the moment to sleep again.

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A weight on top of your body and multiple soft kisses all over your face were your alarm clock. You slowly opened your eyes to find a cute smol bean straddling you, an adorable smirk on her face.

"Wakey wakey, sleeping princess," she said as if she were singing you a lullaby. You almost fell asleep again.

"Hmm?" You rubbed your eyes with your fingers and finally opened them to take a good look at her, "Did you just get here? How did it go?"

"Nope, I got here an hour ago, but I wanted to let you sleep a little more," she leaned in to kiss your cheek, "Everything went great, I had one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had in my life, honestly."

"Did you bring me sum?"

"I would have if I had paid for it," she chuckled, "come on, get up, we have a date honey."

"Has everyone left down there? I thought I heard the commotion when you arrived."

"It's 11 at night, people should sleep, right?"

"Yeah but some people are crazy. You know how things are."

"Take it easy babe, we don't have to leave the hotel together anyway. It can be like when you picked me up at the event early."

"The most discreet thing is to go out as if you weren’t going to do anything important at all, it attracts less attention."

"You just want to leave the hotel holding my hand, right?" She raised an eyebrow. You were caught.

"I mean," you pursed your lips and shrugged, "Yeah."

"Alright, alright," she laughed, "But go get dressed then, I'm ready to go."

"If you would just get off of me I could, sweetie."

"Right, sorry," she nodded, and then got off of you.

Looking back at the amount of time it took Hanni to get ready and how long it took you made you feel a little ashamed of being just a man. It had only taken you about ten minutes to get ready to leave. You combed your hair, put on perfume, and put on all your rings: two on your right hand and two on your left. Choosing an outfit was quite easy for you, especially if you took into account that you were going to have a late-night dinner in one of the fashion capitals. A white turtleneck sweater tucked into khaki pants, a dark brown trench coat, and black Chelsea boots.

During the time that you had been getting ready, Hanni was taking photos of herself all over the room, in the end she showed you one that she took in bed and another that she took in the mirror.

"You look gorgeous, what the hell. Are you gonna post them?," you asked, making a few final adjustments to the collar of your sweater.

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing, I just want you to make sure I don't show up in any mirrors or some shit," you laughed, "I'd be hung by the balls in ADOR."

"Honey, there aren't that many mirrors in the room."

"Knowing my bad luck, my stupid ass face would show up in the reflection of the bathroom mirror," you grabbed your phone and your wallet to put both things in the pockets of your trench coat.

"But it didn't, let's go!" She gestured you toward the door.

"Did you make sure no one was outside?"

"Manager nim is aware of that, as the hotel security, so we have the green light."

"Aight, but what happens away from the hotel is our business, right?"

"Yup," she nodded.

"Fair enough," you sighed, "Let's go, honey."

After making sure you didn't forget anything, you and she left the room heading out of the hotel. You were lying if you didn't say you were nervous as shit as you walked through the lobby with her holding your hand. As you walked through the revolving door of the hotel you couldn't help but think that the best thing would have been to put on a mask and a cap, the same for her, but at that point you didn't give a damn. You were just a couple of very young adults wanting to be happy together.

You left the hotel looking in all possible directions, then you crossed the street and went to your car to get into it.

"Well, that went well didn't it?" you asked, starting the engine, which roared through the block.

"I mean, I can assure you that this thing just drew all the attention here," she laughed, and you drove away from the hotel grounds.

"In this city we're used to the sound of sports cars, honey, no one cares anymore," you laughed, driving down Via Pontaccio.

"Waaaaoh, that's the most presumptuous thing I've heard you say since I've known you."

"Non è che sia una bugia, amore," you turned for a second only to blow her a vain kiss.

"Yeah yeah whatever you say Mr. Pepperoni," you couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Can I play music?"

"If you have a perfect song that's about five minutes long, go for it," you nodded, still smiling.

She, who had perfectly understood the mood and the context in which you were, played PRIDE. by Kendrick Lamar.

"Damn, this city is beautiful, especially at night, isn't it?" She said looking out the window as you passed around the Giuseppe Garibaldi statue.

"Yes it is," you nodded, "It's gotten a lot better since I left. It feels good to be back."

"Would you bring me here again? I'd love to go sightseeing here with you..." she continued looking out the window, completely mesmerized by the city.

"Of course honey. I could even take you to meet my grandparents."

She turned around with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

"What?!" She exclaimed, causing you to laugh, "Oh no no no, I'm not ready for that, shut up."

"Sooner or later you will have no escape."

"I know, but I don't want to think about it. Shut up, shut up."

After a few minutes you arrived at your destination, the Horto Restaurant, located on the Medelan terrace, a historic building that was previously known as Palazzo Broggi. Now it was full of shops, offices of major banks and conference rooms. You went up to the terrace, asked for one of the tables on the balcony and went to sit down. It didn't take long for the waiter to arrive to pick up your order.

"I didn't ask you earlier, but how the girls are?" she asked you.

You went blank for a few seconds, formulating the answer in your head because that question encompassed a significant number of girls in your life at that moment.

"Fuck, where do I start," you sighed, "Well, Sullyoon and Haewon are perfect, I haven't been able to spend almost any time with either of them because they've been busy with their activities. Chaeyoung and Sumin are on tour. Rei is giving concerts too. And Yeseo gave a concert yesterday, I think."

"And what about Jinni?" At that moment the waiter brought you two glasses of Masseto wine, "Thank youuu!"

"Grazie mille," you thanked too, "Well, Jinni doesn't talk to me anymore. I can imagine her reasons," you shrugged.

"Oh… that sucks," she grimaced.

"Yeah but I'm not at a point in my life where I want to worry too much about that. How’s Dani?" you asked her, taking a sip of your wine.

"Oh she's great!" The smile returned to her face, "She's on vacation with her family in Australia, I guess she told you."

"Yup, but I haven't talked to her in a few days. The last thing she told me was that she wanted us to meet when the three of us were back in Korea."

"Sleepover at your house?" She took the wine from her with both eyebrows raised.

"You are more than welcome," you smiled.

"Can we take Minji?"

You stopped to think about what that question entailed and you thought about it for a few seconds.

"Only if you promise to behave," you crossed your arms, looking at her with your head tilted.

"We always behave... daddy," she gave you an innocent little smile and seconds later your food arrived.

By the end of your dinner you had also finished your first glasses of wine. The next thing you did was order a dessert, along with two more drinks. She ordered a tiramisu, and you ordered panna cotta. When you also finished the dessert you stood up, wine glasses in hand, and approached the railing to admire the city.

"Gosh, what a view huh?" she said as she looked at the west wing of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. She took a photo from there.

"You like them?" You took a sip from your glass as you looked at her.

"Are you kidding? I feel like I'm in a Renaissance painting, it's beautiful."

You took a step back and pulled out your phone to point your camera at her as she drank wine.

"And I feel like I'm in a Michelangelo painting looking at you, sweetie."

Hanni had a small moment of panic at your compliment and put her hand to her mouth to squeal in the middle of a silly smile. It was your perfect moment to take the photo. Then you sent it to her.

"Were you waiting all night to say that line?"

"Nah, it came spontaneously from me."

"Uh-huh, you wouldn't believe it yourself," she laughed, setting her almost-finished glass back on the table to approach you, "Hey... thanks for flying all the way here just for me babe... I was feeling kind of sad to have to be here alone during such an important time."

At that moment, Vivo per lei by Andrea Bocelli was playing inside the covered area. It sounded somewhat muffled due to the distance but it was perfect for the romantic moment, because the breeze also began to blow stronger.

"You have nothing to be thankful for, Phampy. And hey, you wouldn't be alone, you'd be with the harpy," you both laughed.

"Yes, it's basically like being alone," she snuggled into your chest and looked up at you, "But seriously, thank you, it means a lot to me, honey. You're wonderful... and I love you."

You should have told her that you loved her back, after all it was the most normal thing, right? Well no. Up there, under the clear night sky of Milano and with one of the most beautiful romantic pieces in history playing in the background, the first thing that came from the bottom of your heart was to surround her waist with your arms, press her to your body and kiss her.

Hanni wrapped her arms around your neck and clung to you, stroking the hair at the nape of your neck as your lips danced together in a slow, tender kiss. What you were doing was not entirely responsible, you were in a more than public place and on a terrace from where almost anyone could see you. You knew it, yes, but you didn't care in the least. That was a significant moment for you, one that would remain embroidered in your memory and your heart forever, the last thing you needed was to worry about a random snitch.

"I love you too, Phampy," you murmured against her lips, who knows how long after you'd been kissing, "Thank you for letting me be a part of your life, this honestly feels like a dream."

"You're so cute, god, stop it," she giggled and gave you a peck, "You know, the night is still young..." she put her finger on your chin and traced soft scribbles on it, "Why don't you take me back to the hotel to put the icing on the cake?"

"By cake you mean your cake, huh?" You raised an eyebrow with an amused expression.

"By cake I mean I can't wait for you to fuck my ass today. You know what the icing is... daddy," she moved closer to your neck and gave you a quick lick so no one else would see.

"Aight, we're getting out of here."

You hurried to pay the bill (another hard blow to your wallet) and you both got out of the building, got into the car and headed to the hotel again, which you arrived in record time and probably breaking some maximum speed limits. You hurried to take the elevator and go up the hallway, but Hanni, seeing that there was no one there, couldn't hold back the urge and kissed you right there.

You moved between kisses with clumsy steps and slight stumbles, in the end you saved yourself any future effort. As soon as you opened the door you picked her up so that she clung to your torso with her legs and you entered the room. You threw her back against the bed, and being between her legs you went deeper into her kiss. All tenderness had already disappeared, now you were eating each other's mouths in a fierce and passionate way, she letting out constant little moans against your lips.

Hanni took your coat off your shoulders and you helped her by taking it off your arms—when you threw it on the floor your phone must have taken a good hit, but at that moment you didn't even think about it. She also took your sweater out of your pants and put her hands in to caress your abdomen and chest. You separated from her lips and dove into her neck to fill it with kisses and light hickeys. As you did so she pulled the hem of your sweater up to take it off as well, and with your torso now bare you returned the favor by unbuttoning her cardigan and opening it wide, to reveal her black bra underneath it.

As you took off each shoe with your feet you began to trail your kisses down to her collarbone and her shoulders, making sure not to leave any non-wet areas before moving on to the next. You focused now on her tits, which contrary to what they might seem, were not small at all. Each mound was filled with kisses and licks, but before you freed them from the annoying bra, you now moved towards your favorite part of her body.

Kissing Hanni's belly always felt like kissing a soft sugar cloud; it was so perfect that you could literally spend hours just being there, filling it with kisses and licking it multiple times. While she caressed your hair and gave it little tugs with one of her hands, you unbuttoned her jeans and lowered the zipper, and without still lowering the jeans you now kissed her lower belly and her pubes above of her panties.

"Mmm..." you heard her moan softly, "Is daddy going to eat me? I would love for daddy to eat me..."

Her low, angelic voice always managed to make you feel things, and at that moment it turned you on so much that you pulled her jeans and panties down to her knees in one tug. She gasped, seeing you kneeling in front of her with the biggest 'fuck me' eyes. You took off her heels and threw them to the floor, and with her feet now free you finished removing her jeans and panties off her legs.

She crawled into bed and laid her head on a pillow to spread her legs wide, bringing one hand to her pussy to rub it up and down with two of her fingers. You dropped onto your stomach so that your face was just inches from her crotch. Normally you would have done some foreplay and been gentle, but you were too hungry for her. You grabbed her by both her soft, fleshy thighs, and without thinking twice you buried your mouth in her pussy.

"Hmm!" she moaned louder, "Yes daddy... eat your little baby's pussy, make me cum all over your face, please..."

You could always be the top and the dominant, but the truth is you were at the complete mercy of her and her requests. If she told you to jump into a puddle of mud so she could pass, you went at record speed to do it; if she ordered you to bungee jump without any type of rope, you would jump blindfolded. That was the level of control she had over you.

With how turned on you were, you didn't bother to be passionate or sensual, you got straight to the point with intense, wet kisses up and down her slit. Hanni tangled her fingers in your hair and grabbed a handful of it to tug gently. You used your tongue to give her frantic licks up and down, the velvety folds of her beginning to get wet and delicious.

Your grip on her thighs tightened. The flesh beneath your fingers trembled, and her fingers pulling at your hair made it harder and harder. You noticed her wanting to close her thighs around your head like she always did and like you always loved it, but you wanted to make her wait a little.

"Just like that daddy… yes, yes!" She squealed, pulling harder on your hair but also stroking it knowing that she hurt you.

You pressed her thighs as far back as you could, concentrating on attacking her clit quickly and sloppily, alternating between long up-and-down licks and stimulation on her hole. With your peripheral vision you noticed how she reached one hand under her back and unclasped her bra to take it off. She just left her open cardigan on. Her beautiful pair of breasts were exposed, and you soon reached up to grope one of them.

Her thighs were already too tight to contain, so you let go, and as soon as you did she trapped your head between them in a tight, soft meat sandwich. You intensified your efforts, now also adding one of your fingers to pump it in and out of her.

"Don't stop daddy..." she gasped, "Oh my god don't stop don't stop don't stop!!"

And you didn't do it in any second. Not until the pressure on either side of your head became so strong and her body became so trembling that you knew her orgasm was just around the corner. Seconds later she came, arching her back and gripping the pillow beneath her head with both hands. You collected every delicious drop of fluids with your mouth, sucking and licking up and down her pussy until they were gone.

She finally let go of your head and relaxed her legs to the sides. You wiped your chin, and knelt up to look her in the eyes.

"Do you feel like sucking daddy's cock?" you asked, unbuttoning your pants and unzipping them.

"I always feel like sucking daddy's delicious cock..." she responded breathlessly, then sat up and took off her cardigan to throw it in with the rest of her clothes.

Already completely naked from head to toe, Hanni got on all fours and crawled up to you with hungry eyes, looking up at you when she was in front of your hard bulge. She grabbed the hem of your pants and pulled them down to your knees. Her lips were planted on your bulge above your boxers, kissing the outline of your cock and also kissing your balls. It didn't take long for the drops of precum to leak through the fabric and make a stain, which she then collected with her tongue before lowering your boxers as well.

"How can I not always want to suck daddy's cock?" she asked as she set your throbbing shaft free, "It's so juicy..." wet kisses on the backside, "So big..." kisses now on your balls, "And it fits so well in my mouth."

She gave your cock a long lick from the balls to your tip and swirled her tongue there before taking a couple of inches into her mouth. A few sucks on your tip were enough for her to take a couple more inches, then she started pumping back and forth, taking a little more than half of your cock in and out of her warm mouth.

You had a wonderful view: her beautiful arched back and her perfect upturned ass. While she slurped over and over on your cock you leaned forward slightly to grope her ass to your heart's content. You squeezed each of her ass cheeks hard, and also gave a couple of spanks hard enough to make her moan around your cock.

She pulled you out of her mouth with a sharp gasp of air and spat a large amount of saliva onto your cock to jerk you off quickly. She looked into your eyes for a few long seconds, her mouth purposely half open so you could see how a thread of saliva dripped from her lower lip onto the bed.

"Does daddy want to fuck her little baby's mouth?" she asked, then started sucking your balls and filling them with saliva.

"If you promise to be a good girl and swallow it all..."

You grabbed a handful of her hair and made her lift her head slightly to lick all the way from her chin to her upper lip. That made her moan.

"I'm always a good girl... you should know that daddy… Now put that hot load down my throat,"

By her saying that you forced her to return to her initial position. She opened her mouth wide and stuck her tongue out as far as she could. You gathered as much of her hair as you could into a ponytail and held it to take your cock into her mouth. You let out a long gasp, starting to pump your hips back and forth.

Hanni stuck to being a good girl as if it were a divine commandment. She remained with her tongue hanging out and her mouth wide open; it didn't matter how deep you pushed or how fast you did it, she always did what she knew you would love. And in that moment, as you fucked her mouth faster and faster, you felt like you were going to explode at any second.

She wasn't able to take you all the way down her throat, but she did such a good job with her tongue that you didn't care at all. Her saliva began to spill down her chin, bubbling and falling to the mattress with each thrust. You moaned loudly, releasing her ponytail to now grab two handfuls of her hair with both hands, then you began to move her head against your cock.

The frantic gag sounds were like music to your ears. You growled, releasing one of the fistfuls of her hair to give her a harder spank that made her moan again. The vibrations sent to your cock were the finishing touch that with a couple more pumps, made you explode inside her mouth. You buried her head against your cock as much as you could, shooting your entire load down her throat.

"Oh yeah... take it all baby," you gasped, hearing her cough and seeing the veins in her neck pop out.

She closed her lips around your cock so that no drop of cum would escape as she swallowed it all. You stroked her hair and then the side of her face, as a reward for swallowing your entire load once your orgasm passed. You pulled your cock out of her mouth, and she took a sharp breath. Multiple thick strings of saliva connecting the tip of your cock to her lips.

"See daddy? I'm always a good girl... I swallowed it all," she stuck her tongue out for you to check.

"And since you're such a good girl..." you leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead and another on her nose, "You deserve for daddy to make love to you."

Hanni's face lit up like a streetlight and a smile spread from ear to ear. She knelt and then fell back to lay on her side, her head on the pillow.

"Come here and kiss me then, dear," she said back in her small, soothing voice.

You raised knee by knee and finished removing your pants and boxers off your legs; then you lay down on one side of her and pressed her back and your chest together. You repeated your same sleeping position, her lying on top of your right arm and her entire body against yours. Only this time you took your cock with one hand and made her put her ass back, so you could make your way between her buttocks and find her pussy, which you rubbed several times with your tip. Your cock was already well lubricated and her pussy extremely wet, so it took no effort at all to take your entire cock inside her in one smooth motion.

"Mmm..." she let out a long, adorable moan. You hugged her with both arms and began to shower her jaw with kisses, "God..."

You began to move your hips slowly, taking the entire length of your cock in and out of her wet pussy with sensual movements. It was the perfect moment for you both to enjoy each other's bodies as much as you could. With your right hand—the one around her neck—you grabbed one of her tits and massaged it, playing with her nipple from time to time. With your left hand you explored every possible corner of her body within your reach; you started with her perfect belly, caressing it from top to bottom with the palm of your hand; then your hand went to her soft thighs, squeezing one of them and later moving to her ass, which you also squeezed hard.

From her position Hanni couldn't do much, but she used what little mobility she had to caress your hair, the side of your torso, your hips and finally your butt, which she also squeezed before turning to look at you. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyebrows were arched in pleasure. She looked at your lips, and pulled you towards her to kiss her.

While you shared a kiss full of passion and small moans you lifted one of her legs, holding it by the back of her knee and pressing it against her torso. Hanni moaned louder against your lips, and you did it back, feeling in absolute heaven as you fucked her with slow, strong, deep pumps.

"Oh my god... you drive me so fucking crazy darling..." she murmured against your lips between gasps.

"You drive me crazy too, baby..." you bit her lower lip, then looked into her eyes, "I absolutely love every part of you... you're so fucking perfect."

You gave her a few harder, faster thrusts for a few seconds, now kissing her chin and neck. She pulled you gently by her hair.

"Absolutely every part of me is yours... my entire fucking existence belongs to you, fuck," she moaned, breathing becoming louder and more ragged.

You let go of her leg and let it fall back so that it was bent toward her body. Now you rested that hand on her soft waist, holding on there with your fingers as hard as you could.

"Say it... tell me you're completely mine," you murmured against her neck, which you then bit gently.

"I'm completely yours, damn it! And I love you so much that I wouldn't mind being it forever! Fuck!!"

That last sentence of hers, said between loud moans and gasps, was the precursor to one of the strongest orgasms you could ever cause in her. She clung to your right forearm with both hands, letting out beautiful squeals of pleasure that urged you to kiss her again. You fucked her non-stop during her orgasm, which made her writhe in your arms and let out a small load of hot fluids that you felt soaked part of your cock.

"And you..." she whispered, "You are completely mine," she looked into your eyes, "You belong to me. Every part of you, from head to toe. Everything about you says Hanni Pham’s property."

Her words were a breaking point for you. You couldn't take it anymore, and with a sudden burst of energy you forgot that you were making love to her. You fucked her as fast and hard as you could, holding on to one of her tits as if your life depended on it and putting such pressure on her waist that it could very well hurt later. You buried your face in her neck once more, and it only took a few seconds for you to explode inside her again. This time filling her pussy with so much cum that you felt like it was already spilling out after a couple of pumps.

"Oh yeah... give me all that load dear, put it all inside me, fill me and make me more yours than I already am..." she said in a low voice as you spilled the last drops.

"You're lucky you're on the pills..." you mumbled between tired breaths, "Because if you tell me that I just want to put a baby in you."

"Right now it's impossible... in the future, who knows."

You looked up to look at her for a few seconds and then kiss her again as you let your cock slide out of her pussy—forming a massive pool of cum on the mattress that you didn't bother to clean up at the time. You two completely lost track of time, two minutes or two hours could have passed while you were kissing. You didn't know, what you did know is that it didn't end there. And also that you already felt ready for one last round.

"The icing is still missing on the cake... don't you think?" you asked, and she gave you a mischievous smile.

"Did you bring lube? I didn't think I'd need it."

"Unlike you..."

You got out of bed and went to your bag, you dug to the bottom of it and took out the water-based lubricant that you and she always used.

"I'm always prepared for anything," you winked at her and went back to bed.

"How do I know you haven't had it there since you went to fuck Haewon or some shit like that?" she raised both eyebrows in an expression that made you laugh.

"As real as that sounds to you and me, no. I put it there thinking exclusively of you," you gave her a peck on the lips and gave her a little spank.

"Wow, that's thoughtful, isn't it?" you noticed the sarcasm in her voice, "Does that mean you really fucked her ass?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask her?"

You grabbed her by the waist and forced her onto her stomach, then she herself lifted her butt and got on her forearms and knees for you. You settled on your knees behind her pretty round ass, your cock resting between her butt cheeks.

"Because I don't care, no ass will feel better than mine to you."

She looked over her shoulder at you with a mischievous expression and arched her back even further, pressing the side of her face into the bed. You took the bottle of lubricant and started pouring it all over her ass, including your cock in the middle. After having poured a not at all modest amount you put the bottle aside and began to spread the liquid, making her pale buttocks so shiny that they reflected the ceiling lights. You repeated the process with your cock, and then used your fingers to spread it into her butthole as well.

"That's a pretty humble take, huh?" you imitated the sarcasm in her voice.

"Put that cock in there and you'll find out, daddy," she returned to the spiciest tone of voice, the one that made you fuck her in the middle of an alley.

You didn't make her wait. You took your cock in one hand, pressed it against her butthole and slowly sank into it. She frowned and moaned, engulfing your cock inch by inch until it disappeared between her ass cheeks. You let your pelvis rest against her ass, all the while you just looked at her.

"Fuck, maybe you're right. I don't think there's an ass that feels as good as this one."

You gave one of her buttocks a hard spank, the hardest of the night, and repeated the same with the other. Hanni let out little squeals at both of them. You began to move slowly back and forth, slow pumps at first to let her walls get used to it.

"Is this daddy's favorite ass then? Hm?" she asked with a provocative tone.

Certainly Haewon's ass was a strong contender, and Rei's wasn't that far off either, but you had to give in to the truth.

"Yes it is..." you replied as you made circles on her buttocks with your hands, "now shut up and let daddy pound it really good."

As a good man of your word you did so. You clung to her waist with both hands, making sure she was looking at you before you began to increase your pace. With each thrust Hanni's face twisted more and her face became redder with pleasure. Her body shook with increasing violence as your pelvis slammed harder against her ass and filled the room with the sound of your lewd act.

"Give me your damn hands," you ordered, and she obediently put her hands behind her back.

You put her hands on top of each other and then grabbed both of her forearms with your hand. With that point of grip you began the real action, now fucking her ass in such a way that even that bed squeaked every few seconds. You raised your free hand and gave her another hard spank.

"Oh fuck!!" She squealed, "Give me more daddy! Let your good girl's ass fucking red!!"

You switched the hand you had on her forearms and now gave her other buttock a series of consecutive spanks that made her scream into the sheets. You didn't stop until her right buttock was as red as a tomato, and then you repeated the process with the other. With Hanni's request fulfilled, you brought her knees together and made her lie on her stomach to now fuck her prone bone.

"Now you feel kinky huh?" you growled.

You let go of her forearms and leaned forward, grabbing a handful of her hair and lifting her head just to shower her neck with kisses. Hanni clung to your neck with one hand and you felt her grip her fingers around it. You pumped up and down as hard as you could, pinning her against the bed.

"I-I..." she stuttered, "D-Daddy, I'm going to... HMMM!!"

Just before she finished her sentence you noticed all the muscles in her ass tighten around your shaft. Hanni's legs began to shake, and she rolled her eyes back as she grunted in pleasure. You stood up straight again and released the handful of her hair with a sharp downward push. She leaned on her hands and watched you over her shoulder as you continued fucking her ass.

"So? What are you waiting for to put the icing on the cake daddy?" she raised an eyebrow letting you know that she was ready for more.

"I hope you know how to hide the pain in your legs, you slut."

You pulled out of her ass and made her lie on her back. She spread her legs wide, gripping her own thighs, and you returned inside her butthole with a single strong thrust. Now you were looking into her eyes, and she was looking straight back at you. You let her take care of holding her legs, and you concentrated on bringing her hands to her neck to press your fingers around it.

"I don't care about the damn pain..." she managed to say through her throat slightly clogged by your fingers, "Just put all that load inside me, daddy..."

You didn't need to remember how much power she and her words had over you, but those damn words made you feral. You removed her hands from her thighs and grabbed them yourself, only to pull them back and press them tight against her torso. You leaned forward, and placed your hands on her sides to use your body as weight.

Now your face and hers weren't too far from each other. She cradled your face with her hands, and made you stare at her while you pounded her ass like an animal. The tide of stimulus soon became too strong. Her deep eyes fixed on you; her blushing cheeks; her mouth half open and gasping with pleasure; her sweaty skin constantly rubbing against yours; and above all, her incredibly tight ass, which in a few seconds brought you to one last orgasm.

"Mmmghh!!" you growled, tensing all the muscles in your neck as you gave one last hard push down.

"Hmm!!" She moaned with you, "That's it daddy, give it to me all... all of it!!"

You didn't hold back the urge to kiss her as you shot thick jets of semen into her ass, now giving slow, deep thrusts so that she felt absolutely every drop of it filling her. She moaned against your lips, and released her legs from the pressure of your body to wrap them around your torso. Then she wrapped her arms around your neck as well, and once again, you kissed for longer than you could imagine.

"What a way to end the night, huh?" you asked between labored breaths once you maked out for about five minutes.

"Oh yeah..." she nodded, placing kisses on your chin and another on your nose, "It was more than necessary."

"Are you flying to Korea tomorrow?"

"I think so, and you?"

"I don't know, I might stay here a couple more days before I take the flight."

"And keep paying for that damn beast down there?" she laughed.

"Oh hell no, our mechanic friend already did his job perfectly. But maybe you'll see him again in Korea."

"Then I'll pull your ears for spending that kind of money."

"It's not like you didn't like it," you laughed.

You stood up and started looking for things for you and Hanni to clean up. Once both bodies were clean, you turned on the air conditioning and turned off the lights. Now you only had the light from one of the lamps on each side of the bed. You settled under the blanket, she clinging to you with her arms and legs like a koala clinging to her branch.

"I love you, Phampy... sweet dreams," you kissed her forehead and then her lips.

"I love you too dear… thank you for being here with me," she said softly before closing her eyes.

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

Spren Notes: Well, first of all, I must apologize once again for filling this piece with so much Italianness everywhere lmao. It was necessary. This is probably the most personal and close to my heart piece I have ever written. I just hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

[bbsmuts]

Midas's Gift ft. Kiss of Life Natty

A/N: This was a request from @dav1233555. No kinky shit here, just a nice, wholesome smut, if such a thing exists. Just as a note, our main character is supposed to be a high-up executive in a successful engineering/engineering company. I don't know how that works, I'm a lawyer. At the request of the pitcher, we'll call him Y/N when we need to, which isn't something I usually do but not a problem. Enjoy!

-상훈

Length: 5.47k

No TWs today you kinky little bastards 😁

Ok, I lied, maybe some light choking/spanking.

Tags: Wholesome-ish, light choking, light spanking, throatfuck

It was a warm, bright kind of morning; the sunlight shone through the gold-colored curtains in Natty's room, making them look a pleasant, shimmery amber, with a beam of it falling over my back. Faint sounds of other apartment residents could be heard from every side I groaned languidly and rolled over onto my back, the warmth streaming through the window felt nice.

To my right, Natty gave a sleepy moan and turned on her side to face me, her arm sliding across my chest. She pulled herself closer to me, and her other hand took hold of my arm, slowly caressing my bicep.

"Good morning oppa," she murmured drowsily in an adorably high-pitched morning voice, hugging me from the side. I opened one eye and smiled at her cute face gazing back at me.

"Sleep well, babe?" I asked, shutting my eye again.

"The best." She yawned. "I was so tired after last night..."

"Yeah, me too." I put my arm around her slim form and pulled her closer. "What time is it?"

I heard the sound of the sheets rustling and then her voice.

"9 am, just about."

I yawned and kept my eyes shut. "Shit, I have to go soon."

She snuggled in close to me, resting her head on my pec. "But not yet." She was quiet for a moment. "Your morning voice is so sexy oppa..."

I chuckled, slowly stroking her hair. "So's yours."

She gave soft purrs at my stroking. "Really?"

I turned onto my side to face her, smiling. "Really."

She giggled and buried her face in my chest. "Oppa I love you."

"Love you too, baby." I planted a kiss on her head, and I could feel her smile against me. My hand dipped lower, slithering down her back and caressing her supple ass cheeks, massaging a quiet moan from her.

"Mmm, you like that baby?"

"Ohh yes...yes I do..."

I pulled her on top of me and she opened her legs, her pussy pressing on me, releasing a rush of blood to my cock and stirring it from its rest. I pulled her head down and kissed her lovingly, and then she pushed herself up and started slowly grinding her hips on me, letting out soft whimpers.

Natty's breath was shaky and her voice needy as she bent down, moaning in my ear.

"O-oppa...I need you..."

"Fuck, baby, I need you too."

I grabbed her hips, guiding my tip to her entrance, and pushed into her slowly. She and I moaned in unison, the sound's volume increasing the deeper I went. I bottomed out after come considerable resistance, and she pushed herself up on my pecs, starting to ride me. Her arms trembled slightly as she moaned, gyrating and bouncing her hips on me and driving me in and out of her. I times thrusts with her bouncing, ramming my cock deeper inside her.

"F-fuck, you're so big oppa! Ohh my god yes, harder!"

My eyebrows contracted as her pussy tightened around me, her walls squeezing and pleasuring me. "Ugh, you're tight babe, so fucking tight, god!" I groaned through gritted teeth. I pulled her close to me and rolled over, lifting her legs into the air and fucking her pussy vigorously, making her moan louder.

"Oh, oh fuck yes, harder, please!" She yelled. "Fucking pound me, that's it, YES!"

I reached around her thighs and squeezed her tits roughly, drawing more cries from her. She moaned out mindless nonsense, incomprehensibly begging for more.

"Fuck, it's so good oppa! So fucking big in me, I'm gonna cum!"

I knew that, and I also knew my own peak was approaching. I gritted my teeth and rammed into her harder, fucking her raw and driving her to her orgasm like a chauffeur in a limo. I hooked her knees over my shoulders and leaned down, keeping up my hard and fast thrusts while whispering in her ear.

"Are you gonna cum for me baby?"

"Yes oppa, I'm so close, don't stop!" She cried into my ear.

I felt her pussy clenching and contracting wildly around me and her shrieks of pleasure increased in volume.

"I'm cumming! Keep fucking me!"

I closed my eyes and kept postponing my hips forward, allowing her cries to envelop my half-vacant brain. I heard her scream and felt a gush of warm juices spray over my abs. Feeling my own pleasure rising to an apex, I buried myself to the hilt inside her and struck gold, also known as her cervix. She gasped at the sudden contact and the deluge of hot seed that was shot deep down her tunnel, triggering her second orgasm. She let out a small "Oh, fuck", not having the breath in her lungs for a loud sound. Then she sucked in a breath and moaned, her voice breaking a bit.

I rolled off her, panting a lot, feeling the blood start to empty from my softening cock. Natty took a minute to recover before speaking.

"That was - fuck, that was amazing."

I turned her head towards mine and kissed her. Then I caught sight of the clock and groaned. "It's 9:15, I really have to get ready and go."

"Aww, okay."

I reluctantly got out of bed and went to the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and styled my hair. I got dressed, putting on the suit I had taken off last night after going straight to Natty's place from work. Black blazer and pants, white button-down, blue tie, the obligatory watch, my black shoes, and my favorite lapel pin. Perfection.

I gave Natty one more kiss goodbye, putting all my willpower into resisting the urge her naked body forced on me, then took the elevator down to the ground floor. I got in my car and then drove away, heading towards the office.

After parking my car in the huge building's parking lot, I made my way inside with my briefcase in hand, the usual morning greetings meeting me from all sides.

"Good morning, Mr. L/N."

"Morning, Y/N."

"Looking sharp, Y/N."

Nodding respectfully at all of them, I immediately made a beeline for the coffee bar. "Morning, Min." I said to Minjoon, a coworker and friend of mine, who nodded. I set down my briefcase at the nearest table and filled a cup to the brim, lidded it, and left, heading for the elevator. A short trip later, I arrived on the 15th floor and marched up to the desk of my secretary, who chuckled as I approached, sat down in front of her desk, and set down my briefcase momentarily.

"Busy day for you, I'm afraid, Mr. L/N. Twenty-two calls, what I count to be a few million emails, a stack of paperwork a foot tall, and a very upset client."

I sighed and facepalmed, wishing heartily I could be back with Natty right now. "Jesus Christ, and here I was hoping for an easy day."

She laughed. "Easy day? Good one. The upset client happens to be Mr. Han Jong-min, the manager of a construction site we approved and sponsored, who has found a major issue with the location that was sanctioned for their foundation."

I sat back in the chair and let my head fall back. "Him again? My god, has there been one site we've approved for him that he hasn't deep searched, found a minor problem in, and tried to sue us all for it?"

"I don't believe so, Mr. L/N." Her amused voice said.

I sat back up, exasperated. "What's this major problem he found?"

"I'm not entirely sure of that. You'll have to talk to him."

I sighed again, stood up, and seized my briefcase. "Alright, let me go and placate this penny-pinching bastard. Thanks, Sunhee."

"You're welcome, sir. Have fun."

I snorted as I closed my office door, dropping into my chair with a groan. I could tell today would be quite the stressful day, seeing as I was dealing with that son of a bitch Han Jong-min, who tried to find as many issues as possible with the construction sites I and my associates approved. Almost every single time, they were minor issues that wouldn't affect the buildings being constructed. And every single time, they weren't my fault, they were the inspectors' faults, but it somehow always became my problem.

There was indeed a large stack of paperwork on my desk. A lot of files. I opened and logged into my computer to see an astronomical 267 emails, killing another small part of my brain.

"Jesus fucking Christ, why couldn't today be a chill day..." I opened my Gmail and looked through said emails. Excluding social emails, promotions, and spam, I had 3 legitimate emails to read. One was from a coworker, reminding me about a conference today. Another was from my boss, saying he wanted to talk to me later today, and the other was from Han Jong-min, and just from reading the first few words in the preview I could tell I was in for a hell of a time with him.

...

After sorting out the other two emails, meeting with my boss, participating in the press conference, it was time to sort out the construction site. Unless he had a legitimate issue this time, I was finished fucking around with him.

With a sigh, I picked up my phone and dialed his number. I tapped my fingers on my desk while the line rung, and then he picked up.

"Han Jong-min speaking."

"It's Y/N L/N." I said, trying to remove all the annoyance from my voice. (I think that's how you'd put a full name, I don't know). "I was informed that you wished to speak about a problem on your site?"

"Ah yes, Mr. L/N. My crew have indeed run into a problem while preparing to lay the foundation of the building."

"And what would that be, Mr. Han?"

"There's a large, eroded underground cavity in the southeast corner of the lot, which has now collapsed into a sinkhole, taking one of my men with it!"

I raised my eyebrows. "He's dead?"

"No, he's been hospitalized with a broken arm and a broken hip."

"Well, I'm terribly sorry to hear that." I paused. "Unfortunately, there's very little I can do to help you right now."

"What the hell do you mean, very little? We can't build here!"

"I'm aware of that, Mr. Han. But I'm not in charge of sanctioning new build sites, nor am I allowed to. I suggest you speak with one of my superiors."

He sighed. "Alright. I'm sorry for troubling you again, Y/N."

Mood lightened and exasperation softened, I spoke back. "That's quite alright, not to worry. Good luck, Mr. Han."

"The same to you, Mr. L/N."

I hung up, surprised that we had ended on a good note. I was expecting an argument at the very least. Shrugging, I returned to the stack of paperwork, mentally steeling myself for another few hours of innately mind-murdering busywork.

...

There was a knock at my door about two hours in, and I heard my secretary's voice.

"Mr. L/N?"

"Come in." My voice was a bit hoarse.

She entered the room and walked to my desk, holding a small stack of paper.

"More paperwork, I'm afraid. But not much."

She handed me the papers, which I added to the stack.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Well, it's getting quite late, Mr. L/N. Would it be possible for me to leave?"

I looked at my watch, and was surprised to see how late it was.

"Damn, is it that time already?" I shook my head in disbelief. "Must have lost track of time. Yes, you can go, I'll be fine here by myself."

She smiled, bowing respectfully and seeing herself out. "Thank you, sir. Have a good night."

"You too, Sunhee."

I smiled myself, her happiness contagious as always. She had been my secretary for a good 8 years, and had not once failed to be of the utmost help when I needed it. So I never missed an opportunity to let her go early, as was the case today.

I finished up the paperwork as quickly as I could, and then had an idea. I picked up my phone once more and dialed Natty's number.

She picked up almost immediately.

"Oppa?"

The sound of her voice after such a long day was like music to my ears.

"Hey, baby." I paused, smiling. "What do you think about dinner together tonight?"

...

I had planned to head straight home to change and get ready, but on my way home I spotted a familiar sign that read "예작쥬���리" (Yei-Jak Jewelry), and another idea formed in my head.

I parked my car on the side of the street by the shop and stepped out, taking off my sunglasses and walking into the shop. The store's owner, who I knew quite well, was happy to see me back.

"Ah, Mr. L/N. Long time no see."

I chuckled. "Been about three months, hasn't it, Seo-jun?"

"Indeed, about that. What shall it be today, my friend?"

"Hmm..." I looked around at the various options on shelves, in display containers, and inside the glass cabinet in front of me, and decided I'd let him pick. "I'm thinking something gold. Elegant. Robust, but subtle. Maybe inlaid with a stone...something fit for a woman of unrivaled grace and elegance."

"I see." He smiled. "Well, I happen to have a perfect little piece for such a woman...we just got it handmade..." He walked into the back of the shop and brought out a small box, which he opened and took a case out of. It was a velvety, dark blue case with "예작쥬얼리" stamped in gold letters. Upon my opening the box, a light turned on and shone upon an artistic and sophisticated golden necklace, inlaid with a tanzanite pendant, which was surrounded by tiny diamonds.

"Solid 24 carat gold chain with a titanium lobster clasp, one 120 carat kite cut tanzanite stone, and fifteen .25 carat round cut diamonds. All pure and natural materials, hand-crafted in and shipped directly from Florence, Italy."

I nodded approvingly. "Sounds very good. How much?"

"That will be...$1500." He leaned forward. "Don't tell anyone, but it would normally be $1800."

I pulled my wallet out of my jacket pocket, smiling, and took out my card. After he entered the amount, I swiped it and put it back in my wallet. He handed me the box, shutting it, and I stowed my wallet back in the pocket.

"Thanks very much, Seo-jun."

"Anytime, Mr. L/N." He smiled as I saw myself out.

I hopped back in my car and hurried home with the necklace, already beginning to imagine Natty's face when she got it. Just the thought made me happy, and my mind was consumed with thoughts of her as I changed into my best suit.

I fixed my hair, which the wind from my convertible's open roof had messed up, and secured it with gel, touched up the polish on my shoes, straightened my tie, spritzed my favorite cologne on my purse points, and tucked in my pocket square.

Let's do this.

...

I picked Natty up from her apartment at about 6:20 pm, her looking as beautiful as ever. She was wearing a tight black dress that showed just the slightest hint of cleavage and most of her thighs; just enough to leave me wanting more.

I stepped out and took her in my arms, kissing her neck passionately. "Hey, babe." I murmured into her ear, and she buried her face in my jacket, giggling.

"Ooh, you smell good oppa."

I chuckled. "It's Bleu de Chanel. You like it?" (I know I do)

She took a deep inhale before pulling back slightly, smiling up at me. "Yeah, I love that one."

I smiled back, giving her another peck on the lips. "Great, let's go."

I pulled up to the restaurant in my car with the roof down and sunglasses on, despite the fact that it was 6:30 pm and the sun was entirely set.

I stepped out, walked around and helped Natty out, straightened my blazer, and placed my key into the outstretched hand of the valet. He looked fairly excited to drive it, and I smirked at his expression. He stepped into the car and the engine roared at his touch on the pedals.

"Classy ride, sir."

I nodded and chuckled. "Indeed it is. Be careful, it wasn't cheap."

He nodded. "Of course, sir." Then he pulled away, the car's rear headlights blazing. I waited by the

Arm in arm, we walked into the bustling restaurant, the brightly lit sign on the exterior wall shining in my eyes: 중식당

"Reservation for L/N?" I said to the host, who nodded. "Right this way, sir."

We followed him to a small, two-seater table with a white, gold-laced tablecloth and a candle burning low in a fancy golden candlestick. The host nodded at our thanks and then returned to his post. We sat down, and were immediately approached by a waiter.

"Anything to drink, sir? Miss?"

I considered for a moment. "What do you have as far as wine?"

The waiter smiled. "Allow me to get you a menu."

He returned moments later with two meal menus and a small drink menu. Upon opening it, I immediately found my choice: Argiano Brunello di Montalcino, choice from Tuscany.

"The Argiano, please. Yes, the bottle."

"Yes, sir." He bustled off to get the bottle and we were left to each other again.

"So," I said, loosening my tie a bit in the warmth of the building and looking into her eyes, "got any plans for later?"

"Oh, I think I do." She said playfully. "Or should I say...we do."

I smirked. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing."

The waiter came back with the bottle and filled our glasses, leaving it in a bucket of ice.

"A toast?" She suggested, holding up her glass."

"Alright." I sloshed the wine in my glass around and raised it. "Here's to...a long night of pounding you senseless."

She giggled, blushing, and clinked her glass against mine. "Cheers to that, oppa."

We both took a small sip of the fine wine, the fresh initial notes and tart aftertaste making the drink quite the magnificent choice.

"Mm," she said, after setting her glass down. "Good choice, oppa."

"Indeed." I took another small nip of the wine before setting my own glass down and picking up the menu. "Jungsik's choices of entrees are quite nice as well."

The waiter approached once more, this time with a notepad. "Perhaps an appetizer, sir? Miss?"

I reviewed their options, and almost immediately found the choice option.

"The sea urchin bibimbap, please." (Yes, I did look up the menu. You're welcome.)

"Excellent choice, sir. Miss?"

"Kimbap, please."

The waiter nodded. "Yes, miss."

He left with our orders. Surprisingly quickly, in a matter of minutes, he returned with our dishes on a platter, and handed each of them to us respectively. He bowed and left again.

As always, the food was impeccable, and we hadn't even gotten the entrees yet. I was barely paying attention to the food, since my hands were really starting to itch towards the case in my pocket. But I held off on it, knowing I should save it for later.

After a short time, the waiter came back and collected out bowls, ready to take the next order.

I ordered the langoustine (for reference, this is a dish made with Norwegian lobster), and Natty got the duck (self-explanatory). Then we were left alone to our conversation.

The taste of langoustine is incomparable; a juicy, slightly sweet, and a bit creamy fish, it's not quite like anything else, including its Pacific lobster counterparts. The exquisite substance's flavor and juices spread over my tongue, satisfying every receptor cell, quite like Natty's.

Wait, what?

Before I could stop the dirty analogy from blossoming into a fully fledged fantasy, quite the erotic image floated to the surface of my mind. My mind's eye traveled down Natty's naked body, spread eagled on my bed, wet and needy. I dispelled it's fast as I could before I got hard right there in my seat, but I knew that image would become reality soon enough.

"I know what you're thinking about, oppa." Natty said in a playful tone, though it was laced with a faint trace of seduction. "I know that look."

"Oh, do you?" I leaned forward, swallowing my last bite of lobster. I raised my eyebrows and smirked, knowing she was right. "Then tell me."

The flame light from the candle shone and danced on her face and in her eyes, giving them a dark glow as she looked at me. "You're thinking about me." She said in a quiet voice. "Horny, wet, and wanting you really bad. Well guess what, oppa." she continued, inclining her head towards me. "That's me right now."

"Oh really?" My smirk widened. "Better finish up quick then. You get dessert when we get home."

"Looking forward to that, daddy."

We weren't generally a kinky couple, but her words did in fact make my cock twitch a bit. She took care to chew her last bite very slowly; seemingly savoring the taste with relish and puckering her lips a bit with each movement of her jaw. She swallowed very controlledly, giving a small sigh as though of enjoyment, and looked me right in the eye, as though daring me to do something about it, an initiative I was wholeheartedly willing to endorse but unfortunately couldn't, at least not right now.

The waiter came around, seeing that we had finished, and I asked for the bill, which I already knew would be pricey but entirely worth it. I paid the extortionate bill and then we stood to leave. At the door, I decided it was time.

I took the small box out of my pocket while walking behind her. "Natty?"

She turned and looked at me, inclining her head. "Yes?"

"I have something for you."

I opened the box behind my back and then brought it around. She gasped at the sight of it, her hands flying to her mouth. I held it out and open as if I were proposing, and she took it into one hand silently, eyes locked on the pendant and one hand still over her mouth.

"Oppa..." She looked back up at me, eyes wide. "For me?"

I smiled. "Yes, for you."

She was quiet for a short moment and then she sprang towards me and threw her arms around me, beaming and giggling. "Thank you so much oppa! It's beautiful!"

I couldn't help but smile myself at her elation, a sense of happiness filling me as well. She pulled back slightly, absolutely glowing with joy, and then she sprung up on her toes and kissed me, still smiling against my lips. She broke it off and hugged me again, resting her head on my shoulder.

"You're welcome, baby." I said into her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too." Her voice sounded in my ear.

Her eyes were radiant with happiness as she took a step back.

"S-should I put it on?"

"Yes, of course. I didn't get it for nothing, did I?"

She took the necklace out of its case and clasped it around her neck, and the pendant fell and dangled just below her collarbone, making a very nice addition to the black dress.

"How does it look?" She asked, striking a pose.

"Beautiful. You look beautiful."

She beamed once more and hugged me again.

"Let's get on the way, shall we?"

We walked to the car arm-in-arm, and then we started the drive home.

"Oppa," Natty said a minute into the drive, after reverently putting the necklace back in its case. "How much did you pay for this necklace?"

"Uhhhm...let's not get into that." I replied, and we both laughed.

...

I parked my car in my garage and led her inside, and as soon as the door was shut behind me I pushed her against it, and she moaned as I kissed her, hands snaking around her waist and caressing her ass. She slipped her arms around my shoulders and deepened the kiss. I steered the two of us towards the bedroom, shedding my blazer and laying it over the couch as we made our way to the door. Once inside, I loosened my tie while she let her dress slip down over her slender form, revealing the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra or panties. I unbuttoned my shirt and stripped it off, and she bit her lip at the sight. She approached and slowly ran her hands over my bare chest, and I made her gasp as I reached down and rubbed her exposed pussy lightly. Her eyebrows arched and her breathing became heavier, a small moan escaping her at my touch. I unbuttoned my pants and rid myself of them and my boxers, and she knelt without hesitation, putting her hair back out of her face.

"Fuck," I groaned, her warm lips sliding smoothly over my tip. Within seconds, she had reached the base, gagging obscenely and sending ripples of pleasure through me. "God, Natty..."

She popped off me and replaced her mouth with her hand. "Mm, you like that oppa?"

She didn't give me time to answer before diving back in. I grabbed her head and pumped my hips forward, thrusting deeper into her throat. She kept a steady and unwavering gaze on me even as she throated me. She have herself no pauses, no breaks, and no mercy, impaling her throat on my cock. I moaned and pulled her deeper, and her eyes rolled back as she choked.

I pulled out of her throat, not wanting to cum too soon, and lifted her onto her feet. She panted for a moment and then laid across the bed, legs spread enticingly. I jumped on that opportunity, and knelt at the edge of the bed. A yelp escaped her lips as I buried my face between her thighs, tonguing her folds with expert finesse. She clutched my head and tugged at my hair gently, moaning and giving small shivers of pleasure as I licked her. I swiped and pressed on her clit with my tongue and circled her entrance with well-practiced ease.

"Oh, oh fuck oppa, it feels so good!" She cried. "Yes, yes, oh god yes, keep going!"

I pushed two fingers into her pussy and pistons my arm back and forth at a very fast pace, grazing her g-spot and making her moan louder, body trembling slightly as she neared her peak. The combination of sensations was quickly driving her to an orgasm.

"I'm gonna c-cum oppa it's too good!" Her whines of pleasure filled my ears, fueling me to go harder, faster. I pumped my fingers into her powerfully, her hands grasping my head crazily and pulling me further in. "G-gonna cum..."

I curled my fingers up into her g-spot and rubbed roughly, which finally did the trick to make her cum. She bucked her hips into my face as she squirted onto me, a gush of liquid spraying over my face and upper chest while she shrieked in pleasure, her hands clutching at the bedsheets.

She fell limp onto the bed again, breathing quickly and shakily as if she'd just run a marathon. I got up, letting her recover for a moment, and then climbed onto the bed.

"Get up."

She obeyed without hesitation, maneuvering onto her hands and knees in front of me, presenting her pussy to be fucked. I moved forward and slid into her tight, wet pussy with a loud groan.

"Mmmph!" She squealed, letting her head fall down so her ass was in the air. A sweet symphony of pleasure began to rise from her as I started slowly, moving my hips back and forth.

"Mmmh yes, that's - fuck..."

Her body pushed back against me, wanting more, and I grabbed her waist and pushed harder, drilling past the resistance and probing deep spots in her.

"Ah...oh god, oh fuck!"

I snapped my hips forward, drawing a cry from her, and picking up my pace, fucking her faster. My first touch on her hypersensitive clit made her gasp, her legs quivering, and then I resumed my earlier fingering of it, all while pounding her intensely.

"Fuck yes, don't stop! It feels so good oppa!"

I slipped my loose tie off my neck and put it around hers, and she gasped sharply as I tightened it and pulled her head back, bringing her torso up as well.

"Mmh yes choke me, pound me harder!"

Her pussy clenched around me and drew a moan from my own mouth, a throaty sound that only served to voice a fraction of the incredibly pleasurable pressure that was being exerted on every millimeter of my shaft.

"You're so big inside me oppa! So good, fuck! You fill me up so good..."

"Fuck!" I pumped harder, giving the tie a small yank, which made her gasp. I slapped her ass hard, making her yelp, and reached around to finger her clit. The blend of sensations and pleasures was rapidly pushing her closer to her climax. Her legs trembled and quivered with each forceful thrust, and her moans started to get louder. I smacked her ass again, and she pushed her hips back against me, meeting my at the apex of my thrusts. Pushing her shoulders down and making her ass stick up, I raised the angle of my movements to go deeper inside her, bottoming out with each stroke.

"Oh god it's so deep, you're so fucking d-deep in me! I'm gonna cum!"

I grunted with the effort of keeping up the strenuous pace, the pleasure starting to overtake me as well. It built, slowly at first but then at an exponential pace.

"God, you're so tight, fuck!"

"F-fuck, I'm cumming..." Natty moaned, voice trailing off in the orgasmic pleasure of her peak. A moment later, her voice erupted in a fresh wail as she reached it. Her juices splattered over my balls and thighs, the sensation proving to be too much for me too.

I buried myself as far as I could go inside her and exploded, groaning loudly as my cum spewed deep into her womb. She moaned again at the sensation and then collapsed, body shaking. I settled next to her, thinking we'd get a quick rest before cleaning up.

...

A while later, I got up and headed to the bathroom. I went to my bathtub and filled it full of hot water and soap bubbles, then went back to the bed and picked Natty up. She was half asleep, but came to full consciousness once I lifted her. I lowered her into the water slowly, and she whimpered quietly at the feeling of the hot water on her hypersensitive pussy. She relaxed and sighed softly once she was submerged, and then I climbed into the tub with her. I moved her in font of me so her back was against my chest, and she rested her head against it languidly, resting in the warmth.

"Thank you oppa."

I reached my arms around her and pulled her closer, kissing her neck lovingly. She moaned softly, hands caressing my thighs.

"You're so beautiful, baby."

She giggled. "So are you."

I chuckled. "I'm beautiful?"

"No." She tilted her head back and planted a kiss on my jaw. "Sexy."

I smirked. "That's more like it."

We sat there soaking in the water for a while more, enjoying being with each other, until I got out, churning the water around loudly, and drained it. It was pretty hard resisting the temptation of fucking her soapy naked body again, but I knew she was tired out for now and wanted to rest. I hoisted her out of the tub and dried us both off, then sat down on the bed with her. She covered the two of us with a blanket and snuggled close to me, looking adorable with her hair all wet.

"Oppa we should watch a movie."

I nodded. "Good idea."

I grabbed the remote from the bedside table and turned on my TV.

"What do you wanna watch babe?"

"I dunno, something...action."

I smiled. "Oh, I have an idea."

Heading over to Netflix, I put on Extraction (this movie is SO GOOD), and settled in for a solid 2 hours of nonstop gunshots , punches, and stabs.

It was going to be a good night.

A/N: Might not be perfect, but as always I'm busy, so I have to do things as quick as I can. I hope you enjoyed!

[evilminji]

Okay, but... now I'm wondering >.>

@the-witchhunter We talked about Danny being Morningstar's feral, probably engineering oils and ectoplasmic goo covered, mad scientist/himbo hybrid (attack) purse dog. His special lil guy.

But!

I seek your Knowledge(TM).

From second hand accounts? He seems to HATE the hypocrisy. The blaming HIM for humanity's own choices. The rat race and endless song n dance of "Righteous Good VS. Cartoonish Evil". Because it let's humanity paint themselves the helpless victims. Because it's all surface level. Because it is not so easy to escape the ugliness of your Sins, yet they keep trying to scapegoat him.

Fuck um.

He was tired of it.

But? He still has CONSIDERABLE POWER. It's probably written down. And the Ring Of Rage? Is proooobably not the loveliest of artifacts? I imagine, like the Crown, it's NOT leaving Danny alone. One of those "we don't CARE if there is no throne left to sit upon, you WILL wear us, as King" sort of systems.

It genuinely would not and DOES NOT matter, if not a single soul in all the Zone bows to him. Did he defeat the previous holder of their Right To Rulership? Yes or No.

If No, fuck off.

If Yes, new monarch.

Is it hurting him? Not the rings problem. Nor the Crown's. Heavy is the weight, etc etc. But! DANNY would certainly care. He is... is ANGRY all the time now. Has no idea who would even MAKE this bullshit ring. Why JUST Rage? Yeah, it makes ghosts stronger, but at what COST?

He can't even get rid of it!

......by himself.

Luckily, he's still clear headed enough to know that he's NOT in this by himself. And it's amazing what "mom, dad, this ring is trying to drive me insane. Help me" in a terrified and tearful voice, can brush over. No one threatens their baby and all that.

It would honestly be hilarious, seeing the extended Fenton clan decend like LOCUSTS on Pariahs Keep, searching for clues, terrifying the local ghosts, if... if he wasn't so tired.

God he's so tired.

It's Aunt Alecia who... "politely encourages" a passing scholar to lend them the book they need. Took the poor sucker right out of the sky. Guy never stood a chance. RIP.

He learns he has to head..... over? Like... 27 that-ish way, then up. Huh. 27 WHAT?

Realities, apparently. He's in the wrong bundle. Branch? Neighborhood? Eh. Clan Fenton rolls back out, he packs his bags, and hilariously enough? Goes off to the devils night club. Hopes he likes rings. Or hates them.

Thankfully, being "king" means the Zone? Kinda... humors him? Like... it still has RULES(tm). He can... can FEEL that now. But it's willing to bend some for him, if he asks. And anything NOT against the rules? If it's in the right mood? He need only ask. It's weird. Being suddenly so powerful, yet NOT, at the same time.

Cause none of it's his.

All he has is the Zone's attention. The ability to ask pretty please. If you don't mind. And then? The highways between... ALL will just? Shift and change for him. He can see how it went to Pariah's head. The Zone is pretty agreeable. Is by nature Amoral, cause it's not a Being, it's... well, it's the Zone.

And everyone wants him to ask things. Do things. Demand this or that. Use this power.

Maybe he doesn't WANT too! Maybe he didn't WANT to be king! Doesn't he have the right to say NO? To refuse? Why do they think he OWES them service? An eternity of politics and people trying to kill him, for something he never wanted in the FIRST PLACE.

He's so tired.

The nightclub's pretty cool.

So he comes to ask, politely of course, cause the guy's probably busy, if Morningstar could... dunno, fix or destroy it? Want a ring, maybe? Also he heard you MADE the stars. Huge fan of all of that. Can I ask about the process? Or are you in the middle of something?

And? Lucifer? Turns around, from where he's Leaning Seductive Yet Elegantly(tm) to see... scrawny. Tiny corpse child. No... half? Corpse? Alive. Dying. Alive yet dying. Huh. Well, that is different. And here he didn't think he'd get see anything NEW. You, child, are NOT a zombie. What are you?

Halfa.

I have no idea what that is. What do you want?

He gets shown the ugliest, crudest, peice of shit ring imaginable. A genuine foul little curse. Really stinks up the place. He destroys it, obviously. This club has STANDARDS. Hope that wasn't important?

Kid just smiles the biggest fangy lil grin. No. No it was not.

Obvious, lie, but cute lil teeth. He'll allow it.

He gets dragged into talking about the stars. And talking. And talking. Mostly bragging and explaining. Kid hangs off his every word. Follows him around as he makes his rounds. Asks good questions. Completely focused, dispite the booze and barely dressed dancing all around him.

Lucifer can't help notice the crown.

Lovely little thing. Space ice and star dust, glittering like jewels and light catching the mist. If he remembers right... that one iiiiiis..... not Limbo, it's.... Zone! That crown is the Zone, it changes to suit the wearer. He recognizes the vibe. Awfully young, aren't you?

And.... it all burst forth. He didn't even need to press. Use persuasive words and honeyed tones. Like an inflamed, festering wound. The merest brush is enough to spill everything.

Negligence, greed, blood lust. Bigotry and xenophobia. A tyrants endless quest for power. Ah, humans. They truly don't change do they? Realities away, dead or alive. Now they're harrasing a child. He honestly looks miserable. Whereas just a moment before, listening to Lucifer talk about his work on the stars, his soul practically GLOWED with light. A tiny little star unto himself.

.......maybe it's the big ol "I'm you BIGGEST FAN" eyes. The sad wet cat aura. Perhaps the scrawny "could snap you like a twig" teenager, all elbows and knees. The fact he is, in fact, NOT human; for all that he once was. But?? The kid? Is... not terrible company.

He'd even go so far as to say? It's like having a pet intern.

He can sleep on the couch.

Tell you what, you stay here? I'll keep taking about stars and YOU can do the chores I don't feel like doing. I'll take care of you and all that.

And Danny? Honestly was sold at the word "stars" but? This sounds like a phenomenally terrible idea... and he has yet to meet one of THOSE he hasn't made out sloppy still with, so deal! But as a minor, that DOES make you his new gaurdian for the next four-ish years. He's legally obligated to finish schooling.

Ah.

.....well shit.

(Just? Local stressed 14-15 year old Ghost King does RESPONSIBILE thing and finds Adultier Adult. With more qualified Adult powers. Unfortunately for everyone, the adult is Lucifer Morningstar, night club owner. Even MORE Unfortunately, said ghost kind has pack bonded with the Nice Star Man, who saved him from the Bad Ring, and effectively offered to let him crash on his swanky couchs.

Now Morningstar has to? Somewhat VAGUELY pretend he gives a shit local schooling system, as he puts his charge INTO it. Actively giving waking terrors to the magical community. What evil plot is afoot? Where did he get this tiny minor death god? What is his end goal FOR said child?

No one knooooows~

But Lucifer is just doing this cause he's a Being of his word. He hates the tedious minor chores he'll be foisting off onto Danny. And? Most importantly? Look at that face. *shoujo sparkly eyes of Star Sempai Noticed Me!* it's like having a golden retriever puppy. Ffs he has STANDARDS.)

(It'd be hilarious to watch the hostile 5th dimensional chess DC characters have going on in the background, all while? Danny is like? Man! Isn't this universe GREAT? Everyone here is so CHILL! And nice to me! I'm so relaxed now! Finally, I can finish my education in peace.)

@hdgnj @hypewinter @lolottes @babbling-babull @nerdpoe @mutable-manifestation

[translatemunson]

it always ends up with a town car speeding • ttfd

chapter six of the tortured firefighters department

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

cw: fem!reader, afab!reader, no descriptions of reader, mentions of food, 118 being a family, buck being a considerate friend, girls night with our favs (lmk if i missed something)

You checked your phone again and stared at the doughnut box you bought on your way to the firehouse. When you were leaving your shift, you heard one of your coworkers dispatching the 118 for an incident. Based on your calculations, it was enough time for you to drive to your coffee shop, get yourself some decaf latte and two boxes of doughnuts for the team and deliver it yourself at the firehouse.

However, forty minutes after your estimations, they were still nowhere to be seen. Or something worse happened, or they were just stuck in the midmorning traffic.

You held back the urge to text Buck and ask, but maybe he didn’t have his cellphone with him and would be a waste of time. So you turned on the volume of your headphones, your favorite playlist blasting, and closed your eyes, trying to remember all the concepts you’ve been studying over the week.

After your mental breakdown, you decided to put your life back on tracks again. You were back to work the graveyard shifts, while also attending classes and asking for deadline extensions from your professors, so you could at least have a shot at delivering decent papers and syllabus.

Did that mean you were always out of your house or buried in books? Yes, but this time you had friends making sure to check on you from time to time. Maddie was always reminding you to eat and take breaks — even when she wasn’t working the graveyard with you —, Hen gave you some notes from Karen old book’s in hopes they would be helpful — and most of them were —, Eddie and Buck were always inviting you to hang out, even if it was just for lunch. Besides Buck — who saw with his own eyes when you hit rock bottom —, they probably had a general idea of what was going on with you.

You didn’t hear the engine and the ambulance entering the garage — how could you when your favorite song was playing — and you were the one that ended up surprised by the 118.

“Oh my-,” you screamed when you felt your chair trip back. But before you could hit the floor, you were stopped mid fall, and Eddie was staring at you, kinda upside down, “Edmundo, you little piece of-”

“Nice to see you too, Brains. And you brought donuts?” He set your chair upright, and you saw Chim and Hen already picking one from the box. They waved, mouths already full with the treat. “What got you in such a good mood?”

“Definitely not you.” He reached for one, and you slapped his arm. “Put it down. Now.”

“Really?” He looked surprised, but he was just messing with you.

“You heard the lady, Eddie,” Buck finally showed up, a small towel in hand, cleaning the smoke particles from his face. “Oh, you brought doughnuts!”

If looks could kill, Eddie would’ve dropped dead. But now that Buck was here, your features softened and that strange sensation washed over you.

Something changed after the night he showed up at your door and helped you through your depressive episode — you started to use the real name of what that was. But you couldn’t quite point it out, thinking maybe it changed only in you, and he was still the same Evan Buckley you met weeks ago.

“Suit yourself, Buck.” You pushed the box further, keeping it away from Eddie.

“I thought you hated him.” He pointed.

“Hate is a strong word, Edmundo,” you took a sip of your coffee. “Besides, he didn’t scare me to death!”

“I’m on her good side now,” Buck admitted, proud of himself. If he knew that he was more than just on your good side, that he found his way inside your impenetrable fortress, he would use it to his advantage. “Thanks, Brains.”

“So, miss Halfway Through Her PhD, what brings you here today?” Chim pulled a chair and dipped back for a second donut. Buck went straight to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.

“Nothing, just wanted to drop by and share some treats before I go to class.”

“You’re a long way from Caltech,” Hen sat to your right, pushing Eddie away.

“Yes, ma’am, I know. By the way, one of my professors used to work with Karen, Mrs. Duncan.”

 “Don’t remember his name from our conversations, but I’ll tell her,” she smiled. “Also, she found a few more books in the basement, drop by to pick up any time.”

“Will do.” You opened your notes app to add it to your to do list, and checked the time. “I’d love to sit and catch up with you guys, but I have to leave if I want to make it in time,” you showed your phone screen, time ticking against you. “I left another box in the fridge, but don’t get used to it.”

“Can I have one now?” Eddie wouldn’t shut up one second. God, you needed to find him a date and get him laid.

“Fine, Diaz. But don’t you ever do that again.”

“Scouts honor,” he promised.

You grabbed your bag, ran down the stairs, waved Bobby goodbye — the captain was coming out of his office — and took a walk to your car, parked outside of the fire house.

“Hey, Brains!” You heard Buck calling you, and for a moment you thought you were reliving that fight at Eddie’s house. You stopped on your tracks, far enough from the fire house building to have some privacy. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

“Not my fault if you guys took longer than I estimated on that call,” you smiled.

“Was it you?”

“No, it was May, but I overheard her instructions.” You checked your bag for your key. “Was everyone ok?”

“Yeah, everyone’s fine,” Buck closed in the distance between you, and looked over his shoulder to the firehouse before asking, “How have you been feeling?”

“I’m better, Buck. Hmm, thanks for not telling them all the details about, you know, that thing,” you felt like stepping on eggshells, talking for the first time about what he did for you. When you woke up that next morning, you avoided the subject like the plague. “They really don’t need one more thing to worry about.”

“It never stopped them from caring, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” You bit your lips and stared into your shoes. “Anyway, I’m sorry I blew you off last weekend, I had these tough exams and I spent all my free time studying. I really forgot to check my phone, and didn’t crossed my mind to tell you I was gonna be busy, so I’m-”

“Brains, it’s ok. Really.” He gently grabbed your arm, cutting your nervous talk short. “I assumed you were busy, that’s why I just let you be. And you promised me you’d tell me if things got bad, so I really get it. Even though I was never a good student.”

“Cut yourself some slack, Buck. You may not be good with math and science, but you got into LAFD, which is a huge thing.” And before he could say anything, you added, “I’ve seen the training program, it’s tough and demands a lot of intuition and assessing a scene quickly.”

“A compliment, Brains? Oh, I’m definitely on your good side now.”

“You’re unbelievable, Evan Buckley.” You pushed him, your hands placed in the middle of his chest. “If you excuse me, I need to run through LA traffic to get in time for class now.”

Your movements were a little awkward, like you’re both trying to dance the same song, but missing all the queues. You stepped aside, he opened the door for you and your hands touched, your bag fell to the floor and it was so like one of those romcoms moments. And you kept trying to avoid Buck’s eyes, which led you to almost step on his foot and bump into him multiple times.

“Don’t get yourself into an accident,” he said before closing the door for you. “I really don’t wanna be the one dragging your ass out of a mess.”

“Don’t worry, I’m a safe driver.”

“Hope your class doesn't suck.”

“Hope your shift is just saving cats from trees and helping elderly cross the street.” You avoided the Q-word, an old superstition from all dispatchers and first responders. “See ya, Buckley.”

+++

“I don’t think I can do it, that’s the problem,” you poured another glass of wine.

“Why not? I mean, what’s wrong with that?” Maddie picked up another bite of the cheesecake slice you ordered for girl’s night.

“I don’t know, maybe the fact that is gonna be, I don’t know, the third time I’ll ask for a reschedule, and I really don’t wanna do it!” You stored the wine bottle in the corner, still yapping about your latest quest.

“C’mon, Brains, you had your reasons. I bet he won’t say no.”

“But if he does? Like, he definitely hates me now.”

“I bet Buck would never hate you.”

“The student who keeps… Wait a damn minute, since when are we talking about Buck?”

“I thought you were talking about him all along?” Maddie grabbed her glass, hiding her knowing smirk behind the dark liquid.

“What made you feel like I was talking about it?” She tried to walk away from you, but you caged her on her seat. “No, Maddie, you’re not pulling this trick on me.”

“You really didn’t notice him giving you the special Buckley treatment? The heart eyes? Are you blind or something?”

“No? Because you’re literally making that up.”

“You’re definitely a woman of science, because you won’t notice something until it’s right into your face, with proofs and everything.” Maddie stared at something over your shoulder, probably in the direction of Buck’s place. “Oh God, he’s gonna kill me.”

“You should worry about me killing you, not him. Buck wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“You’re right.” And then she clocked you. “And you have feelings for him too, don’t you?”

You thanked God for whoever was banging at your door. You walked away from Maddie’s question and ended up face to face with May.

“Did you tell her already?” She was holding a box of goodies and looked into Maddie.

“Tell me what?”

“I did, because you’re late. Now you gave her the perfect way out.” Maddie shook her head.

“Oh no, now that I’m here,” May stole your wine glass, took a sip and sat by your kitchen counter, “thank you for that, no one is escaping.”

“I hate you, guys.” You considered the idea of running to Buck’s and asking for shelter, but it would just prove their point. You closed the door and sighed, “I think you’re out of your mind if you really believe he has a crush on me. And to answer your question,” you walked back to the kitchen, getting a clean wine glass, “No, I don’t have feelings for Buck. Are we on good terms now? Yes, but that doesn’t mean I like him.”

“Never saw someone tiptoe around the word friends so much,” May was definitely Athena’s daughter because she knew how to come for the neck. “And you don’t like him? Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“No, I don’t. Yeah, we are friends, but I’m kinda seeing someone else now,” you confessed.

“Oh, are you?” Maddie had her doubts, because you were only bringing it up after being confronted about Buck.

“Yes, it’s a guy from one of my classes. We’ve been studying together, having a few coffees between classes, he’s nice.”

“What’s his name?” May had her phone on hand. “C’mon, Brains.”

“Stephen. He’s getting a PhD in Statistics,” you told them. “He’s nice, and I think we’re having an official date next tuesday.”

Maddie and May whispered for a few seconds, pointing to the phone screen. You stood there, chewing the sweets and drinking big sips of the wine. Even if Buck had feelings for you… Were you lying to yourself? No, you and Stephen had something going on. At least you thought so.

“Tell us everything about Stephen!” May didn’t sound convinced.

So you did. You told them how he was kind enough to lend his notes from one of the classes you missed, then suggested you should study together in the library, and as a thank you gesture, you ended up buying coffee for him before your study sessions. You were texting each other very frequently, and he asked if you wanted to go to this italian cantina on one of your days off. How could you say no?

“Ok, but you noticed he resembles Buck, right?” May kept rolling his Instagram posts. “You’re lying to yourself, girl.”

“Yeah, because of all the DNA combinations, Buck is the only one allowed to have those features. Like c’mon, May, now you’re just making things up.” You rolled your eyes. “And, like, Stephen has dark brown eyes, he’s not like Buck.”

“Oh poor off brand Buck,” she stole a cherry from the cake slice. “Girl, be serious.”

“May, he genuinely seems like a nice guy.” You were almost saying ‘thank you’ to Maddie when she added, “Are you sure you’re not using him as a way to avoid Buck?” You wished the baby Jee good luck because she was worse than any friend you had. Come on, how could she do that to you?

“What? No! Please, that’s absurd.” You assumed your serious pose, both hands on the kitchen counter, “I don’t have feelings for Buck, we are just friends. And I think you’re making this up, he doesn’t have feelings for me. He’s just being Buck.” Every time you said those words, you were trying really hard to believe them. “Are you both happy now?”

They traded a very long and silent look and smiled.

“No, but you do you, girl.” May put her phone away and opened another box of desert. “Just don’t call me when you finally come into realization.”

“Geez, you look just like your mom right now,” you pointed, the Athena stare taking over her face. “You can say you told me so if that happens. But again, it’s not gonna happen. Any final words, Maddie?”

She laughed and poured another glass of wine, “You’re gonna learn pretty quickly that the Buckley’s don’t give up until they get what they want.”

a/n: hi guys! sorry for taking so long to post this new chapter — i wasn’t feeling well, so i took a break from writing and everything else. but i’m back! i’m cooking something related go this chapter (thanks to @live-love-be-unique request, you were so spot on casey), and the following two chapters are already drafted on my notes. hope everyone’s doing ok, soon enough we will get more 9-1-1 content! see y’all very soon! oh wait, also, shout out to my love @munsonsreputation for helping me with proofreading and cheering me up when i decided to face my fears and write 💙 love you babeeee

[siphersaysstuff]

ENERGON BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

February's Patreon @tfwiki pic update is on 2004's ENERGON, the awkward middle child of the Unicron Trilogy. Caught in the early stage of explosive franchise growth and pulled in too many directions. But there's good stuff in there. ROADBLOCK remains a solid, fun toy, turning from robot to crane-truck to heavily-armed half of a two-robot combiner.

The Autobots' two-bot-combiners gimmick was certainly an interesting attempt, but TOW-LINE really took the gimmick to more interesting places than most. He's his own combiner, with the lower half of his vehicle mode turning into a mobile battle-sled-thing separate from his robot mode.

Store exclusives were rare in Armada, but by Energon, Hasbro was ready to start pumping them out again, and boy did they. CHECKPOINT, a rededo of Rodimus, came in a Kmart "SWAT" 2-pack with a similarly deco'd Prowl. Back when Kmart was still a thing.

The Decepticons, rather than combining, got "hyper modes" and alternate vehicle modes that deployed more weapons. SIX SHOT, a redeco of Shockblast, is one of the better attempts, having a considerably-different "satellite" mode on top of his space-tank altmode.

Oh lawd he comin. OMEGA SENTINEL, a redeco of Omega Supreme, splits into a "construction vehicle" and "cruiser", each with a "platform" mode. The two can also join to for a "Cybertronian Armored Supertrain" but that wouldn't fit in the lightbox. Plus he can merge with Optimus Prime! Okay mainly he's a suit Prime wears, but there's attachment points for all of Prime's drone-vehicles as well.

With the franchise taking off, Hasbro looked to fill out Energon with more stuff. This Deluxe version of the Mini-Con HIGH WIRE came with a figure of human ally Kicker, rendered in the style of the then-current G.I.Joe toys. This set seemingly was not engineered by Takara, and it kinda shows.

Speaking of... oof. This set. Not to editorialize too much, but... the MEGA-DINOBOT set of GRIMLOCK and SWOOP is... well. Bad. Originally intended for the Universe line, it got shuffled into Energon, and similarly wasn't engineered by Takara. The result is a floppy, awkward mess. One of the very, very few Transformers toys in its 40-year run I'd call "bad".

(Also... yes, I re-did the Grimlock pic. Back in October, I used archive imagery for that update because, frankly, I'd forgotten I still owned this set. Upon discovery, I decided to redo the pic so it's crisper and better positioned. Still not a good toy though.)

Mind you... it's not like things were all roses on the other hemisphere. Takara made SL GRAND CONVOY, a smaller version of Optimus Prime without any of the good points of the larger figure. What IS that torso mode?! (This is the shinier "SL Grand Convoy & Kicker" 2-pack version. And it broke. Super-tight ankle joints made from clear-plastic? A recipe for disaster.)

Didn't mean to end on a down note. Here, have a pic of one of the line's absolute highlights, the Omnicons and Terrorcons, and their buildable energon weapons.

Energon was kind of all over the map, trying a lot and maybe lacking a strong cohesive theme because of it. Some damn good stuff, but also some genuine misses.

If you enjoy these runs through Transformers toy history, please consider tossing a coin into my Patreon ("gregstfwikipics" at patreon dot com). More support means I can devote more time to bigger updates with more images each month. There's still loads to do!

[tathrin]

I just need you to know your tags on that post about Boba Fett made me realize HOW MUCH of Legends-era Boba Fett I didn't know about and now it is my goal to hunt every book and story down because dear gods he's even more amazing than I realized

Ahhhh omg yes he's the best and worst in all the best ways. Thank you for giving me another excuse to talk about him!

Okay so start with the Twin Engines of Destruction comic by Andy Mangels and John Naedeau, that is THE epitome of Boba Fett. (#he had no face just the helmet that WAS his face #he canonically gives money from successful jobs to orphanages WHAT #when he found out someone was impersonating him AND BOTCHING JOBS he set that fucker up SO GOOD #he literally took the man apart physically spiritually and emotionally and left him paralyzed staring at his own about-to-explode jetpack #and put the antidote to the neurotoxin in front of him said ''you may survive if you have the will to move...like i would'' and WALKED AWAY) Genuinely just...this is it, this is him, this is everything anyone ever needs to know about how to write Boba Fett.

After that I'll recommend moving onto the Boba Fett: Death, Lies, and Treachery comics (consisting of "Bounty on Bar Kooda," "When the Fat Lady Swings," and "Murder Most Foul") by John Wagner and Cam Kennedy (probably my favorite Fett comic artist; their style is wonky yes but it fits so well!). Boba Fett: Agent of Doom is another one drawn by Kennedy that is excellent, although it's written by John Ostrander (who did the best Clone Wars comics btw) instead of Wagner. Also I personally like to headcanon the last one actually being about Ailyn Vel, but that's neither here nor there. Your best bet to find these is probably the Star Wars Legends — Epic Collection: The New Republic vol 7 tpb but Marvel is shit about keeping their SW comics in print, so good luck.

Also definitely worth reading are K.W. Jeter's Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy of novels (#he surgically removed his olfactory pleasure sensors so he wouldn't be affected by space pollen shit  #he'd drop an entire mine on top of himself to get his mark if he had to and then just dig his way back out #he once used the dying body of the closest thing he had to a friend as a laser canon to kill some tin-can hutts  #he had his fucking SKIN DISSOLVED and still sat up to shoot a bitch #he walked onto an exploding star destroyer just to have a conversation AND THEN FLEW IT RIGHT BACK OUT AGAIN) but I will say that the quality of them varies wildly between different sections...but it's one of those "even the bad parts are good, despite being terrible" books, if you know what I mean!

No Disintegrations, Please! is a short-story from the Tales of the New Republic collection, and that's the one that features Fett walking through an Imperial Garrison to get his mark that I was thinking of when I made the post (although it seems that tag didn't save? or I just can't find it again amidst all the unhinged shrieking of the rest of them lol) although he also took on a garrison in one of the comics and in another comic he went through a wrecked Star Destroyer full of murder-droids and TIE patrols so like...not an out-of-the-ordinary endeavor for him lol.

Payback: The Tale of Dengar, also from one of the short-story collections, in this case Tales of the Bounty Hunters, is where Dengar gets Fett to be his best man, although alas the wedding itself is never depicted anywhere, at least not that I've seen. (Although if you'll permit an extremely immodest self-rec, I did write about it once in a fic...) My favorite moment in this story, though, is when Boba Fett pulls a straw out to drink without removing his helmet. Too bad no one apparently ever mentioned that features to Din Djarin; would have made his life considerably easier. And yes, I was the person shouting "use a straw you idiot!" at the screen several times, to the vast amusement of those watching with me.

And of course, Susejo a.k.a. the Sarlacc mentioned in the original post is from A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett from the short-story collection "Tales From Jabba's Palace."

For new stuff that still feels like classic Fett, Age of Rebellion: Boba Fett by Greg Pak and Bria LaVorgna is really the only thing that comes to mind, but it's quite a lovely little one-shot.

*If you have trouble finding Twin Engines of Destruction let me know. I have the whole thing saved on my computer because I love it so much, although I will say that the digital format/coloring does it no favors.

[violetfairydust]

Snippet Sunday

Thank you for tagging me @dear-massacre <3 <3

I will also tag @spikeghost <3 <3 so you know I have been successfully bullied.

This is from a one-shot that I just felt like writing one day when I wasn't feeling well. It is appropriately called Doctor Derek.

-

“Stiles, get in the car.”

Stiles stalled.

“I drove you to school, so your other option is hoofing it back home and with your clumsiness that prospect worries me.”

Stiles sighed and got into the car. Derek gave him a smug smirk and shut the door.

“I think I can help you,” Derek said. “I’m very good at playing doctor.”

Stiles’ mood turned up considerably. He quirked an eyebrow suggestively. “Oh, really?” He leaned in closer to Derek who smiled and started the engine.

...

Derek carried Stiles up the stairs of the house and dropped him onto his bed. Before Stiles could start to protest, Derek tucked him into his bed so tightly it was like it was just a tool to hold in him place. He looked like a burrito. Derek returned from the other room with a thermometer. Stiles had opened his mouth to speak, but Derek stuck the thermometer under his tongue. He sat on the edge of the bed as they waited for the results.

“This is not what I had in mind,” Stiles muttered.

The thing beeped at them and Derek took it from Stiles’ mouth. Stiles strained his neck to see, but Derek kept it out of view.

“Ninety nine point eight.”

“One hundred point three is a fever,” Stiles protested.

“Yes, but you’re climbing your way up there, so lie down.” He gently pushed Stiles back on the bed and got up to return the thermometer.

“This is definitely not what I had in mind when you said you were a good doctor.”

[demigod-of-the-agni]

walks in with a coffee. hey what’s up I’m a little obsessed with your bromantic flight au and yr mind. if Kai forged Lloyd a new arm cause he kinda accidentally caused it to get yeeted, does it also work with his dragon form or not? Like, when he transforms, can the arm change like a transformer to be the appropriate dragon-shaped limb it’s meant to be?

Jk but in essence!! yes!!! The prosthetic can change configurations depending on what form Lloyd takes, thanks to both Kai's intricate mental-smithing skills and Lloyd's dragon/oni magic. Considering reaching the "ideal arm" is a major plot point I took my sweet time in trying to map out how to best create the perfect prosthetic for a guy like Lloyd. (Warning: I go full-bananas and lore dump on you).

Like, I think the best thing to come out of this is how similar the upper anatomy for humans and dragons are, even in terms of evolutionary development. Oni anatomy comes super close, being one of the only other creatures in the First Realm to walk upright bipedally. Considering that human and dragon-oni hybrids have the same origin, it makes sense that their physiologies are practically the same... if only with minor differences.

The general consensus is that no, you can't regrew limbs unless you're a lizard.

The best that you can do is adapt around the missing limb, but functionality will not be 100%. You can bring it up to 99% and have it mimic real life but it won't quite be a real arm or a real leg carrying every single movement the original limb could once do, but that's fine. The point of the prosthetic is to restore as much functionality as physically possible to the amputee. But it's going to need a lot more consideration when you apply that to a hybrid, which is why we go through like a million iterations of that limb.

If the quote "a downed dragon is a dead dragon" rings any bells, then it definitely applies to the hybrids. Cut off a dragon's wings and tails and you've basically grounded the thing; not even elemental essences can save it. But cut off the limbs of a hybrid, a wingless creature born to channel elemental essences through its limbs, and you've basically won. Jeopardising even one limb is enough to drastically lower all of their capabilities. So. Yes. Missing limbs are bad for the hybrids.

So Lloyd very much needs that prosthetic to survive. Lucky we have Kai to develop one for him!

(It takes him months. obviously.)

Kai develops something he calls the "self-regulatory piston". Well, not really. The dragon hunters have been using this piece of tech for quite some to help with developing prosthetics for amputees. Kai just upgraded it- big time. How it works is that it channels biological electrical/mechanical energy to work - the pistons function as replacements for tendons, ligaments and muscles by contracting and pumping out energy in exchange for movement. Since humans are tiny things, the pistons can make these prosthetics function like real limbs. However the same can't be said for Lloyd.

Kai can get the prosthetic attached to Lloyd. He can get it undergo transformation to match dragon-Lloyd's size. The thing is that the prosthetic becomes a dead weight. All those fine pistons and engineering marvels in the prosthetics? They don't match up quite nicely when scaled up. They certainly are not able to channel Lloyd's dragon-oni magic to make it work. And we know hybrids are hindered by limb loss since they can't fly. So Kai has to climb up and manually move the limb himself, in order to give Lloyd a fighting chance at flight.

TLDR: yes, Kai makes Lloyd a new arm. Yes the prosthetic gets scaled up to match dragon-Lloyd's size, it just loses functionality when the size increases.

i don't know if i explained that clearly so if you wants to ask more questions please do. many hugs

[spacepiratenemo]

The Biology of Nemo

The Convection-Class: An extremely, extremely rare mutation that occurs only once in a billion! This incredibly rare mutation has been seen only four times in the existence of the lunarian race and whenever one of these little "Luna-Dwarves" had been born, technology and advancement of civilization skyrocketed. Lunarians are often described to be huge. C-Class Mutants often stand at 2 metres of height, which is small for the race, where A-Class tower at 5-6 metres and B-Classes often tower above 2.5 metres. However, a C-Class is entirely void of any physical strength and they often cannot survive on their own. Their bodies can not conjure fire and they won't regenerate any body heat of their own, hence, they need to leech the heat from external sources such as stars. Thermal heat is their main energy provider, therefore they often were jokingly dubbed "fire-parasytes" as well.  Naturally so, they are entirely fireproof and it is rumoured that they need these insane amounts of constant "heat-feeding" to support their specific biology, or more specifically, their "neutron" powered brain. Convection-Class Mutants are entirely space-resistant. The vacuum won't warm them, radiation can be an alternative energy-source and heat can be conserved much longer without dissipation through weather conditions such as cold winds. 

The biology of Nemo https://www.wattpad.com/1217812098-the-lunarian-guide-to-the-blue-world-engl-vers-3

The alien-guest of the Moby Dick yawned, closed her eyes for only a moment, but, eventually the cosy fire next to her was too much of a comforting source to resist. Nemo was with the Crew for a little over two weeks and during that time, no one had seen her sleep nor rest. Her small head swiftly leaned against the shoulder of the commander of the second division, who looked at the sudden-sleeper with a gentle smile, while stabilising her with one arm to prevent her from falling over. Her body went limp, fully relaxing as a sigh escaped her lightly drooling lips and her mouth cheekily hushed the words, "Alliqui.... Jerk....!". 

"FINALLY!", Ben, Nemo's assistant robot, exclaimed jovially.

"Finally?"

"Yes, finally. I haven't seen Boss sleep in over a year. Well, not aside from that one week of involuntary unconsciousness when her body collapsed after her arrival. Thought she'd only get more aggressive if she doesn't take a short rest! Especially since she is stressed about her spaceship and the constant weight on her shoulders." The bot explained, happily hovering around its Boss.

"What do you mean? How can someone not sleep for a year? Weight on her shoulders?", Marco wondered, who noticed the scene as he took care of Pops sitting in his throne.

"Convection-Class Lunarians like Boss do not need sleep. Well, not necessarily, no. However, it is incredibly beneficial to her mental health as well as her overall attitude. So, technically speaking, Boss does not need sleep, but she wants to sleep in order to rest from the constant storm of thought-processing, calculating and controlling differing projects around the solar system."

"Thought-processing? Projects in the solar system? Huh? Sounds rather stressful yes. But...  You make it sound like sleep is kinda special to her."

"It is. On an average, humans and living beings like you process up to 70.000 thoughts per day. Boss can process this amount within a nano-second. She does calculate at lightspeed afterall. How else do you think she figured out a Warp-Engine within two years? However, imagine you'd be processing your thoughts at this rate. Of course it doesn't come to a surprise that this uses up incredible amounts of energy. But it also is a constant stressor. You also need to take into consideration her overall  physical weakness, hence, she naturally evolved with a prey-instinct. Many mammals only sleep with one eye open. It's necessary, but it also adds stress of course. Hence I recommend that the Boss does sleep at least one hour per week. She refused doing so since she's here though. Too cold. It triggers survival-modes. Energy is used up much faster on this planet, compared to zero gravity in outer space or low gravity on the moon.", Ben explained, opening a holographic screen in mid-air to show a statistical representation of how much energy its Boss was using in the Blue World, compared to her former home. Doing so, it obviously didn't show what Marco had no request-permission for. Her mental health. A massive stressor caused by horrible nightmares and terrible flashbacks... 

"Gotcha! You mentioned that, yoi! Thank you for explaining, Ben. I want to help your Boss, but admittedly, I have to study her alien-biology first. I'm still sorry I couldn't figure out that she needed more thermal-energy after her arrival here...". "You were smart enough to use the data of my screen to prevent her from dying and eventually recovering. If her condition would've become any worse or more critical, my operator-mode would have changed and I would have requested thermal energy for her." 

"That's good to know. When your Boss ever needs medical help and you can't assist her, don't hesitate to ask me, alright?" Marco smiled, exchanging a caring gaze between Ben and Ace, who slowly lifted the drooling mess of a girl into his arms. "I'll bring her to bed then. Let's not wake her when sleep is that rare and special, shall we?", the young commander quietly said, turning away from the group.

"Aye...! - Oh. By the way, Ben. Your Boss gave me that permission to request medical data from you, aye? Could you explain to me again, how this convection-class-biology works?", the blue Phoenix gave his friend a smile, watching the Blackhair for a moment as he vanished to the rooms downstairs, before turning back to the robot.

"Roger. Roger!" Ben saluted. "A Convection-Class-Lunarian is an incredibly rare mutation that occurs only once in a billion. To my knowledge, in all of Lunarian-History, there were only three occurrences of this specific, rare mutation. Each time a C-Class was born, our advancement of technology skyrocketed massively. Their entire biology is severely different from that of other Lunarians. They are born with incredibly weak bodies but a massive intelligence. In fact, to othe intelligent life, it is simply not comprehensible. There is a mythic rumor, that a C-Class is born in connection with the universe, therefore gaining its knowledge and wit. However, this is very likely nothing but fantasy. There are actual physics behind their biology. They do not need physical strength, as their bodies are made to be space-faring and survive in the vacuum, unaffected by cosmic radiation. In fact, Convection-Classes like Boss can use radiation as yet another energy source! The special blood in her veins moves at incredible speed when it is warm enough. The particles are heated up and more energy is created which her brain then uses up. Her body only needs 0,01% of the energy she feeds on, the rest of all that is sorely to power her brain. Hence the cold is such a danger to her. The particles slow down, energy slowly stands still, molecules nearly freeze in position and not enough energy is created. It gets even worse when we approach negative temperatures. The colder it is, the less particle movement we have until everything will eventually come to a near standstill. This would ultimately lead to a freezing death of the Boss. Convection is technically speaking the chief element in weather technology because it is the process of moving energy of heat according to the movement of heated particles. In Chemistry, when the liquid fluids heat up, the heated elements tend to move faster and rise as it becomes less dense. Whereas the cooler molecules or particles drops down consequently which is denser. The specific mechanisms are usually referred to as convection, thermal radiation, and conduction. It's a shame that Convection-Lunarians weren't granted fusion energy within their bodies. That would create more than enough energy for a long, long, long, long time!"

"This sounds horribly complicated... So let me get this right, in short: Nemo's entire biology is based on energy-convection. But when her blood is moving this fast and creates its own energy, then why does she need to leech it from external sources?" Marco wondered, observing the robot opening more statistical screens to represent its medical explanation.

"Her blood is not like the blood you know, as you may have noticed. Afterall, the internal body temperature of Boss is supposed to be at least 1500 degrees Celsius! In space, this was more than enough to sustain basic functions for days on end. Here? Due to your atmospheric conditions, the increased gravity, weather and multiple other circumstances such as heat dissipation, this thermal-energy is used up much, much faster. Her blood runs cold much, much more quickly. On the moon, there always were about 150 degrees Celsius on thedaylight surface, no atmosphere either. Heat was easily absorbed and when Boss needed a quick little extra, she just caught some from the sun directly. She only avoided shadows and literally had endless energy to spare. Here? That's - very different. There is not enough sunlight and radiation coming through your atmosphere. That's very good for you, because it made life in this world possible. To her, 30 Celsius on your warm summer days feel like a freezing bath! And the more the Boss is freezing, the more energy she needs to send to her body. She gets tired, exhausted, energy dissipates, it's painful, feels like hundreds of nasty needles swung into her skin, really. I do not recommend it!"

"Ouch... Yeah, let's make sure that's not happening. I see... Simply being in our worlds must be tremendously agonising to her." Marco empathised, understanding this alien-biology a little better, while also understanding why Nemo often seemed so aggressive. It came to no surprise to him she snapped easily when she was fighting constant exhaustion. 

"Correct. Whereas you are very used and accustomed to your planetary circumstances, to Boss it is a severe muscle training to keep standing on her own feet. Imagine there were tons of extra weight on every cell of your body, and then you are supposed to run? It wouldn't work. But we learned that Boss can use up some of your earthly sugars and proteins to help her build some muscle that might support her body on this planet!"

"Maybe it's just a question of time then? We'll just make sure we'll help her in every way we can. We can lift things for her as well and our kitchen can surely work out a good meal-plan, to help her body get accustomed to our planet!" The Blonde jovially said, positive that he'd be able to help their new alien-friend after all!

"Roger! Roger! I'm positive as well that Boss just needs time to adjust. However, the energy-feeding issue will remain. It is simply too cold here. But we are also working on an external heat-shield. We just gotta find more platinum for the circuits!"

"Well, in the time being, Ace surely has no issue sharing his fire with her. We owe you anyway. You guys dragged his bottom out of Impel Down! But... wait... You said your Bosse's internal temperature is usually 1500 degrees Celsius! How come that she is not setting things ablaze and we don't feel this heat standing next to her? I mean, sure, she feels a little warmer than we do, but she certainly doesn't radiate that much heat? I would've noticed as much when I examined her...", the Phoenix wondered, tilting his head in confusion.

"That's because her skin isolates all that heat inside her body as well. You took her outside temperature, which is usually something around 50-60 degrees Celsius. All of the thermal energy remains inside her body. That's why I warned you to not take a sample of her blood. If you would have done that, you would've only melted the syringe you tried to use to get it. If you want to analyse her blood, you have permission to ask me. I am allowed to share a sample of it." Ben chuckled, saluting again before sharing a screen with the doctor, where he could analyse the blood of Nemo.

"That's incredible! Woah! Wait! Her blood is a little bit like plasma but it's not plasma? What is a superfluid? AHHH! I see, that's how the convection inside her body works! .... Wait? Is this the core next to her heart? That's how she saves up all that energy? That's impressive! Humans like us would die in space within seconds, and to her, that's her natural environment! We would die a most painful and horrible death in a vacuum. Nemo is fully unaffected! We'd die of radiation. How come she is not radioactive if she can use radiation as well?", Marco exclaimed, bursting out in dozens of questions, sitting down before starting to study all the information shared with him. The list of things the doctor wished to know was a long one and small Ben had a lot to answer within the next few hours, while some of the Crew also sat next to the robot, trying to learn about alien-bodies and life in outer space. They also learned a little about other alien species, how different many life-forms in the universe were and how not everything depended on water and oxygen. In fact, it seemed that the basic element of everything seemed to be hydrogen, which Ben stated, was the most common element in the universe. 

To be fair. Marco was a doctor, a man of science and very knowledgeble as well. He wasn't specialised in technological science, engineering, quantum mechanics nor physics. He was an expert in the medical field! And to any doctor, having the chance of analysing the genetics of a real alien-visitor, would've been something incredibly exciting! Biology and Chemistry were part of his specialisation, and to learn something that "outer space" was thrilling to say the least!

// If you have questions about Nemo's alien-biology, drop your asks here! <3 

[tmblrcolouredpaper]

Adorable, but mainly ridiculous 1

Choi Beomgyu/ Reader

Friends to lovers; Best Friends; Mutual Pining; Fluff and Bad Jokes; Cuddles, Kisses and Confession

tw: a scene with aggressive drunk people

wc: 9662 (Chapter 1 & 2 in total)

Gyu🐻🤡: On a scale from 1-10, how adorable do you find me?

You: You’re ridiculous.

Gyu🐻🤡: Yes, you already said so, but also adorable. Gyu🐻🤡: I need it more specific now. 

You: Why?

Gyu🐻🤡: Don’t laugh Gyu🐻🤡: Writing some lyrics for the second melody 

You: And you wanna include how adorable I find you on a SCALE?

Gyu🐻🤡: You know, you could just say 'Oh, how romantic, he’s writing a song about me'

You: You write a song about how adorable you are… You: Yes, really ROMANTIC

Gyu🐻🤡: … Gyu🐻🤡: That’s only one fucking line! You don’t have the context!!! Gyu🐻🤡: Come on :(

You: 2

Gyu🐻🤡: You always need 2 in your life, huh? Gyu🐻🤡: Good that my guitar and I are always ready to be your partners in a threesome ;)

You: YOU You: ARE You: RIDICULOUS 

Gyu🐻🤡: But you love me, hehe :D

You: I should have listened to you when you warned me to not fall for you, now I’m stuck

Gyu🐻🤡: Mean!

You: :*

‘Damn it!’

The train was too late. There was no chance of getting home before 11pm now. 

You took out your phone and dialed Beomgyu’s number. However he did not pick up.

Probably still at practice, you thought. 

Annoyed you walked around the train station to find a bench that was still empty. 

Bad luck must have conquered your path today, because every seat was taken and people did not bother to put their backs down to create some space. 

How considerate, you sarcastically huffed internally.

You quickly made your way to a corner where you could wait in peace, away from the crowd. 

The day was hot and the usual already unpleasant smell of the city met the sweaty masses of people. Therefore you welcomed the colder air that the vanishing sun initiated. 

Slowly but surely the train station emptied and you finally sat down, exhaling in relief. 

Your phone screen lit up and showed a message from your best friend. 

Gyu🐻🤡: Just finished practice. What’s up?

You: Train got delayed, I’m stuck for 2 more hours, pkm 

Gyu🐻🤡: pkm?

You: PLEASE. KILL. ME.

Gyu🐻🤡: Ah. No need to be so dramatic.

You: When not now when then?

You: This sucks. I just want to be home now :(

Gyu🐻🤡: I’ll pick you up. 

You: No need, thx. 

Gyu🐻🤡: Why did you call me in the first place then?

You: Cuz I’m bored when I have to wait for so long. I just wanted to hear this sweet sweet voice of yours ;)

Gyu🐻🤡: I’ll be there in 30.

Gyu🐻🤡: No whining that I don’T need to come!☝️

He stood by his words and went up to you half an hour later. 

‘You didn’t have to.’, you said tiredly. 

‘Give me your bag.’, he simply said and extended his arm to reach for your bag back. 

‘Thank you.’

He walked you to his car and started the engine. Soft music started playing and the street lights passed by your window. Your eyes got heavy and you fell asleep.

*

‘Hey. Get up.’, a voice sounded close to you, while your body was shaken. 

‘What?‘

‘Get up. We’re home.’

He loosened your seatbelt and helped you out of the car. Just when you wanted to take some steps, you stumbled, but he was quick to catch you. 

‘Sorry.‘, you mumbled. 

He was already carrying your bag, but he still circled his arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer to give you stability while walking.

‘Long day?’, he asked. 

‘Yep. Thanks for picking me up. I really appreciate it.’

‘Hmm.‘

You arrived the door and he handed you your back. 

‘Get enough sleep.’, he advised and turned around to go back to the car without any other word. 

*

You: Thanks again for picking me up. Imma pay you back. Next meal on me?

Gyu🐻🤡: No prob. Yess! Free food! 

You: What should I order for you?

Gyu🐻🤡: No order. I have time this evening, let’s go out together!

Gyu🐻🤡: If you want to :)

You: I have to get a lot of work done, but I’ll try my best to be free this evening :) 

Gyu🐻🤡: Better hurry, I’m hungry! 

You: I’m speed 🐆

*

‘Hey Speedy!’, he greeted, already waiting in the small restaurant.

‘Speedy? Could you like NOT come up with a new silly nickname every time we meet?‘

‘Sure, Silly.’

You glared at him, but being angry at him was simply impossible when he was smiling like this. 

‘So, what you wanna eat?’

‘I already ordered.‘, he answered.

‘You could have waited for me.’, you exclaimed.

People busied themselves and the sound of plates and glasses that got carried around, placed on tables or picked op to be brought to the kitchen was audible. 

‘You always order the same every time anyway.’, he explained plainly and took a sip from his drink that was already standing in front of him when you arrived. 

’Maybe I wanted to try something new today.’

He crocked is head to the side and gave a look that said ‘yeah sure’. 

‘And Odi can fly.’

‘Okay, okay. Thank you.‘

‘See? Is it so difficult to just thank me.’

‘No. I guess it isn’t.’

A glass of water got placed in front of you and the waiter excused that the food still needed some time, but since both of you did not have to be anywhere else soon, you were not bothered.

‘How was practice yesterday? I was kinda too knocked out to ask you.’

‘Wow. And I hoped I was saved from your smalltalk for once.’

‘Hey! Asking about your day is not smalltalk.‘

‘Practice was fine.’

Silence.

‘That’s it? Fine?’, you questioned. 

‘Yep.‘, he said and took another sip from his drink, proceeding to inspect the bottle as if it was the most interesting object he has ever seen. 

‘You don’t have to tell me. It’s okay.’, you said, unable to hide your sadness about the fact that he seemed to be hiding something from you.

‘It just wasn’t a good day and I was actually really happy to get out of there and spend time with you.’, he spoke, looking away from his bottle.

‘Well, then I hope my sleeping figure was a good company.’, you laughed, but added:’You can always tell me if something is bothering you. You can let it out from time to time. No need to always play the jokester, you know.’

‘Oh? Serious mode on?’

‘Yes. Just for this split second if you don’t want more.‘

‘I don’t want more right now.’, he said and focused on the drink again. 

‘Okay. Hey, there!’, you made him look up. ’Your free meal.’, you smiled and he proceeded to smile as well. 

*

Gyu🐻🤡: Thanks for the dinner again :)

You: No need to thank me. It was my thank you to YOU for picking me up in the middle of the night. 

Gyu🐻🤡: It was just 9:30. besides I already said I was happy that I got to see you.

You: Rephrasing from ‘spending time with me’ to ‘Seeing me’? So, me sleeping is not that good of an entertaining company?

Gyu🐻🤡: Actually

Gyu🐻🤡: It is. 

You: I look funny when I’m asleep, huh? Thank you for not waking me up with with your laughters then, haha.

Gyu🐻🤡: Haha…

Gyu🐻🤡: you’re welcome

Gyu🐻🤡: anyway

Gyu🐻🤡: Do you want to come over tomorrow? I wanna beat you in some games :D

You: Don’t you have to work?

Gyu🐻🤡: Nope, I’m free :)

You: Then I of course would love to! :D

Gyu🐻🤡: Great! I have your favorite snacks here ;)

You: I already agreed. No need for convincing me, hehe

Gyu🐻🤡: Hehe, true, true. Well, then sleep tight and I’m gonna see you tomorrow at 8? 

You: Sounds perfect! Sleep well 🌙

You: We’re seeing each other 3 evenings in a row then. Make sure to not fall in love with me, haha XD

He did not text anything back that evening.

*

‘Hi.‘, he greeted you with a big grin. 

‘No silly nickname? I must have given you not usable content.’

‘You want one?’, he asked while he let you in and closed the door behind you. 

He followed you and waited for you to take off your shoes, leaning against the wall, his hand place on his chin to emphasize that he was in deep thoughts. 

‘How about sugar mommy? All the free meals I get from you, hmmm, such a great sugar mommy.‘ 

‘Oh, shut up!’

You both walked giggling to his room. 

*

‘I actually hate playing games.’, you confessed when Beomgyu stuffed one of the controller in your hand. 

He abruptly turned his head towards you and gave you a look that showed a mixture of disbelief and disgust. 

‘Why did you play with me so many times if you hate it?’

‘Because you’re funny when you’re that invested in something that I find ridiculous‘

‘Ridiculous? Are you just here to make fun of me or what?’, he said with a fake pout. 

‘No. I also find you adorable when you’re incredibly happy about winning a game and since I’m really bad in them, you can win easily.’

‘Adorable, huh?‘, he said raising his eyebrows knowingly. 

‘Ridiculous, I find you mainly ridiculous.’, you corrected. 

‘Sure.‘, he stretched the word. ‘You find me adorable, you just said so.’

You rolled your eyes and began watching him playing by himself, not interested who happened on the screen, but purely happy with the situation. 

After some time your eyelids became heavy again and you felt overwhelmed by the tiredness that accumulated over the week. 

‘It's no fun when I can’t hear you whining over losing.’, he suddenly said out loud, turning around to find you laying almost asleep. 

‘Oh, sorry.’, he whispered and put the controller down to be able to rob over to you.

He laid down next to you and placed his head on the same level of yours, two pairs of eyes meeting each other in an instant when your lids flutter open to see what he was doing. 

‘Long week?’, he questioned and when you nodded, he immediately wrapped his arm around you and caress the back of your head softly. 

‘Wanna stay here this night? I’ll make you the best breakfast ever.‘

‘You just want to make sure to get another free meal when I’m gonna thank you for letting me get some rest here.’, you mumbled, but still articulated coherently. 

‘Damn right. You have good predictions. Maybe you should consider becoming a fortune teller.‘

‘Maybe.‘, you yawned.

‘Now just sleep. I’ll fight the monsters under the bed when they try to bother you.‘

‘Thank you.’, you whispered and he kept caressing your head, not saying another word, so that you could fall asleep peacefully. 

*

The bedsheets kept rustling and you woke up due to the constant shifting of the body next to you. 

‘Gyuu.‘, you groaned and tried to reach him to make him stop moving around by putting your hand on his shoulder. He did not stop, but he eventually woke up. 

His eyes fluttered open and he sat up abruptly what caused you to wake up completely. 

‘Sorry.‘, he he mumbled and got up to leave the room. 

You waited for him to return, sensing that something was off. If you were honest he seemed off the whole week already.

The room was dark and the curtains not closed properly so that the light of the passing by cars could be seen on the wall here and there. 

It was a calm night, no rain, no strong wind. 

Beomgyu entered the room quietly and closed the door behind him, went to the bed and laid down with the back facing you. 

‘You alright?‘, you whispered, looking over his shoulder in an attempt to see his face, but it was hidden in the fluffy pillow that his head was resting on. 

‘Yes.‘, he whispered almost inaudible. 

You did not believe him, but you also did not want to keep him awake unnecessarily.

Therefore you simply grabbed the thin blanket and pulled it over his shoulders, tucking him in carefully. 

Once you laid down yourself again the weight on the mattress shifted unexpectedly again and suddenly your best friend was really close to you, his hands taking a hold onto your shirt, head nuzzling under your chin. 

‘Can we stay like this?’, he asked with a shaky voice that broke your heart. 

Now it was your turn to pat his head and play with his shoulder long hair in way that you knew would calm him. 

‘Of course.’

‘Thank you.’

*

Gyu🐻🤡: You up?

‘Why are you texting me? I’m right next to you!’

‘Not so loud. The others.’, he whispered. 

‘Is that why you’re texting?’, you said annoyed.

‘You turned around, I couldn’t see if you’re awake.’

At one point you had to get into a new position. You enjoyed having him so close to you, but your arms got numb and started to hurt right after the feeling returned to your limbs. You however could not fall asleep, too worried he might wake up again needing someone to be available to calm him down immediately. 

‘I’m awake. What’s up?’, you said and faced him, your head resting on your arm. 

‘Can we switch serious mode on for some time?’

‘Switched on,’, you said with a motion that imitated flicking a light switch.

He exhaled heavily as if he tried to ready himself.

‘This wasn’t’ a good week for me.’

‘I already thought so. What happened?’

‘Work’s not working. I’m not working well enough. I don’t know. Kinda don’t get the stuff done properly, so they cut my lines and sent me home earlier.’

You looked at him not knowing what to say. He was frustrated with himself and you could not just make that feeling go away as much as you liked to be able to.

He continued: ’I know I like what I’m doing, but at the moment I kinda feel stuck and that they limit my parts in the project isn’t helping. They said they give me more space to get inspiration and motivation again, but I feels like a waste of time.’

‘Hmm. You want me to just listen or tell you what my thoughts are?’

‘Your thoughts, please.’

‘First of all, they’re idiots for cutting your lines.’

He giggled and exclaimed: ’I asked for serious mode.’

‘I am serious.’, you whispered, pushing some hair out of his face.

‘Second of all, if you feel stuck maybe then you should distance yourself from the project. It doesn’t mean that you’re not doing a good job, it’s just that this particular piece is just not right for you in this moment. You can still work in a way that works well for you outside of the company building. If you want to of course’

‘I don’t know. My thoughts constantly circle around the same thing: How can I sing better? How can I deliver the lines better? Even out of work.’

‘Well, you’re in work mode. It needs some time to deactivate, but as I said-  if you don’t want to, you don’t have to deactivate it. Just switch it up in a way that’s fun to you.’

‘For example?’

‘Play some guitar, just how you like it. Sing just how you like, rap, I don’t know. Just do what you feel like.’

‘Hmmm. It’s actually been a while since I’ve just sat down with the guitar. I honestly miss it.‘

‘Hmm.‘

‘Sorry. You’re tired. I should have waited till morning.’

‘No, it’s fine. I couldn’t sleep anyway.’

‘Thank you. I think that was enough serious mode.’

‘Okay. Then I can now tell you my various plans on how to let those people suffer who dare to not let you sing. Did they even hear your voice?’

He laughed. 

‘They did. It’s not special.’

‘I love your singing.’, you said and yawned.

‘And I love- love your incapability of resisting me. After all you find me adorable. Be careful to not fall in love with me.’

‘Shut up. Can we just go back to sleep?’

‘Of course.’, he whispered and threw his arm over you. 

However he did not close his eyes like you did. He watched you until your breath got slower and steady and smiled, carefully caressing your cheeks. 

‘You’re so beautiful, but your stupid ass thinks I’m laughing at you when you’re sleeping next to me, huh?’

*

You: Hey glue!

Gyu🐻🤡: Glue? Typo and you mean gyu?

You: Nope

You: It’s referring to you being stuck. 

You: Don’t make me explain my jokes! 

Gyu🐻🤡: Maybe you should come up with better ones then

You: Rude!

You: Anyways, how’s the guitar doing?

Gyu🐻🤡: You text me to ask about my guitar?

You: Yes. Apparently I am just using our friendship to get close to mr. guitar 

Gyu🐻🤡: i don’t think you stand a chance. Guitar and I are very close and not up for a threesome

You: This escalated quickly

You: So you’re playing?

Gyu🐻🤡: Yes, already got some good melodies together

Gyu🐻🤡: Wanna hear them?

You: YES! Send audios!

Gyu🐻🤡: I could

Gyu🐻🤡: Or we could meet in the park and I give you a mini concert

You: To rockstar glue, I can’t say nue

Gyu🐻🤡: …

Gyu🐻🤡: please stop

You: Are you quitting giving me silly nicknames then?

Gyu🐻🤡: Yes, I will

You: good

Gyu🐻🤡: park at 7?

You: sounds perfect

*

‘So, what do you think?’

‘I like the second one the most, but all are beautiful.’

‘The second one? I expected you to like the third one best.’, he said and pulled some guitar strings. 

‘Why?’

‘Just a feeling. Guess I was wrong.’

‘I like all, third one included.’, you clarified.

‘But you don’t think it’s the best.’, he stated.

‘Who cares what I think? They’re all beautiful and you came up with them, so it just can be good.’

He looked up and held eye contact.

‘I care. I made the third one thinking of what you might like, but I was wrong.’

‘I like it though!’

‘Hmmm.‘, he looked down again.

‘You know me better than I know myself, maybe I’m just wrong here?’

‘Wrong with your opinion?‘

‘Yep. You could teach me, maybe I see it then.‘, you suggested with a smile. 

Suddenly he looked up, surprise written on his face, but he quickly recovered from his shock and scooted over to you, handing you the guitar. 

‘You remember the basics?’, he asked circling his arms around you to place your hands on the right spots on the guitar. 

‘Hmm.‘, you hummed while your fingers were placed on the guitar strings. 

‘Why are yo shaking?’, he asked with a smirk, leaning in close to your ear what caused you to stiffen. 

‘I’m not.’, you declined and cleared your throat, trying to concentrate on the instrument again.

‘Sure, sure.’, he agreed sarcastically and moved your hands to create some tones.

‘Here.‘, he said, demonstrating how to play the melody slowly. 

After some messed up tries of recreating the melody you dropped your hand and leaned back against Beomgyu in frustration.

‘You were right for not adding me as a partner for a threesome, Mr. Guitar and you are better off without me here.’

He threw his head back and laughed ecstatically.

‘You did well. You just need to keep practicing and you’ll soon get the hang of it.’

‘No thanks. I rather hear you playing anyways.’

‘Your lazy ass needs some determination.’, he observed and put the guitar from your lap to the ground next to you to have space for giving you a proper hug. 

He rested his head on your shoulder and you both sat there in silence for some time. 

As if you just then realized how close you actually were you suddenly leaned away to get up.

‘I should go. It’s getting late and I have work tomorrow morning.‘

‘Yep.‘, Beomgyu plainly said and collected the blanket, snacks and his guitar from the ground and you helped him to stuff everything in his bag pack. 

You made your way back and once arrived at the train station he reminded you to text him once you were home and waved a quick ‘goodbye' once you had a seat inside of the train.

*

Gyu🐻🤡: You home?

No answer. 

Maybe the train was defect and she’s waiting for the next., he thought. 

He looked up the train connections, but according to the internet there was no delay. 

So, he decided on calling you. 

‘Beomgyu?‘

Your voice sounded weird and worry flooded his body.

‘You didn’t respond my message. Just wanna check if you’re fine.’

The sound of glass splintering was audible from your side of the connection and Beomgyu panicked. 

‘What’s going on? Where are you? Are you alright?’

He heard your fast steps and your breathing, the background noised seemed to be further away soon. 

‘Gosh. Train stations hate me.’, he heard you saying after some second.

‘The fuck is going on?’

‘We had to leave train, because they needed to do something in there, I don’t know. But those drunk dudes that were waiting at the other rail were being annoying and thought it was funny to bother me.’

He readied himself to get to you while he listened to you talking. Anger built up inside of him when you mentioned those assholes and he was ready to punch them. 

‘Are you okay? Are you away from them now? I’m on my way.‘

‘Yes, yes. I’m close by the restaurant area.’

‘Good. There are people, wait there for me.’

‘The train left. I missed the train again. Fuck, I hate this.’, you blabbered, but your voice was slightly shaking. Beomgyu recognized this. 

‘I know, I know. I’m on my way. I-’, then the phone connection was cut off.

He quickly texted you. 

Gyu🐻🤡: I’ll be there in 45. Stay at the restaurant area!!!

Different from some days ago when he picked you up, he had to drive a bit longer since his dorm was further away than the company building. He just hoped that you were safe once you were surrounded by more people. 

Train stations were dangerous places, especially when it got dark. 

*

He found you immediately. You were sitting on a bench away from the crowd of people who enjoyed the evening while eating out, but still close enough to be able to reach them if those drunk guys decided on coming back to you. 

Once you saw him you stood up and walked towards him.

With no hesitation he pulled you into a hug and hid you away from the world that bothered you this evening. 

‘Did they do anything to you?’, he whispered trying to stay calm.

‘No. When I walked away they threw a bottle after me, but-’

He pulled away, gaining some distance to be able to get a proper look at you. 

‘It didn’t hit me, just the ground.’

He nodded. He was so angry and scared, but he did not want to freak out, so that you had a chance to calm down. 

‘Let’s go home.’, he spoke and held you close while walking to the car. 

*

‘Beomgyu?‘

‘Hmm.‘, he hummed while he inserted the key.

‘I- Can you stay over tonight?’

‘Sure.‘

‘Really?‘

‘Rellay.’, he assured, starting the engine and driving to your apartment. 

*

‘Take a shower. I make you something to eat.’

‘I’m not hungry.’

‘Okay.‘

He was not sure what he should do. He wanted to beat those guys up so badly, but he was aware that this would not make you feel better. To be honest he was happy that you asked him to keep you company. On the other side he did not like the circumstance at all. 

When you were done with showering and stepped into the room wearing shorts, an oversized shirt and still having wet hair, he was in awe. He knew you were oblivious towards the impact your sheer appearance had on him, however he was convinced that it started to become obvious even to you.

‘You good?’, you questioned when he just stared at you, mouth slightly open. 

‘Y- Yes. Ahem. Let me braid your hair, hm?’

‘You can braid?’, you laughed and plopped down on the bed next to him. 

‘Yes.‘, he said while arranging his sitting position behind you.

‘Since I started to have longer hair I had a good opportunity to practice.’

Carefully he brushed your hair with his fingers and pushed it back over your shoulders towards him, transitioning to slowly separating strains to start braiding. 

She must enjoy it, the way she’s leaning back, he smiled to himself and poked your back.

‘Hey, sit up straight! Otherwise I can’t do your hair.’

‘Okay…’, you groaned.

After a few more minutes he was done. 

‘Thank you.’, you sang and turned around to face him. 

‘Can I hug you?‘, he asked out of the blue.

You leaned in and threw your arms around him, but to your surprise it was no quick hug, no, he pulled you closer so that you were almost seated on his crossed legs. 

‘Why though?‘, you asked.

‘Can’t I hug my friend?’, he whispered.

‘You can. I’m just surprised.’, you explained.

He strengthened his grip around you and asked: ’Can you please sit here?’

Clumsily you climbed onto his lap, accidentally hitting his head.

‘Sorry.‘, you said worried and caressed the spot that you hit. 

Softly he led your hand down by holding it with his own, his thumb caressing your palm.

‘It’s fine.‘, he whispered, looking you deep in the eyes before he engulfed you in his embrace again. 

‘I was worried when you didn’t text and then… your voice sounded so different and then there was this sound of shattering glass and you running and, and… Oh my god, you’re alright, aren’t you? I swear if those idiots did anything to you I-’

‘I’m fine. I really am… now.’, you interrupted him. 

‘Not gonna lie, I was really really scared. I already don’t like waiting for the train in the dark, because there are always some unpredictable drunk people, but normally I manage to not run into them. I don’t know, but they were pretty aggressive today.’, your voice began to shake at the last sentence and Beomgyu felt your body tensing up in the memory of this evening’s confrontation. 

He patted your head and assured you:’It’s over. You’re safe now.’

Your sniffles caused him to pull away in an instant to hold your face in both his hands and wipe away the tears with his thumbs. Nevertheless he could not take having even this little amount of distance between you, so he pulled your body back and let your head nuzzle into his chest without saying a word. 

Once you calmed down and your crying stopped he pushed himself to the edge of the bed and got up to leave the room just to return a moment later with some tissues and a glass of water that he handed you right away. 

‘Look at me.’, he whispered lifting your head gently with two fingers. 

Carefully he let the fabric soak up the salty water around your eyes and gave your scalp a little massage with the other hand. Squatting down in front of you to be on your level allowed him to observe you from up close. This caused him not only to glance at your lips that seemed to be like magnets for his eyes, but also allowed him to see the goosebumps creeping over your skin and he stood up, turned around and grabbed the nearest sweater that he could find to hand it over to you. 

‘Here.‘

‘I’m not cold.’

‘Oh, I thought you were freezing.‘

‘I’m not, but thanks.’

‘Ahm, okay.‘, he said awkwardly, ripped out of his trance that captured him when he was up close to you. He busied himself with throwing away the used tissues and refilling the glass in case you needed some water later. 

‘Gyu?‘

‘Huh?‘, he realized he was standing in the middle of the room spacing out.

‘Thank you.’

He flipped his hand in a ‘It’s-nothing’ gesture and made his way to your bed to plop down onto the mattress.

You laid down next to him.

‘No joke about how ugly I look when I’m crying?’

‘Fuck!‘, he sat up.

‘Please, I can’t do this anymore! You look fucking beautiful when you’re sleeping, when you’re crying, when you just sit there failing on playing guitar, when you enter a restaurant, you always are so beautiful. And those idiots, I swear, I fucking swear, I’m gonna beat them up when I see them there again. No one is allowed to make you cry, no one is allowed to scare you like that. You’re gonna tell me when you’re waiting for the train in the future. I make sure you get home safely. You’re gonna call me the second you feel even slightly anxious out there or wherever-‚

‘Gyu-‘

‘No! You need to promise me this. You’re going to contact me the millisecond you need someone to talk to you. You contact me if you need me to stay over or if you want to stay over at my place or whatever- I-’

‘Gyuuu!’

‘I want you to stop making fun of yourself or expect that I make fun of you like this. I don’t pick you up to have someone to laugh about and I don’t want to spend time with you, because I want to laugh about you. I want to laugh with you and hear your laugh and see you happy and-…’, he stopped his outburst with teary eyes, realizing what he was about to confess. 

‚Beomgyu...‘

You open your arms and now it was on him to snuggle into you embrace. 

‘I just like you a lot, you know…’, he whispered, scared of your reaction and disappointed that he could only express himself with such an underestimation. 

He felt your head on his and your arms tighten around him.

‘I don’t know when exactly serious mode got switched on, but I really, really, really like you too, a lot.’

He enjoyed this moment for a few more seconds trapped between your body and your arms, but then he pulled away, proceeding to place his hands on your shoulders. 

‘So you were really not freezing, huh?’

‘Nope.‘, you laughed and blushed. 

‘And you you really do find me adorable.’

‘And ridiculous, don’t forget the ridiculous part here, if you’re already stating the obvious.’

‘Mean!‘, he fake pouted for a second until he began to smile.

Ridiculously in love with you, like the biggest fool ever, he thought. 

‘Good that you reminded me of that.’, he beamed and let his body hit the mattress energetically and opened his arms signaling you to lay on top of him. 

*

He did not know how long you stayed in this position. The way your weight felt on top of him was just perfect and he got to caress your head, your face, your shoulders, your back, your arms and he got to play with your hands, your fingers as well as feeling them in his hair, on his face, caressing him too. It literally felt like time stopped. 

‘Don’t go to work tomorrow. Call in sick. Take a day to rest.’, he begged without expecting you to agree. However that was exactly what you did. 

‘Okay. Give me my phone, it’s on the shelf there.’

‘Didn’t think that would be so easy… Here.’, he handed it over and you quickly wrote an email explaining what happened at the train station and that you needed a day off. 

‘Is it that easy to skip work?’, he asked while lazily dragging his hands over your upper back. 

‘Yes, they’re pretty chill.’, you mumbled. 

‘What time is it?’, he asked sleepily. 

’One.‘

‘Hmm. Wanna sleep?’

‘Yes.‘, you said and yawned. 

‘What you’re doing?’, Beomgyu asked surprised.

‘Giving you space to sleep?‘

He reached out to you, turning on his side and dragged you close again.

'No. Don’t need space, don’t want space. Want you close.’

He lifted his head and looked down on you. 

‘If you want that too. We don’t have to. I-’

You tapped his head to make him lay down properly again and once he did you snuggled into him, holding him by his waist. 

He understood and could not supress his smile, throwing one leg over you and collected the fabric of your big shirt until it hugged your body as if it would be your size. 

‘Good night.‘, you whispered and he answered: ’If you snore I adorably kick you off the bed.’

‘It’s my bed. You’re ridiculous and I DON’T snore.’

‘Tell that your blocked nose.’

‘I will just use your shirt then.‘

‘Don’t you dare!‘, he giggled, ’It’s fine, your snoring is kind of relaxing.’

‘Please just shut up and let me sleep.’

'Only because you said please.’

He waited for you to fall asleep. He looked at you and even though he told you that he liked you a lot and you told him you felt the same, he did not feel like much changed. Nothing really changed and he kind of liked exactly that very much. 

*

‘God! Why you have alarm activated?’, he groaned and searched for your phone.

‘Where is your fucking phone?’

‘What?‘, you asked half asleep, legs intertwined with his and trapped half on top of his body.

‘Got it!.’, he exclaimed in victory, deactivated the alarm, throw the phone somewhere on the other end of the bed and relaxed on the mattress again, laying on his back with arms and legs taking up the whole surface. 

The blanket was lazily hanging over only one of his legs while the rest was wrapped around your figure. He did not care since you radiated enough warmth for him to be comfortable.

‘Great. Now I’m fully awake.’, he stated annoyed. 

‘Sorry. Forgot to turn it off.’

‘I kind of heard that.’

‘Sorryyy.‘, you whined and nuzzled your face into his shirt. 

He enjoyed this moment way too much, he thought. He loved feeling you close, especially in the morning. It was too cheesy to tell you again how much he liked you and he did not want to be so serious, but he was seriously in love with you and even though he did not directly deny it he did not confess it to himself let alone to you completely either. 

‘We could kiss. If you can’t sleep anyway.‘, he heard you suggesting and thought he was dreaming, so he slapped himself in the face. 

In shock you sat up and starred at him. 

‘What the fuck was that for?’

‘This is a dangerous dream. I need to wake up or I go completely delulu.’

‘Excuse me, what?’

Now he sat up as well, facing you.

‘You can’t just boldly suggest that we kiss!’

Shock was written all over his face.

Dramatically you sank down onto the bed again and exhaled audibly.

‘Well, then I must have hallucinated you starring at my lips that often yesterday.’

‘I- I- I did not?‘ 

You pointed at him. ‘Liar!‘

He blinked a few times and decided if you could play this game he could do so more that ever. 

So, he shifted his weight onto his arms that he placed left and right from you to hover right above you. The way you opened your eyes a bit more than the usually were and gasped slightly in surprise, showed him that you were not even closely as bold here as you pretended to be. 

God, if she’s just half as weak for me as I am for her…

‘What if I did? And what if I keep looking at your lips- What will you do about it, huh?’, he whispered and smirked when instead of an answer  he got to see your skin being floated by a shiver again. 

‘Hmm, you’re always freezing when I’m this close? I didn’t know I was this extraordinary cool.’

You could not hold it in anymore and started laughing

He realized how silly he must have sounded and started laughing at himself as well.

‘Am I not cool or what?‘, he asked with a laughter, fully aware that he was far from being cool.

‘You are, you are!.’, you said with a fading last laughter. 

He saw your eyes glimming in tear, but they were not tears like some hours ago, those were happy tears and just loved how happy and shiny your eyes looked at him. 

Fuck, get yourself together, idiot!, he reminded himself.

‘You’re adorable.’, you whispered. 

‘Not cool?’, he whispered as well.

‘Adorably cool.’

‘I think I can work with that.’

‘Hmm.‘

‘Look who’s now glancing at MY lips the whole time.‘, he smirked. 

‘I’m literally not denying it.‘

‘Bold.‘

‘Don’t we have too much hair to be considered bald?’

He shook his head at your bad pun and blurted out: ‘Gosh, why do I love so much you when your jokes are the worst ever.’

You looked at him in shock and he realized what he just said. 

Quickly he got back up and looked away.

‘Fuck.‘, he cursed. 

‘Maaaan, what if I wanted to tell you first? You could have at least asked before you tell me that you love me.’, you said with a pout. 

‘Please don’t joke about this.’, he said sadly, burrying his head in his hands so that his hair fell over it, covering him. 

‘Beomgyu.‘

‘Hmm.‘

‘I love you too.’

*

‘I said you shouldn’t joke about this.’

‘I’m not joking.’

Finally he looked up, slowly turning his head towards you.

‘You’re not?’

‘No.'

He turned around completely, still processing what you said. 

You both sat there with crossed legs as if you were about to gossip about the most recent news like always. It felt so similar, but so different, in a good way, in an exciting way.

‘Say it again, please.‘, he whispered and took your hands. 

Without hesitation you repeated: ‘I love you.’

‘Fuck, I love you too, so, so much.’, he said desperately, squeezing your hands, because he needed to hold onto something to not completely fall. 

He touched your face and caressed your skin gently, touching you to prove to himself that you were really right in front of him.

‘May I kiss you?’, he whispered, not because he was unsure, but because he felt like this moment was so vulnerable that even his voice could destroy everything.

‘I literally suggested it a few minutes ago.‘, you smiled.

‘That’s not a clear enough answer.’, he said seriously, still having is hand on the side of your head.

‘Yes, please kiss me.’, you whispered and gave his hand that you were still holding an assuring squeeze. 

He slowly let his hand wander to your waist, pulling you on his lap while glancing from your eyes to your lips and back. 

Once he had you as close as he needed you he held your face in his hands softly. 

For the longest time you just sat there starring into each others eyes, in reality it was probably just a couple of seconds. 

Your hand playing with his hair softly made him quit his trance and he slowly leaned in, holding himself back for a millisecond right before he could kiss you, just to proceed to place his lips onto yours as lightly as a feather. 

His tongue licked over your lips gently what caused you to blush and smile, so he finally kissed you properly.

He held onto you the whole time, started with his hands holding your face first, but letting them wander to hold your waist, collecting the fabric of your shirt in his fists. 

Even when you both pulled back to breath he did not let too much distance between your bodies. 

He leaned his forehead against yours and closed his eyes.

‘I so hope this is not a dream.’, he whispered. 

‘Ouch!‘, he yelled and sat back. 

‘You’re not dreaming, my friend.’

‘You need to pinch me for proof or what?’, he asked and started to tickle you.

‘No, please, not, Gyu.’, you exhaled between laughters. 

He hovered over your flattened body again and held you down by your wrists. 

‘Please, don’t call me friend.‘, he whispered seriously.

‘What else do you want me to call you then?‘, you whispered back.

‘Boyfriend? Can I be your boyfriend?‘, he asked quietly with big doe eyes, his hair hanging in his face due to his position, waiting for your answer. 

‘Yes.‘, you whispered with a smile. 

He let his body sing down on yours and snuggled his face in between your neck and shoulder, feeling your arms freeing from his hold and hugging him. 

‘Wanna sleep? It’s still early.’, you whispered. 

‘No. I’m just gonna wake up and think it was all a dream.‘, he mumbled. 

*

Gyu🐻🤡: Yo, Sugar Mommy! Wanna get dinner together this evening?

You: Only if you pay.

Gyu🐻🤡: Ah, someone is in need of a Sugar Daddy.

You: That someone you’re talking about is your girlfriend and she needs food and not an insight to your list of kinks today.

Gyu🐻🤡: So food today and kinks tomorrow?

Gyu🐻🤡: Sounds like a plan.

You: Why again did I fall for you?

Gyu🐻🤡: Because you find me adorable.

You: …

You: When and where today?

Gyu🐻🤡: I’ll pick you up from work at 8?

You: Make it 9

Gyu🐻🤡: Do they make you work longer again?

You: Yes, maybe someone shouldn’t have skipped work randomly.

Gyu🐻🤡: Was it worth it tho?

You: I’ll tell you when I see what we’re gonna eat later

Gyu🐻🤡: So you connect my worth with the food that I provide?

You: I’m hungry, so… yes.

Gyu🐻🤡: wow

Gyu🐻🤡: but okay. See you later :)

Gyu🐻🤡: I love you! :*

You: And I told you to be careful to not fall for me 

Gyu🐻🤡: Could you just text it back? :(

You: XD

You: I love you too! ❤️

*

‘I have to go there by train tomorrow.’, you said while collecting the food on your fork. 

‘No, I already organized an alternative for you.‘, he explained and took a bite from his burger. 

‘You can’t prevent me from taking the train forever.’

‘That’s true, but when I can I am going to. No whining.’, he instructed and pointed at you. 

‘Okay, okay. How was work?’

‘It’s getting better, I feel the recent songs much more.’

‘That’s great.’, you chirped and smiled at him. 

‘Don’t do this.’

‘What?‘, you asked confused. 

‘Being so beautiful. It just makes me wanna kiss you.’

‘We can do that later.’

‘You can’t just suggest that so openly!’

‘How can I not when your eyes are glued to my lips 24/7?’

‘They’re not!’

You looked at him knowingly.

‘So what? You’re my girlfriend. Can’t I look forward to kissing you?’

You smiled and took another bite, shaking your head.

‘What?‘

Now it was on him being confused.

‘You’re adorable and I love you, that’s it.’

He smiled and you two continued your dinner, talking and bickering like you always did. The only thing that changed was that your smile for each other was less hidden and that the random love confession within a conversation made you be silent in happiness for a brief moment. 

*

Gyu🐻🤡: I love you! :*

You: I love you too! ❤️

[signalwatch]

President's Day: James Carter - the 39th President of the United States

Former President James "Jimmy" Carter is on my mind these days as he is, at age 98, entering hospice care.  

Perhaps now more famous and liked for his post-Presidential career than his time during office - a period during which I would not envy anyone who was in the White House - Carter may not be with us much longer, so now seems like an opportune time to remind all of us who Jimmy Carter is other than a nice old man who spends a lot of time volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

Carter was born and raised in Plains, Georgia, where his family had a peanut farm.  He would leave to go to college, finishing as a Naval Academy graduate, which led to his military service aboard submarines in both the Pacific and Atlantic fleets.  Clearly he had something going on upstairs as he was selected to study reactor technology as nuclear submarines came online.  Yes.  He's a nuclear engineer.  

Even as a kid, I remember hearing Carter was "a peanut farmer", which was true.  With his father's passing, Carter returned to Georgia in the mid-1950's to take over the family business, which had diminished significantly.  Carter and family wound up living in public housing. which he grew into a considerable agricultural supply enterprise, while also becoming involved in the local community.  By 1963, Carter - with the navigation and support of his wife, Rosalyn - ran for office as a State Senator, uncovering local corruption of party politics along the way.

It should be noted that Carter's platform was pro-desegregation, and much of his political stance of his early career was based on his support of the Civil Rights movement.  However, his 1970 run for the Governor's office was marred by appeals to segregationists - who he essentially betrayed during his inaugural speech, seeking an end to segregation.  Pretty wild.  

As governor, he focused on the Civil Rights movement, educational equity, and opportunities and care for a wide array of Georgians. 

Carter served one term before running for President in 1976, partnering with Walter Mondale as a running mate and narrowly defeating Gerald Ford, the Gerald Ford of presidential candidates.  

During his governorship, Carter had not played ball well with party hardliners, and arriving in DC, he didn't particularly endear himself to the legislature, refusing horse-trading for political actions and pushing back against the Ted Kennedy-led wing of the Democratic party.  What I personally remember was that Carter took a lot of blame for an economy he inherited from Ford, which had a 9% unemployment rate and inflation that we're only seeing again lately.  His efforts at economic recovery were knee-capped by the 1970's energy crisis, which wound up as a key part of Carter's legacy (he pushed comprehensive energy strategies that got some traction).

Carter established the Department of Education, Head Start, and fought for better healthcare coverage 0 perhaps including universal coverage - a fight that continues on to this day.

Carter was a Cold War-era president, but his focus wound up on creating a peace between Egypt and Israel, and I grew up knowing what the Camp David Accords were, and what part the US played in Mid-East peace, which was a factor for the US constantly through the early 2000's.  If you want to understand how long and how f'd up the US's history has been with Afghanistan and why every time we start talking about Afghanistan a lot of us grind our molars, Carter was in office when the Soviet Union invaded the country, which would go on for years.  We, of course, provided weapons and support, all of which had a very long tail as we chose perhaps the not-best allies in the region.

And, of course, Carter was at the wheel during the Iran Hostage Crisis, which is one of my earliest TV News Memories (along with Reagan being elected, Reagan being shot and Pope John Paul II's attempted assassination, which I frown upon).  

It's worth noting that during the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant incident, nuclear engineer/ President Jimmy Carter walked right into the plant during the emergency to be briefed in a way it's impossible to see any prior or subsequent president participating.  

The first Presidential Election I can recall was the 1980 election and I remember sitting on the floor while my parents explained that they'd both voted that day and for different candidates.  I found this mind-boggling, but also somehow comforting - but which also set me up to really not get how insane people are about their candidates of choice.  Everyone simmer down out there.

Carter was roundly defeated by Ronald Reagan, and retreated to Georgia.  

I don't recall hearing much about him until 1994 when he went to North Korea on behalf of Clinton.  According to the internet, this went way crazier than I remembered, with Carter trying to outline a treaty without Clinton's consent.  Huh.  You do you, Jimmy.

After this, Carter started appearing before cameras again, and now he was "Telling It Like It Is" Jimmy Carter.  This isn't to say he was a crazy old man - he sounded 10x more lucid and well-considered than anyone in office who had to worry about optics, etc...  and it occurred to me that he was probably an incredibly smart man that usually had a hard time compromising and communicating, and he might make a far better elder statesman than he had a president.

For the past two decades, Carter has fought off brain cancer while also participating in community work like Habitat for Humanity, speaking with current presidents as an advisor and generally being a decent moral touchstone for some Americans.  As a President who was in office during a period of complicated history coming home to roost, in many ways, he was just the guy in the chair when a multitude of things occurred that had been problems set in motion by prior office holders, but that's the job.  It's always the job.  Carter in particular seemed to take it on the chin for not being a magical being who could fix all the ills that beset the nation in the wake of WWII's post-history, the Cold War, US interventionism (which he built upon), and an economy prior administrations hadn't wrangled particularly well.  

Again, that's the job.  No idea why people want it.

As Carter enters his final days or weeks, he has a mixed legacy as a politician.  Like all people, he's complicated and contradictory and occasionally compromised.  But I'd argue he's used his last few decades showing us what ex-Presidents are capable of if they seek to show the world a level of decency and betterment for others through service.

https://ift.tt/nFkmgM6

from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/ujVBdse

[thestandardoilcompany]

Financial Economics

By. Jacinda Thomas, Masters of Science in Wealth Management

Good Morning,

One of the first things I had to learn as a world class wealth manager was financial economics. Let's dive right in.

First we will break down the meaning of each individual word.

Financial: the study of finance; let's define finance: money or other liquid resources of a government, business, group, or individual

Economics: a social science concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

There were also other definitions as well.

Now let's think about it: the economy is the revolving circulation of goods or services. And finance is simply money... so it's safe to say that financial economics is money of the circulation of goods and services.

This makes sense. As an ultra high net worth wealth manager, it's important to have a clear understanding of the circulatory money activity of goods and services.

This is one of the things that makes me such a great ultra high net worth wealth manager and advisor. As a person from a family of entrepreneurs I took a keen interest in how business is run from a very, very early age. As mentioned in my opening essay, throughout the last 16 years I've super deep dived into industries of all sorts: autos, mechanics, cars, fashion, retail, style grooming, software engineering, web development, apps, servers, computers, design, restaurants, food, logistics, warehousing, transportation, logistics, shipping/receiving, farming, agriculture, agtech, vertical farming, energy, wind, oil, pellet, real estate, construction, interior design, development, commercial, industrial, residential, art, music, touring, music production, education, teaching, higher learning, politics, government, religion, philanthropy, non-profit, finance products. With the latest being crypto, blockchain, and web3... I'm sure there are a few things I didn't mention, but overall these are few of the fields that I've had genuine authentic non-manufactured interest in. Which is key, genuine interest is rare.

Extremely thoroughbred in regards to understanding how the world works. Which will make me one of the most valuable and highly sought after high net worth wealth managers in the world.

Even the pastors need a pastor.

I understand the economy, the intricacies of how it interacts. And I'm continuously learning in natural ways.

We're never in a hurry, it's important that the table is set properly.

Okay so now let's dive deeper into financial economics.

Our overall assumption just from defining the words is in the ballpark of this definition. The study of the financial system. The study of economic resources allocation over time under conditions of uncertainty. Yes this makes sense. The study of the use and distribution of resources in the financial markets.

Within a semester class we will learn much more to be able to adequately assist our clients and/or firms.

The Canadian lecture on financial economics adds a nice global perspective to our understanding.

The Financial Appetite blog does a lovely job of explaining this. Learn more here: https://www.thefinancialappetite.com/blog/what-is-financial-economics

What Is Financial Economics?

Financial economics is a branch of economics that analyzes how resources are used and distributed in markets. In general, it is the study of choices consumers, business managers, and government officials make to achieve their goals considering that they have limited or scarce resources. Financial decisions will frequently have to take into consideration future events, which can be related to individual stocks, portfolios, or the market as a whole. Financial economics differs from the other branches of economics because it pays particular attention to monetary activities. This branch of economics analyzes how inflation, depression, deflation, recession, prices, and other financial variables impact one another. It applies economic principles to financial markets, corporations, banks, and central banking policies, and uses economic theory to evaluate how time, risk, opportunity costs, and information can produce incentives for a particular decision. Financial economics plays an important role in making investment decisions, identifying risks, and valuing securities and assets.

What a wonderful break down. Let's see what Investopedia has to say.

Financial Economics

What Is Financial Economics?

Financial economics is a branch of economics that analyzes the use and distribution of resources in markets. Financial decisions must often take into account future events, whether those be related to individual stocks, portfolios, or the market as a whole.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Financial economics analyzes the use and distribution of resources in markets.

It employs economic theory to evaluate how time, risk, opportunity costs, and information can create incentives or disincentives for a particular decision.

Financial economics often involves the creation of sophisticated models to test the variables affecting a particular decision.

How Financial Economics Works

Making financial decisions is not always a straightforward process. Time, risk (uncertainty), opportunity costs, and information can create incentives or disincentives. Financial economics employs economic theory to evaluate how certain things impact decision making, providing investors with the instruments to make the right calls.

Financial economics usually involves the creation of sophisticated models to test the variables affecting a particular decision. Often, these models assume that individuals or institutions making decisions act rationally, though this is not necessarily the case. The irrational behavior of parties has to be taken into account in financial economics as a potential risk factor.

Investopedia compares it to traditional economics.

Financial Economics vs. Traditional Economics

Traditional economics focuses on exchanges in which money is one—but only one—of the items traded. In contrast, financial economics concentrates on exchanges in which money of one type or another is likely to appear on both sides of a trade. 

The financial economist can be distinguished from traditional economists by their focus on monetary activities in which time, uncertainty, options and information play roles. 

Financial Economics Methods

There are many angles to the concept of financial economics. Two of the most prominent are:

Discounting

Decision making over time recognizes the fact that the value of $1 in 10 years' time is less than the value of $1 now. Therefore, the $1 at 10 years must be discounted to allow for risk, inflation, and the simple fact that it is in the future. Failure to discount appropriately can lead to problems, such as underfunded pension schemes.

Risk Management and Diversification

Advertisements for stock market-based financial products must remind potential buyers that the value of investments may fall as well as rise.

Financial institutions are always looking for ways of insuring, or hedging, this risk. It is sometimes possible to hold two highly risky assets but for the overall risk to be low: if share A only performs badly when share B performs well (and vice versa) then the two shares perform a perfect hedge.

An important part of finance is working out the total risk of a portfolio of risky assets, since the total risk may be less than the risk of the individual components.

Let's look at one more source to understand Financial Economics. This time we will view a video:

Take the day to review the materials above. And welcome to Financial Economics.

Jacinda T.Thomas

#jacindathomas #financialeconomics #wealthmanagement

[writtenjewels]

Switched part 5

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four

Dar felt sorely tempted to switch outfits with Salim again. Being the lord was fine when it was just his people to work with: they knew their jobs and he knew how to manage them. With the foreign dignitaries he was expected to play host while also working the political side of things. Dar could manage the latter; it was the parties and the entertainment he had more trouble with.

He would be the first to admit he was not a man known for his charm or charisma.

His mood lightened considerably when his duties took him to the Americans. He was glad he went ahead and disposed of the Dekel facade; Salim helped him in making up a reason for it in the first place.

“Having my guard pose as me was a practice joke,” he told them in English. “You Americans enjoy those, yes?”

“Funny,” the ambassador agreed, though she didn't look amused. [Maybe now we can introduce ourselves properly?] she added in Arabic. [Rachel King, ambassador for America. That's my guard Jason, and this is Nick and Eric. Nick's in charge of weapons development and Eric is our top scientist, specializing in satellite data and nuclear power.]

“Hello.” Dar nodded to all of them, eyes lingering on Eric. “What sort of satellite data?” He smiled as the blonde's face brightened at the question.

“It's a thermal satellite system that I'm personally engineering. It detects certain heat signatures emitted by--”

“I'm sure Lord al-Basri doesn't want to hear the technicals right now,” Rachel interrupted him. “We'll all have a chance to go over our departments with the lord later,” Rachel went on. “Right now, we're here to enjoy the hospitality.”

“Yes,” Dar agreed. “Enjoy. There will be music and dancers later. You will join me.” Unfortunately he had to include them all when he would rather it just be Eric.

[Thank you,] Rachel said. [We would be honored.] It was only because of his promise to Eric that Dar gave her a stiff nod in return. He quickly moved on to speak with the lord of another land.

[Will you be needing me during the performance?] Salim asked him.

[No, I think I can handle some music and dancing without you.] As an afterthought, Dar added: [Take a break.]

Later the Americans joined Dar on plush cushions to watch the performance. Dar tried to arrange things so he could sit close to Eric while still making it seem like he was honoring Rachel. Their guard wasn't in attendance and Dar wondered if he'd been given the time off, too. Eric moved a bit awkwardly to settle on the cushion, thoughtlessly putting a hand on Dar's shoulder to steady himself. He moved his hand away before Rachel or Nick noticed.

Now that Dar understood the relationship between the three, he read their interactions with closer scrutiny. Eric was polite and professional with Nick but there was an underlying stiffness between the two men. With Rachel he was strained, while she in turn seemed cold toward him. As for Rachel and Nick, they were practically sharing the same cushion.

[Not subtle,] Dar mused.

“What?” Eric frowned at him.

“Our dancing,” Dar said. “Very different from yours. Watch.” He nodded to where the dancers were gathering. The drummers started the beat, with the other musicians joining in. The dancers began to move, swaying and bending to the rhythm of the beat. The three Americans watched in awe. Dar made sure Rachel and Nick were occupied before leaning closer to Eric. “Language,” he remarked. “The drums speak and the dancer answers.”

“I don't really dance,” Eric answered. “No rhythm, remember?” He watched for a while then turned to Dar with a raised eyebrow. “Could you dance like that?” Dar nodded, though he hadn't danced in years. Eric raised the other eyebrow and leaned in a little closer. “Could I see it? For science?”

“American jokes,” Dar snorted. He brushed Eric's fingers with his. He slid his fingers between Eric's and the blonde's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“Eric, are you paying attention?” Rachel's voice cut through the moment. Dar released the man's hand and turned back to the performance, clapping along as the dancers moved. Every time he caught Eric's eye, Dar could see the words brewing just under the surface. So much he wanted to express, thoughts and ideas and observations.

For a man of science, he was full of passion. Rachel was very wrong: Dar wanted to hear all of it. The dance ended and Dar took the opportunity to lean close to Eric. He spoke in the man's ear so the words wouldn't be lost to the applause.

“Meet me here tonight.” He pressed a brief kiss on the lobe of Eric's ear, causing the American to suck in a sharp breath. Eric didn't look at him but he did nod his head. Pleased, Dar once again turned away.

He could tolerate a few more hours.

[cocoartistwrites]

bestieeee im the ‘is it a date or not’ anon LOL i have few updates and it’s a ride!! and its gonna be very looong

1. it was a date!! and it went sooo well. we kissed (im easy, i know im a hoebag), but before he kissed me he brushed his teeth bcs he didn’t want me to taste the onion bcs we ate in indian food 😭 but he didn’t mind it from me.

2. our second date was last weekend. netflix and chill. at his apartment bcs my tv was still in the cardboard box.

3. his apartment is really nice, has a lot of books (sadly no fiction, just some engineering books and self help types). has a lot of stuff but very tidy. and ps 5 games. no pets.

4. i got my period while we were watching 😭😭😭😭😭 and i stained his sofa with my menstrual blood. i didn’t notice it bcs ive always been irregular. of course i didn’t bring any pads. i don’t even bring clothes bcs i didn’t plan to stay. so imagine the chaos in my mind.

5. i cried. a lot because it was so embarrassing. he hug me and let me cry. after that he apologized that he didn’t have pads/tampons. i wanted to take a shower and he was ‘yeah, cmon, i’ll give you my clothes don’t worry’

6. his bathroom is really nice, clean, AND HE HAS A BIDET. idk why but i noticed his products. he used la roche posay and aesop products like??? this is the first time ive been with a guy that doesn’t use gatsby or ‘masculine’ products.

7. he has very clean and soft towel and he warmed it 😭😭

8. he bought me the correct pads😭😭😭 like he bought me the winged, large pad, and an ‘emergency panties’. his apartment complex has a convenient store at the ground level so it was quick.

9. HE CLEANED MY BLOODIED PANTS AND PANTY😭😭😭😭😭 no disgust face. nothing. he also immediately clean the sofa cover.

10. i cried after shower. because he was so kind and he didn’t appear to be disgusted or upset or mad or disappointed. he just was like him??? he was so calm and nonchalant and kind and helpful and he was very accommodating.

11. i ended up wearing his tshirt and shorts. the shorts was too big, but he has some clips so it’s not too loose. LIKE HOW DOES HE HAVE THAT!?

12. i cried again. i fucking HATE to be the stereotypical menstrual woman but fuckkkk i was so embarrassed and touched. AND HE WAS NOT MAD AT MEEEE! ik it’s the bare minimum but i was so touched.

13. he bought me chocolate 🥹 like loads.

14. i apologized to him bcs i got my period. and he was ‘you dont have to apologize!’ etc etc. i hugged him. again. he asked me to sleep his apartment bcs it was late and his car was still fixed. i said yes bcs i was also curious LOL IM SO EASY IM SORRY but we didn’t have sex. he did not even initiate.

15. i sleep in his bed. which again, very nice and clean and smells good. he sprayed lavender sleeping oil (i got at my place too) on the pillows. HE WAS THOUGHTFUL.

16. he was planning to sleep on the air mattress, but i asked him to sleep with me. i cried. we cuddled and kiss kiss. and we sleep. no sex involved.

17. he has a white noise machine 😭

18. i thanked him for being so thoughtful and considerate and generous and not condescending. i even thanked him for buying the correct pads.

19. turns out his mother and his oldest sister ARE OBGYN! even more surprising, his mother IS MY OBGYN and i just got my pap smear at her clinic 3 months ago 😭 i didn’t make the connection bcs his mother has different last name.

20. he has two older sisters, and he is the youngest and only boy. idk why but this explains a lot about his choices of hygiene products.

21. he snores, but not too loud. it was cute. i think im in love.

22. in the morning he made me toast but with chocolate sprinkles topping. i found out this is dutch breakfast. his mother is dutch. (explains why he’s 6’6 HAHA).

23. not only did he clean my bloodied pants and my shirt, he also IRONED IT.

24. he took a cab with me to my place. it was sunday.

25. he mounted my tv. and made it so tidy that no cable wire was seen. 😭 if i did it myself it’s gonna be messy. but he did it so tidy.

26. IT WAS SONFUCKING HOT like??? he was in my living room and placing tv and things like that, connected it to wifi, signing it to netflix, hbo, youtube, etc. i was just staring at him. im in love.

27. i realized during our interaction he never complained. EVER. like never. i never see him in negative emotion. he was always calm. idk if it’s a good thing or not.

28. he still texted me his lunch/meme. and he just send me pictures orange stray cats he met 😭 i wanna have cat but i cant bcs my landlord dont allow it. i especially want an orange cat😭

29. i thought he was going to ghost me. but he didn’t. he even asked me about my period pain and he offered to ask his mom/sister about it if i have any concerns. i haven’t told him that his mom is my obgyn, yet. (should i even tell him?)

30. i really want him to be husband by now.

what do you think guys? do you think this is love bombing type? but at the same time he doesn’t do romance things??? idk. but these whole thing just made me 🥹❤️🥹❤️ please please tell me if there’s any redflag i missed bcs i tend to wear rose-colored glasses. and i tend to notice little things and make myself fall in love.

also how do i make it up to him? please tell me i really don’t want him to lose interest. but tbh i feel like he he still holds the same interest as our first interaction. more even???

sorry for the extremely long post😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

He sounds amaaaaazing! But also don’t go too easy just bc he’s started well or put him on a pedestal!!!! You’ll give him too much power and it won’t be even. You gotta accept the nice things as actually your due.

That said what about cooking for him or something nice and chill?

I’m so happy for you, this is gorgeous and hopeful and we’re all crossing our little fingers for you baby

[kariachi]

As a result of my own ‘final frost is in like a month down here so I am Planning’ shit, some follow-up to this fic from a short while back.

Finally something chill to keep Mike from being trouble.

~~

“I never should have gotten you a garden, should I?” Draping himself over the back of the couch, Kevin gazed over the mess that was his coffee table. It was normally a mess, between the three of them and Zed, but all the literature and auto mags and engineering blueprints and machine parts had been shoved aside in favor of three different gardening catalogs and several different diagrams of the backyard. Specifically, the area around the raised beds.

“It certainly wasn’t your brightest move, no. How do you feel about marigolds?” Resting his jaw in one hand, Kevin smirked down at Mike, who simply continued flipping through a fourth catalog.

“Does it matter?”

“Not particularly. Just need to know if there’s some deadly allergy I should be keeping in mind.”

“Nah,” he shook his head. “It’s just the strawberries, and if you plant peanuts I think G is allowed to kill you. Other than that? You’ve got free reign.”  Mike nodded.

“By all accounts they’re a good companion plant for a variety of things,” he said, setting his catalog down and digging up a diagram. He held it up for perusal. “The bed closer to the fence? I’m considering putting a few varieties of tomato along the west side, so I can trellis them without shading anything else. The rest of the bed might bet a mix of onions, basil, peppers, and marigolds.” Kevin took a moment, hoping it at least looked like he was giving the idea careful consideration. He didn’t know jackshit about gardening, himself. Mike wasn’t so great either, getting almost sad returns on his first and so far only growing season, but he was nothing if not one of the stubbornest guys Kevin knew and was throwing himself whole hog into doing better this next year.

For all the joking about the bastard needing a proper hobby…

“Sounds good to me,” he eventually said, then pointed at the other bed. “What about this one?”

“Originally I was thinking of trying potatoes and squash-” Kevin nodded, yes, good, get the bastard some calories- “but apparently they don’t work well together. So instead I’m considering potatoes, horseradish, peas, chives, and cilantro. I may swap the horseradish out for some sort’ve cabbage or broccoli though, I’m still researching.”

“Of course you are.” Absolute menace.

“I also,” Mike continued, throwing a Look at him, “am considering putting a third bed in, running perpendicular to the others here.” He pointed out a spot just to the north of the pre-existing raised beds. “Sunflowers along the top will keep off the worst of the sun in mid-summer, and I can put my summer and winter squashes beneath them, plus garlic.”

“What, only four in that one,” Kevin teased. Mike shot him another look and shrugged.

“I haven’t decided. I’m still looking into things. Anyway, I’m trying to keep things simple.” Of course. Of course this was his idea of simple. Who could expect less from a guy whose plan to kidnap a girl began with starting a cult?

“Yeah,” Kevin said with a melodramatic sigh, shaking his head, “I really shouldn’t have given you a garden.” Mike snorted, setting aside the diagram and returning to the catalog.

“You’d best just hope this ‘house arrest’ situation ends soon, Levin. I’ll be ripping up and repurposing the whole yard next.” Chuckling, Kevin mussed his hair, grinning at the glare he got in return.

“Expecting no less, Sparkles.”

[kxlinthesky]

EPISODE 3 LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 2-3 English Translation

WARNING: The last section of this chapter contains a scene in which Marie attempts to force herself on a minor. As in the previous LN, I’ve placed asterisk lines (*****) around the scene for those who’d like to avoid that sort of thing.

The layout of the steam train turned murder scene was as such:

The engine room took up the front of the locomotive, followed by the cargo hold and conductor’s compartment. Behind those were the deluxe and first-class carriages, containing the A and B rooms, respectively. Next came the dining and lounge cars, the latter of which contained a bathroom, and then two second-class carriages. The rear of the train was taken up by a carriage for the crew.

Owl started by heading for the lounge, where Marie was.

“I was in the dining car at that time, you impudent detective.”

When asked for her alibi, Marie answered with dignified confidence.

“Can anyone prove that?” asked Owl.

“Oh, several people. There’s the cook, the waiter, this dreadfully gloomy man.” Marie vaguely pointed to the person with her, peering closely at Owl with her head tilted.

She had already made some snide remarks during the interrogation – she’d at one point bent over the table, showing off her considerable chest, and it had repulsed the detective enough to irritate her – but by now her good humor had seemingly been restored. Either that, or she’d asked the police herself and decided it was best to cooperate with the investigation. No matter the reason, her friendlier demeanor was certainly making the conversation smoother. Owl pulled a notebook from his chest pocket and opened it, preparing to take some notes, but he was interrupted.

“I didn’t see it before, boy, but your eyes are violet, aren’t they? How lovely.” The woman extended a pale hand and caressed Owl’s cheek. “It’s rare to see something with such a brilliant shade. I wonder if I ought to add you to my boyfriend collection.”

Her other hand joined the first, pinching and pulling at his cheeks. Despite the light manhandling, Owl replied clearly, “Collection?”

“Oh, yes. I like to line everyone up by their eye colors. They’re absolutely lovely to look at like that. Much prettier than butterfly specimens, in my opinion.”

As she continued her inspection, Owl silently reflected… maybe being so friendly actually hindered conversation. His thought process was swiftly derailed when her fingertips grazed the backs of his ears.

“How adorable,” she cooed. “I absolutely adore younger men. Their skin is still as clear as a woman’s, their hair isn’t thick… I end up wanting to touch them forever.”

Owl’s expression valiantly didn’t so much as twitch. “Thank you for the compliment,” he deadpanned, subtly shoving her hands away. Once he’d gotten her detached from him, he checked the passenger list he’d stuck in his notebook and turned his attention to the “gloomy man” with Marie. “You would be Low, correct?” he checked. “Mr. Low Steward?”

“That’s right.” Low’s eyebrows plainly rose, jealousy burning in the depths of his gaze. By the looks of it, he was having trouble stomaching Marie’s interest in the detective.

“You two were together in the dining room,” Owl said.

“That’s what we’ve been saying,” was Low’s sharp reply.

This was going to be tough. Owl forcefully swallowed the “pain in my ass” that tried to bubble out of his throat. He kept his voice deliberately level as he continued his questioning. “Did you stay in the dining car for long?”

His question was for Low, but Marie answered instead, “We did. We arrived a little after five, I believe, and we were there until around seven. It’s a principle of mine to always leisurely enjoy a good meal. Gourmet food is a highlight of traveling.”

“I agree,” hummed Owl. “The cakes were quite delicious.”

“The full-course meal was also superb,” gushed Marie. “One spoon of salmon and lobster for the amuse-bouche, gibier carpaccio as the hors d’ouevre, a sorbet for the granité, and veal stew as the main course. Oh, right, and I had them switch the sauce on my carpaccio from mustard to vinegar, and the sorbet from lime to raspberry. You can ask the steward, I had him speak to the head chef. My alibi is perfect.”

Owl carefully noted down every word she said. “Is that so? Thank you for your detailed explanation. You have a very good memory.”

“You’re quite welcome. I’m an excellent study – my job is in hospital management, you see.”

Owl kept a close eye on her expressions as he continued to scribble away. She didn’t look all that down, considering her husband was missing.

“Am I being suspected, by chance? My husband… he’s truly dead, then, is he?”

Rather, she was overflowing with curiosity, trying to sneak a peek at Owl’s notebook.

“In all likelihood, yes, he’s probably dead,” answered Owl. “But please don’t mind any doubt being cast your way – everyone on this train is a potential suspect.”

“But the most suspicion would naturally land on me, being his wife. I’ve read about it before in gossip rags. ‘A Marriage Turned Sour’ and whatnot! I love those stories!” Marie was in high spirits over the whole thing. She didn’t even seem to mind that she was at the center of this particular potential scandal. “But unfortunately for you, I had no reason to want my husband dead. You know, right, that most murders are motivated by some sort of money trouble or jealousy or the like? Well, I had nothing like that. The hospital I manage was inherited from my parents, so money is no object to me, and in terms of love, well, we both agreed that we wanted lovers. So you see, I want for nothing. He was a splendid business partner.”

“Business partner?” repeated Owl.

“Oh, yes, he was quite capable. He worked hard at my hospital.” A hint of dejection finally emerged on her face. “It really is quite a shame if he’s truly dead – I’ll have to find a new doctor to replace him, and that means I’ll have less time to attend my parties.”

Low spoke up then. “I will help out wherever I can,” he promised.

Marie sniffed and turned away, disappointment overshadowed by utter disinterest. “You’re a good-for-nothing who’s completely incapable of any kind of office work,” she huffed over her shoulder. “You could stand to learn a thing or two from that gentleman from before. He works for the government, you know, and at such a young age, too! Good head on his shoulders, refined tastes, mild-mannered, he’s quite wonderful….” She let out a small, distracted sigh, her mind clearly wandered off somewhere else for the moment.

Owl’s thoughts flashed to the man he’d seen in the dining car earlier. “Would this man be… Mr. Mastema?”

Marie jolted out of her thoughts. “Yes, that’s him! Are you familiar? He’s come by our hospital many times for his philanthropic work. I was rather surprised to run into him here! We had some wine together in the lounge, such a lovely time… I’d wanted to take the opportunity to bring him to bed, but we had a rather strange interruption….”

While Marie dreamily recounted her time with Mastema, Low’s expression darkened. His fists were clenched on his thighs and were ever so slightly trembling. Owl observed both of their reactions, then leafed through his notebook and said, “One final question. Have you seen or heard any suspicious people or events since you boarded the train?”

“Suspicious people? Let me see….” Marie elegantly tilted her head, then lowered it carefully to rest on her hand rather pretentiously. “I wouldn’t go so far as to call it ‘suspicious,’ but I was rather put off by the conductor’s unsociable behavior. He passed by me in the dining car, but he didn’t even give me so much as a hello. Other than that….” Suddenly, Marie’s face darkened with malicious intent. “Well, my husband’s secretary comes to mind.”

“You mean Miss Michelle?”

“Oh, yes. She’s very suspicious. If you’re going to point fingers at anyone, start with her.”

Low interjected here, surprise coloring his tone. “That person is incapable of taking another person’s life,” he stated.

“Oh, you think so? But you know, it’s impossible to tell what meek little women like here are really thinking,” Marie countered.

Low scrambled for a rebuttal. “B-But when we were coming back from the dining car, we saw her leaving the lounge, didn’t we? That means she went through the dining car and was in the lounge before us.”

“Whose side are you on, mine or hers?” snapped Marie.

“Of course I’m on Lady Marie’s side… but….” Low was hesitating, his next words stuck in his throat.

“You’ve said enough. Be quiet.” Marie threw him a single sharp glare, and his mouth clicked shut. She turned back to Owl and leaned forward again. “You know, detective, there’s one thing that’s absolutely vital to any murder case.”

“And that would be?” prompted Owl.

Her shoulders squirmed obscenely. “Why, a lover,” she whispered, then popped her lips in a kiss.

■■■■■■■■■■

“I am his secretary, not his lover,” insisted Michelle.

After talking to Marie, Owl’s next stop was room B-1 in the first-class carriage, where Michelle was staying. She’d agreed to speak with him and directed him to a chair as soon as he’d arrived, but irritation and caution were both plain in her voice.

Owl paused with his hand halfway in his coat, just before he took his notebook out. “… I didn’t say anything yet…?” he mumbled, trying to play dumb.

“You didn’t have to.” Perched on the bed opposite Owl, Michelle gently ran her fingers through the hair hanging over her shoulders, mouth curled in an unpleasant frown. “The madam most likely already told you that I was the master’s lover or some such nonsense. And besides, I know you’re not a doctor-in-training. You shouldn’t lie like that.”

Owl dipped his head. “My apologies. It wasn’t a complete lie, though. There was a time where I studied to be a doctor.”

“So why become a detective, then?”

“Everyone is suited for different things.”

“Did your parents disagree with you choosing such a dangerous profession?”

“I have no parents to speak of. As far back as I can remember, I was in an orphanage.”

“Ah….” The flames of rage building in Michelle’s heart died out the instant she registered what Owl had said. Her gaze wavered and fell to the side. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, downcast, her fingers trembling.

“You needn’t apologize,” assured Owl. “My foster parent raised me comfortably, so I don’t feel I have anything to be upset about. Do you have any other questions for me?”

“No….”

“Then now it’s my turn.” Owl opened his notebook and pulled out a fountain pen. “Where were you around six pm?”

“I was in the lounge. I had a book I’d been wanting to read.” She pointed behind Owl. Unlike the second-class room Owl and Clemens shared, which had beds against both walls, the first-class rooms like Michelle’s only had one bed, with the other side taken up by a desk table, along with a simple closet. Her finger was aimed at a single volume of poetry lying on the desk. “It’s Wordsworth. Are you familiar?”

“I know the name, but I’m not much for poetry. I prefer reading chemical formulas, if anything.”

“I see. A shame, that.”

“I ought to introduce you to the priest I was traveling with at some point,” mused Owl. “He’s probably familiar with most poets. He’s a bit of a Don Juan, but….”

As Owl continued, Michelle toyed with the ends of her hair, glancing away. “I can’t imagine a father making advances on an old woman like me,” she chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Owl unconsciously glanced at her face at that comment. He knew it would be rude to say it, but he couldn’t help but agree upon seeing the state of her skin. Her voluminous brown hair was still glossy and youthful, yes, and looking at her delicate figure, you almost couldn’t help but want to protect her… at first glance, she looked to be somewhere in her mid-to-late twenties at most, but she was actually at least ten years older than that. Owl didn’t want to offend her by asking for her true age, so he put that particular question aside and instead asked, “Did you head straight for the lounge after you boarded the train?”

Michelle shook her head. “I helped the master with his work for a while first, but eventually he said he wanted to take a short nap before supper, so I returned to my room… this would have been a little after five. It wasn’t long after that that I moved to the lounge with my book, and around seven I moved again to the dining car, since I had grown rather thirsty. As I recall, you saw me in there, did you not?”

“Yes, I did, and thank you for recalling everything so accurately. Was there anyone in the lounge who could confirm your presence there?”

“… I spoke to the conductor.”

“The conductor?” Owl’s hand paused during its notetaking. Marie had also said she’d seen the conductor, but she hadn’t said that Michelle had come to the dining car while she’d been there, so Michelle must’ve been in the lounge before that. “What did you talk about?”

“Nothing in particular… we just exchanged pleasantries, really. Comments about the weather and whatnot.” Michelle thought for a second. “Ahh, right, and when I was going from the lounge to the dining car, I saw the madam and Mr. Low leaving for the first-class car.”

“Besides that, did you see or hear anyone or anything suspicious?”

“No. Just a pretty mister and a cute little girl.”

“Is that so…? Then thank you for your valuable input. If you think of anything else, please let me know.” Owl stood and turned to leave, but before he made it out the door he paused. “Actually, one more thing – did you happen to see a knife anywhere?”

“… A knife?”

“Yes.” He turned back. “We believe it was used as the murder weapon, and that it was a personal possession of Mr. Johnny’s.”

Michelle shook her head. “I’m afraid I didn’t. Is it missing? It’s possible it’s simply lost amid all the documents.”

“No, we searched for it, but we didn’t find it.”

“Then the killer must have stolen it. It was decorated with a pretty jewel, so….”

“A jewel?”

“Yes. I believe it was a ruby. The master treasured it.” Michelle’s shoulder sadly slumped as her head dipped low, her fingers tightly grasping at her braid.

“Ruby… a red gem….” Owl shook his head as a thought occurred to him. “Surely not,” he murmured to himself.

■■■■■■■■■■

“I was in the dining car around six having dinner. I was there until seven, after which I returned to my room, but I soon left again to have some wine in the lounge.”

The next stop was room A-4 in the deluxe carriage to visit Mastema. He hadn’t expected to be able to meet with such a highly ranked government official so casually, but Mastema seemed to remember Owl from the auction case and was answering his questions so amiably that it almost felt anticlimactic.

“Is that so? Did you happen to meet anyone there?” asked Owl.

“Yes, I did, a young… mm, I probably shouldn’t say she was ‘sexy,’ that would start some unsavory rumors… let’s say a glamorous woman. I spoke with her for a bit, but it was only talk, you understand. She had another man with her as well – an attendant, I believe – so I would appreciate it if you would refrain from any unnecessary gossip.”

“I’m not a reporter,” assured Owl. “I have no interest in gossip or scandals, and I don’t intend to ask you anything untoward.”

“Thank you for your discretion.” Mastema pressed a single finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. “Younger politicians like myself need to procure more sponsors around this time. It’s quite the hassle.” Some might think of all politicians as arrogant, but Mastema was actually rather approachable.

“Did you see anyone suspicious or hear anything strange?”

“Mm…?” Mastema thought for a moment. “Good question. I don’t believe I noticed anything out of the ordinary… the only thing that comes to mind would be the conductor. He passed in front of my room at one point.”

“The conductor?” Again with the mysterious conductor. Owl made a note of it.

“Indeed. While I was having my meal in the dining car, I realized I’d forgotten to bring the newspaper, so I returned to my room for a spell. That’s when I saw him passing by, heading toward the dining car.” Mastema pointed to the display window set into the wall on the corridor side. The window was small and round, with a cover designed to slide over it when it wasn’t being used. At the moment, it was uncovered. “I saw the conductor’s blue cap through there.”

“His cap?”

“Yes.”

Owl peered through the window, then briefly stepped outside to look through from the other side. The glass was frosted, so it was impossible to really see much of anything through it, but it was possible to distinguish colors, at least.

He stood before the window, and after a moment’s thought muttered to himself, “It’s kind of low, huh? I’m around 5’9”, so….” The window was roughly level with his face. He bent down a bit, trying to gauge its exact height… but he was thrown out of his musings by a clamorous banging and clacking from elsewhere in the car. Owl reflexively glanced in that direction, watching the door two doors down burst open and a single man come flying out. A jolt of shock rolled through his system as he registered who the man was.

“You are a remarkably lovely woman, but I am a priest – I have sown an oath to not fall into temptation.”

“My, how lovely! Sin is the most delectable spice of them all!”

“If I may be so bold, would it not also be lovely to keep your desires safely hidden in your dress?”

“Oh, no, I won’t let you go. Not when we’ll have to part ways in the morning.”

A woman came out with the man, the two virtually entangled. It was room A-2 that the pair had stumbled out of, meaning the woman was Marie. Clad only in obscene underwear, she had her arms wrapped tightly around the taller shoulders of her partner. Owl was struck dumb by her appearance, but the more surprising – the more shocking – part was that it was Clemens she was clinging to.

“I’m so nervous without my husband around,” Marie continued. “If I’m left all on my own, I just know I’m going to cry!” She tried to pull Clemens back inside like some kind of seductive, demonic spider, but Clemens kept lightly sidestepping her moves and trying to nudge her back in by herself. They almost looked like they were dancing.

Mastema looked at what was happening, murmured to himself, “Oh, this is too much for me. I should run before I’m caught in her web,” and shut the door to his room. He really wasn’t keen on getting involved in a scandal, it seemed. At least he was consistent.

This left Owl alone in the corridor to stare blankly at the struggling pair. It took him a moment to return to his senses. When he did, though, the first thing he did was call out to Clemens with furrowed brows, “Should I ask for roast goose or bistecca for keeping my mouth shut?”

“Oh, Owl!” Clemens finally noticed Owl standing there. He whispered to Marie, “It appears our fun time together is up,” finally succeeded in pushing her back into her room, and shut the door on her before she could escape again. He proceeded to ignore her frustrated muffled complaints from within and walked toward Owl.

Owl, however, was having none of it. “Sorry for interrupting,” he said, sarcasm dripping from his tone, and turned on his heel to head for the neighboring car. As he strode away from the priest, he called over his shoulder, “By the way, you’re fired as Ellie’s tutor. Seems like you’re bad for her education.”

“Please don’t misunderstand.” Clemens hurried after Owl. “I wasn’t doing anything untoward.”

Owl scoffed. “Misunderstand? It’s an unmistakable fact that you came out a woman’s room, and the woman was stripped down to her undergarments. You’re guilty. Now repent.”

“I did not strip her. When I was returning from the engine room, she stopped me and said that there was something weird in her room and she wanted me to take a look.”

“You didn’t seem to have any trouble stripping me of my gilet earlier. You could’ve called for me before you went into her room.”

“I didn’t think it was necessary at the time. But then she said, ‘This room sure is hot,’ and suddenly started taking off her dress, and I naturally started panicking.”

“You have too much appeal. It’s bad for Ellie’s education. What would happen if she turned out like that spider?”

“I wouldn’t turn her into a spider.”

“I wonder about that.” Owl finally glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes flinty and cold. He nodded to Clemens’ cheeks. “You’re sweating pretty hard.”

Clemens scrabbled to say something, anything to clear the confusion. “This sweat is from the room, not –” he tried.

Before he could finish, though, the door to the first-class carriage suddenly opened.

“Ah –!”

“Whoa –” Owl stumbled to a halt to avoid running into the person coming through from the other side. The new person staggered and grabbed the door to stop themself. “Sorry. Are you hurt?”

Owl steadied the person by the arm, who turned out to be Low, Marie’s attendant. Face pale, Low answered quietly, “I’m fine.” He glanced up. Then he noticed Clemens standing behind Owl, and his expression soured. He shook his arm free and shoved past them both, heading for Marie’s room. As he passed, he hissed under his breath, “Curse you…!”

As the pair watched the young man knock on Marie’s door and heard her hysterical voice answer from within, Owl idly commented, “Hear that? He cursed you. Pretty sure he hates you. Well, that’s what you get for being careless, I guess.”

“Why am I in the wrong here when she’s the one who dragged me into her web?” Clemens’ tone was derisive, but his expression was aloof.

The door to the first-class carriage opened again. “Low, wait, please listen –!” cried Michelle as she came rushing through. As she bumped into Owl and Clemens, though, her face stiffened and she cast her gaze down before turning around and leaving again without another word, looking rather like she’d bitten into a lemon. It seemed like she and Low were chasing each other around.

“… Well?” asked Owl after a moment.

“Hm?”

“Did you hear anything worthwhile in the engine room?” Either Owl’s ire toward Clemens had been dampened by Low’s own wrath, or he’d simply remembered that this wasn’t the time for squabbling, because he had clearly switched his focus back to the case at hand.

“None of the engineers were behaving oddly during the time of the crime,” replied Clemens. “They were all apparently at their posts. They would have known if anyone was missing – they are the beating heart of the train, so to speak.”

Owl whipped out his notebook and started taking diligent notes. “What about the rest of the crew?”

“No one stood out. The cooks and stewards were all working their shifts. I also spoke to the conductor, but he was chiefly concerned with the politician privately on board tonight and said he didn’t recall much besides that. Remember that bizarre missing persons case? He was frantically running around in circles even though he was checking the manual – he didn’t strike me as a very capable sort.”

“The conductor….” The detective’s hand stopped on the page. “What kind of person is this conductor, anyway?”

“‘What kind,’ you say… didn’t you go to the conductor’s compartment earlier to get a list of the passengers, though?”

“I did, but I didn’t actually meet him. I got the list from a steward instead.”

“Is that so?” hummed Clemens. “Well, I wouldn’t call him a particularly remarkable man – he was utterly normal. I would say he’s around thirty or so, wears glasses.”

“How tall, roughly?”

“Average for a man, I would say. In fact, I would place him around your height.”

“Around mine….” Owl gave that a little thought, then noted that down as well. “Thanks Clemens, that helps,” he said, shoving the notebook back in his pocket.

“I’m honored to have been of assistance.”

Clemens pressed a hand to his chest and gave a cheerful nod, but Owl’s gaze had once more turned ice cold. “But I will have you buy my silence,” he informed Clemens, his tone brooking no argument.

■■■■■■■■■■

“Now it’s your guys’ turn for questioning.”

Onto C-1 in the second-class carriage to speak to Elnora and Ellie. The cabin was set up the same way as Owl and Clemens’, with two sofa beds lined up facing each other. Elnora and Ellie were each perched on one bed. The former was sulkily glaring at Owl, who had taken up a position standing by the door. “You really are suspecting us,” she accused. “That’s just awful! Ellie, you get mad, too! That jerk Owl thinks that a couple of absolute cuties like us are suspects in a murder.”

“… Mad…?” Ellie didn’t seem to really get it, but she took a page from Elnora’s book anyway and jutted her lip out in a pout, her cheeks puffing up.

Elnora pressed a hand to her pounding heart at the sight of Ellie doing her best. “See, Owl! Ellie’s mad, too! Look at her! So cute! So precious! Like a little angel!”

“It probably doesn’t help your case looking cute when you’re trying to be mad,” Owl pointed out. He poked at her cheeks, deflating them like a balloon with a single touch. Ellie’s expression fell. “Being mad… makes me tired…” she whispered, crestfallen. Her eyes turned up to Owl as she continued, “Is it bad that I’m bad at being mad?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be bad to get good at it,” Owl replied, patting her head.

“So what did you want to know?” asked Elnora. “Just so you know, I wouldn’t do something so stupid as killing someone. I couldn’t go shopping if the police caught me.”

“I suppose, yeah” agreed Owl. “Killing someone is a foolish act that robs you of your freedom, and you’re clever, so you wouldn’t do something like that. What I want to ask is whether you saw or heard anyone or anything strange during the time of the murder.”

“Strange? I’m not really sure. Ellie was wandering all over the train around that time having the time of her life.”

“You really don’t remember anything at all?”

“I remember Ellie being adorable frolicking around like that!”

“Besides that.”

“Besides that? What else would be worth remembering besides that? It’s not like I can remember every little thing that happened.” Despite her dismissive words, Elnora tried to think back for a moment, humming under her breath. Presently, she said, “Well, now that I think about it, there was a minute where I lost track of Ellie.”

“You lost track?” Owl repeated incredulously.

“Right, we were passing through the dining car and I got curious about the dinner course so I started reading through the menu and Ellie kept on going without me. I was super surprised! She went all the way through first-class and into the deluxe car!”

Owl’s eyebrows furrowed. “That means that Ellie can be placed on the scene at the time of the crime, you realize?” he growled. “What if she’d run into the murderer? And after I left her in your care because you said you wanted to play….”

“Geez, don’t get so upset,” Elnora sighed. “I’m sorry I lost sight of her, but it was really only for a little while. Five minutes, tops! When I realized she was gone… right, the conductor was just passing by so I asked him if he’d seen a little girl anywhere, and he said he’d seen her around the first-class car and I went right after her.”

Owl stooped down to meet Ellie’s eyes. “Did you get separated from Elnora?” he asked.

Ellie ducked her head. “I’m sorry…” she murmured, despondent. “But… I thought someone was calling me.”

“Calling you?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Who was?”

“… Um.”

The girl’s vocabulary was still small, so she didn’t have the words to explain herself. Her hands waved vaguely in front of her chest, vexed by her own inability. Owl tried to prompt her along. “Did you meet someone there?”

Ellie nodded. “I saw someone with a blue hat,” she answered.

“A blue hat…” Owl mused. “Probably the conductor Elnora spoke to. What did you two talk about?”

But Ellie just shook her head at that.

“He wasn’t the talkative type, so maybe he just didn’t want to go out of his way to talk to her,” replied Elnora in Ellie’s stead. “He was real gloomy – didn’t say a word to any of the passengers he walked past. Oh, right, I forgot, and he was carrying a sofa cover, it had the same pattern as the ones in the lounge.”

Owl blinked. “Gloomy? That’s not what Clemens said. He said he was an ‘utterly normal’ guy in glasses. And he spoke with Michelle in the lounge, so it’s not like he was ignoring all the passengers, right?”

“I don’t remember him wearing glasses,” said Elnora.

“Huh?”

“… Hm?” Now Elnora blinked. “Hold on a minute, or was he? I was in a hurry, so I wasn’t looking all that closely at his face. Now that I think of it, his face was kind of vague….”

“‘Vague?’ What do you mean, ‘vague?’” Owl leaned forward.

Elnora’s face twisted into a displeased scowl as she thought back. “Hmm~~, what was it? He had his cap pulled down low, so I was more interested in his clothes than his face. He had a slim figure, but his clothes were huge on him – I thought he might be wearing the wrong size or something.”

“You’ve got a pretty unreliable memory, don’t you?”

“Rude. Hold on, I’m remembering it now. Hmm… it’s just so hazyyy…” Elnora groaned.

While Elnora mumbled to herself, Ellie quietly raised her hand. Owl’s eyes slid back to her, wondering if she’d remembered something. “Yes, Ellie? What is it?”

Ellie gave a single big nod. “I saw it, too,” she said. “The hazy thing.”

“The hazy thing? The conductor’s face, you mean?”

“Nuh-uh, the hazy thing that was in front of the room….”

“In front of the room?” repeated Owl, vaguely confused.

Ellie nodded again. “Around the room where the case happened… around the ceiling, it was all hazy and wavy… that’s what I saw.” As she spoke, she raised her hands up with her palms facing the ceiling and wiggled her fingers around. “… It was really, really hot,” she added.

Her waving fingers started to draw something in midair… something that looked eerily similar to the chemical formulas Owl wrote.

■■■■■■■■■■

“Hey, Owl, why don’t you take a break?”

Back to the deluxe carriage. Owl had returned to Johnny’s suite, to the site of the murder. Clemens stood before the door.

“I’m fine,” mumbled Owl. He vaguely pointed in the direction of A-2 without tearing his eyes away from the ceiling he’d been staring holes into for the past several minutes. “You can go rest, though. I’m sure you’ll be welcomed with open arms over there, don’t you think?”

“I’m surprised that you’re the type to hold a grudge,” Clemens said in the sort of nonchalant tone used when the grudge-worthy incident in question had involved some entirely different third party. “Do you plan on staying up all night?”

“If I can’t wrap this case up by then, then yes,” replied Owl. “Sorry, but I don’t have time to rest. We’ll reach the station by morning.”

“You can leave the rest up to the police when we get there, can’t you?”

“If that happens, then we’re going to end up in a world of trouble for throwing their name around and investigating without their say-so.”

“… ‘We,’ meaning I’m also going to be involved?”

“Did it sound like that to you?” Owl glanced at Clemens out of the corner of his eye. In his eyes, at least, Clemens was absolutely his accomplice.

“… Well, I suppose this is preferable to tedium.”

“Is that so? Thanks.”

“This trip is truly exhausting,” Clemens said as he stepped out to Owl’s side. “I’m still a suspect, though, aren’t I? Is it all right for me to be helping you?”

“No problem. My gilet proves your alibi.”

“… Your gilet?”

“The scorch marks, specifically. The five holes you patched up.”

“And what about them?”

“I noticed those holes myself earlier.”

Clemens side-eyed Owl. “If you knew they were there, why didn’t you say anything sooner? Don’t tell me you were planning on meeting with your client with holes in your clothes.”

“It’s because I didn’t say anything that I can confirm your alibi,” Owl replied. “While I was asleep, you were mending the holes. That’s an indisputable fact. It’s also an indisputable fact that the kind of work you did takes time – I know because every time this happened in the past, the maid would get on my case about it. Fixing five holes would’ve taken you over an hour, I’m guessing, so you couldn’t possibly have committed the crime. Congrats.”

Clemens’ eyebrow twitched. “… You knew that from the start, and you were still treating me like a suspect?”

Owl’s silence spoke volumes.

“You’re in for a sermon later,” said Clemens, sounding so similar to Byron that Owl had to avert his gaze. The detective proceeded further into a room at a brisk pace while the priest called after him, “So what are you looking for? Another bloodstain?”

“No, no need for that anymore.” Owl removed his monocle, wiped the lens on the hem of his gilet, replaced it, and returned his gaze to the ceiling after quickly scanning the room. “I’m looking for the ‘hazy thing.’”

Clemens also turned his gaze upward, but there was nothing there. “The ‘hazy thing’ Ellie was talking about? What on Earth could it be?” he wondered.

“Not sure. That’s why I’m looking into it.” Owl clambered up onto a chair, and from there the desk, bringing his face closer to the wood paneling above. “I thought that maybe it was alchemy.”

“Ah, your field of expertise. Yes, I suppose you would be familiar with haziness yourself, given your tendency to turn your room into a burning hell,” chuckled Clemens.

“Yeah, that’s a phenomenon called a ‘heat haze,’ where differing air densities get mixed together and light refracts through the space and makes it look all warped. It happens in my experiments a lot since I use a lot of heat, and heated air has a different density than regular outside air. So in this case….”

“Heat-based alchemy was also used in here?”

“… I thought so too, at first.” Owl shook his head and gave a discouraged gesture upward. “But it looks like I was wrong. There isn’t a hint of alchemy here.”

“Say what you will, but are ‘hints of alchemy’ something a person can even recognize?” Clemens certainly couldn’t, if his befuddled expression was any indication.

“To be more accurate, there are no traces of any alchemy I can see.” Owl tapped his monocle. “This has a special lens called a ‘fairy cornea’ in the glass. A certain state alchemist created it by studying a Demon’s power.”

“You mean to tell me that if you look through that lens you can analyze alchemical formulas?”

Owl huffed. “If something like that existed every alchemist in the world would retire, though that would be interesting if I could. There are several alchemical systems and there’s just no way I could study them all that easily. All this does is detect residual traces of alchemy… or rather, scraps of formulas left behind. Just being able to see them is plenty useful as it is, though.”

“So, even with that fancy ‘All-chemical Seeing Eye’ or yours, you didn’t find any evidence of alchemy being used,” Clemens summed up.

“Don’t give it a weird name,” grumbled Owl. “But yeah, basically. Wasn’t what I was expecting.” He hopped down from the desk, sending a cascade of envelopes fluttering to the floor in the process.

“Won’t someone get mad at your for disturbing the crime scene like this?” Clemens sighed.

“They won’t find out if we put them back,” Owl replied, bending down the pick them up.

“You’re awfully brash.” Even as appalled as he was by Owl’s uncaring demeanor, Clemens still helped pick up the envelopes that had landed by his feet. As he gathered them up, though, his eyes happened to register the words scrawled on them, and he froze. “… The Black Rose Disease.”

“What?” Owl’s head shot up. “Did you say the Black Rose Disease?”

“That’s what these say.” Clemens held up the envelopes. “These are death certificates meant to be submitted to the church. All of these people have the Black Rose Disease.”

“Let me see.” Owl snatched an envelope from Clemens and tore the seal. Inside was a bundle of medical charts inscribed with the patient’s name and photo, detailing the horrific illness. The very last page in the stack had the word “deceased.” “… These weren’t here the last time I checked in here,” murmured Owl.

“You must have overlooked them. There are a lot of documents here, after all.”

“There’s no way –” He kept leafing through the documents, his expression slowly hardening. A frustrated growl was building in his throat. “… A lot of these patients are young.”

Clemens patted his shoulder comfortingly. “We’ll need further research if we’re to save every patient,” he said, knowing full well what kind of research Owl conducted.

All of the patients listed in these certificates were in their teens and twenties. Owl’s teeth dug into his lip. This was the ugly truth of the matter, laid bare before his eyes. The Black Rose Disease had claimed the lives of many a child.

While Owl was engrossed, Clemens turned back to the desk. “Was Johnny a doctor specializing in the Black Rose Disease…?” He picked up a few other documents left scattered across the surface and scanned through them, head tilted. “This is… a register of names from an orphanage? Infection… planned? Collection amount…? These numbers – what does this mean?”

Owl’s voice suddenly rose. “Clemens! Look at this!”

“Hm?”

“This photo!” He shoved a death certificate at Clemens.

Clemens looked it over. His eyebrows rose. “Well, now, how peculiar – a death certificate for a living person. Perhaps it’s someone else?”

“No, there’s no doubt. It’s him.”

“But the last name is different.”

“It’s the same person. That means this guy is…!” Owl gasped. “The knife… the conductor… these death certificates….”

“Owl?”

But Owl was completely lost in his thoughts. He began pacing the room, mumbling to himself. “Could that person be an alchemist? No, it can’t be them. Then, maybe they had an accomplice…?” He completed two full circuits of the suite before he glanced up. “If I were the accomplice –” and here he pointed at Clemens “—and if you were the culprit –”

“Me?” Clemens pointed to himself as well.

“Right, if you were the culprit, and if I were to help you escape….” Owl grabbed Clemens’ arm and pulled him to the exit. However, he paused in front of the door before they made it out. “No, that wouldn’t work,” he mumbled. “We’d stand out too much. You’d just killed a man, your clothes were probably drenched in blood.”

“For the record, I will remind you that I am not the culprit.”

“I know. Shut up a sec. I’m the accomplice right now.”

Clemens’ mouth pressed into a perfectly straight displeased line, but he didn’t speak.

Owl didn’t notice. He was lost in his own head, simulating the actions of the supposed accomplice. How would he save the culprit? How did he hide the body, how did he create an alibi for the culprit? “The culprit had to change clothes… so the body… was put somewhere else…. They couldn’t through the body out the window on a moving train… so at least… maybe hide it in a different room….”

“But there’s no blood in the hallway,” Clemens interjected, his momentary bout of silence over. “They couldn’t transport the body without leaving traces of blood behind.”

“Right, the hallway’s clean. So how?” Owl glanced around the suite. “They couldn’t hide a body in a cramped room like this.” He once again checked all the places a person could feasibly store something, including under the bed and in the closet, but as before, there was no body to be found.

“It’s interesting that this room doesn’t have a counter,” hummed Clemens as he watched Owl rush about. “Considering the room next door does.”

Owl paused as Clemens’ words sunk in. “… Wait, the room next door has a counter?”

“Yes, a wooden one by the window with a storage space underneath. I saw it when I was dragged in there earlier.”

“Why would there be a storage space like that there but not here?” Owl wondered. “You would think that all of the same-class cabins would be laid out the same way, right?”

“Who knows?” Clemens shrugged. “I’m not a designer, so I wouldn’t know. But the layout between these two rooms is fairly different. There was no desk table in the other room – it had a chest dresser instead. And there was a mirror, certainly made for ladies… ah, right, and the closet had a mirror installed, too.”

“… Made for ladies…?” Owl’s gaze slid over to the closet. “No… it’s not cramped!” he realized. He suddenly dashed out of the room and compared A-1 and A-2 from the corridor. “These are the deluxe suites. There’s no way they’d be so small!” he shouted. He then burst back into A-1, grabbed Clemens by the arm again, and pulled him out into the hall. “Okay, you’re up.”

“Huh?”

“Ask Mrs. Marie.”

“Why?”

“If you got in once, you can do it again.” He dragged Clemens over to stand in front of A-2 and shoved him up to the door. “Go on, give it a knock.”

Clemens was naturally reluctant to follow this particular order. “You do it,” he shot back. “She would love to eat you up as well. You have my approval.”

“You’re really going to make a minor jump into a spider’s web? Some priest you are.”

“I am a clergyman who has taken a pure, solemn oath.”

“That’s a barefaced lie. Just hurry up, I want to see inside her room.”

*****

The two quarreled for a moment in front of the door on who should go in. However, it was a third-party who settled the matter.

“I don’t particularly mind taking you both at the same time, you know?” The door clicked open and Marie appeared. Wearing only a negligee, she reclined against the door seductively, giggles leaking from her lips as she glanced back and forth between the pair, a demon spider beholding her prey. “Let me see,” she purred, “I think I’ll start with the little cherry boy.”

“Uh?”

“Experienced gentlemen are nice, but I like innocent boys, too.” Marie’s hand clamped on Owl’s arm and she yanked him into her room.

“Wait – I…!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”

She’d dragged him into her web and slammed the door shut before Clemens could even think to save him, leaving the priest standing in a blank stupor staring at the door. From inside he could hear some banging and crashing, but after a moment it faded away, leaving the air as still and silent as the grave.

“… Owl. You were truly a one-of-a-kind human being.” Clemens closed his eyes before the silent room. He could at least pray for a noble death for him… but after a few moments, the door opened again. Clemens unconsciously stood at the ready, but surprisingly it was Owl who appeared in the entryway. “Oh, that was quick,” commented the priest, utterly nonchalant.

*****

Owl glared at Clemens, hissing reproachfully, “Why didn’t you come save me…?”

“I thought this would be good experience for you.”

“I don’t need or want the experience of being eaten by a demon spider! I’m leaving!” Owl stormed out of the room, fuming. As soon as he reached the end of the carriage, though, he stopped, turned around, and came striding back.

“That’s right, your room is the other way. Good on you for noticing.”

“Shut up!” hissed the detective as he brushed past.

“Hey, are you really leaving? Didn’t you want to see inside her room?” called Clemens. He peered through the open doorway to find Marie passed out on top of her bed. Somehow, Owl had put her to sleep.

Owl turned back and yelled, “If you’re talking about the trick, I already figured it out!”

“Congratulations. I guess being caught in her web paid off. So, what was the trick?”

“‘Stitching.’”

“… Stitching? As in, invisible mending?”

“Exactly!”

“What do you mean?” Clemens’ eyes fell to Owl’s gilet, utterly lost.

original written by Nagaya Kawaji here