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#I thought about adding him here but it was too late and I couldn't fit him anywhere

alrtyhoney · 8 months

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TAKING WHAT’S NOT YOURS

(I watch her go with a surge of that well known sadness and I have to sit down for a while– the feeling that I'm losing her forever.)

The rundown: That cake scene with Miles at his father’s bodega party but it’s with Miguel and his universe’s daughter. He’s late and it’s your quinceañera. Content: Father!Miguel O'hara x Daughter!Reader / Angst! (wc: 3844)

There was something oddly peculiar about your father. People would assume that he would be the archetypal absent one who chose to abandon his child; the dead-beat-dad who ultimately never cared for them. You’d argue it wasn’t true– you were fed, you had the weight of what a fifteen year old should have, and education was proper.

You love your papa with all of your heart, but there was no denying the fact that he would never be around often enough. You understood this when you were eight years old, and mornings would bring only a cold breakfast accompanied by a hastily scribbled note from him. He’d leave early– far too early. You tried staying up in an attempt to tell when he gets up and leaves the house, but you swear you don’t hear the door open every time.

Then came twelve and the missed events. Miguel seemed to be missing in action when it came to certain school activities, not showing up for things that he had previously made commitments for. It became more and more frequent as you grew older– you wouldn’t hear from him for days.

He was a man dedicated to his profession, and although you felt pride in what he had achieved, there was this empty space in your heart that hadn’t been filled ever since you were eight. It was said that a child needed the presence of their parents to feel security– to feel important. You never truly understood it, not until you had to endure many nights at dinner alone and the numerous times you spent walking home with nothing but your own thoughts for company.

You had always pondered over the question of whether it was a common phenomenon that fathers seemed to love their daughters less once they had reached teenagehood– or if it was possible for fathers to unlearn being fathers.

“Is your papa coming, bebita?”

The faint notes of classical music filled the air as you sat on the wooden floor, stretching your sore limbs. You observed the ladies who were much older than yourself starting their exercise routines, having come in early before the group class began. You waited for Miguel to pick you up.

– But that had been two hours ago. Your teacher finally worked up the courage to approach you, hesitantly looking for the right words to say. She wasn’t exactly pleased to be the one to let you down, but she’d seen you walk out the studio’s door alone time and time again after you told her that your father would bring you home himself.

“He said he’d come pick me up today.” You spoke, nervously twisting the ends of your skirt. Your teacher had most likely heard these words countless times before from you, but the faint ray of hope in your voice remained firm. “He promised.” You added quietly, praying that maybe it would be different this time.

“Ay, bebita– you know how this ends. You tell me those exact words and you walk out here on your own anyway.” She slightly shook her head, her face softening with a sympathetic smile as she knelt closer to you. “Tell you what, how about I offer to give you a ride home today? I have plenty of snacks in my car that you can enjoy. You can take as many of them as you'd like.”

You took some time to consider it, letting her gently weave her fingers through the strands of curls that couldn't quite fit into a bun. Your lips pursued as you sighed softly, “What if he comes and I’m not here anymore?” You’d hate to miss the opportunity.

Of course you still had faith that he would come, having endured all the other times he had let you down. You were never one to quickly give up on people and your father was the only one you trusted the most— you’d hate to admit that his inconsistency was starting to hurt; digging a deeper wound to the already bleeding cut.

“He’s not coming and I know you know that too.”

She stands up, grunting slightly as she hefts herself up. You knew there was no more room for negotiation anymore when she urged you to come along. She carefully takes your backpack from off your back and drapes it over her own shoulders, “Come on sweetheart, let's get you home.”

The silence in the car was palpable, with no one feeling the need to prod conversation. You hadn't stopped fidgeting with the hem of your bag since you got in, and you could feel your teacher's worried glances burning into you. Your mind was a jumble of emotions that kept bubbling away as they all competed for your attention. What could be his reason this time/?

She switched on the radio in an effort to lighten the tense mood, but when a melancholic tune filled played instead, you couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

“Is it possible for fathers to unlove their daughters?”

It was a question that took her completely by surprise, so much so that another uncomfortable beat of silence passed before she could respond. The stillness made you regret asking in the first place. Your legs shifted nervously, an unconscious habit which you had never noticed before.

“Of course not,” She muttered, almost inaudibly. “Fathers tend to forget is all.”

But you knew that wasn’t the case.

While Miguel was never home, something else resided on the corners of your house– someone you have never met at all. She smiled back at you from the frame sitting atop your dad's nightstand, wearing the similar blue soccer jersey your school had. She was the picture on his wallet and the little widget on his phone. It was beyond you– the few blue ribbons hidden on the box beneath his bed; the medals, the drawings you know you’ve never drawn or given him. For all you know, the kid didn’t even go to your school.

It wasn’t anything sinister, but in a way she felt like a ghost. A child your father mourned for all his life and you had no idea why.

This was a physical pain in your chest; one that was peeling away the very layers of your heart until it was nothing but ugly– just how could Miguel love a child more than his own? It was ridiculous to feel like you were in competition with someone you barely knew, yet somehow, you felt like you were losing. It felt even more absurd when you considered the possibility that maybe you weren't really his child at all.

“I joined our school’s soccer team today, papa.”

It wasn’t an ordinary occurrence for Miguel to be at the dining table for lunch. But on this Saturday noon, he was there. Sitting across from you, quietly eating his food. Finally, he paused and shifted his gaze towards you, seeming to linger on you longer than normal before looking away, cracking a grin.

“Soccer? You hate sports, mija.” He says, a bit of laughter in his voice. "What made you decide to try out? I don't recall you being the least bit interested before."

Something in his eyes becomes brighter, a sense of familiarity as he eagerly awaits your response– and the thing is, you couldn’t tell him why. Not without addressing the elephant in the room. Maybe you’d hang my medals too? Maybe you’d frame a photo of me? You know well your question reminds him of someone else.

“No reason.”

It was no surprise that you were terrible at it. After barely two seasons, you'd already given up. However it was surprising to see Miguel in the stands during the times that you had a game, but there wasn’t much to watch anyway— not when you’d been relegated to the bench for most of the time. All you felt was shame.

Oddly enough, he didn't question it. He remained silent during the rides back home, his gaze distant and never once looked at you. Had you embarrassed him to an extent where he couldn’t even acknowledge you? Or have you given him the impression that you were just no better than the little girl in his pictures?

You dared not to talk about it too.

Music was your passion; the pulse, the poise and elegance of it all resonating with you deeply. Ballet was something that spoke to you particularly in ways no other art form could. You found a special joy out on stage, a feeling that grew deeper and greater each time you danced.

But like every flame that you desperately try to keep alive, Miguel had a way of snuffing it out.

You remember it all so vividly, even though you'd much rather the memory be nothing more than a faint blur. Your very first recital and yet he wasn't anywhere to be found amongst the audience.

Your focus was a tunnel-vision, only set to finding even a glimpse of him— you had been so determined to find him that you forgot about all of your own movements. Soon, the few wrong turns had turned to missed cues; as soon as the music stopped, you made a run for it.

Your teacher had done her best to console you that day, attempting to coax a smile from you in front of the vanity mirror with its bright lights. She had wrapped her arms around you, doing anything she could to draw even the faintest curve of your lips. But you stayed slumped on your seat, feeling the weight of the unshed tears on your eyes.

The door swung open, finally revealing Miguel; he was out of breath and sweat glistened on his forehead. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top and his tie was undone, a clear sign that he had run all the way here. He paused for a moment to catch his breath before walking in frantically, eyes looking for you.

His eyes softened at the sight of you in your pretty pink tutu– then the tenderness was replaced with a feeling akin to plummeting one hundred stories down. How could he miss this? How could he let his sweet girl wait? He rushed to your side, sinking down into a kneeling position. He looked upon you with lines creasing his forehead and you already knew what was to come out of his lips.

“I’m sorry muneca, I came as fast as I could.”

The other parents of your classmates started to barge inside the very room, their children giddy with joy and excitement, running to them with beaming smiles. You could hear their loud congratulations– voices singing sweet praises and telling how they looked outstanding on stage. The noise sounded like static in your ears, like their words were unfamiliar to you. They received bouquets of flowers, sweets– gifts for a job well done. Miguel came late and only with apologies.

“You want pretty flowers too, mijita? We can stop by the flower shop a few blocks away from here, you can pick any bouquet you want.” His lips curved into a gentle smile, desperate to make his daughter feel better– the same daughter who wouldn't even meet his gaze. “Papa had to deal with something. I’ll be sure to go to your next recital– pinky promise.”

“But I worked really hard for this.”

You wanted so desperately to blame him; to yell at him for every mistake that you've made on the stage. You felt ashamed, humiliated, and helpless all at once- and still, you couldn’t have the heart to be mad at him.

He looked at you apologetically, "Baby, I'm sorry I couldn't make it earlier. How about we talk about the flowers you want to buy instead? There are lots of restaurants nearby as well— you can pick whatever pleases you, just name it." He paused for a moment before continuing, gently nudging your shoulder. “I know how much this meant to you.”

If he did, why couldn’t he have come at all?

You let out a deep sigh, feeling completely ridiculous in your tutu. All of the sudden, the leotard appeared to be two sizes too small and utterly irritating; your tights seemed unbearably itchy. You looked down helplessly, wanting nothing more than to leave this situation behind. “I just want to go home. Can we just leave? Please?” You pleaded softly.

He bit the inside of his cheek, a gesture that conveyed own sinking heart in a way words could not. His shoulders sagged ever so slightly, breath hitching as he gave in to your request instead.

“Of course.”

After that very moment, you'd vowed to yourself never to wait in anticipation of something that may or may not come. You wouldn’t put your faith in any more of your father's promises spoken under the dead of night. It took a toll on you– your naivety had taught you better than before.

But when your fifteenth birthday drew near, you never expected he would go so far.

The locks clicked and whirred as Miguel fumbled with the keys to the front door. You could hear your Father's voice, clearly agitated as he jostled the keys back and forth in an attempt to fit them into the lock. Finally, he steps inside, eyes immediately darting to you.

“You’re not wearing your birthday dress, sweetie. Is something wrong?” He’s wearing a smile, struggling to keep the two boxes of cake upright as he locks the door from behind. The banner is lopsided and the balloons scattered all around seem small– like they’ve been there for days and were starting to deflate themselves. He kisses the top of your head once he gets close, getting a better view of what you were working on on the counter. Homework. “Did you have your friends over today? How was it? Wanna hear all about it.”

And he must have forgotten. You decided to pretend not to hear his question, continuing to jot down notes, only humming at his presence. He settles the boxes down, sitting on the stool beside you.

“I know papa’s late, but you can still go and wear your dress. I want to take pictures– should we order pizza? Do you want something else?” He’s rambling, hurriedly searching for his tone to dial down a few numbers. Miguel turns frantic, looking at the closed signs under every nice restaurant. “Pizza should be fine, mijita– you’ve eaten dinner, right?”

“Not hungry.”

Miguel chuckled, dialing anyway. “Did school suck today, sweetie?” He jokes, trying to lighten the mood. “You know what can cheer you up? Cake. You love cake.”

“I don’t like cake anymore.” You say, your voice barely above a whisper. You can feel frustration boiling over inside– and you fear it wasn’t the kind you’ve grown accustomed to suppressing. He was oblivious and it was killing you, hurting you in so many ways possible. “I’m not hungry.” You repeat again.

“Don’t be like that, __. Besides, it’s still tradition.” He stands up to check the drawers, only finding worn out candles from past birthdays. He takes a lighter. “Know what’s better than a cake? Two cakes! You’ll change your mind, go and open the boxes mija,”

Miguel excitedly pressed his hands on your shoulders, pushing you gently forward to open the two boxes of cake. The look in his eyes was that of pure anticipation as he waited eagerly for you to do so. It almost hurt you to tell him the news— that you wanted more than to just take the blame itself. It was conflicting.

You finally got up from the bar stool, settling on your feet in front of the counter. Taking a deep breath, you carefully opened the lid of the boxes. What greeted you had made you visibly recoil– the small flicker of hope that settled in your chest gone as quickly as it came. The cakes were crumbled and the frosting was all over the box, like it had been trampled and tossed around.

Was this all a joke? Were you a joke to him? Your shoulders trembled as you couldn't bring yourself to look away from it; the letter was still visible but amongst the cake crumbs lay written a name– Gabriella. Not happy birthday to you, but Gabi.

You didn’t know what hurt most. Your lips quivered and all you could mutter was, “Gabi?”

His eyes widened in surprise as he quickly moved to your side to take a look at the cake himself. He swiftly closed the lids, shaking his head. “Must’ve been a mistake back at the bakery. I can–”

And you could barely catch your breath, not when the hurt piled over one another.

“Are the medals from her? The one’s from your bed? The trophies?”

He furrowed his eyebrows, clearly irritated. “What did I tell you about snooping around my things, __?”

“Is this the girl–” A ragged inhale cuts your thoughts, “on your nightstand and wallet?” You didn’t even realize you had started to cry, but when another breath had caught itself in your throat, you were inconsolable– finally letting the dam break all at once.

Miguel did nothing to console you– he didn’t know how to. He knew he had messed up royally and all he could do was helplessly watch you break down. Who knows how long you’ve kept this?

“__, come on. It’s just a simple mistake, it’s still cake–”

“And it was my birthday!”

“Baby, what’s the big deal?” He was shocked and understandably so. His sweet, babygirl, who was usually so quiet and docile, was talking back angrily to him– but Miguel knew better than to point fingers. This was his fault– your unbecoming was his own doing.

“You just had to be late– on my birthday!”

“I have work, baby, you know this.”

“That still doesn’t explain anything!” You cried out, desperation flooding your voice. “Why are you never home? Where do you go? Who is Gabriella– why do you love her more than me?” You could feel your breath catch in your throat as your voice rose and trembled with every question. Your breathing grew unsteady and your throat began to close up, not allowing anymore words to come out as much as you wanted to scream. You feared there’d be no more room for air.

And there was something about Gabriella that everytime she was brought up, Miguel would be defensive. Perhaps it was the plenty of times Lyla would reprimand him when she catches him watching the few videos of them or when Jess would pity his state. “Don’t be ridiculous, __. I made a mistake– that’s it. We don’t have to fight.” He says, grabbing a spatula. “If it bothers you so much, here,”

Miguel frustratedly spreads the lettering with the spatula, leaving smudges of red on top of perfectly white frosting, resulting in a more muddled mess. He's making a complete mess of it and you can't bear to watch any longer. Your still figure finally reaches out to grab his wrist, “Stop— stop that! What are you doing?!”

It was no use. The cake was nothing but totally ruined now. You didn’t even have the chance to read the message. He forcefully digs the candles on both, sliding it in front of you. Your eyes stayed on the cake– you didn’t have the heart to look at him. Anger boiled up within you and without a moment's hesitation, the words leaped from your mouth, "You're not listening to me! This is not what I'm so upset about—!"

But he responds in the same loudness as yours, slamming his hands down on the cold tiles of your countertop. “Okay, champ, you got it– go for it! Say what you have to say,” A sarcastic chuckle left his lips, adding insult to the already deep wound. “What do you have to tell me so bad?”

And you didn’t think it was possible for silence to be more deafening, but as you stared each other down, all you could think of was how maybe Miguel was worse than the archetypal absent one who chose to abandon his child or the dead-beat-dad who ultimately never cared for them.

You were right. Fathers were capable of unloving their daughters and the way his dark eyes burned into yours was all the answer you needed. This wasn’t your papa– did you ever know him?

“My birthday was two days ago.”

He furrowed his eyebrows, doubt creasing his forehead as he looked back to the calendar hung on the fridge. His gaze resting on your birthday date, the red circle mocking him in vivid reminder— two days ago. Your birthday was two days ago. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks, and he felt nothing but guilt tying his stomach in knots.

“Mijita–” He’s quick to console you, the anger in his words disappearing immediately and turning into an apologetic one– but every time he’d try to move forward, you’d only step back. Miguel couldn’t even bear to think how you’ve celebrated on your own. How you waited for him all night in your birthday dress. He subtly shook his head, trying his best not to clog his mind yet.

He needed to make it up to you. He couldn’t lose you too.

“My birthday– why did you have to take it?” You rubbed your eyes harshly, but the more you wiped the tears away, the more they seemed to fall. “It’s mine and I still had to wait for you to be able to sing the song. It’s my day and all I could think of was what time you might come home tonight.”

You wanted nothing more than for him to run to you with open arms, to let you cry on his shoulders– but as his silence stretched on, you mistook it as nothing but ruthless. He simply didn’t care. Miguel was too much of a wall for that.

The look you gave him was nothing but hate– a look no parent wants to ever come across and it almost makes him stagger back. It was like what he had done was the most disgusting– most inconsolable act ever beyond repair and all he could do was watch; watch as another daughter of his slip through his fingers. He’s holding you like water and he doesn’t know how to keep you in.

You scoffed, averting your gaze. “You don’t want to talk about it? Fine by me.” You turned your back, letting out another shaky exhale. You couldn’t look at him the same– not after this.

“You make it really, really, hard to feel like a daughter.”

And with that, you run to your room, leaving Miguel to stay rooted to where he stood. He thinks to himself– had he taken that from you too?

#alrighty honey ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚#across the spiderverse #miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara angst #miguel o'hara atsv #father!miguel o'hara x daughter!reader #miguel o'hara x reader #father figure miguel o'hara #atsv angst #atsv #spiderman #across the spider verse angst

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convolutedblasphemy · 2 months

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I wasn't shitting you guys btw I actually made the one-sided radiostatic playlists

here is my lyrical masterpiece. both the vox version and the alastor one. done my best to make it as lyrically accurate as possible. @styrofauxm @onesidedradiostatic i hope you enjoy this (go check out the full lyrics for the songs on google if you can't listen to it but i recommend it because all of these are bangers) feat. my stupid commentary and vox's pathetic wet cat energy

Click to listen to the Vox one on YouTube

1. the hearse — matt maeson

thought this one fit so well lyrically. the "what was it like to feel in love" part i interpreted as vox asking himself that rather than alastor

❞ i am the man we both couldn't stand, i can't wash off the dirt from my hands, what was it like to feel in love? [...] i will never go backwards, i will never be free, i will never run faster; will you sink down to me? ❝

2. i'm just ken — ryan gosling

i'm not even adding lyrics to this one, everyone should have seen the barbie movie and this song at this point. this just HAD to be in there. can you feel the kenergy?

3. too many friends — placebo

less about alastor, more about vox's existential crisis

❞ my computer thinks I'm gay, i threw that piece of junk away on the champs-elysées as I was walking home. this is my last communique, down the superhighway. all that I have left to say in a single tome... ❝

4. creep — radiohead

i mean isn't this literally his theme song?

❞ when you were here before... couldn't look you in the eye. you're just like an angel. your skin makes me cry. you float like a feather in a beautiful world. i wish I was special. you're so fuckin' special. but I'm a creep, i'm a weirdo, what the hell am I doin' here? ❝

5. where evil grows — the poppy family

y'all seen the sonic movie? we need to see vox do that dance.

❞ i like the way you smile at me, i felt the heat that enveloped me and what i saw i liked to see. i never knew where evil grew. i should have steered away from you, my friend told me to keep clear of you but something drew me near to you ❝

6. one of us — ava max

i had to edit this one a bit in the video and cut out the part about the kissing because that for sure didn't happen

❞ one of us would die for love; one of us would give it up. one of us would risk it all; one of us won't even call. one of us could say goodbye, never even bat an eye... ❝

7. colorblind — amber riley

more pathetic wet cat energy brought to you by yours truly

❞ i don't think that i'll ever find that silver lining or reason to smile. you know i used to paint such vibrant dreams, now I'm colorblind, colorblind. when did my heart get so full of never mind, never mind? did you know that you stole the only thing I needed? ❝

8. arcade — duncan lawrence

more pathetic wet cat energy brought to you by yours truly

❞ a broken heart is all that's left. i'm still fixing all the cracks. lost a couple of pieces when i carried it, carried it, carried it home. i've spent all of the love I saved. we were always a losing game; small town boy in a big arcade, i got addicted to a losing game... all i know, all i know: loving you is a losing game. ❝

9. if i can't have you — skylar astin

i picked the version from zoey's extraordinary playlist on purpose because the context of this scene is that the dude who sings it hires a bunch of singers and dancers to confess in a public space as you, the viewer, sit there and cringe at him as he gets rejected. if that doesn't have vox energy, i don't know what does.

❞ i'm good at keepin' my distance (lie), i know that you're the feelin' I'm missing. you know that I hate to admit it but everything means nothin' if I can't have you. i can't write one song that's not about you, can't drink without thinkin' about you. is it too late to tell you that everything means nothing if I can't have you? ❝

10. do you want me (dead)? — all time low

when vox asks himself whether alastor wants him or wants him dead it's definitely the second option.

❞ i let it ride on a bet, i doubled down on a sinking ship; need a second to catch my breath: do you want me? or do you want me dead? oh, give it up for at least a second; i'm getting sick of your bullshit attitude and how you walk around like you shine brighter, it's killing me, so what do you say? do you want me? or do you want me dead? ❝

11. push — ryan gosling

i can't just put one musical number from the barbie movie in and not include the other one that fits equally as well.

❞ said, i don't know if I've ever been good enough. i'm a little bit rusty and I think my head is cavin' in. and I don't know if I've ever been really loved by a hand that's touched me, and I feel like something's got to give and I'm a little bit angry, well, this ain't over, no, not here, no; not while I still need you around. ❝

Ice-cold rejection & vicious mockery: Alastor's version

the contrast of this is the best part.

Click here to listen to the Alastor one on YouTube

1. little big boy — madds buckley

he doesn't go easy on him. this is 0 compassion and 100% roast.

❞ brimstone fire and eyes aglow, little big boy's making the whole world know his name. raised on pillars and shining lights, breathing smoke for the right to keep his place. never satisfied 'till they all see how big this little boy can be. well the water's rising; tide's comin' in. does little big boy know how to swim in a pond filled with fish bigger than him? ❝

2. i help you hate me — sunrise avenue

he's so helpful fr but it's not working unfortunately

❞ i broke many hearts throughout my days. yours was the hardest one to face. though, I've never been a saint, i still love you every day, just not the lover kind of way. i know you wanna see me falling out, falling out the window. i know you wanna see me crashing down, crashing with my plane. baby, i'm way too young to die but I'll help you get over me. ❝

3. no surprise — daughtry

this is one of my favorite bands, i'm glad i got to include this.

❞ it came out like a river once i let it out when i thought that i wouldn't know how. held onto it forever just pushing it down, felt so good to let go of it now. not wrapping this in ribbons, shouldn't have to give a reason why: it's no surprise i won't be here tomorrow, i can't believe that I stayed 'til today. there's nothing here in this heart left to borrow. there's nothing here in this soul left to save. don't be surprised when we hate us tomorrow. ❝

4. go screw yourself — avery

i can picture him 1:1 delivering a swing version of this when vox confesses to him

❞ i know i've been holding it in, the way i feel about you. something i've been dying to say but I don't know how you'll take it; oh please don't go; you should know these three words i've been holding back; trying to fight, i'mma let 'em out... these three words, gotta let you know, here I go: go screw yourself. i've had enough, yeah, now we're done. ❝

5. the audacity — emelyn

this one's such a bop honestly. had to cut it in the video because i can't picture alastor realistically crying over anything vox-related.

❞ think your opinions should be broadcast... even though no one's subscribing, listening or liking but by all means, keep whining. must be tough if life's so rough. you should buy a mic, start a podcast, even though, wait, nobody asked. [...] where do all these men find the audacity? no actually, i'm stunned by your stupidity. ❝

6. friends — halocene

this one had to be on here.

❞ have you got no shame? you're looking insane turning up at my door. it's two in the morning, the rain is pouring, haven't we been here before? [...] so don't go look at me with that look in your eye, you really ain't going away without a fight. you can't be reasoned with, i'm done being polite. i've told you one, two, three, four, five, six thousand times. haven't I made it obvious? haven't I made it clear? want me to spell it out for you? f-r-i-e-n-d-s ❝

7. can't catch me now — olivia rodrigo

he likes the attention def especially after his return

❞ bet you thought i'd never do it, thought it'd go over my head. i bet you figured i'd pass with the winter, be somethin' easy to forget. oh, you think i'm gone 'cause i left but i'm in the trees, i'm in the breeze, my footsteps on the ground. you'll see my face in every place but you can't catch me now. through wading grass, the months will pass, you'll feel it all around. i'm here, i'm there, i'm everywhere but you can't catch me now ❝

8. take a hint — victoria justice & elizabeth gillies

this is on every rejection playlist and it's gonna be on mine too. a bop even after all these years.

❞ ask me for my number, yeah, you put me on the spot. you think that we should hook up, but I think that we should not. you had me at "hello", then you opened up your mouth and that is when it started going south. [...] what about "no" don't you get? so go and tell your friends i'm not really interested. it's about time that you're leavin', i'm gonna count to three and open my eyes and you'll be gone ❝

9. no — madilyn bailey & megan nicole

more rejection for y'all. the world needs more mean aroaces and this playlist is my contribution.

❞ first you gonna say you ain't runnin' game, thinking i'm believing every word; call me beautiful, so original, telling me I'm not like other girls, i was in my zone before you came along, now i'm thinking maybe you should go ❝

10. oh no — marina and the diamonds

a classic.

❞ don′t do love, don't do friends; i′m only after success. don't need a relationship, i'll never soften my grip [...] i know exactly what i want and who i want to be. i know exactly why i walk and talk like a machine. i'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy. ❝

Reblogs are appreciated!

#hazbin hotel #hazbin #alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #the radio demon #aroace alastor #hazbin hotel vox #one sided radiostatic #onesided radiostatic #staticradio #radiostatic #hazbin vox #vox

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greatooglymooglyyy · 2 months

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Say Goodbye Part III (Chris Sturniolo)

part one, part two

a/n: so ig im just letting this story go where it wants to, idk how many part it will be but lmk if you want to be added or removed from the taglist

contains: fluff, angst, breakup emotions, cussing, childhood friends to lovers to exes?, mentions of kissing, use of y/n (i couldn't avoid it anymore <\3), friendship issues, 1.1k words

There’s a tree in my backyard that’s witnessed almost every big moment Chris and I have ever shared. There used to be a treehouse in it, built one summer before I was born, where I first fell in love. It was just wide enough for our ten-year-old selves to lie head to head, our shoulders just barely kissing, as we listened to music on my first phone.

The treehouse was where, at thirteen, he first leaned in to kiss me, egged on by a dare from our friends. It was where I stopped him and whispered low that I wanted my first kiss to be real and he just stared at me nodding patiently like he understood.

Then, after my dad had torn down the treehouse and replaced it with a hammock bed, this tree is where he asked me to be his girlfriend. Where we lay together, watching the stars through the branches, until he got the courage to make that first kiss real after all.

But it’s also where I sat to make the call that ended us a year ago. Where my mom found me the next morning after I had spent the night crying so hard there was nothing left to do but sleep.

So I guess it’s fitting that I’m laying under this tree, swinging gently with the wind, when Chris finally makes his promised call. I take a deep breath, wondering if this is a step forward or backward before I answer.

“Hello?”

“Hi, baby.”

**********

I pull my phone away from my face to check the time, my eyes widening when I see how late it is. We’re two hours into this conversation about everything and absolutely nothing, and it’s getting cold out here. But somehow, going inside and away from this spot feels too much like breaking a spell so I’ve stayed put.

Chris finishes up telling me about some of the craziest fan interactions he's had and I pretend I haven't heard them all on his channels. Pretending to forget all the nights when the distance between us hurt too bad to ignore, and I'd turn on their podcast listening to them argue to chase the ache away. I shake off the memory and sigh, picking at the frays of the hammock.

“What was your favorite tour stop?” I ask. stifling a yawn and pushing off the ground to make the hammock sway.

“Umm…” He starts, and I can hear movement on his end like he’s pacing his room. “Is it cheating to say Boston? It was just a crazy moment to be on a stage in our hometown.”

I smile to myself at the wanderlust in his voice.

“I bet. I wish I could have-” I cut myself off remembering our situation and bite my lip. “I mean, I’m glad you guys got to have that, Chris. I’m sure it was amazing.”

“You could have come, you know.” He says quietly after a beat.

“Chris.”

“No. I know. It’s just…For some reason, I really thought you would. I had this vision of the show ending and I would find you waiting backstage. I played it over and over again in my head. How I’d get the chance to make it right.” He laughs, the sound a little bitter. “Man, it took a lot out of me not to call you that night. Took everything I had.”

“Don’t do this.” I sigh, closing my eyes to fight off the emotions he’s stirring up.

“I don’t know how not to do this.” He admits breathlessly. “I don’t know what it’s like to not want you.”

Neither of us says anything for a few moments letting his declaration hang in the air before I clear my throat.

“We’ve tried this before-” I begin but Chris interjects.

“If at first you don’t succeed-”

“Nothing has changed between us!” I cut in, my tone stern. “It will be exactly the same.”

“You’re wrong. Everything has changed. I know what it’s like to live without you now.”

God. I sit up and stare at my phone, trying to keep my heart from running away from my head. I want to get my car and drive to where he can hold me. But what if all roads to my first love lead me right back to this heartbreak?

“We can’t just go back to how we were before,” I say sadly, shaking my head to clear out the fantasies.

“I’m not asking you to. I’m asking you to move forward.” He insists.

I scrunch my face up in thought. “Friends?”

He laughs like I’ve said something hilarious, “Not a chance in hell.”

“Chris, I can’t-”

“We get on a plane back to LA in four weeks. Give me until then. Four weeks to make you fall back in love with me. And if not, I’ll walk away. I’ll call you my friend. I’ll do whatever you want. Just give me a month.”

I take a deep breath and give in, making a small noise of agreement. Chris makes a goofy celebration noise and I smile despite myself before we finally end the call.

What the hell did I just do to myself? I run a hand over my face in disbelief as I wonder how the hell he could ever think I fell out of love with him in the first place.

**********

I wake up the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking and almost float down the stairs to the kitchen. My mom only ever cooks on special occasions so I’m confused until I turn the corner and find all three of the triplets around our island.

“Uhhh… good morning.” I sputter out, reaching a hand up to smooth down my hair. Chris and Nick smile over at me but Matt won’t meet my eye.

“Good morning, gorgeous.” My mom says, smiling as she slips past me in the doorway. “See you tonight.” She tosses a grin back at the boys and they call out their goodbyes. Nick stands from the stool and comes over to me, wrapping me up in a hug that I melt into immediately.

“We missed you, Y/N.” He says when we pull away, making tears spring to my eyes.

“I missed you guys more,” I say earnestly.

Matt scoffs and stands up, grabbing his keys and pushing past us. “I’ll wait in the car.”

I flinch as the door slams and Nick shrugs apologetically.

“Yeah, about him…” He trails off and Chris picks it up for him.

“I wasn’t the only one you left in the rearview, Y/N. Maybe you should go talk to him.”

I swallow hard knowing they are right. Because before there was me and Chris, there was Matt.

Matt who sat next to me in kindergarten and shared his crayons. Matt who pulled his sleeping cot closer to mine when I was scared at naptime. Matt who was my very first best friend. Our friendship plays on repeat in my mind as I walk out to their car, wondering what I say after a year of silence. A year of ignoring my best friend for a fight that was never his at all.

I hear Kid Cudi playing as I approach his window and bite back a smile at how much nothing ever changes. I knock softly against Matt’s window and he cuts his eyes to me, annoyance evident.

“What do you want?”

part 4

taglist: @sturniolho @sttzee @tillies33ssss @miloisdone1 @sstvrnioloo @sturnioloslurps @hearts4chris

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kishibe-kisser · 5 months

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can I request Todo aoi with a very cute and affectionate gf? just like him shed do anything for him and loves him with all her heart. since shes so affectionate, maybe one day she was hanging out with yuuji and megumi while Todo was doing something else, then he saw her giving megumi hugs and stuff...maybe leading to some jealous smut??

Ask 2: could you please do jealous Todo aoi smut? he maybe got jealous cuz u were talking with megumi, but you didn't know why he was so mad...

A/N: I decided to combine these 2 request because they are quite similar! I hope you both enjoy it! Some things I had to change to fit the story but I still hope you enjoy it.

Tags: Aoi Todo x Afab! reader, p in v sex, face fucking, praise, jealousy, established relationship, cumming inside, fingering, doggy position, ass slapping (but not really spanking)

Word count: 2609

Anyone who looked at you could simply see how in love you were with Todo. It was as clear as day, the way your eyes softened the moment you looked at him, the way you would do absolutely anything for him. You were everything he could have wanted in a girlfriend and he was greatful for you everyday. He had never received care and affection from anyone in this way before.

"That tickles." He mumbled, his arm wrapped around your shoulders as you played with his hands. "You want me to stop?" You asked, looking up at him with doe eyes as a silent plea to let you keep going. Letting out an exhale, he looked away and bit back a smile. You could get him to do anything with those eyes of yours. "Keep going." He exhaled, looking at you as you smiled at him.

Music was playing softly in the background as the students of both locations of Jujutsu tech mingled. Gojo thought it would be a good idea for the students to get together in a relaxed way rather than a competition or training. The students needed something positive, all of the teachers agreed.

Which left you cuddled up on the couch with Todo, as he held a drink in his hand and you under his arm. He was perfectly content and so were you, even as Megumi joined you on the couch.

"Sorry, I just need a people break and you two seem the calmest here right now." He said and you nodded, reaching over and patting his arm. Todo wasn't the fondest of Megumi and well vice versa, you knew this. However, you didn't have any gripes with the kid. Afterall, he was exactly that, a kid.

"How have you been, Megumi?" You asked and the boy shrugged. His mere presence was bothering Todo, you could tell in the way he stiffened next to you. However he couldn't help but find the boy irritating. "Im going to grab another drink." Todo mumbled, releasing you from your embrace and giving you a quick kiss to the forehead. You watched him walking away before turning back to Megumi. "Don't mind him. You know how he is." You smiled and Megumi nodded in solidarity. "Anyways, how have you been?" You asked again, waiting for his response.

"Your face looks sour." Mai told Todo causing her to receive a scowl. "Ah, I see why." She added on, looking at you laugh with Megumi. Todo knew he couldn't be mad, you were sweet and tended to love everyone unless they gave you a reason not to. He couldn't be mad at you for that, he just was a little jealous. "Shut up Mai." He remarked and the woman rolled her eyes. "She's laughing an awful lot." She added and Todo looked over to you again. You were laughing, nothing Megumi could say could possibly be that funny... at least to him.

"I don't mean to laugh but that must have been scary. I'm glad everyone made it out okay." You said and Megumi laughed too, you were so sweet it was hard for Megumi to even try and dislike you. He only had questions about why you were with Todo. The man must have been different when he was alone with you, that's all Megumi could conjure up.

"Yeah things have been hard lately." Megumi confessed once your laughter subsided. "Well you know, it's hard for a sorcerer. I see what Todo comes home with and well, he does laugh it off a lot but I can see it's hard. You need someone to vent to." You said and he nodded in agreement. "Todo won't like this but I'll talk to him about it. If it ever gets to be too much you should reach out to him and to me. I'll be glad to help and glad to make him help." Megumi grimaced at your suggestion but realised it came from a good heart. "Yeah, thanks Y/N." He said and couldn't help but blush as you extended your arms, gesturing him to give you a hug.

A set of big hands grabbed your waist, lifting you off the couch and tickling you in the process. "Todo!" You squealed, watching as Megumi rolled his eyes. "Couldn't help myself." Todo mumbled, turning you around so he could hug you tight. He knew he shouldn't be but he was jealous. Seeing you giggle and laugh at Megumi and then hug him, it made him feel protective of you. You were sweet of nature, Megumi didn't need to get the wrong idea.

"You ready to go princess?" Todo asked, hugging you close and side-eyeing Megumi. Megumi wasn't dumb, he knew he had made the older man jealous and that partially filled him with pride. "I guess so." You smiled, turning to say goodbye to Megumi only to be thrown over Todo's shoulder instead.

"What's gotten into you?" You asked, laughing as the rest of the students watched you walk away hanging over his shoulder. "Just want some alone time with you." He remarked, patting your butt gently as it was in a prime position for him. Todo wasn't lying, however it might have been a bit deeper than that. In his mind, he needed to prove himself, prove that he was better than Megumi.

When he reached his room, he put you down and pressed your back into the door. You looked up at him as he caged you in, his muscular arms on either side of your head as you smiled. "You're jealous, aren't you?" You asked, getting a hunch at his sudden change in attitude. He shook his head, shrugging even though it was entirely obvious. "No, what makes you say that?" He was lying through his teeth and he knew that you knew.

"Ohhhh you totally are!" You teased, reaching up and hugging him around his neck. He instantly welcomed the embrace, his arms hugging you closer to him as you placed your lips just under his ear. "You know I only have eyes for you." Your voice was low, making goosebumps coat his skin. You pressed a light kiss to the side of his neck and he hummed. "Is that so?" He asked, feeling you smile against his skin. "How could I even look at anyone else when I have you?" You asked, very slowly kissing down his neck.

You could feel his bulge starting to press against you as he pulled you into him even tighter. "I'll only believe it when you prove it." He remarked, holding you with one arm as the other opened the door. You could see he had a small smile on his face as you grabbed his hand, pulling him into his bedroom. You would tell him the context of the situation later, that could wait. For now though, this was more fun.

Todo wasted no time kicking his door shut behind him and grabbing your hips to pull you into him again. In situations like this, he hated leaving your body for too long. He tilted your chin up and kissed you deeply, tongue snaking into your mouth as his hand grabbed your ass. You hummed, your hands gripping his shirt as you continued to kiss. As you were going to rid him of his shirt, he stopped you and pulled away to take a breath.

"Maybe you should get on your knees and show me how much you love me first." He said, gesturing to the bulge in his pants. You grinned, kissing his lips quickly before sinking down. Your fingers worked fast, undoing his pants and allowing your fingers to brush over the prominent v-line disappearing into his pants. You made sure to keep looking at him, keeping a sweet expression on your face as you tugged the material down and making sure to lightly scratch your nails down his thighs.

You kissed his boxer covered cock before rubbing over it with your hand, the fabric causing friction and making him suck in breath through his teeth. Finally you pulled the fabric down and let out a hum at the sight of his hard cock. "Go on." He urged, one hand holding the back of your head as the other held his shirt up just enough to see his abs.

Todo let his head fall back as your lips and hand wrapped around his cock. "There we go." He mumbled, your tongue swirling over the head of his cock before taking him in deeper into your mouth. The hand on the back of your head pushed you down further and you gagged before pulling off of him. "Fuck." You moaned, while the feeling was uncomfortable it still turned you on. "Can I fuck your face?" He asked, breathing heavier than before. Sitting back on your heels, you nodded at him as he cracked a smile. "I love the way you look at me, only at me." He remarked before pulling his shirt off fully and gently grabbing your head.

You opened your mouth and he sank his cock into you, gripping his thighs for something to hold as he started thrusting his hips. You took as much as you could, trying to regulate your breathing. Spit dribbled down your chin and you did your best to keep your eyes open, looking at him as he took advantage of your mouth. Tears brimmed your eyes and Todo could feel himself getting close to cumming. As much as he wanted to cum down your throat, he'd much rather have this last longer.

He pulled you off of his cock, taking note of the precum and drool on your lips. "You look so pretty like this. You're so good for letting me fuck your mouth." He said, leaning down to wipe your mouth and help you onto your feet. "You less mad at me now?" You asked, hiding your giggle as he spun you around to press his chest into your back. "Hmm I'm not convinced yet." He mumbled, kissing the side of your neck before pulling your clothes off.

He bent you over his bed, pushing your ass into the air and exposing your wet pussy to him. He couldn't help himself, giving a harsh slap to your ass, watching the flesh jiggle slightly as you let out a moan. "Couldn't help myself." He remarked and you giggled, gripping his sheets as his hands moved from your soft skin to your wet slit. "So wet, all for me. Maybe you do only have eyes for me." Todo remarked, dragging his fingers over you slit and spreading your arousal around.

"Todo, please-" You begged, feeling his other hand gently rubbing up your back as slipped one finger in. Your back arched as his finger curled in you, needing more to stretch you out. He smacked your ass again, hard enough to leave a mark as he added another finger. "Have to stretch you out, don't want you hurting tomorrow." He grumbled, watching you fuck back on his fingers. You hadn't realised how needy you were until his fingers curled against that sweet spot inside of you, making you cry out, getting closer and closer to cumming. "Todo-" You moaned as you gripped his sheets, arching your back even more.

"Goddamn, the only reason I'm so jealous is because I'm so damn lucky." He remarked, placing a hand on the small of your back to make you arch even more. This was without a doubt his favorite sight. "I'm gonna-" You stopped, feeling his fingers leave you and making you whine in objection. Todo leaned over your back, kissing your shoulder as he guided the head of his cock to your core.

"Cumming with me or not at all." He remarked and pushed himself into you. Slowly pushing into you fully and watching the way you gripped the sheets. "Come on princess, let me stretch you out." He grumbled, fingers digging into your hips. You were so tight around him and so wet, he had to take a breathe when he bottomed out. You could practically feel him in your stomach, making you clench around him uncontrollably. Every time he fucked you like this you felt like he was splitting you open and you just wanted him to move.

Todo knew he wasn't going to last long, reaching around to rub circles on your clit as he started thrusting into you. You were sure if anyone walked into the hallway they would be able to hear your moans and cries, they'd know exactly that you belonged to Todo. "God you feel so good." You moaned, your arms giving out under you and your cheek being pressed into the sheets. You glanced back at him, watching the way his eyes screwed shut before his free hand slapped your ass again.

If Todo loved one thing it was the recoil of your ass as he fucked you from behind, it was partially one of the reasons this was his favorite position. Though he never lasted long, you were just so fucking hot to him.

"Todo please, I want to cum." You whined as his thrusts got eratic. The fingers rubbing your clit sped up and he was starting to get louder. "Todo please baby, cum with me." You pleaded, needing your sweet release. He groaned at your pleas, slamming himself into you fully as he continued to rub your clit. Your name left his lips like a prayer as he emptied himself into you and you weren't far behind, burrying your face into his sheets to muffle your scream.

He made sure to stay inside of you for a moment, leaning over your back once more to kiss your shoulders and spine. "God, don't ever leave me." He whispered against your skin, making you chuckle into the sheets. "Oh my sweet Todo." You mumbled, letting out a slight gasp as he pulled out of you and watched his cum drip out of your pussy and down your thighs. It was his own way of marking you, that and the handprints on your ass from his slaps. He just loved knowing you had that on your body.

"You don't have to worry about anything." You told him as you settled into his sheets. Your arms open for him to join you, despite your bare and sweaty state. He laid his head on your chest and wrapped his large arms around your body. "I have a lot to worry about. You included, your safety and fearing you'll find someone better." He admitted and you felt your chest ache. Your fingers gently raked through his hair, undoing the hair tie and letting it flow free before kissing the scar on his face. "Like I said. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Trust me." You said and he looked up at you. "I love you and only you. I worry about you every day and I need you in my life." You added on, watching him slowly start to smile.

"Besides, I was only offering help to Megumi. He seemed to be going through some stuff, I said you'd be willing to listen to him and be a friend. I know the stuff you come home with sometimes and I know he doesn't have anyone to vent to. That's why I hugged him." You clarified and Todo burried his face into your chest. "I feel like an idiot." He mumbled and you started to laugh. "Yes you are, but you're my idiot if it makes you feel any better." You shook your head, continuing to stroke his hair. "Maybe tell me I'm yours one more time, then you'll have made it up to me fully."

#jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen smut #jjk #aoi todo x reader #aoi todo #aoi todo smut

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soupbabe · 7 months

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Unfit (OPLA! Klahadore/Kuro x Fat! Reader)

While Kaya offered up her expansive collection of clothes, Reader can't find something that fits them.

Self indulgent fic time babey!! It's been rough lately, I've really been wanting to write something like this.

Warnings: Insecure reader, lil bit of angst and out of character comfort from Klahadore<3

Standing alone in front of a mirror, you frowned. You're sure Kaya had good intentions in providing you and your crew nicer clothes. Her wardrobe is so big that you can't blame her when she insisted that you'd find something. Yet, her kind words didn't stop the growing pile of pants you couldn't button all the way next to you. Taking a deep, but shakey breath, you took off the piece of clothing and added it to the neatly folded stack that hid behind a privacy screen. The evening was supposed to be fun, easy. All you had to do was be on your best behavior until Luffy and Usopp secured the ship. Even Nami and Zoro were able to let loose with some drinks and a fashion show. Instead, you're curling in on yourself, in your underwear, and trying not to lose it over a pair of pants.

Though, left on your lonesome, negative thoughts spiral quickly. Mumbling reassurance evolved into scolding. "You're supposed to be a pirate. Pirates don't care about shit like this. They don't care about pants..." You felt your face burn in embarrassment. Seeing everyone grab all the clothes they wanted and it'd fit like a glove made you feel delusional, stupid.

A gentle knock on the wall made the neck on your hair stand straight. "Hello? Y/n?" A smooth voice called out. You froze in place, eyes wide at the realization: It's Klahadore. Swiftly wiping away at your eyes, you took a deep breath and responded from behind a privacy screen. "I'm here." "Dinner starts in 5 minutes, everyone is expecting you to join us. You're not plotting something, are you?" Jolting, you reach out and try to put on the shorts you walked into the mansion with. Though in your panic, you tripped over a pant leg and knocked over both the tower of clothes you laid out before and the privacy screen that hid you from the butler's view.

A small gasp emitted from Klahadore as he peered down at you on the floor, your pants barely hanging onto your hips. "My word.. are you alright?" You laid there frozen in terror, hesitant to take the hand he reached out. Your gaze was glued to the ground, the embarrassment was just too much. You wanted to sink into the walls of dresses and jackets and suffocate beneath the satin. A gloved hand traced the outline of your face until it held a firm grip on your chin. Tilting your face upwards until your eyes met his, Klahadore spoke up. "I asked if you're alright. If I'm not mistaken, I told you to dress nice too and you're in the same clothes you came in here with. What's taking you so long?" His questions felt like demands, as if you're being interrogated. His voice sent shivers down your spine, everything he says is tactful. Like he wants you to shake under his gaze. Swallowing the lump in your throat and your pride, you speak up. "I couldn't find anything to wear... nothing fit." Your voice grew dim towards the latter half of your admission, but that's what all it took for Klahadore to smile, to be pleased with you answering back.

As he withdrew your hand, your face burned bright. With any luck, you'd faint and no longer have to talk to him. "I was worried of that happening. Unfortunately, Miss Kaya shot down the idea of giving you extra clothing from the servant quarters." He tilted his head to get a better look at your puffy eyes and flushed face. "Is there anything else I should know about?" "Nothing.." "I don't like liars, Y/n. Tell me what's on your mind." His tone, while commanding, felt softer. It's like he's butler first, human later. He's only being kind after getting what he wanted after you.

"I'm just tired of not fitting into things...no matter what I try, I'll always be too big for stuff." You scowled. "I just..I just want to look nice. I want to look and feel good like Zoro or Nami. I don't want servant clothes, Kaya promised we'd look our best and I want to actually feel like it." You felt your nose sting and your eyes water. Klahadore watched you intently, hearing your voice increase in anger and intensity. Taking out a handkerchief, the ex pirate captain wiped away the tears that highlighted your chubby cheeks.

"While I don't have the means to provide you with what you want specifically, I want you to stay here. I'll be back in a minute." He sat you down on the ottoman that sat in the middle of the room and vanished into the dark hallway. However, Klahadore was a man of his word. Within seconds he returned with a folded outfit in hand: black dress pants and a white button up shirt. On top of the outfit though, were a couple of jewelry boxes. Inside revealed a golden necklace with the silhouette of a cat and a matching ring with a similar insignia. "Consider it a gift. It's something I've held onto before Miss Kaya's parents took me in, I think it's time for me to let it go." His smile was small, genuine.

Klahadore waiting outside patiently as you tried on the clothes he's given you. From outside the screens, he could hear a rollercoaster of emotions: fear, disbelief, enjoyment. "Did I choose right for you?" He asked, to which you strutted out to answer his question. Your shirt was tucked in, though largely unbuttoned to show off your chest and most importantly, the necklace. "How does it fit?" You spun around and Klahadore drank in the view. You never hid your curvy figure, only accentuated it. While he holds himself to a high standard, he can't admit that it didn't drive him mad.

He walked up and smoothed down the wrinkles on your shirt, his touch lingering on your shoulders and soft waist. "Fits like a glove." He stood tall wants more and linked his arm with yours. "Now, it's almost time for dinner. It'd be a shame to keep Miss Kaya waiting."

#klahadore #Klahadore x reader #one piece klahadore #one piece #one piece x reader #one piece live action #captain kuro #Captain kuro x reader #x fat reader #plus size reader #x chubby reader

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snowblossomreads · 4 months

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Day 23: Under the Tree

Pairing: Severus Snape x Fem!Reader

Summary: Severus comes home to his living room looking much different than he left it thanks to [Y/n].

Tag(s)/Warning(s): fluff!, decorating for loved one, mentions of childhood poverty, kissing, mostly just cuteness

Word Count: 1.3K

A/N: Ekkk I'm posting this kinda late after running aroundish so apologize for anything with wacky grammar or spelling haha! But enjoy this cute little fluff with Snape!

"What in Salazer's name-! [Y/n] what is all of this?"

When Severus had left early that morning to attend to some business, his sitting room was under decorated as it usually was all year round. That meant piles of books were littered here and there and on the shelves that lined the wall. His typewriter sat on a little table with manuscripts he had been working on for a while. And piled high next to it, were more books along with his chair that sat next to the fireplace.

Yet, when he had returned and stepped into the room he was startled when he was met with the sight of a Christmas wonderland. Nothing had technically been moved, but things had been added to the space.

Take for instance, the strings of garland that hung on all the shelves and across the fireplace with little holly leaves attached to them. There were also four green and silver striped stockings on the mantle of the fireplace, all of them evenly spaced out from one another.

Also, how could he forget about the tree that was half as tall as the bookshelves? Decorated with little colourful lights that twinkled and would slowly change colours, it also had been wrapped in some gaudy tinsel along with tiny ornaments that hung from the ends of different branches. The tree was insanely bright and much more colourful than most things in the house, and under it were a few gifts wrapped neatly. Before he could look for any more changes in the room, [Y/n] appeared in the kitchen doorway with a bright smile and an apron on.

"Severus!" She beamed as she wiped her hands on her apron and made her way to him with a warm smile. "Welcome back! Do you like what I've done with the place?" She asked, turning around to admire her handy work. "I figured since it's our first Christmas together it should be more festive feeling and I just couldn't help myself. I hope I didn't go too overboard though."

She had thought it a shame that they hadn't decorated for Christmas with how close it was and as it got closer it just didn't feel right to not have something festive looking in the house. So when Severus had left that morning, [Y/n] decided that their first Christmas wouldn't be complete without a tree and some decorations.

So she made her way to Hogsmeade and gathered as much decoration as she could find in the short amount of time that she had to pull what she had in mind. The hardest thing was to get a tree sent over quickly and discreetly. Thankfully it was a handy thing to be such a skilled witch as her as with one little wave of a wand, the miniature tree that she had found easily became a midsize one and large enough to fit all the decorations she had bought.

She had furiously decorated the whole room not stopping until everything was done as she wanted to give him a surprise. Once all the decorations were up, she quickly ran to place the presents that they had bought for one another underneath it. Was it a temptation to take a peek at them, absolutely but she didn't!

"I think I did amazing with the time crunch I had, but you're the wizard I need to impress! Soooo how'd you like it?"

"[Y/n] I-." He started, but stopped in mid sentence causing her to look at him and notice the slightly shocked expression on his features.

He didn't quite know what to say. It had been years, since he had seen the room like this. Alive with so much colour and cheer, that when he thought of it, he actually didn't believe that he had ever seen it so full of life.

As a child, when they decorated, and that was if his parents could afford to, they would only usually have a tiny tree that had already lost a lot of it's needles. The lights were not colorful just a bright white with missing bulbs here and there, and there would usually be two or three things under the tree if anything at all.

So to see so much Christmas in his home, had his heart swirling with emotions that he still had a hard time coming to terms with. It all felt so new that all he could do was sit in silence for a moment as he took in what [Y/n] had done for him.

"Severus?" She questioned, unsure if the silence that was between them was good or bad as he had not yet voice an opinion either way.

She had been nervous about her whole decorating scheme and him not answering her made her stomach twist uncomfortably as she thought she had done something wrong.

"Oh gosh I've messed up haven't I? I debated on telling you but I thought it be a fun surprise," you know?" She babbled nervously, wringing her hands on her apron while trying to explain her reasoning. "I know you don't like your stuff being moved about so I tried to work around it, but I just thought it be nice for a spark of colour to light the place up. Not that I don't like it as it is! It's just-."

She didn't get to finish her rambling explanation because before another word left her lips, Severus had wrapped his arms around her in a hug and his lips were pressed against hers in a gentle yet passionate kiss.

All of the worry she had about overstepping instantly melted like snow on a warm day and she was kissing him back with the same passion. Arms wrapping around his waist to keep her from falling over at how good his lips felt against hers, she couldn't hold in the moan that left her throat as he kissed her over and over until she was breathless from his affection.

"It's beautiful [Y/n]," he husked in that rich baritone of his as he finally pulled away from her lips leaving her a bit light headed. "Absolutely wonderful. A Christmas wonderland is not what I expected when I came but it is wonderful present either way."

His approval had her heart soaring, while also causing her to relax in his hold now that she knew his silence wasn't because he was crossed with her. Letting out a breath of relief, [Y/n] shuffled in his hold so that her back was against his front and she delicately took his hands so that he would lace his fingers across her waist.

Leaning back, they both gazed at the room for a moment, admiring her handy work at making everything so festive in such a short amount of time.

"Well good," she sighed out as his arms tighten their hold against her as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "I was scared that you were going to hate it but it makes me feel better that you don't. And also I think the lights on the tree are lovely and I would hate to take them down."

"Mhmm, they are quite lovely, but for what it's worth," he whispered huskily in her ear, a sound that made her shiver in his arms. "I think you are the brightest light in this room and in any other."

His compliment caused an involuntary smile to bloom on her lips as she turned around to face the man she adored so much. A tiny smile was on his thin lips when she looked at him, yet it was his dark eyes that were alight that seemed to tell the story of how happy he was.

"Oh Severus I do love you," she whispered as she went to stroke his cheek, causing his eyes to soften at her.

"And I love you, darling, thank you for this," he responded before leaning down and kissing her once more as they were surrounded in their little wonderland.

#severus snape x reader #severus x reader #rickmas #rickmas2023

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bvidzsoo · 7 months

Text

The Nightfury

Author: bvidzsoo

Warnings: gore, violence, blood, smut, maiming, fighting, swearing

Pairing: Kim Hongjoong x female reader

Word count: 22,2k

Summary: When Captain Kim died Hongjoong was only fifteen years old. He couldn't let his father's name go in vain, he took over the ship and became the next Captain Kim, better known as The Slayer. Everyone feared Hongjoong and his crew, Ateez. Everyone except you. You met in an Inn when you both were younger and tricked him into threatening an innocent man, and then you robbed him. You thought it was funny how such a powerful and feared man was so easy to play with, so you started your little game of sabotaging Hongjoong's affairs, unknowing that you were playing with fire. Would The Nightfury or The Slayer win once their swords clashed against each other? (Reader is called Lee Yuri in the following oneshots.)

A/N: Hii, I'm back!! But so is university, unfortunately, so I'll be slower with my updates. Also, this part is dark, alright, so take the warnings seriously! I didn't write anything very very detailed, but it's there, okay? Personally, I don't think San's part was too dark, I think it was more shocking and infuriating, however this one is just a different cup...also, if you haven't read Jongho's part, I highly recommend you do before reading this, because there are many call-backs to it. If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know. And enjoy now! Share your thoughts!

Taglist: @pingyu-in-wonderland @marievllr-abg @lelaleleb @loveforred @horanghae8 @jeonghanscarat7 @orshii @mundayoonimnida @m3tavita @silentcry329 @icarusignite

Series Masterlist ↭ Previous Part

4 years ago

From a young age, I had been encouraged to go out in the world, learn as many things as possible, be creative and discover myself: my likes and dislikes. From a young age, I knew I had a bright future in front of me, I knew I was destined to do incredible things, to be remembered forever. It’s the circumstances that came as a surprise to everyone, even myself, to how I achieved my current fame and the slightly atrocious things I had to do to get here. We didn’t do many bad things as my crew was still small, our ship barely fitting for twenty people, but we were growing, expanding. We were saving up for something bigger, better, and stronger. But for that, I needed money. A lot of it. Hanging around lowlifes and nobodies wasn’t going to solve my issues, so I carefully carved out a plan for myself. And the plan was perfect and simple. Find a target, quite easy as men had always been gullible, but they needed to be rich, now that was a harder task as these men tended to be slightly smarter than the rest. But with a bat of an eyelash, some sweet words and the right attitude you could get anything. And what I needed most were their riches. That turned out to be the easiest part, robbing them of their goods without them even noticing. And it was also fun and thrilling to watch their despair as they slowly realized they had nothing to fend off of anymore, promising to get it back in order to shower you with more expensive gifts, but I wouldn’t stick around for that long. No, I took what they had and then left, latching onto my next victim like a leech, taking away everything they had tucked away in their little chests filled with gold and jewelry. I didn’t care about them, I only cared about my own goal, and that was money. Lots of it. Thus, you probably would understand the predicament I found myself in currently, staring at the middle-aged man with bored eyes as he was trying to explain that his wife had caught onto him spending more money lately and started questioning him. I had zero interest in his sob story, whatever problems he was having with his wife was none of my business, he doomed himself the second he fell for my convincing act. He was the easiest to get and the dumbest out of all the men I have tricked so far, it made me almost feel bad for him.

“Listen, my love, I have to lay low for a little while because my wife is now more suspicious than ever.” He said in a hushed tone, looking around paranoid despite the loud chatter inside the Inn; nobody was paying attention to us.

“What about the emerald necklace I showed you last week?” I asked with a pout, sighing deeply. I watched as the man in front of me crumbled, a look of helplessness crossing his features.

“I know, I know, my love, but—”

“There would be no but’s if you loved me enough, Juyeon.” I cut him off, eyebrows furrowing in fake hurt, playing with my fingers in my lap. Juyeon, the man currently so desperate, let out a long breath of air and rubbed his forehead.

“I could—I—” He bit his lower lip, shaking his head, “I could try and buy it for you next week, but my wife—”

“It’s always your wife!” I allowed my voice to raise a little bit, pretending that I was fed up with him prioritizing his wife all the time. Juyeon tensed at the raise of my tone and glanced around, placing his hands on the table and slipping them towards me.

“No, no, it’s not like that, my love, you know it.” He tried to reason with me, taking my hands in his, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. I gulped and looked away, pretending that I was trying not to cry, “You know I love you more than anything else in the four seas and four kingdoms, but—I—I still need to take care of her and the children, I can’t—I can’t abandon them.”

I huffed and whipped my head around, to look at him, “That’s not what you said a few weeks ago, Juyeon.”

He chuckled nervously and started rubbing my knuckles again, “Well, I thought about it more and—”

“So, you don’t love me.” I cut him off again, pulling my hands away from his hold, sniffing, “All of this was a lie. You don’t love me, Juyeon, you just don’t. You were trying to make a fool out of me and you succeeded!”

Juyeon chuckled nervously as I raised my voice, again, and quickly shook his head, “No, that’s not—”

“Really?!” I snapped, eyes filling with tears, “Because that’s not what it looks like right now! You promised we’d run away by the end of the month, you promised to buy me that emerald necklace, you promised to make me your lover! And now you’re saying you want nothing to do with me anymore?!”

Juyeon’s eyebrows furrowed as I let a few tears slip down my cheeks, sniffing now loudly, “No, my love. That is not what I’m saying! I love you and I will prove it to you—”

“Then run away with me.” I pressed, wiping away the tears, but more fake ones kept falling. I should’ve become an actress, that way my parents would’ve actually been proud of me.

“I can’t.” Juyeon muttered looking away, biting his lower lip again. It was my time to shine, I had to suppress my smirk from showing, as I stood up abruptly, the chair screeching loudly, making Juyeon look up at me alarmed.

“You don’t love me!” I said loudly, a few people around us glancing our way, “And you never did! All you did was use me, because you thought I must be dumb just because I’m young, right?! Who do you think you are, Lee Juyeon?! Shamefully charming me with your money and jewelry you gifted me—did you even think about your wife?! What if she were ever to see us—your children too!”

Juyeon was on his feet in an instant, eyes wide as people were now staring at us curiously, always up for a juicy story. Tears fell from my eyes and I wiped at them angrily, flinching back when he tried to touch me from across the table, “What—what are you talking about, Y/N?”

“Don’t act innocent right now!” I screamed, voice raw, Juyeon’s eyes even wider than before, “Stop lying to me and just admit all you did was use a poor girl like me for your sick and twisted fantasies!”

“That’s not what it is!” Juyeon suddenly screamed back, dark eyes narrowed now in anger and he stepped around the table, taking a hold of my arm. Despite his anger, his grip was still soft, careful not to hurt me. I could see the confusion in his eyes and I gulped as I averted my own, looking at the table, trying to tug my arm free, but he wouldn’t budge. Suddenly, I yelped and looked at him as I allowed a sob to escape my plump lips.

“You’re hurting me—” I whimpered, very fakely, but Juyeon reacted instantly. And so did someone else. As Juyeon’s grip softened even more, about to release me, a body larger than mine and Juyeon’s, appeared out of nowhere, pushing the middle-aged man backwards. Juyeon looked startled and so did I as my act slipped for a second as I looked to my left, staring at the newcomer. I was left speechless as I stared at his profile, jawline so sharp it could cut me in half.

“Mate, it’s time you stop.” His voice was firm and his gaze threatening as I couldn’t look away, suddenly captured by his presence, his aura. It was so strong, so sharp, and dominating. He exuded a call for respect, able to make anyone take a step back and oblige to his wishes. His black clothes were in perfect condition and he stood close enough for me to feel the sweet smell of his cologne, mixed with something salty. I gulped as I became conscious that I was staring, so I averted my eyes back on Juyeon, who looked like he didn’t know what to do. Even I forgot what I was supposed to do for a second.

“Please—” I whispered softly, eyes filled with tears as I looked back at the stranger, who’s eyes suddenly fell on me. I gulped, trying to mask the sudden attraction I was feeling towards him. His cat-like eyes rimmed with black eyeliner bore into mine sharply, analyzing my face for a second before he turned back towards Juyeon, who shook his head and tried to approach me again.

“It’s not what it looks like, I assure you—”

“You saying that makes it look like exactly that, mate.” The breathtaking stranger snapped, his voice low as his eyes narrowed at Juyeon, “I advise you leave when I’m still asking nicely.”

I gulped and wiped my tears away with the sleeve of my shirt, Juyeon and I making eye contact briefly as he scoffed and grabbed his small bag, shaking his head.

“I can’t believe you did this to me.” He muttered to himself, casting a last glance my way, his eyes filled with pain as he shamefully left the Inn, more people glaring at him and giving me sympathetic glances. I pretended to shiver as the stranger’s eyes and focus was on me now, having to continue my lie still. This is not the outcome I expected, but perhaps I was about to score big tonight. I allowed my eyes to run over the stranger’s body, noting the various necklaces adorning his smooth neck, his skin tan and satiny. The black pearl on a shorter chain caught my attention and my fingers itched to wrap around it and snap it off his neck. My eyes traveled lower and I tried to count his rings too, wearing at least two on one finger, making me gulp. This man was rich. And he wasn’t afraid of showing it off. Before our gazes connected I noticed his blonde hair falling very carefully on his forehead, definitely styled like that, finding the longer strands in the back interesting. Not many dared going for a mullet, but this man looked spectacular with it.

“Are you alright?” His sudden change of demeanor, the softness in his gaze, the worry lacing his tone, took me off guard and I gaped at him for a few seconds, looking dumb.

“Oh—I’m—uhm—” I cleared my throat and shook my head as my cheeks turned pink, embarrassed, “I’m fine—uhm, thank you for—making him leave.”

“I’ve been watching you for a while now, things seemed tense, I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to you.” I felt my skin warm up at his words, finding it sweet. But how did I not notice somebody was watching us so closely? I was always good at singling people out, checking my surroundings and being alert of what was happening around me. Yet this man somehow managed to slip through unnoticed.

“Thank you,” I breathed out softly, finally gathering myself and continuing with my new plan, “He was—he’s not a bad man, you know…or so I thought.”

The stranger’s lips pulled into a line and he nodded understandingly, motioning with his hand for us to sit down, “Yeah, people can be quite deceiving—”

“You’re calling me dumb too?” I sniffed, lips quivering and the man quickly shook his head, eyes widening in panic.

“No, that’s really not what I’m trying to say!” He rushed out the words, looking rather cute, “I’m just saying that there’s evil people and they pray on innocent, unassuming people—”

“Like myself.” I finished the sentence for him and the man sighed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. His earrings were rather pretty as I had just noticed them, he had quite a few of those too.

“Sorry, that came off rather rude—”

“Can I buy you something?” I cut the man off, wiping my cheeks free of tears and shaking my head, acting as if I was trying to compose myself, “You did save me from that asshole after all.”

“Don’t worry about it, I don’t need anything—”

“But that’s unfair now…” I stared at him expectantly, waiting for a name.

“Hongjoong, Kim Hongjoong.” He extended his hand and I shook it firmly, whispering his name to myself, watching as his eyes fell on my lips for a second too long.

“Lee Y/N, nice to meet you.” I plastered on a small smile on my face, not releasing Hongjoong’s hand just yet. It was a trick which often worked on men, prolonged physical contact, a gaze lingering for a little too long…they always worked. And it was working right now as Hongjoong cleared his throat, looking a little flustered, as I finally released his hand and looked away shyly, letting my strawberry blonde hair fall against my face. I could see from the corner of my eye as Hongjoong’s eyes racked over my body, taking in my outfit and appearance, his eyes narrowing slightly. I certainly wasn’t dressed like an ordinary girl, but nobody ever truly figured out that I was a pirate. The clues were there, but they weren’t exactly obvious, one would think it was a preference to dress like this. And it really was. My black skirt, quite uneven at the ends, almost reached my ankles and my dark brown boots made of leather were rather worn at this point. The black cloth wrapped around my body was slightly peeking out from underneath the white off-shoulders breezy shirt I was wearing, a brown corset keeping everything in place. I had my favorite necklaces around my neck, always wearing them, but I dialed down on the bracelets I would normally wear. Rings weren’t something I liked wearing as I felt they restricted my grip when it came to holding a sword or dagger, however, they happened to come in quite handy when having to punch someone, the accessory leaving a rather nasty bruise on your opponent. The silence stretched on as Hongjoong placed his hands on the table, fingers intertwined and I couldn’t help but let my eyes fall on them. Hongjoong noticed and raised an eyebrow cheekily.

“You’re wearing quite a few rings…” I muttered, actually feeling embarrassed for being caught staring. My reaction made Hongjoong chuckle as he looked down at his own fingers, playing with the biggest ring on his forefinger. Something was carved on it, a letter.

“Personal preference, I guess.” Hongjoong said with a shrug and I hummed, noticing the waitress walking our way. I raised my hand shyly, avoiding Hongjoong’s eyes as he watched me curiously.

“How can I help you?” The waitress asked bored until she noticed Hongjoong sitting with me, her posture instantly straightening. I could understand, he was a very attractive man and he looked very upkept, something rare when it came to men. Most of them very dirty, smelly pigs. Even some of the rich ones.

“A bottle of wine would suffice for now.” I said, voice rather tight when this woman didn’t stop looking at Hongjoong, who seemed to be enjoying the attention. He smirked at her and cleared his throat, slightly tilting his head forward as if he was greeting her. My jaw clenched at the exchange and I had to hold back my glare as this woman was stealing the attention off of me, ruining my carefully designed plan. I had to be Hongjoong’s center of attention tonight, not anyone else.

“And some booze.” Hongjoong added with a wink as the waitress was just about to leave and I licked my dry lips, trying to keep a sneer off my face. This was ridiculous. When the woman was finally away, Hongjoong’s dark eyes fell on me, looking quite pleased with himself. It almost made me scoff but I quickly slipped back into character and looked away shyly, nervously playing with my fingers in my lap.

“You have that affect on all women?” I found myself asking quietly, actually curious. He could get anyone he wanted, and he definitely used that to his advantage, I wanted a confirmation in order to know how to approach him.

Hongjoong chuckled, almost sounding embarrassed, as he rubbed his chin, “You noticed?”

“It wasn’t hard to.” My response was too quick, too snappy, Hongjoong noticed too, so I cleared my throat and softened my voice again, “I’m just observant.”

“That’s good in a world like ours,” Hongjoong hummed, searching for eye contact with his intense gaze, “and yes, I tend to get that reaction when it comes to women.”

I chuckled softly, tucking a long strand of hair behind my ear, “It’s not very surprising since you’re a handsome man.”

A smirk appeared on Hongjoong lips as he leaned closer towards me, looking at me playfully, “Do you think I’m handsome?”

Before I could answer him, the waitress was back with our drinks, her eyes on Hongjoong only. I ignored her and took the tall glass for my wine roughly, making her glance at me surprised, another smirk appearing on Hongjoong’s lips. It was becoming irritating, the fact that he knew himself so well, the fact that he was using it on others.

“Thank you.” Hongjoong thanked the waitress and I didn’t miss the brush of his pinky finger against the woman’s hand and perhaps my grip on the wine bottle was a little too tight. If she wouldn’t leave in two seconds a dagger would be adorning the inside of her neck. But as I poured some wine for myself, she was finally gone and I could relax again, ignoring the amused look Hongjoong sent my way as he took a big sip of his booze. It was a vile thing; I did not like it. Wine was raffinate and came in various tastes, besides it was good for your health too unlike that strong, repulsive thing Hongjoong was drinking.

“You don’t like booze?” He asked with a chuckle and I fixed my expression, shaking my head as I took a sip of my own red wine, “Your grimace told me all about it.”

I chuckled shyly and looked down, finding it hard to act different in front of this man. My true nature wanted to come through badly, sensing he was a strong person, challenging my own ego.

“What brings you here tonight, Kim Hongjoong?” I asked with a smile, breaking the silence which seemed to fall upon us, his sharp eyes watching me carefully. I felt like I was performing an important task and a figure of authority was here to evaluate me, criticize me for the work I had done. And if I slipped, if I did the smallest mistake, he would notice. Hongjoong would know it was all an act, my fingers itching to steal all of that pricey jewelry adorning his body. If I wouldn’t get that emerald necklace from Juyeon anymore, I sure needed to get something else and the provider was sitting right in front of me.

“Just needed a distraction, you know.” He answered casually, taking a sip of his booze before he placed the glass back down, “It gets lonely when you’re a traveler sometimes. You know, you become stiff and I’m still young. I want to live a little.”

His story didn’t sound very authentic, the way he delivered it seemed very rehearsed and the way he averted his gaze told me he was lying. But I hummed and nodded understandingly, looking at my glass. The way he said traveler…didn’t sit right with me. What was he?

“Do you work, Hongjoong?” I asked curiously, watching the way he oh so slightly stiffened. There it was, I caught onto his lie.

“When I find something worth my time, yeah.” It was an ambiguous answer, “I get bored easily and I’m good at many things, so, there’s no reason for me to settle on one thing, you know?”

“Must be nice to have that luxury.” I chuckled and took a sip of my wine, our gazes connecting for a second before I looked away.

“What’s your story, Y/N?” Hongjoong asked as he leaned over the table, elbows resting on it, his hands pushed towards me as he held the glass, playing with it. I fixed my expression and smiled sadly, looking him in the eyes, having been waiting for this moment. I had just the perfect story for him.

“Well,” I shrugged and hesitated for a second, “my grandparents live here and I moved in with them when I was ten, so, there’s that. All my life I wished to study and travel the world, become a cartographer but my grandparents didn’t have the financial support for that nor the will to encourage my dream. They are traditional, you know, a woman belongs in the kitchen, inside the house and her only job should be to give birth to many kids. I didn’t want that, so I ran away, but quickly realized I had nothing so I had to return—”

I cleared my throat and blinked the tears away, watching as Hongjoong’s eyebrows furrowed at my pathetic and sob, fake, story, “It’s embarrassing, really, but I started mingling with the wrong people. I just want to find love, you know. True love. And it’s very hard because I’m past that age and no man wants me anymore…so, I—I suffice with whatever I find, you know. I thought, I really thought this time that Juyeon was the love of my life, but he lied to me. I didn’t even know he was married until tonight. I’m so ashamed. What if his wife found out? What if the people find out? What will be made of me—”

I hiccupped as a stray tear ran down my cheek and suddenly, big and warm palms wrapped around my hands, Hongjoong’s gaze melting into mine, “Hey, calm down.”

His voice had softened a big amount, he was talking quietly, reassuringly, “You’re not too old and nobody will say anything about you. Don’t let anyone get to you, Y/N, you’re your own master and you’re capable of anything you put your mind to, alright? And you’re too pretty to die alone, so, stop worrying about that.”

“You think I’m pretty?” I asked with a small smile as I suddenly flipped my palms and intertwined my fingers with Hongjoong’s, his eyes falling on them. He gulped and shook his head with a smirk, looking back up in my eyes.

“Yeah, I think you’re very pretty.” The flush on my cheeks wasn’t from the wine, nor was it fake, I actually blushed. I couldn’t help but smile wider at him, my stomach doing weird flips as his calloused fingers suddenly started rubbing my knuckles slowly, his eyes narrowing just slightly. He was too handsome and he knew too damn well what he was doing, it was dangerous. I could feel the wine seeping inside my system already, the room around us slightly hazy. If I wasn’t careful enough I’d become drunk, and then, my plan wouldn’t be carried out, only a mistake would be done. And I couldn’t let that happen. Not tonight.

So, I averted my eyes and pressed my finger against the biggest ring he owned, with the letter A engraved in it, I could see it now, “This one’s really pretty.”

Hongjoong raised an eyebrow as I looked at him through my eyelashes and he gulped, lightly pulling his hands away, the warmth disappear with him. He gave me a glance before he slipped his ring off, pushing it towards me on the surface of the table. My eyes widened as I looked at the ring then at him, not quite knowing what to do next.

“You can take it for the night.” He muttered lowly, his eyes slightly darkening as I bit my lower lip, trying to fight my imagination from running wild because of the implication in his words. I took the ring and slipped it onto my middle finger, a little big for me, but its weight a reminder to never lose it. It seemed important as I inspected it, feeling something engraved in the inside of it too, making a mental note to look at that later.

As time passed, more drinks settled on our table than empty bottles were taken away, our systems infusing with the alcohol we kept downing as if it were water. Sometime ago, my head started spinning, the room a bit hazy if I tried looking around, making me realize I have drunk more than enough, walking on the thin line of being tipsy or drunk. But I dialed down on the strong drinks, opted for water for half an hour now, slightly feeling better. The line of boundaries seemed to have blurred a long time ago too as Hongjoong was basically all over me, laughing loudly at almost everything I said as he wouldn’t stop drinking his booze, which I had secretly swapped with water ten minutes ago. He had yet to notice, too caught up in the story he tried telling for the second time. He was hilarious and as the alcohol loosened him up, he stopped being so intimidating, his intense gaze lightening, cat-like eyes smiling at me each time we locked eyes. I tried to stop myself, but it was futile, as Hongjoong’s hand would grip my thigh quite frequently, holding onto it before he would gesture with his hands again, and I couldn’t help but heat up, stomach flipping at each unintentional touch. Or perhaps it was intentional…it probably was as Hongjoong’s head dipped lower, lips grazing against the shell of my ear, making me freeze.

“Please don’t tell me you’re actually interested in whatever bullshit story I’ve been telling you for the past hour.” His words took me off guard and my mind instantly went to the worst-case scenario. He figured out that I was a pirate and I planned on robbing him, but when suddenly his hand was on my thigh again, a lot higher than before, and squeezing firmly, I couldn’t find my words nor any cohering thoughts, “Because I know you’ve switched my booze with water, Y/N, and quite frankly I’m bored of sitting here and entertaining you like this.”

All I could do was gulp and stare at the wall, trying not to shudder when his finger started rubbing circles into my thigh, “Then—then how else—could you entertain me?”

A beat of silence passed between us as I pulled my head back, our gazes connecting as Hongjoong leaned incredibly close, his lips ghosting over mine, breath fanning my face, “Fucking you sounds a lot better than sitting here and pretending we’re interested in what the other one has to say.”

I couldn’t help but let out a breath in disbelief, body lightly shaking as I felt like I was electrocuted, feeling hot all over and mind reeling. This really wasn’t going according to my plan, all I had to do was steal his shit once he got wasted, but his words awakened the want I’ve been trying to repress ever since my eyes fell on him. All softness was gone from his deep eyes, staring at me like he wanted to devour me right then and there, in front of everyone. I bit my lip at the thought and Hongjoong’s eyes fell on them, his nose twitching as he licked his own lips, yet didn’t move an inch. It felt like torture, being so close, yet he felt so far away. I probably should’ve refused him and walked out of that Inn, but I didn’t. My body didn’t want me to leave, my brain was screaming at me to let him have his way with me. I was tipsy, yet I felt so hyperaware of everything around me, of his grip burning my skin, his eyes undressing me and his lips so close they were almost touching.

“What are you waiting for?” I managed to whisper out as Hongjoong smirked once my words got to his brain, his hand disappearing like lightning from my thigh, chair pushed back as he was up on his feet. I couldn’t even blink as a grip on my forearm pulled me up and I was led away from the bar area, rushed towards the stairs. We haven’t paid for our drinks yet, but it seemed like nobody really cared as we disappeared up the stairs, Hongjoong almost running, tugging me along. It was a little bit funny and I couldn’t help but giggle as Hongjoong tried opening all the doors until he finally found an empty room, throwing me a cheeky smile as he walked us inside, door slamming shut quickly. We didn’t have a key, but we didn’t need one. It didn’t seem like we’d take too long either way as Hongjoong started unbuttoning his black vest, stare pinning me against my spot. I mirrored him and started undoing the lace of my corset, making Hongjoong’s eyes wander down my torso, gulping as I got rid of the piece of clothing, letting it fall next to me on the floor. Hongjoong’s vest was abandoned and he undid the buttons of his white shirt messily, hissing when his fingers wouldn’t work as he wished, making me chuckle. I didn’t bother unbuttoning my shirt, just raised it overhead, making Hongjoong bite his lip as he took my body in. I gripped the skirt on both sides of my hips before pushing it down, remaining in nothing but my underwear, stockings, and the black cloth wrapped around my torso providing warmth and restricting my breasts from getting in my way. I preferred it that way, men took you more seriously when your breasts weren’t hanging in their faces. Hongjoong was about to undo the belt on his pants when his eyes fell on me once again and he sucked in a harsh breath, abandoning his initial actions. He stalked towards me, eyes never leaving mine, until he was all up in my face, warmth radiating off his body. I almost stepped back, intimidated by his proximity, but I stood my ground and stared him down, waiting for him to make the first step, but he didn’t. He was teasing me as he smirked, eyes running over my face, chuckling before I felt his hands on my waist, gripping me, pulling me flushed against his firm body. I gasped as his warmth enveloped mine, his naked torso gaining my attention as I looked down, taking in the muscles of his tanned skin, his chest very well worked. Our eyes connected once again and no more precious seconds were waisted as our lips crashed against each other, not soft at all as they moved against each other vigorously, trying to settle for a satisfying pace, but nothing was good enough as we devoured each other hungrily, whining into the kiss when Hongjoong’s fingers dug into my skin, pressing against my hip bones. My hands explored his naked torso, dragging and pressing against his burning skin, trying to feel each muscle as Hongjoong walked me backwards until my back hit the wall, caging me against it with his strong arms.

My hands explored his back and I scratched down his scapula’s with my nails, earning a groan from him as he bit my lower lip, pulling back breathlessly, my chest rising and falling rapidly. I wasted no more time and started undoing the belt of his pants, Hongjoong’s lips finding my neck as he started pressing slow, sensual, kisses down to my collarbones, where he sucked on the skin harshly, earning a hiss from me as I pushed his head slightly back, glaring at him. I didn’t want any type of marks on my body left by him, or anyone else, but it seemed like Hongjoong was rather amused as he grabbed the back of my head and licked my lips, taunting me, my glare deepening as I tugged harshly against his belt, our bodies colliding again. That seemed to wipe off the amused smirk of his face as I slowly, teasingly, undid the lace of his pants, not quite pushing it off his hips. Hongjoong watched me as I smirked this time and sneaked my hand inside his pants, lightly brushing against his member, surprised that he wore no underwear. It was daring. Hongjoong groaned as my fingers lightly grazed the tip and he pressed his lips against mine again as I took a hold of his member, slowly pumping it. His kiss was messy, our teeth clanking together, as Hongjoong moved his hips, thrusting into my hand wrapped around him, whining when I squeezed down on it and fastened the pace. He pressed a short kiss after kiss against my lips, muttering profanities against my lips as his eyebrows furrowed, bucking up faster as I settled on a fast pace, his whimpers getting throaty and until he started whispering for me to stop, biting my earlobe when I didn’t listen to him.

“Stop, I’m so close—” He snapped against my ear, grabbing my throat harshly, making my breath hitch as his sounds and ministrations got to me, body feeling hot as I slowed the pace of my hand, Hongjoong freezing, his member twitching. He was panting as he pulled back to look at me, my lips parted in anticipation and suddenly I felt his thumb moving against my neck, until it was pressing against my chin, then my lower lip, parting my lips more for him. I couldn’t breathe as we held eye contact, his thumb finally slipping inside my mouth, my lips latching around it, ever so slowly starting to suck on it. His pupils were blown wide, lips parted in pleasure before his jaw clenched, eyes never leaving mine as I swirled my tongue around his thumb, his hips bucking into my hand once again.

“Fuck.” He spat before grabbing my wrist with his other hand, pulling it out of his pants, giving me a warning glare about touching him again as he started pushing his own pants down, my lips still wrapped around his thumb, sucking and licking it. I couldn’t help but grin as he moaned quietly and pulled his thumb out of my mouth, pants pooling around his ankles. Standing naked in front of me, the man was gorgeous. His tan skin glistened with light sweat, body flushed and pupils blown wide as he found the top of my stockings before he yanked them down, pulling my underwear off too in the process. I gasped as the coldness hit the lower half of my body and his thigh was pressed between my legs, making me gulp as his lips found my neck again. He started licking at the skin, eliciting a sigh as his thigh flexed against me and with a hand firmly placed against my hips, he rolled them forward, the friction making my breathing stutter for a second. My nerves felt on fire as I allowed Hongjoong to set the pace, one which was incredibly slow, making the hairs on my arms stand as it felt torturous. I needed more, something faster, but Hongjoong hissed when I tried to move on my own, making me whine loudly as he chuckled against the skin of my neck. I didn’t even notice it when he bit down on my skin, too focused on the burning of my lower region, clenching around nothing as I was starting to grow relentless, desperate. His teeth pierced my skin and I moaned as Hongjoong finally quickened the pace, juices coating his muscular thigh as I threw my head back, the friction finally enough. But it didn’t last for long as his thigh was gone and lips too, my eyebrows furrowing as I looked at him confused, only to feel his strong hands gripping my thighs before I was hoisted up, legs wrapping around his hips firmly as his member pocked at my entrance.

“Please.” I whispered as I looked at Hongjoong, running my fingers through his hair until I gripped the end tightly, yanking our heads close together. Hongjoong bit my lower lip as I felt his tip pushing against my entrance and I gasped as he finally pushed inside, his length stretching my walls like no one’s before. My back was flushed against the wall as Hongjoong leaned into me, setting a pace before he was even fully in, not quite fast nor slow, just right at the moment. I tried to stay silent with each one of his strong thrusts, but it was rather difficult as he was sharp, starting to quicken the pace. My head was thrown back against the wall, lips parted as quiet moans started escaping, Hongjoong’s lips brushing my Adam’s apple as he was panting, body crushing mine as if our closeness wasn’t enough already. My senses were heightened and it felt like pure bliss as he finally set a faster pace, the pitch of my voice raising as I felt Hongjoong’s eyes on my face, his lips red and plump from all the kissing and biting. My fingers tightened in his hair more, making him gasp lightly as suddenly my chin was gripped harshly, yanking my head down. His lips crashed against mine and his tongue was in my mouth, licking at my teeth, exploring my mouth like his life depended on it. I started meeting his thrusts, but it still wasn’t enough, I needed more as my release was building up, but not quite there yet. Hongjoong whined into my mouth as I clenched around him and I pulled back, gripping his cheeks as we gazed into each other’s eyes.

“I need more.” I whispered breathless and Hongjoong nodded, suddenly pushing all the way in, his movements ceasing. It felt torturous as my body burned, yearning for more, needing to release soon all the built-up tension. He let out the quietest breath when I clenched around him again, lightly trying to move my hips, but his bigger body had me mobilized between himself and the wall. This was not my idea of more, and before I could complain about it, he held me firmly against himself and suddenly pulled me off the wall, turning and walking towards the bed. I held onto him tightly, arms around his neck as I started leaving kisses behind his ear, making his member twitch inside me, grinning against his skin. Hongjoong groaned when he felt it and for a second I was falling backwards, back placed carefully against a soft surface. The bedsheets were cold and I shivered as I looked up at Hongjoong, who was looking down at me with a different glint in his eyes. It looked like adoration, almost, and it made me gulp nervously. I couldn’t allow myself to feel anything towards him, he was simply my prey and I was playing my part in the game he started by approaching me when I was still with Juyeon. He still didn’t move as he leaned down, and suddenly it felt too intimate as his lips pressed softly against mine, the kiss slow like never before, lips moving against mine in a tender manner, heating up the skin of my face. It made me feel guilty all of a sudden, how unassuming he was; I’ve never ever felt bad before for one of my victims. As he went to pull back, I gripped his cheeks and pulled him back down, placing a newfound passion into my kiss, tongue slipping into his mouth as he slowly started moving his hips again, the movement drawn out, sensual. It elicited a moan instantly from my lips, and Hongjoong took my left hand and intertwined our fingers as he pressed it down next to my head. My other hand tangled in the long strands of his hair as his free one found my hips and suddenly, his pace became vicious, restless as he started pounding into me, toes curling and head thrown back as moan after moan slipped from my lips. My legs hooked around his hips and I met his thrusts, his finger painfully pushing into the ring he gave me, a reminder that I was still wearing it. Hongjoong’s moans mixed with mine as I started clenching around him, so so close to finishing, and when his thumb brushed against my clit I was gone for, eyes rolling back as I came undone, the sensations overwhelming as he rode out my high with me before pulling out and with a few strokes to his dick finishing on my stomach.

I was still panting, coming down from the high as I stared at the ceiling, body flushed and Hongjoong’s hand in mine screaming at me that I couldn’t let my feelings get to me right now. Not tonight. Suddenly, his eyes found mine and he smiled as he leaned down, pressing a kiss against my forehead, making my eyebrows furrow as he finally got off me, my body shivering at the sudden coldness wrapping around me. I watched him as he looked around in the room before finding a towel and walking back to me, cleaning me up and muttering a small sorry, as if pulling out wasn’t smarter than finishing inside of me. But I remained silent and allowed him to pull me up in a sitting position as we stared down each other, seemingly not knowing what to do next. The drunken haze was somewhat gone from his eyes, signaling that he was perhaps just tipsy now, if not sober. Robbing him right now would be too difficult, so I opted for the last resort I had on me as a backup plan. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards me as I crawled back, laying down, making him lay down next to me. Hongjoong smiled and brushed the hair out of my eyes as we lay facing each other, smiling. My stomach dropped a little bit, but I ignored the sensation and focused on how much I was blushing as Hongjoong caressed my cheek and giggled as if I said something funny, making me raise my eyebrows at him but he just shook his head.

“Where are you from?” He asked quietly as he played with my hair and I sighed, not wanting to give away too much, but finding the moment so intimate that all of my walls were down, something which rarely happened.

“The North.” I whispered and looked away, not quite wanting to see his reaction. The North Kingdom was known for being rather ruthless and its people cold and barbaric. And it was all true. We really were that way. Our rules were strict and demanded to be followed, if anyone dared disobey them they would certainly face a painful death. We didn’t beat around the bush and were straight-up people. Many didn’t like the lifestyle, however, and found refuge in the neighboring Kingdoms, yet I found peace in the stern rules, in the familiar routine. If everything was so chaotic like in the rest of the Kingdoms, especially the South, how could people easily fall asleep? How would they not worry about what they’d do tomorrow? Nothing was certain and I couldn’t live with that. Sometimes I’d get homesick and we’d return home, but we weren’t exactly welcomed anymore. Our land didn’t treat the defectors kindly, once word got around you’d get shone away in best case scenario. And my parents knew what I was, a pirate. They would never welcome me back inside their house, their only child was a menace to society, a shame on the Lee family’s name. I wouldn’t be surprised if they told everyone I had died in the war we got deflected to so many years ago when I was just a child. The southern islands of our Kingdom always fought back against our harsh rules and demanded lesser sentences, but the Queen wasn’t having it. Therefore a war broke out between the mainland and southern islands which lasted for three years, our Queen giving in to her people, and giving them partially the freedom they wished for.

“Nothing to be ashamed of,” Hongjoong’s quiet voice brought me back from my thoughts, eyebrows raising slightly as I hadn’t heard what he said previously, “Being from the North, I mean. I have a friend who’s the nicest and most caring sailor I have ever known, and he’s strong too. Stereotypes exist, but it doesn’t mean you are just like them.”

I gulped and found myself slightly smiling at Hongjoong, his comforting words surprising. He didn’t seem like the type who cared much about others feelings up until now.

“We feel deeply, but we don’t like showing it to others…we see it as a burden, you know?” I found myself explaining it to Hongjoong and he hummed, caressing my cheek again with a fond smile.

“I know, my friend said the same thing.” He chuckled and I buried my head in the pillow, trying to hide my big smile, ignoring my brain screaming at me that I wasn’t following the plan at all. Sometimes it felt nice letting the heart get what it wanted.

“Do you happen to be obsessed with mermaids as well?” I pulled my head away from the pillow and looked at Hongjoong with raised eyebrows as I shook my head, “Ah, thought everyone was obsessed with it from your little Kingdom—”

“The Sun Set Kingdom is the smallest.” I narrowed my eyes at Hongjoong and he chuckled, amused by how triggered I got. Yes, the north was small but the island surrounding it made it larger than the Sun Set Kingdom, so it was unfair we got called the smallest kingdom, “And yes, my people are quite the believers when it comes to folklore, but I guess it depends on your upbringing too.” And my parents believed in nothing divine, calling it a waste of time as no Gods could help, only you could help yourself.

“I’m from the Sun Rise Kingdom.” Hongjoong muttered with a sigh, turning onto his back, hands behind his head, “I guess we’re both far away from home.”

I hummed and turned on my back too, eyes surveying the dark room, finding some water and glasses on a dresser. I cleared my throat and sat up, the weight of Hongjoong’s ring on my finger quite distracting as I walked towards the dresser. I could feel Hongjoong’s eyes on me as I poured water for the both of us, slipping some white powder from one of my necklaces into the left glass. I waited for it to dissolve before I turned around, sipping from my own glass as I walked towards Hongjoong. He sat up, leaning against the headboard and accepted the glass of water with gratitude.

“May I ask why are you wearing that?” He asked as he gulped down his water, eyes on the black cloth wrapped tightly around my body. I smiled and sat down, taking his empty glass and placing it on the floor.

“Well, I guess it’s for hiding my feminine figure?” I shrugged, finishing my glass of water, “Some of the jobs I do aren’t very female friendly and I can pass as a boy if I wear the right clothing with this, you know?”

“Nobody as pretty as you would pass as a boy.” Hongjoong chuckled and I rolled my eyes embarrassed.

“Trust me, I can camouflage myself very well.”

“And what is this mystery job you have?” I pursed my lips and watched as his blinks got longer, eyelids heavier and heavier. The amount of powder I slipped in his water would knock him out any minute now.

I chuckled and watched as Hongjoong tried lifting his arms, futile, “I’m a con-artist, let’s say.”

His eyes found mine but he didn’t say anything as his breathing slowed, eyelids falling shut, lips parting as his body went numb. I smiled sadly at him and got off the bed, dressing myself back up, looking like nothing even happened. I walked to Hongjoong’s side and adjusted him in a comfortable position before pulling the blanket over him, tracing his lips with my finger. My eyes fell on the ring I was still wearing and I took it off, bringing it up to my face. I turned it and tried to see what was carved on the inside, fingers running over it. The letter A and then…teez? Ateez? I paused for a second, looking down at the sleeping man. Kim Hongjoong. The ring with the letter A carved on it. Ateez carved inside of it. My eyes widened as I almost dropped the ring, looking at Hongjoong with slight fear pulsing through my veins. Had I just slept with The Slayer? The captain of the Ateez pirate crew? Oh, this was a turn of events even in my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have expected to happen. I looked around the room, hurrying to grab Hongjoong’s pants in search of gold or money. He did have a few coins on him, a lot less than I was expecting. I hissed as I looked back at the man and at the ring in my hand before I walked over and placed it on top of the pillow where I was supposed to be sleeping. But as I was about to leave, the black pearl necklace around his pretty neck caught my attention and I didn’t stop myself from taking what I wanted. I carefully took it off him and placed it around my own neck, staring down at it in awe. I’ve always wanted a pearl necklace, but they were too expensive and too hard to find, especially the black ones, they were rare. Without another glance at the man sleeping in the bed, I walked out the door, leaving our little escapade behind me, never to mention it to anyone.

But things were never easy, especially for women as nobody took them seriously in a highly male dominated field. Being a pirate was hard, but being a woman pirate was even harder. Nobody wanted to do business with you, nobody wanted to strike deals with you and nobody would sell you weapons. So, forced to fend for ourselves in different ways, we started robbing other ships in the middle of the night, creating a fearful reputation for ourselves while acquiring provision and munition for ourselves. Our crew and ship grew with the passing of time and as we started establishing ourselves on the market, they nicknamed us The Nightfury. Sailors and pirates alike feared us once they learned about us as we’d attack them in the middle of the sea, leaving them with nothing, assuring them a painful death if they didn’t get to land in three days. And they usually didn’t. We tried not to be harsh, but we were forced by the men around us. They thought they could do anything to us without facing repercussions, and so that had to be proven wrong by us. And despite becoming quite successful in the past four years, there was still a thorn in our side. Ateez. The most feared pirate crew of the four seas and four kingdoms. No matter where we went, they had been there just before us, wreaking havoc and leaving nothing behind, nothing for us to find. And that just wouldn’t do anymore. I’ve had enough of always getting their sloppy seconds, so I devised a new plan. One which was working marvelously. Thanks to my extraordinary acting talent, I managed to charm a few of their investors and merchants into giving us their goods for a slightly lower price and still taxing Ateez with their old price while selling them second-made goods, sometimes even fake ones. Irene, my second in hand, had warned me that it wouldn’t be long until the notorious pirate crew caught on to our scams, but I opted not to listen to her. I had fooled Kim Hongjoong once, who would say I couldn’t do it twice? And so I did, so blatantly out in the open, right under his nose. He was always so close, yet never close enough to catch us. He even sent assassins our way, sent his most loyal dog Choi San, but all the damage he managed to do was stab a very humanlike looking pillow and blanket laying in a bed, on the highest floor of the Inn I supposedly resided in. Joy and I sipped on our drinks as we watched him from the window from across the Inn, laughing when he looked around in confusion, realizing he had been fooled. Choi San never made mistakes, yet here he was, outsmarted by two playful women, who played these eight fools as if they were their own puppets. Joy and I clanked our glasses together before downing our wine, turning back to the real deal we had to focus on, the two rich men tied up with tons of money falling out of their pockets. Ah, we had quite the productive night that evening. But what I failed to realize, despite Irene’s frequent warning, was that once someone made Kim Hongjoong furious, they would end up facing his wrath. And when that happened, it would hurt. A lot. But I felt comfortable, too safe, unknowing that he was gaining advantage on me minute by minute. But I started this dangerous game, and the inciter never backed down.

Present time

There was something different about the Sun Rise Kingdom. The air itself felt warmer, the wind never too harsh, the soil softer than anywhere else. You would never smell anything foul, not even at the markets, and the people were always smiling. Always so nice, and always so trusting. I had to say, they were the most gullible and unfortunately, they were our easiest prey. I loved the Sun Rise Kingdom, not because of how easy we had it here, but because everything was so inviting, so accepting. In the past four years our crew grew significantly big and people recognized us. Our faces were plastered everywhere in the Sun Set Kingdom on wanted posters, constables constantly trying to catch us. They seemed to hate us the most out of all the Kingdoms and, perhaps, I couldn’t blame them as once we accidentally almost burned down the only inhibited island they happen to have. It was an accident, of course, we aren’t cruel like that, but they wouldn’t understand that no matter how many times we’d try explaining it to them. After realizing that it was futile making peace with them, we soon started giving up on that Kingdom, closing our deals with the merchants, keeping only our most important investors. This came in quite handy for Ateez, of course, as they got richer and richer, taking away one of our most important ammunition resource’s. But my crew was very talented and cunning, we managed to smuggle a few guns still from them, a spy who owed her life to me always lurking in the shadows, helping us out whenever we needed something important from over there.

We had arrived to the Sun Rise Kingdom a week ago and treated it as a little vacation as all of us had been tired from restlessly sailing the seas, almost losing our lives when a storm hit us while we were traveling through the Raging Sea. It was a bad idea sailing through it, but we’ve done it before and were lucky enough to avoid any storms, our navigator, Wendy, rather talented at her job. Everything was going smoothly so far, no run ins with the constables, nobody bothered us for the most part, a merchant even offered a good deal for us upon hearing we were in town, and the men in this bustling town were rather good looking, pockets and pouches heavy with coins. It truly felt like we were on a resort, finally enjoying our lives for a little bit, young and hungry for more. But our safe heaven didn’t last for long as two days ago Irene came barging inside my room as I was reading through a letter Siwon, an older smuggler from the Sun Set Kingdom, had sent a week ago. He found some ancient looking jewelry and he wanted to make sure they were authentic before selling them, offering to give us half of the payment if I helped him out. Greed was a bad thing, but I wouldn’t turn down such a nice offer.

The door to my room was slammed open, crashing into the wall harshly as I jumped up from my seat with a wildly beating heart, “They are here!”

I watched my second-in-command, Irene, pant as her long black hair fell in her eyes, “Who are here?”

I watched her with a confused expression as I placed a palm over my racing heart, giving her a small glare for scaring the living daylight out of me. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at me like I was crazy.

“Ateez!” Her normally quiet voice turned shrill as it rose a few octaves, her normally composed nature completely disappearing. Ateez. My jaw clenched as I leaned against my desk, huffing.

“Of course they are here,” I muttered, as Irene stepped inside my room and hastily closed the door behind her, “I can never rest for too long, can I?”

“This is bad.” Irene said gravelly as she started pacing around my room, “You know this is bad, Y/N, we must leave. Right now. If they find out where we reside, you know they will come after us—”

“Will you relax for a second?!” I snapped, Irene’s anxiety rubbing off on me as I threw her a glare, sitting back down in my chair, “We’re supposed to be leaving in three days if we want to get to the Sun Set Kingdom in two weeks.”

“What?” Irene’s eyebrows furrowed as she neared me, blowing her bangs out of her eyes, “Sun Set Kingdom—what are you talking about?”

I smiled at her confusion, her eyebrows scrunching up, her intimidating face looking rather cute as I grabbed the letter from Siwon and handed it to her. She took it and read it quickly, sighing as she looked back at me. I could read the exhaustion in her eyes, almost pleading to stay put for a little longer. We were supposed to go up North for a while, visit her family as they hadn’t given up on their daughter like mine have. Irene was homesick, and so was I, but this…this would be big. Siwon giving us half of the payment meant we could lay low for at least half a year, find a nice spot somewhere and just live quietly, rest. All of us wanted that, after all, the crew has worked hard to get to where we were now.

“Please,” Irene’s voice lowered, the letter clutched tightly between her fingers, “do we really need to go? It’s Siwon, you know he’s not trustworthy. He fucked us over last time too, Y/N, shouldn’t you think this through first?”

I shook my head and took the letter from her, turning to face my desk as I had readied to write back to Siwon before Irene came barging inside my room, “We could be free for half a year, Irene, if we do this. Jewels are our forte and he knows that, that’s why he’s asking for our help. I promise to head up North straight afterwards—”

“And sail through the Icy Sea?” Irene tsked and gave me a look, “No.”

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked up at her, “What do you mean, no?”

“You heard me right,” Her voice turned serious and her expression hardened. I knew what was coming, “I’m your second-in-command and I refuse to go to the Sun Set Kingdom. I refuse to sail through the Icy Sea.”

I rolled my eyes, knowing that she meant none of that, “Go find yourself a different crew then.”

I turned to grab my pen as I was smacked hard across the back of my head, making me let out a loud yelp, whipping my head around to glare at Irene, “You bitch—”

“Shut up,” Irene snapped, leaning down to be eye level with me, “I don’t know why I keep putting up with you, but for once in your fucking life, listen to me. Ateez is in the same town with us, Y/N, and Hongjoong wants you dead. We have to leave.”

I just smiled at Irene and placed a hand over hers, squeezing it reassuringly, “And how many times did he already try to kill me? Don’t worry, we’re safe—I’m safe. Tell the other girls we’re leaving in three days to meet with Siwon. And then we head to the North, through the Barren Sea.”

Irene sighed loudly as she shook her head at me, but I knew she was thankful for at least avoiding the Icy Sea. She hated that place; it took her brother’s life when they were only children. We’d have to sail a lot more if we wanted to go through the Barren Sea, but I’d do anything for Irene to make her feel safe. She was my second-in-command after all, I did have to respect her requests and opinions. And as a dear friend to her, I didn’t want to antagonize her too much if I could. I smiled at her brightly, and she rolled her eyes as she straightened and pulled her hand away from mine, headed for the door, throwing me a small glare before she was out the room, making me chuckle to myself as I picked up my pen, ready to write back to Siwon.

But there was a reason why Irene was my second-in-command. I was brazen and most of times didn’t think things through, meanwhile she was calculated and very smart, taking every possible outcome into consideration before proceeding with her actions. This was a prime example as to why I should listen to her more often, but one doesn’t actually learn until something very bad happens. And that very bad thing happened just the night before our departure from the lively town we resided in for the past week. Everyone was ready, getting their last peaceful sleep before we’d set off, my evening a little bit more eventful as I had found a man down at the bar and decided to charm him, because why not? We’d be setting off and wouldn’t be around men for a long time. It was nothing too impressive, but he got the job done and I even managed to steal his pricey looking wristwatch. Ever since sleeping with Hongjoong, nobody seemed to be as good as him. It’s like he altered something inside of me so that I’d never find true pleasure and satisfaction in other men. It happened four years ago, yet I could still recall that night as if it had happened just yesterday. It was infuriating and frustrating to have someone always in the back of your mind, especially when that someone hated you and wanted you dead. I couldn’t lie, I felt quite resentful towards him as well, our feud throughout the years making me wish I could slice his neck with a dagger. But we never saw each other since that night, his dirty work carried out by someone else for him, however, I didn’t bother doing the same, knowing very well it was a lot more painful if his assets were the ones dissipating right in front of his eyes. People would call me greedy, but he wasn’t so different.

It hadn’t been long since I had settled into bed, getting comfortable as I let out a long sigh, the silky surface of the blanket soft against my skin. This bed was a lot more comfortable than the one I had on the ship and it made me ponder for a second whether I should just steal the sheets for a nicer sleep on the ship. The thought almost made me laugh as I snuggled my head against the puffy pillow, strawberry blonde hair falling over my face. My body was soft, mind slowly shutting down as I allowed myself to relax in the safety of my room. But that didn’t last for long as something hard crashed against the window and I jumped up in a sitting position, heart hammering in my chest. My eyes fell on the huge rock which sat on the wooden floor of my room and before I could really think about it, a dark head appeared outside my window. My body tensed up and I threw the covers off my body as the person climbed through the window, boots crunching against the broken glass on the floor. I grabbed the dagger off my nightstand and looked at the figure menacingly, never one to back down from a fight. It was dark, I couldn’t exactly see their face, not that it mattered much who it was. But for a second, as our gazes connected, my breath faltered and the silence around us was too loud. I could recognize those eyes anywhere. He took one step further inside the room, features more visible, clearer to see, easier to recognize. A face, which was more mature now, more defined, chiseled. My stomach dropped as I watched Hongjoong step further inside the room, looking around nonchalantly. His face was expressionless yet his eyes were harsh, and I gulped as my grip tightened on my dagger. He’s never came in person before. Always sent someone else. Irene was right, we should’ve left three days ago. I was backing towards the door when Hongjoong’s cat-like eyes settled on me again, a sinister smirk spreading onto his lips, eyes widening slightly. In the darkness of the room, he looked utterly scary. My heart was beating too fast and I found myself breathing quickly, realizing I was losing my composure. He looked stronger; his body so much more muscular, wider. Fuck.

“Lee Y/N.” He spat my name out with venom lacing his voice and I froze for a second, surprised by it. Did he really hate me this much? That wasn’t too good.

“Kim Hongjoong.” I was nonchalant, played it off. I refused to show him that I was shaken up, limbs slightly trembling from the stress. Hongjoong’s face suddenly lost all expression as he stared at me blankly, taking me in for the first time since he’s stepped inside the room. Suddenly, I felt too exposed, vulnerable, as his eyes found mine again. I was wearing nothing but my undergarment and a white shirt which was too big for my frame, the top unbuttoned, falling in a deep V-neck.

It happened fast, I almost didn’t react, as Hongjoong lurched towards me and I jumped back, eyes widening when I noticed the big knife in his hand. Oh, he came here prepared and determined. I gulped as his head slowly turned towards me; hand extended forward as he eyed my dagger. I was outpowered, he didn’t even have to disarm me for me to know. The hatred in his eyes, his ripe muscles, and the adrenaline coursing through his veins could bring my dismay tonight. But I didn’t let those thoughts get to me. If Choi San couldn’t kill me, Kim Hongjoong wouldn’t either. So, instead of waiting for him to attack again, I sprung towards him, dagger raised high as I went to stab him. He blocked the attack with his knife, instantly slicing, my skin burning where he had cut me. I gasped, taken aback, but before I could react he was moving his hand again, forcing me to defend myself as the knife cut my thigh, making me growl as I snapped my head up to glare at him. Hongjoong seemed unphased as he wiped the blood off his knife onto his pants, looking at me with a smug smirk, advancing towards me once again. I panicked for a second and sliced through the air, halting his movements, to my luck, giving me enough momentum to knock the knife out of his hand as I raised my leg, kicking his wrist. Hongjoong didn’t wince, didn’t make a sound. He just looked at his knife before taking off towards me again, making me curse to myself. He was unstoppable, he really cared about one thing only, and that was to kill me. I jabbed towards him, but he just blocked the attack and soon I found my wrist twisted, a cry leaving my lips, as my dagger clattered onto the ground. Hongjoong’s other hand raised but I quickly slapped it away and tried to free my wrist, but I couldn’t. His grip was painfully strong, making me grit my teeth as I tried punching him with my free hand, but he ducked down as if it was nothing. He was angering me. He was letting me use my energy so he’d attack when I was tired, so I stopped, and stared him down. He twisted a little more of my wrist and I almost hissed, but I bit my lip instead and refused to show any weakness. Hongjoong didn’t seem to like that as he swiftly grabbed my neck with his other hand and squeezed hard, making my eyes widen as I clawed at his hand, the air leaving my lungs quickly as I was unprepared for such an attack. And then he slammed me into the wall, knocking out all the air from my lungs, making me choke up as I tried to push him off desperately, feeling helpless as he just watched me blankly.

My lungs started to burn and I hated myself as I looked at him with a pleading look, trying to pull his hand off, but it was futile. And just as I started seeing dark spots around me, his grip loosened up and the air rushed inside my lungs furiously, making me cough as I tried to suck in as much air as possible. He had gotten incredibly strong; it was embarrassing how weak I felt right now. I was good at hand-to-hand combat, I could even fight with a sword, I have killed men twice his size, yet here I was, on the bring of passing out from how hard he was squeezing me, his grip on my wrist still there. I tried to open my mouth and say something, but my mouth felt too dry and I knew my voice would’ve been scratchy, so I just stared at him. I tensed more when suddenly he leaned incredibly close to my face, sneering.

“You’re quite helpless for someone who parades themselves around for being unbeatable.” He mocked me and I glared at him, my sneer mirroring his as I went to push his head away, but he acted faster, yanking me forward into himself. He was just as tense as I was, body firm, as he turned me around roughly, squeezing my body against his. His solid chest pressed against my back. I didn’t know what was happening, but I tried to pull away, even bit his arm, but he had no reaction as he walked us towards the vanity, bending down on the way for a second. I saw what he picked up and gulped, it was my dagger. He stopped us in front of the big mirror and I hated the way I looked. Cheeks red from fighting so hard and getting chocked, the shirt wrinkled and almost falling off my shoulder, exposing me to Hongjoong. I watched as Hongjoong looked down at my body before our gazes connected through the mirror, my chest rising and falling quickly as he removed the hair from my neck with the hand which held my dagger. He seemed eerily calm for someone who looked so murderous right now. I tried moving away again, but he positioned his arm across my chest and pushed hard against it, holding my chin firmly, exposing my neck. I wanted to ask what he was doing as I felt fear creep up my body, but I didn’t, my pride in the way.

“You should’ve just left after you fucked me, Y/N,” His breath hitting my neck sent goosebumps down my body, “You should’ve just went on with your pathetic life without ruining someone else’s, Y/N. And most importantly—you should’ve never tried to destroy Ateez.”

I scoffed and opened my mouth to jab back at him, when the dagger was suddenly painfully close to my neck, my heart hammering in my chest, “Wait—what are you—”

But the blade pushing against my skin made me almost cry out, thankfully I managed to gulp it down, as suddenly he dragged it down in a straight line. As a reflex I grabbed his arm holding me mobilized against himself, and squeezed it as hard as I could as pain shoot down from my neck to my torso, to my chest. It hurt so much as my skin split open, it felt hot and pulsing, as he dragged it down similarly again, in a different spot, close to the previous slash. I watched through the mirror as blood trickled down my neck, the smell so nauseating that all I could think about was that he was cutting so close to the artery. If he pressed down just a little bit more, I would die. I would be gone. I bit my lower lip harshly as he dragged the dagger across the already split open skin, the area numb as my body was shaking from the excruciating pain and the sight of the blood and the smell of it, from the struggle to bite down my screams and tears. I felt lightheaded as my hold slipped down to his wrist when he brought the dagger close to my skin once again, shaking my head furiously ‘no’, chest starting to shake from the cries which tried to escape through my lips. I was hyperventilating as the wounds were pulsing, hot and cold at the same time, flinching as Hongjoong blew on it as we made eye contact through the mirror. He had a deranged look on his face and he had the audacity to cackle as he leaned down, lips pressing against my ear, making me let out a quiet shudder in fear.

“You wanted what was mine?” He asked so softly I almost didn’t realize he was speaking, “Good, because from this moment on, you’re my property, Y/N. Mine. Every time you will look in the mirror, you will remember who you dared challenge, who you robbed, and turned people against. Kim Hongjoong. Captain of Ateez. The Slayer.”

I whimpered and tried to pull my head away as his lips pressed against the wound, making the burn worse, the blood still trickling down my neck, past my collarbones. I watched through the mirror as he licked my blood off his lips, body still shaking yet feeling numb at the same time. I was so cold. I wanted him to go away.

“You and your crew are mine from now on, one more slip up, Y/N, and I’ll kill Irene right in front of your eyes,” Irene, no, I felt the tears in my eyes, “and then I’ll kill each one of your crew members.”

I shook my head and suddenly he pushed me forward as I felt into the vanity, his body and grip gone from mine as I collapsed down onto the floor, body shaken by the sobs which threatened to spill out. I heard movement behind me, and when I looked back, nobody was in the room with me. Hongjoong was gone. Finally, the tears fell down my cheeks and I started crying loudly, body shaking as I forced myself to stand up, needing to see Irene. Did he hurt her? Was she alright? Did they do anything to her? And the others—Irene’s door was thrown wide open the second I was out of my room, eyes wide as she took in my form. She rushed up to me and quickly led me inside her own room, searching my body frantically for any fatal wounds, but found none. She was talking to me, asking me question, but all I could do was cry and shake my head. I couldn’t even hear her; I didn’t understand her. She realized I needed comfort and quickly hugged me, shushing me and muttering some reassuring words, eyes fixed on the wound on my neck as her own eyes filled with tears, but she remained strong for me, telling me that it would be alright. But no, it wouldn’t be alright. I wanted Hongjoong dead.

I have never felt so intensely for someone. And they weren’t positive feelings. Once Irene managed to calm me down and clean up my wounds, which was harder than it appeared as I kept hissing and pulling my neck away from her delicate touch, she allowed me to sleep in her bed for the night, too on edge to be left alone. Irene knew the second she saw me what had happened. I didn’t have to tell her that it was Hongjoong, she knew from the look on my face. I felt partially ashamed and totally stupid for having not listened to her and for almost dying by the hands of my sworn enemy. I thought I would be fine, figuring that Hongjoong just wanted to maim me for his own pleasure, but when I looked in the mirror, the world around me silenced for a few seconds. My eyes froze on the open wound on my neck, red and raw from still being so fresh. It wasn’t small at all, screaming in your face once you looked at me, and suddenly I realized my breathing was uneven as Irene watched me with pity in her eyes, averting her gaze once my wild one fell on her. There was the letter ‘H’ carved inside my skin, forever, screaming at whoever dared look at me. I didn’t realize what I was doing until everything was thrown off my vanity, the porcelain little chests breaking, my precious jewelry falling all over the floor. The scream ripping through my throat felt painful and I could hear several footsteps rushing our way as I grabbed the same dagger Hongjoong used and raised it to my neck, making Irene yell out as she was by my side in an instant, gripping my wrist so hard my circulation was certainly cut off.

“What’s happening—” Yeri cut her own question off as her eyes settled on the scene and ran up to us, gripping my arm and forcing it away with Irene’s help, my body shaking as all I could do was stare at the wound on my neck, which would scar, Hongjoong’s initial on my body, in my body, until the day I die, until the day my flesh rots away.

“Y/N!” I could hear Yeri calling out my name again and again, until my cheeks were gripped roughly and my head was turned away from the mirror of the vanity, “Get it together!”

She was the youngest in our crew, yet the strongest, always merciless, always the first to pull the trigger, stab the enemy. She was my master-at-arms, closest to me after Irene.

Yeri’s hard eyes bore into mine and gradually I could finally breathe again, heartbeat slowing down as I gripped her arms, slowly nodding to let her know I was fine. I was fine. Nothing could hurt me. Nobody could hurt me. I was fine. Cautiously, Yeri released me and I allowed her arms to drop down next to her body as I let go of her as well, looking towards the doorway, where the rest of my closest friends and crew stood, eyes wide at the unfolding scene in front of them. That is until Joy’s eyes fell on the ugly wound on my neck, and she gasped, bringing her hands up to her mouth.

“We’re leaving right now.” I spoke up, voice hard as I composed myself, pulling my hair to the front, covering the wound until Irene helped me place gauze on it, “We need to be at the Sun Set Kingdom in two weeks, but before that—a pirate crew needs to learn their lesson.”

And they did learn it as in five days we found them sailing towards the South Kingdom, not too far away from their shore. We’d been on the hunt ever since we left the Sun Rise Kingdom, determined to catch a whiff of their route, Wendy having not slept for three days now as she tried to find the route Ateez was using. It was laughable how quickly and easily we found them, for having the most feared reputation, they weren’t very good at being undetected. It was late in the night when I finally spotted their ship through my binoculars and a smirk crept up onto my lips as I called out to Irene, her body tensing when she saw me. She was against getting revenge on them, but I wasn’t about to let them get away so easily. If Hongjoong could threaten me in the middle of the night, in the safety of my chamber’s, I would do the same thing. We weren’t here to kill them; we were here to warn them. Pull something like that again Hongjoong, and I will gut Seonghwa in front of your two pretty eyes before I kill off the rest of your precious companions.

“Tell Seulgi to load the cannons.” I commanded to Irene as she shook her head in disappointment before taking off towards the previously mentioned woman, “Wendy! You’ll get two days off after tonight.”

The short-haired woman grinned at me as she pulled on the sail of the main mast, the wind taking us straight towards Hongjoong’s ship. The ship was quiet, a few sailors asleep on deck as we neared them without disrupting the waters, ready at any moment to attack. As something big and shiny caught my attention, I looked through the binoculars, gasping once my eyes fell on a fish-like creature. Mermaids. They were real? I stood frozen to my spot, gears turning in my head, watching the creature as it floated numbly in its cage, probably asleep…or dead. But why would it be dead? Certainly it must cost more alive than dead? And then it clicked, and I smirked as I called over Irene with a wave of my hand, handing the binoculars to her and angling her head to see what I was looking at just seconds ago. She gasped as she looked at me taken aback, before looking back into the binoculars.

“They are real…” She whispered to herself, all the stories in our folklore true after all, “What will they do with her?”

I smirked and took the shotgun Irene was holding, checking if it was fully loaded, “Probably sell her somewhere in the South and make enough money for a lifetime, we can’t let them have that, can we?”

Irene’s eyes darkened as she shook her head, the same hatred I felt towards Ateez finally seeping into her own bloodstream, “Do you want everyone dead, Captain?”

I chuckled, raising my left arm high up in the air, “No, I just want them close to sinking.” And as I brought my arm down, the first cannon went off, sending a fireball surging through the air, hitting the side of Ateez’ ship in a way so perfect I couldn’t have angled it better myself. Eyes focusing on the cage the mermaid was held in, I calculated approximately where I had to shoot in order to break her glass cage, gunshots and fireballs flying overhead as the enemy ship came to life, men shouting and running around deck, trying to counter our attacks. My only focus was on pulling the trigger at the right time, and I did, then two more times, checking in the binoculars to see if my aim was correct. The mermaid seemed to sprung to life as she swirled around in her glass cage, slamming against it. Hongjoong could never stop me, I wouldn’t allow it. He can maim me as much as he wants, he can carve his whole name on my body, and I still won’t stop, still won’t back down. Not when he thinks he can have everything, not when he takes everything. And as I lowered my binoculars, I could see him standing tall on the quarterdeck, his own binocular lowering at the same time as mine. Despite the distance between our ships, I could feel his burning stare, I could feel his hatred, I could hear his curses, I could feel the burning want to kill me. Yet all I could do was smirk to myself and bow dramatically, knowing very well he was watching, mouthing to myself for him to enjoy the show. Nobody was let off easy after attacking Lee Y/N, Captain of Red Velvet, The Nightfury.

The Heavens were on our side as we arrived safe and sound in the Sun Set Kingdom. Our journey took two weeks, as expected, the crew exhausted as we finally docked down close to the uninhabited island of the small Kingdom, the waves rocking the ship violently. The sky had significantly darkened as the wind picked up, Irene looking off in the distance with a frown on her face. The little island was right in front of us, not even a five-minute boat ride away. I tied my long hair in a low ponytail and checked if I had all my daggers on me, my sword sitting snugly against my waist, the new leather pants I was wearing rather restricting at the moment.

“Are you sure you want to go alone?” Irene’s voice was laced with worry as she took her binoculars out of her pouch and looked off in the distance. The little island had a small cave, it was Siwon and I’s meeting point. It wasn’t too deep, but it was enough to conceal the real world from seeing the business’ that went down, far from the eyes of constables and the Night watch of the mainland.

“Yes,” I hummed as I glanced at Irene, “However, a weird feeling came over me last night—”

“I told you this doesn’t feel right!” Irene snapped and I sighed, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“I know what I’m doing, Irene, and if anything goes wrong—”

“Nothing will go wrong!” Irene cut me off again, eyes narrowed at me.

“If anything goes wrong,” I repeated my sentence, glaring lightly at her, “then you know what to do. You take this crew away from here to safety and you become the new Captain.”

Irene gulped, gripping my arm hard, pulling me in closer, “I can’t lose you, Y/N, you must take care of yourself and if anything happens—you know how to let us know.”

I nodded and offered her a soft smile as Irene pushed her forehead against mine as a way of greeting. The people from the North might not have been the verbally affectionate kind, but we always showed our care physically. Acts of service and physical closeness paid a rather important role in our lives. Forehead touching was a way of greeting between family and close friends. We pulled away at the same time and Irene’s eyes hardened as she released me, my own face slipping into a mask of coldness, as I turned towards my crew, who were waiting excitedly for me to take off towards the island. Towards our freedom.

“When I return, we will be rich,” I spoke up, voice loud and hard, “When I return, we won’t have to live the pirate life for much longer. When I return…we shall find our paradise!”

The crew cheered loudly as they raised their swords in the air, eyes glinting hungrily for the promised future, for the future we’ve all been working hard towards, craving desperately. Greed was a vicious thing, but our drive to finally be free was even stronger. I nodded confidently as I threw Irene a last glance before taking off towards the little boat floating in the water, the waves rocking it rather harshly. The wind didn’t relent, picking up even more as my arms strained as I climbed down the rope to reach the boat. My feet landed with a loud thumb and I tumbled a bit as a big wave crashed into the boat, wetting my new shoes and leather pants. I groaned and took the paddles into my hands as I sat down, paddling away from the safety of my ship, of my crew, towards the deserted island with the singular cave sitting on the surface of it. It wasn’t the first time I came here, but something felt off right now. I wasn’t lying to Irene; I did mean what I said. I got a strange feeling last night while I tried falling asleep, a voice in my head asking whether this was truly safe? Whether Siwon was telling the truth? Did I trust him this time? What guarantee did I have that he wasn’t trying to fuck me over once again? But the greed and drive towards freedom was stronger than the voices in my head, stronger than the gut feeling, which was getting stronger and stronger by the minute, trying to turn me back towards my ship, telling me to leave as fast as possible. There were no other ships in the distance, just six other little boats as I arrived to the shore of the island, meaning that Siwon and his men were already here. They didn’t need a ship, as I glanced back towards my own, I could see the mainland from here, blurry because of the distance, but there. It would only take half a day to paddle out here by boat. I secured my own, so that the waves wouldn’t wash it away, and hopped out of it, the sea cold against my boots. The wind picked at my hair, the stray strands falling messily and getting into my eyes as I hurried towards the cave, hissing when the water became ankle deep. This wasn’t how I imagined I would ruin my new clothing, but I guess I’d do anything to be free.

The wind was loud on the inside of the cave as it blew at the entrance, and I glanced back as the waves crashed against the rocks. I had to jump over a few more as I walked further inside, the sunlight slowly disappearing as the cave was lit up by torches placed on the wall. Another sign that Siwon was already here. I walked cautiously, hand on the handle of my dagger as I glanced behind me, my gut feeling worsening by second. But I couldn’t turn back, not now. Not when I was so close. My feet padded against the sand quietly and suddenly, as I took a turn to the left, voices resounded around me, echoing from the wide, open chamber of the cave I came face to face with. Twenty men at least were sitting around, some on the rocks, some on the sand as they conversed, looking rather casual. Siwon was sharpening his knives as he sat back against a wooden chair, slumped in his seat. He must’ve felt my gaze on him because he looked up, body tensing and whistling loudly. All the other men suddenly stood up straight, their eyes fixed on me as I walked further inside, looking around warily. The air was tense and my gut was screaming at me to just turn around and leave, I still could do it. I could still change my mind; it wasn’t too late. But Siwon’s face suddenly morphed into a smile, too friendly, too casual.

“Welcome, Miss Lee!” He called out loudly, arms spread wide open, “We’ve been excitedly waiting for you arrival.”

I chuckled to myself, stopping a respectable distance away from him and his men, who watched me as if I were their prey, “Yeah, I can tell.”

My voice dripped with sarcasm, but Siwon didn’t comment on it as he just continued smiling, it was too fake, “I can tell you were eager to help me out, I’ve never gotten an answer back from you so fast before.”

I forced a smile on my face as I noticed two guys approaching me from my peripheral, “You made it sound urgent in your letter, Siwon, so I came as fast as I could.”

“And did you come alone?” He raised an eyebrow as he watched me with curious eyes. I was aware of the men behind me, but they have stopped advancing towards me.

“Here? Yeah,” I nodded, narrowing my eyes, “That’s how our deal was, but I didn’t come by myself to the island, Siwon.”

“Left your crew on the sea?” He was prodding, tone too casual for someone who looked visibly tense.

“No, they are by the entrance of the cave,” I lied through my teeth, smiling slyly at him, “So don’t even think about pulling any tricks on me.”

Siwon hummed deep in thought as he looked at the man behind me, and I glanced their way, my face hard and eyes glaring. They didn’t seem phased as they stood like guard dogs, eyeing Siwon every once in a while, waiting for an order. Pathetic.

“Where are the jewels?” I raised my eyebrows as I walked towards the man, arms crossed in front of my chest. The men closest to Siwon gripped the handle of their swords, but I ignored them. There was a muffled sound coming from the left, further inside the cave, a little bit away from the mass of men gathered around me. Four men seemed to be crowding around something, obscuring my view from the thing in question. Perhaps that’s where the jewel was.

“Oh, you know,” Siwon scratched the back of his head, looking innocently at me, “I forgot to bring it—”

“What?!” My voice was hard as I snapped, eyes turning into slits as I glared at the cocky man standing a few feet away from me. The torch lit chamber casted a sinister light over his smile, but it didn’t scare me. I risked my life coming here, by being so close to the Sun Set Kingdom. If anyone saw our ship and reported to the constables, they could be on their way already, ready to kill my crew. The crew I currently wasn’t with and what’s a Captain good for if she has no crew?

“I have so many customers, Y/N, you know how business works,” Siwon spoke up casually, folding his hands in front of his legs as he leaned against the wooden chair’s back casually, “Sometimes you hit it big, sometimes you get zero profit, which sucks. A lot. You know I love you the most, especially when your payment is the highest, but lately—you’ve been quite disappointing.”

“I only pay for the quality of what I get from you, Siwon.” I countered, scoffing, “And your merch has been quite shit, lately. Don’t expect me to throw coins at you, when you don’t deserve said amount.”

Siwon grinned, and shook his head, “This is where our problem starts, Miss Lee. I don’t like it when nasty pirates tell me what’s the worth of my own products, thinking they know better, when they don’t.”

I chuckled sarcastically, raising my eyebrows at him, “You think us nasty pirates don’t know the real worth of your products? How many items you think we see on a daily basis which are precious and which are scum? I can differentiate a real golden coin from a fake one just by one glance. Tell me what your real problem with me is and we can work it out—”

“No.” Siwon’s voice got harsh, eyes widening at me in annoyance, “We can’t work it out. Not anymore. I’ve had enough of your games, of you looking down on me.”

“Siwon—”

“Shut up!” Siwon’s deep voice boomed in the cave, echoing around us as I flinched, taken aback. He’s never acted like this before, I’ve always thought he was a dumb imbecile, trying to sell off any goods he found at the local market, sometimes getting his hands on good stuff, but most of times on nothing really significant. He raised his hand and waved over the other four men who were away from the group and I tensed as I gripped the handle of my sword, noticing Siwon’s men mirroring my stance.

“You have no idea how delightful it is to have you in one place,” Siwon chuckled, the sound echoing around us, “To finally have the two of you in one place, without the presence of your crew. Defenseless and up to my mercy.”

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at the four men, noticing that they were dragging someone towards our group. Who was the two of us? Did Siwon set up a trap? For me and for—my eyes widened as I lost my composure for one second as the person in question was forced to his knees a few feet away from me. Head lulled forward and a bruise already forming on his jaw, his hair was blonder since the last time I saw him. Which was two weeks ago. Two weeks which weren’t enough for me to process my feelings, for my hatred to settle down a bit. The burning flame inside my chest was ignited back to life as Hongjoong raised his head, lazily opening his eyes, gaze falling on me. His eyes widened before they darkened instantly, his eyes mirroring the hatred I felt towards him. His face scrunched up in disgust as he sneered at me, tugging on the grip the two men had on him, as if trying to reach me. Siwon was long forgotten as I gripped the handle of my sword with a deadly grip, on the verge of pulling it out of its holder and slicing Hongjoong’s head off. All I could see was red. All I could feel was the blood dripping down my neck, my collarbones. All I could feel was the sudden itching of the scar on my neck, of the mark he made on me, maiming me and claiming me as his.

“You!” I spat out, taking off towards him, but I didn’t get too close to him as someone grabbed me by my forearm, halting me in my steps. I snapped my head around and growled at them, starting to pull my arm away, when Siwon’s laughter echoed in the chamber. My head whipped towards him at the same time Hongjoong’s and I could feel my heartbeat pick up.

“How hilarious,” Siwon managed to say between laughs, “I don’t even have to dirty my hands with your blood. By the looks of it, you’ll kill each other before my men can get to you.”

“Try me, you bitch!” Hongjoong barked at Siwon, violently trying to tug himself free, but the two men just harshly forced him back onto his feet. I glanced at Hongjoong before looking back at Siwon, his words registering in my brain. This was a trap, of course. Irene was right. My gut feeling was right. Siwon wanted us both dead. I glanced back at Hongjoong, our eyes connecting as he seemed to have the same realization I just had, eyes glossing over in thought. I wasn’t going to die tonight. I didn’t care if Hongjoong did, but one thing was certain, I couldn’t kill all twenty-four men by myself. I gulped as I glanced back at Siwon then at Hongjoong, who was biting his lower lip, already looking at me. Our faces were unreadable and his eyes narrowed at me as he raised one eyebrow. I hated this. I hated that I had to work together with the man I hated the most in order if I wanted to live another day. But I really had no choice. So, very subtly, I nodded my head as I slightly pulled my sword up, letting Hongjoong know that I understood. That I agreed. That I was ready to fight alongside him to save ourselves.

Siwon suddenly tsked and both Hongjoong and I looked at him as he opened his mouth, “Kill them.” And it all happened at once. I drew my sword out of its holder fully and stepped on the man’s toes who was holding me harshly as he released me, allowing me to finish him off as my sword went through his middle. Hongjoong knocked his elbows backwards harshly, unbalancing the two men holding him, allowing him the momentum to jump up and kick backwards as he freed himself, drawing out two swords from their holders before slicing his attackers necks, the two dropping dead on the cold sand of the cave. I whirled around as two men came running towards me, swords drawn, attacking fearlessly and furiously as they threw daggers my way. I dodged their attack and ducked down before stabbing one through the stomach, barely avoiding the other one as he aimed for my neck, making me hiss. Our gazes connected, but for a split second he glanced behind me, unconsciously letting me know that someone was there, about to attack, and so I whirled around and stopped their attack midair, the clanking of our swords loud as all you could hear were grunts and metal against metal, Hongjoong growling every few seconds as he slayed everyone who dared go his way. The man was rather talented with his sword and he sliced my arm, making me hiss as I jumped back just in time, preventing my arm from getting cut off, but quickly jumped forward and jabbed him in the ribs, making the man cry out. More cries came from behind me, but I couldn’t glance back as men ran my way, my sole focus on killing everyone who tried to kill me. I wanted to get my hands on Siwon, to kill him, to watch him in the eyes as he let out his last breath. My sword was up in the air, pressing against the man’s sword I was currently fighting, when a dangerously close metal clanking resounded in my ears. Hongjoong was panting as he blocked the attacker who tried to attack me from behind, our gazes connecting for a second as I noted my arms were becoming sore from the relentless attacks and defending. My focus was back on the man attacking me as Hongjoong cut the other man’s head off, the sight too much for even myself. There was a reason he earned his Slayer reputation. He was ruthless in battle, and fearless. Nobody dared challenge him, not even the best fighters. These men had nothing on him as he kept killing and killing them, only five standing on their feet as I killed another one, panting as sweat dripped down my forehead, my neck. I took in deep breaths as I felt Hongjoong’s back collide into mine, the remaining five men circling us, walking around us tauntingly, sneering and throwing in jabs. They looked at us like we were scared animals covering in a cage, but we were far from that. We’d live, and they’d die. Hongjoong had two swords, so I pulled my dagger out of my boot as I smirked at the man from across me, powerfully throwing it towards him, his eyes widening as it entered through his Adam’s Apple, blood spurting out and down his body as he fell backwards, choking and gripping the dagger in a panicked manner. Hongjoong chuckled as he saw, then lurched forward and sliced the man’s neck, three more remaining as they started looking uneasy. They knew their imminent fate and I decided to make it fast as I dropped my sword and pulled out my second dagger, running towards the one to my left and kicking his wrist harshly when he raised his arm to slash at me with his sword, whirling around as my dagger went through his clothes and flesh, straight to his heart. He gasped as I pulled out the dagger, watching him drop to the ground before Hongjoong killed the man charging at me, slicing the last one’s head off.

We were panting as we looked around, checking for a sign of life in the wreck we’ve left in our wake, my wrists numb as I dropped my dagger, doubling over in order to breathe in more air, lungs screaming in exhaustion. The stench of blood was horrible and I gagged, bringing my palm to my nose, trying to conceal the smell. Hongjoong shuffled next to me and I suddenly stiffened, standing up straight to look at him.

“He’s not here,” He muttered, more to himself, eyes searching the chamber of the cavern, “Siwon, that motherfucker—when I find him, he’ll be dead in no second.”

I scoffed, picking up my dagger as I walked over to the dead guy I killed with my other one, “I can’t believe he managed to fool the both of us.”

Hongjoong hummed but it went quiet as I pulled the dagger out from the dead man’s Adam’s Apple, realizing I had my back turned to the enemy. The real enemy. I whirled around, daggers ready if I had to pounce on him, but Hongjoong hadn’t approached me yet. His sword was ready, eyes narrowed as he watched me. We didn’t say anything as we stared each other down, expressions hardened as neither one of us moved. My hatred returned full force and I spat next to me, feeling that fire burn my whole body as I hurried towards him, dagger pressed against his throat in no time. Hongjoong smirked at me as he raised his eyebrows, pressing his sword against my leg as a warning. It cut into my leather pants, and if he ruined them more, I would kill him.

“You’re acting rather aggressive with your savior, Y/N—”

“I could’ve killed them on my own too!” I snapped, breathing hard as Hongjoong remained cocky, rather relaxed for someone who had a dagger pressed against their neck.

“No, you couldn’t have, and we both know it.” His answer was smug and I growled as I pushed the dagger more into his skin, drawing blood. Hongjoong’s jaw clenched and a harsh grip on my waist suddenly made my breathing falter for a second.

“You’re playing with fire, again.” His words were quiet but tone authoritative as if he was talking to one of his crew members. It made my blood boil and I was seething, hating the look in his eyes. Hating the upper hand he still seemed to have on me, and when his eyes fell on my neck, on my scar, I felt like screaming. I felt like slashing that dagger across his neck, watching the blood spurt out onto my face, the warmth bringing goosebumps onto my skin as it trailed down my face. But I didn’t. I lessened the pressure from his neck, but didn’t lower my dagger just yet.

“You expect me to be nice after you maimed me?!” My voice rose a few octaves as his eyes finally connected with mine, looking quite pleased with himself.

“I didn’t maim you, I marked you—”

“You maimed me!” I screamed, hating that I was letting my emotions come through as my face contorted into disgust. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror anymore, scared that I’d catch a glimpse of the letter carved into my skin permanently.

“I marked you,” Hongjoong hissed, grip tightening on my waist, “You should have thought twice before messing with me, Y/N, I hope you learned your place because I don’t feel like killing you just yet.”

I scoffed, but then allowed a smirk to appear on my lips, raising an eyebrow at him, “How’s your ship? Did you fix it? Or did it sink—”

“I will make you pay for it.” Hongjoong’s voice hardened and I leaned closer in, inches away from his face, still smirking.

“What are you waiting for? We both know you won’t kill me.” I spoke sweetly, tauntingly, “You should’ve just fucked me and forgotten about me, Hongjoong.”

It felt good using his own words against him, it almost made me cackle. Hongjoong hissed and pushed me away from his body by my waist, making me chuckle as he proved that I was right. Of course I was right. I could see right through him right now, his eyes gave it away as he looked away, taking off towards the exit. The cave was eerily silent as I followed after him, debating whether to say something or remain quiet as Hongjoong wouldn’t look my way. Silence was fine by me, I didn’t have much to say either way, just a couple of insults I knew would tick Hongjoong the right way, but then he might just actually kill me.

“Let’s call a truce,” My eyes widened as he spoke up first, almost by the end of the cave, the water washed against our boots, “For a week, until we get far enough from each other. But after that—I won’t show any more mercy.”

“I don’t want you to show mercy,” I scoffed, noting how the wind howled violently outside, that wasn’t good, “I’m not a helpless little girl. I’m a feared pirate just like you, I can take care of myself and of my crew.”

Hongjoong hummed, and after a second glanced back at me, “I know. I’ve always respected you for that.”

My eyes widened as he turned back towards the front, surprising me. Not many men respected women, especially not when you were pirates and especially not when your whole crew was made out of women. As the water reached ankle deep and we stepped around the rocks, it became quite obvious that there was a ragging storm outside. That meant we couldn’t paddle back to our respective ships. That was bad. Hongjoong stopped as he reached the exit, pulling back as the waves crashed violently against the shore, the wind blowing strongly and howling where we stood. Fuck. I sighed as I looked off in the distance, the heavy rain concealing my ship. But I knew the girls were fine as they were close to the shore, the storm not as violent here as in the open sea.

“We can’t go back.” Hongjoong muttered and I nodded, glancing at him from my peripheral.

“I hope the storm passes by the morning.” I agreed with him, making Hongjoong sigh as he rubbed his forehead.

“Jongho and Wooyoung said nothing about a storm coming—”

“We’re close to the Black Ocean and the Ragging Sea, the weather is unpredictable here.” I told Hongjoong as we turned to face each other, “We shouldn’t stay here unless we want a wave to crash into us and take us out into the sea.”

“I know,” Hongjoong rolled his eyes, giving me a glare as he started walking back inside the cave, “We can set up a fire and sleep here tonight.”

I scoffed as I followed after him, “As if I’ll sleep next to you.”

“You won’t have much of a choice, unless you want the dead men as your companion—”

“Shut up,” I snapped, glaring at him as I walked past him, “I hope the sea swallows up Siwon.”

“Wouldn’t be as satisfying as cutting his head off—”

“Did you find a mermaid?” I heard Hongjoong pause for a second behind me as we jumped over the rocks, walking through the ankle-deep water.

“It was a siren, not a mermaid, those don’t exist—”

“How do you know?”

“The creature told us—well, mostly Jongho. I don’t know, they were weird.” I glanced back at Hongjoong as we walked further inside the cave, away from the howling wind and the sea. His eyebrows were furrowed as he shook his head, it made me chuckle.

“What? Did your little crew guy fall in love with the siren?” It was an assumption, but Hongjoong’s suddenly tense stature gave it away and my own eyes widened as I fully looked at him, quite intrigued, “Wait, seriously?!”

“He’s been obsessed with those things ever since his childhood,” Hongjoong rolled his eyes as if he still believed sirens were merely fairytales, “but I didn’t think he’d actually fall for one. I have a feeling she follows us around; I keep hearing Jongho talking to someone when we’re sailing through the Ragging Sea but when I check, he’s alone and walking away from the railing.”

I chuckled and looked at him with a taunting smile, “I didn’t know your crew was made up of little boys—”

“It’s not.” Hongjoong snapped and gave me a threatening glare, “But I won’t stop anyone from being themselves. Jongho has his own culture which has different believes than the other ones, I won’t strip that away from him.”

And suddenly realization dawned on me. Four years ago, when I told him I was from the North, he brought up one if his crew members, “Is he from the North?”

Hongjoong nodded wordlessly and we didn’t speak anymore as we reached the sand, Hongjoong throwing his swords down and taking off his vest, pulling up the sleeves of his shirt. I placed down my weapons as well and untied my hair from the ponytail, massaging my scalp as Hongjoong glanced at me before walking off, headed towards the open chamber filled with the dead men. We decided to settle down just before the turn to the left, not quite fond of sharing a space with twenty-four dead men. At least there wasn’t a stench here made by them and we wouldn’t see them thank to the turn.

After Hongjoong brought back the wooden chair Siwon used as his pathetic throne and ripping it to pieces, we set the fire, using a torch and snitching some rum from the dead men having left behind for us to consume. We found a chest filled with some blanket and a few cutting instruments, but nothing which could be useful for us tonight in any significant way, so we left those alone. The fire burned strongly, embers jumping out from it from time to time, but we sat a respectful distance away, not keen of getting burned alive. Hongjoong had his shirt unbuttoned and the ends of his pants pulled up to his knees, both of our boots long disregarded, the fine sand quite pleasant against my skin. It was smoother than any sand I have stepped on before. I had my hair in a bun and had gotten rid of my corset, wishing I could take off my tight leather pants as well, but Hongjoong was around, I didn’t want him gawking at my legs. We had settled into a comfortable silence, surprisingly, as we passed the bottle of rum between the two of us, sipping on it quietly. It burned my throat each time I gulped it down, but the taste wasn’t too bad, being it one of the finer brands. Siwon was shallow like that, despite having little money, he’d spend it on the most expensive things, indebting himself to anyone who allowed it. It was truly pathetic. I hope the sea swallowed him whole. As I placed the bottle between the two us, not sitting too far apart, but not too close either, I felt Hongjoong’s sharp gaze bore into the side of my head. He’s been looking at me for quite some time now, but I continued ignoring him, until it became annoying and I huffed, whipping my head around to face him. He didn’t look away, to my surprise, just continued looking at me, taking in my face. So I did the same thing to him. I allowed my eyes to run over his blonde hair, his mullet significantly having gotten longer compared to four years ago, now it reached his shoulders at the back. His cat-like eyes were still rimmed with black eye-liner, smudged at this point from having sweat a lot. His face had gotten sharper, jaw more defined and nose standing tall. His lips were red and his cheeks were flushed from the rum we’ve been drinking for a while now. Despite that, I felt sober. My thoughts clear, my vision just alright, body still alert as I was still sharing a drink with my enemy. Yet somehow, Hongjoong looked peaceful right now, eyebrows not furrowed for once, eyes not glaring for once. I knew he hated me, I could see it still, but it was rather subdued as we continued looking at each other wordlessly. It impressed me how many people he killed tonight, how many he beheaded. That was a very hard task, it demanded a lot of strength and force, yet Hongjoong seemed to do it like it was simply nothing. His gaze became a little bit too much so I turned away, looking at the fire as I cleared my throat, bringing my knees up to my chest and hugging them with my arms.

“Why have you been trying to sabotage me for the past four years?” Hongjoong’s question took me off guard. He didn’t speak too loudly, voice laced with curiosity as his gaze continued burning into the side of my head. I could tell him the truth or I could lie to him. I didn’t find a reason to do the later.

“Because nobody takes women seriously in our society, especially a crew full of them calling themselves pirates,” I spoke up, voice laced with disdain as I glared into the flames, “I didn’t have anything against you at the beginning, but then you started taking all the good stuff away from us. We’d get our hands on second-hands only, things which were useless while the merchants demanded an obnoxious sum for them. They were laughing at us, trying to fuck us over thinking we were dumb. I tried everything before I decided to bribe the people who worked for you. It wasn’t the easiest, but I have my ways. And when people still didn’t take us too seriously, we decided to become what real pirates are. Merciless, vile, and dangerous. If we didn’t rob the other ships in the middle of the night we would be long dead.”

Hongjoong remained silent, and I glanced at him, realizing he was also staring at the flames now, legs sprawled out in front of him as he leaned back on his hands, “You know, four years ago when we met in that Inn…I knew you were acting. With that man, and then afterwards with me.”

My eyes widened and I turned my head, looking at Hongjoong surprised. He had an amused smile on his lips as he glanced at me, “I saw you in the market earlier that day, acting quite different than at the Inn. And I heard when your second-in-command called you Captain, too.”

“Then why did you interfere?” I asked with my mouth hanging open, always having been convinced that Hongjoong fell for my act.

“Because I was intrigued,” Hongjoong confessed, turning his head to look me in the eyes, “I wanted to find out who you were and what you did. And you were also really beautiful.”

The information had to sit for a moment as I repeated Hongjoong’s words in my head, chuckling, “I were?”

That shouldn’t have been my most important concern right now, but I couldn’t help it as Hongjoong’s eyes slightly hardened, Adam’s Apple bobbing as he gulped, “You still are.”

I bit my lower and blamed his honesty on the alcohol, knowing that he’d never confess such thing to me normally. Not when he wanted me dead so badly.

“You should’ve just minded your own business,” I found myself whispering as I looked at the sand, “At the Inn, that night, you should’ve—just walked away. Left me alone. I knew what I was doing, maybe that way we would’ve never gotten here.”

“You mean to hating each other? To wanting the other dead?” Hongjoong scoffed, voice hardening suddenly, “Then you shouldn’t have meddled with my business, Y/N. Because you almost ruined everything for my crew. For me. Everything that my father has built from scratch!”

I rolled my eyes before looking back at him, noticing the annoyance in his voice as he stared at me with a newfound spark in his eyes, “You almost killed us all. My crew, my brothers, we could’ve lost everything if I didn’t know the right people, pulled the right strings.”

“You think you were the only one struggling?” I raised my voice unwillingly, getting fired up by his accusation, “Did you not hear what I just told you minutes ago, Hongjoong? Men walked all over us every day, no matter what we did!”

“Is it my fault you were born women?!” I scoffed at his incredulous question, glaring at him hard.

“Of course not, I don’t know why I expected you to understand me when you had everything handed to you ready!”

“I had everything handed to me ready?!” Hongjoong’s voice raised too, eyes widening, “My mother died in front of me from a flu! I cried myself to sleep for two years after her death until my father threatened to abandon me if I didn’t toughen up because I was a man! A pirate. And then we found Seonghwa and I finally found some happiness. He understood my struggles! I was only fifteen when my father died right in front of me—”

“You expect your sob story to make me feel sorry for you?” I scoffed, rolling my eyes at Hongjoong, who’s eyes were filling with hatred second by second, “Because I don’t give a fuck about your life, Hongjoong. You think I have parents at home who are waiting for me with open arms? I got sent to a war when I was thirteen! And they kicked me out after I told them I wanted to become an actress! When I visited them years later and told them I was finally making a living for myself by owning a small ship and having a small crew they—they disowned me!”

“You expect your sob story to make me feel sorry for you?” Hongjoong’s words felt like a slap in my face, my own words ringing in my ears as my hands turned into fists, making me glare at him, “I don’t feel sorry for you at all, Y/N. You’re a bad person and you deserved everything—”

I snapped. I grabbed the dagger laying to my left and got on top of Hongjoong so fast the air was knocked out of his lungs as I pushed him back against the sand, dagger digging into his neck. My heart was beating fast and my head was swimming with the words he said seconds ago, vision blurring for a second from the tears which sprung into my eyes. But I blinked them away, staring down at Hongjoong with hatred, sneering at him as his eyes hardened, glaring up at me.

“I hate you,” I gasped out breathlessly, hand shaking as the fury consummated my bloodstream, “you maimed me for life. You carved your initial into my skin, Hongjoong. I can’t even look in the mirror anymore because I get disgusted. You ruined me. I have to cover it up if I go out in public. I hate it when my girls look at me with pity each time their eyes accidentally fall on the scar. I hate you so much. I want to kill you. I want you dead. I want to never see you again, I want—”

“Kill me.” Hongjoong’s chest was falling and rising quickly, lips parted as he stared up at me, the same fire I felt inside my body reflected in his own eyes, “Kill me, and Seonghwa will have you dead at the break of dawn.”

“And Irene will have his head for that.” I snapped, eyes desperately trying not to fall on his lips as he craned his neck, cutting his own skin with the blade of my dagger.

“San will kill her.”

“Yeri will kill him.”

Hongjoong opened his mouth but nothing ever came out of it as we stared into each other’s eyes, hearts beating fast as my grip loosened on the dagger. I hated him, I truly did. But something didn’t let me kill him just yet, I just couldn’t do it. And the longer I stared at him the more I realized how beautiful he was, how attracted I still was to him. In a second of confusion and anger, I threw my dagger away and crashed my lips against Hongjoong’s, a small gasp leaving his lips as I pressed down harshly against his, holding his cheeks with both hands. He reacted quickly, arms wrapping around my middle as his kiss was feverish, reciprocating my hungry ones with the same force and hunger I suddenly felt towards him. My heart was racing in my chest and my cheeks were flushed as I felt hot from the rum, Hongjoong’s hands travelling up my torso until his hands were at the front of my shirt. I pulled back and sat on top of him as he raised up too, ripping the shirt apart, buttons flying everywhere. His eyes fell on the black cloth wrapped around my body and with shaky fingers I undid the three buttons holding them snugly against my torso, unwrapping the fabric from my body. I shivered as my torso was now naked, Hongjoong’s eyes falling on my breasts before he leaned forward, pressing long and wet kisses against my collarbones, sucking at some points, making me fist his hair between my fingers as I bit back moans. I refused to let him hear me, not tonight. His kisses traveled up and I gasped when he paused at the scar, pulling away to look me in the eyes before he licked it, goosebumps erupting on my skin from the feeling, biting my lip harshly, refusing to let out any sounds. Hongjoong’s eyes found mine again and he kissed me, tongue pushing in my mouth as I sucked on it, making Hongjoong moan, a smirk appearing on my lips. As I circled my arms around his neck, he suddenly gripped my waist and flipped us, his body pressing against mine. I pulled back and bit his lower lip until he growled, drawing blood. He glared at me and pulled back as he started undoing his pants, my eyes falling down his torso, fingers reaching out to trace his skin, making Hongjoong gulp audibly. His pants were down and he was semi-hard already, his eyes falling onto my pants as I got to work, undoing the lace in order to push them down. It felt amazing to finally have them off my body, and I shivered as Hongjoong traced his finger against my skin as he pulled the fabric down. Not having been with a man in more than two weeks got to me and I didn’t need much as Hongjoong could make me feel things nobody else could, making me hate him even more. He kissed up my leg, keeping eye contact and it made me want to crawl up a wall, vagina clenching around nothing as his lips brushed against my knee before he littered more kisses up my thighs, close to my crotch but not quite there. I groaned as he sunk his teeth into the flesh of my thigh, biting hard, making me grip his hair as I tried to push his head away, but he only bit harder, making me yelp as he looked at me satisfied. Why did he like seeing me in pain? He released the skin with a pop and as I looked down, his teeth mark remained, slightly having drawn blood, making me curse at him quietly, Hongjoong chuckled as he had heard me.

He never touch where I needed him the most and I was about to snap at him as he suddenly gripped me firmly and flipped me over, my eyes widening as I pushed up to all fours, resting on my forearms. I was breathing fast, still clenching around nothing and as I looked back, Hongjoong pumped himself fast, biting his lips. He suddenly looked at me as he aligned himself with my entrance and I closed my eyes shut as he pushed inside, walls clamping down on his member instantly, moving in painfully slow until he bottomed out. I felt him shudder behind me and I pushed my ass back, asking for him to move, for any friction as he started moving excruciatingly slow, setting a dreadful rhythm as I tried pushing my hips back to meet his thrusts, but his hands on my waist stopped me from doing so. He was panting as he enjoyed torturing me, until he probably had enough himself and picked up his pace, going faster and faster until the sound of skin slapping against skin echoed around us with my muffled whines as I bit into my hand, Hongjoong groaning with each thrust. I started meeting him halfway, feeling the familiar coil in my lower abdomen as Hongjoong started slamming back in faster and stronger, hitting a spot all too familiar as a loud moan slipped through my lips, walls clenching around him, making him moan too.

“Fuck, Y/N.” He rasped out, grabbing my hair which was in a bun, as he continued with the brutal pace he’s set, hitting the spot over and over again, making my toes curl and my back bend more, moans falling repeatedly from my lips. I was so close, and as Hongjoong gyrated his hips while thrusting, it tipped me off the edge and I came undone, moaning his name loudly, him finishing not long after, hips stuttering as he came to a stop slowly, member still inside as he was panting, still gripping my hair. My chest was falling and rising quickly, mouth hung open from the sensations, never having experienced a feeling such strong with any other man before. Hongjoong pulled out and slowly rolled me onto my back, sitting back in between my legs as I stared up at him. His face was flushed and I looked at his hands as he let them rest on my thighs, rubbing circles into them.

“If you don’t stop sabotaging me, I will send San to kill you.” His voice was raspy, but his words made me chuckle.

“You’ve sent him once and I’m still alive, what makes you think he’ll succeed a second time?” I raised my eyebrows and Hongjoong glared at me, “If you want me to die, you will have to kill me yourself. Watch me in the eyes when you plunge that knife deep inside my heart—”

My words got quickly muffled by Hongjoong’s lips as he pressed them against mine hurriedly, kissing me messily, hand going around my neck firmly, gripping it but not squeezing. I kissed him back with the same energy, hooking my legs around his hips as I pulled his body closer to mine, fingers threading through the longer strands of his mullet. Hongjoong pulled back from the kiss, but his lips brushed against mine lightly as he stared me down, eyes glaring. I licked at his lips, making his glare deepen as he pulled back a little bit more.

“You’re mine,” His forefinger suddenly pressed harder into the scar on my neck, “And I can do whatever I want to do with you, whenever I want to.”

I chuckled and hooked my arms around his neck as I flipped us over, pressing down my lower body against his, his member twitching as I rubbed up against it, turned on, as Hongjoong still held my neck firmly.

“I guess I’ll have to continue making your days a living nightmare, then.” I smirked and Hongjoong yanked me down, tongue in my mouth and hand on my waist as I started moving my hips, enjoying the way his grip tightened even more around my neck.

If fucking him kept me alive for a little longer, then I would do it with a lot of pleasure. After all, I knew Hongjoong wasn’t capable of killing me…but neither was I capable of killing him.

Next part (divider)

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bylerschmyler · 1 year

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Mike - Vecna's 4th victim

I know that many people believe that Mike was a tool for Vecna to get Will and El back or that he waited for Mike to be gone to California. I have a pretty different perspective on this and I want to share my thoughts about this. I just gonna warn you that this post will be quite long but I would appreciate it if you take your time to read it.

For the tool-theory and waiting to be gone-theory I have two simple reasons why I don't think that they are correct.

When Vecna kills Chrissy Mike is still in Hawkins. He doesn't wait for Mike to be gone/sitting in the car/plane and traveling to California. Vecna kills her mere hours before Mike had no possibility to interfere with him. It's not only that Vecna kills Chrissy, no he kills her in close proximity to Max who could have been more suspicious about Eddie, Chrissy and the lights and could have called a CODE RED, which would have led to Mike not going to California. So if he wanted Mike to go to California (either for him to be gone or to get El/Will back) why would he jeopardize this mission by being too impatient?

If Vecna wanted Mike out of the way why didn't he just kill him? I mean we can all agree that pre S4 Mike already has a massive amount of trauma. So if he needs Mike out of the way he could have just cursed him too, couldn't he? There was nobody to stop him from doing it. El? Out of the picture. No powers and too far away. Mike? Wouldn't be able to help himself during a trance. The Party? If they don't know what is coming, how would they prevent it?

So I think Mike wasn't a tool for Vecna. He was a perfect fit for a far more important role.

He was the Chosen one, the fourth, the final sacrifice.

But before we are going to discuss Mike's role in Vecna's plan in detail, let's take a step back and take a look in the things that actually happened in S4.

Specifically everything that has to do with Patrick and his curse. Because there are so many things wrong with Patricks curse.

First of all Patrick doesn't fit the other victims. Timing wise as well as in his trauma and our connection to him and his connection to other characters on the show.

Timing

Patrick is the only victim that we see getting cursed. This happens on the March 23rd (sunday) at some point during the day (morning or noon I guess). (here the scene where he gets cursed)

This is in direct contrast to the timeline which is presented by Max. For further explanation this is also March 23rd but late in the evening.

So let me get this straight.

Chrissy's curse started a week ago (approximately week = seven days. I made this post where I found a specific date when Chrissy's symptoms started and they are not adding up. But I think it's because it's meant to be not the curse itself that's coursing these symptoms but something else which I will talk about in another post)

Fred's started six days ago

Max's five days ago

And Patrick just that morning (basically one day ago)?

In no way this is supposed to happen. What was the reason? Did Vecna forget to curse Patrick four days ago? Or couldn't he decide who to curse 4 days prior?

Well the most logical reason (imo) is that his actual target can't be targeted. And we do know one character who was in Hawkins and left during the season. And that's Mike. But this is not the only reason Patricks timing is off.

With Patrick being cursed there is a change in the way the curse works for Max and him in comparison to Fred and Chrissy. I won't go too much in to the details but here are some observations.

Chrissy and Fred both have 3 visions that are heavily paralleling each other.

Their 1. vision is related to the people around them. Chrissy thinks that Max is still in the room when the pounding on the bathroom stall starts. Then she hears her mothers voice and Vecna's feed come into vision. Her mothers voice get distorted soon after and Vecna's voice fades in.

Freds first vision is also directly connected to a conversations he is having with Officer Daniels. Daniels also fades in to Vecna. His face and his voice.

The second vision is the grandfather clock. But a very creepy version.

With Chrissy it's spiders with Fred it's people turning into Vecna calling him murderer.

The third vision is there death and relieving their nightmare.

Both die on the end of their 5th day of being cursed. Their visions start during the day and the day ends with their death.

In contrast to this Max curse is put off this timing. Max visions start on the end of her 5th day of being cursed and she has 3 visions with different themes than Fred and Chrissy.

Max's 1. vision is the grandfather clock. But it's only the creepy grandfather clock. No spiders and no link to Max's trauma.

Her 2nd vision is like Fred’s and Chrissy’s 1st vision a person who fades into Vecna.

her 3rd vision is supposed to be her death which she can escape from.

She has a 4th vision where she actually dies.

Patrick only has one vision we see and one that is implied but we don’t see at all. His first vision is the clock during Chrissy’s funeral.

the other would have been when he dies but we don’t see the vision.

Timing wise this implicates the scenario that Patricks’s cursing throws the timeline off schedule because we see a clear pattern before he was cursed which is thrown off the second Vecna targets him. So likely the original schedule would have targeted Max on the 23rd and the 4th victim on the 24th.

Lack of imagery and missing build up

His trauma, connection to other characters and the connection we build to him is also off. While most of it is due to the lack of imagery regarding him but also to the fact that we have a build up in this topics that Patrick is reversing.

I don’t really want to order the trauma of Vecna’s victims in terms of severity because I firmly believe that any trauma should be addressed and recognised and you shouldn’t compare trauma (unless you’re a therapist) because this kind of invalidates the people with “less severe” trauma. But when we talk about Patrick’s trauma we only have two clues about what it is because we don’t see visions that are related to his trauma. The first one is when he gets cursed (here). A man, likely his father, calls him a disgrace. Lucas also tells us that Patrick came to practice with a black eye once.

This implicates that Patrick is also a victim of domestic abuse (like Chrissy) What I find interesting is that this creates a circle of trauma themes.

(I want to emphasize that between Fred and Max there is a build up because Fred has survivors guilt and Max has survivors guilt but also wanted the person that died to die before he died. This is obviously meant for us to notice because it’s an addition to the same theme)

Ignoring the potential build up in the trauma and going into Patrick’s relationships we see that he doesn’t make sense as 4th victim narratively speaking. We have a clear build up in the victims relationships with other characters:

Chrissy has no known relationship to our main characters

Fred is Nancy’s colleague and apprentice (Fred asking Nancy how she did this with Jonathan). They are close enough (Nancy trusts him enough) to take him to the Trailer Park.

Max is a main character of the show. She has many close relationships to other main characters

And then Patrick comes around and he is just Lucas’ team mate who he can’t even trust because they are hunting for his friends.

The connections to other characters get closer and closer until Max only to go rapidly down with Patrick. Narratively this doesn’t make sense because Patrick is supposed to be the 4th victim. He should have close ties to our favorite characters and they should care deeply about him because of the needed rise in tension. They get around it with Max escaping the death vision and being the actual 4th victim but for the original plan this would have been very weird.

This also ties to the connection we as an audience have to the victims.

Chrissy is a new character. We only see her in one episode and we barely know anything about her. Most of what we know is that she is a cheerleader and she has trauma. Although many people sympathize with her we can’t really get connected to her.

Fred is basically the same. But we get more information about him. We know he is a journalist. We also know that he does know about Jonathan and Nancy and their struggles in their relationship (which he kind of wants to take a chance in because he flirts with Nancy). We have two episodes with him.

We have known Max since season 2. We had a lot of time to get to know her and create a bond with her.

And yet again Patrick doesn’t make sense. Why do we get a new character which we don’t like because he is part of the antagonists, after a (beloved) main character? There was a subtle build up and then we flunk down in the negatives with our perspective on the character.

I wanna add that in an recent reblog of a post i discussed Mike's parallels to the other victims. You can find the post here.

But how does Mike fit in?

Most people on here are well aware of all the hints that connect Mike with Vecna. Therefore many people believe he is a target in S5. I believe so too. I still don’t think that so much has changed during S4 that made him more targetable than he already was. Yes his trauma increased through the shootout, the death of unknown hero agent man, lying to El and losing Eddie and Max, but his trauma was there before. And it was severe enough to make him struggle. It’s pointed out in the canon extending book “Lucas on the line” and it is also shown in his behavior in S4 (getting up too late, used clothes, dirty room/basement, he doesn’t eat on camera, and more). So Mike would be a perfect target for Vecna only considering his trauma. But there is way more stuff that make Mike a perfect last puzzle piece in this situation. First of all he is one of the few characters that are in Hawkins when the curses begin and have more/deeper connections than Max. Yes Max has a lot of deep connections (the Party and El specifically) but Mike has those connections too and he has deeper connections to the teens (Nancy and Jonathan especially), Will, Joyce and Hopper. So in a certain way he is more connected to the rest of the cast and would be perfect to be the final step of the build up we see with character relationships. He has also been part of the show since S1 and was one of THE main characters in S1 and S2. He has a very important role in figuring out important plot points and so for us he is obviously a very important character. And so while I don’t play favorites he is slightly more important for the audience (subjectively speaking). Timing wise (as I said before) he is the only character we know to travel out of Hawkins during the cursing. Him being cursed on March 20th (thursday) wouldn’t compromise the given timeline. It would also explain this scene where Mike clearly looks like he has a awful headache.

And this scene where Max has a nosebleed and the camera’s focus shifts to him

(some people believe that’s the moment he cursed Max. I doubt that. When Max explains the symptoms she said nosebleedS, plural [Insert Eddie’s comment on Nancy’s guns here].I believe that’s thursday morning and Mike was just cursed and had a nosebleed like Patrick and he looked like he looked because he found it suspicious that he had a nosebleed and now Max has a nosebleed.) Clearly two times where he was visibly shown in the context of the curses symptoms. Also his bedroom scene, when he reads Els' letter could connect to the symptoms (this is more of a reach than the other two).

Sleeping in underwear => He woke up an a cold sweat

The binder with Will’s drawings is in his room => having nightmares and needing comfort

(re-)reading the letter => having nightmares and needing reassurance that everything is okay

he is later than he usually is => trouble sleeping

Also I think @aemiron-main pointed that out: Mikes Reaction to Karen telling him that he need to be home by nine because it's an early flight suggests that he barely sleeps because he seems to not care of the early flight.

And last but not least the line Vecna uses for Max (You’ll be the chosen one, the fourth the final sacrifice) fits way better to Mike. Why? Well the main reason I only got on the Mike getting vecnaed’ train was while I was rewatching the show I saw this scene where El screams for Mike while she has a vision:

This scene reminded me of this scene where Will does the same:

And it made me think about how Vecna knows that both of his former targets heavily depend on Mike. He is the first they think about when needing help. He’s the first they find comfort in when upset. So Mike is obviously on Vecna’s radar. There is more…. These two scenes where Max and Mike help El and try to protect her and Billy sees it.

They stand out because it would make so much sense for Mike to be targeted too. Max does become a target because of her trauma but also because of her connection to El. So Mike would be a perfect target too. Him being the final sacrifice would be the peak of devastation for both Will and El and would make perfect sense for Vecna to do so. Also it would contrast Mike’s arc because he is usually the one interfering with Vecna’s plans in overtaking the real world. Mike being the last kill to open the gates to the UD would be very “poetic” from Vecna’s POV. Furthermore the line “You would be the chosen one” would be far more fitting for Mike. Mike is a fan of fantasy stories. The Chosen One Trope is a typical fantasy trope that has been used for ages. Mike can relate far more to this trope than Max (Max is a comic fan where this trope is used too, but Mike is pictured way more with classic fantasy where this trope is used very often).

But why did Vecna wait for Mike to go on vacation?

This is the only thing that really makes me struggle. Because I don’t have a good answer to this. The only possible explanation I see (without doubting the rest of this theory) is that Vecna didn’t look for his plans, his supposedly happy memories/thoughts and only took in the bad ones. Max tells us that she thinks Vecna only looks for the bad memories.

So if Max is right then Vecna didn’t look for the light in Mike’s mind and only for the darkness. (Therefore didn't see his hope of reconnecting to Will in Califronia) I also want to point out that Mike is not the only target Vecna needed. He needed four victims. So this is not solely about him. And you need to know that Vecna feeds off his victims fears, anxiety and guilt. So it makes sense for him to unleash his curse when all his victims are especially tense/anxious

Chrissy’s mother forced a beauty idea on her daughter that resulted in her being connected to bulimic tropes (Throwing up, rotten food). She is also a cheerleader in the 80s and she “needed to be pretty” because the championship games were coming up. So Chrissy would be more anxious than usually

Fred is less obvious than Chrissy. The only clues I got why he would be more anxious than usual are that Officer Daniels (Vecna Vision) tells us that the accident happened last year and he knows about Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship problems. The first could mean that the car crash happened somewhere in 1985 or it could actually mean that the anniversary is coming up which (knowing from S2) would affect Fred through the anniversary effect. The latter could make him anxious because he might see a chance with his crush (we see him multiple times openly flirting with Nancy)

Max would be more anxious because Billy’s birthday is coming up (March 29 - also anniversary effect)

Mike would be more anxious because he is traveling to California and he doesn’t know how Will feels about him and maybe he is a little jealous because of El’s letter and Will painting something for a girl

Additionaly the week before spring break could be full of tests which could make all victims more anxious.

Another good question regards the timing. Vecna did look for a replacement for Mike on March 23rd but Mike left early on March 22nd. So why did he wait an additional day for Mike? This is obviously a question I asked myself a lot. Why did Vecna wait for Mike to be gone for a whole day before looking for a replacement (Patrick)? Well this one is very hard to answer. But there is one scene in particular that makes me believe that Vecna starts his rampage usually early in the morning. You can take a look here in this post. I included the scenes right before and right after the scene on purpose because it gives us a better perspective on the timeline. So right before Vecna gets hooked up to the vines, El went to her bedroom crying. We know that this happened on the night of March 22nd. Then it cuts to the UD where Vecna gets hooked up but nothing happens afterwards. Instead we see how the sun rises/travels in the sky. Then it cuts to Lucas and the beginning of the hunt for Eddie. So what is the purpose of this whole scene? Vecna wanted to start the final stage of his curse (visions) for Max early on the 23rd. This is probably what he was doing with Chrissy and Fred the days before. He recognized that he couldn’t find Mike anywhere and then started to search for a replacement until he found Patrick. Very important for this theory, Vecna finds Patrick way later. There are almost 20 Minutes between this scene and the scene where Patrick gets cursed. Even more important: We see every group on screen before we get back to Vecna. There is literally a cut to every small group. First Lucas and the Jocks, then Max, Dustin, Robin and Steve with Eddie, then Nancy, the Cali Gang, Joyce and Murray, Hopper back to the Hawkins gang at the Trailer Park. I think Vecna didn’t recognize Mike’s absence because he was solely focused on Fred on the 22nd and started with Fred visions early in the morning before Mike got to the airport. So when he wanted to get started with Max the next day he realized that he couldn’t reach Mike anymore and decided to go for a replacement. That’s when the timings of the victims don’t add up anymore.

Besides everything I showed you here there is another theory that is connected to this. #possessiongate from @dinitride-art

This shows how my theory is supported visually in the show. It also explains why Mike isn't shown as cursed after the breakfast on the 23rd because his curse was shifted to Patrick.

#byler #mike wheeler #victimgate #mike gets vecna’d #mike getting vecna’d #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things analysis #st analysis #st theory #stranger things theory #mike wheeler analysis #vecna's curse

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runnning-outof-time · 1 year

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A Loving Hand and Some Warm Tea | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: yes by anonymous

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: When (Y/N)'s illness turns from bad to worse, she's thankful that she's got Tommy there to help her get through it...even when, in the first place, he was worried about it and she wasn't.

Warnings: language

Word Count: 2729

A/N: let’s all pretend that’s not Arthur in the gif, ok? I feel like it fits perfectly because that’s how he’s smiling at her in my mind. Also round of applause for me finally finishing a request. I’m sorry it took so long. Enjoy! :)

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future stories similar to this one!

———

It was unusual for (Y/N) not to be moving about the house by the time that midday was approaching. Tommy quickly realized that, and immediately went on the hunt to find her.

First he checked the betting floor, where she'd help take down the numbers and hand out the winnings. Scudboat swore up and down that he hadn't seen her, so he went deeper into the betting den to find Polly. She was organizing the cash intake all morning, so she also hadn't seen the young woman. Worry started to build up within him as he made his way back to the living quarters.

After checking around the kitchen area for any scraps of paper, because she usually left a note when she was going out, he went to Finn, who was half-asleep on the couch. He told Tommy that he hadn't seen her yet, and that he'd been laying on the couch the entire morning. Tommy couldn't ask many more questions before the boy went into a sneezing fit.

Considering that conversation a lost cause, he placed his hands on his hips and took a moment to think logically about the situation. Where could she have gone? He didn't need to think for too long before his answer was given to him in the form of a cough coming from upstairs.

Tommy quickly ascended the steps while wondering why he didn't think to check the bedroom. But then he realized it was probably because (Y/N) was never in their bedroom after seven in the morning. She rose early with him and then stayed downstairs until they both retired at night.

"(Y/N)?" he quietly called as he opened the door to the room.

"Tommy?" she asked, trying so hard not to sound like she'd been coughing and sneezing all morning.

"You not feeling well, love?" he asked her, his brows furrowed.

"I'm fine," she quickly dismissed his concern, sitting up in the bed as she tried her best to conceal the handkerchief that she'd been using to wipe her runny nose.

"You sure?" he didn't sound convinced, "it's unusual for you to be up here so late."

"I'm fine," she insisted, brushing off his concern yet again, "I guess I must've just slept in."

"And sleeping in explains the coughing?"

"I can't have a tickle in my throat?" she asked him, hating that her voice went up an octave as she tried to make her statement sound believable. Her throat was on fire at the moment, but she couldn't let Tommy know that.

"Your nose is running," he pointed out then, jutting his chin out in her direction.

"Shit," she mumbled under her breath as she produced the handkerchief to wipe it once more. Tommy watched her intently as she went about wiping her nose. Her doing so was quickly followed by a coughing fit, one that she couldn't conceal even if she wanted to. "What?" she asked him with a defensive tone laced into her voice once the coughing had stopped. She knew the look he was giving her all too well.

"Spill it, (Y/N)," he dryly demanded, his tone letting her know that he didn't want her to sugarcoat her situation any longer.

(Y/N) sighed and hung her head, hating that she'd been found out. "I may or may not have a slight cold," she admitted, sounding like a child that was owning up to taking an extra piece of candy from the jar. Her head snapped up so that she could look at Tommy again before he even thought of what to say. "I'm fine though, ok? There's no need for you to be worrying and doting over me," she added, hoping to show him that she didn't need to be coddled and could still do what she normally did.

Tommy pursed his lips, looking like he so badly wanted to make a comment about the latter half of her statement. After a few moments, he nodded his head. "Decided to get a late start then, did you?" he asked her, a lighthearted tone laced into his voice.

(Y/N) smiled when she recognized what he was doing. She felt relieved that she wasn't met with the overly protective side of Tommy today...she honestly didn't know if she'd be able to deal with it. "Yeah," she answered with a bit of a sheepish grin, still trying to make her situation seem believable, "I guess I am."

"Ah, well..." he trailed off, stepping to the side as he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, "up and at 'em then."

"'Course, boss," she teased him, making him shake his head as a slight grin formed on his face. He glanced at her then, and she sent a wink in his direction, making his smile appear full on his features.

"I'm gonna go," he said then, his voice soft.

"Ok," she responded in an equally as soft voice, smiling at him as he turned and exited the bedroom.

The second he left, (Y/N)'s smile dropped. She felt anything other than fine at the moment. In fact, she wished that she could curl herself into a ball and sleep until she didn't feel like her lungs were on fire and her head was spinning. But Tommy couldn't know that. She didn't need him worrying about her when he had so many other, more important things on his plate. So she flicked the covers to the side and swung her feet over the edge of the bed. After wiping her nose once more, she stood, groaning at the aching feeling that immediately started coursing through her body.

She started getting dressed after she steadied herself, and soon enough, she was ready to start the day. She just hoped that there weren't many chores to do...because she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to do all of them.

——

Tommy entered the family home much, much later that evening. His heart dropped the second he stepped into the main downstairs living area. "(Y/N)?" he called out as he rushed over to where she was laying on the couch; looking as pale as ever, covered in the shine of sweat. "Love, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Tommy," she weakly responded, her lungs burning just from uttering the three, simple words.

"Bullshit it's nothing. You're sick, (Y/N)," he called her out on her lies, kneeling down next to the couch she was on. He gently placed a hand against her forehead, and didn't even need to hold it there long to realize how hot her skin was. "You're burning up," he stated the obvious then.

"I'm sick," she finally admitted in a dejected tone.

"I know," Tommy answered her as he stood straight again.

"I didn't want to worry you...to make you care more about me than what you've got going on," she explained the reason behind her withholding this information from him.

Tommy opened his mouth to speak but then decided against it, instead shaking his head as he exhaled a sigh. He rubbed the back of his head as he tried to think of what to do next. "I'll go get Pol. She'll make you some soup or something else that you'll be able to keep down," he said then, deciding that his aunt would know more about cooking for someone who was ill than he would.

"Tommy, no," (Y/N) disagreed with his plan, reaching out to grab onto his pant-leg before he was able to get too far away from her.

"What?" he asked, looking down at her again. The frown on her face made his heart drop, and he felt bad for not calling her out on her sickness before. She looked much worse now than she did this morning, and he wondered if that might've been different had he stayed back to help her instead of going to work.

"Don't get Polly," she paused, taking a few steadying breaths, "just stay here with me, please."

"I'm no good at this stuff, (Y/N)," he pointed out, "Pol knows much more about what you should be eating. She'll have you feelin' better."

"No," she shook her head, sounding so stubborn at the moment, "I just need you," she added, gripping tighter onto the fabric of his trousers as she spoke.

"Need me to do what?" he hazarded an ask, wanting to hear what she wanted straight from her.

"Need you to make me feel better," she answered, jutting out her bottom lip after she was finished speaking, really trying to persuade him.

Tommy chuckled as he heard her words. He couldn't help but let his mind travel to darker avenues before reminding himself that his wife wouldn't be up for anything of that nature tonight...or the next few days, if he was being honest.

"Please, Tommy?" she cut into his thoughts, bringing him out of the metaphorical gutter and back into their living room.

He dropped his head at her request, rubbing the back of it once more before he finally fully gave into his wife's wishes. "I don't think I'm much good at this, love," he told her, hoping his words would serve as a warning when what he gave her didn't amount to what she'd expect.

"You don't need to be good...you just need to be here," she assured him, smiling meekly as she finally let go of his pant-leg. "Can you make some tea for me, please?" she asked him then, hope shining in her eyes.

"I can," he nodded before moving over to the counter where the kettle was sitting. He placed some water on the stove to boil before he moved back over to where (Y/N) was laying.

"Get me the blanket from that chair please?" she asked him next, gingerly pointing over to the chair that it was draped across. Tommy nodded, grabbing the blanket and moving back over to her so that he could spread it out over top of her body.

"Anything else?" he asked her, his eyebrows raised slightly.

"Not now," she shook her head, smiling up at him.

Tommy nodded before he moved back over to the kitchen area. There, he unbuttoned his suit jacket and shrugged it off of his shoulders. He draped it over one of the dining chairs before he started working on the buttons of his waist coat. Once that was open, he took that off also, setting it on top of the jacket before he placed his timepiece on the dining table.

The kettle started to whistle just as he was finished pulling his suspenders down, so he moved over to it and went through the process of getting (Y/N)'s tea ready, making sure it was made just the way she liked it.

"Here, love," he said in a soft voice as he carefully transferred the cup and saucer over to her.

"Thank you," she smiled at him gratefully as she brought the cup closer to her mouth, breathing in the warm vapors that the drink was expelling.

"Anything else?" he asked her again, taking on the same facial expression that he previously wore.

"You," she answered simply, looking up at him with the slightest smile playing on her lips.

Tommy chuckled at her blatant answer, shaking his head slightly as he then motioned for her to move on the couch, "move over then so I can sit," he instructed her and she did as he said, moving over on the couch just enough so that he could sit on it. He sat down then, and as soon as he settled in, she leaned back to lay against him. "Comfortable?" he asked her, not wanting her to feel stiff.

"Very," she hummed in response as she then took a sip of her tea.

Tommy couldn't help but smile at her statement. He could've been locked in the betting shop right now; slaving away at the books to make sure that the family was still bringing in profits, or planning out the next move he was going to make on the tracks. He could've stayed at his desk until the early hours of the morning and snuck up into bed to just barely lay his head down before he'd be up and going again. But instead he was here...with the woman who'd essentially made him the man he was today. He didn't know where he'd be without (Y/N). If it hadn't been for her staying by his side, even after everything he'd seen and done in France, he was fairly certain that the Shelby name wouldn't be nearly as big as it was now. She was truly his driving force.

"Could you put this on the table, Tommy?" (Y/N)'s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, reminding him that she was still pressed up against his side.

"Finished already?" he asked her as he took the empty cup and saucer from her hands.

"It was lovely," she smiled at him as she cuddled into his side. Tommy grinned as he draped his arm over her, allowing her to move even closer to him. "There's nothing better than a loving hand and some warm tea when you're sick," she commented, closing her eyes as a blissful smile formed on her face.

Tommy smiled down at her as he began to gently drag his fingers up and down her side. Silence fell between them as he let her rest, happy that she hadn't taken any coughing fits since she'd drank the tea. He could tell by the rasp in her voice that she'd probably been doing so all day. They enjoyed the silence for some time before he spoke again: "how did this all come on?" he asked her, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"What?" (Y/N) asked for clarification as she lifted her head from his chest slightly.

"You gettin’ sick," he added more details to his previous question.

"I guess it was from me being outside in the rain with Finn the other day," she answered.

"In the rain?" there was a slight amount of dismay in Tommy's voice.

"He wanted to go out and play...I figured I'd go with him instead of him bein' by himself," she defended her decision.

"I guess that explains why he broke out into a sneezing fit when I was lookin' for you earlier," Tommy commented on his brief interaction with the eleven year old earlier that day.

"Yeah...he went to Polly's for the night. She said that she'd take care of him," (Y/N) informed him. Tommy nodded at the information.

"Wasn't one of your smartest ideas, you know," he said then, bringing the conversation back to the two of them going out into the rain.

"Going out in the rain?" (Y/N) checked to see if she understood what he was getting at.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"We had fun. If this little cold was the only bad that came from it, I'm fine with that."

"This little cold has rendered you immobile on the couch, (Y/N)," Tommy pointed out.

"It's the price I'll pay for helping Finn feel like he's a child again; even if only just for a little bit," (Y/N) still seemed pleased with her doings. "Plus...it's allowed me to sit here all cuddled up next to you," she added, smiling up at him as she hugged onto him tighter.

Tommy couldn't help but smile back at her. "Get some rest, eh?" he suggested, his words making her nod her head.

"Love you," she mumbled as she rested her head against his shoulder again.

"I love you," he reciprocated the sentiment, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

He knew that he'd be taking the day off tomorrow, because (Y/N)'s illness most certainly wasn't one of those that just disappeared after a day. That didn't bother him though. The business would be fine if he spent a day away from the office, and (Y/N) needed someone by her side. Like she'd said, a loving hand and some warm tea goes a long way when you're feeling under the weather, and Tommy was determined to provide her with both of those for as long as she needed them.

———

Tagged: @mgcllovdrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @rangerelik @lovemissyhoneybee @dandelionprints @letal-y-poetica

MASTERLIST

#tommy shelby #tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby x y/n #tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders x y/n #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic

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chazzielynx · 2 months

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I'm entirely normal about Hozier dropping an acoustic version of 'Be', totally normal, so I'm assigning Hozier songs to redacted characters.

(characters in this post: Sam, Ivan, Geordi, Marcus, Damien, David, Elliott, Porter, Guy, Brachium, Hush)

Note: this has been done so many times before, I am aware. I'm not adding sth new to this discourse, lol, just my probably flawed opinions. (Also not a complete list, I just shuffled my Hozier playlist and started assigning lol, might do more parts)

Sam - Be (Acoustic Version) (I know Francesca is an obvious choice here but "Be as you've always been" in that specific soft tone? That's Sam. Telling Darlin that he doesn't intend to change them. Just wants to be with them. Whatever that may look like)

Ivan - Arsonist's lullaby (specifically if we think about Vega enhancing tendencies that are already there (I'm generalising here), then lines like "don't you ever tame your demons, always keep em on a leash" are very interesting to compare that to)

Marcus - unknown (HEAR ME OUT, I hate that he's on this list too, but this is Asset talking to Marcus: "If there were scarlet flags, they washed out in the mind of me". but also the "it's the being unknown" is Marcus to Asset about being lonely)

Geordi - Shrike (more specifically this song is Cutie. A song about not loving your partner right and being ready to when it's already too late....yeah. "ah but I'm singing like a bird about it now"... I miss geordi fluff content)

David - Nobody (This grrr sass wolf was not ready for the absolute chef's kiss that is Angel. "I'd be appalled if I saw you ever try to be a saint, I wouldn't fall for someone I thought couldn't misbehave" HELLO?!)

Damien - Jackboot Jump (god I love this song. Obviously Damien has more to him than just wanting to dismantle the system but this song is so him. "So you know good things are happening when the Jackboot needs to jump" our sassy social warrior <3)

Elliott - Talk (again, Sunlight seems the obvious choice here but this song is about Orpheus and Eurydice. Elliott tried and is trying everything to get Sunshine back. "The dreadful need in the devotee" And he'd look back.)

Porter - First Time (we don't know much yet about him and Treasure but this man is hooked, he just doesn't know it yet. I feel like he fits the 'i don't like my name but when you say it it sounds nice' vibe from the first few lines)

Guy - To Noise Making (he is that partner that absolutely drinks his partner's smile up. He encourages them to have fun and don't care about how they look while doing it. "Honey the look of it was as sweet as the sound" AHH)

Hush - De Selby Part 2 (he is learning more and more about humans and the earth, so confused about his own powers and his purpose and feelings. "I'd block the sun if you want it done" + "I wanna fade away with you" yes yes yes)

Brachium - First Light ("could this be how every day begins" this man is getting his memories back and I feel like this song describes what he was feeling when he saw Sunshine's life through the bond)

Anyway,

Amen, Forest Father.

#can you tell i have a problem #hozier on the brain #amen forest father #redactedaudio #redacted asmr #redacted #redacted audio #redactedverse

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yournameloveskpop · 2 months

Text

What Are We Doing?

Paring: Taehyun x Reader

Style: romance, friendship, angst,

Warning: drunk, Friends with benefits to lovers,

Word count: 2424

Y/N and Taehyun shared something complex, a connection that was hard to label. Was it a fling? A casual hookup? The terms seemed too crude to encapsulate the depth of their intimacy, yet too fitting to dismiss entirely. Each encounter, whether tender or passionate, always ended with them tangled in the sheets, seeking solace in each other's arms.

"Are we just...this?" Y/N once whispered in a moment of vulnerability, her head resting on Taehyun's chest.

Taehyun, his fingers tracing idle patterns on her back, had sighed, "Does it matter? We're here, aren't we?"

Despite their undefined relationship, they established rules, a semblance of boundaries in their uncharted territory. No clubbing or getting drunk unless together. No flirtations with others. It was an odd arrangement, leaving even their closest friends puzzled, especially the other members of TXT who couldn't grasp the dynamics between them.

"It's like you're dating, but not really," Beomgyu had commented, earning him confused glances.

Y/N harbored deeper feelings for Taehyun, her affection for him simmering beneath the surface. Taehyun, ever the enigma, kept his emotions guarded, leaving Y/N to wonder about the depth of his feelings.

Their routine, however, hit a snag when Taehyun started pulling away, his presence becoming scarce as exhaustion took its toll on him. Their meetings dwindled, and Y/N felt the absence of his warmth acutely.

"I've barely seen you," Y/N texted, concern lacing her words.

"It's nothing. Just busy," Taehyun's replies were dismissive, colder than she was used to, leaving her feeling sidelined.

Staring at her phone, Y/N felt a mix of hurt and confusion. It was then that her phone rang, a welcome distraction in the form of her best friend, Maya.

"Hey, come out with me tonight. Let's go clubbing," Maya's voice was light, but persuasive.

Y/N hesitated, their rules flashing through her mind. "I don't know, Taehyun and I agreed—"

"Since when do you two make rules? You're not even dating," Maya laughed, cutting her off. "Besides, I saw Taehyun out drinking with his friends just the other night. Seems like he's not too hung up on those rules."

The news was like a punch to the gut. Taehyun, out drinking without her, breaking their pact. The betrayal stung, igniting a fire within her.

"He did what?" Y/N's voice cracked, hurt and disbelief mingling.

"Yeah, looked like he was having the time of his life, too," Maya added, unaware of how deep her words cut.

The revelation shattered Y/N's restraint. Anger bubbled up, mixing with her hurt feelings. Taehyun had disregarded their boundaries so casually, and it was clear that their undefined relationship was perhaps, too undefined.

"That's it. I'm going out," Y/N declared, a mix of defiance and the need to reclaim some control over her emotions guiding her decision.

"Finally! That's the spirit," Maya cheered, oblivious to the storm of emotions running through Y/N's mind.

As Y/N prepared for the night, her thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion, hurt, and a newfound determination. Taehyun's actions spoke volumes, and tonight, she'd listen, but on her terms. The club was pulsating with energy, and Y/N found herself swept up in the music and lights. It was liberating, dancing away the confusion and hurt that had clouded her recent days. Maya, witnessing Y/N's transformation, couldn't help but smile, her heart swelling at the sight of her friend reclaiming her joy.

"Look at us, wild and free!" Maya exclaimed, capturing the moment with a selfie. The photo, a snapshot of happiness, was more than just a memory; it was a message. With a mischievous grin, Maya texted it to Yeonjun. "Show this to Taehyun. He needs to see what he's missing. Tell him to figure his feelings out before it's too late."

Yeonjun, upon receiving the photo and message, felt a mix of amusement and concern. Finding Taehyun, he held out his phone. "Look at what you're missing, man. Y/N's out there living her best life."

The image ignited a spark of jealousy and anger in Taehyun. His emotions, a tangled mess, propelled him into action. He tried to call Y/N, but the call went unanswered. Frustrated and driven by a need to confront the situation, he stormed out, determined to find her.

The club's atmosphere did little to soothe Taehyun's irritation. When he spotted Y/N and Maya, laughter and lightness surrounding them, his annoyance deepened. He approached, his presence like a storm cloud.

Maya, spotting Taehyun first, smirked knowingly. "Looks like our message got through," she whispered to Y/N, who was swaying to the music, lost in her own world.

Y/N's eyes finally focused on Taehyun, and without a second thought, she launched herself into his arms. "Taehyun!" she exclaimed, her voice muffled against him.

With a sigh that carried more resignation than anger, Taehyun steadied her. "I'm taking you two home," he declared, his voice firm but not unkind.

After ensuring Maya was safely home, with a gentle reminder to drink water, Y/N's drunken proclamation of love made Maya laugh. "Love you too, you crazy girl," she responded, watching as Taehyun and Y/N drove away.

The silence that filled the car on the drive to Y/N's apartment was thick, almost suffocating. Taehyun was lost in a storm of thoughts and emotions, wrestling with the weight of his recent actions and the depth of his feelings for Y/N. Despite the alcohol blurring her senses, Y/N could feel the shift in their dynamic, a change that left them both navigating a tumultuous sea of unresolved feelings without a lifeline.

"Why are we even doing this? Why can't we just talk?" Y/N finally whispered, her voice barely above the hum of the engine.

Taehyun's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his jaw clenched. "What is there to talk about, Y/N? You know exactly what's going on," he responded, his voice strained with a mix of frustration and something else she couldn't quite place.

The tension escalated as Y/N, fueled by a mix of alcohol and hurt, couldn't hold back any longer. "Why are you so mad at me for going out? You were the one who crossed the line first, remember? Going out, getting drunk with your friends without me."

Taehyun's eyes flickered with a mix of anger and something akin to guilt. "Me? I was just out with friends. But you, you've been calling, texting... what did you expect?"

"That's just it, Taehyun! We had boundaries, remember? Ones you promised not to cross and did anyway. You made me feel special, then disappeared without a word the next day," Y/N shot back, her voice rising as her emotions got the better of her.

Taehyun abruptly swerved to the side of the road, slamming on the brakes. The car jerked to a stop, throwing Y/N forward. She caught herself, her heart racing, not just from the sudden stop but also from the intensity in Taehyun's gaze, now darker, angrier than she had ever seen.

"Why should it matter to you what I do? We're not dating, Y/N. Why all the texts? The calls?" he snapped, finally letting his own frustrations boil over.

"Because you made it seem like we were more than that! Coming over in the middle of the night, making promises, breaking them the very next day," Y/N retorted, her voice breaking with emotion.

A heavy silence fell between them, the air charged with unsaid words and unacknowledged feelings. Taehyun looked away, his expression softening as he wrestled with what to say next.

"I... I messed up, okay?" Taehyun admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "The night I started pulling away, I... I was with someone else. I was drunk, and I felt terrible afterwards, so I pushed you away. I don't know why I felt so guilty; we're not even dating. But I did."

Y/N sat in stunned silence, processing his words. The confession hit her like a physical blow, her heart aching at the thought of Taehyun with someone else.

"And then, seeing you at the club with Maya, flirting with another guy, getting drunk... it just..." Taehyun's voice trailed off, the anger now replaced with regret.

"I thought I could handle this, whatever this is between us. I thought I could keep my feelings out of it, but I can't," he continued, his voice cracking with emotion. "I chose you, Y/N, out of everyone, and I screwed it all up."

Y/N's eyes filled with tears, the reality of their situation finally setting in. The boundaries they had set, the promises made and broken, had all led to this moment of raw honesty.

"Taehyun, I... I don't know what to say. I felt something for you, something more than just... whatever this was supposed to be. But every time you pushed me away, it just hurt more," Y/N confessed, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her face.

The two sat in silence, the only sound Y/N's soft sobs and the distant hum of the city. Taehyun reached out, his hand hesitating in the air before gently wiping away a tear from her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I never wanted to hurt you. I was just so scared of admitting how I really felt, scared of getting hurt, that I ended up hurting you instead," he said softly, his own voice thick with emotion.

The confession, raw and honest, hung between them, a fragile bridge over the chasm that had grown during their silent drive. Y/N looked into Taehyun's eyes, seeing the genuine remorse and the fear of rejection that mirrored her own.

"Where do we go from here, Taehyun? Can we even go back to how things were before?" Y/N asked, her voice a mix of hope and uncertainty.

"I don't know, Y/N. But I do know I don't want to lose you, not over my stupidity and fear. Maybe we can't go back, but we can start anew, try to build something real this time, if you're willing," Taehyun replied, his gaze never leaving hers.

The proposition hung in the air, a tentative offer to mend what had been broken, to explore the depth of feelings that had been ignored for too long. Y/N nodded, a small, hopeful smile breaking through her tears.

"Let's start anew, Taehyun. But this time, let's be honest with each other, no more hiding behind excuses and fear," she said, her voice stronger now, filled with determination.

As they sat together on the side of the road, under the dim glow of the streetlights, a newfound understanding began to weave itself between Taehyun and Y/N. It was a delicate, yet profound realization of the depth of their feelings, a mutual acknowledgment of something more significant than they had ever allowed themselves to explore before.

Y/N, her emotions amplified by the alcohol in her system, continued to shed tears, her vulnerability laid bare in front of Taehyun. He, on his part, found it increasingly difficult to keep his own emotions in check, regretting his earlier reticence.

"If only I'd been honest from the start," he thought, the weight of his previous actions bearing down on him.

Seeking to bridge the gap his silence had created, Taehyun pulled Y/N closer, enveloping her in the warmth of his embrace. He gently kissed her forehead, an action so tender it felt like a balm to their frayed emotions.

Resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, "I'm so sorry, Y/N. I should have been honest with you from the beginning."

After a moment of shared silence, allowing his apology to hang in the air, Taehyun stirred into action. He decided against taking Y/N to her place, intuiting that the presence of friends might offer a solace of sorts after the tumult of their confrontation. Thus, he drove to the TXT apartment instead, navigating the quiet streets with a heavy heart.

Upon their arrival at the apartment block, Taehyun parked his car and assisted Y/N out. Then, in a gesture that spoke volumes of his concern and affection, he lifted her into his arms, carrying her into the building with utmost care. The apartment door swung open to reveal the TXT members, still awake, their expressions a mix of surprise and curiosity.

Yeonjun, in particular, watched them closely. It was he who had inadvertently fanned the flames of misunderstanding between Taehyun and Y/N by showing Taehyun the picture of her at the club. His gaze lingered, searching for signs of resolution or further discord.

Taehyun, feeling the weight of his bandmates' stares, proceeded directly to his room with Y/N. There, with a gentleness that belied his earlier turmoil, he helped her change into some of his baggy clothes and carefully removed her makeup, ensuring her comfort above all.

Leaving Y/N to rest, he stepped out to fetch her a glass of water, only to be met by Yeonjun's inquiring gaze.

"So, did you finally figure it out?" Yeonjun asked, his voice low, aware of the significance of the moment and the presence of their other bandmates.

Taehyun sighed, the weight of the night's revelations pressing down on him. "Yeah, I think we did. It's complicated, Yeonjun. We've got a lot to work through, but...I want to make things right with her. I really care about her, more than I realized," he confessed, his voice a mix of determination and vulnerability.

The other members, drawn by the gravity of the conversation, listened intently, their expressions a blend of concern and support. They understood the complexity of Taehyun's feelings for Y/N, and the tumultuous journey that had led them to this point.

"We're here for you, man," Beomgyu finally spoke up, breaking the tense silence. "Both of you. Whatever you need to figure things out, we've got your back."

Taehyun nodded, grateful for the solidarity of his friends. "Thanks, guys. It means a lot. Tonight was...a lot. But I think it's the start of something new for us. Something real."

With that, Taehyun returned to his room, glass of water in hand, ready to face whatever the future held for him and Y/N. The night had been long and fraught with emotional upheaval, but it had also opened the door to honesty and understanding, setting them on a path toward healing and, hopefully, a deeper connection.

#tomorrow x together #txt #fanfic #fanfiction #txt x reader #txt x y/n #txt x you #txt x fem reader #taehyun txt #taehyun x y/n #taehyun x you #txt taehyun #taehyun x reader #kang taehyun x reader #kang taehyun #taehyun angst #taehyun fluff #taehyun imagines #taehyun

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natriae · 11 months

Text

bonus #2

masterlist

1.4k words

4 years since the end of another chance

"aieee,"

"yeah,aaieee," you giggled at your little girl. Right now instead of eating her food she played with the large diamond ring on your left ring finger. Her eggs were long forgotten as watched the engagement ring in awe. Under it sat a small silver band engraved on the inside with 11/04/12 and then 23/11/25 the days the two of you got together. Ushijima seemed hesitant on adding the original date, but you told him how important that day was for you and it was clear how important that day was for him too.

April 12th, 2011

Ushjima had come to your family's house just as the sun had begun to set and the birds chirped ready for bed. He politely knocked on the door then bowed to your father asking if he could take you on a quick adventure. Believe it or not Ushijima Wakatoshi didn't have the same amount of confidence when it came to your parents as he did on the court. As a 16 year old boy he was still nervous that they wouldn't see him as a good suitor for you. He was more than ecstatic when your dad gave him a small smile and said yes he may. You were far too excited to see him that you had run out of the house without a jacket. You had only noticed when the two of you had walked by Ushijima's house. He quickly climbed into his open window and grabbed the first hoodie he found. His new Shiratorizawa hoodie his mom had gotten for him when he had just got accepted into the school. You giggled watching the tall man try and fit through his tiny window. You knew a little about his mom and how strict she was, but you never realized how much he had risked when he snuck out to see you. Running back he whisked you away from your thoughts by trying to get his hoodie over your head. You giggled attempting to help him. He was like a big puppy not realizing his own strength and aggression until it was too late. Seeing the panicked look on his face, worried he hurt you, you took hold of his hand and swung it a little to get him to lead the way. After walking a bit through a clearing and past a small stream there was a field full of cherry blossoms, your favorite.

"I needed to get you out here now. They're in full bloom." His deep voice rang through your ears. It always shocked you to hear how deep his voice was for how young the two of you are. Without thinking you ran to him and jumped snuggling into his neck. Immediately he wrapped his arms around you and held you up. He didn't lose his balance not even for a second making you fall more in love then you already are. For at least an hour he watched you run around picking flowers and taking pictures of the pretty trees. Making sure to run back to him and have him hold the prettiest ones. At one point, when the clock was hitting 7, he lightly grabbed your wrist before you could run off and get more. You watched his eyes falter a bit before he decided to look down at the flowers in his hand. Looking back up his mouth opened and then closed then did it again. His face got red and he looked around at the scenery again. You watched his chest rise and fall taking a deep breath before putting both of your hands on his face so he faced you.

"Is everything all right 'jima?" you asked. Your bottom lip jutted out and your eyes widened trying to understand what he was thinking about.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked fiddling with the flowers in his hands.

"Of course I will," you said trying to hide the large smile that graced your face.

Present

who would have guessed that 16 years later the two of you would have a happy 14 year old boy and a one year old little girl. The two of you had named her Sakura. Your favorite flower and where Wakatoshi had asked you out. Her name represents the renewal of your relationship and how beautiful it will be. Feeding your little girl you couldn't help but think about how amazing Wakatoshi has been. Right now he was packing with Isa for your family to take a short trip to Japan. It was difficult to convince him that he didn't need to

do all the work in the house, but he wanted to prove to you that he was a good husband especially after the two of you got married.

"the videos resurfaced," His deep booming voice rang through the kitchen as he rolled in a large suitcase.

"of sakusa?" You asked as you tried feeding some more eggs to your daughter. Forgetting about a fork and just using your fingers hoping she would open her mouth and take a bite.

"yeah, his dad's paying for them to be taken down,"

"ugh, rich people are lucky they can do that," you said, shaking your head.

Isa's voice rang through the hallway eavesdropping on your conversation, "aren't we rich though?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. In just four years he's grown up so much. He wore contacts now, has better style, and his hair had gotten so long. It's hard to believe that he's not your baby anymore.

"You will lose your job. I'm not paying for you to keep it," Ushijima's voice responded in a strict tone as he took the luggage into the garage to be packed away into the car. Isa nodded his head following his dad with two smaller suitcases.

After Sakura had eaten most of the eggs you lifted her up and handed her to her father while you cleaned her chair. She looked much more like you then 'jima, but she had his signature hair color making her clearly her father's child. You had gotten pregnant not long after the wedding ceremony…which wasn't surprising considering how many times you asked Wakatoshi to make you a mommy again, and then all the times you chanted it during sex. But onto the more wholesome details Wakatoshi acted exactly how you predicted he would during birth. He held your hand, let you squeeze it till it turned white, he gave you kisses on your forehead while you pushed, he cried when he held his daughter for the first time, he was nervous about holding her worried that his big hands would crush her tiny body, he even would tell her a story every night before bed.

Wakatoshi had reassured you that he would take full care of her when you guys were on the plane. He was like magic and your swore he knew it too. Anytime she would cry the minute he picked her up and snuggled her into his jacket she would immediately settle down. She was being fussy? All Wakatoshi needed to do was brush his thumb over her cheek and she was fine. At one point you were worried your baby had died since you didn't wake up once in the night, but it turned out that Jima was snuggling her as she slept peacefully in between you too. Her small cubby hand wrapped around your husband's pinky.

You really had nothing to worry about. Wakatoshi is the perfect husband, perfect dad, and the best volleyball player. You will shove it into anyone's face who thinks otherwise.

tags: @mineta-phobic @rukia-uchiha-98 @ssc7514 @megumuro

a short little bonus for the next bonus to make more sense

#haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!!#haikyuu fluff #ushijima x reader #ushijima wakatoshi #ushijima headcanons #ushijima fluff #ushijima smut #ushijima fic #ushijima imagine #wakatoshi x reader #wakatoshi fluff #haikyuu wakatoshi #my toshi bear #another chance

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mageofseven · 1 year

Text

Surprise Birth- Diavolo Route

I finally got around to writing this one!

For those who may be new or simply don't remember, I originally wrote a series for most of the Boys where they and MC have a children. After starting that, I was asked to make a version where neither MC nor their lover knew about the pregnancy till MC was giving birth. I did this for all of the Brothers and now I'm doing this for Dia and MC's child.

Unlike with the original birth (which can be found here), MC's pregnancy will be no where as difficult as before and will be much more covert, hence why she doesn't know about it till she gives birth.

Also, just a warning. This Surprise Birth turned out pretty different from the other. I was really struck with inspiration so I added more world building elements to this one than I have the other. I think this was a good addition and I'm very proud of my work, but please tell me what you think!

Lucifer, Mammon, Levi | Satan, Asmo | Beel, Belphie

•▪︎▪︎◇°●♡●°◇▪︎▪︎•

MC remembers it; the night that changed everything. A night where only after it happened did she realize she knew so little about the Devildom, despite calling it her home.

Dia had just bought her a new dress for a party. It wasn't going to be a fun one, according to him. It was one of many the prince had to go to. For royalty, a party is just work under the guise of relaxation and fun. In truth, the man found them to be very draining; that's why he had asked MC to join him. At least he'd be able to spend time with her instead of secretly counting down the clock till he can leave in a polite manner.

Devil, she was nervous, but she was determined to go and support her boyfriend no matter what. And he was so excited too! He had his designer make this beautiful red lace dress. It was long, but with a deeper 'V' than she has ever worn and was cut along one side to show off her whole left leg.

(Btw the way, I love this dress so much! I'm dropping in the pics so you can see too okay bye)

She loved it--except it didn't fit. The woman really didn't realize until that moment that she actually gained weight. With hindsight, the woman wished she would have looked into why she had suddenly gained the weight, but at the time, she had no reason to think it was anything serious. She assumed that she had just been snacking too much lately.

It was so embarrassing for her to admit to her boyfriend that the dress didn't fit. After all, he went through all that trouble to have a dress be designed for her and the amount of grimm he spent on it was probably more than she could make in a lifetime.

Still, Dia didn't care at all. To him, it was such a trivial thing to have his designer make the dress a bit bigger, even though it was last minute, and he didn't care that her stomach bulged out just a little more than before. In his mind, his Queen was still gorgeous; she could weigh double what she weights now and it still wouldn't matter to him.

Diavolo was insanely sweet, as always. Once the new dress came and MC's hair and makeup was all done, the couple headed out to the party at the Abalams' estate.

She remembers being all starry-eyed at the party. Classical music being played by a live orchestra, demons of so many genders and styles wearing the most beautiful clothes (though some wore very little at all; MC thought her dress was a bit revealing, but in truth, her dress looked more conservative in comparison with the other guests' attire), food the human couldn't even identify but was actually excited to try (as long as Dia said they were safe for her to eat).

The woman was so excited...until she noticed all eyes on her. MC didn't know if it was because she was a human attending a party for the demonic elite or if it was because she was attending as the date to the literal demon prince.

Her grip on her boyfriend's arm tighten, causing him to lean in and whisper in her ear.

"My Queen, breathe. And smile. All with be fine."

The woman took a deep breathe like he told her and gave her best attempt at a smile for the other guests.

That's when a woman came into view. She was wearing...something. There wasn't a single thread of cloth on this woman. Instead, she wore an intricate series of metal and gemstones. It hid very little of her body and made a slight jingle with each step, reminding the human of a cat with a bell on their collar. Her long white hair was wrapped in two bun on her head, big enough to cover the pale horns behind them. Somehow, she gave off this air of both fitting in with her environment and contrasting with it.

"Dia!" The woman threw her arms around the prince, who smiled back.

"Lady Abalam, glad to see you're cheerful as always."

Lady Natalona Abalam, as she was then told, was a lust demon and the oldest daughter of Matriarch Abalam, a well respected pride demon.

The Abalams were one of Diavolo's biggest supporters in the Primordial Senate, a group of the oldest families in the Devildom with enough political influence to make the royal family weary.

Not too long ago (by demon standards), the Abalams and the royal family were at odds politically. The Abalams were proud members of the Aldatu faction, a political party within demonic society. They believe change is always beneficial. With change comes chaos and chaos is the path demons have walked since the beginning of time.

Back when Diavolo was growing up, his family was backing the Traditionalist faction, a political party that believed order was not just meant for the Celestial realm and could be used in small does to keep their society in line and to continue following the ways of the Old Ones.

When Diavolo's father fell into his deep slumber though, Dia essentially was given fully reign for his family and his kingdom. Though a stressful change, it was also one where he felt like he could make a real difference and really believed true peace could be brought to the Three Realms, that each race could learn from and understand one another.

Such views were heavily discouraged by the Traditionalists and so he used his authority as prince to change alliances. Honestly, this woman never realized just how much effort he truly put into things. Diavolo did more than build a school and start an exchange program. He fought in the trenches that were his people's politics, gained allies and enemies alike in order to push his people and the people of the other realms into a new age.

MC felt ashamed. How was she only learning all of this now? Yes, most of this work took place long before she was born, but these were still realm altering accomplishments of her boyfriend's and she never knew.

The demon woman pulled back and smiled at MC.

"Awwww, you must be that cute little human he always talks about~."

MC blushed.

"Hi, ya, I guess I am--."

The demoness threw her arms around her.

"You are just too cute!" She gushed. "I could just eat you up~."

The woman broke the hug and stood back.

"Kidding, kidding." She laughed. "Trust me, I am so not my sister."

Diavolo laughed with her before changing the subjects.

"Oh, I heard about the incident. How's your fiancée healing up?"

"Oh she's fine, believe me." The demoness smiled. "Honestly? She bruised her ego way more than anything--shit."

Dia raised an eyebrow.

"Is everything alright?"

The demoness laughed.

"Just...give me a minute please." She said before slipping by the couple and running the fastest she could in her heels towards another demoness who had grabbed one of the waiters by the collar and lifted him from the ground. "V, put him down or so help me!"

Apparently, V was Lady Viviana Uwan; a wrath demon and Lady Abalam's fiancée.

That interaction was one of many that night that taught her what her boyfriend's job really was and gave her a glimpse at Devildom society that she never truly saw.

By the end of the night, MC was overwhelmed with all of the knowledge she had collect. It's scary, in a way, when you realized the place you've loved for so long was more of a stranger to you. Funnily enough, RAD didn't prepare her for the 'real world' here in the Devildom any better than the school in the Human realm prepared her for the 'real world' there.

Not to mention all she's learned about her boyfriend. Like, how is she learning all about his accomplishments from strangers? Why has Dia never told her about any of this?

Noticing the change in his Queen's mood, Dia excused himself from a conversation and led MC out to an empty balcony overlooking a garden.

"Are you getting tired, Sweetheart? You aren't looking too well."

MC shook her head and leaned against the marble railing. She stared out at the garden with this faraway look in her eyes.

"I don't even know the Devildom, do I?" She asked softly. "Do I even know you?"

"What do you mean?" His eyes widened.

He reached out to take her hand, but the human pulled hers away before turning to face him.

"The state of this place is so divided it's deadly." She told him. "Its so different than everything we learn at RAD. Student walk away not even knowing the real status of the realm they study in. We don't even have a political science class to explain the basics of this stuff."

The prince's frown deepen.

"RAD...is suppose to show the students the best of us; especially to the transfer students." He explained. "It's to show that even with our darker side that we are redeemable, that we area capable of peace and understanding."

"Then why hide it from me?" The woman started tearing up. "And why not tell me about all you did to make this possible? The school, the cultural exchange, the societal changes? You treat it all like a small thing that just happened to work in your favor, but you worked for it. For hundreds of years! And I never knew..."

MC had no clue why she was crying and in truth, part of her knew being upset over this stuff was silly, but the woman still couldn't hold it in.

Dia reached out and pulled her into his arms. He rubbed her back as he gave her a minute to just cry in his arms.

"I admit, I'm at a loss for worlds." He kissed her head. "I'm sorry that this has been an overwhelming night for you. We'll head home now."

MC pulled back and wiped her face with her hand. She started to nodded in response before noticing movement in the corner of her eyes. When she tried focusing on it, her head was overwhelmed with a sharp pain. She close her eyes and raised a hand to her head.

"What is it? Sweetheart?"

MC just shook her head.

"Nothing, I... I saw something thing over there."

Dia turned around to see what his girlfriend was talking about and the next things the human knew, he was pushing her inside the building.

And then she heard an explosion.

MC opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and bouncing around. She hear ringing in her ears and, seemingly in the distance, heard screaming.

It took her a minute to realize she was being carried. She heard Dia, who also sounded far away, to close her eyes, to not look at 'them'.

Then she passed out once again.

After that, MC remembers waking up in Dia's bed. Her brain was fuzzy at first, but she slowly started to remember the party. Body aching, the human started to slip out of bed, but stopped when the bedroom door starting opening.

Barbatos came in with a silver tray filled with food.

"Ah, I figured you'd be awake." The butler smiled his usual smile.

"Where Dia? What happen--"

"My lord is finishing up some business. I'll let him know you've awaken, but first, you must eat."

Thats when the human learned she had been unconscious for the past 36hrs. The party had been attacked, but both herself and Diavolo were okay.

Later, she learned from Dia that the attack at the party was led by the Traditionalists...and their target was MC herself.

The Aldatu viewed MC as a pleasant curiosity. The Traditionalists, however, viewed her as a symbol of everything that has gone wrong in their realm.

No where was safe for the human; even if Diavolo sent her home to the Human realm, these demons would just track her down. All Dia could do for his girlfriend was lockdown the castle, armor the building up with wards and defenses, and prepare for civil war.

And that's how MC's months of isolation began. Her boyfriend was out leading armies. Lucifer and his brothers were out fighting a new war...and the woman felt like it was all her fault.

MC spent her isolation deep in depression. She felt like all she did was eat and sleep so when she gained weight, she blamed herself for that too.

Some days she was so worried sick about her boyfriend and the brothers that she'd find herself in the bathroom, puking.

Occasionally Barbatos would come check on her and ease the pain in her heart just a bit, but mostly it was just herself and the occasional Little D in the fortified castle for months on end.

Eventually, an end did come for MC, but by the devil was it a painful one.

After months of isolation and weight gain, the woman start having these horrible cramps. The Little Ds didn't know how to help her, but promised to send word to Barbatos so he could instruct them on the matter.

Twelve hours of this pain came and went. The woman was leaning against the post of the bed, heavily sobbing and praying to universe that if she has to died, just do it. End her suffering because that's all she wanted at this point.

A pool of blood was under her feet her feet and half a baby was hanging out below her, but she couldn't recognize anything over the pain she felt.

She didn't even hear the door open.

After months of war, Diavolo was home. Barb told him that he had gotten a message from the Little Ds that MC wasn't feeling well so he rushed to his room and practically slammed open the door, just to find his girlfriend bent over the bed, blood dripping down her legs, and a baby hanging between them.

"MC!" Dia rushed to her side just in time to catch her as she fell, her vision going black.

She saw a glimpse of her boyfriend before the darkness came and before she slipped away, the human felt some peace.

He's okay. He came back to me.

Diavolo sat out in the hallway, head in his hands. Barbatos had brought him a chair to wait in over an hour ago and he's been here ever since. He had one doctor in his room with MC and another in the room down the hall, tending to his son.

His son. In any other situation, this man would be downright overjoyed right now. He's a father. He has a child with the woman he loves more than his own existence. But everything is wrong.

He fought a war to keep her safe, but in the end, he also neglected her. He didn't know she was pregnant. Devil, there's so much he would have done if he had just known. Instead, his Queen suffered for months her own and as she birthed his son, the baby's overdeveloped horns cut through her. His son could have killed her just as easily as the extremists that originally targeted her. If he had been a bit slower returning home, what would have happened to his Sweetheart?

Honestly, Diavolo has never loathed himself more in his entire life than he did right now. MC is the most precious being to him in all three realms. How could he have let this happen?

MC's doctor came out to let the prince know that his girlfriend was stable. He gave Dia a list of potions and salves that needed to be given to her twice a day for the next few weeks at minimum, but otherwise she should make a full recovery.

Dia thanked the doctor before rushing into the room, finding his beloved awake, but incredibly pale from all of the blood loss she suffered.

"Dia?" The woman spoke tiredly, still seeming a bit out of it. "What happened?"

Diavolo knelt at the side of the bed and took her hand in his, pressing them against his heart.

"You had my child." He said, broken hearted. "I'm so sorry I didn't know."

"I...what?" Her eyes widen. "I thought I was dying."

You could have.

That thought crushed the man. The prince laid his head on the human's torso and silently cried.

"Sweetie..." MC took her other hand and stroked his red hair. "It's okay; I'm okay."

But you almost weren't.

Instead of speaking that thought, the demon just shook his head.

"I almost lost you..." The demon raised his head. "But never again, I swear to you that I will never leave your side again."

He gave her a gentle kiss.

"I...I want to be with you forever," He said softly. "Or however long this life will give you to me. And I want to dedicate myself to you in every way I can."

Dia took both her hands in his and stared down into her eyes.

"My Queen...please marry me."

MC just stared in disbelief.

"You would marry me? Even though I'm human..."

"Why would you say that? I've never had an issue with your humanity."

"But other demons have." She reminded him. "You literally went to war because of me."

"And I'd do it again," He placed a hand on their cheek. "Because nothing and no one is more important to me than you."

Tears streaked down MC's face.

"Do...do you mean it?"

"With every ounce of my being."

The woman sniffled before nodding.

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

The two cried together as they kissed and held each other.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door followed by it being opened.

"Pardon the intrusion." The butler smiled. "But I assumed you two would be ready for him."

The man stepped inside, holding the baby swaddled in a soft red blanket

Dia grinned the biggest smile of his life.

"Of course!" His eyes darted to MC before softening. "Let my future wife hold him first."

"My, so much has changed here in the castle so fast." Barbatos remarked as he walked over and carefully laid the babe in his mother's arms. "Congratulations, my lord and lady."

MC stared down at her son, feeling so much disbelief but even more love. She didn't know...she had no clue she was going to be a mother, but as she met her son's eyes, ones he shared with his father, the human couldn't help but be so incredibly grateful that things ended up the way they did.

The two named their son Ashur.

#obey me #obey me otome #obey me diavolo #UnDateables' children

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otomes-world · 1 year

Text

Infatuation

I don`t know why and for what reason, but I wanted to write something for Rook, so here we are. 27.“I didn’t ask you to do that” “You didn’t have to”

Studying in one of the most successful educational institutions definitely had its advantages. At least it gave more chances for a stable future. You were guided by this and a couple of other personal reasons, while submitting documents and subsequently preparing for admission here.

Night Raven College was famous for its centuries-old traditions. Moreover, it had a separate building for technomages. So why they did not bother to modernize the method of transporting students? You thought, rubbing your temples and holding back your dizziness. The body still remembered fear and surprise. It wasn't every day that a carriage hits you. It wasn't every day that you reacquaint yourself with the world leaving the coffin.

It wasn't every day you see a classic boring entrance ceremony interrupted by a sea of fire and a talking cat. Especially the talking cat.

Is it too late to pick up the documents and choose a quieter place?

No, you shook your head. You could drop out hundred more times, so you can at least try.

A few months later, you were ready to use the time machine to go back to the past, purely to choke yourself for these thoughts. Is it not exist? So, you had to invent it and then implement your plan.

Let be damned day when you decided to speak up and out of the goodness of your heart to help Yuu. You were a little pitiful for a newbie who was shoved into a crumbling building, bombarded with various assignments, and who just got hit in the head for being friends with Ace and Deuce.

You knew firsthand about the first years of Heartslabyul. Fortunately, one day you saw how they smashed an expensive candelabra. You just passed by and, seeing Trappola flying through the entire room, you immediately escaped from the scene of the incident. Getting under the director's hot hand was not on your list of plans.

Just as the attention of one annoying person did not fit into your future.

His sudden interest might have been flattering, but, alas, you were sensible in assessing your own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, you could not logically and rationally find the reason for the appearance of Hunt in your student life. Listening to rumors and just looking at him, you doubted whether he was familiar with these concepts.

However, again, you couldn't call him crazy. He was eccentric, but far from being an idiot. At the right moments, his head worked as it should and more often than you would prefer.

One-sided verbal skirmishes - you won't call this dialogue - from a certain point became an integral part of passtime. It was even admirable.

More precisely, you admired how he won this "part". He was almost the very first to greet you every now and then. If he did not come to wish you a good day in person, then in some unknown way a note was always found in your bag, doing this for him. After weighing the pros and cons, you just gave him your phone number. You'd rather let him text you than scare the hell out of you by sending arrows. Real arrows.

"Bonne journée, the light of my eyes!" You stopped, silently cursing your own luck or lack of it. You glanced over your shoulder and went back to sorting the printouts. "All at work despite the early hour. I would be honored to share your burden-"

"I didn't ask you to do so", you interrupted him, mentally adding 'and I won't ever ask'.

However, this did not stop him, because in the next moment he was already standing next to you with unchanging, so annoying smile. Looking at how quickly he gets the job done - much faster and more accurate than you - you couldn't help but sigh.

From fatigue? Or envy?

You couldn't define exactly what you felt at that moment. It was just easier with Rook to give up and let him do whatever he liked. Of course, as long as he didn't cross the line. You were looking forward to him making a mistake, a reckless move, but they don't appoint just anyone as Pomefiore's vice-leader. He played on the nerves, but never allowed himself too much.

He was exactly like image you drew in your head: based on your own and other people's opinions. However, every day it became more and more difficult to deny the fact that the idea of him was slowly changing. As well as your attitude towards him.

That's why you allowed yourself to join the game, that he led so diligently. Not long, just a little bit. Moreover, the blonde, humming to himself and clearly enjoying your company, did not need to know about this.

#twisted wonderland #tenshi talk #twst #twst oneshot #twst fic #disney twisted wonderland #rook hunt #twst rook #twisted wonderland x reader #twst rook x reader #rook hunt x reader #pomefiore

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aladaylessecondblog · 4 months

Text

the final threshold (enver gortash x good tav)

TW: Sex, oral, Tav feels guilty and is hearing Astarion and Halsin's voices.

Hope you enjoy this, I'm up way too late posting it

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

Tav was thankful to change out of the bridal gown and into something less restrictive, though with it came the downside of being told she would be at Gortash's side for most of the reception.

As the only one close enough to hear them closely was a Steel Watcher, as she held to his arm and waved at a cheering crowd of commoners, she spoke to him through a false smile. "How they don't see through this is a mystery to me."

Through an equally false smile did Gortash's reply come, "The people see what they want to see. And what they want to see right now is us enjoying ourselves."

She couldn't say he was wrong, as they turned from the balcony and walked back into the fortress.

The clanking sounds of the Steel Watcher echoed in the hall as it followed behind them.

"You'll find," he went on, "That they are easy to fool in that way."

"I know what your plan was, and I've seen the posters of your smirking face all over Rivington," Tav replied, "And I've heard them sing your praises from one end of the city to the other."

"And yours, of course. Naturally one hero would enjoy the company of another."

As they neared the door to the reception hall, he lay a hand over the one of hers that was on his arm.

"You're doing admirably, my dear. Simply keep pretending to be the happy, blushing bride a little while longer. Then you can drop the pretense."

Stop being polite, she thought, Be the bastard I know you are. That will make this easier.

The doors opened for them, and Tav took a deep breath as she followed him in.

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

Tav barely had time to eat before the dancing began. Her first had been with Gortash, and while he sat down to eat, the next was with Wyll.

"Karlach's already left, in case you were looking for her," he said quietly as they moved in a slow circle, "She tried to put up with it, but...you know her. To see you even pretending to be happy about this, with him..."

"I know. Where did you say she was going? I believe Gortash mentioned Moonrise Towers?"

"It seemed fitting," Wyll replied with a slight shrug, "At least, that's what he told me. Her own fortress, her own property, as a sort of...consolation prize. Jaheira...well, she's not happy about this little alliance of ours, but she trusts Karlach, so...they're going to lead a little troop of tieflings and refugees back there to build it into something 'special' again."

"She's gone too." Tav kept her face neutral but asked, "Am I going to lose all of you?"

"It looks like it. Gale is planning to go with them...Minsc, well, where Jaheira goes now, he follows." Another few turns and he added, "At least I won't be too far away."

"Yes, but--" she took in a shaky breath. "I had hoped at least one of you would...would stay. I mean, I have Scratch and the owlbear, but..."

"It can't be today," Wyll replied in a low tone as the dance ended, "But if he mistreats you, if you want out...merely send a letter mentioning the grave we dug for Astarion and Halsin."

She thanked him for his concern, and was able to sit out the next dance. Unfortunately, it was done sitting beside Gortash.

"I don't see any of your friends here besides the Grand Duke," he said quietly, after draining half a glass of wine, "Whatever happened to them?"

"They've already left," Tav replied evenly, sipping at her own glass. "Karlach is not best pleased by all this, as I'm sure you understand."

"Of course. And the rest?"

"Are going with her."

"A pity." He gave a small sound in his throat almost like a laugh and set his glass back down. "Her I could understand, but the rest...I thought surely their concern for you might outweigh their dislike of me."

Tav did not reply, and finished her glass.

The dance they were watching concluded; Gortash stood and extended his hand to her for the next.

"We have a crowd to please, my dear," he said in a tone slightly louder than normal, "It seems we must make ourselves a display once again."

She didn't want to, but she took his hand and moved onto the dance floor once again.

"You don't have to keep doing that," not meeting his eyes as she whispered, "Stop--pretending to be so--"

"Nice? Polite? ...charming?" Gortash gave a little smirk and leaned momentarily close enough to make a whisper of his own against her ear. "Can't a man enjoy his bride?"

Then he drew back.

"You'll be taking enough from me tonight as it is--" Tav started, but went quiet as they moved too near another couple.

"You wound me, Tav," he went on, "Really, now, what kind of monster do you think I am?"

"Do you want the reasons in the order they happened, or alphabetically?"

"Please," Gortash huffed and moved back to raise his arm and spin her in a slow circle before coming forward again, "You are far too valuable to mistreat, and you've taken care of more than a few problems for me. You are grieving a loss, but..."

"Do NOT," Tav seethed as quietly as possible, "Ever. Mention that to me again."

The dance ended soon after, and she pasted a smile back on.

"The point, my lady," Gortash brought one of her hands up to press a kiss to her fingers, and met her eyes as he did it, "You have nothing to fear from me."

She would almost have preferred if she did.

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

In a similar vein did the rest of the reception pass away. At some point, however, Gortash lead her away amidst a few jokes about drow from his titled noblemen.

Tav ignored them, and was silent all the way back to what she assumed would be their quarters. An opulent and almost gaudy room, full of silks and expensive furnishings and quite possibly the largest bed she'd ever seen.

Stay calm. This will be the easy part...you just have to ignore who you're doing it with.

"Your room is through that door," Gortash gestured to a door on the far side of the room, "You'll find your new wardrobe already settled in it, along with...the rest of your belongings."

Then he moved towards a desk on the other side of the bed.

"I suppose once I've changed you will--take your rights?"

"We've no need for that," he said, already taking a seat, "At least not tonight. It's not as if anyone is going to demand a bloody sheet...not that we could provide one."

"You are the first man I've ever met that wasn't eager to get to it," Tav walked to the other side of the bed, the side nearest the desk, and leaned back against the overlarge comforter. "Most men would jump at the chance."

"And you call ME arrogant," Gortash replied. He seemed to be flipping through papers and sketches--Tav recognized a few blueprints as Steel Watchers. "Men like me do not have time to indulge overmuch in carnal pleasures."

"Do you not like women?"

"Of course I do, I simply have not the obsession with sex that other men do. If I had a preference for men," he spoke shortly as he flipped over one blueprint for another, "You and I would have a very different sort of arrangement right now."

"I wouldn't have agreed to be your broodmare."

"But you would have for men far less suited to fatherhood."

"They would have been wonderful--"

It was a knife in her heart, to confront her with the idea. Tav stumbled over the sentence and let it trail off as the thought and the images of Astarion and Halsin cascaded through her mind. Perhaps a temporary look of fear in Astarion's eyes, to be replaced by a smug surety, and Oh, my dear, of COURSE a seed of mine has taken root.

Then Halsin came to mind.

Cubs, my heart? What wonderful news!.

Tav shut her eyes and gulped at the thought, only glad that Gortash hadn't noticed. She wanted the images to stop, the voices to go away. She wanted silence again.

And she could think of only one way to do that right now.

"If you change your mind," she said, "I--you know where to find me."

He didn't respond, and despite everything it grated at her. Was she not worth even looking at, now he had what he wanted? Perhaps now he had her alone, he could stop pretending he actually wanted this as well. She was only there as a tool, after all, a part of his plan to continue ruling over Baldur's Gate. The blessed lady to do the charity he had no desire to involve himself in. Eventually he would need an heir, and perhaps THEN--

If I am going to be stuck with this horrible man I have to at least make him want me.

She hated Gortash, hated all that he was and did, but she hated the idea of being alone even more. Being alone meant quiet, and quiet meant that thoughts of her two loves would drift in. And that--

Darling, you can't pine over us forever, Astarion's voice seemed to sound off in Tav's head as she retreated to her room. I know I'm worth remembering, but you never smile when you think of me now.

Nor I. It is the way of nature to take after giving. Let us go, Halsin's voice echoed soon after. Let us go, thrive, and make good from all the bad you find yourself surrounded with. As you always do.

Her own room was smaller, if a little less richly decorated than Gortash's. There were spiderlike touches in the curtains of the bed and one of the rugs, and everything in general seemed to have a darker tone. Someone had been told to do some work, clearly, and had probably heard "drow" and gone off that alone.

"M'lady?"

The voice belonged to a maid who appeared to be dusting the desk in the corner. A chubby dwarf woman, who gave a quick bow when Tav looked at her.

"And--who are you?"

"Berlina, m'lady," the woman said, "Your chambermaid. His lordship wanted things made ready for you, and I was handling that, only I didn't--expect you would be here so early. That is, I thought you would be...busy."

"His lordship is tired out from the day," Tav said, inwardly hating how easy it was to slip into this role, "If you're not done cleaning, that's fine, I have spent long enough on the road that anything is cleaner than a tent."

"If you'd like a bath, one's being drawn now."

The second she was able, she went right to the bath, whereupon she cleaned up and tried not to relax too much.

Imagine the trouble we could get into here...

I would never feel comfortable here. Give me a river and a bar of soap, I need no tub but what nature provides.

Again, the voices, and again, the stab of pain. Tav sucked in a sharp breath and tried not to focus on them as she washed up. She looked instead at the advancing loss of her dark skin...it had stopped when she hit adulthood, but since the tadpole got into her head there had been an additional loss of color around her hands. The fingers of her left hand had lost their color entirely, where before there had been at least some drow-dark skin and her thumb had been wholly so.

On her legs, her stomach, even her face, the spreading loss was obvious.

Your skin is beautiful, my heart.

Our patchwork doll, Astarion's voice followed up. It only showed the world that the bear and I had something special.

"Just leave me be," Tav said quietly, rubbing her eyes, "Why do you haunt me still?"

Because you will not let us go.

She finished bathing and dried off. The moment she had fastened the belt of the robe she'd grabbed Berlina reappeared.

"M'lady, I'm sorry to bother you, but--"

"Is something wrong?"

"Well, no," she said, "Only, his lordship--ah--has requested your company."

That didn't take long. Perhaps he realized what he was missing, turning you down.

Tav took a deep breath and crossed her bedroom to walk back into Gortash's, though she half expected this to be a ruse for...something, she wasn't sure what. She kept one hand behind her back as she walked back in, ready to cast a spell...just in case. No armor, and nothing but the robe and the choker with the netherstone. She felt more bare than she actually was...

Gortash was no longer at the desk in his full and regular armor, or robe, or whatever it had been. He was on the other side of the bed, leaning back against it as she had done.

Only now, he wasn't in his usual robe.

Just a pair of black trousers.

(She hated the stirring thought that the sight of his bare chest gave.)

"You changed your mind," Tav said flatly, "One might wonder why."

She refused to look at him, but walked slowly forward.

"One might wonder why all the fools of this city are not as...compliant...as you. Perhaps I simply needed a reminder of that in the form of...well, it's not your concern, really." There was a definite smugness in Gortash's tone, "Do you so eagerly offer yourself up to every man you meet? Should I be worried that my new wife will consider a career at Sharess's Caress?"

"I made vows. I intend to keep them."

There was a pause. Gortash seemed to be waiting for something.

"Do as you wish," Tav finally said, "So long as I don't have to look you in the eye."

"Drop the robe."

His tone was not especially cruel, but definitely meant to remind her which of them was in charge. He'd said he wouldn't mistreat her, so why--?

He's one of THOSE types, she realized. I can work with this.

Tav untied the belt of her robe and shrugged it off. The fabric pooled at her feet, leaving her now wearing only the velvet necklace that held the netherstone. The look of appraisal was followed soon after by a wicked grin.

When she stepped forward again, Gortash's hands came up and pulled her close against him, directly into a heated kiss--

The bridge is crossed, the thought came. You can't go back now.

Tav returned the kiss somewhat gingerly, moving her hands up to his shoulders as the taste of the wine they'd both drunk crossed her tongue once again. He raised his hands to the back of her head, keeping her in place as his tongue pushed past her lips, tangling--

He broke the kiss just as she was about to, let them both breathe, and moved in again.

It was more fervent this time, and repeated when she broke for air again, and then the third time too. When she pulled back a fourth time he smirked against her lips, "I wonder what else that mouth can do?"

"Whatever you want it to do," Tav said quietly, "Or did you call me in here just to admire the thing you put your name on?"

Oh, very good, kitten...

"I remain shocked," Gortash growled, but not in an angry way, as his hands moved down to her hips and squeezed tightly at her ass, "That you weren't already working at Sharess's Caress."

She was pulled closer still, and at this point if she had remained unconvinced he preferred women, the bulge in his trousers would have done the job.

"They've already got a couple drow anyway."

Be witty. Be compliant, but resist just slightly, to keep him wanting. Make him happy, and you'll have the only friend that matters in this wretched city.

The dominant is dominant for a reason, after all.

"Kneel," he said suddenly, "And show me why I've made a good choice."

As she obeyed his hands were back up. As she shifted to get into a comfortable position there was the sound of his belt, which dropped to the floor soon after. The trousers lowered just enough--

"How long are you going to make me wait?" she asked.

Gortash silenced her a moment later by pressing the tip of his cock to her lips. One hand, the hand with his glove, moved to the back of her head and gripped--but not painfully--at her hair.

Tav hesitated only a moment. Then she wrapped her lips around the tip and slowly moved her head down until she'd taken all of him. He moaned softly, and as she started to move he didn't seem to feel the need to do anything more.

"Ahh, yes, good," he groaned, "We are going to be quite happy...I can see that\."

(She hated--hated, hated--how wet she already was.)

Tav groaned around his cock and began to bob her head more quickly. He groaned and his fingers tightened, bringing with them a slight sting in the back of her head. She expected him to make some quip about how she must have done this for someone else--but he didn't.

She pulled back, teased at the underside of his cock's head with her tongue, and was rewarded with another groan. Then she moved back down again, but more slowly than before.

"So--eager--"

When she'd taken all of him, her nose pressed firmly against his lower abdomen, she heard something else. Something low, a whisper she was obviously not meant to hear.

"Gods..."

The grip in her hair turned to iron, and Tav would have smirked had her mouth not been otherwise occupied. A moment later, he started moving against her head, not letting her do the work any longer.

"You are...a talented woman...aren't you?"

Tav couldn't answer.

"I wonder what those companions of yours would say if they could see you now," Gortash's voice was less shaky here. More certain, more devious. "On your knees...for ME."

Another pause, a pull back that let her breathe, that let a dangling string of pre hang in the barest distance between her lips and the tip of his cock.

"They would think you'd made me do it."

"Perhaps. But I'm not making you do any of this." He paused and started speaking again, punctuating each word with another thrust. "Yet. here. we. ARE."

Tav thought he would keep going, and brought her tongue up as best she could, hoping to have him finish now from its caresses over him. But as he pulsed in her mouth, the very second she thought he would finish--

Gortash pulled back, exposing his by now well-sucked cock to the open air.

She breathed hard for a few moments.

"Up--" he demanded quickly, "--now."

Tav stood, then found herself suddenly turned and pressed against the edge of the bed. A slight lift and now she was seated on it. He spread her legs, brought his other hand forward--

Do it quickly. I want to be senseless. I want to--

For just a moment there was a sensation of horror.

You want to forget us, my pet?

The first stroke of his fingers found her wet and ready, and she loathed how good they felt against her. The first moan she could suppress easily, but when in his slow exploration he brushed over her clit--

--her body jerked involutarily, and the moan would not be held back so easily.

"Mmm," Gortash gave a dark chuckle against her jaw as his fingertips pressed against the spot again, "So that's where it is."

A firmer touch now, a press down, and Tav choked back a groan he still half-heard, as well as a sudden sharp breath he definitely did.

"Already willing," he said, stroking steadily now, whispering in her ear with his five o' clock shadowed cheek pressed against her smooth one, "Already eager. How long have you wanted this?"

"Stop--teasing--"

"That's half the fun," he replied, seeming amused at how tightly Tav was gripping the sheets beneath her. "And if you hadn't done your job so well, perhaps I'd indulge in it more."

Those fingers, those devilish fingers, he pushed them forward, knuckle-deep, in one swift movement.

"Oh..." Tav didn't even bother trying to hold back the moan then.

(For a moment...just a moment, the pleasure blocked out all the unpleasantness that threatened to drown her mind)

"Tell me...you want it," Gortash whispered slowly, "Or is this all an act?"

Back his hand came, leaving her empty--empty, and infuriatingly needy. She hated him and craved him by turns.

"I've changed my mind," he said, pressing closer, his cock not an inch away from thrusting inside her, "This is the moment that makes me ask what they would think."

Gortash gave her no time to reply. A breath later he thrust forward, and Tav let out a moan that would make the brothels proud. Then a whimper at his size, the way his cock stretched her.

(She'd taken bigger, why was he--)

It was overwhelming, the sudden rush of pleasure, and it only grew as he began to thrust in earnest. She let herself fall back and look up at him in a haze of lusty heat, almost welcomed the touch of his hands on her breasts, the hard thrust that practically took her breath away.

Harder, she thought, Take the pain away. Make the voices leave me be.

As if he'd heard her, Gortash started to move more quickly.

"Gods--"

It was her who said it this time, but she couldn't even try to keep it quiet.

(The voices were finally gone)

Tav felt the end leap and then fall away suddenly. A moment later Gortash's hands were on either side of her head and he'd come down, his chest pressed close against hers; his lips hovering and ghosting his breath hotly over her neck. She crossed her legs behind him, feeling both the growing tenseness and a growing dread.

This is going to make it real. This is the point of no return.

The thought was momentarily chilling.

If you let him do it--

After a sudden, unbearable plateauing of the ecstasy, it broke all at once. She called out--shuddered beneath him as the fire seized her, brought her to that fine point of the seat of lust for a glorious five or six seconds, and then let her fall away again.

He'd started to move back, but Tav tightened the grip of her legs around him--he gave a sudden strangled groan and then his whole body jerked.

It was over.

They lay there together, breathing hard for a minute or two before Gortah stood back up and withdrew from her.

Tav couldn't make herself look at him, was glad he didn't seem interested in making her.

You let him spill inside you. You can't go back now.

"Well," he mused in a tired voice that sounded nevertheless highly pleased, "If that is what my lady brings to the table, she shall find her lord an eager lover indeed."

What would they think of you now, if they saw you? They'd be disgusted with you, as they should be, she thought.

"Come now, my lady," Gortash said, "We should get some rest. I believe we've had enough excitement for one day. But...do be sure and let me know if you'd like any more."

Gods, I hate you, Tav thought, but when a stab of guilt pierced her mind, she could only add, But I think I hate myself more.

#gortash just like needed a minute to wind down before getting it on #tav is hearing two voices right now #she has an extremely guilty conscience #enver gortash #gortash x tav #gortash bg3 #bg3 gortash #tav x gortash #bg3 tav #drow tav #vitiligo #vitiligo drow tav #bg3 #bg3 smut

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