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gillianthecat · 11 months

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thoughts while watching Happy Merry Ending (episodes 7-8)

Episode 7:

Oh darling. On the one hand I as a viewer am glad you're pushing this seme away. On the other, my heart is breaking for you that it's because you don't think it's safe to be loved, and that someone would only want you out of pity. You say that he and your abuser are the same, but not for the same reasons I think so. I see stalker parallels; you see that falling in love puts you in danger.

But Jae Hyeon, to his credit, is not actual an abusive stalker, merely an eager seme thrust into the wrong story. And so he listens with a breaking heart and stays away.

Yay! They're letting Seung Jun have personal growth and be courageous on his own! Writing songs. Finding his own voice again. Walking in to strange studios. (It seems for now at least they're prioritizing healing journey over seme-uke romance.)

And Chun Wu escaped too! I'm lying here literally grinning with tears in my eyes. And the CEO has been taken down! I don't even mind that it all happened off screen, because his defeat wasn't the important part. Seung Jun's healing is, and that's what we get to see.

This feels like the final episode? But Viki lists 10? And world-of-bl lists 8? I confused. Guess I'll find out as I go. (Speaking of things that confuse me, I guess Yeon Oh is a stage name?)

Oh Ho Yeon. You are a good egg and a selfless friend. Your smile when your coworker teased you about "your lover." So pleased and rueful. And his non-confession. "Buy me dinner sometime." What a line! Too ambitious for this clueless, and probably still insecure, man to get. Especially since he's being forced by genre conventions to love an overbearing stranger. But there was so much hope and resignation in it. Your eyes. As they sat on the dock I too had a flash of hope for real love to flourish, but it was soon whisked away. And Ho Yeon, because he most wants you to be healthy and happy, tells you to go get what the uke parasite that has taken over your body demands you want.

But seriously, how can they make Ho Yeon keep getting better and better as a character and not make him endgame. And they cast the hottest man in the show to play him? Who can also act and I'm pretty sure carry the lead. And they have 10x the chemistry with each other. It feels like different ends of the production team we're working at cross purposes.

(Secretly still holding out hope for my episode 11 dreams to manifest.)

Aw he waits in the cafe all day. I've said this before, but i feel like this actor is really good and the nuances of Seung Jun's emotions and the complexity of his layers. It's clear without being overdone. Also I like his voice! (I'm assuming it's actually his.) And the world created in the show also feels grounded, not overly flashy but real. I would buy that as a real television studio. The coffee shop and surf paddle board place seems like they exist. They probably don't have a huge budget, but it doesn't feel made on the cheap.

He took off his sunglasses at the end! He dared to expose himself to being seen! And he smiled his lovely smile!

Episode 8

I guess 7 wasn't the final episode after all. That one was dedicated to Seung Jun's healing himself, this one will be dedicated to reunion. (I can't imagine that 9 and 10 are real though, what would be left? Surely they won't drag reunion out for that long. Maybe it's to show the real ending of Seung Jun finally falling for Ho Yeon. Probably just interviews and bts stuff.)

Though the multiple question marks after the episode title "Happy Merry Ending?!?!" have me worried/intrigued lol

Ok I'm gonna try and watch this as a bottle episode, disconnected from everything that came be for and everything I know about the characters. Because I expect as simple reunion story, about two lovers forced apart finding each other again, it could be quite sweet.

Jae Hyeon is trying to move on with his life but is stuck in sadness :-( He decides to close down the coffee shop and now it's his turn to drift.

And dramatic reveal! He finds out that the love of his life has become a singer and hears him dedicate a song to him. Time to run to your man!

And Ho Yeon to the rescue to let him in, winning millions of hearts world wide while continuing to break his own.

The adoration on Jae Hyeon's face as he watches Seung Jun sing. The song dedicated to him. About how he inspired Seung Jun to regain his courage. (But I'm confused it doesn't seem like SJ notices him in the room?)

Ah, he did see him, but was being professional about it. Now they take turns running to each other! I'm enjoying seeing Jae Hyeon be one nervous about his whether he's wanted, and Seung Hyeon be the pursuer. That feels like a necessary balance.

And so they walk in a beautiful park, and hold hands. They have adorable domesticity, and now I can see their chemistry. Seung Jun is comfortably himself again, and Jae Hyun remains enamored. I do feel thrilled for Seung Jun that he gets to have the joyful safe heathy love he thought he could never be allowed. I was right; viewed in isolation this episode is sweet.

(If only i understood why they fell in love in the first place, or at least felt like I saw it happen instead of just being declared to have happened, lines like "let's never be apart again" would have emotional resonance to me. And the intentional call back to that opening shot of Ho Yeon in Seung Jun's bed would make me feel glad that SJ found his love instead of sad for Ho Yeon's broken heart and for the better version of the story we were robbed of.

Seung Jun looks so hot in that white suit oh my god. It was a good production choice to have him in that ill-fitting, too tight black suit at the beginning, when he's hiding and uncomfortable in his own skin. Yet another detail that made this world and these characters feel complete.

Ok but this scene in the wedding hall is actually wonderful. Seung Jun walking slowly down the aisle of plants with that beautiful smile on his face. Jae Hyeok realizing his dream of singing on stage to the man he loves. (And of course he too has a gorgeous voice when he's not pretending to be a rank beginner. I assume this actor is also an idol?)

yeah and of course you can't resist kissing him after that romantic stunt. Even I was crying out for Seung Jun to march over there and grab him. (Also the actor conveyed his overwhelming love and desire very well. I continue to stan.) And this kiss was better executed, lol.

Episode 9

Well. I pressed play. Let's see what it is. Everything felt pretty neatly tied up though, so it's hard to imagine more story. But it seems like the same kind of opening credits? (At this point it's hard for me to even advocate for them to break up and Seung Jun to end up with beautiful pining Ho Yeon, because Seung Jun seems so blissful in his new life.)

Ah yes. They're just interviews and bts footage. Which I may watch someday because curious about a lot of the choices made, but I want to marinate in the show itself for a while first.

So. Despite everything, I think I loved this show. Like, my instinct is to rate it a 9.5 out of 10. There were a few serious flaws in structure, but I think even though I never was convinced by them falling in love, the end convinced me that they were in love. Because of that, and because it was really more about Seung Jun's journey, I wouldn't necessarily call it a BL. The prices fit oddly, but not of them were beautiful and grounded and real. And it turns out that is more salient to my feelings about the whole thing.

#happy merry ending #gillianthecat reacts to bl #kind of like liveblogging

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rommahh · 3 years

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I Carry Your Heart

Harry Styles x Reader

Word Count: 4k

{Ahhhh ok so this is my first work like ever. There will definitely be a second part because ive got more to say and it needs a second part. I hope whoever sees and reads this imagine enjoys it. I appreciate comments, likes, reblogs, ideas on what could go into the story, and any form of help and redirection as to how i should write things. Much love, R.}.

Part two

All Y/N wanted tonight was to hang out with her boyfriend, eat a mass amount of junk food, and watch a marvel movie or two. That was all she wanted and that was all she asked of her boyfriend. Instead of any of that happening, she found herself sitting on the nasty kitchen island of her boyfriend's frat at a party that she was trying to avoid going to.

This party was supposedly ‘the party of the year.’ The last rager before finals and then christmas break. Y/N had spent the whole week studying and finishing up end of semester projects hence the want for a chill night. When Harry came to her saying his frat was throwing a party tonight and that he just HAD to be here, Y/N didn't feel like she had a choice but to let him go. She came because she thought this would be the only time she would be able to have some time with Harry after a long week of barely seeing each other. With two vastly different majors, the couple wasnt able to find a lot of time in the middle of school work to make time for just the two of them. Obviously her hopes of quality time with her man were futile because here she was sitting by herself in the kitchen of the frat while Harry drank and got high with his friends in other parts of the house.

Of course she was disappointed. She felt a knot in her throat and a weight on her chest just sitting there in that kitchen. Her white claw was warm now- not that it was any cold when she opened it. She was starting to form a small headache from the too loud music and the ache in her heart was growing.

She stood from the countertop on the search for her boyfriend, hoping he wasn't too far gone from sober. Wiping the back of her jeans from anything that was left on the island, she began walking around the house. She doesn't remember the last time the two of them spent time together by themselves. Of course they occasionally ate dinner together in the dining hall but they were normally surrounded by friends. Y/N wanted to be alone with her boyfriend to talk and bask in his presence.

After pushing through groups of partying humans, she found Harry and at least ten other people sitting around playing some sort of drinking game.

“Y/N! Where have you been?” Luca, one of Harry's frat brothers yelled out to her from the circle. Luca was cool, he was one of the only tolerable boys in this frat aside from Harry. Hearing his girlfriend's name, Harry turned around from where he sat on the ground and reached out for his girlfriend to sit beside him. Much to Y/N’s dismay, Harry was wasted. His eyes were half mass and his words bumped and slurred together. “We are playing truth or dare, wanna play?” Luca asked.

“I don't wanna play but Ill sit and watch.” Sitting next to her boyfriend, she grabbed one of his hands holding it in her lap. She was annoyed at him but it did her no good to show it when he was this drunk.

This game of truth or dare was childish. Dares of licking people's shoes and taking multiple shots had been done and truths about money and relationships were being spilled among the group. It had finally become Harry’s turn to do something, making Y/N tense.

“Ok Harry, I dare you to…” One drunk frat boy started looking around the room trying to come up with something clever. His eyes landed on a pretty girl in the room, Yara, a stuck up girl who for sure got her way no matter what. “I dare you to kiss the hottest girl in the room- obviously not your girlfriend because that defeats the purpose.” The frat boy smirked knowing what his intentions were. Everyone in the group giggles and gasped shocked by the dare but ready to see what was going to go down. Y/N’s brows furrowed as she became angry with the stupid dare.

The ache in her chest seemed to tip over the edge when she felt her boyfriend in the room move to stand up. She grabbed at the bottom of his shirt as a way of stopping him. Harry halted his movements to look down at his girlfriend. He giggled a little.

“You’re not actually going to do this right?” She asked Harry with wide eyes of shock. Harry laughed at her like she made a joke, making her heart hurt even more.”Harry I do not want you to do this just take the shot and lose the dare.” Her tone held warning.

“Don't be silly of course I'm going to. It's just a dare, nothing serious. Don't be so clingy.” He stood walking over to Yara and planted a wet kiss on her mouth. Yara gripped Harry’s shirt and kissed him harder. The kiss went on for a few more seconds, the room absolutely silent out of shock. Harry stepped back from Yara slightly sobering up from his actions. Yara smirked at Y/N, hand gliding down the front of Harry's shirt.

Y/N stood from the seat she was in and scoffed. Scoffed because she should've known Harry would do something like this. Scoffed because it hurt to see her boyfriend do something so careless without any regard for his girl's feelings. She pulled herself together, feeling her throat tighten once again. She was quick to leave the room and down the hall of the frat.

Harry's clumsy steps could be heard from behind her as he mumbled her name. Or at least he tried to. He was still so out of it, his words not making much sense. Y/N was crying now, the strength that she had slowly dissolving as she walked further away from her boyfriend.

“Y/N wait. P-please wait. I cant-” Harry stumbled over his legs behind her falling into the grass of the front yard. The girl couldn't help but turn around looking at her stupid boyfriend. She was choking on sobs now. She wasn't crying over a measly little kiss but over an extreme amount of burnout from school and exhaustion from simply existing. She was crying because her boyfriend ignored her boundaries, crushing and erasing the boundaries she had set in their relationship. Harry tried reaching for her once she had stopped walking. His hand clasped around her wrist, he laid his head down on her shoulder. He hated seeing her cry even if he was too drunk to see why.

“Baby don't leave, Im-Im Sorry.” He hiccuped and burped due to the alcohol. Y/N felt her rage build. Shoving Harry off of her, she crossed her arms across her chest as a way to shield herself from Harry physically. He was hurt by her distance and the wall she put up around her.

“You're an idiot Harry. An idiot!” her sobs grew louder, some stray party goers watching in amusement- some even snapchatting it for shits and giggles. “I didnt want you to kiss her and you did. What provoked you to think that was ok? All I wanted was for us to hang out tonight and just be us and you did this!” She was yelling now. Her hurt is beyond her now. Anger and rage simmered throughout her body making her head dizzy and her fingers curl within themselves. She didnt like being angry. It wasn't an emotion she liked acting on, it felt impersonal.

“Baby I don't under-” Before Harry could finish his sentence he was barfing at his feet. Y/N stepped back disgusted with her boyfriend. She couldn't even feel remorseful because of how angry she was. Luca, the frat brother from earlier, caught up with Harry and his girl only to find Harry doubled over heaving. Luca wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders.

“I'm sorry Luca but I can't do this tonight. Can you please make sure he gets some water and goes to bed. I-I can't do it tonight, I wish I could but I can't.” Y/N didn't want to leave her boyfriend in this state but she didn't deserve this. She wasn't going to care for her drunk boyfriend when all she wanted to do was care for herself. Selfishly, she enjoyed seeing him this way because of the anger he caused her.

Luca shook his head in understandment. “Of course, I'm really sorry for tonight. He's going to seriously regret this in the morning, especially since it will be circulating all over snapchat in the morning.” Luca waved to Y/N then proceeded to pull Harry into the house. Harry called out for Y/N not wanting to be away from her but Luca pulled him harder.

Harry woke up the next morning feeling like the bottom of a dumpster. He wasn't shocked by that. He knew he got trashed last night, he had planned to. He, just like Y/N, spent all week studying and completing projects while also fulfilling certain responsibilities for his frat. He wanted one night to be a normal teen. So he drank and drank and drank and maybe even smoked some weed. As he tried to recall last night's events he came up with nothing. He didn't understand why Y/N wasn't here with him like she normally would after a party on the weekend. They were normally always together during the weekend. A bad feeling loomed over him. He could tell something wasn't right but decided to put his feelings to the side.

He saw a bottle of water beside his bed making him think she was probably here and left early. Chugging the water he started to go through his socials to see if anyone had posted about the party. He had multiple tagged pics and videos in his notifications from snapchat. Way more than he normally would.

The first video he saw was a video of him and Y/N standing in the front yard of the frat house. Turning the volume all the way up he could hear Y/N yelling, it shocked him. She doesn't normally raise her voice, especially not at him. The angle changed showing her face which was red with anger, eyes filled with unshed tears. He could hear her yelling about him kissing someone else. He felt his heart stop. He had kissed someone else? On the next snap was a picture of him keeled over vomiting on his shoes with the caption saying, ‘are yall seeing this shit?’ Harry was embarrassed but he was more concerned than anything.

His head was hurting but it didn't stop him from rolling out of bed, washing up, and putting on a fresh set of clothes. He checked his phone hoping Y/N had messaged him but nothing was there. He walked into the kitchen only to see luca sitting at the counter eating cereal.

“Hey Harry….” Luca said warily. Luca pushed the cereal around his bowl feeling the tension begin to rise in the room. He felt horrible about his friends.

“Luca...what's up?” Harry was confused by Lucas' wariness.

“So do you remember anything about last night?” Luca asked, setting his cereal down in the sink behind him. Harry started playing with the frayed edges of a bracelet Y/N made for him. It had little beads with her name on it. They made them together at an event on campus.

“I don't, I only saw the videos of Y/N screaming at me. I think I fucked up but I- I don't know what happened.” Harry's cheek flushed with even more embarrassment. Luca awkwardly chuckled scratching the back of his neck.

“You got dared to kiss the hottest girl in the room and um actually did it in front of Y/N...even though she didn't want you to. Which led you guys outside and yeah you know the rest...Im sorry dude, I wish I had stopped you.”

“Who- who did I kiss?” Harrys stomach lurched when he heard Yara’s name come out of Lucas' name. Y/N didn't like Yara and it was understandable. Yara has been pining after Harry since their first year of college. Harry couldn't breathe. He felt disgusted with himself. He could only imagine how Y/N was feeling.

Y/N woke up the same morning, eyes puffy and crusty from tears and head hurting. She probably cried herself into dehydration. She was lucky enough to have no roommate because she wouldn't have wanted someone else to see her breakdown. She still couldn't believe last night went down the way it went down. She couldn't tell if she was just being overdramatic or if her emotions were in the right place. She didn't want to be mad at Harry. He was everything to her, she had an odd connection to him. Meeting him during their freshman welcome week they quickly became best friends with a growing romantic connection in the mix. They started dating before Christmas break. They had grown close so fast that he even came home with her to meet her family for the first few days of break. Even though they were in their junior year of college, Y/N could see them beyond college. She's imagined them getting married, travelling, sharing a home. She saw the whole future with him. She had her doubts though. He was immature just like every other boy in college. He was dumb with his actions and tended to only do things if they benefited him. He had a lot of growing to do as a person, so did she but she wanted to grow with him.

She heard a knock on her door hesitating to answer it because one, it could be Harry, and two, she looked like a wreck. Answering anyways, she was met with a very sorry looking Harry holding a small coffee and bagel from their cafe.

“Hi baby…” He sheepishly said holding out the items. She silently let him through the door not once looking him in the eye. He stepped into her room, setting her treats on her desk. He could see that her bed was messy meaning she recently woke up. Y/N never went about her day without making her bed. He turned back to her and finally their eyes met. He took in all of her facial features, from her puffy eyes, to her downturned lips that looked chapped, to her flushed cheeks that longed to be held for warmth. He hated to see her like this, the last time he saw her so upset was when her parents moved out of her childhood home. It took alot to make Y/N this upset. She was normally really headstrong and vigilant. She knew how to ease her way out of problematic situations and could talk her way through anything.

Harry opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Y/N holding her hand up in front of his face. “Don't talk. I'm really hurt Harry, so if your plan was to come over here and apologize over bagels- think again.” She snapped, backing up to put space between the two of them. She sat down on her bed while Harry pulled the desk chair out and sat down. He much preferred to be on the bed with her holding her tight but he didn't want to overstep boundaries.

“Love, I don't know where to begin. I'm really sorry for what happened last night. I was really drunk and obviously wasn't in the right headspace.” Harry reached out and touched the tips of her fingers with his. She wanted to move but it felt good to be touched by Harry.

“I told you that a measly little apology won't do Harry. I didn't want you to kiss Yara and you did anyway. You know how Yara feels about you and you just let it happen!” She pulled her hand away remembering the prior night's events. Harry felt himself getting angry too. He felt like he needed to defend himself- even though it would be a very bad idea.

“I think you're being over dramatic.” Wrong move Harry. “It wasn't like I was making out with her!”

“You're joking right?” She scoffed and scooted further up her bed to create more distance. “Harry it's the simple fact that you did something that made me uncomfortable that shouldn't have even happened. I see myself getting married to you and it makes me worry that right now in our relationship you can't respect my boundaries!” She yelled. Harry’s eyes widened as he laughed sarcastically.

“Married? What the fuck are you on about? I'm a junior in college. In what world would it make sense for me to be prepping a relationship for marriage? Once again I think you're being over dramatic.” Her eyes watered hearing Harry's statement.

“I- I guess I'm the only one in this relationship thinking about the future? I thought we were on the same page. I'm not planning our marriage now, obviously. I'm thinking about how elements of our relationship now could play out in the future when we do want to get married. You cheated on me last night. I went to a party you begged ME to go to only to be there for you. I wanted to be here cuddling with you, pigging out on fast food but I was at a party with you and got cheated on!” Her volume rises once again, making Harry shove his chair from underneath him when he stands up.

“You're doing too much right now. I'm not planning a future right now because I don't want this future! I want to be myself without thinking about how to appease my girlfriend. I invited you to the party so you could lighten the fuck up. I love you, I do, but I'm not thinking of marriage and futures. I'm thinking about my life right now and having fun.” Harry snapped right back at her. Her chin wobbled. Obviously her and Harry were on different pages. It hurt so much to hear him say that he didn't want a future with her. Harry didn't mean it though.

“Ok, well I guess that's my fault for assuming we were thinking along the same lines. Um, I don't want to hold you back from being yourself so with that being said, you are a free man Harry.” She pushed herself up from her bed walking to the door ready to escort Harry out.

“Huh? Love, what?” Harry was confused on how they got to this point. Just a few days ago they were in love, meeting in the library to share a lunch and exchanging sweet words determined by their love.

“Listen I have a day full of exams tomorrow so if you could just leave that would be best. You don't really want this so I'm letting you go, Harry.” She had tears rolling down her face, falling from her eyes down to her chin where they fell to the ground in droplets. Harry’s eyes welled up watching his love cry before him.

“I don't-”

“Harry, leave, please.” She opened the door making room for him to go through. He walked through the door turning to look at her. She turned her face away from him whispering a small goodbye before shutting the door. Harry was left in the silent hallway, so silent he could hear his thoughts and the tears hitting the tile floor beneath him. He thinks he stood there for at least thirty more minutes before accepting what had happened and walking away.

Leaving Y/N in her room sobbing like she had never done before. Her tears coated her face and she thought her head could explode right then and there. She didn't want to accept what had happened but she had priorities. She composed herself enough to start studying for her exams.

The week rolled by quickly, Monday meeting Friday in a flash. Exams were done and Christmas break was on the horizon. Students were piling off of campus in a hurry ready to get home to their loved ones. People were outside by cars loading up their winter necessaries and saying their goodbyes to their close friends.

Harry cried everyday this week. He wasn't normally a crier. He hated crying, he hated the feeling of crying and the headache that came from it. He cried because he realized how wrong he was. He missed Y/N. He missed finals week dinner together where they tried to get off campus at least once and be alone for a moment. He missed watching her relax while eating food that wasn't from their school's cafeteria. He would pay for their meal just so she could have one less thing to worry about. They would normally get frozen yogurt right after too, Y/N getting as many toppings as she wanted because Harry would be the one paying. He missed her tight after exam hugs. She would squeeze his shoulders tight, smiling into his neck, telling him how proud she was of him. She would bring him tea in the morning when they met for breakfast. Sometimes they would spend the night in one or the others room so they could have time together to destress and just talk.

Y/N wasn't doing any better. She normally went into exam week feeling confident. She studied too hard not to. But this week she felt like shit. Her heart hurt and she kept thinking about the fight. She feels like she overreacted but hearing Harry talk about their lack of a future hurt nonetheless. She really assumed that they did have a future that included marriage and a life together. She didn't understand where his sudden lack of commitment came from. She regretted dumping him but at the same time she wished he did more to get them back together but he was silent. He hasn't contacted her at all and avoided all of their spots on campus all together.

She stood by her car prepping for her six hours car ride back home. Packing away her clothes and some essentials in the trunk of her car, she heard light footsteps behind her. Closing her trunk she turned to see Harry standing with his hands in his pockets.

“Hi.” He said. She looked at him, putting her own hands in her pockets. It was cold outside, the nippy air hinting at a possibility of snow.

“Hi Harry.” They shared a moment of silence together. Just staring at each other. It felt good to be near each other again. They felt like they could breathe again.

“I had to see you before you left. I know the break is only a month but I didn't want to leave without seeing you.” He replied quietly. She made him feel so shy. Her beauty always made him awestruck. Even in a hoodie with their college's logo and some large sweatpants and some fuzzy crocs, she was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

“I don't know what to say harry.”

“It's ok. I don't deserve anything from you after what I said. I just wanted to apologize and wish you a good break before you left. I also wanted to give you this.” He pulled a small box and envelope out of the front pocket of his backpack. “I know we agreed on no presents but I think thats a dumb rule and I love you too much to not get you something.” She smiled at his words, taking the gift from his hands.

“Thank you Harry, it means a lot to me. So what are your plans for a break?” She asked him, the tension that was in the air slowly dissipating.

“I couldn't get a flight home until next wednesday so i'll stay here on campus until then.” He shrugged.

“Oh ok. Well tell Anne I said hi. I have to go Harry but I'll see you after the break, ok?” She didn't want to leave him but she didn't want to drive through the dark.

“Ok, love. Drive safe. I lov- I mean have a good break.” Her chest tightened at his hesitation. She wants to hear him say the words but she knows he won't.

“Have a good break Harry.” She whispered. Before getting in her car she stood on her toes placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth. Rubbing her thumb across his cheek and turning away and into her car.

She drove away knowing that her heart was left in that parking lot in the hands of someone she loves way too much.

Harry stood in the parking lot watching his heart drive away for winter wanting nothing more than to be with her.

Part two

#harry styles x reader #frat!harry #i carry your heart #harry styles fic #harry styles one shot #harry styles imagine #harry styles #harry styles x y/n #college!harry #part 2 coming soon #harry styles smut #fratrry #boyfriend!harry

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thestarsaroundyourscars · 4 years

Note

110 - 111 with Reddie for the smut prompts ? :)

110. “Do you think they can hear us through the tent?”

111. “Yes we can.”

Read on AO3

NSFW

The camping trip was Mike's idea.

This time instead of making six different phone calls, he pitched the idea in their recently created group chat.

That was how, almost a year after defeating It, the losers got together again. This time to spend a weekend in the middle of the woods, sleeping in tents and singing Kumbaya around a bonfire.

Or at least, that’s what Richie was picturing.

Bill, Ben and Bev didn’t need much convincing. The first one, because he would say yes to anything Mike said and the other two, because they were the type of people who were always ready for an adventure. As if fighting a fucking spider clown wasn't enough adventure to last them a lifetime.

Stan had agreed for the bird watching potential but had to cancel, with Patty so close to her due date he didn't want to leave her alone.

Surprisingly, Eddie had agreed rather quickly, probably due to his new therapist. He was doing so much better with her help and the fact that he was willing to spend three days in the wilderness surrounded by mosquitoes, bears and no real toilets was proof of that.

Richie was happy for Eddie. He couldn't possibly feel more proud, but he really wished Eddie was on his side for this, because then Richie wouldn't be the only one opposed to the idea. He pointed out that a bunch of forty year olds with back problems sleeping on the floor was a terrible idea, but even then no one backed out. Eddie even threatened to withhold sex for a month if Richie didn't come with them.

So of course Richie reluctantly agreed.

But now he was wondering if it was worth it.

(Of course sex with Eddie was worth it, but right now Richie had mosquito bites all over him, including places he didn't think a mosquito could reach. He was cold from falling on the lake after he stepped on a faulty rock. And he was pretty sure every muscle in his body ached from the short walk there.)

"I have some calamine. It will help with the itch." Eddie said, ducking his head to enter their tent where Richie was wrapped up like a burrito inside his sleeping bag, trying to warm up. Eddie pursed his lips. "But I'm gonna need you to get out of there and out of your clothes to put it on you."

"You just want to get me naked." Richie said through gritted teeth, he had finally managed to get them to stop chattering from the cold.

Eddie smirked, closing the flap behind him. "You caught me." He said, kneeling next to him. "All those hives are really doing it for me."

Richie snorted, reluctantly exiting his warm cocoon. "Don't joke about that Eds, right now sex is the only thing that could turn this trip around."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Come on, you big cry baby." He said, uncapping the calamine and applying some on every mosquito bite. Richie sighed in relief, feeling the itch beginning to disappear. Having Eddie's hands on him was also helping him with the cold, his body conditioned to heat up under his touch. "Feeling better?"

Richie nodded, relaxing when the need to scratch his skin off was gone. Eddie put the little bottle aside before returning his hands to Richie’s body, applying more pressure to his touch and relieving some of the ache on Richie’s muscles.

"Yes, fuck. That feels good."

"I can't believe you're sore. We didn't even walk a mile." Eddie chuckled, running his hands up and down Richie's body, kneading his muscles and eliciting groans of pleasure from him.

"I'm not like you Eds. I don't run every morning. I'm not ripped. I'm⎯ oh." His words were cut off by a moan when Eddie's fingers brushed over Richie's nipple. "I'm⎯ I'm getting a little worked up here, Eds." He said with a breathy laugh, feeling his dick start to harden in his pants.

Eddie bit down on his lower lip, a half smirk curling at his lips. Richie noticed his eyes were slightly hooded and fixed on Richie’s rapidly growing erection. "I know, I thought I’d help you relieve some of the tension." He winked, moving to straddle Richie's legs, leaning forward to work on his chest. This time he brushed over Richie's nipples on purpose.

"Oh fuck, okay."

Eddie shushed him. "Just relax Rich. I'll take care of you."

Richie bit down a whine. Eddie's hands moved lower, until they reached the hem of his shirt. He bunched it up under Richie's armpits and racked his fingernails down the exposed skin. Richie had to bite down on his fist to keep from shouting as pleasure shot through his spine. Eddie's fingers played with the hair on his chest, scratching and pulling. Richie was practically writhing by the time Eddie was undoing the cord of Richie's sweatpants.

He palmed him through the fabric and Richie push his hips off the floor, hoping to get more pressure.

"Eddie, please." He whined, squeezing Eddie's thigh. "Touch me."

With a devious smile, Eddie dragged down Richie’s pants and underwear, just enough to expose his dick. The cold air hit his heated skin and he shuddered. Then Eddie was wrapping his hand around him, giving Richie a few strokes.

"Oh fuck. Holy shit." Richie groaned, pushing his hips up desperately but Eddie held him down, setting a slow, torturous pace. After only a few strokes, Richie was writhing. He had long since stopped feeling embarrassed for how fast Eddie was able to drive him to the edge. "Please Eds, I wanna come."

Eddie shook his head, running his thumb over the slit. "Not until you're inside me."

Richie's breath caught in his throat, eyes widening behind his glasses. Richie didn’t think he would get to have sex with Eddie on this trip. And when Eddie started touching him and feeling him up earlier, he thought all he would be getting was a handjob. He never imagined he would get to fuck Eddie tonight. Suddenly, all thoughts about aching muscles and mosquito bites were gone.

"Don't worry. I'll do all the work, you lazy ass." Eddie smirked, reaching for his toiletry bag. Richie let out a whimper when he let go of his dick to rummage inside. He wanted to grab Eddie's hand and put it back on him but he knew they would need the supplies, so he waited.

Eddie fished out a condom, a bottle of lube and wet wipes. Richie let out a snort, "I wouldn't have given you so much shit about bringing a toiletry bag to the woods if I knew what was in it." Eddie sent him a look while shucking off his sleeping shorts. Richie grinned. "I would've given you shit for bringing a fucking sex kit, instead."

"Shut up." Eddie snapped with no heat. He squirted lube on his fingers and Richie watched as his hand disappeared behind him. "I like to be prepared."

"Prepared to be dicked down?" Richie asked, reaching up to hold Eddie's hips and help him keep his balance.

"Shut the fuck⎯ ah!" Eddie moaned, mouth falling open. Richie couldn't see what Eddie was doing but he could see his arm moving and that was enough to imagine Eddie's fingers disappearing inside of him, having seen it before. "Fuck Rich, I'm still⎯ ah. I'm still stretched from this morning." He gasped, fingers speeding up.

Richie had fucked him that morning before leaving, bending Eddie over the back of the couch. It was hard and fast because they didn't have much time before Bill picked them up. Eddie was probably sore and more than a little sensitive but based on his blissed out expression as he fucked himself on his fingers, he was loving it.

"Fuck Eds, you look so hot." Richie groaned, running his thumbs over Eddie's hip bones eliciting a moan from him. "Yeah baby, hottest fucking thing I've ever seen."

"Richie." Eddie whined, Richie's voice going straight to his cock, bobbing up and down between his legs as he fucked himself on his fingers. "Fuck fuck fuck. Grab the condom. I'm ready." He said, panting heavily.

Richie grabbed the condom, hearing the urgency on Eddie's voice. He ripped it open and rolled it on himself, hissing when his hand touched his dick. Eddie had pulled out his fingers and was pouring lube over Richie, giving him a few teasing strokes. He positioned himself over him but before he could lower himself on his dick, he leaned forward to kiss him.

Richie moaned against his lips, mouth parting to slide his tongue with Eddie's. It was wet and sloppy and it sent a spark of pleasure straight to Richie's dick.

Eddie pulled back, grinning and Richie watched in adoration as he lowered himself on his cock, head falling back with a breathy moan when he bottomed out.

"Eds jesus christ, you feel so good." He groaned, grabbing onto Eddie's hips with a bruising grip.

Eddie hummed, eyes closed and face scrunched up as he focused on getting used to the feeling. He started to slowly roll his hips and Richie had to bite down on his lower lip so he wouldn't cry out.

"Fuck Rich. I love how you feel inside me. So good, shit."

Richie keened at the praise, unable to stop himself from arching up. The movement made Eddie gasp and spurred him into action, he braced himself against Richie's chest and pushed himself up until only the head of Richie's cock was inside him and then pushed down. He did it repeatedly, setting a fast and brutal pace.

Despite what Eddie said, Richie did some of the work, planting his heels on the floor to push his hips up when Eddie pushed down. Soon, his legs were killing him and there was a dull ache on his back but Eddie's breathy little ah ah ah's had him pushing through the pain.

"I'm close, I'm fucking close Eds." Richie cried, heat burning and fizzing in his stomach.

Eddie nodded, picking up the pace. "Me too Rich, fuck. Touch me, please."

Richie wrapped one of his hands around Eddie's cock, hard and throbbing. The contact made him cry out, it was the first time either of them touched it since they started this. It was a loud sound, they had long since forgotten they should be trying to keep quiet. After all, the others were not that far.

"I think we're being too loud." Richie said, panting.

"What?" Eddie asked, distracted. He was too focused on bouncing on Richie's dick like his life depended on it. "Faster Richie, come on."

Richie nodded, stroking Eddie faster and pushing his hips up harder, aiming for his prostate. "We're being fucking loud. Do you think they can hear us through the tent?"

Eddie moaned when Richie circled the head of his dick with his thumb, his answer dying in his throat.

But Bill shouting "Yes we can" was really all the answer they needed.

"Big Bill, you perv!" Richie shouted with a laugh.

Eddie slapped him on the chest. "Focus, Richie." Either he didn't realize their friends could hear them having sex or he didn't care. "I'm so fucking close."

"I got you baby." Richie said, his friends disappearing from his mind. He tightened his hand around Eddie, moving faster. Eddie keened loudly. "That's it Eds, come on."

"Fuck Richie. Fuck!" He moaned, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he exploded all over Richie's hand.

He continued moving his hips, clenching around Richie. "Eds oh my god, you're so⎯ fuck!" He couldn't form words, so close to the edge that he could feel his toes curling.

Eddie pushed his hand away from him, leaning forward to place open mouthed kisses on Richie’s chest, hips still moving. "Come for me, Rich." He whispered and when he bit down on Richie's nipple it was like an electric shock going through his body and Richie was coming, emptying himself in the condom, inside Eddie.

They stayed like that, Richie sprawled out on the floor and Eddie's head against his chest while they got their breathing under control. Richie ran his hand through Eddie's sweaty hair distractedly.

"That better be your clean hand." Eddie muttered after a few seconds of silence.

Richie snorted. "Of course it is. I value my life, you know."

Eddie lifted his head, smiling softly at Richie in his post orgasmic haze. When he reached over for a wet wipe he groaned, feeling Richie slip out of him. They cleaned up as best as they could but Eddie still wrinkled his nose when he laid down next to Richie, on top of his sleeping bag.

"I need a fucking shower." He said, glaring at the ceiling.

“Sorry we’re out of those.”

Eddie pushed him lightly with a snort. “I feel gross.”

"You? I'm covered in sweat and fucking calamine."

Eddie chuckled. "We didn't think this through."

"Yeah dude, for a risk analyst you fucking suck at your job Eds."

"I was trying to make you feel better, asshole."

"I know, I know and you did." Richie said, rolling onto his side and throwing an arm over Eddie. "But just so you know, I don't think I'll be able to walk tomorrow. I'm too fucking old to have sex on the ground. I'm pretty sure you made me throw my back out."

Eddie let out a snort, turning his head to kiss Richie's temple. "You're a whiny bitch you know that right?"

"We all know that now!" Bill shouted, voice slightly manic. "We know more about you two than we ever wanted to!"

Richie snorted, Eddie covered his face with his hands, embarrassed. "Go to sleep Bill!" He could picture his friend flipping him off in the dark.

"They're so going to make fun of us tomorrow." Eddie groaned, careful to keep his voice low.

"Definitely. We should totally hide in here for the rest of the weekend." Richie said, moving closer to Eddie. "Safe from the mosquitoes and our friends."

Eddie laughed, tangling their legs together. "I like that plan."

Tag list: @daddyphantomtbh @yes-dillman-yes @richietoaster @beepbeeprichiellc @its-stranger-than-you-think @lemonaayyee @losers-gotta-stick-together @tinyarmedtrex @richiefuckfacetozier @sam-i-am2468 @richardtoz @s-s-georgie @reddie-for-anything @eddiefuckinkaspbrak @constantreaderfool @stanleuyris @jesuschristsupruvestar @mirandonsky @reddie4diaster @alargedepresso @purplepoisonedgem @pan-ini @reddie-to-cry @reddieforlove @trashmouthnick @multi-fandom-wby @wheezyeds @nancynwheeler @reddieslashgeneralhorror @madi-personal @reddie-tozibrak @lover-mouth @atownofeggs @that-weird-girls-blog @appojoos @castielwinovak @a-gay-treee @twoidiotsinl0ve @fcngirltrxsh @spirited-marvel @typewrxter (if you want to be added, let me know!)

#reddie #will I ever stop writing post it chapter 2 fics where everyone lives? probably not #sex in a tent #traumatised bill #notsfw #monse writes #anon ask

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noonawriter · 3 years

Text

Delicious Rendezvous

WORD COUNT: 4638

WARNINGS: flashbacks to torture, shameless flirting, over-worked and stressed main character

DELICIOUS RENDEZVOUS

Chapter 4

“Bad news,” Siwon said as soon as he was in earshot of Heechul. “Our contact in 223 has been transferred and is locked out of the local system here.” He bit his lip, a rare slip of control. “As I’m sure you know, we’re cutting it too close to develop a new one just yet.” His first creation walked up to him with a look of hesitation on his face.

No mystery as to why.

Back when the terror of it was fresh, Siwon informed Heechul of a raid that had occurred a decade ago and how badly it had ended. The whole thing played like a movie reel of memories and fears. It wasn’t the sex work that sank them that time - no one runs that kind of operation without a contingency plan. No, it was who was doing it that led to tragedy.

Several of the employees ended up in a specialized prison only to be slowly tortured to death because supernatural creatures weren’t known then... And groups of humans have the capacity to do terrible things when they’re afraid of the unknown. Ingenuity, put to exactly the wrong purpose. What little inside data could be gleaned was... It was... Unspeakable, to this day.

Heechul considered giving him a moment of comforting touch, but it would be crass to make it so very evident that his right-hand man’s thoughts were left entirely unlocked. They sure as hell didn’t have time for a fight, either.

Not a creature anywhere didn’t hear about that disaster. The Council exploited those fears, the prejudices borne of it, but for the rest of the community, lacking that level of power... Whatever there was where Heechul’s stomach used to be turned just the same way at being bombarded with it all over again, shrunk into a few nauseating seconds. If his hair could still stand on end, it would. Even the humans that supported that establishment had been fined so heavily that they were out on the streets, and then... disappeared. Maybe to the same place. Who knows? Siwon visibly winced at that last thought, but forced that idea to the side. There were days that his confidence that his master would never let anyone harm him or their brethren was all that allowed the leader to make it happen.

Yet, sometimes, Heechul really wished Siwon had more magic potential. This was one of the rare moments where he’d very much like to be able to not hear these thoughts. Keeping his hands from ripping his own hair out was as much as he could manage here, arms stiff at his sides. Was he even capable of crying anymore? Did he have what it would take to stop a repeat of such horrors between his very own walls?

It was all too much. Too much. Heechul had to set it all aside too. Rather than comfort, he ended up having to tap Siwon’s cheek just to bring him back to the present.

“Sorry,” he mumbled with a shake of his head. ”I remembered it again.” That raid was the last time Siwon tried working for anyone else, is the only other thing he would say about it out loud. He broadcast the rest louder than an echo in a cave, though, he just didn’t know he was - right to Heechul like an open book, at least. Not a hint of a side gig since.

The grass only looks greener, as it were.

Finally, that portion of mental agony was over, tucked away back in its box. Upon realizing the massive amount of work that their contact being pulled out from under them meant, Heechul’s shoulders slumped. There was too much weight upon them.

However, he only allowed himself those two seconds of self-pity before squaring them back up. “Shit. That means there’ll still be a raid tomorrow night.” He checked, unwittingly holding his breath, but couldn’t get much detail. “That only gives us about a day and a half.” He counted off on his fingers as he called out instructions. “We need to put up glamour and force barriers on the rooms, make excuses, reschedule appointments, make sure all my kids have somewhere to stay for the night..."

A groan slipped out. But only one. How he dreaded this last part. “I’ll have to handle the backstage regulars. They would feel slighted if informed through an intermediary.”

While he was appreciative of his higher-paying customers in that they kept the show running, literally and otherwise, they always looked down their noses at him when complications came up. Fuck, he felt a headache coming on already. He pinched the spot just above the bridge of his nose. He’d have to add on the promises of a free service to make sure they kept silent about where they went and who ran the show - and he hated burdening his kids like that.

Hated it with everything in him, but the alternative was worse. He’s not risking any kind of prison cell for anyone.

“Of course, Master. I’ll initiate the protocol and distribute the workload immediately.” A floating schedule appeared next to Siwon, its constituent lines made of light if light could be smoke.

“Thank you. Time for me to get to my part of the work as well.” Heechul watches as Siwon carefully inspects the list and moves to assign each task. He stretches his arms out wide, a satisfying crack sounding in response, as he rotates his neck and searches his mind for where Alyssa is and what she’s doing. He needs her now more than ever.

While her training had, of course, been intended to prepare her for bigger and better things, he needed that untapped power she was sitting on to pull this off on such short notice. It felt as though he had more to hide this time, more at stake, when in reality, the only new addition to the club was his little witch. A flush took over his cheeks quickly. He’d not felt the need to protect anyone quite so strongly since he’d made Siwon. “Stupid sex magic. Everything is amplified.”

He tried to sound mad about it, but inside, even if only to himself, he had to admit that he was more amazed at just how much change the ritual had wrought in the first place. He also decided then and there that he would not perform any sex magic with another person, ever.

Definitely not if it turned out like this. He didn’t want this with anyone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No better way to learn, Heechul had insisted, than throwing you in to help with glamouring the back rooms to look like cramped offices and storage space. Everything was tightly coordinated - regimented, even, which was surprising to see in a place usually so loosely and chaotically run. Time constraints would do that, you supposed.

He rattled off instructions and even showed you exactly what you needed to do and say, but your brain was foggy with all the veins of magic flowing through the club. There was an anxiety running through the employees that you couldn’t help but soak up to some extent. “Let’s add empath to the list of things to deal with. That’ll be fun,” you said under your breath, none too pleased with the discovery. Your eyes rolled, but you continued with the task, pride not allowing you to step back and admit defeat.

Maybe even that little voice inside that was happy that Heechul was the one who needed you, for once, instead of the other way around. Just the thought made your ears burn.

Putting up the glamours was the easy part, though. Imbuing them with enough power to stay up for two entire days left you sweating and ravenous. You huffed, taking a second to wipe the sweat off your forehead and sip from the water bottle Mi had brought you hours ago, tossing it on his way past with a small smile and a congenial nod.

When all this work was done, you for sure had to get him to show you that one shade of purple again so you could try to find a matching dye. His hair had only held it for a second earlier.

You were getting distracted again. And you finally noticed that your hands were shaking, too. The strain was getting to you.

“Fucking hell. This shit is for the birds.” Your voice was tired and wavering. Hands on your hips, you stood there admiring the iridescent sheen from the last barrier you put into place. “God damn, I should have eaten first.”

“Such dirty words coming from such a pretty little mouth.” Of course, when you’re a sweaty mess, that’s when Heechul shows up to inspect your work. On his face blooms his signature smirk; after holding your attention on it for a second, he adds, “I like it,” with a ridiculous waggle of his eyebrows.

Damned if it didn’t make you want to kiss him again. You whimpered at the thought and immediately flushed, thinking that while he was still there.

As usual, though, he was gone before you could give the thought any weight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were carefully not thinking about the absurdity of taking a coffee break in a... house of pleasure where your magic training is happening, the legitimate front half of the building notwithstanding. Even after all the upheaval, there was something sort of amazing about creatures of all sorts here milling about, living their ordinary lives and being themselves. The comfortable atmosphere in this room left you feeling bold enough to lean back against the counter near where the siren was, the dull gray microwave buzzing on the other side of him. You were protected now, right? And his boyfriend was really friendly with you, so that’s gotta count for something.

"Hey," you said, wiggling your fingers in a sheepish wave. He acknowledged you with a sideways glance, but nothing more. After hours working quietly side by side, following his occasional directions about images and dimensions, that didn’t seem odd anymore. "Look, you can tell me if this is out of line, but I'm really curious about something."

"Hmm?" Ryeowook answered absentmindedly, watching Henry and Donghae play-fighting across the room with a fond half-smile. You may have even heard a faint, tuneless humming; couldn’t be sure, but you felt a little bolder, a little more free either way.

"Does the, uh, backstage work affect you at home?" This was so embarrassing to ask about, but you'd been dying of curiosity and this seemed like your best bet to get some answers. Usually, it was your training regimen that left you too drained to make conversation. To be honest, you were still kinda drained; it was hard to tell whether your thoughts made sense, your brain-to-mouth filter just about gone.

When Ryeowook turned to you, though, his brow was furrowed in confusion. "Why would I do work at home? Heechul’s wards and security are far better than anywhere else, even clubs supposedly owned by the very wealthy,” he pointed out, crossing his arms. “I only do work here."

"No, I mean, um," you blushed as your composure slipped further, not wanting to have to spell it out, "you know, you do-" You waved towards the hallway of back rooms. "You do this for work, so does it, uh, when you're at home, does it get in the way of, wait, no, does that cause any problems for you with," you were definitely red as a tomato now, your entire face aflame, "making love?"

But Ryeowook only blinked twice. "If he wanted to, we could."

"Oh! Oh, sorry, I didn't think- Sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. You probably think I'm a jerk now, huh," you admitted clumsily, pursing your lips. I sound like an idiot! This was such a bad idea.

But he only hummed nonchalantly, turning away once more. "Hmm. Well, you wouldn't be the first to assume, only the first to apologize for it," he said offhandedly, taking a sip from his mug. "But it doesn’t matter to me. I suppose I take after my mother that way," he continued in a wistful voice, a touch of sorrow coloring his features. "Keeping my mate safe and happy is my heart's greatest desire."

"That's so sweet!" You cooed, genuinely touched by the sentiment, only to be met with an icy stare as he whirled around to face you.

"Don't know why I'm telling you all this," Ryeowook said while he pushed off from the counter, his tone acrid and sharp as though the words were meant to cut to the bone, his eyebrows drawing together in anger, startling you when he slammed his mug down on the hard surface. "I don’t care if you’re Heechul’s newest, shiniest project. If that's your power,” one peak of his upper lip curled up towards his nose in contempt, “let's not do this again. I need to get back to work."

"But wait, I didn't-" He'd crossed the short distance to the doorway in three quick strides and left before you could finish your sentence. "-do anything," you finished dejectedly, dropping your raised hand. Not that you knew what you were going to do with it anyway. You muttered under to yourself, “‘Make friends,’ he said. Do this, do that, blah blah blah.” Wait a second. Newest project?

What happened to the others?

“Don’t take it too personally,” a genial voice said next to you, cutting off your train of thought. Guess your muttering was louder than you’d realized. “He takes a while to warm up to most people.”

You turned to- not the butler. Mi. Seriously, still not a butler, you hastily reminded yourself. More of a jack of all trades? Maybe it was better not to call a shapeshifter that, so you went with, “You really think it’ll be okay? I feel like I screwed up pretty bad.”

“Welllll, maybe warm up isn’t the right word. But he’ll probably stop being an ass.”

“Probably?” Despite yourself, you laughed, smiling back at Mi’s toothy grin. He patted your shoulder in a friendly way before saying, “Excuse me, I need some tea,” his hair color and the shape of his arms changing three or four times between the microwave and what you’d come to call caffeine central more towards the back of the room.

Still, after the- intimacy you and Heechul had shared so far, the idea that you were one in a long line of projects, to be set aside whenever he decided he’d had his fun, rubbed you the wrong way.

Which not only lingered through your meal, but grew. And grew. And grew bigger still.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You stomped down the extravagantly decorated hall, footsteps echoing off the marble tiles that probably set him back more than you cared to think about. A red haze settled in your mind as you mulled over the words Ryeowook spat to you. Hands curled into tight fists, you didn’t bother knocking before making entrance into his office. Hopefully, whatever sights awaited you wouldn’t be something you’d regret seeing, because you were way past caring now.

"So I'm your latest project, am I?" You flung the words at Heechul the very second you walked into the room.

"Feisty today, aren't you."

You wanted to slap him. Something. Anything. Instead you settled on a seethed, "What happened to the others?!"

Heechul laughed. "What happened?" He asked condescendingly, moving his upturned palm in a horizontal arc, his eyes following before landing back on you. "Look around you, darling."

"Argh!" You clenched your fists. Eyes rolling as you wanted to tear your hair out. "Can't you just say what you goddamn mean for once?!"

But Heechul only sighed. "Really, you could stand to learn to read between the lines. Can't always rely on your power, you know." But as you glared, he seemed to relent a bit, his smile turning amused, his eyes a touch fond. "Haven't you noticed? Those who sincerely come to me for aid... I don't take that lightly. Why, I develop them to the fullest of their talents. How else could I build all this?"

Silence enveloped the room as you looked deep into his unwavering sight. Dammit, you sighed under your breath. He was being honest - well, his version of it anyway. Relenting yourself, you breathed out a long exhale. "...That's it?"

"Yes, that's 'it'. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. My favorite kind," he finished with a smirk, alluding to extremely pleasant memories of the 'arrangement' already between the two of you.

You took a moment to gather what you wanted to say. His aura gave you a reason to pause. Your words needed to be chosen carefully. You gestured your hands between the two of you. “This? Us? Just me scratching your back and you scratching mine, I’ll assume?”

“We both know what assume means, sweetheart. Let’s not do that.” He turned to walk out, but before he made it through the doorway, he called out over his shoulder, “Good job out there. You’re doing better than I expected.”

Might’ve been better that he looked away before you could flip him off. You tried sending it mentally anyway, pleased to faintly hear his distinctive laugh. At that point, you didn’t know if the warmth in your heart that you felt a moment later was his or your own.

He kept getting you all mixed up like that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Donghae was speaking in hushed tones with Heechul when you rounded the corner. He noticed you coming in and moved to intercept you as the man you wanted made his smooth escape, right back into the office you’d just vacated. Damnit. “Come on, Alyssa, follow me. You need to let off some steam.” Objecting, you pointed towards the doorway where you were trying to go, because Heechul kept escaping conversation like some sort of extremely beautiful eel, but Donghae wrapped his hand firmly around your wrist, steering you in a completely different direction. “Your work is done for now. The boss has some things to tend to. He asked me to help you get some frustration out.”

Before he crossed the threshold to a room new to you, he looked at you, waggling his eyebrows. “I’m more than happy to help, Lys.” He giggled at your huffed response as he pulled you out a side door and a few buildings over into what looked like a gym at a country club, just on a smaller scale. Taking in the sights before you, your brain reeled at the possibilities of what Heechul was going to have you working on now.

“It’s not like I’m not appreciative for a break, but is physical fitness really important to my training? I’m fit enough, but…” Donghae shushed you with a finger to your lips.

Eyebrow raised, he explained. “This isn’t just gym class. Boss asked me to evaluate your skills. See where you are so we’ll know where to start.” You wondered what he was talking about. Surely you wouldn’t be stranded without your powers? He grinned as though he knew exactly what you were thinking. “Come on, just think of it as a bit of stress relief. Let me show you what I want you to be able to do.” He proceeded to throw a few punches, one sequence after another. A minute became more as he got more focused.

You allowed your eyes to roam his form as he continued his session. The thick, corded muscles from his biceps down his back, his ass just as shapely as his chest was, even to his hips as they tightened and flexed as he danced around the hanging heavy bag. A small sheen of sweat coated his forehead as he threw hit after hit. You even noticed how his tongue was situated between his teeth at the corner of his mouth. It was cute, but then, you took his figure in again in its very nice entirety.

If anything, you were getting more frustrated, though certainly not the way he’d intended.

You weren’t blind. Donghae was fit. That was the simplest way to put it. But the way he moved around the bag gracefully almost had you forgetting he was a supernatural creature. His eyes had a dangerous focus blazing in them, and you shuddered to think of those who would be on the receiving end of an angry version of this barrage. You couldn’t help but find it attractive, mentally thanking Heechul for suggesting this break; truth be told, you didn’t even try to stop your gaze from going wherever it was drawn to. Oh, the things you could imagine...

He stopped at hearing a whine from you, his eyebrow raised high. For a second, you were irrationally terrified that he could read your thoughts too. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were staring, hard.” He looked none too surprised by that - amused, if anything.

Fuck. At least he couldn’t see what I was thinking. You stuttered out some nonsense, words failing you at the fact that he’d caught you drooling over him.

Eyes shut in embarrassment, you didn’t notice him move, which is why you ended up jumping in surprise when you heard his voice in your ear. “This is delicious. Thanks for the free meal.”

“I...” Damn this anxiety. “Hey wait, I didn’t tell you that you could do that!” He rolled his eyes, and, really, you could tell you needed to concentrate so you could get done and leave. For your sanity’s sake. You stepped to the bag and looked at him, wide-eyed and ready for his instruction without any further distractions. Hopefully.

He chuckled. “Let’s see what you got. Give me a few good sequences and we’ll call it a day. And I promise I won’t tell Heechul that you were eyeing me like a piece of meat. Besides, it’s my job to do the ogling around here.” He winked, making you feel a bit weak in the knees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“As I mentioned, we unfortunately have a highly contagious bout of illness, and thus, those facilities are unavailable for a couple of nights. We can reschedule your appointment if you would just come this way.”

“You’re a goddamned liar! Lemme back there!” Regular though this man may be, at the moment, he seemed to be doing his best to make the saying that hell is other people a reality. Heechul’s temper reached its last frayed thread.

“You, sir, need to calm the hell down. You’re at a fifteen and I need you at, like, a seven,” Heechul snidely commented as the regular patron threw every excuse in the book at him as to why he should be allowed inside even if no one else is there. The growl that rumbled at the back of his throat was deep and raspy, full of rage as the patron tried to push his way from the front waiting room onto the main floor. Heechul called out in a dead language - and suddenly, the snarling long-time customer was frozen on the spot.

The thread snapped.

No longer willing to hold back, Heechul took a deep sigh of relief as he got right in front of the now confused man. “I told you, countless times,” he emphasized as he bared his teeth, “we are closed for the next couple of nights. I can see that you refuse to take my words seriously, not even attempting to cooperate.” His hand glided up to the patron’s face as his nail traced his red, splotchy cheek. “What you fail to realize is just who,” Heechul took that same nail and raked it from the patron’s temple to his lips, leaving a deep, seeping wound behind, “I am.” Taking the customer’s chin in his other hand, he jerks the man’s head in the direction of the floor.

Seconds later, Heechul had drawn a crude symbol on the marble. “You will never step foot in this establishment again. Should you even try, I will know. I will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb. And I will enjoy every single second of it,” he hissed, face contorting in unbridled rage. Then he stood, straightening to his full height as the doors flew open.

As Heechul walked towards the doors, the man who was still immobile was moved to the opening. His body seemed to fly as he let out a terrified scream.

“I don’t ever want to see you here again.” Heechul turned on his heel to walk away. He tilted his head a few degrees towards the sound when he heard Mi’s firm “Sir”, but didn’t falter in his step, as he had more important things to deal with. His favorite shapeshifter could handle the situation however he saw fit. Trash disposed of, Heechul added the area to be monitored more closely in addition to his typical security alert set, along with making a mental note to check his crew for potential teleporting capability or an ability to learn quickly so he could evaluate offering security training and shifts. There were plenty enough to rotate at the front and connecting doors, but in the back rooms...

That’s where danger turned on a dime.

Breathing slowly, Heechul ran his hand over the back of his neck. Problem after problem continued to appear. If he couldn’t entice some of the other customers to fill in those appointments, cover the disruption, it’d be two months at most before he had to evaluate dipping into the stash. The guilt of it ate at him whenever he couldn’t keep it entirely at bay. The ex-noble’s possessions were Heechul’s by right, but he hated exercising that option; Siwon was loyal, and good at his job, and would never turn down the request.

That it benefitted his safety as well as everyone in his employ was not as comforting as it should have been. Taking from it, even with permission, still felt like stealing. I need a drink.

No time. Back to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The static took over your vision as you saw bits and pieces of something happening. Grainy images and darkened tones did not help. Even as your eyes closed, you squeezed them tighter and found you could see through someone else at the moment, someone tall and weighed down by something. Equipment? What could- You could hear a sinister cackle to your right but the current head you were occupying wouldn’t turn so you could see who it was. Though, if your memory served you well enough, it sounded like Claude and he was headed somewhere with a mission.

You studied the surroundings of the overly dressed-up group of men you were envisioning. Sidewalks, street lamps, old brick. “Shit!” You yelled out, gasping for breath as your feet began to move without you willing them to. You couldn’t be bothered to apologize for knocking into the others as you dashed to where Heechul’s magic was emanating strongest.

The doorway to his office was shut with a supernatural energy, but somehow, your inner self anticipated it. Without breaking stride, your palm came up and a small glow emanated from it. Light enveloped the door, causing its edges to hum, opening to you silently but swiftly.

“They’re coming.” Your eyes darted around the room, taking in the sights of Heechul’s closest and most trusted. Gulping, feeling like you couldn’t get enough oxygen, you panted, “It’s happening early. The...” A boom against the barred doors down at the end of the hallway sounded throughout the club. “The raid. Claude got- someone to bump up the time frame.” Heechul was by your side in an instant as the rest of the crew flew out of the room, knowing exactly what they needed to do.

Author’s note: mad props to @thesirenandtheking. An amazing sounding board, wonderful aesthetic maker when it comes to setting, and SUJU knowledge!!! Couldn’t do this without you.

#super junior #super junior fic #Super Junior Heechul #Super Junior Heechul fic #heechul fic #suju fic #kpop fic #supernatural kpop

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